EDDIEWONG

I joined with a few girls from my ex-employers to visit Utsunmiya (Tochigi prefecture), a place that is famous for its dumplings, gyoza, and Oya stones (image: that frog is carved from Oya).

The girls basically named this trip, gyoza eating trip: go around to a few famous gyoza restaurants and just try ‘em all and see whos the best. So yeah, I thought it was just an eat-till-you-drop kinda thing. But to my surprise, they had plans to do a bit of sightseeing too which is always great since I do not venture out of Tokyo all that often, if ever.

The journey took us about 1hr 30mins (train ride). Upon arriving, the first thing I noticed was, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of people. Certainly, this place is no big city but nor is it really countryside. Anyway…

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Those who know me are aware that I don’t handle heat so well. Its like, I’m hot all year round! So when the hot and humid Tokyo summer arrives, I literally go through hell which is why I keep a constant stock of ice lollies. What you see here, I get through in 2-3 days. This probably explains why I have stomachpains and diarrhea quite often (at least once a week!).

I think it’s kinda weird. It’s not like I’m fat or anything but I sweat easily and often. Especially when I have a lot on my mind, having to get something done in time, etc. I also have a short and bad tempered too. Maybe I’m just a tense guy… and oh so hot (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)… :lol:. Maybe I should learn to meditate…

Today, I finally got around to do some shopping for my nephews and ended up buying stuff for myself too. That’s precisely why I shouldn’t leave my home - I have to buy something regardless of big or small, useful or not, sigh…

Anyway, the “Lite Slipon” socks for the Nintendo DS Lite I pictured here, were not the only variations available. Today, I also came across 2 more variations: a black and a brown leather-like version. Just like the gold and silver ones, they looked kinda cheap. The natural sock-looking ones were better.

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… in any shop for me to see, darn! All they had were promo flyers with no price point either. I think I will head off to the Nikon showroom in Shinjuku tomorrow and see if it’s there. Anyway, instead, I picked up a good few Nikon D-SLR brochures so I can compare every model. Damn, that Nikon D200 is so nice! And so friggin’ expensive too! I never really realised before but today I spent some time messing with it and I’m totally in love. But the problem is, there are just too many buttons and switches on this thing that I don’t even know what they are for. Doh! Definitely too pro of a cam for someone like me therefore I think the Nikon D80 better suits my needs and my low budget…

Isaack, a long time reader of this site, is in town for a visit and we met up today and went around shopping in Akihabara and Shinjuku for his electronic gadgets. He’s a pretty sincere and friendly guy and can be damn hilarious at times.

Funny thing is, if you’ve ever read his blog, you’d no doubt know that this guy lusts over and buys literally every gadget that comes out. Truth is, he didn’t buy a single thing today despite the seduction from all of the cool looking Japanese gadgets from every electronic store here. Actually, the guy seems a little stingey. Hahahaha…

Unfortunately, he is only here for a day or two so I probably won’t get to see him again during the rest of his stay.

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押忍！闘え！応援団 (Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan) is a unique Nintendo DS game which came out last year in July and is actually a little difficult to find now-a-days. Most DS owners decided to jump on the DS bandwagon because of this game.

This game is kinda like “Simon Says”: you see things appear on the screen and you have to follow using the stylus (tap, draw, etc.), accordingly. With each correct move, you are also contributing a beat to the game’s music. The concept of the game goes like this: you take control of a band of male cheerleaders and your job is to motivate someone to achieve whatever they set out to do.

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Well, right after departing from Adam and the guys, I had to make my way to another English pub in Shinjuku (forgot the name) for Andy’s farewell party (it is also some other guy’s farewell do too - double farewell). Andy is about to head off home to England for further studies in Law after spending the last 6-7 years working here in Tokyo. Man, going back to England after spending all this time in Tokyo is gonna be tough. Especially dealing with the constant grey sky! Anyway, probably the next time we meet again, he’d be Andy the Lawyer… wooooooooooooooo… snob!

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Adam is here from New York to give a speech in Keio University about his new book, Everyware. I was kindly invited to come along by Adam earlier this week and I am so glad I made it.

I met up with the guru at Ebisu station then the two of us headed off in a taxi cuz it was just too hot to take the train and walk. I mean, the last thing Adam would want is to stand in front of an audience with a massive patch of sweat on his shirt, right? Plus, the thunder kicked in and was pouring down with rain!

I felt great sense of wow to be inside the Keio University campus. Afterall, this is one of the 3 most prestigious universities in Japan (the other two being Tokyo University and Waseda University). Rumour has it, unless you’re a graduate from either one of these universities, you will never make it past a certain rank within a major Japanese corporation. I know a good few people who graduated from either Keio or Waseda, but I only know one dude who graduated from Tokyo. And all are doing exceptionally well in the corporate world.

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