Travels 2014

Travels 2014

So Thankful for all the opportunities to travel last year... Besides the numerous trips to see family in the Philippines , was able to fit in Nagoya, Okinawa. Thailand , Myanmar & Hong Kong.

Loved seeing the snow - in the Nagoya region of Japan - again, having not seen it for a long time; spending Holy Week in the Philippines for the first time - such an emotional experience; Disneyland through Juju's eyes; and being able to add another country, Myanmar/Burma, to the list of countries visited.  Revisiting Okinawa was a lot of Fun, and this time around, a tastier treat as we ate sooooo much!!!   And seeing the awesome Holiday displays in Manila and Bangkok are always a FAVE of mine.  So many first time experiences in 2014 - and I love them all!

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After all these years, I finally got to see Mayon Volcano in my Mom's Province Region of Bicol!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Nagoya, Japan

Hong Kong Disneyland with Juju n GioGio!

Foodies in Okinawa, Japan!!!

Goofing about at Terminal 21

Bangkok, Thailand

Travel Anyway You Can!!!

Rockwell XMas

Manila, Philippines

Awesome fishermen of Myanmar!

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Thanks to my families (The Palmas, The Teruels, The Wus),

and friends along the way, for making it all much more FUN!😚😚😚

Here's hoping 2015 will be just as Good to me!!!😃😃😃

#FlasbackFridays  #Happiness #Travels

OKINAWA Revisited!

With next week just around the corner, am getting more and more excited to the upocoming week long OKINAWA trip with the whole Wu Clan....  it made me look back at photos from my first time there....  Can't believe 3 years have passed already!!!  

Am sure so much has changed....  and with us renting cars to get around, am pretty sure we will get to cover more land and see more of the outskirts....  just hope it will not be as rainy as the first time.

Japan State of Mind

Boy was I in Heaven with this last trip in Japan - where I was the whole week last....  Not my first time in the country of course but was my first in the Nagoya Area and the beautiful little Towns, such as Gero, Shirakawa , Gujo, etc...  Loved it so much that am still in what you might call a "Japan State of Mind!"

I mean, how could I not be...  the sights... the food..  Onsens...  Sakura Blooms...  And SNOW!!!   Just a truly Wonderful and Magical Trip for me!!!  Now back in Taipei...  Gotta Get back into the swing of things and get cracking with work...

UniQlo X Be@rbricks

Another heavenly collaboration in my book!!!  It was just a matter of time for this collaboration, I say...  makes sense...  both popular household n global brands...  both Japanese...  and here they are... Now if I can just get my hands on them...

Shanghai UniQlo were the first to offer them ...  word is that Hong Kong will get them the 20th of this month with Bearbricks to boot!!!  Then Malaysia the month after...  waaaah, what about Taiwan???

Note: Photos are not mine.  Copied from various postings online...

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Just found this posted - an actual flyer of the Premium Program UniQlo Hong Kong is doing... not just two but 9, yes 9 little BBs to collect!!!

OKINAWA DAY 3: Eternal Sunshine, NOT!!!

In all the brochures I have read - it states that Okinawa prides itself as an "Eternal Sunshine City"....   well, I must have brought the rain with me as, since arriving, it has been a bit on the cloudy side...  drizzling on the second day and the third day was full on rain... BOO HOO!!!  Still it did not deter us from going around and enjoying the day.....  started off by buying the 1 day pass...  for 680yen, one can really go from one end of Okinawa to the other - VIA MONORAIL.....  not bad considering it almost costed us that much to take the Monorail from the Airport to the city....  well, we did not know then... hahahahahahaha...

First (QUICK) stop, after breakfast, was the Duty Free Shop....  mainly just to admire their building, and the window displays....  and it did not fail to IMPRESS.....  it was quite nice....   lots of people/tours from China - so am sure they make the big bucks.....

And with the rain letting up a bit, we decided ti was time to head onto Shuri Area and check out the highly recommended Shuri Castle...   As they say, you cannot come to Okinawa without visiting this Castle where centuries and centuries ago - envoys from all over Europe and Asian Kingdoms have visited to pay tribute and have a big-to-do ceremony with the current Emperor.

The grounds are kept well....  and sadly, but in a good way, the actual parts of the Castles are none original....  most have been rebuilt, refurbished, recreated for today's revelers....   and we are told right down to the exact detailing, accents and colors.  Walking through it all, one cannot help but be AMAZED and even, FANTASIZE and WONDER what it would be like to live in such SPLENDOUR!   Aaaaaaaaah....  maybe in  another lifetime.....  :)

After the Castle, we walked a bit more around the grounds...  checked out other parts of the City of Shuri, then headed on to another destination: the Seaside.

Okinawa Day 2

With the weather just the right amount of gloominess, and still no rain, we decided to make a day of it traveling to ocean side town of American Village.,.  to take in the views, the shops, food that reminds one of San Francisco, and dip in the famous Hot Springs/Pool of Chula U Therma Village...        

The ride was almost an hour aay by bus from our Hotel....  ...and ten minutes away from the actual town - one already gets the jist of what the American Village is about...   with the US Base around and shops looking and selling US goods....  including our FAVE that sells US Military goods: clothing, boots, posters, tees, hats, memorabilias, etc....  even McDonals Happy Meal Toys!!!!   DICKIES, brand wear abound and fly jackets in different colors and sizes are MUST HAVES!!!  And around this place, one can just window shop from one shop to the next and never tire.....

Right after the seaside lunch picnic (SUSHI, SASHIMI & fresh baked bread...) we ventured on to Chula U Therma Villa Resort ...   looks good and inviting from the outside... and yes, even more so inside....  The outdoor pools are COED shared, but there are more Private ones where Men and Women are separated - hotter springs, hotter saunas, and private showers.... which I was able to enjoy all of... :) 

But before all that, I had the HORROR - yes, HORROR! - of experiencing the FOOT DOCTOR Water Pool...   this is where you dip you feet in a pool of little fishies who FEASTS on your dead skins...  quite popular  in Japan, CHina and parts of Europe - I, myself, could not get into it....  it just tickled the HELL out of me.....  One is alloted 10 mins each dip - as there is only one pool - but I could not even last 5 mins....  I just kept squirming and giggling with each and every bite the fishes take on me....   so I had to opt out faster thn my alloted time....  All I can say is that, am glad I can FINALLY say I ahve experienced this - but, NEVER AGAIN!!!  hahahahahahaha....

Got back to Kokusai Area after 5PM....   we transfered to our new Hotel, which will be our home for the next two nights....   and took a bit of a break....  later that nite, it was back to Kokusai Street...walking up and down the long shopping Boulevard and taking in more of the flavours of NAHA.....   plus dinner, of course!!!   Retired at almost 11PM.....  another looooong day of sightseeing the next day!!!!

OKINAWA TRIP - Day 1: Early XMas Gift

As promised, come rain or shine, I have to be in Manila and spend XMas with my Mom....  this I will do come the 18th of DEC....  but because of VISA purposes, I needed to get out of Taiwan so as to not overstay.....  David comes to the rescue.... he gave me my early XMas gift: A 3 Day Trip to Okinawa!!!   Am happy as it is a place I have yet to see/visit - though I have been in Japan many times before....  and the flight is under one hour - even closer than flying to Manila....  and as an added bonus it is called an Eternal Summer City....  looking forward to that as it has been cold and rainy in Taipei the last few days....

So early on the 26th of Nov., we took the shuttle bus at 5:30AM to head on to the International Airport.... this time around, Terminal 2... not often for me to fly out of here...  actually, only my 2nd time ever!  Flight was at 8:30 AM and we were in Okinawa by a little past 9AM!!!  Getting to the city was quite easy... thanks to Okinawa's Monorail that runs through the island, really....  checked in the Hotel for the nite - then we were off to explore the city....

First up was running into this little quaint place called BENTO... yes, just freshly cooked and packaged meal as you wait, served in Bento Box for all to enjoy....  inexpensive, fresh and TASTY!!!   Nice first taste of OKINAWA....

... then we walked 15 minutes over and we were on KOKUSAI Street - Naha's main shopping district....   Specialty Shops, Big Department Store (well 2 only really - Mitsukoshi being one of them), Cafes & Restos, Souvenir Shops, all one could ever need and think of - on a Major Tourist/Hang Out District.  

From here, we decided to walk on over to UNIQLO, in the OROKU area.. instead of taking the Monorail - we decided to take a walk so as we can also enjoy some sights of the city... get a feel and taste the flavour of Okinawa streets.....  It was a nice day for it, too....  No Sun - but not too cloudy, still a beautiful Saturday - and walking by the  city's main park and Stadium, it was GREAT to see people enjoying the day...  Locals and Tourists alike just enjoying the day...

Got to UNIQLO in less than an hour....  not a hard walk at all as the city is pretty flat, too....  UNIQLO is on the 2nd floor of the AEON Department Store....   not as big as the ones in Tokyo, or even Taipei for that matter - still it was quite packed with both goods and people....   AMAZING to always see the cool casual clothing in regular Japan Retail - definitely cheaper than in Taiwan....  Enjoyed AEON a few more hours... had some snacks at Mister Donut (Happiness is MISDO campaign with the SNOOPY Gang is too cute to pass up... :)  and then walked back to Kokusai Street to check out dinner choices....

Fresh Sushi & Sashimi plus SOBA noodles for dinner on one of the many restos on the 2nd level of the Heiwadori Market did not disappoint as the dinner choice....  filling...  tasty....  and fresh....  Nice Choice for dinner, indeed.....  walked around a bit more...  and picked up a few things for desserts and late nite snacks and headed back to the Hotel.....

AstroBoy & The World of Tezuka Osamu

Had the pleasure of taking in a TRULY AMAZING EXHIBITION this morning: The World of Tezuka Osamu - world known Japanese Artist/Illustrator, Father & Creator of much loved ANIME/MANGA comics, animation, characters such as Black Jack, Princess Knight, Kimba: The White Lion, PIKOKO, Phoenix, Buddha, and of course, AstroBoy!!! Even if you are not an ANIME DIE HARD - you must have seen or heard of AstroBoy - especially with the recent Hollywood treatment....

In Japan, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Anime"... and is likened to America's Walt Disney - admittedly, an inspiration to Master Tezuka in his formative years. Of special note: The distinctive "large eyes" style of Japanese animation is very much attributed to Mr. Tezuka. It is said that he drew inspirations on cartoons of the time such as Betty Boop, Walt Disney's Bambi and Mickey Mouse.

Born in 1928, he started to draw comics around his second year of elementary school. At an early age, he came to the realization that he could use manga as a means of helping to convince people to care for the world. It was after World War II, that he created his first piece of work (at age 17), Diary of Ma-chan and then Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island), this is attributed as the beginning of the golden age of manga, a craze comparable to American comic books at the time. Hence, Japanese manga artists started referring to him as: "Manga-no-kami sama" (the god of manga). And there was no stopping him ever since....

A succession of COMICS that were translated to Manga Books, then on to Anime Films - and the rest they say is history... and what a legacy he has left for Manga Lovers the world over.... his tales and illustrations are timeless - and like his IDOL,Mr Disney, himself - Mr Tezuka and his works will live on for generations and generations to come....

And again, THANK YOU Juliana for making sure I get to see this EXHIBITION... TRULY MUCH APPRECIATED!!! And was a PLEASURE meeting Frank and Laurie, too - FINALLY!!! :)

COMPLETE EXHIBITION PHOTOS HERE

tokidoki Tees for Japan, too!

The Josh Duhamel's tokidoki Relief Run for Japan I blogged about a few days ago is now over -- but you can still get in on the fun and support our friends in JAPAN by going to tokidoki.it and purchasing the COOL FUN Tees designed XClusively for this relief campaign...

100% of the profits goes to Japan's Relief Fund via RED CROSS International. Available in both Women's and Men's Sizes... Check them out!!!! And here's th SEXY Josh Duhamel, himself, sporting this ultra cook & fun tee...

MOS Bruger SIngapore Supports Japan

To raise funds for the recent Japan disaster, MOS Burger will be selling limited edition t-shirts, specially designed for their "Japan You Can" t-shirts campaign.

Each design will have up to 5,000 pieces available for sale and the first design will be launched this Friday, March 25. The shirts can be purchased at all MOS Burgers in Singapore (Wonder if they will make it to Taiwan?). Am hearing that each t-shirt will go for $10 each and will be available in 5 sizes: from SS for kids, S, M, L and XL.

This is another GREAT RELIEF FUND EFFORTS to help our friends in JAPAN!!!!

JAPAN DISASTER: Doing What We Can

"It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefitting others, one needs to be engaged, involved."

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life."- Dalai Lama

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For a lot of us, we see JAPAN as one of the strongest, most capable countries around... long been the source for some of the BEST, INNOVATIVE, SLEEK, FUTURE FORWARD, etc.. products around... we ADMIRE them for always being Fashion Forward and Stylish.... as well as, for the way the Government seems to have a Better Handle with the well being of its' citizens... and of course, for alot of us VINYL TOY LOVERS - some of our most coveted collections and favorite toys have come from Japan.... Yes, they are these and so much more.... But, as we all know, these does not exclude them from Natural Disasters that leaves so much ANGUISH, LOSS, & DEATHS.... and most of us, around the world, sits around watching CNN and other News Programs - feeling their SORROWS and so HOPELESS...

Last nite, I could not sleep much as after watching 2 full hours of CNN, the IMAGES weighed heavy on me.... it is soooo DISHEARTENING watching everyone try to make sense of what has happened (the Quake & the Tsunami) and the THREAT that is still looming: the Nuclear Plant Saga... I cried watching people try to locate their love ones... seeing them breakdown in front of, what used to be homes of their friends and love ones, now a vacant lot or just plain rubbles... Hard to swallow knowing that the Death Toll has already reached over 3,500 and is expected to climb even higher with soooo many more people missing...

I woke up, with all these still on my mind and decided, I should also do what I can... and what I can is try to help in what I know how - just as I did when ONDOY battered the Philippines a couple of years back.... Besides the different ways you can HELP that I mentioned in the POST BELOW -- Tragedies & Disasters -- we have also started a RELIEF FUND - to be DONATED to a CHARITY (either RED CROSS or we will COORDINATE with a JAPANESE FRIEND to see if there is a LOCAL CHARITY that is TRUSTWORTHY and can get the DONATION faster....)

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So between now and the end of March... we will have a Japan Relief Fund Drive... Percentages of the SALES between these dates will be Calculated and Added to the fund.... they will be as follow:

-25% on all Susie, R&D Fashions, & Angels Sales
-10% from all Others

You Can See the OFFERINGS HERE: http://www.rnddolls.com/ * Only IN STOCK Products are Included * Pre Orders are NOT INCLUDED.
Of Course, STRAIGHT DONATIONS will be ACCEPTED, as well. Pls Email: wtsrudi@yahoo.com

Tragedies & Disasters

Am pretty sure that eveyone by now have heard and seen graphic images from the very recent plight of the Japanese people against an 8.9 magnitude Earthquake, coupled with the devastating TSUNAMI that washed away countless of cars, houses, farming, ships, planes, trees, lives.... and as well as, HOPE.... I for one, can relate - having gone through the '89 Quake that devastated the Bay Area... even shared in the agony of losing friends and acquaintances... then of course, the one that totaled and claimed so many lives in Taiwan back in 2001....

Often, at times like these - many lose their hopes - understandably so as they see & experienced first hand the aftermath of such disasters... losing just about everything is already devastating enough but to lose love ones, family & friends - it makes the pain and suffering even more so....

Believing that we are all in this world together... we are all interconnected.... we are all linked... we all MUST do something to bring back HOPE & LOVE.... and HELP our neighbours REBUILD.... We all, in whatever way we can, however BIG or SMALL, must show our friends in JAPAN that we care, they are loved and thought of....

SO, DO CHECK OUT THE MANY WAYS YOU CAN HELP AND DONATE IN AIDING OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS OF JAPAN - HERE'S A FEW LISTING OF AID RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRUSTWORTHY:
-RED CROSS

-GLOBAL GIVING
-SAVE THE CHILDREN FOUNDATION

-SHELTER BOX

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"There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.'
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster."
— Dalai Lama XIV

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work."
-Mother Teresa

Japan: Kingdom of Kawaiiness

The land of the rising sun is much more known to me as the land of Kawaiiness (Cuteness).... since my very first trip in Tokyo and Kyoto, back in 1998 - japan will always be know to me as a place where one can always feel and stay a child... through the countless of characters developed and produce year after year after year.... from cute to scary; sexy to icky; and everything else in between... such characters have invaded my world as well, as most of my friends' world... No One is safe, young or old; man or woman; rich or poor -- everyone, and I do mean everyone, falls in love with one or two (or if like me, MORE!!!) of these many characters over the years...

Kaohsiung's Dream Mall currently has a retrospective exhibition of such characters titled: "Japan: Kingdom of Characters"... highlighting decades of popular characters from the 1050's through the 2000's... as well as showing has these world of Kawaiiness has invaded the citizen's everyday life - from a child growing up surrounded by cuteness; teenage kids buying into all the cuteness and going as far as decorating their whole room in such Kawaiiness; older women incorporating cuteness to their cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc - after all, isn't it more fun to do chores surrounded by cuteness?; middle aged man escaping the everyday work life by reading MANGA, or collecting Sexy figures as a form of stress release...

All these have also been TRUE in many Asian countries I have visited, lived in... here in Taipei alone, I cannot even tell you how often I see cars, driven by adults, all in full cartoon regalia... not only the outside body painted in various cartoon characters but also inside, all accessories covered in full Kawaiiness... hanging stuff or vinyl toys on cel phones and purses (yes, even LVs and Prada bags are not safe - actually they have since jumped on the bandwagon and have produce oh so EXPENSIVE trinkets!)...

The exhibition, rather small but still was a fun one to see... especially great seeing all the ones I have loved over the years... AstroBoy, Evangelion, Galaxy 999, Pokemon, Cardcaptor Sakura & so many more... Truly brings back so much fun memories of all the Anime I watched growing up and still watches, as well as , Manga comics I used to read to pass the time away.... It (the exhibition) also invigorates to seek more of these Kawaiiness to help escape the humdrumness of everyday life.....

Kirsten Dunst turns Japanese....

in a collaboration Music Video by Takashi Murakami & McG (famed director of Charlie's ANgels & Mission Impossible III)... Kirsten is dressed as a “Akihabara Majokko Princess” -- and she dances, prances, sings all over Tokyo's infamous ELECTRIC CITY, Akihabara. FUN VID and it is GREAT to see KIRSTEN again in something!!!

Snoopy Dons Luxe

Snoopy, Charlie Brown's loveable beagle, turns 60 next year, but that doesn't stop the Japanese in celebrating early with a Special Exhibition at Tokyo Midtown - coinciding with Tokyo's Fashion Week.

International fashion brands Hermes, Chloe, Chanel and Balenciaga all created miniature looks for the beagle and his female companion. G.V.G.V., an edgy brand that shows in Tokyo this week, also designed its own pair of outfits with a distinct rock influence, complete with a guitar and microphone.