What A Wonderful World

♪ I see trees of green, red roses, too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. ♫ 

Can't help but sing Louis Armstrong's song while roaming around Showa Kinen Park. Good thing I ditched my usual routine of staying in front of my laptop for hours and went here instead. Truly worth it. :-)

One of the numerous park entrances. This was the Nishi-Tachikawa entrance, just a few walks from the eki station.

Ticket. Entrance fee costs ¥400 for adults.

Numerous stores are scattered inside the park where snacks, hats, and souvenirs can be bought. This soft cream cone costs ¥250.

Park map. 

Paddle boats can be also rented for ¥700 for 30 minutes. 

This duck really gave me a hard time taking photos of it. Haha.

This is a carp, I think? 

With Mama after our paddle boat ride. 

Showa Kinen Park also has swimming pools inside. Perfect for the sunny Saturday afternoon.

Haha! Sorry for this. I looked like shit. But yeah, I wanted to do this when I saw those cylinder stones. :>

The bridge between the pool area and the Cherry Blossom Lane.

Cherry Blossom Lane without cherry blossoms. :| I should've gone here in April or early May to see cherry blossoms in full bloom.  Next year, maybe.

Crows in the BBQ area.

For those who can't stand roaming around the park by foot, you can ride trains like these inside. :)

The park also has fields for baseball, disc golf, basketball, etc.

I wanted to go to Showa Kinen because of this.

Whoaaaaaa.

Met this cute and sweet dog. Hi. :>

I don't know this little guy but he still smiled when I aimed to take a picture of him. Kawaii desu ne! :>

Playground for kids and kids at heart.

I really wanted to try this. However my shyness won over. Hahaha.

One of the trains roaming around the park.

This is where the Winter Vista Illumination takes place during December. 

Breathtaking, ain't it?

At the park exit-Tachikawa.

Hello brother! He wasn't able to come with us because of his part-time job and he really didn't want to because he had been there several times already. So he just fetched us there after his shift.

I'll definitely go back here and see with my own eyes the Winter Vista Illumination! Looking forward to that!  How's your weekend, btw? Hope it was great! :)

Amateur

Back in high school, an automatic camera and a film roll were enough. I was taught how to operate the camera, correctly put the film in it, point and shoot subjects with stories, write captions and layout newspaper pages. High school photojournalism, it is. I chose joining that category over writing editorials in press cons because I guess, I want my readers not only be spoonfed by my own words but also by their own perspectives as well, hence the role photos portray. 

From automatic film cameras, to digital cameras, to SLRs then DSLRs, oh how everything changes. I wonder if  campus journalists are now allowed to use those high-tech cameras for the photojourn event in press cons. 

Okay, there's no point in reminiscing too much. I just want to share some test shots from my Nikon D3100, which, by the way, is more complicated for an automatic camera-slash-digicam baby like me. 

I hope my shots progress as the days pass by. Might as well study basic photography during my spare time, eh? Oh, plans. Got any tips for me? :-)

The Vagueness I Call Life

I'm twenty turning twenty-one and still in the process of deciphering my own self. Being in this age where you meet your invincible persona face-to-face doesn't help at all; wanting many things only to find out they can't be realized as of the moment for some reason you can't or don't want to understand. Frustrations pile up, blocking your vision of the other side; that side where it is smooth-sailing and calm, where dream is synonymous to reality.

Don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying my twenty year old free self. But at times, I feel like I'm standing on a fine line between maturity and naivety, each side having me pulled on opposite ends at the same time. And if I'm not feeling that way, I  find myself losing interest in things, seeing dullness in everything, and just sitting there, watching my nonchalant life become more nonchalant than ever it was before.

My current self doesn't understand her own self. Maybe the "me" in my multiverses consolidated into the "me" dwelling in this body. 

I hope not.

26 Days Early

My pink Casio Exilim Z400 digicam, a gift from my mother during my debut, gave up on me last semester that's why I borrowed my zunt's Sony Cybershot digicam for academic purposes; taking pictures of specimen and microscopic slides in my laboratory classes. Being a Zoology major requires one to memorize and understand tissues, cells, muscles, and blah blah blah. Having a camera in hand makes my life fuss-free whenever I can't remember which part of the specimen is this, which part is that. 

So when I went here in Tokyo, I brought my Casio digicam, thinking that it can be fixed since it's here where it was bought in the first place. Yes, I really love that cam so much. The thing is, my mother lost the receipt with which the customer service address and number are printed. So, I don't have any idea if it'll be fixed before I get back to the Philippines this coming June.

However, life always has its own way of surprising people. I got mine two days ago, 26 days earlier for my 21st birthday. From digicam to DSLR? Who am I to refuse? :-)

My new baby <3

Thank you, Mama for this early birthday gift. I'll take good care of this, promiiiise! <3 :* :* :*

Annular Solar Eclipse 2012 in Tokyo

A college major-mate and friend who is fond of astronomical shizz messaged me on Facebook weeks ago to inform me of the annular solar eclipse this 20th to 21st of May. Days have passed and I surely forgot about it. But my mother came to the rescue. Still at work (cos she's in night shift), she called the sleeping me a little before seven o'clock in the morning just to remind me of the solar eclipse and take pictures of it. Since our house is on the third floor of the danchi, I just took the shots from our veranda. However, I don't think I got good photos. My amateur photog skills says sorry. :\

Annular solar eclipse, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website, is a type of solar eclipse with which [the] moon's antumbral shadow traverses the Earth (moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun.

According to Moongiant's website, maximum phase is when the Sun appears as a blindingly bright ring surrounding the moon. I just don't know if this is it, or not. Hahaha.

I hope I can witness more eclipses in the years to come, whether it's solar or lunar, partial, total or annular. :)

P.S. I'll keep in mind to put X-ray filters before taking eclipse pictures so it won't end up like those above. HAHA. :))

10 Random Alyssa Facts

1. I am caffeine-dependent. Drinking a cup of coffee marks the start of my day; I usually have one to three cups. Plus glasses of lemon tea or iced tea.

2. I am more of an ice cream person than a chocolate person. Vanillaaaaa.

3. I have this peppermint essential oil and burner set which I use while reviewing for exams because I heard it can help improve concentration and mental clarity.

4. I had a pet rabbit and I named her Cinnamon, all for my love for, well, cinnamon rolls. 

5. I wear eyeglasses because I need to-- 3.25 left eye and 3.50 right eye, plus astigmatism.

6. Back in my violin recital in 2004, I wasn't able to memorize the notes of the last few songs we needed to play so I wrote those on my left palm. *grin*

7. I was awarded as "Best in Pancake Cooking" during our grade school leadership training.

8. I wore a white yukata on my second birthday.

9. My current laptop, digicam, cellphones, flash disk and external hard disk drive are all in hot pink.

10. I am fond of watching Asian dramas.

Random Fact # 8 

It's already 4:14AM here in Tokyo and I still cannot find my way to slumberland, hence, this random facts entry, which I see in almost every blog that I follow both here in Blogspot and in Tumblr. Joining the bandwagon, it is.   Comment down yours, yes? :-)

Mama's Day

Yes, I got to spend mother's day with Mama again after how many years, three or four? And I'm way too happy, really happy that for this year I could greet her in person instead of settling for an edited photo and tagging her afterwards, which by the way, is what I was doing for the past years that we're apart. Teehee.

We had lunch at a cozy underground yakiniku place near Tachikawa Station and then had coffee afterwards at Caffe Veloce.

Hi, Mama! Happy Mother's Day! ♥

I had so much fun grilling meat! Haha! 

They served us organic rice, bean sprouts with cucumbers and nori soup. Yum yum!

I have no pictures at Caffe Veloce, but yeah, it's pretty much the same when I first went there. Their cafe au lait is delicioso (so kahit parang puro oldies andon, gora pa din ako)! <3

And because it's Spring and still chilly, I wore denim shorts over textured stockings in polka dots for the first time. I'm developing a love for textured stockings and tights since Mama brought me three pairs (which I intend to use one of these days). My love for Keds, however, has always been and will always be there. 

Keds CH Jute CVO in Teal, random gray chained sling bag and denim distressed shorts, and  polka dot textured stockings from Claire's .

Here's our gift for Mama. It only costs ¥400, cheap but made with love. Mehehehe! :)) Forgive my crappy water color pencil-ing skills though. :))

A very simple day yet it's one of those days that I'll forever treasure. Happy Mother's day to all the moms in the world!  :-)

So Long Sweet Summer

Two summers ago, I was in dire need of sleeping pills for me to reach slumberland and block my lacrimal glands from functioning. My share of heartaches and stress in the world, it is. I had no source in my reach so I ended up taking my lola's vitamin something something; she said she takes this whenever she can't sleep. This summer, I'm still finding it hard to sleep at night, however, I don't intend taking in anything for that matter. Why? Because I am happy and I not being able to sleep is the product of too much sleep during the day and less stress sources. Now, I clearly understand what they say; we have to learn to let some things go and live without them, and that it is only ourselves who can save us at the brink of despair.

*Posted this in my Tumblr acct. also.

Tokyo Tour: Shibuya

So after our exploration of Zojoji Temple, we walked for a couple of minutes to the train station. While we were, well, walking, this vehicle caught my attention.

And another one..

Those above are Velo Taxis; they function just like the pedicabs we have in the Philippines, just with better facade and a lot pricier. Imagine,  a single ride worth 680 yen (or 340php)? Maybe that's the reason it is called a taxi, eh? 

On a lighter note, I found it quite refreshing walking the streets to the train station. The pavements? Really clean. I chanced upon this pub (or resto?) which makes use of empty beer cases as chairs and table stands. Brilliant. B-)

Japanese folks are really keen followers of traffic rules, I must say.

Getting off the train at Shibuya station, a big crowd welcomed me. And when I say big, I really meant it. If I wasn't holding a part of my brother's bag, I could have been lost in the crowd. Aira, my childhood friend, insisted that we visit Shibuya cos according to her, it's there that I can get to experience the "true Tokyo". True enough, walking along the streets of Shibuya literally made my eyes widen like O.O! Tokyo fashion is everywhere! Gaaaaa! The ladies are all dolled up as if they're going to some major events; truth is, it's their everyday get-up! Heels, stockings, dresses, false eyelashes, name it! Too bad I don't get to take a picture of them. Shibuya is said to be the shopping district and is one of the fashion centers of Japan. No wonder why those ladies looked like life-sized walking dolls. :)

Another thing I liked the most here (just like the rest of Tokyo) is that there is only a designated area with which smokers can light and puff their cigarettes. Aira needs some cigar time so my brother and I went to the nearby Hachiko Square. Remember Hachiko, the loyal dog in a tearjerker true-to-life movie entitled Hachiko: A Dog's Story? The original setting was here, hence a statue was built in his name. And of course, I need to have a picture! :))

A portion of the train was displayed nearby. It's the first ever Yamanote line train and people can go inside, sit and have a feel of it. Black and white pictures of Shibuya's early years were also on display inside. And yes, I  grabbed the chance and went in!

Aira got a call from her friend Shizuka that she would be meeting us at Shibuya shortly. While waiting for her, we roamed in and about the streets. The street on the picture below is called Basketball Street. Why? Read here.

Forever 21's escalator is kinda funny. Find out for yourself. HAHAHAHA. :)) F21's place here is vast. Six floors, if I am not mistaken. It's the biggest Forever 21 in Asia! How cool is thaaaat.

The view from the nth floor of F21.

Aira and I in ridiculously big ribbon headbands at Claire's Accessories. I've eyed some cute accessories in there but my thrifty side won over. I say, good job, dear self. :)

This is the first time I saw a crepe street stall. I'm beginning to think that almost all things in Japan are out in the open, from drinks, coffees, yakitori, ice cream, and cigarettes.

We spent the remaining minutes of waiting for Shizuka in an Italian cafe, Segafredo Caffe. Yes, caffe, double f. I ordered a cup of cappuccino. Sweet coffee art. <3

Goofed at Don Quijote donki, a multi-story discount store which sells practically everything. There is a portion for adult toys and we really laughed hard when a group of teenager boys rummaged in there. This was the funnest part of the trip, I must say! :)) I was able to buy myself a pair of mustard tights, a studded bonnet, and a Minnie Mouse headband. My brother bought handkerchiefs, a necktie and a disco ball. Totally random things. I should have bought even one of these cute head dresses, too. :|

I got ice cream on my heaaaaad! :)) Shizuka's the one at the center. She's half-Japanese, half-Canadian  and can understand and speak English that's why it wasn't that hard to communicate with her. She's actually the first new friend I got since I arrived in Japan.

Heading home, we came across Shibuya Crossing, known for its "scramble crossing" and where large TV screens mounted on buidlings can be seen. It's the busiest crossing there is, I think. The said crossing was also featued in some movies, two of which are Lost in Translation and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

I really will  need to go back here before I leave for the Philippines! :)