Acquiring a Data SIM card in Japan

So I asked on Facebook and it seemed like you guys would like to know how to get data service on mobile (for mobile surfing, Facebook, twitter, Skype etc) in Japan. 
 

 

Day 98 (report from Dayre)

Still feeling the excitement of last Sunday's (This post is a repost from my Dayre account. It is a few weeks late LOL ) photoshoot. 8D

I cosplayed as Lyfa from Sword Art Online along with Kirito; cosplayed by Yuanie! Its so fun to cosplay with friends who share the same fandom, experiences and mind-set. I've really had enough with cosplayers who take my time for granted or are too busy for me.

 

I mean no offence to anyone specific. But I'm a very serious kind of person, in cosplay and out of cosplay. Sometimes too serious for my own good =_= ;; But yeah , I just find working with someone that doesn't look at our cosplay team/pairing as seriously as I do very suffocating and humbling. It makes me feel stupid to be pouring my heart out for something the other party are doing half heartedly. Which is why i only work with people I trust.

 

Its just my overall rant about life, not pertaining only to cosplay. Even though lately I've started to feel that some cosplayers really tend to take things for granted or forget what they promised. Same goes for photographers lol. Or maybe that's just human's nature or slyness and forgetfulness and has nothing to do with cosplay or not.

That said though, I also constantly remind myself not to slip and become those I don't like. Nothing more hypocritical than enforcing an ideal on everyone else but oneself.

 

I'm not talking about anyone specifically but the more I continue in this hobby, the more I feel the need to be discerning about the people I work with. I treat everyone I work (cosplayer or photographer) with as my friend. I may not be the teeny bouncy super attached kind of friend but I really care and respect. However there are times where I feel my definition of " friend" might be sorely different from some others and I find myself tattered and scarred and disappointed at the end.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to draw the picture of a victim here. It takes 2 hands to clap and I often reflect on my own actions and wonder aloud to myself too. But you know what's the best thing about growing up? Its how you grow numb towards hurt and how you learn to take a step back to revaluate the situation objectively instead of shouldering all the hurt and shame.

 

These days I can handle undesirable situations a lot better and I understand what they always say about not worrying for tomorrow as tomorrow can worry for itself. No one has full control over everything. Take life one step at a time and rely on God.

Not sure why i suddenly talked about this. Maybe the frustration and opinions have been accumulating and I decided it should have a conclusive ending. As such, I've decided to be nicer to myself and do things I like instead of trying to swing to someone else's beat.

Autumn Japan Day 5: Meiji Shrine, Akihabara & Monjayakki!

Day 5 of my trip marks the end of my itinerary with CoFesta as a CoFesta Ambassador. That means I'm on my own ! Had to check out by 11 am so I spent a lot of time packing the night before x.x

I was invited to Japan last October as one of CoFesta's overseas Influencer Ambassador due to my continuous work on the Social Media in promoting Japanese related content. I extended my trip for 9 more days and it totalled to 13 days and 12 nights trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Decided to brew myself a cup of Japanese coffee!

Qoo10 Review: TrendFactory mini handbag

Item name: OB041 Korea style candy color shoulder bag mini bag handbag messenger bag cross bag 6 color
Bought from : trendfactory
Price: $18.00 - $3.10 (discount) = $14.90 (final price)
Rating:  4/5

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Just finished watching Captain and ooowwww I'm in such a Marvel mood now haha. Feel so much wants to rush home (actually otw home now) and rewatch the other marvel heroes movie xD.

The movie was both better and not as good as I expected. Let's start with the not so good parts.

 

My first complaint was the lack of colours. Sorry if that sounded like such a kindergarden complaint but I'm really more coming from the cinematographic composition and aesthetic pov. I know I know, the whole feel and setting is meant to be in modern New York so it’s all steel and concrete but I don’t know, everything just looks so dull on the big screen. Maybbbbe because Avengers had such a myriad of colourful superheroes (even Captain’s costume was more colourful there LOL!) , this movie on comparision just looks dull and under saturated.

 

And Scarlet Johansson’s makeup look a little aging =(

 

I think the makeup artist was going for a more natural and matured look but to me, she just looked tired and washed out. Too much bronzer and pale lips. Ok, Scarlet Johansson fans, please don’t get me wrong, I LIKE this girl! When I watched Avengers on the big screen, I COULDN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF HER! She looked so outstanding in The Avengers so I guess I had very high hopes for her to continue her ‘Eye Candy’ reign. Speaking of Eye Candy, I must say this movie had a lot less Bishie Captain moments -_-; Maybe because I was more focused on the storyline and failed to notice or enjoyed Chris Evan’s focus scenes but mannnnn I wish he’d continue being Captain America ! Okay wait, I just did some googling and it seems like the retiring rumours were just overblown media stunts.

 

Okay back to the movie.

 

The storyline was unexpectedly good. I admit, I was expecting a typically straight forward ‘safetheworld’ kind of storyline. And while I did get the ‘safetheworld’ part down, I didn’t foresee most of the plot twists until we got really close to them xD There was multiple plot twists and some unexpectedly humorous scenes where everyone in the theatre laughed. I think that’s the best thing about watching in the cinemas, the sense of belongingness. Even though we don’t know each other, we’re watching and getting affected by the same film, i don’t know, I like the feeling of that. 

 

The whole Black widow x Captain America chemistry was brewing very heavily in this movie but I’m glad the producers never made them make out or something. That would totally spoil both heroes /heroine’s image. They did however made them smooch a little to throw their pursuers off their trail.

 

Like i mentioned above, the movie had a lot of plot twists and nifty usage of weapons and technologies. But they all come and go so fast I missed out on a lot of details. And dang, that light sabre thing is so cool! Would love to watch again!

 

Oh and another complaint, I don’t know about you but I found many scenes looking rather plain. Once again, maybe it’s the colours and textures that’s making me feel this way but I don’t know. There’s NO scene from the movie that really strikes out to me. I just came out from the movie a couples of hours back with supposedly fresh memory but ask me if there’s any particular scene that stands out for me and I’d say none. For music songs, they always try to incorporate some sort of hook in certain parts of a song . It can be a sentence of repetitive lyrics or a simple jingle. Basically, anything that will help listeners to remember and rebroadcast (sing lol) it is considered a ‘hook’. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is unfortunately one of those shows that didn’t have any ‘hooks’ or iconic scenes. Citing the Avenger’s example, one of the most iconic scenes from the movie would be the final gear up/ get ready scene with all the 7 heroes back to back rounded up in a circle while the steady cam went full circle around them. That scene was SO GOOD.

 

But all in all, it’s a very nice feel-good superhero movie and while that’s so atypical, I really wouldn’t want it any other way. People likes and watches superheroes stories because of the fight and more importantly the encouragement a superhuman human gives us.

Budget Japan: Introduction, Flight & JR Pass

I was invited to Japan last October as one of CoFesta's oversea Influencer Ambassador due to my continuous work on the Social Media in promoting Japanese related content. I extended my trip for 9 more days and it totalled to 13 days and 12 nights trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.  I spent a grand total of SGD$2186 on this trip and that includes airfare, JR Pass, accommodations for my extended 9 nights and everything else.

 

 

In these on-going blog post about my Japan Trip, I will attempt to share all my spending and experience with you guys because I believe a trip to Japan doesn't have to break the bank! To start off, let me tell you where most of my money went to. $740 went to a return ticket with JAL airline and $380 went to getting a 7 days JR Pass.

 
Our day tour at NHK Studio Park with the awesome NHK Staffs. Read here

 

FLIGHT:

I screwed up and missed my sponsored flight and ended up buying my own tickets on the morning itself. It was a miserable experience and I implore all of you to make sure you check the closing time for your flight's check-in. If there's anything I learnt from this experience, other than reaching the airport earlier, was to buy a return trip instead of a single trip in such situations.

 

If you have the unfortunate luck of being in the same situation as I was, make sure you ask the staff at the counter for the price quote of BOTH the return and single plane tickets. And you ask me why? That's because surprisingly, return tickets are usually a lot cheaper. The staff at JAL had the wisdom to highlight this to me in my grief (lol) and even wrote the price comparison down on paper to let me make the decision.

Single ticket to Tokyo: $1000+
Return tickets to Tokyo & Back: $740

 

SERIOUSLY, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PURCHASE?!! Even if I had no intention of returning, darn I'd still get the return tickets and skip the return flight back. We're talking about over $300 of savings!

 

If I had bought my tickets earlier, I'm sure I could get a much better deal and slash my spending a further $200 more. So my tip is to plan in advance. And be at the airport early -_-;

 

Japan Rail PASS:

Before I went to Japan, I had planned and arranged my itinerary semi-meticulously. I said semi because I only arranged the rough flow and left the itsy bitsy parts like places-to-visit till I was there. Normally I would prefer a more meticulous plannign but this time I was lazy and decided to go with the flow when I'm in Japan. Afterall, that's the perks of traveling alone isn't it?

 

I bought my JR Pass at the Japan Tourism Board (JTB Pte Ltd, ION Orchard) in Singapore. They are located at at ION Orchard. Full address below.

Japan Tourism Board (JTB Pte Ltd, ION Orchard)

2 Orchard Turn, #B4-29, ION Orchard, Singapore 238801

Tel: 6595-0600

For a full list of authorised agents to purchase JR Pass in Singapore, click here. http://www.jnto.org.sg/japan_rail_pass_singapore.html

Online website to order JR Pass: http://www.jrpass.com/ & http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/

JR maps: http://www.jrpass.com/map & http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/sg/07-Transportation/MediumINdex/04-RegionalJapan.html

 

The JR Pass thingy can be pretty confusing and overwhelming in the beginning so I'll try to explain as clearly as I can. The JR Pass is a special tourist pass that allows you to travel on all trains owned by Japan Railway Company ( train lines that says JR Line LOL). The packages are roughly divided into 2 category ( Green & Standard) and further divided into different duration and price.

 

The JR Pass package is also categorised by directions; directions that the trains you buy can go to. They are categorised into Nationwide, West, East, Hokkaido. Kyushu and All Shikoku Pass For more information about those, click here. I wasn’t able to find any JR Websites that directly talks about the different regional JR Pass so I’m sorry I can’t give more information about that.

 

The Green category are for use with the "Green trains". In short, they are the more expensive and luxurious trains hence the significantly higher cost. The Standard category is well, for ordinary cars and folks like us. I took the standard category because I am oh-so-ordinary. The Duration columns are the slightly tricky part. They come in 7, 14 and 21 days package and the longer days directly reflects in the price tag.

One thing good about this package is that the duration doesn't start until you get it to. Which is awesome for my trip as I intended to spend 6 days in Tokyo and only leave for Kyoto on the 7th day which is the day I'll have my JR Pass activated. After that, I get 7 days on my JR pass which will then last me right up till the day I fly back to Singapore.

 

The validity date is printed onto the JR Pass. This is the actual pass you will use to show the staffs at the train stations, this is your ticket!

 

If you intend to get a JR Pass, planning is CRUCIAL as it affects the overall structure of your itinerary. Getting your JR Pass activated at Japan's train stations requires a whole blog entry by itself so I shall not delve into it now. I believe I bought the Ordinary , Adult, 7-days , National JR Pass for $380. (Japan-rail-pass.com seems to sell it a lot cheaper -__-; )

 

I summarised all the main points below:

1. 1) JR Pass can ONLY be purchased outside of Japan for tourists abroad for sight-seeing, under the entry status of “Temporary Visitor”. If you want to get it, BUY IT BEFORE entering japan.
2. 2) Buy JR Pass only if you intend to cross states(Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka etc) more than once
3. 3) Do not buy JR Pass if you only intend to travel within Tokyo
4. 4) You can ride on all Shinkansen except the fastest 'NOZOMI' train
5. 5) Try to reserve a seat for your shinkansen beforehand at the Ticket exchange counter (the place where you exchange for your JR Pass). It is a lot of hassle and embarrassment if you arrive at the next stop and realise you're sitting on someone else's seat.
6. 6) NEX (Narita Expression, a train that goes from Tokyo striaght to Narita Airport) has power sockets so bring your cables & adaptors ( https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=590378644332796&set=a.291151434255520.62428.139368942767104&type=3&theater)
7. 7) If you are buying the JR Pass physically at a shop, ask the staff tonnes of questions to make sure you are getting the best suited plan. Share your itinerary and intentions with them.
8. 8) Bring your passport along when you intend to use the JR Pass,  sometimes they will check. Especially Shinkansens.

 

More links related to JR Pass:

• http://www.traveljapan.com.au/rail-pass
• http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en004.html#
• http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/
• http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/sg/07-Transportation/MediumINdex/04-RegionalJapan.html
• http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html
• http://www.traveljapan.com.au/files/jr_rail_pass_map.pdf.pdf

 

Hope you guys found this entry useful! I’m so sleepy now zzzz

Review: Evangelist BB Cream + Tokyo Luxey Invite!

Name: Evangelist BB Cream
Bought from: TokyoLuxey
Size: 40g
Price: JPY 3,990 (US$ 41)
My Rating: 3.5/5

 

Introduction

The nice people from Tokyo Luxey invited me to an introductory session last month and generously gave each of us a bag of goodies to try out.  Chie-san enthusiastically raved about this BB cream from beginning to end and apparently, this product is a 2 year Winner for Best BB cream on Cosme (leading Japanese beauty and cosmetics website).  OOohh~ I feel excited already *_*

Okay, on to some product stats!

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

An award winning “3D” BB Cream that combines all-in-one makeup functionality with skin-care from ingredients such as placenta and EGF.

PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITY

Use this BB cream and you will enjoy smooth, natural-looking skin, due to the cream’s splendid “concealing” ability, as well as skin-care benefits that come from its beauty ingredients, such as placenta and EGF. Although this new BB Cream will help you to create 3D make-up effects, it is so light that, soon enough, you will even forget that you are wearing it!

SALES RECORDS / ACHIEVEMENTS

•- Sold 10,000 bottles in four-and-a-half months - from May 15, 2010 until the end of September

•-Sells 2,000 to 3,000 bottles monthly through ecommerce alone

AWARDS / CREDENTIALS

•- No.1 BB Cream for 2 years running on the leading Japanese beauty and cosmetics website, @Cosme

•- No. 1 best selling product in the “Make Up” section of Japan’s leading ecommerce site, Rakuten

•- Best-selling product in two divisions of Amazon’s Health and Beauty section (moisturizer and pore concealer)

•- Featured in 30 magazines

 

 

Drugstore Makeup haul & chunky necklaces!

Walked through AMK Hub just now and found Watsons to have started a bazaar market in basement one's foyer. They're always having some sort of fair or bazaars there but the stuffs on sale this time is different!!

It's a big selection of Drug store makeup you seldom see in Singapore! I'm talking about NYX, Coastal Scents, LA colours, e.l.f and essence! They also had China Glaze and O.P.I stuffs. Check out some of the photos I took of the incredible range of products.

 

Had wanted to buy the 252 Ultimate palette but it was going for like $79.90 ><;;; I reckon I’d try my luck and buy it online

 

 

After what seemed like eternity, I finally bought these 2 product. N.Y.X's Incredible Waterproof Concealer and Soft Matte lip Cream. 

 

 

I feel so amazed with the Lip cream! The texture and swatch was nothing like I've ever tried. The cream is applied with a wand that came attached and the product dries matte on your lips! Amazing! This lip cream was selling for $15.90

A swatch on the back of my hand. All the big swatches are from the Soft Matte lip Creams, all matte!

 

No more on-site photos after this because one of the staff came up to me and told me not to take photographs. She said if I want to see the colour, I should go google it. I can understand how sometimes some companies have to be secretive about their products to give themselves an edge over their competitors and have the element of surprise etc. But having them laid out on such a non-exclusive shop/area + collaborating with the largest drugstore in Singapore makes it seemed a little unnecessary to even try restricting people from taking photographs. Not only that, in our Social Media empowered generation, having a photograph to share an exciting news is usually more benefit for the seller than anything else. But then again, what do I know about running a business right? The 'googling' part of her rebuke was pretty silly though. 

 

So many Youtube gurus say the same thing; concealer is one of those product that you will have more than one (technically all other products also can have more than one lahhhh but different concealers for different skin problem really takes the cake). I've been thinking of getting a new concealer to target my horrendous eyebags. 

 

I tried it on the spot (as with almost evvvvvverything they had there ^////^;; ) and felt so blown away! I randomly tried to cover one of the blue veins  on my wrist and this thing covered it completely! Not only that, I tried rubbing it many times and it didn't budge hehe. My first impression of it (from trying the testers, have yet to try my own stick) was that this product lives up to it's name as an 'incredible waterproof concealer' but it also seemed a tad bit dry so I wouldn't recommend using it to cover the dark eye circles. But because I wanted something to specifically to cover my eyebags (there is a difference xD), this consistency seemed perfect. This concealer was selling for $12.90

 

I found out afterwards that all products were from SMOOCHIESZZ and if you bought it from their warehouse, it will be slightly cheaper. You can find more information about them at their facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/smoochiezzsprees?ref=profile

 

Also bought like, 5 box of Peppero (Korea Pocky with crushed Almonds!) for $4. What a steal and a jolly good way to invite Sore throat xD!

 

Walked out of  the AMK Hub and found Pasar Malam (Night Market)! It was bustling with so much nice products and I found this store that sold very unique and edgy necklaces.

 

 

Check out my T-rex necklace! Rwarrr!!! The skeletons are actually not an entire piece of metal but consists of individual components and so that means the T-rex can move! I think this was $15

 

Bought another necklace for a friend who I think will look pretty in this xD

 

On a totally different note, I finally filmed yet another Cosplay makeup tutorial xD Look this time is Setsuka Heel from SKIP BEAT!  I love all my photo editing photo Apps! The filters make everything look so much better !! Hopefully you guys will like the makeup look & video when it comes out >.< While filming is fun it is also stressful and time consuming. I started filming around 9pm (i think?) and ended at near 12 midnight! A lot of time is used before the shoot to research and get inspiration, a lot of time afterwards to return everything back to their places haha. 

 

 

I had fun portraying Setsuka but due to the nature of the fabric I used, the cuff always manage to make my arm look like this afterwards. It doesn’t hurt at all but I think it’s some form of abrasion while a friend suggest the stress from the cuff busted some of the blood vessels under my skin @_@; Not sure which is true but I sure know these will take me a long time to recover T__T

 

ok, I’m dozing off and i need to sleep now! Good nights!!

Shopping Loots! Monoke Hime & Girly stuffs!

I think my life is so horrendously boring -__-;; I can’t even remember when was the last time I hung out with friends on a weekend. This blog entry will be highly incoherent and full of random photos.

 

On a totally different note, I am currently blogging while watching for the Nth time “Mononoke Hime”. In case you don’t know, Mononoke Hime is a 1997 animated movie by Studio Ghibli. I never had the chance to watch the movie when it first came out, I’ve only watched it like last year. But I’m so in love with the whole production*_*

 

And I really liked the main lead; Ashitaka. The last prince of his tribe who was forced to leave his village after he killed a monster boar and was cursed. Ashitaka is an old fashioned sort of anime guy. Very masculine/boyish looking , full of righteousness , chivalry and very gentle to everyone. I like guys like that ^////^;;; Unfortunately they only exist in the fictitious world u_u;