Rest well Nick Ashford!

On August 22nd Nick Ashford has passed away of complications of throat cancer.
A great Soul; R&B and disco performer, with his greatest years in the 80's with Motown.
Such artists are very hard to find these days.....

A week in Singapore (Part 1)

It has been a long time ago I updated the blog, so after a very busy period I guess it's time for a some news. So I start with a city-trip I made last May.
Destination: Singapore. My interests are the greater metropolis in East- and SouthEast Asia. Last year I've been in Japan (Osaka/Tokyo) and of course Hong Kong. Another city among the Four Asian Tigers I haven't been yet is Singapore.
A republic at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula which has been repelled from the Malay Federation in 1965 after racial riots and other problems. Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister of the newborn Singapore and was governing the state for 3 decades. Singapore became one of the wealthiest nations in the world and is with Hong Kong SAR the most powerful economy in the asian region. It's after New York, London and Hong Kong the 4th leading International Financial Centre in the World.
Back to my trip. On Dutch Queensday I flew with Singapore's flagcarrier Singapore Airlines. As many travellers may know SIA is one of world's leading airlines, so the flight wasn't a punishment at all. Great services onboard, a 35-inch pit, Personal AVOD, Diner menu cards, flight amenities, real metal cutlery and drinking glass for diner.

Once arrived in Singapore I took a cab to the hotel in the district 'Little India'.
By coincidence the cabdriver was a Singaporean habitant with Cantonese roots, so the conversation went smooth and felt like a warm welcome.
As I dropped my luggage at the hotel, I went into the Central Business District by subway which is familiar and of course super-efficient like in HK.
Like Victoria and Nathan were important persons for HK, the British Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles has been the founder and indirectly responsible for the Singapore of nowadays. Today, there a many legacies of Raffles, like several places in the CBD, streets and SIA's First class is named Raffles Class.
A short while ago, the brandnew Marina Bay Sands has been opened. This megastructure is a 3 column Hotel which towers more than 200 m above sea level with a 350 m curved, boatlike skypark across the 3 towers. Very impressive since it stands on reclamated land
In the CBD there are a lot of heritages from the colonial era under Britisch Straits Settlements. The Fullerton Hotel is settled on the corner of Singapore Bay and is a former Post Headoffice.
Today, many luxury sportscars are crowding the parking lane.
At Singapore River are many ancient tradehouses which are nowadays restaurants and cafe's. On the background you'll notice the business district.
Singapore maintains 4 official languages: English, Chinese Mandarin, Malay & Tamil.
Later that day I went to the Esplanades, a twin Dome performing arts centre which has a shape of two Durians, the king of fruits.
Next part: Sentosa Island; Science center and Orchard Ion Sky.

Are you going on vacation during this summer?









Durian shaped Esplanades & 4 languages








Udon noodle soup & Aqueen Lavender Hotel

PG 1/60 ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam 1st & 2nd batch - UPDATE

Today the first batches of the long awaited Gunpla kit PG 1/60 ZGMF-Strike Freedom Gundam has arrived. Along with it, a PG Strike Rouge + Skygrasper kit.

At the time of shooting this picture, several PG kits were already shipped to customers.
This is what's left for now. Of course amongst them, one is kit is mine ;-)

UPDATE:
3rd batch has arrived and this week there are some interesting offers on
Morgenroete Inc. Gunpla store!!
Will you get this PG kit for Christmas?

Two weeks in Japan (conclusion)

After a long period finally the conclusion of the Japan trip. After the arrival in Tokyo metropolis we headed directly to the Tokyo Tower. As usual there was a lot of smog, what resulted in a ghost-city like picture at 250 m height.
On Saturdays allmost every citizen of Tokyo is running and jogging along the Tokyo parks near the residence of the emperror of Japan. It doesn't matter the conditions are hard. With temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius and humidity of 90% people keep on running. We also visited the business district Shinjuku and the 'twin towers' of Tokyo Government Building which are 202 m high.
The next day I spent a day with my niece who was graduating in Japan for Biomedic Technologies and would return to the Netherlands within a few weeks.
She showed me Akihabara, Shinjuku, Meji jungu in the Shibuya district.

As known the Akihabara district is a heaven for otaku. All electronic gadgets, videogames and cosplays are concentrated in this area. Fascinating....
I was also able to get my hands on new SNES carts from the 90's. I love it!!!
The store was called Retro store....catching! All videogames systems from the 80's till now are available!
As you can see: Loads of retro games!
Later that day we spent some time on world's famous crossing point at the Shibuya district.
Two days later we concluded our journey in Japan and returned to The Netherlands with a dayflight with KLM.

The return flight was a little less comfortable due to a lot of turbulence during the flight.

It was a great way to explore the Kansai region and Tokyo metropolis. Somewhere in the future, I would like to take another trip to Japan.

Do you like city-trips?








Parking in Tokyo & Jogging with 37 degrees Celsius!









The original Metal Gear! & Lots of Super Famicoms for a bargain!








The remarkable English skills of the Japanese & Wedding in Meji Jungu








Asakusa district for souvenirs & Shibuya 109 Center Gai at dusk.









Tokyo Narita Airport & Boeing 747-400 PH-BFL City of Lima.







KLM's Economy Comfort class & Halfway around the polar circle.

Nice view!

Two weeks in Japan (part 3)

The next day we went to Nara. Nara was also the capital of Japan in the 8th century. Today it is a small town with approx. over 4000 habitants. But the history remains. This year is the celebration of Nara's 1300 years anniversary.
Throughout Nara there are nearly 'infinite' amount of deers walking around for some sempei (a sort of biscuit) from tourists.
We also have visited the highest building in the Kansai region, the Cosmo WTC tower, which is about 260 m high. We had a nice and clear view over almost the whole Kansai region. Even the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge in Kobe (World's longest suspension bridge) could be seen.
Kobe would be the next place to visit. Though in 1995 been smashed by mother nature due the earthquake, Kobe has been recovered quite fast. Besides a monumentary at the Kobe tower at the port, there is not much left that reminds you of the catastrophe from 15 years ago...incredible. We also took the bus and cross the Akashi bridge to Awaji Island. There is not much to do, but it was quiet and beautiful to see some more nature. Back in Kobe we visited the Kobe Tower which is 108 m high.
A platform at about 90 m turns around in 25 minutes. We enjoyed the view with a good glass of beer.
Another day passes by and we decided to visit the Botanic Gardens nearby the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. It lies in the southern district Minami. We were amazed by the excellent sports-accomodations for public and professionals. The athletic stadium of Nagai has also a soccer-field which surpasses many reknown stadiums in Europe in facilities and condition.

On July 23rd we travelled from Osaka-City to Tokyo Metropolis. Of course, we took the famous Shinkansen, known as the bullet-train, which is a misconcept since the bullet-design dated from the 1960's and is obsolete by now.
The distance between saka and Tokyo is approximately 600 km. We did it in 2h40min. with the Shinkansen Nozumi 700 Series and a rms speed of +250 km/h....amazing.
Unfortunately there was a lot of smog that day. So we weren't able to catch a glimp of mount Fuji between Shizuoka and Kanagawa.
That's it for now. Next time, the conclusion of the Japan trip.







Japanese gardens in Nara & deers








Kimono & view on Osaka Bay








Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge & Kawasaki monument.






Botanic garden & Nagai Stadium








200m run & accomodation Kikue Osaka






Shinkansen N700 Interior