Can't get enuff the the beauty of Shibuya!

My wife has taught my dog a new trick...

Yes, I'll be first to admit... Wen Wen (my dog) is no genius. It usually takes a long time to teach him new tricks (and mostly after much perseverance and dog treats). To my surprise, this morning - in the spirit of the 2012 Chinese New Year Festivity, he has finally picked up a new trick. Hand-shake!

Ok... that brings the total number of command he can do to - TWO!

(a) Sit; and (b) Hand-shake!

Oh... well.... maybe that's why they say it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks! In any case, he is still a darling for my wife and I!

Streets of Japan - the well-mannered Japanese

This is a photo I took during a visit to Japan in 2009 - before the Tsunami and the Nuclear disaster. Looking back at the photo... the trip holds so much lovely memory for me! The thing about Japanese is that everyone is really helpful... would go to great lengths to ensure that you are well taken care of & yet at the same time everyone minds their own affairs and do not impose themselves on others.

She is really in character...! Scary!

These Cosplay characters have really liven up the streets of Tokyo! Does anyone know what is the underlying motivation of these folks... dressing up like a Dracula (make-up, blood shot eyes, blood stains etc) in the heat of the afternoon sun and have countless photos taken by curious tourists like myself? Do they get paid for it? 


I know the people taking photos of this lady isn't paying ... me? Like a true Singaporean... took as many photos as I could & then meeky plan my retreat :)

The thing about mental toughness...

One of my favourite time of the year is around the Australian Open season... it's the first grand slam of the year and top tennis players from all around the world gathers in Melbourne and do their battle in Rod Laver Arena.  Pearly and I always try to make it a point to go and watch tennis. This is the first year we bought ground pass and decided to hang around the outer courts instead of going for centre court matches. 

Match after match, the one thing that impresses me is how players deal with defeat and disappointment - mental toughness. Obviously, some do it well - others do not. But one thing about the winners is that they all do it one point at a time. If you keep winning points, you'll win. The moment you take your eyes off the next point and look at the overall scoreboard or focus on closing off the match - YOU LOSE! 

Perhaps such is life, sometimes there are disappointments... sometimes defeats... sometimes unappreciated... unrecognised. But I think the key is to keep you eyes on that next point, hang in there - win it. Don't give up, don't lose sight. The win is just around the corner!

Streets of Detroit...

This photo was taken along Woodward Ave, Detroit... we took the People-Mover from Renaissance Center with the purpose of discovering Detroit. After about 4-5 stops we alighted and the first thought that came to mind was how quiet the city of Detroit is during weekday. Perhaps it is because we were there during the holiday seasons. Woodward Ave is one of the key street in the city... you can tell from the photo that there is hardly anyone on the street.