English Post...

[potatoos]

...I just have to. Haha, because I don't know enough Japanese to blog my thoughts out fully!

Anyway, just a simple update on the past few days to start my entry...

• Monday: Met up with Xin at Chinatown. Right...I wanted to get my materials for the earrings/hp charms and Xin accompanied me there. In the end, we spent more time eating (chicken rice, green tea shaved ice, 杨枝甘露), koping travel brochures...But we finally found the store and both Xin and I bought tons of materials. ^-^ I also bought postcards to write and send to Michigan when the next school semester starts! Sadly though, Xin and I both thought that the Singapore postcards looked kind of gaudy and of low-quality...><"
• Tuesday: Stayed home and I managed to clean out my cupboards (and to accommodate new clothes that I've bought in HK & GZ)
• Wednesday: Met up with JS at Orchard. Went to ION to buy Provence bread (HAHA! There's one at West Coast Plaza too, and we traveled all the way there to buy it!) Then went to Marina Bay Sands (^-^). The inside wasn't as grand as it should be, and we kind of concluded that the interior decoration is a combination of misfits. Then we walked to Suntec to ask for directions to walk to Bugis and the information counter lady told us, "Walk ah? Too tiring, take bus lah." HAHA, but she helped us navigate anyway! The walk to Bugis definitely helped me down my cup of KOI green milk tea with 1/4 sugar. Then we had a great dinner at Iluma's Chang, which is a Korean BBQ restaurant.


(1) 3 big lanterns in the middle of the hotel... (2) view from the 5th floor

(3) View from 22nd floor I think  (4) 22nd floor? Maybe it was the 35th? ><"

(5) Live in the lobby :)

• Thursday: Met Shiin, K, CL, YZ for karaoke at Chinatown (2nd time at Chinatown in a week). Before that, I met up with Shiin first to have lunch at McDonald's *Double Mcspicy!!!!! \(^-^)/*and we also had the mango shaved ice! Then met up with the rest to sing karaoke. Uwaa~ sang for so long but I feel super shuang. Also, Happy Belated Birthday to YZ! At night, met up with YC and JX at Jurong Point. Had dinner at Long John's Silver, but was too tired so we went home after that.
• Friday: Met E for lunch at Bugis (2nd time at Bugis in a week). Went to MOF; it wasn't too bad and I quite like the taste of salmon belly. It was an enjoyable lunch. Then we went to Queensway Shopping Center, and the drive there was...(>_<)" OK, I'm not a good map reader when it comes to directing cars! In the evening, I met TKY at IKEA to discuss our trip. TKY also gave me i-weekly and a China jpop magazine, all with ARASHI inside (^_^)!!! Then, Kiwii, Baobao, TST, YS joined us for dinner, and we had Swedish meat balls and wings, and more meat balls! (^-^) Then, we went to Anchor Point for dessert (杨枝甘露, kiwi shaved ice, sesame paste) and then to Queensway Shopping Center to look for running shoes. We ended off the night nua-ing at McDonald's. That was enjoyable.

It's quite a hectic week, and I realised that I'm doing repeated things, like going to the same places, eating the same food. Hahaha, but it was an enjoyable week. (^-^). So...I've decided to stay home to nua and pack a bit today instead today, and enjoy a bit of me-time.

Ok, next is...this news article (of course I can't understand it, so I read the translation [credits to 5x10_love, arashiheartie and monicaamamoo]):

「嵐」二宮さんの事故で「全メンバーの運転禁止」

４日午後０時半ごろ、東京都目黒区上目黒１丁目の区道交差点で、人気アイドルグループ「嵐」の

メンバー二宮和也さん（２６）が運転する乗用車 が、自転車の女性（３６）と衝突、女性は左足に軽い打撲傷を負った。二宮さんにけがはなかった。目黒署が取材に明らかにした。同署 は、二宮さんを自動車運転過失傷害容疑で書類送検する方針。

同署によると、二宮さんが徐行しながら直進し、右側から走ってきた自転車の側面にぶつかったという。

二宮さんはスタッフとの打ち合わせに向かう途中だった。ジャニーズ事務所は「被害者には誠意をもって対応したい。本人だけでなく、嵐のメンバー 全員に今年いっぱい、車の運転を禁止した」としている。

- source: asahi.com
 

My take on this? However we look at it, whether it was day or night, or if there was a traffic light (or not), whether the biker was slightly bruised (or not), whether Nino was injured (or not), both Nino and the biker should have been more careful, especially since there's no traffic light. That said, it's undeniable that accidents may happen anytime in that situation. The good thing? No one gets badly injured, and it appears that Nino (or JE) is taking responsibility (i.e. not denying, or hit&run etc...). Ridiculous thing? JE banning all Arashi members from driving till the end of the year. I don't think it will help them drive any more carefully the next time, nor does it really appease/side with the victim...I don't get it (>.<) Please enlighten me if you can.

Lastly, CDjapan just announced the availability for pre-order of Arashi's 9th original album "Boku no Miteiru Fukei" (to be released on 4 Aug 2010) at 0934h (GMT +8). It appears that there will only be the First press limited edition, and then limited edition (no regular edition?!). The CDjapan server crashed till ~1100h.
Here's a tweet from CDjapan (or so claimed):twitter.com/CDJapan/status/15460486922
By 1102h (probably before that), the First press LE are all sold out. Wow. I'm amazed. (O_O)  Since their concert dates for this year have already been announced, I don't want to imagine how crazy the sales of their tickets will be! As usual, it shall stay my jpop-dream to be able to attend their concert some day! (^-^)

Yup, that's from me for now~