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A walk through the "Venice" of Shanghai: 朱家角 (Zhujiajiao)

Some photos I took when I was in Shanghai. Click the slideshow below to see the rest.

If you cannot see the slideshow, use this link: http://mrbrwn.co/w63nqD

Shanghai for the first time

I've been in Shanghai for a few days now. Besides the cold weather (2-7°C), all I can remember is this little shop selling 红烧羊肉阳春面 or braised mutton noodles. It tasted awesome and in cold weather, even better.

I made the mistake of not having long johns or thermal innerwear with me but after freezing my nuts off the first night here, I bought some UNIQLO Heat Tech innerwear and an Ultra Light Premium Down jacket there (it's cheaper than Singapore's store, I think). 

Being warm and toasty is an important goal for me. I used to be able to take the cold weather but I suppose I am older now.

Besides work, we spent some time doing some shopping. Guys suck at bargaining so it was a good thing I had my cousin's fiancé helping us at Hancity Fashion and Accessories Plaza. 

Hancity is nicknamed Taobao City, the online eBay of China. You can find all manner of pirated goods here, from Dr Dre Beats headphones (which probably sound like Dr Tay headphones) to "Oakley" sunglasses. I also saw Angry Birds merch, which I suspected was fake because the t-shirt said "Just One Hore Level".

We even spotted a laser that can hit a building 6km away and light a match (probably illegal in Singapore because you can blind Cyclops with it), and some night-vision scopes for rifles.

I got a little remote-controlled helicopter. I could not resist, it was only RMB140. That was after some aggressive bargaining by our lady companion.

Traffic here is madness. Electric bicycles everywhere (worse than Singapore) and cars that take the red light as merely as suggestion. You must cross the roads with your wits about you. 

I did like the electric "bicycles" that were done up to look like Vespa scooters. Those look like fun to ride. Too bad you can't buy those back to Singapore.

In the mornings, I'd wake up after a late night of watching matchmaking tv shows ("1 Dude Chooses from 100 Girls" and "Divorcee Looks for New Love" ) and look out the window, admiring the misty skies of Shanghai in winter.

Then someone told me it was not mist, it was smog.

Oh.

From Arizona to Nevada

I have learned a few things from my travels, especially to places colder and drier than Singapore. One: drink lots of water. It is easy to feel like you don't need to drink when you are in cooler climes. But after a few days of coming close to a throat infection, I started drinking lots of water. We had a six-pack of mineral water in our car which we drank liberally from.

Secondly, I learned to use body lotion and moisturizer. I have never been big on creams and stuff, being the manly man I was. But even a manly man will start using creams when the cold and dry air makes his legs itch and his face dry.

I applied my Aloe Soothing day cream on my face every morning before I set off and my Aloe Soothing night cream at night when I went to bed. I also used my sunblock a lot. And the fancy schmancy French body lotion I took from the fancy schmancy Beverly Hills hotel I stayed in for the first few nights. Eh, from Provence one leh, the body lotion.

Yes, I am very Auntie. If I see nice branded mini-bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion in my hotel room, I will take them with me.

Our time at the Grand Canyon in Arizona was very pleasant. We set off in the early morning to the Visitor Center so we could do a little hiking and filming. We expected to pay the US$25 fee per vehicle to get in but the Park Ranger said it was a free day. Yay for us. That meant we could use that money for lunch and even dinner later.

The Grand Canyon is as majestic as I remembered. I went there as a teenager, and it was nice to see it again. It has not changed much. You know how these grand canyons are: no mobile phone signals, spotty internet, and no rides or casinos. They really should look at modernizing the Grand Canyon like we do in Singapore. Look at how we liberally destroy our historical sites like Bukit Brown because we need a wider road! Such is progress!

I am kidding, of course.

We spent about two hours walking the "safe" trail. I have been to Finland three times, twice in winter, but I still get fascinated with snow. Living in an island state that is sunny all year round makes one look at snow like it's some magic thing. I wouldn't want to STAY in a cold snowy place, but just visit long enough to play with it and maybe ski on it, would be nice.

I could not resist sitting on this ancient rock: an Elves Chasm gneiss, the oldest rock found in the Grand Canyon.

Now I can say I have touched a rock that is 1840 million years old.

I only wish I had time to take the Grand Canyon train. I am such a sucker for trains.

After we left the Grand Canyon, we made our way back to the freeway for Las Vegas, Nevada. This is my second time going there this year, the first being in January for CES. I assure you I have no gambling business there.

Along the way, we decided to swing by Hoover Dam, in particular Lake Mead. It was a kind of last minute thing, the kind of decision you make when you are doing self-drive: "Hey look, the sign says Hoover Dam, we should just exit here!"

One of the perks of driving yourselves, I guess.

Lake Mead is lovely. I was hoping we'd see Megatron arise from its waters, bearing the All-Spark, but no luck.

By the time we reached Las Vegas, it was nightfall. Actually it was only 6pm but the sky was already dark. No matter. Las Vegas is a city that wakes up at night anyway. I heard Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had a bout in Vegas. Not that I can afford to buy tickets for the match. And the cheapo motel I stayed in had no HBO anyways.

I have to say Vegas is a lot quieter than I remember. CES was a zoo, but there was no major convention going on this time. There were less people on the streets, buildings uncompleted and just less buzz. The Telegraph reported on this downturn recently. Nevada led the US in foreclosures and unemployment is high here.

I looked at the empty plot of land next to Circus Circus, and wondered, where are the hotels that used to stand here? Imploded, it seems. Kaboom. Like the economy.

And the odd thing? Singapore is poised to overtake Las Vegas in gambling revenue in 2012. Not sure if we are supposed to be proud of that or not.

From LA to Arizona

Ryan and I are enjoying our time on the road. The Volvo S80 we received from Hertz was the "smallest" car the Hertz at Beverly Hills had (we wanted a midsized one) and the rest they had were huge SUVs which we didn't fancy, so we took the S80. It was a good choice. The car is powerful enough to drive on the freeways and we felt safe in it.

We thought of flying but in the end, we decided it'd be cheaper, more fun, and more convenient to self-drive. It also gave us the flexibility to go wherever we wanted. In fact, we did not plan much for this trip. We just went with the flow and wherever we fancied. And with the very well-connected freeways in the US, we pretty much got around very easily (pro tip: the Hertz NeverLost GPS supplemented with an iPad and Google Maps is almost foolproof).

We visited Ivan and Becca at their El Mirage home near Phoenix and then it was off to the Sedona to see the Red Rocks State Park. The drive from LA to Phoenix was about 6 hours, and drive to Red Rocks was about 3 hours. Some of the exits looked a little worrying: "Bloody Basin"?

When we got to Sedona, we understood why Ivan and Becca recommended us to see the Red Rocks. It was a lovely state park and we did a little trail hiking. I will let the photos do the talking.

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon and this drive took us past towns like Flagstaff and the famous Route 66. By the time we reached our hotel at the Grand Canyon, we decided to chill and rest. Our room at the Holiday Inn Express was a little old but roomy and comfortable. My only complaint was the abysmally slow internet connection. We had to go to the Wendy's next door for decent wifi speeds and also grabbed some dinner.

Our phones are dead at the moment. There is no signal at all here. But our biggest challenge was the cold. We brought clothes meant for the 10°C to 22°C climate of California and didn't really expect to be facing -7°C to 2°C temperatures here at the Grand Canyon. We were "going with the flow" and this side trip was unplanned, haha!

Needless to say, we did not spend much time outdoors in the cold night air and ran to our car. How cold was it? Let's just say my nipples took a while to recover from the cold.

I love long drives in the USA

Ryan and I left LA after a few days there and we're driving our rental car (a nice Volvo S80, courtesy of Hertz) to Arizona.

Our six-and-a-half hour drive took us through these "windmills" on the i-10 and after we crossed into Arizona, through miles and miles of desert.

It's a little strange for a city boy like me to be in the midst of so much wide open space. It will take some getting used to.

Now THIS kind of Arizona sunset, I can certainly get used to.

Beverly Bukit Brown 90210

I am in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, to be exact. So if any of you peeps are in the vicinity of LA, let's do lunch (I am told that's what you say in Hollywood).

*hugs* and *muahs*

The Feeling is First Class, Changi

My videographer Ryan and I were involved in a very special project for Changi Airport recently. For two full days, we staked out at Changi with a photography team to find out what passengers felt about Changi.

It proved to be quite an eye-opener. People really loved our airport and said so. These were real passengers, using the airport either to go somewhere else or to come to Singapore, and despite some of them getting off some really long flights and being tired, they were happy to sing Changi's praises.

We spoke (kinda ambushed, almost) to them at various places at Changi. The Departure Hall, the Arrival Hall, the baggage belts, and also the special spots like the Butterfly Garden and Koi Ponds. We also covered the shopping areas for all the terminals and the Slide@T3 (which I tried and it did turn come out very glamorously for me).

Here are some of the photos we took of the passengers we spoke to. They will be featured in a series of ads for Changi. That they are real fans of Changi makes it more special.

Kenneth Collins from the UK said, "I've never experienced such kindness and such help."

"Before I know it, I am through the gates and picking up my daughter!" said James Lyons of Ireland.

Christopher Meecham from the UK said, "I like the way it always seems to reinvent itself."

Real people, real stories, real praises for an airport which I am personally very proud and fond of.

It was a most tiring video shoot for us but boy, was it fun and gratifying.

You can vote Changi Airport for The World's Best Airport at Skytrax. Go and vote, ok? I want us to win this year again.

CNNGo column: A wintry postcard from Atlanta

Photo by Jonathan Y

Latest CNNGo.com "Say What? with mrbrown" column: A wintry postcard from Atlanta

Excerpt:

I am in Atlanta right now and it is freaking cold. I am talking high of 2 degrees Celsius and low of -2.

When I first looked at my weather app to see what the temperatures were going to be in Atlanta before embarking on my 25-hour flight here from Singapore, I saw 22 and thought, that doesn't seem so bad.

It's almost Singapore air-conditioned office temperatures. But now that I am shivering in my long johns, I now know that was in Fahrenheit.

I packed as many winter clothes as I could. Long johns, two sweaters, very thick gloves, a thick jacket, a wind breaker and a wooly hat. Being a dweller of the Equator, I knew that I was not equipped to handle cold climes.

My only concern was that my wooly hat, which I picked up in New Zealand, said "All Blacks" and I was getting odd looks from some African-Americans in Atlanta. I guess they don't play rugby here. (cont'd)

CES 2011: Day 1

A little video of the first day at CES.

CES 2011: 4th Mashable Awards

My mates convinced me that it was worth it to fork out US$150 for a VIP pass to the 4th Mashable Awards. I couldn't get the VIP passes because it was sold out but really, the US$50 General Admission ticket was good enough. I got a free beer and some popcorn, and I was seated 3 rows from the stage in Zumanity, a Cirque du Soleil cabaret-style theater, at the New York New York hotel.

I am not terribly fond of award shows but at least this one didn't drag much. Comedian Baratunde Thurston was the host and he was fairly funny. I recognised some of the nominees and was glad Angry Birds and Antoine Dodson a.k.a. the Bed Intruder dude, won. DJs Eclectic Method were also very good.

But the highlight of the evening, besides making some new friends, was the performance by the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity team. The Mashable publicity mentioned "performances" but there was only one. But it was very very good. I shall leave the photos to speak for themselves.

CES 2011: Day 1

We survived Day 1 of CES. The key to this is: wear good walking shoes, hydrate, and don't eat too much during the lunch buffet (pro tip: the more you eat, the more you are going to dump and that just slows you down).

I am not even halfway through the halls. I did see some really cool stuff. These LG monitors were so thin, people kept looking at them from the side to see how thin.

It was also reassuring to know that in America, their tech shows also deploy their share of booth babes.

I also spent a fair bit of time in 3D. Everyone seemed to be offering a 3D something or other. I picked up a pair of 3D glasses from these nice LG ladies and watched all their 3D stuff on different screens.

Hang on, that sounded very wrong. I mean "watched all of LG's 3D stuff on different screens".

I liked the demo in the room with the 180-inch full HD projector screen. Although I am not sure I was cut out for playing the racing game with 3 screens in 3D. I can play an FPS or driving game and I can watch a movie in 3D, but I am not sure my brain can handle doing both: FPS + 3D.

This steaming cabinet fascinated me. When the gentleman opened the door, there were jackets shaking inside and steam coming out. I also saw a fridge that can tweet.

By mid-afternoon, my feet were starting to feel like these booth ladies: tired and aching. Good thing I have all that training running around the San Diego Comic-Con.

I knocked out that night, again with the TV on, and missed the movie National Treasure showing on the USA cable channel. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

CES 2011: LG Mobile Tech Night and then it's CES in this morning!

Today is the day CES booths are open and it is going to be a lot of walking to do. I am grabbing some breakfast first. No buffet for me, just some coffee and a bagel maybe. I am still recovering from the LG Mobile Tech Night at the Tao nightclub in the Venetian Hotel. That's me, Travis (@teedubya), and Arnold (@mr_gadget), and Jean from LG in the picture. @mr_gadget is such a snappy dresser haha!

I think I look like one of those dudes standing along the street giving out flyers with pictures of "Amber" and "Moniqik" on it. I really need to update my Las Vegas wardrobe.

We had a chance to play with the Optimus 2X and Optimus Black. They even hooked up the 2X to some big screen tvs and folks could race.

I think I spent more time playing with the phones than drinking. Just as well, I don't want to start the morning with a hangover.

CES 2011: LG shows off some Smart Stuff at their CES 2011 press conference

It was a packed hall for the LG press conference at CES. Traditionally, they always get the first slot, hence the 8am timing. I dragged myself out of bed at 6am to be on time but even then, I only had space to stand. Chopeing seats is not only a Singaporean phenomenon, I discovered. Journalists from other countries do it too. It didn't matter much though, I was standing at a good spot near the front.

In 45 minutes, LG presented a slew of products from TVs to fridges to mobile devices but there were a few products that people in the room were obviously more interested in.

The LG Smart TVs with access to content providers like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu Plus and Youtube look intriguing. With a built-in menu to access premium content, and even a bunch of LG apps for the TV (I know right? Apps for a TV?), and a Magic Motion remote control for easy access to the UI, these televisions should prove very attractive. I am particularly interested in how seamless the integration will be with the content providers.

The mobile televisions were also very exciting, especially the Auto-stereoscopic 3D Mobile TV, or in layman's terms, the No-Need-Glasses-for-3D Mobile TV. I recommend LG to find a better term than Auto-stereoscopic 3D because it is quite a mouthful. Heheh.

Everyone wanted to see that up close and I found myself surrounded by a wall of journalists and bloggers after I took this shot of the device up close. It was showing a 3D clip of the Yogi Bear movie.

LG seems to be pushing 3D in many areas this year. It will be interesting to see if consumers will really buy into 3D for their television, home theatre and Blu-ray needs this year.

And of course, everyone wanted to see the mobile phones. They showed the Optimus Black, a very slim (9.2mm thick only) smartphone with a NOVA display, said to produce a bright screen (700 nits, for those who like these numbers) with less power than an AMOLED display. It is also upgradeable to the Android 2.3 a.k.a Gingerbread.

But the real star mobile device at the LG press conference was the LG Optimus 2X or when it was leaked, the LG Star.

The Optimus 2X sports a dual-core processor that makes stuff like browsing faster. See the iPhone 4 vs Optimus 2X leaked video comparison below (via phonearena):

It can also do full HD playback (yes, 1080p) and comes with HDMI mirroring. That means the 2X can be hooked up to a big screen TV and play full HD! Check out this leaked video comparison of the HDMI mirroring:

If you want to find out more, go check out the LG Mobile facebook page at www.facebook.com/LGMobileHQ. You can also visit their press site at www.lgnewsroom.com.

Las Vegas and CES 2011, here I come!

On the invite of LG Electronics, I am heading to Las Vegas for the world's biggest consumer electronics show, CES.

Together with mr gadget (@mr_gadget) of Australia and Travis Wright (@teedubya) of the US, I will spend the week covering the launch of LG's products and all the goings-on at CES, so do keep an eye on the blog and twitter.

Now to get back on my plane in Narita for the next leg of my long flight. See you Stateside.

Atlanta: Fish, Art and CNN

Another of Atlanta's big attractions is the Georgia Aquarium. It is located right next to The World of Coca-Cola (I guess they like to park all their attractions in one spot) and is the biggest aquarium in the world.

My favorite were the penguins. There is a crawl space where you can crawl into a small tunnel under the penguin display so that you can pop your head up a window and see them up close. My old man bones are still recovering from crawling in there with other people's kids.

If you really want to, you can also pop over to the CNN headquarters for their studio tour. It is US$15 for the regular tour and US$35 for the VIP tour. It was a little overpriced for that one hour tour, I felt but still, interesting to see the inside of one of the biggest news channels in the world.

There is some decent shopping to be had at the Lenox mall, their biggest mall there. You can also check out the Premium Factory Outlets some 45 minutes away by car.

What is REALLY worth a trip though, is the High Museum of Art. Jonathan and I went to see the Salvotore Dali exhibition there and it was awesome ("awesome" is a term you should use for everything in day-to-day conversations in America. The other word is "absolutely"). For US$18 entry to the museum and US$5 for the audio tour gear for the Dali show, you get a lovely way to spend the afternoon if you are a museum and art gallery geek like me.

Besides Dali, we also got to see the photographs of Peter Sekaer, one of the leading Depression-era photographers. The museum recently acquired more than seventy rare vintage prints of his and this was the first time they were exhibited. It was a real treat for Jonathan and me.

The other thing I thoroughly enjoyed was the ice hockey game. We went to watch the Atlanta Thrashers compete against the Boston Bruins at the Philips Arena. For a ice hockey newbie like me, it was still very enjoyable. I was using hokkien and soccer terms throughout the game and I am sure the American fans next to me were wondering what I was saying.

They certainly know how to put on a show in the US. There were hot ladies who came out to clean the ice in the breaks between periods. There were also silly contests and the kiss cam (when the camera points at a couple, they are supposed to kiss for the stadium screens). No moment was allowed to be boring.

The Thrashers won on a penalty shootout when the game drew 2-2 even after overtime. Sure they may not be a top-tiered team in the NHL but the game was still very fun for me.

We finished the evening with some jazz at The Whisper Room, part of the Churchill Room next to the Fox Theater. Man, was the band good. I wanted to stay all night just to hear their entire set but it was a long day out and we were bushed.

SIA Air Steward: you can't charge your iPhone on our USB port

On the Hong Kong-to-Singapore leg of my SQ1 flight from San Francisco, a B777 aircraft, an air steward noticed my iPhone connected to the in-seat USB port.

He then told me I couldn't charge my iPhone this way. It seems it's not a question of not enough juice in that port but because the USB port does not have a circuit breaker and will keep charging even when the battery is full. Apparently it may overload the circuits or something.

I even offered to disconnect my iPhone when it was full but he wouldn't have any of it. So
I disconnected my iPhone from the USB port.

This is new to me. I have seen many people use it, myself included, without being told off.

It seems strange to me that you would design a plane with a USB port that cannot do what normal USB ports on computers do.

Anyways, I just switched to charging via the in-seat power socket (good thing I had my iPhone charger head with me).

So these SQ USB ports, are they only good for flash drives? Strangely, their Krisworld magazine touts connecting your iPhone to the Krisworld system to access your own movies and music via the in-seat screen and the connection method? The USB port.

They did have an asterisk on the iPhone bit that stated "On Selected Aircraft Only". So maybe my B777 was not one of the "Selected Aircraft".

Maybe Singapore Airlines can go to Sim Lim Square and pick up new USB ports for these planes. I heard got offer.

Atlanta: The World of Coca-Cola

One of the main reasons we were here was to see the World of Coca-Cola, the Coca-Cola HQ, and to welcome the three travelers from Expedition 206. The three, Tony, Kelly and Antonio, were part of a campaign by Coke where they had to travel to 206 countries in 365 days, to find out what Happiness meant to people around the world. It's more than a soft drink, folks, it's happiness in a bottle.

The World of Coca-Cola is easily the biggest attraction in Atlanta. You get to see all the history of Coke, all kinds of Coke memorabilia and a mini bottling plant.

There were the usual things an American attraction has: Photo ops with the Coke polar bear, a 4-D show, but the most fun part was tasting drinks made by the company for their markets all over the world. The most "famous" drink is Beverly from Italy. It is an, er, acquired taste. It was fun to see folks place their cup at the Beverly fountain and take a sip, then wince.

We got a little carried away in the Coke Store. I think it is one of the few soft drink brands you'd buy souvenirs and wear t-shirts with its logo on it. I got a cool Japanese Coke cap and some special edition bottles for my dad, a lifelong Coke drinker.

The highlight of our visit was the a visit to the Coca-Cola HQ and the Archives. We got to see the restored office of their most famous CEO, the late Robert Woodruff and the offices of their HQ.

In the Archives, Ted Ryan, who manages the Archives showed us his extensive collection. Ted also blogs at Coca-Cola Conversations, their official blog.

Let me just say that the Archives had EVERYTHING. Coke art dating back to the 1930s, old Fanta bottles I grew up with (anyone remember the Green Fanta drink in the ribbed bottles?) and even a special drink fountain and can of Coca-cola that went to space in the space shuttles.

There was a small media circus when the Expedition 206 team officially made their arrival to the final destination of their year-long trip, The World of Coca-Cola itself. I had the opportunity to catch up with Tony, Kelly and Antonio over dinner and Tony regaled us with his tales of their travels.

Tony, I hope you've recovered from jumping into the cold waters of that waterfall and the sometimes dodgy plane rides on domestic airlines that shall not be named, dude.

They also remembered the warm hospitality of the polytechnic students when they stopped over in Singapore.

To travel to more countries in one year than most people have been to in a lifetime, that is really something. I am not sure if I would have the same kind of energy as these three young people.

Atlanta: Touchdown

It took more than 25 hours to get to Atlanta from Singapore. I was traveling with Tiffany from Coca-Cola and Jonathan, a photojournalist, for this trip to Coca-Cola's HQ.

We were fortunate because we came via San Francisco instead of New York because the East Coast was totally snowed-in and all you saw on the news was how badly snowed-in things were there.

Flights were canceled, roads closed and public transport suspended in New Jersey and New York. On the plane, I watched the Delta airlines NBC channel news and got a little worried about Atlanta.

But we landed safely and without incident. The only big deal was walking out into the 0°C temperatures for the first time then running back into the airport to get my heavier sweater out of the luggage.

It was early morning when we landed so after a shower and some breakfast, we decided to visit Martin Luther King, Jr's birthplace. It was a little surreal because when we took the subway to the station nearest to Auburn Avenue, there was hardly anyone around. I am not sure if it is the winter, or the Christmas holidays, or because the place is generally not visited during this season but the streets were quite deserted.

It is rather humbling to be in the place where Mr King was born and where his memorial park is. It was like being transported into history.

The rest of downtown Atlanta itself was a little underwhelming. I expected to see a visible downtown but it had more of a spread out city centre.

We decided to grab lunch at Johnny Rocket's, famous for their huge burgers. Our meal was so big, we ate that and did not have dinner. In fact, all three of us slept through dinner, jet-lagged from our long flight and the 13-hour time difference. Good thing the hotel we were staying at, the Georgian Terrace, was nice and cozy. I had a one-bedroom suite all to myself, with two big-screen televisions, one in the living room and one in the bedroom.

So that you can watch half your program in the living room then, for a change of pace, watch the other half in the bedroom, I guess. I am not complaining.

On the plane again

On my way to Atlanta via San Francisco on SQ, so soon after my Melbourne trip with the wife on Jetstar's inaugural long haul SIN-MEL flight (will post more on Melbourne soon).

I feel like I am living on planes.

Times like these, I appreciate a little leg room and scored the first row of the SQ2 flight.

Will tell you more stories and share more photos when I get to the US. Watch my twitter too.

Tokyo Day 11: Asakusa, Ginza and Shibuya

We went on a whirlwind personal tour of some of the key districts in Tokyo, beginning with Asakusa. Getting off the Asakusa station, we walked through the rather touristy Nakamise shopping street.

You can buy all kinds of snacks and souvenirs here in this street that felt like a day time pasar malam.

For some reason, everyone likes to look under the giant lantern at the gates to the shopping street.

At the end of the street is Sensō-ji temple. Here folks wash their hands and mouth before entering to seek blessings.

Behind the temple, old looking shops line the street. There was even outdoor seating and for the first time, I saw something that looked like kopitiams in Singapore. The prices though were more like beer garden prices.

We hopped onto the train again and it was Ginza next. I wanted to show the wife the fancy shops and the famous buildings there. The wife spent quite a bit of time in the Uniqlo store. It had a lot of variety though much of the clothing was for the coming autumn and winter seasons.

It was soon night time (and by that I mean around 6pm as the sun sets earlier these days) and we decided to check out bits of Shibuya that we did not see the last time, like Shibuya 109. We felt very old and unfashionable walking in that mall.

After walking about, we decided to go back to the Tenya tendon and tempura fast food joint at the Tokyo Metro Shibuya station, where we enjoyed their cheap and good tendon so much. In fact, all in, we visited Tenya three times for dinner. The girl who served us was from China and she was chatty and helpful when she found out we spoke Mandarin. That helped with the food ordering a lot.

The wife was most patient as I took my photos, especially the crazy traffic junction at Shibuya. I used up all my film I carried along. Good thing Yodobashi camera has a section that sells all manner of film there. The chillers filled with rolls of film are so inspiring to a film buff like me. I would have bought all kinds to try if I had money.