Day 2: Halloween at Universal Studios Japan

Should've made sure before going to theme parks, you advised your parents to have a full physical or else you'll be spending the whole time being worried if your father will faint away from the bright lights of Spiderman 3D or get a heart attack in the middle of Space Fantasy.

Buuut I never did think things through sooo with our express passes on top of day passes (I wasn't able to figure out how the birthday discount can be applied huhuhu) here's us on Halloween! Buwis buhay na bakasyon but they loved it - well at least my mother did! Score! :) #YOLO

USJ Beybeeeeehh!

And what a grand day it was! Even if USJ on a weekend may seem stupid to most, and on a Halloween weekend at that, it saved me from buyer's remorse re: express passes which turned out to be a major major lifesaver. We got to ride everything without waiting (except for the Jurassic Park The Ride where we were in queue for 3 hours!) and access to the Wizarding World of course!

E-Tip: If you're going to ride the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, make sure you have extra coins to rent lockers if you have your belongings, even if it's a small body bag or your purse as you can't bring them with you.

We woke up around 8 and took the train to USJ from Namba using our 3 day Kansai Pass. However, since the Kansai pass exclude access to USJ, we had to pay extra from Nishikujo. The whole train pass/access thing was difficult to grasp at first but we got the hang of it by day 2.

Fathership's favorite photo-op and ride! Hopefully he never had to battle with great whites IRL when he's out at sea

at least nobody get to do this on the ride HEHEHEHE

Hi classmates! :P

So much fun! Fantastic way to de-stress the parentals out - and a baby brother who's obsessing over his 2nd year med exams.

We'll be back USJ and I'm bringing reinforcements! See y'all soon!!

Weekend Review : An Iliad by Denis O'Hare

I have this habit of reading Abu Dhabi World because first of all, it's free *hehe* and I'm able to get a scoop on what's happening -- like the latest 70% off sales in Abu Dhabi Mall, job postings and random celebrity updates or sightings in the UAE. The best one is is where they feature your pictures holding an Abu Dhabi World magazine on any of your travels and you get to have a prize :) I was supposed to do it when I went to Japan but my copy was all wrinkly so I'll just do it in South Korea later this year.

Anyway, on their events page, they have a feature on NYUAD's Arts Center's latest performance. What struck me was first of all, admission is F R E E (who refuses free entertainment btw??), second, it's Greek mythology and lastly : DENIS O'HARE.

So I was curious, I've been following NYU AD for quite sometime now because of their MBA program but I've been getting ads on facebook on their arts center as well. As soon as I saw the ad on AD World, I checked the site out (An Iliad) I googled Denis O'Hare up and lo and behold ~~ he's a Tony Award winner and he was on a multitude of movies like Charlie Wilson's War, Milk and Derailed! What to do, yalla I signed myself up and 2 other friends stat and told them to clear their Thursdays out so we can watch the show *evil grin* hehehehe

The only thing was NYUAD was in Saadiyat Island which is 21 minutes away from the city (see map below) so you really have to plan ahead for your transportation to and fro if you don't have your own.

And the performance didn't disappoint. Even if it was a one man show and in the generation of short attention spans, everybody (except for that random someone who still couldn't resist taking short clips grrr) was riveted for almost 2 hours. We felt as if we were actually there, in the battlefields of Troy with his spellbinding narrative - and that the war is not really over since it occurred time and time again, with the latest one happening in Aleppo, Syria. 

As what the review on their page said:

To call this a one-man show is really an understatement, as the scale of this work is genuinely epic. There are moments in An Iliad that will make you shed a tear for humankind…An Iliad does a magnificent job of retelling this Greek epic, making it accessible and timeless to the uninitiated; it’s sweeping, sobering, it hits you in the solar plexus, and it puts into staggering perspective just how obsessed with war-mongering humans have always been and continue to be. – Cicely Binford, Australian Stage

Quickly took a snapshot pre-show then dutifully turned off my phone :) Most of the audience were either NYUAD faculty and student body so everybody was making beso with each other ~~ was tempted to do the same with those in front just so that we'll fit in hehehe 

If the show's still on I would've pushed you to watch it next weekend but it was their final run - nevertheless, Noche Flamenco Antigona will be up on April 6th so be sure to sign up for it! I already have my tickets hehe #toomucheggzoited so be sure to get yours before they run out :)

See you there!

12 LIFE HACKS Every LAZY PERSON Should Know!!! by Wengie

Pupuru Pocket Wifi Rental Review

After getting my first postpaid smartphone in Dubai, I became so used to being online 24/7 that as soon as I first planned to go to Japan, I knew I needed to do research on wifi options ASAP.

Based on this review, risk of online withdrawal and the likely possibility of getting lost as soon as we step off the train, I went and signed up for Pupuru wifi:

4,860 JPY = 157 AED (additional 800 JPY included because of airport delivery)

We had at least 6 devices connected to it at the same time and we didn't even reach 10gb, you just have to make sure to bring an extra battery charging pack with you for long trips.

There was no interruption of service, the connection was fast and it definitely came in handy multiple times: when we were searching for a hotel at the last minute, the Glico Man odyssey and the right subway line to get to USJ that was on the same rail network with our Kansai pass.

How to claim it?

If you opted to claim it at the (Kansai) airport, you can follow the directions here:
                                     

Just present your passport and reservation ID (I printed off their email confirmation) to claim the wifi kit and you're good to go!

To return it, just put the kit in the self-addressed yellow envelope that comes with it and drop it off at any mailbox on your designated return date. For us we did the drop off at the airport right before we checked in.



To get your own for your Japan trip, just click on the link below:

Day 1: #AmazingNamba

Finally gone around to sharing our short but sweet stay in Osaka, Japan ~~ It should've been longer but my crazy brother had exams on Monday which he didn't want to skip ~~ even for our shared love for all things Japanese.

Waiting for our flight in NAIA Terminal 1 (Jetstar Asia Airways)

Namba City Shopping Mall

Spent a good 30 minutes trying to figure out the way outside of the train/mall area and into Namba proper. Inshallah, Google maps work inside establishments as well hahaha

Mainly we just walked around and tried only 1 ramen shop because it's much cheaper to buy food in convenience stores. We splurged a bit on the duty free shops for the milk soaps that my mom was obsessed with.

Being here in Namba made me feel like my childhood dreams were coming true and I was stepping foot in sacred land. Every corner felt like a scene in a shoujo manga/ anime, seeing all those schoolgirls (hopefully legit) and impeccably dressed women.All the action figures on sale and countless goodies that made you wanna break the bank T_T ~ I'll definitely come back to pine some more and this time I'll include Tokyo and Sapporo!

Another thing that travel has made me realize: you have to learn how to dress well if you're up and about in a cosmopolitan city. It's not even to fit in with the current style of the place you're going to or following the latest trends - it's finding your own style, dressing presentably and in comfort. It's a challenge for me because I'm at my comfiest in a shorts and a plain shirt but since moving here in UAE where shorts were frowned upon in public (specially during Ramadan) and a plain shirt ain't cutting it - I had to adjust and build a wardrobe 1 mega-sale at a time. 

That's it, random thought over - see you in Day 2!

UPOU: NEP Odyssey

I blame this on watching BBC's Gamechangers.

Still awake at 2AM, cramming on coursework no. 1 and speedreading Modules 1-3 with Annexes 1-2. I know I should've allotted more time but procrastination's been a habit for far too long -- anyway, I'll make sure to revise my study habits for the third week to avoid info overload again.

Coursemates are either UP graduates, corporate managers, farm owners, etc. so I'm feeling self-conscious re: my poor academic writing, communication skills and pretty much everything. I'm taking an English course in Coursera to supplement my vocabulary and basic concepts and I've yet to submit my assignment due today as well -_-

NKKLK.

Till next week ~~

DIY Visa Series - How to Apply for a Japan Visa in Abu Dhabi

After 10 years, I finally have the info here for you people! :) YASSSSSSSS!!

When I initially did my research on how to apply for a Japan visa here in Abu Dhabi, the only result I got was how to apply from Dubai (which is only applicable for Dubai residents btw) so I had to rely only on the details provided by the Embassy of Japan - Abu Dhabi for the visa application and a variety of travel blogs for the rest.

First off, download the visa application form here by clicking here. You can fill it up electronically so it looks neater, below is a guide on how to do it:

Then prepare the requirements as follows:

Tourist requirements (Non-UAE nationals)

1. Passport (more than 2 blank pages)

2. Copy of passport ( and residence visa page)

3. Visa application form (Don't leave anything blank, just put in not applicable where necessary).

4. Photo (1 recent clear photo, white background w/n 6 mos. and pasted on the form)

5. Copy of confirmation of flight booking and accommodations

 - I made my bookings on booking.com to avail of the free cancellation and no prepayment offers to allow adjustment for last minute changes

6. Schedule of stay - I followed the samples from these blogs:

• TinCo Was Here
• The Madaldal Kid
• Project Gora
• Wandering Waffleheads

Although I had to do a lot of revisions a month before the trip because Jetstar Asia gave us a free option to reschedule our flight back on the 3rd day so yey!! 

7. Documents to show financial capability (ex. Certificate of Employment and at least 3 months bank statement, signed and stamped by HR and bank)

** Some say that bank activity is enough to guarantee a visa approval but to be sure, always leave enough balance to show that you can sustain your stay throughout the duration of the trip. I personally recommend this if you already have concrete travel plans because if denied, you can only re-apply after 6 months.

 8. Proof of current address (ex. utility bills) - I don't have any so I just printed off my credit card statement with my home address and they accepted it.

 9. Letter of Guarantee (if a family member is a minor/ student, etc.)

Then once everything's prepared, you can submit all your requirements to the Japan Embassy, a 6 aed taxi ride from Al Wahda Mall. You don't have to set an appointment, you can walk in from 8:30-1:30PM from Sundays to Thursdays. 

The lady who processed our application was really pleasant and after checking our papers for a few minutes with a couple of questions, she said we can get our visas on the 4th day (we applied on Thursday and she said the 4th day was Monday so even weekends were included in the count).

Best part, visa is free if your visit is less than 30 days! :)

That's it~ hope my guide helped you and enjoy your stay in Japan!