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It was not until we arrived the Sunroute Hotel that I started to admire the place. The street the hotel was located on wasn't one of the big, wide, major street, hence the crowd and traffic were both relatively limited. The hotel had a loading/unloading area of its own (unlike some hotels that require you to do so at the curbside; well, this may probably due to the fact that the street was not wide), and it also had shuttle services to the Narita International Airport. The price was about the same as riding NEX. Now I had another option to ride back to the airport.
Upon entering the hotel, the lobby looked nice and neat, with proper decorations. There were a few people sitting in the lobby, apparently checked in already. Since I was going to have a room of my own, I walked up to the counter and started to check in. The process is pretty smooth, except that I asked for a non-smoking room, and it took a little while for the hotel personnel to get me through that. Although my check-in was relatively smooth, it took a short while for the whole group to complete the process. Then, we head up to our own rooms. Oh, before that, we picked a time for everyone to meet downstairs a bit later to go out and have our dinner.
Upon entering my room, I could only say... Small. When I opened the door and stepped in, the first thing I encountered was a tiny cloth hanging space (it wasn't even qualified to be a closet in my standard) on my right hand side, followed by the washroom, which is actually of the decent-size standard. After that, against the wall to the washroom, is the full-size bed, and then a counter acting as both TV standard and desk. There were also two pajamas placed on the bed. Never really wore any pajama for sleep, I thought to myself, "Hmm... I'll try those tonight..."
After I have placed my luggage and pulled out my notebook computers (yea, I brought two...), I hooked up with the Internet, and the process was easily done. The computer had to go through some kind of firewall scanning to ensure that it's save and not infected with virus. I went online, and sent some messages out. Checked the time and thought, "Hmm... Still too early to call home..." Then I decided to call afterward. Surfed and chatted a bit, then it was about time to go downstairs. So, I stood up and went down to meet the gang.
2009/08/19
Trip to Japan, 2. The Train
The plane landed at around 15:52 Tokyo time in a cloudy afternoon on July 22 of 2009. It took approximately six minutes to get to the gate. At first, I thought since I arrived in day time, there may be a long line to wait for getting through the immigration procedures, but wrong. To my surprise, I got through the whole thing in around 40 minutes, and that includes getting all my baggage from the convey belt!!! Within minutes, I found the NEX/Suica ticket office and purchased both by 16:45.
The NEX (Narita Express, dedicated train serving to/from the Narita International Airport and the major cities) train I took was scheduled to leave for Tokyo at 17:16, so I spent a few minutes exploring the surrounding area. Not many shops around, probably due to the fact that I was in arrival area, where passengers were less likely to have spare time walking around. The train station really didn't look like one for me. Maybe due to the fact that it really was not crowded at all?
I hopped onto the train about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Nearby the entrance, an area is dedicated for passengers to keep their luggage so they do not have to bring the luggage to their seats, which definitely have no enough space if the luggage is anything bigger than carry-on or backpack. The train departed the station as scheduled. the whole trip took around 1.5 hours. My stop is Shinjuku, the 4th stop. Once arrived, I had to haul my luggage to the hotel I was staying.
Along the train ride, I had a window seat. Looking through the window, I actually felt that the scenery was very similar to those I've seen in Taiwan when I took train from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Green hills and small roads. If it was not because of the Japanese style houses, they were almost identical. Oh, and there were some drops of rain along the way, which made me concerned. I did bring an umbrella with me, but it was not big enough to cover everything and me. Luckily, there was no rain when I arrived the Shinjuku station.
By the time I arrived the Shinjuku station, it was close to 7pm. I has already pulled my luggage out the storage area, and standby next to the exit. Once the train stopped, I hopped out, and looked around to determine which way should I go. Since my car was the last of the train, the choice was pretty simple: To the front cars. So, I turned accordingly, and started to walk toward Car 1. Along the way, I encountered an escalator going up, so I decided to go to surface first.
As I approached the escalator, I was still wondering how should I get in touch with other BLYA who stayed in the same hotel, but then, there was something flashed into my eyes that I felt very familiar... CARMEN!!! It's Carmen Liu of Toronto, and from her, I see the 8-people gang of Vancouver~ I never thought we'd actually took the same train, as they arrived the airport approximately 2 hours before my arrival. Now the rest of the trip to the hotel is simple. I just follow them all the way...
The NEX (Narita Express, dedicated train serving to/from the Narita International Airport and the major cities) train I took was scheduled to leave for Tokyo at 17:16, so I spent a few minutes exploring the surrounding area. Not many shops around, probably due to the fact that I was in arrival area, where passengers were less likely to have spare time walking around. The train station really didn't look like one for me. Maybe due to the fact that it really was not crowded at all?
I hopped onto the train about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Nearby the entrance, an area is dedicated for passengers to keep their luggage so they do not have to bring the luggage to their seats, which definitely have no enough space if the luggage is anything bigger than carry-on or backpack. The train departed the station as scheduled. the whole trip took around 1.5 hours. My stop is Shinjuku, the 4th stop. Once arrived, I had to haul my luggage to the hotel I was staying.
Along the train ride, I had a window seat. Looking through the window, I actually felt that the scenery was very similar to those I've seen in Taiwan when I took train from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Green hills and small roads. If it was not because of the Japanese style houses, they were almost identical. Oh, and there were some drops of rain along the way, which made me concerned. I did bring an umbrella with me, but it was not big enough to cover everything and me. Luckily, there was no rain when I arrived the Shinjuku station.
By the time I arrived the Shinjuku station, it was close to 7pm. I has already pulled my luggage out the storage area, and standby next to the exit. Once the train stopped, I hopped out, and looked around to determine which way should I go. Since my car was the last of the train, the choice was pretty simple: To the front cars. So, I turned accordingly, and started to walk toward Car 1. Along the way, I encountered an escalator going up, so I decided to go to surface first.
As I approached the escalator, I was still wondering how should I get in touch with other BLYA who stayed in the same hotel, but then, there was something flashed into my eyes that I felt very familiar... CARMEN!!! It's Carmen Liu of Toronto, and from her, I see the 8-people gang of Vancouver~ I never thought we'd actually took the same train, as they arrived the airport approximately 2 hours before my arrival. Now the rest of the trip to the hotel is simple. I just follow them all the way...
2009/08/18
Trip to Japan, 1. The Flight
Los Angeles International Airport, entrance of runway 25R...
"Tower, Northwest 001 with you. Ready to takeoff. Request permission to takeoff Runway 25R"
"Northwest 001, please standby."
"Northwest 001, you may takeoff. Contact ATC at xxx.xx. Good day."
With an increase in thrust, a Northwest Airbus A330 airplane smoothly taxied into Runway 25R of Los Angeles International Airport, sped down the runway, gracefully lifted off, and opened the first page of my first trip to Japan...
The date was July 21, 2009, and I just purchased my ticket only a few days ago. This was going to be my first time standing on Japan, a country I've been wanting to visit since who knows when. The ticket purchasing part took longer than I expected, but good thing is that the price was also lower than I've expected. I'm pretty certain that it's linked to the swine flu. (No, not the delay in purchase part...) Although I originally hoped to take JAL flights, but hey, US$400+ difference in airfare, most sentient being would choose the NWA flights.
On board the airplane, I had an aisle seat. No complaint here, since I purchased my ticket late, but when the meal time came... My agent didn't request vegetarian meals for me..... F.i.n.e... Well, it's not like I am not a vegetarian, but there are times/situations where I have no choice except keep starved or hurt someone. Hence, whenever possible, I do prefer vegetarian over regular food. And since the food was already prepared, they certainly would throw the whole thing away even if I didn't touch it at all, which means w.a.s.t.e. Result: I emptied the whole plate...
On board the flight, two meals and one snack were served. What's special? Well, the first meal included shrimps... Gotta say that's the first time I see any shrimp at ~30,000 feet in the air. The snack was an ice cream sandwich, and there's another meal before the plane started to descend for landing. I don't think there's anything special about it, as I can't recall any of them. XD
The flight was a bit bumpy from time to time, but should be considered smooth overall. I watched Dragon Ballz and two other movies during the flight, and I had a short nap in between the two meals. Not long, but enough to take me through this flight.
Shortly after the second meal is completed, the plane started to descend. As the altitude decreased, I was getting more and more closer to Japan, and the next chapter is about to begin...
"Narita, this is Northwest 001, request permission to land."
"Northwest 001, cleared to land Runway A. Proceed to final approach accordingly. Contact ground at xxx.xx after landed. Good day."
"Tower, Northwest 001 with you. Ready to takeoff. Request permission to takeoff Runway 25R"
"Northwest 001, please standby."
"Northwest 001, you may takeoff. Contact ATC at xxx.xx. Good day."
With an increase in thrust, a Northwest Airbus A330 airplane smoothly taxied into Runway 25R of Los Angeles International Airport, sped down the runway, gracefully lifted off, and opened the first page of my first trip to Japan...
The date was July 21, 2009, and I just purchased my ticket only a few days ago. This was going to be my first time standing on Japan, a country I've been wanting to visit since who knows when. The ticket purchasing part took longer than I expected, but good thing is that the price was also lower than I've expected. I'm pretty certain that it's linked to the swine flu. (No, not the delay in purchase part...) Although I originally hoped to take JAL flights, but hey, US$400+ difference in airfare, most sentient being would choose the NWA flights.
On board the airplane, I had an aisle seat. No complaint here, since I purchased my ticket late, but when the meal time came... My agent didn't request vegetarian meals for me..... F.i.n.e... Well, it's not like I am not a vegetarian, but there are times/situations where I have no choice except keep starved or hurt someone. Hence, whenever possible, I do prefer vegetarian over regular food. And since the food was already prepared, they certainly would throw the whole thing away even if I didn't touch it at all, which means w.a.s.t.e. Result: I emptied the whole plate...
On board the flight, two meals and one snack were served. What's special? Well, the first meal included shrimps... Gotta say that's the first time I see any shrimp at ~30,000 feet in the air. The snack was an ice cream sandwich, and there's another meal before the plane started to descend for landing. I don't think there's anything special about it, as I can't recall any of them. XD
The flight was a bit bumpy from time to time, but should be considered smooth overall. I watched Dragon Ballz and two other movies during the flight, and I had a short nap in between the two meals. Not long, but enough to take me through this flight.
Shortly after the second meal is completed, the plane started to descend. As the altitude decreased, I was getting more and more closer to Japan, and the next chapter is about to begin...
"Narita, this is Northwest 001, request permission to land."
"Northwest 001, cleared to land Runway A. Proceed to final approach accordingly. Contact ground at xxx.xx after landed. Good day."
2009/06/21
Since the method applies not only to the "video", I changed the title a bit.
This method reminds me of a similar trick we can use in DOS. ^___^
Anyway, hope this may be useful for you. I'd really suggest you to use things like TrueCrypt if you really concern about your files.
Oh, please be to THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU TRY IT. The author states, "如果平台是Windows Vista的話，資料夾甚至還刪不掉XDD，要用Unlocker之類程式來刪除（聽說是bug但微軟不想修XD）..."
Quote
This method reminds me of a similar trick we can use in DOS. ^___^
Anyway, hope this may be useful for you. I'd really suggest you to use things like TrueCrypt if you really concern about your files.
Oh, please be to THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU TRY IT. The author states, "如果平台是Windows Vista的話，資料夾甚至還刪不掉XDD，要用Unlocker之類程式來刪除（聽說是bug但微軟不想修XD）..."
Quote
如何藏好放個人私密檔案的資料夾
2009/01/08
2008 水陸雜記
水陸大齋，全稱「法界聖凡水陸普度大齋勝會」。因梁武帝夢一神僧告曰：「六道四生，受苦無量，何不作水陸(大齋)普濟群靈」？帝經誌公之勸，搜尋經典，綜合慈悲梁皇寶懺，阿難遇面然鬼王建立平等施食，用制儀文。後又與唐代密宗之「冥道無遮大齋」相結合發展起來的。
- 法界：指諸佛與眾生本性平等，理常一致，通稱法界。
- 聖凡：指十法界的四聖六凡。四聖－佛、菩薩、緣覺、聲聞；六凡－天、人、阿修羅、餓鬼、畜生、地獄。
- 水陸：指眾生受報居住之處，分為水陸空三界。但因水中、陸中的眾生受苦較重；天空中的眾生，如欲界天、色界天，受樂較多，因此普濟著重水陸二處，故名水陸。
- 普度：對六道眾生悉皆度化，使令解脫。
- 大齋：指不限制的普施飲食。
- 勝會：除了施食以外，又有誦經持咒的法施，可令受苦眾生心開意解，得法水滋潤，故名勝會。
水陸期間，老樵俗務纏身，僅拜了一部藥師經、兩部阿彌陀經、跟元旦那天晚上的幽冥戒。邊拜著，邊想著回向給合適的人。親朋好友，長輩晚輩，及其眷屬。不知道名字的，便以「某某人的某某人」稱之，希望回向有準確‧‧‧
水陸圓滿那天，答應要開交通車。喝！早上五點半開始。前一天晚上是有乖乖提早躺平，但不知為何總是睡不著，硬是翻到三點半左右了才睡過去。五點，鬧鐘響，起床。十分鐘出門，十分鐘抵達，十分鐘準備。
開始了，陸陸續續載著人們往返於寺院與臨時停車場之間。看著菩薩們開開心心的來，歡歡喜喜的去，隱隱約約的感受到與駝標比丘的靈犀，品味著他三十年知客的歡喜。
下午送聖，隨著主法們一句句的「請登雲路～」，望著空中飛舞的飛灰，心裡的某個角落又被敲到了。依稀記得，上次在同個地方送聖時﹝十年有吧？﹞，眼中看著焚燒王船的飛灰，耳中聽著與會大眾的「南無登雲路菩薩摩訶薩～」，心裡同一個角落也被敲過。
呵～ 老樵是個怪胎。人家感動、落淚的時候，大多是在像懺摩、拜願等很有FU的環境，老樵的第一次卻是在短期出家時第一天的午齋唱誦供養偈的時候。「供～養～」 不多，就兩個字，老樵的眼淚當場潰堤而下，之激動的咧，根本無法跟著大眾一起唱誦‧‧‧這情況持續了三天‧‧‧
送聖後，水陸圓滿。黑壓壓的一片人要送回臨時停車場。就看到所有的司機們努力而歡喜的，一車一車的把同樣也法喜充滿的菩薩們送走。尤其是一些上了年紀的老菩薩們，當真是滿心歡喜，做禮而去～﹝ㄟ‧‧‧忽然想起咱那已故的阿嬤‧‧‧﹞
不記得那天是幾點到家的了，應該是八九點吧？挺累，但是特歡喜的。 ^___^
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