After a delayed arrival caused by both AirAsia and a very concerned passenger, we finally did make it safe and sound. Out of the airport, we got our first lesson in deciphering the train system.
It was a struggling start not only having to know which platform, but I guess confusion set in when you’ve signage informing you cars from 1-3 does something and cars 4-9 is something else. Though somehow we managed and successfully got to where we needed to be.
Our first meal in Japan was at a ramen shop which was no bigger than 300sq feet, probably.
The ramen reminded me a lot like the Musashi ramen taste in 1Utama. Except, it’s less oily and salty; thinner meat and only 1 slice. Despite this, I still very much enjoyed it because it was neither too heavy, nor too light.
After we were done gobbling down the food, we made our way to the first stop we wanted – Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium). In there I was very much excited to meet my new found friend the whale shark.
In comparison to the Singapore sea aquarium, viewing a whale shark up close is different than having experienced such a large aquarium in view. Not to mention, background music played makes viewing the whale shark so peaceful that if you didn’t rest enough during the flight, you might just fall asleep. 😛
We had a light dinner of takoyaki (ball-shaped snack) when we got back, but being Malaysian means having up to 6 meals a day, we were definitely hungry soon enough.
At around 9.00pm, we decided to do the next must-do in Japan – shop at a konbi (convenience) store. I couldn’t believe the variety of bento sets and other choices of packed food you could just heat up with a microwave. This even counted for dishes like Japanese curry rice (yes, rice) which I had. And it was good!
After months of saving, we’ve finally made it to this point where we’re able to visit Japan. A country me and my wife are intrigued and always wanted to spend time. For me, a dream, a bucket list item, a culture I’ve wanted to experience first hand. Now here I am, sitting in the lounge, waiting for the call to board the plane, to one of my dreams.
The weird part of it all, I’m neither excited nor feeling anything much of this trip. I’m not sure why. However, I hope to find myself absorbed in the country, its people and its culture when we land 7 hours later.
It was a double celebration for us because not only was it our registration date, but Taylor Swift’s Malaysia RED tour concert was happening on this very day too!
From my Linkin Park concert in Malaysia experience, without a doubt, early queues formed at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Thankfully, since we arrived at around 2-3pm we were probably between the 30th-50th people in the queue for the free seating category. Not too bad la for a Taylor Swift Malaysia concert.
Attack of the zombies
The other concert I’ve attended at the Putra Stadium was the Super Junior Malaysia concert and having that to compare with this, I have to personally say the crowd control was very different.
While we were queueing early, you’d notice the line was a respected boundary where people followed. However, when word got out that we were now allowed to go in, it was chaos.
The queue broke down and everyone started rushing to the front. Mind you, this was only to the front where they were suppose to do security checks and apparently, body checks before you enter the Taylor Swift Malaysia concert.
With (I thnk) 4 security staff, they were overwhelmed by the rush of people wanting to go in soonest. At this point, bag checks were almost out of the question.
But that wasn’t the worst I’d say. Once through that checkpoint and up a stairs, only thing standing between a huge mob of fans and the 2 staff in charge of collecting tickets is the glass door of the stadium. -_-!!! To make matters even worst, there’s a large area before the glass doors for the mob to group like zombies.
Red – crowd / Blue – security & staff
Some morons who made their way up the stairs tried to find any way they could to squeeze nearer to the doors making the crowd control worst. Also, you have inconsiderate imbeciles who started pushing from the back.
And all the staff could do whilst hiding by the doors inside was shout, “Don’t push. Or we’ll not take your tickets.” *facepalm* I guess they didn’t consider that the ones pushing were behind and telling that message from the inside of the door wouldn’t reach the outer ring of people who were pushing.
Taylor Swift Malaysia concert made up for it
Once seated inside comortably, it was another round of waiting at least with some air cond now.
Less than 50% full until opening act
After “singing” the national anthem, listening to some local band (I couldn’t hear their name clearly), waiting and it started.
Though her stage here isn’t as detailed like Super Junior, she had a wardrobe which could wow the fans on the ground. On top of that, she tried to give as much contact to the fans while her security controlled the many reaching hands.
Interesting observation. Mobile phone recording wasn’t prevented during the show. I even noticed a fan whip out a prosumer camera. Kind of made me wondered whether it was because the management and artiste didn’t mind the fans doing so.
Well, one thing I really liked about Taylor’s performance was when she performed, it felt very authentic.
It’s like when you’re comfortable with someone, you can be yourself – the real character inside. This was the feeling I felt and it drew me more into her performance.
Overall, I’m glad I came for the Taylor Swift Malaysia concert and discovered the real Taylor Swift.
If you’ve not heard the mention of Xiaomi or the rage of thousands of fans on their Facebook page when they were unable to make their purchases via the online store…my friend, where have you been?!
Who is this Xiaomi?
Xiaomi is a privately owned electronics company who happens to manufacture smartphones in China. They penetrated the Malaysia market only in May 2014 and off the bat teased consumers with their online sales strategy.
What rush are you talking about?
Xiaomi Malaysia decided to release only limited quantities of their Mi3 smartphone and 10,400 mAh powerbanks via their online store. They sold like hot cakes in 17 minutes!
The above batch was the 1st time in my life I had actually joined such an online sale where you’re at the edge of your seat, just to be sure you may be 1 of the few to complete the order successfully.
Though my aim was the powerbank, I found it quickly had been sold out. Then when I happened to check whether the Mi3 smartphone was still available, it was! For that 10-20 seconds, I was stuck between the decision of being a hero to just buy it or, leave it.
Knowing that scalpers are gunning to make a profit versus owners who truly wanted the device, I decided to purchase the Mi3 with hopes someone I know personally may want it.
Xiaomi Mi3 package
And yes, I had 1 friend who knew someone who really needed it. Lucky fellow is enjoying the new Xiaomi Mi3 now. 🙂
Back to the Xiaomi Malaysia rush. They didn’t stop there, many fans were still raging that they couldn’t complete their orders in time. So what happened was Xiaomi Malaysia did a sale only for their 10,400mAh powerbanks – which was nuts.
In less than 2 minutes, it was sold out online when the product was made available to the Malaysian consumers. -_-
I also took part in this round of sales, but browsed away empty handed this time because I was too greedy.
Too greedy thinking of the additional 4 units I wanted to buy at the same time for my other friends whom I know wanted it. And that had been my biggest flaw here. I could’ve completed my order of 2 units (maximum per person) first, then make the roundabout but I didn’t.
By the time I made the roundabout, I saw the infamous rabbit telling me all powerbank units had been sold out. T_T And to make matters worst, my 2 units were still in the shopping cart. *wails*
Must know before joining the Xiaomi Malaysia online sale
From this experience, I picked up a few tips you must know before you join the next sale tomorrow for the 10,400mAh and 5,200mAh powerbanks.
MUST have very fast internet (mine’s 20Mbps)
Create free Xiaomi Malaysia online store account.
Login to your account 5-10 minutes before the sale.
Complete your own order first to avoid personal disappointment, like myself above.
Another tip shared by a fan was to activate the browser’s autocomplete. However, know that this will only work for you if you’ve used the autocomplete before, after activating it.
You can start preparing for the next rush – tomorrow.
Well, here are the pros and cons between the 2 models for me.
Description / Capacity
10,400mAh
5,200mAh
Weight
Around 250g
Around 155g
Output current
2.1A
1.5A
The bigger the capacity, the heavier it is. But the bigger capacity, has a higher output – resulting in possible faster charging rates. However, 1.5A is sufficient to save the day when your car dies and your phone is down to the last percent after texting while driving.
My recommendation is think of how will you use the powerbank. If you’re carrying it everywhere, lighter would be better. If you’re storing it in a fixed place, then bigger capacity is better. If you don’t mind carrying the additional 250grams around, then the bigger capacity will be a winner. Capiche?
Good luck for tomorrow! *thumbs*
Updated June 10, 2014
The 10,400mAh units were sold out much faster than the 5,200mAh units. My observation was the bigger capacity sold out within the first 1-2 minutes.
