Part 1 of 6 - Six Places I MUST Visit Before I Meet My Maker

During my younger days (school days), I have always been afraid of traveling. You can't really blame me. There's so many horrible travel tragedies happening almost every other week month around the world and who's to say the plane I boarded will never go missing or explode mid air in which many parts of me will get fed to the ocean whales?

This irrational fear continues until I I turned 21. Something happened in my life and I suddenly realize that we only LIVE once. So after I become financially stable and have become more attuned to the "YOLO" (You Only Live Once) mentality, I begin taking short trips to nearby countries with friends and family members.

As I travel more and more, I caught on the travel bugs and now I look forward to at least travel once a year.

Er...what about those travel hazards and tragedies? Well, my current mentality is that if it is my time to meet my maker, so be it. I am sure if my time is up, even if I do not travel, I will still get "taken" away via other means. :D

Having traveled quite a bit over the past 10 years, I have come to the realize that there are actually a few places on earth that I must visit before I bid goodbye to this beautiful world.

I will break up these 6 places into six different posts as each of them will take up quite a bit of my time to write.

Ok, without much ado, let's get started with the 1st destination (there is no preferential order).

Furano (富良野)

Although Furano is just a small town within Hokkaido, it's land area is almost as big as Singapore. Since I am a pretty systematic person by nature, I shall break up the places to visit into 4 main categories:

• Scenic Spots
• Farms and Orchids
• Studio and Factories
• Muesums and Art Galleries

Scenic Spots

If you are someone who loves to take pictures wherever you go, visiting the below listed scenic spots will probably make your day.

Rokugo Viewing Platform / Irodori no Hiroba - Painted Plaza

This viewing platform offers you a panoramic view of the Rokugoh landscape, it overlooks the breathtaking backdrop of the great outdoors and rustic, rural Japan. Surrounding the viewing platform are fields of flowers where lavender, poppies, sunflowers, Chinese peonies, mustard flowers, cosmos and other blossoms...

Where:
Higashi-Rokugou 3, Furano-shi

How to Go:
30 minutes by car from the Furano JR Train Station

Opening Hours:
9:00AM until 5:30PM

Contact:
0167-29-2233


Asahigaoka Park

Asahigaoka park has a nick name "Namako Yama, Sea Cucumber Mountain". Here you can enjoy viewing 3000 cherry blossoms bloom in mid May. The views of downtown Furano and Mt. Tokachidake are also picturesque. In winter, Asahigaoka Park Cross Country Ski Course is available for 2km and 5km runs.

Where:
Shimo-Goryou, Furano-shi

How to Go:
10 minutes by car from JR Furano Station. Or take the Goryou or Lavender bus (bus to New Furano Price Hotel) get off at kisen and 5 minute walk

Opening Hours:
24 Hours

Farms and Orchids

 

If you have always a farm or orchid person, the places below may offer the right experience for you.

Farm Tomita

Lavender flowers and other colourful flowers are at their best in the vast natural fields. Even in the middle of winter, lavender flowers can be viewed in the warm greenhouse.

Where:
Hokusei, Nakafurano-chou

How to Go:
7 minutes on foot from JR Lavender field station

Opening Hours:
8:30AM until 6:00PM (July August) 8:30AM until 5:00PM (May June September) 9:00AM until 4:30PM (April October November) 9:30AM until 4:30PM (December through March) no closures

Contact:
0167-39-3939


Country Terrace Koropokkur

Asparagus/Strawberry/Potato harvesting, Berry jam and ice cream making, Wool mascot making, MTB rental,etc are some activities this place can offer you.

Where:
Higashi 1 sen kita 4 gou, Nakafurano-chou

Opening Hours:
Open 9:30AM until 5:00PM closure subject to change

Contact:
0167-44-2583


Flower Land Kamifurano

Pretty flowers bloom one after another from May until September. The farms choice of flowers ensures a long flowering season. This enables guests who come at anytime during the non-winter months to be able to enjoy flowers at this farm.

Where:
Nishi 5 sen Kita 27 gou, Kamifurano-chou

How to Go:
Approx 10 minutes by car from JR Kamifurano Station

Opening Hours:
Open from April until November June until August 9:00AM until 6:00PM other dates 9:00AM until 5:00PM

  

Studio and Factories

 

Glass Forest in Furano

Plenty of tableware, burner works, small articles, and accessories are displayed in the shop complex. You can try blowing glass and making other glass works.

Where:
Rokugou-Shigaichi 3, Furano-shi

Contact:
0167-39-9088


Opening Hours:
9:00AM until 6:00PM (until 7:00PM during summer time) Open year round


Furano Theatre

Keen to take a few shots in threatre? Here's your chance.

Where:
Naka-Goryou, Furano-shi

Contact:
0167-39-0333

Museums and Art Galleries

 

For me, my vacations are never complete without a visit to local art galleries and museums.

Furano Yamabe Kaleidoscope Museum

Where:
Yamabe Nishi 14 sen 2 banchi, Furano-shi

How to GO:
18 minutes by car from JR Furano Station

Opening Hours:
10:00AM 9:00PM (6:00PM until 9:00 requires reservations) No closures during Summer (May to October)

Contact:
0167-42-3303


Doll Studio & Gallery 'St. Merry'

Where:
Kitanomine-chou 24-12, Furano-shi

How to GO:
7 minutes by car from JR Furano Station

Opening Hours:
11:00AM until 5:00PM Open on Sundays from April to November

Contact:
0167-22-5369

Trick Art Museum

Where:
Miyamatouge, Kamifurano-chou

How to GO:
7 minutes by car from JR Furano Station

Opening Hours:
9:00AM~17:00PM(April,October,November)
9:00AM~18:00PM(May,September)
9:00~19:00(June,July,August)
CLOSED Tuesday(1th December~31th March)
Please check for ireguler holidays.

Contact:
0167-45-6667

Ok, this is pretty much it for Furano. Of course there are more to Furano than some of the places I listed above. Feel free to visit the site for more information.

I will post some of my photo here if I ever had the chance to visit Furano. Stay tuned for the Part 2 of this series soon.

Will Cyber Malls Ever Replace Commercial Shopping Malls?

I love shopping online whenever I have 'things' to buy. Things that do not really require that I feel and touch them. For example, I bought a SMART watch recently and while it took more than 20 days to arrive, I did not have to worry about whether will the straps fit my wrist or do I like the texture of the strap and so on.

To me, a watch is a watch, once I choose the color that I like as well as the functions that come with it, I have no qualms about buying it on the spot. :D Am I not afraid of getting scam? Of course I do.

But these days, with all the latest cyber security watchdogs, technologies and anti-scam guidelines and policies in place, payment gateways like Paypal are making it a breeze for online shoppers like me to carry out online retail transactions.

If the stuff I ordered does not arrive within the allocated time frame, I could either ask for a refund with the customer service or file a dispute with Paypal (make sure it is within 45 days from purchase date) if there is no response from them. It is that simple and straightforward now, no jumping through hoops to get your money back.

Did you know that I even have most of my groceries and toiletries shopped online and delivered to my door step? Hint: try Fairprice Online.

While shopping online is all good and rosy, there are still 'things' that are not recommended to buy online. For example, clothing, shoes, anything that requires you to touch and wear to make the ultimate buying decision.

I have been burnt many times purchasing clothing online only to find out that they did not fit me or my kiddo at all. It is challenging to determine the right size and fitting from just glancing at the online retailer's online images. You may be asking - why can't you just return it??

Well, the hassle of returning them back to the online retailer is never easy and moreover, we have to pay for the return shipping fees too. For me, I would rather either resell it on places like eBay or Gumtree. :D

These days if you ever see me at the malls, the shoes and clothing departments are probably the only 2 sections I will be in. And obviously you will still get to see me pushing trolleys inside Supermarkets like the Japanese one at Marina Square.

Have you been there yet?

After all is said and done, I would still go retail shopping for things that cannot be bought online but at least with the existence of cyber malls, I no longer have to suffer the agony of queuing up for something that can be purchased online.

5 Common Ailments You Can Fix Yourself

Unless you are lucky enough to work for a company which allows large amount of medical claims, seeing a doctor may become expensive if you are someone who is prone to some of the ailments described below.

The next time you are down with these illnesses, you may want to try out some of the home remedies or over-the-counter products mentioned below. (**Make sure to read the medical disclaimers at the bottom of this post)

1. Mild Diarrhea

 

Drink more water to stay hydrated and do nothing besides getting rested.  But if you must try some home remedies, useful ones are listed here and here.

If you are the OTC (over-the-couter) medication-type of person, go get Pepto-Bismol or Imodium.

Always check with the pharmacist for advice before getting them as everyone's body condition varies.

2. Mild Constipation

If you are like me who loves to go for home remedies, you may want to read up some of the recommendations from this site. For severe constipation, it is highly recommended that you seek professional advice.

If you decided to go the OTC medication route, be sure to check with the pharmacist on the type of laxative to get. If you are just having a mild constipation, getting a harsh laxative may give you tummy troubles instead.

3. Running Nose/Cold

Running nose is probably the most common ailment in the whole world and since it is so common an ailment, there are really lots and lots of home remedies that can be used.

You are keen to try out some home remedies, try read up the information here and here.

For me, when it comes to running nose, I usually go for Panadol Cold Relief.

Just pop 2 tablets and a warm cup of water and the running nose stops within hours. That's just me, individual body condition varies and some of you may take a longer or shorter time to feel the effect.

4. Headaches/Migraines

I have been super prone to migraines since my late twenties and according to the many doctors I have seen, stress was almost always the culprit.

Anyway, as a quick relief, I usually go for Panadol Extra. Yup, my Panadol Hero comes to the my rescue yet again.

Again, you are keen to go for home remedies, you can read up some useful stuff here and here and here too.

5. Heartburns

Photo credit

Not everyone is familiar with heartburn even though they may be suffering from it.

I was one of these people. :) I only came to know about it after I went to see a doctor.

Ha, before that I always thought there are something wrong with my heart.

Heartburn is a form of indigestion felt as a burning sensation in the chest. Usually caused by acid regurgitation into the esophagus- a clear explanation given by our trusty Google.

There are many home remedies and I have personnally tried a few though it did not work for me. :( Again, if you are keen to try some of them, read up some of them here and here.

For me, I came to know about Gaviscon through a TV commercial and it works for me. It comes with 100 tablets and I usually bring a few with me when I dine out with friends or family.

OTC addicts, be sure to read the stuff below to be on the safe side, ya?

OTC Know-How: It's on the Label

You wouldn't ignore your doctor's instructions for using a prescription drug; so don't ignore the label when taking an OTC medicine. Here's what to look for:

• PRODUCT NAME
• "ACTIVE INGREDIENTS":  therapeutic substances in medicine
• "PURPOSE":  product category (such as antihistamine, antacid, or cough suppressant)
• "USES":  symptoms or diseases the product will treat or prevent
• "WARNINGS":  when not to use the product, when to stop taking it, when to see a doctor, and possible side effects
• "DIRECTIONS":  how much to take, how to take it, and how long to take it
• "OTHER INFORMATION":   such as storage information
• "INACTIVE INGREDIENTS":   substances such as binders, colors, or flavoring

The OTC Know-How was extracted from FDA website here.


**I am NOT a doctor by any stretch of imagination. And since some OTC medications may have an adverse interactions with other product or supplements you are taking, please make sure to check with the pharmacist of the drugstore or pharmacy you are buying from.