It was a better realm of chaos.

My.. my...

This is found in the app under Time Management.

So the NVMe arrived, but the enclosure it is supposed to go into is sadly being kept hostage in the mailbox right outside because guess who has the mailbox key? Not me. The key flew off to Montreal. I have to wait for it to fly back to me. I am a sad Windy.

Then there are those which load you through multiple instances before landing, subsequently rendering the back button almost useless... unless of course you know you can manually select the real "back" past them.

Mine too!

Opted for a solo NVMe for now given that the current market prices are far too inflated. 😎

Did you know that digital music sample instrument libraries take up a lot of hard drive space?

So well done..! Any tips?

Eyeing to get two 4TB drives and an enclosure for the studio and wow... :o

Very cool stuff.

This is the same argument we use to talk coders out of building custom websites without relying on a preexisting platform or framework.

oooo

While my main game is FFXIV, over the past few days I've really been enjoying Project Gorgon. It reminds me so much of Runescape and Skyrim.

I also finished Pokopia the other day, but intend to keep working on developing nicer habitats and facilities over the next few weeks.

What a great setup! :D

A physical copy of the Japanese version of Pokopia, a Pokémon, held over a Pikachu suitcase.

I heard it was sold out in North America, so I managed to buy a copy of Pokopia before my flight out of Japan.

Also, there's more than one Pikachu in this picture. 👀

Yokohama's Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, a day time shot.

Yokohama's Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, a night time shot while it is lit up.

The streets of Shinjuku at night. There are many ads on large screens lighting up the area.

One of Tokyo's tallest buildings with a clock lit up at night.

And so, my first time in Japan has come to an end...

• I got to see one of Japan's biggest ferris wheels in Yokohama. Bought a cloak there.
• walked through Shinjuku
• saw the Sky Tree again

So good..!

A tea set platter with snacks from Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti.

Windy sits at House of Herme, a fashion shop in Shibuya.

A sakura flavoured cup of coffee sits on a table, located in SYNdicate Cafe.

A somewhat symmetrical art installation above a staircase in Omotesando. Dramatically colourized.

• enjoyed a lot of tarako pasta over several meals @ Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti, they have several locations and locals like it very much
• bought clothes @ House of Herme and Harejp
• coffee @ SYNdicate
• explored Omotesando, Takeshita Street and the Shibuya's Tokyo Food Show

Windy models with her new... checks notes... "Final Fantasy XIV Orchestra Concert Moogle Conductor Plushie" Moogle. Proudly. In the bathroom. At 3AM.

Also, while en route through a metro tunnel to the restaurant, I somehow stumbled onto a Final Fantasy XIV pop up shop — a MMO game I play!

I'm a minimalist (and therefore not a collector in the least), but of course I just had to get a musical Moogle plush...

Really, what luck I had today... 🥰

Tokyo Tower 東京タワー stands lit up at night. A unique car drives on a winding road leading to the tower.

Windy stands in front of a window overlooking the streets of Tokyo city lit up at night.

Outside Zojo-ji Temple 増上寺, a horde of impressive vehicles grace the night streets of Tokyo, their drivers relaxing and enjoying some drinks.

Masuya Shibadaimon ます家 芝大門店, an Izakaya restaurant, stands stunningly at the corner of an intersection.

• went to see Tokyo Tower 🗼— got to go up!
• indulged in some night life, which included a spectacle of Tokyo drift vehicular paragons
• found a vibe at Masuya Shibadaimon ます家 芝大門店
• took one of the best photos of my life... :o

A type of heron is perched atop one of the Ueno Toshogu Shrine's tori gates.

An exterior through way at the University of Tokyo Hongu campus.

A plate of Wagyu Beef Fillet Steak with Lyonnaise Potatoes at TENQOO overlooking Tokyo from the 27th floor of them Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouichi.

A non-alcoholic strawberry drink sits on a table at TENQOO, overlooking Tokyo city at night.

• somehow got another tour from someone, this time in Akihabara
• walked through Ueno Park and the University of Tokyo Hongo campus
• dinner at TENQOO — modern French fine dining (very good) 😌

A stone path leads towards a small pond within the Imperial Palace gardens in Tokyo.

Windy de Coninck stands before the brick exterior of Tokyo Station.

The Tokyo Station exterior lit at night. A clock sits under the domed roof.

The architecturally impressive atrium of the KITTE Marunouchi 丸の内 building in Tokyo, which stands across from Tokyo Station.

• visited the Imperial Palace park
• admired Tokyo Station's exterior
• window shopped in the surrounding department stores
• ate monjayaki
• went to the Xiaomi x Leica exhibition

Ah, the famous "reservation only" excuse.

A leisure room with a tatami.

Packages of OKUI Kaiseido brand shio konbu, a type of salted seaweed cooking ingredient or snack.

An eyeshadow palette with blue, orange, brown and gold pigments.

An order of a Conjer Anago Shirashi (sea Eel Salad) at 日本橋玉ゐ コレド室町店。

Enjoying that Tatami life for the next week at the new hotel.

Managed to find OKUI Kaiseido Shio Konbu.

After four years of being makeup-free, I splurged on some:

• Nars Serum cushion (meh)
• Bobbi Brown lipstick 🥰
• Prada palette — didn't have pink, but it did have all the other colours I wanted

Mentaiko Pizza from Hakozaki Kyūtarō Shōten 筥崎鳩太郎商店。

Mentaiko dip fries from Hakozaki Kyūtarō Shōten 筥崎鳩太郎商店。

A crow rests on a power line above palm trees. A mountain stands in the distance.

Final day in Fukuoka—Kyushu before going back to Tokyo for the final stretch of the trip.

• slept in to rest my overworked feet
• lunch at Yayoiken Hakozaki やよい軒 箱崎店
• more thrifting
• dinner at Hakozaki Kyūtarō Shōten 筥崎鳩太郎商店 beside Hakozakigu Shrine 筑前國一之宮 筥崎宮 — porcini oden + めんたいこ pizza & fries

They have some of THE best websites too!

Day 5 of the train pass was skipped over in favour of staying within the confines of Fukuoka City as we has made arrangements to meet with the lovely ladies we befriended the other day.

We made a group reservation to eat fancy chicken yakitori course meals & then ended the night with karaoke. 🎤

A small sculpture made out of a soft drink can flows with the wind, a grand tori stands behind it.

Across the park near the shrine sits another small red building.

A shrine sits atop mossy rocks.

A young plum blossom tree blooms inside the temple grounds.

Day 4: Kashima 鹿島市

• visited Yūtoku Inari Shrine 祐徳稲荷神社
• snacked at JUJIRO CAFE
• got lost getting back, someone was going the same way and tried to help us but gave the wrong directions & got lost too — seemed embarrassed but eventually gathered up courage to apologize to us — was cool of him 😎

A Shinkansen conductor looks out from his train window.

A pair of dango soup meal sets sit atop a kotatsu.

Akaike - a red coloured hot spring.

A bowl of umibudo, also known as sea grape seaweed.

Day 3: Beppu

• had lunch at Amamichaya 別府甘味茶屋 under a warm kotatsu where I ate dango soup
• saw the "Hells of Beppu" Jigoku
• tried kabosu (a type of citrus fruit)
• cancelled a rope lift due to strong winds
• thrifted some clothes
• ate sea grape seaweed (umibudo) for the first time!

A selection of a-la-carte meat cuts and vegetables waiting to be grilled on a table.

Shinkansen Day 2: Nagasaki 長崎市

Got to see some beautiful mountains en route but not much of the city otherwise due to rain & mist. 🌧️

Ended up staying indoors as much as possible today, so I thrifted and ate Yakiniku. I don't normally eat this much meat but the quality was quite high so I indulged.