Mekong Delta, April 2011

I like how some people pronounce Mekong 'Mee-kuhng'. It's cute.

Shibuya, dim and damp yet full of vigor

Only about 80% of the neon lights of Shibuya is lit. Even Tokyo's very signature, the flamboyant billboards and dazzling signs have been affected by Tohoku earthquake which caused a tight energy supply. Some of the electronic signs on train tracks are not lit and lots of businesses have been presenting less-lit displays as part of the saving electricity campaign. Though it is a sad, telling reminder of the tragedy and how our every day life has changed since then, it is also a clear indication that life is perfectly fine with less energy use.

No matter how darkened it is, Tokyo manages to remain more glamorous than ever.

Fiona Apple - Paperbag

Though overjoyed with friends and school and the fact that I have things to do and the charms of spring, I'm back to the city where a sense of anonymity engulfs me and leaves me despondent. Cleaning the remnants of a wonderful night feeling slightly hungover is always accompanied by a series of Fiona Apples. Listening to the melancholy but witty lyrics being read by her warbling sullen voice, it seems so weird to me that I could feel incredibly home and, at the same time, so foreign in front of the glamorous lights of Tokyo.