Amsterdam on a sunny Sunday afternoon

Be prepared, this post is going to be bombed with photos and is somewhat like a walkthrough of what we did.

Blessed with such beautiful autumn weather, we went into Amsterdam last Sunday (our third day in the country). It's like a weekend trip into Sydney CBD from Blacktown (or equivalent distance), but faster.

We arrived at Amsterdam Centraal station, and it was packed! So first impression would be that this place is full of tourists (including us)! I have to say, it's a bit of a clusterfuck but still somehow organised. The sheer amount of traffic is quite overwhelming for someone who doesn't particularly like crowds, yes, that's me. I'll let the photos describe the craziness!

I mean, Ok, this doesn't look too bad, right?! Then you turn around, BAM!!

This is only a section of the view, since I haven't figured out how to do a panorama shot. The bus has conveniently covered the main street where people are packed like sardines!

Second impression; Everything is sooo PRETTY! So I got carried away taking lots of photos of the central canals.

That funky building in the centre background is the Hilton hotel...

I think the tallest buildings in this place are churches...

Quintessential Dutch canal houses! I rather not live in one of them; you'll never get your shit back if you drop it out of the window!

We didn't really have a plan of attack on this city, so we just wandered around like some lost puppies. The only aim Graham had was to find their local game store, so everything else on the way is a bonus. So we went along the main street and stopped to take more photos of the Royal Palace Amsterdam and Madame Tussauds. 

Maybe it only feels more crowded than it looks? :P

Ok, looking more crowded now! Graham just has to check out a back alley.

     

Miffy in traditional Delft blue Dutch dress and we tried some nice aged gouda.

And a boring picture of the Royal Palace. At least the bell in the clocktower still works.

We then turned off the main street onto some quieter streets heading west. I was glad that we went around the outer canals first, not only because it was much more peaceful and picturesque, we were not getting intoxicated by the horrible weed smell shrouding the central streets. I don't have a problem with weed, I just don't like the smell and it makes me sick (physically). In fact, Graham and I both got sick from our final leg of exploring and walking past too many 'Coffee Shops' and decided to just go home because of that!

Lol, trying to take a photo while crossing the road and the light is about to turn red... This place is pretty crazy alright!

This is the sort of photos you guys have been waiting for right? Pretty canals, bridges, boats, nice houses on the side? Good news for you, I got more! :P

     

We still can't get over the fact that the buildings are all tipping over! Not that they'll fall over, just rather disconcerting...

OMG, boat houses! They are sooooo awesome! XD 

Swans are everywhere, and swans don't give a fuck! Charging at the tourists like a boss! 

I hope you're sick of canal pictures by now. Anyway, there were some pretty quaint, expensive, designer, novelty and boutique stores and lay-back cafes hidden in the smaller streets. It was just really enjoyable to walk around and checking out some extra nice houses on our way.

The nice little houses and the ambience makes up for the few tourists taking photos of everything. :P

Too bad it's not open, but we would totally eat there - Quattro Gatti Italian restaurant!

Store front of Hermes, so much nicer than our stupid, snobby Sydney store! They actually sell things I would buy, just can't afford them!

The lost puppy has finally found a new home, will they adopt him though? 

     

I think I found a new hobby too! ^.^ Mosaic craft by PixelHobby

Haven't found an art supply store, but this is much more luxurious! Mc Lennan's Pure Silk

Two of the most adorable/pretty houses we've found so far.

        

I really like this part of Amsterdam, just delightful to stroll through! Sunflowers for my love! <3

Thanks for reading until the very end. I hope you all enjoyed the part of Amsterdam we have currently explored. The main thing is stay away from the 'Coffee Shops' if you're here to see the beauty of this city, or if you think you'll get sick from the weed smell like us... There are so much more to see and do here, the next post would be on our anniversary high tea experience! Stay tuned! 

p.s. We did visit the red light district - De Wallen, and it was not very eventful during the day. Don't think we'll go there again. Lol! We did watch fallen bicycles getting fished out of the canals though, and shit loads of swans! 

Procrastination Update: All the cute things!

This post is to make up for the previously failed "Lipstick Week" post, I only lasted 4 days of lipstick in that week...

I'll start my redemption by posting the Scottish cousin of Boris the Wolf; say hello to Hadrig the Fox!

He is based on the same crochet pattern as Boris, with larger ears and additional whiskers, and of course, orange in colour.

 Hanging (like my pun?) with Kurosuke (Studio Ghibli Sootball) as the guardians of the TV. 

Hope you're ready for more "Awwwwwww"s! This is what happens when you led your husband off the leash while you're trying to buy a lipstick... The review of this amazing lipstick can be found here.

Deadpool and Groot Bobble Heads <3

Being a die-hard Deadpool fan, hubby just had to buy him to go with our Deadpool Smorking Labbit (yes, that is the correct spelling of this brand of toys). At least the colours of these two match, they both have red and black...

Anyway, these should be enough for your daily "Awwww" dosage, if not, here's a link to more on Reddit. :p

Finally, a celebratory photo of my Ph.D graduation! ^^ Think it still counts as an "Awwww"moment.

Just some extra information that no one else cares about; The University of Sydney DOES NOT have a floppy Ph.D hat! So the only way to tell you apart from dodgy undergrads is the colour of the red hood, I got totally shafted! :( Can you see how the colour scheme of this post has translated throughout? The colour of foxes is called red, even though it is clearly not red, and Kurosuke is black, duh!

RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Model Building

Ok I lied, the first real post is not about nail polishes but a model of my beloved RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. :3 (I need a cat face emoticon!) I guess this is what you'd call a Review of the product, with some average looking photos of the actual model. 

This post is for all the Otaku-tachi, which apparently I am one according to my students. The Mobile Suit Gundam universe is by far my all time favourite anime/manga series amongst the mecha genre. The movie-length anime series of Gundam Unicorn is in my opinion the most epic and well executed of them all. The animation and soundtrack are top notch, and the story line is not ridiculous (a lot of them are out there). Anyway, there's no need for me to rave on about it, since the post is about the model. Let's get into it.

The Package:

Maker: Bandai (Uh duh)

Product No. 0162053

RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Full Psycho-frame Prototype Mobile Suit

Master Grade (MG) 1/100 scale

Box front, didn't want to peel the price tag off in case it rips the paper underneath it. The artwork is always so pretty!

The box is 39 cm  x 31 cm  x 9 cm in dimensions, and it doesn't weigh much. If this is of any importance, e.g. shipping cost, luggage space, etc.

Side of the box with some action pictures of the completed Unicorn mode (top) and Destroyer mode (bottom).

It has the Unicorn mode, which needs to be made first. This then transforms into the Destroyer mode (full psycho-frame has pretty red pieces showing through), and some of the additional pieces need to be made separately and swapped out with the original pieces.

It comes with an instruction/illustrations booklet, which is in Japanese. Not that it matters, because the diagrams are pretty detailed and self-explanatory. There are also little warning signs you need to take extra notes before you cut out the pieces. There was one little nob on a piece that we accidentally cut off, and luckily it wasn't affecting the assembly at all. The moral of the story: Be Patient and Careful! Following the steps and don't jump ahead, or things can be mixed up.

The Making Process:

Overall the assembly of the parts is pretty straight forward. The parts are made with joints that click into one another; therefore, no glue is needed to hold them together. Again, be careful so you don't clip off the joints, lol. All the joints are pretty sturdy, so you don't need to worry about it falling apart at all!

My manicure and jewelry making tools had become unexpectedly useful in this occasion. We used the 1/4" half flush wire cutter for clipping the parts off the stencil. A 400 grit nail board for filing off the jagged edges from the cut, and a 1200 grit board for smoothing and removing obvious outlines. There was quite a bit of plastic dust from the filing, so not breathing that in would be a good advice. :p

The good thing about filing is that the model is predominantly white, so it doesn't affect the finish of the plastic. The clear plastic parts on the other hand, tend to leave an opaque mark as a result of being compressed while they are being cut. Not sure how you can avoid that and filing doesn't help much. The metallic finish parts are also tricky, as filing with the 1200 grit would dull the metallic shine. I managed to polish it back to almost the same finish with a satin finish buffing and shine nail board. I'm sure there are more appropriate and manlier tools for this job, but mine did a more than satisfactory job! :3

Pictures: Unicorn mode

We decided to finish the Unicorn mode with its full set of weapons first. I actually prefer the Unicorn mode because it's white. :) The photos have been slightly digitally enhanced to show the details of the model, only a little on the brightness, contrast and level since I'm a photoshop noob and don't know how to use other functions... I blame this on my really old shitty point and shoot, a good SLR would be nice to have for any occasion.

Trying to make poses with this thing is pretty damn hard, the joints are really rigid and without much movement freedom. It also can't hold ALL of the weapons (okay, only 4 and a shield), so you have to pick and choose what you want it to hold for the photos. There is also noooo bloody way for you to make awesome action poses like those in the box pictures without a stand and a lot of tweaking, so it's not going to happen here.

Full weapon set: 2 Beam Sabers (outer), 1 Hyper Bazooka (2nd from the left), 1 Beam Magnum (2nd from the right, comes with 2 clips but 11 rounds? o_O), and the shield (middle).

Size comparison between the 'Crouching Unicorn' and the Teeny weeny 'Honey, I shrunk the kids'-sized Pilot! <3

A functionally unfeasible but cool-looking pose, I'm sure you need both hands to fire the Bazooka. :p

If you want full-on epicness, the Full Armour version is surely drool-worthy. It won't cost you an arm or a leg, just a lot of spare time. Here is a link to someone else's master work, the workmanship and photography skills are nothing short of professional.

Extras:

Cost: 3180 Yen before tax (~ 35 AUD after tax), a total bargain! We also had a look on the internet, and it was selling at around 80 AUD. Apparently the model is classified as semi-vintage, meaning it's no longer being produced. We had to dig around quite a bit in Akihabara for this one as well, because I don't particularly like the newer versions. I'd say it was the best find from our japan trip!!

It's not much of a toy, so hubby is trying hard to give it some character - by pointing the gun at his wife!

I will update this post with more pictures of the Destroyer mode once it's complete, so hope you enjoyed your Unicorn as much as we did. Ciao!