Nihon Finale

Day 7:

Do you ever think about home while on vacation? Well, as we near the end of our Japan trip, although we had a blast, we actually felt that it was about time we headed home. We just relaxed during our last full day in Osaka. Originally, we had planned to take the JR to Umeda because there's some good shopping there but really...who needs to spend another 500 yen round trip per person to go there to shop when we have a never-ending strip of shopping right next to our hotel in Shinsaibashi? So were we successful in walking from one end of the strip to the other? Although we started on the shopping adventure from 10 am (most stores don't even open until 11) and shopped and ate until 9 pm (when they close) we were still defeated by the long strip. We ran out of yen in no time and had to even use our credit cards!

The following are some of the foods we ate...I won't even try to categorize the numerous foods into meals:

1. Breakfast at McDonalds...they were having chicken nuggets and McPork both for only 100 yen each...such great deals...sorry..too hungry that we forgot to take pictures
2. Curry set that comes with very yummy udon and extra tempura on the side. The whole set was very good and only cost us less than 1000 yen; it filled up both of us.
3. Green tea and ice cream set at a tea place with lots of old people and then the two of us...just a little awkward. Anyway, their green tea powder on top of the icecream together with the green tea was VERY rich...not sure if kids would like this...but you're definitely getting green tea.
4. A cream puff-like dessert from a vendor that strictly sells these only. The interesting thing about this one was that it was sakura flavour (they actually inject the flavoured cream with a needle-like aparatus) and this is only available in March and April.
5. Skewers! We went to this place strictly for skewers that we've seen people line up for every night. It's right across from the takoyaki place we went to the first day. And a 100 yen store is just a few stores down with lots of good buys! Anyway, back to skewers: they were fun to eat and good except we had difficulty ordering in the beginning with no pictures...luckily one of the waitresses dug up an English menu and she spoke Mandarin!
6. Finally we were able to have some acceptable AND cheaper ramen from "Four Kings" which was ironically next to the "Gold Dragon" where we had the horrible ramen the previous night.
7. And of course...dessert to end off the night. It was Haagen Daaz green tea icecream!
   

Day 8:

And that concludes our Japan trip as we pulled are much heavier luggage to the airport limousine bus stop to head to our connecting flight from Osaka to Vancouver via Tokyo. Of course we ate before AND during our way to the airport but those foods are not anywhere near the quality we had the previous days and don't deserve pictures. We are proud to say that our yen calculations were near perfect because P and I only each used our credit card once to buy gifts for each other and were left with only 80 yen and full stomachs as we boarded our plane to YVR.

Nihon Part IV

Day 6:

This is our 2nd day in Osaka, so we had previously arranged to join a 1 day tour in Kyoto. Our tour actually includes an escort who brings us to Kyoto to meet up with the tour guide and the rest of the group. So early morning, we made our 5 minute walk to a nearby hotel, where we were being picked up by the escort. It turns out that a family of 4 were also joining us from this pick up point to Kyoto. It was actually quite funny observing our escort because he was so stressed about time constantly. It was obvious because he kept flipping his phone every 3 minutes to check the time and when the youngest kid of the family of 4 walked too slow, he would say in a progressively louder voice, "please! hurry. Please! Hurry! PLEASE!" Moreover, he had a JTB tour flag with him...it would've been okay except the flag had been so overused that it was already white turned to yellowish brown. I wouldn't be surprised if it smelled. P and I found this quite funny as he waved the dying flag at the busy Osaka station for us to get to Kyoto; we obviously tried to keep our distance as we didn't really wanted to be associated with him and the "tourist" label. Within our tour, we actually got to know 1 lady quite well, it turns out she was a Brazilian nutritionist type physician and her husband was busy giving a conference as a doctor in cardiology while she joined this tour on her own. I later also found out that many of our fellow tour participants had very well-respected jobs and income. I wonder if this is common with these English cultural tours.


If one is familiar about Kyoto, he/she would know its probably the richest in Japanese history and culture; that is why we find it valuable to join the tour although we aren't really that interested in seeing shrines and temples all day. Nonetheless, we found the whole tour very organized and pleasurable. Although we did end up seeing quite a few temples, palaces, shrines, etc., they did not seem boring at all. In fact, we wished we had more time at several locations.

Honestly speaking, we went to so many places in such a short time that I was confused as to what was what; luckily, I took some pamphlets with me to review, so I'm now able to label my pictures for you! The very first photo is Nijo Castle, where their first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu lived. It was built in 1603. The castle consisted of very clever paintings depicting power and authority as well as witty architecture whereby as soon as someone walks on their tatami hallway floor, bird chirping-like sounds are created to warn of assassinators.

The gold building of the second photo is The Golden Pavilion at the Rokuon-Ji Temple area. It is well-known for its real gold and clear reflection in the pond water. The bottom photo is of Kyoto's Imperial Palace. Security was very strict at the palace; there were many places we couldn't visit. What was most funny here was the fact that they made us (30 something people) line up in 4 straight rows before they would let us enter but as soon as we passed the gate, our rows disintegrated and they didn't even care! So what was the initial purpose?!?

Before I move on to discuss the afternoon sightseeing locations, I must mention that our tour guide in the morning and afternoon were different women. Perhaps they were all part time and couldn't wait as we parted for lunch at a designated souvenir building place. The reason I speak of the tour guide is because the morning one was such a funny little old lady. She had a very strong Japanese accent, so many of the people in our tour did not understand any of her explanations; yet, she kept talking. And if you thought the rotting JTB flag was funny, this tour guide made her own version of a flag by sticking a bright pink bath scrub onto a metal stick. Can you see her in the picture?

In the afternoon, we visited some well-known shrines and temples in the area and actually learned quite a few neat things. This was partially due to the fact that the afternoon tour guide's English was excellent and no accent at all! I think her English was better than mine; it turns out that she had studied in England. Anyway, she explained to us that some fake lightning and wheat-like rope decorations are always hung at the entrance to hope for sufficient rain through lightning so the crops can be plentiful. Also, the many empty wine barrels we often find at the entrance of temples and shrines are actually for advertising purposes! Because many alcohon breweries sponsor the building of temples and shrines, so they get to place their brands outside the place to serve as advertisements.

I must also mention that it is almost sakura season, so the cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom in many places around Kyoto as we travelled. This one was captured at Sanjusangen-do, where there were a lot of well hand-crafted wooden statues but we couldn't take pictures there. Nonetheless, the flowers were very pretty.

I would say the most interesting place we visited all day was also the last place: Kiyomizu-dera Temple. There were a lot of visitors at this attraction. We also saw a lot of other tours, including from Hong Kong. I'm guessing this is a popular place due to the great view once you're up the temple as well as the abundance of shopping once you come down. Needless to say, we did not get enough time to shop for souvenirs here!

This temple was also known for its 3 lucky water fountains. The belief is that each fountain provides one luck in love, career, and education/health (sorry, can't remember) if you drink its water. So of course, I had to line up to drink some! I don't even know which fountain I ended up drinking but I should've been greedy and just drink from all 3.

The cherry blossoms at Kiyomizu-dera temple were also very pretty. And that brought us to the end of the Kyoto tour, where we got dropped off at Kyoto station and were escorted back to our original Osaka meeting place by another old part time escort. I find it a good trend that such old people are still fortunate to be employed as long as they're healthy and do their job well. For approximately 14400 yen for today's tour, P and I thought it was a pretty fair deal with all the places we went to, the transportations costs, the various escorts and guides, and the free lunch.

We decided to return to Shinsaibashi for dinner, since it has got never ending choices for shopping and eating. We really didn't find it necessary to visit Umeda (also Osaka station where we were actually dropped off) although it is known to be a good area to shop too. Originally, we had plan to try fugu (the famous poisonous fish that can be eaten if treated carefully by specifically licensed Japanese chef), but in the end, we were too chicken because we had heard way too many stories about others eating it and then having to stay at the hospital for 3 days...not worth the risk. Not to mention it's not cheap at all to eat it.

We first had ramen at a recommended place by the magic guide book. We also went because we had saw many people there the previous night. Unfortunately, we would eat to learn that it was the 1 bad food choice we made on the trip. It was the most typical ramen I had ever tasted. The noodles weren't even that good and the soup base reminded me of our instant noodles at home. Not even worth posting a photo here.

In order to compensate for the poor noodles, we decided to try the extremely good smelling crab legs at a food stand. Although we thought it was a bit expensive to pay 500 yen for 4 tiny legs, they were really fresh and juicy. And they should thank us, because so many Chinese people saw us buy it and then bought too.

To finish off our dinner, we ran into an okonomiyaki street vendor. They were selling equally yummy okonomiyaki (compared to the ones we had the previous night) for half the price we paid for at the other place. Moreover, there was no line up so we didn't have to wait. In conclusion, P and I agreed that people should just eat this cheaper version and safe the additional yen for more eating or shopping. We can't solely depend on the magic guide book.

To be continued...

Nihon Part III

Day 4:

Though we didn't have to rush to join any local tours today and can just relax a bit by shopping around Tokyo city, we still had to wake up early. This was because we wanted to eat fresh, well-known sushi at Tsukiji, the infamous fish market. In order to get there, we had to take the JR to Hamamatsucho and then connect through the subway to Tsukiji. Then, we still had to ask around with my limited Japanese in order to find the specific sushi bar without wasting too much time. It was actually not that easy to find for the everyday tourist.

Because the transportation time took longer than expected, we didn't arrive until 10am. You must be scratching your head and wondering why we would even go so early. They open at 8am and the line up already begins then; hence, because we arrived much later than that...we had to line up for 2 hrs! As we waited in line, we noticed many other HK tourists were holding the same guide book as we were, so that explains part of the traffic but there were many local Japanese in line too. There were several well-known sushi places within the block, so we just chose one (all the line ups were equally long).

When we initially began lining up, we weren't even qualified to line up at the end of the snake in front of the place; we started lining up next to a traffic sign at the end of the block and later had to be "upgraded" to the bulk of the line. We've never lined up so long for food before but the various sushi there did end up to be very fresh and we ate many kinds of fish that we never really had an opportunity to try else where. The hokkigai sushi in particular (2nd from left in the picture below) was actually still moving when it was served and each piece of sushi was made in front of you by the sushi chef and introduced and served individually.

Most people order their sets, which was either 2500 yen for 7 pieces plus miso soup or 3500 yen for 10 pieces plus miso soup + 1 bonus sushi of choice. The 2 sets were almost completely different, so we ordered one of each. Of course, one can order a la carte as well, but it's actually more expensive that way. The meal actually made us very full...probably due to all the rice?!?

After a fulfilling meal, we made our way to Harajuku and Shinjuku stations (shopping districts) on the JR to get our shopping started! Because we were (or I was anyway) so busy shopping, we didn't actually take many photos. By dinner time, we were so exhausted that we just picked 2 random places to have skewers and yakisoba, though it is worth mentioning that they have a very neat street of food vendors near the JR station of Shinjuku where lots of people (especially men for some reason) go to eat and drink in the evening. Because we travelled quite a bit on the JR in one day, I actually calculated that it would be a better deal to buy JR day passes, so we can ride unlimited on their railways for the day. It was for 720 yen per person and anyone can buy them at every JR station the day of.

Day 5:


Finally, this was the day when we were able to sleep in! Our friend L was very thoughtful to have helped us book afternoon tickets to Osaka, so we were able to pack and eat breakfast at Lotteria (sort of Japanese McDonalds) at ease before taking the JR to their domestic flight airport, Haneda. The hotel employees were also very helpful in providing specific travelling details.


Haneda airport did not resemble an airport inside; it reminded me of a shopping mall but still efficient. We had an eel don set and icecream here after checking in since we were always hungry and there was nothing better to do than eat! The food was nothing special but still yummy.


We were a little worried that we wouldn't know how to get to our hotel when we arrived at Itami airport in Osaka because all the online information was about travelling from the bigger Kansai airport. Luckily, the info desk lady at Itami was very good in English (hardly any accent too!). Turns out it was very straightforward: we just had to buy a limousine bus ticket from a machine, line up at the right bus stop, get off at the 1st stop, and then walk for a few minutes. We had no problems finding our hotel, which turned out to be literally at the centre of their shopping area. And we must thank L for recommending Cross Hotel to us at Shinsaibashi because it was new, hip, and convenient.

We loved the hotel the moment we saw it from far away. They had a hip X in red with black background as their logo, which was visible from far away. Everything was new and though the room was physically small, they were able to make it appear spacious. The washroom was big with one side for the toilet and sink while another side separated by a glass door for showers and baths. This hotel is highly recommended. After seeing this one, we are embarassed to post pictures of the typical one we stayed at in Tokyo.


We quickly settled in and then took advantage of some more eating an shopping in the area before stores closed (most shopping places close at 8-9pm in Japan). The area was filled with people, young people especially.

Osaka seems to be well known for its takoyaki, udon, and okonomiyaki. So of course we had to try all 3 in one night! First, we had the takoyaki, which was so hot it burned the roof of our mouth. A whole bunch of people were lining up for the street vendor but they had their actual store right next to the stand with no line up for the same takoyaki inside. Being as smart as we are, we obviously bought ours inside and didn't line up.

Then, we moved on to curry udon at a well-known restuarant in their fish market nearby called Asago. The old lady made it as we ordered and I've never had udon with such thick and rich curry sauce before. Very yummy. This fish market was also the first place in Japan where we discovered items for sale that were less than 100 yen on this trip. The fish on sale at the market were also very fresh...but of course we couldn't buy any.

Though we were kind of full by this time already, we just couldn't wait another night to try an okonomiyaki restaurant that was highly recommended...in our guide book yet again. I think this restaurant used to be cheaper but because so many Chinese people started going after buying this guide book that they raised all their prices. We honestly didn't find their okonomiyaki very special but the place looked very cool and modern. Moreover, the chef there was very handsome! Maybe that's what we were paying for?!? Actually, most Japanese men from their 20s to 30s were mostly all very good looking in Japan. My eyes were very fortunate on this trip.

To be continued...

Nihon Part II

Day 3:


We had to wake up super early today to take the JR railway to Shinjuku station and look for the Odakyu Sightseeing Tour Centre to explain to us about our Hakone tour we registered for online. We're talking about waking up at 6:30am to have breakfast, shower, look for this place, etc. in order to make it for the starting time of 9am. Luckily, we still had jet lag, so it wasn't a problem waking up early. And we were relying on the fact that we wouldn't have to stress all day after getting there because that's the tour guide's job. As we would soon find out, we were very wrong.


We arrived earlier than expected and the lady at the centre took her time to explain to us the tour and the various transportation and lunch tickets we would need to use. Although her English was limited, she was very patient and took her time to explain every detail of the schedule in the guide book. We were wondering why she was so thorough when--alas! We discovered there was no tour guide! The 9000 yen we each paid only covered various transportation costs, lunch, and the "special" guide books they gave us. Well, we went along anyway since we were already there. I still wonder how I had missed the no tour guide detail during the initial registration.


Though we were our own tour guides, the trip turned out very pleasant and worthwhile for 9000 yen. We did take various types of transportations throughout the day (including lifts, buses, trains, boat, etc.) that made you feel worthwhile for the costs. It was not stressful figuring out everything at all. We boarded the "Romance Car" train to Hakone at Shinjuku station right next to the Odakyu Centre. When we arrived, the most difficult part of the day was to find the right bus station to bring us to our first "checkpoint." Basically, their guide book has a very detailed schedule of when and how to go to various checkpoints in what order for the whole day; we just had to read in English and follow accordingly.




Actually...I lied. The most stressful part of the day was when a little mishap happened while trying to exit the railway station at Hakone. You see, we have specific railway tickets to go to Hakone (these get eaten at the exiting machine) and specific tickets to come back. The problem was these going and returning tickets looked exactly the same except for a small number showing the time they were suppose to be used. Well...of course I had to go and put in the WRONG ticket!!! The machine was very smart and somehow detects this mistake and won't let me go through...so as I receive questioning stares, I had to frantically explain to the railway station worker in broken Japanese mixed with panic English what had happened. Luckily but to my embarrassment, the man had to open this big machine, dump out all the tickets inserted since the station opened, and look for my ticket!!! But all the tickets looked the same except for the number in time...so it took 4 people and what seemed like an eternity before I can exit and attempt to forget my clumsiness...


On with the day now...

Hakone is beautiful, not only because you can see Mt. Fuji clearly but also for its own water and mountain scenery. We wished we had extra time, where we could've stayed a night (like many people do) to enjoy their hot springs at many of their resorts there. The planned panorama course for the day was tight but we got through all checkpoints in the day, including riding a bus to begin a walk next to the lake and forest, to having lunch next to the pier, to souvenir shopping, to a sightseeing cruise, to riding their ropeway lifts to a volcanic area (Owakudani) for some volcanic eggs (said to be good for long life), to riding their cablecars down the mountain, etc.

It was an exhausting day, so I'd actually fallen into deep sleep on the Romance Car ride back to town (it takes about 90 minutes). We decided to go for some ramen at a recommended place from the guide book in Ikebukuro; it was very easy to find. But, like all other good food places in Japan, we discovered a line at the door. We had to line up in the cold night for 30-45 minutes before finally getting seats for some ramen. They were clever to have taken our order while we were in line. Don't worry if you can't read Japanese because they have pictures and they try to explain what somethings are if you still can't figure it out. The number of Chinese customers they get because of using the same guide book...I won't be surprised if they could speak Chinese!

Trust me, the wait in line was worth it. They were the best ramen I've ever had. We chose orders where the soup base and sauce/toppings of choice were served separately, so you can add as you eat. Great idea.

To be continued...

Our Nihon Trip Part I

I recently returned from my trip to Japan. The country was just as I recalled: fun and filled with good eats. We were also constantly impressed by their collective culture as well as consistent punctuality and kindness; unfortunately, not all cultures and countries are alike. Because P and I have both been to Tokyo before and we know that their transportation system is very convenient, plus I do remember some survival Japanese from high school, so we decided to plan our own trip and go on our own without joining one of those a million places in one day tours advertised. Although I must give credit to a lot of the great planning from our friend L for really practically planning the whole trip for us. We would recommend others to go on their own too, especially if you can read their Chinese borrowed Japanese kanji.

I'm too lazy to post all the photos here again, so I will only post a few but if you want to check the rest out, please go to my facebook albums.

Tokyo album
Osaka & Kyoto album

Day 1:

On the plane & losing time from time zone differences

Day 2:

Arrived evening time. Courtesy of L, we got free limousine bus tickets that were worth 3000 yen each; the bus brought us directly to our hotel. Anyone could've purchased the same tickets at the airport too; the airport staff can speak English. We stayed at Ikebukuro's Sunshine City Prince, which was right next to the huge Sunshine City mall. According to our Chinese guide book, there's a place called Namja Town there filled with gyoza places to eat! Gyozas are one of my favourite foods, so of course we went! In addition, this was the closest food option on a VERY cold and windy Japan night when P and I were both starving and exhausted from jet lag and plane riding.

It was slightly difficult to find the "town" in the huge mall; luckily, the Info desk person was very helpful. When we arrived at the entrance of the "town," it reminded us of an amusement park. We later discovered that these types of themed places with food and entertainment were popular in Japan. We were at first hesitant to go in because we had to pay an entrance fee but paid anyway after some discussion..really it was only about 2 bucks Cdn. It was worth it! We tried many types of gyozas and wished we had room for more.

Then, they also had an icecream town in there filled with all kinds of icecream. We also discovered that Japan's icecream and milk seem to be more rich and better than those found in Canada. Although we were stuffed from the gyozas, P convinced me that we had to have icecream, so we did. Our eating parade did not end, however, on our walkabout through Namja town (came with map and everything...a big place...sometimes with games that we had no idea how to play) we came upon dessert land! But really, I couldn't put anymore food in my mouth. Did P give up though? No! He convinced me that we absolutely had to buy a piece of their No.1 (they like to rate everything in terms of popularity for customers at all stores in Japan...I kind of like that.) chocolate cake for breakfast!

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at their 24 hr Family Mart (kind of like our 7 Eleven, except better with more stuff) to buy some bottled water (we later saved the little yen we budgeted for water to buy more food by boiling our own...Japan's tap water is supposedly drinkable anyway) and Nissin curry cup noodles for breakfast. Cheap, convenient and tasty. A notable mention of the building logistics, where they cleverly built an inside passage way from hotel, to family mart, to mall without having to walk outside just like many of their shopping is connected to ther railway stations underground...why can't we have more of this in Canada?

To be continued...

Burgers Etc.

P and I were craving burgers yesterday and I remembered that I had recently read about a really yummy burger place from my friend Sherman's Food Adventures as well as Chow Times: Burgers Etc. BBQ House. This place happens to be near where we live and so we decided to give it a try. The "Best" Burger did not disappoint at all! We each had an order of this 6 oz. steak with secret spices, tomatos, red onion, lettuce, etc. The order also comes with a side dish choice of corn niblets, coleslaw, potato something...and some more choices that I can't remember. We then also decided to add a fried egg and sauteed mushrooms as extra toppings for additional charge. P substituted his side dish for soup of the day.

You must be wondering why on Earth did we not order 2 different things so we can share and try more. You don't understand. This burger's sauce and layers of ingredients were all so juicy and tender that you wouldn't want to share! I finished my gigantic burger all on my own but it was just so big and tasty that I uncontrollably (is there such a word?!?) spilled my water as well as greased my hands and mouth in the process. My side of corn niblets were also tasty and took away some of my guilt with the grease intake. P's creamy potato soup was tasty but filling. The kind server also offered us cherry pie or apple pie with icecream for $3.25 but we just didn't feel like challenging our calorie intake.



This is definitely a good choice if you like a good, juicy burger. I usually feel stuffed (in a not so positive way) after having burgers for dinner but I felt fine this time around; I think it's because I didn't have cheese nor fries! Their price was reasonable for a burger joint: my order came to $10.50 plus tax and tips. They also had a consistent flow of customers on a Wednesday night, not too bad at all. One tip if you do decide to go, it's not that noticeable nor big, so I suggest you really check out the address first and don't go with a big party.

Wine Making

P and I went to bottle the wine we had "made" at Fermented Grape. I've never bottled my own wine before but it was actually a very fun process. The owner there was very friendly and helpful. The washing and sterilizing of bottles were a more simple process than I had anticipated. P did a very good job corking after the bottles were filled. But I thought the coolest step was sealing the top around the cork with a heated machine...very fun...but actually takes more technique to do a good job than it seems! However, there was still the tedious labelling task that we didn't enjoy as much. Needless to say, the labelling took the longest. I wish I had taken a camera there so I can post some pictures of the process but I'm not sure if we were even allowed to do that.

Now we have A LOT of wine in storage in preparation for August. I would definitely recommend Fermented Grape to those who like wine and want to buy a lot of it. It's much better to go make your own. It's a fairly good deal, especially if you're a first time customer. My only suggestion would be to collect your own used wine bottles to re-use since they charge $1 plus tax for each bottle you need.

I'll take a picture of the finished product when I have time.

Who are you?

I just wrote this one today and I think it's quite cute. Read and decide who you are in the anecdote.

Can you see?
Can you feel the breeze?

What? Where?
It's cold. It's bare.

There's a seal!
And it's a shimmering teal.

Sand's in my eye, dear.
I think I need a beer.

But we just got here---
It's ebbing and the crabs are near!

Oh, it's getting late;
we don't want to be the claw's bait!

~a.c.

Death & Disease

Here is another poem I'm going to share from my collection. I must mention that I never actually title my poems but it seems strange to me to leave the "Title:" box in my post blank, so I'm actually making up the titles as I share some of my poems. Also, I'm not sure why but I seem to have adopted e.e.cummings' style of not using capitalization in much of my poetry, so please don't critique me on writing conventions...for poetry should not be bound in any form or with any rule.

clouds shroud over the sky
fog invade through the city
as evil conquer deep within
the good defeats
courage leaves, strength fades
death is near

gone to another dimension
a new panorama to destroy
we yet remain unwaken
for we are human

~a.c.

Rich vs. Poor

Last week, P and I finally got around to exchanging some yen for our upcoming trip to Japan. The exchange rate has been fluctuating quite a bit the past month. Of course, the rate was much better before the economy downturn but it's still okay now. In January, it was $1=70 yen and then it gradually went up to 76 yen and has been pretty consistent at that rate. Maybe it was our luck though, the day we went to exchange money was the only day it went up to 77.5, so we considered ourselves pretty rich with our dollar to yen exchange.

Yesterday, I went over to my friend's house to hang out. I'll call her M for convenience. M and hubby owns the house and are both full time teachers. On top of that, they also tutor students but she tells me they hardly eat out and do not have much savings because they have to pay tuition for extra course work they're doing. This made me reflect on my own financial situation. I'm certain that M and hubby earn a greater income than P and I together; yet, P and I still go out to eat often and are even going on vacation despite the upcoming big expense in the summer. Of course, we hardly have any savings too since I just earned the luxury of not having to pay tuition and whatever we have would be going to the wedding. However, we would think that we would be missing out on the many leisures of life if we can't even treat ourselves to eating out twice a week or so and to hopefully go on vacation once a year or even just once every 2 years. Hmm..should we be feeling poor? I wonder.

P & A's kitchen

Lately, I've been quite proud of myself. You see, I never had to cook beyond plain steamed rice and instant noodles prior to my 26th birthday. Ever since I finished my Masters, I've been more willing to experiment and spend time cooking, so I must show some more of my recent yummy creations. After all, what's life without food?

Before, I had been making mostly fish and chicken wings besides vegetables but lately I've moved to sliced chicken, pork, and beef as well as making soup. In the picture, you will see one with siu choy, vermicelli, and tofu. I added a bit of milk but it's personal preference.

I find that beef is actually most difficult to cook at home because I never want to put too much oil to stir fry it but it's not as tasty with its rough texture without enough oil.

Blackberry Cheesecake

If you ever go grocery shopping, you would know that blackberries are one of the most expensive fruits. At Kin's market, where I shop often, they were selling for $3.99 for a small box earlier this week. Well, ever since Walmart opened in Vancouver, I've been meaning to pay a visit since it's so close by. And I finally did. I must mention that it was extremely difficult to find parking during the weekend but much better during week days. They had small boxes of blackberries selling for $1/box!!! This was a really good deal for these healthy and yummy fruits, so I had to buy 3.

It also just happens that my cousin kindly made some cheesecakes/tarts for us, so what better to do then to add some blackberries on top of the tart; hence, blackberry cheesecake!

"Taken"

Wow. "Taken" is another exciting and enjoyable movie I've watched recently. It's filled with action portraying the close connection between father and daughter through his search for her. I'm not a parent yet but many of the heart-wrenching scenes made my fists clench and fear for the character. I won't spoil the plot but one of the most memorable lines for me was when the father says to the daughter calmly on the other side of the world as she hides under the bed in fear, "The next part is very important: they're going to take you."

Definitely a must watch. You can click my link above to watch the trailer.

When my pen twirls

I used to write a lot of poetry to self express but I must admit that I haven't done it for a while now that my life seems busier. Someone asked me the other day why I didn't post any of my poetry here. I just never thought of it but it's a great idea, so here is one:

soft and warm i feel the touch
sensations i receive
like beams of light from the rosy sun
patterns and lines scatter across its surface
from years of use
five soldiers beholding unique powers
stand firm and strong
determined to protect their land
a life long friend of mine
i've become to know it quite well
holding my tears
recording my memories
guiding me through successes and falls
tremendously powerful indeed

~a.c.