What we did last summer : Part I

 Got to Taipei safe and sound and first order of things is to replenish our tired bodies.

 After filling our tummies we made our way to Jiufen. We were planning to take a bus but decided to take a taxi instead which proved to be a prudent decision.

We had fun maneuvering our way through the streets of Jiufen. Our accommodation was located right at the back so it was a good walk. 

Made a pit stop to get some bubble tea. We liked how it wasn't too sweet.

And the walk continues.

More stairs. I'm not a fan of stairs but I know they will eventually lead to a beautiful view.

And true enough, the view did not disappoint. As it was getting late and we had travelled quite a bit since touching down we decided to call it a night.

A walk down the Tokoname Pottery Path

For more information, visit http://www.tokoname.or.jp/cerapath/path-e.htm

So near yet so far

I love mangoes. They are my favourite fruit. I haven't had them in a while. Oh, I must have some right now! 

*makes trip to the supermarket*

*arrives at supermarket and makes a dash for the produce section*

*sees mangoes*

*takes deep breath, turn around and goes home*

Now I remember why I haven't had mangoes in a while.

Pretty feet

The last few months have been unprecedented for many if not all of us. For me, shielding at home had been difficult and at a certain point, suffocating for me. Being confined to just moving around in the apartment and the occasional essential trips to the supermarket has given birth to rather disheartening thoughts, which concerned me a great deal. I went into depression several years ago and it has taken a great deal of effort for me to walk out of that dark cave so I wish to avoid relapsing at all costs. Having someone with you makes a significant difference but you have still got to work at it yourself. I couldn't do my weapons training at home because there wasn't enough space and the ceilings are too low. I had gone to the park behind my place in the mornings to train on several occasions but stopped as I was getting stares from a couple of ojisan. Sure, if they call the police to make a complain I could easily explain what I was doing and show that I am a law abiding resident but that also means that I would become a potential problem maker in their books. I'd rather not be in their records at all.

After two months, the state of emergency was lifted but there were still calls to refrain from inter-prefecture travels and to maintain social distancing. H and I went for a drive to the seaside to get some fresh air on the first weekend after the declaration and it really helped to reinvigorate my spirits. I much prefer the sea to the mountains and the sea breeze does miracles in blowing away whatever troubles you might have at the time. 

Well, I did cheer myself up by doing a wee bit of retail therapy and got...you guessed it. Shoes. 

 

Hehehe.

Impressively enough, these shoes are the pair of shoes that didn't give my feet any blisters in the inaugural fitting unlike all my other pumps. They are a bit pricey eventhough I bought them on sale but definitely worth the investment as my pretty feet are properly laboured on a daily basis.  My pumps have lasted me at least 6 years or more so I expected these to have the same life expectancy as well. 

Oh look at the time. Dinner noms.

A hot summer evening

Saturday the 27th August 2019 was 土用の丑の日which is read as doyou no ushi no hi. It is the day of the ox in mid summer and supposedly the hottest day of the season. Apparently people in Japan eat eel on this day. There is a theory as to how this practice started but it is generally believed that “eating items  that start with the same vowel as ushi no hi, such as unagi, gives one strength to survive the summer”.https://wow-j.com/en/sp/Allguides/other/tips_manners/01801_en/ H wanted to have some eel so we went to a supermarket to get a fillet of grilled eel. Depending on the origin of the eel a piece  could cost anywhere between BND20 to BND30. It comes with topping sauce and seasoning. 

I don’t usually eat eel but have grown to be fond of it eversince I moved to Nagoya, thanks to its famous eel dish Hitsumabushi. I’ll save that for another entry. The marinade is slightly sweet and has a slightly sticky texture but suits the eel well. The pictures were taken before the eel was topped with the sauce but having it as it with spring onions was the ultimate combination for me. And the portion hit the spot. Ahhh, it was a good evening. 

Frozen noms: Char sao bao!

It is one of those days where I feel like having a quick dinner instead of cooking from scratch. I had a look in my fridge and saw that there is a pack of frozen char sao bao (barbecued pork buns), hereinafter referred to as "CSB", that I had bought earlier this week. 

I moved to Nagoya from Tokyo five years ago and have been living in Kasugai city since then. AEON mall is my usual go-to for grocery shopping as its supermarket offers a pretty comprehensive selection of ingredients and there is a also an adjacent outlet that sells imported foodstuff. Although I was never a fan of frozen food as it was never a mainstay in my mother's kitchen. However, there was a "World Dining" section that caught my eye and I decided to have a closer look. Basically as the name of the section suggests it offers popular frozen dishes from different countries. I am a huge fan of CSBs and meatbuns in Japan don't really suit my palate hence I was delighted by the find. The CSBs are a product of Taiwan.

Apparently today is a good day to try them out.

You get a pair of CSBs in the pack which can be steamed or re-heated in a microwave oven.

Of course I'd go for steaming. Hahaha. Once in the steamer it is a 17 minute wait.

I knew that these buns won't taste like the authentic once the moment I took the lid off the steamer. The smell of the buns suggest that the filling has been tweaked to be more agreeable to the local palate. 

The skin has the texture of a chinese meat bun and has a good consistency for frozen food. The filling is typical of a CSB filling but somehow has a "Japanese" taste to it. For BND5.50 they were pretty good and were just the right portion for one person. On my next trip to the supermarket I'll get a pack for H and see what he thinks of them.

To my beautiful you

Yesterday was a very painful day for me. I had to make a very difficult but necessary decision. Even in my quiet time I thought of you constantly.

But today is a new day. As I look upon the skies I am reminded of someone: the warm, bright, open and beautiful you that captivated and still continues to captivate my heart.

I miss you dearly.

More importantly, I hope you are well.

Happy birthday to my dearest Sai Mui

Sai Mui, it just occurred to me as I started writing this post that this year marks the second decade of our friendship. 20 years. That's about a quarter of one's average lifespan and that's how long we've been in each others' lives.

We first met in university but didn't start becoming close until our second year. You exposed me to the world of clubbing and we sure had lots of fun. I remember how you got me on the "consumption initiation programme" after showing your displeasure to my Ribena habit. Hahaha. That programme turned out to be a real eye opener, didn't it? When push comes to shove, you were the only one that could handle and tame me. I remember those instances fondly. In our uni years we went through a multitude of life events and good or bad they brought us ever closer together. We had a bond, a bond that continues to strengthen and deepen to this day. 

After graduation we went had to go our separate ways. I tried my best to stay in my second home but being stateless and the profession that I am in it was an insurmountable challenge. I returned to my country of birth and began my practice there eventually. But I was eager to stay close to you in anyway I can. Thank to budget airlines like AirAsia I was able to see you once a month or every other month. It certainly didn't help with my savings but I never regretted any of those trips. You had your own place and we'd hang out with the others for tea or a meal and then go back to spend time with each other talking about all sorts of stuff. I love how we could be so open and comfortable with each other. Over time you went on to excel in your practice and became your own boss. I, on the other hand, decided to leave everything behind and start anew in another country, for something called aikido.

I want you to know that I am very proud of what you have achieved thus far and I know there will be more to come. I also want to tell you how lucky I am to have a friend like you; loving, supportive and never judgmental. You've helped me through some very difficult times and held me together where I would have otherwise fallen.

Most of all, I could not be more thrilled to see you finding you partner in life, who will be there for you for the rest of your life. Now that there is someone to take care of you, 我就放心了.

Happy birthday my dearest friend. May you continue to be the wonderful person that you are and I wish for all things good in your life. As we both cross the half way mark of our lives, let us make true our plans to celebrate it together. 

I love you.

I'm back

Looks like I took a long break but I want you to know that I am still alive and training somewhere in the Land of the Rising Sun. It has been an eventful 2 years and you tend to get busy when starting life from zero. Anyway, it's good to be back and hopefully I still have what it takes to write posts that make sense. Hahahaha.

お休み〜

Spring 2013

It is my second spring in Japan. I look forward to this season very much; the cool weather, the beginning of another season and sakura viewing. To be honest, I haven't been to many places for sakura viewing and this time around I went to Ueno park again to take pictures of the sakura. The pictures turned out to be satisfactory but I did not have a close up shot that I was happy with.

Last week, however, when a classmate of mine decided to view Mt Fuji, I came across a sakura tree not far from Fujisan station. It was very windy that day and I had my camera with me. I thought to myself, the winds are too strong and I cannot possibly take pictures of that beautiful tree. As I was approaching the tree however, the winds died down, as if saying to me "go ahead, snap away". The skies were so blue that day and it provided a great contrast to the soft pink blossoms. 

I wish my family was here to view the sakura with me. We could just sit under the trees, drink, eat and be merry. I miss them.