Gonna be a little quiet this week and the next…

October 29, 2014

There was a wedding in the family last weekend! My cousin Diana, who is literally a week older than I am, got married to the love of her life on Saturday! We had a blast playing hosts. My two older cousins, two sisters and I had matching peach long dress. I don’t usually like wearing long dresses, but hey it’s pretty. Little did I realise that the Dads were wearing matchy-matchy clothing too! (Pictures up later)

I spent the day being a very well dressed back up family photographer. I haven’t picked up a real camera (as in the huge ass DSLR) in two years and honestly, I was a little rusty. Hope I do justice with the pictures I’ve taken! Cousin Sufyan, brother of the bride, obvious wins with his flashy flash and superb eye. Whatever pictures I had lacked, his sure compensate. Hee~

I suck at Nikon. I’m a Canon girl through and through. (Would Canon sponsor me their latest toy to play with? Bahaha.)

Had the brainwave to do the above collage when I saw a blank, black standee. We’ve done a few photobooth-esque shots in the past for fun, what better way to commemorate a special day than to have your loved ones gather together to create something one of a kind? So, so glad to have such awesome cousins who were game for anything (albeit grudgingly) I asked them to do. The collage turned out pretty well.

It’s gonna be quiet around here for the coming week and probably next week too as I will be holing myself up in wherever I may be with a non-stop Spotify playlist, fridge stocked with snacks and drinks and Lightroom as I plough through 600+ images, picking out the best…. that on top of yet another crazy work schedule. I really can’t wait for December.

In the meantime, here’s a picture of my two favourite boys:

They’re the reason why I love photographing humans. Inanimate objects are easier to capture, but boring to me. My favourite kind of photographs are those taken when the subjects aren’t aware that they’re being captured. Candid, lively and uninhibited.

Weekly Wishes / 11

October 21, 2014

LAST WEEK’S WISHES

1. Go to Osaka
~~2. Get at least 24-hours rest~~
~~3. Be more cheerful, less snippy~~
~~4. Eat healthier~~

As soon as last week’s Weekly Wishes post was published last week, I got ready full steam ahead for Osaka from Melbourne via Cairns. Myself and the rest of my crew were psyching ourselves up for the long day ahead…. only to be informed while we were waiting to disembark passengers in Cairns that our flight to Osaka has been CANCELLED. Bummer.

I flew back to Melbourne the next day, and I wasn’t getting any better. My ears were partially blocked and ringing, my nose was just.. well.. runny. The ground staff at Cairns Airport took one look at me and asked if I had work the next day. I said I did. She said,“Do NOT hop on that flight to Narita tomorrow. It’s full of people who are just gonna to piss you off. You have sick days, use it.” And that was exactly what I did. I had a 48-hour delay to rest (somewhat) and the next day, hell started all over again. I was supposed to be going home on the 17th but I didn’t. I don’t even wanna recall what I went through. Bottom line was, I got home the next day… and less than 24 hours later, I GOT CALLED UP TO WORK.

But while I was home, mum placed me on a strict icy drinks ban. I had to have plain water, or honey water… or anything that doesn’t involve ice or comes from the fridge. It was hell. But I did eat healthier while I was home.. somehow.

Less than 24 hours since I got back, I threw my stuff from the big luggage to a smaller one and dragged my ass all the way to the airport once again, to Melbourne. I was flying for free to Melbourne to bring a flight back to Singapore in two days. Short trip, whatever. I wasn’t at all pleased. I was placed in economy, which I didn’t mind at all… because I was already prepared for it, neck pillow and all. They changed my seat at the gate, from economy to economy.. NO DIFFERENCE, but it’s okay. The ground staff at the gate asked if I was a duty traveller and I had to use all the muscles on my face to muster a smile and a nod. No matter how crappy I felt, I shouldn’t take it out on random strangers right? But being nice paid off because just as I was settling down in my seat next to a British gentleman, another ground staff came looking for me to UPGRADE me to Business class. It was truly a blessing to be upgraded to FLAT BEDS at the very last minute. Hee.

THIS WEEK’S WISHES:

1. Continue to get better
The infection in my right ear has mellowed down, so it’s not quite as blocked and that annoying constantly ringing sound has disappeared thank God. My sinus is still very much still out of commission. I thought I sounded fine when I met Ming, Arafath and Ummar for a smoothie last night after flight. But as soon as we were alone Ummar was like, “What happened to your voice?” Okay, apparently I DON’T sound fine. More fluids, less party this week!

2. Experiment with a proper camera
I haven’t touched a DSLR in two years. I had one, but I traded it with my younger sister for a semi-pro point and shoot camera. That 500D is ancient and equipped with a kit lens and also my favourite 50mm/1.4 portrait lens. But I want to get my hands on a full-frame camera and experiment with a different lens. It’s my cousin’s wedding this weekend and from prior experiences, I get the best photos around family chaos. So some equipment renting is in order.

3. Do something to the hair
My curly roots are growing out, and I need to do something to it PRONTO. Straighten it as usual? Curl it for the cousin’s wedding? Cut it short (eek no)? I know I have to do something with the annoying fringe. I used to maintain my bangs by DIY snipping. Drives my friend Aysh, who’s a hairstylist, CRAZY. Now that I’m growing it out, it looks kinda weird.

4. Be a little more selfish… not in a bad way of course
I tend to give more of myself to those who do not necessarily deserve it or even appreciate it. I am fully aware of what I’m doing sometimes, and still I let people walk all over me like a carpet. I used to say sorry for things I didn’t even do.. especially at work, but I’ve been taking extra measures to bite back my sorries unless I actually did something that warrants it. I am tired of people saying something that strikes a chord and then leaves it hanging by saying ‘Never mind.’ If you want to say something to me, about me.. OUT WITH IT. I might get angry, yes. But I get over it too. I might reflect on that and choose to act upon it accordingly. Do you know how frustrating it is to be left hanging, and wondering what goes on in that other person’s mind? I am no mind reader, and I am sick and tired of second guessing myself. If you’re half a good friend as you claim yourself to be, you won’t constantly leave me hanging and make me second guess myself. Just saying.

If you have battled friends like these, pleeeease share it on the comments below!

Just like Elizabeth, I’m eggcited for sushi with our friend Emily on Thursday! It’s awesome to meet (almost) everyone again after ages. We used to meet almost every few weeks and now… every few months? or when something important comes up, like when Emily decides to pop by Singapore. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Join the link up at The Nectar Collective!

Yudofu Sagano : The Tofu-centric lunch

October 14, 2014

I am quite the carnivore, though I’ve been raised to eat all kinds of veggies too. Except chye sim, I really hate those. I must have some kind of meat in every meal that I eat, or I won’t feel satisfied. Once upon a time, Ummar took me to Delivege, a place specialising in all things vegan. Mock fish, mock meat, mock sushi. Though I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’ll abandon my love for meat any time soon. A full vegeterian meal? Only when I have absolutely no choice. But I was in Arashiyama, and I’ve got to try that quinessential Buddhist speciality which was the yudofu.

Yudofu Sagano is one of the restaurants that offers this all-tofu kaiseki menu. It was slightly cheaper than the crab kaiseki I had at 3,800 JPY (~SGD40), and no less delicious. The tofu set came with 8 different side dishes ranging from konnyaku jelly to itty bitty fish. Without further ado…

Course #1: Onsen Tamago

Essentially soft-boiled egg Japanese style in light soy sauce. As always, I am in awe at how the yolk’s been cooked. Not too runny and not too hard. Perfect starter to the meal.

Course #2: Konnyaku sashimi

It was printed as ‘Devil’s Tongue Jelly’ on the menu. I’ve never kissed a real devil before, hence I didn’t know what to expect. The friendly lady who served me said it was ‘konnyaku jelly’ and my fears were immediately eased. It was almost transparent and flat, very chewy and crunchy at the same time… like jellyfish. The sweet yellow sauce had an interesting tangy flavour to it.

Course #3: Goma tofu

Goma, or sesame tofu was my favourite of the lot. This tiny little square of goodness was not like the normal tofu. It was slightly dense, somewhat chewy and packed with sesame goodness. I was too shy to ask for another piece.

Course #4: Raw Wheat Gluten

Raw Wheat Gluten also known as seitan in Japanese (I had to stifle my giggle at this, because it sounds like what we’d call the devil in Malay) tastes like meat. I had absolutely no idea what it was till I asked my best friend, Google. Turns out, the gluten is indeed used as a meat substitute. The texture was like mince beef but slightly chewier and sweet.

Course #5: Fried tofu mixed with vegetables

More like tofu mixed with spices, it was delicious but my least favourite of the lot. I have a tiny dislike for fried tofu, unless it’s smelly tofu with yummy sauce or the Indonesian tahu telur. This tofu had tiny bits of veggies in it. I took a little bit longer to finish this one.

Course #6: Gori boiled with soy sauce

These tiny little fish reminded me of anchovies, tasted like anchovies. There was nothing special about them, just a good accompaniment to the tofu dish.

Star of the meal: Yudofu

Yudofu translates to ‘hot water tofu’. It’s tofu boiled in a hot pot with a piece of konbu and some dashi added for a hint of flavour. The tofu is left to boil for 15 minutes, and eaten with spring onions and shoyu. The tofu wasn’t like any of the store bought varieties I was used to. Each tofu was freshly made, silky smooth and had a clean taste. I took my time with the six pieces of tofu, and by the time I was done, I was stuffed. Before today, I would have never imagined being satiated by just tofu.

Course #8: Tempura Vegetables

Because I was such a pig, I forgot to take a picture of the tempura variety. It consisted of egg plant, sweet potatoes (my least favourite veggie) and sweet Japanese ginger. They were coated very lightly in batter but were crispy and not greasy at all. Yum.

Course #9: Chilled Silken Tofu Pudding

I was hoping for the dessert not to be ice cream because I was already stuffed. Imagine my relief when this little plate of goodness was presented before me. The tofu pudding was chilled, sweet, smooth and super duper yummy. The berry sauce topping was perfect too. Again, I was too shy and too full to ask for one more.

I’ve never had so much tofu in one sitting, and I must say I was totally impressed. What I experienced was a simple, lovingly prepared and a delicious shojin ryori, overlooking a pretty bamboo garden. Still, even though I enjoyed every bite of the meal, I won’t be giving up my carnivore status any time soon.

Yudofu Sagano
45 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto,
Kyoto Prefecture 616-8385, Japan
Opening Hours: 1100 – 1900

Tip: It isn’t very easy to find, as the restaurant is kinda blocked by a row of statues. My best bet was Google Map, and/or ask a local where ‘Sagano’ is. They’ll point you to the right direction. I literally circled the restaurant TWICE before figuring it out.

Weekly Wishes / 10

October 14, 2014

LAST WEEK’S WISHES:

1. Spicy fish egg soup from that Korean place
2. Meet Amanda for dinner in Melbourne
~~3. Get over the fun hangover of the past week~~

I’ve been bad the past week because I’ve only managed to get over the fun hangover of the past week. But that’s because my week at work had been just… sucky. Despite the fact that I got to enjoy Qantas domestic’s Business Class service twice in three days, I’ve been literally working my ass off with minimum rest (that’s crew speak for 12 hours or less time after flight). My body is fighting really hard to keep up, but with the sore throat that has developed and the fever that I sense will hit sooner or later, I am fighting a losing battle.

I did go to Perth though, but didn’t managed to get the spicy fish egg soup from the Korean place because my two awesome colleagues cooked spicy seafood noodle soup for dinner that night. Delicious.

THIS WEEK’S WISHES:

1. Go to Osaka
You may be going like, “Hey, didn’t she just come back?” but I haven’t been to Osaka for work in at least 5 months. Travelling to Osaka for work means having a big, fat luggage to store all the essentials and goodies and not having to worry about liquid limits. I was supposed to fly to Osaka yesterday, but got stuck in Cairns because the flight got cancelled. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.

2. Get at least 24-hours rest
Don’t think that’s possible, but it is what my body needs to recover.

3. Be more cheerful, less snippy
I have been in a foul mood since I left home on Wednesday and I have 8 days more to go till I am back home. That’s one full week. This trip had started out incredibly challenging, and I am praying that the next week will be slightly better. Not asking for much, just.. you know.. give us ample rest.

4. Eat healthier
Despite my sore throat, I had spicy kimchi soup for lunch, yoghurt with nutella and gummy bears among other sinfully yummy things. They aren’t making my throat feel any better. All I want right now is good old chicken porridge (or you westerners call it congee). It’s easier to find healthier food in Japan (besides the itch to eat the Kuro Pearl burger from Burger King) so let’s hope I get to Japan later. Chicken soup for the soul might be awesome right now.

By the way, have you watched Don Favreau’s Chef? I loved it. First, it deals with food. Come on, who doesn’t love a good food-related movie? The storyline isn’t crappy too, and it deals with the effects on social media have on the littlest issues. And there’s food. From fine dining to taco trucks, this movie has it all.

Speaking of social media, my blog has a FACEBOOK PAGE! If you like what you’re reading and would like updates when I post from time to time, would you do me a favour and check it out?

Arashiyama and the Bamboo Forest

October 8, 2014

Today was an unplanned extra day in Kyoto, hence I had to pack my stuff up from First Cabin Karasuma where I’ve stayed for three nights and moved to Hostel Haruya BOOK, about 5 minutes bus ride away from Kyoto Station. This was my first encounter with the bus services in Kyoto. The Kyoto City Bus is useful for getting around places within Kyoto. TIP: Get the day pass, you won’t regret it. Fares within the city area is a flat rate of 230 yen for adults, and with the bus pass, you get unlimited rides on the buses for the whole day! A comprehensive map of the different places of interest in Kyoto is given free when you purchase the pass at 500 yen. The city bus now goes to Arashiyama, about 1 hour away from the city itself. Do the math, it’s definitely worth the price.

And that was where I went first! I took bus 11 and sat for an hour to the end of the route. Leo told me about his, and I quote ‘legendary’, kaiseki experience at Shoraian and I just had to experience it for myself. It was rather inaccessible and quite a hike from where the bus stopped us. You’ll have to walk down the river till you can’t go any further and you’ll come to a couple of uneven stone stairs. Go up said stone stairs till you find the sign below.

Alas, while Leo could have lunch there without making a reservation, I was out of luck. So, to everyone else… MAKE A BOOKING PRIOR TO HIKING, or you’ll regret it like I did. I went to Yudofu Sagano instead for an all-vegetarian kaiseki lunch, but that’s another post for another time.

I wish I had more time in Arashiyama so I could properly explore the place on a bike, or go on one of those boat rides. I wondered what lies across that long ass bridge, I never found out. I loved how peaceful it was, and though it was hot out, the weather wasn’t unforgivable. I’ll return to explore someday.

See the tiny boat in the middle of the two large boats? When I first saw it, I thought I was seeing things. But it was indeed a miniature replica of the big wooden boats that take people on a sightseeing trip up and down the river. I had the privilege of seeing it up close when it was ‘parked’ by the river bank next to the owner, and the details down to the tiny rower and the food on the table were amazing.

The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was a little further away from the river, in the middle of town. I wasn’t as impressed with it as I thought I would be. The place looked magical in photos but in real life, not so much. Not that I’m discouraging a visit, but going there once would be enough for me. You need to have mad skillz and a good eye to capture the magic of the bamboo forest, one I didn’t possess at the time.

BRING MOSQUITO REPELLENT.

After checking the bamboo forest off my bucket list, I made a mad dash to the nearest JR train station. I needed to make it to Fushimi Inari before sundown even though Leo thought hiking Fushimi Inari at night would be a whole new experience altogether. No thanks, I don’t wanna bump into any yuurei (ghosts) or monsters that might be lurking out there in the dark.

Weekly Wishes / 09

October 7, 2014

LAST WEEK’S WISHES:

~~1. Spend more time with people I haven’t seen in AGES.~~
Last week had been non-stop jam packed with activities. More on what happened last week later during the week!
~~2. Distribute gifts~~
Surprisingly, I managed to get it all sorted out by Sunday. WOOTS.
3. Laundry
4. Get costume sorted
Heh. Heh. Heh.

THIS WEEK’S WISHES:

1. Spicy fish egg soup from that Korean place
I’ll be heading to Perth after MONTHS of not doing those flights. I kinda appreciate doing Bali flights from Perth now that I’ve experienced how crazy the Melbourne-Bali stretch is. The Korean place is quite a walk from the hotel, but that spicy fish egg soup is a must eat when I’m in Perth.

2. Meet Amanda for dinner in Melbourne
This girl has been in Aussieland for almost half a month and our paths have not crossed yet. Lul. We finally have one day in the same city, so hopefully we’ll be able to meet for dinner in the city or something before she goes home and I head… on.

3. Get over the fun hangover of the past week
When you have had such an awesome week at home, you really don’t feel like going back to work. Alas.

I go back to work this week and I’m kinda dreading it. I’ll be gone for 12 days this time with no rest in between days. Yes, I’ll be working 12 days back to back. No idea how I’m going to survive this boring trip….. but I guess I’m just going to have to. On a brighter note, my buddy Mazlan is finally 787 endorsed! So I can look forward to doing trips with him in the near future (like, FINALLY)

Hope your week at work or school isn’t as depressing as mine!

Weekly Wishes / 08

October 1, 2014

LAST WEEK’S WISHES

1. Get back my duffel bag of goodness.
2. Eat sushi

3. Complete Kyoto travelogues
In between work and irregular sleep patterns, I’ve been…. procrastinating. But I have the whole week off at home, will try to get them out as soon as humanely possible :P

THIS WEEK’S WISHES

1. Spend more time with people I haven’t seen in AGES.
Totally on track with this one so far. Arafath’s sweetheart, Claudia’s flight landed just 5 minutes after mine did and we taxi-pooled to his house together. We managed to catch up a little before the cab pulled up at Arafath’s place where we met Ummar.. who replaced Claudia in the game of taxi-pool. He was someone I didn’t expect to see fresh off a flight; made me thank my lucky stars that I decided to redo my hair in between breaks in the aircraft. ~~Who am I kidding, he’s seen me looking worse and we’re still friends. Props to him.~~ :P

2. Distribute gifts
Now that I’ve gotten my duffle bag of goodness back, there are gifts from Japan in there that needs sorting. The only problem is how am I gonna get them to their respective recipients before I leave yet again?

3. Laundry
Ugh. The bane of my existence. ’nuff said. Wish laundry could do itself.

4. Get costume sorted
So Halloween come early for me this year because I won’t be around on the 31st itself. There’s going to be a party this Monday (yes, Monday) and I need to come up with something scary. I don’t do sexy because… well.. look at me. Sexy? LOL NOPE. We’ll see what I’ve managed to come up with next week. ;)

I’m excited for the many great plans this week. I’m not sure if the family will be gathering for Hari Raya this time, but whatever it is, I am still glad to be home instead of flying around during a festive season.

What are you doing this weekend?