Motofuji Hiroshi & Co. perform @ the Promenade

Happened to be down at the Central yesterday with Nam and reached in the middle of a taiko performance by Motofuji Hiroshi (茂戸藤 浩司) and crew.

First time I actually got to watch a more "modernised" way of taiko, and I must say that it just fits in perfectly for me. Especially since I dig hiphop music with a strong rhythm ^_^ It's a small performance crew of three, but I just love the energy that they exuded, and their expressions whilst performing are just so interesting!

Just found out that there's a full concert Raffles Hotel tomorrow evening, and it's free admission. Too bad it's already full T_T Why is it I find out about these things late? Below's the quick bio for Motofuji-san that's on the Embassy of Japan, advertising the concert:

"Hiroshi Motofuji is one of Japan’s premier taiko drummers, who has charmed audiences with his captivating and energetic performances. He has also a great reputation for his fusion of Japanese drums and Western music. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of both traditional and new style of TAIKO.

He performed in “PRIDE”, a fighting sports event and participated in the making of the soundtrack of Japanese animation “Naruto – the Movie”, a gaming software “GENJI” and Japanese TV Drama “Oh-Oku, War of the Belles” and other events and collaborations. Catch him live!"

Click for the rambling...

Arashi [嵐] - One Love

So after the ABBA madness (I know I didn't post about Mamma Mia!, actually I did but at the forums instead of here), now it's on to Arashi ^_^ Only the third Japanese "boyband" that I'm actually interested in (after SMAP and KAT-TUN)... Orange Range doesn't count since they're more rap in nature (plus Wikipedia puts them as alternative-rock) so I don't categorise them as a boyband, and the other groups I go for specific songs rather than the group... Anyways, this song is the theme for the Hana Yori Dango. Have yet to watch the movie but have heard this a number of times over Japanese section of 96.3FM, and it's one of those songs that just grow on you..... Lyrics are under the cut.

伝えたくて 伝わらなくて
I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't
時には素直になれずに
Occasionally, before I became meek
泣いた季節を 越えた僕らは
The us that passed the season of crying
今とても輝いてるよ
Now are really shining


それぞれ描く 幸せのかたちは重なり
Each of the forms of happiness we'd painted are overlapping
今 大きな愛になる
Now they've become a big love
ずっと二人で 生きてゆこう
Let's go on living together, always

CHORUS
百年先も 愛を誓うよ
Even if it were a hundred years past, I swear my love
君は僕の全てさ
You are my everything
信じている ただ信じてる
I believe, I just believe
同じ時間(とき)を刻む人へ
In the person with whom I carve out a common time
どんな君も どんな僕でも
No matter what you're like, or even what I'm like
ひとつひとつが愛しい
Every little thing is loved
君がいれば 何もいらない
With you around I don't need anything
きっと幸せにするから
Because we'll surely be happy

雨の中で君を待ってた
I waited for you in the rain
優しさの意味さえ知らず
Without even knowing the meaning of kindness
すれ違いに傷ついた夜
The wounded night where we passed each other by
それでもここまで来たんだ
Even then, we've come this far

かけがえのない　出逢いは奇跡を繋いでく
Our irreplaceable chance meeting, I connect it with a miracle
思い出 重なりあう
Our memories overlap
はじまりの歌 鳴り響いて
The song from our beginning reverberates

どんなときも 支えてくれた 笑い泣いた仲間へ
To the friends who have supported us through thick and thin, and laughed and cried with us
心を込めて ただひとつだけ 贈る言葉はありがとう
I put just one thing into my heart, the words I send are "thank you"

百年先も 愛を誓うよ
Even if it were a hundred years past, I swear my love
君は僕の全てさ
You are my everything
愛している ただ愛してる
I love you, I just love you
同じ明日約束しよう
Let's make a vow on the same tomorrow
世界中に ただ一人だけ 僕は君を選んだ
Just one person in the entire world, the you I have chosen
君といれば どんな未来も
Because if I'm with you, no matter what the future is like
ずっと輝いているから
It'll be shining always

ラララ 〜
La la la ~

Click for the rambling...

SoulJa - Sotsugyo [graduation]

歌：SoulJa 作詞：SoulJa 作曲：SoulJa
遊んだあのブランコ コンビニ前待ち合わせの場所
初めて告白した人 思い出詰まったあのグラウンド
川辺に沿ってくあの道 思い出せば歩いてた毎日
昔暑い日にした水遊び 夏休みの終わりの祭り花火

君とまいた 花の種実り 色あせないため心に
大事にするmemory 誓い 無くしたくない so離さない
未来のこと これからのこと 何が起こるかわからないけれど
扉のむこうに待つ 景色の方へと 歩き出そう

僕たちはこれからどこへ行き そこでは何を見る
今までのこと 今までの顔 忘れずに前を進む

いつの間にか時は流れた 過去の日々はどこへと消えた
短いようで長かった日々が 流れるのが早すぎた
少年時代の夢は無限大 広がる世界に希望がいっぱい
この気持ちneva wanna say"good-by"
My一生涯忘れたくはない

休むことなく地球は巡る その上で僕たち前進む
それを見る 太陽道照らす 夜には月が僕たち励ます
これから会う明日よ 君は僕たちとともに どこへどう 導くだろう
過去よ今まで マジありがとう

僕たちはこれからどこへ行き そこでは何を見る
今までのこと 今までの顔 忘れずに前を進む

僕たちはこれからどこへ行き そこでは何を見る
今までのこと 今までの顔 忘れずに前を進む

僕たちはこれからどこへ行き そこでは何を見る
今までのこと 今までの顔 忘れずに前を進む
Click for the rambling...

「きみは愛されるため生まれた」 당신은 사랑받기 위해 태어난 사람 (You were Born to be Loved)

My blog stalkers readers must think I am mad. I go without any updates for ages and ages and suddenly I put up 2 entries in a row. Stumbled upon this song on Bookbinder, and as I read the lyrics, I felt my eyes tearing... It's just such an encouragement to me since I have been feeling somewhat blue these past few weeks (yar, I know it doesn't show but...) Such a poignant reminder that yes, I am born to be loved, and the one up there is kinda giving me a loving hug in the form of this song. Yes, I am sitting here typing this with tears in my eyes (no, they have yet to fall, so jiejie don't call me a crybaby!). Yes, the one that was put up is in Japanese but I found out that it's actually a Japanese version of a Korean gospel song, so I'm putting up both versions. I don't know how close the lyrics are since I don't know Korean. Here's the English translation for those of you who don't know Japanese or Korean.

You were born to be loved
And you are receiving that love through your life.
You were born to be loved
And you are receiving that love through your life.
The love from God that started since the beginning of your birth
Becomes connected with us meeting each other.
You were born to be loved
And you are receiving that love through your life.

きみは愛されるため生まれた
kimi wa aisareru tame umareta
きみの生涯は愛で満ちている
kimi no shougai wa ai de michiteiru
きみは愛されるため生まれた
kimi wa aisareru tame umareta
きみの生涯は愛で満ちている
kimi no shougai wa ai de michiteiru

永遠の神の愛は
eien no kami no ai wa
われらの出会いの中で実を結ぶ
warera no deai no naka de mi wo musubu
きみの存在が
kimi no sonzai ga
私にはどれほど大きな喜びでしょう
watashi ni wa dore hodo ookina yorokobi deshou

きみは愛されるため生まれた
kimi wa aisareru tame umareta
今もその愛受けている
ima mo sono ai uketeiru
きみは愛されるため生まれた
kimi wa aisareru tame umareta
今もその愛受けている
ima mo sono ai uketeiru


(Korean lyrics and the pronounciation taken from here)

당신은 사랑 받기위해 태어난 사람
Dangseenun sarang badgi wehae taeonan saram
당신의 삶 속에서 그 사랑 받고 있지요
Dangseeneek salm sokeso gu sarang badgo eetchiyo
당신은 사랑 받기 위해 태어난 사람
Dangseenun sarang badgi wehae taeonan saram
당신의 삶 속에서 그 사랑 받고 있지요
Dangseneek salm sokeso gu sarang badgo eetchiyo

태초부터 시작된 하나님의 사랑은
Taetchobuto seechakdwon hananomeek sarangun
우리의 만남를 통해 열매를 맺고
Uroeek mannamrul tonghae yeolmaerul maechgo
당신이 이 세상에 존재함으로 인해
dangseenee yi saesang-eh chonchaehamuro eenhae
우리에겐 얼마나 큰 기쁨이 되는지
uro-eh-kehn orlmanakun geebumee duwochee

당신은 사랑 받기 위해 태어난 사람
Dangseenun sarang badgi wehae taeonan saram
지금도 그 사랑 받고 있지요
chigumdo gu sarang badgo eetchiyo
당신은 사랑 받기 위해 태어난 사람
dangranun sarang badgi wehae taeeonan saram
지금도 그 사랑 받고 있지요
chigumdo gu sarang badgo etchiyo

@@@@@@@
Also, this guy kindly put up the chords for the song too!

Click for the rambling...

また雨の季節かな...

今、シンガポールで毎日夕立が出てる...　気持ち悪い。　太陽さん、何で朝だけくる？　春雨がちょっと好きけど、夕立と大雨は...　窓でてるてる坊主ちゃんが書いた、太陽さん早く戻ってください～～
日本人と雨

Click for the rambling...

Keep the Faith [KAT-TUN]

Never really took note of KAT-TUN's songs despite them being around the scene for quite a while.... And honestly, have only heard of 2 of their members, namely Kamenashi Kazuya (亀梨和也) and Akanishi Jin (赤西仁), and of these 2 I can only recognise Kamenashi mainly due to dramas like Kindaichi, Nobuta wo PRODUCE and Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, as well as 1 Pound Gospel that's currently airing in Japan at the moment. There's just something about his features/attitude that intrigues me. Heh... So I guess it's because of him that I started taking note of the group? Speaking of which, this song is also the theme song for Yukan Club. Don't know about the show but found this song rather catchy. ^^ Pretty interesting seeing how far this group has comed since starting off as a dance support group for KinKi Kids' Domoto Koichi... However, despite the upbeat tempo, THERE WASN'T ANY DANCING in this PV.... Just loads of gothic attire posing... Haha..



わがまま　言ってたけど　
I had said many selfish things
ここなら You know, baby　居場所があったし
If you’re here, you know baby, I have a place to be
“信じること”　口で言えても傷つくから
Because even saying, “I believe” leaves scars
小さな声で優しさ探し歩き　
I walk, looking for kindness said in a small voice
疲れた羽根でしゃがみこんでいる
I’m crouching down with tired wings

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
一人じゃ明日見失うから　
Because alone we will lose sight of tomorrow
派手に叫ぶのさ　Keep the faith
Yell it out loudly, Keep the faith

敵無し不可能もなし
No enemies and no impossibilities
飛ばすぜ　燃え上がれ本能
Fire it up, let your instincts burn
つまらねえ　毎日抜け出すぜ
Sneak away from the boring everyday
固い約束さ　Keep the faith
My solid promise to keep the faith

間違いだらけの街
A town full of mistakes
何かが自分変えようとしても
Even when I feel like changing myself in some way
おびえないで　心の中は変えられない
Don’t be afraid, I can’t change what’s inside my heart
足りない言葉　消えぬ痛み抱え
Insufficient words, the clown carries its pain
作り笑い立ち尽くしてる
Faking a smile, I’m standing still

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
俺らが灯りをともすから　
Because we will light the lamp
一人泣かないで　Keep the faith
Don’t cry alone, keep the faith

その声離れてても　心はこの場所にある
Even if the voice goes further away, the feelings will be here
夢見て倒れて立ち上がれ　
Have a dream, fall down and get back up
全て賭けるのさ　Keep the faith
I’m betting everything on it, so keep the faith

誰も何も見ない振りで　君を傷つける
I hurt you by acting like I don’t see anyone or anything
俺ら側に感じるだろう　君をそこから救い出すよ
You may feel us close by, I will rescue you from that

Count down 開始　5 to the 4
The countdown begins, 5 to the 4
Don't touch センサー 3 to the 2
Don’t touch the sensor, 3 to the 2
I don't wanna change da style, keep da faith
I don’t wanna change da style, keep da faith
自分のpaceでrace これはGame
Race at your own pace, this is a game
そろそろ着火 Runaway 1, Lifeをかけた愛撫で Blahh...
It’s time to ignite, runaway 1, bet your life on a caress, blahh…

だから近くに… “Sweetie”
So nearby… “Sweetie"

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
一人じゃ明日見失うから　
Because alone we will lose sight of tomorrow
派手に叫ぶのさ　Keep the faith
Yell it out loudly, Keep the faith

敵無し不可能もなし
No enemies and no impossibilities
飛ばすぜ燃え上がれ本能
Fire it up, let your instincts burn
つまらねえ　毎日抜け出すぜ
Sneak away from the boring everyday
固い約束さ　Keep the faith
My solid promise to keep the faith

夢見て倒れて立ち上がれ　
Have a dream, fall down and get back up
全て賭けるのさ　Keep the faith
I’m betting everything on it, so keep the faith

Click for the rambling...

Flavor of Life - Utada Hikaru

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...

友達でも恋人でもない中間地点で
収穫の時を夢見てる青いフルーツ
Stuck midpoint between friends and lovers,
like an un-riped fruit dreaming about the day of harvest

あと一歩が踏み出せないせいで
じれったいの何のってBaby
because of being unable to just move one more step forward
what’s causing this frustration baby

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...

甘いだけの誘い文句
味気のないTalk
そんなものには興味をそそられない
Sweet talk and tasteless conversations.
it sparks no interest in me

思い通りにいかない時だって
人生捨てたもんじゃないって
even when things do not go the way you want
it doesnt mean you’ve thrown your life away

「どうしたの？」と
急に聞かれると
「ううん、何でもない」
さようならの後に消える笑顔
私らしくない
When asked ‘ whats wrong?’
I answer ‘its nothing’
The smile that disappears after goodbye
It’s unlike me

信じたいと願えば願うほど
なんだか切ない
「愛してるよ」よりも「大好き」の方が
君らしいんじゃない
The flavor of life…
The more i wish to believe in you,
For some reason it hurts even more
‘I like you a lot’ instead of ‘I love you’ sounds more like you
the flavor of life

忘れかけてた人の香りを
突然思い出す頃
降り積もる雪の白さをもっと
素直に喜びたいよ
The period when you suddenly remember the scent of someone you had almost forgotten,
I want to be able to openly and honestly cherish the white purity of the falling snow more

ダイヤモンドより軟らかくて
温かな未来
手にしたいよ限りある時間を
君と過ごしたい
A future tender and warmer than a diamond
I want to grasp it, in this limited time we have,
I want to spend it with you

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...
Click for the rambling...

イケナイ太陽 Unreachable Heaven (Irresistable Sun) by Orange Range

チョットでいいから 見せてくれないか
お前のセクシー・フェロモンで オレ メロメロ
Just for a while, won't you let me peek?
I'm falling down drunk with your sexy pheromones...

Ah ふれちゃいそう でも イケナイの!
徐々に高なる鼓動 止められないわ
Ah, I might get rejected, but it's impossible to resist!
My heart beat's gradually increasing, I can't stop it

交わす言葉の 記憶遠く 口元の動きに揺れ動く
濡れた髪を撫でた そして Ah?
The lips are trembling, but the words are far away...
I brushed your hair gently and now, heh?

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
オレの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ オレは イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

「赤い糸」なんて絵空事 でも下心でさえ信じたいの
俺は正しい キミも正しい とにかくもう左右されないゼ
What's with this "red thread"? I don't get it, but still want to believe in it...
I'm right as you're also right, but even so I hate this control

騙し騙され胸うずく 下手な芝居が より盛り上げる夜
息が耳に触れた二人 Ah
Trying to fool my own heart, this bad acting's taking over the night
I get excited just by hearing us breathe Ah...

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
あたしの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ あたし イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

交わす言葉の 記憶遠く 口元の動きに揺れ動く
濡れた髪を撫でた そして Ah?
The lips are trembling, but the words are far away...
I brushed your hair gently and now, heh?

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
オレの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ オレは イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

絡み合う糸は 君と俺を結ぶ赤い糸
The red thread is entangled but it ties us together, Na Na Na~ Click for the rambling...

French-Japanese street magician Cyril Takayama

Thanks to Ivan for sending the link to the Lacoste magic/illusion that Cyril Takayama did. Blur me was wondering what Japanese thing this was until I calmed down. Did a quick search on Youtube to turn up a wider sampling of his stuff ^^ The shows are in Japanese but you can get the gist of things just by watching.

Link to the youmaker version of Lacoste street magic (The youtube quality ain't as good and I just could't find the code to embed this...


Lacoste magic


Glass magic


Burger trick

More samplings on Youtube Click for the rambling...

厨 Kuriya @ Raffles City

Had dinner woceht at this Japanese restaurant last night. Kinda a mini-celebration to make the end of undergrad exams forevermore!! Firstly, it's one of the more decent Japanese places in Singapore. Kinda pricey and I had to resist from doing mental conversions as to how much the meal would cost back in Japan... The chorus of "Irrashaimase" as we walked in was like CORRECT for once (compared to all those Jap-wannabe places that DON'T get the terminology or pronounciation correct)The waitress who showed us our seat was pretty competent, even introducing us to today's fresh catch-of-the-day, that included some river crabs that looked all too cute to be eaten!!

When presented with the menu, we were pondering on all the various things that could be tried. And based on what we had in the end, the place definitely warrants future trips!! Me having my Ricoh with me, went trigger happy (mind you, this is the first time I actually took photos of my meal in Singapore!! Previously, only did that in Japan since the presentation was all so nice!!)


This was what woceht had. It's some healthy diet soba thing that had medium-rare egg, ladies fingers, natto, seaweed on the soba.. Rather nice, and as she puts it, rather slimy too~~


This was what I had. Karasumi ochazuke. Basically rice with grilled/barbecued roe, with the option of pouring soba tea on the rice. Silly me forgot to try just the soba tea with the rice and promptly mixed in the wasabi in with everything. So all I could make of my meal was wasabi. Silly, rite?

After which, it was dessert time!!! I ordered the house special. Grilled vanilla ice cream. How did it taste? Imagine roasted mashmallows, then imagine the insides being replaced with nice vanilla icecream~~~


Woceht ordered mochi instead. Here's the view from the side of the imposing blob of red beans....

And of course, the less mposing imaged of thei nice chewy mochi~~~


Yep, so that was our mini-adventure of the day. Nice change from our usual JP haunt. Nice atmosphere to chitchat at the place as well. Wanna go there again soon... Once my pocket recovers a little first ^^

Oh, and here's woceht's take on dinner~~

Click for the rambling...

Memoirs of a Geisha

Went to watch Memoirs of a Geisha last night @ GV Marina... Evening show that was supposed to start at 18.40 but thanks to all the adverts and stuff, as well as an announcement from the Biz organisers, the show only started at 19.00... din help that I wasn't able to grab a bite before the show... Pretty good movie adaptation of Arthur Golden's book ^^ Seems like the recent movies based on books are rather good, directors are starting to get the hang of maintaining plot and not sacrificing storyline for CG and stuff.... Tho, being a late nite movie din really help the bunch of us, after a tiring day in NUS, lab and/or lessons, a 2.5 h show din really help... Pity that the details and descriptions of a geisha's life, like the many layers of clothing, the makeup, the lessons etc., weren't delved into as much I would have liked... But something had to go to keep the flow of the movie... Real pity, but guess that the book would hafta makeup for wat was missing in the movie.... So, pple, pls go catch this movie if u can, and do try and read the book too!!

By the time Huey Sian, Diane, Des and I finished dinner at BK, it was already like 22.30-ish.... So no surprise that I got home near to midnight.... Somehow din feel so bad... Prob due to the company on the MRT ride back (along w the discussion of Geisha), as well as having someone concerned enough that I was to "report back" when I got home safe and sound ^^ Did feel pretty drained when I got home, but managed to get enough rest nevertheless.... This is prob gonna be my last movie in a pretty LONG time...

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森岡浩之の 「星界の紋章」 １－３

私はバカよ。　さっき、ラップトップのファイルを整理するとき、この日本語で電子 本を見つけた。　びっくりしたね！　持つのは、本当に忘れてしまったんの...　嬉しい～　＝＾－＾＝　実は、先日、シンガポールの紀伊国屋書店 (Kinokuniya)で中国語語版も見た。　さあ、やっとラフィールとジントの経験を読みたい...　でも、今忙し過ぎるので、時間がない。　ちょっ と大変だと思う。　それに、私の日本語版の「キノの旅」２－８　と「ふしぎ遊戯パーフェクトワールド」雑誌もまだ読める...　うん～　残念だね...　 １２月にJLPT3の試験を受けるつもりから、もっと　もっと勉強しなければならない。　頑張れね！

じゃ、今晩ご飯の時間から、また今度～

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夏祭り @ Changi

Crummy day it has been so far.... Plus I am actually typing this all out for the second time, all thanks to blogger dying out on me yesterday after I typed everything out nicely... Plus, it is raining (and the only thing I like abt rainy days is that it's so nice to sleep in...) and I cldn't find the Evo classroom... *bleah* This post is gonna take super long, since I am gonna "save as draft" every para or so, just in case blogger decides to be unfriendly again....

Anyways, on the proper posting abt the Japanese Summer Festival on Saturday ^^ Met up w Kemin to go dn to the Japanese Primary School @ Upper Changi Road. Pity the yukata rental service was over by the time we got our tix and coupons... And thus begins the photo-show ^^

This was the view that greeted us when we went past the ticketing counter.... So many pple, and many of them were in yukatas!!! Pretty amazing that a pri sch actually has it's own track and such a large space surrounding it as well! Anyhow, since Mingxian was there w some other friends, we decided to meet up w the bunch of them too ^^ So into the crowd we went....

Oh wellz, while heading over to the goldfish catching stall, the performance on the oh-not-so-center stage was drumming.... Really love the rhythmic sound ^^

So... onward to catch goldfishies!!! It was in front of this stall that we met up w Mingxian and his two friends, so now Kemin and I have 2 new friends too ^^ Ohe, notice how there were also SIA -print yukatas ard too!

Kemin and I may not haf been in yutakas, but Ngwei, Shumin and Mingxian were definitely in traditional Japanese garb! Really love the cute fans that they got.... Mine is an all out Asahi advert *sigh* And Asahi beer is actually wuite nice too ^^ heehee....

YANG GUO & XIAO LONG NUOkies.... Decided to be nice and not blatantly post this photo up ^^ Click at ur own discretion.... heehee... But I definitely wanna give my friends a chance to look at the nice posing the two of them did ^^ After this was taken, they were dubbed as the above link sez Pls dun ask who is supposed to be who... That I ain't gonna tell...

Last but not least, a photo of the really cute kids in traditional garb ^^ Pple were taking turns w the bon-odori onstage, and when it was the kiddies' turn, it was like "awwww...." They really are cute, aren't they? Well, w most of the coupon stalls out of games and food, everyone was just congregating ard the stage in large circles and dancing to the dulcet sounds of japanese songs, as well as the more familiar strains of Chan Mali Chan and Rasa Sayang. Of course, we just had to join in as well ^^ What a way to end the evening!! Then it was off to the MRT and the long ride home (thank goodness Ngwei was also heading west ^^ or else the ride wld haf felt longer....)

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Adventure w RAMUNE (ラムネ) =^-^=

Yes, King Liang, it takes me 3 days to actually get this entry up.... Well, after bringing the UNSW ppl back to PGP on Sunday, Yew Mun, King Liang, Mun Keat, and I headed down to Raffles City... KL wanted to introduce me to ラムネ (pronounced as "ra-mu-ne") a pretty unique Japanese soft drink. Lunch at Subway, then the 4 of us trooped down to Market Place at the basement of Raffles City.... When we got to the Japanese produce section, I was getting pretty excited, especially since ラムネ turned out to be a drink I saw on either anime or J-drama before ^^ There were other flavors like orange and peach and stuff but only 3 of them were in the "authentic" glass bottle.... So the adventure begins after putting the drink in the fridge upon getting home ^^

Okie.... I ended up buying the original flavored ラムネ (pretty much tasteless to me... prob because loads of Singaporean soft drinks are very sweet). [1] shows the unopened bottle. Kinda looks like a normal soft drink in a glass bottle but looks can be deceiving, ya know! So upon closer inspection, there are interesting labels like in [2] and [3] as to how to open the bottle.... Basically there is a little plastic t-shaped thingie that you use to unseal the bottle by pushing the glass marble dn ^^

So ya, after removing the normal plastic seal thing at the top, the bottle ends up looking like [4], where the geen plastic bits at the top just sitting there, and come apart like in [5]. The smaller plastic bit on the left is the "t-shaped" thingie used to push the glass ball down...

Now comes the troublesome part..... the proper unsealing, so that I can get to my drink.... [6] shows how u shld place the plasatic bit, and u gotta use A LOT of strength to get the darn ball down!! I tried, didn't work.... Mom tried, didn't work... Went to get a flat pebble we had, I held on to the bottle, and Mom went "wham" on the pebble, and the glass ball *finally* went dn.... You can sorta see it fizzle-ling in [7]

Just in case that wasn't large enough, here are some close-ups of the bubbles forming ard the ball... other than those little bubbles, there wasn't much excitement *lol* And yea, Juan (along w sibs and mom) proceeded to finish the 200mL of drink there was.... Not really a lot, but I only understood how THICK the walls of the bottle are after we finished the drink!!

Well.... here's the emptied product... The bottle is contoured in such a way that the glass ball doesn't fall all the way down but instead stays some where in the middle.... Well, now Juan has a nice noisy, albeit heavy, rattle on my table ^^ One good thing that came out of this is that now I have something ready for Japanese 4 culture presentation (photos and bottle alike!! heehee... might even get another bottle just before the presentation so I can demo how to open it ^^)

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「たこ焼き」 takoyaki

日本の大阪にあるたこ焼きは有名です。　天気は寒とき、おいしいたこ焼きを食べます。　食べたと、おなかはとても温かくなります。　体も冷たくない。　それから、冬のとき、多い人は食べます。　時間がないとき、たこ焼きはとても便利な食べ物ですね。

こ れは家庭用カセットコンロ用たこ焼き器です。　遠渡　留吉　さんは一番目たこ焼きが作った人です。　始めに、たこ焼きの中に小さい肉とこんにゃくがありま した。　でも、１９３５年後、材料を変わりました。　今、たこ焼きの中にいろいろな材料があります。　チースでもえびでもたこでもいいです。

大阪の千日前地区にたくさん料理する道具の店があります。　どこもたこ焼きが作る道具は買います。　関西の県だけでたこ焼きはご飯といしょうに食べます。　おもしろいでしょう？　^-^

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The above is for my presentation tomorrow in Japanese class.... supposed to be on Japanese culture, and my group decided to do food, so I get to prepare a speech on takoyaki (",) not too sure if I got the kanji for the guy's name and the areas in Japan (Sennichi-mae district in Osaka and Kansai prefecture) correct...oh well, do correct me if it is wrong.... the english version is included below...

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The takoyaki from Osaka, Japan is well-known. The tasty takoyaki is eaten during cold weather, causing the stomach to warm up, and the entire body would no longer feel cold. Thus, many people eat takoyaki during winter. Furthermore, it is also very convenient as quick snack.

This is a domestic takoyaki mould . Endo Tomekichi was the first person who made takoyaki. He initially filled the takoyaki balls with small pieces of meat and konnyaku but from 1935 he changed to using pieces of tako (octopus) meat. Nowadays, all kinds of fillings are used in takoyaki. The most common ones are cheese, shrimp / prawn, and octopus.

The Sennichi-mae district of Osaka has a lot of stores that sell cooking equipment / utensils. You can buy takoyaki making utensils from any one of these stores. In the region of Kansai prefecture, takoyaki is eaten together with cooked rice. Now, isn't that interesting? ^-^

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