Beauty...who's the beholder?

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realising that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves." ~ Salma Hayek

Durian, you reign!

Thanks to my very good friend, Guiyu, I managed to get a durian cake for a friend's birthday celebration on Saturday. Decided to give the durian cake at D' Pastry (Blk 3020, Ubi Ave 2) a try and although not an expert where this king of the fruits is concerned, I thought I kinda like the taste of their durian cake...rich and generous with the durian pulp in between layers of the sponge cake. Bought a box of 6 durian puffs home too. Mummy loved the puffs and she ate three! :P Durian cakes and puffs from D' Pastry are not really expensive. A 500g cake costs $27.50 and a box of 6 durian puffs costs $3.50. Ha, like what Guiyu said, it's cheap and good :P Hey, my very good friend, thanks for helping me to source for nice durian cakes, I know I can always count on you. Haha, got your hint, next time, I will buy some durian pastries from there for you k :)

The well lit path

Sometimes, I think I get fascinated easily by the darndest and strangest things in life...Just Saturday night, we celebrated two friends' (LS and Gean) birthdays at The Wine Company @ Evans. The lighting in the restaurant seemed to get more of my attention than the food, especially those tea lights on our long table. Should I arrange them in a straight row? Nah, maybe not...you know, life can be like a winding path. To see a well lit path, one might need to experience sharp turns and bends...In making these sharp turns and bends, expected or unforeseen, there lies also the danger of knocks and bumps along the way...they hurt. Do we still choose to walk along this winding path?

Along a little street...there lives a little story

Don't ask me why I have taken this picture while walking along a little street...I am not sure if I can really explain why. Well, you see, I spotted a brown cat (saw it in the pic?) and thought that it kinda formed a good contrast with that wall behind it. So, wanted to take a pic of the cat but in the end, also was very much attracted to the little gate, the door and the dense greenery on one side of the entrance. There seemed to be a little story behind that gate and that door...

It's tea time!

The exterior...I thought it would be nice if there's a little garden to complement the whole concept of the teahouse. However, this teahouse is kinda facing a main road :P

The interior...got abit fascinated for awhile by the flooring

He greeted us at the entrance and I greeted him with a smile and a little cuddle :)

We heard that the scone there is a must-try. Well, I dunno, I just feel that I have eaten better scones and clotted cream :P

I think the chocolate cake and the strawberry shortcake were the ones that got my attention amongst the variety.

Shepherd pie...three out of five yummy stars :P Something seemed missing in that pie...

Delicate details...

I feel that my Moroccan mint tea wasn't really that minty...Well, maybe I do have high expectations of this tea :P

Jessie and I finally met for afternoon tea! :) We decided to check out Chris' Teahouse along Upper Paya Lebar Road, not very far from where we live :P We must have had spent quite some time there coz it's kinda near dinner time when we left :P Well, a lovely, cosy and quiet little teahouse...a great place to spend the lazy afternoon too. Ha, but we were not sure if we were really mesmerised by the music being played though. Music does play a part in evoking feelings, stirring emotions and creating moods. I feel that it could also be a rather crucial element of ambience. But I think this element did not really stand out in this little nice teahouse. As I stepped into the teahouse, I thought it reminded me much of London and the lotsa English Breakfast tea that I had had while I was in London nearly two years ago. You know, what I really love about going to cafes or these kinda places during the weekdays is that they are usually not crowded...I could really feel the personal space surrounding me, probably the best part of it all is that the feeling that I own this space and the time is mine.

Half moon

XF asked me if I have bought "half moon" (not sure if it's the right name :P) which is her favourite snack from Japan. Told her I did, but a pity she could not taste it :( Ha, so took a picture of it! Nothing's cracked or broken although I have placed three boxes of it in my check-in luggage (too lazy to carry). They have been very attentive and meticulous in their packaging, they have bubble sheets in the boxes too. All pieces of the "half moon" arrived intact, no visible signs of cracks at all! Well, it's still as crispy as ever and the cream inside is silky smooth too. Simple snack but I think both of us still enjoy eating them. At times, it seems like a childhood snack to me, a sweet little childhood snack :) Hee, kinda also enjoy the conversation with Didi via whatsapp about going beyond Narita Airport when he mentioned about delicious food in Japan :P

Still Japanese food

Well, I guess I need to try to finish what I have bought from Japan lest Mummy's gonna nag at me for buying so many types of foodstuff and not finishing them :P Was really not in the mood to work on my assignments (seems endless) coz had already spent the whole Sunday working on a proposal till my mind was swirling at the end of the day, brain real tired before I went to sleep. Ha, did share with Angeline that I have more white hair than her now :P Anyway, so, just dun feel like torturing my mind again on a Monday. Swam a couple of laps in the pool and then prepared a simple lunch of Japanese cold noodles with the soya sauce dip I bought from Japan. I thought I kinda really enjoy eating cold noodles...was thinking if I could add and mix some shredded Japanese cucumber, carrots and Japanese sweetened egg on top the next time. You know, every time I eat something, ideas seem to pop like popcorns popping in the popcorn making machine :P

Japanese food craze

I was pretty much fascinated by the variety of food in the supermarkets and food department in Japan. Everything seemed delicious. While walking in the food department and supermarket, a part of me was thankful that I wasn't living there :P There could be real serious consequences with that desire to try every kinda food. Anyway, bought some food products like salad dressing, curry powder, soya sauce and miso paste from the supermarket over there, all ready to cook my own Japanese food at home. Enthusiasm seemed to be running pretty high I must say. In the midst of the enthusiasm, came to a realisation that the instructions on the bottles and products are all in Japanese, oops, I guess gotta prepare the food according to my gut feeling, haha :P Well, invited two guinea pigs, Mark and Derrick, to try what I have prepared - Japanese curry with rice, miso soup and salad. Two real tired and hungry guinea pigs I must say. Phew, their plates were wiped clean, oh well, maybe largely due to their hunger and the fact that expectations have been lowered :P But thanks guys for your support despite having such a tiring day :)

Everything with friends and fries

If you were asked what friends are for or give me ten good reasons why we should have friends, what would your answer be? Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised that we could all have varied answers. Well, I think it's really okie. No matter what friends are for, in the busyness of our lives, let's not forget to find time to catch up, get in touch and stay connected. I am glad we did that Friday :)

Detoxification

Some greens, carrots, capsicum and pumpkin (Mummy made pumpkin soup so added a few pieces) with sesame dressing and bits of seaweed on top for flavour and as garnish. Maybe I should explore a little with hard-boiled egg and Japanese cucumber the next time I prepare my salad.

I probably can hear my body crying out and asking desperately for some kinda detoxification after my holiday trip. Hence, maybe I should be a good listener and also act on it. I decided to 'survive' on just vegetables and fruits only for dinner for a couple of days. Well, it's always good to start small and ahem, detoxification is certainly not a long term plan. Hmm, not sure if I have understood the definition of detoxification accurately and correctly though :P Being very inspired by Japanese salad, decided a create a salad for myself for dinner tonight. Simply loved the sesame dressing that I bought in Japan!

You will be in my thoughts

That night, as we were walking along the streets in Shinjuku, I keep looking at the bright lights that decorated every corner of the streets. The whole place didn't look like or feel like the country has experienced a devastating natural disaster earlier this year. I guess life is pretty much as usual for many. Many people, many buildings...the whole place seemed to be so alive and so energized. The lights certainly brought much zeal and zest, electrifying every cell within. A good experience to immerse in the lively moods of the night life in Tokyo and maybe a good boost to one's energy level too. However, I am not too sure if this is the kinda place I would like to live in or which I long for. Amongst the crowd and lights, I knew that there's a part of me that longed for some quiet and peace... Well, it's really great to be back in Japan again. Thank you for the great hospitality always. Nothing ever seemed to disappoint and I feel that there is just this faith in this country that is building up within myself every time I visit this country. I am sure what has happened will make this country and its people stronger.

A familiar place?

I think I was in Rongponggi the last time I visited Japan, my memory really needs a jolt at times :P...Pretty modern and chic place, a strong sense of art in this place too.

Hiratabokujyo in Rongponggi...I had a good time tasting all the different types of sauces and dressing for salad :P Meat was so tender and the crisp outside was so crispy that it seems to melt in the mouth. Both of us shared a set, really had a little too much food for the day :P

Every breakfast and meal that I had seems to inspire me to create my own breakfast or even prepare meals in a lunchbox...

Not exactly Japanese curry

Maybe it's more Indian curry than Japanese curry. We wanted some Japanese curry but I think we ended up having Indian curry for dinner :P Nevertheless, I thought it's good, especially the seafood curry. We finished every grain of the Japanese rice on our plate :P

Taking it real easy in Ginza

Ribbit...ribbit...

Ramen ramen

While walking along one of the streets in Tsukiji, we spotted a queue in front of a little stall selling ramen. Our vibes told us that we gotta try a bowl of that although it's not even anywhere near lunch time. The interesting thing was PY realised that this little stall was actually featured in her travel book and that was discovered only when we were back in the hotel today. Apparently, this little ramen stall has around for about thirty years. They gave really huge pieces of kurobuta, there wasn't much fat and very tasty too. Soup was rich but I thought it's a little salty for me.

Tsukiji Fish Market

Every bit is important...nothing is wasted.

Freshly green

Do you know what this is? It's really a good lesson learnt at the market today.

Another lovely breakfast

I saw those sandwiches in those cafes and I felt like making my own sandwiches...

Quality in variety

Such a feast to the eyes...so tempted to create my own salad!

Our lunch...too pretty to be eaten

Our dinner... takeaway from the supermarket. The big pao's real yummy. Apparently, its filling is kurobuta, meat is tasty and tender!

I am always very impressed by how the Japanese present their food. Every little detail seems to be taken care of with much commitment and dedication. Well, maybe I do feel that commitment and dedication with every mouthful of the food that I eat :) I must admit that I am someone who loves details and I know I can be pretty obsessed by it too at times, good and bad I guess :P But the details really amaze and impress me a great deal in this country.

High on sugar

Delightful beauties from Pierre Herme...they have got shells that melt in your mouth and filling that is so delicate that you wouldn't feel like popping the whole thing in your mouth but enjoy it bit by bit like a kinda delicacy.

A piece of art from Sadaharu Aoki, a nice blend of green tea, chocolate, almond and rum...modern art with a tinge of local authenticity

The green tea eclair from Sadaharu Aoki is a must try!

Ha, we thought it was a huge green tea macaron but realised that it's actually ice cream when it started melting. I think the friendly sales person did try her best to remind us that it's ice cream but we simply could not understand what she was trying to tell us :P

Starting to enjoy breakfast time

A nice cup of hot tea to start the day :)

Starting to love the sesame salad dressing...

PY's breakfast...her big cup of cafe au lait

We went to another cafe near our hotel to have breakfast. For the first time in my life, I felt a slight tremor, the earth beneath seemed to be shaking a little. I looked at PY and asked if she had felt anything. She smiled and said she felt it too. Anyway, we continued to enjoy the morning and our breakfast.

Starting to love simple Japanese food

Taking our own sweet time to enjoy breakfast in a little nice cafe near our hotel...lovely food, tea, ambience and music.

A little eatery in Harajuku which serves nice and cheap tempura! There was a queue when we were there. Ha, realised that this little eatery was featured in our travel book :P You really don't need to go to a posh restaurant to enjoy good and satisfying food :)

Weather over in Japan now is really hot and we are always thirsty. A big cup of shaved ice with a scoop of ice cream and red beans is a great way to cool the hot afternoon :P

Takoyaki...real crispy on the outside and real yummy inside. What made them really special is the sauce right on top. At the end of our first day, both PY and I agreed that everything's yummy over here :P

Meiji Shrine...How many is many?