Malaysian Food Fest In My Room

Went grocery shopping early this week. It sapped me a whopping record figure and a price that I had never paid this far. Am not disclosing the amount as some may start converting in their heads and tell me how much higher I have paid for this and that thing. I've had enough of that...it's Japan, so it's still very cheap...

I thought to myself that now that I have bought so much worth of raw material and stock that could last me two world wars, I might as well start cooking some of these stuff and while it is still fresh, enjoy it with other people. I love taking it fresh and seeing others enjoy them as much.

So I invited some of my classmates over for an introduction of Malaysian food by Chef Yap. I cooked my first chicken rice in Japan using the koshihikari. Some cursed me for doing that. Koshihikari rice is highly revered in Japan. As if that is not "wasteful" enough for you to curse me, I have also used half the sacred packet of curry powder to cook a big plate of curry brinjal. If that is not enough, try this...I have also threw in half a bottle of the highly priced oyster sauce here into my oyster sauce chicken. As for the other dish, it was the fried egg with tomatoes. My first Malaysian menu was:

• 1. Chicken rice
• 2. Oyster sauce chicken with onions
• 3. Curry brinjal
• 4. Fried egg with tomatoes

The chicken rice turned out to be a sellout in the first 5 minutes of business hours. This was how chicken rice turned out using the koshihikari. It's just brilliant! The pearly and shiny material made the chew even more exciting...

The Malaysian food spread. You can tell where I sat by locating the billy can or the Milo cup. Could a Samaritan send some plates and eating utensils over??!!! Pity me with all the unmatching plates, fork and spoons. Nah, just joking...it's pretty cheap here....I just need to start moving my limbs to get them...
My guest for the Malaysian Food Fest 2006 held at Takadaiso, Niigata! I may have worn a Pacesetters t-shirt, but no, they weren't the event sponsor, I'm sorry. (From L to R: Me, Farhana (Bangladesh), Sarah (Malaysian) and Konan (Ivory Coast))
Farhana, a sponsor of the Malaysian Food Fest did an egg custard and it was awesome! The egg custard (with 5 M&Ms) is called pudding (only) while the little Mickey mouse's ears look alike are called Para. They are all Bangladeshi dessert.

Bar Coding

I have always asked what is the purpose of a "bar-code reader" function in my phone. Yes, so what if the phone could read bar-codes. It's not like it would give me a detailed description of the things I scanned over with. Even though I still do not have a solid answer, I have managed to use it in several occasions. I would say, almost every phone in Japan comes equipped with a camera for sure. But not all phones come with the infrared function. Those without the infrared will find the bar-code reader a useful tool. Sometimes you ask for A's telephone number and his number is as long as you can imagine. So, A could convert his own profile ie telephone number, photo, email address and name into a code that looks like a malfunctioned tv screen. To receive it, I have to activate the reader from the camera on the phone, to read the code , where it would automatically store all the information received. The process is similar to the infrared function of other phones.

Bar codes appear in most utility bills. Just the other day I was exploring this function with my handphone bill. It worked well. Again, I may know the numbers representing the bill , now so what? ...

Hands-free, Hassle-free Toilet

I have compiled a list of FAQs from people who are interested to know about my stay here. One of them is: "Hey, is Japan's toilet very canggih one ah? There, I heard can wash your backside one leh?".....If you are one of them, this blog will answer to that question...

Yes, Japan has one of the most canggih toilets and they produce really innovative and creative designs for your bottom. And I love the toilets here. Basically, you don't get your hands dirty at all. Everything is controlled by buttons and dials. Just to top up to the answer, the seats also come with functions for air-drying, water temperature control so that it does not get your bottom all frozen up before you are dressed again. And yes, the seats are also heated and you can easily spot the ones with a heated seat by looking at the seat with electrical cables attached to it. The one in the picture is quite complete, though I have seen better ones. It is not only canggih but also user friendly. As for basins, sometimes I just hated the public wash taps because they don't have hot water, especially those with sensors. There is no way to adjust the temperature. At times the extreme cold water make my hands go numb, that I couldn't feel my fingers anymore after washing them.

Hand dryers here come in different forms. There is one that shoots out pressurised air horizontally like a pair of magnet with the same polar facing each other. The air pressure is so strong that your skin moves with it and your hands are dried up within 3 seconds. No joke...

All the Cute Stuff Japanese People Go For

Japanese people adore all the cute stuff. They idol worship them. Sometimes I imagine if a portion of Japan's GDP depended on the "kawaii" (means cute) goods. Everywhere I go, it's just those "kawaii" toys or food. Just the other day I passed a sweets shop. And you can imagine how an average sweets silo could turn into a Winnie the Pooh and a Minnie Mouse figurine. Alot of effort have been put into it. I think this shop deserves the publishing.

McDees has just launched a series of "The Dog" miniature soft toys as collectibles. I am sure it would be a big hit soon. Check out Japan's GDP growth at the end of the series...

First English Mass

It was awesome to attend an English mass finally. The mass is held every first Sunday of the month at the Niigata Catholic Church located somewhere near the shopping belt of Niigata. I felt like I was back in Malaysia inside the church and Japan again when I was outside. It is just a weird feeling but nonetheless a good experience. I have also managed to get a bilingual liturgy which is extremely useful in Japanese language masses. At least I know how to respond to the parts where I need to.