I DiD It My Way~
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Sashimi Girl is also a Supermarket Slut
Anyway, there is this supermarket (or in jap, 'suu-paa') that i will definitely visit from Mon to Fri religiously. It is none other than Isetan Supermarket at Isetan Scotts. Today, I went on my usual business at this particular supermarket, wanting to pick up some salmon (for sashimi.. of coz.. hiak hiak) and brocolli when i spotted this!
Holy shit! That's the smallest freaking grapes i have ever seen in my life! See what fancy foreign supermarket can offer that you will never see in NTUC?? If the size is not that visible to you, I took the liberty of taking another shot, this time, with my finger next to a packet so maybe the small size is more visible this time.
One grape prolly has a diameter of 1cm each. There's this jap word on the packaging called 'Shi-ma-ne'. I am not sure if it refers to the brand or the variety this particular grapes is. And wait till you check out the price - 19 freaking bucks! Now why would i pay 19 freaky bucks for a handful of mini grapes when i could prolly buy 20 packets of normal sized ones with the same amount of money??? Then again, maybe it is purely from the view of poor churchmouse like myself *Blush*. This supermarket is crawling with wealthy-looking jap tai-tais who almost all spot the same latest fashion slightly curly hair-does that you see from jap magazines. They are mostly fashionably dressed (You will not see them in shorts and flip flops), glowing complexion (from the daily use of SK-II masks or the likes of it), and are incredibly slim (compared to Singaporean womens their age, to my opinion). Honestly, I must admit jap women are rather classy and stylish. Well, how could they not when they hubbies are all expats working in here, living the high life residing in Orchard condos etc, having nothing much to do except booking tennis courts and shopping with the wives of other expats??!!! LoL oh well..
So after spotting freaky grapes, I was like, what the hell, let's go take some pictures!
Wee! Strawberries! I dun particularly like to eat it but isnt it great to look at! Then I got bored with the fruits and proceeds to the vegetable (Jap: Ya-sai) section. Oh guess what I found!
Nope, its not watermelons. They are pumpkins. Damn. We singaporeans are so brain-washed into believing that pumpkins are orange on the outside, no thanks to halloween pix which show carved-out evil-looking orange pumpkin heads. Just the other day I came across a recipe in a foreign magazine about a yummy looking pumpkin soup and i tot to myself: where in the world am i gonna get pumpkin in singapore to cook that soup?? and there they were! ^&%^$#%#@$@@!!!!
TaDaaH! Took a general shot at the vege section while 2 jap housewives eyed me with suspicion... Everything here is nicely wrapped up and all so you can be sure whatever you wanna buy has not bee poked at repeatedly in a bid to confirm freshness. Next, I wonder into my fave section.. Meat meat meat! (Sashimi Girl is Carnivorous *wild laughter*)
I passed by the deli section on my way to the meat section. This is one of my fave sections as well. Many break times during my jap classes are spent here, walking up and down for piping hot, delicious displays of bbq meat, pasta, yakitori etc. The aroma is gonna overwhelm you! I used to buy Penne and Turkey Breast pasta but later gave in to other yummies. Try the Chicken Leg Yakitori. It comes in generous quantity of honey-glazed chicken thigh meat for only $1/stick! Or when I feel like dieting, the wholemeal sandwiches at $2.80 is a great buy. Try the Roast Beef one. Nutritious & Value for money!
This is where you can find me rooted to the spot for about 5mins which drooling at the beef. I am a sucker for beef. Heavenly delicacy! I am trying to learn how to cook on my own these days but my 1st attempt turns out to be rather....rubbery and bland. Damn! Unsure of what marinade is good to buy blah blah. Gosh I sucks at cooking! 
This my my fave cut. Belly prime tender or something. My number 1 fave Yakiniku (BBQ meat) restaurant is Aochan at Le Meridien Hotel. It's rather pricey but the beef totally melts in your mouth and you proceed to float in the mid air a while... Bliss!
SASHIMI!!! This is the section which I get a little weak in my knees whenever I pass by.....
Sadly, the prices also give my poor heart a little leap just by looking at the tags.
Oh well, still, I had fun looking! ^_^"
Jap Curry! Yayyyy!!! These are ready-to-cook home packs which you can buy home and expertly produce jap curry like those shown on the boxes. I had tried cooking from these convenient packs and it is really quite fool-proof. Just boil, add potatoes, onions, meat and the curry cubes and viola! Traditional jap curry piping hot is ready! Jap curry is different from the local ones we have. Jap curry is sweet and mily spicy. Go try cooking if you are a curry fan but beware: it is seriously fattening so watch out for your waistline!
They are having this Hokkaido Fair now. There are shitloads of stuffs apparently from Hokkaido on sale now with the promoters stationed in various corners of the supermarket, offering you samples of they stuffs they are promoting. I swear if you are broke now, head down to Isetan Scotts supermarket now. You can simply go from station to station eating samples and save some lunch money! 
Just checked out that 4 bloody huge 
boiling pots! This is of of the sample station lo! Do you get to see that in NTUC?!! NoOoOooo.. NTUC only has small little clear plastic cup around which is sparingly handed out.. Ok not that I hate NTUC k? In fact, I adore NTUC for their great variety and even better prices. But Honestly! Isetan really takes sampling very seriously huh! On the left is also another sampling station. Apparently they are promoting rice hence those 2 are rice cookers. I am say I am impressed by their sampling stations. Told ya u could fill your stomach just by visiting each station... LoL~
Some 'ben-to' (literally rice with side dishes in a box) are on sale at the Hokkaido Fair. Not really appealing to me though, and the prices are scary. 
Croquettes fried on the spot are available too. This is much more appealing than the bentos but oh well, I will pass it up this time. I believe the original croquette is simply mashed potato dipped in flour then fried. As I snapped this pix, a staff suddenly appeared in front of me and told me 'No photos pls'. Bloody hell. Startled me. The staff looks and sounds japanese to me. For a while, I was tempted to sprout a few angry phrases like 'Shi-tsu-re ne! (That's so rude of you!) and proceed to start a 'I-am-customer-so-therefore-I-can-do-whatever-I-damn-well-pls! crap but instead I murmured an apology before scurrying away. Tmd. Oh might as well! I paid for my purchases and head for home. End of my Supermarket Adventure!
Tomorrow is yet another day. Hello Isetan Supermarket! I'll be back! Haha.. Sad!
Friday, June 23, 2006
Life is a Learning Journey: You Stop Growing when You Stop Learning.
To be honest, it fazes me, a lot, to actually start a blog (Stop smirking, smug seasoned bloggers!). Previously I mentioned I how helpless I am when it comes to technology. In fact, it scares me sometimes. I mean, we are talking about an era where 13-year-olds expertly set up their own websites and all, when me, 22 and counting, consider checking my email and friendster accounts regularly to be IT-savvy enough. I remembered how I failed my E Maths throughout the 4 years of my sec sch days, thinking i am just not clever enuff to master the subject, I can never make it. I simply hated Maths! Seriously, i was thinking, who needs to know algebra and what-the-hell-was-it-called-again when you start working! Geez! So there I was, all sulky and hating the education system. Boy I was an angry teenager huh. It's like, 'This is not fair! I am just not talented in Maths! Hey its not my fault!' Then I came across this moral-thingy story. It goes:
Man A: (While admiring how his handy neighbour can always fix his own car troubles, commented,) Wow. I am impressed! You are really good at fixing cars! I will never be able to do that. I just sucks at mechanical stuffs. (And proceeds to laugh, expecting his neighbour to laugh along)
However, his neighbour did not share his amusement. He replied:
'You know, I wasn't born with the knowledge to fix cars. I got sick of whining how I feel so helpless against my car breaking down so I simply start picking up the skills on my own, do a little trial and error here and there, and finally manage to fix my own car'
Right. Isn't it human nature to always try to find something or someone else to blame when sucky things happen in life? It's unfair. I just wasn't talented. I didn't know how to. We said all these stuffs all the time instead of really admitting we dunno it because we dun bother to make the effort to learn on our own. Yes. Blaming is always the easy way out. I can whine till I am 70 that I know shit about technology and I still won't know shit. I can whine that I am fat but continue to snack all the time. So what, is God gonna hear my whining and says, 'Ok, I will make her slim!' TaDaa! I wish that, but no, life doesn't happen this way ya.
All that being said, if I continue to do nothing about wanting to learn, I will never learn how to make my blog skin nicer, add fancy html and stuffs like that. So I hope in the next few weeks to come and all, I can actually really add some nice touches to my blog. Some of you might still think, 'Oh C'mon! Is it really that hard?!' But to me, yeah, it is daunting. Don't you have anything that you dunno about and how would you like it if pple rub it in your face by retorting that?
Have you ever wonder about geniuses like Albert Einstein and the invention of planes and stuffs? Can you imagine coming up with stuffs like that in this lifetime?? Does the inventions drop into the open arms of these brainy scientists? As rational adults like you and me, we know that these scientists spent ages before they discover new stuffs, prolly like experimenting 999times before they succeed huh. Want to be slim? Sure. 2 words: Diet & Exercise. But wait, I know that. But why aint I slim?!! Ahhh... I sure have the knowledge of how to get slim, but I am not doing it isn't it? Wanna get straight As? Study loh.. But admit it, watching tv and eating potato chips is more fun anytime. So yeah.. I guess the reason why some pple dun succeed boils down to 2 explanations:
1. If you dun have the knowledge, you will never know how to reach your goal.
2. On the other hand, having the knowledge alone is good enuff. You gotta apply it. And that, is the hardest part.
Bah.. enuff preaching. I am boring myself to tears. LoL. I realise I didn't do it a intro of myself in my 1st entry, so here goes again: Doreen, female, Singaporean, 22! I am currently studying Japanese Language and have been for the past 1 and a half year. Ok, this is the part where I get lotsa curious questions. 'Do you mean Japanese Studies at NUS?' Nope, it's not. I study Jap at a jap lang sch. It's not a degree thingy, hell its not even a diploma. It's just, studying jap lang. Hence I hope this solve the mystery of my blog addy, Diary of a Sashimi Girl. Talking about Sashimi... ...
I LOVE SALMON SASHIMI!!!
Honestly! What's there not to love about it? It's a good source of protein, Omega 3 Fatty Acids (the good kind of fats that protects your heart), you dun have to add oil and cook it, and it tastes superb! How the sweetness oozes in my mouth with every bite.. *Drool* Ok you anti-raw food pple! No making of yucky noises! I will not tolerate that! Food is a very personal choice. I dislike chocolates, durians, char kway teow and whatever typical Singapore may like. You make say, 'What!!! You are mad! These stuffs are the real shiok stuffs!' And proceed to get all upset and huffy. So see, never critisize others for worshipping food that you yourself do not like k? For all you know, there are pple out there (at least I know I, for one) like certain stuffs enuff set up blogs with addy like mine. What, will it please you better if i call it 'Diary of a Chocolate Girl'??? Hmmp. To each her own. I love beef too, by the way. Medium rare is the best! But nvm, I shall not discuss about food for now.
We sometimes ask others or even ourselves this question: Are U Happy? Of coz we cannot be contented with all aspects of our lives, but generally, if you ask me that, yes, I can say I am. I love what I am doing now. Previously mentioned, I am no Jap Slut. I dun listen to Ayumi Hamasaki's tunes religiously, watch Jap anime fervently and kiss the ground a Japanese walks on. I simply like languages. They are beautiful to me... Go figure ^_^"
So.. while we are at it, anyone keen to pick up some jap? I am no expert of coz, but i tot i could impart a phrase or 2, a greeting here and there, to whoever is interested enuff. I shall choose how to introduce yourself to a Japanese the 1st time you meet. Here goes:
'Hajimemashite'
'Watashi (insert your name)
'Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu'
Japanese is not a hard language actually, especially if you are a Chinese. Their pronunciation, when written in roman words i.e. English, is easy to pronounce, just like our Chinese's han yu pin yin. 'Hajimemashite' literally means 'This is the 1st time we meet'. 'Watashi' meaning 'I' and 'desu' meaning 'am'. So yeah, it's like 'I Doreen am'. Their verbs come at the back. 'Yoroshiku onegaishimasu' means 'Pls regards me favourably from now on/ I depend on you to take care of me from now on'. Japaneses are very polite and humble pple. In jap, they actually differentiate into different levels of politeness, from just casual talking to friends to ultra polite stuffs when talking to their superiors and elders! It's really amazing, haha. Their humbleness will shock you, them often denying their own talents when praised and even to the extent of critisizing oneself! Now this is some culture I dig!
In Singapore, I realise that most pple know only the following 3 jap phrases:
1. (When eating jap food or dining at jap places): Oishii!
2. (Upon spotting babes): Kawaii!
3. (Trying to sound like you know a thing or 2): Soo desu nee!
'Oishii' literally means, well, delicious. 'Kawaii' literally means... Cute.... and 'Soo desu nee' means 'Oh I see'. But there is a better word you can master and the best thing is, this word means 'great!' for practically everything: the weather, food, others' talents, beautiful stuffs like sea and sky etc. The magic word is 'Sugoi!' (Su-go-ee). So the next time when u eat sushi, you can go 'Sugoi!', when the weather is fab, 'Sugoi!', when you are shellshocked about how great your fren does certain things, 'Sugoi!', or when Singapore starts snowing.... 'SUGOI!"
So there, the power of 'Sugoi!' ^___^
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Diary of A Sashimi Girl~
Right... Wait a min.. is this really MY blog?? Hmmm... Ok... maybe self intro 1st? Doreen, female, 22.. hmmm what else huh.. *embarrassed* Fine fine.. i am an IT-idiot ok.. smug seasoned bloggers will be like: 'Huh! Don't cha know anything about blogging??!" And i will be like, 'Ok, so i know shit about blogging.. actually.. No, since about a couple of years back, I was inspired to blog by friends like Dawny, previously known as ihavenocowsense.blogspot --> how to forget such addy??!! But.. its kinda scary.. honestly.. technology... then came Bridget Jones, whom I am totally in Love with. Love to bits her diary entries, complete with cigarettes and alcohol intakes of the day! Gosh... Then later, it has been my bestest fren, Shan, who started a blog. So wtf... IT-moron-Reen shall do one too! (Excuse me but its 12.46am now and i am kinda... (Nvm, tell u next time...))
Woo Hoo! Diary of a Sashimi Girl huh. I LOVE Salmon Sashimi (and yaki niku actually...)! To set the record straight, i am no Jap Slut ok? God knows that. It's ok.. I can explain it next time. Meanwhile, I am going to sleep (Are U thinking now, "Gosh this is a stupid blog. I shall not visit it ever again!")
Sorry folks, I think erm.. I wanna go sleep now.. Shall blog again when i am more sober.... who cares if no one is reading it huh.. at least i know my Best Fren is ;)