first post, year 2005

new year resolutions... never ending `to do` lists... and i`m not getting any younger by the year... what a way to start my 2005, you might think... hahaha, kidding lah! is this the szehwei you know? budak tu asyik dengan sikap `acuh tak acuh` lah... `shuang jiu hao la`... yeah, that`s the spirit!

by the way... spending oshoogatsu (new year) with the aikawa`s was indeed a great experience... we made motchi (rice cake) with azuki (red beans), it is something like our penang`s `muar chee`! then... we made osechi (new year`s bento)... all the jap names for mushrooms (shiitake), and bamboo shoots (take no ko) and lots of fish roes... i cant remember them all,　just kazu no ko, mei tai ko... salmon roe lah... apa-apo saja lah... it is kind of chewy thought... very salty... shio karai to mean salty in jap! black beans (kuro mame)... kuri (chestnut), satsuma imo (sweet potatoes)... ikan bilis- like fish... walnuts... what a bento...

mrs aikawa made sukiyaki for dinner... with lots of onions, and mushrooms... with the famous yummy matsuzaka beef... sukiyaki is something like our steamboat lah... beef is cooked for less than 10seconds... then, after being dipped in raw egg... makan lah! had sushi, sashimi... everyone, otoosan & okaasan, mo-chan, and yuki-chan (motomi`s younger bro) and me, in the small lil kitchen-dining hall, had our reunion dinner... otoosan kept serving me beer... hahah! coz the rest of them dont drink... hahahah! speakin of japanese beer, i think i prefer kirin to asahi... havent tried sapporo though... and i tried malt too... you know the black one... eh, gung gung likes that, right? dessert... we had oofuku, this vanilla ice-cream and strawberry wrapped inside the motchi... then, wine and cheese... luxurious huh? not forgetting sake, and amazake (sweet rice wine)... only to keep myself warm at night lah... excuses... blah blah blah!

had soba noodles the next day... and the infamous nato... served with raw eggs... for you guys out there who are die hard fans of the Iron Chef programme, you know what nato is lah... the sticky slimey semi-fermented smelly beans... sze jie told me you have to stir it for 15times with chopstick before eating them eh... it`s edible lah... not that yucky, not to say that i like it though... kobe beef steak, half done! capsicum, grilled... black pepper and salt! glutton! i know!

went to the shrine at night... nah, i didnt pray with them lah... made known to them that i`m a christian... went visiting the next morning... just like the chinese! went to their grandparents house... ojiichan and obaachan... nice lil jap family... grandpa was a war veteran... fought in WW2... no kidding! i drew him a map, explainin to him where i`m from... mind ya, he`s 89 and half... and still pretty alert and in the pink... but he wears a hearing aid in the left ear... gotta speak out loud when talking to ojiichan... they gave me otoshidama (like the chinese`s ang pau) too... heheh... so chinese-like huh? made me miss ma famille (family) even more! HOMESICK! awwww.... wuahhh.... I will survive, will not cry... coz i`ll be back in no time! ahahahah!

gotta go now... dont know when will i have time to blog... lazy to come out of my shell in the cold... all the way up the hill to nanzan uni to blog... malas, i know!

well, congrats ya! yeun, on your first job! love, a.j.