Walls Notebook

With web blog taking over the habit of diary and journal, I wonder how many of us still keep a diary or day book? I used to write my thoughts and also my conversation with God in a diary and I still have 3 full diaries that I kept from my university time. Some time it is good to read back and appreciate what had happened then and understood the bigger picture and the greater plan of God.

Lately I discovered this notebook called 'Walls Notebook'. It is an unusual discovery and not just an ordinary notebook. This book can bring one's creativity to the fullest... or practice graffiti on a notebook.

I ordered one a few weeks ago and it has arrived.... in time for me to journal my vacation's advantures and thoughts.....

The cover

Some of the pages

More pages

Check it out yourself at http://www.wallsnotebook.com/. You can also try out the online version.

Have Fun!

Japanese Ramen (ラーメン)

Johannes has gone crazy with his Japanese food and passion in Japanese cooking. To eat this super tasty Japanese Char Siu Ramen, he started last night with making the soup broth/base. Don't ask me how the soup is made, as far as Japanese food is concerned, I am happy to eat what he cooked. The soup is cooked with spare ribs, chicken and many other ingredients and boiled for 7 hours. Thankfully I had a pot that can run into auto shimmering mode without electricity.

This after noon, we had this for lunch....

Since we are not the big fan of Japanese Char Siu (which is fatty pork belly meat), he substitute it with Teriyaki spare ribs, literally just re-used the ribs used for the soup and grilled them...

Another view of the Ramen, the only down side is the noodle is not as crunchy and springy as the real Japanese version.

The soup is very clear but full of variety of flavors and the tiaoban(豆瓣酱)/miso(みそ or 味噌) paste basically accentuate the taste further...

We still have lots of ramen broth, which apparently can be stored or deep frozen for later use. We will have enough to try out Shoyu Ramen and many other different versions next week....

What a prologue to start the trip...

Journey with Water Colors

This is the continuation of my water color journey, both were painted with the Van Gogh water color set but on different types of paper, and yes paper plays an important role too in the ending product. The one on top is painted using a small sketch book, the paper curled and coarse as soon as the water and color come to the surface... The second one is painted using a proper painting paper and it works out so much better....

Now, here is a little preview of where we are heading to in for our summer holiday (yeah!!!)....

We will be spending 9 days in Hokkaido (北海道), the northern island of Japan. The painting only depicts the draft itinerary, it will be a fly and drive experience and covering a vast area of Hokkaido, I can't wait to soak in the steaming open air onsen (hot spring), some hikes to the still active volcano and meeting 'higuma' (Hokkaido brown bear) in person at the Shiretoko area...

Next, this is my envision of how the middle of Hokkaido looks like. The central of Hokkaido is like a misplaced Southern France. In the summer, one can see the patchwork of flowers, lavender with a backdrop of mountains. I hope you can recognized the lavenders field and the red poppy flowers from the painting..... Now only the time can prove what I have envisioned is any close to the reality in coming weeks.

Soaring High

What have you been doing lately? This part of the world we are in the summer and the temperature is soaring daily. Last couple of days have been warm (25C)... I haven't been doing much this week except preparing for my trip and trying to paint using my new Van Gogh water color pigment set.

This photo is actually taken in May during one of the spring days where we kited at the beach.

Trying my new water color set, it is very different from my cheap tube water color paint. It takes me awhile to get use to the pigment and its behavior. This is my first attempt. I drew this quite awhile ago (in May) and finally find the moment and the mood to color it up...

I painted this without referring to the photo.. Ahem... thus the orange jumper is in white color..

The new water color set requires very little water and the water stays almost clean after I finished, no major wash-up or cleaning after painting... A newly discovered joy in water color...

.color.me.color.my.life.

If you grew up in South East Asia region you probably will be familiar with the candy/sweet called SUGUS. It looks exactly like the cube in the photo. Sugus has different flavors and thus the wrapping is also matching the flavor.

This is not candy nor Sugus but water color pigment. I bought this awhile ago during the sales and thinking that this is a rather small set that I would bring around as I travelling.

This is how the water color set looks like, a small palate with basic colors and comes with a small brush as well.

Now that I unwrapped the wrapping paper... this is the true color. It also looks like a small compact lipstick or lip gloss or even eye shadow colors. My second sister used to give me a lot of this make up sets....

Finally, I hope these colors will bright up my life and my coming trip to Asia. I hope you life is also fill with bright colors today.

Cool Me Down

It's been a warm day....

Evening

We drove to the lake nearby after the dinner, just to catch the evening warmth and breeze. Summer is here and the temperature is pleasant, these are the moments not to be wasted even on working day....

Did you do anything special this evening?

Grilled Marinated Sardine Donburi イワシかば焼丼

This is what we had for dinner tonight. Love the sauce that actually removed the fishiness of the sardines. Courtesy from chef Johannes...

New Discovery

Lately this is how I spent my lunch hour on a reasonably fine day. Since I finished my project end of May, I have been unassigned and thus spend most working days in the office.

Recently, instead of eating in the canteen, I always grab my sandwich and go out of the office building, eating my lunch on the bench provided and reading my Japan rough guides. We are actually located at a nice area in Amsterdam. It is very refreshing especially after staying in the office for 4 hours, just about the right moment for some sunlight and fresh air....

World Trade Center

People lunching and chatting away under the sun

Unintentional self portrait

Walking back to the office (on the right)

Another Day with Yakitori

We made the chicken yakitori for dinner and wash it down with cold beer... Delicious!!

Chiken Yakitori with spring onion

Yakitori with Portebello Mushroom and other types of mushroom

Longest Day

Today is the longest day, theoretically the longest daylight day in the year and the sun sets at a very late hour, may be after 10:30pm. Here is the photo that I captured at our front garden after the church service today, the spider and the bee are busy with my lavender corner....
Something summer, something green, something alive and kicking before we are heading to another shortest day around Christmas.

Zaru Soba

We had Zaru Soba for lunch today. It is a chilled buckwheat noodles serves with dipping sauce. Johannes made this dish and apparently it is so simple to made, a very filling, healthy meal without oil yet still delicious....

Zaur soba set, buckwheat chilled noodle, mentsuyu dipping sauce, thinly sliced spring onion, shredded seaweed (nori).

The chilled soba

Soba in the dipping sauce, added with a little spring onion and nori

This is how you eat it, dip and tuck in...

A suitable dish for summer as it has a cool down effect, especially the chilled soba, the dipping sauce just bring the cooling effect to the maximum.

Very zen indeed...

The Art of Whisking

Do you whisk? Most of us probably whisk egg or pancake batter for making omelet or pancake. I use electrical mixer when making the batter for cake and I use this bamboo whisker when I make a cup of matcha (powdered green tea). This is the art that I acquired during the last trip to Kyoto. I even bought the matcha powder and the bamboo whisk and the bowl so that I could still enjoy the taste of Kyoto at home. In Kyoto tea ceremony is a big ritual and formal matter, for me it is just a new way to drink tea. This afternoon I made matcha for us as tea, real bitter tea but full of the antioxidants.

Playing with my camera, focused on the bamboo whisk

Playing with focus, the focus this time is on the matcha powder

After a good whisk, a bowl of good matcha should have a good layer of smooth froth

Like this....

Top - Japanese Hojicha flavor, Bottom - black sesame taste

And is best accompanied by something small. pretty and sweet. I don't have wagashi anymore but I substitute wagashi with macarons which is a perfect substitute. These two macarons are also from Aoki Sadaharu (bought from Paris).

I hope you have a good Saturday, as for us today is a lazy day, nothing eventful or active just sleeping out, lounging, reading and Internet surfing mainly researching for our up coming trip as there are still a few days unplanned.

The Age of Macarons

Have you ever tasted the French invention of macaron before? I have sampled different versions from Belgium to France, from big name pastisserie to the less famous ones. They are SOoooo delicious and satisfied the sweet tooth easily.

The Trinity of Macarons

Ume/sour plum - Pink, Mint - Green, Passion Fruit/Chocolate - Yellow

Tower of Macarons

Ume macaron is from Aoki Sadaharu, the other two are from Pierre Hermé, both were from the last Paris trip.

Let alone the color and the texture, the taste is simply mind blowing.

The coolness from the mint, the saltiness from the sour plum and the sweet and passion fruit effect of the yellow one simply bring my palette to cloud 9. Small bite but total indulgence...

Weekend is finally here... I am counting down as you know... Have a blessed weekend.