Happy Independence Day - MALAYSIA

Well, I guess it is still not too late to remember the MERDEKA day (independence Day) of Malaysia. Although it is not celebrated here, but when I remember the colors and flavors of Malaysia, I am still proud to be Malaysian!

I pray for peace, harmony, freedom, justices and prosperity for my homeland. May God bless Malaysia more and more!

August Foodies

Another month end, these are some of the foodies that we have eaten but never got the chance to post them.

As you can see from the photo below, our diet is pretty much surrounded by fish and largely in Japanese style.

August foodie

Another food that we had quite regularly is Japanese style Ramen. Johannes took time to prepare the soup broth from the start, which often involve boiling the soup for long hours...

Ramen with assorted toppings and dressings

Over all a delicious August!

See the Difference?

Picture One

Picture Two

To a certain extend they look quite alike both in frothy green color....

Picture one is a bowl of frothy Japanese Green Tea

Picture two - ehemm, some sort of agile floating on the canal of Delft like this..

Delft

And definitely not drinkable...

Word of the Day - Matthew 6:34

Usually I don't check on the different translation but just using the NIV (New International Version) or NKJ (New King James) versions but today I decided to check on a different translation for this verse Matthew 6:34. Interesting the Message translation spoke to me more than the one that I am familiar with.... In either way, the Word of God remains the same and comes with the same power from above...

Searching for Coffee Bean Grinder in Delft

The intention of going to Delft is to search for the coffee bean grinder. We found one at one specialty store but because it was branded "Peugeot", the price tag becomes really heavy and we didn't buy it.

We didn't expect to hit the antique flea market along the canal but the market adds a lot more charm and atmosphere to this little city. While browsing the stalls, we saw coffee bean grinder severywhere.... right in front of us, in bulk and in different sizes and models...

Coffee bean grinders - they are everywhere in the antique stalls but all second hand items :(

Stall selling things you don't need and things you don't want, in other word - Junks!

Second hand books stall.. I was more interested in the scene beyond the books...

Postcard composition of Delft - Sights and signs of Delft old town

Guess where we were?

We were at Zondag (literally Sunday) cafe, sitting at the terrace while watching the antique flea market stalls clearing up and closing for the day.

It was a nice Saturday with reasonably weather. I hope you have also enjoyed your Saturday.

Time to sleep, good night!

Hummus with Eggplant

This is our breakfast for Saturday morning. I made eggplant hummus and baked some fresh ciabatta bread to dip with.

Two fresh and fat eggplant or aubergines

The eggplant needs to be grilled, de-skinned and diced. Then a can of chick peas is added to the blender together with the cubed eggplant, pinch of pepper, salt, 2 tbs of olive oil, half lemon juice and 1 tbs of cumin seeds. Blend well and that's it!

Hummus and a pinch of dried parsley. It is delicious when eat with warm bread... yummy.

Kabocha no Nimono (かぼちゃ 煮物)

We had a pumpkin lying at home since last week and I didn't got the chance to cook it until yesterday.

Whole pumpkin

Pumpkin is halved, de-seeded and cubed. It is then cooked with typical Japanese sauce and simmered for 20 min or until the flesh is tender. I did it with the pumpkin skin.

Kabocha no nimono (かぼちゃ 煮物) in nice vibrant yellow orange colors

Kabocha no nimono (かぼちゃ 煮物) or Japanese style simmered pumpkin
The flesh is really tasty with the Japanese flavors. Johannes finds it a little too sweet but the sweetness is from the pumpkin itself...

Amstelveen Calling

We set out to Amstelveen at noon in search for some good sushi and Japanese groceries in this country. On our way to Amstelveen, we took a scenic route instead of highway. The view is very scenic with the cotton bud clouds at the high sky, a sign of changing of season and summer is almost over.

These shots are taken from the car on the way to Amstelveen

Our first stop -Take-ya, a store with eat-in and take-away. The sushi is fresh and good. The groceries are nothing to shout about though... We left shortly after the sushi.

Then we went according plan to the next destination also within Amstelveen, a small shopping mall along a residential area but with a few Japanese restaurants and shops. Amstelveen used to be the most dense city with Japanese and Koreans.

At "I SE YA" we bought some stuffs and also the freshly made daifuku. Then we hopped over to "Mom in Kitchen" - a Korean groceries cum small eating area. The lady is very friendly and enthusiastic about cooking. In fact she taught us quite a few tips on making Korean version of miso soup.

Rest & Relax

Today I went for body massage in Den Haag. The traditional Thai Massage is really good if you can take hard pressure and a bit of swing.... I am totally relaxed now...

Is Summer Over?

Today I woke up and doubted if summer already over? In a way, it should be close to the end since we will soon enter in to September. This picture captured the mood of the day, white cotton cloud and the grey one intersecting each other, the wind was blowing hard, the temperature drops to just below 20C.

We just had a stormy weather with hard rain and wind in the evening. Thankfully the rain and wind are now stopped.

It's Friday again, I beginning to enjoy my extra "days-off" this week. Not doing something special but just resting and take things easy. The body massage this afternoon was heavenly...

I wish you a great weekend...

Le Cirque

Tonight we went out for dinner with friends. This is in conjunction with the restaurant week in the Netherlands where for a very 25€, one can have a three-course dinner at some chic and high class restaurants where normally are not very accessible or money friendly.

Le Cirque at Scheveningen -a fusion restaurant

The menu card - the 3 course dinner is 25€, drinks and in between course cost extra

The food we ate

I must admit I am not a big fan of fusion cuisine and was never sold to it even though I have eaten many times over business lunch/dinner. Perhaps I am critical, but the food here really didn't match many other fusion restaurants that I have sampled before. Nevertheless, the ambiance of the restaurant is really cool and together with the service, the presentation of the food and the great company over dinner, it was a good night out.

The dining companions and a great evening chat...

Surprise

Yesterday was the annual "Tell Day" of my company where all career counsellors have to inform their counsellees of their annual performance outcome and new compensation. We already know from awhile ago that there is no salary increment due to the current economy situation. In a way, everyone expect no surprise from this year salary increment. This morning my career counselor left me a voice mail about my performance outcome which I am delighted to hear that I maintain the "Above Peer Group" rating and as a result of that although there is no increment on base salary, I do get a very decent one off bonus that is at par with my performance outcome, which make me once again over the moon. I am eligible for promotion but I already knew it from months ago that I will not get my promotion due to cut of spot in Senior Manager level. So there is no surprise in this matter.

At this moment, I need to sort out my health first, if God's willing, promotion will eventually come because it comes from the Lord.

Mochi-Mochi

I got this pack of mochi from a duty free shop at Narita airport. The pack has been sitting in the fridge since I return. I opened it up the other day and found these colourful mochi, quite a big portion though and it will take awhile to consume if I am enjoying these just by myself.

Assorted Mochi


Assorted mochi and a bowl of freshly whisked Matcha

Black and white sesame mochi, along with the matcha (green tea) ones are rather traditional and no surprise in term of taste.

The Shiso (紫蘇) or Perilla flavor in pink is a surprise. I actually thought it was sakura flavor but I was wrong but shiso taste even better with the twist of sour and sweet.

The orange, lemon and grapefruit ones are contemporary and refreshing. The fragrance of the fruits are not artificial but fresh and real. Among the three, I like orange and grapefruit the best.

Half bite mochi....

Mori no Tokei 森の時計

Before we go to Hokkaido, I did a bit of research and discovered a little cafe at the wood area of Furano (富良野). The photos published on internet about Mori no Tokei are superb and they really entice me to pay a visit.

When we were in Furano , I insisted to pay a visit to this cafe. It was drizzling all morning, but the rain didn't stop us from walking into the wood. The cottage is rather western but the wooden owl is interesting... However, there were lots of Japanese waiting to get in to this tidy cafe. The waiting area was so crowded that it was impossible to even queue or wait..... That creates an even greater curiosity in me why this cafe deserted in the wood is so famous???

Mori no Tokei (森の時計)

Mori no Tokei (森の時計) main entrance, it looks quiet but inside is a different story

The wooden owl

Photo with wooden owl

A painting of Mori no Tokei from this site

Upon return from Japan, I continue searching information on this cafe and finally realize that this cafe is made famous by it being the main setting for a Japanese drama “Yasashii Jikan” (優しい時間— Tender Time). You can watch the drama here online. A very human and touching story with almost every scene centered on Mori no Tokei cafe. The interior of the cafe is very cinematic. Watch the drama to see it yourself. Also what inspiring me is this is a cafe (in reality and in the drama) where one have to grind your own coffee bean using a coffee grinder provided like below.

Coffee grinder - I am currently searching for one.... Let me know if you know where to find a nice one..