Gaikokujin? Gaikokujin? Koreanna? Koreanna?

One thing awesome about Tokyo - trains. No, not those shuttling sardine cans you see on some Japan Hour programme. THESE.

THESE PRETTY LONG-NOSED GAIS. The "SHINKANSEN" BULLET TRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recently bought a semi-pro DSLR and decided to spend a little more on train tickets just to get into Tokyo Station's Shinkansen platforms to do some test shots and try on the lastest and currently fastest Shinkansens "E6 Komachi" (red) and "E5 Hayabusa" (emerald). "Komachi" means in Japanese Akita dialect "beautiful lady" and "Hayabusa" is an agile species of eagle. At a certain stretch of the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, their top speed hits 320km/h, which I have yet to, perhaps never will experience because I'll probably need to sell my TV to do that. Isn't that ridiculous that Shinkansen rides actually cost more than domestic flights?

Seeing folks in down jackets? Yep, this' a waaaaaaaaaaaaay tooooo laaaate post. Everything was shot in February, the coldest month in Japan and it took me until late Spring to get everything nicely edited. Anyway back then I never gave a damn about the weather (8 deg, sunny) and only wore a thin MA-1 Jacket, cropped tank top, high-waist shorts, boots and a camera strapped over my jacket. Totally touristy, totally regrettable.

Dead by the time I finished the test shots. Started queuing up for the my train, not knowing it was the wrong queue for a later train. Tokyo Olympics 2020 huh? Where the English signs? Then this train otaku dude tried to be very kind and asked me in some Tohoku-ish dialect if I am really waiting for this particular later train. He went on to try to ask me for tea or something. NO WAY DUDE. I didn't reply at all and he kept asking "Gaikokujin? Gaikokujin? Koreanna? Koreanna? This? Train?". THE HECK DUDE WHAT'S A "KOREANNA"? I tried so hard not to laugh, headed back to where I came and found the right queue. The shit that I always get if I pay for a non-reserve shit - weird-as-fuck people. The price to pay for being cheap though, can't complain more. Come to think of it, I should have replied him "Ya know? Wakaru? Mirror? Kagami?? Look??? Face???"

Oh yes Shinkansen tickets allow for transfers in between different trains as long as you pay the correct fare so it means I get to board 2 different kinds of trains for my very short 1400yen ($14), 25-minute trip.

Boarded the right train to do a little more test shots at Ueno's underground platform. Can't get used to DSLRs. Still doing fine with a little Photoshop help.

Transferred to the next train here, a "Hayabusa" train to meet up with my friend at the next major station, Omiya. She was kindly waiting at the Shinkansen exit so she could punch me for taking a bullet train to visit her at a place totally accesible via a normal train at a friendly, civilian price of $5.

There's so much more photos that I still want to share! If you are interested, please see my genious test shots over here on my facebook page (no sign-up required)→ http://is.gd/JkTd6T

Ending with the mandatory what-kind-of-camera-used show off thingy. PENTAX Q10 in RED!! READ THAT? READ THAT????

All photos taken and edited by me. Please credit if you intend to use any of them, if not I will find you and tie you onto one of these trains JUST LIKE THIS:

DESIGN?! こんなのアカンやろ？

It was 6am in the morning. I saw a timecard lying on my table. No, it was no time card.

ある日の午前6時。テーブルの上にアルバイトのタイムカードがおいてあった。「なんでタイムカードが自分んちにあんねん！」と思った。よく見てみたら、これ、タイムカードちゃう！！

It was postcard for some restaurant's campaign - a design disaster in the form of a time card (supposed to be a stamp card, a failed one) -  an essay written using at least three different fonts in mismatched colours, everything on a small postcard. Kinda want to meet the "designer" did this. What kind of fashion is this person into and stuff.

どっかのレストランのキャンペーンはがきやった。Σ(O_O；) どんなデザインやねん。フォント3種類以上あるし、色も全然マッチしてへんし。タイムカードをこれと比べたりした私は悪かった。タイムカードちゃんごめん。普通のタイムカードのほうがきれいだった。このはがきを作ったデザイナーに会ってみたいなぁ。どんな人でどんなファッションしてるか、マジ気になる。

Who's this I do not know? これは誰やねん？

久々のおもちゃ売り場ツアーでビックリした。Barbieの横の人形は・・・誰やねん!?　映画「トワイライト」の吸血鬼のやつ!? Σ(・oノ)ノ
　
Went to the toys department after a long time and found someone new and unfamiliar standing beside Barbie. WHO'S THIS? Some Twilight dude?! Σ(・oノ)ノ

もしかしたら、顔、スタイルがリニューアルされたBarbieちゃんの彼氏・・・あのKEN!? (((((( ;ﾟДﾟ)))))
Could it possibly be the boyfriend...KEN!? (((((( ;ﾟДﾟ)))))

その横にある男性の人形の顔と比べてみると、マジKENやったんや～KENどうないなってんねん！このKEN、知らん!!wwww

The other box on the same rack told me that the Twilight-lookalike dude was... KEN!? WHAT HAPPENED!? Where's all the "Groovy" gone to!? This is the only Ken I recognise from my awesome childhood, not the Edward-Ken. ↓↓ (￣▽￣)ノ

このKenなら知ってる。子供のころで大ヒットで、Toy Story 3の中でも「グルービー!」なちょいワルキャラとして出てた。いまのエドワードっぽいKenとは全然似てへんからね。(￣▽￣)ノ

Branded bags I fail to appreciate. センスが理解できないブランド品。

無料でもらえてもいらん。デザインするとき、何考えとったん?  私はまったく分からない。←ガリレオのマネｗ これらが駅ビルの中のブランド中古ショップで見たもの。しかし、「変わってるデザイン」と「中古ショップ」、何かのリンクがある!?

I just want to know what were the designers thinking when they designed these bags.  I can't appreciate. People do buy them. What were these people thinking too? Here are some I saw recently at the branded second-hand goods store outside the train station. (SECOND HAND STORE?! hmm)

Louis Vuitton Ailleurs handbag

レザーにビーチ。合わへんって感じ!?
BEACH on LEATHER. I'm not sure but it doesn't sound right. I'd like my leather bag in a "leather-colour" though♪ 

Louis Vuitton Monogram Graffiti Neverfull GM

グラフィティ・・・ね。このバッグはグラフィティがなければよかったと思うけとなぁ～グラフィティだったら電車のいたずらグラフィティのほうがうまかったと思うけどな～。（何かの商品のPRと思われるぐらい!）
Graffiti...yea. It would have looked better without all that "graffiti". Speaking of graffiti, one on a vandalised train was so detailed it was mistakened for a real advertisement.

Coach Poppy Tartan Groovy Shoulder Handbag

タータンは間違えないと思ったが・・・。
.....  and just when I thought Tartan can't go wrong...

(slightly late) Happy New Year あけおめ ことよろ!! ♪

☆ MERRY CHRISTMAS!! ☆

メリー *＜( ≧▽≦)／□☆□＼(≧▽≦ )＞* クリスマス

男前豆腐 Otokomae (handsome) Tofu

"Masahiro" Yudofu

Something interesting found at Isetan I found a month ago - OTOKOMAE TOFU!! Otokomae means handsome in Japanese. This "handsome" tofu packaged with the face of a good looking guy, is manufactured by a Kyoto tofu company. Check OTOKOMAE TOFU's facebook page (English) for more handsome tofu-s!!♪

Haven't done any tasting, because good looking things come usually at a price (S$10~)!! Perhaps one fine day I will buy this Kyoto import.

Another product from the same company ↓↓

"Johnny"

New title banner and headers 新しいブログデザイン♪

Awesome desho? The theme's POP and PUNK. Mouse over the main banner for a cheap thrill. wwww

THIS.
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ ←FLIP TABLE/ちゃぶ台返しwww

Bonus animated version from knowyourmeme.com:

ポケモンごはん!! Pokémon Cooking!!

Buy at Amazon JP: かんたん&たのしい ポケモンクッキング

「なにこれ～こんな本もあったんだ」ってデコロールの本の次に見つけた本。かわいいね！！お弁当のアレンジーだけではなく、メインディシュー、デザートなどのステップバイステップレシピー、全部38種類も入ってるだそう。ハウスパーティ、誕生日会で使えそうね！♪ どうしようかな～

Unanother uncommon book at the local bookstore, published in 2009. It contains not only bento arrangements, but also actual recipes of appetisers, omurice, pasta and desserts, 38 types in all and featuring Pokémon from the Diamond and Pearl series.

Learn to make Pikachu castella cake with Unknown cookies (mini oreo cookies + chocolate), Pokéball and Piplup (fruit and yogurt flavoured) jellies, Shaymin and Budew salads, Psyduck chicken/ketchup rice, Magikarp pasta and so many more delicious and cute things!!

All are simple to make but of course it takes a lot of time to arrange everything into a Pokémon. It's that extra effort and love that makes a regular meal so much tastier!! ♥♥

I'll end with my rendition of Pikachu-spread-over-two-servings-of-Omurice (chicken/ketchup rice covered with omelette), done waaaay before I discovered the Pokémon Cooking book.

ちなみにこれはこの本の存在を知る前やってみたやつ→ピカチュウ・オン・2人前オムライス。ww なかなかええ～ww

デコロール Decorated (cake) Roll

Something uncommon to find at a local bookstore - recipe book on how to make deco-rolls (decorated cake rolls).

Buy at Amazon.co.jp:
模様入りロールケーキ　デコ★ロールもっと作っちゃお！ キャラ＆動物編

Although they appear really difficult to make, after browsing through the book, it's not very difficult, just tremendously time consuming.  Each different colour is a separate layer. Here's the rough idea.

"Decoration" layer
All photos begining from here from: パンの香りに包まれて♪

First, lay out on the baking tray your favourite design using appropriately coloured cake dough. Bake this first layer for about half a minute or one. After this, you may add on with further layers (and then bake for another half a minute or so), or you may proceed to the second step - adding on the main cake dough to make the main cake portion.

the main cake

Third step - spread your favorite cream (no cake rolls are complete without that sinful CREAM) and add awesome toppings, if you wish (in this case, chestnuts).

Finally, roll it up and add on lines and final touches with dissolved cocoa powder using a brush. End result - a Pikachu Deco-Roll!!

Really simple yet complicated isn't it? The above is only a rough idea. If you'd like to make one, I'd suggest an actual recipe book. On sale at Amazon or Kinokuniya.


本屋でいままで見たことないデコロールの本見つけた。こんなのずっとあったんだ～～しらなかった！！作り方は難しそうだけど、本をもうちょっとだけ読んでみたら、そんなに難しくはないけど、時間と手間はかかりそうね。 パンの香りに包まれて♪ さんってすごいお上手！！作るのも焼くのもうまい！！ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ ピカチュウのロールケーキっていいな♪　いつか作ってみようかな♪

お母さんに怒られそう～～ww  (,,#ﾟДﾟ):∴;'･,;`:「何回オーブン開けたり閉めたりしてんねん！！」ってwww

L-Plate 仮免許

Just a little comparison. Here's the L-plate that you commonly see (them getting bullied) on the roads of Singapore. It's only an urban legend that if you tap your horn many times and/or flash your headlights at L-plate learner drivers, they will move faster and move out of your way. (￣ー￣)

これはシンガポールの自動車学校の練習専用車だよ。日本の「仮免許練習中」のプレートと違い、シンガポールのやつは「L」(Learner) としか書いてない。一般の運転士さんはプライドがちょっと高いからwww「L」の後ろに走るのがいやだから、「L」車はいつもそんなやつにいじめられている。「L」車にホーン鳴らしたら「L」車はすぐ早く走ってくれるとか、道を譲るとか、すぐ目の前から消えるとかというのはただの都市伝説です。(￣ー￣) 何をしても無駄です。wwww だからやめて、いじめを。無意味の抵抗はやめてください!! www  (￣▽￣)ノ

Singapore シンガポール

Japan 日本

The Japanese learner plate is more than an "L". It says in the white portion "Provisional License: ON PRACTICE", then in the yellow part "Beware of sudden braking". I thought of getting my license in Japan since they allow students to complete in two weeks, but after I saw their equivalent of our L plate, I'd better finish it here.

When learner drivers graduate, they'll need to put up the Wakaba mark or Shoshin-sha (beginner's) mark, the equivalent of our yellow/orange triangle probational plate. It is actually pretty cute.

Wakaba Mark/初心者マーク

 I really hope I can use the Futaba mark or the P-plate soon!! *Fingers and toes all crossed* (￣▽￣)ノ

Mac Mao

"Mac Mao" by CEET Fouad

I do not understand "Art" but this portrait is pretty interesting. The Chairman with KISS' face painting in Fast Food Clown outfit. It's currently on display at Opera Gallery Singapore ION (#03-05 ION Orchard). Perhaps I need to get back there to ask their staff about its concept (Googling didn't help for once). The biographie of CEET Fouad (DJ-graphics designer-graffiti artist) and some of his works can be found on this page.

Featured!!

My artwork in the SME1 Asia Awards Official Guide!! ｖ（≧∀≦）ｖ

関連リンク Related album: Foreign Enterprise SMEs Award/Ma Maison Singapore FB page

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! ハッピーハロウィン♪♪

A little rough sketch while doing today's reading - tsucchi original ghostie boo and my own intepretation of Ittan-momen!! (￣￣▽￣￣)

勉強中の落書き！！オリジナルおばけちゃんと一反木綿マイバージョン v(￣∇￣)

Halloween x Design

Halloween's coming in a few days. It's perhaps the only day you're allowed to dress as weird as you want to and not get rude stares from the other people on the streets of Singapore. (Well, I get constant stares because I look like a foreigner.) I love Halloween. It has the awesomest candies that come with the awesomest looking candy wrappers. I recently did a flyer for Halloween♪ You could access their site here.

もうすぐハロウィンだ！！ハロウィン大好き！！なぜかというと、どんなに変な格好しても、外で歩いてる一般のシンガポール人には見られない。こっちはいつも普通な格好してても見られてるけど・・・

なんでやねん！(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

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