in singapore

arrived in singapore...


hot...


humid...


and interesting singlish :)

arubaito

アルバイト (arubaito)
definition: part-time job, side job; originated from the german word "arbeit"
short form/commonly used: バイト (baito)

this saturday, i'll be heading to singapore for my one-week arubaito at the CommunicAsia 2008 convention. the job is to support the NTT Docomo staff at their booth and to do some translation work.

i've actually worked for them at a similar convention 8 years ago in hk, right after graduating from university. it was a really wonderful and fun experience working with the crew at that time. in the past few years, i've been invited back to participate in other conventions, but since i had a permanent job, i had to reject the offer. this time around, i'm able to grasp the opportunity and work with the crew again. i'm looking forward to visiting singapore for the first time too!

and before heading to singapore, i'm really excited that my best friend from hk will be visiting me today. i'll be picking her up from the airport in a few hours and i can't wait to spend time with her!

history of coffee

UCC is a famous coffee brand in japan. before starbucks attacked japan, UCC was probably the only popular brand. across from the new IKEA in kobe is the headquarters, and right next door is the UCC coffee museum.

the headquarter building in the back and the museum in front... it looks more like a church?


the history of coffee and how coffee is processed are quite interesting, but honestly, there's too much text to read so i sort of gave up after the very first station... hehe~

i can learn just fine from images and displays


collection of different roasters


one of the early coffee makers - this one was from 19th century france


they also displayed hundreds of different coffee cups and saucers. this one is especially eye-catching because it's designed and made for those with a mustache.


i've always wondered what UCC stands for. now i know: Uejima Coffee Company 上島コーヒー - name of its founder.

a chronological display of the history of UCC and its products. this section is from the 1970's.


before leaving the museum, i stopped by the cafe and ordered a cup of their most expensive coffee on the menu just to try. "blue mountain no.1" (¥720) - it's really up to par!


for souvenir, i picked this limited edition coffee flavored collon (it says it's only sold in kansai)


UCC Coffee Museum
〒650-0046　神戸市中央区港島中町6丁目6-2

things i find interesting in jpn (2)

when you buy books at the bookstore, the store keepers wrap the book covers for you. why? japanese people often read on the train/bus, but in order to keep those "nosy neighbors" from peeking at what they're reading, the book covers are... covered.


* * * * *

what's so special about this garlic? the tag says "controlled stinkiness - you get almost no bad breath the day after consuming this garlic". it's true! you don't even get bad breath right after eating it! however, the price of this garlic is about twice the price of regular ones. i think it's worth it though. :)


* * * * *

i never paid attention to the label around plastic bottles when i was in the u.s. after i came to japan, i had to follow their recycling program* and found that in order to recycle plastic bottles, each household has to remove the label, take off the cap (you can't recycle the cap!), rinse, dry and flatten each bottle before throwing them into the recycling bin. that's why they have perforated lines to allow people to easily remove the labels from the bottles. i fully support recycling, but it's quite some work to do for each drink i consume! next time you drink from a plastic bottle in the u.s. or in hk (not the japanese drinks), tell me if they have perforated lines on the labels or not.

(*note: you only have to do it when you recycle at home; when you're out on the streets, you can just throw empty plastic bottles as is at designated recycling bins)

i'm craving for...

i have been craving for these things lately, all are chinese food, that i haven't been able to find here yet:

• 好味點心 (GOOD dim sum - japanese style dim sum is... em... not that great)
• 脆仆仆燒肉 (roast pork with the crispy skin)
• 炒芥蘭 (chinese broccoli)
• 焗豬扒飯 (hk style baked pork chop over rice)
• 維他檸檬茶 (vita lemon tea)

too bad these can't be sent to me as a care package... except the last item!

just sweets

cake and tea set




mango fro-yo






japanese sweets 和菓子 (wagashi)