Celebrating New Year with friends!

We celebrated our New Year with my old japanese friends here in Japan. After we moved out ( due to my husband's work ), we often meet our friends there in our old place and just like the other year, celebrating New Year is an opportunity to see each other again.

We did a lot of talking, a lot of eating, and a lot of drinking!! We did some singing at the karaoke, and some bingo games. With the prizes about the games, you will have to choose with some various of " hints " like " The Lord of the Ring " ( inside your box is a ring ),or something like " How do I Love Thee,Let Me Count The Ways " (inside your prize is a calculator ), you don't know your prize until you open it and yes, I guess it's unusual for giving the prizes--it's a part of the game !! But the main is after you open your prize you'll have to crack up some crackers but BEWARE!! the message inside it are embarrassing! Like " Share your secret that anyone didn't know " something like that. What I got for the prize is a cash--hahahaa!!lucky me!!but after cracking some crackers, it says " Show us your ugliest face ever " then they started to count..
" 3..2..1...Go! " so I made my face like a gorilla and return to my seat walking like a gorilla!! Then the room filled with laughter!! I took my beer and drink it bottoms up without stopping--Whew!! That was the most embarrassing that I have done!! A red faced Me!!


The prizes that we got!!

Wakaba and Haruka singing 'Ponyo,by the Cliff of the Sea'
Bingo games!!
Dad with his prize & cracker!



IT WAS A WOTTA LOTTA FUN!!!\(^0^)/

What's in your Hotpot?

When the season is cold and you need a quick and warming dish,why not cook and eat together with one hot pot? Hot pot dishes are prepared in a hot pot usually at the tables, shared by my family usually for cold months and sometimes a nabe party with my friends here in Japan. Inside my hot pot has more veggies,meat,various kind of mushrooms and tofu ( bean curd ). It is economical and healthy and the thing is you cook anything you like in the pot. Since it's easy and light to the budget menus, I'm sharing again for some of my recipes--you may find some of the ingredients at your asian supermarkets. Here it is..

Nabe

Ingredients: ( good for 4 persons)
lean pork meat, thin slices - 300 g
tofu ( bean curd ) - one cake or one pack
chrysanthemum leaves - 1/2 packs

A:
hakusai ( chinese cabbage ) - 300 g
carrot - 80 g
shimeji mushroom - one pack

B:
ginger - small
dashi ( instant dashi powder ) - 900 ml
sake - 2 tablespoon
soysauce - 2 tablespoon
mirin ( sweet cooking wine ) - 1 tablespoon
salt - 2/3 teaspoon

How to make the Nabe:
1: add B to the pot, grate the ginger then start heat until to a boil
2: add thin sliced pork meat ,add A, simmer until veggies are soft, taste
3: add tofu, simmer for a while then add chrysanthemum leaves just before you eat them
4: be careful with children coz it's hot!!

How about a healthy Nabe party with friends?? What's in your hot pot? :)

I Heart Honda!!

Our family went to an event called ' I Heart Honda 2008 ' last summer. It was a Friday and the weather was an on and off but there's still lot of people who went there. We enjoyed the talk show, games, seeing demo cars, hot race, the drivers, but of course, experiencing to drive our own car to the circuit for free of charge! Though my husband, the driver cannot do some high full speed which I think he's not satisfied of. He'll be back again at Tsukuba Circuit next time doing some race
( with charge,of course) and us at the grandstand watching him doing some time attack. His personal best? Don't ask coz he's slow! Don't tell him I wrote them on!LOL!! For some HONDA lovers or car maniacs, here's some photos of them. Enjoy!!

I love this!!!
Vision
Twin Cam
Spoon S2000

First time to see Spoon S2000 and Accord

Honda Classic Cars Parade
The heat is on....
At the circuit
Honda Ladies

How about you? Do you heart Honda? ^_^

Caprese--in a Japanese way

Our family loves italian,most especially when it comes to caprese. I tried my caprese doing it in a japanese style. I changed basil into shiso,a japanese herb for a touch of japanese. Anyway, here's the recipe-- it is best match for wine and good appetizer,too!

Japanese Style Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
shiso (japanese herb) - 12 pcs.
fresh ham - 1 pack
fresh tomato - 1 pc,large
mozzarella cheese - 1 pack
salt and ground black pepper

How to make the caprese:
1: cut the fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese and shiso into one bite size.
2: spread the fresh ham, put the shiso,tomato and mozzarella cheese alternately over the ham and fold. repeat until done.
3: arrange platter, top in salt and ground black pepper.

To make it more italian:
You can omit shiso and change it to basil leaves, and change fresh ham into anchovy fillet or without both. Alternate fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, anchovy fillet and basil leaves into platter.Drizzle with olive oil,top in with salt and ground black pepper.

See, it's easy! Enjoy with wine! \(^0^)/

Utada Hikaru's " ETERNALLY "

I've been a fan of Utada Hikaru since ' Automatic' on her 'First Love' album. Known as Hikki by fans, she's one of the most Japanese Pop singer in Japan. Listen to Hikki's ' Eternally ' a theme song of a drama called ' Innocent Love '.









Eternally

Utada Hikaru

(Credit goes to Kiwi-musume)visit her site:
http://www.kiwi-musume.com/

Romaji

Me no mae ni iru kimi ga sukoshi kagayaki
Mawari ga mienai
Watashitachi wa doko ni iru no

Zawameki hajimeta keshiki no naka ni
Mada kienaide ne
Mou nannimo kikoenai
But I can feel you breathe

Odoroku hodo kimagure na tenkai ni sukoshi dake
Watashi rashikunai kitai wo oh oh shiteru

I wanna be here eternally
Kono mama mitsume atte itai
I can feel you close to me
Itsu mademo soba ni wa irarenai
Kono shunkan dake wa zutto eien ni

Tatakai ni dekakeru mae no hitoyasumi
Anata to sugoshitai
Yakusoku wa kondo aeta toki ni
Can you hear me breathe?

Odoroku hodo de wa nai tenkai ni mo
Kandou shichau toki ga dare ni datte oh oh aru

I wanna be here eternally
Dare ni mo mitsukaranai tokoro ni
I can see you're all I need
Ashita made tasuke wa iranai
Kono shunkan sae mo kitto just a fantasy

I can feel you close to me
Ano basho ni kaeranaku nattemo
Ima no kimochi dake wa zutto eien

I wanna be here eternally
I can see you are all I need
Kono shunkan dake wa eien ni

English

You sparkle a little in front of my eyes
I can't see around me
Where are we?

Don't disappear
Into the background that's started to get noisy
I can't hear anything anymore
But I can feel you breathe

This isn't really like me, but I'm expecting, oh oh
A surprisingly whimsical development

I wanna be here eternally
I want us to keep gazing at each other like this
I can feel you close to me
I can't stay by your side forever
I just want this moment to last forever

Before I go out to fight
I want to take a break with you
Promises are for the next time we see each other
Can you hear me breathe?

There are times, oh oh
When anyone would be excited by an unsurprising development

I wanna be here eternally
Somewhere where nobody can find us
I can see you're all I need
I don't need any help until tomorrow
Surely even this moment is just a fantasy

I can feel you close to me
Even if I can't go back to that place
Just this feeling will last forever

I wanna be here eternally
I can see you're all I need
Only this moment will last forever


Are you a fan of HIKKI? LET ME KNOW! \(^0^)/

A Happy Birthday Dad!!

We celebrated my husband's 35th birthday last December 30. Just like we always do on special occassions--Wakaba and I baked a cake. This time his fave Gateau Chocolat.(I will post the recipe when I have the time coz it's very easy to make).

My husband works as an radiologist. Everytime he's on day-off,he see's to it that he always spend his time with us going outdoor or just staying at home cleaning his car.Not a showy person by nature, but this time I was feeling nervous--" There's something I want to tell you" he said,(then I thought that the food I prepared doesn't fit his taste-his very strict to that but he really appreciate when it tastes good. " I'm so lucky to have you as my wife and a mother to our kids. I love you!". Sounds super duper cheesy but he says the magic word after xxx months time!He wasn't into saying it in words but this time he was different! I'm also lucky to have him as a best partner in life!\(^0^)/ " I think I can't live without you by my side " ,he continued..." Let's part ways to prove if I can't really live without you " then he bursted his laugh out loud!!Grrr!! He's always doing me that!!Lol!!

Christmas Stage Play

Wakaba,my daughter now in Prep-school did some Christmas stage play last December 20. It is unusual to have some Christian school here in Japan,but we're lucky to send her there.Here's some photos of the play--I'm so proud of her! \(^0^)/
After the play, Santa Clause came as a special guest--and since Santa can only speak English,Wakaba's teacher asked me to be his interpreter.There's an question and portion between the kids and Santa but I guess the kids was eager to ask more about what gifts they're about to receive on Christmas.Lol!! Yap, Mom also joined activity at school!

Seeing Wakaba dance,sing and did some acting, I really feel proud of her! Yep,I'm a proud MOM!