Ireland - Birthday Party!

I'm not sure if the Irish have their special way to celebrate birthday, but we decided to have another international potluck. It's nice to be in a group of food tech fellows from all around the world.

More food was coming because half of us live in a different housing, about 20 minutes by bus, 40 minutes on foot. Honey mustard glazed ham, fried rice, beef wraps, pad thai, sandwich, chocolate fudge, pizza, lemon cupcake, sweet glutinous rice balls, ginger chicken... and of course, accompanied by a mix of Irish cider and beer. Somehow we've grown a liking to that combination.

We went to a bar for drinks afterwards. That was a great night :)

Read More

Graduating from being an Otaku

Today's post isn't about me being in Japan. Well, it partially has something to do about me being in Japan right now.

Yesterday I was cleaning up my hard disk because I was almost out of memory and I found this photo:

It was a birthday gift from my friends who lived in the same dorm as I did when I was in junior high. Or actually, secondary school, to be exact. It reminded me of how much of an otaku I was. Watching anime and reading manga every day was my routine, and I did like to be called with Japanese honorifics such as "-chan". My sole reason of learning Japanese was to watch anime, read manga and play games in Japanese because I didn't like English-dubbed stuffs and English-translated manga often get released too slow.

My favorite country was Japan for no valid reason, and when I grow up I want to work for Squaresoft (which is Square-Enix right now). I didn't mind being the security guard as long as I work there. After graduating from high school I wanted to study the arts and I wanted to work in the animation industry even though I had zero skills.

Back then, my mind was very narrow-minded. I didn't see any other possibilities.

Somehow after attending college, I gradually changed. For some reason, I picked a major that is totally unrelated to what I had been dreaming of. I knew I was strong in chemistry, and somehow events led me to choose food science. I learned a lot of awesome things, fell in love with my major, and my horizon expanded.

I started seeing more and more interesting things to explore. Things that I knew I love were somehow buried under the spell of anime and manga. Back in secondary school, I knew I like to cook. I knew I like to take pictures of nature, and I knew I like to write songs. I like thrilling stuffs like riding the roller coaster and sky diving. I like to read news about technology. Not so much on politics and stocks/shares. I find psychology interesting, and science amazing. But because I dedicated too much of time for anime and manga and games, I couldn't see that my life is much more than that.

Right now, I still read manga every day, but at a less worrying pace. I watch anime about once or twice in a month, and I could leave my PSP untouched for 3 months. The result? I feel that I used my time much more efficiently, and my life was more exciting and colorful.

I used to think that the world will end without manga or anime, and I had never thought of giving them up. But hey, guess what: I could! And it wasn't something that I decided to do; it happened naturally. Changes are gradual. 

Well, I wouldn't say I really regretted those times I was an otaku because thanks to that I could understand both otaku and non-otaku way of thinking. But hey, it was a good change for me, and I think it's worth celebrating. At least I think it is :)

Read More

Happy Birthday America!

It was my birthday about a week ago, and today it's America's birthday!

I saw fireworks nearby from my apartment. It must have been from the nearby high school, as advertised at my apartment's elevator. I didn't get to watch the entire scene because it was blocked by part of my apartment's building. At first I was surprised to hear some KA-BOOOM!! and felt some kind of vibration. I thought, was it a bomb? But the blasting sound and the vibration kept coming in series, and then I saw some flashing light outside my window.

Then I saw the fireworks :)

Kinda sad that I was watching it alone, but hopefully this lonesome feeling doesn't stay after I started working.

Some great news: I found hometown treasures in US!! Fresh jengkol and pete (not a person's name Pete... it's read puh-tay). Their smell is indescribably horrendous but I grew up eating them (my parents love them so I started eating them), so I like them.

I was getting bored didn't know what to do. Luckily I found them so I can start cooking again!!

Home made sambal terasi with sweetened soy sauce

Grilled shrimps and pete

Kari jengkol

Read More

Birthday

Summer got kinda depressing ever since my grandpa and my (indirect) grandma passed away 2 days before my birthday about 8 years ago. At that time, I always felt depressed because no one would celebrate my birthday. Everyone was mourning. And then I would throw tantrum.

Ever since I graduated from college, birthday celebration doesn't sound so exciting anymore.

Technically it's my birthday now because I was born half an earth away from where I am now. Some people started to give me birthday wishes (because Facebook time follows your time wherever you are).

But somehow I... wasn't expecting people to give me wishes. I even forgot that it's my birthday today. I wasn't really waiting for it. My mum asked me what I want to eat on my birthday, and I said, "anything".

Anything, as if my birthday is just another regular day.

If she weren't here I wouldn't bother buying birthday cake at all. And you know what, I only bought 2 slices of cake for my birthday. Not even a full round cake. Cuz I hate sweet stuffs nowadays - I have no appetite eating cakes at all.

Oh well. I guess I should celebrate a little.

Happy birthday, me! My wish is to be wiser, kinder, and more understanding.

If today is your birthday too, happy birthday, and I hope you're enjoying your birthday wherever you are.

:)

Read More

Another Birthday Cake

The first cheesecake I've ever made from scratch. Hurray!

My friend and I kept checking the recipe because it was also her first time making cheesecake. Turned out to be pretty simple and easy. At first I thought we would screw up because I don't have pans big enough to make a water bath (bain marie? I forgot what the jargon term for water bath in baking is) for a 9" pan that we bought.

We tried using Edible Markers to draw but it didn't work - probably because the markers are water soluble and cheesecake is just full of fats. 

I drew an outline of Hello Kitty on a piece of clean paper and made a paper stencil using cutter. After the stencil was done, I placed it on top of the cake and then I sifted hot cocoa powder (because I don't have baking cocoa - I don't bake) on the stencil. Removing the paper stencil from the cake was quite a challenge - we don't want the unwanted cocoa powder on the paper to fall on the "blank" parts of the cake.

Quite a while ago I bought a pair of mini pin-set (I'd like to call it forceps better) to make bento. I used that forceps, so we avoided the risk of damaging the cake should we use our fingers instead.

I forgot to make the eyes but I think it went pretty well!

For the eyes, I just made a small oval hole on a piece of paper and then poured some cocoa powder on the hole using a spoon.

And then... my friend and I, being slightly 'mean', decided to color the ribbon using chili pepper or sauce because our birthday girl can't take spicy food. When I was making the spicy sugar paste, I felt a little bad for making her eat something so spicy, so I added more and more sugar to mask it. I used tons of granulated sugar, Sriracha sauce and cayenne pepper. And for a final touch, I added red food coloring diluted in water.

Ta-daaah!!

My friend took a shot of me doing the artwork. LOL. 

Read More

Happy Birthday - The first cake that I made

Somehow I didn't get the chance to make a cake in FSHN 131. At all. Either I was doing an experiment (like making a cake using microwave) or it's got to be something else. I remembered making meringue but not cakes.

I used a cake mix to make the Rilakkuma cake so it's actually considered cheating cuz when I say cook or bake it has to be from scratch. Anyways I didn't do it alone but I would consider this quite a feat considering I have not touched cream cheese frostings before ;)

The birthday gurl!

Chocolate cake with colored cream cheese frosting. Yes, this is America, the mecca for excessive usage of icing, frosting, and artificial coloring.

My apartment. It's super crowded =.=

Time for a more private and intimate chit chats between the bday gurl and the three Rilakkuma cake makers after the partaeh!

Read More

Happy Re-Birthday!

You see, today is officially my birthday :)

Since I was born in Indonesia, it was officially 12 hours ago. My mum called me when I was about to finish my lab stuff, so I couldn't talk to her for too long. I didn't feel quite right because it's just not June 24th yet in US. But you know, technically it was my birthday.

So, uhh... I went to my friend's house to celebrate his sister's birthday (it's more like his mom who invited me to the house). She made a cake for her daughter, but later on she added my name and her friend's name on the cake. Again, I feel quite not right yet because it's technically not June 24th yet. But it was a fun time down there!!

I ate lots and lots of very very good Indonesian food. Ahh. Such a bliss xD

And then I went back home because I was afraid of the storm (and I was kinda tired too - I almost slept when I drove there since I just got back from the lab). It was storming really really badly. The wind was blowing so strongly, and lightning stroke across the sky.

That was about 10 pm.

Then I made some sweet rice ice cream. You know, it didn't really turn out good. I should have strained the rice away. And it still doesn't give that much rice flavor into the ice cream. That's probably because I used 2 egg yolks, and the richness of the egg yolk just killed the rice flavor :(

Well, no one really celebrated my birthday today, with exception of my friends all across the world (I find it weird yet I'm touched). I'm very very thankful to my friend who BlackBerry Messenger-ed me all the way from Singapore, and my friend from Warwick made sure it's 12 am down here and sent me a message even though her exam was coming in the next few hours. My other close friend, unlike other people on Facebook, sent me a birthday message through Facebook private message instead of instantly clicking my wall and writing two-word birthday wishes.

I'd say I'm very very very blessed. God loves me!

Anyways, a birthday celebration is never complete without blowing a candle. I don't really care about cutting the cake. I just have to blow the candles.

So, to brighten my very special day, I scooped the ice cream I just made, and then stick a small birthday candle from other people's birthday. Well, it's new, but they're kinda like the leftover candles from someone's birthday. And thank God I have a lighter!

I sang a very quick birthday song, a "blow the candle song", and then blew the candle. I didn't have a wish when I blew it. I didn't think of any.

Well now I guess there is only one wish: I hope for the happiness of people who care about me. May they be happy, and may smile be with them. I think that would be the greatest birthday present for me this year!

Read More