Okonomiyaki !! Why did I not find out about this earlier?

Okonomiyaki and Yamaimoyaki... If you are wondering what it is, you are probably like me a few days ago, living a mundane life, not knowing what's life after Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き o-konomi-yaki?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. Tokyo okonomiyaki is usually smaller than a Hiroshima or Kansai okonomiyaki.

Well, wondering what it tastes like?

Imagine Takoyaki, those balls that come 4 or 6 in a box with octopus inside.

Okonomiyaki taste very much like Takoyaki, but the fact that they can add more things, such as pork belly, and simply anything you like add the right amount of sauce while it is cooking in front of you, gives it a very much more interesting feel.

The restaurant is a Teppanyaki restaurant, and I simply love it and Yamaimoyaki, which tastes similar. The batter of Yamaimo-Yaki has no flour. Only Japanese yam.

Life is much better knowing that Okonomiyaki exists!

-- Robin Low

Food and Electronics Bazzar 2012 Review

The Food and Electronics Bazzar 2012 runs from 13 July - 15 July 2012 at Hall 5 Singapore Expo. (11am to 9pm)

I was at this Expo today on 14 July, and it was drizzling all day, and at times, the rain got heavy and I was surprised that Singapore Expo flooded on the outside. Luckily, the flood waters did not get into the halls.

Singapore Expo seems pretty disappointing. The toilets were not maintained, and the floor was wet and disgusting. The toilets also ran out of soap which makes me not want to eat there.

But most importantly, I went there for the Electronics expo. Like most bargains in Singapore, there are large crowds of people, all wanting to save a buck or two. A few things were apparent, there are many stupid people.

Audio House is having a BIG sale, and not all the door busters are sold out. In fact there are hourly sales which randomly sells things like Large Smart LCD TVs at good prices and giving away free WiFi and Tablets.

I've compared some prices of the items and there are indeed some good deals. Not all the items are "old stock" and in fact, there are some very new models of Samsung and Panasonic TV at deep discounts.

I bought a Blue Ray Player for S$179 (with RMVB playback on USB) full 1080p HDMI.

I also got a few Sandisk USB Thumb Drives 32 GB at S$29.80 and 16GB at S$13.80. There are Samsung 500GB Portable USB 2.0/3.0 Drives for S$99 which is an ok deal (Which I can find at Carrefour)

I am tempted to get a 46" Panasonic LED Smart TV for S$1,099 with 4 HDMI inputs and 2 USB ports and Built in WiFi and SD Card Readers and Flash Player to watch YouTube.

On the Electronics side, the Audio House booths are pretty ok, you can pay by Visa, Nets or Cash, and queue is not long, but for many other booths, only cash payment is allowed.

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Food Expo. Wow, how do I even begin. I've bought an ice cream which taste pretty good, but otherwise, there are so many Sharks' Fin Soup stalls, I think 30% of the stores sell Sharks' Fin.

With all the call for banning Sharks' Fin, I guess only the rich people who do not need to buy things at a bargain and eat organic stuff really cares about the cause. Many people bought the 2 for $5.90 Sharks' Fin.

The other food is relatively cheap, but not appetizing, and since the toilets are dirty, I did not try the food as I can't afford to be sick.

Its an interesting show, and pretty good for bargain hunting. Not too crowded because of rain (and floods)

-- Robin Low

Luminance 2012

Luminance is Singapore's First Youth Light Art Festival.

Held at Scape, Luminance features several interesting installations and performances. Many sponsors were also involved, and this year's theme was sustainability, and many of the works clearly displayed it.

Although some of the art works were not as good, they were still made by youths that may lack experience and confidence, and hopefully with more budget, the event would be back and better next year.

Following are some photos and videos of the event.

Hope it would be back, and better next year!

-- Robin Low

Franklin Park Zoo -- Boston MA

 

Franklin Park Zoo.
The New England Zoo is often ignored as it has a low running budget. However, it is not a bad zoo at all.

Recently, the zoo is in the news again. (Giant Corpse Flower at Franklin Park Zoo) The rare corpse flower in Franklin Park Zoo is blooming.

These corpse flowers are among the most gigantic of flowers — blooms are potentially 9 feet in height and 6 feet across. This flower takes about 8-12 years to reach maturity and it blooms and dies in 1 day.

Although I went to the zoo for the flower, this is still a zoo, and I decided to visit the animals.

I must confess, you can tell that this zoo does not have much budget, and not much publicity. I mean no one really comes to Boston and go to Franklin Park zoo right?

However, one thing for sure, the staff is very professional, and they do manage to work with what they have. One thing for sure -- there are many philanthropic individuals who have stepped up the plate to support the zoo.

Walking around the zoo, I met many rare and cute animals, and it seems like the zoo has many interesting exhibits from time to time. This time, you pay $4 for the dinosaurs live exhibit which looks fun and exciting.

I strongly believe the zoo is only as good as its people, and in this zoo, the zoo keepers are very competent. They are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I've been to many zoos in the world, and they are filled with passionate zookeepers who are so passionate, but I feel that the people in this zoo, they seemed very resourceful as well.

Loving animals seemed to be a perquisite for working at the zoo, and there is much love here as all the animals are named and well cared for.

So next time you are in town, be sure to check out the Franklin Park Zoo, say hello to the animals, feed the budgies, view the baby gorilla play chess. There is a lot of do in the zoo.

-- Robin Low

Snow White and the Huntsman -- Review

 

Cast

Kristen Stewart as Snow White[5][6]
Charlize Theron as Queen Ravenna.
Chris Hemsworth as Eric, the Huntsman.
Sam Claflin as William, Snow White's childhood friend.
Lily Cole as Greta, a young woman who befriends Snow White.
Sam Spruell as Finn, Ravenna's brother and enforcer.
Vincent Regan as Duke Hammond, William's father.
Noah Huntley as King Magnus, Snow White's father.
Liberty Ross as Queen Eleanor, Snow White's mother.
Christopher Obi Ogugua as the voice of the Magic Mirror.

The Dwarves

Bob Hoskins as Muir.
Ian McShane as Beith.
Johnny Harris as Quert.
Toby Jones as Coll.
Eddie Marsan as Duir.
Ray Winstone as Gort.
Nick Frost as Nion
Brian Gleeson as Gus.

I was quite excited to watch this movie but did not have much expectation for it. This is the second Snow White movie this year, and Mirror Mirror was pretty decent. Without revealing the story much too much, I would say that this is a very different Snow White faery tale you may be used to. It is quite interesting and the special effects is indeed pretty good. As I recall, the fable of Snow White and the seven dwarves has several things, 1) poison apple 2) show white 3) seven dwarves 4) magic mirror 5) step mother 6) old woman 7) kiss 8) prince 9) happily ever after In this story, the director tries to combine all of the above in an adult version of the fable. However, I did not understand why the dwarves seemed British, and why they did not use 7 real dwarves like Mirror Mirror. Are there so few dwarvern actors? The dwarves did not even play an important role in the story and can totally be left out. (yes there were 8 dwarves and one died) The story seemed to have quote a bit of plot holes. The pace of the story is quite ok, though dull and flat at some points, it is generally interesting. I have a few things which I dislike about the movie. The step mother / queen was supposed to be evil, and takes the "youth" off people to make herself young again. Strangely, she did not kill Snow White when she was young and the when she met Snow White alone, she could have just killed her and get her heart instead of giving her the poison apple which was not poisoned much after all. I watch a matinee, and did not even felt that my money was worth it. Overall: 4/10 If you want to watch, wait for it on Netflix or other online streaming. -- Robin Low

Rock of Ages Review

Wow, this is a musical with all the 80's music that you can sing along with. Surprisingly, this non serious musical is actually very good. The music mashups with all the songs you can sing along with is infact very enjoyable.

Tom Cruise as Stacec Jaxx is simply amazing. Somehow the weird story woven together makes everything even more fun.

I really liked the songs in this movie.

They include,

"Paradise City" – Tom Cruise
"Sister Christian" / "Just Like Paradise" / "Nothin' but a Good Time" – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin
"Juke Box Hero" / "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" – Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Julianne Hough
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Catherine Zeta-Jones
"Waiting for a Girl Like You" – Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough
"More Than Words" / "Heaven" – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta
"Wanted Dead or Alive" – Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough
"I Want to Know What Love Is" – Tom Cruise, Malin Akerman
"I Wanna Rock" – Diego Boneta
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" – Tom Cruise
"Harden My Heart" – Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige
"Shadows of the Night" / "Harden My Heart" – Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough
"Here I Go Again" – Diego Boneta, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, Tom Cruise
"Can't Fight This Feeling" – Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin
"Any Way You Want It" – Mary J. Blige, Constantine Maroulis, Julianne Hough
"Undercover Love" – Diego Boneta
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise
"We Built This City" / "We're Not Gonna Take It" – Russell Brand / Catherine Zeta-Jones
"Don't Stop Believin'" - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige

Shockingly, this movie has no shortage of movie stars.

Julianne Hough as Sherrie Christian, the female protagonist who works as a waitress at The Bourbon Room but wants to be an actress.
Diego Boneta as Drew Boley, the male protagonist who works as a busboy at The Bourbon Room but dreams of being a rock star.
Russell Brand as Lonny Barnett, the narrator of the story, the manager of The Bourbon Room and a close friend of Dennis.
Alec Baldwin as Dennis Dupree, the owner of The Bourbon Room and a close friend of Lonny.
Bryan Cranston as Mike Whitmore, the Mayor of Los Angeles. Replaces the character of Franz from the musical.
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Patricia Whitmore, Mike's wife and the main antagonist who wants to shut down The Bourbon Room.
Replaces the character of Hertz from the musical.
Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, the lead singer of Arsenal. He is Drew Boley's idol.
Kevin Nash as Stacee Jaxx's body guard.
Mary J. Blige as Justice Charlier, the owner of The Venus Club.
Paul Giamatti as Paul Gill
Malin Åkerman as Constance Sack
Will Forte as Mitch Miley
Anya Garnis as Destiny
Constantine Maroulis, Kidus Henok, Sebastian Bach, Nuno Bettencourt, and Porcelain Black will feature in various cameos throughout the film.

Watch out for Alex Baldwin and Russell Brand's song in the middle of the movie. It is simply hilarious.

This movie is must watch, but remember, bring lots of friends!

Overall, 9/10

-- Robin Low

Rosarito Art Fest 2012 -- Review

Rosarito Art Festival 2012 Review

It is time for Rosarito Art Festival again. Located at Rosarito Beach, about 30 minutes south of the border from San Diego, this is an annual even which attracts thousand of crowds to attend. Why is this event so popular? Let me share my experience here.

1) Location.

Coming from San Diego Airport, just taking Highway 5 South towards Mexico, the ride was relatively smooth until you get near the border, where traffic starts piling up and start an go traffic is encountered. Even when driving down on a Memorial Day weekend, it took us less than 30 minutes of traffic before crossing the border. And the border crossing seemed very smooth and easy, no hassle and checks.

2) Scenic journey.

Leaving the border, you get to see people coming up to wash your windows, the regular Southern California thing, but shortly after, the route becomes a beautiful mountaneous road. Passing through hills and beautiful sunset scene on the beach, the route is smooth and enjoyable and no drama. There seems to be a lack of traffic lights and not that it is a bad thing, but you get all the way to Rosarito Beach without stopping.

3) Food.

If you like Mexican food, well, this is Mexico. Things here are half the price of San Diego. I enjoy a good burrito from time to time, and somehow, Mexican food here is better. Jalapenos here are dangerously spicy though, had a grilled one, and it BURNS. Try a little before throwing anything green in your mouth. It may not be Guacamole.

4) Drinks.

Beer, tequila, margarita... You have it all in the motherland. It is definitely cheaper and infact better. An advice from a local, keep away from Corona here. The Corona is much better further south, but there are a lot of interesting beers, all sort of summer beer for the summer like weather. I've tried many, all pretty good, and none really catching my attention. Unlike many countries, so far, the random beers are pretty good even when they are pretty damn affordable.

5) Art.

Well, this is an Art festival, and strangely, Rosarito Beach is known for -- ART. At Rosarito Art Festival, there are more than 100 artists, and there are many galleries across the road from the Art Fest. So after the show, you can easily get to the other galleries to chat with the artists and view the art in the galleries.

6) Party!

Well, the party never ends here at Rosarito beach. At midnight, the party just started and there are tons of bars at Rosarito beach to party at. Just follow the loud music, and there is no quiet here. Drinks are cheap, pretty ladies are plenty, what else do you ask for?

7) Beach?

The name Rosarito Beach says that there is a beach here. Walking to the beach, I do see the regular people suntanning, but strangely no one in the water. I went to test the water, feeling it with my hands and it definitely felt COLD! Damn, like New England Cold.

Even on a bright sunny day, the water is COLD! I guess it would be nice when everything is hot and humid to chill in the cold waters, but I did not give it a go. But the cold water does have its benefits, and the temperature here is nice and cool, and it seems to be this way year round.

7) The people.

I was glad to know that many people speak and understand english. WAY MORE THAN SPAIN or BARCELONA! With my weak conversational Spanish, I could order anything in the restaurant, ask for the toilets and price of things. People here are hospitable and friendly, and local guys on the streets may look intimidating in a large group, but are fun and friendly.

Overall, I enjoyed myself at Rosarito Beach and Rosarito Art Festival. It is very interesting and fun, none of the pretencious high art crap, even though many of the arts are high quality fine arts. I would recommend coming to the Rosarito Art Fest 2013, and this is definiely a family and party friendly place for all ages.

The weather is perfect, cool and sunny, and just come experience it for yourself.

-- Robin Low