Life In Da Burbs

this is one of those nostalgic tunes we all listened to while in japan when we were growing up. Kibou no Wadachi Performed by Southern All Stars Lyrics: Kuwata Keisuke Music: Kuwata Keisuke Single: - (---) Romanji by Waylorn yume wo nosete hashiru shadou ashita e no tabi tori sugiru machi no iro omoide no hibi oh koi kokoro naze ni setsunaku mune no oku ni semaru furi kaeru tabi ni nobara no you na Baby love love oh tooku tooku hanare yuku IBOSHI RAIN Oh my love is you Mai agaru shinkirou meguru meguru wasurarenu MERODIRAIN oh my, oh yeah Gonna run for today Woh oh Woh oh kaze no uta yo tasogare yo tamerai no michi nami no ota wa koyoi mo BURUU itoshii kimi no na wo dare ka ga yobu oh tame iki no naka ni ho no kana akogare ga yorisou Ai sareru tame ni hane batakuyou na Baby love love oh Atsuku atsuku komi ageru namida ni Oh my love is you tawamure no houshasen yureru yureru omokage wa kanashiku oh my, oh yeah, Be the one for tonight Woh oh Woh oh jounetsu no omosa wa yoru no nagi samay...

J and I went to Mitsuwa to get some groceries for dinner sunday night. We ended up having a sashimi dinner with mountain yams and rice. What a great meal.

It's once again summer time in Japan and what's more summery than a watermelon. Well Japanese farmers have always had a hard time convincing consumers to take a whole watermelon home because refridgerators in Japan tend to be too small for efficient storage. Well, thanks these cubed shaped watermelons, storage is somewhat neater and space is used more efficiently. I'm sure they taste great as well.

Granted I have not watched the other Argentina matches... But I caught today's game against Mexico and was not impressed... We will have to see if the Argentines are really what people say they are when they face Germany next in the Quarterfinals.

I don't know about you, but I was glued to the TV today with all the World Cup action. I have been rooting for Germany since day 1 of group play. It's not just their legacy that fascinates me, but Jurgen Klinsmann himself who has initiated this obsession. Although he has been scrutinized by the media and much of the German population since becoming the national team coach, he has remained focussed and has instilled into his players, his philosophies for the game and more importantly has lead his team to victories in dominating form. He has brought the German team something special that was lacking in previous years. There is an apparent sense of unity and over all team spirit illuminating everytime they strap on their boots and take the field. Another key aspect to their success are the veteran players such as Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose, and Jens Lehmann. They are leading the way, showing the younger guys what it takes to have success at the World Cup. Up front, the c...

Futbol is a game of 2 halves... Playing just good soccer for 45 minutes will not keep you alive at the World Cup. And more importantly, if your opponent is Brazil, you will need to do better than your best. Brazil was just too strong for Japan thursday. An early goal in the 39th minute of play by Tamada, gave hope to a very determined Japanese team... But as the match unfolded, in the last few seconds of the first half, Brazil's Ronaldo answered with a header to tie the match 1-1. The second half played out to a different tune. Brazil was relentless with their ball handling, and they showed the world why they are seeded #1. They dominated ball possession with their quick one touches and selfishless ball movement. It was clear Japan was over their heads and would not be able to contain Brazil's enormous talent on the field. The cachaca drinking South Americans are undefeated in their group, and will move onto the next round with great confidence. So far the only other team...

Catchy Tune... I love it!!!

Jon from Detroit came to visit this weekend. Well he's really on business but made time to have dinner with J and I. We took him to Joe's Shanghai.. Kind of a touristy place for shanghai juicy dumplings... we have pictures of the dumplings and the winter melon soup. Jon is in the 3rd picture sitting with a dumpling on his plate.

We had dinner at Morimoto's with our friend Kohji. Kohji just graduated med-school, so J and I decided to treat Kohji to a nice dinner in the city in celebration. As for the food at Morimoto's, I honestly expected more from an Iron Chef... but perhaps my standards for fine dining are set too high. New York can do that to a person. But then again, he is an Iron Chef.

First course : Tuna tartare with an assortment of flavors on the bottom. (Konbu, Cream cheese, Wasabi, Chives, Edamae puree, Rice crackers) The little red ball on the bottom right is called a "yama momo". It's like a raspberry/strawberry spiky plum.

Sashimi platter : Bonito, Scallops, Snapper

Giant oyster steamed with miso foie gras on top.

Sushi platter : (left to right : chu toro, red snapper, fluke, gizzard shad, pike eel)

Palate cleanser : Maccha green tea with apricot macaroon.

Half a lobster pan seared in spice mixture with lobster foam sauce.

Kobe beef steaks with teriyaki sauce.

Dessert : Pistacchio cake with riesling cherries.

I'm sure we've all showcased our fair share of dance moves in the past. Here is a walk down memory lane for all you dancers out there. Count how many moves you've got in your repertoire.

Great job Adidas... I crack up everytime I see this commercial.

David "Elsewhere" Bernal You may have seen him in a few commericials. VW GTI as the hip Gene Kelly, 7-11 Slurpee, Pepsi Samba... His abilities in "popping" "waving" "bboying" and "breaking" are absolutely amazing.

Here are a bunch of Opening Credits Clips from the 80's (with their catchy jingles) from various Japanese Anime and hit TV Series.

What would we do if it weren't for guys like these... They dedicate their lives to preserving pop culture through making home movies/re-enacting scenes from hollywood blockbuster movies.

A leading contender for a spot in my Top 5 Commercials for 2006... Burger King has done it this time with their "Manthem".

OK, I think it was thursday night, I get a call around 10pm... it's Kohji and he's in Philly. "Hey G, you want a Philly CheeseSteak?" I think to myself, first of all, is Kohji coming over now? And secondly, I know these cheesesteaks are good, but to have one as a midnight snack... that's ambitious. Needless to say, I said, "Do It!" and we had a side by side tasting of Geno's and Pat's Philly CheeseSteak at midnight. This was my first time having the famous Geno's and Pat's CSs. I have to say, I am now a Pat's CS fan. Cheese Whiz is what gives this heavenly meat in a bread treat it's undeniable unique character... Pat's all the way!!! Good work Kohji.

Kohji was over a few days and made this great vegetarian quesadilla...

Dabbling a bit today with some ox tail and chuck shortribs, I thought I would make a stew. With the help of Meidi-Ya's Demiglace Sauce, I just had to brown the meat, add the onions, carrots, garlic, and celeriac into the pot and hit it with a half a bottle of port wine. I added the demi glace and 2 more cups of water. Brought it to a boil and threw it in the oven at 275 for 3 hours. No hastle, low and slow cooking rules. All the flavors should meld over night. I will take out the pieces of meat and puree the rest and pass it through a sieve... reduce a bit more and add some herbs into the final sauce before plating. To serve, I'm thinking individual clay bowls, place meat and laddle sauce over, put under a salamander or broiler and serve with a baguette and a glass of bordeaux. Kind of a winter dish, but hey, I don't mind, and if you want to get technical, it's winter in Australia right?

A quick fix the other night. J was coming home early and I hadn't started anything. My friend Kohji was over and so we headed out to Shoprite, picked up some organic ground beef, onions, carrots, curry roux and whipped up a 30 minute Curry Rice dish. Kohji made a vegetarian quesadilla for an appetizer.

Hamachi sashimi, Miso soup, Natto, Rice & Egg. Simple dinner for J and I tonight. I stopped by at Mitsuwa and picked up some goodies... It was light and healthy... It was great...