germany is finally up!

Our Germany site finally went live this week. I was getting sceptical it would launch before autumn due to the challenges we've been facing. So when the team finally made the decision to go ahead despite the minor issues remaining, I almost couldn't believe it.

On the other hand, I've been hoping we would complete this project soon. It's been the biggest and longest ever this year. So a month ago, I started plotting for a break. Since coming to Kobe, I have not been able to visit Prof Komiya.

When he emailed his former students about the latest update from his kampung in Iwate prefecture, I dropped him a note to tell him I was keen to help him harvest his produce. Getting this reply made me reminisce about my uni days :

Dear Salah:

No problem! Whenever you have confirmed your schedule would you please let me know.

Just relax and enjoy onsen every day, reading books and having a nap etc. etc..

You can stay our guest house one week, two weeks to recover!!

All of us are looking forward to seeing you soon.

Regards,

Ryoichi Komiya

double my yolk please

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival recently, and I've had the opportunity to indulge in some mooncakes that my mum had sent over through Chyn. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the sweet delicacies, but I'm game for the yolk versions. 

After the home church service at Ako's mum's home, I shared with them this double-yolk lotus paste mooncake, and they all really enjoyed it.

There are mooncakes apparently sold in Japan, but really small size and does not taste anything like the original. Hence, my Japanese friends were curious about the ingredients and the taste, and seemed to be fascinated with this Chinese delicacy.

I was excited myself as I actually managed to cut this cake into almost precise 8 slices, thanks to a good knife in their kitchen.

To be honest, I have no recollection of actually cutting mooncakes back in Malaysia. Usually it's my dad who does it and we just ... eat 'em! How ironic that now I'm away from home, I learn how to do such seemingly simple things and feel a sense of achievement (^.~)"

For such a treat as the double-yolk, it definitely deserves the finest cut. With the yolks so evenly distributed, it would be a waste if any crumbles and falls out. 

steamed cod drizzled with fried garlic oil

For the longest time, I've been toying with the idea of getting a white plate. I have enough plates alright, and there's always paper plates when there are guests. But finally I decided maybe it would be a good investment.

I was trying out steamed cod fish for the first time. What a nice dish to officiate the white plate with, and now with my new toy, even better pictures!

It's kinda fusion of what I remember my mum making, and also a little tip from this recipe I found, which made me wish I got the exact cut of the fish.

more good

There's been some changes at work recently. If you have read some of my posts, you might be inclined to think that the recent change would be for the worse. If you knew me personally, you'd understand why I was not looking forward to it.

However, I choose to believe that God is still in control, and I prayed that no matter what happens, something good would still come out of it.

It has been one week, and it has been pretty good so far. More good than not-so-good, to be honest.

To start off the week reflecting on the good, I'm thankful we finally changed our corporate Blackberry's to iPhones! Now I get a proper phone which can do a whole lot more than remind me about work alone. For example, I can indulge in better coloured photography :

oh the innocence of childhood

I didn't realise I had saved this picture in my Dropbox... Looking at the date, I wonder if my dad had scanned this for me before I came to Japan.

I couldn't help but smile at how cute my brother was back then. And we had almost matching cardigans, pretty cool retro when I think about it.

Some questions came to mind - Weren't we cold, me in dress and my bro in shorts? What was happening then that immortalised our expressions as such? Did we buy strawberries on the way back? Were we in Cameron Highlands because my dad had a business trip?