Wednesday, May 24, 2006

おいしい

info extract from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Shogun (将軍, shōgun?) is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The rank is equivalent to "general," a high officer in an army. As a title, it is the short form of sei-i taishōgun (征夷大将軍). The Imperial Court in Kyoto awarded this title first to the leaders of military expeditions against warlike peoples, and later to the heads of military governments at many times in the history of Japan.

well i thought it will be nice to give some intro on the word shogun. i was first introduced to shogun when i was barely a teenager. my family was practically hooked on james clavell's shogun, acted by richard chamberlain who was quite a looker there.

anyway. my team was treated to a long awaited dinner. we decided to try shogun @ 1u. dont ask me why shogun for a makan place. price for dinner on weekdays is rm48++. i read somewhere that this is saisaki branch but i prefer the spread here. but there were no sukiyaki here. the choices are quite huge making it ideal for group makan. the sashimi although not many choices, was fresh. normal salmon, tuna and another white meat fish. lack of labelling is one of the downside. i was a little disappointed as there were no grilled unagi or shashimos. only those sushi unagis. the sauce was missing when they refilled them. A few of us were also disappointed as pickled idako was also missing from the spread. i recommend the deep fried black sesame coated baby eel. a very tasty crunch. the tempura softshell crab was delicious too. true to some comments posted online by some past patron, the "complimentary" bake osyter was a let down. it was not fresh and the cream has no flavor at all. one per person. one of us remarked that it is one per person so it won't poison us being so "unfresh". hee hee. i had three. the dessert counter was a delight! my fave = syrup filled mini waffles. i have to confess, i actually hid some in my bags. you should have seen the antics fieni and me went thru to "steal" them. All in all, it was a good for value and ambiance is good too. it's in 1u, so go for a walk halfway, walk those fats off, and then tuck in more.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Vesak

article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
" The decision to agree to celebrate Vesak as the Buddha’s birthday was formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (W.F.B.) held in Sri Lanka in 1950, although festivals at this time in the Buddhist world are a centuries-old tradition. The Resolution that was adopted at the World Conference reads as follows, "That this Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, while recording its appreciation of the gracious act of His Majesty, the Maharaja of Nepal in making the full-moon day of Vesak a Public Holiday in Nepal, earnestly requests the Heads of Governments of all countries in which large or small number of Buddhists are to be found, to take steps to make the full-moon day in the month of May a Public Holiday in honour of the Buddha, who is universally acclaimed as one of the greatest benefactors of Humanity."
Hence on Vesak Day, Buddhists all over the world commemorate three great events: The birth, enlightenment and the passing away of
Gautama Buddha. As Buddhism spread from India to all parts of the world, the teachings were readily assimilated with the cultures of the people who accepted the teachings. As a result, Buddhist art and culture took on a rich variety of forms with profound gentleness and kindness as the Buddha expressly forbade the use of force. The practice of Buddhism was adapted in many ways to suit the nature of the various cultures that accepted it. As a result of this, Vesak is celebrated in many different ways all over the world. But in essence many practices have become universal. This sacred day is purely a religious festival, and not a festive occasion. On this day all Buddhists are expected to reaffirm their faith in the Buddha Dhamma and to lead a noble religious life. It is a day for meditation and for radiating Loving-Kindness. "
chants
HOMAGE TO LORD BUDDHA
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato samma sambuddhasa
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato samma sambuddhasa
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato, samma sambuddhasa
(Homage to the Lord, the Emancipated, the All-Enlightened Buddha, three times)
REQUESTING THE TRIPLE REFUGE AND FIVE PRECEPTS
Mayang Bhante Tisaranena Saha Panca Silani Yacama
(May I receive the Triple Refuge together with the Five Precepts)
Dutiyampi, Mayang Bhante Tisaranena Saha Panca Silani Yacama
(For the second time, May I receive the Triple Refuge together with the Five Precepts)
Tatiyampi, Mayang Bhante Tisaranena Saha Panca Silani Yacama
(For the third time, May I receive the Triple Refuge together with the Five Precepts)

Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato samma sambuddhasa
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato samma sambuddhasa
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato, samma sambuddhasa
(Homage to the Lord, the Emancipated, the All-Enlightened Buddha)
Buddhang saranang gacchami (I accept the Buddha as my refuge)
Dhammang saranang gacchami (I accept the Dhamma as my refuge)
Sanghang saranang gacchami (I accept the Sangha as my refuge)
Dutiyampi Buddhang saranang gacchami (For the second time, I accept the Buddha as my refuge)
Dutiyampi Dhammang saranang gacchami (For the second time, I accept the Dhamma as my refuge)
Dutiyampi Sanghang saranang gacchami (For the second time, I accept the Sangha as my refuge)
Tatiyampi Buddhang saranang gacchami (For the third time, I accept the Buddha as my refuge)
Tatiyampi Dhammang saranang gacchami (For the third time, I accept the Dhamma as my refuge)
Tatiyampi Sanghang saranang gacchami (For the third time, I accept the Sangha as my refuge)
ACCEPTANCE OF THE FIVE PRECEPTS
Panatipata veramani sikkhapadang samadiyami. (I undertake to observe the precept of refraining from killing)
Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadang samadiyami. (I undertake to observe the precept of refraining from theft)
Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadang samadiyami. (I undertake to observe the precept of refraining from sexual immorality)
Musavada veramani sikkhapadang samadiyami. (I undertake to observe the precept of refraining from wrong speech)
Sura meraya majja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadang samadiyami. (I undertake to observe the precept of refraining from taking intoxicants)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

happy MOM's day!

this is dedicated to my mami. although i think these celebration to commerate moms is just some commercial gimmick i still brought my mom for makan. i mean one must appreciate and take good care of one's mom daily. not only May 14 annually. anyway, below are some candid shots of my mami enjoying her udon. well, it's not taken on mom's day... we treated her to a japanese dinner on one fine weekend.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

shake-alakalaka

ok. i admit. i have fallen to another diet fad. hope it works this time cos fong lost like 5-7kg in 3 mths. her case straight away made me interested but was with reservation as my past experience with meal replacement wasnt a colorful one. it was like putting mud paste in your mouth. true! but this current shake i am taking ... it's yummy! even on its own. well i only tried tropical fruit n french vanilla. Fave combinations so far :
- low fat milk+carrot juice n some pulp
- strawberry lassi (strawberries too expensive)
- crushed watermelon
- crushed watermelon + strawberry lassi (which was too sweet as the watermelon was terribly sweet!)
- low-fat milk + cocoa powder
initial result
after a week, i just lost 1kg n managed to keep it that way. hope to continuously lose about 1kg/week to achieve at least 20kg in 6 mths time. OMFG! i sounded like some slimming centre promoter. well i am not promoting anything but if you are interested in knowing what i am taking, let me know. how? by dropping a comment, silly!

rain rain go away

at last. i managed to go for my long planned brisk walk (still too bulgy to jog - hazardous to health) @ putrajaya lakeside. perhaps it was the nice cloudy weather. perhaps it was the calm body of water reflections. it was an almost perfect place to relax n er... walk. the houses around the lake was very nice n with the great view to boot! bridget n i dreamt to own one each. ahh.
even GOD doesnt want you to exercise?!
well the day i planned for the start of my long procrastinated walk, it rained. so bridget n hubby made the title remark. well. i guess not. cos it stopped before we left office. after barely 30mins and i just got my engine started with my k-songs, it began to drizzle. aaa. god must be pulling my legs man! so we left and ended up stuffing ourselves with a steamboat dinner @ puchong. aiyayaya.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

bushy brows no more

at last. bushy brows days are gone. i got them plucked, trimmed and shaped on monday and it was a steal! at first i was quoted rm30 for the service by the facial lady. lucky for me they were having a roadshow for the newly opened beauty parlor @ ioi mall. so i paid rm38 for a facial which normally (suspect they hiked up the price...) rm23x. pretty satisfied with both the brow and facial job.