Happy 1st Anniversary with Hubby

No Matter Sadness or Happiness, We Gonna Stay Together Forever (caption by hubby)

Time flies and waits for no one! Hubby and I celebrated our 1st anniversary being a married couple on the 20th September. We had a quick reflection the other day and I'm very happy to say that together, we visited a few interesting places since our marriage till this year.

We visited my hometown in Sandakan last October, then in Kota Kinabalu for Chinese New Year celebration. This year was also our very first year giving "out" red angpows rather than receiving. In April, we went for our sweet sweet honeymoon in Japan and had te most amazing adventure and experiences in life. In June, we witnessed one of my best girlfriend's wedding in Kota Kinabalu and later on head on a Virgo Cruise to Singapore and Pulau Redang in July. It was a surprise gift from my hubby for my birthday.

During Hari Raya Puasa this year, hubby and I chose to go to Genting Highlands to have our "1st wedding anniversary vacation". Despite the crowd in KL Central and Genting Highlands, we enjoyed ourselves to the max in Genting. We also had a really nice dinner at a restaurant named "Vietnam House" found in First World Plaza.

The Hoi An Bridge to Vietnam House

Vietnam House is situated in the middle of the Venice Gondola Ride. With the continuous soft music and dim lighting, I found that this place is indeed quite romantic for a table for two. Nonetheless, it is suitable for family gathering too as it serves a wide variety of Vietnam cuisine. Vietnam House also offers great value for freshly cook meals, being that we are in Genting Highlands where food are usually more expensive than in the city.

This is the entrance to the Vietnam House

The place is well decorated with beautiful and brightly lit silk lanterns and lotus, which is the national flower of Vietnam.

The staff are friendly and services are quick. The menu offers a great variety of Vietnam cuisine and we had to struggle choosing our favorite dishes. We wanted to try so many different dishes but since there's only two of us, we ended up ordering an entree, soup, meat and vegetable. Thumbs Up for all the dishes and its prices are reasonable.

And here's the photo of our dishes. Please excuse my poor Vietnam language. I tried to remember the names and copied them down in my phone later on after I had finished my dinner.

Entree: Seafood Salad Mango & Agar (Goi rau cau, xoai, hai san)

Soup: Sour Prawn Soup (Canh chua tom)

Main: Pork Belly and Egg Braised in Coconut Juice (Thit heo kho trung voi nuac dua)

Vegetable: Grilled Egg Plant with Onion Sauce (Ca tim nuong muo hanh)

I would definitely be going again if I visit Genting Highlands again. Oh, by the way, I ordered my favorite iced sweet basil lemonade for my drinks. What a Full-tastic Night!!

Most of the photos were taken by my hubby, so the credits go to him. I also love how he capture this Merry-Go-Around ride. I loved the colors and the 'motion' he's able to capture!

Paris-Genting at First World Plaza

Morning View from our room at First World Hotel

And finally, a shot of the cable car going up when we are departing from Genting Highlands

Spending time with the one you loved most is what matters most. May Our Love Be Blessed and be Strong always. Happy Anniversary To Us!!~

This is another healthier options for muffin lovers. It is easy to make, adopting the basic method in making muffins, which is to mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. All you need is clean bowls, a spatula or spoon and a kitchen scale.

The muffins are really moist, smell great of walnuts and the insides are fruity with the sultanas. If you don't like walnuts in your muffins, you can substitute it with sunflower seeds. You might also want to substitute sultanas with raisins or any other types of dried berries. It is so versatile yet yummy to bite.

My hubby found that it is still moist and tastes as good the next morning. He enjoyed 3 muffins for his breakfast with a cup of hot milo.

I made 16 muffins instead of the usual 12 cause I had used slightly smaller muffin cups.

I don't usually use expensive muffin cups as its rather a waste of money, but when I went to the bakery ingredients shop the other day, I couldn't resist buying these cute-sy muffin cups. I guess, it is alright to spoil yourself sometimes, right??? =P


Sultanas & Walnuts Muffins

Ingredients
140g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
115g soft light brown sugar ( I use 50g castor sugar + 50g dark brown sugar)
140g porridge oats ( I use Quaker Quick Cook Oat)
100g sultanas
100g crushed walnuts
2 eggs
250 ml skimmed milk
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200degree C/400degree F/Gas Mark 6. Line 12-hole muffin tin with 12 paper cases. (I wanted a prettier effect so I used muffin cups with designs on it) =)

2) Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, oats, sultanas and 60g  of the crushed walnuts.

3) Place the eggs in another large bowl and beat lightly, then beat in milk, oil and vanilla extract.

4) Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not overmix.

5) Spoon mixture into paper cases. Sprinkle the remaining crushed walnuts over the tops of the muffins.

6) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown. (My oven takes 17 minutes only)

7) Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer t a wire rack to coo completely.

Quad-C (Choc Chips & Cinnamon Cookies)

My hubby bought me a set of baking books that is published by "LOVE FOOD" Parragon Books Ltd. The books are full of beautiful pictures and the recipes are mainly easy to follow. I can't wait to try out the new recipes I found in these books.

The very first recipe that I tried is the Chocolate Chip & Cinnamon Cookies (Quad-C). These are simple to make and is perfect with a cup of herbal tea. The light coating of cinnamon also gives additional flavor to the cookies. 

However, I have a huge problem with the settings of my oven. Again, I have to reduce the temperature and the baking time. The first badge of Quad-C I made brown too fast and the edges are burnt.

So, if you are using a small oven like mine, you might like to adjust the temperature and time accordingly. This cookies also stored well in an air-tight container.

Recipe for Quad-C Cookies

makes about 35 medium sized cookies

Ingredients

- 225g/8 0z butter, softened at room temperature

- 140g/ 5 0z castor sugar

- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

- 2 tsp orange extract

- 280g / 10 oz plain flour

- pinch of salt

- 100gm / 31/2 oz plain chocolate chips (I just use a handful)

Method

1) Preheat oven to 190degree C/ 375F / Gas Mark 5. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper. (I have to reduce the temperature to 170degree C in my oven)

2) Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.

3) Then beat in the egg yolk and orange extract.

4) Sift together flour and salt into the mixture, add chocolate chips and stir until thoroughly combined.

5) To make cinnamon coating, mix the sugar  and cinnamon together in a shallow dish or plate. 

6) Scoop out tablespoons of the cookie dough, roll them into balls, then roll them in the cinnamon mixture to cat. Place them on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. (The cookie will expand when bake)

7) Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15minutes or until golden brown. ( I reduce the baking time to 10 minutes)

8) Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before storing.

** To make White chocolate & spice Cookies, simply replace the plain chocolate chips with 100gm/ 31/2 oz white chocolate chips and replace the cinnamon with 1 tbsp of ground mixed spice and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg.

*Photos credited to my lovely hubby, Stanley*

Honeyed Cornflakes Cups

This is a very easy recipe to follow and is even more delicious to eat. It makes a lovely gift for friends and relatives on festive times as it does not cost too much and most important it is a 100% failure proof recipe.

The few things that you need to start making your own "honeyed cornflakes cups" is a big heat-proof bowl (I use a stainless bowl), a medium sauce pan, a teaspoon, a whisk, a rubber spatula, mini paper cups (or you can use regular paper cups), an oven and baking trays.

As I am making the "mini" version of these honeyed cornflakes cups, the most time consuming part is filling the honey coated cornflakes into the mini paper cups. Filling too little and it looks empty, filling in too much and it will spill when baked. Despite the trouble, I had no regrets going mini because it doesn't only look beautifully cute but it is a one-bite temptations.

Okay, enough of mumbling and here's the recipe. I hope you will try it out because it is really easy to make even with kids around.

Recipe for Honeyed Cornflakes Cups
makes 100+ mini cups or about 50 regular cups

Ingredients
- 5 cups cornflakes (lightly crushed with a rolling pin or clean dry hands)
- 120g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 3 tbsp honey ( I reduce to 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla essence)
- crushed nuts (optional)
- sprinkles ( I use hundreds and thousands)
- adequate amount of baking paper cups












Method
1) In a large saucepan, combine and melt butter, sugar and honey on slow fire. (becareful not to burn the butter and sugar). Stir with a whisk.

2) Turn off flame, immediately add cornflakes and nuts (if using).

3) Stir to coat the cornflakes evenly in the butter sugar mixture. (Sugar mixture will thicken when cool, so you must stir while it is still hot)

4) Place cups and spoon a tablespoon of mixture into cups. (This is the tricky part if you are using mini paper cups, I recommend using a teaspoon)

5) Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes at 350 degree F or 175 degree C. (I reduce the baking time to 7 minutes in my oven)


6) Remove from oven. Leave on the baking tray for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

The Salvation Army (Kuching Branch) Annual Sale Of Work

Yearly on the 31st August, Malaysia celebrates "Hari Merdeka" (Malaysia's Independence Day). No doubt, it is a public holiday in Malaysia.

Every year on this same date, The Salvation Army in Kuching held their Annual Sale of Work Day. In other words, it is a fund raising day which took place in The Salvation Army Kuching Boys' Home. Every year, the public will work together with The Salvation Army Children's Home, Boys' Home as well as the Church and the Community Services to sell tickets, collect fundings and find sponsors for this activity. People from all walks of life come together to lend a hand for this meaningful activity.

The annual Sale of Work event this year saw 110 stalls raising funds for the homes. Last year in 2009, the home manage to raised RM140,000. This year, Major Francis Ng voiced that a special learning centre should be set up in the homes to allow the children to pick up on their studies at their own pace and eventually be at par with the others. (Source from: STARMETRO,Wednesday,1September 2010).

This is because the children admitted to The Salvation Army's care mostly had irregular school attendance beforehand. In some cases, the child never received formal education till the day of admission to The Salvation Army. Thus, many children become the victim of illiteracy.

This year, an idea sparks me. I should open up a stall and try my very best to contribute back to the society. Since I used to work in The Salvation Army Children's Home and now as a volunteer, I was very happy to be able to continue to help in different ways.

My friends and relatives are very supportive for this cause too. They gathered money and even help baked items for the stall to sell. These are some of the photos I had able to snap before all of us were busy selling, shouting and trying our best to attract customers to visit our stall =D

This is our stall number. Lucky 97.. 


The cute banner was a girl's effort from The Children's Home. Isn't that cute?

These are the food items for sale.

As you can see, there are home-baked choc chip banana muffins, home made cookies, peppermint herbal teahome made Konyaku fruit flavored jellies in cups, and  home made fruit flavored puddings.

A close-up picture of the home made mini hot dog buns and cream buns.

Here's another picture of the home-made Hawaiian pizzas. The rest of the buns and cakes are donated by The Southern bakery shop (which is located at 2 1/2 mile in Kuching, next to Alliance Bank and Maybank).










And these are the Team, the spirits behind our stall's success. Without good teamwork, we would not be able to raise a total amount of RM1471. Thanks buddies!!

Most of our items were sold within 4 hours. The last half and hour, we sold the remaining buns for RM1. We also gave some to the children. All gone and Nothing is Wasted!!!! 

GREAT WORK!!

Melting Moments

Oh My! Oh My! Oh My!! It has been quite a while since I last wrote on my blog. Been busy baking for a charity sales that will be held on 31st August, this coming Tuesday. Well, my friends and I had decided to open up a stall selling a variety of bakery items. I called up to several friends and kind people asking for donations of all sorts. And guess what, there are still Unconditional Love in this world =) Love does exist after all ! ~_~

Just few days after my first attempt of cold calls and cold emails, I got good news. A friend of mine are baking hot dog buns and cream buns for us to sell. A bakery shop are going to donate all freshly baked items that are still on the shelves at the end of Monday evening, 30th August. Relatives donate monies, shops gave special discounted prices for ingredients and containers. A cousin are baking his delicious home made pizzas for sell. There are all kinds of help that we happily received. Words of encouragements are showered onto us =)

Now, let's review what we had gathered at last. I love to call it "Project 318". All in all, we had successfully gathered 4 pizzas (32slices),  20 bags of mini hot dog buns, 30 cream buns, 96 banana muffins, around 50 packets of pudding and Konyaku Jellies, 19 containers of Melting Moments, 16 containers of Kellogg's Honeyed Cornflakes cup, Cordial Drinks and more buns, cakes and muffins from the bakery shop.

I choose to bake Melting Moments for this fund raising as it is fairly easy to prepare and require simple ingredients. The main problem I faced is the timing it takes to bake in my oven. The original recipe from Happy Home Baking and Joy Of Baking web asks for 12 minutes, but it burnt in my little oven, so I have to reduce it to 8-10 minutes for the perfect Melting Moments.

If you are a Malaysian, Melting Moments' texture is similar to Kuih Momo, but this is more buttery and the sweetness depends largely from the dusting of icing sugar on the top.

Ok, enough of my mumbling (= Let me share with you the recipe I had taken from both website. I followed the recipe to the tip but I substituted unsalted butter and the baking time.

Oh, and another lovely thing about these Melting Moments is that it stored well for up to 2 weeks. I'm going to bake it again for the upcoming festive seasons! It's definitely the PERFECT giveaways for family and friends =)

Recipe for Melting Moments
 Ingredients:
A 
( Put the ingredient in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, cream the ingredients till pale and fluffy. Then, add vanilla essence and beat for another few seconds.)
- 175g unsalted butter, room temperature (I use salted Golden Churn butter)
- 40g icing sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla essence

B  
(Sift flour together into a dry and clean bowl. Set aside.)
-175g plain flour
-40g corn flour

-extra icing sugar for dusting

Method:
1) Sift B over the butter mixture. ( I found that by double sifting, the dough appear smoother)
2) Gently mix the flour and butter mixture with a silicon spatula. (This prevents the flour from flying when being mix later)
3) With a hand mixer, mix the flour and butter mixture till smooth.
4) Scrap down all the dough from the mixer and sides of the bowl.
5) Cover with a cling wrap and fridge the dough till firm. (about 1 hr)
6) Preheat oven at 180degree C for 10minutes.
7) With a teaspoon, spoon mixture into a ball. ( For fancy melting moments, you can pipe it into shapes).
8) Line baking tray with parchment paper.
9) Space each ball well apart so it does not stick when bake.
10) Bake for 12 minutes or until pale golden color. (My oven takes 8 minutes)
11) Leave the baked melting moments on tray for a few minutes to firm up before transforming to wire rack to cool.
12) When cooled, sprinkle icing sugar on top. ( I use a small sifter).
* Store in airtight containers and can be kept for 2 weeks. Melting moments are fragile, so please handle them gently.*

A Tale of Miki

Hubby and I have a very special dog. She was born in 14th October 2007. Her name is Miki, but we like to call her Miki-chan (chan in Japanese means girl). She is a chi hua hua and currently weighs 2.25kg. We treat Miki as a part of our family and she's the apple in our eyes. That's a photo of her wearing her bumble bee shirt. She's just too adorable.

This is our Miki. She is always alert, with her pointy ears, big black eyes and always running around wanting to play with us. As you can see in the picture below, she likes to watch and 'participate' in our daily activities. She loves to play with her toys (currently she has 3 toys, named Spotty (toy dog), an Alien (handmade by me), and blue Ele (a blue elephant)). In most days when she is not distracted by food, she can give the toy we asked for. Aren't she a clever girl? (^_^) heh heh....
 

Her favorite past time is to 'munch' on her toy Alien. But her favorite toy to play fetch with is Spotty. Whenever we are available, she will grab her Spotty and put it in our hands. Miki also likes to bring Spotty with her mouth when she walks around the house. Unfortunately, she will left Spotty behind in some hidden places and later on, the three of us have to go and hunt for Spotty.

This is a recent photo of Miki-chan trying to jump and catch blue Ele.


















Just like any chi hua hua, Miki has shorter "hyperactivity" time compared to other bigger size dogs. Usually, she spends her time taking short naps and after fully re-charged her energy, she likes to play fetch. She also loves running around hunting for ants and bugs. She likes to bark at ants and try to frighten them (I guess, with her small size, there's only a very few things that's scared of her) ha ha...

Miki yawned when I tried to take pictures of her with her Minnie Mouse kimono on. =_=''

When she sleeps like this, it means she is sleeping soundly and is dreaming sweet dreams. ~_~

Previously, we put plastic garden gates to block her from coming out when we are having our dinner. She will cry while trying to pull open the gates with her little feet. Of course, it is not easy to open!! But, after many times of trials and errors, she figured out how to open the gates. She picked it up from me, when I unfastened the gates to let her out.

This is the gates we used previously to keep her inside our bathroom. Obviously, she figured out how to open it. Now, we just let her run around in the house unless we have guests.

People often commented that chi hua hua is born to be a picky-eater but our Miki loves FOOD! She goes crazy when she hears her steel plate makes "cling" sounds. She runs in circle when I open the container's lid to take a treat for her. She sniffs continuously for any 'leftovers' dropped on the floor and in her bed. Miki will never leave behind a single biscuit crust, not even a single rice will stick in her plate. She licks her plate cleanly after every meal I gave her.

  Miki's treats flew all the way from Singapore. Notice how long Miki's tongue? ha ha ha ha....

And here's some photos of her doing her favorite things.

Miki likes to keep her feet clean. When she was 4 month old, I accidentally cut too deep into her nails. Since then, she is scared of nail cutting. She rather bites her own nails rather than letting me do nail cutting for her. That is why she has ugly toe nails.

This is Miki in her bed. We put this bed inside our bedroom so that she can sleep with us. She loves jumping in and out of her bed, enjoying her treats inside her bed, and most of all, she likes to day dream in her bed.

Yup, this is Miki-chan. Not a moo-moo cow. I like to dress her up in different clothes when the weather is cold. 

She loves to feel warm especially on rainy days.

Miki is important to us. But we are even more important in her heart. We are all  she got! We are her family and also her friends!  When we went abroad for holiday trips, she will be left with my family-in-law. She refused to eat while we are away and according to mom-in-law, she will sit next to the door all day and wait for our return. Whenever she sees that I fill clothes into the luggage bags, she will jump inside and sit still on my clothes. I guess, she did know we are leaving her for a short while. 

 

Every time when we come back from holiday, she will wag her tail, jump, dance and give us her big kisses. We will kiss her back, hug her and most of all, will feed her. Her life resume back to normal!! =D

A dog is always loyal and never betray our sincerity and kindness. 

Miki will always be there for us!and we will love her always!

Vegetable Chicken Thai Green Curry

There are some days when I couldn't think of Chinese home-cooked dishes to prepare for my family. Cooking lunch and dinner daily really makes me run out of recipes fast!~

It's also difficult to cook dishes that suits everybody in the house, taking into an account of the dishes' level of cholesterol, amount of salt, sugar and seasonings used, spiciness and most importantly its taste to accompany with a plate of hot steamed rice.

I always complain to my hubby, the first and last thing a housewife (that cooks) thinks about everyday is "What shall I Cook today?" This question is stuck in my brain since the day I resigned from my full-time job and begin my housewife journey.

Anyway, I went to the market this morning and bought loads of vegetables. Today's special recipe is going to be vegetable and chicken Thai-style green curry. In addition, I also fried some fish fillets and stir-fry 2 plates of green vegetables.

I compiled a few different Thai Green Curry recipes to produce MY version of Thai style Green Curry. You can alter and add almost any kind of vegetables you like. The important thing is to stir fry the curry paste with some brown sugar till fragrant before putting in vegetables.

I hope you will try it at home and enjoy it with a plate of hot steamed rice! (^_^)

Ingredients
A
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 red chili (remove seeds, sliced thinly)
3 tbsp of Thai Curry Paste (any brand will do)
1 tbsp light brown sugar (or raw sugar)
2 stalk of lemongrass (smashed fat ends with a rolling pin)

B
200 ml  coconut milk
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce
3 lime leaves (washed and cut thinly)
a bunch of chopped coriander

C (You can substitute the ingredients below to your preferences)
1 boneless chicken thigh (washed,trimmed away fats and cut into small cubes)
1 stalk of broccoli (cut into florets, trim the edible stalks)
3 medium sized potatoes
2 carrots
1 block of firm bean curd (cut into small squares)
1 brinjal (cut into rectangular shapes)
a handful of sweet beans
a handful of baby corn (split into half)
half bell pepper/capsicum (cut into smaller squares)
some pumpkins (cut into small squares)
(you can even use sweet potatoes, long beans, bean sprouts, cauliflower....)

Method:
1) Marinate chicken cubes with a dash of fish sauce or light soy sauce and pepper powder.

2) Bring the potatoes, carrots and broccoli to a boil. Add some salt and a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Drain the vegetables. Reserve 1 cup of vegetable stock for later use.

3) Heat a non-stick pan. Pour in the oil and sauté ingredients A till fragrant. Stir the ingredients with the lemongrass stalks.

3) Add in the chicken cubes. Make sure the chicken cubes are coated with the sauté ingredients. Then, add in the raw vegetables that you are using. Continue to stir fry for 3 minutes.

4) Pour in coconut milk. Keep stirring to prevent lumps. Bring to a gentle boil.

5) Add in the remaining precooked vegetables and beancurd. Gently mix the vegetables into the sauce. Then, add in vegetable stock, fish sauce and lime leaves.

6) Cover with a lid, turn to low heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes (or till the sauce thickened slightly). Season with salt to taste. Garnish with generous amount of chopped coriander.

7) Serve immediately with a plate of hot fragrant steamed rice. Enjoy!~

Chocoholic Brownies

On some days, I have strong urge to have something sweet, something chocolate-y~ So, I baked this Chocolate Chip Brownies yesterday for a feel-good-but-sinful-to-the-body treats! (^_^)

I've just alter a tiny bit of the original recipe. It is simple to make, easy, and does not require any butter. However, I strongly recommend to line the base of the greased pan with wax or parchment paper for easier removal.

Chocoholic Brownies

Makes : 16 squares

Ingredients:

150g semisweet chocolate, chopped and at room temperature

1 tbsp milk

120ml sunflower oil ( I used Canola Oil)

215g light brown sugar (I substituted with 100g brown sugar + 70g castor sugar)

2 large eggs

5 ml vanilla essence

65g self-raising flour

4 tbsp cocoa powder

4 tbsp milk chocolate chips

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180degree C. Lightly grease a 19cm/8inch square pan. Lined with parchment paper.

2) Pour in the milk and melt chocolate by double boiling. (Melt chopped chocolate in a pan above a pot of simmering boiling water.) Use a spatula to stir the melting chocolate.

3) Combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla essence in the mixer bowl. Beat till combined with an electric mixer.

4) Stir in melted chocolate. Beat till evenly mixed.

5) Sift flour and cocoa powder into batter.

6) With a spatula, fold in flour mixture until it incorporates into the batter.

7) Stir in chocolate chips. Mix well.

8) Pour mixture into the prepared square pan. Spread mixture evenly to the edges. (Mixture should be sticky and gooey)

9) Bake for 30-35 minutes till top is firm and crusty. Cool completely in pan before cutting into smaller squares.

Honeymoon in Japan (Osaka) Pt 4

The Tokyo Shinkansen ride took us about 2 hour and 15 minutes to reach Osaka. We then board the local subway to Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka at Uehommachi, Tennoji-ku. The hotel is nicely situated above the Kintetsu Department Store and the Tennoji train station itself. The surrounding has a KFC and other local delicacies which opens till late night. Although the room is not very modern-o, it is nonetheless clean, spacy and the queen bed is very comfy with a large window. The room is also well equiped with a kettle, a small fridge as well as a TV. Hubby and I thought 10,000 yen (nett) per night (promotional rate on web) is a good bargain. Getting breakfast is no worries since there are a few bread shops nearby the subway station.

This is Tennoji nightview seen from our hotel room window.



















Without wasting too much time in the hotel, we board a train to Namba, the city center of Osaka. However, it was raining heavily soon we arrived there. I guess, rain has been following us everywhere!! Well, of course the rain does not stop us from wondering around.

Namba is also known as an entertainment district, and hosts many of the city's most popular bars, restaurants, nightclubs, arcades, and pachinko parlors. Other than the sprawling underground Namba City shopping mall, there is also Takashimaya department store.

We were dissapointed as the rain and wind caused us difficulties in taking snapshots. Namba is a great place for shopping. Just one minute walk from Namba station is the Namba Walk itself. Namba Walk is an underground shopping streets with hundreds of shops and eateries. The shops are suitable for the younger generation and more fashionable type. You will also see takoyaki stalls around. Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki is a MUST TRY in Osaka.

Namba. We were trying to cross the street but decided to take a snapshot. Rain has finally stopped!















We take-away different types of local delicacies and enjoyed it in our hotel room. As what I can recalled, we bought a pack of freshly fried sweet potatoes coated with honey, waffles from Manneken (nearby Sheraton Miyako Hotel), takoyaki from Namba Walk, drinks and other local sweets.

Manneken Belgium Waffles. Cripsy, Crunchy, Delicious and Many Flavors to Choose from!!

Our Day 11 continue early in the morning. We got all dressed up and bagged our water bottles and left the hotel at about 8 in the morning. Firstly, we took a light breakfast at KFC which is just opposite of our hotel. Then, we board the train in Tennoji station to Osaka Castle. It took us quite sometime to figure out how to get there. We asked the train station's staff who speaks fair English which train and exits that would bring us to Osaka Castle.

Luckily in the transit train station, we saw a group of school kids going to a field trip. You might wonder how we know?! We were observant enough to be listening to the field trip teacher's briefing. Not that we can understand Japanese much but we got a hint they were going to the same place as us. So, we followed them closely ^_^

We arrived safely at Osaka Castle. Thanks to the group of kids and their teacher!

This picture is taken at the train station outside of Osaka Castle.








I love Osaka Castle as it has a big park full of blooming flowers and cherry blossom trees. The park eventually leads you to the Osaka Castle. We crossed a bridge called Gokurakubashi Bridge. It took us about 30 minutes brisk walking to reach the bridge. We also frequently stopped to take pictures of the beautiful scenery at the park.

Osaka Castle seen from the Gokurakubashi.

A little birdie seen collecting twigs and grass fiber for its nest.

Another beautiful view of Osaka.

An elderly feeding the pigeons in Osaka Castle Park.

 

Next, we board a train to Osaka Universal Studio. We spent about an hour walking and window shopping at the street outside Universal Studio. We had our lunch at MOS Burger.

MOS Burger Set Meal. The MOS Burger in this outlet is quite different from the ones we tasted in Singapore. All MOS Burger here is served with buns rather than rice.

The Street outside of Osaka Universal Studio.

You must visit the famous Osaka Takoyaki Museum and taste the various types of takoyaki stalls sold here.

Cute Octopus and Takoyaki displayed around the museum. Must Try takoyaki here!!

It was 4 o'clock when we decided  to buy our entrance ticket to the Osaka Universal Studio. In front of the ticket booth, we read a notice saying that all entry tickets will be sold cheaper starting from 4 o'clock. Hmm, that was nice!! It saved us about 4,000 yen!!

It was crazy inside!! Students still in school uniforms, families, babies and kids, visitors and almost everyone were either on 'Happy-mode' or 'Shopping-mode'! They carried bags and bags of shopping bought inside the Universal Studio's shops. People were seen running around trying to take photographs with cartoon characters. Well, of course I'm one of them!! I was a kid again! Ha.. ha.. I took pictures with Popeye and Olive, Elmo, Crash Bandicoot and lots more.

The Magical Starlight Parade Performance. Promises to bring you a night full of magic and music!

All the rides were closed after we finished watching the parade. We ended up in shops selling accessories and clothings with various cartoon characters faces on it.

Then, we head to Osaka Takoyaki Museum for our supper. All of the takoyakis there were unique and delicious!! We had a heavy heart going back to our hotel as we had to pack our luggage bags.

On Day 12, we went for another shopping spree at Dotonbori. We arrived about 9:30am and most of the shops were not in business yet. So we just walked around the area slowly. Dotonbori is well known for shopping and has many neon and mechanized signs including the famous 'glico' sign and a huge crab called the Kani Doraku.

We crossed Dōtonboribashi Bridge which has a beautiful sight. It is even more beautiful at night when all the neon lights were switched on. There were also street performers singing and dancing while trying to sell their song albums.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Before heading back to our hotel, we had a nice lunch at a "Ramen standing stall".

Firstly, you select your choice of Ramen in the vending machine. 

After you had paid, a receipt will be printed.

The staff will then cook your hot delicious Ramen accordingly.

Kim-chi, Preserved Green Onion are served for free refill in a huge bowl. Ice water are served for free too. 

About 2p.m., we checked out from Sheraton Miyako Hotel and board a train to my friend's house. Her family invited us to stay in their house before leaving Japan. They also lived nearby to Kansai Airport.

Our friend and her mom fetched us at the train station and immediately brought us to a wholesale supermarket. My eyes went so big staring at the HUGE variety of food I can buy here. My hands were busy selecting and taking things from shelves. The prices are really CHEAP too!! Instant Japanese Curry, Japanese Curry Paste, Tonkotsu Powder, Seaweed, Japanese Mayonese, Furukakae, Green Tea, Sweets, Snacks...... I grabbed everything I can before hubby reminded me of our baggage allowances!! 

My friend's house was really welcoming and heart warming. Even her dog greeted us with smiles and jumps. For dinner, they made us okonomiyaki, bought some sashimis and prepared different types of daily home-cooked dishes. I loved the stir fry noodles with sweet sauce. I munched on konyaku braised with daikon in soy sauce. Everything is just so delicious! Her dad even made cheesecake for our desserts! Yummy! Yummy!

Later that night, my friend drove us around her housing area. She showed us her previous schools, the park she used to play, shrines and other places. Then, we went back and re-pack our luggages. We were both sad and happy at the same time. We missed our dog at home but we also had a wonderful time in Japan.

We had a quick bath and said our last good night to Japan. Before going to sleep, I told my hubby I already begin to miss Japan.

We promised each other we will visit Japan again in future. Maybe next time we will be able to explore a different part of Japan.