Trying a new hang-out place - Au Chocolat (MBS)

I don't usually go to Marina Bay Sands for shopping or food (it's a bit out-of-the-way for me and the food choices there don't particularly appeal to me) so whenever I'm there, it's primarily because I want to go to the ArtScience Museum. Recently, I was there for the Art of the Brick exhibition so I wanted to find a place to grab a bite before seeing that. I wasn't looking for a place to have a full meal but couldn't decide on which place to go until I came across Au Chocolat. It occupies two units, one for the bakery cum over-the-counter products and the other is its bistro where you can sit down for a decent meal. The place had a slight retro feel thanks to its furniture and deco but it's not entirely old-school and does offer a comfortable Parisian atmosphere. In particular, I think the brown-tiled tables were quite unique but it took a bit of effort to move the plates or glass across the table due to the rough surface which caused a slight noise inevitably. I think being self-conscious about not making too much noise is probably the price to pay if you want a tabletop which is unlike the usual smooth surface in most restaurants.

The main selections looked quite interesting but I just wanted a snack thus opted for the calamari. The batter tasted just nice and crispy but wasn't overly oily while the squid didn't feel too mushy nor tough so I think Au Chocolat did quite well for this dish. Maybe I should go back to try their other dishes soon.

Coming to such a place which is more well-known for its desserts, there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to try their creations. I opted for the espresso tiramisu which comes in a cup with a heart-shaped cookie at the side. It was a flavourful treat which I would say is one of the better tiramisu I've tried. I don't really like it if the tiramisu is too wet or the cream overpowers the taste of the espresso. Given that Au Chocolat's version strikes a fine balance, I think I'll be keen to go back to check out its other creations.

The road less travelled - Ikuta Toma

The reason why I'm writing this is partly inspired by an article (Techinsight Japan) I read about Ikuta Toma which describes his less-than-ordinary path to being an actor. I found this very interesting so thought of sharing it with everyone. Since the article is pretty long, I thought it would be a better idea to pick out the main points instead of translating the whole story.

- Ikuta joined Johnny's Jimusho because of his mother who is a great fan of Kimura Takuya. In the hope of meeting KimuTaku, she made Ikuta go for the audition despite his reluctance since he had a soccer match on the same day. During the audition, he was suddenly asked to remember some steps and dance on the spot but nothing else happened on that day.

- Ikuta didn't get an answer on the day of his audition whether he passed or failed. One week later, he was told to go to Yokohama Arena where KinKi Kids was having a concert. Apparently, the steps he was told to memorise were the dance steps for KinKi Kids' songs and that the group of boys who had been called up were told to be back dancers on that day. Some of the boys were selected to enter the agency while some only got that one minute of fame on stage.

- Since then, he found himself as part of Johnny's Jrs and he can't even recall what happened on the first day. Compared to the other Jrs who usually didn't get to work solo then, he had a regular spot on NHK's programme "Tensai Terebi-kun" for two years.

- In Johnny's Jimusho, there is this unwritten rule that unless you have made your CD debut, you won't be regarded as a full-fledged artiste. However, Ikuta soon found that he was the odd one out as those who entered the agency at the same time as him and his juniors made their CD debuts one after another. He wondered if he was a failure in the agency at that time. When he was 17, he started to take part in various stage plays and learnt a lot from the people he worked with. It was then that Ikuta thought that it would be a good idea to carve out an acting career rather than worry about his non-forthcoming CD debut.

- Since Ikuta got noticed for his role in "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~ Ikemen Paradise", he started to take on more leading roles in movies and dramas. One day, when he met the agency's CEO Kitagawa Johnny, the latter addressed him as the actor thus making Ikuta happy that the CEO could see that he was doing well in the acting track.

- Despite this, Ikuta started to hear people around him tell him that he doesn't need to be in Johnny's Jimusho if he wants to be an actor and should just switch to another agency. Coupled with this, Ikuta recalled how he was never able to make his CD debut thus there was a period when he felt down about his situation. Just then, one of his seniors told Ikuta that the nail that sticks out gets hammered in and that it would be better for him to be the only actor in an idol agency. With that advice, Ikuta felt reassured that he was on the right track  and thought that he wasn't really doing badly as he assumed.

- During an interview, Ikuta said that he doesn't write anything on his scripts since he feels that these notes will only serve to hinder his acting. Fellow actor Daito Shunsuke exclaimed disbelief at Ikuta's style since he is the exact opposite who writes lots of things on his scripts.

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Compared to other agencies, Johnny's Jimusho has a slightly different way of determining whether someone had made an official debut i.e. CD releases. Actually, Ikuta wasn't the only one who had his acting debut (1997) earlier than a CD debut as seen from the list below. Nonetheless, I gather that it must have been tough to see his peers get their CD debut and yet he seemed to be left behind and forgotten. At that time after Arashi made their debut, there was constant talk about where Ikuta would fit in and when he was going to make his debut. When KAT-TUN and NEWS came along, his name was conspicuously missing from the list. And of course, Ikuta being from Hokkaido, there was no way he could have entered Kanjani 8. Besides Ikuta, I remember that Kohara Yuki was facing a similar situation when he quit in 2000 just after Arashi made their debut. Kohara was also one of the more prolific and popular Jrs then but somehow, the CD debut proved elusive for him too.

Whoever that senior was, I think it was a great thing that he managed to make Ikuta see the other side of things. If Ikuta had quit to join another agency where there are many other full-time actors, he might not have been able to shine or be given adequate opportunities. There are other JJ artistes like Ikuta who may be quite well-known and have some signature works to their name but he is truly unique because he concentrates on acting full-time and doesn't have a singing career to juggle. It is at a time like this when you realise that the best advice actually doesn't dictate what you should do but rather shows you the silver lining behind those clouds.

The list below shows the acting debut dates of some JJ artistes (up to Kanjani 8 which is about the same age group as Ikuta) compared to CD debut dates (note that this is based on TV/movie acting stints only):

SMAP was formed in 1988 but the group only made its CD debut three years later
Nakai Masahiro / 1988
Kimura Takuya / 1988
Inagaki Goro / 1988
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi / 1988
Katori Shingo / 1988

TOKIO was formed in 1990 but its CD debut was four years later in 1994
Joshima Shigeru / 1988
Yamaguchi Tatsuya / 1992
Kokubun Taichi / 1988
Matsuoka Masahiro / 1990
Nagase Tomoya / 1993

V6 was formed in August 1995 and made its CD debut in November the same year
Sakamoto Masayuki / 1988
Nagano Hiroshi / 1988
Inohara Yoshihiko /  1991
Morita Go / 1994
Miyake Ken / 1994
Okada Junichi /  1995

Arashi was formed in September 1999 and made their debut in November of the same year
Ohno Satoshi /  1999
Sakurai Sho / 1999
Aiba Masaki / 1997
Ninomiya Kazunari / 1998
Matsumoto Jun / 1997

Takki & Tsubasa was formed in 2002 and made their debut in 2003
Takizawa Hideaki /  1995
Imai Tsubasa / 1995

KAT-TUN was formed in 2001 and made their debut in 2006
Kamenashi Kazuya / 1999
Akanishi Jun (no longer with the group) / 1999
Taguchi Junnosuke / 2001
Tanaka Koki / 2000
Ueda Tatsuya / 2000
Nakamaru Yuichi / 1999

NEWS was formed in 2003 and released their first single the following year
Koyama Keiichiro / 2004
Masuda Takahisa / 2000
Kato Shigeaki / 1999
Tegoshi Yuuya / 2005
Yamashita Tomohisa / 1998

Kanjani 8 was formed in 2002 and released their first single in 2004
Yokoyama Yu / 1998
Shibutani Subaru / 1999
Murakami Shingo / 1999
Maruyama Ryuhei / 1999
Yasuda Shota / 1999
Nishikido Ryo / 1998
Ookura Tadayoshi / 2000

Taking a breather from the frenzy - Bakerzin

Amid the chaos that's due to this being the last weekend before the Lunar New Year, it was great that I could find a time and place to sit down and recharge after a long hectic week at work. I try to update the Dorama World blog almost every day especially if there are any J-ent news but of late, it's been such a crazy state of things that I can only manage updates at one go once every couple of days. Watching the people go by with huge shopping bags of Lunar New Year goodies but separated from them by a glass wall, it sort of made me feel as if I was sheltered from the crowds for a brief moment.

Frankly speaking, my visits to Bakerzin are more about the cakes rather than their food in general so that's why I've tried more of their cakes compared to other items on the menu. Of all the cakes they offer, Foret Noir is my favourite. It's similar to blackforest cake in a sense but the chocolate flakes on top and the slightly wet sponge cake with the wine cherries are such a great combination that I keep going back for more. I don't usually have a favourite drink that I must order so for this visit, I ended up ordering this kiwi-apple soda. It was a tad sour but considering the sweetness of the cake, it evened out the taste so I guess it was a good match after all.