Translation of Matsuyama Kenichi's first book "Haisha" - Part 1 (March 11 Earthquake & Tsunami Crisis)

This is the first part of a series of translations of Matsuyama Kenichi's first book "Haisha". Of course, it will be impossible for me to translate the whole book due to time constraints so I'll be sharing selected pieces of his essays which I find interesting. To begin with, this is how Matsuyama described what he was doing on the day when the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crisis struck two years ago. He also made a brief reference to his wife Koyuki and where she was at that time. Note that all his essays were written from his viewpoint so "I" refers to him.

Please do not reproduce this translation without my permission but you may share the link to this post on your own blog or other social media avenues. Thank you very much for your cooperation in this. 

Hope that you enjoy reading this! :-)

11 March 2011 Friday
At that time, I was watching a movie at home. The movie was titled "Seppuku" (*This is a 1962 movie starring Nakadai Tatsuya.)

The lead character had a son-in-law who was a poor samurai who had to go to the extent of selling his sword which was regarded as very important to samurais, in order to get money to buy medicine for his sickly wife. However, there came a day when the medicine ran out. The samurai then heard a rumour from someone that there was this feudal lord who gave out money to samurais who asked to commit suicide at his garden because he didn't want them to dirty his place. Viewing this as a means to get money for his wife's medicine, the samurai then headed to the feudal lord's mansion.

However, the feudal lord's minister saw through the samurai's intention of obtaining money through the scam even though he had no intention of killing himself. As such, the minister agreed to this request. This made the samurai flustered as he tried to get out of this fix by asking for the money first before returning to commit suicide. The minister refused the request and demanded that the samurai must honour his request. Due to the fact that the samurai had already sold his real sword, he had no choice but to use the bamboo sword he was carrying to cut his stomach. However, there was no way he would have been able to kill himself with that. In the end, the samurai's request for a beheading by the minister was rejected and he resorted to biting his tongue to end his life. (*samurais could ask for someone to behead them from the back in order to reduce their suffering during a suicide.)

This was the first time I saw scenes as painful as these which made me look away from the screen. Due to the fact that the medicine didn't get to his wife, the lead character lost two family members at the same time i.e. his daughter and son-in-law. As a result, he headed to the feudal lord's mansion alone to take revenge.

Just then, I felt some shaking which I had never felt before.
It was an earthquake.
It was huge.

I opened my window and went out to the balcony. The electrical post was shaking and the electricity lines were dancing in waves. As it was still shaking, I was worried that my house will collapse any minute and had the instant thought of jumping downstairs from my balcony but I didn't do that. Instead, I calmed down a little and ran out of my apartment building. Due to the tremors and subsequent giddiness I felt, I was unable to move for a while.

After recovering from the giddiness, I went back to my apartment and found that my cabinet had fallen to the floor and my drawers were all open. While trying to tidy things up, I found the wooden sword which I had not been able to find earlier. In order to find out more about the earthquake which just opened, I turned on the TV where there was an earthquake notification that a 5.0 earthquake had hit Tokyo even though this earthquake felt much stronger than any of those which I had experienced so far. I had not eaten anything since waking up that morning and started to feel hungry. People still feel hunger no matter what situation they are in.

I was afraid to stay at home alone and decided to go out towards the train station. At the same time, people around me were doing the same since there were still aftershocks and that probably made us worried about staying inside a building. I went to a nearby supermarket and bought 5 croquettes. I tried to use my handphone but couldn't get through. My girlfriend at that time who would later become my wife (referring to Koyuki) was in Hokkaido for the filming of her movie. When I reached home, I heated up the frozen rice and ate it with the croquettes. It was a delicious meal.

After turning on the TV again, I saw that the tsunami warning was issued. Actually, the tsunami had already hit the shores by then and was engulfing everything in its path, be it buildings, cars, electrical posts and trees. I was rooted to the ground while watching these scenes and couldn't think about anything. My eyes were fixed on the scene of people trying to drive away from the approaching tsunami which was hot on their heels.

Amazingly good and cheap dim sum @ Tim Ho Wan (IFC Mall, Hong Kong)

Amid all the hype over Tim Ho Wan opening its first overseas outlet in Singapore, I thought I should post my thoughts on the original version in Hong Kong before making a comparison with its branch here. I first heard of Tim Ho Wan when I was doing research for my Hong Kong trip during the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013. It had been listed as a must-visit place for cheap and good dim sum especially since it was given a Michelin star despite its no-frills appearance. Since there was so much praise heaped onto it, there was no reason for me to skip this place.

At the time of my visit, there was the Mongkok main outlet which was said to be the one given the Michelin star (meaning the other outlets didn't get the accreditation?) but that branch has since been closed due to high rents. Anyway, we decided on the IFC Mall branch which was really more accessible since we were staying at a hotel on Hong Kong Island so it really made no sense for us to cross over to the other side since we were going to Lantau Island straight after breakfast. It was also easier for us to queue there since it was indoors as compared to the Mongkok outlet where you have to be subjected to the weather elements. It was rather chilly at that time so it was another reason for us to go to the IFC Mall outlet instead.

Just look at the people outside the store! And mind you, this was before 10am on a weekday. From the way it seems, some people came to grab a bite of Tim Ho Wan before boarding their flights out of HK and some were probably here right after alighting from their flights. Anyway, you are not required to stand in line like what we do for the SG branch. Just take a number from the captain at the entrance where she will jot down the number of people for your table and call out the number depending on the availability of seats. If you are in a small group, chances are you'll probably get your table faster. Sometimes you may have to share tables with other people though so be prepared to be sitting with strangers by your side. It didn't really bother us too much to be sharing tables since we do that quite a lot at hawker centres here.

First up are these four items in clockwise order, left to right: har kau (prawn dumplings), siew mai (pork and prawn dumplings), fried carrot cake and steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce. These are the usual items I will order whenever I go for dim sum and whether I feel if the restaurant can serve up a decent spread usually hinges on how I find these dishes. First up, the har kau got things off to a good start with its translucent skin which was thin enough to allow a peek into its contents and yet thick enough to hold it together but not to the point of being too much to chew. The prawns in the filling had the perfect texture where I could taste each prawn distinctly and it didn't feel mushy nor overcooked. The siew mai was a bit different from the version we can get in most dim sum places in Singapore because the HK version's taste was more on the meaty side with prawns playing a secondary role to the meat filling. As for the carrot cake, it was pan-fried in such a way that brought out the aroma but I would have wanted it to be a bit more crispy at the edges and surface. Last but not least, the steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce was flavourful and succulent which is a great deviation from the local version which tends to have more fats rather than meat in the spare ribs used for this dish.

Although I did not eat this dish, it is still worth introducing this based on the feedback from those who ate it. Even though I have no prior experience of eating chicken feet, the appearance of the dish did tempt me for a brief second if I should try this for the first time. The braised chicken feet served in Singapore tend to be a bit on the scrawny side but the HK version looks as if the chicken feet were given some boosters to make them look so plump and juicy. And true to how it looked like, the chicken feet were packed with the flavour of the sauce and was very tender. If you are looking for a source of collagen which tastes good or a fan of chicken feet served in dim sum restaurants, this should probably be the right thing for you.

Next up is the chee cheong fun which can come in a variety of fillings including pig liver, prawns or char siew. I can't really remember if Tim Ho Wan had the char siew version or not but the pig liver version is considered one of their best items (nicknamed the Four Heavenly Kings). Since none of us eat pig liver and we usually eat the prawn version at dim sum places, we decided to select the prawn chee cheong fun. I would say that this has a similar texture and taste with the har kau (since the ingredients are pretty much the same) except that this is served with the light soy sauce which helps to elevate the freshness of the ingredients. However, I wouldn't say that it's absolutely mind-blowing although it's definitely above average. If we had chosen another filling such as pork liver, our feelings about this dish might have been vastly different.

Last but not least, here is the most unique item among Tim Ho Wan's offerings i.e. the baked char siew bun which is crispy on the outside and moist inside. Traditionally, the char siew buns are steamed so this was the very first time which I saw it being done in a different way. The crust felt like a softer version of a biscuit and when eaten together with the filling, seemed to be able to soak in the flavours instead of tasting dry and tasteless. The filling was also of the right amount and the sauce and the char siew matched each other well to bring out a memorable sauce. No wonder this is the signature item of Tim Ho Wan!

In conclusion, I think that Tim Ho Wan offers great value dim sum which could have left a dent in your pocket if you order the same amount of dishes in Singapore. Frankly speaking, when you see the number of people in its restaurant and the speed at which dishes are being churned out from the kitchen, it does make you worry if the items are going to be of top notch quality or risk being lacklustre due to the rush. However, when I went back there for a second visit just before leaving HK, I am glad to say that the taste didn't differ too much. Consistency is the key to make people come back again for the food. Having said that, if you are the type who doesn't like to queue or prefer to dine in a place where there's a lot of personal space, Tim Ho Wan might not be the right one for you. If you can bear with the queuing (which is bearable as long as you are not exposed to the elements) and want to have a value-for-money dim sum meal with a certain level of quality, do give this place a try!

Beer consumption ranking 2013 - Which Japanese prefectures consume the most beer?

Came across this interesting article which ranks the prefectures in Japan according to the beer consumption volume per person and attempts to explain why the results are as such. Here are the top 5 and "worst" 5 (figures in brackets represent the amount in litres consumed per person in that prefecture)

Top 5
1) Tokyo (45.2)
2) Osaka (32.4)
3) Kyoto (30.0)
4) Kochi (29.6)
5) Niigata (29.3)

Worst 5
47) Nara (17.8)
46) Kagoshima (18.2)
45) Saitama (18.8)
44) Tochigi (19.1)
43) Shiga (19.3)

According to the article, Tokyo and Osaka hogging the top spots are not surprising since they are big cities. Conversely, Nara, Kagoshima and Saitama all have their reasons for their lack in enthusiasm for beer. Nara is said to be a place where its residents tend to follow the latest trends thus they have more interest in "fashionable" drinks like fruit cocktails or super cooling wine rather than the old-fashioned beer. Kagoshima boasts of the title of No.1 consumption of shochu in Japan so apparently beer is not as popular as shochu there. As for Saitama, they actually have one of the lowest ratios of restaurants per person (No.45 among the 47 prefectures) so even if someone wants to have a drink at a restaurant, chances are they may not be able to find out easily. Moreover, the people in Saitama have the reputation of spending the most on education, learning new things and No.2 in terms of travelling expenses and people actively involved in sports thus they may prefer to spend their money on things other than beer.

No doubt it's still Japan we are looking at, each prefecture has its own unique lifestyle and preferences so such rankings provide a good sneak peak into the characteristics of each area.

Source: Straight Press

Review of "Blind Detective" 盲探 (Hong Kong movie)

I haven't been to the cinema to see Chinese movies for quite some time although I see quite a fair bit of English, Japanese and Korean ones. The last one I saw should be "Overheard 2" (竊聽風雲 2) which is about 2 years ago so you can see how "often" I watched Chinese movies in recent years. It will be a long post if I have to delve into the reason so let's just skip this for now.

Anyway, this movie wasn't really on my to-watch list but after being persuaded to check out the trailer which is in Cantonese and lured by the golden couple Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, I decided to give this movie a chance although I have to be frank that I wasn't expecting a lot in the first place.

The premise of the story is pretty simple. Andy Lau plays a former police inspector Johnston Chong See Tun who had to quit after losing his eyesight four years ago and makes a living now by solving cold cases for police rewards. While chasing a suspect who is supposedly in charge of acid attacks in Mongkok, he meets Ho Ka Tung (Sammi Cheng) who admires his ability to solve cases and seeks Johnston's help in finding a friend who went missing during her secondary school days. Along the way, Ka Tung finds that Johnston seems more interested in investigating the cases which will bring him monetary benefits and gets frustrated at him but has no choice to go along with him in order to find her missing friend.

Like what I said earlier, I didn't expect a lot from this movie so I think this mentality did help me in enjoying the movie better. Frankly speaking, the way Johnston solves his cases tend to border on the side of guesswork rather than logical deduction because he puts himself into the shoes and imagines what the victims or perpetrators would do in order to find clues to solving the cases. It did make sense at times but there were some parts when the argument did not really make sense and felt like wild guesses. However, I tried to overlook the discrepancies so if you are able to do so as well, I think you should be able to enjoy the story better. The sole saving grace was that the resolution to Ka Tung's friend disappearance was a bit out of the ordinary so it helped to save some points for the movie.

The highlight of the movie is truly the chemistry between Andy and Sammi. Having worked together so many times, they have developed a strong relationship with each other that it shows in their acting as well. It appears as if they didn't need to put in too much effort and could slip into the shoes of Johnston and Ka Tung so easily. The bickering between their characters felt natural and how they developed a relationship where they could trust each other was very believable. Honestly speaking, with the story being less watertight than it should have been, the leading couple's presence helped the movie to stay afloat and without them, there might have been more brickbats for the movie. The movie's theme song which is a tango tune also seemed to be a representation of the chemistry of the leads because their movements in the movie/song feel as if they are naturally in tandem with each other i.e. when one moves forward, the other moves backward and they didn't need to tell each other explicitly what they were going to do. That kind of chemistry is not easy to build and takes a lot of time to establish which I'm glad to say that Andy and Sammi do have it.

In summary, I think you might be disappointed if you are looking for an intense detective thriller because this is essentially a light-hearted entertaining film. If you are prepared to ignore the loopholes in the story and/or love the leads, this is probably the movie for you. On a final note, I think I might have enjoyed this a bit better if it was in Cantonese. Some lines just don't feel the same in Chinese but that's something I have to live with unless I go to Hong Kong to watch this movie.

Review of Buta God - Ramen Champion (Bugis+)

Ramen Champion welcomed three new contenders on 1 July namely Muso, Menban Yamagishi Kazuo and Buta God after bidding farewell to Aoyama, Menya Iroha and Taishoken which unfortunately, I've not tried before. Anyway, knowing that there are new choices on offer, I decided to go to Ramen Champion at Bugis+ to check them out. After walking to and fro between the stalls of these new contenders, I finally decided on Buta God because of these reasons:

1) Their cha shu was rather different from most ramen restaurants' in the sense that it's thinly-sliced just like what you usually get for sukiyaki. I happen to like this type of pork so I wanted to see how it tastes with ramen. Coupled with the fact that it looks well-seasoned, the cha shu should offer a very different type of taste from the cha shu I've tasted so far in various versions of ramen.

2) Sukiyaki & tonkotsu mixed together sounds like a lethal combination although I had reservations over whether it would be too high in the sodium department.

And so, this is what I ordered - the Nikumashi Ramen and the deep-fried gyoza. According to the guy at the stall, the only difference between Nikumashi and the other versions is the volume of meat so if you are craving for meat or a meat lover, this should suit you just fine. Nonetheless, I still think that I underestimated the amount of meat this version had to offer so I was rather surprised to see that the meat actually concealed the ramen and menma underneath or rather "outnumbered" the lead (ramen) in a way where I had to literally "search" for my ramen. At the first sip of the broth, it can be a bit too salty for people who prefer to have lighter ramen bases. However, as you go along, your tongue sort of gets used to the taste so it didn't feel so out of place with the meat and ramen. As for the ramen, it's of the thin variety and I think it absorbed the soup to such an extent that the ramen and soup were in harmony. Last but not least, the meat was tender and flavourful which is sometimes not the case if you are dealing with huge and thick pieces of cha shu. There was a brief moment after I finished the ramen and was eating the remaining meat slices when I had the impression I was eating sukiyaki. I guess this was due to the fact that either the meat was cooked in sukiyaki sauce or the soup contained the sauce. On a side note, regarding the onsen tamago which was placed at the centre, I didn't eat that since it was a tad too raw for me. Perhaps you may wish to tell them not to add the egg if you prefer your eggs more cooked.

With each ramen restaurant visit, I would usually want to eat gyoza along with my ramen. I can't really place my finger on why I have to do this but it's become somewhat like a habit since most ramen restaurants will have gyoza and somehow, ramen and gyoza go well together. So far, the only place which I've been to which doesn't have gyoza on its menu is Keisuke (the outlets at 100AM and Orchid Hotel). Maybe its other outlets have gyoza? Anyway, coming to Buta God's gyoza, I wasn't paying attention to the menu and thought it was pan-fried but it turned out to be deep-fried. I actually prefer the former because I like the slightly-burnt side of the gyoza with the tender side of the skin and the flavourful filling within. Deep-fried versions usually do not go down well with me. Buta God's version is OK because the filling is still moist and doesn't have a strong meaty smell. The skin did seem a bit oily at first glance because it left its trace on the dish but when you eat it, the taste doesn't seem to indicate that it's too oily.

In conclusion, I'm quite satisfied with what I got from Buta God but I guess the fact that they are only open for a week or so means that there's a lot of initial problems to iron out. There were only two employees in their stall when I visited on a late Saturday afternoon (not that many people around) and it seemed like they were having problems sorting out the orders. They got someone else's order wrong and called me to collect my ramen even though mine was way from being done. Other than these teething problems which I think they should be able to resolve soon, Buta God is still worth a try if you like your cha shu in a different manner, like thick-bodied soups or are a meat lover.

Review of "Now You See Me"

Deciding to watch this was pretty much on a whim because I didn't know much about this film prior to checking it out on the cinema's website. I just needed to find something which seemed entertaining but not too silly or too action-packed and without a storyline. The trailer seemed rather intriguing with illusions and a tinge of suspense so I decided to go for it in the end. Here's a summary of the storyline from Wikipedia:

Four magicians—Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson)—are brought together by a mysterious benefactor and, one year later, perform in Las Vegas as "The Four Horsemen" sponsored by Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), an insurance magnate. During one of their performances, the Four Horsemen invite a member of the audience to help them in their next trick: robbing a bank. The man is apparently teleported to his bank in Paris, where he activates an airduct which vacuums up the money and showers it onto the crowd in Las Vegas.

FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is called to investigate the theft and is partnered with Interpol Agent Alma Vargas (Mélanie Laurent). They interrogate the Four Horsemen, but release them when no explanation for the theft can be found other than magic. Rhodes then meets Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), an ex-magician who makes money by revealing the secrets behind other magicians' tricks. Bradley was in the audience and deduced that the Four Horsemen stole the money weeks before, and manipulated the audience into believing it happened in real time.

Rhodes, Vargas and Bradley attend the Four Horsemen's next performance in New Orleans. The group's finale involves their emptying Tressler's bank account and distributing it to the audience, which comprises people whose insurance claims had been denied or reduced by Tressler's company. Rhodes attempts to arrest the Four Horsemen, but they escape with help from audience members who were hypnotized to tackle whoever next yelled "Freeze". An infuriated Tressler hires Bradley to expose and humiliate the Four Horsemen in their next performance. Later, while researching the Four Horsemen's background, Vargas learns about rumors of a secret society of magicians called "The Eye" and suggests to a skeptical Rhodes the case might be connected to a magician whom Bradley once exposed, and was so humiliated that he attempted a dangerous underwater stunt and drowned.

Before the Four Horsemen's last performance in New York City, Rhodes and Vargas locate the group's hideout and confront Wilder there. Wilder attempts to escape in a stolen car, but it flips and explodes. Rhodes and Vargas learn that the Four Horsemen are targeting a particular safe, which is under the surveillance of another FBI team which has taken over the case. They intercept the safe in route to 5 Pointz, but find it empty. The ability of the Four Horseman to continually outwit the FBI leads Rhodes to suspect that there must be a fifth member of the team, potentially Vargas or Bradley...

The pacing of this movie is rather quick with a good mix of action, suspense and magic shows. In particular, I liked the execution rather sleek which fits in well with the image of high-class magic shows which the Four Horsemen were putting up. It can get boring if the movie was all about magic shows and having the truth shoved into your face directly after but the film tried to weave in these illusions and revelations as smoothly as possible thus I thought it kept me engaged throughout the film without "switching off mentally". The ending was rather unexpected in a way but I still like it.

As for the acting, the Four Horsemen all had their chances to shine and I especially liked the sharp and fast-paced dialogue which brought out their character traits quite easily. Daniel clearly thought that he had something more superior than the rest and was very confident but in front of Henley, he seemed unsure of how he should behave to get into her good books or rather to get her attention. Henley on the other hand, clearly bore a grudge against Daniel for saying something he shouldn't have but there seemed to be something ambiguous going on between them too. At the same time, Jack's sense of humour clearly got on Daniel's nerves especially when Jack was seen talking to Henley and Daniel didn't seem to be able to fit in. Merritt seemed a bit under-explored in the film but he's one resourceful kid who clearly is smart enough to warrant his place in the team.

On the other hand, the relationship between Dylan Rhodes and Alma Vargas seemed a bit hurried and unnatural though because they were clearly at each other's throats in the beginning but things started to get a bit ambiguous on the plane ride. Granted that the story took place over a short period of time, I get the reason why they had to be shipped as lovers. When it got to the last magic show, Dylan's momentary deliberation over Alma was to be trusted seemed a bit odd. It just appeared that he suddenly decided to doubt her after hearing things from Bradley so I thought that was just a bid to create an extra conflict before letting Dylan get on with his business of hunting down the Four Horsemen.

Morgan Freeman may have a pretty small role here but he takes the role of Bradley to such a level that the character's still memorable despite the little airtime. Especially in the final scene where Bradley realised what was happening but did not know the whole truth, that expression on his face was priceless.

Overall, I think this is a pretty enjoyable film to watch but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's a classic. Think of it as a suspense film with a dash of magic and humour plus some action scenes as icing on the cake.

High tea set @ Okada Coffee (100AM)

Went back to Okada Coffee for their high tea set which is going at 20 bucks for 1 person and 36 dollars for 2. The latter set comes in two tiers compared to the single set where the items are placed on a single plate. You can choose either coffee or tea to go with your dessert plate so I went for tea since I don't drink coffee.

Although I was quite impressed with the quality of the cake when I first visited them, the high tea set was a bit of a disappointment. First of all, there wasn't any description of what items were included in the set so I had no idea what I was going to get. As such, I didn't know that it included beef meatballs which I couldn't eat since I don't eat beef. As a result, I had to ask the waiter what that dish contained before returning it. I really appreciate the waiter's gesture of asking the chef on what items can be given to me in exchange for the meatballs but getting four sandwiches in return turned out to be a pretty bad idea. There was too much cream and butter in the sandwiches and there were already two sandwiches in the plate so it was normal that I couldn't finish them. The rest of the items also failed to impress me so I left the place a tad disappointed.

Frankly speaking, I really like Okada Coffee for its Japanese ambience and the good service but there's got to be something more appealing about the pastries and cakes to complement the coffee and other drinks. Although I do understand that the coffee should be the main product, it surely doesn't hurt to do well in the supplementary items because that will surely bring about more spending by the customers as compared to buying coffee only. Coupled with the fact that the location isn't that favourable, it will be very important for the cafe to promote itself and stand out among the crowd so that it builds up a stream of regulars and can keep going.

I haven't actually given up on this place so I'll pop by again to try other items which I hope will restore my faith in their menu.

Review of The Call (2013 movie)

This film's story is pretty straightforward in the sense and can be divided into two arcs. The first is pretty much introductory and lays the foundation for what's going to happen in the main arc. Halle Berry plays the role of Jordan Turner, an LAPD 9-1-1 operator who receives a frantic call one night from a teenager named Leah Templeton who is terrified by the appearance of an intruder into her home. Although Jordan manages to give good advice in helping Leah evade detection by the intruder, the disconnection of the call leads Jordan to redial the number immediately and this results in the intruder turning back and locating Leah easily. Jordan tries frantically to stop the man from hurting Leah when he picks up the phone but he replies with a cold answer, "It's already done." and hangs up. Days later, Leah is found dead and her corpse dumped in the open.

This incident causes Jordan to lose her confidence and she is so guilt-stricken that she can no longer be a 9-1-1 operator. 6 months later, she becomes a trainer for the operators and chances upon a call received by a newbie operator from another teenager Casey Welson who gets abducted from a shopping mall's carpark. The newbie operator is unable to handle the situation thus Jordan takes over the call with great reluctance and attempts to help Casey escape from the trunk of the abductor's car by giving her instructions over the phone...

The reason why I became interested in this film was due to an interview of Halle Berry about her role of playing a 9-1-1 operator in this movie. She mentioned that as part of the preparation for the role, she listened to voice recordings of people who had called the hotline and there was one which was especially painful to listen to. The call was from a woman who called for help because she was in danger of being sexually assaulted but there was nothing the operator could do other than listening helplessly to what was happening at the other end of the line (apparently, the police had not reached the caller yet when she was undergoing such an ordeal). There was a line in the movie as well which seemed to bring out the message of the dilemma these emergency hotline operators face. Although they are expected not to be too emotionally involved in what their callers are going through, it can be rather emotionally draining for them especially if they do not know if the police or medics reached the callers in time or whether the cases ended well. Like what happened in this film, it is not difficult to imagine the trauma Jordan went through because her action had unwittingly caused the death of a caller who depended on her to survive.

However, this film chooses not to dwell too much on this soul-searching part and focuses a lot on the action aspect. It was a pulsating ride to the end where Jordan struggles to make the best out of the situation and help Casey escape from the abductor. Time after time, Casey's attempts are thwarted and innocent people are drawn into the case and suffer at the hands of the abductor. I think the tempo of these scenes was very well-controlled and it made up for the lack of emphasis of the emotional side of things in the story. The icing on the cake was that, the ending was pretty unconventional and helped the film to make a deep impression on the viewers. Whether you agree with the way things were handled is one thing but it sure is an unexpected development that will set viewers thinking a little more about the movie rather than dismissing it as a forgettable suspense thriller from the minute they step out of the cinema.

Buta (pork) sukiyaki at Yayoiken やよい軒

The biggest problem I encounter whenever I'm in the mood for sukiyaki is that many places sell the beef version and offer no alternatives. That's bad news for someone like me who don't eat beef. Imagine my joy when I happened to chance upon Yayoiken's offering of buta sukiyaki! Of course, having not eaten the beef version before, I can't really compare this version with the beef one which is regarded to be standard fare when it comes to sukiyaki. Personally, I think Yayoiken's version is pretty good where you have a good mix of vegetables, mushrooms, rice noodles and of course, the thinly sliced pork which absorbs the flavour of the sukiyaki stock fully. If they had used chicken instead, it might not have fared so well with me because chicken tends to get overcooked and tough in a hotpot while pork is a bit more resilient to this type of slow cooking. It's a substantial portion for lunch and with the free flow of sparkling white rice from Japan, that should be a pretty hearty meal to have especially since the set meal price is below $20 (before taxes). Now, I know where to go to the next time I have a craving for buta sukiyaki again... ^__^

Green tea galore from Uji, Kyoto - Tsujiri

On the first floor of 100AM lies this small shop named Tsujiri which offers lots of green tea-based desserts and drinks made from green tea produced in Uji, Kyoto. There are lots of coffee places in Singapore but the same can't really be said for tea even though I believe that there are enough tea lovers around too. Besides, one of Uji's most famous produce (also recommended on the city's tourism board website) is tea so it's a great thing that Tsujiri brought the real thing over from Kyoto. Being a lover of green tea products, I decided to give this place a try after lunch.

The shop is actually quite simple in terms of it decor which is primarily made up of green and white. Most of the shop space is taken up by the counter and production area with a small shelf showcasing some of the green tea you can buy e.g. the chawan and brush used in traditional tea ceremonies and the green tea in pre-packed packages. As for the glass shelf facing the corridor, it was actually quite bare when I visited so the focus of Tsujiri seems to be more on its matcha drinks and matcha-themed desserts rather than baked goods such as cakes. Maybe they will expand their range of products in time to come? Anyway, with the extensive drinks and desserts menu, they probably won't need to do this anytime soon because it will take some time to taste everything or most of the items on the menu.

And this was what I had during my first Tsujiri visit - the matcha anmitsu dessert. Essentially, this is matcha ice-cream with kanten jelly, red bean paste, mochi and shiratama as its base and toppings. It's not exactly a big serving so it's actually just nice as a post-meal dessert. As such, you don't have to worry about this being too much for you to take after a full lunch or dinner. There isn't a lot I have to say about the side ingredients which is pretty standard in places dishing out Japanese-style desserts but I think the matcha ice-cream deserves special mention here for its rich and flavourful taste and texture which is to my liking. I've tried matcha ice-cream with a tinge of bitterness (too much of the matcha power) or tasted a bit powdery (maybe the matcha powder wasn't blended properly?) before so Tsujiri's version was actually the best I had so far because of the scent of the matcha lingering in your mouth even after finishing the dessert. In addition, it wasn't saccharine-sweet nor bitter (at least with respect to my tastebuds) so I think they got it right with the proportion of matcha used in the ice-cream. Only thing which I think can be improved is, the toppings take up quite a bit of space at the top of the cup so it may be better for them to go below the ice-cream and make it easier for people to eat. I had to navigate my way through the toppings to ensure that while I ate the ice-cream, I did not accidentally push the toppings over and make them land on the table.

On another visit, I didn't actually eat at the outlet but rather I bought their matcha chocolate cake and had it at home. That explains the poor presentation in the photo. ^__^ Anyway, the only thing chocolatey about this cake is the white chocolate shavings on top which I thought I could do without with. It didn't add a lot of flavour to the cake itself anyway so I would prefer to have the cake being pure matcha flavour. As for the cake itself, I thought the sponge portion was a tad too dry although I liked the matcha layer which was again rich enough to leave an impression and not put people off. Since Tsujiri's strengths seem to be in its drinks and desserts, I think the cake needs some tweaking after all but it's still a credible effort. I didn't see the cake on display during my first visit so I'm assuming that this is something that doesn't get served every day.

Traditional Dim Sum from Central in Hong Kong - Luk Yu Teahouse & Restaurant (Ion Orchard)

Tucked away in a corner right at the entrance of the Food Opera foodcourt in Orchard Ion, Luk Yu Teahouse & Restaurant might be displayed as a mere dim sum takeaway stall. In fact, I noticed that most people buy the dim sum and eat at the tables in the foodcourt rather than head inside the restaurant's dining area. Maybe they thought that they had to pay extra to eat there? I also thought so at first but surprisingly, I didn't have to pay any additional GST nor service charge.

Actually, the reason why I was keen to try Luk Yu had to do with the fact that I had intended to visit its Hong Kong outlet when I was there at the beginning of the year. However, due to some last-minute changes to my plans, I had to give this a miss even though the guidebook I had highly recommended this for its traditional charm since it was established back in 1933. As such, I have no basis of comparison when it comes to whether the HK or SG version is better. In a way, that is helpful too because I tried the food with an open mind and wasn't too critical about it. Maybe I'll be less forgiving when I try Tim Ho Wan in Plaza Singapura since I was really impressed with what I tasted in HK.

Looking at the menu, it is predominantly made up of dim sum items taking up two-thirds of the page. The remaining space is for congee, noodles, desserts and beverages which you can see that there aren't too many choices.

Starting off the meal with a plum drink since it was pretty hot that day and I wasn't in the mood for Chinese tea. By the way, Luk Yu offers a selection of Chinese tea for you to match with your dim sum so you can check out the menu on the table. I was hoping that the plum drink would be a light and refreshing drink which could help to reduce the after-meal oiliness. However, it was a tad too sour for my liking and so I would have liked it to be slightly more diluted. There isn't much to say about the way the drink was presented which I suppose lies with the fact that Luk Yu is a teahouse after all so they would probably put more effort in the teapots and teacups used for Chinese tea rather drinks like plum juice which are commonplace everywhere else. Not that it bothers me though because I can understand where the emphasis would be placed on.

And next up are the dim sum items! I always like to order this dish of spare ribs steamed in black bean sauce whenever I have dim sum but not every place does this well enough. Either their spare ribs are too bony with little meat or too oily so I find myself being disappointed most of the time. Luckily, Luk Yu does fine in this dish with a generous portion of meaty spare ribs which doesn't leave an oily aftertaste at the end of the meal. However, if there's one thing I must point out, I think the evenness of the taste needs to be improved because the spare ribs at the bottom seem to have soaked up a lot of the sauce and became a tad saltier than the meat at the top which can taste less flavourful than it should have been so it's a pity that something like this happened.

Another staple dim sum item I must have will be the siew mai. Luk Yu's version seems a bit more meaty than "prawny" and gives the impression that the meat's taste has overshadowed the prawns within. Given that the size of the prawns is a little smaller than the versions found in places such as Crystal Jade, maybe that's why the taste leans towards the meaty side rather than the seafood freshness found in prawns. For people who prefer to taste big fat prawns in their siew mai, this version might not meet your expectations. Although I'm also the type who prefers the prawn taste to be stronger than the meat, I can still accept this version but if I have to eat multiple pieces of this in one seating, I don't think I would really enjoy doing this. Maybe one or two would do just fine for me.

I always like to have Cantonese-style congee with my dim sum so I ordered the seafood porridge here. It was a huge surprise to see so many ingredients inside this $6.80 porridge with at least four pieces of fish, prawns and scallops each. No doubt the prawns might not as big as those in Crystal Jade's version or that the scallops were actually sliced thinner (maybe into half of its original size?), I think it's a pretty good bargain after all given its price. Another good thing was to see the peanuts and crispy crackers on top of the congee when it was served. A lot of places don't serve peanuts with their congee so I was really happy to see that. The only grouse I have has got more to do with my personal taste though, the congee seemed a bit bland and I had to add some light soy sauce to it. In other places, I'm usually fine with no light soy sauce for my congee. As such, if you are one who likes lighter fare, I think this congee might just suit you.

On the whole, this outlet of Luk Yu dishes out decent fare at market prices comparable to the competition. The biggest selling points or should I have its advantages lie in the fact that it's right at the entrance of the food court and doesn't charge you taxes or service charge thus should attract a fair bit of customers. However, people seemed unwilling to enter the restaurant's dining area so it would be to the restaurant's advantage if they inform customers about the no-GST and no-service charge perks which should boost the restaurant's table occupancy rate. When I was there on a weekend evening, there were just three tables of customers including me so that's definitely on the low side.

Maybe it's time for me to consider going back to HK again to try the original Luk Yu? ^__^

Review of Platina Data (novel) by Higashino Keigo

Even though I bought this book in September last year, I only managed to complete it in late March because I read a few pages and stopped for a long time because I was tied up with other things. It doesn't mean that this novel is bad in any way though so I would like to make this clear. I have a bad habit of wanting to buy new books even though I still have a huge number of unread stuff to go through so I'm trying hard to resist the urge to get new books and aiming to finish my waiting list first. Since the movie version was just released in March, I thought that I should finish this first in case the movie does come to Singapore anytime soon. Last time I heard, it should be coming to our cinemas in May! ^__^

Anyway, if you haven't read this novel and wish to avoid knowing how the story develops, I would suggest that you skip this review. I certainly do not want to spoil the fun for you especially if you are in the midst of reading it or haven't even started.

Before I begin sharing my thoughts on this, let me give a summary of the key characters involved and their relationships with one another. Note that there are some minor characters I've left out since they did not appear for too long:

Kagura Ryuuhei - the chief analyst of National Police Agency's Special Analysis & Research Institute. Develops a second personality named Ryuu after the suicide of his father.
Asama Reiji - assistant police inspector of Metropolitan Police Department's 1st section
Tokura - Asama's junior and partner
Nasu - the chief of MPD's 1st section
Kiba - subsection chief of MPD's 1st section
Shiga Takashi - chief of National Police Agency's Special Analysis & Research Institute
Kagura Shogo - Ryuuhei's father, a ceramic artist
Tateshina Saki - the programmer who developed the DNA Investigation system
Tateshina Kousaku - Saki's elder brother
Minagami Youjirou - a professor in neurology at Shinseiki University Hospital and Ryuuhei's doctor
Shiratori Risa - a American-Japanese who is doing research on DNA profiling
Suzuran - Ryuu's girlfriend
Chikushi - a former architect who lives at a remote settlement in Borero City
Sasori - a former bartender who used to work at a bar operated by a gang and lives in the same settlement as Chikushi

Despite the fact that there are so many characters in this story, the movie version chooses to make some changes to the lineup and only showcases the characters I've put in bold as the main cast (based on what I see from the movie's official site). I am guessing some of the characters above may also appear in the movie. Besides this, Tateshina Kousaku's character is also missing from the lineup while Minagami is changed to become a female (Suzuki Honami) in the movie.

The novel can be largely broken up into three main arcs i.e. the events leading up to the development of the DNA Investigation System, the Tateshina siblings' double murders and the manhunt for Kagura. To begin with, the novel talks about how the police is developing this DNA Investigation System which uses DNA data to do matching in order to find criminals easily and accurately. Besides that, it can also help to project how the person may look like and even reveal specific physical characteristics about the criminal and his/her family members. However, Asama being the type of old-school police detective you see in most police dramas who believe in using his feet to find the criminals i.e. going around looking for clues or questioning people, he doesn't believe in the DNA Investigation System which is very strongly "promoted" by Kagura. Despite Asama's resistance and lack of faith in the system, it turns out to be a great thing after all as the police solve cases quickly and get their hands on the criminals easily. Kagura who strongly believes in the worth of his system and data then takes part in efforts in boosting awareness of the system and getting all Japanese citizens to provide their DNA to be included in the database despite concerns over privacy etc.

The second arc is set some time after the DNA system takes off and it is then revealed that the system is actually developed by the Tateshina siblings who stay in a VIP room at Shinseiki University Hospital. Kagura is also revealed to have a dual-personality by the name of Ryu so he has to seek treatment at the same hospital to allow Ryu to "appear" at designated times to do his thing. However, during one of the visits to the hospital, Kagura finds the Tateshina siblings dead in their room and starts to doubt whether Ryu could be behind it. In addition, he is horrified to see that his own DNA was found on Saki which will place him under suspicion as the culprit.


The final arc shows Kagura being aided by Shiratori as he goes on the run to find the truth. Asama who goes after Kagura, slowly realises that there is more to what it seems as they both arrive at the same conclusion...

I must say that the beauty of this novel lies in Higashino Keigo's ability to craft his characters in such a way that gets you fully emotionally invested in what happens to them and to surprise you with unexpected developments just when you least expect and that helps to keep the reader engaged instead of losing interest. Frankly speaking, I thought the first arc was a tad slow but given that it needed to show all the relationships between the characters, explain how the DNA Investigation System came about and why it was touted to be a lifesaver as well as show a contrast in Kagura and Asama's attitudes towards the system. One thinks that it is the solution to everything and can do no wrong while the other thinks that it is definitely not without its flaws. Of course, Kagura gets proven wrong at the end because the same system he believes in actually led to him being accused of something he did not do. No doubt he had suffered while being on the run, I think the experience helped to make him see things from different perspectives instead of being stubborn in everything. It was also good that Asama doubted the accuracy of the system or else he would have been tricked into believing that Kagura was responsible for the murders. Sometimes, a police detective's instinct works better than hard and cold data.

Things start to heat up in the second arc after the murders took place especially as Kagura also doubts himself or rather his other self about whether he is the murderer. Although Kagura and Ryu have been co-existing without much trouble, Kagura does not seem to think too favourably about his alter-ego while Ryu can't be bothered with Kagura either. The amount of faith that Kagura has in his DNA Investigation System can be seen from the fact that he chose to doubt Ryu first instead of the system. With Shiratori's assistance, he begins his journey of being on the run before the police can catch up. During this period, Kagura finds out more things about Ryu and that he even has a girlfriend Suzuran who seems to appear and disappear at will.

The third arc offers a lot of revelations and unexpected twists as Kagura is fighting with an invisible enemy i.e. the real culprit while Asama is investigating the case through his own ways. Although they appear to be going in different directions, they manage to arrive at the same conclusion somehow or so it seems. I won't give away the ending because it is really gripping and very interesting. As for how the main characters end up, I would say that it's a happy ending after all although I think there's a tinge of regret and it's not an ideal fairy tale conclusion. It's something more in tune with the circumstances described in the novel and really more believable as something which might happen in the real world.

On the whole, I think this is a great novel from Higashino which is truly a classic piece of work. I'm not sure if this has been translated into other languages yet but if you can read Japanese, do pick this up and have a go at it. I don't know if the movie follows the novel very closely but I'm guessing it might not, going by some telltale clues in the cast.

Japanese kissaten around the corner - Okada Coffee 岡田珈琲 (100AM)

Tucked away in a corner at the newly-opened 100AM (formerly known as Amara Shopping Centre) is this quaint kissaten 喫茶店 called Okada Coffee which hails from Kumamoto in Japan. According to its Facebook page, Okada Coffee defines the activity kissa as 1) to enjoy cake and dessert with coffee or tea and 2) to enjoy coffee or tea after meal. I happened to spot this little cafe after having ramen at Keisuke which is in the same building so I made up my mind to check out this Japanese-style cafe one day. In case you are wondering, I'll have a post about Keisuke another day.

The selling point of this cafe is definitely its coffee but unfortunately, I don't drink coffee so I can't judge whether the coffee lives up to what it claims to be. In fact, I was a bit wary about entering the place because I wondered if there was anything for someone like me. However, there are alternative choices for non-coffee drinkers or those who prefer not to drink coffee on a particular day so don't be intimidated by the fact that although the name of the cafe emphasizes coffee, you can still find other beverage choices here to go with the exquisite desserts here.

I paid a visit to Okada Coffee at teatime on a weekday which was almost empty except for a couple who was having coffee and desserts while chatting. It may be a different story during weekends though. Not that I mind though because I've always liked places like this which are relatively quiet and allows me to relax while enjoying a nice dessert. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to find such places around because the popular cafes tend to get so crowded and noisy so relaxation seems to be an elusive concept at such places. When you look at the store front, it appears to be rather small but once you step in, it's not cramped at all and has quite a number of tables placed at a comfortable distance from one another.

From the menu, it appears that Okada Coffee serves a selection of main dishes during lunch and dinner hours so it's more than just coffee/tea and desserts here. However, as I was there during teatime, I didn't get to taste the main dishes so I'll probably have to come for a second visit to try them. At the entrance, there are some Japanese magazines including travel guides to various spots so you can bring them to your table for your reading pleasure.

If you are at Okada Coffee after 2pm, there is this teatime offer where you can order a dessert with a drink for an additional of $4. I ordered the matcha cake which was $6 and the yuzu soda so the bill came up to $10.70 after GST. The matcha cake was very flavourful and the sponge cake portion moist enough to bring out the aroma of the matcha. Combined with the slightly sour-and-sweet yuzu soda, it evened out the sweetness of the cake. At the same time, the cake brought out the refreshing taste of the yuzu soda so I was pleased that this turned out to be a good combination after all.

If you are looking for a quiet place to do some reading while drinking aromatic coffee and having some desserts at the same time, this will be a good place to check out. Just in case you miss this place, Okada Coffee's on the third floor and at the opposite end from where Keisuke, Yayoiken and the Jeju restaurants are. There's a juice bar just beside the cafe so it should be easy to locate this little kissaten.

Review of "The Bride Always Knocks Twice" / 她门 (Stage play)

I must confess, I'm not an avid theatre-goer. I used to see a number of stage plays when I was in school and that was when we got subsidised tickets at prices which were affordable then. However, after leaving school, I didn't approach plays with the same level of passion as before and it was only till last year when I started to watch stage productions again. There were some titles over the years which did interest me but sad to say, sometimes the ticket prices were too high (in my opinion though) or that the timing wasn't suitable for me. When the moon and stars were in alignment again, that was when I made a comeback to watching plays and boy, this is an addictive and very cost-intensive hobby. ^__^

Grabbing the title of being the first stage play I've watched this year is "The Bride Always Knocks Twice" (Chinese title is 她门) by the Theatre Practice (实践剧场). The story features a bride who ran away from her wedding and accidentally chances upon a house where six other women from various eras and backgrounds live in. Through an exploration of the reason that led to the bride running away, the play also showcases the lives of the other women in the house and what led them to "seek refuge" here where time seems to have come to a standstill.

As this play was written by two people i.e. Jonathan Lim and Liu Xiaoyi, the difference between their writing skills is rather obvious because the pacing of the story is uneven. The first act was slower in contrast to the second part and there were some developments which I thought were too draggy. In addition, I felt that there should have been more emphasis on the women in the house and how they came to be there but that was sorely lacking. It felt as if the writers decided to tease the viewer with small snippets of information but that didn't form a comprehensive picture of the women's pasts. As such, I felt as if I was none the wiser about what was binding these women to this unusual house and why they didn't want to take the first step out into the "real" world. Perhaps they think that their "halfway house" is the real world and what they are more at ease with. However, without an idea of what motivated them to remain status quo, I didn't feel much emotional attachment to the characters. Of course, I understand this is supposed to be dark humour and it probably means a lot of things are open to interpretation rather than being conveyed directly but there are too many points which are not explained so it can be a bit annoying (at least to me).

Despite this, I think the acting was quite good and I particularly liked characters such as the 60s -70s movie star, the Sultan's concubine and the Samsui Woman. Not only did they provide lots of laughter to spice up the play, I thought their characters were most interesting and endearing to me. Kudos to Su Chun Ying, Siti Khadlijah Zainal and Hung Chit Wah Felix! As for the lead i.e. the runaway bride played by Isabella Chiam, I do like her acting but her character didn't go down that well with me.

On the whole, this was a OK production which I felt needed more fine-tuning to make it more palatable to the general public. If the pacing of the story was managed better and there was more exploration of the characters who all had potential to be interesting stories on their own, I think I might have liked this better.

Satisfying & tasty - Monster Curry (Orchard Ion)

Among the various Japanese food items I like, curry is one of the more common items I order whenever I eat out. Compared to the curry that we usually eat in Singapore (be it Chinese, Malay or Indian style), Japanese curry tends to be on the sweet side and lacks the punch of the spiciness found in local curries. I'm perfectly fine with this since I'm not someone who really loves spicy stuff but at the same time, I do think that some of the Japanese curries on offer out there tend to be a bit bland at times. That's why when I came across Monster Curry, it was as if I finally found something which I had been searching for i.e. the flavourful curry with a tinge of spiciness.

As seen from the picture, the portion is huge. At first, I thought it was just the plate which was big but it turns out that the portion of the food matches the size of the serving plate. If you do not add any additional toppings to the standard one-item curry, I think it's manageable for one person. You can do mix-and-matches as you wish just like how I combined the pork shabu-shabu set with ebi-fry in the photo. Frankly speaking, I don't really like to eat fried meat e.g. tonkatsu with curry because the taste kinda lingers on and it can get too rich for my own good especially on a hot day when I crave for something lighter. The pork shabu shabu is thinly sliced and yet it's done so nicely that it matches the curry very well. The ebi-fry was also cooked in such a way that the batter didn't taste crunchy or the prawn was overcooked. The colour of the curry turned out to be a bit darker than most of the versions I've tasted so far but I think that's fine because that's how the curry I cook at home looks like when I use those Japanese curry packs from the supermarket. I only asked for a Level 1 spiciness which was fine for me so if I do get adventurous another day, I might go for a higher level of spiciness.

On the whole, it was a pleasant experience to eat at Monster Curry although it can be a tad cramped if you come on a weekend since the place takes up a rather small space on B4. Nonetheless, most people simply eat and go so you won't have to queue for a long time either. Prices are generally a bit higher than what you pay for curry rice in restaurants like Sushi Tei or Watami but given the portion and the quality of the food, I think it's still something worth paying for.