TONKATSU WAKO

Yesterday, during office lunch break I met up with my good friend fong.Choosing to meet at a japanese resto in yurakucho worked out well, because it was a nice half way point from where we both work.

pork tonkatsu- these are deep fried pork cutlet set meal with unlimited rice, miso soup and vegies...yum yum!!

my dearest  friend bong...dashing as ever

Tonkatsu WAKO

BEVERLY HILLS/ RODEO DRIVE

RUN, don't Walk to get an opportunity to "Experience" BEVERLY HILLS.

The beautiful City of Beverly Hills. What's not to love about a city that has the greatest restaurants and shopping. If you are tourist or just visiting you must spoil yourself.

What strikes me most about Beverly Hills is the cleanliness of the whole city and the general feeling I get during our visit. This city is the epitome of what a typical tourist feels is Los Angeles. 

A Playground to the rich, the famous and the glamorous

on becoming famous and rich.... "yeah lets work hard on that..." lol

for now lets just be glamorous..

famous celebrity hangouts

Would I want to live here? No, the traffic and laws would bug me, but visit here yes over and over again.

SIZZLER ODAIBA

Its Friday Date night once again with hubby....

We are a sucker for bests during date nights.... especially with food, hence, us expanding sideways.

My hubby loves their salad bar, so I thought why not let him choose the restaurant once and a while.  He ordered the fried shrimp and salad bar and I ordered the roast chicken and salad bar.

Salad bar has a little bit of everything: tacos, veggies, egg salad, delicious soups and a variety of desserts. And my chicken was really really good.  I was actually impressed, it was cooked perfectly and was well flavored.

SIZZLER

Odaiba, Tokyo

BREAKFAST and an EMO LETTER FROM MARIANNE

Are you a distracted eater like I am?

I eat while distracted—but I don’t consider myself a  mindless eater, because I am aware that I am  eating while engaging in another activity, such as facebooking. hehehehe.

Who wouldnt be distracted while eating if you receive  a letter like this from someone dear. (addressed to me , doc helen and kuya K).. keep on reading...

emo letter ni yani... yucks... just kidding

OSAKA REVISITED

The beginning of my love affair to this city started way back in 2007 when hubby and I are doing rounds of trips to this gorgeous city to get our marriage license at an embassy in Osaka. From then on, until today this city was and still my first love.

nihonbashi bridge

this is where I felt free to choose

...and conquer my fears.... literally and figuratively

... and lead my own way

with the drum beats and adrenalin rush of the city..

This is the city that healed me...



OLVERA STREET DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

Since Olvera Street is but a stone's throw from Union Station it can be extremely convenient to pop in for a quick visit. Or, it can be crazy hectic because you can't find good parking. Regardless, it's definitely worth a visit when your in downtown LA.

Olvera street in downtown LA. Everything mexican

Union Station

The stalls and the shops are so cute to window shop in. And, in true Mexican style, you can truly get your haggle in here. If you really want something you should at least try to get a better deal, that's part of the fun.

fong san the haggle queen with hubby

There are some really great restaurants and some really lame/expensive restaurants. It's fun to pretend like you are down in Mexico enjoying some fresh fruit on a stick or a churro.

taco rice

Sure it can be "touristy" here, but aren't we all tourists in some way?? So maneuvering yourself through these narrow passageways can be be an annoyance if you're in a rush...but why hurry? Just relax and enjoy the scenery, and maybe take a picture with that fake donkey on the other end.

FESTIVAL BRAZIL

We were off for a walk near Yoyogi park and as we were still figuring out which route to take, until we saw this big sign for FESTIVAL BRAZIL.

And guess what happen next...

this guy looks familiar

ah yeah Mr. taebo guy... Billy banks

and of course the  food booths with a range of traditional food like churrasco barbeque and feijoada stew.

this meat they're roasting tastes a bit too funky for me

and finally this...

To round up our visit, we  bought some ref magnets and trinkets from those  vendors who  offers up Brazilian crafts, products, art, music and more.



OFFICE PERKS

Forget job perks like access to the company car or a cushy expense account. But whats important is those little, beloved perks everyone in the office can touch. These are the little things that makes a big difference.

One of the two pantries we have in the office

a daily dose of free caffeine... although im not a fan of this...

When it comes to differentiating my company from the rest, nothing stands out more than offering  employees and potential employees creative and exciting perks.  I’m not referring to the typical health benefits mentioned above, or even paid holidays, vacation, sick time, and a competitive salary.  We all know those are all important and should be taken account into any compensation package.

lots of drinks

and more drinks

cookies

One of the best and most openly received perk in my company is food!  After all, ‘there is no sincerer love than the love for food’.  The act of providing one free lunch, or one free breakfast, subsidized drinks, cookie jars, chocolates... This benefit usually is greatly appreciated!

If only for this, I now consider my job my “home away from home”.

 

VILLAGIO ITALIA IN NAGOYA

Villaggio Italia is a small theme park cum shopping and restaurant center attempting to create an Italian atmosphere and environment without the trouble of actually going to Italy.

You  will catch sight of a gondola fading away into the distance. The colours of the scenery are very european in detail. It would be too easy to guess that this is Venice. Yet, there is no trace of tourists, nor pigeons. That's because this is not Italy, but Nagoya, Japan.

Behind the buildings of the "Little Italy" is a 3-storey shopping and restaurant center with more Italian labels and designer bags. There's also an Italian supermarket with fresh olives, Parmesan cheese and wine, where you can cash in your coupons for a panino or some olive oil.

gondala ride replica

with friends enjoying the european feel

Undecided whether its  pizza, pasta or Prada  for  this visit... hehe

KEEPING YOUR COOL......WITH ICE CREAM

This post is  for the two closest friends in my life... whose going through something now..

If all else fails, go out for an ice cream :). So, what do you do to keep cool on board?

1. It's easy to dramatize and make something a bigger deal than it is. When you are relating the problem to yourself, avoid the urge to magnify the negative. SO KEEP YOUR COOL.... with an ICE CREAM

2. Reflect on times when you were able to successfully stay calm in a frustrating situation. Maybe it was a time when you wanted to yell at someone but then the doorbell rang and you were able to instantly shift gears. Consider that you might be able to do this repeatedly, as long as you know your triggers – and some tips for keeping a calm mindset..... KEEP YOUR COOL... with an ICE CREAM

3. Let go of resentment. This doesn’t mean believing what the other person did was right or justified; it means you stop wasting your energy staying mad and understand all the disadvantages of doing so. If an apology is offered, accept it and avoid dwelling on the wrong that was done. and most of all KEEP YOUR COOL .... with loads of ICE CREAM

And lastly,

It is so easy to get caught up in living a life where we you just go around in circles and never feel like you both are making any head way in your lives.  The reality is if we don’t know where “north” is we will default to living a life that goes around in circles.  Through Jesus, God points to all of humanity and basically says, “this is the way; this is true North.”  In being a follower of Jesus we are invited to live a life that doesn’t go in circles but a life that is going somewhere; heading “true north.”  May you be both the kind of person that doesn’t chase your own tail but instead goes somewhere today following the one that points you “true north”. 

At the end of this all just KEEP your COOL with an ICE CREAM