Just another day .....

Just the day I need a perk-me-up. I decided to whisk whisk whisk. With this music playing in the background. 

Now charging my battery 🪫 before I start prepping dinner. I'm forced to drink one cup coz I needed to finish the milk, Next time I need to find milk that comes in 100ml pack.

#iwantmy🍵#

Took me a long time

Sometimes doing some random stuffs/jobs in the house (not housework related) takes days for me to complete. Lots of tidying and tidying, I don’t even know why I have to keep tidying all the time when it’s tidied? Yah, it does get messy sometimes when the family members just throw things in without tidying. Then I have no idea what’s inside the cabinet and have to start putting them in the correct place. Sigh…..am really the only person in the house organizing and keeping things.

For this job - it took me months 🤭. I’m lucky if I do small little jobs with minimal time, for eg. every 6mths or so I’ll check the medicine drawers, teabags drawers n throw out expired stuffs. Every few months I’ll check and declutter my walk-in until I really have nothing to declutter coz those are things that I’ve been using very often.

Project mini-Kiehl’s shop over the years 

Things in my house are organized in boxes including my Kiehl’s products. I started with only 2 boxes then became 4 boxes and now 5 boxes. At one time, my things were all mixed together. Then I segregate them. Over time this face of mine 来不及用 and there were always so many promotions for Kiehl’s members so I buy coz I’m greedy to stock up. Then the boxes got messy again. 🤣. The last time before the 26th Oct 2025 project I did segregate them but didn’t have time to label coz I had to cook dinner. Not that I have good memory, months later I soon forgot which item is in which box. I had to open up the boxes when I needed to get a new facial cleanser. All my projects may not be done on consecutive days coz I only have two hands and many tasks. Have just so many things to do around the house that I can totally forgot I have a project 60% completed. 

26th Oct. 

I had to put Che-che’s new facial wash but I can’t remember which box contained the facial cleansers 😁

a) took all 5 boxes out from two toilets. Ideally is to put in same spot but there’s not enough space where the stupid sink pipe in the way, so need to play ‘fit the space’ puzzle.

b) took everything out again from each box coz decided to list down the items and count them. Then did a temp label ‘BOX A - E’ with a scotch tape  as it’ll take extra time for me / leychey to use my Nimbot label printer. Next time when I’m using the label printer then I will print them out. That is IF I REMEMBER.

Put the boxes back coz I have to cook. 

Intermission : Between 27th Oct to 18th Nov

And then I forgot I had the scribbled list I put in between my iPad coz that’s where I’m going to do a stock / inventory list. Out of sight out of mind 🤣.

19th Nov @ night 

Was reaching for something and then I brought my iPad out. The list dropped on the floor. Oops!🙊 Since I had a little time in the night (I didn’t cook today as I was out in PP so packed dinner home for the family) decided to try to get some work done. 

(a) find apps. Tried some and didn’t like it

(b) opened up my Goodnotes folder to see what templates I have in there 

(c) no inventory templates. Spent time looking in Etsy.

(d) purchased and instant download. Wanted to write but my handwriting is so ugly. Tried typing and it took such a long time and difficult n slow to get the alignment  

Then I stopped coz I was tired and lost interest, spent time clearing photos and draft my blog.

25th Feb 2026 (Wed)

Lo and behold I had totally forgotten about this. Told ya my memory is really bad. 

No way was I going to type in Goodnotes again. It’s so messy and difficult. 有点不甘愿 so looked for apps again. Yippee! I found one which is simple and nice - has Nitori colours.  

Nitori logo

I was able to categorize them so neatly, just typing a few out and it looks so organized. It’s important too that I indicated which box the items are. The only hassle is looking for pictures. No choice if I want things to look neat. Next thing is to figure out if I can put them into folders. I do have my (1) Method cleaning products which I bulk-purchased and the (2) house cleaning products + human cleaning products that I need to do my inventory count. Haha! Like so siao, I don’t have a store but I’m operating like my house is a store. Oh well, it’s actually a store 🤣. 

Till then, I don’t know when I will fully complete this project coz I have 5 boxes items to compile. And I need to clear as much iMovie and photos I can from my phone for my upcoming trip in March. Who knows maybe I will complete this Project mini-Kiehl’s in October? 😉

Matcha IV - a day of exploration

Just because I needed to clear the fresh milk in the fridge asap I made matcha lattes. Aiyah! 真麻烦 the girls want to drink matcha but nobody wants to make, everytime I have to do it. 

And because of this mentality ‘since I’m making matcha I’ll make more’ I realised this can (1) is about to finish this I went on to open up (2). Both cans purchased in September. Link HERE for previous post. 

(1) Matcha from Shizuoka. 

(2) Uji matcha  

It became a day of exploration. Putting the two powders side by side in the sift for colour comparison. You can see a little difference in the colour.

Why do I have (3) ? Not much left, can’t make a teaspoon that’s why I opened (1) previously. 

There’s a subtle difference in all three powders

All are ceremonial powders. (1) & (3) were in the fridge. (1) has a plastic cover before the can cover, (3) is ziploc sealed. If that makes any difference? 

(2) is newly opened and was in the kitchen cabinet away from the oven and stove area [but my EY class galley kitchen is small so maybe heat is bounced here and there]

  Hmm….in this angle the colours look a little the same, gotta squint your eyes

Let this fake matcha connoisseur speak 🤣🤣

Jokes aside I’m no connoisseur, I’m as blur or maybe more blur than most people. But based on my cock-eye short-sighted eyesight at first glance when I first opened (1) on 9th Feb the powder didn’t look vibrant green at all which is strange. Can states it’s ceremonial (tho anyone can lie). It’s priced at ¥1620 (if price matters) or did the colour change due to storage? Link to my Matcha III blog, click HERE. 

(3) Naoki matcha powder and the extreme right (2) looks vibrant. 

Truth to be told, I’ve so much to learn about matcha. But do I have the time to compare even more matchas brand in Japan? Do I have the time to read up on matchas? Maybe I should just drink my matcha and shut my mind from thinking and reading too much. Haha! But I have a feeling I’ll have more posts on matchas when I open the other cans. I think this post and the previous ones deserve a label on their own in my blog. 

Questions need to research when I’m free :

(a) is current storage place correct

(b) how long can I keep unopened matcha powder? My powders are 5+ months old since purchase date (2nd Sep 25)

(c) is the way I fold and tape the foil + scotch tape seal can correct? Or is there a better way way to store leftover matchas? 

(d) how long can I keep an opened matcha in the fridge? 

This popped up in my Instagram one day. Is there a need for this at all? If only they have a sakura printed canister. 

I had to pour water, take pic, whisk, take pic, pour into a cup, wash bowl, use another powder, pour water, take pic, whisk, take pic, pour into another cup. 

After I poured the water for the second can, immediately can see the second can’s looks brighter. And if my memory didn’t fail in what I saw earlier coz yours truly only have one bowl so I can’t compare them side by side. 

And after whisking, takes this short-sighted girl to bring the bowl up closer to check coz of the lighting in kitchen. But there’s a sure winner in the second bowl. It’s more vibrant. 

Same after whisking - can tell which is better. Now can you guess which is which? 

Of course my judgment may be biased coz I didn’t like the Shizuoka’s matcha the moment I opened it early this month. I decided to ask Mr AI for help. 

Drumroll….. 

You can see my question and the answer given

When I did the collages one after another for comparison, I decided to switch the photos 

Switch also no use. When it’s more vibrant the answer will be the same wherever I switch the photos to

So yah that black can is better 

 

Strangely when I did the taste test. (2) is more bitter. Or maybe I should have washed my palate? Perhaps you can’t trust me - the person who still can’t tell a floral or fruity taste in wines. 

6 cups of whisking 🍵 and I’m tired. 6 cups of distraction and I felt a little better. The next task is to deal with all the bits of leftovers in can (1) and packet (3). Poured water into the can and packet and mixed it around 😁. My lazy and not the correct proportion plain tea. 

Left it in the fridge coz my stomach is full from drinking too much water 

Final verdict on today’s exploration 

Wouldn’t buy that Shizuoka’s matcha anymore once I finish the two cans at home. When che-che brought it home, I was shocked by how cheapskate the packaging looks. Doesn’t it look like one of the birthday favors packaging design I would do? 🤣. Shizuoka’s matcha also do not have any の昔 so I’m not sure how legit the tea is. Is it a reseller matcha company? Then again I’m not even expert, do all teas need to have the の昔 indicated.

So far I was happy with the Aichi’s matcha I purchased in Nagoya and Masuda Chaho -¥4400 per can 不好才怪. I think once I finish all the 5 + 3 cans, 80x of whisking, I will only stick to buying proper matcha for myself and the cheap ones for che-che’s matcha lattes 😬. Oh! I forgot I still have another 2 packs of Naoki’s matchas gifted by W.

Matcha III

On a Monday just doing the most borliao and time-consuming thing 😂. Filming editing and all I can say is “thank goodness I wasn’t interested to be an influenza 😉/ content creator coz my editing/content is lousy/boring.”

Took me an hour from taking videos all the way to the final video product. It was a good break from the break I was taking. Actually it was a good mental break for me coz I’m feeling shitty.

The behind the 🎬 scene :

1) messy kitchen so trying to move things away out of camera view

2) I just push the matcha powder out from the bag to the bowl after that few spoonfuls as seen in video (so leychey to scoop bit by bit with the wooden scoop). And I forgot to sift the powder 🤦🏻‍♀️

3) suck in tummy & make sure only hand in view

4) aiyoh! I’m left-handed 🤦🏻‍♀️, blocked the camera. Shadow on kitchen top.

4) “ay! How come the colour looks dull? 😳”*panicked and checked the can 

5) after pouring. Oops! Only half the glass 🤣. Made another portion 

6) where’s the glass straw? Wanted to put a straw in after pouring matcha to complete the presentation. Oh well! 

Such a simple video but took me one hour, can you imagine how long it takes for those who make a living out of all these social media postings? I wasn’t making a living out of these so yah I won’t waste so much time 😉. 

My microfoam looks a little better than usual. Still need to learn to do it properly, think next trip to Japan I should go for classes.  

Ok…so I panicked why the colour looked dull after I had poured in water. Maybe it was the angle I was looking at it in the kitchen? Initially I thought it had something to do with organic (?) or expired. Anyway this isn’t organic, I got it all mixed up with another can of organic matcha. I took the Naoki matcha that W gifted me on my last birthday to see if there’s any comparison

When JL was in our house, she only opened this pack of matcha although I brought down the various cans and told her she can open them to try. Maybe she’s paiseh.

Naoki’s looks a little brighter in colour

Whatever powder that was on the plate and stuck on the spoon went into this unwhisked but stirred cup of plain super thin usucha. Don’t care lah! Not that I’m serving this to a guest, 自己喝的可以乱乱来。

Che-che bought this matcha in her Sep 25 trip.

I do have some at home but that didn’t stop me from asking to buy more in Jan this year when she went to Uji. At least she’s in a proper matcha shop. I was happy that she went to Masuda coz I really liked the 泉 something tea. Apparently that’s what they use in their shop.

I didn’t know the tea I liked cost so much ¥4400. I wanted to try a better one so asked her to get a can that is 2 steps superior quality - 至宝の昔　¥6300. In the photo that she sent me, I saw the superior 出品抹茶 selling for ¥12500. Gasp! I will lick up the bag if I ever kee siao buy that one day. I’m not that crazy. 

She continued and messaged me the other matchas she saw earlier. Didn’t ask her to buy coz we still have at home, need to finish what we have at home first. Firstly we don’t have much storage space designated for the various types of teas left in the kitchen. Secondly I’m not sure if it’ll be good to keep matcha powder that long coz I don’t drink it everyday. 

The next day, 30th, she messaged me again. 

Sigh…. they don’t even remember. And most frustrating thing is that they expect me to be preparing the drinks for them everytime. I don’t make, they wouldn’t drink. 

When she returned from her Jan trip

¥15100 for my matcha. And this girl went to buy hojicha. My message to her was probably late. 

Check back my last blog entry on matcha on 昔. 

Hojicha n matcha

Busy busy again 🤣

20th Sep (Sat)

Bought this hojicha powder I found in Meidiya and tried to make hojicha latte using the same proportion for matcha latte. 

* note : I don’t think this is a good hojicha powder coz found it in baking section 😬

Feel it’s too sweet, maybe coz the nutty taste adds extra sweetness? 

I will consider buying a better hojicha powder as che-che likes hojicha next time, after I have some space in the ‘tea’ cabinet. She bought two huge packs of hojicha from Uji and Nagoya and hasn’t even opened it yet. 

Differences between hojicha and matcha

Matcha is generally considered healthier than Hojicha due to its higher concentration of beneficial compounds like EGCG and L-theanine, which are preserved because the whole leaf is consumed after a prolonged shading process that enriches nutrients and caffeine. Hojicha is still healthy, but the roasting process reduces its antioxidant levels, though it does have lower caffeine and contains pyrazines which may aid digestion and provide a calming effect.

Picture taken from yunomi.life website 

More information from the website, click HERE

Just incase you do not know

21st Sep (Sun)

My stuffs arrived from JPN. Had to replace my wonky weighing scale which has been giving me erratic numbers. I bought a cooking thermometer coz I needed a more accurate water temperature to make matcha, been doing my agar-ation which is not a good idea. Using a wrong temperature for making matcha alters the taste of the pure matcha. Fortunately I haven’t been using that super expensive matcha powder otherwise money down the drain for spoiling the tea. 

BUT ! Whilst cooking the peach gum I recalled there’s a kettle function in the German machine 🤦🏻‍♀️. Means I can boil the water to the desired temperature. It only took slightly less than 5mins to work up to the temp.

This time a little smarter, I did 5 portions in two batches. Lessened the sugar. 

Wanted to make usucha for myself but was so tired and needed to clean the messy kitchen after cooking peach gum. Left the last bit of matcha powder, I will have to open another bottle soon. Before I do that, I’ll have to get a new whisk as I saw some broken prongs 😬. Where did they go? I didn’t swallow any broken prongs at all 🤣 or maybe che-che did. 

Another day of whisk whisk whisk

We all know that the quality of milk make a difference in taste. So my question is - is there any difference between this よつ葉　

and this milk? 

I thought it doesn’t taste as creamy when I made it with this milk. I bought a small pack to try and also coz I didn’t want to force myself to finish up the carton of 1litre milk, each time each cup I only use 60ml of milk.  

We saw this too in Donki and NTUC. And it’s also よつ葉 but coz it’s difficult to keep it sealed so decided not to buy this to try. Bought back the first よつ葉 milk. 

At che-che’s suggestion, I decided to make a few portions. Made x5 portions which means I had go use 15g of matcha powder. 

Quite a challenge to whisk 5 portions in the chawan 😂, had to split into two portions and whisk. 

Into the fridge

When lil’ one saw that I had prepared matcha latte asked me if I’m going to make one for myself. I offered to make it for her. Only to have requesting “can I have a little bit of sugar?” 

“Who drinks usucha with sugar?”

Made me think how matcha has evolved to keep up with times. People who heard about the benefits of green tea jumped into this matcha bandwagon and make various combinations. Soon you have blueberry matcha latte. Huh? But I cannot blame anyone. Just that why bother to buy expensive good matcha when end of the day you are going to spoil it by adding milk sugar and all? Why bother to drink matcha in all its good benefits when you are adding calories, sugar and fats in your drink? Most matcha latte recipes proportion has more milk than the plain tea itself 😢. 

Matcha in my conservative old fashioned simple mind must be drank on its own. 

🤣🤣 I talk as if I can taste any difference. Haha! 

Honestly I think this is why few generations people die faster or have health problems, cancers etc… In my ah-ma time when food is eaten as it is, no preservatives no enhancers etc..no wonder they tend to live longer than people now. 

Drink more usucha and maybe I can live longer. ✌️

Matcha II

Took me so long to finish the first post on matcha and now I’m drafting my second post. Will see when I’ll start opening these coz I’m still halfway thru my previous purchase 😂. 

¥20756 price after tax-free. Think the most expensive one is the one and only organic

Oono kakegawa, Shizuoka ¥1620/can with tax

This is a canister of Rikyuen Matcha, a Japanese powdered green tea.

• The text 初昔 (Hatsu-mukashi or Sho-mukashi) likely refers to a specific grade or type of matcha from Rikyuen, a company with a history dating back to 1626.
• Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves, ground into a fine powder, and is known for its vibrant green color and rich umami flavor. *
• Rikyuen matcha can be purchased online through various retailers, including Shopee Singapore. ®
• Different grades of Rikyuen matcha, such as Mukashi-kyo, Mukashi-ima, and Mukashi-rikyu, offer varying flavor profiles, from balanced to rich and umami.

Review from someone 

Based on the photos she sent me, I saw one and requested to get one organic matcha from Kagoshima. But when I checked, it’s from Uji. Maybe she picked up the wrong item? Maybe the signages are misleading? Whatever it is, mai hiam, just drink. Gives me a chance to find excuses to go back Japan. 

Supposedly from Kagoshima ?? But it says here Uji. Oh well! There goes my chance of trying matcha from Kagoshima and even Saga, Yame etc..

Ok, time to post this as I have too many unposted posts in my draft folder.