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. 

Headphone

Was looking for headphones to use when I’m doing housework, ideally is to use the speaker at home to amplify but it isn’t possible most times now. I’m still happy with my AirPods Pro but recently my ears starts to itch when I use them. Has nothing to do with dirty earpiece coz I do clean them regularly. Anyway, also feel a headphone will suit me coz so many times while prepping ingredients, handwashing floor mats or cleaning I’m so worried if my earpiece will drop into the water 🤣. 

Then I began my search for suitable good quality headphone. I’m no audiophile, just needed one that can do its job BUT with noise cancelling coz I want to be fully immersed in my world. I could have settled for a cheap $50 or $100 headphone It was a comparison between Apple, Bose and Sony. I settled for Sony’s XM6 coz it’s the lightest amongst all and can play longer than Apple. Apple is the heaviest headphone and surely I do not want a heavyweight on my head when I’m working around the house.

Price comparison

Need to compare around since I’m not earning $$. I could have just settled for budget headphone however it will be a long term investment for me for the next 3 years or more so might as well get one that I put my heart into research. (Disclaimer : I may not be a good researcher) 

Compared prices in Best Denki/Challenger : KrisShop : online. I want to find a place where I can either use my mall vouchers for discount or earn miles (it’s 3 Krispay miles for every $2 spent in KrisShop). When I had a eureka moment - ask che-che to check in Bic Camera or Yodabashi since she’s currently in Japan. SONY = JAPAN so price should be cheaper + tax-free means more discount. 

(1) Best Denki / Challenger states original price $649 (true or not?) but selling at $519. I have $15 Lendlease voucher. Final sum $504

(2) KrisShop states original price at $595.41 but selling at $476.15. I will get 714 Krispay miles which basically means I can offset $7.14 from any merchants that accepts Kris+ or 714 goes into my Krisflyer miles. Not that it will increase my chances to get back into Elite Silver or jump to Gold so the little miles I’ll keep in Kris+ to offset $$.

(3) It’s ¥59400 in EdiOn. Without tax is ¥54000 according to her, strange that it’s less than 10% (or did my daughter try to earn extra ¥ from me? 🤭). That sum equates to S$438.59. Transferred her $440. Saved $36.15 for the same product why not? 

As she went to work the same day she returned, she only unpacked her luggage the next day. And … I opened up my new headphone the next day 🤣. Tested it. I LOVE IT! I tried the Cinema listening mode and what better music to test other than the orchestral piece Merry Go Round of Life. 

🇯🇵 treats

Che-Che came back from her trip with treats for the family. I’m always so excited to see what she brings home.

This burger is to bribe her irritating sister who simply loves Japanese teriyaki burger.

I’m trying this for the first time. Indeed the waffles are wafflicious 

Getting a withdrawal symptoms after the girls’ last trip to FUK in July, she had to find this in Osaka after the supply went to zero at home. Wondering why she didn’t go and look for this last Sep (she went Osaka and met up with her US friend). Anyway…. 反正我的的吃、不要讲这么多话。

Aww…I’m missing Japan so much ! 

Food I missed

You can take a Singaporean out of Singapore but you can’t remove that Singaporean in you. I MISSED HOME FOOD!!! 

Only 3rd day into the trip and I was craving for laksa, mee siam and chwee kueh. Lil’ one craved for Uncle’s wanton on the 6th day 😂. Another thing I wanted was tong shui 糖水, I wanted cheng tng. 

On 27th we had our lunch in the food centre. I wanted to eat everything! Bak chor mee, wanton mee, chicken shredded noodles, lor mee, mee rebus, mee Soto, mee siam. Jialat! How to choose? I don’t know why I had kueh chap instead when it was not what I wanted, maybe coz there’s no queue at all? It’s the chilli that I miss. 

Hubby also must have craved for 糖水. Asked if I wanted, I showed him the widest smile. Of course I wanted my cheng tng 

Packed 20 sticks of otah from Lee Wee Bros for snacks. And packed my economical fried bee hoon for dinner. 

Few days later, I kindda still desired for longan based dessert again. So today (1st) got my action going and ….. 

Making Peach gum dessert. Yummy! 

Video collage + Shirakawa-go collage

About video editing apps

Made my second holiday collage with Capcut. 

I can safely say Capcut editing tools is so so much better and has more features compared to Vivavideo. I subscribed to Vivavideo but don’t understand why I still can’t access to some extras. Anyway, I will not renew once my subscription ends in April. 

I like Capcut better but I hate the way I have to select the items manually into the edit album. For a better explanation, I usually put all pics and videos into one album in my phone and from there I’ll pull out the items into the editing app. In Vivavideo, the moment I open my phone album all pics and videos are in there, so I just click them all in order. BUT in Capcut, they separate the pics in one sub album and videos in another. Thus I have to go back to my actual phone album and memorise the sequence “P,P,V,V,V,P etc…” it’s a tiring process coz I need to go to and fro my phone album, go back to app, select, go back to phone album. 

Comparison between Vivavideo and Capcut

V subscription price yet so lousy, tried certain ‘diamond labelled ’ features but kept prompting me that I needed to have membership. 

Oops! I missed to end my cheap subscription before 26th Jan. Alamak! I must have set the wrong date alert to myself in Jan. Argh! It was a promo price of more than 50% discount. Now I’m paying extra one month to Feb. Must set a reminder to self to end subscription on 24th Feb.   

Checked their subscription plan. Wah! Why do they have so many different prices? 

Their yearly plan has a huge difference between the cheapest and the most expensive. No way am I going to spend more than $50/year. How often do I do all these collage anyway? I mainly need it for my holiday family video which goes as long as 40+ mins to an hour. 

*** edit : I found the screenshots taken on 27/12/25 12.50am where I took up to subscribe for a month

I want to quickly finish all the family videos but it’s taking me a very long time to finish. 

I can probably finish the family videos only …

if the moment I wake up, I’ll continue lying on the bed or sofa without doing any houseworks. Without the need to cook (I mean I don’t cook daily in the first place), without leaving the house, be fed and leave the washing up to the family and continue doing the videos until I sleep. I might be able to finish one day of family video in a day.

Drumroll .. 

and Click HERE to view my Shirakawa-go’s collage. Hmm…haven’t been able to embed YouTube videos in here like I used to. 

Sobacha

Was in Shangri-La when served sobacha. Suddenly remembered we have sobacha I bought from GH. Anyway, this intrigued my curiosity and I learnt that buckwheat is widely grown in high-altitude regions in China where I was.

Felt like drinking this today. Added 2 teaspoon to 250ml water 

Not a pleasing presentation. Maybe next time when I have the time, mood and feel hardworking I’ll bake そばぼうろ and present it nicely just for the photo shot 😉

So weird..lil’ one likes to eat soba but she doesn’t want to drink this at all.

Missing GJ

Rushing to make a few more aesthetic looking Instagrammable quality video collage with the CapCut app as it’s nearing the end of my “special price 1 month subscription”. Decided to make the highlights of the new places I went in June. 

I miss Gujo Hachiman!!! I think I blogged about this last year how I love this place. I’m so tempted to go back again this year, maybe bring a mat and sit down by the river to listen to the rushing water 🤣. 

Here again

Here I am again at 2.38am (26th) in Terminal 1 when I barely touched down 20hrs ago in T2 from our long trip. 

She’ll have 1 day or maybe 2 days of work before she flies off for her next trip. Cabin crew lifestyle 🤣. 

My day after touching down

As usual, hubby and I will need to clean the house. 

Mopped the floor twice, pulled out the bedsheets and Che-che’s towel for wash, washed outside toilet, can’t possibly clean every part of the house but I cleaned the important areas first. Ahh… my Thermomix simmering basket wasn’t cleaned properly so did one round of wash. Wanted to unpack but was so tired. Slept at close to 12 for 5 hours. 

Woke up, cleared the luggage and left some items inside coz I didn’t want to re-take items from my room to put into luggage again a month later. But lil’ one and my sweaters and thermal have to be hand washed, so I left them aside in a bag where I will take them out bit by bit to wash. 

Weird dream

Woke up to a weird dream. Feeling so fucking stressed the past few days. Damn pissed. Why? Thought we can go and enjoy the holiday properly but …

“dreamt drop handphone in drain meaning”

Dropping a handphone in a drain in a dream often symbolizes a 

loss of communication, connection, or a feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions or life situations. The specific context of a "drain" adds an element of something being lost to something dirty, hidden, or irretrievable. 

Here are some possible interpretations:

• Loss of Connection: Phones represent communication and relationships. Dropping it may indicate a disruption in an important personal or professional connection, a potential breakup, or a feeling of being unable to reach someone important.
• Emotional Turmoil: Water often symbolizes emotions, intuition, or the subconscious. Dropping your phone into it could suggest that you are feeling overwhelmed by your feelings or experiencing emotional turbulence that is interfering with your ability to communicate effectively.
• Loss of Control or Opportunities: The act of dropping something can reflect a feeling of losing control over a situation or your responsibilities. The drain specifically suggests that the loss might be related to something that feels "dirty" (perhaps a shameful situation) or something that has simply vanished, potentially symbolizing missed opportunities or a fear of falling behind in life.
• Difficulty Expressing Yourself: The dream might suggest that someone or something is preventing you from expressing your thoughts or opinions freely, essentially "shutting you off" from speaking your mind.
• Warning or Internal Conflict: Some interpretations suggest the dream could be a warning to be more cautious about your possessions or plans, or it might reflect an internal conflict where you feel you have made a faulty life choice and are having difficulty finding your way back. 

Ultimately, the most meaningful interpretation will depend on your personal feelings and current life circumstances. Reflect on what the phone, the drain, and the feeling of the dream mean to you personally to understand its full significance. 

“dream drop handphone in gated drain meaning”

Dropping a handphone in a dream generally relates to a 

fear of losing important connections, communication, or something valuable in your waking life. The specifics of the "gated drain" suggest feelings of being unable to retrieve what is lost, or that the loss is contained or blocked off in some way. 

General Dream Elements and Interpretations

• The Handphone (Cell Phone): This typically symbolizes your ability to communicate, maintain relationships, access information, or stay connected in society. Losing it often implies a disruption or fear of disruption in these areas.
• Dropping the Phone: This action can indicate a fear of failure, an accidental loss, or feeling clumsy or out of control in a situation where something important slips away.
• The Drain: Drains often represent a way for things to be washed away, discarded, or disappear into the subconscious. It can also symbolize emotions or feeling overwhelmed, as drains are associated with water flow and waste.
• "Gated" Drain: The presence of a gate or cover is a key detail. It suggests that the item is irretrievable, or that a physical or emotional barrier prevents you from recovering the lost connection or valuable item. You may feel a situation is "blocked off" and cannot be reversed. 

Possible Interpretations

Combining these elements, the dream could be interpreted in several ways:

• Loss of Connection: You may be experiencing anxiety about losing touch with significant people in your life, and the "gated drain" means you feel unable to fix it.
• Blocked Communication: There might be a specific communication channel that has been cut off, and you feel the problem is now out of your reach or "down the drain" permanently.
• Feeling Helpless: The dream could reflect a situation where something valuable to you was lost due to circumstances beyond your control, and the "gated" nature emphasizes a feeling of finality or helplessness in recovering it.
• Privacy Concerns: In some cases, a phone can hold personal contacts and information. The dream might suggest a fear of losing control over your private life or essential personal/business contacts. 

Ultimately, dream interpretations are highly personal, and the meaning that resonates most with your current life situation is usually the correct one for you.

Vacation

First time our holiday starts in the beginning of the year. Usually at this time of the year, for the last 3 years, we’re still holidaying or nearing the end of our holiday. 

Weight of my luggage : 20.32kg

Our limit per pax is 25kg, me back to normal KF member now 😢 so no additional luggage. 

Hubby says domestic flight is 20kg. Huh???? We taking what airline huh? Actually we’ve been so pampered taking SQ all the time, haven’t been on a Chinese airline company for more than 10 years! Chinese airline is also hospitable lah! I removed my toiletries bag and now luggage weighs 18.15kg. How can my toiletries bag weigh so much? I had a bring a larger bottle of body shampoo and hair shampoo coz I never really liked hotels’ hair shampoo. 

Packing : procrastinated from packing on Monday (29/12) to doing it on Sunday. But I did take out items from under the bed. Bought one extra set of thermal for lil’ one. Problem with our winter wear is I usually just put it into the respective bags (without vacuuming) after I wash them, the dry-cleaned winter coats are still in their hanger, tagged and bagged over 😬.

I love this top I bought in NZ. Can’t seem to find it now. Although it’s 100% merino wool, it doesn’t feel thick

Heatpads. Masks are a must pack now after Covid. It not only protects us from viruses, it helps that we’re breathing in our recycled warm air 🤣. You know lah the Chinese thingy about breathing in cold air blah blah. 

Using a new vacumn bag for packing for winter trips. I hope this works better than what I’ve been using over the years. I might do a review on this when I’m back, if I remember

Checking on AirTags on battery life, checking which AirTag che -che has on her phone. Why is it numbered? It’s my reference so I know which AirTag is where. While I settled our AirTag, I passed one to Che-che for her trip.

Soap wash - must bring esp when there’s no soap in most rural toilets.

* I only realised I grabbed the laundry soap wrongly when I was using it in china

My travel medication pouch shrank over the years. 

My must have. This is so handy but needs to be in checked luggage

This is important. I need this to clear some pics from my phone to clear space

My feelings 

Excited but yet uncertain where I’m going. Haha! Coz I didn’t plan the itinerary at all. 

Ah-Soh

Was clearing some 24/12/24 (in Osaka) photos and came across some random photos. 

Always so fascinated with Japanese stuffs. I like this griller, and wondered if it’s easy for cleaning

Checking on entertainment

So we’re 2 days from our flight. 48hrs before, at 9.16pm hubby told me can check in. 

Days ago when lil’ one checked out assigned seats were 50++ but today noticed we’re assigned to the paid Fwd zone. 

So cute! Saw this in Kris Shop

And to add to my sadness, noticed my favourite orh orh album is no longer in the inflight entertainment. I saw Muromachi Outsiders in the Japanese movie list. My son-in-law is acting is that movie 😂.

SQ earphone 🤭

Found this. Then I remembered I brought it home after my last trip to try using it as one pin headphone on the laptop. Obviously I must have wanted to quickly pack up my things and chuck it aside. 

On the package it says “I am reusable. Keep me for your next flight.” Will anyone bring it on board? I doubt so.

Feel more wastage when they switched to this, though it has cut down the pre-flight preparation AND the distribution after take-off. Gone are the days when we had to help prepare bags,seal it up with the yellow seal for the return sector or 2nd second crew, leave a note if we’re not seeing them to handover info. The crew now have an easier life compared to us. No need to give out menu cards or immigration forms now. 

Dumping ground

Che-Che 早不讲昨天 asked me to clear the freezer for her, so that she can store food. She’ll be alone for three weeks, tho she did say she’ll be busy on every weekends going out with friends. She needed the space coz she’ll have her US uni friends over, the time when she had no adults in the house means freedom party time. 

Was lazy to cook but because of her I had to clear foodstuffs. I can’t clear my phone photos n videos. 

@ 4.56pm

At 5.25pm

Dumped the two packs of leftover okras and vegetables mix. I really love these frozen vegetables I bought in Meidiya or was it Jmart (?), I think I have the purchase post in my blog somewhere. But they’re expensive …. I can try buying the broccoli, carrots etc.. and then do it myself to save the money, but it’s quite the hassle. Had a failed attempt when my frozen broccoli can’t last as long as these. 

Cleared some pork belly I bought from Donki. I cooked Japanese style 

Steam chicken

Baked some prepared fish tofu in the oven

And clearing my last bits of peach gum dessert from the fridge