4 hours 27 mins travel

Hello everyone! How’s your week going? 🙂

After my post last week about postponing our wedding ceremony, we packed our luggage to go back to Y-chan’s hometown. As this trip back was unplanned, discounted air tickets were not available so we had to take shinkansen (新幹線 – bullet train) back to Yamaguchi.

Headed to Tokyo station to get our tickets before getting our ekiben (駅弁 – train bento). There’s this special ‘little’ discount given to customer who buys return tickets together (i think about 2000 ~ 3000yen). As it’s non-peak period and we’re trying to save money while we can, we bought non-reserved seats. The percentage of getting a seat from Tokyo station is 100% since it’s the terminal station. There’s reserved seats and ‘Green’ seats but these seats cost slightly higher than the non-reserved ones.

We rushed to get our ekiben before boarding the shinkansen because the total journey takes 4 hours 27 minutes to reach Shin-Yamaguchi. We’ll be so dead hungry by then if we don’t eat. I got this crab meat goodness while Y-chan got this beef tongue & steak ekiben which can ‘heat’ up itself after pulling a string attached to it (i forgot to take photo of it but let me attached it from google image).

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The train we took was Nozomi (the fastest already) which stops at major stations like Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Hiroshima.

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The whole journey was so long that my butt hurts after we alight at Shin-Yamaguchi. (T_T) I’ve already tried to wear simple and even sandals! This is the difference between domestic flight and shinkansen.

Our main motive of going back to Yamaguchi was to visit Y-chan’s grandpa. He used to be so lively but now he’s so fragile. Grandpa’s already over the big 80 but still so comical. Y-chan showed him a few photos of me in wedding dress and he said “looks like Erishia..!”. So comical! Over the 3 days, we visited him everyday to keep him accompany together with grandma. Didn’t go to any place except for the cafe near the hospital.

We’re planning to go back again in end July before Y-chan’s busy work schedule.

Took some photos while on our way back to Tokyo.

Non-Reserved seats (Nozomi) is from 1st – 3rd carriages

Wear easy to remove shoes for the ride

Get yourself a drink and chill for the rest of the journey

Anyways, I’m looking forward to this weekend because we’ll be going to Tochigi prefecture – Nasu (那須) for BBQ! Together with Y-chan’s colleagues and their spouses. Give me the good weather please!! 😦

Quick Wedding Prep Update

Hello, it’s going to be a super short update about my wedding preparation.

Due to some family matters, we have no choice but to postpone our wedding ceremony. ):

We won’t know when we will plan again but will update here once we’ve decided on the date.

Till then.

♥

Kate-Katy: Off-White Chiffon Skirt

Whoop whoop! Hello! I’m already on my 3rd post for Kate-Katy‘s collaboration and I’m enjoying it. 😀 However, I just….. can’t pose for the camera. (T__T) That’s my main concern now. *screams for help*

Anyways, for this series of snaps, I took it when I went for hydrangea viewing with Y-chan. Hope you all really don’t mind my pose. ):

  

The skirt is of really good material and it has an extra lining inside so it’s not translucent! I think Korean’s are quite tall because after I wore this long skirt, the ends of the skirt touches the ground. That’s why I wore a wedge sandals to lift up my height! 😀 I matched a brown Longchamp’s bag to complete my outfit (not shown on photo because Y-chan helped me carried it).

Blue tie-front shirt: Forever21 | Black embellished tank top: Lowrys Farm | Chiffon skirt: Kate-Katy | Wedge sandals: Honey’s | Bracelet: Gucci

Recipe: Pork Belly & Cabbage Tomato Stew

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Hello! I’m back to post a new recipe. 😀 My friend back in Singapore wants to know the recipe of this so I’m writing it up here. Hope she likes it! ♥ Chiew 

Ingredients (Serves 2 – 3):

• Pork belly slices – 100 ~ 120g
• Cabbage – 1/6 of regular sized
• Onion – ¼ of regular sized
  • Diced tomato – 1 can
  • Water – 200ml 
  • Consomme – 1 cube
  • White wine – 1 tablespoon
  • Sugar – 1 tablespoon
  • Oyster sauce – 1 tablespoon
  • Shoyu – 1 tablespoon
• Salt & Pepper
• Parsley

How to:

1. Slice pork belly into bite-sized pieces (about 5cm).
2. Cut cabbage randomly and also slice onions.
3. In a deep pot, add in about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (or olive oil) and heat up.
4. Add in sliced onions and sliced pork belly into the pot and stir-fry until onions turned translucent. (Note: Heat should be at medium-high.)
5. Then add in cut cabbage into the pot and continue to cook for about 1 – 2 minutes.
6. Add the ingredients highlighted in blue into the pot and cover with lid. (Note: Turn the heat to medium-low.)
7. Simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes and taste. Seasoned with salt & pepper and turn off the heat.
8. Serve with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

I always use Kagome’s diced tomato for cooking and recently, they’ve started to release tetra pack diced tomato instead of canned ones. I think this is quite convenient because I won’t have to worry about disposing it after use. I can just wash it with water and dispose it together with other rubbish on combustible rubbish day instead of waiting for the ONE day of the month to dispose the steel cans. 😀

In Singapore, you can use Del Monte’s diced tomato to make this dish!

Also, I think it’s quite difficult to find consomme cubes in Singapore, you may replace it with Knorr or Maggi’s beef (may change to chicken) stock cubes (but do note to half the cube if not it’ll be super salty!).

Hope you all will try out this tomato stew and stay healthy!! I know the recent haze incident back home is very horrible. Everyone, please take care of yourself and do take precaution.

Hello Hydrangea!

Over the weekend, Y-chan and I went to Omiya Park for a relatively long osanpo (walk) and also to see my favorite flower – Hydrangea. ♥ 😀

In Japan, hydrangea starts to bloom when it enters the rainy season which is usually end May till end June. So I went to check Omiya Park’s official website and they have updated that hydrangea has started to bloom. I didn’t want to miss any chance so we decided to go over the weekend.

Saw this while on our way to the train station near our house. Can you imagine my excitement when I saw it blooming so beautifully? 😀

Took the train to reach Omiya station and from there, we walked through Hikawa Shrine towards Omiya Park #2 to reach the hydrangea garden. I think we’ve walked 2.5 km and that day I wore wedge sandals (my legs almost gave up)! 😦 Everything was worth it because…. I got to see my favorite flowers in many colors!! [Please enjoy the slideshow!!]

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I also managed to take some coordinate snaps for Kate-Katy and it’ll be posted soon. 😀 And! And!!! I’m going to change my Spring header to Summer header as advised by my friend.

Ending this post with a photo of me and Y-chan. 😀

Look at my jawline! ((: