Working at my own pace

20 July 2017


It's officially 8 days to my final year exhibition. To be honest, I'm nowhere near done with my projects. At this point, I'm just going with the flow and working at my own pace. There's so much to do but trying to match everyone else's pace is just going to put myself in a deeper level of stress.

There isn't much about this posting, nothing informative and all, just a simple note to self to remind myself that no matter what the outcome is, it's okay. I'm quite proud to say that I've never failed a subject in college and I've always been afraid of failing anything during the past few semesters. I had no chill at all. Though, everything just kinda changed this semester. My health have been utterly horrible this semester. Being on a three week medical leave felt so great that it's totally killed all my hardworking vibes. So here I am just facing the consequences of 'me trying to take it easy for once' in my final semester. ha ha ha ha ha. why do I try such things in the last semester omg.

Alright enough rants, I've poured enough words to relief some stress. Writing and scribbling reduces stress for me. There's a reason why my posts are so heavy text. (half of the time I'm always stressed out) I just don't seem like it cause I laugh at almost everything. Anyways, time to go back to figuring how to brand myself and try my best to complete everything asap so I can find time to re-colour my hair T_T The thing with having rainbow hair, you start panicking if switching colours would be costly too. Still wondering what colour I should get next, pink? Balayage blonde? Or should I just go back to a one head basic brown. I'll figure it out soon.

Until next time!

*this post is not proof-read and is purely me rambling to get through the semester. Please excuse all grammar errors*

Nearly spending a night in a train station - Day 5 in Japan: Shirakawa-go

6 July 2017

Continuation of my 2 years overdue post :') Me missing Japan, missing the food there, and missing my long and (at that time) very voluminous hair. T_T


Photo taken from the bus on the way up to Shirakawa-Go. We arrived at approximately 1:20p.m. (i think)

After our super filling yummy hotel-picnic lunch from Hyakubanmart 100 Mart, we hurried back to the station to wait for our bus up to Shirakawa-go. As we were there during December, it was winter and we were expecting a snow covered village. Unfortunately for us, during the day we were there, the weather wasn't as cold as usual and we only managed to catch bits and bits of snow. So if you're interested to read about my Shirakawa-Go with minimal to no snow (笑) during winter experience (笑 again) please keep on reading. (苦笑)

We weren't there with any tours so as soon as we got off the bus, we were free to roam around for a couple of hours. As long as we make it back for our evening bus back to Takayama, we're good. If you're wondering why we did not take a bus direct back to Kanazawa, it's because the bus back to Kanazawa was full so we had no choice but to go through a more indirect route ahaha.

Snow-less walks. Ok la, actually, even though Shirakawa-Go wasn't covered in snow when we were there, it was still a nice trip. Who knows, maybe I wouldn't enjoy it if there was snow? ((I was freezing so bad while waiting for the evening bus, so can you imagine how cold I'd be if there was snow? Ok Candace, stop cheering yourself up. ))

Came across this doggie statue outside a shop. Someone even placed a pair of specs on it ahaha!


When you're so used to the city life and also because Shirakawa-Go wasn't over populated, (especially with tourists like us) walking around with cool air surrounding you and observing these architectures was pretty fresh and nice.

and we found snow HAHAHA. A kid made a snowman outta the snow. 

There was pretty much one spot where all tourists HAVE TO go at Shirakawa-go(not this lake lol), if I did not recall wrongly, it's known as an observation deck (?) While heading to the observation deck to see the village from top view, we came across this blue river(?) This photo is un-filtered un-edited btw. It was literally that blue. 


We got to the observation deck/area about 2:30p.m. I'm not sure if you could walk all the way up here, but we took the free shuttle bus to get here :3 We did not want to risk not making it back to the bus transit in the evening so we've decided to get up there to snap photos first then only continue exploring the village. 

We were at Shirakawa-Go on the 22nd of December. Supposedly during that time, this whole place was supposed to be covered in snow. Oh well, not lucky enough I guess. Maybe this is fate trying to tell us that we need to visit Shirakawa-Go again ahahaha! 

There's a professional photographer there to help you take photos with their camera and print them out for you to purchase, but instead we've decided to ask the photographer to help us snap a family group photo with our own camera instead. #HowToSaveMoneyWithCandace101. Here's a photo of me though, cause the fam is shy ^^"

hahahahaha I miss my hair.

The weather was really nice when we first got there but it gradually got much much cooler. Often times throughout the trip I was really glad that I was wearing this Uniqlo coat. It's super warm and also has a hoodie! In case it starts drizzling, I can just put the hoodie on then slowly open up the umbrella! (while everyone else quickly struggles to open their umbrellas)

Bunny twinning with my sister! 

After all the photo snapping, we explored the village a little more and got back to the bus transit(?) parking(?) area to wait for our bus to Takayama. Of course the Shirakawa go - Kanazawa bus arrived first and we're just freezing there....watching everyone going back to Kanazawa while we just...kept freezing. Thank goodness Japan has vending machines with HOT DRINKS!! It was early evening at that time and we were already freezing so bad, our heat patch was losing it's heat too so we got a can of hot BOSS coffee to pass around. 

basic life hack: put the hot can in your coat's pockets for 30 seconds then pass to another person with you to repeat the process, then you'll have warm pockets to keep your hands warm for a couple minutes! 

We got to Takayama around 5:40p.m. + I think? Because it's winter, the sky was already pitch black. Also noticed that we were the only ones in that bus returning to Kanazawa via this route lol.

After roaming around to look for a restaurant nearby the station, we noticed that most eateries were already closed. There were only a handful of eateries nearby that were open but a number of them were only open to locals. Some opened eateries included underground bars, being a family trip with a 12 year old, obviously we can't dine at bars lol. (and we're too scared to go for one either lol)

No worries though, worst case scenario, there's a Family Mart nearby Takayama station, so if you die die cannot find food during winter at that hour, Family Mart can be your life savior. ^^ We also grabbed some snacks from Family Mart before leaving Takayama! 


While roaming [very] aimlessly, we stumbled across this Gokuu Curry Cafe! We were also lucky enough to get a table because when another family of tourists came in 10mins later, the shop was already not taking in more customers. 


The cafe was relatively small and couple minutes after that family left, they've closed a section for a private event while the section we were seated at could only sit two tables. (we occupied one and another family of tourists whom came earlier than us occupied the other) 

Because we were at Takayama, we got to try Hida Beef! Their menu allows you to order either ala-cart or with a set. Like most Japanese curry, you get to choose your spiciness level too. We went for medium and it wasn't spicy at all I think (from what I can recall two years after eating it la haha) Y'know, when watching Kimi no Na Wa (君の名は), it brought back so much feels to my short little night trip at Takayama cause the movie was based at Hida!! 

Here's the minced Hida beef curry rice my mom ordered. Expectation vs Reality quite on point weih. We opted for the ala cart option but I can't remember how much the meal costs. (sorry!)

The rest of us ordered a fried pork katsu curry rice. Very yummy too! Plus we were freezing and starving while aimlessly walking around in search for food, so I'm sure the curry rice tasted 10x yummier. (fyi this is coming from someone that isn't a fan of curry rice ok. I don't mind eating it just that if I had an option, I wouldn't choose curry rice)

Here's the intense part. We had to make sure we were super on time for this train schedule. Otherwise we'd either end up sleeping at Takayama Station (ok la there's a hotel nearby) or Inotani Station LOL.  If I did not recall wrongly, we were taking the last JR train out from Takayama to Inotani so we made sure we were super on time. None of us had been to Inotani, so we pretty much have no idea how huge it is. Meaning we have no idea how far apart was the platform we got off compared to the platform we had to get on to catch the train to Toyama. (plus we only had 10 minutes interval to catch that train) 

So we walked as fast as we could. We made it on time and the train was already there. It was pretty scary though cause there was literally no one on that platform except for this 1 girl. After sitting in the train for a while, it started moving and about less than an hour, we've arrived at Toyama!

When we arrived at Toyama. The station looked super new and modern and bright ahaha! So with 15 minutes interval this time, we quickly started searching for the shinkansen platform. I don't really remember what happened here but I remember that we had some questions/issues but we settled it real quick at the counter and we managed to catch the train back to Kanazawa in time.

From a short memory loss I also recall almost walking towards the wrong platform at one of the stations ahaha. ( we actually climbed a flight of stairs halfway then we had to quickly walk back down and up to the opposite stairs lmao. )


So this sums up my stay at Kanazawa! If you want a simple city that isn't too crowded to relax/clear your mind, I highly recommend Kanazawa! (or Hiroshima!) As much as I've loved all the shops at Tokyo, if I was gonna relax, Kanazawa is definitely my pick! 

Thanks for reading :3 

Stay tuned for my next Japan travelog posting about Tokyo trip!

Ciao ciao! 

Japan Travelog:

Candy Gets Hungry #11: Takashi Japanese Restaurant at Centrepoint Bandar Utama review

2 July 2017

Hullo fellow wai sek maos~ Centrepoint may be a very very common location name but to many Petaling Jaya folks or more specifically Bandar Utama residents/KBU Students, it's a small and pretty cozy (ok, maybe sometimes quite dead) neighbourhood mall. It may be weird to call it a proper mall but I've definitely seen how much this place has developed and expanded over the past 10+ years. 

A few eateries I personally recommend checking out if you're a first timer there would be 港飲港吃 Kong yam kong sek food court @ G floor, Bosko restaurant & bar @ 1st Floor, and the Meat In Claypot Bak Kut Teh @ Ground floor. 

The Banana Leaf mamak @ Centrepoint used to be my favourite place to eat Indomee but i'm not sure why perhaps they've changed their chef or something, but sadly I just can't find that taste I love so much in the Indomee there now :( But I still go there la hahaha.


However today, we'll be talking about their latest eatery addition instead, which is a Japanese restaurant called Takashi Japanese Restaurant. I had brunch with my family there the other day and figured I might as well share my dining experience :)


Since it's occupied a corner lot, it was pretty easy to spot. 

Here's the entrance of the restaurant. Their operating hours are from 11:30A.M to 10:30P.M daily.

We got there slightly early and since they weren't open yet we've decided to run some errands first. At approximately 11:45A.M we got back to Takashi and they've already got a few tables seated. (not in pic)

On the other side there's a bar area. You could also see one of the staffs arranging the tables to form a longer one. Surprisingly on the day we were there for lunch, several tables were already reserved. The long table above was occupied by a family, while the section you see empty above was fully occupied by a party celebration. Within less than an hour, the place was literally full house. 



These origami cranes looked really cute on the divider. Really adds on to the Japanese vibes in the restaurant.

Condiments~

We ordered a pot of hot ocha(green tea) Couldn't tell what green tea it was but it did taste a little like Genmaicha.

Time to order our food! 

First dish to arrive is their Saba Shioyaki - RM17.90. I'm not a fan of fish dishes because I'm really bad with bones. Like, really bad. Though taste wise it was actually pretty similar to the grilled Saba fish I had during my Japan trip! Seeing that this dish was actually somewhat comparable to the saba I had in Japan itself, no wonder this was their best sellers! FYI, I'm not a wasabi person but according to my mom & aunt, they noticed that Takashi serves FRESH wasabi. Serving fresh wasabi in Malaysia is quite rare ok. As in not the typical squeezed out from the tube ones like almost all Japanese restaurants in Malaysia is serving y'know. Fresh! 

The next dish we had was Takashi Zen - RM20.90. This set comes with miso soup, stir fried vegetables, chicken karaage with mayo and garlic fried rice. Judging from the portion and variety I think RM20 is a fair price. Taste wise it's so-so? The garlic fried rice would've been great if it was less salty. Stir fried vegetables were pretty alright. Miso soup however tasted a little weird? In fact, all their soup based menu items tasted a little weird. I think it's some seasoning they used? 

This chicken karaage actually looked pretty depressing though. I personally find this pretty dry :( Although I didn't like it, my sister loved the chicken karaage so you'll definitely have to try it for yourself to judge. 

Nabeyaki Ramen - RM26.90. We have initially ordered Nabeyaki Udon and Inaniwa Udon. Funny how 15 minutes after ordering, one of the staffs came out to tell us all udon noodles were unavailable. Thus we have switched the Nabeyaki Udon to Nabeyaki Ramen instead. Inaniwa udon was switched to another Takashi Zen. So alright, here's the Nabeyaki Ramen. Like the miso soup I mentioned earlier, I'm not a fan of some particular seasoning in the soup base. Overall the dish tasted a little bland too. Presentation wise and overall of this dish, I don't think it's worth RM26.90 :(

We've also ordered a Chawanmushi - RM6.90 ea. It's a savoury japanese steamed egg custard dish, one of my personal favourite Japanese side dishes! The taste of the chawanmushi at Takashi was pretty alright, but I think it's a little on the pricey side. If I were to compare, this tastes very closely to Sushi Zanmai's chawanmushi. It's definitely more yummier than the chawanmushi served at Kura, One World Hotel. Though my favourite chawanmushi is still from Sakae Sushi. (half the price too!) 

Inaniwa Udon - RM28.90. Earlier I mentioned that we've ordered Inaniwa Udon and they told us there isn't any udon right? Then they've mysteriously served us Inaniwa udon ??? Ok.... So we made sure they canceled the 2nd Takashi Zen. I mean there was a couple miscommunication issues here and there but the owner had came over to settle everything very nicely so all's good. Plus, it was a full house at that time and the restaurant was fairly new. So mistakes once in a while is understandable. 

I've had Inaniwa Udon a few times (in Malaysia and Japan), this is the first restaurant that has served us Inaniwa Udon on a bed of ice, I actually like this idea cause it keeps the udon cold and fresh.( that's what I feel la ) so +1 for presentation. Serving portion ain't that big, and I find the udon noodle texture alright. But like the other soup bases, the dipping sauce for the inaniwa udon had that odd seasoning taste as well. That was really the only turn off from this dish for me. If they were to switch up this odd taste in their soup based dishes, I'm more than happy to give these dishes another go. For RM28.90, I think it's borderline pricey, then again inaniwa udon in Malaysia is generally expensive, so I think still acceptable for me.......if they change the dipping sauce recipe ahaha. 

Last dish we ordered was their Chicken Teriyaki Zen - RM16.90. This set comes with a bowl of white rice, teriyaki chicken, salad and miso soup. Is it just me or are all teriyaki chicken sets usually priced at RM16.90 HAHA. Anyways I had no regrets ordering this because other than the miso soup, I loved everything else in the set. Although generally teriyaki chicken is like the one dish in Japanese restaurants that could never go wrong, I've had some bad ones in the past and this one was pretty good. Not exceptionally good, but not bad la. So if you're planning a visit to Takashi, and you're a fan of teriyaki chicken, go for it! :D Sometimes it's OKAY to be boring ok? (I just really love teriyaki chicken la, I go any japanese restaurant I also order teriyaki chicken one. Except for Zanmai, I'll order Karaage there lol) Unless if you like fish, then order the Saba Shioyaki. They have a set option for that too.

zoom in on the chicken

I feel so guilty writing this but I actually tried to switch the salad in my set to something else. Have no regrets when my request was rejected. The salad was actually my favourite in the set. I liked the teriyaki chicken too but I feel that most places tend to pay less attention to the side dishes(?) So I'm highlighting this specifically and am actually really loving the taste of this salad. The taste of it reminded me of this salad I had in Kura, One world hotel many many many years ago. I don't know how to describe the dressing though but it's some kind of yummy vinaigrette!

Hope you guys find this review helpful, some of the food was a hit, some was a miss and everyone's taste buds are different so you'll definitely have to pay them a visit to judge for yourself! 

PS. If you're going there on a weekend with a large group, you might want to make a reservation cause as I said, when I went, it was a full house lunch crowd.

Overall Rating:

Atmosphere: 7/10
Quality of food: 6/10
Price: 5.5/10 (Some I think was worth it, some not so?)
Service: 7.5/10 (The staffs were pretty friendly, but a bit blur ^^")
Would I come back? For the chicken teriyaki set? Yes! The rest of the meal, no. I do wish to go back to try their sushi soon!



Takashi Japanese Restaurant
Lot G6-G7. Ground Floor, 


Centrepoint, Lebuh Bandar Utama,
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 47800


Contact number: 014-884 4000









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