Welcoming the Year of the Horse

To everyone who celebrates, happy Chinese new year! May the Year of the Horse bring joy, good fortune and health to us all :)

Although somewhat losing in terms of celebrants and "grandness" of festivity compared to the solar new year, virtually every Chindo* family celebrates Chinese new year (lunar new year). It's the one event where us Chindos become more "Chinese" and "in touch with our roots". No sarcasm there. I'm all for cultural things. And anything that comes in a red (or any colour within that spectrum, etc) paper packet ;)

My CNY was celebrated in the same way as previous years, with the CNY Eve spent at my grandma's house, and the other day spent spreading kionghi's and receiving hong bao's (or angpao as we call it) at my other grandma's house.

One thing I am always excited about CNY (other than the angpao's) is the food :D

 

Above is the picture of the awesome potluck that is dimensions apart from the Chinese food of Panda Express and the like. Okay so maybe not every single one of the dishes were of Chinese origin, but yeah. Any attempts of dieting during Sincia (the Chindo name of CNY) is bound to fail.

「日本語」 日本語で初ポスト

皆さん、こんにちは！アリシアです。

日本語で投稿したことありませんので、今回は初めてです(*^▽^*)
前から日本語でポストを書きたかったのですが、自信がなくて今さらやってきました。
ミスも 結構あるはずですが、これからも日本語をもっと勉強したいと思います！
いつかペラペラになりたいです～

最近雨は少しずつ止んできました。今日も晴れでした！
今日は二人の友達と美術センターのスタジオでダンスの練習をしてみました。
ある大学のダンス部のメンバーの友達はモダンダンスが大好きで、彼女から教えてもらっていました。
その友達のかっこいいダンスを見てて、ずっと感動していました！
私は他の友達と二人でダンサーの友達を必死に従ってみてて・・・ちょっと情けないでした。笑 
いっぱい練習しないと体が堅くなっちゃうのでいけないって聞くと、ダンサーって大変だなぁと思ってました。
疲れていますが、楽しかったです♪

あと、もうすぐ旧正月なんですよ(^０^)
親戚と再会して一緒に旧正月をお祝いすることを凄く楽しみにしています！
美味しい食品もたくさん食べられます。もちろん全部手作りですね～
今年もレッドパケットいっぱい貰ってくれるのかなー？笑っ

今回はここまでです。
短くてつまらない投稿でしたが、読んでくれてありがとうございました！！
そのうちまた、日本語で投稿していきたいと思いますから
またこのブログに来てくださると嬉しいです！\(≧∇≦)/

アリシア

聴く中： めぐり逢い - アンドレ・ギャニオン (素敵な曲ですなぁ！）

Throwback Photoblog: Malaysia 2013

Japanese Sweet Potato Cake

I tried making this sweet potato cake the other day and it turned out deliciously. It's a very easy, no-frills recipe that anyone can make, so I hope you have fun trying it out!

Ingredients:

• 300ml of milk
• 150g Japanese sweet potato (steamed or baked)
• 80g of sugar
• 50g of hotcake mix (I used all-purpose flour with some baking powder)
• 50g margarine (or butter)
• 2 eggs

1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender or electric mixer.
2. Pour the mixture inside a round pan or oven-safe bowl lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake at 180°C for 40-50 minutes. Leave it in the oven and bake with the remaining heat for an additional 5 minutes if required.

Mine turned out like this :)

Pigging Out in Singapore Twenty-Thirteen

"The only time we're not eating is when we're on the move somewhere." 
- Clarita, my loyal travel companion and local guide in Singapore

Last week (November 14-17), I went on a weekend trip to Singapore to visit my good friends who are studying there (and to eat, duh).

I stayed at my friend's friends' acquaintance's place. They had wi-fi. The place was close to the MRT station. But being the filthy rich EZ-Link cardholders/lazy peeps that we were, we would take the bus (only to get off at the next station) more often than not. We got bread for breakfast and had access to powdered drinks. It was even better because my long-time best friend was staying out with me. When you put two best friends, some air-conditioning, and the almighty Internet in one room, needless to say, sleepless nights were inevitable.

 And selfies too (size has been diminished to ensure readers' sanity).

If I learned something from trying to wake up at a somewhat reasonable hour after staying up so late, NEVER use your favourite song at the time as an alarm. Chances are you won't ever be able to see it the same way again.

If I were to sum up my trip to Singapore, it would look something like this: 65% FOOD, 25% friends, 6% sightseeing, and 4% shopping. Of course I actually ate every single thing with my best friend so that actually makes the "friends" part 99%.

Among the many delicacies we indulged in during those four days of awesomeness were the infamous one-dollar ice cream, Garrett popcorn, Ladurée macarons, Lao Ban bean curd, IKEA's Swedish meatballs (35 meatballs plus two chicken wings), Tip Top curry puffs, and A LOT of Japanese food (curry, mostly).

Collage-Making for Perfectionists

Hey everyone!

Today I'll be sharing some tips for collage-making. I'm not a pro or anything, just here to share some of the lessons I learned (the hard way) while making picture collages of my friends and I.

(I know it's not the best example, but here's the one I made most recently)

1. You can't use one type of glue for everything.

Yes, clueless as I was, I so naïvely thought I could use that almighty UHU glue for everything, bearing in my mind the thought that I "just gotta make 'em stick together!" Bad way of thinking. 

Enjoy Japanese: They Have Cute Characters

If you're new to learning the Japanese way of writing, know that there are four types of writing that is used in Japanese: Kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Romaji, which is the Latin alphabet that we all already know. Hiragana and katakana altogether is referred to as kana.

If I were to pick which one of these four that I enjoyed learning the most, it would definitely be hiragana. Mostly because of their aesthetic appearance, and how they're just so distinctly Japanese. So hiragana is what I'll be featuring in this post.

I learned these the generic way too - PRACTICE. Really, I too wished I had an amazing shortcut to store all these characters in my head at once.

Well, without further ado, let me expose you to the wondrous characters of hiragana!

Random Rant #1: Pronunciation of My Name?

Hey there!

A while ago I was surfing the web and out of the blue, thought to search for the meaning behind my name. But I was dumbfounded when the other Alicia's who commented on the page said that they HATED it when their names were read the way I've always read my name.

Just in case you haven't already seen the profile on the right side and read the first paragraph up there, my name is Alicia.

I've always pronounced it "A-LEE-SHEE-AH", with the "SH" sound clearly emphasized. But according to said website and other Alicia's around the globe, it's pronounced "A-LEE-SEE-AH".

So does this mean that all my life, I've been pronouncing my own name wrongly?

I've never had a problem with the "SH" pronunciation. In fact, people rarely ever call me by my real name cause I go by a variety of nicknames. Even my own mom switches back and forth between the two pronunciations when she decides to call me by my name (which is a rare occasion). I've also had my fair share of spelling mishaps.

Although indeed, thinking about the phonics of where I live, it's easier for people to call me by the "A-LEE-SEE-AH" pronunciation. I wouldn't have doubts about it if my name was Alisia and not Alicia.

Now I am faced with the fact that this seemingly foreign pronunciation might be the correct way to read my name. The possibility that to the countless relatives and people that I've met, I may have, every single time, introduced myself incorrectly. Am I really someone who can't pronounce her name right? And it's not even that weird a name.

I don't know anything anymore. I won't blame you if you fail to see how dire of a situation this is, but I will definitely appreciate your opinion! How would you pronounce my name? Help me! Comment!

アリシア ← Even this is read A-REE-SHEE-AH

Now listening: Yasashisa no Riyuu (優しさの理由) - ChouCho

Picture source: http://twiinklex.com/tag/meme/

Essential Korean Phrases for Travel

Hi!

So you might have read from my last post, that I've recently been to Seoul. Technically it was a four-day "transit" so we didn't stay very long. It was my first time in Korea, and although the weather was far from desirable (more like a tourist's worst nightmare really) it didn't stop us from enjoying the sights of Seoul. Except for the Namsan Tower. Guess we'll have to come back for that! (haha ;D) I would love to explore Korea more in the future (not just Seoul).

Now for what the post is all about!

Btw: I'm a learner of Korean, not a native speaker. However, I am a fellow traveller/learner, so here I am sharing my knowledge with you :D Here are some essential phrases you might want to keep in mind as a tourist in Korea!

* "Key Words" are the most crucial/focal words of the sentences.

1. 화장실이 어디에요? (hwa-jang-shil-i eo-di-e-yo?) = Where is the toilet?

2. 길을 잃어버렸어요. (gil-eul ee-reo-beo-ryeo-sseo-yo) = I've lost my way.

3. 길을 좀 가르쳐주세요. (gil-eul jom ga-reu-chyeo-ju-se-yo) = Please show (lit. tell/teach) me the way.

Recap of Summer 2013 - My Favourite Places

Hey!

Finally I'm back! I was very busy taking care of school and other matters. Plus I had some problems with my pictures and weren't able to upload them on the site :(

This post will also be dedicated to my summer trip, although I know it's long over. Within the course of 31 days, my family and I went to Canada, Florida, and Seoul :)
The title is self-explanatory. Here's a list of my most favorite places during the trip, in no particular order:

1. Walt Disney World Epcot, Orlando

What looks like the world's biggest golf ball is actually Spaceship Earth, the symbol of Epcot.

Actually I really loved all the parks in WDW. I'm a big Disney girl. I grew up watching the Disney classics, my favourite being "Mulan". I spent my birthday in Epcot, and although at first I was a little doubtful of whether it was the right place to go to that day, I swallowed up all my hesitation as soon as I saw the world showcase across the lake.

If I had to rank the ones I visited, it would be: Epcot, with Magic Kingdom a close second, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.

My favorite Epcot pavilion? Japan. (Yes I'm partly biased) I also loved France!! It was so beautiful :D

However, biased as I am, it is not without reason. Let me tell you why!

Miyuki Sugimori, also known as Candy Miyuki, a candy artist. She's the only female candy artist in existence. We were marveling at her skilled hands sculpting a white taffy dough into various animals, each done in less than a minute. I requested a purple unicorn. See the picture below :)

In addition, the staff at one of the Japanese restaurants we ate at sang to me and gave me a slice of cake with a candle on top, plus a pink origami ring which was really cute. I also got to see the 4th of July fireworks display. Left me speechless.

2. Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls City

I was presented with a most wonderful sight when I arrived at Horseshoe Falls. I was in awe at the sight of it roaring its way down, crashing down at the water below. Simply one of the most wonderful things I'd ever seen. We bought the full adventure pack and experienced everything Niagara: Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk, and Niagara's Fury.

Later in the day, a full rainbow appeared, and our cameras were snapping away despite the struggle of the attacking mist.

For more Niagara Falls pictures, please check out Summer 2013: Niagara Falls

3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando

So far my favorite land of the park. I adored the way it was made. I felt like I was really in a snow-capped town in winter even though it was a burning hot summer day. It's also home to one of the best rides I'd ever been on - Harry Potter the Forbidden Journey. Totally awesome!! We were lucky enough to be able to ride it twice!

I LOVED the Butterbeer there (you should definitely try it). It's pretty sweet, but not sweet enough that you it would make you sick. I'm not that big on sweet stuff myself, but I just had to buy another one because I loved it so much. I personally preferred the frozen one over the regular one :)

For all Harry Potter fans (and non-fans all the same), this is a must-visit place!