Here is the first installment of ‘Resources’ (not yet posted as a separate page).
Below are images of all the books specific to Bento that I have.
CLICK ‘READ THE REST’ AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
to see larger pictures and descriptions of each book.
To translate Japanese words, use this site: http://www.rikai.com/perl/Home.pl
‘Resources’ Section
Hey all,
I just recently had an epiphany as a result of a few of my friends commenting on my bento. SINCE I’m so passionate (yet a rookie) about Bento, I plan to make a ‘resources’ section of my site.
Of course, this will not be JUST for Bento, I’ll also have site and probably some Japanese language resources, but the starting will be BENTO. Right now, It’ll probably be a compliation of some pages from my many bento books and some awesome bento links on the web. ^_^
so look out!
I started taking pictures of two books, and I’ll continue.
I will also announce updates through my blog (especially since this new section will not be created until the next layout).
Portfolio Update
Hey, ppl have been telling me to update the graphic art section of my site, and I did! Well, kinda. I added a ‘website portfolio’ section (which is only 1/2 completed). And I will add graphic art soon (most avail @ discojing.deviantart.com ) but I don’t know how integrating graphic art into this site will work. Right now I’m keeping the same layout that I had since version 2 and just changing colors and featured images. I really dont want to overhaul my site just for graphic art viewing purposes, though i guess, like my bio, that I could make a seperate page.
Monday 03.03
Today I woke up at 5AM and trucked over to school (my old high school), which started at 7:25~ish. I knew the day would start off bad when I didn’t have time for breakfast or starbucks and I then had to drive around what used to be visitor parking and ask someone where visitor parking was (which was parallel parking in the tiny bus lane WHILE buses were coming O_O), but I think I pulled off the parallel parking pretty well considering that I couldn’t really straighten my car for fear of hitting a big yellow, metal thing called a BUS.
I was a bit early to class, and was able to talk to Sensei for a bit, and since the classes today were all full, I had to sit in a chair right next to Sensei’s desk. -__-;;;
First class was Japanese 4/AP and I found out that there are really big problems with the Japanese AP test (well, they tested 302 level Japanese students at Mason [me!] and 202 level Japanese students at UVA [me, again!] to make it, and it was hard for us, so yeah….) I feel like they should make the AP test like the SAT II for Japanese (WHICH i scored preTTy high on given the fact I took it before I finished all Japanese high school classes). Also, Sensei told me that the AP Japanese students and 4th year Japanese students have almost no difference. (AP Japanese are students that have been taking immersion since 1st grade). Er… I don’t know how I feel about that. Seems like a bit of a waste. Aren’t Spanish immersion people like awesome by high school? But, in a sense I was happy/sad that their Japanese was bad. 良し悪しね. I was really worried that I would suck ass in comparison or make a lot of mistakes, but just like @ Abermarle high school, they didn’t understand anything I said! Again, right after the 自己紹介 (introduction) Sensei asked me to speak in English. @_@. [by the way, what do you say at the end END of a presentation? It's like: "hajimemashite.....douzo yoroshiku" then ...present... and I feel like I should say "it was a pleasure meeting you" (like yoroshiku), but in english that comes at the END end where in Japanese that comes at the middle and then there is an awkward -_- when the person/i leave(s). should i just say yoroshiku again? waAAaa]
I stayed from the beginning until 11:45 and then left (didnt get to eat my bento!) then popped over to EmbroidMe and got my name embroidered on my sigma Jacket (they said they couldn’t do my Jersey cause they couldn’t make it straight), then went to work for a few hours and then headed out to DC! [Stupid mom left no gas in the car so when I was on 66, far away from any gas stations, the gas light came on--and stayed on, so I had to explore Vienna for gas stations X_X]
Riding the metro by myself reminded me of Japan, except the fact that I actually had a seat and the metro was all ugly and orange. I met Nita @ the starbucks in B/N (which is a LOT further from the metro than I thought–I always walk with dan, so I have company) I got a chai frappachino (still too spicy!), espresso brownie, and picked up Nita’s green tea frapp.
So the weather today was really weird. At first it was good, then staying outside too long it was cold, but then walking around made me sweaty. C_C.
We walked around Georgetown a bit, window shopping (we saw a CRAZY lady at BeBe that was all white trashy and old and was yelling cause ppl at the store had accused of her stealing, and stormed out. 10 minutes later she comes back and asks to speak to the manager so that she can get a piece of paper to show her kids to prove shes not a theif. O.o. the same kids that are standing outside by themselves. O.o) I bought that thing I have always (3+yrs!) from Body Shop, and finally found out what scent they use. [exotic + passion fruit + strawberry oils & glass oil heater] then went to MAC. Ok, I REALLY love the MAC in georgetown, they speak to me like an equal (maybe cause they didn’t know that I broke that display eyeshadow ~_~) not like a customer! Nita liked the foundation and fluidline so (after like 10 minutes) the guy came over and helped us. Nita bought the Studio Fix (moisturizer and foundation) in NC40, Blacktrack Fluidline, and the 280(i think) Brush. I bought Blacktrack Fluidline (mine was like 4+ years old and dry and i could see the bottom of the container) and the White/Iridescent fludiline. I bought this fluidline to replace the white pencil eyeliner I’m using from Japan, but this fluidline doesn’t seem to show up that well, and since I use the same brush for black and white, I have to do white first and then super clean my brush after black >_< . So, my mind isn't made up yet about the white fluidline.
Ate @ Bangkok Joes (we both were strangely not hungry, but leftovers were my lunch the next day!!) [pics below] on the Harbor, which was suPPosed to be pretty, but much like UVA, was riddled with ugly construction.
Met Nita's sister and friend, walked back to the metro (which i found out is like the same distance from the rosslyn stop) and parted ways. buuu for having to stand until Dunn Loring, but I got off @ vienna at 9:45 and got home by 10:20-ish (with a detour to Manassas borders!)
These are the two mac palletes that i created for Japan. I put all of my most frequently used colors into two and had to survive off of that in Japan and resultantly, at UVA b/c I went straight to UVA.
Click below to see more pictures and more info about this week
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SO I’m eating my bento now (‘school’ let out early) and I’ve come upon a few things…
the pancake sammies were good (would have tasted better with strawberry jam rather than grape jelly), and i haven’t dipped into the yogurts yet. the omelette i made, though cold and firm, TASTES really good! I’m so proud of myself! (now to recreate it). (though, I’m torn b/c they were a bit soggy.)
I’m torn over bento for tomorrow. pork in that sauce, but i want to make those cranberry almond pancakes!
i’m also mad at my brother cause he didnt go to school today (hence no usage of the bento!) oh well, if he goes to school tomorrow, he’ll use the same one ^_^ NO NEW BENTOs! Especially since i gave him food at the expense of my sparse sparse bento.
So I had an excuse to FINALLY bust out my new bento (haven’t used since I bought it in Japan in August!)
I thought this baby would be too big for me, but that one extra compartment is perfect!
Since I’ll be making bento for myself the next few days, i figured that it would also be nice for me to make it for my sister and brother. Though, I didn’t tell them I was doing this, so hopefully they know.
I had originally planned to make Katsudon, tempura-ed pork cutlet on top of rice with an egg on top that cooks itself with the heat from the rice and pork, BUT the pork was NOT cooperating. My dad made me get pork from target so it was super thick and he lost his meat tenderizer so I eneded up SOMEHOW flaying these pork cutlets.
Another experimental thing was that I tried, like cookin’ mama says, to put them in egg>flour>pankc (bread crumbs) but I think i put too much flour on it so the panko wouldn’t stick! My dad also hid the rice from me so while I was looking for it I kinda burnt the tonkatsu (hacving to cut off the black-ish ends) and kinda ‘baking’ the bottom of my ome! [but it was okay cause i got to use my cool cool omelets pan from the Japan dollar store!]
I made my sister and brothers the same. My sister’s is in a horizontal rilakkuma bento where my brother’s is in a vertical tiger bento (actually my sisters).
yes, i know omelette is spelled wrong. it’s omeleT.
I actually ran out of omelette and tonkatsu for MY bento so i got extra sammies.
the picture pretty much explains everything BUT i forgot to say that I put a little ritter sport cappachino (sp?) square in there. which reminds me… i wanna try pancake sammies with nutella! (too bad my house doesn’t have any) nutella and banana pancake sammies, yummy~!
oh, and after i gave up on katsudon, i wanted to make little rolls with the egg rolled around a tonkatsu strip but i baked the ome too long and it broke when i tried to roll it.
on another note, i bought these nashi (asian pears) from target and they looked fine on the outside but they were MOLDED on the inside. I cut around the molded center and tasted them and they tasted okay (hopefully they are).
tomorrow i will make pork in soy sauce (chinese dish) with butternut squash! i bought some today cause i was craving it. funny thing is… i’ve never made it! (trust me, i tried to find canned squash but they didnt have it).
i thought this bento would be super quick but i took my time and kept getting side tracked and encountering obstacles so it actually took be about 2 hrs (cleaning included).
ingredients
tonkatsu: pork, panko, flour, egg (2), vegetable oil, tonkatsu sauce
ome: egg (3), baby spinach, dash of parmesean cheese, pepper, panko, soy milk
pancake sammies: whole grain pancakes, cream cheese, grape jelly
nicole’s yogurt: strawberries (yuck!), blueberries, nashi, vanilla activ yogurt, grape nuts
I thought I was pretty good on my bento in keeping healthy (just a drizzle of sauce and i snuck veggies in the omelet) and i also kept with bento rules of having equal colors. though the bento was really yellow/brown I added in green with the baby spinach leaves and blue and red with the fruit (though i don’t like strawberries!). i also am drinking pom juice instead of vitamin wanter.
I HAD to make a bento–I’m volunteering for Japanese class tomorrow! (i guess today since its past midnight)
Latte update
Okay, I couldn’t wait guys. I got a honey latte @ my starbucks on friday night, and lets just say its not for me. Maybe its because i got it w/ skim milk and no whip? I wanted coffee with honey in it but it tasted like tea! watery tea with a kinda nutty honey aftertaste.
SO i went to the starbucks in the super-target today (Sunday) and got a chai latte, and i hate to say this starbucks, but i like greenberry’s chai latte better! starbucks’ is actually really spicy. too spicy! i think greenberry’s has the perfect blend.
Sushi Yama
Dan and I went to Sushi Yama and we had a delicious dinner! The only bad thing being that I ordered ‘puff’ sushi, thinking they meant inari. Hmm… I was wrong. oh, and i got kissen ume shu. ’twas ok.
