FOOD REVIEW | Taste of Shanghai, World Square

In celebration of my sister's promotion the other week, we went to eat dumplings! Although, there's never really a need to have dumplings anyway haha. But since she didn't want to bother walking to New Shanghai in City Westfields, we opted for Taste of Shanghai (World Square 644 George St). World Square is very conveniently situated close to Town Hall Station so we could carry our fat stomachs back home very quickly haha. I've been here once before the pretty renovations and wasn't too wow-ed with the food but I think I like the food more this time around.

 We had to wait ~15 minutes for 3 people around 7pm on a Tuesday so that was all right. Priceline is really close by after all~ Although the renovations made the place more pretty, the seating arrangements were still relatively uncomfortable for some areas when people are shuffling around or with waiters bringing out food but it was overall fine, I've been to worse haha. Now for food!

Braised Pork Belly with Quail Eggs $24.80

Look at that ultra fatty piece on the top right!! Wow! Hahaha! Otherwise, I really liked this dish, the pork belly was very soft and tender. Melted in my mouth with a nice wholesome flavour. I thought the quail eggs were quite quirky too. It was hard to grab them with my chopsticks though! Haha. I'd say the price was a bit steep though, but it tasted good so doesn't matter too much~ Better than if it was expensive and didn't taste good lol!

Wonton in Red Chilli Oil (10 pcs) $10.80

Easily my favourite dish of the bunch! I don't think I've ever really tried something like this before. I really should venture out of the classic dumplings that I love lol. But this was really good! Not only was the taste very addictive with the chilli oil that was moderately spicy but the texture of the wonton skins were interestingly chewy but smooth. It was so fascinating lol! Definitely recommended!

Pan Fried Pork Buns (8 pcs) $10.80

Classic buns. Nothing special, nothing bad~ Overall flavour was good and I wouldn't mind ordering these here again since they were pretty juicy!

Xiao Long Bao (8 pcs) $10.80

I actually really liked the xiao long bao here. The skin was a bit thick but that was made up for with the taste and juiciness of the meat. I was quite surprised that the taste was so defined even through the thicker skin. Love it!

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings (8 pcs) $10.80

Leaving the dud for last! Wasn't very impressed with this one whether it be the skin or the taste. Taste was rather average but I think I just didn't really like that the skin wasn't very crunchy at all but mostly just hard. Could've been better.

Overall, considering the convenience of the location and relatively okay pricing for dumplings in the city, I probably would come by again, especially since I'm studying in the city and my sister's workplace is so close by. Probably would come just for those wontons <3 I'm craving them again already haha!

FOOD REVIEW | Mr Stonebowl/石锅先生, Burwood

I hadn't seen my friend in nearly half a year so we decided to meet up at Burwood for lunch the other day. I haven't been here for a while to try different restaurants so I was rather doubtful of how good this restaurant could possibly be even though my friend informed me that there's usually a 1-2 hour line waiting to get in for dinner at night. We visited at around 12:30-1 and had to wait around 15-20 mins to get in with 2 people at this Mr Stonebowl/石锅先生 (185c Burwood Road). Isn't the name adorable?! I love it! Haha!

It's only like a 10-15 minute walk from Burwood Station as well so it's really convenient to pop by there for lunch/dinner but do remember that there is usually a line. In addition, although it is probably cooler inside than the scorching heat outside, the air conditioning (if it has any) didn't really help because I was still sweating like crazy inside lol but a plum juice/酸梅湯 solves everything! Since the dish names are really vague in Chinese and English, I thought I'd put the name of both under the photos but they sound too cool to not put them there anyway haha. They seem to be quite secretive about their sauces in their dishes but that's understandable since it tastes amazing!! Service was average since they were so busy but they're very quick and efficient so I liked it. Food came really quickly as well.

虫草花原味炖肉排汤/ Pork Rib w/ Corn and Mushroom Soup ($4.80)

A bit blurry but this soup was sooo good! It tasted like real soup. Like, I know that sounds ridiculous but there are so many Asian places that serve those soups of the day that just taste bland and lack the time and ingredients into making them but this one, oh my gosh, I already fell in love with the first sip. Don't be creeped out by those tentacle looking things, they're apparently mushrooms haha, I tried it; tasted good haha. Definitely recommended if you miss the taste of your mother/father's soup. Definitely doesn't taste like they added water and although it is light in flavour, you can taste that they really brought out the taste of the ribs and mushrooms (and other secret ingredients!) into the soup really well. It doesn't taste heavy at all and is thus a perfect accompaniment with any meal. I shared this with my friend but you can easily devour this by yourself. Worth every penny!

老上海生煎包9pcs/ Pan Fried Pork Buns ($8.80)

I wasn't very fond of these buns here. The bun itself was quite soft and smooth with the hint of pan fried taste on the bottom but the filling was really average. The meat didn't taste very dense and seemed quite dry and overcooked. I wouldn't order this again. Especially since there are so many other dishes that sound interesting on the menu!

石锅法式牛尾/ Oxtail in Special Sauce ($15.80)

This dish was tasty but also quite average. Nothing special. It was also more bony than I would've liked since there wasn't that much meat but the sauce was good in that it wasn't overly sweet but was savoury. It tasted like they cooked this in their special sauce for quite a while in that you could really taste the flavour in the meat and seemed to have a combination of spices in order to make it smell so fragrant and droolworthy, The sauces in these dishes are definitely the main selling item.

魔鬼嫩滑鸡/Marinated Tender Chicken ($7.80)

This was my favourite dish of all! If it's unclear what it is and if you think it grosses you out because of the green sauce, don't be! This was quite possibly the most refreshing but great tasting and flavoursome cold chicken dish. The sauce does have that sort of wasabi freshness and sort of chilli sensation when you eat it but it is also very creamy and full of flavour. It has that light and tangy feel to it like those Thins chips hahaha. Nevertheless, the sauce is to die for and the chicken is super smooth and tasty combined with it and as you can see, there's plenty of sauce for the chicken to be fully drenched in it! Definitely a must try if you come here! I was so sceptical about this in the beginning because of the look of it but I'm so so glad that I tried it.

I'd definitely recommend coming here if you're okay with relatively comfortable seating. Probably best to come when the weather isn't too hot though haha. But yes, I would love to come again just because there were so many other dishes that looked so good that I wanted to try like this whole fish and other stonepots etc. If only I had another stomach..and probably another wallet haha. But yes, definitely one of the better Asian restaurants I've been to in Sydney and they speak Mandarin/English so don't be too intimidated if you visit!

FOOD REVIEW | XS Espresso, Wetherill Park

I was planning on posting this up earlier but due to exams, I just really didn't have the time. The amount of paper and ink I used printing out all those notes..eughh, but hopefully I passed! Anyways, back to the main point!

So my sister tried to wake me up the other day on Sunday but as usual, since it's the weekend, why would I wake up early? Until...she offered to take me to big breakfast, in which alerted me to jump out of bed instantly and get ready lol.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much even though I felt like I've heard of XS Espresso before but I pushed it to the back of my mind and man was I mind blown (or maybe my stomach was blown) because the breakfast was damn good. The line wasn't too long, around 15-20 minutes max probably, although we did get a rather squashy seat. Atmosphere was nice and lively though and the food came pretty fast! I'd know since I was starving and it came before my stomach complained haha. I forgot to take down the prices though :( But they weren't too expensive. max $25 with a drink each person.

Best big breakfast I've eaten in a loong time! The eggs were soo perfect, super light and fluffy and just melted in my mouth. It was so soft, I wished I had more! The mushrooms were really good as well, they brought out the mushrooms unique flavour out really well. The spinach was on the wetter side but nevertheless delicious in accompaniment with the bacon. The bacon was lightly crisp and not too salty and the tomato really made the dish quite refreshing as well. The avocado was soo smooth and it easily glided on the bread or in my mouth just because I love avocado haha. All in all, this was perfect. Oh wait, except the bread, I don't know why but I always get hard bread lol but this was still better than the time I went to Paper Plane, this one I could still be bothered to cut haha. But my sister's boyfriend's bread was fine so I'm sure it's just my bad luck haha. All in all, this big breakfast was perfect to me. Initially, I was disappointed that the big breakfast didn't have sausages but I think that would have destroyed the balance of this meal since every bite of the different flavours really completed each other. 10/10 loved this. 10/10 would come again for this. I finished this leaving nothing on my plate and I felt super satisfied <3

Since my sister has been converted to a egg benedict fan instead of a big breakfast lover (that traitor!), she ordered this with salmon. She said the salmon was flavoured differently from the usual, but she still sort of liked this and thought that the egg was perfect. It oozed out deliciously and the hollandaise sauce complemented it perfectly. The salmon was a bit salty on its own but that's fine since it balances out with the spinach and egg. But she also said there was a bit too much hollandaise sauce for her and that she'd rather go somewhere else for egg benedict w/ salmon  so yeah... I tried a bit of the salmon and I didn't like it so big breakfast ftw!

Since I knew the big breakfast was going to be on the heavier side, instead of opting for one of those monster shakes with a cronut, I got a berry pressed juice. This was lightly sweet and refreshing and the orange was sweet as well! Yay! The only gripe I probably had with it was that there was quite a bit of pulp/residue which made it taste a bit lumpy but it was still fine. It didn't really taste like a berry blast though, seemed really light, like a watermelon blend or something but it did taste pretty natural.

So, we saw this when we walked in so obviously, when we walked out, we wanted it take away lol. Besides the rather bad service it seemed to have for takeaway orders since we ordered 2 berry blast cold pressed juices and 2 cronuts that took as long as the waiting time we had trying to get a seat in this place (it felt that long considering the things we ordered were premade; besides the juice which we thought she was making that's why it took so long..) and then seem to have been forgotten by the people behind the counter as someone had to ask my sister's boyfriend what he had ordered again and then proceed to tell us that there's actually no more berry blast lol. So we just opted for another juice and left, yeah wasn't impressed but whatever I guess. It's a Sunday after all~ 

But anyway, it's put in a brown paper bag that just took at least half of the nutella off of the top haha so there's missing nutella here and there. But yeah, I like Brewtown Newtown's cronuts more. I feel like this was more of a croissant where it has the crispy flakey part of the croissant but it doesn't have the fluffiness from a croissant or donut in it so it was pretty average. In addition, all the flavour seems to have to come from the nutella (which is fine) so the dough itself was really plain. Personally, I don't think it was combined nicely together. Definitely not one of the best cronuts.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this place for breakfast/lunch, I really want to try the burgers next time, they looked so good! Juices and cronuts were nothing special and definitely not something that would bring me back but that big breakfast definitely can. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat another one! Maybe, I can opt for their monster shakes that they're so popular for next time haha!

FOOD REVIEW | Eat Love Pizza, Darling Harbour

After much nagging and bribing, I finally got my sister to go with me to watch Boruto: Naruto the Movie on the condition that we have lunch somewhere before the movie. In which was perfect for me to suggest this trip to Eat Love Pizza (31 Wheat Road, Sydney) since she also promised to go with me there as well. Hahaha, the little sister privileges are going strong even at 23 years old.

 Anyway, this restaurant is located conveniently next to the IMAX theatre and is like a 10 minute walk from Town Hall station since it's situated at Darling Harbour. Without saying, it has a beautiful view and a nice atmosphere to the place, as well as great service that is quick, efficient and very kind. At lunch time anyway haha. Plenty of space during the day as well. Since we bought a Groupon as the Asians that we are, we were able to have 2 entrees, 2 mains and 2 desserts for the price of $59 for lunch I think. Pretty decent price considering that it's a restaurant in Darling Harbour. They occasionally have Groupons for this restaurant so maybe next time you guys can look out for it if you're planning to try it. I'll still put the original prices for the dishes (if I can find them), just in case anyone is curious.

Classic Tomato Bruschetta ($12)

This was the first to come and although this was our safe option, we weren't too fond of it. Personally, I prefer my bread more on the crunchy side so the potency and excess sauce (apparently balsamic vinegar) wasn't to my liking since the bread became very soft. It was also a bit salty but albeit refreshing since the tomatoes tasted very fresh. However, I still think the sauce overpowered everything since it seeped into the bread.

Arancini crumbed risotto balls with tomato dipping sauce

This was very interesting but really salty. It tasted like a falafel to me but a bit more dense and concentrated and a strong taste of crumbs that reminded me of bread? It tastes much better with the dipping sauce but not anything special, I wasn't very fond of this either. The outside tasted like it had a strong taste of salty cheese and the inside was plain crumbed risotto and it should have been a good match with the tomato sauce but to me, I think it lacked a punch to it that could have made the flavours mesh better together.

Supreme (Ham, mushroom, cabanossi, pepperoni, olives and spanish onion) $28

The pizzas came with a complimentary salad but my sister and I aren't fond of rocket (I'm just not into salad at all) so we told them that we didn't need it, wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good salad on us~ Anyway, we chose the supreme pizza because we wanted a 'safe' option and yes it was a rather standard fancy pizza. It had an ultra thin base and crust, it's exactly like one of those fancy pizzas you would love to much on with your hands but the base is too thin to carry all the toppings so you might as well use a fork and knife instead. There was nothing special about it, main problem would be the lack of toppings I guess? It also doesn't really taste like a supreme pizza, it tasted more like a lacklustre meat lovers pizza with no mince. Also, the mushrooms were rather wilted.

Gamberi (prawns, chilli, wilted spinach and sweet chilli sauce) $30

I was super excited for this one but this was just too sweet for me. The prawns were really good though, very juicy and complemented the pizza well. But I still think it tasted a lot more like sweet chilli than anything else, I could only taste a hint of chilli here and there, like two bites in the whole pizza. Needless to say, it was an all right pizza but nothing special. The spinach didn't really add much to it but it did dim down the sweetness a bit. Still way too overpoweringly sweet.

Homemade Tiramisu $16

Apologies for the dodgy photo lol (as usual, always one dodgy photo in every review loll). We were rushing to go get the tickets to see Boruto so we had to take this away and I only had time to take a photo after I came home so it flopped down a bit and was quite drenched in the sauce at the bottom. Nevertheless, this was pretty good. I liked it, the sponge and the sauce had a nice harmony and it wasn't too overpowering as long as you dipped the sauce in moderation. But I think it would've tasted better if it had more cream because after a while, you could really tell that most of this was the sponge cake drenched in sweet coffee syrup and that was mostly it. The top part with the cream is my favourite that makes the tiramisu what it is so I was a bit disappointed that there was only a very slight layer of it but it still tasted nice.

Personally, I wasn't very fond of my experience here besides the service. Service was good but food pretty average. Well, it had a nice view though, especially during lunch time when it's not as bustling with people in the restaurant or outside at Darling Harbour. It's always nice to chat with someone and enjoy food with a good view~ .But yeah I think the food here is pretty standard, nothing impressive. I'd recommend to try it through Groupon vouchers if you're interested since it's much cheaper with those and you can try a good variety of stuff.

Extra - Boruto: Naruto the Movie review

Oh and if you're curious, Boruto: Naruto the Movie was okay. It talks about after Naruto has become the 7th Hokage. It was better than what I expected but nothing impressive. I did like the scientific ninja tools though, it really felt like how technology is perceived in our society today and how depending on how we use it and rely on it, it could potentially stunt our growth as people. I mean, with all the convenient things nowadays, it's hard to not lose yourself in how easy it is to do things without any real effort sometimes. Otherwise, classic naruto battles and story. I'm still really sad that Sakura doesn't do anything but stay as a housewife which I'm not demeaning because that's hard work but considering the potential of her character and her capabilities, I really wanted her to really stand at the same level as Naruto and Sasuke considering that they were once a team and a nice combo together. Hinata is fine since that's her role and she has always been the supportive type though. 

But yeah, I'm also not fond of the adult Naruto, I feel like he's lost himself as he grew up to be who he is now. He's like a regular adult with kid troubles which is fine, but Naruto has always been the super energetic, honest and straightforward type of person. I loved that about him the most. He's still a bit of an idiot of course, but I feel like he lost that straightforwardness to his adulthood which I really didn't expect since Naruto is not the type to be tied down by something like that and I was a bit sad. It just felt like he was a completely different person. Maybe I would've accepted it better if there was some sort of  development to it but I feel like he feels so foreign to me now. Sasuke's a bit more dark than cool now as well hahaha. Considering he's supposed to be less dark now, it's a bit funny that he looks like that haha. But I still like him to a certain extent so that's fine. Shikamaru is still the best as usual. I love how his kid is as lazy as him and is pretty much a replica of him lol. Sarada and Boruto together would be cute, I feel like I could see them together after this movie, well I guess that's the consolation present for those who wanted Sakura x Naruto hahaha. And Mitsuki's parents hahaha. I knew it, he looks so similar to him that it was hard to not think so. But yeah, I miss Naruto. Maybe I should read it from the beginning again, I love Gaara so much <3 Too bad he doesn't really do much in the movie haha but that was expected. I hope Kishi's next sci-fi story will be just as engaging and amusing. All the best to him~

[FOOD REVIEW] Thai Riffic on Street, Parramatta

Since my memory sucks and I can't sleep until like 4am anyway, I thought I might as well blog my little trip to the new Thai Riffic on Street (2184B/159-175 Church Street) in Parramatta that is located conveniently beside the escalators to Event Cinemas and the soon to be opened Chefs Gallery. Initially, we were going to go for sushi train but then half an hour before we met up for dinner, my friends and I decided to change plans and come here instead haha. However, I'll have to say I was quite disappointed on my visit due to the taste and small portions. But, the service was really quick and efficient. Our dishes came around 10 minutes after we placed our orders and the staff are quite attentive to our needs and so that's definitely a plus! The menu does seem quite limited though but it's so bright and colourful with lots of photos of the dishes so that was nice to see. Actually, the whole restaurant was very bright with the lights and everything so it definitely has that bustling atmosphere to it. Typical Thai restaurant feel I guess. But yeah, I wasn't really fond of this place.

Geang Keaw Gai (Thai coconut curry w/ green curry paste) $15

The red curry looked quite intimidating and there's no chilli scores on the menu to denote how spicy the dishes were so we decided to just opt to try the appealing green curry w/ chicken. I'll probably be commenting about the small portions a lot but forgive me on that, I was pretty disappointed lol. There wasn't much to this dish, couple of pieces of chicken and green beans with a very watery curry. It had that taste of green curry along with the spiciness but it lack depth to the flavour so it really felt like diluted green curry to a certain extent so I wasn't really a fan of this one.

Chicken Pad Se-ew Neua $12

I actually liked this one but I still think it was a bit too sweet. But it does have sweet soy sauce in it after all so what can you expect I guess. I definitely didn't need the extra sugar on the side though haha. The noodles were nice and chewy with a balanced assortment of fried eggs and chicken so it tasted good overall. However, the portion was small as usual and the chicken was a bit dry.

Meuk Todd (Salt & Pepper Squid) $14

I was the most hyped about this dish since I haven't had s&p squid in a looong time, but sadly I also ended up being the most disappointed with this dish. The sweet chilli sauce was a bit too spicy and weird tasting for my tongue so I opted to just eat the squid plain and as expected, it tasted plain lol. However, I did quite enjoy the texture of the battered squid, could've done better with a bit more salt and pepper though. I couldn't really taste the salt and pepper at all.

Kana Moo Grob (Wok fried Pork Belly) $16

As usual, the small portion turned me off since it also lacked in the veggie department as well lol but presentation-wise, it looked pretty good and I have to admit, this was my favourite dish. The pork belly was really soft and tender but the crispy skin was a bit too chewy for my liking. It was also a bit fatty but it was quite smooth. At first, I really loved the taste and texture but after a bit of veggies and a slice of pork belly, it started to taste really salty and so I would definitely recommend eating some plain steamed rice with this one. But I did enjoy it. The veggies were fresh and crunchy but I think the pork belly could've been cooked in the sauce less longer.

Pang Mo Punn (Watermelon Blend) $6

When my friend and I saw this on the drink menu, we immediately decided to get this haha. This is a juicy watermelon blend with a dash of lime in which I couldn't taste any lime because there was a strong sweet watermelon flavour which was good but then they added some sort of artificial sweetening to it that made it quite sickening. Watermelon is more of a refreshing drink to me so having that super sweet taste to it really ruined the drink  and I needed to eat that watermelon slice to really get that fake sweetness off my tongue. There were also a lot of small cubes of ice that didn't blend entirely and so 2/3 of the drink was spent crunching on quite a bit of ice lol. Definitely wouldn't recommend if you want something refreshing.

Overall, I wasn't really impressed with the food, but I guess my biggest gripe was with the portions since I'm quite used to the larger portions that are offered at Thai restaurants and so I just wasn't full from the meal. It really felt like fancy Thai that didn't taste fancy enough lol. To be fair, I don't really like Thai food in general so I'm pretty biased but yeah, this isn't something I would come back for considering that I prefer cheap and satisfying eats and this simply isn't one of them. And I'm traumatised by the watermelon drink lol.

[FOOD REVIEW] Flavour Shanghai, Ashfield

My sister and I used to love the dumplings at New Shanghai in Ashfield but after the renovations and everything, their buns went smaller (just like all the other shops) and I feel like they didn't have the same quality and taste they used to have. So, I thought it was time to explore other dumpling restaurants around Ashfield since there's so many! After strolling for a bit, my friend and I decided to go to Flavour Shanghai (267c Liverpool Road, Ashfield) which is like 1 or 2 shops away from New Shanghai haha and super close to the train station (5 mins)! It's also just across the road from Ashfield Mall so it's a really convenient place for a break or for lunch. There's also a lot of different dishes catered for takeaway if you're busy but want some pre-prepared food. They were quite tempting and there were a lot of people that came in and out for it whilst we were waiting for our food but I was focused on getting my dose of dumplings today haha~

Pan Fried Pork Buns (8 pcs) $8.80

One of the classics that I'll always order when I'm craving dumplings! After my sister first introduced these to me, I've been sold to these. This one was more on the soft side of pan fried pork buns where the top was nice and fluffy and the bottom was light and a bit crunchy but still mostly soft. It tasted really good just as it came out! So warm and so juicy! Personally, I prefer my buns a bit more crunchy but I can't say no to fluffy buns and meat! The only downside to it was that this took quite a while to come out and so my friend and I had already finished the other dumplings and were quite full. 

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings (8 pcs) $7.80

I haven't had these in soo long! My friend told me that this is one of her usual orders as well since it's her brother's favourite so I thought might as well get these! Personally, I thought these were okay but the skin was a bit hard on the tips making it a bit difficult to chew and bite without pulling on it and the meat dropping haha. But overall, it was good. I was satisfied eating my share <3

Steamed Mini Pork Bun/Xiao Long Bao (8 pcs) $7.80

HAHAHA, sorry for the empty photo lol! I was deciding whether I should even bother taking a photo afterwards since I was so hungry and forgot lol. But I thought, might as well let you guys look at something instead of nothing loll. Anyway, xiao long bao have been one of my core favourites for a while now and I always order them along with the pan fried pork buns. These were quite good but definitely not the best I've had. They were a bit more on the soggy side and the meat inside was a bit dry, probably from over-steaming or leaving it covered for longer than needed and causing the moisture to be locked inside and making them soggy. Otherwise, they pretty much tasted like every other ones I've tried. Fulfilled my cravings but nothing to rave about.

Overall, I think this place was pretty average. I'd come again for the pan fried pork buns when I want them a bit more on the fluffy and soft side or to try the other dishes such as noodles since it seems like they might be popular for those dishes instead but otherwise, I think I'd like to try the other Shanghai restaurants around Ashfield or other suburbs and taste the other dumpling options~

Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy Movies

Two posts in a row! I'm on a roll! Not really. I've had this as a draft for a while..And I never ended up finishing it.. So I thought I'd publish it anyway~ This is what happens when you take a break lol. I had to delete the rest of my food post drafts because I remember eating the food but I can't remember how it tasted like lol. Totally heartbreaking. It's amazing how appalling my memory is lol. I always remember the feelings I get from them but I can never remember much of anything else, so I didn't really want to just say every dish was edible lol. Anywho, for a change of pace, I've always wanted to try reviewing movies, anime and books and stuff as well since I don't always have the time and money to eat out so here ya go!

This is mainly stemmed from my love for Rurouni Kenshin since I was a child. I usually don't like live action adaptations of anime because they're never the same and usually never do justice for how good the anime/manga was but I think this trilogy was a nice light-hearted and simple dose of Rurouni Kenshin.

RATING: 3.5/5

RATING: 4/5

RATING: 3/5

If you don't know about Rurouni Kenshin, I would definitely recommend reading the manga! Probably more so than the anime just because I'm not too keen on his voice in the anime. It's basically the story of an ex-assassin whovows to never kill again and wanders around helping people and thus carries a sword with a reverse blade to keep to his word which is one of the main appeals of Kenshin. The fact that he won't bow down and go back to killing no matter how hard it gets is something typical but I think Kenshin makes you think that even though it's cliche, you can see his determination and perseverance to keeping to this. If you're aware of the plot, the 1st movie is about the fake battosai, about Megumi and the drug dealer. 2nd movie is about helping out Kyoto and 3rd movie is about defeating Shishio Makoto.

For the movies, I personally loved the second movie the most. It was engaging and exciting and there was lots of action! More action than the first one hehe! It was also interesting to see Shishio and the others and it would make you feel excited to watch the third movie. However, the third movie was quite lacklustre in comparison to the others. I'd say it was quite dramatic and draggy. I guess it just wasn't the way I liked it. I guess the excitement and expectations of what was to come made the second movie shine. But I think mostly, it was the nostalgia of seeing Kenshin again that made me really like the movies haha. The fights with Kenshin were always the best for obvious reasons and they were really cool and exciting to watch. It's always a good change from the explosions you usually see hahaha. That is the charm of Kenshin I guess. Also, the soundtacks for the fights and the suspenseful and anticipation of what is to come is felt pretty well through the music. Wouldn't say it was amazing but I admit that I did like it and it did seem to fit the mood pretty nicely.

As for the actors, I think Sato Takeru portrayed a live Kenshin pretty well, I was impressed! I've always been a person that is always like "the original is always the best" but as I've gotten older, I think I've come to appreciate adaptations more and are more open to them. For me, I think I could see Kenshin in him. But I have to say I really did not like how Sanosuke was portrayed. I'm not sure if it was the actor or his scenes but I really didn't like it. I'm well aware that Sanosuke can be an idiot at times but overall, he was cool. He wasn't cool at all in the movies so I was disappointed. As for Kaoru and Megumi, I really couldn't see them in their roles, maybe because they look too young and their scenes are rather static. Megumi didn't have that mature feel to her that I loved. To be fair, they're movies so if Kenshin doesn't have enough screen time, how could the others, but I was still sad. Yahiko was really cute and funny though. And my memories of Misao and Aoshi aren't good enough for me to compare to their anime or manga counterparts but I have to say the costumes were done really well because the moment I saw them, even if I didn't remember their characters, I could tell that I knew them. The only gripe I have with Kaoru is that she never had that beautifully coloured ribbon on her head that defines her character in the anime. I always loved how Kaoru looked and dressed in the anime and I think the movies didn't do that justice. Oh and Shishio looked goood~

All in all, I'd say I enjoyed the movies and would recommend Kenshin fans to watch it just for him cause there is no such thing as too much Kenshin in your life. Otherwise, I'd probably just watch the anime or read the manga just because there's much more depth to the other characters in there rather than just his side kicks. I mean, seriously, Sanosuke is one of my favourites!! I can't get over it lol. And just because Kenshin's "Oro?" face in the anime and manga is just irreplaceable, I don't know how to describe it. Sato Takeru did a good job in it but an anime is an anime and there are expressions that you just can't imitate in real life and this one is quite the memorable one.

[QUICK FOOD REVIEW] Ramen Zundo, World Square + Life update

IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG!

Yes, it's been at least half a year probably lol. Initially, I intended to update this blog every now and then after uni started but then the law student life became way too hectic. As the Chinese saying goes where "there's time to die, but there's no time to get sick", that's how I really felt when I went through that semester and probably this semester as well but man, Australian Constitutional Law has got to be the absolute worst subject I've ever done just because I don't even get what I don't understand about it ugh. Anywho, just wanted to update and say I'm alive. The break between semesters was such a blessing, I completely forgot about this blog lol, until yesterday when I was a bit curious. So, I thought I'd come back and do some random food posts or reviews about stuff I've been liking etc~ Just so it feels like I'm doing something that isn't related to studying but not too bludgy like watching anime lol. Been having an anime marathon and I'm so behind on my studies because the procrastination is strong this semester. I'll probably try and update every fortnight or so but no promises because I never keep my online promises. They're like New Year resolutions, I make plenty but keep to none. Anyway, that's probably it for my life, on to what I had for lunch on Monday! <3

So, I was really intent on rewarding myself after doing an oral presentation on Monday but I remembered the date wrong and it wasn't on Monday but I felt like I should reward my idiocy anyway so I went out for lunch with my sister. And what better choice than to have ramen? I've heard about Ramen Zundo (644 George St, World Square) every now and then but I never realised it was so close to my sister's work place lol. It was quite busy but we managed to grab a table outside after ordering our meals. This is located in that alleyway of food that reminds me of a mini Chinatown or something near Guzman Y Gomez.

Light Zundo Original ($12.90)

I was looking for some miso ramen on the menu but I couldn't find it so I just opted for the most popular option because you usually can't go wrong with that lol. Apparently this is the combination of chicken soup and 12 hour boiled pork soup and I have to say, you can really taste the pork in this one, to the point that I'd say it had the chicken flavour but the pork overpowered it in smell and in the foundation of the taste. It always tasted like pork with a hint of something else. It felt like Gumshara but with a lighter broth and with the extra chicken taste. Personally, I'm not a big fan of pork soup broth but I thought this was pretty good. The noodles were average, they were springy and good. I'd say, a bit better than instant noodles, there's a bit more substance to it than those instant noodle packet ones but otherwise, nothing special. The egg was good but could've been a bit more gooey. So, near perfect, I liked it. The main highlight of this dish was probably the chashu. There's only two pieces but they were pretty big and they were so soft but they could've been softer. It didn't melt into my mouth like others have but the taste of it complemented really well with the broth and the fattiness of it, yep that was good. It might be a tad too fatty for others though. Overall, I really enjoyed it. But I still want miso ramen lol.

For a side that I forgot to capture a photo of, we had the Panfried Pork Gyoza 5 pcs ($6.90) and the skin wasn't to my liking. It was pan fried very nicely where it was a bit crispy but also soft and I really wanted to say it was perfect but the skin sadly could not live up to it. The skin broke quire easily and the contents didn't have enough juice(?) to make the gyoza mesh well as a whole. I felt like I was eating the meat and skin separately and I wasn't very fond of that. It really made me want to eat my mum's handmade dumplings though~

Overall, I think this is a nice pit stop for lunch or dinner. The service is quick and efficient and it's in the CBD close to Town Hall and Central so super convenient whether you're taking a break from shopping or on a break from uni/work. I don't think it was memorable enough for me to have the urge to go again though. If I were to go again, I'd probably try the curry, my sister liked it.

[FOOD REVIEW] Aqua S Ice Cream Parlor, CBD

Since I'll be going back to uni tomorrow, I thought I'd at least post about this before I sleep! I'm a bit nervous to go back to uni anyway so I probably won't be sleeping much haha. And thinking about ice cream might make me feel better about it :p

On to the ice cream! If you haven't noticed, Aqua S (Regent Place, 501 George St) has been all the buzz on Instagram and at any time I talk about ice cream with someone. I tried it on two different occasions to check out the new flavours and thus the salted dark chocolate flavour is unfortunately not available anymore :( but sea salt will always be there!

The best thing about this place is that it's really close to Town Hall station. It's opposite another popular place called Chanoma Cafe. Although others have talked about long lines here, I've been lucky to miss them on both occasions. It's probably because I go at times like 5 and 7 on weekdays when everyone either wants to go home or eat dinner haha. It's important to know that there's not much seating here, there were only like 3 or 4 tables and they're usually occupied. I'd say waiting in line, ordering and waiting for my ice cream took around 5-10 minutes max. Relatively fast.

You can choose between a waffle cone or cup but ice cream always feels incomplete without the cone and so I opted for the cone! In the above, I got the Sea Salt w/ Salted Dark Chocolate Cone + grilled marshmallow ($5.30).  The ice cream cone costed $3.80 and an extra $1.50 for each topping which includes grilled marshmallows, popping candy and fairy floss. I really just wanted to try the ice cream so I didn't want anything fancy. The grilled marshmallow was okay, it was really soft but not really worth the price for me.

As for the ice cream, I was actually surprised at how creamy it was! Although the salted dark chocolate flavour isn't available anymore, it tasted exactly how I would expect it to taste like. It had a very rich dark chocolate taste but I think the combination of sea salt with it made it really salty! By the end of it, all I could taste was salty creamy ice cream. The ice cream has that nice whipped cream sort of texture and is definitely filling! I actually liked the sea salt flavour, it was very interesting, salty but refreshing at the same time. I liked the cone too, it has a hint of chocolate flavour and is nice and crunchy! Oh and for all the photo takers, beware! This ice cream melts extremely fast! My friend took this one photo and it already started melting haha! By the time I walked out of the shop, I was already furiously licking it to save my hands.

And now on to the Chinese New Year flavours! These will be only available for two weeks (probably only 1 week and a bit by the time I post this) since they change flavours every two weeks to keep things interesting for everyone. This time around, they have the Taro and Mandarin flavour available in a combo with the sea salt flavour! I really wanted to try both so I grabbed my sister and made her get the mandarin flavour hehe. (She took the photo as well :D) To my surprise, I liked the mandarin combo with sea salt much better than taro. Alhough taro really did have the taste of taro, But I think the sweetness of it overwhelmed the taro taste a bit. It was extremely sweet when eaten along with the sea salt flavour. It probably didn't help that the other was salty and in turn made the taro taste even sweeter. I think the taro and sea salt flavours are both very dominant and so I didn't really like this super creamy combo but I think individually, taro would've tasted pretty good. It's as creamy as the sea salt flavour.

On the other hand, I thought the mandarin flavour was on point! It really tasted like a mandarin! It tasted like a fresh and ripe mandarin that has lots of juice and is sweet and refreshing at the same time. The mandarin flavour was extremely refreshing actually! I'd definitely recommend giving this a try if you like mandarins. In addition, when accompanied with the sea salt flavour, it gives your tongue a nice break from the saltiness and even after finishing it, you wouldn't feel too overwhelmed by all that ice cream you devoured.

Overall, I think this place is definitely worth a try if you're into soft serve-like ice cream that is really creamy and packed with flavour. Only down side would be how quickly it starts melting, it never fails to get on to my tissue and hands! Not sure if it's worth all the hype that's going on but I'd say I liked it and wouldn't mind going again to try other different flavours in the future.

[FOOD REVIEW] Alice's Tea Cafe, Chatswood

I haven't had the time to talk about this cafe I visited a while ago since the time I bought the vouchers from Scoopon for the breakfast and high tea. I went on different occasions for the two and so I wasn't pigging out! :p 

Alice's Tea Cafe is a cafe located on Level 3, Westfield Chatswood (1 Anderson Street). It has an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme with chess pieces and soft elegant chairs. There's even a teddy bear on their little couches! However, there were some chairs and couches that looked a bit dirty and stained so that was a bit of a turn off. I didn't even realise until my friend mentioned it! At times, it can be a bit loud since it is located in Westfield but it is also a nice place to chill and unwind in a busy environment. Service seemed relatively fast; probably around 10-15 minutes?

I've had the Mocha ($3.80) a few times already and I liked it but wanted to opt for something different this time and they happened to add Green Tea Latte ($3.50) to the menu. I've never tried any sort of green tea latte before so I didn't know what to expect but I personally wasn't a fan. It seemed to have some powdery flecks and was quite milky. The green tea taste seemed quite artificial and was quite sweet for green tea. If I come here again, I don't think I'll order this.

Although the latte wasn't anything impressive, I really liked the Eggs Benedict with free range eggs, hollandaise sauce and ham served on sourdough with baby spinach ($13). Isn't the pig board super cute?! Haha, I think they changed to serving with these recently because I used to just get a big white plate. I think this one is either a hit or miss. The quality of this cafe varies every time I visit. The last time I ate this, the egg didn't ooze out at all! It was fully cooked. But the other time I visited, the egg was so soft and fluffy and the oozing yolk just made it all the more droolworthy. The ham is pretty average, nothing special, reminds me of woolies ham. That would go for the bread and spinach as well. The sauce was nice and runny with a slight tinge of sourness to make the saltiness of the ham a bit more endearing. Overall, I liked it but I'm rather iffy about the quality of the food here these days.

I can't really remember the price of the high tea now, it's been a while but it's okay since I wouldn't recommend it anyway haha. The apple juice tastes just like Goulburn Valley but there was an occasion where it tasted really sour and diluted and so I don't think I'd get juice here anymore if I come back.

The high tea here was quite mediocre. The fruit cake and tarts on the top tier looked really similar to ones you could get from Woolworths and they did taste like the ones there so I would assume they were store bought. As for the macarons, I couldn't really taste the difference between the flavours, they were all just super sweet. Full of sugar with macaron texture.

On the second tier were raisin scones with jam and whipped cream. Nothing too crazy here but I personally didn't like the raisin scones. There were a lot of raisins and it was quite hard on the outside and it was soft on the inside but quite dry. 

The best thing about this high tea were surprisingly the sandwiches! I don't know if it's because everything else was sub par but they tasted quite nice. Perfectly sized and a bit warm. Chicken was a bit dry but it nicely complemented with the tomato and greens. The bread was nice too. Wouldn't say they were the best sandwiches ever but definitely the best tier.

Overall, I don't think I would come back here for their high tea. I think the mocha was nice though. It had a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness to it that I enjoyed. The egg benedict was enjoyable but due to the varying quality, I don't think I'd come back especially for it.

[QUICK FOOD REVIEW] Kenzi Sake Bar, Chatswood

Since I work in Chatswood, my voucher addict sister told me about a Scoopon voucher that is $9 for bowl of ramen and a soft drink can at Kenzi Sake Bar (Shop 5, 409 Victoria Avenue Chatswood). I've never been here before and I thought it would be a good place to have a nice chat with a friend and fulfil my ramen cravings. You can choose from Miso ramen, Tonkotsu ramen and Shoyu ramen. It has a nice Japanese feel to the place and the service is quick. The voucher is valid until the 5th of April and is exclusively valid for lunch time which is 11am-3pm. So if you're in Chatswood and would like a fast and satisfying meal, this is a place to check out.

I don't know when it started but ever since some time ago, I've become a fan of Miso ramen. Whenever there's an option for a miso base, I would always always choose it! I just love the flavour it has. So of course, I was curious about the miso ramen here. The most disappointing thing about it was that the egg wasn't the nicely marinated soft boiled egg that is usually served in ramen in other stores. This one was a very normal boiled egg haha. But I really really liked their choice of putting pork and this deep fried tofu (sorta thing) with the noodles. They soaked up the flavour of the soup really well complementing the ramen wonderfully. I especially loved the pork since it was very soft and tender. It was a tad bit fatty though. The noodles are very standard, not handmade or anything, just the typical soft thin noodles like the ones at Ramenkan. In addition, the soup wasn't the best I've tasted because I do like the bit of chilli that some other miso ramen have but this tasted pretty nice. It wasn't salty but I did feel like it had more of a soy sauce flavour to it than miso though.

Overall, I liked it. I'd say that I like Menya and Ramenkan's ramen more but I think this is a pretty cheap alternative in Chatswood. Personally, I liked the restaurant atmosphere and the service. It's also located at Chatswood Concourse and so it is really close to Chatswood station and Westfields making it a very convenient spot for lunch.

[FOOD REVIEW] Red Pepper, Strathfield Sports Club

Ever since I missed out on trying some Korean fried chicken in Melbourne, I've had this constant weird craving to eat Korean a lot. But I guess it couldn't be too bad if it spawned this post, right?

Red Pepper, Strathfield

At first, I was sceptical about this place because I had no idea we were going to eat a sports club. I just saw some tennis courts and was like "Are we really having dinner? Or is this a plot to get me to exercise?" Thankfully, I really did get food. Located at 4A Lyons Street, Strathfield is a sports club with this Korean chicken bistro. Sounds like a place to pig out after some exercise haha! There's parking for customers but it seems to be quite full usually. We were really lucky to be able to snag a spot really quick! Eventually, after getting some seats, we went to the counter and ordered some food. It really resembles an RSL Club with having to show ID and ordering at the counter for your food.

Ever since I ate the seafood pancake at Seoul-ria once upon a time, every time I go to eat Korean food now, I would always look to try their seafood pancakes. This Seafood Pancake with soy sauce ($15) was filled with a whole pack of greens! I can assure you, every bite had shallot in it haha! I honestly didn't mind it but I would've preferred if it had more seafood. I could barely find a few pieces when I was eating. But otherwise, it was very nice and fluffy. Definitely not thick which made me very happy and it was lightly flavoured so you could really taste the texture of the pancake without being overwhelmed by flavours. If you love your shallots, you'd probably like this. Surprisingly, I couldn't really taste the soy sauce.

Wow!! When I laid my eyes upon this, I thought it looked so glossy and good!! From the recommendation of my sis' boyfriend, we ordered the Soy Sauce Chicken (Half $17, Whole $32). Since we wanted another dish of chicken, we got the half. I know soy sauce chicken sounds very undermining and plain but this was really good! Slightly crunchy with a taste of sweet soy sauce and a bit of garlic made this a really pleasant dish. It smelt really fragrant of soy sauce and although it looks quite oily, it didn't taste overly oily. I ended up wishing we got the whole chicken instead though haha! Some of the chicken pieces were a bit on the dry side but I still liked it a lot.

It was a rainy day when we visited and thus, I really wanted to get at least one soup dish. Since we saw a photo of this on the menu, we decided to pick the Sun-Tofu ($14). It's a stew with spicy soft tofu accompanied with seafood and vegetables. There was a good amount of ingredients in this and I would say that this would be best shared between two people. Although, it didn't taste very spicy at first, it got a bit more spicy as I took a few more sips. It was really good though. It had a very good balance between the sourness and spiciness; the tofu and seafood really soaked up this flavour as well. It gave me a bigger appetite for more chicken haha!

Last to appear was the Snow Cheese Chicken (H $18, W $32)! It definitely sounded very interesting but it sadly wasn't my cup of chicken. This was quite cheesy. The outer flakes of cheese combined with the chicken was quite weird to me. The cheese had the texture of Twisties Cheese chips but had more of a sweet touch to it. I had 1-2 pieces and thought that it was enough for me haha. I still think it's worth a try considering how similar the texture is to Twisties though haha!

Overall, I believe I got my dose of Korean here and probably won't be needing to replenish my stomach with Korean Fried Chicken for a while (maybe) but since it is a club, it's best to be reminded that it won't be the most comfortable place ever but it definitely has the nice bustling atmosphere with a lot of people enjoying chicken. Which I really liked. Except, there were limited seats by the time we got there and we had to sit outside and someone was smoking for a bit. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind coming back here to try more of the different types of chicken. They've got at least ten varieties so I kind of feel like exploring through them!

2014 Favourites

We're heading into the year 2015 in a couple of hours!! Wow, this year has flown by. But then again, I feel like every year flies by for me haha. But yes! Since I'm not a person that's interested in fireworks, I thought I'd spend the last day of 2014 working on this post and just chilling at home with the family because that's what I love to do most.

I've been planning on doing a favourites post for a while but I keep forgetting, so I decided to condense everything into this one post. It's a bit long and most of it is about the anime and manga I've been loving recently but if you're interested, here are some of the things I'd definitely recommend!

Skincare

- Olay Night Firming Moisturiser

RATING(left):

Actually, this is the only one I wouldn't recommend LOL. I just put it in because I was planning to compare the two. Honestly, I think this was a really normal moisturiser that just wasn't moisturising enough for my face so I only gave it a pass rating. However, I do really like that it has a pump in comparison to the regenerist one. But this one felt like it only moisturised the outer layer on my face and that's all. Once I washed my face in the morning, it felt like it did absolutely nothing for my skin. It didn't have any weird smells or anything but I really didn't think it helped my skin at all and I have dry to sensitive skin. I've used most of it already and have decided that I won't repurchase this.

- Olay Regenerist Revitalising Night Cream Moisturiser

RATING(right)

I really love this cream! I've already used up one and am planning to use my backup once I finish the moisturiser I talked about above. It's  a bit thick and so it takes a couple of minutes to soak into the skin but it really moisturises it! My skin feels really soft and supple after it's been absorbed and I can feel that it is softer than usual in the morning. It's too bad that it doesn't come in a pump but I don't really mind that much. It usually lasts me 1-2 months and I think it's really moisturising for my dry skin. Smell is normal, just like any other Olay product.

- Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum

RATING:

This is the first serum I've ever used and it is an essence that is mainly for moisturising and nourishing your skin which I think it does really well! I usually take 3 pumps and pat it onto my skin. It takes a few minutes to fully absorb into my skin but it's really worth it because my skin feels super moisturised once it's in. It feels like I've already done my whole moisturising routine! I nearly forgot to put my moisturiser afterwards once haha. The only problem I have with it is that it kind of smells like soap mixed with trees/wood. I don't really know how to explain it haha, It's bearable and I don't mind it that much though. It really seeps deep into the skin and makes my skin feel revitalised! I don't know how I've been living without this. But that's also the only thing it does. I don't think it really clears up your skin or redness or anything but it definitely makes me feel really smooth!

- Avène Thermal Spring Water

RATING:

When my friend first recommended this to me, I really thought that this was really expensive water haha. I mean it really does feel like just water! But wow! This feels like a softener! It definitely soothes your skin like it says and it even makes it all nice and soft. I've been really enjoying this, It's a bit on the expensive side for me with it being $20 since I spray this a lot haha. It's really convenient since it's a spray as well. I sprayed a whole heap when I got sunburnt once and it really did make my skin feel much better. It's aimed for dry and sensitive skin and thus perfect for me! It's very refreshing when you spray it on your face in the summer as well! I'd definitely repurchase this when I run out (which is really soon!). If you need some extra moisture, I would recommend this. I use this along with my Green Tea Seed Serum on the really dry areas of my face and I'm always amazed at how soft my skin becomes! I usually wait a few minutes and then pat it into my skin lightly and I would instantly feel more moisturised.

Makeup

- Peripera Love Fairy Tint Glow Stick in #3 Wind Love

RATING:

At first, I thought this would be just like the Revlon Lip Butters that don't last really long on my lips at all and I lovee eating (as you can see from my blog) and I'm lazy (lol) so I've been searching for a good lip tint. The Etude House Fresh Cherry Tints were my absolute favourite because they stayed on my lips for like the whole day even after eating a few times but unfortunately, I think it was a bit too drying and ended up irritating the skin around my lips.

But, for this lip product, I really love it. The packaging is super cute as you can see! I looked at some images and thought it would turn out purple but this colour on my lips is like a neon bright pink. It's probably because my lips are rather pigmented and thus it's more of a bright berry sort of colour. I still really like it though! I usually put a coat on, blot with tissue and repeat like 2-3 times to get a really nice and vibrant colour. It's really long lasting as well! Stays on my lips for the whole day if I don't eat and if I do, it loses some shine but it's still very vivid. It leaves a nice tinted colour. Irresistible packaging as well!! <3 I'm already thinking of getting #5 Magic Love next hehe! Oh yeah, it does smell sweet if you're wondering what it smells like. Good and bad I guess. I don't really mind it. Ah, forgot to mention that it's very moisturising as well and it doesn't accentuate the fine lines on my lips. It gets a bit dry after like half a day after I eat though so I like to put on a clear lip balm to keep the tint.

Books

- The Stand by Stephen King

RATING:

I really loved this book in the first half but I sort of thought it got a bit disappointing in the latter half so I gave it this rating. It's basically about a virus that kills most of the people in the world and so our main characters are left in this world trying to fight against people that want to satisfy their desires and all those that are hostile. I really liked reading the journey each of the main characters had to take and experience in order to get to their settlement. It dictated the feelings, the angst and the fear very nicely and I thought it was really interesting. I feel like the latter part could have flowed better and I didn't really like the Mother Abagail and 'adversary' take on the story to be honest. I also really wanted some more development and story for the adversary camp since I really liked Lloyd's character but that's my opinion.

However, I really loved all the characters in this book. Some of the ways they died were quite anti-climactic especially the ending which I felt was acceptable but saddening and sort of disappointing for all their build up.I felt like a lot of potential was lost. The main reason I didn't like the ending was because they didn't choose to make a move and go because they thought it was a rational decision but because they were told to go. But I think the survival part before they form the 'Zone' was the best. Although I didn't like the latter part too much, it did feel like a realistic take on things with how they managed the zone and everything I guess. I'd definitely recommend reading this if you haven't though.

- Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

RATING:

I've always loved Murakami's books but I think I have to say this one is at the top with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for me or even better. I loved how the story took two perspectives on the same but different life of one person. It honestly took me a while to even notice because their lives were so similar yet different! It was only when the surroundings changed that I really noticed haha.

This book felt like a puzzle to me. The further I read, the more the pieces of the puzzle were seen but I was unable to form a concrete image until the end. But rather than feeling a sense of accomplishment at the end, I felt a sense of loss. Personally, I loved the ending. I felt that it really was the only way to end things and because...it's Murakami haha. It felt like the story wasn't really relatable in the beginning but after reading more and more, it felt like how people are living their lives right now (or how I am anyway). These are the same thoughts we have and these are the choices we must make as well. It doesn't matter whether others believe it is a good ending or not as long as you don't regret your decisions and are satisfied with the ending that you have chosen for yourself. It felt like that sort of journey to me. I really loved it and am definitely looking forward to reading it again in the future to gain better insight into the story.

Games

- Tales of Xillia 1 &2 (PS3)

RATING:

Tales of Xillia is a JRPG that is obviously a part of the Tales Series. I played the first one in 2013 and played the second one this year. Personally, I liked the first one more because of how straightforward it was and because I was discovering a new world, whereas when you play the second one, it's about a world you've already seen but with 2 newly added characters + a cat. The story was very simple and straightforward, nothing mind-blowing but very nice and sweet with a guy that meets a girl that changes his perspective on life and that ends up changing the world itself because you know, the world is always in danger. The second one develops upon the first and talks about how two worlds are learning and trying to co-exist amongst the problem of alternate worlds popping up for some reason. The second one definitely felt more like a grind though, I don't know how much time I spent killing monsters to the point that I was annoyed lol.

For gameplay, pretty classic Tales series gameplay. You only control one character and leave it to the A.I for the others. If you want to though, you can get another controller and get a friend to control the next character haha. I didn't mind leaving it to the A.I to do the healing though, I'm really bad at remembering to heal haha. It's pretty straightforward where all your spells and skills are connected to the circle button and you just press up, down, left or right along with circle to use different skills. Movement is very flexible and combos are fairly interesting to perform especially when you hit them into the air and render them powerless to your attacks :) But most of the time, I just attacked them straight on and did backstep dodges.

As for the levelling system, the first one was much better. The first one had something similar to Final Fantasy X where it has a grid and you level up your stats and get new skills in this grid and you move around and try to grab the stats you want. Pretty straightforward and simple. However for the second one, you just get items with different elements such as fire, water etc and you level up the different elements to get skills that correspond to that element. It goes in a linear course and you learn skills and level up skills depending on what element you choose to level but really, there's no customisation on what skills you can get first etc.

Personally, I thought it was an all right game but it had nothing special about it. I liked Tales of the Abyss much more. The story was more engaging and I felt the strong impact of my stupid main character's decisions lol. Oh, and the different paths in the first Tales of Xillia. This was the most disappointing thing for me. There are two paths you can choose to take in the beginning which is Milla's or Jude's path but they're pretty much the same thing. They go on the same journey and only separate like once in the story for a little while in which I'd suggest that it's much more fulfilling to choose Jude's path to experience that. So to me, there really was no point in splitting the paths, there wasn't that much of a difference that I felt like I really needed to do the other path to know the story which was very saddening. I thought it would be like Mana Khemia 2. Now that had a reason to be splitted up, there were different party members and a different journey. This one point really disappointed me.

One thing that Tales of Xillia 2 outshines the first installment in were the character stories. Not all of them were interesting but I really loved Rowen's and Jude's stories. I felt like these were the the only stories I really cared about in the sequel haha. It talked about their lives after the first game and how they were trying to live now with the decisions that they made in the first game. I thought they were very meaningful to watch and experience. Other than that, our new main character in the sequel barely spoke. It didn't feel interactive at all! I felt sorry for the voice actor! I really hate these to be honest. JRPGs for me are games that let me watch a story unfold. I'm not the main character so I expect the main character to interact with the others like a story!! It really makes him not very memorable. I know they wanted to make it that we the players are the main characters but I just felt very distant from him. I couldn't even feel that sad when I watched the true ending because the only character I really cared about in the end was the big brother and that was obviously pointless by that time. In addition, I didn't like the method to complete side jobs/missions in the sequel because that was not as interactive as well. All you do is talk to the job guy to get and complete missions. I preferred the first one where you find an NPC in the world, talk to him and they you a little about their backstory and then you complete the mission. There was some of that in the sequel but not much.

It was fun but also lacked something to make them games that you must play. It just didn't have the appeal. But if you're interested, I'd recommend the first Tales of Xillia.

Manga

I think this is getting a bit long haha! Personally, I have too many things to say about the manga and anime I like but I'll try to shorten it haha! I'd recommend all of them!

- Tokyo Ghoul by Ishida Sui

RATING:

Tokyo Ghoul was a manga that everyone seemed to talk about and so I thought why not try it? Initially, I thought it wouldn't be interesting to me but I ended up really liking it! I only think the first half before he changed felt like horror but afterwards, it seemed pretty much like the typical shounen manga fights. However, I really enjoyed the story. The ending was really open and didn't answer many many questions but it has a sequel so I'll wait for that to pick up and give me some answers haha. But basically it's about ghouls that go around eating humans and it talks about the perspectives of humans and ghouls and how just as there are ghouls that would gladly eat humans (because it's the only thing they can eat, kinda), there are ghouls that just want to live amongst the humans peacefully. I really liked how the story unfolded and how our main character fit into the story. His circumstances and his thoughts felt very realistic and understanding and the art was fabulous! 100 something chapters may seem long but for this story, it honestly wasn't enough, it practically ended when it started to actually get interesting and into something quite serious haha. However, if you're not into heads being eaten, arms flying off, eyeballs gouged out and stuff like that, this might not be the manga for you. It's not really that bad though. Apparently the anime isn't disgusting at all though so maybe that might be a good alternative? But from many people's reactions, the anime didn't live up to the manga at all so..manga all the way!

- Tate no Yuusha Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi

RATING:

Although there are very few chapters and there's only a chapter every month (I think), the story is definitely heart-wrenching. It sounds very typical with a guy being summoned into a world where he is to become a hero along with a few other guys that were summoned as well. However, he is the shield hero which is seemingly the weakest of them all since the others get like a sword or spear etc. Basically, it's one of those where offense is the best defense so who is going to respect a hero that only carries a shield. He is also eventually betrayed and treated like dirt by everyone around him and I seriously felt that it was so heartbreaking for him. I really cried. All that torment, all the accusations flung at him, I was so happy when he met Raphtalia. However, since it is adapted from a novel, the pace may be pretty slow. I'm thinking of reading the novel because I think that this has a lot of potential.

- Re:Monster by Kanegiru Kogitsune

RATING:

This is also a manga that has been adapted from a novel and is pretty interesting because it has a main character that reincarnates into a goblin. It is a survival fantasy that could be relatable to gamers since it is kind of like an RPG with some dark aspects such as goblins raping human girls. Just a heads up because it was sort of disturbing and I know it was definitely disturbing to some other readers. The main character obviously doesn't sit well with that but yeah, there is a part of it about that. It's pretty much like a survival of the fittest sort of manga. It talks about how the main character develops  physically and becomes stronger and stronger. Pretty OP guy haha. I don't think there's enough chapters to really see where they hope to go with this though. So it has potential for now~ I might have to read the novel for this one as well haha. It is a bit different from the traditional manga though since there isn't much dialogue in this, it's mostly narration and so that can get sort of awkward.

- Haru Matsu Bokura by Anashin

RATING:

If you're into cute, fluffy, cliche high school romance first love shoujo, then this is one that I would recommend! From the image, it looks like a reverse harem but it's not lol because the main girl and guy pairing is very obviously set up. It's really cute and it really gives you the feel of a first love sprouting since they're both so innocent. Main character girl isn't annoying which is awesome haha! The art is also very nice and cute. And of course, all the guys are bishies haha.

- Kyou no Kira-kun by Mikimoto Rin

RATING:

I really love this one. Nino and Kira are the cutest couple ever but just as it is sweet, it is inevitably heartbreaking to have to watch the emotions and torment that Kira has to go through. It's about a guy that doesn't have very long to live meeting a girl that ends up changing his perspective upon life and his illness. However, this manga is really good at tearing your heart strings because the sweetest moments are also accompanied with the most heartbreaking moments. But it's well worth the investment of my feelings because I can't help but cheer for them!!! It'll probably be a sad story and I'll probably cry even more at how sweet the two can be but also how saddening it can be as well. As someone else commented on this manga, "it has earned the right to my feelings", no matter what happens, it really has. Definitely recommended. His friend is quite frustrating though.

- Orange (Takano Ichigo)

RATING:

Another manga I am literally in love with. Absolutely in love with. In a mere 10 chapters, I cried a few times already lol. It's about a girl that receives a letter from the future telling her to help her friend and prevent him from committing suicide. It is extremely heart-wrenching and I chose the image above because I really really hope that it will end up being a happy ending for them. I like how the heroine tries her best to change from the timid her because her future self is telling her that she regretted not doing those things in the past and so she wants the past her to not have to end up having the same regret as she does now. I've read the few chapters quite a few times and I honestly can't see the light at the end of the tunnel right now but I really hope that they can save him. All the characters are likeable and the heroine is lovely. I don't know how it's going to work out because if I was the guy, I think the guilt would be there forever and it'd be really hard for him to get past it. But I really hope that Naho can help him. I think it touches the topics of regret very nicely and I can't help but reflect on my life itself when I read this.

- Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso by Arakawa Naoshi

RATING:

The manga that was the winner of the Kodansha Manga Award 2013!! I've actually had a whole post on my personal blog ranting about this because everyone keeps bashing the girl childhood friend which I personally think is a very realistic character as someone who has no connection with music that is friends with someone that loves music as well. But I think the interpersonal feelings between the characters are strong in this one. This story is about a boy that is traumatised about his past and thus ended up not being able to play the piano anymore because he can't "hear" his own playing. But then, he meets a girl that changes him and makes him pick up the piano again. I really like how Kousei develops in this story. His emotions feel real and you can see how much of an impact the girl Kaori has on him. It's a heart-warming story that also eventually becomes heart-wrenching due to circumstances out of their hands. I like it.

- Aho Girl by Hiroyuki

RATING:

When I first read this 4-koma, I thought it was absolutely weird and ridiculous especially since this girl is way too crazy and obsessed with eating bananas LOL. However, he is the mangaka of Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to and so I persevered and I have to say this is pretty funny haha. It's stupid and funny and doesn't really have perverted jokes like the work I just mentioned but wow, the girl characters are hilarious lol. I really do feel sorry for the guy though lol! It's about a stupid girl that keeps trying to appeal to her childhood friend and that totally makes it sound boring but it's pretty funny, I would recommend it if you want a few laughs.

Anime

- White Album 2

RATING:

This is a high school love story that is set in the future after White Album. It still has the songs White Album and Sound of Destiny in it but apart from that, this is a separate story. It's very straightforward and cute but sad at the same time since it is a love triangle. Although the ending was not how I wanted it to be, I accepted it because I felt like if I was in either girl's shoes, I would've done what they did. I initially didn't like Setsuna but after everything, I couldn't help but understand her feelings and admire her courage. I'll admit it, I cried a bit just because thinking about it all made me sad. It was a very straightforward and realistic take on love triangle drama and romance is what I think.

- Log Horizon 2

RATING:

Personally, I like the prequel much more since the introduction of things was interesting and Lenessia is my favourite character and she appeared much more in the first one so yeah haha. Basically, it's about gamers who are stuck in an MMORPG called Elder Tale and have no means of getting out and they have no clues on why they are even here in the first place and thus while they are trying to figure out the way to get out of here, they decided they will need to learn how to live in this new world. In addition, they start to realise that even though the game is really similar to the game they played on the computer, in here, NPCs have their own mindsets and act like actual humans. They start to have to adapt to the changes around them and try to learn how to live in this world by cooperating with others and helping each other out. It's a story about growth and how they try to live in this game world. As I have said before in my other blog, although Sword Art Online and Log Horizon have a similar premise, they are different because SAO is a story that revolves around Kirito and how he is hero and it talks about the interactions between the real world and the game world and eventually they get out of SAO and so its really more about virtual reality gaming and Kirito. Whereas Log Horizon is a story about gamers/adventurers and their relationships and the world around them. It is mainly focused on Elder Tale and how the characters develop and change because they are aware that if there is no way of going back, they must learn to live in this world. They talk about different problems and I really think there shouldn't even be a comparison between the two but yeah. I personally prefer Log Horizon more because I like interactions between many characters and I like that although it is obvious who the main character is, the other main characters are just as important. Whereas in SAO, Kirito is the most important one. Not saying that I dislike SAO, I really liked the novel much more though.

- Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu

RATING:

I'm so sad that this isn't as gory as expected! Apparently they did what they did to Tokyo Ghoul which was make it less gruesome etc though so I've been thinking that I should just read the manga. I've been really liking this though. It has the setting where parasitic aliens have invaded Earth and have taken over the brains of some humans and thus there are humans getting killed left and right by these parasites that have taken control of some human bodies. The protagonist happened to be sleeping with his headphones and thus the parasite didn't end up getting to his brain but instead his right hand and thus begins the story of our hero that retains his brain but has an alien controlling his right hand. I really liked the background music in the first few episodes but then I don't hear it much anymore so that's kinda saddening but otherwise it's a pretty interesting story in how the protagonist tries to retain his humanity but also begins to change due to an incident that ends up distorting his personality. I'd say it has some similarities to Tokyo Ghoul in the 'monster' aspect but otherwise, the stories seem to go in different directions.


- Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

RATING:

I love the manga sooo much more but seeing them move and everything made it so fun and exciting! It's about this girl that tries to confess to the guy she likes but he mistakes her as his fan and thus she ends up becoming his manga assistant. It's very light-hearted and funny especially with their friends. Each character has their own funny aspects and they all have their own romantic pairings which ends up becoming hilarious but cute at the same time. My favourites are Seo and Waka just because their interactions are so funny and Waka is so innocent haha. Yotsuba&- (Yotsubato) is still my favourite 4-koma manga but this is definitely my second favourite!

- No Game No Life

RATING:

I'm waiting for the sequel of this already because I absolutely love this sister and brother duo. Basically, the sister and brother duo are NEETs and play games 24/7. They're legendary gamers and Shiro is the brain where technically, there is nothing she can't solve if there is a logical pattern to things whereas Sora is like an expert in understanding humans; he's manipulative as he is smart in understanding and predicting how people will act depending on their emotions and thought processes. It has some nudity and ecchi in it so if you're not interested, then you might not like it but otherwise, I love Sora and Shiro's characters. They're funny but amazing at the same time and I just can't get enough of them. Definitely one of my favourites.

- Isshuukan Friends

RATING:

A very cute and sweet story about a boy trying to be friends with a girl that loses her memories every Monday or basically every week. She ends up recording a diary and begins recognising who he is and eventually making friends with others. It's a very simple and straightforward story. Nothing too deep or saddening since it has a very light hearted take on the memory circumstance.

- Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to The Animation

RATING:

If you're okay with a perverted main character, then by all means, you must watch or read this! The manga has a bit more details here and there and so I would recommend that more but I think the anime is pretty true to it and my gosh, I can't stop laughing at how ridiculously funny the main character guy is. And that cat in the image LOL If you want a good laugh with perverted antics here and there, you must watch it! The episodes aren't really long either so it's definitely good if you want a break from work.

Miscellaneous

- 7D Dried Mangorind

RATING:

A little sweet and a little sour. These individually packed 'candy' that are a mix of mango and tamarind are the perfect treat to share with your friends and family. They're very moist and soft and full of flavour. Definitely a recommended snack if you visit any Daiso store or Asian grocery.

- Kopiko Brown Coffee

RATING:

It doesn't taste exactly like the Kopiko lolly but it smells kind of like it. This is literally the only instant coffee I like and I've tried a couple. This one is pretty sweet though so I'd recommend the black packaged normal version if you're not too into sweet coffee but I love sweet things so I like this one hehe! It smells really nice and always wakes me up in the morning. I generally prefer to pour half a cup of hot water, stir it and then add half a cup of milk, stir and microwave for a bit and drink it warm/hot. It tastes good hot or cold but I generally prefer it hot. I love the taste! Apparently it doesn't really taste like the lolly though haha.

- 7D Dried Mangoes

RATING:

From the same brand as the Mangorind, this is the dried mangoes version that is the best seller at Daiso Japan. It is very soft and moist and filled with sweetness. The texture is good and definitely not dry like some other brands. The only negative is that there are so less pieces and that there is lots of sugar in this!! I devour these easily in a couple of minutes if I'm hungry haha!



RATING:

This is my favourite music to listen to right now. I first heard it reading the webtoon Dice: The Cube That Changes Everything and I instantly fell in love with it. I had to listen to it on youtube over and over again. It was absolutely beautiful to me. It has this amazing touch of melancholy and frustration but also hope in it that I just can't help but listen to it over and over again.

I'm finally done!! I had so many other favourites (manga-wise) but I thought I'd select a few different types since I'm a sucker for tear-jerkers and I didn't want to only write about sad ones hahaha. But man that was long! It's 1:49am right now so it's the new year already!! Hahahah! This took me a few hours LOL. Well, I guess, HAPPY NEW YEAR then!! Oh, and I finally figured out how to put star ratings!! I'm so proud of myself, even though it was actually pretty simple after reading a guide haha! Well, I still learnt something! Good start to the new year hopefully?! :D