Got my hands on the issue!!

My dear friend was kind enough to help me pick it up when she was in the city! I finally get to read it in its original language! Below are just some pictures of the magazine- the first one is the standalone story that Enjouji Maki especially did for this issue, and then it's Dear Brother. I would love to read it and update right now but as usual tomorrow's hellish work schedule prevents me from doing so (or else I would not only feel like a zombie but look like one too). Look forward to an update soon!

Food Blog Update: Mochi from Mochi Cream

New post on food blog! This time it’s about a chain of mochi shops from Japan (they only have a few locations outside of the country, and luckily one of them is in Bay Area). Unlike traditional mochi with just plain old red bean paste, they have flavors like chocolate banana, mango, strawberry short cake, melon, sweet potato, bluberry yogurt, caramel pudding, and more! 

I ordered 8 mochis and 3 mochido’s (mochi in donut form) for myself, and while not all of them were delicious, I really liked how soft and fluffy each were. I’m glad I don’t live near the mochi shop (it’s one hour drive away) or else I would find myself visiting every day for a box…and would probably balloon to the size of an airship!

If you’re interested, click here to read about it!

Dear Brother Chapter 12 Summary

So I was really confused by this chapter, between Momo confessing and not confessing, and had to go back to the previous chapter to see if she actually admitted out loud that she likes Sougo. The "family secret" wasn't that exciting...I would actually say it's rather commonplace- but if you guessed that Momo and Sougo are not related, then you're correct! Anyways...on with the summary (or more like page by page line by line translation~ I've found that my summaries are getting less and less summary-like as I write). By the way, italics are Momo's thoughts (and yes, those are directly translated too!)

Starting from the last chapter...

Momo: Sorry...I fell in love with you.  I'm sorry...

His silence...scathes my heart.

So many things happened today...not all of them good. Actually, I am rather depressed by one of them still...sometimes it drives me to the corner with dark thoughts about my future. I just saw that chapter 12 is out, so I'll do my best to update tomorrow! (The delay is unfortunately caused by work and early waking hours when no one should be forced to wake up at, otherwise I would have done it right now~) Look forward to it, and a new food blog update too about this scrummy Japanese mochi place (where they ship all their fabulous wacky flavored mochi directly from their factory in Gunma) in the Bay Area.

Food Blog Update: Kappou Gomi

Hungry yet? Or dareIsay...jealous yet?? I went to this Japanese restaurant with my mum last week, and I was really excited about it because it served real Japanese food. Not your typical fare of crunchy rolls, teriyaki chicken, bento combination boxes with salad and miso dressing- but true dishes (some homecooked fare, and some restaurant staples). I admit I've turned a bit snobbish about food after my trips to Japan and have been avoiding fanciful sushi rolls like the plague, so this was like finding a treasure.

Food-wise, it was alright. The seafood steamed egg custard pictured above was the star of the show- it was so addicting, I would have been content to eat only that and order 10 of them. I really loved their ochazuke too! Price-wise, it's kinda expensive (I only had no qualms about it because I was treating my mum...and the bill came out to $110 with tips), but then again, I ordered 8 dishes and was positively stuffed at the end! Service-wise....I only wished I didn't have that chubby waitress, who was the most horrendous server I've ever encountered, rude and unhelpful. I envied all the other patrons who had the warm and polite Japanese waitresses...but no ranting here (I saved it on the food blog). If you're interested in taking out your best friend/boyfriend/family on a treat, click here!

Dear Brother Chapter 11 Summary

Ok...I am so damn confused by this chapter...mainly because of the panels with only the speech bubbles, which makes it hard to know who said what. And also because of this one particular scene where I'm not sure if Momo confessed to Sougo or not...but I'm finally getting a bit excited for this series (although it was nothing like Hapi Mari though where I hung onto all the beginning chapters eager to see how it turned out). Anyways, here we go!

The chapter picks up where Sakura (Momo's coworker) is desperately shaking Arimatsu for an answer as to where Sougo is. Unsure of the turnout of events, he asks for Sakura's name, to which she answers it's Honda Sakura. Momo hadn't paid particular attention to her last name before because it's such a common last name. But now she sees that Sakura was probably Sougo's adopted sister when he went to live with another family. Arimatsu eventually tells Sakura that Sougo lives with Momo now, and all three of them end up going to Momo's house.

Momo: Why are you still here Arimatsu-san?

Arimatsu: I told you before that I wanted to know more about the person I loved. Plus, Honda-sensei told me before that he had a very independent and reliable sister, but I had no idea that things would turn out like this.

Momo: I see...

However, Momo clenches her fist as she says this, inwardly comparing herself to Momo and how Sakura is probably the goody type who never causes anyone trouble. She's also jealous of the fact that Sakura had fifteen years to spend with her brother, but she only had little more than memories as a child. Meanwhile, Sakura looks around the house in wonderment.

Food Blog Update: French Eatery Cocotte

After shamefully neglecting to update last week, I finally found time to finish the post this week. I had almost decided not to write about the restaurant because my notes had disappeared from my iphone (recently I found out that if yahoo mail is connected to your notes in the phone, it annoyingly removes that note and archives it to your email instead and you would have to access it from the desktop version and not on your phone). Anyways, this restaurant is located in SF, and it’s a comfortable 25 min walk from the Bart station. My friend and I took the bus there first so we could make our reservation, but the walk is perfect afterwards because the meal is super filling.

Ambiance wise, it’s nice both for dates and friends. The food wasn’t perfect, although I did really like their bread and banana creme brulee, but the servers are really nice and patient and the service is excellent (so much so I that I left a hefty tip…which I never do). If you’re interested in reading more about the French restaurant, click here!

And the newest issue of Petit is finally out! I called the bookstore to help me reserve a copy, so hopefully it won't take like 3 weeks to get here.

Below is the wallpaper you can find on their site!

This looks so cute...shame it'll only be a one-shot. And finally, we get a slightly non-Hokuto looking character...just slightly. Can't wait to read it!