past couple of days

Hope you and yours have/had a very Merry Christmas.

We celebrated on Saturday and Sunday since Satoshi had to work today (it isn't a holiday here).

Saturday, after we did some o-soji (cleaning for the new year), we went out for dinner at Hillman.

Apparently this restaurant is from Singapore.

The reason I bookmarked this restaurant was because of their paper chicken which looked so good.

We tried their cilantro salad...super refreshing.

Paper chicken...succulent and tender pieces of chicken cooked in parchment.

Chili crab...super hard to eat (ask for spoons!) but so delicious.

The crab legs had lots of meat to them.

Mantou...steamed or fried slightly sweet pieces of dough...good with chili crab.

I liked the steamed version while Satoshi preferred the fried.

Mabo Tofu...the spices hit afterwards...pow!

All of these items came off of their half size menu and was the perfect portion size for us.

We also were there during their happy hour so our drinks (a sangria and 3 beers) were only 190 yen each.

Our meal came out to 4770 yen (tax included)...we'll be back.

Christmas Eve Day lunch was at Afternoon Tea.

I ordered the roast chicken and it was really delicious especially with all these roasted veggies.

Satoshi had their beef stew.

It was a nice and delicious lunch.

We bought some cakes from Rocket.

Satoshi had their mont blanc while I had their Marquise Chocolat.

Christmas Eve Dinner was an assortment of things...avocado maguro, chicken, smoked mackerel dip and crackers, nuts, porter cheese, cheese cookies, salad and we opened the bottle of Miraval.

We enjoyed the Miraval, it isn't too sweet nor too dry.

And the porter cheese was delicious too, especially if you enjoy porters.

Satoshi will be off in a couple of days, so I have some posts lined up.

Happy Holidays!

Hillman
1-7-30 Sonezakishinchi
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6346.5511
Dinner only weekdays: 17:00-24:00
Saturdays & Sundays 11:30-15:00 (lunch) 17:00-24:00 (dinner)

ramblings

Last year I wrote about changing my planner to a Moleskine Daily planner. Well, it was just too heavy to lug around.

So for the upcoming year, I did find this one by Mark's Diary called Ed!T, it is half the thickness of the Moleskine while still having the space to write on a daily basis.

Oh and remember my motivator?! Well, I've been using it for a year and 9 months and recently hit 500 miles with it...woot!

I'm on Instagram now, if you're using it too, you can follow me (if you'd like), just type in "katnhwi" in the search and click "follow". I sometimes post photos that I don't blog about. If you're not using Instagram, you can also check out my Flickr set labeled "Instagram". UPDATE: I closed my Instagram account

Satoshi's off today, so we're doing our O-soji today, hope your week is going well!

meme

Today we are doing our O-soji. This is a fun meme, for all the items you have done, bold it. I combined some items from the Australian list as well as the American one. I also added some of my own items. If you do this meme, link back to this post. 100 things that I've done: 

1. Started your own blog (I actually have 2) 

2. Slept under the stars　(in a tent, does that count?) 

3. Played in a band (marching and concert band)

4. Visited Hawaii (actually grew up there, but visited all the outer islands, except Niihau and Kahoolawe) 

5. Worked at someone's wake/funeral

6. Given my seat on the train to elderly or moms with babies 

7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World and Disneyland Japan) 

8. Climbed a mountain (Mount Fuji) 

9. Driven from the Airport to Waikiki over 10 times in a day (worked for Budget transporting rent-a-cars to various hotels) 

10. SangPlayed a solo (see #3) 

11. Worked in the gift wrapping department at a department store 

12. Visited Paris 

13. Watched a lightning storm from my apartment 

14. Seen ama (women divers) dive for pearls in Mie 

15. Campaigned for a local political candidate in Hawaii 

16. Walked to the top of Diamond Head 

17. Seen large cedar trees on Yakushima 

18. Grown your own vegetables (cherry tomatoes on the lanai) 

19. Seen the Daibutsu (Large Buddha) in Nara 

20. Seen fields of lavender in Furano, Hokkaido 

21. Had a pillow fight (afterwards got scoldings for making too much noise too) 

22. Caught a ride in a taxi with someone I didn't know 

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 

24. Been buried in hot sand with just your head and toes sticking out (Ibusuki, Kyushu) 

25. Held a koala (Taronga Zoo) 

26. Visited the Shirakawa-go (thatched houses) in Gifu 

27. Run a Marathon (walked most of the way)

28. Ridden in a tarai (tub) in Sado Island 

29. Seen a total eclipse 

30. Watched a sunrise or and sunset

31. Hit a home run (kicked one in kickball) 

32. Been in a car accident 

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Okinawa, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi)

35. Seen an Amish community 

36. Learned a new language (also in the process of learning another)

37. Had a huge seafood dinner at Sencho no Ie, Saroma, Hokkaido 

38. Been to the top of Tsutenkaku, Osaka 

39. Been to an MC Hammer concert 

40. Seen Tokyo Tower (never been up to the top, line was too long) 

41. Sung karaoke 

42. Seen Kilauea's lava falling into the sea 

43. Climbed the steep stairs up to the top of Kumamoto castle 

44. Visited the Tohoku area of Japan 

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 

46. Been transported in an ambulance 

47. Had your portrait painted (sketched) 

48. Gone fishing (caught mostly the pier and the people standing next to me) 

49. Walked part of the Kumanokodo, Wakayama 

50. Been to the top of the World Trade Center in NYC 

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling) 

52. Seen the Daibutsu (Large Buddha) in Kamakura 

53. Played in the sand 

54. Gone to a drive-in theater 

55. Been in a movie school play 

56. Visited Shanghai, China 

57. Been to Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam 

58. Taken a martial arts class (Aikido) 

59. Visited Japan's most southern point, Hateruma 60. Helped clean the freeways in Hawaii 

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (never sold GSC, but did fundraise with huli-huli chicken) 

62. Gone whale watching (only saw the water spurts and a tail) 

63. Got flowers for no reason 

64. Donated books and clothing to various organizations 

65. Seen Mount Fuji with snow on top on a clear day 

66. Studied abroad for 9 months 

67. Bounced a check 

68. Bicycled through the tulip fields in Amsterdam 

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 

71. Eaten Caviar 

72. Ran in a fun run (Great Aloha Run & Kapiolani Women's 5K) 

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades 

75. Went "skiing" in Hakuba, Nagano (actually there was a lot of sliding on my bum) 

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 

77. Broken a bone (does making a hole in the back of my head and needing stitches count?) 

78. Been to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown 

79. Almost was trampled in the frenzy of a Japanese department store sale 

80. Eaten fugu (puffer fish)

81. Visited Saipan 

82. Bought a brand new car (actually my mom did, I paid her back) 

83. Eaten whale 

84. Been on television (Checkers & Pogo show...okay, now I have dated myself) 

85. Ice skated and Roller skated in Hawaii 

86. Visited New Caledonia 

87. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (walked across) 

88. Had chicken pox 

89. Been to Tsukiji, early market 

90. Sat on a jury (was close to sitting on one, but got excused)

91. Met someone famous' mom (Hawaii comedian, Frank Delima's mom) 

92. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba 

93. Lost a loved one 

94. Had a pet dog 

95. Visited the most eastern point of Japan, Nemuro 

96. Visited the most western point of Japan, Yonaguni Island 

97. Visited the most northern point of Japan, Wakkanai 

98. Owned a cell phone 

99. Been stung by a bee 

100. Read an entire book in a day ("The Cradle will Fall" by Mary Higgins Clark)

o-soji

Towards the end of the year, everyone is busy doing O-soji. This is like spring cleaning in the States, except that it is done at the end of the year to get ready to welcome the New Year. There are tons of programs during this time for housewives to pick up ideas on how to clean.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't like to clean, so I try to do bits and pieces throughout the year. I'm also the type to buy products that will save me from scrubbing or wiping...what can I say, I'm lazy!

I wanted to share with you two products that I cannot live without --the range hood cover and stove-top cover.

The range hood cover has two magnets, one on each side and attaches right on top of the grating that covers the vent. You can adjust it by sliding it to fit it perfectly over the grating. This prevents oil and dirt from directly going through the vent. When the cover has captured enough oil and dirt, there is a secret message, something like "time to change me" that appears on the cover. This cover lasts about 4 months or less depending how often you fry foods. Without it, I would have to take apart the range hood to get to the fan, dismantle the fan and scrub the fan inside...eeww!

The second product is the stove-top cover. This is a sturdy aluminum foil type. You don't have to cover each burner, just remove the old cover, wipe down the stove-top and place the new cover over the stove-top. The only part that I actually clean are the parts where the gas comes out from (sorry, don't know what it is called). Using this cover is wonderful, when your pot boils over, there is less to clean up! Fast and easy! I usually change this every 6 months or so.

So, what do we do during O-soji? We usually just wipe the windows and light fixtures, then sit back and wait to welcome in the New Year!

I still have a little more to post about before the year ends...Have a great weekend!