Rotten body. Cough from last week show no sign of calming. Regular indigestion, good friend of my Ramadan. On top of that, this one huge pimple on my right cheek. The fruit of the stress. A real confidence-killer. Tried to make it charm by putting Raisa’s Minnie Mouse band-aid, not a big help rather inviting people’s "What is behind that Minnie on your cheek?". Having face-to-face meeting is the last thing I wanted now.
Children got this and that problem with health. Not major but really disturbing. Rashes on Raisa’s buttock. Irritation and perhaps infection on her right eyes. Swing mood with the little boy. I think his back molar will pop-up anytime soon.

Office squeezes me, ensuring they get all the juices. Time wise, power wise, mental wise. Uncertainty of the new job starting just next week. Not sure of many thing not even the work location. Praying hard not to be relocate to down town of Tokyo.
Sudden job, projects, meetings came from all over. Crazy sales team chased me for last minutes quarter-end deal. Desperate project leader searched for way out of complexity. Demanding boss from neighbor function asked for education for their new staff. Aggressive executive’s secretary tried to push slot in my schedule for meetings with their bosses (Sorry Miss, but I can’t meet your important boss with this big acne on my face). Weeks with four nights straight teleconferences until after midnight, what a sad lullabies. All at once. Where were they? Everybody thinks they are top priority.

House is a mess.
No time to cook. Refrigerator full with raw veggie waiting me to put them on the hot wok, only little time left or they have to head the trash bin. I hate it to eat-out everynight.
No time to laundry. Pile of dirty clothes. Easy to push the machine’s button, but I don’t want to end up with wet clothes in these wet days and no time to laundrymate.
No time to tidy-up. Children toys are everywhere. Hubby and children has been competing cleaning and messing. It’s hard to win the kids when doing solo.

Weekend has been full with social events, requirement of Homo sapiens. Always ended at very late hours.

I miss laziness. I miss all-you-can-sleep weekend morning. I miss to have a peaceful evening dinner at home and do tarawih. I miss my hobbies. I miss my Nikon D50. I miss my stacks of papers from my scrapbook’s cabinet. I miss my cooking book. I miss……….. freedom?
I know I just had series of holidays last month, but I miss them already.
And October is coming….

Writing is a small oasis in the ordeal. Blogging is a balancing act for my sanity. Fifteen minutes of refreshment. Like those days in the childhood, when you go down to the corner of your room and started: "Dear Diary…….."

Have you ever been in awkward situation at work?
When you can’t move to the left or right and being pushed to step forward?
When you got to do things you don’t want to do?
When you are placed in position you have to fight without enough arm?
When this all leave you in no peace. Not even when you are home?
And even put you in silent contemplation to quit?

Have you?

"Mommy, why Abe Souri Daijin is on every channel?" asked Raisa to me while I kept on pressing the button of the remote control to find a suitable program for her 15 min allotment of TV-watch last evening. "Abe Souri Daijin" is the way we call "Prime Minister" Shinzo Abe in Japanese.

" Because he did something big which make people surprised, so it made news."

I tried to explain that in easy words and wish this will not lead to longer discussion. Politic is never been my interest and explaining the politic situation to a six years old is really not an appealing thing. Not this evening.
But my wish is just a wish. Raisa keep on asking me, even I finally park the channel to Cartoon Network after fail to find better choice. Her curiosity kicked in.

" What did he do?"

" He resign from his job"

" What is "resign"?"

" Resign is quit. Stop from the job. He doesn’t want to be Prime Minister anymore."

" What is Prime Minister? What kind of job is that?"

" Well… it is a leader, a boss. A boss of all the government in Japan."

" Tell me in ichinensei no kotoba ! " she got a bit irritated. Pressed between curiosity at one side, new difficult words at the other side. She asked me to explain it in a simple word that can be understood by a first-grader (ichinensei = elementary first grade, kotoba = language).

" You know there are job that handle people. Organize thing. Take care all the people. Handle everything to make Japan is good as a country. To make sure every body is in good health, having place to live, school to go, money for living, no fight. Make rule for everything in the Japan. Also make sure Japan has good friendship with other country, helping other country. That kind of job called the "government". Abe Souri Daijin is the boss of the boss. He is the biggest boss in Japan government, that job called Prime Minister. The head of the government. Now he call it a quit. Doesn’t want to be Prime Minister anymore."

" Why he quit?"

" Because he wants to. The job is too difficult so he wanted to quit. It is very difficult to explain the detail in simple words but when you are a bit bigger, I will let you know."

Now I pray hard that she will not ask more of the reason of his resignation. How to explain to her that Abe popularity and support has been declined sharply touch the number under 30%. That his Bill to keep Japan peace troop in Afghanistan is most probably will not be passed by the assembly due to his political current profile and position. That he is also under pressure of Uncle Sam. That his political party and cabinet filled with rotten personal which pop up some dirty affairs, suicide, in the last one year.

" I don’t understand why he quitted for something difficult." She said with blank eyes.

" My teacher in the school, you and Daddy always tell me that we should never quit. We have to gambatte for everything. Even for difficult thing. Why the boss of the boss of Japan want to quit? "

I am speechless.
Flash back in my mind, countless times we always encourage Raisa to never give up. When she keep on trying with a lot of tears in her eyes to complete her beads craft project (blame to me to buy her the one designed for 12 years old), she didn’t want to quit. Doing her Math assignment while crying, but not quit.
It is one of the thing I like the best in Japan. Their culture of gambatte. This is built up for every Japanese even since they were infant.
The nearest translation to Gambatte is "Do your best" or "Never Give Up". It is a spirit. It is a word said hundreds time in a day. Before go to school, work, examination, before doing anything. Instead of "Good Luck" which I feel like luck is not something within your power, gambatte is within you. Your power and willingness to overcome whatever situation and hurdle may come in front of you. I don’t think Japanese own the smartest brain in the world, but the are a non-give-up-er. They are become at the position of the world because of this. Thousands of sample in daily life.

I know there are political reasons behind his resignation. But tell me now how we should explain this to all the children of Japan.

It never been easy,
To hold the hunger when everybody else don’t.
To get those amused faces thinking what the hell she is doing starving herself.
To explain all the essential and the noble reason behind to hundreds who don’t understand.

It never been easy,
To be spiritually motivated,
Without the brother and sister in belief surrounding,
Without Azhan call,
Without praying room at workplace, let alone pengajian at lunch time.
Without religious program on channels and frequencies.
Without mother and helper ready with all line of food at sahur time.
Without that noisy children sound outside the home and the lines of Ayat recite thru the mosque’s speakers.
Without beautiful moment each day when everyone celebrate the victory of beating the day at Aftar time.
You got to be happy, to break the fast only with a candy, in the middle of a meeting or something…

It never been easy,
Not even in the shorter and cooler days in Winter, Springs and Fall.
To be in Ramadhan,
Without the feeling of Ramadhan in the air…

But, it is the time to prove, with the humble heart and niah,
that we are just small human being.
No matter the circumstances,
Bend the knees, do ibadah, for His ridho…

And, this never been easy thing, is nothing compare to the real not easy unluckiness…
The poor, those in musibah and the trouble of life…

You in non Muslim countries: you are not alone… Let’s make the most of it !
You in Muslim countries: lucky you… Make the most of it !

Selamat menjalankan ibadah di bulan Ramadhan.
Mohon Maaf Lahir Bathin.

The design:

The realization:

What else you can say for buffet course at a posh hotel. The food will be good, length of selections, but I must say, they are colossal, they not special. Buffets from the five stars will be on par as they are in competition. The usually-import-from-France chief chef will ensure his long table selections and quality is the one on the lead, or at least not behind the race. So I would not recommend a hotel buffet for the picky gourmet tongue. But buffet at a hotel is always a nice choice for a family lunch, when you are not in a budget.

Food was good at SIRIUS the restaurant at Yokohama Royal Park Hotel when we went to the restaurant two weeks ago for a special family lunch as parents were in Japan to visit us. "Hawaiian" was the selected theme for summer buffet. With the background of Hawaiian life band and hula dance performance, you can stroll the traditional selection from traditional huge bake of Sea Bass with fresh herbs leaves and spices and lines of dishes with pineapple and coconut touch. Completed with some fusion creation with the touch of Asia.
Their selection of nonalcoholic cocktails was long and the taste really make you smile, but don’t ask about the price. I still feel it is a reap-of to charge 1500 yen per glass for a mixture of syrup, soda and juice with orchid and lemon to lever the price.
Even they were good, I must say, they were not special, except one: the fresh mixed over the frozen-stone table’s ice-cream and sorbet, filled and topped with selection of nuts, fruits, syrup, you name it. That one was really good and top it all.

But if you go to Sirius, it is not because of the food. It is because of the view they offer from their surrounded windows looking over Tokyo city and bay and Yokohama city with the background of Mt.Fuji. To make it better, the view is a bird eye’s one, as the restaurant is located on the 70th floor of Landmark Tower, the highest building in Japan. It was magnificent, a must see.

The price was standard: adult at 3675 yen and kid at 2100 yen. So, if you can get the delicacy plus view for the price, why not choose them among so many other hotel who mainly offer only the food?
So that was the reason of the very-very tight reservation list. Many days they even close the reservation and have to turned-down the go-show’s guest.
I suggest to book them thru internet.

Sitting place was cozy (that allow my boy to took his afternoon nap for an hour on the huge sofa), service was great (that allow my girl to make friendship with the bartender who supply her with the star, heart shape of lemon and lime skin to play, free cherries to nibble and friendly chat while he mixes the liquids over the bar….no it was lunch, no alcohol…)

Final word: camera is a must.

Photo credit: the view from the restaurant’s website

On the never-ending gourmet journey in Tokyo, Doremi was the stop I made last week. There are three of them in Tokyo, we dined at the one in Nihonbashi area. It was a business dinner with a Sales Executive and his team who deliberately selected the restaurant. It was chosen among his very long list of restaurant library as a result of part of his job, over than twenty years dining with customer from one table to another. Choosing the perfect restaurant is part of sales-skill.

Doremi is an Okonomiyaki restaurant. Okonomiyaki is a traditional Japanese dish, a mixture between pancake and pizza, filled with wide selection of ingredient, as the word "okonomi" itself means "as you like" and "yaki" mean "grill". At Doremi, okonomiyaki is pan-grilled on each table by the pro-chef who ensure the perfection to our preference. This is very good for me who have some diet requirement due to religion and health.

We selected a set menu, consist mostly of seafood  entrees and two type of okonomiyaki as the main dishes.
Started with marinated tofu and salad, followed by a huge tasty juicy flirt of bake scallop. Bake prawn tasted so sweet of freshness. The main dishes were open by the popular monjayaki and completed by so soft and fluffy yet dry, seafood filled of okonomiyaki. A perfect one. (the chef said the secret to the softness is to use more proportion of yam to replace the flour). Ended with the sweet taste of almond pudding as dessert.

Talking on history, okonomiyaki was born in Japan some two hundreds years ago. The base recipe started with flour, water, cabbage and some spice. Over the time and places, the ingredient and style expanded. Each area has their own style of okonomiyaki. Osaka known as the home of okonomiyaki with the thick and rich in filling. Tokyo’s okonomiyaki known as monjayaki is much thinner and use very light flour, known as popular in the war period as afforadble food as the ingredient are basically the cheap little amount of flour, water, cabbage and spices. Monjayaki is not as delicious as Osaka’s one, but healthier.

It was a real entertainment for the tongue yet for the eyes as the chef cook with skill and style, including "shooting" the mayonnaise to the grill from three meters away (we all with our apron to avoid accident).

The bill was tagged at about 8000 yen per person for food and drink, which is a reasonable price for a good dinner in Tokyo.
No doubt if this restaurant holds a high reputation of taste and value of money for the quality of food they offer. They are all over the media.

If I have to say what I don’t like about the restaurant, I would say, the space. You got to be happy to sit shoulder to shoulder in the given space, to them to offer more number of table. This is a good place for dinner in a group, but not a best selection for any intimate or a couple’s date.
Also, I suggest not to show up without reservation!

Photo from kansupa.net