Food Hack - Chinese Mushrooms in Water

For some reason I just thought to write this down before I forget: The food hack my dad taught me - soak Chinese mushrooms in water and keep them in a jam jar for future use.

I keep failing to use my mushrooms because every time I think of using them, they are still in their dessicated form for my lack of preparation. So what my dad does is to keep a jar of Chinese mushrooms pre-soaked in water, topping the jar up when they are used.

Presto, instant soft mushrooms.

Trip #5, the Lost in Translation experience

Continuing on the travel experiences, Lost in Translation was on TV today, and it made me realise that one of the enduring experiences of my life, was travelling to Tokyo on my own, and having that Lost in Translation experience.

Wandering around the streets of Shinjuku not really speaking that much of the language, sleeping alone in a Japanese style business hotel, watching television programs that were all in Japanese and getting immersed in a culture at once alien but reassuringly human. It is as though Japan puts a spin on every normal experience and makes it their own, translating my human experiences into another language I cannot understand.

The simplest things that we usually take for granted fascinate me in Japan, because it is so different. It's the nearly self cleaning toilets to the waist deep bathtubs I love so much. It's the flashing street lights and billboards on buildings and ramen stores tucked up narrow flights of staircases serving the best noodles I've ever tasted. It's the sunshine, walking in the university smiling like a schoolgirl, riding on the back of a Japanese styled bicycle like in a Miyazaki film.

We take for granted the simplest things of our realities for granted, until we walk into another place that turns everything on its head, and begin to realize what we have. I guess that's what culture shock feels like.

Dream Holidays

Had a conversation about how holidays should be like - and everyone's probably had experiences of good holidays, bad holidays, holidays with friends who stop being friends after the vacation is over simply because you had different ideas on what the holiday should be like... so I have decided that holidays and how to spend them is a distinctly personal thing.

I realised that I have actually a very definite idea in my head on how I want my holidays to be like, and in my spare time, think about the holidays that I'd like to have.

Trip #1: The Cruise to Alaska/Greenland or Norway/Iceland/Scandinavia
A 2 week cruise to see the glaciers of Greenland and come on land to ski, snowboard, hike, or alternatively in another part of the world, see the fjords in Norway, come to land to play with Huskies in the snow, live in an ice hotel in Iceland and go tobogganning.

Recommendations, do this when you've just come from a not-so-warm climate, otherwise the climate changes will probably kill you. Tip 2, also be prepared with lots of fashionable winter wear and hot drinks.

Reserve cruises for honeymoons. There's nothing better than being stuck with your apparently most loved one for two weeks or a month in a large ship (worse case scenario, it'll be like Rose and Jack in the Titanic *haha*) and stopping over at various lovely European ports of call without having to plan where to go because the captain decides.

Trip #2: The Orient Express from Asia to Siberia
This is one of my lifelong dreams. I've been thinking of going on the train on this route since I was eleven and started having a fascination with trains.

I think the alternative is to take train rides across all of Europe, from London to Paris, to Italy, to Germany, to eastern Europe... as far as trains can go.

Trip #3: The car ride to the midlands... with a Westie
Taking a car ride then long walks and hikes in British countryside with my favourite West Highland White Terrier. What could possibly be better than walking the dog where she genetically came from?

Trip #4: The Spa - Sea - Spa Experience
2 weeks of non-stop spa, beach, sun-tanning, spa, beach... you get the idea, in the Maldives or somewhere where snorkelling is still an option and you see fish.