30th of March 2009 Tuesday
Nippon-Land of the Rising Sun. This is the most interesting programme I have ever joined. It was handled by the final year students of Faculty of Information System. The programme was successfully done to be graded as their final project. Honestly, this is the best among all programmes that had been done previously many times at PTAR (library).
I have gained a lot of useful experiences to be stored permanently in my box of general knowledge. The programme was absolutely resourceful as now I know how to wear a kimono! I know how to make sushi! I know how to do some origami.
Actually, I was here on a day before the programme was held. I could see the crew members were setting up their stuff for today’s occasion. I could see how they dressed up some of the huge dolls with kimono (traditional Japanese dress) and yukata (kimono-like dress during summer). They said, “Tomorrow you can wear this yukata and we take your photo. You just need to pay RM2.00”. Therefore, I could not sleep for the whole night thinking about the yukata. I longed to wear it! I said to myself that I have to come early so that I don’t have to queue up waiting for my turn to take pictures in kimono. Well, I made a brilliant plan!
The day has come! For your information, I intentionally went out from Pronunciation class for a while (not so ‘a while’, it took about 30minutes…ha3) in order to join the programme downstairs, in the library. Yes, Puncak Perdana Library is the only multipurpose library that can be found in the entire world. If there is any occasion like this, they will be using this library as a hall and set up some booths.
Back to the story! I quickly got into the library and registered myself as a guest. Amazing! All the crew members were wearing kimono and yukata (for both men and women). They gave me a small box for locating brooches. It is so cute and dark red in colour. Well, I walked straight away to a corner for photography session. There were two girls there greeting me in kimonos. They asked me to write my name on a piece of paper and I paid them RM2.00. “Here is your yukata”, one of them helped me wearing the dress. This was my very first experience. Although it was only a yukata and not a kimono, I felt satisfied to be able wearing it. The two crew girls said they could not provide kimonos for this photography session because kimono is extremely expensive. So, they were only able to display some kimonos, but not to allow us to wear any. In fact, kimono and yukata are physically alike. Instead the cloth used is different. Hence, kimono is thicker as it is used during winter while yukata is used during summer.
They took my picture in yukata, and the background was a picture of sakura tree with blossoming flowers.
Then, I moved to the next booth. I played a game in which I had to guess one among three bowls, which contained an origami flower. So, I got it right! They gave me a goody gift. Thank you! Then I moved on to the next table. This time, I played catching as many fish as I could in 30 seconds. I suddenly asked a girl who was passing by to play with me. She agreed! We were given a tea filter each. I caught seven golden red fishes while the girl who played with me got four. So, I won a goody gift again! Thank you! After enjoying myself, I went back to my classroom. My classmates asked me where I have been. I simply whispered telling my experiences. Then, some of them suddenly went out without Dr. Azni’s concern. Don’t say that I have influenced my friends to play truant!
Well, this is another story happened during Nippon-Land of the Rising Sun programme. I came again in the evening. I just wanted to get some other goodies. I registered again, but this time, it was my friend’s name. Luckily I remembered all her details, haha! Sorry, Kak Farha. I have used your name to get goodies. Yes, they did give me different goodies. I got another activity coupon, a paper bag, a keychain and another small box for locating brooches. Thank you! I analysed all the booths and things shown there. I was so impressed.
Then, it was a demonstration of preparing sushi. They taught us how to make vegetable sushi. I haven’t thought that making sushi is as easy as ABC. This is the recipe of preparing sushi rice to make sushi. I asked one of the chefs there as I stood exactly in front of him.
HOW TO PREPARE SUSHI RICE TO PUT IN YOUR SUSHI
1) Cook sushi rice (available at any supermarket, eg: Jaya Jusco) like cooking common rice
2) After it is cooked, leave it for 10 minutes before adding a mixture of sugar, vinegar and salt. How to do this mixture? It is easy. Use this measurement, 2:1:1. For example, boil 2 cups of vinegar, 1 cup of sugar and a cup of salt. Then, cool it for some times.
3) Lastly, add the mixture into the rice. Mix them well.
4) Leave the rice for a while so that it will be slightly soft and sticky. Done!
Okay, let’s continue the story! After a century waiting the sushi to be served, the chefs finally served the cute slices of sushi on the table in front of me. They did not put wasabi in the sushi. They took our eager faces first to put on their blog, so less pickles (kurang asam)!
Without any hesitation, I picked a slice of sushi and put into my watering mouth. It was deliciously killing me! I felt like at the end of my life! WASABI???!!! I have not tasted wasabi before! Thanks chefs! You made me literally crazy. I could not feel my nose at all. The fire was burning angrily in my throat and the smokes went slowly out from my nostrils.
There were drops of tears. I walked to the back table. Then the chef who taught us making sushi rice asked me, “how was it?” I honestly replied, “It was terrible. This wasabi is killing me!” Then he laughed out loud! He asked me to try the pickled ginger. Well, I did not trust him anymore. But he said the pickles can vanish the taste of wasabi. That is why wasabi is always served with some wet pickles. Then, he gave me a slice of wet pickled ginger. It looked like ‘kuah murtabak’, pink in colour with slices of ginger. I ate it, no choice!
Wow, what a relief! The taste of wasabi was suddenly wiped out of my tongue. What he said was true. However, I won’t like sushi anyway!!!!
