2014.10.30 | 陀地手信

[Volume 9 Issue 10, #1960]

Locally Sold Overseas Souvenirs

我其實一段時間以前就見過呢個情景, 不過因為當時冇影到相, 所以之前先至冇寫到.. 上個星期, 偶然之間在本地某連鎖精品店再次見到, 我就二話不說將呢一啲fridge magnet影低.. 有咩咁特別呀你問?? 仔細睇真啲, 你會見到可以喺同一個地方, 買得到「來自世界不同地方」嘅fridge magnet!! 好喇, 我哋又真係唔好抹殺設計師原本相將世界各地嘅地標, 印喺上面嘅設計構思呢一個可能性.. 不過我自己又覺得, 呢啲fridge magnet似係是但買一個嚟送俾人, 跟住開口話我啱啱由邊度玩完返嚟, 送俾你嘅手信.. 其實都幾可亂真囉!! 又或者, 你真係去過以上地方, 不過當時錯過咗買返個fridge magnet, 咁呢度真係一個可以讓你補償遺憾嘅地方喇.. 我呢, 其實都幾喜歡呢啲frideg magnet㗎喎, 睇下, 根本都唔駛出國~~ 哈哈哈哈!! :p

this is something i have actually seen quite a while ago, but since i did not take a photo, i did not blog about it earlier.. last week, i saw the same thing again by chance and immediately i snapped a photo of these fridge magnets in a local gift shop chain.. what's so special you ask?? look closely and you will find that you can actually get fridge magnets "from around the world" all under one roof!! okay, we shall not rule out the possibility that the designer has just thought of printing the landmarks of cities of the world on the magnets, as the theme of his or her design collection.. to me, however, it does look like i can just buy any one, give it to anyone and then boast that i've just come back from somewhere and this is a souvenir for them.. quite convincing huh?? or, if you missed out buying your fridge magnet from one of these places you have visited, isn't this a perfect place for some "lost and found"?? i actually like these fridge magnets, look, there's no need to travel at all!! hahaha~~ :p

2014.10.28 | 低消費力

[Volume 9 Issue 10, #1959]

Weak Purchasing Power: High Price or Low Income??

我可以話係見到日本有眾多KitKat口味而大開眼界.. 前幾日, 終於俾我喺呢度某超市見到個比較特別嘅KitKat口味, 「烘烤KitKat」, 當然係入口貨啦.. 無可厚非, 我當時係非常興奮, 不過最終都係冇買到, 因為我寧願買便宜好多又可以喂飽我六餐嘅お茶漬け啦, 哈哈!! 老實講啦, RM17.90一包確實唔係平囉, 大家是否同意?? 我曾經同某位友人傾偈得到一個結論, 我哋冇KiKat口味選擇嘅原因, 係因為國人消費能力低.. 再諗深一層, 我就覺得未必係因為嘢賣得貴, 更有說服力嘅反而係因為我哋好高嘅入口稅同埋好低嘅個人收入.. 做一條簡單數學題啦, 假設一個日本人每月平均賺¥200,000, 以¥500購買都只不過係收入嘅0.25%.. 而一個馬來西亞人每月平均賺RM2000(我哋唔好否定呢個事實), 就需要嘔出RM18, 即係收入嘅0.9%購買.. 以上只不過係本人一個小小的想法, 並非可能反映真實情況.. :)

i have to say i'm utterly impressed by the many flavors of KitKat i've seen in Japan.. the other day, i finally saw a more creative KitKat flavor in a local supermarket, the "Baked KitKat", imported of course.. no doubt i was very excited, but then i did not buy that because i rather buy the ochazuke which is way cheaper yet can feed me six meals, haha!! frankly, RM17.90 for this packet is not cheap at all, agree?? i once was talking with a friend and we concluded that the reason we do not have choices for KitKat flavors is the generally low purchasing power of the people.. second thought, i guess it may not be due to the selling price but more convincingly, the high import tax and low personal income we are earning.. just a simple math, let's say a Japanese with an average ¥200,000 income can get this at ¥500 which is just 0.25% of his salary, but a Malaysian with an average RM2000 income (let's not deny this fact) has to fork out RM18 which is 0.9% of his pay to buy this.. just my humble opinion and this may not reflect the true case.. :)

2014.10.24 | お茶漬け

[Volume 9 Issue 10, #1958]

Ochazuke - Rice in Green Tea, Office Style

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[請點擊上面號碼按鈕查看個別照片] 我覺得一定有幾次係大家真係唔知道午餐要食啲乜嘢好嘅, 尤其是當你屋企或公司周圍都冇乜選擇時.. 我好彩呀, 因為公司附近都幾多嘢食, 不過有時都會悶㗎嘛.. 所以某日我就決定是日午餐在公司搞掂就算喇, 用我先前喺超市買咗嘅さけ茶漬(三文魚綠茶泡飯)包, 既簡單又方便.. 落樓買盒白飯, 返上公司將全部嘢倒落個碗度, 一餐晏於一分鐘內完成!! 快捷, 方便, 簡單又味美, 不過我呢個低於RM5嘅「辦公室式」, 當然無法同我喺日本食過嘅RM30「居酒屋式」比啦.. 會唔會再有下次?? 當然會啦~~ :p

[Click or tap on the numbered buttons above to navigate between individual photos] i am sure there are times when you have no idea what to have for lunch, especially if there are little choices available around your office or house.. i am lucky that choices are quite abundant in my office vicinity, yet can get bored with the repetitions everyday.. so, the other day i just thought of settling lunch inside office, a simple and very simple lunch indeed with the rice in green tea with salmon (さけ茶漬け sake chazuke) sachets bought from supermarket earlier.. went downstairs to tabao some plain rice and back in office, pour all the things in a bowl and lunch was ready in less than a minute!! simple, quick, convenient and tasty, though this "a la office" at less than RM5 cannot compare with that "a la restaurant" at RM30 i had in Japan lah.. will i do this again?? absolutely~~ :p