October 1, 2025 - Funny Videos!

Hello! Today I want to share what I think is a funny video. My humor might be slightly twisted, but this video explains some of the experience I had when buying food and drinks in Japan.

IT WAS A SCAM ALL ALONG?!

I often buy one of those whipped-cream fruit sandwiches, and often think that something feels off when I ate it. Turns out it wasn't my imagination, and it is in fact a common experience for the common folk like I.

And some beef bowls or bentos from seven eleven also don't have that much volume in it. I just thought I was getting what I paid for but turns out not everyone felt the same way. Whenever I buy a rice bowl with beef in it, it's always just 1 cm tall worth of meat, and the rest of it is just rice. It is also the same as some restaurants, where they would give a lot of rice and little meat. Just like Japanese omurice, places like Hoshino cafe serve their "beef stew omurice with demiglace sauce" with a 8:2:1 ratio of rice:egg:beef. I could count 2-3 small pieces of beef for a whole serving of "omurice". The egg is also very thin.

Other examples are drinks like Starbucks. Starbucks in Japan is quite pricey and they don't give as much volume as other countries from what I have seen.

It's just funny how the higher ups thought they could keep getting away with these "shortages". They have cut too many corners. I like how a lot of people have realized it, and united to express their disapproval. 

Until next time!

September 29, 2025 - My Favorite Site!

Hello everyone! Today I would like to share a website that I have just recently found.

Introducingggggg.....*drumroll*

THE CLEVER CARROT

I've always wanted to dive into the world of sourdough, and this was the website I used to make my very own sourdough starter!

I tried making my own sourdough starter around 2 weeks ago, but it died on the third day which was the day I left it in my mother and sister's care. I gave her the name, "Biang-ka" (pronounced, "Bianca".)

"Biang" means source, which is what a starter is. Oh, my beautiful pride and joy. I conceived her and held her for one night, I didn't expect that would be the last time I got to see her grow...

I used whole wheat flower on the first day, just like how the recipe suggested.

Biang-ka's first day!

Biang-ka grew so much on her first night, she grew more than twice her size.

On the second day, she was HUNGRY. She grew so much, I was so proud of her. I couldn't wait to feed her, but sadly I wasn't the one to feed her for her first and well, last feeding...

 

Biang-ka on her 2nd day, look at how tall she grew!

My sister fed her in the morning with non-bleached all purpose white flour. She looked great and healthy, I had her moved to a new clean container as well.

This was her a few hours after her first feeding! She looked fantastic.

Moments before her demise. I was so excited to come back to her after 6 months, I was looking forward to bake with her. But sadly, on the next day she grew some mold and my mom said that she died... They said it smelled rancid and just REALLY bad so I was super sad.

But there goes my short lived experience in trying to start my own sourdough starter! I will, WILL try again next year when I go back to Indonesia. And this time, I will feed her myself. The first week is very crucial, and I hope I'll have enough time to do some baking in the future!

And if you ever find yourself in need of a recipe, go check out The Clever Carrot by Emilie Raffa! <3

Thank you for reading my entry for today, hope to see you guys soon! 

 

September 24, 2025 - My First Post!

 HELLO WORLD

   Greetings! My name is Sharlene, and my birthday is celebrated by the Chinese on their Independence Day. I went to language school before going to DHU. But because of Covid-19, the first 6 months were spent in my home country before I actually went to Japan. I lived in Osaka for that 1 year, met a lot of new people and made a bunch of friends. It was tough, a lot happened during that 1 year but nothing could have prepared me for what happened during these past 2 year and a half I spent in DHU.

    My dad passed away last year in July. I had to take leave from school for around 3 weeks which was more than what the school had allowed. My attendance rate wasn’t looking so good, and I had to go back to Japan to finish my exams so I don’t fail my classes. But it hasn’t been easy since then. I still miss my dad’s presence, his jokes, and our similar taste in music. Artists like David Foster, Rod Stewart, Fourplay, Westlife, and Air Supply, my dad’s favorite music has continued to live in my life. My mom is still on her journey recovering from the grief of losing my dad. Despite their very chaotic marriage, they stuck together until the end. She thought she still had more time with him to spend their old days together traveling, or having a nice family dinner together.

    Just when I thought things were finally getting better, we got into a car crash almost 2 weeks ago going down from a mountain. I thought I wanted to die then, but turns out I didn't want to just yet when I tried to get out of the car. By God’s grace, miraculously no one got severe injuries except for my mom who got a dislocated shoulder and a chipped arm bone, and my grandma with her fractured hip bone. My mom was hospitalized for a week before I had to go back to Japan and I slept beside her every night on the hospital couch, just like how I did when my dad was battling with cancer. It’s not easy seeing your parents sick, and I am kind of stressed out from life recently. I am also unsure about the future, but something I learned from a nice grandma in her 70s on the plane back to Japan is not to take life too seriously. Relax, and just live life. I tried starting my first sourdough starter and it died the next day I left it for Japan. Everyone has their own story and at the end of the day, I’m grateful I can still eat sushi and breathe the fresh air Japan has to offer.

    If I had to live my life again, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.

THANKS FOR READING :D

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