Tokyo Ramen Show 2009

We decided to check out the Tokyo Ramen Show 2009...West of Shibuya on the Hanzomon Line, about 4 stops. First, you wait in line for about 25 minutes to buy your tickets (pic with the guy in the purple shirt) from machines, like the ones outside Ramen shops. Each ticket is 750 and gets you a bowl of ramen. You can buy multiple.

Next, you have to wait in line again for each different vendor, so you need to wait another 20-few hours, depending on the popularity of the vendor.

I chose R-14, which had Tonkatsu ramen, and a moderate line.

• Soup base was tasty. It was probably pork fat, judging from the foaming layer of grease on top, and the amount of burnage my face experienced when collaterally caught by flying drops of it while slurping noodles
• 2-3 slices of fatty pork was of good quality, good balance of pork and fat
• Noodles had good bounce
• The egg was the most disappointing ingredient. In fact, it was the most disappointing egg I've had in Japan to date. Mainly due to it being hard boiled - I've gotten used to eating soft boiled eggs here...
  

A "Cool" idea that just wasn't...

As I ran out of contact lens solution late one evening in Tokyo, I was forced to settle for what the local Konbini (Convenience store) had. They actually carried a well-regarded lens care brand, "Rohto". I'd used their eye drops for a few years while I was in Hong Kong.

However, the only type of lens solution they had was called "Soft one Cool". I knew it was probably different than regular solution, but had no choice. After soaking the lenses for the night, putting them in my eyes was anything but Cool. It BURNED!!! Maybe my eyes weren't used to this sensation, but I'm a bit too paranoid to leave them in my eyes for a few minutes to "see how it goes". Therefore, I just wore glasses the whole day and bought my normal Renu/ Optifree solution later.

Motanaiyi!!
Here it is for sale online.

Delicate wrapping in Japan

Although Japan prides itself on its almost burdensome recycling policy (involves separating your trash into about 10 categories), it spares no trees (or plastic) when it comes to wrapping. Check out my eggs and tomatos, which were delivered as part of my entire groceries (free over USD $50).
Dozen Eggs:
Bubble wrap on the outside:

Plastic bag inside of the bubble wrap:
Plastic container on the inside of the plastic bag (with a once-use plastic seal strip):
Tomatoes:

Styrofoam wrapping taped to outside:

Plastic wrap with styrofoam tray inside of styrofoam wrapping:

Bicolor angel victimizes 2 clownfish

Bought 2 clownfish (percula, small size), and a Bicolor angel, at the same time. I was at first worried that the blue damsels would attack the small clowns, but instead noticed the Bicolor was nipping them at times.

I thought this would pass, but it didn't... few days later, the clowns' tails were bitten off, and they died soon after.

I've never had this problem before with a Bicolor, and there's not issues with the damsels and it... now I don't know what fish it can get along with...

Dubai Signage

Here we have two non-PC signs in Dubai:


All I have to say is that this was taken in Dubai...

YouTube (STILL) has no business model

Two years and $1.65 Bn later (not including operating expenses for the last 2 years), YouTube and daddy Google still have not figured it out yet.

Popppppping

Clip of girl doing her popping...