Chocolate cake with Butter cream recipe

with the touch of marshmallow to decorate

It is my flatmate Elin's birthday today, Happy Birthday, or rather, Grattis på födelsedagen!
So this is another opportunity to bake a cake for me :)
I don't normally like chocolate or chocolate cakes (strange girl huh?), but it's her favourite, so I thought I'd have a go. And writing now in my room, a floor up from our kitchen, I'm already wrapped in the sweet smell of the chocolate.
By the way, some people don't know how to pronounce my name right, I'm a bit embarrassed but I always say, it's like "chocolate" in French, but this normally sort things out.
Also, I was just going to write about "chocolate cheesecake", I love cheesecakes and I've tried many kinds for years, but chocolate cheesecakes.. or toffee cheesecakes, I just don't understand it... WHY? 
It's like mixing Sushi and Pizza together.. I enjoy both, but not together. The flavours crash inside the mouth in my opinion. As supposed to New York cheesecake, I'd name chocolate cheesecake a "British cheesecake". 
Having said all these, I am mixing cream cheese in the chocolate cake for it produces even more dense creamy inside/crunchy outside effect.


This recipe is very basic, you can do with or without flour. (great news for wheat allergy sufferers!)
The cake itself actually turns out not sweet enough.. so I made butter cream in the last minute which made it so nice!


Ingredients:
plain/milk chocolate 150gm
butter 30gm
30 gm cocoa powder (increase to 50 if you're not using flour)
flour 20gm
cream cheese 200gm
3 eggs


(for Butter cream)
butter 70gm
sugar 50 gm
1 egg
60ml milk
(optional) 1 tbl spoon of cognac or brandy or grand manier


1: On low heat hob, boil water and melt butter, chocolate and cream cheese in a bowl over the pan, mix well
2: when creamy, take 1 out from the heat and shift in cocoa and flour and put egg yolks
3: in a separate bowl, whisk the egg white with sugar until hard enough to stand
4: slowly put 3 into 2 and mix well carefully not to destroy the fluffiness of the mix.
5: bake in 180 degree oven for 30 min


(Butter cream)
1: boil the milk and sugar in the hob until about 115degrees
2: whisk the egg white until hard merange
3: add 1 slowly into 2 continuously mixing (never stop!)
4: soften the butter until white then mix in egg yolk and spirit
5: slowly mix 3 into 4 and beat into cream form
(don't worry if it curdles, just beat and beat! if necessary, drain out the liquid)


Slice the cake into 2 and spread the cream and chill in the fridge before surving


Bon apetit!

Onion Pie recipe

This is a little improvised recipe from a Moomin Finnish Cook Book I received for my birthday present from Judith (thanks!).
As a Japanese, any recipe book without photos are strange.. but somehow feeling like in the Moomin world in the book, and experiencing Nordic simplicity before inspire me and I picked this super easy pie recipe.
It's like a quiche, great for side dish or snack or lunchbox.
I was lazy to use the shortcrust pastry today.. but you can make it using oats and grated carrots into the base for adding more flavour. 
I can see many variations of this recipe with bacon, peppers and tomatoes etc

Ingredients:
Pie/short crust pasty (frozen or chilled)
2 large or 3 medium onions
oil
100ml cream
1 beaten egg
salt and pepper
120g grated cheese (Cheddar or Emmental)

photo 1

photo 2

photo 3

1: roll the pasty and put on the oven-proof dish (photo 1)
2: bake this for 5-8 min in oven 200 degrees, then take out (leave the oven at 200c)
3: slice the onion in strips and fry until transparant soft (just before it gets brown!) (photo 2)
4: mix cream, egg and cheese and season with salt and pepper
5: put softened onion in 2
6: pour this into pre-baked pasty dish and oven cook for 15-20 min until golden on top (photo 3)

Family Tree shop *cute and ethical goods that make you smile*

Family Tree

53 Exmouth Market,
London,
EC1R 4QL  

0207-278 1084

http://www.familytreeshop.co.uk/

A Japanese/English couple Takako and Matthew started this shop over 6 years ago.

I used to go to college very near but the shop opened right after I graduated and despite that fact that I love the area, I hadn't been there at all until my friend introduced me to temporarily work there when they need help (couple now have a cute little baby). 

The shop is in Exmouth Market, off Farringdon or Kings Cross station, close to Angel also, and it has such a nice community feeling throughout the street with all catering putting up authentic Indian/Spanish/Italian/English dishes for lunch time, everyone saying hello to each other. It smells yummy this time :)

The shop sells interior, baby stuff from their signature Washi (Japanese craft-made paper) lamp shades, indie designers' handmade accessaries, porcelain, cushions to baby clothes, books, cards etc. It's one of these places your eyes shine and you smile as if you're suddenly on holiday in Paris or Tokyo within the shop.

Perfect to find some original gift for your special friends wedding, baby births, new homes, birthday as it's sometimes hard to be "original" when we see same things all over from Ikea, Paperchase, Habitat, Gap or Accessarize.

They change the goods all the time, so you better grab what you love from your visit quick!

For the stocked goods, they even do postal service for those who are too far/busy.

Sundried Tomato in oven recipe

I absolutely love Sundried Tomato!

Yet, I find most of them "too dry" to my likeness.

My favourite one is from Sainsbury's Take The Difference range, Sun Blushed Tomatoes which is not as "dried" as Sundried, but half fresh. This range doesn't come cheap and the oil for this isn't olive oil, so I decided to make my own.

Every time I see ripened cherry/mini or normal tomatoes on reduction, I have a couples of packages and I always stock a good quality extra virgin Olive oil with me.

I have tried this recipe in one scorching hot day in June on my balcony, which took about a day and half sun light, but in this country, we are not lucky with strong sun to make this possible option..unfortunately, so stick to the oven option!

It's super easy.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes cut into slices or half if it's mini/cherry tomatoes

Italian herb mix (dried) 1 tbl spoon 

1 clove of garlic crushed or sliced

Plenty of olive oil (Extra virgin if you can) to cover

A jar

Pinch of sea salt

photo 1 (after 30 min)

1: Cut/slive the tomatoes onto a oven tray

2: sprinkle sea salt and oil over it

3: Leave in 80-100 degree oven middle shelf for 3-4 hours (photo 1) until dried as you like

4: Take out from the oven and cool down

5: Put in a jar with herbs and garlic, finally pour olive oil until the tomatoes are all covered

Done! (photo 2)

This should last a good month or so, great in salad, pasta, nibbles etc

photo 2 (after 3 1/2 hours) *bit over-done as I was out!

Kara-age (Japanese Chicken Fritters) recipe

photo 3

This is one of the most popular nibbles for beer/sake dish, also for picnic.
You would stop going to KFC if you can make this at home.
You can add so many different things for different results, but here I will introduce pretty basic one with some personal touch :) (shiso this time)
Onion and Sake make the chicken so succulent and tender, it's almost a magic!
When grating onion, I have to wear a swimming goggle not to weep(!), but in this way, onion gives lots of juice which softens the chicken as well as seasoning.
Shiso is very Japanese herb we all love, but if you can't get it, chopped basil would do or seaweed powder or Nori pieces to wrap the chicken before frying would make very Japanese flavour. If you like it spicy, you can sprinkle some chili powder in the mix.

Ingredients: (serves 4 people)

Chicken Thighs (skinned) cut into bite size about 500-800g
Flour & Cornflour mix 5 tbl spoons each or enough to coat the chicken
little Salt and white pepper 
Soy sauce 4 tbl spoons
Sake (or vodka or white wine) 3 tbl spoons
small piece of ginger grated
one medium onion grated
1-2 garlic cloves crushed
3-5 Shiso leaves (basil would do)
one medium beaten egg (optional)
Sauces for dip (Ponzu or Mayonnaise or salt/pepper)

Photo 1

photo 2

1: Cut the chicken thigh into bite sizes and season with salt and pepper
2: Grate onion, ginger and garlic into the chicken in a bowl (photo 1)
3: Add all sauce (soy, sake and beaten egg) into the bowl to coat the chicken 
4: Cut Shiso leaves into small pieces and put in chicken mix
5: Leave to season in the fridge for at least an hour to overnight (photo 2)
6: In a small plastic bag, put flour and corn flour (this will be the coating for frying) *you can do in a bowl but plastic bag is easy not to make mess*
7: Put plenty of oil in a small pan or frying pan (plenty enough to cover the chicken when frying)
8: Dip the chicken pieces into this flour bag to coat the chicken thoroughly *only right before frying (otherwise it gets soggy)
9: Fry the chicken pieces into the pan until golden (about 3-5 min)
10: To take the excess oil from chicken, put chicken onto newspaper 
11: Serve! Eat while hot. (photo 3)

It's good with on its own as it has plenty flavour already, but I recommend some side dip sauces such as Ponzu (STRONGLY recommended!!!), Citrus salt, Mayonnaise, Yuzu pepper.

*Ponzu is Japanese sauce with citrus elements such as yuzu orange, you can make this by simply mixing 1 part soya sauce preferably Dashi Shoyu (dashi in soy sauce already), 1 part squeezed citrus juice, some Dashi powder (if not with Dashi Shoyu) melted into soy sauce by heating the sauce slightly (then cool down before serving)

The Hinds Head pub meal review (Bray, Berkshire)

The Hind's Head

High St, Bray, Berkshire

SL6 2AB

01628 626151

http://www.thehindsheadhotel.com

I was curious as everyone is about Heston's Fat Duck restaurant.
I think you still need to book in advance for over 6 months.. and the course menu is £150 per head with service charge, oh well.. when I'm rich sometimes..
My friend Haruka took me to Heston's pub The Hind's Head which is opposite Fat Duck in a small village Bray for a nice lunch one afternoon as my birthday present (how sweet!) few weeks back.
There is no singing puddings or bleeding deer meat or edible snow or stone etc here, it's rather quintessential British gastro pub menu.

I had 3 course set for £30, fish cakes for a starter, then moved onto Sausage and Mash, then I had legendary Quaking pudding (very old recipe that only available here) which is actually shaky and wobbles like what Heston did in his Medieval banquet on TV. 
Fish cakes were delicate and with good homemade tartar sauce, Sausage and Mash was, well, pretty normal to my taste but mash was gorgeous, I can tell they use only good potatoes and good butter and maybe some cheese? then Quaking pudding was something to "experience". Served warm and the introduction of its history was shown before on a nice piece of paper and lovely waitresses would tell you the history. It's like Panna Cotta with chai flavour (Cinnamon and Cardamon etc).

fish cakes

Quaking Pudding

I personally couldn't eat all of it, it was too milky and flavoury. (No photo on Sausage sorry, I was busy eating!)
The pub has very lovely atmosphere, very old wooden interior throughout with its own history (built in 15th century).

Bray village was so small with merely 2 pubs and a church, 1 hospital and 2 shops, we were expecting to leisuring around whole day in a country but we were done after an hour walk after the lunch.

To burn the lunch out, we walked back to the Maidenhead station (30min walk).

Thanks Haruka!

Verdict (5 star being best ☆is half a star)
Food quality: ★★★☆
Price:★★★☆
Service:★★★★
Interior/Decor:★★★★
Menu:★★★★
Overall points:★★★★(3.8)

Burgh House Buttery Cafe review (Hampstead)

Burgh House/Hampstead Museum

New End Square
Hampstead
London NW3 1LT

House / Museum	020 7431 0144
The Buttery Cafe	020 7794 2905

http://www.burghhouse.org.uk/visit/buttery.aspx

I visit this very "English village garden experience" cafe everytime I receive some guests at mine. I always wonder how Hampstead is slightly neglected by people who live in London..

It's 15min on tube and you can enjoy the English countryside, very cute one with the gift of Hampstead Heath being easy reach where you can wonder for ages, picnic, dog walking, even swimming in a pond.

This tea house is little hidden yet 4 min walk from high street/tube station on the way to the heath, in front of where John  Constable (19th century English painter) used to live. (Along with many novelists, painters, artists all preferred to live near the heath, e.g. George Orwell, Syd Barret, Keats, T.S. Eliot, A.A. Milne, Lucien Freud, Sigmund Freud, Lee Miller etc.. )

They cater proper lunch dishes, but I always settle on tea and scone, of course served with homemade jam and clotted cream. fruit scone with jam/cream £2.75, pot of tea £1.75 and I have it in the garden looking out for seasonable flowers there. At this moment, I already feel being in the countryside :) merely 20min walk from home..

If you need some fresh air of countryside and can't afford it? then visit Hampstead.

Verdict (5 star being best ☆is half a star)

Food quality: ★★★★
Price:★★★★
Service:★★★☆
Interior/Decor:★★★★☆
Menu:★★★★
Overall points:★★★★ (4.2)

Oliver's Fish and Chips review

Oliver's

95 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4RL

0207 586 9945

http://www.oliversfishandchips.com

This is my very local new celebrated place, good old fish'n'chips diner.

Very cute (bit too posh to be called a "chippy") decor and fresh fish made by people who cares about food.

I call this particular block of street a "dead spot" (except for ever so great Sir Richard Steel's pub next door-one of my favourite pubs-), because it's 10 min up from all the attraction of Camden and 20min to Hampstead, very residential otherwise, anyone passing by would be local people only. This used to be one of the only kebab houses in NW3 and it was bad business then, it was all empty all the time and it closed after less than a year. Posh people don't need to stuff their mouths with deep fried unknown objects after drinking? There are so many Sushi places than Chips or Chicken places in NW3.

Then there came Oliver's Fish & Chips.

I was excited to go and try from the day they were still furnishing the place as soon as I could manage to read with my tilted neck through half covered glass "Fish and Chips" sign.

As well as traditional Chippy menu of Cod, Haddock (£5.50), Mushy peas (£1), Curry sauce (£1), they even have Northern speciality Deep fried Mars bar (£1.50) !! and they have little cosmopolitan menu as Open Ciabbata Specials (Grilled fish, Salad, Chips and a piece of toasted Ciabbata £6.95-8.95) and Cod bites in corn etc.

I had the traditional Cod and regular chips with curry sauce today.

I can tell that Cod was fresh and very good quality, battered in thick golden crust and chips as it should be. I was probably served a fish which was fried 30~60 min ago, and this crucial time left some marks.. It wasn't as freshly fried crunchy as I expected and I needed to put a lot of Tartar sauce and vinegar. Curry sauce was pretty spicy, so I was surprised since my love of chip shop curry to be very stewy mild like Japanese curry. Mushy peas are good and sweet, but lacked salt, I guess this all means all are fresh and served without much seasoning to enjoy the wholesomeness of the food.

I can easily become obsessed with food, so I have to say my expectation was too high.

Yet, for the price, quality, service,decor, menu, it's totally a celebration of "Good Old Fish'n'Chips" with impressive effort and attention.

I will definitely go back and try the Ciabbata special next, I can see myself going back not too long from now already!

Verdict (5 star being best ☆is half a star)
Food quality: ★★★★
Price:★★★★
Service:★★★★
Interior/Decor:★★★★☆
Menu:★★★★☆
Overall points:★★★★(4.1)

Green Pesto recipe

I started growing some vegetables and herbs in my balcony this summer.
Thanks for the "proper" summer sun in this June/July, they all grew really well (then stopped growing or extremely slow since August..), so far I have Sweet Basil, Red and Yellow peppers, Cherry tomatoes, Japanese basil family Shiso (my favourite herb! which I'm determined to contribute some recipe/idea here soon), Chili and Mint.
Having seen a easy recipe on my friend's recipe book (Italian recipe by Harumi Kurihara), I stripped naked my basils and made my own green pesto.

To be honest, I made it without any precise recipe, but roughly to make a small amount (about 4 servings)
1-2 package of basil or medium whole basil plant 
8-12grams of pine nuts
5-8 table spoons of extra virgin oil
1 clove of garlic 
sprinkle of sea salt


grind all ingredients in a food processor or grinder until smooth.
Voila! that's it, all in 2 min.
You can add Parmesan cheese if you like, but I prefer vegan version simply it last longer and I can sprinkle it when I eat.

looks like this 

It's SO good that you will never have to/want to buy one from supermarkets.
I personally like to have it with some seafood in Fussili pasta.


Today's lunch :)

with Japanese soy-marinated scallops and mozzarella cheese

 Bon Appetit!

Ottolenghi review (Islington branch)

Ottolenghi

287 Upper Street, London N1 2TZ
0207-288-1454
http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/

Ottolenghi deserves all praises and compliments they ever received over the years from Guardian times to their little cafe/bistro branches.
I love the fact that it's not quite called a "restaurant" but more of a cafe feel where you can have a full dinner or a naughty cake and coffee anytime of the day.
I had their pear cake (baked in a square tin) and cafe latte (£8 with tip) while my friend Christina had their Beef with coriander mayo and Marinated Aubergine grill served with selection of breads and olive oil.
Their breads are out of this world especially the cornbread with chili. That was so good I spent some time searching the recipe and baking anything close to theirs became a bit of my recent obsession. Off course the olive oil quality is very very good.
The cake is just perfect.. wordlessly perfect. All the food as you can see when you choose over the counter instead of looking at any pictures on a menu or imagining are so loyal and even better than how it deliciously look.
Their branches are all located in well-desired posh areas and I just hope the quality of their food spread all over the country soon.

Verdict (5 star being best ☆is half a star)
Food quality: ★★★★★
Price:★★★
Service:★★★★
Interior/Decor:★★★★
Menu:★★★☆
Overall points:★★★★ (4.2)

Necco Japanese canteen/Japas review

Ok, after all this time, I realized that I am very picky/fussy and very Foody person I can't stop talking about food topics both cooking and dining out.
So I decided to dedicate the topics here.
I will review the food I ate and I post photos and recipe on those I cook.
Welcome to the first blog!

Necco
(Japanese Cafe Bar)
52-54 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE
0207-713-8575
www.necco.co.uk

Necco is a new Japanese canteen/cafe/Japas in Exmouth Market.
I popped in as I was helping my friend's shop Family Tree opposite the bar and I can't ignore any new Japanese restaurant/Sushi bar.. Mind you, being Japanese especially from Osaka (the kitchen of Japan) I can be very critical about food.
The decor is all done in Pink! very pink indeed from menu to chairs to walls and signs etc.
Necco (neko) is "cat" in Japanese.
The staff are friendly, I'm impressed with the ideas on menu. Japas (small size dishes to nibble to accompany the drinks or when you're little hungry) and Japanese cakes (Matcha Green tea cakes) and Sake/Shochu wines and lunch boxes and Sushi selection.
I love the idea in general of a place where you can have just tea, coffee and cake, lunch, nibble or full dinner.
I had California roll sushi take away. Made to order. Very reasonable £2.50 for 6 pieces.
I also tried their lunch bento box you can pick one small dish, one main dish comes with portion of rice (white or brown) and pickles for £5. The main/side dish changes daily and they all cook on site, it's like having your mom behind the kitchen, very homey food we tend to cook.
Down side of for me is that, the quality of the food I had (Chicken Teriyaki, Curry, chilli spiced Aubergine) were all something I could cook at home maybe better.. Curry especially was very blunt and tasteless stew.
So my verdict is, good for lunches when you want choices of home cooking Japanese and tea/coffee with home made cakes, but not a praised restaurant quality. The shop decor is a bit too much mish-mush tastes all thrown together too which I didn't like well.

Verdict (5 star being best ☆is half a star)
Food quality: ★★☆
Price:★★★
Service:★★★☆
Interior/Decor:★★
Menu:★★★
Overall points:★★★ (3)

Dreams: 17.02.2010

Last night I went to see the tribute to Jack Rose in Cafe Oto.
It was very touching and gentle night I enjoyed greatly. I loved to see some friends (Voice of Seven Thunders, Hush Arbors) play after a long time and meet some old faces.
Probably because I bumped into a friend who was with an elder couple of 50-6oyo, and I had a good chat with the woman, this may have affected in my dream I had after I climbed into my bed.

I was in Kure Hiroshima, a house on the street where my grandparents lived.
Somehow I was staying at this woman's house, very modernly refurbished flat, just arrived from London. The woman goes out. Being tired or lazy or jetlagged, I woke up late alone, make my way to the kitchen to make tea. Someone opens a door and there was a Japanese girl with shopping bag full of groceries. She greets me and comes into the house putting things in fridge. I understand she is a house helper and we start chatting.
She shows me a big bag of pickled cabbage proudly saying that was a bargain. This makes me think about the Japanese food shopping/prices I do in London and think London isn't bad.
This is in Hiroshima, yet, somehow being dream, it's not in Japan..
There was a knock on the door and some people come in and tell me they want "smoothies".
I realized this place is a house-cafe where people from word of a month come in to have some drinks, light snacks though it is completely normal kitchen space.
I automatically start "working in a cafe".
I ask the girl how I can make smoothie and open the fridge there I see 2 bottles of ready made smoothie, but she says "I'll show you how to make it" then she put a dry Udon noodle into a glass and put a bowl to onto it so it won't float and the noodle will get soft, then she carries on preparing some vegetables.
I wonder if she has mistaken me saying "smoothie" but I let her do what she's doing and decided not to voice my confusion.
More people start coming into a cafe and they all look like regulars, some with foreigners, some couples etc. I get busy taking orders but not sure how to prepare what I was ordered.
Despite the confusion, I like the idea of this make-shift cafe and the fact that these people come here to relax and feel the privilege to know this cool place where there is no sign, no menu but cool people's hangout in this very countryside.
Some people are ready to leave and I ask how much was what they had, the girl tells me
"noodle and a juice.. it'd be 1000 yen. Most of the light meal/snacks would be 500yen"
I am impressed with the price being so low and reasonable.

That was my dream.
I kinda see why I dreamt.. I saw some Japanese girls in Oto, Keiko san who works/owns the palce, Midori san who works there, then Alex's friend, Japanese girl was around too last night.
So great cafe with Japanese ideas/twist + Foreign-ness in both Europe and Japan = why countries were mixed up in my dream and the fact I love to run a cafe where I cook/serve good food and want people to enjoy + the woman was whom I was chatting to last night.
So why Hiroshima? I don't know.. but the locations in my dreams are quite often in Japan, especially places I have old memories of.
I should think I am lucky to experience being those places, doing stuff while I sleep away.

Outsider's Art: Museum of Everything

This was my 7th time of visiting my favourite gallery in London.
Museum of Everything.
I love the space, I love the art, I love the people who comes and works there.
I love the tearoom where there is no price but pay your donation on receiving a lovely cuppa in cute cup and saucer, sometimes with finger biscuits.
I found out so many great artists I came to love and dig here.
One of my favourite being
Hiroyuki Doi's detailed endless circle drawing. (This is a different version of the one from the gallery)He seems still active in Tokyo, though his website stopped updating since 2007, if so, I want to visit his gallery/studio in Tokyo when I'm over in April.

Also I loved is when I went to see one of the film night on Sunday there about the French painter Seraphine Louis, a film released in 2009 which won many awards.
I was one lucky soul to view this there prior to the UK release and even though we were sitting on a hard small bench for 2 hours, I was completely intrigued by its genuine and innocent woman's pure soul and passion. I think I cried a little.

Also, a Swiss artist called Aloïse Corbaz is a total surreal candy for your eyes experience, the link here gives you what I mean on Google Image.
So imaginary, fantasy yet somehting is so dangerously disturbing and not real. This "can only be in a dream" feel.
I would really like to see a film about her made in 1974 but I have not had the luck to find it yet.

These artists, so-called Outsider's art, can't stop grabbing my sense because, untrained, isolated from society (for mostly being naive) they hold the power to behold what's inside the unspoiled mind, so purely so painfully. Something we all forgotten to feel "this" and "that" controlled by what we are supposed to feel/view/think in modern moral world.

Dreams: 30.01.2010

I dreamt..
I was in my own room, right by where I sleep on.
The room was exactly the same as it really is, except that I had a new black electric guitar I bought (in my dream) still in a package, somehow weirdly in a hard plastic package like for batteries etc.
I was cleaning the CD towers area where I find a guitar I clearly forgotten I had bought it, so I take it and start to play a tune, I think it was a Brit pop song, but realize that one string was broken.
I see some food crumb in the neck of the guitar so I started cleaning with a hoover.
What looked like some bean shell or old corns were slowly wiggling and turned out to be some worms. I find these things around CD shelves area, so I clean like a mad woman.
I had to use the sharp edge head to vacuum around the guitar neck because of the strings still attached there, and I remember the "feeling" of vacuuming those soft wiggling creatures into the vacuum.. it was very grouse..

Forest Scene 16

Forest Scene 16, originally uploaded by shokographic.

from my current photo project "Forest Series"
which may or may not merge with my other project "Ghost"
Any feedback will be warmly appreciated

Also, I'm thinking of compiling into a large format book someday, so any tips on places of printing/publishing will be a massive help!

Thanks,
S h o k o

Dreams 11.10.2009

Vivid dreams

I am in Italy or somewhere with some friends, this some friend (I don't know or remember) knew a film director, a very rich and high profile guy, and we were lucky enough that he was around when we passed by his gorgeous building he lives.

He had one amazing place to live, a high suite room in a building, so high when we get invited briefly into his place that we could see outer space!

There I saw what I all wanted to see in space, a huge and clear milky way so close, and a giant Noah's ark ship.

It was as if he had the best view of space possible from his window. and this legendary ship like Titanic was almost a myth lots of people argued if this really existed at all.

Though kind enough to invite me to this view the film director had no much time for us, he is a world acclaimed popular celebrity in the end, so we had to leave there soon, but he promised to show me more when I "happen" to be around next saying "come back in 2 weeks or so, you can stay and I'll show you around", to this, I seriously expected happen, but knew it'd be hard to be lucky enough again to see him and I had to come back to Italy for that rare chance.

Another vivid dreams.

I was on a train supposedly my commuting train back home from work, I'm standing in front of Viktor and Adam who were sitting and talking, at a stop we had to change the train opposite side of the platform, Wojtek was there too and we ran for the other train, which departed right after we got on.

I was wearing a pair of men's shoes which sole needed mending because they had fabric base I stepped on chewing gum so the fabric part was coming off. I and Wojtek were walking at a point and I was looking for a shoe repair shop, some shops were selling bras (that I thought were cute but didn't pay attention much then) and vintage sun glasses etc. The shop assistant was looking for what I needed for me.

The place changes, I was now walking in sand and some parts started to crack as we walk, so I had to be extra careful with my shoes and where I walk.

Through a dark tunnel, I was flying like a time capsule travel with other people who all had to hide their faces with hood, masks and covers for some reason I didn't understand but something to do with hiding their identity while traveling this tunnel, but I hide my face so some people were making remarks about me flying with my face uncovered.

I arrived in what I knew was a "Utopia". (or like heaven as we imagine..)

Very vast green field with many people randomly having picnics and running around having fun.

I have a walk around, al is peaceful, there is no sign of worries or anything negative there, everything was happiness.

I feel peaceful and walk around with my camera in my hand.

I come to the hill side of green where I spot something burning which was odd in the Utopia, "Red" wasn't what was meant "peaceful" there let alone "burning" element.

I get close to that scene and I see some camera crew filming the burning scene and I understand that it was a conceptual or advertizement going on.

I like the contrast of the burning red against vivid green field I frame some images with my camera.

I think I've been to this green place before in my dreams...

Dreams: 29.09.2009

The first day after a long time I wear Nic patch (step2) during my sleep.
I love the effect when I see an amazing sky with full of stars, which happened this morning.

I was visiting cafe Oto though the place in my dream was different to the real place, more hippy with hammocks and wooden benches, I love the place all the same.
I was talking to Keiko (the owner) in the sunny part of the venue, I say "I'd bake a green tea cake with red bean curd" and she goes "Oh yes! we'd work on that for cafe and I'd even take a day off for it, let's do it!" I am happy because I can contributing something I love for somewhere/people I love. We talk passionately about the place.
Now we are watching the earth with some astronomical movement, not burning but like a mini big ban, very copper red and atmosphere with surrounding stars are all swelling up and down (like in the pic above), beside this phenomenon we can spot many many shooting stars.
We watch this in owe.

Next, I was visiting family friends of Matsubara in Brazil.
I am holding a baby girl of about 8 months old wearing baby pink clothes, presumably of Marcelo and Lucia's baby. (that they just found out they're having) and another baby is held by someone else (Lucia or my mom, I don't remember). The baby seems to find it comfortable and sleeping in my arms. We are on the move to somewhere, walking in group of 5-6 of us in subarban city with some ran down buildings and squares. At one point we have to gp through the fenced area we find a hole to pass but I decide it's barely a size of a baby and not worth risking, I didn't want the baby to wake from her peaceful mind. We have bonded very well and the baby smiles at me time to time and we could talk in our heads to communicate.
Somehow we arrive at where we should, home of Matsubara I think where Mrs Matsubara welcomes us back and the babies are wiped well.
I could see the semi-bubbled smooth skin of the babies. The older one (that I wasn't holding) gets wind blown to dry by someone with a paper fan, seeing that, the baby I ws with comes to me and whispers to my ear "I want the wind too" I was pleased with her opening up to me and happily give her some wind to dry, she looks happy.

Dreams: 26.09.2009

I had a dream of fire, it was scary and even felt a bit of heat.

I was having a meal with Mariko in a restaurant but looked more of market food stall.

We were sharing a big plate of pizza like food, a taster of different flavor (some being very Japanese flavour like Yuzu and Daikon).

I was sitting so far from her we couldn't talk, so I moved my s

eating to next to her.

When we were still eating, a Chinese guy came in running and shouting in Chinese, he tells me something in upsetting state, he sensed I don't understand the language, so went to tell other people, but at this time I saw a fire blaze coming our way from Mariko's side of the building.

We panicked, and I took her hand and started running towards window which leads to outside.

At this point, the fire was so close we needed immediate evacuation.

We noticed that the way we were going to escape from the fire was also in blaze and found ourselves sandwiched in fire.

The ground got very hot and I was in bare feet.

Mariko was couching and sat down almost losing to fight, I tried

to take her but she wouldn't come, so I make a move more towards the open field where this happened to be the playground near my home in Japan.

I felt like I abandoned her, but somehow she made it where I was where f

inally was safe from the fire.

Another dream was full of bees.

They were flying everywhere and were more than 100's in group.

I blush around to avoid contact, but at some point they seemed to be sleeping/resting and they all had shells over their body which all had various illustrations, like those in London cabs, some advert designs on them.

I spot some had helmet illustrations on and some similar ones and so on.

Mosaic portfolio 1: in my eyes

Dreams: 06.09.2009

I had a dream, greatly influenced by the book I'm reading now, "Black Rain" by Masuji Ibuse, a fiction about Hiroshima Bomb based on historical accord of the nu-clear bomb attack in Hiroshima.

I was first having a peaceful picnic in a big forest and there were many people and family having a nice picnic day. I am with a friend I don't remember who now, walking around the field and find some military people patrolling and I suddenly feel uneasy about the air.

When I come back to where we were sitting, there are bits of many things left from people's picnic stuff, a cardigan, a sitting blanket, a bottle of wine, water, sandwiches, fruits etc abandoned so suddenly and everyone had vanished, it was very ghosty scene.

I find a woman who was sitting only in her underwear, she can't find a dress she was wearing, looking very vacant and perplexed.

Next thing I know, I was injured all my skin, burned so it was swollen and red with fresh water blisters, and along with many other people (from the picnic scene) I was forced to walk through a big building from room to room. I was forced to dip in a hot bath which only worsen my skin wound and I get scared but I am more scared by the guards who watch over us to make sure we all obey the orders. I come across my old friend Kano, who had just come out from the bath, all her skin so red and inflamed, she said hi to me but she had this vacant sad look in her eyes, surrendering to the situation she had been placed. (no defense but accept and obey)

I try to watch what's going on here and see if there is a chance I could escape, but no hope there, I'm just too scared so I try not to stand out and follow the sad crowd.

(end)

I feel a strong gut that tells me I miss and love Hiroshima where my mother is from and most of her side relatives all experienced the bomb. I spent my childhood summer holiday there listening to the temple's bells on the 6th of August at 8:15AM (the time the bomb struck) annually when everyone gives a minute silent pray and everything becomes stand-still for it. I spent the hot summer days in my little room in my grand parents house reading "Hadashi no Gen"("Barefoot Gen" now translated in English and I greatly recommend a read and was made into Anime TV series too here is a part-*warning:pretty shocking content-) cartoon about a boy who survived the bomb but witness so many agony in people who were left in a burning Hiroshima where lots of blackened bodies lay and people barely alive with their skin all hanging wander unconsciously.

All those people who survived and had so many stories are now dying after 64 years on now, strange it may be but not just an accord of the Hiroshima bomb but purely for the meaning of being one Japanese national I feel I have to know more about the history and the roots of myself.