So I waited an additional few days after last Thursday's message. I sent the guy another message today using no uncertain terms that I was leaving for vacation and if I didn't hear from him by the time I got back (or found something in the mailbox waiting for me), a negative feedback was on its way. Plain and simple.
Well, the guy responded less than half and hour later.
Says he sent it out last Monday (for the sake of argument, let's say I believe him; then it should arrive this coming Thursday). Also says his post office refused to let him pre-pay an international mailer... so he'd send cash(!) OK fine... Whatever.
I'll bring this up again when I get back, I'm sure.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
noodle review: "beef"
If only because I have a packet just about to expire, I've decided my next review should be the classic "beef" flavour ramen by Nissin.
As you can see here it looks like any other regular Nissin branded instant ramen. It comes with a "beef" soup base and a disgusting-looking foil-pack of "seasoning" which when still cold looks like a cross between Brylcream hair product and refried bean. I don't know what it is, and I usually just discard it. But for the purposes of this review, I decided to use it anyway since I wanted to be as close to the intended mode of consumption as possible.
Looks alright - the slimey "seasoning" desolves nicely and doesn't appear to make the soup particularly oily as I might have expected.
It tasted okay but I was still able to detect the subtle effects added by that "seasoning"; it did two things. First, it actually did add some sort of authentic beef taste into it (maybe the fatty substance probably has some real beef-fat extract in it). Secondly, because of it's pure fattiness, it left a sort of waxy feeling on my teeth and was somewhat uncomfortable - like if you were to have a plate of pasta with a pesto sauce ...but there wasn't enough of anything in the pesto so it was too oily. Surpisingly enough, it other than the strange sensation on my teeth, it didn't feel oily otherwise.
As a final note: the "beef" flavour is the old stand-by and in general, when I hear "instant ramen," this is the version that comes to mind. As mentioned earlier, I usually forget the additional "seasoning" and instead will usually simply add a teaspoon or so of Thai "sriracha" chili sauce. Of course, at that point, I don't really notice the difference between the "beef" flavour or the "original" flavour anyway.
As you can see here it looks like any other regular Nissin branded instant ramen. It comes with a "beef" soup base and a disgusting-looking foil-pack of "seasoning" which when still cold looks like a cross between Brylcream hair product and refried bean. I don't know what it is, and I usually just discard it. But for the purposes of this review, I decided to use it anyway since I wanted to be as close to the intended mode of consumption as possible.
Looks alright - the slimey "seasoning" desolves nicely and doesn't appear to make the soup particularly oily as I might have expected.
It tasted okay but I was still able to detect the subtle effects added by that "seasoning"; it did two things. First, it actually did add some sort of authentic beef taste into it (maybe the fatty substance probably has some real beef-fat extract in it). Secondly, because of it's pure fattiness, it left a sort of waxy feeling on my teeth and was somewhat uncomfortable - like if you were to have a plate of pasta with a pesto sauce ...but there wasn't enough of anything in the pesto so it was too oily. Surpisingly enough, it other than the strange sensation on my teeth, it didn't feel oily otherwise.
As a final note: the "beef" flavour is the old stand-by and in general, when I hear "instant ramen," this is the version that comes to mind. As mentioned earlier, I usually forget the additional "seasoning" and instead will usually simply add a teaspoon or so of Thai "sriracha" chili sauce. Of course, at that point, I don't really notice the difference between the "beef" flavour or the "original" flavour anyway.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
eBay Saga 4: empty mailbox
Alright, so I got home and it's Thursday (that's small-packet delivery day hereabouts). And my mailbox is still empty. I fired off a message to the seller just to prod him a bit. I must say, I've had a pretty lousy time of my eBay experiences this past year or so. Okay, actually it's a bit 50/50... But still... it's enough to get me off the friggin thing for a little while.
I fully understand that for most people it's not a "business." In fact, early on eBay was billed as "the world's largest garage sale." So basically you're trading with private folks who just want to get rid of stuff while making a quick buck. That's all fine. But if people would just be a little more careful - like maybe packing the right DVD into the right mailer - I wouldn't be so annoyed every few months.
I'm just amazed it's been two weeks already.
I fully understand that for most people it's not a "business." In fact, early on eBay was billed as "the world's largest garage sale." So basically you're trading with private folks who just want to get rid of stuff while making a quick buck. That's all fine. But if people would just be a little more careful - like maybe packing the right DVD into the right mailer - I wouldn't be so annoyed every few months.
I'm just amazed it's been two weeks already.
I'm a Marvel Zombie relapse
Labels:
reading
Right up until this month I had sworn my DC comics. But quite frankly they've just overdone it with the recent Crisis event. There are so many relaunches leaving more questions than answers that it's no longer funny.
Marvel on the other hand managed to snag my attention even tho I had originally passed on both Avengers Disassembled and House of M. I've been reading the trade-paperback collections as they come out (released about a year after their original individual publications) and I'm having a blast with Decimation.
In the aftermath of the House of M incident, the Marvel world changed dramatically when nearly all mutants on the planet lost their powers and became normal humans (including several of the outlaw heroes, the X-Men). The Decimation line-up follows how the X-Men dealt with their losses, reveals how the public at large reacted, and why the government saw fit to restart the Sentinel program (this time as a group of elite soldiers who pilot the giant Sentinel machines). And what I love about it all - each trade has been fairly self-contained with a consistent theme and plot (editorial choices on Captain America notwithstanding).
Last week I read all about the desperate gambit Pietro, brother of Scarlett Witch and son of Magneto, attempts in the face of a life unbearably slow now that he's lost his super-speed powers. It was both frightening and sad... and who could blame him.
I'm back to being a Marvel Zombie ...good to be home! ^_^;
Marvel on the other hand managed to snag my attention even tho I had originally passed on both Avengers Disassembled and House of M. I've been reading the trade-paperback collections as they come out (released about a year after their original individual publications) and I'm having a blast with Decimation.
In the aftermath of the House of M incident, the Marvel world changed dramatically when nearly all mutants on the planet lost their powers and became normal humans (including several of the outlaw heroes, the X-Men). The Decimation line-up follows how the X-Men dealt with their losses, reveals how the public at large reacted, and why the government saw fit to restart the Sentinel program (this time as a group of elite soldiers who pilot the giant Sentinel machines). And what I love about it all - each trade has been fairly self-contained with a consistent theme and plot (editorial choices on Captain America notwithstanding).
Last week I read all about the desperate gambit Pietro, brother of Scarlett Witch and son of Magneto, attempts in the face of a life unbearably slow now that he's lost his super-speed powers. It was both frightening and sad... and who could blame him.
I'm back to being a Marvel Zombie ...good to be home! ^_^;
Sunday, August 20, 2006
D.O.M. 8 ...twice
Labels:
Idol
If I ever felt "uncomfortable" with being a drooling fan-boy, it's now... but then I remember that this is some kind of engineered marketting going on and that Japan has a bizarre morality to its entertainment industry in the first place.
Like America's recent super-hero film franchises taking off, Japan has also had several comics adaptations hit the big screen. This year's was "Yo-yo girl-cop" Sukeban Deka (the fourth in a series dating back almost 20 years)... starring none other than idol cutie Matsuura Aya (a fellow Hello!Project talent with Morning Musume).
And in a cross-promoting effort, H!P producer Tsunku paired her up with current MoMusu member Fujimoto Miki forming a new act "G.A.M." to perform the theme song to the movie. Anyway, here's miss Matsuura on the left (my, how she's grown!) and "MiKitty" on the right:
And believe me the double-entendre in the name is not lost on me. This feels wrong some how... um, yeah - this is the only decent resoluction pic I could find after scouring the web. That's definitely wrong.
Like America's recent super-hero film franchises taking off, Japan has also had several comics adaptations hit the big screen. This year's was "Yo-yo girl-cop" Sukeban Deka (the fourth in a series dating back almost 20 years)... starring none other than idol cutie Matsuura Aya (a fellow Hello!Project talent with Morning Musume).
And in a cross-promoting effort, H!P producer Tsunku paired her up with current MoMusu member Fujimoto Miki forming a new act "G.A.M." to perform the theme song to the movie. Anyway, here's miss Matsuura on the left (my, how she's grown!) and "MiKitty" on the right:
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