Alcoholic underwear from Sony?

Whilst looking around Gizmodo, I came across a story about new Sony Bravia LCD televisions from Japan. Nice. And they even had a link to the original Japanese press release - translated automatically into English by Google Translate.

I hit the link and end up on some site with numerous references to "Brassiere beer".

...

Oh!

When 'Bravia' is re-written in Japanese, it ends up sound like Burraaa-Biaaa (due to the limitations of Japanese pronunciation), which also happens to be the Japanese words for 'Bra' and 'Beer' (borrowed from English, of course).

Now laugh.

...




...





You're not laughing... -_-


Anyway, this is a classic case of why we're still a long way from having reliable automated language translation systems, due to the inability of computer programs to understand the context of which a particular word is used.


Click here for the original Japanese version.

What kind of donut am i...?

Got some silly quiz link thingy from Brigitte and tried it out - just to find out what sort of donut I am:

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

Now, the cool thing is that I actually do like Boston Creme donuts.

Instant Noodle review #1: SHIN RAMYUN

Manufacturer: Nong Shim
Origin: Korea
Price: Around RM2.50 per pack. Available in a 5-pack value pack.
Size: Lunch
Notes: Contains beef. Non-halal.

Note: Updated with actual photograph of cooked noodles!

Ah... Shin Ramyun. Of all the instant noodles in the world, this is probably my favourite - good enough to warrant staying at home rather than going out to lunch. I first tried it while studying in the UK and have been loving it ever since.

As a testament to its quality, almost every budget noodle restaurant in Korea offers Shin Ramyun on its menu. Kinda like the Maggi of Korea, only better.

Each packet contains a rather large cake of noodles (enough for lunch), the spicy beef soup base and a pack of dried vegetables. It takes about 5 minutes to cook properly, although I normally cook it until it's nice and soggy. I also put far less water than recommended to make the soup stronger.

This is what it normally looks like when I cook it:
The instant noodle of the Gods...


It's spicy in a pepper sort of way (as opposed to chili), so it won't burn your tongue but it'll make you sweat a lot if you're prone to sweating while eating spicy food.

It goes well with an egg (either beaten in or left with the yolk intact), chopped spring onions and crushed fresh garlic. The soup base has a nice, beefy flavour that's quite satisfying while the noodles have a rather nice texture about them.

Yum.

Unfortunately, it's a beef-flavoured soup noodle, which means that our Hindu and non-beef-eating Chinese friends can't eat it. And neither can our Muslim brothers, since it isn't certified as 'Halal'.

Interestingly enough, this means that Shin Ramyun can only be eaten by Christians. Yes, it's a Christian instant noodle by Christian loving Koreans for Christians throughout the world.

Shin Ramyun is for Christians.

And atheists.

After all, if you believe in the non-existence of God, you wouldn't really care what sort of animal was supposedly slaughtered to create possibly the best instant noodle in the world.

So if you don't believe in God or otherwise (unless you're a Hindu or Muslim), try Shin Ramyun. I guarantee you'll love it.

The plight of the non-dairy creamer

I am saddened by the plight of the non-dairy creamer. For all intents and purposes, it exists solely to imitate something else (i.e. real milk). And in spite of how good a job it does... In spite of how nice your coffee tastes after you add it... Never mind the fact that it may actually taste better than real milk...

The fact is that non-dairy creamer can NEVER become real milk, no matter how hard it tries.

You can't beat the real thing.

Which brings me nicely to the following exhibits:

#1: The Apple iPod

#2: Coke

#3: Hannah and friends

See? The genuine article is always better.

Stick to real milk and be happy. ^_^

Urban art

Stick this sign up at your office if you have colleagues with a propensity for theatrics (i.e. artificial fainting spells). Or if you work near a construction site without scaffolding.



My apologies - this is a running joke at my office, so forgive me if you find this spectacularly unfunny.