Japan Haul

I have been busy so I did not get a chance to post anything. I get so tired after work. =A=

My sister came back from Japan over a week ago.  She went to Japan and Hong Kong for 2 weeks. I have not even seen her vacation photos yet to be honest.
I was also kind of jealous because I always wanted to go to Asia but I'm scared of airplanes! I'm also poor 8(

I told her to definitely try the ufo machines there. They have awesome limited prizes and stuff! I also said I liked cute anime girls and gashapon. So the following are pics of the souvenirs she got me!

I got a lot of One Piece items. I gave her a list of potential gifts. I just kind of hoped for Madoka things because as much as I like One Piece, I think Madoka has captured my soul!

The following pictures are just a break down of the items, such as un-boxing and opening things!

From Sasa!

I like how in my last post I said I didn't have enough false eyelashes to fill the eyelash case. Now I have more than enough. This stuff was from Hong Kong actually. The rest are from Japan.

Nameko Funghi!

I played Touch Detective 1 and 1.5 (the sequel) I never knew the pet character would balloon into it's own franchise starting with the app. I think he's super cute and so marketable. I asked for Funghi themed items.  She got me one key chain, a stuffed trio plush and a figure. It's the snow bunny one.

EHHEHEEEHEHEHEHE

I love blind box things. They are such a nice surprise. I am also happy with the ones I got. I think my sister is more lucky than I am when it comes to these. I got 1 Franky from the middle Half Age Characters, 1 Boa Hancock and Bonney.

This is a secret item!

This one is not even on the box! She's sooooo cute and she has Luffy's hat. HNGGGGGGG.

Bonney.

I forgot to shoot a picture of Franky oops. He's actually still wrapped up. I might sell him actually.

The following are all the gashapons!

Upa from Steins Gate

I'm surprised they make these. Too bad it's not the metal one but still cute!

I don't know much about this series. I know there's a bunch of figurines around. I'm just sad she's missing a piece. She is suppose to be wearing a skirt. :(

Project Mirai and a Vocaloid Collab? I don't know much but I suppose it's a Good Smile/Danny Choo thing. They do that cool 3D stuff. This  is like a metal flat back of Miku. I have no use for this so I will sell this too.

Okay this is the coolest one hands down! You sticker the faces and then you snap the pieces together. Based on the boxy fold-able characters from Graphig. I think it;s nicer that this is made of plastic and not paper!

What it looks like completed.

Chopper!

More One Piece! Blue colored Chopper on a macaron. 

This is like those Rement mini models but in key chain form.

From Danganronpa. I do not know much again. I have seen this a larger scale figure of this made by Good Smile.

More Boa!

This was in the largest ball! I put all her pieces together. Her stand can be connected to the other characters as well.
Boa is one of my fav One Piece girls so I am satisfied with this haul. Sadly I need more room to accommodate all these new beauties!
I did not take pictures of the snacks she bought back. Most of them have been consumed har har har!

Cute Finds 01

I should just update on Tuesdays. Mondays are not a good day for blogging. I took these pics with my phone so they are kind of grainy.

I went to Mitsuwa after Ikea over the weekend. Mitsuwa is kind of out of the way. It's in Jersey, but when I am there it's normally for food.

BUT! I found something (well 2 things) that I thought was worth blogging about.....

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Well the packaging gives it away! EYELASH CASE! I did not know this existed! And the price was a steal!

Back side.

It was only $2. There were 2 different colors and I thought it looked very gyaru haha. The two colors were purple and pink. I picked the pink one.
I knew I could actually use this since I have some eyelashes. I normally just put them back into their original packing. All I have to do is clean the case and put these babies in it!

I thought I had more...

You can separate it into 2 parts! Well 3 aside from the cover. You can put some tweezers and glue in the under compartment.

PINNNNNK

COOOOL

Honestly it's a good excuse to buy more false eyelashes and learn how to put them on better haha.


As for my second find. I love Madoka. I can't help myself. I saw this in the candy section and I had to have it.

HNGGGGGGG

 The good thing about these candy items is that they are not blind boxes. You see what you get on the cover. I chose the Charolette one.

NUMBER 3

Front Side

Back Side

It's a small plastic pouch. It was definitely over priced. I won't even say how much because I am ashamed. Still I am happy!

I think I need more circle lenses.

Making Takoyaki with a Cake Pop Maker

I got a BabyCakes cake pop maker for Christmas last year from my sister. I kept it unopened on the floor of my room for like 3 months.

I cannot remember how, but the idea about making takoyaki crossed my mind. I don't have the right pan but I figured the cake pop maker could work! It looked almost like a takoyaki pan/grill anyways. I started searching up if it was possible and it was!

I found this video on Youtube.
I followed his method. You cook half a ball then mash them together! It's almost like a macaron takoyaki!

Here's the popular video I used as a guide from Cooking with Dog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHDmVhShE80!
I wasn't planning on making my own batter or sauce with dashi. It was easier to get takoyaki mix.

After work I went to a Japanese mini mart called Sunrise Mart to get all my ingredients. They didn't carry the actual mix but I found this instead. It's okonomiyaki mix, but it had a recipe for takoyaki on the side. I used 200g of mix, 550cc of water and one egg!

No english :(

Here's the ingredients I got. Okonomi sauce, Kenko mayonnaise, mix, bonito flakes, dried ebi, pickled ginger, seaweed flakes and a fresh octopus tentacle.

My total was around $26 dollars. Went back another day for a fresh octopus tentacle which was around $7. Oh and some leek.

Here's some prep pictures.

Mix, water, and one egg

I toasted some dried baby shrimp (just like Cooking with Dog)

All the prep work done and neat

 I cut up all the ingredients and crushed some dried toasted baby shrimps. Next up BabyCakes!

Looks similar to a takoyaki grill!

I greased the pan with some olive oil. The maker comes with this tiny pitchfork which was super useful.

I poured the batter to about 70-80% full. Then I dropped the tako bits in it followed by the leek, ginger and dried shrimp. I had no idea how long I was suppose to cook them for. I just used my intuition and I cooked them till the bottom was slightly cooked and removable from the hole.

I took out the half baked pieces and then refilled the pan with batter (around 60%) again. I placed the halves back on top of the new batter.

At first I was pretty discouraged since they looked really funny and wrinkly. I let them back for several minutes while constantly checking and flipping them around.

They started looking better and rounder. I kept waiting till they were nice and toasty looking.

FINAL RESULT

Tada! I tried to make it look more presentable and authentic. I made 3 batches that day. Each were better than the last! I still have more mix left. All I need is more tako bits. Tastes almost like Otafuku's oh ho ho!

Eggling!

 What do we have today!?

DING!

What is Eggling?
"The precious, little eggling looks and feels like an extra large egg, but crack its top and discover a garden ready to grow! Cultivation is easy — seeds are already sown into eggling’s fortified peat mixture, just crack it’s top (by tapping on it with a spoon), water and place in bright spot. Plants grow for up to five months in the eggling, after which it can be planted directly in soil.
Extremely popular in Japan where it is hand made of white porous ceramic, the eggling (54mm x 47.5mm) comes with a terra cotta tray and an extra seed pack to insure success. Ten egglings are available: three herbs (basil, mint and thyme), three flowers (chrysanthemum, phlox, petunia), and four special edition varieties (lavender, cactus, red pepper, and wild strawberry). In its handsome gift box, the eggling makes a clever and delightful gift for the chef, gardener or anyone who loves the cute and curious." (source: Eggling )

 TDLR: It's a egged shaped pot with soil and seeds inside. You crack it and water it and watch it grow (ideally).

Picture Instructions on the outside of the box.

Contents inside.

Inside the box is an extra pack of lavender seeds (you can use now or save for later), paper instructions (in several different languages), the egg and a ceramic tray.

It really does look like an egg!

Next step was to set it up and get cracking. I made a gif just for the occasion.

SMACK

 

 I think I might have cracked it too much. ("Continue tapping until you have an opening about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.")

Opps smashed it too hard. Inside is a paper wrap with seeds inside. I did not unearth it so I do not know what it looks like. I just doused it with water till the water reached the tray.

Yeah totally over cracked.

That paper started to get gooey and melty. I suppose it eventually melts away! It's been a week and so far nothing has sprouted yet! The website says it takes about 3 - 4 weeks.

Always keep your plant watered since this is the time for germination. You are also suppose to keep it in 60 degree weather and with a lot of light.

Hope this works out!

Insufficient Space on LINEPlay Quick Fix

I missed the Monday weekly post! I was busy drawing.
Anyways this is an all text post because I could not catch the screenshot for this problem.

So the big problem I have been coming across is the "insufficient space" message. It says something on the lines of you need to free up space to continue playing.
LINEPlay is the only app with this problem so far.

This happened 2 times since I downloaded LINEPlay.
The first time around, the application was saved to the phone. I had enough storage space so I was not sure what the problem was.
I cleared my RAM and cache and nothing happened. I even tried restarting it multiple times after each clear. Nothing worked and eventually the message crashed my game. I could no longer do anything.

So.....I just wanted to share my quick fix (not really quick) for this problem.

UNINSTALL IT then reinstall it!
Do not fear losing your account, because you have to sign up with LINE Naver first anyways. This game is pretty much all server side.
Second move it to your sd card storage preferably something with more than 2GBs.

I came across this problem even after I moved the app to the sd card despite having a lot of space. I uninstalled then reinstalled it again and it worked.

That is my quick fix.
*Update*
The best solution is get a cache clearer app.
(Do not root your phone unless you know what you are doing.)

Hope this helps a bit.

LINE Play App Guide and Review

I didn't think I would make an app review, but here I am.
Earlier this month after many years I finally have a smart phone. I had the lollipop flip phone for about 2 years and the ice cream before that. I had an ipod touch though!
Anyways, I have been actively downloading and playing a lot of games.

I actually discovered this one a few days ago. It was open to international players pretty recently as well. I used Line Camera before so I am familiar with their mascots.

LINE PLAY!

More like homes to enter! Downloadable for the iOS and Android.
In order to start playing you have to download the Line Naver app. It's almost like Kakao Talk. You have a free instant message/call app which you can use to contact your friends and what not. I guess it's good for your international friends! You can also be social and play games with them, but of course you need to download each game individually.

LINE Play is very similar to Ameba Pico, TinierMe, Poupee Girl and some Facebook apps. You have your own avatar and a house to decorate. You can shop for furniture and clothes with your virtual currency known as gems.

You start out with a simple room. You have a flower pot, a table and 2 chairs. You also have a diary which keeps all your daily outfit snapshots and diary posts. Other users can comment or leave you stickers for these snapshots.

Earning gems in the beginning is easy.

You can receive gems from entering other user's invitation codes. Simply go to your settings and click Profile. Once there you will see the Invitation Code section. You will see something similar to the image on the left. You can find your code there if you click the Invite. A small screen will pop up with your code which you can copy to your clipboard. If you want random people using your invitation code write a review for the game and leave your code there! You get 1000 gems if you enter one code and if other users enter yours, you also get 1000 gems. You can earn 14,000 gems from doing this. HOWEVER, this is not something you can do daily (from what I know so far). You can only punch in 5 codes yourself and only 9 other users can put in yours. After that, that's it. You have to earn gems other ways or pay for them!

Gems are crucial!
You want your house to be super cool and cute! Of course you need your own character to match.
There's a shop for clothing, furniture and the evil GACHAs.

You can mix and match tops, bottoms and accessories. You can buy clothes in set which is a bit cheaper than buying each piece individually. You can also try on the clothes by clicking the icons. The only problems I have with this is the loading time and the scrolling.

The furniture store is set up the same way. You can preview the furniture you want by clicking on it. You can also change your wall paper and tiles. My major problem with all this is the scrolling. It takes forever if you are looking for a certain set of furniture. I'm hunting for all the Chocolate Tier furniture. Prepare to scroll and let it load.
Honestly though you mainly need a bed, a bath, some kind of chair and food to satisfy your own character's needs!

This is what drives me nuts. Gachas are addictive because the item you get is random and you want to collect them all! There's a strong feeling of satisfaction boosted by endorphins when you get something you wanted. When you get something bad or a duplicate you just want to try for something better. (Gambling is bad for you.)

That's my avatar.  I'm still working on my room haha. This game much like most apps now a days is all about being social and making friends. (Not social in a sense you need to actually talk to other users....you can though). You just have to click around a lot because that's how you earn more gems and hearts! You can invite your friends who also use Line Naver and earn 1000 gems.

How to earn more gems:

From what I know so far, you have a daily login bonus, and 3 daily tasks you can complete. You can keep track of your tasks by click on the gems in the upper right. The daily task for me resets at 4PM. I live in NY.

All you have to do is go to your friends, or other random peoples' houses and click click click. Each task gives you 10 gems. You can water their plants, clean their furniture, and give them hearts. All you have to do is click the bubbles that appear in the other user's home. You can make around 1000 gems per day. That may sound like a lot, but most furniture is about 1000 and above. You also earn gems from doing your own tasks. Once in a while your avatar will want to either sit down, sleep, eat or take a bath. If you don't have the right items in your room to complete the task, you can always use the items in other peoples' homes. You earn 5 gems for each personal task.

As you can see there's the water drop and broom icon in this house. Click the icons and both of you are happy! Hurray gems!

 

Let's say someone doesn't have a plant or a bath tub. Simply click Move then Random and you will be whisked away to another home.You can go from house to house by clicking on the Random button. This is me being a total creeper in someone's home.
20 tasks per category, 3 categories, that's a lot of clicks.

After your daily activities, it's pretty much a stand still. You can chat with people in the lounge or just keep going through houses and make friends. Look at how handsome James is. You can use the furniture in his house I guess.
You can also copy paste your invitation codes (if you have not used them all) in the lounge area titled "Beginner." There's a specific chat room for that. You can also have 1:1 chats with your friends!

 

Your game keeps track of everything you do and what other users do to you. It's all visible in the news section which you can access at the front page. Click the speech bubble icon on the upper left to see your news. You get notifications when people send you hearts, use your invite code, or leaves a message.

After finishing all the daily tasks I like to rearrange my furniture or dress my avatar up several times.

Click the menu button when you are in your room followed by Room Deco. You will see a screen like the one above.
Some furniture you can turn in all 4 directions and some only turn in 2 directions. Keep that in mind when you are furnishing your home! Don't forget to save as well.

You can change your avatar's clothes by clicking Menu then Closet while in your room. You click/check whatever you want them to wear and voila! (SAVE) It will ask you if you want to update your diary. I normally don't but do what you want!

My invite code is UM-8866-3205 (expired).
Feel free to add me. My user name is Ebbilin

Happy clicking!