V^3 Drink Review: Sosro Green-t Original

The Asian grocery store is a wonderful place, you often find golden products, which revolutionise your life, like mi-goreng, vitamilk... and so forth. However, today was not one of those days. While scanning the fridge I noticed this drink I have never seen before; Sosro Green-t. Looking for an opportunity to review a new drink, I decided to purchase it. You may be familiar with the Sosro brand for their famous "TehBotol" drinks, which is consumed like water in south East Asia. However, this drink is a disgrace to the Sosro name.

Do not buy this drink, you have been warned!


So why is it that this drink is so unsatisfying? Well for starters, mass manufactured and bottled green tea has never been up to par with traditional green tea, so there's an immediate loss. But my main gripe about this particular tea is that its flavour was quite too woody. It tasted like someone had boiled a bunch of twigs and sticks in a pot of water and packaged it as Green-t. A disappointment indeed...

Here’s a look at the nutritional information.


As you can see:
0 g Fat
0 mg Sodium
0 g Carbohydrates
0 g Sugar
0 g Protein
0% Good taste.
Even bottled water will have more nutrients (2.3mg Sodium, 0.5mg Calcium) than this brown stick brew.

So after all that, is there really anything good about this drink bottle? Well yes, the bottle itself is quite a nice design, the cap is sturdy and opens and closes in a twisting mechanism. The lable is a funky "Green-T" ( Tea truncated to T) to emphasise the hip originali-T of the product. Even so, the drink still gets a rating of negativi-T. Therefore, I do not recommend you purchase this particular Green-t.

Save your money for the real deal. Grab some soymilk instead. V^3 gives this drink 0.5/5

V^3 Drink Review: VitaMilk Soy Milk

So I was at the local Asian grocery shop and it was quite a hot day. Taking advantage of this convenience I decided to quench my thirst with a good helping of creamy white liquid protein (Soy Milk). Now there are various brands on offer in the wonderful world of soy milk. One that I should draw attention to is the unique taste of VitaMilk.

This is Product description provided by VitaMilk Co.
"Vitamilk regular is a delicious, creamy drink that is full of the goodness from soy. It has been Thailand's most favorite soymilk for almost 50 years. Enjoy it hot or cold. Vitamilk has a long shelf-life. It can be kept fresh without refrigeration. Regular Vitamilk is available in 200 ml, 250 ml, and 1,000 ml UHT cartons, 300 ml non-returnable glass bottles, and 210 and 280 ml returnable glass bottles."

Delicious and creamy indeed. When I first graced the drops of soymilk into my mouth, a soothing texture of creamy goodness filled my thoughts (could such a flavour really exist?). The milk is just the right level of sweetness, not to thick, and not too dilute like it's Yeo's competitor. Some may say it's too sweet, but I think a creamy drink should be... The taste is indeed true and rich.

Here are some details on the nutritional value for the health conscious.
Vitamilk UHT is made from soymilk 89.5%, sugar
8%, vegetable oil 1.5%, and whole milk powder 1%, and contains no preservatives.

Per 100 ml
energy 80 kcal
protein 2.5 g
carbohydrates 10 g
fat 3.5 g
cholesterol 0 mg

I feel like I could chug these down all day. Compared to other brands, I have become more partial to Vitamilk and its sweet and creamy taste, that is why it is Thailand's number 1 soymilk! no doubt.

If you have tried this drink before, what are your thoughts? How does it stack up to its competitors? Does a better soy milk exist? (no never!)
Try it next time you adventure to the Asian grocery store.

V^3 gives VitaMilk a 4.5/5

V^3 Live Update: iPhone

Ok, so it's 10:30am in San Francisco right now. Which means it's 3:30am in Perth dammit >.<. Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple is announcing the iPhone!!! (Widescreen iPod + Phone) No announcements on price yet, they're coming in live! - (Update:3:45am- Release in June for US and 2008 for AUS, Price: $499 4GB. $599 8GB. USD.)
Holy crap thats sexy!
iPhone features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capabilities
iPhone will have a 3.5-inch diagonal screen and be 11.6 millimeters thick
iPhone includes two-megapixel camera
iPhone to connect with iTunes
iPhone runs OSX!
8GB HDD
Secks!

Official iPhone Press Release

Credit to Engadget
Ok, how awesome is that! It's late now, I'm going to bed..
Check out more pics and details
Engadget

Hajime! The Japanese who dared to change the destiny of a nation.

Hajime.

Hajime was a guy from my tute class in Year 9 at Morley SHS, and he was a Japanese exchange student who not only revolutionized my opinion of Japanese people, but keeps on popping up in my life in ways that I never would've anticipated. Not only myself, but those around me are still feeling his influence.

Firstly, he used to always get questions from people in class about popular Japanese phrases and cool things to say. He'd always answer them with:

Bobobo-bo bo-bobo.

We never gave much thought to it, always assuming that he was just being an eccentric Japanese student... until now.
Ladies, gentlemen, I give you Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. (Well, the opening sequence for the show.)




From Youtube comments: It's like being high, but not.

From what I can gather from my sources (okay, it was just Wikipedia), it's about a world where everyone has their heads shaved and only one man, Bobobo is willing to stand up to them, fighting with his prehensile (for lack of a better word) nosehair.
He used to say all this in 2002, and now it's 2007 and we're just catching up to him.

Japanese music was also another thing he'd be asked about. I don't ever recall asking him, but Sean distinctly remembers the phrase "DJ Crash". Skip forward to tonight, and when looking at "IGN's 26 best albums you might have missed", DJ Krush ranks in at position 15.
After YouTubing again, turns out DJ Krush is actually quite good. And incredibly famous.
To top it off, Hajime introduced Mike to Dir En Grey, his ultimate death metal Japanese heroes.

Who is Hajime to you?

Black + Asian = Jimbaland

If you know me, then you should know that I am rather accustomed with different cultures...in particular African American culture. On this note, I believe I have witnessed the greatest concoction to ever grace man kind. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you....


Afro Samurai. Yes that's right, a black guy with an afro, kicking ass with a badass sword whilst blazing up a blunt or two...brilliant! You're probably asking yourself, "Wow Jim! Can it get anymore badass?" Well I say to you, damn skippy vanilla face coz this shizzle is off the chain. Especially when the cast consists of Kelly Hu (yummy) and the epitome of black badasses...


Samuel L. Jackson a.k.a. Mace Windu a.k.a. the black guy who said "I've had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" Takashi Okazaki I applaud you for your ingenious fusion of black and asian, or as I like to call it...Blasian. I give this anime 5 buds out of 5.

Ted Danson Is Captain Planet

This is another one of my theories that i have been contemplating. No factual evidence for it yet. But some say
Ted Danson (otherwise known as Dr. Becker) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Danson) is Captain Planet.

Just take a look at this picture I made to illustrate my theory.

Resemblance is uncanny!
Now you decide. Do you think Ted Danson is Captain Planet?

V^3 Food Review: Nandos

This post will follow up my initial declaration of Nandos as best chicken ever.

So why is Nandos so damn good? I mean what is it that makes this chicken so satisfying? These questions have stumped many food-ist for centuries. So I tried to delve into the mystery of Nandos, and after many samples in the name of science! I have concluded that Nandos is indeed the world’s best chicken beacause it is made with love.... (If there is better chicken, please present your case.)



I prefer my Nandos on the mild side as it does not destroy the flavour of the chicken and the smoked taste. Upon eating the chicken, you notice the distinct textures in different parts of chicken. Some prefer the drier more white breast, while some prefer the darker and soft thighs. Thus, the chicken caters to everyone’s needs. However, it is the combination of breast and thigh that makes anything in life pleasurable.
A side of chips with peri-peri salt takes the once bland side dish into a new dimension and is highly recommended at your next visit.
Also, try the rib sauce for a nice change, it’s a smoky barbeque flavoured sauce that sweetens the dish.

Finally; To those of you who peel away the skin and throw it aside... Shame!

Having spoken to two skilled chefs trained in the art of Nandos, I can say that indeed, blood, sweat and tears go into preparing this meal. It is your duty as a chicken connoisseur to devour all skin, meat and bones (Just like Ken Wu). There is no denying; Nandos is worth its weight in bringing you culinary goodness. I would not classify this as fast food, but the price of Nandos certainly falls into that category. At Nandos, you get a lot of chicken for your change.

Barney Meets The World

Since the beginning of time, people have always pushed the boundaries of speed and aerodynamics. Many people have tried to create machines which could perfect both. Crafted by skilled mechanical hands in japan, I bring you Barney.

Barney is a 1996 Toyota Corolla Seca RV, which is Keppel Blue in colour. It is a 5 gear stick shift with a twin cam 1.8L engine.

Design:
Though not as flashy as many other cars on the market, what Barney lacks in style, it makes up in aerodynamics. Barney is able to cut through the air, much like a hot knife through a tub of butter. The deadly combination of sleek curves and lines make Barney a fierce beast on Perth's roads.



Many people are fooled by Barney's colour. Don't let it's colour fool you folks, because Keppel Blue (not purple), actually, believe it or not, makes the car just as fast as a red one.



Barney's alloy wheels, whilst not exactly "chromes" or "the shit", work well with his well shaped body, and add a sense of sophistication, whilst at the same time telling everyone "I'm a down to earth type of car".



The interior is quite luxurious as it accentuates gentle curves with black and grey pieces fitted together in perfect unison. It's minimal design, whilst to some people may say "hey, I'm cheap", to me, it screams "simple is sexy". Nothing is out of place in Barney as his interiors were just as thought out as his sexy exterior.

Mods:
Barney is hardly a stock vehicle as he has been fitted with suave black, grey and red "Rally Sport" seat covers, and an extremely comfortable steering wheel cover, which match each other perfectly.



Function & Performance:
Barney is equipped with a magnificent steering wheel, which seems to turn the road somehow when moved. It is assisted with a power steering system which makes driving a breeze.



The 5 gear manual gearbox is standard with most toyota economy class vehicles. It might not look pretty, but it gets the job done. Remember, the quality and smoothness of the ride doesn't depend on the car, but the driver.



The 1.8L twin cam engine makes Barney a swift competitor among australian roads. Barney has won his fair share of races against other Perth road beasts including Hyundai Excels and Ford Lasers. This engine gives more than enough torque for the average driver, and may even satisfy the tastes of some rev-heads.

Some of the editors of this blog have felt the quality of Barney's ride:
"...the soft suspension dampens the bumps on the road, thus relieving my buttocks of the hard kancho-ness (read as "ass pain"). A slight shudder from bad clutch work also provides a good massage. Barney's air-con could be better..." - Mike Nguyen

"...The acceleration is comparable to a porsche. Incredible, without being uncomfortable. Mindblowing without being head-exploding.
It is the perfect balance of awesome and refinement
That is, the essence of the barney..." - Pete Nguyen

Conclusion:
Barney is a marvel of mechanics, aerodynamics and awesome. A machine which excels in the aspects of driving, parking and pimping, it is a car that everyone should have, I advise you to go buy one now!

Here are some more raunchy pics to get your blood pumping.

Best Chicken Ever: Nandos

Nandos is the best chicken ever! Need I say more?


Detailed review of worlds best chicken coming soon. Stay tuned!

V^3 Drink Review: Westcoast Watermelon - Java Juice Perth

It's quite a hot day today, and what do people do on hot days? Well I for one sleep. But for those who are out and about, and you happen to find yourself near one of the many Java Juice joints in Perth, I would recommend trying this flavour I tried awhile back.

Westcoast Watermelon $5.00 for a Regular

So whats inside of this drink? well contrary to its name, this drink isn't entirely water melon juice. With a mixture of apple, lemon and said watermelon, the drink is quite refreshing and tangy. It leaves a nice fruity after-taste which Sean exclaims as "Orgasmic" (read as "delicious"). Personally, the only let down of this drink is that I found it a little too sweet for my palate, and on a hot day, that could lead to more thirst. In which case, you return to java juice to grab some more delicious westcoast watermelon. Very sneaky they are... (It's a conspiracy!)

The drink is a great refresher, although the ingredients are way above market value, at $5 it's well worth it. but who would bother to buy some apples, watermelons and lemons to make juice when they're in the city (maybe Sean...). 4/5

Stay tuned for more upcoming reviews!

V^3 Food Review: McDonald's McRice Burger (Chicken) - Bangkok, Thailand

Inspired by Mike's review of our lunch yesterday, I shrugged off all apathy and decided to continue my account of the trip I went on to Thailand and Vietnam. Next up is the oddest burger I've ever seen. The McRice. I was seriously contemplating not eating it, because of the possible risks and warnings from friends and family, but for the sake of my readers (all 2 of you.. haha one day we'll be big.) I decided to pursue this culinary curiousity.

Sidenote: At Macca's in Thailand they've got these little buzzers set up in front of every till with a 60-second timer. The staff encourage you to press the button and ensure that you get your meal within a minute otherwise there's trouble. I couldn't snap a picture of it because I didn't wanna intimidate the staff into turbo-ing the rest of the food to show off...

Anyway, on to the burger.

McRice (Chicken) Medium Value Meal 100THB (~$3.57AUD)

Apart from the awesome pricing ($3.57 for a feed!), the packaging itself was pretty well presented. The cardboard box ensured that the.. rice wouldn't stick to the paper? Or would...
The packaging looked nice... and required you to tear across the middle (like one of those tabs that you rip off with your frozen pizza) and reveal the burger. This was a nice touch.. except when I ripped mine open, the red cabbage (is that what it's called?) spilled out and my burger was left strangely void.

In all it's greasy glory...
As you can see from the picture, the burger is comprised of two rice patties (acting as the bun), a McChicken fillet, lettuce and red cabbage (which is now looking distinctly purple). And, probably some kind of sauce. I'll go through the burger in parts:

The Rice Patty
The patty was made up of what seemed to be fried rice, but somewhat sticky, pressed into a circular mould and glued together with something that had a greasy consistency. As a result, the patties didn't feel sticky at all, just greasy. They were oddly smaller than the McChicken fillet.. which led to a few problems while eating, mainly the fact that i had to eat more chicken than rice with every bite (not something Asians are accustomed to?).

The Rest!
The chicken fillet was the old type that they used to serve at McDonald's with the harder coating than the ones now, while the lettuce and cabbage did their part to fill space.

The soft rice patty went well together with the fillet, and it felt like I was eating a bowl of chicken rice.. WITH MY HANDS. The soft rice patty contrasted with the crisp fillet of chicken created a, dare I say, masterpiece of a burger. The two opposing textures and tastes created a completeness often unseen in fast food, like a ying and yang.

Okay I was just mucking around. In reality, the burger tastes awkward. Like it's nice, but if you're not used to the rice's taste and texture you'll have a weird feeling afterwards. It's worth a shot, if anything just to say that you've eaten it.. and I could've gotten a dud burger from Thailand McD's. All in all, a solid effort for an Asian fast food outlet, and you really don't have much to lose at $3.57 for the meal.

Sidenote 2: You get sauce! Everywhere! With your meal they give you a little dish, and you can go up to the sauce dispenser and pump the chili and tomato sauce to your heart's content. And this isn't just at Maccas, IT'S EVERYWHERE!

V^3 Food Review: Jaws Sushi Tempura - Ninja Town Perth

In the quest to find culinary creations within Perth that extend beyond the realm of McDonalds and KFC, we bring you a review of the hippest, trendiest most gangsta' eateries in Perth. So what's on today's menu?



Well after a long uni semester vitalised by junk food and vending machines, we decided to lash out on the gourmet. Jaws Sushi. This place wasn't your regular food court sushi eatery. This place was indeed quite gangsta (read as "upscale"). Upon entry, the restaurant was quite full, however, we managed to still find a place to accommodate five people. The service was quick and simple and waitresses would yell random Japanese "いらっしゃいません！！！” sp?　(read as "WELCOME!!!" often coupled with crazy flipping-out actions) We were half expecting the staff to be ninjas, they weren't, a let down indeed...

Ok so our first appetiser: Fish Roe Sushi $4.20

The roe was quite nice, in little delicate clusters they had a nice salty flavour to them but not over-powering and balanced out by the vinegared sushi rice. The texture of the eggs is quite nice on the palate. It was quite good but at $4.20 a pop they better be!

Inverted California Roll and Eel and Sweet Egg $2.80

This was a nice treat, the Californian style sushi was quite sweet and went nice with a little soy sauce. Eel was quite salty and tasted like chicken, I could only tell it was eel from the bones. Quite nice and rather generous sizes.

Chicken Udon $4.50

As recommended by Pete, this bowl of hot and steamy udon had all the right fillings, chicken, tempura batter, sea-weed, spring onions and crab made a great value serve. the noodles were cooked to the right softness and didn't stick together which made them just about perfect. We were a little let down by the saltiness of the broth as it overpowered the other ingredients. But for $4.50 you get quite a decent serve of udon noodle which helps to fill you up quite quickly.

Tuna Sushi $2.00

Cheap dish of tuna sushi, you can't go wrong with this one.

Diced Salmon and Cucumber $4.80

This Dish was probably the nicest of all the cold dishes served, the texture of the salmon when finely diced atop the sushi rice melted in my mouth (Yummeh) Although not lacking in flavours, Adding wasabi to the mix gave it that extra Ninja-kick-in-your-mouth action you'd expect from such a fine sushi!

Salmon and Avocado $2.80

Fresh salmon and avocado, quite nice with soy sauce.

Ok, so enough of the cold sushi. Onto the hardcore gangsta deep fried dishes we were all eye-ing and drooling over.

Deep Fried Butterfly Prawn $4.20

This was the only decent picture i could find of the dish. Unfortunately it features a side dish of "Minh tongue". The spicy mayo really adds an authentic hadouken blast to your tongue. The oil used for this dish tasted fresh too.

Deep Fried Prawn with Mayo $4.20

This dish was very nicely presented probably tastes just as good.

Deep Fried Octopus Balls + Deep Fried Squid Rings $4.20 each

My Personal favourites served: Let's start with the squid rings with spicy mayo, can't go wrong, the breading was crispy and thin whilst the squid was hot had a nice density that wasn't too chewy. I'm beginning to really like this spicy mayo!

Ok... The High-light of the meal, Deep Fried Octopus Balls! (yummeh!) 3 balls presented with bbq sauce and mayo in the form of a smiley. I tell you, those sushi chefs dont start sushi school at the age of 2 for nothing. this is the epitome of 20 years of training to produce the best balls in Perth. The eating process of octopus balls to me was like a journey. the fist bite gives a reaction like that of a lethal 1000 years of pain kancho into your mouth. The taste blends nicely with the crispy exterior and the gooey insides. A journey thats ends with you always wanting more leaving the flavour in your mouth for 1000 years~.

So to wash out all the grease and deep fried goodness. Japanese tea! $Free~!!!

Nice and hot!

No meal would be complete without dessert. We were all stuffed at this point but theres always room for dessert!

Orange Jelly $3.20

So its basically like an orange but in jello form! The texture is awesome, jello is always awesome!

Jaws Sushi Tempura in Perth is quite a nice place to enjoy a good feed for a decent price, at around $25 a head, this is a quite a good price for a nicely prepared and unique lunch.

This place would be on my "safe" list, you can't go wrong in a joint like this and its a nice atmosphere. Still disappointed there were no ninjas though...

Orange Jelly Tree

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more.

doo doo doo doo doo dooo doo

the eve of christmas eve [dec.23]

Okay! Gotta get this all down while it's still fresh in my head.

Tonight was our Youth Nite Outreach for Christmas, it was awesome to see the house packed and the items for the night were kick-ass, especially the dance routines.
I also went about santa-ing tonight, I only wished I could've gotten to the shops today to get some more presents, and regret not taking a photo of Thien's face when he opened his present to reveal a "Sorry Girls, I'm Gay" t-shirt...

The weird thing happened after church, when we were all leaving to go home.
As we both live in the same direction, me and Tony take the same route home up to about my house, then Tony keeps going..., most of you will know what I'm talking about (that maddawg shortcut through the new St. Andrews area).
Upon reaching Alexander Drive, Tony jumped out of his car and ran up to mine, and I wound down my window expecting him to try and lift up my windscreen wipers or something annoying like that... He ended up saying "Come back to Church, there's been a car accident!".
We headed back to Church and ended up going down Torquata Drive (?) until we saw a crash scene... and quickly parked to see how we could help.

Chu Duc was there to help out with their family friend and her car as she was involved in the accident, and her daughters were taking charge of the situation, using their multilingual powers for the greater good. Or something. Tony was quicker to park and ran out first to get an idea of the situation, and only after walking over myself did I realise that it was Rory from MSHS who had been hit. In a car of course, not hit while he was walking or something.. he's not that indestructable (but he did seem completely fine after having his driver-side door smashed in). After much glancing and confusion I came to realise that the lady's daughters went to MSHS as well, and of all the people to come back to help, it was me and Tony, both MSHS students (for the uninformed).

Rory's driver-side door was smashed in pretty good... he couldn't get out through it or hazard any chance of prying it fully open, so he climbed out through the passenger door. Only problem was, when he closed the door he realised he locked his keys in the car.
*Cue MSHS Ingenuity* (it was probably his own smart thinking and optimism... not any special kindof ingenuity gained from going to MSHS)
He overcame this by ripping off the black thing on the side of the car (guys help me out, it's black. and it goes along the side of the doors, and it's kind of an extension of the bumper... and on certain cars it says 4.0 DOHC... I'm not a car kind of guy...) he managed to shove it through a gap in the door that had been kept open from the accident, and he managed to turn off his car engine and in a stroke of genius, open the boot.
Using the boot as a secret passageway into his car (pushing through the seats) he managed to unlock his car, retrieve all the documents he needed and eventually drive home (legend).
Obviously after such an experience, me and Tony were pretty damn hungry so we headed over to Tuart Hill Maccas for a feed.

It's good to be ex-MSHS.

afternote to travels.0

This blog is kindof for my own personal record, so it's importance to you and entertainment gained will probably be best represented by:
Thanks to Mike for the pic :D

-pete.|

travels.0 [20/11/2006]

Okay, here goes. I'm at the end of my trip so I decided that I should start documenting everything I've been through in these past few weeks on my holiday. Right now I'm sitting in a netcafe killing time before our taxi comes to pick us up.
Before I left on this trip, I knew I would get alot of, lets say discrimination, for being what's called "Viet Kieu".

A Viet Kieu is a person who left Vietnam and is returning back (technically I guess I'm not a Viet Kieu since I never left Vietnam in the first place, but anyway...). A person can be a Viet Kieu even if they left Vietnam to go to Cambodia, that is, it's not exclusive to Western countries.
- Definition provided by Mike

Anyway, because of my whiter-than-asian skin, poor knowledge of the Vietnamese language and Eurasian looks, I'd get ripped-off and cheated by every street-vendor and salesperson in Vietnam, except in the supermarket where the prices are set. What I didn't count on was being treated like a non-vietnamese before I even left Perth.
On the Monday before leaving, me and Tri went to get a haircut in the city at that Chinese place next to Utopia Bubble Tea... I walked through the door and:

Girl: Chien tou fatt? (Haircut in Cantonese... )
Me: Buh..?
Girl: Hair Cut?
Me: Buh.. oh. Yeah. Please.
Girl: Sit right there.
[ haircut proceeds... to the washing stage ]
Girl 2: So what dialect do you speak? Cos you seemed to be like "Wha..." when she spoke to you?
Me: Uh... dialect.. um. Vietnamese?
Girl 2: Oh.
Me: Yeah.
Girl 2: You look Chinese.

Bah. Chinese. Yeah I guess this is a stupid way to start it, but I thought my days of being called Chinese were over. I used to get it alot before, walking into Dim Sum and being spoken to in Chinese, going into Chinese groceries and newsagents.... Okay, come ot think of it I've only ever been called Chinese specifically in Chinese locales. Maybe I dont look Chinese, just a random mix of Asian that you can't place? Anyway, this was just a nice bit of foreshadowing for my trip, and what I learnt from it was to take it as a compliment. Oh, and nothing against Chinese people in particular, it's just what I happen to get called the most.

Good luck penpals.

-pete.|