A tin of cute: Pikachu Printed biscuits 2009

(tags food, Pikachu)

I had this tin of biscuit cookies sitting in my room for the last month. It goes by the name of "Pokemon Print Biscuits Pikachu" (ポケモンプリントビスケット ピカチュウ), and sells for 680 yen, starting 2009-07.

I don't really care for the cookies. though. It's the picture design on the tin. So full of Pikachu. So full of win.

Thanks goes out to the ポケモンプリントビスケット ピカチュウ post by いそがないで歩こう blog.

At the Pokemon Center Osaka, there is a lot of unsold tins though, so I can snag another. There is no need, I do admit.

I am a recent Pokemon fan so I was shocked and appalled to see an older design of Pikachu.

The Pikachu, mass-marketed, requires cuter proportions. The older Pikachu design is cute for a video game, but the current design bests even Hello Kitty in straight up kawaii.

It's not enough just to be in the right spot: Pokemon DLC Jirachi

(tags food, Pokemon, DLC, Dual Screen, failure)

Actually I'm not playing Pokemon Platinum ever since I got Sudoku DS "The Final Version We Really Mean It This Time by Hudson". But I read at the Pokemon fan blog "ピカのお気楽ポケモン日記" had details on the free DLC available from McDonald's, of all places.

マックでDS Nintendo Zone （ニンテンドーゾーン）で「ジラーチ」を受け取る方法

You can download "Jirachi", which is a rare Pokemon that you can only get through connection to the old Pokemon Advance games.

On my way home from work I gave it a try at two seperate locations. The free pamphlet had the instructions, even explaining how to unlock the "Mystery Gift" menu entry. The first location didn't seem to have its "Nintendo Zone" turned on. The second place was really flaky, dropping my connection at times. Plus, as I figured out from actually reading the fine print, the DLC download requires Japanese versions of the DS software. Looks like I'm going to pick up another Pokemon DS game pretty soon.

At least before 7/17. Heh.

Pour it on: Basil

(tags food)

I bought this ready-to-pour basil sauce recently. Now I'm pouring it on my toast and on my salads, even on my meat. Everything taste better with this basil sauce. Really. Now I need to find some cheese to eat this stuff with. Yum.

I support this Ichigo-chan

(tags food, illustrator, Aoi Nishimata, Japan, mail-order)

Yes I bought the rice, and now I'm planning to buy the strawberries.

Very nice indeed. "Ugono Ichigo-chan". It'll be winter soon, though.

stop drinking cafe ole at night

(tags food, drink, failure)

Dood, I have been drinking cafe ole bottle drinks at night. WTF. Maybe the caffiene or the sugar kick keeps me awake. My reflexes are shot at this wee hour though, so no 1cc Contra DS, yer right.

Perhaps tomorrow will be a blog frenzy. I have so much to talk about and pictures to share, but of course its the usual useless "ooh shiny" consumer topics. Well I just keep on writing because this blog is for me.

Pikachu "Hatsumode" (2008)

(tags food, Pikachu, kawaii, promotion, collectable, 200801, Japan)

Greetz and howdy to your 2008. Hope you are having fun.

So, I did it. I went to McDonalds on New Year's Day and asked for the "Happy 2008 Pikachu ga ippai 50 pose sticker sheet", which meant I had to jump through the hoop of buying a Happy Set which I know as a Happy Meal but no fancy cardboard box. I did not bother to choose to recieve the default Happy Set toys, though. Gotta set the limit somewhere. :o

What is the phrase in Unreal Tournament? "It's been decades since I've seen one of these". :-)

Every time I think of McDonalds now I think of that picture of that Michelin tire fat kid sitting with the McDonalds bib. Going to McDonalds on New Year's Day just breaks all sorts of Resolutions, imagined or not. I'm not making any resolutions for this year but I'm going for goals. One goal is to make one Pikachu related post every month. :-)

Pikachu love: McDonalds Happy... ga ippai

(tags food, Pikachu, kawaii, promotion, collectable, 200801, Japan)

I ate at McDonalds yesterday, so Super Size Me. Anyway there's a special Pikachu sticker promotion if I buy a McDonalds' Happy Meal starting 2008-01-01. I didn't count how many pictures of Pikachu it was but... Oh wait, its on the net: Happy 2008 Pikachu ga ippai 50 pose sticker sheet.

I'm going to do it.

I'm going to do it so I can decorate my Pikachu DS lite. I'm going to do it so I can digitize it and use it as my wallpaper (to offset all the bishoujo moe).

Uh. I will be in a McDonalds on January 1, ordering a Happy Meal. I. Am. Sad. :-/

Back from USA (I could forgo Japan?!?)

(tags travel, purchase, anime, manga, food)

I'm back from the USA, and despite my "letting go" stance I couldn't quite escape the anime and games purchasing. More about that later (pictures please).

I was surprised at how most of the anime I wanted was now freely purchasable at stores like Suncoast and Fry's Electronics (in spite of the translation and licensing time delay). I was also surprised at how big the manga section was getting. Even one of my favorite all time manga stories, Kiseiju (寄生獣), is finally being translated into English as Parasyte. Perhaps I could deal with the time-lag (Japan to U.S.) now.

The things I miss about the States are pretty simplistic: Mexican food (with lard), Filipino snacks, (pop) country music. I got enough tastes of my favorite foods to last me until the next time I go. In fact, I ordered food without intending to eat them all or take them home, which is strange for this plate-finisher here. For (pop) country music, I bought one of those celebrity gossip magazines going home. No mention of Trisha Yearwood, but I saw her on Wheel of Fortune on the TV while I was there, go figure.

When I got back home, my desktop PC was frozen and inoperative. I suspect the Japan summer will be spent replacing parts due to heat failure. I already have to take out one hard disk with "SMART status: BAD". I got some stuff that will make me use the computer more, ha ha.

Finally, I lived without reading feeds or Famitsu for a week. I dread clicking those 100+ post feeds, ugh it's like work. The Leah Dizon PR machine finally attacks Famitsu for cover page damage and now I know she's photoshopped. Still I may purchase her second foray into J-pop. Heck even my J-lang sensei said she sounded pretty good for the first single.

Mix two great tastes together: Sweet and Salty

(tags food, snack, Japan)

I like Japanese salty snacks. It comes from living near an asian store and sucking on Mafran. But here's something I've never imagined:

Strawberry flavored Japanese soy sauce crackers. Um, yummy.