Khoa Tom Mud (ข้าวต้มมัด)

Khoa Tom Mud (ข้าวต้มมัด)

“Khoa Tom Mud” is one of Thai local wisdom which may be Thai sweet. This sweet is cooked from stick rice, coconut milk, sugar, and a little salt. Ripe Banana will be put in the inner. Black big beans will be stirred together with sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, and a little salt before wrapping banana. Then they will be wrapped by banana leaf before steaming. It is very convenient to carry and eat because no spoon or bowl is needed. You just peel out banana leaf and eat. This “Khoa Tom Mud” has been done for a long time before the plastic bags are used widely. Thai farmers or gardeners put “Khoa Tom Mud” in their bags for their sweet after lunch and go to work in their fields or gardens where are very far from their
homes.

Thai people especially in the north-east of Thailand cook “Khoa Tom Mud” when they celebrate the
religion ceremony such as “Magha Puja” day, “Vesak” day, or “Vassa” day. This means that it is a very
special occasion to cook “Khoa Tom Mud”.

Some of “Khoa Tom Mud” comes in pairs, so people who want and wish to have long and continuous
marry life will put “Khoa Tom Mud” in the monk’s bowl. They hope that they and their love ones will
stay together until the end of their life. Moreover, “Khoa Tom Mud” consists of ripe banana and sugar
which may refer to their marry life will be sweet forever because ripe banana and sugar are sweet. Even
though salt is opposite to ripe banana and sugar, but it is needed for their life.

Some may hear that life always has two aspects: good-bad, sweet-bitter, or happy-unhappy. People
face with laugh or cry one day or another. People who have rank today, one day in the future, their
rank may be gone. Thus, Buddha teaches us to live or stay in the middle way and careful when doing
anything. This is why a bit salt is put into “Khoa Tom Mud”, so it is not too sweet.

Some may think that the above paragraph is none sense because there is no proved. When I was young,
I absolutely agreed with this, but now I change. Sometimes, something, or some stories do not need to
be proved. It is just because you belief and you feel happy or relax to do so. Don’t you think so?

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Izakaya (Japanese Drinking Restaurant)

Izakaya (Japanese Drinking Restaurant)

Izakaya is the word represent the drinking (hang-out) restaurant in Japan. I mean to stay, zake mean sake (one kind of japanese alcohol that make by ferment rice) and ya mean shop. Together they form the meaning of "shop to stay have sake(alcohol). Izakaya is the kind of restaurant that very popular in Japanese society (also popular in my mind too!). Izakaya can be found almost everywhere in the city of Japan. These shops usually crowded from early evening till the last train (mid night).

The ambience of izakaya joints can vary from one to another. From low-end joints, customers need to stand while having their food or drinks, to high-end joints, private room with tatami (one kind of Japanese mat). The price of drink or food can also be very variable. The regular drinks can be bought from 200-300 yen per glass (draft beer, sake or other cocktails). I heard that the expensive joint can charge customers for 1000 yen or more per glass. The food price also similar with drinks, the price range can be very vary depend on the grade of restaurant you go. There are many joints (mostly frenchise joints) offer customers the fix price for all of their food and drink including my favorite one, Kinno Kura Jr., which sell everything 270 yen! I repeat EVERYTHING 270 yen!! (which is very cheap considering the fact that a beer can at convenient store is usually cost you 250-300 yen)

The food that sell at izakaya restaurant is usually consist all kind of Japanese food. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, topped rice, teppan-yaki or you name it kind of food. There is one fact that I don't know all izakaya that I have been there in Japan, they all produce such delicious food which sometimes better than some specialized restaurants. For an example I never find even one joint that make Yakitori (meat skewed) not delicious. Sushi and sashimi also good enough compare to specialize sushi restaurants (not even mention the sushi restaurant in my hometown, Thailand).

One of the dominant factor of Izakaya over other kind of restaurants is that they offer a very wide variety of drinks. Beer is always draft beer (no bottle beer at all!). Cocktails in both Western style of Japanese style can all be ordered. You better try Ume-Shu or plum alcohol, one of my favorite. Wine and sake or whiskey can also be ordered withe ease. Actually any kind of alcohol drinks that you can find on earth you can also find it in Izakaya joints (if it is not too rare or something)

So when you have a chance to visit Japan. I suggest this kind of restaurants, Izakaya, to be one of your choice. Maybe once you have tried them, they might be your prefer choice like mine.

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Compact System Camera - A New (Future) Breed of Camera

Compact System Camera - A New (Future) Breed of Camera

Thanks to the domination of DSLR from Canon and Nikon in the enthusiastic - professional level camera since the new millennium, Compact System Camera (CSC) was born. Canon and Nikon together they combine about 70-80% of DSLR market share, the high profit margin camera segment. The other brands that can't compete with them need to create a new kind of camera. DSLR has its name on image quality and fast operation and intuitive control. The only downsize of DSLR could be its size and weight as well as their lenses, especially professional lenses (which can weigh up to 2 KG easily). From this point of view company such as Olyumpus, Panasonic knew that there should create the cameras that fill the gap between compact camera (point and shoot) and DSLR.

Olympus and Panasonic (I don't know if they cooperate in invent the new breed of camera) were the first camera makers that release the CSC. They release them in the format call "micro four third camera". This kind of camera contain the image sensor is about half the size of DSLR yet twice or thrice the size of most point and shoot camera. The weight and size is also fall within the gap between those two. When the image sensor is small the lenses that will attach the body and capture the light can also miniature. Combine the body and lenses together these CSC are usually one-third or half weight and size of DSLR.

Since the success of micro four third format introduced by Olympus and Panasonic, now other bigger players also put themselves in this camera segment. Sony release its NEX-system last year with come into success. They sold very well especially in their hometown Japan. This year Sony continue their success with a new line-up of NEX camera. NEX-C3, NEX-5N and NEX-7. These new line of NEX yield better results in already very good image quality in the old NEX-line as well as the feature that incorporate into the camera to make users not hesitate to buy one such as manual lens guidance. The NEX-7 can also be categorize as the new breed of CSC as Sony position this one as the enthusiastic level CSC. The camera that professional wanna take it with them in the light day or casual travel something like that. I heard that this year NEX-line is even successful than last year.

The other players such as Samsung and Nikon also jump in to this market with some difference. Samsung come with their NX-100 and now NX-200 (which both are not selling well I presume) Nikon come with J1 and V1 with the different in their image sensor size. The J1 and V1 come with relatively small image sensor, smaller than micro four third but yet bigger than most point and shoot. From this perspective many users consider the J1 and V1 are not worth enough to spend their fortune on them. Actually the price of J1 and V1 are so high that they can buy other brand with some option lenses such as Sony NEX-5N with 2 lenses that also cost less.

The only major drawback of CSC in the meantime (Dec 2011) is that the lenses to be accompany with the body are kind of limit. The lenses from Olympus and Panasonic which enter the market prior Sony and Olympus are considered to have the sufficient range of lenses. However, compare to DSLR lens from Canon and Nikon, their lenses are outnumbered. Canon alone offer 60 plus lenses from very wide angle lenses to super-zoom lenses compare to Panasonic and Olympus that combine for only 30-40 lenses if I not recall wrong. This drawback go deeper with Sony. Although their NEX-series contain a superb image sensors, the lenses that can maximize its their potential is very limit or should I say there are only one! (Carl Zeiss 24 1.8).

The next year (2012) I think it will be CSC year. As Sony will continue releasing their new line of lens (including pro lenses) and maybe a full frame CSC camera (which I think if they can make one it will be a leapfrog in camera market). Panasonic and Olympus release the wider range of camera such as Panasonic-GX1 that focus on enthusiastic users. Not to forget Samsung and Nikon whether what the hide on their sleeves and of course, Canon the biggest camera manufacturer in the world that hasn't come into this market yet but I'm sure they are planning on a big-hit thing.

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