I've been doing resolutions as far back as I can remember. January has always been the month of excitement. Everyone anticipates a fresh start. Everybody is filled with hope that this year will be a year of success. But how do you measure success if you don't have a goal to begin with. So that's where resolutions come into the picture.
But this year, I started becoming more intentional with my resolutions. Before that, I used to have a list of about 10 items on my resolution sheet. Be more punctual, be fitter, run more often, read at least 12 book a year. But then I hardly ever achieve my resolutions, simply because many of them are written without any strategies in mind or in the grand scheme of things, many of them (like read 12 books a year) is not really that important.
I think resolutions should be called goals. Goals are less flimsy and more intentional. To have a goal is to have an aim. Resolutions is more of a list of what you should or should not do. There's no real aim.
I also believe that your yearly goal should fit somewhere within your life plan. If your life plan is to be financially free by 45, fit enough to run 10 km at any given moment, have a good relationship with your family and friends, have a business, own a house etc, then your resolutions for the year should align with your life plan. Your yearly goal should also be accompanied with strategies and a list of potential barriers.
So this year, instead of having a million different resolutions, I have only 4 resolutions (goals). This covers career, fitness, my own business and improving my Chinese language skills. The fewer goals, the better it is I say.
One of my overall strategies is to organize my life a bit better. I realized that been disorganized has caused me a lot of unnecessary stress. I started with my e-mail. I have a lot of unread mail in my inbox. The first thing I did was to archive everything. I then re-organized my labels and ensured that nothing ever stayed in my inbox. E-mails were either replied or sorted. E-mails that I left to reply later would be starred. If I don't reply within a week, I probably won't be bothered after that, hence it will be taken out of inbox into another folder or discarded.
I'm also measuring progress by jotting down many aspects of my life. I'm going to start keeping a food diary where I write down whatever I eat. Since middle last year, I've kept a fitness journal where I wrote down every workout routine I've done (including weight, reps and timing). I am also writing down whatever I do during a day, how much I weight and my body fat % (if and when measured). I estimate that this will take about 30 minutes of my time in a day but I think it will be worth it.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Friday, November 25, 2011
When I was 4: Honey stars
I am able to recall many moments of my early childhood. I always assumed that this was a normal phenomenon, only to realise that many don't recall much of their early years. I don't believe that I have a special ability or memory. I'm able to because every so often, when I'm unable to fall into the slumbers of sleep, I play a game with myself - I force myself to recall memories of my life, starting from my earliest memories. I believe that earliest memory I can recall is probably when I was 18 months old. So I'm starting a new series on my blog called: "when I was".
I've always been called butterfingers since I was young. I guess I deserved that title. Meal after meal, I'll tell myself, "Don't drop it. For once, don't drop it." But it always happened. I always spilled my rice, milk, cereal, you name it. Once, I was eating a bowl of cereals. I don't remember the name of the cereal. But it was golden in colour, shaped like stars and tasted sweet, like it was coated with honey. (Perhaps it was called, honey stars?) I remember it being yummy and I was in euphoria. But my euphoria moment didn't last long, before I knew it, I was sent into the fast-speed elevator and descended back onto earth. I had dropped the entire bowl of honey stars cereal. Unlike Van Gogh who painted the sky with stars above Cafe Terrace, I painted the carpet of the apartment with my stars.
O no. Big blunder. I would be scolded for sure. Lucky for me, being a lactose-intolerant baby, the cereal was dry. Otherwise, I might not be here to write this entry. Anyway, having grown a long white beard, I twirled it with my right index finger and in my infinite wisdom, came up with a brilliant thought, "I shall hide the cereal under the beanbag. No one would know. After all, it could have been anybody in this household."
So I did just that. I dragged the beanbag across the hallway and placed it on top the evidence. Problem solved.
A few days later, my mum discovered the evidence. "Who did this?" she asked. I kept quiet. After all, my brilliant coverup had no loopholes in it.
Little did I know, I was the only one in the household who ate honey stars.
I've always been called butterfingers since I was young. I guess I deserved that title. Meal after meal, I'll tell myself, "Don't drop it. For once, don't drop it." But it always happened. I always spilled my rice, milk, cereal, you name it. Once, I was eating a bowl of cereals. I don't remember the name of the cereal. But it was golden in colour, shaped like stars and tasted sweet, like it was coated with honey. (Perhaps it was called, honey stars?) I remember it being yummy and I was in euphoria. But my euphoria moment didn't last long, before I knew it, I was sent into the fast-speed elevator and descended back onto earth. I had dropped the entire bowl of honey stars cereal. Unlike Van Gogh who painted the sky with stars above Cafe Terrace, I painted the carpet of the apartment with my stars.
O no. Big blunder. I would be scolded for sure. Lucky for me, being a lactose-intolerant baby, the cereal was dry. Otherwise, I might not be here to write this entry. Anyway, having grown a long white beard, I twirled it with my right index finger and in my infinite wisdom, came up with a brilliant thought, "I shall hide the cereal under the beanbag. No one would know. After all, it could have been anybody in this household."
So I did just that. I dragged the beanbag across the hallway and placed it on top the evidence. Problem solved.
A few days later, my mum discovered the evidence. "Who did this?" she asked. I kept quiet. After all, my brilliant coverup had no loopholes in it.
Little did I know, I was the only one in the household who ate honey stars.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
When I was 4: Ribena
I am able to recall many moments of my early childhood. I always assumed that this was a normal phenomenon, only to realise that many don't recall much of their early years. I don't believe that I have a special ability or memory. I'm able to because every so often, when I'm unable to fall into the slumbers of sleep, I play a game with myself - I force myself to recall memories of my life, starting from my earliest memories. I believe that earliest memory I can recall is probably when I was 18 months old. So I'm starting a new series on my blog called: "when I was".
I've always loved cooking and having high teas from a very young age. But tea wasn't tea when you were 4. 4 year old children sip air from plastic cups and cooked plastic pasta on stoves without heat. Still, it was fun all the same.
I was having one of usual play dates with my father, cooking and eating plastic food with plastic cutlery on plastic pans and plates.
"Can I have ribena please?" I asked my dad.
"Sure. Here you go!" he said as he handed me over a purple cup.
"hahaha!" I laughed and squealed. "No, I mean the real ribena!" I said.
"It's real ribena!" he said as he continued holding out the cup.
"No, no, no!" I laughed till my sides hurt because the 4 year old me found it hilarious that I couldn't quite explain what real ribena was.
It is weird that I'll still find it funny today? =)
I've always loved cooking and having high teas from a very young age. But tea wasn't tea when you were 4. 4 year old children sip air from plastic cups and cooked plastic pasta on stoves without heat. Still, it was fun all the same.
I was having one of usual play dates with my father, cooking and eating plastic food with plastic cutlery on plastic pans and plates.
"Can I have ribena please?" I asked my dad.
"Sure. Here you go!" he said as he handed me over a purple cup.
"hahaha!" I laughed and squealed. "No, I mean the real ribena!" I said.
"It's real ribena!" he said as he continued holding out the cup.
"No, no, no!" I laughed till my sides hurt because the 4 year old me found it hilarious that I couldn't quite explain what real ribena was.
It is weird that I'll still find it funny today? =)
When I was 4: Life
I am able to recall many moments of my early childhood. I always assumed that this was a normal phenomenon, only to realise that many don't recall much of their early years. I don't believe that I have a special ability or memory. I'm able to because every so often, when I'm unable to fall into the slumbers of sleep, I play a game with myself - I force myself to recall memories of my life, starting from my earliest memories. I believe that earliest memory I can recall is probably when I was 18 months old. So I'm starting a new series on my blog called: "when I was".
My first brush with death was my dead fish that jumped to its death from an ice cream container. Earlier that night, my family and I were dining at our usual Chinese restaurant. We were usual patrons there and I remember that we always received a warm reception from the staff there. I guess the head waiter/manager must have liked me or perhaps, it was a seasonal gift, but I was presented with a tiny fish in a tied up plastic bag. It was my first "pet". That night, we (or rather one of my parents) untied the bag and placed the fish in an empty ice cream container. Later, before bedtime, I went to check on my pet fish but found it lying limp on the carpeted floor. It must have jumped out, my dad said.
My first brush with death was my dead fish that jumped to its death from an ice cream container. Earlier that night, my family and I were dining at our usual Chinese restaurant. We were usual patrons there and I remember that we always received a warm reception from the staff there. I guess the head waiter/manager must have liked me or perhaps, it was a seasonal gift, but I was presented with a tiny fish in a tied up plastic bag. It was my first "pet". That night, we (or rather one of my parents) untied the bag and placed the fish in an empty ice cream container. Later, before bedtime, I went to check on my pet fish but found it lying limp on the carpeted floor. It must have jumped out, my dad said.
When I was 18 months old
I am able to recall many moments of my early childhood. I always assumed that this was a normal phenomenon, only to realise that many don't recall much of their early years. I don't believe that I have a special ability or memory. I'm able to because every so often, when I'm unable to fall into the slumbers of sleep, I play a game with myself - I force myself to recall memories of my life, starting from my earliest memories. I believe that earliest memory I can recall is probably when I was 18 months old. So I'm starting a new series on my blog called: "when I was".
I don't recall too much of my 1.5 year life. I have only two mental snapshots of that period in my short life. The first snapshot was in Mt Buller, Victoria, Australia. My extended family were up in the mountains for a ski trip. I was obviously too young to ski. All I remember was the dark sky with heavy snow. I remember it being cold and gloomy, with a wooden signboard in front of me. We must be standing in front of a restaurant or a hotel.
My second memory is being in Singapore. I remember being on an escalator in a shopping centre in Singapore. I remember that my parents had bought a large Mercedes toy car for me, one that I could sit in and pretend I was legal to drive. It came equipped with batteries and pedals. All I can recall was my dad carrying the car (probably in the toy box) and the long escalator ride. Sometimes, when I'm gallivanting the shopping paradise island, I still find myself looking around, hoping for something to "click", to see whether I can recall the exact shopping center we were in, the long escalator engrained in my memory.
I don't recall too much of my 1.5 year life. I have only two mental snapshots of that period in my short life. The first snapshot was in Mt Buller, Victoria, Australia. My extended family were up in the mountains for a ski trip. I was obviously too young to ski. All I remember was the dark sky with heavy snow. I remember it being cold and gloomy, with a wooden signboard in front of me. We must be standing in front of a restaurant or a hotel.
My second memory is being in Singapore. I remember being on an escalator in a shopping centre in Singapore. I remember that my parents had bought a large Mercedes toy car for me, one that I could sit in and pretend I was legal to drive. It came equipped with batteries and pedals. All I can recall was my dad carrying the car (probably in the toy box) and the long escalator ride. Sometimes, when I'm gallivanting the shopping paradise island, I still find myself looking around, hoping for something to "click", to see whether I can recall the exact shopping center we were in, the long escalator engrained in my memory.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
An evening adventure with a friend’s 4 year old child.
“Jesse, let’s catch some stars together!”
“Weee!!!” He bent his tiny knees and leaped like a little frog up into the sky. He had his arms spread open, reaching for the highest star he could.
I grabbed an invisible star and placed it in my mouth. “Yummy!” I exclaimed.
“What is yummy?”
“The stars are so yummy! I can taste…mmmm…chocolate and strawberries. What do you taste?”
He grabbed the wind and clutched his tiny fingers and brought them to his mouth. He opened and closed his mouth, grinded his teeth, made a chewing motion and licked his lips. He paused for one second like a little professor in deep thought. His eyes then lit up and he said, “I taste chocolate too! And strawberries. And ice cream. I love ice cream! I love stars!”
“Let’s grab more stars,” I said excitedly to him.
We ran along the pedestrian pathway and leaped up like little frogs. We leaped and leaped till we reached the moon. There, we sat by the pond covered by lotuses eating ice cream, chocolate and strawberry flavoured stars.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Mediocrity and procrastination
The room is full of shadows. The lonely fluorescent lamp had been flickering for the past six months but he hasn’t had it changed. It slowed down his reading and work progress because it made his eyes tired. But I can still read, he reasons.
The girl in the photo, 2007
I stared at the girl. I felt a slight notion of pain and envy. She had on a summery flowery top with frills at the bottom. She had a huge grin spread across her face. Her laughter seemed so genuine. Her eyes twinkled mischievously. She had messy locks and curls flowing from her head. A few strands of hair defying gravity, rebelled against her. Salty water and the gentle breeze touched her lips and tiny droplets hung on to her skin. The waves were up to the buckles of her knees. Part of her denim shorts were drenched in sea salt. She didn’t seem to mind. I saw white waves rolling in like froth on a cappuccino. I saw the clean blue sky speckled with flying seagulls. At the most front of the photo, there was the happy girl.
It was 2007. It was a time of happiness.
Snippets of my Asian Education - Part I, the Voiceless
She wasn’t very tall. She had a sturdy built. Hair up to the shoulders. A pair of round, gold glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She always wore a conservative dress.
I haven’t spoken much to her before. After all, I was considered a quiet child. One who spoke little to others, what more to authorities.
You are lying, she said sternly to me. You know what they do to kids who lie, she asked me? I lowered my gaze and stared at my pristine white Velcro shoes. My mum always made sure my shoes were spotless. She continued, there’s a machine in the teacher’s staff room. They put lying kids in the chair and put the machine on their heads. We use that machine to tell whether you are lying or not.
I swallowed my saliva and tried to blink back tears. I said nothing. I didn’t know how to explain myself, aside from repeating the words, “I’m not lying.”
We took a class test a few days before. It was an easy test where we had to name parts of a snail in the Malay language. There were the eyes, the tail, the shell and the tentacles. Sesunggut it was called. Tentacles = sesunggut. With a double “g”. But back in the old days, like illustrated on the chart pasted at the back of the classroom wall, it was spelled with a single “g”.
Class, you may start the test. Remember not to cheat and not to look at the chart.
I scored almost a perfect score, except there was a problem. I spelled sesunggut with a single “g”, like in the chart.
She called me up front and called me a cheat. Why did you look at the chart? I didn’t, I said timidly. So why did you spell it similarly to the chart. I don’t know, I mumbled. So you cheated, she accused me.
I thought about it for a long time. Why did I spell it the similar way? It’s because I’m always at the back of the classroom where the chart is located when I drink my water or sharpen my pencils. I stare at the chart while doing it. I have somewhat a photographic memory. I must have memorized the chart.
But I couldn’t voice my thoughts. The words couldn’t and wouldn’t form in my mouth. I didn’t know how to form a rationale argumentative statement to state my case. Before her existence in my life, I’ve never been accused of anything I’ve never done before.
For the first time, the 7 year old me, with tears quietly streaming down my face, sat alone in the cafeteria and cried out to God.
Hello world
I've been extremely disconnected from the blogging world. That being said, I do keep a fitness blog, where I just down my fitness progress. But there's nothing like writing as an outlet of emotional expression. I lost my dot net domain as a result of my sheer procrastination. I kept saying "tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow" for 30 days leading up to the date of my domain expiration. A week after it expired, I finally decided to put an end to my laziness and renew the domain. I clicked on the link and I couldn't do it. Guess what, a week later, some idiotic company bought my domain and if I want my domain back, I would need to pay USD600 or higher. I am not paying that ridiculous amount for my a domain with my own name. I'm so angry at companies that take advantage of situations like this. Why would they buy my name? Sigh. I can complain all I want. But I've learn my lesson. Don't procrastinate. Expect the unlikely - that is even if your name is pretty rare and the chances of someone else (or in this case, company) wanting to acquire your name seems pretty low to you, don't take the risk. Secure your property.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Revelation
From tonight's episode at home:
Me: Do you want ginseng chicken soup?
Brother: No.
Me: Why not? It's good for you.
Brother: No.
*5 minutes later I placed a bowl of ginseng soup in front of him*
An hour later:
Me: Do you want probiotic pills?
Brother: No.
Me: It's good for you.
Brother: Okay, I'll have one.
Me: Take two.
Brother: Okay.
Is this a revelation of the kind of mother I will be? O o...
Me: Do you want ginseng chicken soup?
Brother: No.
Me: Why not? It's good for you.
Brother: No.
*5 minutes later I placed a bowl of ginseng soup in front of him*
An hour later:
Me: Do you want probiotic pills?
Brother: No.
Me: It's good for you.
Brother: Okay, I'll have one.
Me: Take two.
Brother: Okay.
Is this a revelation of the kind of mother I will be? O o...
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Help
I'm struggling for healthy breakfast ideas. After months of the usual yoghurt and muesli routine, I'm getting tired of it. I don't quite like drinking milk, plus I never finish my carton of milk in the fridge hence milk with muesli is not an option.
I don't quite like eating toast because it's not enticing enough and it's not exactly healthy.
What's a healthy, yummy and easy-to-make breakfast alternative?
I don't quite like eating toast because it's not enticing enough and it's not exactly healthy.
What's a healthy, yummy and easy-to-make breakfast alternative?
Friday, April 16, 2010
New blog header
haha, i created it because i wanted to play around with photoshop. Don't think it will be up for long though, only till I come up with something better (or more meaningful).
Out with the old and in with the new
Its 12 am and I'm a hyper bunny right now. I just had two cups of coffee and a pot of tea! I was out for coffee with a bunch of girlfriends and I was really zoning out of the conversation. My mind gets that way sometimes but tonight I was so out of it to the point that I think I was being downright rude.
"So jo, are you coming for the event?"
"Sorry, what event again?"
"Event xyz"
"Em, when is it again?"
So coffee it was! Felt much better after that. Unfortunately, I'm really hyper right now. I will use my energy to blog!
Anyway, a month ago, I've decided to make the courageous move to chop off my long hair. I've been deliberating for a while but I've never had the guts to do it. You see its a big deal to me because the last time I had short hair, I was 4 years old. After that, it was long hair all the way.
Long hair felt like a safety net. Horrible fringe? That's okay, your long hair will make up for it. Chubby cheeks? Your long hair will cover it. Hairdresser having pms and gave you a bad hair cut? Get your hair cut again - there's room (hair) for error.
One fine day, last month, I've decided to book an appointment at the hairdressers. Counting down to THE day, I've sought various opinions from different people on whether I should make that bold move. I think there were 9 nays and only 1 ay. So on the day of the appointment, I decided to cancel my slot. But when i arrived, I felt bad for doing a last minute cancellation and thought that I should just get a trim anyway.
An hour later, I walked away with a short bob and feeling 100 kgs lighter. Allow me to tell you what changed my fickle mind again.
It was simple. It was the hairdresser's taunting. She taunted me, I tell you. It was like a dare.
Upon sitting down on the chair, she asked me, "How would you like your hair cut?"
Me: Do you think short hair would suit me?
She: Short hair can suit anyone. It depends on whether you like it or not.
Me: Hm, but what do you think works for me?
10 second pause
She: You should just stick with long hair.
Me: Why?
Another 10 second pause (I think it was deliberate, for dramatic effect)
She: Cause you're not ready.
Me: Why do you say that?
She: Cause I just know it. I can see it in a customer. I'll know whether she is ready or not. You are not ready.
Me: What? Maybe I'm ready. I want to cut my hair short.
She: Most customers walk in here thinking they are ready but really, they are not. They walk away regretting their decisions. I don't want you to regret yours.
Me: I'm ready! Cut my hair short.
She: You sure you won't regret this?
Me: I'm sure. Just do it now before i change my mind. Quickly, take the first snip!
So within seconds, she chops off a huge chuck of my hair.
And you know what, I felt nothing - no regret nor pain. On the contrary, I immediately embraced my new look. In fact, I'm thinking of cutting it even shorter. Since it's already short, I might as well go for the full effect. After all, hair grows =)
Using Mac webcam
When my hair is styled
"So jo, are you coming for the event?"
"Sorry, what event again?"
"Event xyz"
"Em, when is it again?"
So coffee it was! Felt much better after that. Unfortunately, I'm really hyper right now. I will use my energy to blog!
Anyway, a month ago, I've decided to make the courageous move to chop off my long hair. I've been deliberating for a while but I've never had the guts to do it. You see its a big deal to me because the last time I had short hair, I was 4 years old. After that, it was long hair all the way.
Long hair felt like a safety net. Horrible fringe? That's okay, your long hair will make up for it. Chubby cheeks? Your long hair will cover it. Hairdresser having pms and gave you a bad hair cut? Get your hair cut again - there's room (hair) for error.
One fine day, last month, I've decided to book an appointment at the hairdressers. Counting down to THE day, I've sought various opinions from different people on whether I should make that bold move. I think there were 9 nays and only 1 ay. So on the day of the appointment, I decided to cancel my slot. But when i arrived, I felt bad for doing a last minute cancellation and thought that I should just get a trim anyway.
An hour later, I walked away with a short bob and feeling 100 kgs lighter. Allow me to tell you what changed my fickle mind again.
It was simple. It was the hairdresser's taunting. She taunted me, I tell you. It was like a dare.
Upon sitting down on the chair, she asked me, "How would you like your hair cut?"
Me: Do you think short hair would suit me?
She: Short hair can suit anyone. It depends on whether you like it or not.
Me: Hm, but what do you think works for me?
10 second pause
She: You should just stick with long hair.
Me: Why?
Another 10 second pause (I think it was deliberate, for dramatic effect)
She: Cause you're not ready.
Me: Why do you say that?
She: Cause I just know it. I can see it in a customer. I'll know whether she is ready or not. You are not ready.
Me: What? Maybe I'm ready. I want to cut my hair short.
She: Most customers walk in here thinking they are ready but really, they are not. They walk away regretting their decisions. I don't want you to regret yours.
Me: I'm ready! Cut my hair short.
She: You sure you won't regret this?
Me: I'm sure. Just do it now before i change my mind. Quickly, take the first snip!
So within seconds, she chops off a huge chuck of my hair.
And you know what, I felt nothing - no regret nor pain. On the contrary, I immediately embraced my new look. In fact, I'm thinking of cutting it even shorter. Since it's already short, I might as well go for the full effect. After all, hair grows =)
Using Mac webcam
When my hair is styled
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The eye
I'm finally making use of my wacom tablet. For the first time ever, I've decided to experiment in digital art. It is so fascinating! Sigh, should have discovered this earlier! I'm having a ball just playing with my tablet and experimenting with different colours and digital tools!
Drawing/painting digitally was quite daunting initially because its definitely not the same as drawing on paper. You can't physically blend colours together and its a strange feeling having to look elsewhere (screen) while your pen manouvers around the tablet. I was really clumsy with the digital pen at first but after a while, I started warming up to it.
Here's my first sketch ever~! It's very raw but I'm quite satisfied considering this is my first try =)
Same piece as above, but i added subtle "noise" (texture) to the skin.
Drawing/painting digitally was quite daunting initially because its definitely not the same as drawing on paper. You can't physically blend colours together and its a strange feeling having to look elsewhere (screen) while your pen manouvers around the tablet. I was really clumsy with the digital pen at first but after a while, I started warming up to it.
Here's my first sketch ever~! It's very raw but I'm quite satisfied considering this is my first try =)
Same piece as above, but i added subtle "noise" (texture) to the skin.
Monday, April 12, 2010
I'm loving my disney songs
Ever since I can remember, my dad had always complains that "they don't make songs like they used to anymore". He claims that modern songs are mostly just noise without any real meaning. And every time some current singer makes a remake of a classic old song, my dad goes, "you see, songs of my generation are so good that modern singers make a remake of them."
*roll eyes*
But in recent years, I've been catching myself saying the same stuff as my dad as well.
They don't make disney movies like they used to anymore!
Disney movies these days have no meaning. The young audience only want to laugh at silly things the cartoon characters do. I miss the whole wicked stepmother, prince charming and happy ever after concept. Nobody can get bored of a good fairy tale. In my opinion, the last great disney movie was toy story (the fact that the soundtrack was awesome is an added bonus). Okay, and maybe..finding Nemo.
Other that that, boo yah. nothing great.
Here are some of my favourite disney songs:
Mulan: A girl worth fighting for
Cinderella: Mouse song
The little Mermaid: Kiss the girl
Beauty and the Beast: Belle
*roll eyes*
But in recent years, I've been catching myself saying the same stuff as my dad as well.
They don't make disney movies like they used to anymore!
Disney movies these days have no meaning. The young audience only want to laugh at silly things the cartoon characters do. I miss the whole wicked stepmother, prince charming and happy ever after concept. Nobody can get bored of a good fairy tale. In my opinion, the last great disney movie was toy story (the fact that the soundtrack was awesome is an added bonus). Okay, and maybe..finding Nemo.
Other that that, boo yah. nothing great.
Here are some of my favourite disney songs:
Mulan: A girl worth fighting for
Cinderella: Mouse song
The little Mermaid: Kiss the girl
Beauty and the Beast: Belle
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Clash of the Titans (2010)
I don't know how this movie made it to the cinemas. It should have gone straight to the dvd rental store. I have nothing too much to say about this film because in summary, its exceptionally bad. Full stop. Rotten tomatoes critics rate it at 30%.
Visual effects: On the first sight of the Roman gods, I couldn't help but burst out laughing (perhaps this movie should be in the 'comedy' category). The visual effects were so...1980s. It looked like normal humans were filmed and subsequently, the movie makers put some sort of glowing ring around their bodies to give them this god-like effect. Hello, we are in the 21st century. I'm sure we can get better visual effects than that with our current technology!
Script: There was nothing clever about the script. Every single line was predictable and cliche that it was so cringe-worthy. Such as, "I've been watching over you...We belong together."
3-d: Why bother with the 3-d effects? There were hardly any scenes that required it. The use of the 3-d effects was not creative at all. There was nothing really popping up or etc that made you feel like you were part of the movie (that's the point of the 3d effect right, to make you feel that props in the movies are floating out of the screen and into the seat you are sitting in). Instead, we have to endure murky visuals wearing 3-d glasses that gave me a headache. This movie will work perfectly the same way 2-d. I read somewhere that the 3-d effects were incorporated at the very last minute. It definitely looked like a very rushed job.
And I expected many more battle scenes. The Kraken who is suppose to be this deadly formidable creature didn't even have a battle scene at all. All the Kraken did was flip around in the ocean like a giant squid, made a few roars and then was immediately killed by Perseus (demi-god protoganist).
When they were making this expensive film, didn't anyone tell the director, Louis Leterrier what was wrong? It doesn't take a genius to see that this movie was badly made. I'm fine with badly made low-budget films but I always feel disappointed when I see a badly made big-budget movie that had so much potential to be developed into a great film.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Relationship between exercise and sleep
This year, I've taken up kickboxing as a form of exercise. I try to attend about 2-3 sessions per week. The class is pretty intense and most people there are EXTREMELY fit. I'm talking about guys & girls with black belts in karate. They train pretty much everyday. After a kickboxing session, they would run back to the changing room, change into their karate outfits and then join the karate class. On the other hand, I'll be so buggered that all I'll be thinking about is food and water.
Yesterday I had a pretty intense session as I had a 45 minute personal training session which was immediately followed by the usual 1.5 hour class. At the end of it, my hands were trembling so much, I had difficulty typing smses (My hands are still trembling today. I tried to paint earlier but failed pathetically).
That being said, last night, I had the best sleep ever. I immediately fell into dreamland the moment my head touched the pillow. Today is one of those rare days that I woke up feeling extremely fresh despite sleeping for only 6 hours. Good sleep is a rare treat for me as I usually wake up feeling like death has hit me despite sleeping a good 8 hours. I attribute this treat to my intense workout yesterday. Bring it on!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Salt attack
Dad has been cooking lots. As much as I appreciate the gesture, I always shudder at the amount of salt he uses in the food. We always tease him by asking him whether he is enjoy his dish of salt or soy sauce and whether that piece of chicken/pork/beef is a good condiment for his dish.
Eat less sodium kids! Excessive salt is bad for you.
From BBC News
Why is too much salt bad?
In adults, when levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases.
Many scientists, although not all, believe this process is linked to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
With high levels of fluid circulating through the brain there is a greater chance that weaknesses in the brain's blood vessels are exposed, and that they may burst, causing a stroke.
Similarly, a greater volume of fluid passing through the heart can place additional strain on the organ, increasing the possibility of coronary disease.
However, there are many potential causes of hypertension and coronary heart disease, and some scientists deny that salt plays any significant role at all.
An adult will be able to remove salt from the body through the kidneys into the urine.
However, very young babies do not have the capacity to process large quantities of salt as the kidneys are not yet developed.
If they are given adult food with a higher salt content before they are at least four months old, excess sodium can accumulate in the body, causing kidney, liver and brain damage, and in very occasional cases, death.
It is recommended that babies are given only milk, whether breast or formula, for the first four months of life.
Baby foods are supposed to contain lower levels of salt, and it is recommended that if adult foods are to be given, unprocessed foods should be used, and no salt added.
How much salt should we eat?
The government recommends that adults should eat 6g of salt a day. However, the average intake of salt is between 9g and 10g a day.
Experts estimate that if average consumption was cut to 6g a day it would prevent 70,000 heart attacks and strokes a year.
The main sources of salt in the diet are processed foods and salt added during cooking or at the table. Meat and meat products, and bread can also be high in salt.
Processed foods are thought to account for around 75% of the average person's salt intake.
However, research published in The Lancet medical journal suggested that most people could not tell the difference between loaves with markedly different salt content.
Salt is added to processed foods to aid preservation and to improve taste. Sodium is present in additives such as monosodium glutamate and sodium bicarbonate.
Small amounts of sodium can be found naturally in some foods such as eggs and fish.
The salt we sprinkle on our food from cellar accounts for only 10%-15% of our intake.
Eat less sodium kids! Excessive salt is bad for you.
From BBC News
Why is too much salt bad?
In adults, when levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases.
Many scientists, although not all, believe this process is linked to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
With high levels of fluid circulating through the brain there is a greater chance that weaknesses in the brain's blood vessels are exposed, and that they may burst, causing a stroke.
Similarly, a greater volume of fluid passing through the heart can place additional strain on the organ, increasing the possibility of coronary disease.
However, there are many potential causes of hypertension and coronary heart disease, and some scientists deny that salt plays any significant role at all.
An adult will be able to remove salt from the body through the kidneys into the urine.
However, very young babies do not have the capacity to process large quantities of salt as the kidneys are not yet developed.
If they are given adult food with a higher salt content before they are at least four months old, excess sodium can accumulate in the body, causing kidney, liver and brain damage, and in very occasional cases, death.
It is recommended that babies are given only milk, whether breast or formula, for the first four months of life.
Baby foods are supposed to contain lower levels of salt, and it is recommended that if adult foods are to be given, unprocessed foods should be used, and no salt added.
How much salt should we eat?
The government recommends that adults should eat 6g of salt a day. However, the average intake of salt is between 9g and 10g a day.
Experts estimate that if average consumption was cut to 6g a day it would prevent 70,000 heart attacks and strokes a year.
The main sources of salt in the diet are processed foods and salt added during cooking or at the table. Meat and meat products, and bread can also be high in salt.
Processed foods are thought to account for around 75% of the average person's salt intake.
However, research published in The Lancet medical journal suggested that most people could not tell the difference between loaves with markedly different salt content.
Salt is added to processed foods to aid preservation and to improve taste. Sodium is present in additives such as monosodium glutamate and sodium bicarbonate.
Small amounts of sodium can be found naturally in some foods such as eggs and fish.
The salt we sprinkle on our food from cellar accounts for only 10%-15% of our intake.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Weekend rambles
1. Sometimes I feel frustrated/sad whenever I see blog posts on Forever 21, Victoria Secret or anything U.S. related! Because everything there is so darn cheap compared to Australia. For example, a decent looking dress from Forever 21 is about 20 dollars. Australia's equivalent to U.S. Forever 21 is probably Supre. I walked into Supre the other day and a pair of shorts is $40!!! Woe is me. I've hardly bought anything from Australia the past few years because I can't bring myself to buy such expensive stuff when I know I can get it cheaper elsewhere.
2. Leon: the professional! I'm more in love with Natalie Portman than ever before. I've recently watched her first debut film and fell in love with little 11 year old Portman. I don't think she was meant to be the main character of the film but she definitely stole the show. Her character was extremely complex as her 11-year old character had a fatherly-romantic relationship with a man in his mid-40s. I know it sounds really wrong yet it came out so innocently beautiful. There was nothing lustful in the film but rather two lonely and lost characters finding each other and in that, found a new meaning and hope to life.
3. Make up! Wei Chee described me as a late bloomer because I've only recently been fascinated with make up! I bought 2 sets of 88 make up palette over the internet ($20 each!) and have been experimenting with the colours. I'm so happy. I feel like my face is a piece of canvas and I'm creating art.
4. Speaking of painting, I've been spending so much of my spare time painting! After this painting episode is over, I won't be touching my paint brushes for the next....few months! I'll post up pictures when I'm done!
5. Run for the kids. I recently joined a 14.6km charity run. Note to self: never ever gulp down protein shake + yoghurt 30 minutes before your run! Let's just say I had stitches even before the ran began. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the run. I love massive events - the fact that everyone is united for a single cause is so beautiful!
6. Garden report - Sigh, one of plants have been attacked by fungus and its slowly dying on me!!! The rest of the plants are thriving. I've been having meals out on my balcony, basking in the summer/autumn heat. I love checking on my plants progress and watching new leaves sprount and new flowers blossom. It's like watching a miracle performed before your eyes.
2. Leon: the professional! I'm more in love with Natalie Portman than ever before. I've recently watched her first debut film and fell in love with little 11 year old Portman. I don't think she was meant to be the main character of the film but she definitely stole the show. Her character was extremely complex as her 11-year old character had a fatherly-romantic relationship with a man in his mid-40s. I know it sounds really wrong yet it came out so innocently beautiful. There was nothing lustful in the film but rather two lonely and lost characters finding each other and in that, found a new meaning and hope to life.
3. Make up! Wei Chee described me as a late bloomer because I've only recently been fascinated with make up! I bought 2 sets of 88 make up palette over the internet ($20 each!) and have been experimenting with the colours. I'm so happy. I feel like my face is a piece of canvas and I'm creating art.
4. Speaking of painting, I've been spending so much of my spare time painting! After this painting episode is over, I won't be touching my paint brushes for the next....few months! I'll post up pictures when I'm done!
5. Run for the kids. I recently joined a 14.6km charity run. Note to self: never ever gulp down protein shake + yoghurt 30 minutes before your run! Let's just say I had stitches even before the ran began. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the run. I love massive events - the fact that everyone is united for a single cause is so beautiful!
6. Garden report - Sigh, one of plants have been attacked by fungus and its slowly dying on me!!! The rest of the plants are thriving. I've been having meals out on my balcony, basking in the summer/autumn heat. I love checking on my plants progress and watching new leaves sprount and new flowers blossom. It's like watching a miracle performed before your eyes.
Monday, March 08, 2010
The Hurt Locker - Best Picture Oscar win
The Hurt Locker, which churned out only $20 million in worldwide box office snagged the Best Picture Oscar award at the 82nd Academy Awards, along with 5 other awards. The win came as a surprise to me and to many others as Avatar was favoured to win. It was the lowest-grossing best picture winner of all time. Hurt Locker cost a mere $11 million to make compared with the more than $230 million cost of Avatar.
How did this low budget and low revenue movie (which was going to bypass the Australia cinemas and straight into the dvd stores) win so many awards?
This film centres on a three-man U.S. Army bomb squad stationed in Baghdad. The team leader, William James goes around Baghdad city examining and defusing IEDs (homemade bombs). The two other men provide rifle cover while he does his job.
This Iraq war film is very much unlike most Iraq war films I've seen. Although it's not a typical Hollywood combat film, the focus is very much on the emotional and psychological side of the war. That being said, this film is still very much suitable for men to watch. The movie left me hanging off the edge of my seat throughout the entire duration. Unlike a typical movie where there's a built up of the storyline, climax and then conclusion, this show seems to be at a climax throughout the entire duration. Sometimes the stretching of anxiety makes it unbearably painful to watch. It makes me want to scream, "where's the downtime/comic relief where the men go back to their bunks, play cards, talk about women and ogle at their pictures like in all typical Hollywood war films?"
The thrill and beauty of this film lies in the stripped-down simplicity of the movie. All you feel is the rustling wind. All you hear is the occasional buzzing of the flies swarming in the sweltering dessert heat. All you see is the enemy. All the enemy sees is you. All that lies between you and the eye of the enemy are your guns. And the only thing that determines life or death is the trigger. You wonder whether you are going to die the next minute. And then you wait…for the right time. Because precision and timing determine everything. Wrong move, you die. Right move, he dies.
And while James does his job defusing IEDs, locals stand on their balconies, peep out windows and stare at them. You wonder who are the mere civilians and who are your enemies? How do you tell? The team’s lives are possibly in danger yet they wouldn’t want to go on a shooting rampage, taking away innocent lives. Can you imagine being in that scenario for an entire year of your life? Unsure whether you are allowing your enemy to take away your life simply because you mistook him/her for an innocent bystander. The tension! I guess it came to the point where they countdown and look forward to the end of each day not because tomorrow is going to be different but because they were one day closer to leaving Iraq.
Also, this film sinks in a slight feeling of futility. In some ways, it seems like the war is pointless. You detonate a bomb, another one is planted tomorrow. You kill an enemy, a replacement comes in tomorrow. What is the point of war then? The war seemed to screw some people up – like James who is a very brave soldier and is darn good at his job. But he didn’t seem to care whether he lived or die. Denoting bombs to him seem more like a challenging piece of art rather than a mission done for a greater cause. He was in Iraq to escape the confines of the usual domestic life – like the message shown at the start of the movie stating, 'the rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”
To conclude, this movie is really good but I’m not sure whether it’s deserving of its Best Picture award. Maybe because I’m bias. I love Avatar. It’s the only movie I voluntarily watch in the cinema twice (oops, I lied. I watched Slumdog twice as well).
I have many other things to say about this movie, like my slight discontentment with certain parts of the movie. For example, the ending left me wondering whether the film was pro-war or against the war? There was no real stand, which made the movie slightly unfocused. For me, being able to nail themes of a movie is very important. But in this case, I found the movie slightly unfocused…a little to much of it was left to the interpretation of the audience. But then again, it classified itself as an arthouse film.
Other points:
The film set was also in Jordan, some parts of it lies only a few miles away from the border of Iraq, increasing the authenticity of the film.
In addition, the movie was mostly filmed from a hand-held camera giving it the feeling that you are THERE, standing a few meters away.
How did this low budget and low revenue movie (which was going to bypass the Australia cinemas and straight into the dvd stores) win so many awards?
This film centres on a three-man U.S. Army bomb squad stationed in Baghdad. The team leader, William James goes around Baghdad city examining and defusing IEDs (homemade bombs). The two other men provide rifle cover while he does his job.
This Iraq war film is very much unlike most Iraq war films I've seen. Although it's not a typical Hollywood combat film, the focus is very much on the emotional and psychological side of the war. That being said, this film is still very much suitable for men to watch. The movie left me hanging off the edge of my seat throughout the entire duration. Unlike a typical movie where there's a built up of the storyline, climax and then conclusion, this show seems to be at a climax throughout the entire duration. Sometimes the stretching of anxiety makes it unbearably painful to watch. It makes me want to scream, "where's the downtime/comic relief where the men go back to their bunks, play cards, talk about women and ogle at their pictures like in all typical Hollywood war films?"
The thrill and beauty of this film lies in the stripped-down simplicity of the movie. All you feel is the rustling wind. All you hear is the occasional buzzing of the flies swarming in the sweltering dessert heat. All you see is the enemy. All the enemy sees is you. All that lies between you and the eye of the enemy are your guns. And the only thing that determines life or death is the trigger. You wonder whether you are going to die the next minute. And then you wait…for the right time. Because precision and timing determine everything. Wrong move, you die. Right move, he dies.
And while James does his job defusing IEDs, locals stand on their balconies, peep out windows and stare at them. You wonder who are the mere civilians and who are your enemies? How do you tell? The team’s lives are possibly in danger yet they wouldn’t want to go on a shooting rampage, taking away innocent lives. Can you imagine being in that scenario for an entire year of your life? Unsure whether you are allowing your enemy to take away your life simply because you mistook him/her for an innocent bystander. The tension! I guess it came to the point where they countdown and look forward to the end of each day not because tomorrow is going to be different but because they were one day closer to leaving Iraq.
Also, this film sinks in a slight feeling of futility. In some ways, it seems like the war is pointless. You detonate a bomb, another one is planted tomorrow. You kill an enemy, a replacement comes in tomorrow. What is the point of war then? The war seemed to screw some people up – like James who is a very brave soldier and is darn good at his job. But he didn’t seem to care whether he lived or die. Denoting bombs to him seem more like a challenging piece of art rather than a mission done for a greater cause. He was in Iraq to escape the confines of the usual domestic life – like the message shown at the start of the movie stating, 'the rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”
To conclude, this movie is really good but I’m not sure whether it’s deserving of its Best Picture award. Maybe because I’m bias. I love Avatar. It’s the only movie I voluntarily watch in the cinema twice (oops, I lied. I watched Slumdog twice as well).
I have many other things to say about this movie, like my slight discontentment with certain parts of the movie. For example, the ending left me wondering whether the film was pro-war or against the war? There was no real stand, which made the movie slightly unfocused. For me, being able to nail themes of a movie is very important. But in this case, I found the movie slightly unfocused…a little to much of it was left to the interpretation of the audience. But then again, it classified itself as an arthouse film.
Other points:
The film set was also in Jordan, some parts of it lies only a few miles away from the border of Iraq, increasing the authenticity of the film.
In addition, the movie was mostly filmed from a hand-held camera giving it the feeling that you are THERE, standing a few meters away.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Of food poisoning and golf balls
This weekend, I've been down with a bout of food poisoning. Not cool at all. The suspect? A tiny piece of raw king fish I had for lunch yesterday at a little Japanese Cafe in Chinatown. How does one tiny piece of fish cause me so much pain and grieve?
Backtracking little...I've been taught that life is about causes and effects. So, I was going to meet H in the city for lunch. But the yam char place we intended to patronized was closed. We stood there for about a mere minute at the entrance of the restaurant when objects that looked like...golf balls started falling from the sky! Not kidding. It was freaky (like the 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs' movie) Everyone started running for shelter. Upon closer inspection, the golf balls were actually abnormally huge pieces of ice. It was hailing. Then without any warning, the sky got really angry. I haven't seen Melbourne hit by rain so hard before.
We waited under the shelter for about 30 minutes till the rain subsided a little and then we quickly ran to the nearest eatery which was that dodgy Jap cafe. So really, the real culprit was the golf balls falling from the sky. Had it not hailed, I wouldn't have risked my tummy in that questionable cafe.
And just before, I cooked myself a nice piece of Wagyu steak. It was the most delicious thing I've cooked in a while. The meat was lined with fat that melts in your mouth. So good! I was in euphoria....for about 5 minutes till I instinctively ran to the bin. I could feel my stomach churning.
"Don't puke. Its a good piece of EXPENSIVE steak! Don't puke. Don't puke! You'll need to cook lunch again!" I kept telling myself over and over again.
Let's just say my meditation did not work. I'll keep the gross details to myself.
At Flinders Street Station
Fancy a swim?
Source of pics
Backtracking little...I've been taught that life is about causes and effects. So, I was going to meet H in the city for lunch. But the yam char place we intended to patronized was closed. We stood there for about a mere minute at the entrance of the restaurant when objects that looked like...golf balls started falling from the sky! Not kidding. It was freaky (like the 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs' movie) Everyone started running for shelter. Upon closer inspection, the golf balls were actually abnormally huge pieces of ice. It was hailing. Then without any warning, the sky got really angry. I haven't seen Melbourne hit by rain so hard before.
We waited under the shelter for about 30 minutes till the rain subsided a little and then we quickly ran to the nearest eatery which was that dodgy Jap cafe. So really, the real culprit was the golf balls falling from the sky. Had it not hailed, I wouldn't have risked my tummy in that questionable cafe.
And just before, I cooked myself a nice piece of Wagyu steak. It was the most delicious thing I've cooked in a while. The meat was lined with fat that melts in your mouth. So good! I was in euphoria....for about 5 minutes till I instinctively ran to the bin. I could feel my stomach churning.
"Don't puke. Its a good piece of EXPENSIVE steak! Don't puke. Don't puke! You'll need to cook lunch again!" I kept telling myself over and over again.
Let's just say my meditation did not work. I'll keep the gross details to myself.
At Flinders Street Station
Fancy a swim?
Source of pics
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Braised Lamb Shanks with Rosemary
If you're planning for a dinner party but don't have much time to cook on the day of the party, here's a good recipe for you. This braised lamb can be prepared days in advanced - in fact, its probably better because the sauce will taste richer.
A braise is like a stew, but requires less liquid and has a longer cooking time. Allow about two and half hours for the lamb to cook.
Pour with a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Serve 6
Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 slices of bacon
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 800 g can diced tomatoes with its juices
1 400 g can low-salt chicken broth
1 400 g can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (the rind of 1/2 a lemon)
preparation
Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shanks to pot and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
Transfer shanks to bowl.
Add onions, carrots, garlic and bacon to pot and saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring liquids to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until meat is tender, about 2hours.
Uncover pot; simmer until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over shanks.
Adapted from epicurious.com
A braise is like a stew, but requires less liquid and has a longer cooking time. Allow about two and half hours for the lamb to cook.
Pour with a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Serve 6
Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 slices of bacon
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 800 g can diced tomatoes with its juices
1 400 g can low-salt chicken broth
1 400 g can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (the rind of 1/2 a lemon)
preparation
Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shanks to pot and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
Transfer shanks to bowl.
Add onions, carrots, garlic and bacon to pot and saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring liquids to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until meat is tender, about 2hours.
Uncover pot; simmer until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over shanks.
Adapted from epicurious.com
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Coffee frenzy
Sensory Lab
I spotted this joint in David Jones as I strolled past this place on my way to get some groceries. My plan of having a quiet night was immediately dismissed as I stepped into this place. Out of the blue, a friend who was patronising the place called out my name , I joined him and his friend for coffee and we subsequently made our way to a long dinner.
To some coffee lovers, this place might seem a little pretentious and overly commercialised - with the staff wearing lab coats and the expensive interior. But there will always be a tension between keeping it "real" and commercialising it. On one hand, commercialing a place might make it lose its authenticity. On the contrary, commercialising it exposes the world of coffee to non-coffee geeks like me. My usual response to coffee is "mmm...this is good" or "this is not very good/the froth is burnt" - needless to say, very limited coffee vocab.
The girl behind the counter spent an entire 10 minutes kindly and enthusiastically dishing out her wealth of knowledge on coffee. In summary, she told me that real coffee is not the coffee as I know it. She tells me to think of coffee as a fruit and not as a bean. I responded, but isn't coffee grinded from its beans? Yes, but the beans are in the fruit, she replied. The coffee that I've been drinking all this while is brewed by one method - the espresso method. In fact, there are many more ways to brewing coffee. She introduced me to the siphoning method of brewing coffee.
Siphoning method:
Grind the coffee, add it to the top vessel. Add cold (or hot) water to the bottom. Put the bottom on a heat source. Add the top vessel with its attached siphon. Watch. Liquids defy gravity. The brew gurgles, but it's not boiling. Remove from heat source. Watch the coffee move back down, or "south". Watch the bottom vessel's brewed coffee gurgle as air is drawn through the spent grounds to release the built up vacuum. Remove top vessel. Smell. Ahhh. Pour. Taste. More ahhhh.
Source
My reaction to my first taste of siphoned coffee?
It taste nothing like the coffee I know but like bitter fruit juice.
For now, I'm still sticking to my usual coffee - espresso method but I will test new waters once in a blue moon.
Sensory Lab
David Jones
297, Little Collins Street
Melbourne
Dead man espresso
Saturday lunch saw me at Dead man's espresso. The timber shutters and concrete columns provide a very nice, classy ambience.
Again I can't comment much on the coffee, lest I embarass myself. In summary, coffee is good.
A word on the food. A fly on the wall told me that the food here is suppose to be excellent. Matt Preston (THE food critic) gave the food raving reviews - particularly the BLT pork belly sandwich. With high expectations, I ordered my meal enthusiastically. The BLT sandwich came with an absolutely delicious tomato soup. I'm not one for thick sour tomato juice but the tomato soup had an easy and good consistency for swallowing, it was not too sour and the broth they added into it was amazing. The pork belly was sandwiched between two slices of toasted bread that was laced up with some sort of herby-pesto filling. It was light and flavourful. A word on the pork belly. hm...i thought that was the most disappointing bit. I found the pork belly slightly dry and very thinly sliced. Maybe it was suppose to be like that - but the flavours from the pesto filling seemed to have overpowered the pork belly taste. Sigh, almost perfect but not quite.
Overall, I give the place 7/10. Most points for the ambience plus coffee. The food was good but a tad overpriced.
Dead Man Espresso
35 Market Street, South Melbourne
St Ali
I'm loving this water truck.
St. Ali itself.
Saturday was a brilliant day not only because our happy stomachs were full from all the Dead Man Espresso goodness but because it was St. Ali's live street art and Laneway party. Graffiti artists were invited to paint the lane St Ali was situated on. Good crowd. Met quite a few people. Really kewl stuff. There was a dj playing. Booze. Mmm.. and of course, coffee from St. Ali.
St. Ali
12-18, Yarra Place
South Melbourne
I spotted this joint in David Jones as I strolled past this place on my way to get some groceries. My plan of having a quiet night was immediately dismissed as I stepped into this place. Out of the blue, a friend who was patronising the place called out my name , I joined him and his friend for coffee and we subsequently made our way to a long dinner.
To some coffee lovers, this place might seem a little pretentious and overly commercialised - with the staff wearing lab coats and the expensive interior. But there will always be a tension between keeping it "real" and commercialising it. On one hand, commercialing a place might make it lose its authenticity. On the contrary, commercialising it exposes the world of coffee to non-coffee geeks like me. My usual response to coffee is "mmm...this is good" or "this is not very good/the froth is burnt" - needless to say, very limited coffee vocab.
The girl behind the counter spent an entire 10 minutes kindly and enthusiastically dishing out her wealth of knowledge on coffee. In summary, she told me that real coffee is not the coffee as I know it. She tells me to think of coffee as a fruit and not as a bean. I responded, but isn't coffee grinded from its beans? Yes, but the beans are in the fruit, she replied. The coffee that I've been drinking all this while is brewed by one method - the espresso method. In fact, there are many more ways to brewing coffee. She introduced me to the siphoning method of brewing coffee.
Siphoning method:
Grind the coffee, add it to the top vessel. Add cold (or hot) water to the bottom. Put the bottom on a heat source. Add the top vessel with its attached siphon. Watch. Liquids defy gravity. The brew gurgles, but it's not boiling. Remove from heat source. Watch the coffee move back down, or "south". Watch the bottom vessel's brewed coffee gurgle as air is drawn through the spent grounds to release the built up vacuum. Remove top vessel. Smell. Ahhh. Pour. Taste. More ahhhh.
Source
My reaction to my first taste of siphoned coffee?
It taste nothing like the coffee I know but like bitter fruit juice.
For now, I'm still sticking to my usual coffee - espresso method but I will test new waters once in a blue moon.
Sensory Lab
David Jones
297, Little Collins Street
Melbourne
Dead man espresso
Saturday lunch saw me at Dead man's espresso. The timber shutters and concrete columns provide a very nice, classy ambience.
Again I can't comment much on the coffee, lest I embarass myself. In summary, coffee is good.
A word on the food. A fly on the wall told me that the food here is suppose to be excellent. Matt Preston (THE food critic) gave the food raving reviews - particularly the BLT pork belly sandwich. With high expectations, I ordered my meal enthusiastically. The BLT sandwich came with an absolutely delicious tomato soup. I'm not one for thick sour tomato juice but the tomato soup had an easy and good consistency for swallowing, it was not too sour and the broth they added into it was amazing. The pork belly was sandwiched between two slices of toasted bread that was laced up with some sort of herby-pesto filling. It was light and flavourful. A word on the pork belly. hm...i thought that was the most disappointing bit. I found the pork belly slightly dry and very thinly sliced. Maybe it was suppose to be like that - but the flavours from the pesto filling seemed to have overpowered the pork belly taste. Sigh, almost perfect but not quite.
Overall, I give the place 7/10. Most points for the ambience plus coffee. The food was good but a tad overpriced.
Dead Man Espresso
35 Market Street, South Melbourne
St Ali
I'm loving this water truck.
St. Ali itself.
Saturday was a brilliant day not only because our happy stomachs were full from all the Dead Man Espresso goodness but because it was St. Ali's live street art and Laneway party. Graffiti artists were invited to paint the lane St Ali was situated on. Good crowd. Met quite a few people. Really kewl stuff. There was a dj playing. Booze. Mmm.. and of course, coffee from St. Ali.
St. Ali
12-18, Yarra Place
South Melbourne
Monday, February 01, 2010
Decorating my apartment balcony
From my apartment balcony, you can feast your eyes on the most spectacular view of the city of Melbourne.
However, the balcony is short of anything spectacular. In fact, its bare and ugly - used as a storage for junk.
Last week, I've decided that I've had enough and decided to deck up my balcony. It was a pretty whimsical idea, impulsively decided while I was having a shower. Later that night, I spent a good few hours reading up on different potted plants to buy. And oh boy, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
I imagined myself driving over to the nursery, pick out a few potted plants and ta-da, the balcony will be all so nice and pretty. But alas, good things never come easy.
To my surprise and amusement, there are so many factors to consider. Firstly, the wind. Because I live pretty high up, it tends to get pretty windy out on the balcony. Hence, I can't buy plants that are too small in case they topple over. On the flip side, I can't buy plants that are too big because my balcony is tiny.
The wind also causes plants to dry out quicker. Hence, I need to buy pots that are less susceptible to drying out the roots (terracotta pots dry out plant roots quicker than other pots).
Also because its a covered balcony, it doesn't get the full sun (more than 6 hours of sunlight). It gets sunlight only in the morning but no afternoon sun. It was only when I was at the nursery did I realise that most plants (especially flowering plants) needed full sun .
Plus, what kind of soil do I use?!? And how much do I water? Do I water a little everyday or do I water a lot at a time but only every other day? Did you know that plants need good drainage system, otherwise the roots will rot?
And I needed to get a set of table and chairs. I didn't want anything too expensive yet I didn't want anything too cheap-looking.
So much to think about!
After a couple of stressed-out days, I've finally redecorated my balcony.
I hopped onto gumtree and scouted for a garden set. I came across this beautiful garden set for a decent price. The table top is made of solid marble. And if you study the table closely, you'll notice imprints of fossils on the marble top. The heaviness of it is good to withstand the strong winds. I also like how it has a french feel to it and the colour matches the balcony tiles.
The plant in the gray pot is a Begonia. The fantastic thing about this flowering plant is that it doesn't need the full sun. In fact, in thrives in the partial shade.
In the hanging rattan basket are daisies, lavender and coriander.
On the left, is my little yet-to-grow herb garden in the wooden wheelburrow and in the small pots. I've sowed some thai basil and thyme seeds. Hopefully I'll see little sprouts in a few weeks *cross fingers*
I've painted this painting orange to match the orange-y flowers.
That's an orange million bells plant. This is suppose to be trailing plant. I'm hoping that it will grow and the flowers will overhang from the iron cage. That will be a beautiful sight (if it's still alive by then!)
More plants on the other side of my balcony. In that gray pot is premium potting mix. It's most convenient (but expensive unfortunately) to buy premium potting mix for container plants.
On the table is an oil lamp. I absolutely adore the lamp. It's made of a beautiful white stone and the heavy weight is once again, great for battling strong winds. The oil I bought is suppose to keep mosquitoes away.
On the left is a gardenia plant. In the white pot is rosemary. In the yellow pot is Birds of Paradise which will hopefully produce beautiful colourful flowers. (Can't remember the names of the other two plants).
Silver falls. A foliaged plant which is ideal for hanging baskets.
The past few days, I've been having my breakfast out on the balcony while watching the city pass me by. It's a wonderful feeling. It's these little pleasures that mean so much sometimes...
Now, the trick lies in maintaining and nurturing this garden =)
However, the balcony is short of anything spectacular. In fact, its bare and ugly - used as a storage for junk.
Last week, I've decided that I've had enough and decided to deck up my balcony. It was a pretty whimsical idea, impulsively decided while I was having a shower. Later that night, I spent a good few hours reading up on different potted plants to buy. And oh boy, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
I imagined myself driving over to the nursery, pick out a few potted plants and ta-da, the balcony will be all so nice and pretty. But alas, good things never come easy.
To my surprise and amusement, there are so many factors to consider. Firstly, the wind. Because I live pretty high up, it tends to get pretty windy out on the balcony. Hence, I can't buy plants that are too small in case they topple over. On the flip side, I can't buy plants that are too big because my balcony is tiny.
The wind also causes plants to dry out quicker. Hence, I need to buy pots that are less susceptible to drying out the roots (terracotta pots dry out plant roots quicker than other pots).
Also because its a covered balcony, it doesn't get the full sun (more than 6 hours of sunlight). It gets sunlight only in the morning but no afternoon sun. It was only when I was at the nursery did I realise that most plants (especially flowering plants) needed full sun .
Plus, what kind of soil do I use?!? And how much do I water? Do I water a little everyday or do I water a lot at a time but only every other day? Did you know that plants need good drainage system, otherwise the roots will rot?
And I needed to get a set of table and chairs. I didn't want anything too expensive yet I didn't want anything too cheap-looking.
So much to think about!
After a couple of stressed-out days, I've finally redecorated my balcony.
I hopped onto gumtree and scouted for a garden set. I came across this beautiful garden set for a decent price. The table top is made of solid marble. And if you study the table closely, you'll notice imprints of fossils on the marble top. The heaviness of it is good to withstand the strong winds. I also like how it has a french feel to it and the colour matches the balcony tiles.
The plant in the gray pot is a Begonia. The fantastic thing about this flowering plant is that it doesn't need the full sun. In fact, in thrives in the partial shade.
In the hanging rattan basket are daisies, lavender and coriander.
On the left, is my little yet-to-grow herb garden in the wooden wheelburrow and in the small pots. I've sowed some thai basil and thyme seeds. Hopefully I'll see little sprouts in a few weeks *cross fingers*
I've painted this painting orange to match the orange-y flowers.
That's an orange million bells plant. This is suppose to be trailing plant. I'm hoping that it will grow and the flowers will overhang from the iron cage. That will be a beautiful sight (if it's still alive by then!)
More plants on the other side of my balcony. In that gray pot is premium potting mix. It's most convenient (but expensive unfortunately) to buy premium potting mix for container plants.
On the table is an oil lamp. I absolutely adore the lamp. It's made of a beautiful white stone and the heavy weight is once again, great for battling strong winds. The oil I bought is suppose to keep mosquitoes away.
On the left is a gardenia plant. In the white pot is rosemary. In the yellow pot is Birds of Paradise which will hopefully produce beautiful colourful flowers. (Can't remember the names of the other two plants).
Silver falls. A foliaged plant which is ideal for hanging baskets.
The past few days, I've been having my breakfast out on the balcony while watching the city pass me by. It's a wonderful feeling. It's these little pleasures that mean so much sometimes...
Now, the trick lies in maintaining and nurturing this garden =)
Siep Reap, Cambodia - Itinerary and tips
Before I forget, here's our itinerary for the Cambodia trip.
Day 1:
Flew into Siem Reap.
Checked into hotel near the Old Market.
Roamed Old Market.
Took a tuk tuk to Phnom Bakheng, an Angkor temple built on top of a hill, to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the whole affair is a bit of a circus act. It was almost impossible to find a good standing spot (let alone, sit) to watch the sunset. The temple was jam-packed with tourists and there were hundreds of tuk tuk drivers parked and waiting at the bottom of the hill for their returning customers. It was almost a miracle that we manage to locate our tuk tuk driver amongst the many tuk tuk drivers.
Headed back to the city, had dinner, roamed around the night market and a massage. Cheap massages are a plentiful in the city (costing between USD$8 - USD$10)
The town wasn't as shabby and dead as people made it out to be. We actually had quite a blast in the little town. There were a few street bustling with restaurants and streetfood cafes catered for tourists. There are a couple of night markets around. Sure, you shouldn't expect a vibrant nightlife like Bangkok but it was definitely good enough for us.
*Tip: Your ticket allows you to enter the Angkor area for free the day before after 5 pm. For example, if you bought a one-day pass for Sunday, you are permitted to enter the Angkor area after 5 pm on Saturday*
Day 2:
Rented bicycles, cycled to Angkor Wat (Small City). We really enjoyed our cycling experience. Bicycles are cheap to hire (USD$2 per day) and it's good exercise too. Another plus point is that you can roam the temples at your own pace without worrying about having no transport back or having the tuk tuk driver wait on you. A note of caution: you need to be relatively fit if you were to cycle to the temples. We probably cycled about 50km that day.
Angkor Wat is the largest and undoubtedly the most breahtaking of the monuments at Angkor and is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. It is simply unique, a stunning blend of spirituality and symmetry, an enduring example of man's devotion to his gods. Relish the very first approach, as that spine-tickling moment when you emerge on the inner causeway will rarely be felt again. It is the best-preserved temple at Angkor, as it was never abandoned to the elements and repeat visits are rewarded with previously unnoticed details: Lonely Planet guidebook 2009.
We hired an unofficial local guide to take us around the temple. Our guided tour experience was an amusing one. We called it the "Slumdog millionaire syndrome". Do you remember the part in the movie where Jamil played tour guide to tourists at the Taj Mahal:
"The wife died in a car accident"
"I thought she died from child labour"
"Exactly sir, she died on the way to the hospital..."
Our tour guide's explanation wasn't exactly correct. I checked my guidebook a couple of times and found his explanations quite contradictory. We could have asked him whether pigs flew and he would have agreed with us to keep us happy. But it was all part of the fun. heh.
After spending a good three hours at Angkor Wat, we cycled to Angkor Thom (Big City). Angkor Thom was built in the late 1wth century and was one of the largest Khmer cities. The most photographed feature of this monumental construction would probably be its towers with four faces pointing in each of the cardinal directions.
Cycled back to the city.
Had dinner at one of the street food stalls.
Massage.
Day 3:
Headed to the floating villages of Chong Kneas on Tonle Sap Lake. If you want a break from the temples, you should take an excursion to the villages. Everything there was literally floating = floating shops, floating homes, floating restaurants, floating schools. Imagine living on water your entire life! Mind you, it is quite touristy and you might get irritated by the local kids pestering you for money. You need to take a tuk tuk to the Phnom Krom dock and then hire a boat.
After that, we decided to continue our boat ride to the flooded forest of Kompong Phluk. We fell in love with the locals in this place. It's definitely not as touristy as the floating villages and managed to interact quite a fair bit with the locals. The friendly village is made up of houses that are built on bamboo stilts of about 6m to 7m high. It's definitely an interesting sight and I think, its worth the visit. O, you can also take a boat ride through the flooded mangroves.
Day 4:
We headed back to the Angkor temples. The first temple we visited was Ta Prohm. This temple is definitely a must see! The temple has a msytical atmosphere about it because of the trees that have grown intertwined amoung the ruins. This temple was also intentionally left unrestored to retain that natural mystical feel. The popularity of this temple have been intensified ever since the film Tomb Raider (2001) was filmed here.
We then went to the East Mebon temple to watch the sunset. Even though this temple is packed with tourists during sunsets, it is still not overruned by tourists unlike Phnom Bakheng. I much prefer this temple for sunset viewing purposes. You can actually secure a place to sit here!
Headed back to the city, dinner.
Day 5
We went for a quad bike tour. It was definitely a good experience for all of us. We rode through villages and paddy field. We also made a one-hour stop at an orphanage. The children there are extremely diligent, discipline and smart! A boy I met there picked up the english language only a year ago and his english vocab was already pretty vast. They learn about 3-4 languages in the orphanage including their own local language (Khmer), mandarin, japanese and english.
To book for a quad bike tour, visit www.quad-adventure-cambodia.com.
We checked out of our hotel and moved into the Meredian for our last night. It was a good and relaxing ending to our trip.
Day 6
Relax in hotel. Enjoyed the complimentary buffet breakfast (yum!).
Checked out of hotel.
Adios!
Other tips:
If you have time, you should go for an Aspara dance performance. Its approx. $10-$25 for the Old Cambodian dance performance plus buffet dinner.
You do not have to change your money to Cambodian Riel. Most people deal with USD in Cambodia.
You are expected to tip the locals for their services. USD$1 should be sufficient. (You Americans have spoilt the market!!!)
Day 1:
Flew into Siem Reap.
Checked into hotel near the Old Market.
Roamed Old Market.
Took a tuk tuk to Phnom Bakheng, an Angkor temple built on top of a hill, to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the whole affair is a bit of a circus act. It was almost impossible to find a good standing spot (let alone, sit) to watch the sunset. The temple was jam-packed with tourists and there were hundreds of tuk tuk drivers parked and waiting at the bottom of the hill for their returning customers. It was almost a miracle that we manage to locate our tuk tuk driver amongst the many tuk tuk drivers.
Headed back to the city, had dinner, roamed around the night market and a massage. Cheap massages are a plentiful in the city (costing between USD$8 - USD$10)
The town wasn't as shabby and dead as people made it out to be. We actually had quite a blast in the little town. There were a few street bustling with restaurants and streetfood cafes catered for tourists. There are a couple of night markets around. Sure, you shouldn't expect a vibrant nightlife like Bangkok but it was definitely good enough for us.
*Tip: Your ticket allows you to enter the Angkor area for free the day before after 5 pm. For example, if you bought a one-day pass for Sunday, you are permitted to enter the Angkor area after 5 pm on Saturday*
Day 2:
Rented bicycles, cycled to Angkor Wat (Small City). We really enjoyed our cycling experience. Bicycles are cheap to hire (USD$2 per day) and it's good exercise too. Another plus point is that you can roam the temples at your own pace without worrying about having no transport back or having the tuk tuk driver wait on you. A note of caution: you need to be relatively fit if you were to cycle to the temples. We probably cycled about 50km that day.
Angkor Wat is the largest and undoubtedly the most breahtaking of the monuments at Angkor and is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. It is simply unique, a stunning blend of spirituality and symmetry, an enduring example of man's devotion to his gods. Relish the very first approach, as that spine-tickling moment when you emerge on the inner causeway will rarely be felt again. It is the best-preserved temple at Angkor, as it was never abandoned to the elements and repeat visits are rewarded with previously unnoticed details: Lonely Planet guidebook 2009.
We hired an unofficial local guide to take us around the temple. Our guided tour experience was an amusing one. We called it the "Slumdog millionaire syndrome". Do you remember the part in the movie where Jamil played tour guide to tourists at the Taj Mahal:
"The wife died in a car accident"
"I thought she died from child labour"
"Exactly sir, she died on the way to the hospital..."
Our tour guide's explanation wasn't exactly correct. I checked my guidebook a couple of times and found his explanations quite contradictory. We could have asked him whether pigs flew and he would have agreed with us to keep us happy. But it was all part of the fun. heh.
After spending a good three hours at Angkor Wat, we cycled to Angkor Thom (Big City). Angkor Thom was built in the late 1wth century and was one of the largest Khmer cities. The most photographed feature of this monumental construction would probably be its towers with four faces pointing in each of the cardinal directions.
Cycled back to the city.
Had dinner at one of the street food stalls.
Massage.
Day 3:
Headed to the floating villages of Chong Kneas on Tonle Sap Lake. If you want a break from the temples, you should take an excursion to the villages. Everything there was literally floating = floating shops, floating homes, floating restaurants, floating schools. Imagine living on water your entire life! Mind you, it is quite touristy and you might get irritated by the local kids pestering you for money. You need to take a tuk tuk to the Phnom Krom dock and then hire a boat.
After that, we decided to continue our boat ride to the flooded forest of Kompong Phluk. We fell in love with the locals in this place. It's definitely not as touristy as the floating villages and managed to interact quite a fair bit with the locals. The friendly village is made up of houses that are built on bamboo stilts of about 6m to 7m high. It's definitely an interesting sight and I think, its worth the visit. O, you can also take a boat ride through the flooded mangroves.
Day 4:
We headed back to the Angkor temples. The first temple we visited was Ta Prohm. This temple is definitely a must see! The temple has a msytical atmosphere about it because of the trees that have grown intertwined amoung the ruins. This temple was also intentionally left unrestored to retain that natural mystical feel. The popularity of this temple have been intensified ever since the film Tomb Raider (2001) was filmed here.
We then went to the East Mebon temple to watch the sunset. Even though this temple is packed with tourists during sunsets, it is still not overruned by tourists unlike Phnom Bakheng. I much prefer this temple for sunset viewing purposes. You can actually secure a place to sit here!
Headed back to the city, dinner.
Day 5
We went for a quad bike tour. It was definitely a good experience for all of us. We rode through villages and paddy field. We also made a one-hour stop at an orphanage. The children there are extremely diligent, discipline and smart! A boy I met there picked up the english language only a year ago and his english vocab was already pretty vast. They learn about 3-4 languages in the orphanage including their own local language (Khmer), mandarin, japanese and english.
To book for a quad bike tour, visit www.quad-adventure-cambodia.com.
We checked out of our hotel and moved into the Meredian for our last night. It was a good and relaxing ending to our trip.
Day 6
Relax in hotel. Enjoyed the complimentary buffet breakfast (yum!).
Checked out of hotel.
Adios!
Other tips:
If you have time, you should go for an Aspara dance performance. Its approx. $10-$25 for the Old Cambodian dance performance plus buffet dinner.
You do not have to change your money to Cambodian Riel. Most people deal with USD in Cambodia.
You are expected to tip the locals for their services. USD$1 should be sufficient. (You Americans have spoilt the market!!!)
Friday, January 08, 2010
Siem Reap, Cambodia 2010
Old Market
Old Market
Cycled to the temples. Cheapest form of transport and needless to say, the most tiring. But definitely the most exciting way to get there.
Oil for motorcycles
Hi cutie.
Angkor Wat
One of the gallery walls in Angkor Wat
Reading on the steps of one of the ancient libraries
Climbing up for a better view of the sunset
The crowd anticipating the sunset
Angkor Thom
Floating Villages on Tonle Sap Lake
In a floating orphanage
We bought chocolate for the kids
Kompong Phluk, 1 1/2 hours away by boat.
Wondering where your dried shrimps come from?
Folding the mats, in case it rains at night
1 USD buys 20 drinks. We bought 20 drinks for the kids. Free drinks = chaos
Get in line or there's none for you.
Fishing baskets
Fancy a haircut?
Schoolchildren hard at work
Volleyball with the locals
Observing from above
Off to visit the mangroves. Everybody is in Angkor beer singlets!
Our little cheeky boatboy
On the way back to Siem Reap. Lazing on the front deck
Siem Reap nightlife
Interesting matchboxes
I like the scribbled floor
Lots of bbq eateries
Ta Phrom temple, where the film Tomb Raider was shot.
Quad biking
Orphanage. A little volunteer teaching the rest of the class.
Goodbye, Siem Reap! Love you long time!
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