The food selection at Sylvia Park exemplifies its core problem: because the mall is laid out in a long strip, the management decided it is a good idea to have duplicate outlets at both ends of the mall. This has led to the rather boring situation where the same mall houses two Subway franchises in ridiculous proximity (literally within the line of sight of each other), two West Coast café(they actually make good coffee), a couple of very similar Chinese buffet(Same price, same sized plates, same pile of deep fried mystery "stuff" and even showing the same sign saying that their food does not contain MSG, well that is scientifically impossible) and two identical sushi joints(where the management is mostly Australian, the workers are uniformly Korean, and their sushi is so consistently bland that they must have imported the ingredients from England, seems like sushi has nothing to do with Japan anymore). The food problem gets so bad that my co-worker often took unauthorised long breaks to have lunch at home, by the way he lives in Remuera 20 minutes drive away.
If we take out the duplicates, the major fast food chains, all the run of mill cafés and the Indian canteens (Seriously, they make exactly the same meals that is offered at Hare Krishna parties and it is not even free) we are left with a few eateries that all had a juice bar and pot of weed wheatgrass growing proudly by the cashier to prove their middle-class consciousness.
Issis is one of the few remaining non-ethnic place (I mean the food, it is still run by the, um, certain enterprising ethnicity) that does not display their yuppieness up in the air. Their menu include a few combinations of:
Pasta and sauce
Grilled/roast meat
Breakfast staples, i.e. bacon, eggs, buttered toast...
Garlic Bread
Salad with commercial vinegarette (in plain terms: acetic acid, corn starch and a bunch of E numbers)
While everything is made from fresh except the pasta, a spaghetti/fettuccine hybrid kept alive warm in an incubator, cooked well beyond al dente but at least it is not machine made; and the sauces which appears to have been simmering since Moses parted the water. The bacon & chicken carbonara I ordered for lunch is the said pasta with a scoop of thin sauce full of bacon scraps that did not make it to the slice and no trace of chicken at all, maybe mentions of "chicken" always imply "chicken salt". After all I can eat this without complains because it tastes just like my own cooking on a Wednesday night(not including the plastic cutlery and bottled drink). Familiarity conquers all.
The accompanying salad is much more impressive: Fresh, crispy and everything in just the right quantity. The dressing is disappointing just as expected but easy to ignore.
Marianne of Beauty by MM brought this gem to my attention.
Written in full just in case someone has never read FML.
A quick run of inventory suggested that I have whiskey, vodka and orange juice. No rum but that can be made up by doubling the vodka and add some rum flavoring.
Say hello to my new shaker. The first piece I bought since my previous bartender set succumbed to humidity.
The result
Verdict: It looks pale yellow not unlike pineapple juice. The taste is okay, quite fruity but you can easily tell the different alcohol (i.e. they don't blend very well). The rum essence has been sitting in the fridge since the last millennium so I certainly could not taste rum; if you are trying it I highly recommend Malibu.
Overall nothing exceptional. Quite fitting name for a day when you had to wait 50 minutes for your bus home because all of them are packed full, fml.
Man-up cooking to cuisine is like German pornography to adult entertainment. Tasting good is not enough; the food has to appear somewhat revolting (think mushy peas), or at least visually unpolished to be considered manly. Another added-on advantage is that anybody sees it won't steal it due to the engrossing look.
Examples are abound
Awesome pub food, did I just mention mushy peas?
A somewhat less toxic variety with baked beans
One, two, three, four.....thirteen kranskies, on rice with miso soup, Freud would be impressed.
Rule #1: Deep fry everything and top up with curry or gravy
Another murder by the brown sauce
Man-up breakfast, made commercially
School Lunch in Japan, junior version
Traditional tea dish in the JMSDF, some officers are known to spend their entire allowance for this treat. BTW, Kimlan Soy Paste is another hidden gem, try it!
Attempt to make lemon chicken today, it tastes better than it looks, period.
Finally, a hearty lunch made to my definition, thank you darling.
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Yeah, quite right, this is the right kind of encouragement that I want and need to hear.
Apparently, there is a divine protector for every trade and profession. Raphael, the patron of medicine, has been officially assigned to the role to foster the other end of the healing business by the Catholic Church in the 1950s.
Archangel welding the double helix = Priceless
Thank you Vatican, you have made my day, please do keep up your awesome collaboration with science.
I have made verbal recommendations to many before this and I feel the need to write it down.
What is exceptional is the generous chocolate coating on the outside. Most large ice cream makers opt to use dodgy substitutes for cocca and butter, on the assumptions that average taste buds will be frozen numb and fail. Well, they are very mistaken, and this is proof of real chocolate making a difference.
The ice cream inside is also top quality vanilla crème with authentic Madagascar vanilla, however it would not have worked so wonderfully without the shell. This delight comes in two versions: 105ml single pack (Street price $3) and 6x60ml box set (usually goes for $8+, however Pak n'Save in Sylvia Park currently has deal at $6.9). I highly recommend the latter not only for the better value, but also the fact that you get a higher chocolate-to-icecream ratio thanks to Euclid, making it a more memorable experience.
This is the smaller 60ml serving; the 105ml variety is more like a chocolate fish.
Thanks for reading, I plan to have at least one everyday before they cut back on the coating, or lest my arteries turn to porridge. Did you know that atheromas start to develop in everybody's arteries by the age of 10? Shocking.
Today I went for my first exams this semester, which happens to be of BIOSCI349. The emotions just before the exam range from calculated confidence to total panic, which was very interesting to observe.Also, nobody wanted it when I offered my mint copy of Biochemistry 6th Ed by Berg et al for grabs, c'mon, I thought you are the ones who are into science.
The exam went fine, question one was a hard call between two questions of similar difficulty, and I ended up switching topic after making a start on the other. Special thanks to Obsidi of Dissecting Minutes, question four became a breeze after reading the elegantly laconic summary of A.lumbricoides.
I also remember the comment "The highest you will get is a B+" from the start of the semester when I casually declared myself a B student. Well, turns out that was a pretty accurate prediction.
The result for Test 2 MCQs are not out yet, however I am confident it will be 15/20 at least, this compounded with my A-ish lab marks and otherwise lackluster exam performance at the exam, would land me consistently in a high B or B+.
People say the most you will get is what you aimed for, did I aim for a B? Well, hard to say, but judging from the negligible time spent studying prior to this morning, I am utterly indifferent to this course, farewell 349, you will not be missed. Maybe I ought to join Andre's daily countdown to the end of education for many of us.
And the other day, I picked this up during a spontaneous visit to the off-license in Howick over the weekend. The main reason to get it: It is darned cheap, priced so low that you probably won't believe me if I put the figure here. Anyway, a 750ml bottle goes for less than half the price of a 700ml Baileys.
The name is O'Mara's Irish Country Cream w/ added caramel. The bottle is not too informative, other than saying that it is made in Abbeyleix, County Laois. I looked up on the internet and it turns out to be something made exclusively for export, no wonder why I have never seen this brand in Eire.The internet also told me that this combination has a wine base, which is not mentioned anywhere on the labeling, strange.
This is what it looks like, pale straw colour from an opaque bottle.
Despite the over-friendly price tag, it is actually very tasty, probably the smoothest cream liqueur I have ever had, no sting at all. It is quite rich too, goes down like a thick shake with the punch. The added caramel is subtle, just right to be tasted, with a coffee-like aftertaste.
It works pretty well neat at room temperature right now in winter. You may get it on the rocks however ice tends to mask most of the sweetness, and it will dilute the Milch too.
Verdict: Surprisingly good for the price, excellent after-dinner drink and a quick, bottled fix for your sweet tooth. The alcohol content is low enough (13%) for this drink to be considered wine for legal purposes, so future tax hikes on spirits are less likely to have any effect. (FYI, filled bread must have at least two slices of bread to be legally considered a sandwich, at least in Boston)
It has been a chilly day, ideal in a bum weekend when sustenance = takeaway food. Can't decide on beef or chicken? Well why not both: Have a life, have one of the world-infamous McGangbang®.
I went out for mine today, the only right way to do it is to order a double cheese burger and a McChicken sandwich, evenly split the double cheese, place the entire McChicken in the middle and reassemble.
This is how McGangbang® works, please refrain from asking more obscene questions.
Below this paragraph is my lunch before it became a part of me. I apologise for the rather unappetizingly soggy look since I let the ingredients stand for too long by taking a detour to fill the car. To make up for the lost freshness I added a generous scoop of chicken pâté (not visible, but it sits right above the chicken pattie; it helps to stablise the tower too as an edible adhesive) and some freshly ground pepper. Yum
Notice the undersized cheeseburger
Washed down with an ice-cold bottle of lemon lime & bitters, the total energy intake is approximately 4100kJ or 990cal, not including the added pâté and mints. I feel better fortified now.
A more elaborate account of the meme can be found here. Shame I had to pay over $8 for it while it costs less than half of that in the US.
On a side note, food is really cheap in the states. Grocery from a supermarket in Greenwich Village on average cost a bit less compared to my local Foodtown, mind you it was one of the more expensive places to live. The gap is much bigger in the west coast, and for most of time I was there I did not even bother eating out: There are so many wonderful and affordable options in the supermarkets, you can treat yourself to a really good meal in your motel room.
Miranda is a huge fan of McNuggets®, a habit I could not approve of. Smooth muscle is already overrepresented in ground meat, yet all nuggets contain up to 20% of chicken skin to improve texture, without the fat nuggets will crumble once fried.
Above all, I prefer the more boutique fast food chains such as Wendy's, Arby's and in the worst case: Burger King. Sure, they all have the same problems, but McBurgers are the worst. If you ever need a saturated fat fix, try drippings on toast, at least your throat does not burn as badly after consumption.
In case it was Maccas or stavation, I'd get a salad. One particularly memorable encounter with big brother Mac was in some remote town in New Hampshire where I had a chicken salad and piping hot vege soup. The latter was poured out of a plastic bag into a paper cup. Not withstanding the peculiarity, it actually tasted pretty good, or I could have been nearly frozen to oblivion that anything warm is welcomed by my system.
Search with the prefix "cache:" followed by the URL will take you directly to the latest snapshot of the page in concern, very useful for some sites where the content can be a bit volatile.
Intensive writing about my past has turned me nostalgic again, Munchy Mart is not helpful by providing my favorite snack food from the good old days.
Rant: I don't like Munchy in particular, their sandwiches are soggy, their pies are cracking open after sitting in the warming drawer for days and you will need compressed air from the chemistry lab to effectively blow on it. Oh and every time I have fits of vanilla coke withdrawal, they happen to run out of stock. Coincidence? I think not. I boycotted them for an entire year from last April, and then I stopped because I realised that they did not need my business to stay afloat, and I am not deriving any benefit from them either thriving or closing down.
I must have been distracted, let's go back to the food itself.
Potato Twists said to be of "Vegetable Flavor", but it does not taste like any vegetable known to men unless MSG grows on trees. It is not sweet or sour nor savory or bitter, but drifting in some intermediate state that intrigues you to have another handful to figure out if this tastes like anything that occurs in nature.
I have had it for a long time until I moved here, and in my visits to the old country in recent years it had largely disappeared from the shelves. Nutrition information is not mandatory in the old country, and I am surprised to read that each 30g serving contains 8g of fat. Hmmmmm this will be my last pack in a long time. /Munch
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It has been a rather stormy day here and this sight is unfortunately ubiquitous. Seeing abandoned umbrellas makes my stomach cringe and eyes blur. Umbrellas are the most intimate accessories man ever invented; they are diminutive servants folded away when not needed, and answer your call for shelter from precipitation without any hesitation. Umbrellas are people's friends as much as canine animals are, and they ought to be treated with dignity whether in health or sickness, plenty or poverty. Trashing them after your wanton abuse by using them as improvised sails or speedbreaks, is, crimes against human civilisation on the same level of selling your wife.
Sentiments aside, what is wrong with the world? Sure these umbrellas are broken, but they can always be fixed with a couple of bolts and/or rivets. In case the frame is beyond repair, other parts will surely have some uses, and I can never squeeze them into the bin without exhausting the options.
Notwithstanding my usual anti-Green stance, I actually do care about the environment. I enjoy and appreciate the offerings of the consumerist world, yet I nearly always partake with a strong underlying guilt. I have always what I can to help, yet I am determined that any actions is to be guided by science towards the long term benefits of humanity. I am not a redneck, I am plainly reactionary to certain hippie tree-hugger types who gave rational environmentalist a bad name. To quote Patrick Moore, the one who co-founded and left with regrets what is now known as Greenpeace:
"...I later learned that the environmental movement is not always guided by science. As we celebrate Earth Day today, this is a good lesson to keep in mind.
At first, many of the causes we championed, such as opposition to nuclear testing and protection of whales, stemmed from our scientific knowledge of nuclear physics and marine biology. But after six years as one of five directors of Greenpeace International, I observed that none of my fellow directors had any formal science education. They were either political activists or environmental entrepreneurs. Ultimately, a trend toward abandoning scientific objectivity in favor of political agendas forced me to leave Greenpeace in 1986.
The breaking point was a Greenpeace decision to support a world-wide ban on chlorine. Science shows that adding chlorine to drinking water was the biggest advance in the history of public health, virtually eradicating water-borne diseases such as cholera. And the majority of our pharmaceuticals are based on chlorine chemistry. Simply put, chlorine is essential for our health.
My former colleagues ignored science and supported the ban, forcing my departure. Despite science concluding no known health risks – and ample benefits – from chlorine in drinking water, Greenpeace and other environmental groups have opposed its use for more than 20 years.
Opposition to the use of chemicals such as chlorine is part of a broader hostility to the use of industrial chemicals. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” had a significant impact on many pioneers of the green movement. The book raised concerns, many rooted in science, about the risks and negative environmental impact associated with the overuse of chemicals. But the initial healthy skepticism hardened into a mindset that treats virtually all industrial use of chemicals with suspicion.
Sadly, Greenpeace has evolved into an organization of extremism and politically motivated agendas.......This fear campaign merely distracts the public from real environmental threats.
We all have a responsibility to be environmental stewards. But that stewardship requires that science, not political agendas, drive our public policy."
So, please, people, give your torn, hurt and unloved umbrellas to me, I am planning to build an orphanage for canopies.
Live performance by Issei Fubi Sepia in, uh, Trafalgar Square right in front of Nelson's column on December 18, 1984, for the FNS show one week ahead of Christmas. (Update: The video appears to have been axed by YouTube. If anyone is still interested in the song, follow the PV link below. I might re-upload it one day)
Sepia definitely belongs to the 80s, gaining popularity from an unknown kerbside artists' group on the pedestrian streets of Shibuya, to a national phenomenon. The group did not last long as a whole and had been pretty much forgotten except this song. (Original music video here, somehow it reminds me of Village People) Digging Youtube archives is much easier than trying to research any topic on nico, I always come up with one or two gems like this in every attempt. Anyway, perfectly awkwardly exotic video to end the post. SOIYA!
P.S. Just translated the last stanza of the lyrics out of boredom, duh, totally missed the poetic subtlety but at least people will understand the 25%.
波が続く様に 時の刻みも又続く
So time carries on like tide
風も吹き止まぬ 時の刻みも打ち止まぬ
As long as the wind is blowing, the clock will keep ticking
やれこれと返す 事のべの中で
Rise and fall, over and over again in this world
何が生きていく 証なんだろか
For what remains, is proof of the way things were
Not a song this time, but still a very amusing clip worth watching:-)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Still one month and two weeks to go till the inevitable Darkest of Days, yet it feels like it already it is. So we should all make this cosy drink to make yourself feel better staying up late, or even better when you get up in the morning coz it tastes much better than tea;D
As for the ingredient you will need: Vodka, I use red label Smirnoff however blue should work just as well Cranberry Juice, McCoy's version is cheap and plentiful, yet it is more on the sweet side once it is heated and makes our wonderful recipe tastes like punch for teenagers, therefore we need.... Lime Juice, lemon juice is an okay substitute, or citric acid in case you are extremely desperate and cannot afford/find lemons. How to make: 1. Microwave or somehow heat the juice till piping hot however do not boil, will probably destroy all the ascorbic acid but hey, we did not make this drink for the vitamins 2. Pour into a mug, leave about 1/4 of volume for the rest. 3. Top up with vodka, add lime juice to state, enjoy!
Looks, and tastes like some nasty venom, however truely lekker
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dyson sphere (Not related to Dyson of various fancy and overpriced vacuum cleaner and hand dryer and blade-less desktop fans), our only hope in sustainable development and intergalactic expansion! Actually it will be much less than a sphere, since the sun comprises 99.8% of mess in out system it would be pretty unlikely that we will completely cover the star with artificial structures, however, a series of satellites in tandem nearly as good ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
