Entries for May, 2006
May 5, 2006
Tort
Posted by eirene83 at 02:33 AM on May 5, 2006.
Oo... had a mock test for Tort today... Though, under much less stressful conditions compared to a real exam. I mean, sitting in a class with less than half the usual attendees (which makes it about 150ish people??), with 2 hours ++ to do an exam you normally have to do in 90 minutes AND having all your notes to refer to... just kinda takes the whole stress out of it. What it DID accomplish is scare the hell out of most people (well, me anyway, at least...)
It's when it comes to this that I really think, "Ooooh shiiitt... I don't know enough to fill the answer sheet.... And most of what I do know, came from the notes.... Oooo... Crap..."
So yes... MAJJJORR motivation to study now... Not that I didn't realise that before, but now I have a measure of just how little I know. Well, I'm pretty sure the rest of the class knows as well now too. Funny thing was how most of them decided to not come, or CAME but fled like bats out of hell within 30 minutes of it. I mean, if you're here... might as well stay and do your best right?
Oh well... Because I only saw Gary there today... We decided to grab dinner together after the test. (Well, apparently the lecturer was supposed to come in for a bit... but when it was no-show at 8.15pm, we just decided to bail...) Had McDonalds... I mean, what else is there at KL Sentral besides that... It's nice catching up with him. I mean, yea, I see him in class every week, but that's just normal chit-chat. Most of our interesting catching-up is done when it's just the two of us. Probably because it's about our private stuff that other people don't know about.
Today was about him. 
hehe, conversations with us are like... it's all about me... or it's all about him. We stayed there till about 9.30pm tossing ideas and suggestions back and forth... Interesting... And relaxing too after a mock test
Down side to that was having to walk back to where I parked my car. It's okay going back to BAC.... but I have to round to the back closer to the Tun Sambathan monorail station and it's dark and creepy there. No streetlights and loads of trees... I usually leave along with everyone else so there're other students going there to their cars... Today, less than half the class appeared AND most of them left early. Yeah, not such a good idea. Will remember and know better next time. ^_^V
Tiger in the Snow
Posted by eirene83 at 03:03 AM on May 5, 2006 in .
It's been so long since I've gone to watch a movie by myself. I mean, things like eating alone or window shopping, I do more frequently... but the last time I recall going to the cinema alone was to watch 'Chocolat'... and there was this other Japanese movie which I can't remember the name of.
I guess it's because, going to the cinema is this social thing. You meet up with friends, catch the latest movie, find out what's going on. Something like that... I mean, if you find some new movie interesting, chances are most of your friends will too (Especially now since it's blockbuster season...) So yea, you'll always have company for going to the cinema... The rates of it being a show that no one wants to watch at all is really low. You've got your horror-movie friends; those interested in thrillers; your girlfriends (or boyfriends) who are into romantic sappy tear-jerkers.... There's always someone to go with you for every genre available.
Unless... everyone's already watched it. Without you. But then... there's always VCD/DVD.... Thanks to the rate of piracy in Malaysia, if the movie's hot, it's guaranteed to make it to the VCD table. (Good indication of how popular the show is.) So yeah... even if you missed it, you can still watch it on your home theatre... and call all those friends who ditched you to come watch it with you.
UNLESS... it's a show that no one wants to watch... AND didn't make it to the VCD table... like a foreign language film. Hehe, so yes, which was why I ended up alone at the cinemas today. Not that I mind either... It's nice being at the cinema alone. You can sit back, slouch down, chomp on your popcorn and enjoy. No distracting comments, nothing. Of course, downside is there's also no one to hear your comments either... but who cares.
So. Tiger in the Snow. The whole plot is sketchy, there's no details or background info.... Things are just happening with no clear explanation why. All you know is this guy who's utterly forgetful and who's still in love with his ex-wife... goes to Iraq when he finds out from his old friend that she's in a coma after being involved in a bombing and the lengths he went to to save her... (First one, lying about being a doctor so he can fly to Iraq with the Red Cross team... amazing...)
There were points when I got really irritated with how optimistic he kept being... Just felt like shaking him and screaming, "she's in a coma! Don't you get it?!" But... I also felt bad every time I thought that because... he just didn't want to give up hope whereas I felt I was being more cynical and jaded. But I guess that's the beauty of Roberto Benigni... That no matter how bad things become... He's always optimistic that things will get better... Watching his movies just makes me feel like I'm really just too cynical and maybe I should learn to have more hope about this world...
But then again... As his old friend in the movie commented about the tale of the Tower of Babel: Once everyone spoke the same language. But then humanity tried to reach the heavens, and God scattered them across the earth because they attempted to share in the glory of God. And now, no one understands each other...
But, on the other hand, there was a little story in the Tiger and the Snow: Once there was a man who fell in love with a beautiful woman and married young. But then he was called away to war. When he was there, he found out his wife had smallpox and her face was disfigured. And so he said, "My eyes hurt..." And later, "I can't see..." 12 years later when his wife died, he opened his eyes again.
Jusco Privilege Shopping Day
Posted by eirene83 at 03:15 AM on May 5, 2006.
According to my mom, Jusco really nicely gives their member this one day (of the members' choice) out of 2 weeks a day where you get 15% discount of most items (except for agent-controlled items and such)... So my mom and I went shopping today.
Noo... it wasn't as fun as it sounded. Mainly because I had nothing to buy and what my mom needed to get was agent-controlled items... meaning, cosmetics. Of course, that's not to say we didn't get anything else... My mom bought shoes. Again. 2 of them... <rolls eyes> And to think she kept me from buying any the last time with the reason, "You have too many already". I suspect it's a ploy to keep me from taking up cupboard space which she needs for her shoes. Still, I got a pair of wedges. Not the ones that I really wanted, dammit, because my mom said it was too high... (But it's soo prettttyyyy.... *whine whine whine* I wannnttt..... *sniffles*) but a nice enough pair...
Oh and grocery shopping was fun too with all the discount. I mean, discounted sushi! And it wasn't even closing time!! Yep, needless to say, we loaded down my poor little car with a lot (!) of stuff... I mean, we unloaded stuff from the trolley into the car and went back shopping... A trolley-full of stuff...
And despite apparently making an early start, because my mom wanted to get in before the crowds... we still only made it back home around 4pm. Now I know where my mom used to disappear to in the day when I used to be back for holidays from UK.... And she never invited me along... Evil... Hehehe... Oh well, there will be many more of these days, anyway, according to my mom...
It really was a day for shopping today. Hehehe
16 hours
Posted by eirene83 at 03:37 AM on May 5, 2006.
One thing bad about going for a 9am, Saturday morning class with only 2 hours of sleep? You end up zoning out towards to end of the day/class... and even then, the hours before that remain hazy and you have no idea what's going on at all despite being awake... and coherent...
So got back, had lunch, showered and then took a nap at 4pm. Told my parents not to wake me up for dinner since we didn't have anything planned.
Woke up very nicely refreshed at 8.
In the morning.
Sunday morning.
I took a 16 hour nap!
I slept the equivalent of a normal person's waking hours... Or another way of looking at it, I slept the equivalent of 2 nights' sleep.
Somehow... my parents weren't shocked by it. It was my friends' jaws which dropped when I told them in class. Amazing huh. My parents must be really used to their crazy daughter doing crazy stuff like that. On the upside, I totally wasn't sleepy in class today. I wonder why... Hehehe, it would have been amazing if I could have even dozed off in class... It might probably say something about my lecturer too!
Posted by eirene83 at 03:49 AM on May 5, 2006.
It's my dad's birthday today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!
We didn't quite celebrate it today due to uh... unavoidable circumstances... (And the whole reason this post can exist is because I back-date... or hadn't you noticed that by now?)
So yeaaa.... We're celebrating tomorrow... ^_^V
May 6, 2006
Vietnam Kitchen
Posted by eirene83 at 03:01 PM on May 6, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
I've always ordered the same thing every time I go to Vietnam Kitchen. There are places where I'm tempted to try new stuff... and there's places I'll always, always order the same thing. Either because... there's nothing else that interests or because that's the only thing that I like there. I had lunch with Ronald today... Ordered my usual net spring rolls.... It's either pork or chicken, can't tell which and deep fried... Yummy though really oily and unhealthy :p Goes really well with the dipping sauce that came with it. Also some sort of pancake thingy which just tasted weird. Dunno what it was except that the pancake tasted a little sweet... and the stuffing was bland.
Also ordered my lemongrass pork chop with rice. I only started eating this after I went to Melbourne where Kelvin took us to this Vietnamese restaurant (Don't ask me the name coz I absolutely cannot remember it... But I think anyone who's in Melbourne should know which one I'm talking about... It's one of those restaurants you just know about... Kinda like C&R in London...
The egg was super oily though... Maybe the branch in OU happens to do things that way... with lots of oil... but the taste was still the same though. Only managed to finish half my rice (Which is quite a feat in itself, I tell you... since I normally can't manage to do that.)
Ronald ordered some Parisian chicken chop thingy... Tasted okay... Not too bad, but it kinda just weirded me out that a Vietnamese restuarant was doing some fusion thingy with French cuisine.
Anyway, was good catching up with Ronald... Haven't seen him in... oh, say a couple of years now... Don't think he's changed much... But then, I also don't really remember what he used to be like.. so no biggie... If only the day wasn't spoiled by the fact some smart-ass in class asked for a replacement Civil class for when the lecturer came down wih food poisoning. I mean, seriously! Even the lecturer was saying that there really wasn't any need to do a replacement class... and that there was nothing to cover... <roll eyes>
Heaven's Bookstore
Posted by eirene83 at 03:02 PM on May 6, 2006 in .
I saw this trailer while queuing up to buy tickets a long time ago. All I knew about it was that it was based on a popular series of novel in Japan. Anyway, I'm not going to bother writing about what the movie is about... I mean, if you really want to know, go Google it. Or go watch it for yourself. It's being screened at GSC International Screens currently.
It's a rather nice, breezy, light sort of movie... Not quite chick-flick, but definitely not something that would involve heavy thinking and discussion type. Of course, if you're the type of person to question everything and say, "That's not possible..." then... don't watch this. You would have utterly no sense of imagination or fantasy.
The story is done in 2 part with 2 main characters. Each character is working with someone else to create something utterly breatiful and these 2 separate pieces of work are related in a way... And at the end, when the efforts are finally made known and showed together... it was so beautiful. Breathtaking. And in a way, all the hard work and pain they went through creating it... made it even more beautiful.
I loved the combination of it. One was a beautiful work of fireworks... I still remember the time in UK when someone was celerating the end of exams and let off a lot of fireworks. I just sat on my windowseat and watched it... It was so beautiful, especially those that seemed to linger in the sky long after they were set off. Which was the exact type in the movie. And the other was a piano piece with 10 movements. In the movie, you only get to hear maybe the beginning and the end of the piece... but it was enough to make me want to get the soundtrack.
All in all... I enjoyed the movie. And I would get the DVD just to enjoy the fireworks and the music alone. The plot is simple and a bit touching... maybe not something that you would choose to watch a few times... but the music makes it all worthwhile...
Sugimoto, Sri Hartamas
Posted by eirene83 at 03:03 PM on May 6, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Had lunch again with Steph and Aileen today... Dammit, it's getting to be no fun since they're starting to think I'm all predictable and reliable.. I mean, all I got this time around was 1 message from Aileen the night before telling me to not forget about lunch today. No heavy-duty calling in the morning to wake me up, no calling or messaging at 12 wondering where I am or wondering if I forgot about it. <pouts> I have lost my reputation of being scary....
Lol... anyway, today managed to get a parking under the shade of a tree... My car has a reputation of turning into a sauna in the heat of the day... and it takes forever to cool down after that. Of course, downside of parking next to the tree was that a colony of red ants were moving up and down the bark and conveniently onto my car... and a tree branch whacked Aileen upside the head as she got out of the car.
Today was Japanese cuisine! It's on street at right angle to the street where Steph works. They have quite an interesting set lunch. The one that all 3 of us went for: Set lunch A - comes with garlic or steamed rice of your choice, miso soup, chawanmushi and a bento box comprising of salad, fruits and 2 choices from a selection of 30 dishes, for RM 14(There's also set lunch B where you get 3 choices of dishes for RM18 ++)
My selection of saba teri and ebi tempura with garlic rice. I liked the saba. It went well with the sauce and was nicely fried so there was bits that were still really crispy even after sitting in the sauce... I like nibbling on the parts close to the bone; really tasty! The ebi tempura wasn't much to comment on.. It was so so... But then again, it's just prawn with tempura batter... There's not much that you can't comment on. Steph had hotate and unagi whilst Aileen had hotate and... tuna(?) with ginger? I can't recall now. Nope, didn't take a picture of their bento... Thought it would be quite rude...
Overall, lunch was good... gave me a craving for garlic fried rice too and wanting to eat seaweed... (I love sushi for the seaweed... My dad loves it for the wasabi...) Heheh, probably will tell my parents about this place... and probably will come back with them too... ^_^
On a side note, the fish dish Aileen had reminds me of the fish dish Andrew and I once ordered from Hui Wei, Sheffield as part of our dinner set.... I can't remember what fish it was but they fried it with butter and garlic. It was quite oily... but really really yummy since it was crispy despite being drowned in sauce. It didn't make for good leftovers but if you eat it fresh, it was absolutely scrumptious! I miss Hui Wei 
010203 040506
Posted by eirene83 at 03:05 PM on May 6, 2006.
Today was supposed to be a once in a lifetime time-date occurence. At 1 hour 2 minutes 3 seconds after midnight, the time-date would read as:
010203 (hours) 040506 (date/month/year)
And according to The Star, whatever you did at that exact moment would uh... can't remember the exact wording, but supposedly, it would all turn out for the best...
So what was I doing at that moment? Studying.... So let's hope that it brings good luck and good concentration and whatever else I need to ace/pass this CLP exam in July...
Actually, did want to message my loved ones... but yeah, kinda missed the timing by a minute so didn't want to send a message out at 010204 (kinda sounds like easy to die in Cantonese... as opposed to 010203 easy to live...)
Homedec 06
Posted by eirene83 at 03:12 PM on May 6, 2006.
My mom and I headed for the Homedec exhibition at MV Convention hall today... Whooaaa... maybe following the original idea of going early in the day would have been better.. But due to some uh... incidents, we only ended up driving in at about 3.30ish.... Maaan, I never though the road in could be that badly jammed! I mean, we both were wondering, don't you people all need to work??? Where did you all come from?!??
And of course, lots of people going in means lots of cars fighting for parking space.... I went from South Court basement to North Court, back to South Court and finally got a parking spot... kinda... after about 20minutes. I say kinda parking spot... since it was this liiittle teeny space just in front of the barriers MV put up. Praises for small cars that can squeeze just about anywhere! =)
Anyhoo, headed straight up to check things out... Wow, that place is huge! It's the first time my mom and I actually went in there so had no idea how to walk the whole area thoroughly... so we stuck to the "we'll walk right to one end and make our way to the other" strategy.
The whole exhibition was interesting... Discovered so much that I never realised before!! Like installing a new stove with hood and oven can cost to about RM8000! Jeeezzz... thank goodness things like that, you only need to install it one time... As if trying to pay off the loan on your brand new house wasn't enough, there's still all that furnishings and painting and kitchen cabinets to deal with. And did you know, there's actually such a thing as feng shui colour for a stove?!? Gold... since it's supposed to be good luck... and of course, they'll charge you for that little 'extra' too...
Oh oh... and we saw this booth that specialises in wall-coverings... Wooow, it's sooo pretty!!! Hand-painted fabric of Oriental designs... It was utterly gorgeous... and costs about RM5000 for 3 panels that fit maybe 3 x 5 feet??? Price aside, my mom and I agreed... that would really look great on a feature wall at home. But then, accounting for price, sticking RM1 bills on the wall would look pretty good too :p
So, walked around... discovered prices for lots of things, collected loads of pamphlets, had several sweets (and cookie (singular) from the booth that sold stoves (they had it baking there, how cool was that?)) and we now had looadds of ideas on how we would like to decorate our home, if money was not an issue. And now, my mom has suddenly fallen in love with the idea of putting up curtains in our living room. This, from the woman whom when I asked years ago, said that it was too much trouble. <sweatdrop> So now... she wants to make a trip to Macy's to look at curtain material... Does anyone know the directions to Macy's? Anyone??
May 7, 2006
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
Posted by eirene83 at 08:58 PM on May 7, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics.
Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning
So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
Promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise I couldn't keep
It seems no one can help me now
I'm in too deep
There's no way out
This time I have really led myself astray
CHORUS
Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here no there
Can you help me remember how to smile
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded
Life's mystery seems so faded
I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just drownin' in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train
Everything is cut and dry
Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don't believe it
CHORUS
Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin' at the rain
Little out of touch, little insane
Just easier than dealing with the pain
Runaway train never comin' back
Runaway train tearin' up the track
Runaway train burnin' in my veins
Runaway but it always seems the same
May 9, 2006
Which Tarot Card are You?
Posted by eirene83 at 03:19 PM on May 9, 2006 in Fun stuff.
Which Tarot Card Are You?
You are the Moon card. Entering the Moon we enter the intuitive and psychic realms. This is the stuff dreams are made on. And like dreams the imagery we find here may inspire us or torment us. Understanding the moon requires looking within. Our own bodily rhythms are echoed in this luminary that circles the earth every month and reflects the sun in its progress. Listening to those rhythms may produce visions and lead you towards insight. The Moon is a force that has legends attached to it. It carries with it both romance and insanity. Moonlight reveals itself as an illusion and it is only those willing to work with the force of dreams that are able to withstand this reflective light. Image from: Stevee Postman. http://www.stevee.com/
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May 12, 2006
Massage...!!!
Posted by eirene83 at 04:19 AM on May 12, 2006.
So my parents had their first (?) experience of acupuncture yesterday and commented on how their shoulders et al felt slightly better. So I asked my mom to pass her massage hammer and started whacking my shoulders like I was trying to tenderise meat, my dad jokingly suggested that maybe I should try acupuncture once too, to help relieve my shoulders.
Which prompted my mom to ask if I needed a massage. Well... it's been months since I last got massaged, so like heeell yeahh!! So got out the oil and everything...
"Oh my god.... Your shoulder muscles like rock only la... Why so tense wan??"
So... okaayy... I've been a litttleee stressed out and tense. I mean, it's only 60 odd days to my exams... But that doesn't mean my shoulders were that tensed... I was convinced she was probably massaging my bone or something, because, honestly... I didn't feel any pain except for a grinding sensation....
Until my mom jabbed me with her thumb....
Owww.... T_T Okay... it was definitely my muscles...
So yeah... next time round the acupuncturist comes to our place, I am apparently going to get tortured with long fine needles in various parts of my back. Wheee... that should be fun.... Then!! I can write a comparative on whether it hurts like the dickens more when you're getting tattooed or getting stabbed with needles... Oh wait... what's the difference? :p Haha, though my dad said that tattooing was just slightly below skin surface... acupuncturing goes all the way to the nerves so that should hurt more... Oh well, never try, never know.
Oh oh... and my mom's going to call her urut lady to come by... so I'm going to get punctured... then I'm going to get oiled and massaged... Wheeee, this sounds like fun!!! ;p
May 16, 2006
Ginter Peach flavour soft drink
Posted by eirene83 at 02:26 AM on May 16, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Grabbed this from 7-11 on my way home from class today... I was looking for ginger ale but couldn't find it and got really attracted to this cute looking can drink, so decided to give it a try.
Ginter soft drink, RM2.00
Comes in several flavours of lychee, orange, peach and green apple... (Does green apple taste different from red apple or something when you use it as flavouring for drinks??... I'm really curious. I mean, you always see green apple on the market for drinks... but what about red apple? Why is it being discriminated??? Poor red apple!! Heheh, okay okay... I'll stop...)
Part of the appeal was the can was transparent plastic. I left it in the fridge overnight and it attracted comments not only from my mom but from my brother as well... Which is really surprising, so yeah... transparent plastic can is catchy and attractive.... Good marketing ploy...
Says this on the back of the can:
Ginter brand peach flavour aerated water uses natural water mixed ith ariticially peach fruit flavour essence, refined fuctose and CO2. It is the most suitable beverage for sports, work, meals and for making cocktails. Tastes best when chilled. (Like duh... Is there any beverage being marketed that doesn't taste best when chilled?)
Anyway... it tastes not too much actually. Not too fizzy like those clear flavoured water that used to be so popular and not too sweet either. I have something against drinks being too sweet. Peach flavouring... not too artificial and fake.... I wouldn't know about it being suitable for after sports or what not... (I always thought 100plus was the best for that?) but yeah... I have a feeling it would go great with cocktails. So yeah... next time I go for class... maybe I'll try the other flavours too... Though I really should lay off the sweet drinks. :p Soon, soon...
Contract/Panettone Cafe, KL Sentral
Posted by eirene83 at 02:42 AM on May 16, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Wow... attendance turned out to be even lower than for the Tort mock test 2 weeks back... I roughly estimate that maybe there were 50-80 students? Not too sure. There were 150 students for the Tort paper... It's weird looking at a class that's normally packed occupied by so few students.
Usual story; tried my best, don't think I'm doing too well... The whole "Oooh crap, I don't know enough to even bullshit my way through this..." sinking feeling... And that was with notes and the past year papers' suggested answers... Not surprisingly, I didn't hand it my paper. Again. But hey, at least I tried.
Strolled over to Sentral for dinner since everything ended at 8pm. Didn't have anything particular in mind so I ended up at Panettone cafe, this place Aileen, Gary, Shaun and I tried sometime last year and decided wasn't that great. So why was I there? Because I thought I'd give it another shot.
Had their set dinner for RM14.56 (government tax included) which was soup, main course, dessert and drink. Wowww... I'm speechless. Really.
Soup of the day was mushroom. (But of course. Is there any place where the soup of the day isn't mushroom or chicken?) And it tasted like... peppered cream diluted with hot water. Actually no, it just tasted like cream diluted with hot water... The pepper I added myself. Jeeezzz.... Hot milky stuff that's practically tasteless... And they charge RM4.90 per bowl for that stuff!!!
Next: Black pepper chicken. Yaaayy... Not. Sauce tasted like honey based... with pepper sprinkled on top. I mean... that's black pepper sauce??? Kopi tiam's western food stall does better black pepper sauce than that.... Bleh! I did not take too well to that sweetened chicken... and it didn't get any better even after I sprinkled my helping of pepper on it.
Dessert was chocolate ice cream with chocolate rice... so yeah, you can't screw that up... and drink was ice-lemon tea... Those 3-in-1 stuff with too much sugar... But still drinkable...
Overall?? Bleh bleh bleh! The food looks good... but sure as heck doesn't taste it. Or maybe I'm just being too picky. But frankly, if you want to give it a try, head over to KL Sentral. It's situated near the Famous Amos and Chicken Rice shop.
(Thankfully, I had dinner waiting for me at home! ^_^ So why did I bother eating in the first place? Coz I was hungry? Heheh....)
California Pizza Kitchen, KLCC
Posted by eirene83 at 03:03 AM on May 16, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Well, had actually planned to go for a Japanese lunch today... but my dad had some stuff to do in KL area and so we ended up near KLCC around 2pm instead... Decided to just have lunch there instead of going all the way to Sri Hartamas. Made more sense that way anyway...
As usual... we all didn't know what to eat... so thought my mom might like going for Genki sushi or something... But on the way up, decided to change my mind and dragged my parents to CPK instead.... I've only ever been there once, last year... and it was pretty good food. And I recalled that there was some promotion for UOB card members so yeah...
So... since it was late, decided to share (as usual... ^_^) My dad ordered... hummus? I think... and I ordered garlic sausage and grilled pepper penne... Yummmyyy.... Too bad I hadn't thought of bringing my camera... I mean, I took pictures with my camera phone but yeah... like that's any good.
Well, what I can say... Food was good enough for my mom to declare that CPK was worth coming back to... And she's usually the one who's neutral about all these stuff. Or maybe it was just the dessert that did her in: Brownie ala mode and hot souffle cake. Chocolatey goodness! ^_^ Oh and she had cafe mocha: expresso with Hershey's syrup and steamed milk. So maybe yeah... definitely it was the chocolate that did her in.
Though.... service was r.e.al.l.y. s.l.o.w. R.e.a.l.l.y s.l.o.w. Or could it just be because my parents and I were Malaysian as opposed to the other customers sitting around us? How else to explain why the other tables easily got their drinks refilled while everyone studiously averted their eyes and ignored our table? And after I snagged a waiter to get a refill... another waiter came by and asked oh so nicely, would I like a refill...
What the...???
No, I don't want a refill? I just happen to like sucking on an empty glass with my straw??
<rolls eyes>
Anyway, lunch for the 3 of us came to a little past RM100... Eye-poppingly expensive... but food was worth it... And now, I have a RM10 voucher for the next time I go there. =)
May 18, 2006
Wesak Day
Posted by eirene83 at 04:25 AM on May 18, 2006 in Library, Personal.
On Wesak, Buddhists all over the world commemorate three great events: The birth, enlightenment and the passing away of Gautama Buddha. Devout Buddhists are expected to assemble in various temples before dawn for the ceremonial hoisting of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples).
Devotees may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks to lay at the feet of their teacher. These symbolic offerings are to remind followers that just as the beautiful flowers would wither away after a short while and the candles and joss-sticks would soon burn out, so too is life subject to decay and destruction. Devotees are enjoined to make a special effort to refrain from killing of any kind. They are encouraged to partake of vegetarian food for the day.
Devout Buddhists understand how to lead a noble life according to the teaching by making a daily affirmation to observe the eight Precepts. However, on special days, notably new moon and full moon days, they observe additional disciplines to train themselves to practice morality, simplicity and humility.
The Eight Precepts are:
- Not to kill
- Not to steal
- Not to engage in sexual activity
- Not to indulge in wrong speech
- Not to take intoxicating drinks and drugs
- To abstain from taking food at unreasonable time
- To refrain from sensual pleasures such as dancing, singing and self-adornment
- To refrain from using high and luxurious seats in order to practice humility.
Every Wesak, my family used to go to the Maha Vihara temple in Brickfields; just to light a few joss sticks, listen to the hymns and get blessings from the monk... But because of my time in UK, I haven't managed to go to a temple the past 2 years... so being back (for good), I definitely didn't want to miss the chance this year.
Though we went to a temple in old PJ instead of our usual one. Atmosphere was definitely different! Maha Vihara in Brickfields was always packed and it was difficult to walk anywhere, not just within the temple but outside as well... Not a very peaceful place to be. The other temple (didn't get the name) was more organised... much much more organised. My dad and I lit a few joss sticks then erm, 'bathed' a small statue of Budda.
Didn't exactly get the blessing from the monk... or rather, priestess, since the whole temple is run by females... but doesn't matter. For me, the act of going to the temple, lighting the joss sticks and listening to the prayers is enough for me to feel... calm? Renewed? I always thought it was my imagination or something that I always felt better after visiting a temple... but then again, maybe not, since according to an article... all the people gathering together for prayers heightens the mental energy around so making everyone feel... better?
Lol... don't quite know how to describe it without sounding like I'm on crack... But then... the smell of incense smoke calms me down... so maybe I am a little high... On joss sticks :p Hehe, well, I mean, I always light a joss stick and say a prayer before going to my exams and the smoke always calms me down... Hehe, psychological effect.
Still, I do feel calmer now... and less stressed out for the exams. Pressure's still there... but less anxiety and negative emotions. Which is good. Because I always always start falling to pieces and crack, every year, every exam period. Hmm, must run in the family. I remember my brother doing the same thing. Exams and us just don't go well together.
Anyway, have had my... dosage of smoke and prayers... So now, a better calmer me is off to face my notes! ^_^
House of Frankfurt, Bangsar
Posted by eirene83 at 05:02 AM on May 18, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Since I had the 'burden' of deciding where to go for dinner tonight... decided to head to HoF since my parents and I had a rather good experience there the first time round... Food was good as usual... Though it evidently didn't please my brother because the black-cloud-above-head thing wasn't just a figurative way of speech tonight....
<rolls eyes>
When Kelvin gets into a bad mood because something doesn't please him, he has a way of making it very obvious to everyone around.. So while he made life unpleasant for Carmen... I ignored him and entertained myself clicking pictures of me and my mom's drinks...
(The granny smith apple was free... I didn't bring it along as props :p)
Apple schnaps...
I kinda like the whole condensation frosted effect on the glass...
My mom's glass of wine... Sorry if you find the whole taking picture at an angle weird... but I kinda like it. Don't do it often though... but I still like it... It looked so much better at the table when I put it so the light shone through the glass and cast a reddish shadow...
Oh and upclose of my schnaps without the 'prop'.... I really love the waterdrops on the shot glass... and the sparkling golden shadow....
Yeah, I was bored waiting for the food... and Kelvin was just plain annoying with his bad mood. Of course, he got even more pissed after dinner when my parents and I went over to Bangsar Village and 'tried' to window-shop. Got even more upset... sheesh... and that despite us telling him it was better to take 2 cars since I wanted to go look around... So had to cut short looking at all the stuff on display at the stalls and head home... coz he had a late night movie booking and needed to collect the tickets...
<rolls eyes, and feels like kicking his arse...>
Mother's Day
Posted by eirene83 at 03:06 PM on May 18, 2006.
Despite it being Mother's Day and with newspapers and TV commercials screaming out ways on how to show our mothers how much we love and appreciate them, yada yada yada... I didn't shower my mom with gifts or flowers or even a measly card saying how much I loved her... Nope, I woke up, went for class, came home and took a nap. Went for dinner later and persuaded my mom to get a cake... with her own money. And yes, that's how we spent Mother's day... This year and every year before that.
Thinking back about it, I don't think we've ever really 'celebrated' Mother's day... Didn't really quite see the point, I suppose. 364 days of hard work and labour, all rewarded with one day of rest, relaxation and pampering? Nope, doesn't make sense. See, it's like this with us... Buying a card? My mom might probably keep it then several years down the road, it'll go missing. Flowers? It'll wilt and die within a week... Might as well get a plant. Cake? When I'm out, I'll buy a cake or cookies or muffins on impulse for my mom since I know she likes it, otherwise I'll just bake something. Why wait for the second Sunday in May? Dinner out? But we've always gone out for dinner anyway...
So really... for us, there's really no point in this big hoo-haa over the second Sunday in May... Dinner, cake and relaxing? My mom does that already every week. And besides, it's nicer when I just get something for her as a surprise instead of something to commemorate a Sunday someone else dictated as Mother's day. :p
Ipoh
Posted by eirene83 at 03:07 PM on May 18, 2006.
Woke up at 8.30 today to follow my parents up to Ipoh. Nothing much, my parents had a few things they had to get done... and me, I haven't been back there for about a year or 2 now... It's not even like a holiday. One day trip, no stops anywhere.
Got there about 11ish... Things haven't changed much there... Okay, well maybe there's a lot more new shops than before and some of the older shops I remember from my childhood holidays aren't there anymore... But otherwise, things are pretty much the same. Bought some oil and joss sticks and went to pray at the nearby temple. Parents did the usual chit-chat, gossip thing and I stood around :p
Had lunch!! Important part of my day ~ because I didn't manage to eat anything except for one muffin... and water.... Yummmy!! Parents had fried rice and I had chicken chop. Ahh, you'll never find food like this in KL... Even if you go to the kopitiam Western food stalls... it's just not the same chicken chop with ketchup and onions... I think you probably get black pepper type in KL. Ah... delicious... Definitely brings back memories of being a kid and eating that...
Then mom went across to road to see my grandmother, her mom... and a cousin's(?) baby... Not quite sure of the relation. I suck at tracing our family tree... Jeeez, for a few months old baby, that kid sure was... big. And heavy. Another 30 minutes of chit-chatting and gossip. Seriously, whenever my mom goes back to Ipoh, she can't walk a few metres without stopping to talk to someone else. Me? I just stand around and smile and nod whenever someone says:
1) Waaah.... so fat already ahhh
2) Eh... not so fat already ah... Lost weight?
3) Waah, if bump into you in KL, sure cannot recognise wan... Change so much already hor... If see you in KL, you probably recognise me before I recognise you...
3) Eh... your daughter ah? Waah... so big already ah... Your son leh?
Yea... all the usual stuff ler... After getting everything done (and paying a visit to the ol sweet shop... I would always go there during the holidays. Hehe, going back to Ipoh meant being to able to eat all those sweets... Relatives will never deny you... Best was buying the Sarsi-flavoured snowball... ^_^), we left about 3... and when we got back, I went straight for class.
Icky... sweaty... tired... <makes face> And apparently, after my exams... My mom has decided that we'll make a trip there and stay overnight... What the heck am I going to do there with no internet connection and no one to talk to?!???
Metrojaya Preview Sale
Posted by eirene83 at 03:08 PM on May 18, 2006.
*cheers* I haven't been to a Metrojaya preview sale in so so long!! First time I ever went was when I was working at Morgans couple of years back... Actually, the only reason I go is because you get free breakfast before they open their shutters. Good coffee, I remember. So yeah, that's about the only reason I go there... Otherwise, I rarely shop at Metro... I don't actually know why I don't shop there more often... <scrunches face> Hrmmm... Ah well, I think it's probably because the selection doesn't usually appeal to me.
Anyway, was supposed to go for the breakfast again today... but my mom didn't realise that it (the breakfast, I mean) ended at 10... and by the time I got up and got ready... we had 10minutes to leave my place, find a parking spot at MV and go up.... Told my mom we could make it in time... but not surprisingly, she wouldn't hear of me speeding... so yeah, we got there about 11ish by the time I managed to get her to get ready...
Jeeezz... it was a bit scary looking at the hordes of females around... and the way they kept snatching up things, you'd think it was all free or something... (Yeah, mostly females... a couple of males, but not a lot, and most of them had this air of being dragged around by a female)
So spent about 2 hours there... and walked away with 2 necklaces, 2 shirts, a halter top and my mom got a pair of trousers... Nothing much otherwise, but my feet itches to go back to the jewelry section to look at more stuff... It's 50% off... so the prices go down to about RM30-RM40ish, which is kinda bearable for my conscience to shut up and not nag me about it... Anyway, sale till June 11th, so if I'm really tempted, I'll go back there.
Hrmm... The preview overall is not too bad. For some stuff, you get extra discount on the preview day... (Like 50% normally + 20% on the day itself) but those were for new arrivals stock... and mostly applicable in the men's department. I saw some really nice shirts... great colours too and going for RM30... but didn't get any since sizing is a tricky business without the person there to measure it on.
Anyhow... I'm off to preen in front of my mirror with my new stuff... :p Hehehe
Excerpt: The Wake
Posted by eirene83 at 03:09 PM on May 18, 2006 in Library.
Whatever happened to me in my life, happened to me as a writer of plays. I'd fall in love, or fall in lust. And at the height of my passion, I would think, 'So this is how it feels,' and I would tie it up in pretty words. I watched my life as if it were happening to someone else.
My son died. And I was hurt, but I watched my hurt, and even relished it, a little, for now I could write a real death, a true loss. My heart was broken by my dark lady, and I wept, in my room, alone; but while I wept, somewhere inside I smiled. For I knew I could take my broken heart and place it on the stage of The Globe, and make the pit cry tears of their own.
~"The Tempest"
The speaker is William Shakespeare, looking back over his career as he finishes writing The Tempest as one of two plays commissioned by Morpheus (aka Dream, aka The Sandman).
May 23, 2006
Pocky Men's
Posted by eirene83 at 04:12 PM on May 23, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
Grabbed this from the Japanese snacks aisle in Jusco... RM11.90... Most I've ever paid for Pocky! But couldn't resist this, after all... It's dark chocolate Pocky! I first found out about this when I saw looking around for the types of Pocky you can get in Japan... (C'mon, melon flavoured? How cool is that???) Pocky is basically urm... biscuit sticks/pretzel with a coating of some sort. Visit the Japanese snack aisle, and you can from a range of almond to white chocolate to strawberry... Very cool.
Men's Pocky... Bitter chocolate... Notice the cute little hearts punched into the box? I'm not going to question the whole... bitter chocolate = for men thing... I'm just going to enjoy it...
Rather interestingly... it's packed into separate bags... The normal chocolate/strawberry Pocky you can get from most 7-11 or sundry shops in Malaysia (manufactured in Thailand) just come in one big packet which I found a bit annoying since unless there's someone around to share it with, I have to either finish it on the spot... or hunt for a container to put it in... Now, no worries! It's already been divided into 2 servings!
There's a dotted line across the top of the packet and it's easily torn open... No scissor/blade-hunting needed! And it tastes great! The dark chocolate tastes comes through very strongly, unlike the normal chocolate Pocky which frankly in my opinion, tastes just bland... and the chocolate melts easily in the mouth, which I always take as a sign of good chocolate.
Overall, very good... Excellent for those having chocolate cravings but don't feel like munching on an entire bar... (Like me... Unfortunately, no matter how much I love dark chocolate... finishing off an entire slab of chocolate is still quite a feat for me...) Love the texture and taste of the chocolate... and the separate packets wins a plus point from me. Quite worth the RM11.90!! Hehehe... now, I wonder if I can get a hold of some Kobe wine-flavoured Pocky or some much... :p
All Star's Cafe, MV
Posted by eirene83 at 04:12 PM on May 23, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants.
My dad actually wanted to go for Chili's but there was a 20 minute waiting time... And usually, my parents can't be bothered to wait so... we headed for somewhere else and my mom got distracted by the sight of a bowl of mee which she thought looked good... so, we ended up at All Star's Cafe...
Funnily enough... No one ended up ordering the dish that tempted my mom to try out a new place.... Instead...
My dad had the sambal belacan fried rice...
My mom had the sambal belacan fried meehun...
Whilst I ordered something cutely called, Old Man and the Sea which was aged sirloin and one tiger prawn... and a passion fruit smoothie...
Conclusion? My parents love belacan (they asked for 2 extra sauce-plates of belacan) and... the chefs at All Star's have no idea what medium-well is apparently...
Because my steak came out er... extremely well-done... And after I sent it back, I got another steak... Equally extremely well-done.
Anyway, didn't find the food that good actually... Or maybe I just wasn't in an eating mood... but somehow, the only thing that I liked was the bread and beverage... My parents thought their dishes were okay... but for the price, I think you can equally as good food from the food court. Frankly, I think that the Railway Club near my college does a much better steak than All Star's... And for half the price, too...
Still, food is food.... :p I'll just have to remember the next time I have a craving for meat, to go anywhere else but All Star's... Maybe back to the Railway Club, since I park my car nearby there for class... They have a pretty good nasi lemak too, I remember. ^_^
It's been fun...
Posted by eirene83 at 04:40 PM on May 23, 2006.
My parents headed up to Genting today for a Connie Francis concert... (For those of you who belong to a different generation, she sang, among others, Stupid Cupid and My Boyfriend's Back...) and so... my brother and I were left to fend for ourselves... Or rather, I was left to fend for myself and look after the dog while my brother does whatever he wants. As usual.
So, after Snifi had her dinner, I went out looking for my dinner. Initially, I thought it'd be quite difficult to get a parking spot at MV at 7... but hmm, what d'ya know... it wasn't... Easily got a spot within seconds of driving to the basement... hahaha, and I reversed-parked at that!
Anyhow, I rather had fun tonight... Since I wasn't pressed for time nor did I have to meet up with anyone, I could do anything I want for as long as I liked... So I ended up standing around the aisles of MPH while flipping through Stardust and Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Gaiman). Well, I say flip but I actually managed to read half the book before deciding that it was a good worth-while purchase. But, I actually ended up only buying Smoke and Mirrors... Anyway, the 100-day sale is until July so I still have lots of time to get the other novels.
I am also currently considering whether I should start looking at Jodi Picoult's books... I saw one of her novels, My Sister's Keeper... and it looked pretty interesting. Girl wants to sue for the rights to her body instead of being used as a harvesting farm for her leukemic sister. Sounded intriguing, would have been even better if based on a true story. And apparently, most of Jodi Picoult's novels deals with sticky issues... such as The Pact where 2 kids made a suicide pact; one survived, the other didn't... and the parents are left wondering how well they know their children. Will need to head back to MPH to flip some more before deciding to invest shelf-space and money to another author...
Finally pulled myself away to dinner at 8.30... Sushi! Best fast-food around, in my opinion... And being 1 person, it's easier to squeeze a spot for me... or so I thought. Although there were seats available, they were being used by bags, etc... so I wandered around Memory Lane before getting my seat. Ahhh.... So nice.... No rush, no needing to go anywhere... And I got to eat as slow as I wanted without being asked if I intended to finish my food.
I think I only left MV around 10... After dinner, window-shopped and tried on a few tops... Hmm, very tempted... and Giordano has a new line of styles in again... Rather liked one top I saw... but most of their stuff is quite pricey, I feel.... Hrmmm, is anyone having a birthday anytime soon? :p Birthday people get a 20% discount, if I remember correctly...
Anyway... it's been fun tonight.... but it's back to studying...
May 25, 2006
Excerpt: Smoke and Mirrors
Posted by eirene83 at 04:40 AM on May 25, 2006 in Library as a favorite post.
Nicholas Was
older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.
The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.
Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey, he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen in time.
He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harder.
Ho.
Ho.
Ho.
I loved this story.... It's so wickedly cool and twisted... Aileen says that's the whole reason why I love it... It's so utterly twisted... Read Neil Gaiman, if you've never before. Start anywhere, with anything... And you'll come to love all his works: Sandman, Dream and Death... Books of Magick... Neverwhere... Read Gaiman...
Chocolates!
Posted by eirene83 at 04:41 AM on May 25, 2006 in Foodie stuff.
Whee! I got a surprise package just before the weekend! Chocolates from Australia and a really sweet card from an old friend... Haha, this was the last thing I expected and a surprising outcome from an email...
Yay... I now have something to munch on (probably after my exams, actually) and feel all happy and chocolate-y about. Luckily the whole myth chocolate gives you pimples have been debunked. Let's ignore the whole 250gm box of chocolate will make you gain 2kg on the scale, shall we? :p
Anyway, it was a sweet thought and a sweeter card... Maybe it's true? What goes around comes around? Hehe... I sent an email as reply to his sms message... but the last thing I'd imagine was getting chocolates though. Still, it was good to 'hear' from him and he hasn't changed in the slightest bit... <roll eyes> Why am I even surprised about that? He's not that type of person who'll change dramatically anyway... and besides, I think we've all about hit the point in life where we're comfortable in our own skin (didn't mean that literally... I shudder to think of being able to shed our skin like lizards and try on someone else's for size...) so... yeah, I don't think any of us will change much. Honestly, the whole adolescent stage of trying to fit in and find out who we are... well, like the term says, adolescent stage... We should probably know our own identity by now... and be comfortable with it...
Which is seriously going off topic... Ahhh, yea... Chocolates. Card... All for me... YAYYYY!!! ^_^
May 28, 2006
Pretty
Posted by eirene83 at 03:16 AM on May 28, 2006 in Fun stuff as a favorite post.
Pretty pendant!! I like! A lot!!
Found this when I browsing around some images and followed the link to Ginza Tanaka's shop...
I love how the design is clean and simple without being plain... And it's rather elegant without being overly cute and sweet. The design is definitely different from the usual initial-type pendants you can get from local jewelry stores and unique.
Me likey...
Da Vinci's Code
Posted by eirene83 at 03:34 AM on May 28, 2006 in .
So I went to watch Da Vinci's Code (DVC) today... Dammit... I couldn't believe how long the queue was at GSC... On a Wednesday... At 6pm. I mean, school holidays haven't even started yet! (Or has it?? I dunnoo... ) Where did all you people come from??? Jeez... So much for hoping to make it for the 6pm screening. Anyway, managed to make it for the 6.30pm screening... Bought my ticket at 6.15. I love it when I don't have to wait really long before I can go in the hall... I know, I know... At 6.15pm, I could have still bought ticket for the 6pm show and not miss anything... but I'm one of those people who absolutely absolutely HAVE to go in on the dot... I know they never start the reel on time anyway, so you actually don't miss anything... But I love watching the trailers and advertisements in the cinema. Can't explain why, just do. Even if I've watched the damned trailer so many times, I can guess which one it is just from the first few notes of the theme in the background.
Anyway, yes... DVC. I'm also one of those people who have to read the book first before going to watch the movie... (Yeah, I crammed in LOTR and The Hobbits in a week, just so I could happily watch LOTR: The movie). It's mainly because, I like to picture everything in my mind... get my own interpretation of the story first as it is from the author/creator... before I go watch someone else's interpretation of it. I like to picture the scenes, how it happens... and have the missing blanks filled in by the movie instead of the other way around. Instead of the movie being my first impression of the story, so much that even when I read the book afterwards, I would picture it as from the movie. (Example... forever picturing Orlando Bloom as Legolas...)
So hrmm... I actually thought it wasn't too bad for a book-adaptation. Sure, it didn't really follow the book and there was the usual slight changing of the plot... but overall, I quite liked the movie version. They cut out some of the really lengthy explanations in the books and sped things up. One thing I really liked about it was the flashbacks of the explanations... Was it CGI-ed?... Explanations about the Knights Templar... The council of Nicea... At Isaac Newton's tomb... It was really cool and yeah, it appealed to me a lot.
One thing though... I don't remember things happening quite that fast in the book. Well, okay, it's been some time since I read it... but as I recall... did it really happen that fast? Oh oh... and another thing I liked was the lecture on Symbology or something at the start... That was good too. Hehe, I remember there were some parts where I snickered out loud... Not the part on the lecture, I mean... Other parts.
Oh... and one thing movies do for you that books don't quite convey... Reading about it wasn't much, but watching the monk tightened his cilice and then flagellate himself... <sucks in breath> Ooohh... Owww... That looks really. really. painful. I never managed to imagine the extent of it. Ooooo.... X_X
Anyway... overall... DVC was quite a good watch. Treat it as entertainment if you're one of those people who think it's blasphemy or something. Because in the end, that's what it is. A movie. Entertainment.
P/s: Two random things about the movie... This makes the second time you get to see Paul Bettany's butt (if you watched A Knight's Tale, that is...) I didn't realise he was in the movie, until I read the reviews.. and frankly, it was hard to recognise him at first. Hehe, I like him.. Have only seen him in those 2 movies (DVC and AKT) and Wimbledom, which I part-watched with Andrew when I was supposed to be studying...
And the other thing? I'll never drink that much Coke while watching any movie that goes beyond 90 minutes. <winces> The movie was good, but at 8pm, I started looking at my watch and hoping it would end soon... Dammit, I have good bladder control, okay... but still... I was really really happy when the movie ended 40 minutes later. Not because it wasn't good... but I really needed to visit the ladies... So yea, unless you have an exceptionally large bladder... don't drink a large Coke during the movie. :p
Law...
Posted by eirene83 at 03:35 AM on May 28, 2006 in Library.
Best quote I've heard by far:
House, season 2, episode 3
Stacy: I wanted to be a lawyer from the time I was six until my second week of law school.
Hehe, I remember during the first year of Uni... a few seniors came by during the first month and very seriously told us, "It's still not too late to change to Engineering." And then when it came to our turn to drop by, we told the juniors, "You can still do drop and go to Engineering."
Yeap... Interesting how the interest in Law fades when you're acually studying Law...
AI Super teddy
Posted by eirene83 at 03:35 AM on May 28, 2006.
Watched A.I on TV last night with my mom... despite the fact that we already have the VCD of it... Hehe, it's funny... My brother always wonders why we watch movies which we already have the VCD of...
Anyway, while watching it, I suddenly realised all over again... Teddy is so cute!!! There's something about him that reminds me a bit of Ewoks actually... So I searched around... and viola! They actually DID make a toy version of Teddy... but unfortunately... apparently Teddy was discontinued since mid-2001... Maybe I could try E-baying for it <ponders>
.... Does anyone love me enough to buy me Teddy? <innocent look>
Ginger Ale vs Ginger Beer
Posted by eirene83 at 03:36 AM on May 28, 2006 in Food, snacks & restaurants, Foodie stuff.
I was in the coffeeshop next to my college when I wandered by the fridge where they keep their soft drinks and saw.. F&N Ginger Ale. I remembered my mom hunting for it when she came over for my graduation last year and that she said it tasted better than gingerbeer. ... So, I was bored and just decided to do a little taste-test of sorts. After all, up till now, I've only ever tasted ginger beer. So behold:
Ginger ale vs Ginger beer! (GA vs GB)
Colour-wise, GB looks a lot like barley water while GA reminds me of Shandy... Smell-wise, well... they both smell gingery. Hehe, no surprise there...
GB on first gulp tasted sweet. Really really sweet. There's almost no ginger that you can taste. Pure sugar water, almost. Aftertaste though, the ginger kicks in and stays warm in the back of your throat. Very little gas, too.
GA on the other hand, you can taste the ginger almost immediately, but it's very light. Almost no aftertaste with it but definitely more gassy compared to GB. It's also not so sweet.
Got both my parents to taste it and they both prefered GB over GA because the ginger taste was stronger with GB. My mom said that generally, GA was used as a mixer with alcohol due to its lighter taste. And of course, she started on how in the good old days, soft drinks used to be gassier and how it would fizz up your nose if you gulp it down too quickly. =)
Overall, GB was much sweeter but had a stronger ginger taste. But you'd have to deal with the pure sugar taste in your mouth first.
GA is much lighter, less sweet and I personally think would be nice on a hot day... without ice. Ice would just further dilute whatever ginger flavour there is. So there you go:
Verdict - GB wins being the stronger ginger-tasting drink! =)
P/s: Hehe, of course... Another way of getting the perfect ginger drink would be to make your own ginger syrup, the type they use for tong yuen and then mix it with Pierrer. :p
May 31, 2006
Ooooh, owww....
Posted by eirene83 at 03:50 AM on May 31, 2006.
Head throbbing really badly
PAIN?
Eyes... hurt
Painkiller?
Feeling lightheaded and woozy...
PAIN?
Ooohh, not good. Feel like throwing up...
Painkiller?
Oooo owwww PAIN!!
Ahhh.... relief....
And that, my dears... was how I spent Sunday night. Laid low by a migraine that moved into my left temple...
7 hour lecture
Posted by eirene83 at 03:50 AM on May 31, 2006.
I marvel at those people who can walk into class all fresh and breezy and walk, 7 hours later (!!!), STILL all fresh and breezy... How do they do it???
Anyway, yeah... had a 7 hour Evidence lecture today. It went fine, for most part. You could see people munching on snacks and all.. Haha, think of it like a lecture picnic... Had 3 breaks, one of them for dinner.
I crashed at the last hour after the dinner break. Around 8ish... As Aileen put it, I KO-ed...
So yeah... how do those people do it? How do they stay alert all through a 7 hour class and not feel the least bit sleep? How do they stay all fresh and I dunno... perky, I guess...?? Tell me!!
Massage
Posted by eirene83 at 03:51 AM on May 31, 2006.
Ah... finally, the day of my long-awaited massage... But I don't quite know whether it was worth all the wait or not...
Before anything could start, there was this debate whether to do it downstairs or upstairs in my room. Cindy (the aunty who does the massage) said I would be comfortable on my bed, and that was the whole point... so bed it was. Though, we put a sheet of plastic on the bed first, since it was going to get really oily.
First... the feet. Ahh, soo nice... My mom was wincing in pain looking on. She had no idea how it could possibly not hurt. But for me, it felt really good... Until she moved to my right foot... Then, I started squeaking in pain. Apparently, the right foot is connected to the left shoulder, somehow... which meant, there was a heck lot more toxins there compared to my right shoulder... which is actually true. My left shoulder always hurts more compared to the right, since my right side is always supported, whether by me using the mouse on the computer or in class writing...
Then, the legs... Frankly, the massage on the lower portion of my body just hurt like heck... Cindy agreed and said it was because the lower portion is just to help the blood circulation whereas with the upper body, the massage feels better. I'm not complaining. I mean, when she was done with my left leg, it definitely felt much better compared to the right... It was just the massage hurt a wee bit...
And ahhh... the upper body.... <sigh> That felt sooo good. It's been so long since I actually had a good, proper massage and all my kinks got worked out. When she massaged my shoulders, I swear I could hear the mucles pop and snap... And yeah, she said it was really tense. Too much toxins or something. But oooohhh it felt sooo good to finally get those muscles massaged back to being relaxed instead of one piece of tensed rock.
Frankly, the massage felt best when it got to the neck/shoulder area... I wished it could have been longer... But still, no complaints... It was a good massage and I went out like a light after that. 4 hours naps... and that despite feeling all icky due to the oil.
Of course... now my muscles really ache the way it does after a serious workout... The relief from the massage didn't last long... Now, my muscles just feel... achy and tired... In a good way, I guess... but T_T I'm now tempted again to go for another massage... Maybe just my neck/shoulder this time...
