Monorail!

Posted by eirene83 at 12:02 AM on November 2, 2006.

I actually wouldn't mind using the public transport in KL.... If it weren't so darn expensive! It's so convenient from my office since I'm pretty much within walking distance of both the LRT and the commuter... And just one station away, I can get the Monorail.

So today after work, I walked to the Bukit Nanas Monorail station (extremely pleasant walk. I've usually passed by the area  in my car, so I never knew just how pleasant it was. Quite cooling... and did anyone ever knew that there's actually a camping site there? How cool is that? Practically in the heart of KL too!)

I also struck up a conversation with an extremely attractive lady who was asking for directions to the Monorail, so I invited her to walk with me there. Apparently, she was meeting up with her friends for a movie at Berjaya Times Square. It's rare to meet someone who's willing to chat with you... even if you're walking in the same direction; so it was quite a pleasant 5 minutes.

Anyhow, the  whole reason I needed to take the Monorail was to get to KL Plaza, since there was a promotion going on at one of the shops there: RM25 for 100 digital photos. So, I've finally gotten around to getting all my photos developed. I think it's about 2 years' worth of photos there... I'm only getting 300 of them washed out of the hundreds I took over the 2 years, which includes my spring breaks, summer holidays, and graduation. I think I'm the only one who hasn't gotten around to developing her graduation photos... But heeeyy, it was worth the wait! Instead of paying 35 - 45 cents per photo, I'm only paying 25 cents now. Bargain!

But still, bargain or not... That's a huge chunk gone from my spending cash! RM75!! Ah well, looks like it's gonna be a lite month for me.  

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My colleague went to Spain...

Posted by eirene83 at 11:35 PM on November 5, 2006.

and I got this lovely fan key-ring for a souvenir!

It's so cool! The fan actually folds and unfolds and has little pictures of flamenco dancers. My colleague left at the start of the Raya break and just came back to work today. It was nice of her to get me a souvenir as well, considering I'm new at the firm.

Me likey! 

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Work

Posted by eirene83 at 11:39 PM on November 5, 2006.

When there's nothing for me to do... there's really nothing to do. Utterly free... and bored.

And then when people decide to pass me things to do, they all want it back by the end of the day. And stacks more to continue on Monday.

Oh, my eyes!!! T__T 

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Sick

Posted by eirene83 at 12:05 AM on November 6, 2006.

I'm seeecccckkk!!

Life's so ironic; I woke up today feeling like utter crap; can't see, can't breathe, head pounding and first thought in my head was,"Thank God it's Saturday." Used to be, I hated being sick on weekends... But today, I was totally grateful I could sleep in and not have to go in to work. Coz, I hate to think of having to work in the condition I'm in right now, much less read through all the files on my desk...

Oh, hmmm, thermometer's beeping.

I have a temp of 37.9^oC... Is that a little high or rather high?

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HP Fic of the Week

Posted by eirene83 at 12:02 AM on November 10, 2006 in HP.

Future Imperfect
By: Beren

***

Sometimes too often... We tend to do things which we think as the best; the right thing to do, with what imperfect vision our foresight allows us. But then, hindsight is always 20/20 and sometimes we see much too clearly how dim things were before.

To read my blog, scroll down.

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If I Let You Go

Posted by eirene83 at 12:02 AM on November 10, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics, Thoughts, Personal as a favorite post.

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Posted by eirene83 at 12:03 AM on November 10, 2006.

I went into the office this morning, hacking away... and within 30 minutes, 4 of my colleagues told me that I should have taken the day off; not come in...

Well, they had a point... I wasn't doing much work, what with gasping for breath and feeling like I was about to keel over.

T_T

I felt lousy... and having class after that didn't help.

Want sleep. Now. 

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Generous

Posted by eirene83 at 12:04 AM on November 10, 2006.

Wow, I realised today that my boss is really really generous. He bought 2 new LCD panel monitors today, since it was a bargain, as he claimed... Then offered the 2 relatively old-ish monitors to whoever wanted it, since there was just no more space for them...

Well, they got snapped up pretty fast... So, I think my colleagues are going to lug them back this weekend. They're still pretty new and in great condition, so yeah... it was great of him to want to replace them in the first place for LCD panels, then offer the old ones to whoever wanted them instead of throwing it away. 

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For Your Eyes Only

Posted by eirene83 at 12:21 AM on November 10, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics.

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Dammnn...

Posted by eirene83 at 12:31 AM on November 10, 2006.

I hate going grocery shopping when I'm not driving...!

It hurts!!

In the plastic bags cutting into hands and cutting off blood circulation and arm-breakingly heavy, type of hurt.

Even more so when I can't conveniently push a trolley to the car and just unload everything, but have to lug everything by hand and waddle towards my transport; mentally apologising to the cars backed up when you have to put down one armful of stuff to open the car door, grab them back up and arrange yourself and bags as best as possible in the few seconds you have before the very Malaysian drivers backed up behind start sounding the horn.

Damn! 

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Caffeine high...

Posted by eirene83 at 12:54 AM on November 10, 2006.

I drank 3 cups of coffee today... the strength of which is probably equal to 5 cups, considering how strong my colleague likes it... But ironically, all it did is just to make me feel like going to sleep, rather than giving me a buzz. Not that it's such a bad thing, I guess... Staying awake staring at the ceiling is pretty much the last thing I would want to do right now.

Still, it's funny how drinking coffee makes me drowsy instead of keeping me alert. 

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Blogging By Mail: Holiday Edition

Posted by eirene83 at 12:55 AM on November 10, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

After my previous rant about not being able to join EBBP, I was thrilled to find Blogging By Mail by thehappysorceress and find out that I was still days within the signup period for the Holiday Edition of BBM!

I'm seriously considering signing up... Problem is, too many things come to mind when I think 'holidays'... Unless I narrow it to specifically December/early January holidays, then it'll probably be Christmas, CNY (though quite rare, since it's more usually in February...) and probably Raya, though it's been about 3 years since we had a December Raya celebration.

And frankly, much as I would like to, I really don't think kuih kapit (always associated with CNY ) would survive the postal system, Malaysian or otherwise. So what could I send? Pineapple tarts? Ketupat? Stalks of pussy willow? Oooh, serunding would be great, except it's so much trouble to make, and since Raya's over, I can't think of any place still selling it.

Though I could just always stick to traditional, not-holiday stuff like dodol, kuih bahulu and things like that... Which would be just pointless considering the theme of Holiday Edition BBM.

Suggestions, anyone? 

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Commitment

Posted by eirene83 at 02:04 AM on November 10, 2006 in Thoughts as a favorite post.

I don't think it matters whether you have got different priorities. Say to you, your priority is, I dunno... Saving the world whilst his or her priority is family. You don't need to have the same priorities in life as long as you can agree (and accept) that while you both place importance on different things in life, you're both still important and necessary in each other's life.

Strength, comfort, understanding that you each have your own thing to do but knowledge that at the end of the day, you still want and need to come back to each other's arms.

That's why commitment is more important. That no matter what priority or things, you still need the person there. That you both agreed to be together, priorities regardless. Priorities don't matter. Your willingness to commit is.

And acceptance. You need to be able to accept the fact, not be resigned to it. You can be resigned to a fact but it doesn't mean that you accept it, only that you think you have no other choice. It'll always be a bone in your throat. You need to be able to come to terms with whatever the issue is and accept it. And then work around it.

Say, you're hell-bent on saving the world and obviously, your partners won't be too happy with the idea of your endangering your life. He or she can be resigned to that fact, but it will always rankle. Or, he or she can accept the fact and try to work around it. Say you need to go save the world. Fine, but they come as back-up. Or you have to rest for a week after that for your injuries to heal instead of continuously pushing our body.

There's always a choice in life. They just may not always be agreeable ones.

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Christmas season...

Posted by eirene83 at 01:38 AM on November 13, 2006.

You know it's getting close to Christmas when shopping malls start dragging out their fake fir/pine trees and tinsel and advertise all manner of baked ginger goodies...

Even my mom's been talking about going Christmas shopping and whatnot, and the Christmas catalogues have started invading our post box. I guess I'm glad that my mom's, well... happy and planning for Christmas this year, as compared to the things happening this time last year. But me, I don't seem to be able to get into the Christmas mood and I don't feel like celebrating it even.

I guess it just all boil down to my mental state right now. Oh, I mean, yeah, I'll go Christmas shopping, admire the pretty decorations, buy presents and wrap them, maybe even indulge myself in getting a gingerbread house this year... But I don't feel really excited about it. I guess I'm just doing all these, only because it comes around once a year.

I should treat myself to something... Except I don't care enough to think of what I should treat myself with.

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HP Fic of the Week

Posted by eirene83 at 02:02 AM on November 13, 2006 in HP.

Always
By: Slytherin Lust

Warning: This piece is a work in progress (WIP), so if you're not the type who's fond of waiting to know what happens next, don't start reading this.

It's a little clumsy at times, and can be quite rough, but it's quite interesting. After reading Future Imperfect, this piece could almost be the story of what happened leading up to it. The details of how that future came about to be.

To read my blog, scroll down.

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5 stages of grief

Posted by eirene83 at 03:54 AM on November 13, 2006 in Library.

1. Denial – The "No, not me" stage.

This stage is filled with disbelief and denial. If your partner has died you still expect him to walk through the door. If your partner has asked for a break-up you think that she will change her mind.
No crying. Not accepting or even acknowledging the loss.

2.Anger/Resentment – The "Why me?" stage.

Anger at the situation, your partner and others are common. You are angry with the other person for causing the situation and for causing you pain. You might feel anger at your deceased partner for dying. You may feel anger at your partner for asking for a divorce and breaking up the family.

3. Bargaining – The "If I do this, you’ll do that" stage.

You try to negotiate to change the situation. If you’ve lost a spouse to death you might bargain with God, "I’ll be a better person if you’d just bring him back". You might approach your partner who is asking for the break-up and say "If you’ll stay I’ll change".

4. Depression- The "It's really happened" stage.

You realize the situation isn’t going to change. The death or break-up happened and there is nothing to bring the other person back. Acknowledgement of the situation often bring depression. This could be a quiet, withdrawn time as you soak in the situation.

5. Acceptance – The "This is what happened" stage.

There is a difference between resignation and acceptance. You have to accept the loss, not just try to bear it quietly. Realization that it takes two to make or break a marriage. Realization that the person is gone (in death) that it is not their fault, they didn't leave you on purpose. (even in cases of suicide, often the deceased person, was not in their right frame of mind)
Though you haven’t forgotten what happened you are able to begin to move forward.

1 onigiri

Grief work

Posted by eirene83 at 03:55 AM on November 13, 2006 in Library.

T = To accept the reality of the loss
E = Experience the pain of the loss
A = Adjust to the new environment without the lost object
R = Reinvest in the new reality

Grieving only begins where the 5 Stages of Grief leave off.

This is Grief Work. It begins when the honeymoon period is over, the friends have stopped calling, everyone thinks you should be over it, the court case is resolved, "closure" has been effected, and everything is supposed to be back to normal. It's at this point that real grieving begins.

Change=Loss=Grief

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Face-fortune

Posted by eirene83 at 01:29 AM on November 15, 2006.

It's a little disturbing trying to eat lunch when all your colleagues at the lunch-table suddenly finds a fascination with your face.

For some unknown reason, feng shui and all that fortune stuff has been a favourite topic of conversation among the bunch of colleagues I usually lunch with and somehow they got around to talking about face feng shui and what was considered good fortune et al. Not surprisingly, what one race considered to be bad turned out to be good fortune for another race.

I was trying to finish off my lunch when they decided to observing and analysing facial features and I suddenly had 5 pairs of eyes staring at me. Very, very disturbing to say the least and most uncomfortable.

Reaction? Smile, lower head and continue eating and just nod along... 

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Fire Drill

Posted by eirene83 at 01:36 AM on November 15, 2006.

I walked into the building today, only to discover that management had scheduled a fire-drill for between 9am to 10am... So we all had to vacate and stand around aimlessly in the car park under the sun. Quite boring. A number of staff, after 'attendance' was taken, decided to take the opportunity to make a break to the nearest mamak and take a tea break.

Still, I met a couple of others from different departments and mindlessly stood around and contributed to the conversation whenever we had energy enough. Most of us were too hot and sweaty to do much other than stand around and smile. Ahhh, what bliss it was to get back into the air-conditioned depths of the building an hour later... 

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Bruises

Posted by eirene83 at 04:37 AM on November 16, 2006.

Oh... crap...

Over the last week, I've somehow manage to gather quite a collection of bruises and scrapes, to the point I think, if people didn't know better, they would think I was being abused.

I really better hide it from my mom since she's so going to be horrified if she ever sees them... Not like I can give an explanation as to why I have *count count* close to 10 bruises on my legs alone...

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Posted by eirene83 at 04:38 AM on November 16, 2006.

Note: My mom saw my bruises... Surprised me in bed this morning. And yep, she was horrified. Damn...

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It Must Have Been Love

Posted by eirene83 at 04:50 AM on November 16, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics.

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Kushiel's Scion

Posted by eirene83 at 11:11 PM on November 18, 2006 in Library.

After goodness knows how long, I went to KLCC today and saw this!!

And here I thought that Kushiel's Avatar was the last book in the Kushiel's Legacy series!!

Still, after some Google work, I found out that Kushiel's Scion is the start on a new trilogy, set after the events in Kushiel's Avatar and revolves around Imriel de la Courcel... And it was only published in June 2006... The other books in Imriel's trilogy, Kushiel's Mercy and Kushiel's Justice will only be released around June 2007. 1 year for the entire trilogy to be published, frankly, isn't that long a wait.

Still, I can't wait till all the paperback versions are out, so I can get them and read!!

*<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 * 

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Baking Sheet

Posted by eirene83 at 11:12 PM on November 18, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

I came across a marvellous food blog today! Love the layout; clean, simple and the pics are enough to make you drool. Visit Nicole over at the Baking Sheet (Link's right over there on the extreme right)... And after going through her recipes, I'm back in the mood to whip up some baked goods, especially since most of them involve some combination of oatmeal, peanut butter and coconut... all of my favourites!

There were also quite a few that seemed interesting like her Apple Ginger Walnut cookies or the Maple Pecan Oatmeal cookies... except I haven't been able to find pecans at any of the baking aisles in Malaysia and I'm not too sure if we can get apple butter either.

Anyhow, go visit her blog! A definite worth-while read! 

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Snarl, jam, congestion!

Posted by eirene83 at 12:30 AM on November 19, 2006.

Oooomiigawwwddd!!! Today the roads out of Taman Desa was a traffic snarl probably worthy of Satan!!!

All thanks to Jusco's Member Day!

And because the sale started at an much earlier hour compared to previous years.... Ooomigawwddd, the jam! The sale was 7am to 11pm... From 9am onwards till waaayy past late evening, all the roads into MV was a nightmare.

And if you wanted to get into Brickfields/Bangsar, I think you could have chewed nails. Better luck if you had approached from the Sprint.

30 minutes on the road, and I didn't make any headway. What a nightmare! 

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HP Fic of the Week

Posted by eirene83 at 03:54 AM on November 20, 2006 in HP.

Broken Down
By: halfofme

To read my blog, scroll down.

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Rich Chocolate Nut Cake

Posted by eirene83 at 03:34 AM on November 23, 2006 in Recipes.

 
Ingredients:

225g butter
225g plain chocolate

115g cocoa powder
350g caster sugar
6 eggs
85ml brandy or cognac

225g chopped hazelnuts

1. Preheat oven to 180^oC. Line and grease a 9 x 2" round tin.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool.
3. Sift the cocoa into a bowl. Add the sugar and eggs and stir until just combined. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and brandy.
4. Fold in ³/₄ of the nuts, then pour the mixture into the tin.
5. Set the tin inside a large tin and pour 1" of hot water into the outer tin (baking in a hot water bath). Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Unmould the cake, let cool then wrap the cake in greaseproof water and refrigerate for 6 hours or more.
   

Glaze:

55g butter
140g bitter cooking chocolate
2 tbsp milk

1. Combine butter, chocolate and milk in double boile until melted.
2. Drizzle spoonfuls of the glaze along the edge to coat the side and on top of the cake.
3. Cover the side of the cake with the remaining nuts.

The cake is absolutely, wonderfully intensely rich! I made this as a test run before my mom's birthday and it turned out great. The texture is firm without being too cakey but has just the right amount of chew to it. It tastes great right out of the fridge with a cup of coffee, and is equally excellent warmed up with a glass of milk. The chocolate taste is rather strong, so one small slice is more than enough.

(The wrapping and leaving in the fridge is quite important as the cake felt a little on the greasy side and rather soft once out of the oven. Once it was chilled though, it was quite dense and firm to touch and any greasiness was gone.)

I had a bit of problem with the glazing since the pan slipped a little in the double boiler and some water was mixed in, which I think affected the texture of the chocolate. But otherwise, this turned out great though I might consider using some coffee-based liquer next time, since the brandy left a strong acidic after-taste to it.

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Craving..

Posted by eirene83 at 03:39 AM on November 23, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

Mmmm, thinking of chicken rice and roasted duck rice...

Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. Fettuccine in arrabiata sauce with shrimp.

Grilled ribs with garlic mashed potatoes. Roast chicken and baby potatoes with butter. Corn on the cob.

Spicy curry noodles. Garlic naan with tandoori chicken. Pancakes.

Maaan, I've got such a craving for food right now. Any food. Loaded with carbs, fats,sugars... I don't care really... 

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Posted by eirene83 at 03:40 AM on November 23, 2006.

Is there some server reset thing at midnight or something?

Because my modem goes down around that time nearly daily, after which, it takes ages to get back online...

It's beyond irritating. 

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A pan, a pan! I need a pan!

Posted by eirene83 at 01:58 AM on November 25, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

I've been looking, and failing, to get a jumbo muffin pan for ages... It always seems to be out of stock every time I look, or maybe they just never bothered restocking it. I don't want those normal, teeny-looking ones, which are available in abundance... No, I want those that produce huge muffins... Something that will be really satisfying, instead of leaving you hanging, hunger-wise.

And while I'm looking at baking stuff, just how cool is this!?

Nifty little thing, isn't it? No more worries about not having enough oven space and having to split baking into several rounds!

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All Out Of Love

Posted by eirene83 at 01:58 AM on November 25, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics.

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BBM: Swap time!

Posted by eirene83 at 03:14 AM on November 25, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

Whooo, I finally received my partner for the BBM Holiday Edition! (Yeah, I signed up after all... Couldn't resist ) I kept checking my mail every couple of hours to see if Stephanie of The Happy Sorceress had mailed out the swappees yet.

But now, I'm having a bit of a headache wondering what I can send that's not going to end up broken, smashed or mouldy by the time it arrives. Problem is, most of the food that comes to mind when I think of holidays are usually either extremely delicate, fragile or freshly cooked... Nothing that I think can potentially survive a journey across seas.

Suggestions people, for food that comes to mind when you think Malaysian holidays, that can survive a 2 to 6 week journey? 

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Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Posted by eirene83 at 03:41 AM on November 25, 2006 in Recipes.

Recipe taken from the Baking Sheet!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
¹/₂ tsp baking powder
¹/₂ tsp baking soda
¹/₄ tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, very soft
¹/₂ cup sugar
¹/₂ cup brown sugar
1 mashed banana
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¹/₂ cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Cream butter and sugars, then beat in banana and egg, followed by the vanilla extract.
3. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
4. Dropped tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheet
5. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 180^oC until set and lightly browned.

It actually took me close to 30 minutes before the cookies were set and lightly browned... Maybe because I made the cookies larger than 1 tablespoonful... Maybe because the heating in my oven doesn't circulate very well. Either way, it still turned out pretty okay. More cakey than cookie-y, and I found the banana taste wasn't really strong, but still, it wasn't all too bad.

And because I don't know how to follow instructions, I also added in some dessicated coconut and cinnamon powder. It was a kind of last minute thing, so I didn't really measure, but the amount of coconut was just nice whereas the cinnamon taste wasn't as strong.

A pretty easy recipe overall, but I don't think I'll be making it again anytime soon. Not with banana anyway; maybe a chocolate coconut oatmeal cookie? 

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Spicy Chocolate Biscotti

Posted by eirene83 at 03:53 AM on November 25, 2006 in Recipes.

Recipe from Biblicook!

Ingredients:

150g dark cane sugar
1 egg
150g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
¹/₂ tsp baking powder
¹/₂ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cinnamon
150g chocolate

1. Whisk the sugar and egg together.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, chilli powder and cinnamon into the bowl and mix into a sticky dough.
3. Shape into a 20cm log and bake for 20 minutes at 180^oC.
4. Take out of oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes, then into into diagonal 1cm slices.
   
5. Bake slices for 20-25 minutes at 150^oC, turning halfway through cooking time.

Okay, first attempt at making biscotti, so excuse me if I turn out to be a spazz at shaping it into a log... Take a couple of attempts before I was really happy with it, and even then I had a vague feeling it should have looked much better.

Took it out, sliced it and rebaked it... And again. And again. Until my mom was satisfied the centre wasn't uncooked. By which time the biscotti reached rather interesting levels of hardness. Still, teeth-breaking aside (I'm just kidding!), the flavour came out rather well, surprisingly, since I spilled a lot of cinnamon powder while measuring, so I'm pretty sure it came to much more than just 1 teaspoon.

Tasted a lot like gingerbread (probably due to overflavouring with cinnamon) with a good spicy kick thanks to the chilli, and well... what can I say about the texture? It was baked far longer than it should have been but otherwise, it was a passable first attempt. 

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HP Fic of the Week

Posted by eirene83 at 09:14 PM on November 27, 2006 in HP.

Worlds Collide
By: franthephoenix

2 onigiri

Food blogs

Posted by eirene83 at 11:20 PM on November 27, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

While surfing around for recipes, I used to stumble across a few food blogs here and there, and ever since joining BBM, I've taken up actively reading food blogs, and of course, blog-rolling from there.

All of which have made me want to cry. These people are so clearly foodists, and so so good at what they do. Just looking at their pictures and reading the description makes me wonder if what I do will ever look as good as that. Of course, everyone says practice makes perfect... But one thing about practising cooking? You need people to help you with the eating effort. Of which I don't have many.

But sigh... the recipes sound so good and looks so delicious.... T_T

Just go look at them. (I know; my links of food blogs seem to be growing longer by the day. They are.) 

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Japanese Cheesecake

Posted by eirene83 at 01:45 AM on November 28, 2006 in Recipes.

Ingredients:

200g cream cheese, room temperature
50ml milk (or cream)
100g castor sugar, halved
3 eggs, separated
30g cornflour
2 tbsp lemon juice
¹/₂ tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 180^oC and line a 7" cake tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Soften the cream cheese with milk.
3. Add half of the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour and lemon juice and combine.
4. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl, adding remaining sugar in 2-3 batches and cream of tartar, until they form stiff peaks.
5. Fold in the egg whites into the cheese mixture thoroughly and as gently as possible.
6. Bake in a hot-water bath for 35-40 minutes. Leave in tin to cool.

I've baked this several times while in Sheffield, but of course, I only had a 12" cake tin there, so while the cake turned out good, it was also a lot lower than most Japanese cheesecakes. There was just something wrong about seeing it so low, no matter how good it tasted. Because of how light it seems, it's easy to polish off this cake in just a few hours.

Funnily though... The attempt this time around, the cake turned out more... custard-like than cottony. Perhaps the batter was too liquid, though how can that be when I followed the recipe precisely, I have no idea. Still, I'll keep experimenting until I can get it to turn out cottony. Either way, it tastes great... just... custard-y. 

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Parcel shipped!

Posted by eirene83 at 02:03 AM on November 28, 2006 in Foodie stuff.

Woot!

I've finally gotten together my BBM swappee's parcel and it's all ready to ship. Going down to the post office tomorrow to get it weighed and all. I'm a little worried here; not about the cost... but whether it'll ever make it to its destination. I've had one too many experience where I suspect the parcel never left the country at all. Hoping it won't happen here. 

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Tonight I Wanna Cry

Posted by eirene83 at 01:49 AM on November 30, 2006 in Music - Songs & Lyrics.

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Brilliant stuff

Posted by eirene83 at 02:07 AM on November 30, 2006 in Fun stuff.

A Message from John Cleese of Monty Python fame to the citizens of the United States of America:

In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
   
   
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as "favour" and "neighbour." Likewise, you will learn to spell "doughnut" without skipping half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced by the suffix -ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up "vocabulary".
   
   
3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English.  We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter "u" and the elimination of -ize. You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen.
   
   
4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
   
   
5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
   
   
6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
   
   
7. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
   
   
8. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
   
   
9. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline"-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
   
   
10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
    
    
11. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
    
    
12. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
    
    
13. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
    
    
14. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 21% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
    
    
15. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
    
    
16. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
    
    
17. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 PM with proper cups, never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.
    

Thank you for your co-operation
John Cleese

Fruits Basket!

Green Tea Almond Cookies

Posted by eirene83 at 02:55 AM on November 30, 2006 in Recipes.

Recipe from Augustus Gloop!

Ingredients:

125g butter
330g sugar
2 eggs
250g flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 ¹/₂ tsp green tea powder (matcha)
125g ground almonds
Flaked almonds to decorate

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fuffy.
2. Add eggs and beat in well.
3. Stir in sifted flour with baking powder, matcha and almonds.
4. Roll mixture into small balls and flatten slightly.
5. Gently press a flaked almond into the top and place on greased baking trays.
6. Baked at 190C for about 15 minutes.

These turned out... pretty bland actually. I would recommend increasing the amount of green tea. It wasn't too bad; just pretty plain. I used crushed almonds instead of ground so at least there's a bit of crunch and all, but otherwise, I'm a little disappointed. But still, it was a good effort and pretty easy to make.

Fruits Basket!