BIBIMBAP-ED

I made Bibimbap (비빔밥) for tonight's dinner. If I like Bulgogi, I LOVE Bibimbap.

Thus far, it is definitely my favourite Korean dish. I adore the harmony of the condiments; the magical way in which the various herbs, spices, veggies, and flavours complement each other into a delectable blend. In addition, the dish is healthy; and the visual aspect is absolutely colourful and eye-pleasing. Totally whets ones' appetite!

Carrot. Green onion (scallions). Shiitake mushroom. Enokitake mushroom. Bean sprouts. Minced garlic. Zucchini. Spinach.

Ta-dah!

Furnished with the last ingredient - egg!

I got the recipe off a website set up by a Korean woman. The dish turned out to be truly wonderful! It was even better than what I had hoped for! Absolutely delightful!



The process of cooking is beyond intriguing; the way how the various preparation steps come together, combine, and transform an original, raw ingredient into something tasty.



The best part about cooking your own food that you can tweak the recipe to your taste buds. I'm a fanatic chilli lover, and thus was more generous with the gochujang. I prefer eating healthy; and thus boiled the egg instead of frying it sunny-side up. A garlic enthusiast, I doubled the cloves of garlic. The original recipe had only called for shiitake mushroom (香菇); I threw in enokitake (金针菇) as well.



Good dinner tonight.

I'm feeling healthy already! I've plans to take extra care to eat healthy for, I don't know, the next 2 weeks? Do me a favour: please smack me if you spot me eating/drinking sinful food (with the exception of coffee and milk tea, please). I had 4 cups of coffee on Sunday, and 3 cups of coffee today. Shucks!

CONFESSION 1

The reason why she was "suddenly" all eager to get a hard drive during the recent Comex is because...



Her thumbdrive went through one run in the washing machine (yes, go ahead and roll your eyes); and she wanted to retrieve all the documents before the thumby die out on her.



Anyway, she's amazed; because the thumby is still alive and kicking today!

READ AWAY, SOON

2 weeks ago, following the completion of a 10weeks practicum, I was back - in campus - re-tagged with the status of a "student". Had 2 modules' of lessons on the first day back at school, and I met a pretty interesting professor.

Being the first lesson of a new term, it was - predictably - quite boring. There was the usual course introduction, what is the workload, what are expected to be done to complete this course (read: boring essays, boring essays, and more boring essays), and - of course - the usual get-to-know-each-other introductory speeches.

This particular professor is interesting. He shared some insights and lessons from his personal life experiences which gave listeners delightful glimmers of optimism, hope, and courage. He challenged my mind and introduced to it ideas and adages which I've always so readily dismissed as cliche or yawn-it's-oh-so-predictable-please-tell-me-something-new.

Most important of all, what really amazed me is the way he lives his life. Man, this man REALLY reads. At any one time, he has as many as 10 books on the go.

What spoof. I thought. Reading 10 concurrent books is the same as having a supposedly undivided attention divided 10 times over. There is no real focus; and what's the point of having a focus if it is not even going to be focused in the first place? In addition - though rocket science it is not - but it's common sense that it's silly to start reading another book when you're not yet done with the previous one, isn't it?

As though hearing the invisible thoughts in my mind, Prof continued speaking.



"Yes, don't you all believe it?" He addressed to a bewildered class, "It is a fact that at any one time, I can be reading as many as 10 books."

"That's how it is, isn't it? Most people think that it is only appropriate to finish one book proper before moving on to the next. But, com'on, let's think this over now. When I say that I read 10 books, does it necessarily mean that I have to read all 10 books concurrently?

No! On some days, I read this book. On other days, I read that book. It's the same; humans eat 3 meals every day; but do you eat the same dish for all meals throughout one whole day or one whole week? No, we don't. So, on some days, I might be in the mood for sci-fi. On other days, I might be in the mood for inspirational non-fictions. On a certain day, I might be in the mood for romance. On another particular day, though, I might be in the mood for business magazines or documentaries. There should be diversity; something fresh, something spontaneous, to keep things going.

So, now, with this in mind, I make sure that I have a wide repertoire of books among the 10 chosen ones. Depending on the current state that my brain is in, I would just choose any one of the 10 books and continue from where I left off previously. Go with the flow. Sometimes, it is a few days or weeks later that I pick up the original 'first' book again. It may be slow, but remember: Balance is the key. You can't eat nasi lemak everyday.

This is how we should all grow in knowledge. You see, the problem that most people have with reading, is that they tend to only stick to one type of book; or read only one book at any one time faithfully. Compare this to another who, at any given time, reads a wide diversity - fictional, non-fictional, sci-fi, romance, detective, thrillers, documentaries, autobiographies etc. Certainly the latter would be able to hold far more interesting conversations. This is because as he exposes himself to more things through the habit of reading, he is opening himself to different types of mindsets and perspectives. Within the same time frame given, he has more to gain. He is thus, in general, more open-minded and well-rounded. He can throw out new, fresh ideas; his mind is always sharp and thinks out of the box; because he is receptive to - and takes in - ideas all around. Don't be narrow-minded.

This is mainly why some people find it hard to cultivate a consistent reading habit: they only read or focus on one genre; while closing off the possibilities of others. Not only that, but don't be ambitious too. Don't start off with a 5-inch thick book. For sure, I can guarantee you that the reading habit won't last. Would you eat chicken rice for every single meal for 2 whole months straight?"



His words got to me; and I think there is some truth in all that he has said.

For one, I'm - to a certain degree - guilty of only reading certain books. Books that are written by authors whom I have built a history with. Authors whom, based on experience, I would dare to safely state that I would enjoy any random books which are written by his/her pen. Max Lucado. Joel Osteen. Sidney Sheldon. Dan Brown. Nora Roberts. Mitch Albom. J. K. Rowling. Dave Pelzer. In primary school days, it was mostly Readers' Digest, Sweet Valley High (by Francine Pascal), R. L. Stine, Ronald Dahl, or Enid Blyton. Other than these "reliable" authors whom I've built a "rapport" with, I rarely venture out of the safety walls. In contrast to adult life, I read more voraciously when I was younger. I was hungrier to read then.



I also realized - to my disgust - that, unconsciously and unknowingly, my life appears to be getting increasingly routine; and I don't really like that. Evening jogs. Digging out and trying out recipes. Cooking and baking for my own pleasure. Going back to campus for lessons. Giving tuitions. In, out, in, out, in, and out. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, then Sunday; and it's back to Monday again.

Don't be mistaken; I thoroughly enjoy jogging and cooking; but something - somehow - is STILL lacking. I don't feel truly fulfilled; I'm not on the go enough; I'm not meeting enough people from all across; I'm not having real, genuine, and sustained conversations that directly challenge my mind or perspectives or impact the way my life is lived.

The brain feels like it has already slipped into a dormant, semi-hibernation mode. I practically feel myself getting increasingly dumb with each passing minute. Disgusting feeling. I hardly feel engaged, stimulated, or challenged most of the time. Truth be told, at times, it honestly even feels as though I'm not REALLY thinking per se. At worst, I am occasionally operating at just the very bare minimal; working on mere common sense or autopilot reflexes/responses. Suppressed. Idled. I just don't feel challenged or stimulated enough. I just feel, dull. As colourful as a polar bear.



I just so happened to browse through Popular's catalog for the month of September.







I WANT TO GET ALL THESE! (forget about the movies. Nothing beats reading the book itself.)

Now I know the power of a catalog. It is a powerful platform for stores to promote their wares, with words such as "SALE", "20% DISCOUNT", "MEMBERS' SPECIAL", and the likes practically screaming conspicuously here, there, and everywhere; in the hope that customers (like me) will get enticed to spend invest.



If only books rain from the skies.

THE RING

SCAM

She has yet to meet anyone who tries so hard to cheat GIVE her money.



She's so amused touched.



More about it later! Off to meet a good old' friend for coffee and meetup! =)

TACO BELL

Iʼll start with a taco, soft like a cloud
I want mine crunchy, I like to eat loud.
Iʼll choose a chalupa, Iʼll grab a gordita,
and two taco salads for our senoritas.
And a Burrito Supreme, with extra sour cream
Itʼs a cylindrically shaped seasoned beef dream.
A taquito. An enchirito. Some cinnamon twists.
A chicken border bowl. Are you gettinʼ all this?

And you know that nothing beats a
hmmm, mmmm...Mexican Pizza...
Weʼll take two of those, but please hold the diced tomatoes.
And I admit, Iʼve always felt,
like Iʼm in love with the meximelt.
Make mine with a little extra love, and think of me...
as the cheese drops from your Taco Bell glove.
and thatʼs it.

No! Iʼm not done...Iʼll also take a...

Double-decker taco cause Iʼm feeling wild
And make my sauce Fire. Uh, heʼll take mild.
and weʼll take two Mt. Dew Baja blasts
for a chance at 25 dollars cash
Iʼm told thereʼs a winner for every 5 minutes
Iʼm stealing your online code if you win it.
Why would you do that? You owe me 25 bones
I owe you 5. Plus interest--it was a loan.
And I think weʼll be satisfied, if we get some mexican rice on the side.
And thatʼs it.

I'M YOURS; AND I'M HUNGRY!!!

The lady behind the counter was actually saying/singing, "Well I'd like to help you but is it large or medium size for your combos? Large or medium."

The local version. Rumoured to be at Rivervale Plaza.

These videos are awesome!

Fun + creativity + humour is a lethal combination.

RAVENOUS

12 (confirm-plus-guarantee-plus-chop) times per year, I am super ravenous.

This feels more like a curse. During times as such, I am a true-blue bottomless pit. I practically talk food, think food, and dream food. I could eat an elephant! What a curse! I would rather the mood swings.







I was in a pretty mood just now. This explains the additional treat of shiitake mushrooms and egg. I sprinkled cayenne pepper over the noodles as well.


Instant noodles at 9pm; AND I had dinner at 7pm. Sigh!



肥死我了！

IT'S NOT JUST ONLY ABOUT GETTING A SUCCESS

The standing score was 2 -2.

At the 80th minute, Fletcher netted in a ball.
3 - 2; in favour of Man U.

I smugly told the younger brother to save electricity and switch off the TV. This is, surely, no fight. With less than 15minutes left, the winner is quite obvious.

At the 90th minute, Bellamy scored.
3 - 3.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I was practically seething. WHAT THE!!! At the 90th minute?!

This is going to be a draw! Preposterous! Man U is supposed to win the match! HELLO???

The minutes crawled by. 1 minute. 2 minutes. 3 minutes. Before long, it was now the 95th minute; and the score board is still at 3 - 3.

Just then, at the 96th minute, THE Owen saved the day! He turned the table around!

THRILLING!

(pardon me for the conspicuous lack of descriptive terms and punch lines. I would make a boring sports commentator, I know.)



I had thought it was impossible; that it would be a draw between the teams at best. But, at the very last minute, a new history is created. It had seemed utterly impossible; but Owen fought till the end; until the very last second; even at the 96th minute.



It's ultimately not about the question of how high are the odds of success in the end.
It is a matter of - regardless of the end results - do you want it enough to AT LEAST DO something in that direction in the first place.