the makings of a domestic god

when your dreams are on a train to train-wrecked town

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:17:30 GMT

What's a girl to do?

We walked arm in arm
But I didn't feel his touch
A desire I'd first tried to hide,
That tingling inside was gone
And when he asked me:
'do you still love me?'
I had to look away
I didn't want to tell him
That my heart grows colder with each day

When you love so long
That the thrill is gone
And your kisses at night
Are replaced with tears
And when your dreams are on
A train to train-wrecked town
Then I ask you now, what's a girl to do?

He said he'd take me away
That we'd work things out
And I didn't want to tell him
But it was then I had to say
Over the times we've shared
It's all blackened out
And my bat lightning heart
Wants to fly away

When you love so long
That the thrill is gone
And your kisses at night
Are replaced with tears
And when your dreams are on
A train to train wreck town
Then I ask you now, what's a girl to do?

What's a girl to do?
What's a girl to do?
What's a girl to do?

horse and i

Got woken in the night,
by a mystic golden light.
My head soaked in river water.
I had been dressed in a coat of armor. They called a horse out of the woodland.
"Take her there, through the desert shores."
They sang to me, "This is yours to wear. You're the chosen one, there's no turning back now."

The smell of redwood giants.
The banquet for the shadows.
Horse and I, we're dancers in the dark.
Came upon the headdress.
It was gilded, dark and golden.
The children sang.
I was so afraid I took it to my head and prayed.
They sang to me, "This is yours to wear. You're the chosen one, there's no turning back."
They sang to me, "This is yours to wear. You're the chosen one, there's no turning back."

There is no turning back.
There is no turn.
There is no turning back.
There is no turn.
There is no turning back.
There is no turn.

what song does roisin murphy's 'overpowered' sample?

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:02:54 GMT

jimmy gone M.I.A.

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:05:30 GMT

given the M.I.A. treatment...

in it's original flavor...

I HATE YOU JIMMY!
YOU ARE A COWARD!
I HATE YOU!
I HATE YOU JIMMY!
I HATE YOU!
I HATE YOU!

bangkok 25-28 apr

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:23:10 GMT

did plenty of touristy things.
got swindled by a taxi driver who drove us to one of the 'aquariums' to look at 'fishes' and have seafood.
tense moment between driver, owner of the whorehouse and us *inject slow-motion and background music like in amazing race whenever there is trouble brewing.
hot and wet.

sights we covered -
1. grand palace and wat phra kaeo
2. wat arun
3. wat pho
4. national museum
5. chatuchak weekend market
6. jim thompson's house
7. erawan shrine
8. thanon khao san

food was delicious - plenty of phad thai and green curry, some cupcakes and a candle-lit dinner at eat me art restaurant.

what we had at eat me (1/6 soi pipat 2, convent rd) -
1. starter - duck and melon spring roll with sour plum sauce
2. mains - a. pasta with prawn and pernod, b. chicken filled with duck liver
3. dessert - lemongrass creme brulee
4. peter lehmann barossa shiraz

hong kong 4-9 apr

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 09:05:36 GMT

Airline of the Year

Traveled on Cathay Pacific Airlines. I was not impressed. I wondered how thay managed to bag 'Airline of the Year 2006'. Food was bad, the service was even worse; I witnessed one of the flight attendants chiding - rather loudly - the passenger for walking to the toilet when the 'Fasten Seatbelt' sign was on. Following that, she even announced over the PA system for everyone to leave their seats even if they need to use the restrooms. Her tone was stern.

Lodging

Stayed over at kenneth's place which is just next to Wanchai MTR Station. It felt like staying in hotel since the unit was the size of a hotel room. The compromise you have to make for staying neat Admiralty/Central area. But it was all good - loads of dvds to watch and tons of music to transfer to my ipod!

Highlights of the Trip

And of course shop, shop, shop!
- Canon Ixus 800 (hugely discounted courtesy of Kenneth - many thanks!)
- Alexander McQueen shirt (my first ever!)
- Pink Puma Miharas (did not know what was running through my mind)
- Loads of munchies from Macau

berry willies

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:40:29 GMT

Stories abound on the history of the oatcake. Many believe it to be a Potteries tradition and it's been called all sorts of names, from Tunstall Tortilla, through Potteries Poppadom to Clay Suzzette. The oatcake probably has its origins in the Staffordshire moorlands where isolated farmers would eat oatcakes when they were cut off by bad weather and couldn't reach the shops to get bread.

My version - berry willies as I affectionatey call them - is an update of these said oatcakes. The berry willies are much smaller in size and have berry conserve sandwiched between two biscuits of oatcake. For those with a sweet tooth, you may choose to sprinkle icing sugar on the willies.

Enjoy!

the chocolate mousse cake

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:14:53 GMT

Mousse is a form of creamy dessert typically made from egg and cream usually with other flavors such as chocolate or fruit. The ingredients are beaten separately and then folded together carefully to produce a light and fluffy yet extremely rich confection. It is then chilled to maintain the fluffiness.

Once only a speciality of French restaurants, chocolate mousse entered into American and English home cuisine in the 1960s.

Depending on how it is prepared, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick.

Presenting the chocolate mousse cake (domestic god version):

the madeira cake

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:07:59 GMT

Madeira cake is a popular Old English traditional cake. It is a simple pound cake to which lemon zest can be added halfway through baking. It has the appearance of a small loaf. The cake is traditionally served with Madeira wine but it is more common now for the cake to be served with tea. Madeira wine may sometimes be added to the cake during baking.

While the name "madeira cake" is often thought to have originated from the Madeira Islands, it is actually named after the wine that accompanies the dish.

This is my version of the madeira cake (courtesy of nigella lawson's "how to be a domestic goddess").

Domestic goddess's version:

Domestic god's version:

note from alabama

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:19:36 GMT

boot camp: redstone arsenal.
everywhere i go i see the us army the us marines and the us reserves.

finally got a break and now at a-town aka atlanta.

damn.
exercise on mon and test on tues.

i miss home!

all i want for christmas - alternate version

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:41:14 GMT

i never knew they re-shot the music video!
very retro!

angeline talked madonna into getting one...

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:21:25 GMT

now it is the latest fad...

montreal, 23-26 september 2006

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 12:17:55 GMT

basilique notre dame

city hall in the background - i think

biosphere - this is modelled after a bucky ball i.e. buckminsterfullerine (C60)

lunch at rue st. catherine

there are in fact two rainbows in this picture!

olympic park - montreal was the host for the 1976 games

this sculpture is called illuminated crowd

le hotel

while watching 'hairspray'...

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:03:59 GMT

aaron: i think that's clay seating a few seats to our right?
me: really?
aaron: yes! i recognise his double chin. that's clay's double chin!
me: ...

turns out it was indeed clay.
he was rather friendly.
shook our hands and took photos with us.

p.s.
dear clay,
although you seem like a nice guy (i'm sure you are),
it is still unforgivable that you make SHITEOUS music!

move over beyonce/jay-z, make way for kelis/nas!

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 14:59:36 GMT

who needs 'deja-vu' when you can have 'blindfold me'.

this shit is total wack!

dickgate is the new nipplegate

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 16:10:56 GMT

nipplegate is so LAST season!

cassie would not have felt out of place...

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:17:38 GMT

if she joined this year's singapore idol.
there has been a petition to her record company to DROP her!
and it's obvious why!
SINGAPORE IDOL CALIBRE I TELL YOU!

endtroducing...

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 16:28:46 GMT

the reason why i had to go for my photoshop course

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 13:33:43 GMT

to transform this...

to this...

looks like moo-riah is back!

an open letter to lindsay

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 18:26:43 GMT

meet wolfie and wangwang

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 14:39:19 GMT

went to my friend's shop.
actually i'm so bloody scared of these huskies!
so huge!

end of the road

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 13:38:02 GMT

goodbye head liquidmetal instinct.
so long yonex nanospeed srq-7.
end of the road for my tennis.

until i can afford...

prince o3 white!

french open men's final 2006

Sat, 27 May 2006 04:33:09 GMT

7 - tommy robredo vs.

2- rafael nadal

Men's draw - big names in danger already!
By Guillaume Baraise
Friday, May 26, 2006

The draw for the men's singles has already thrown up some intriguing first round ties, including Roger Federer versus Arnaud Clément and Rafael Nadal against Robin Soderling. Other big names, such as David Nalbandian, Andy Roddick and particularly Fernando Gonzalez, who will have to face Marat Safin, are also walking a tightrope.

This year, those players looking to take their frustration out on someone after being given a tricky tie will find themselves confronted with a screen and a keyboard. The draw was done by computer (except for the seeds), and proved that wires and circuits are just as capable at throwing up some first round surprises as their human counterparts. Before Justine Henin-Hardenne drew the seeds out of a hat, the computer had already got to work and made life tough for the two favourites, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Swiss star Federer's quest for a Grand Slam (over two years) will see him start off against Arnaud Clément, who will very much have the crowd behind him. The world number one rarely seems to settle down until the second round of tournaments, and he would certainly not relish facing the winner of this year's Open 13 in Marseilles. Clément, however, may not even make it out on to the court - the French favourite is suffering from a torn hamstring, and it is doubtful whether he will be fit by next week.

Roddick in for a tough ride

Rafael Nadal will also have to have his wits about him against Robin Soderling, who has slipped to 49th in the world due to a long injury but will be looking to climb back up the rankings. Despite the fact that he is no fan of clay, the Swede has already beaten Nikolay Davydenko on that very surface this season, so "Rafa" had better bring his A game.

Andy Roddick (n° 4 seed) is perhaps the man entitled to have the biggest gripe with the computer, however - the American finds himself up against Spanish clay court ace Alberto Martin! What with the ankle injury he picked up earlier this week in Düsseldorf and his well documented difficulties on clay, Roddick is by no means favourite for this tie. N° 3 seed David Nalbandian, whom many see as the only obstacle to a Federer-Nadal final, will have to overcome some hurdles himself if he intends to meet "Rog" in the semi-finals. The Argentinean will come up against a compatriot of Federer's - Stanislas Wawrinka, ranked 57th in the world and capable of beating anyone on his day. After that, Richard Gasquet lies in wait!

Murray out to do the double over Monfils

Like Gasquet (who did have a favourable first round draw, however) and Clément, the home contingent have all ended up with tough ties. Fabrice Santoro, Jean-Christophe Faurel and Michael Llodra will all have to face seeds in the first round, namely Jose Acasuso (n°26), Olivier Rochus (n°27) and Radek Stepanek (n°11).

Even "les Bleus" who were seeded and thus relatively "protected" have not had it all their own way - Sébastien Grosjean (n°21) will face former French Open quarter-finalist Andreï Pavel, from Romania, whilst Gaël Monfils (n°25) will definitely have his work cut out against up-and-coming Scottish star Andy Murray, who recently beat Monfils in Hamburg. Paul-Henri Mathieu (n°29) will face Germany's Björn Phau in the first round before a possible meeting with fellow Frenchman Florent Serra. The reward for the winner? Most likely a date with Nadal…

The other Frenchies will have a slightly easier time of it. Nicolas Mahut (who will face Czech Jiri Vanek), Julien Benneteau (against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic), Gilles Simon (who will meet a qualifier), Mathieu Montcourt (Brazilian Marcos Daniel), Thierry Ascione (Spain's Ramirez Hidalgo), Olivier Patience (Croat Ivo Karlovic) and even Jérémy Chardy (Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman) all have a very real chance of making it through to the second round.

Whilst a lot of players are currently bemoaning their fate, we should spare a thought for Fernando Gonzalez (n°9 seed) and Marat Safin. Both the Chilean and the Russian thought they had at least an outside chance of going all the way this year - but after being drawn together, one of them will be packing his bags early next week after what will surely be the tie of the round. That computer's got a lot to answer for…

The ones to watch in the first round
Federer (n°1) - Clément
Acasuso (n°26) - Santoro
Nalbandian (n°3) - Wawrinka
Grosjean (n°21) - Pavel
Roddick (n°5) - A. Martin
Stepanek (n°11) - Llodra
Verdasco (n°28) - Chela
Blake (n°8) - Srichaphan
Monfils (n°25) - Murray
Gonzalez (n°9) - Safin
Nadal (n°2) - Soderling

Possible Round of 16
Top half of the draw
Federer (n°1) - Kiefer (n°13)
Ancic (n°12) - Robredo (n°7)
Good outside bets: Malisse, Berdych (n°20), Massu (n°32)

Nalbandian (n°3) - Nieminen (n°16)
Gaudio (n°10) - Davydenko (n°6)
Good outside bets: Gasquet, Grosjean (n°21), Santoro, Ferrero (n°24), Moya (n°30)

Bottom half of the draw
Roddick (n°3) - Stepanek (n°11)
Ferrer (n°15) - Ljubicic (n°4)
Good outside bets: Martin, Rochus (n°27), Verdasco (n°28), Chela, Baghdatis, Simon

Blake (n°8) - Gonzalez (n°9)
Hewitt (n°14) - Nadal (n°2)
Good outside bets: Almagro, Murray, Haas (n°23), Safin, Mathieu (n°29), Serra

french open ladies' final 2006

Sat, 27 May 2006 04:19:39 GMT

8- svetlana kuznetsova vs.

10- anastasia myskina

Women's draw: the luck of the draw favours Amelie
By Benjamin Waldbaum and David Spratt
Friday, May 26, 2006

While the draw for the 2006 women's singles title was very kind to world n°1 Amélie Mauresmo, there will be a battle royal going on in the bottom half of the draw.

Rafael Nadal's left hand definitely brought Amélie Mauresmo some luck, not that she particularly needs it. While the main draw at the Tenniseum tennis museum at Roland Garros was done by computer, the Spanish title-holder had the pleasant task of drawing the 32 seeds by hand. And Amélie, who for the first time will be both seeded and ranked n°1 in the world going into a Grand Slam tournament, can be very grateful to Rafa for giving her a clear path to the final - providing she gets through a tough-looking tie in the first round.

Mauresmo's opening match will be against American Meghann Shaughnessy, world n°11 in 2001 and winner of the recent Rabat tournament. The French favourite has won the past three meetings between the two women, however, without so much as dropping a set. After that, she is on course to avoid all of her least favourite opponents, and instead face n°25 seed Marion Bartoli in the third round and Czech Nicole Vaidisova (n°16) in the Round of 16, as was the case when she won the Australian Open.

Big names congregating at the bottom

Things will start hotting up by the quarter finals, when she should face n°7 seed Patty Schnyder, unless Venus Williams (n°11) has already dealt with the Swiss Miss. Come the semi-finals, then Amélie is scheduled to meet Maria Sharapova (n°4), or perhaps Svetlana Kuznetsova (n°8) for a place in the final. Kuznetsova overcame Mauresmo in the semis at Miami this year before going on to win the tournament, but has failed to make it past the Round of 16 the last two years at the French Open (though on both occasions she had match points against the woman who would eventually go on to win the tournament…)

Should the world n°1 make it all the way through to the final on Saturday 10 June, whom she will end up facing is anyone's guess. In theory, it should be n°2 seed Kim Clijsters, who reached the final in 2001 and 2003.

Past winners and world number ones abound

To get that far, however, Clijsters will have to get through a potential quarter final against 2004 finalist Elena Dementieva (n°6), provided that the Russian has already got past Martina Hingis (n°12)… The Swiss former world n°1 has been amazing since making her comeback in January, topping it all off with a recent win in Rome.

The other quarter final is also wide open. N°3 seed Nadia Petrova is widely tipped after her recent wins on clay at Amelia Island, Charleston et Berlin, and is scheduled to meet the women she beat in Germany, last year's French open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne (n°5).

Amélie, Ana or Anastasia?

That the Belgian makes it through to the last eight is by no means a certainty, since she is on course to face the 2004 winner Anastasia Myskina (n°10) in the last 16, unless, of course, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic (n°19) provides a few shocks, as she did in last year's tournament when she ousted none other than… Mauresmo in the third round.

The ones to watch in the first round
Mauresmo (n°1) - Shaughnessy
Sugiyama (n°22) - Daniilidou
Domachowska - Vaidisova (n°16)
Krajicek - Schnyder (n°7)
Zvonareva - Safina (n°14)
Mirza - Myskina (n°10)
Golovin (n°23) - Zheng
Razzano - Clijsters (n°2)

Possible Round of 16
Top half of the draw
Mauresmo (n°1) - Vaidisova (n°16)
V. Williams (n°11) - Schnyder (n°7)
Good outside bets: Jelena Jankovic, Elena Likhovtseva (n°18).

Sharapova (n°4) - Safina (n°14)
Schiavone (n°9) - Kuznetsova (n°8)
Good outside bets: Benesova, Srebotnik (n°24), Smashnova, Zvonareva, Pennetta (n°17), Chakvetadze (n°27).

Bottom half of the draw
Henin-Hardenne (n°5) - Myskina (n°10)
Grönefeld (n°13) - Petrova (n°3)
Good outside bets: Ivanovic (n°19), Kirilenko (n°20), Dulko (n°32).

Dementieva (n°6) - Hingis (n°12)
Hantuchova (n°15) - Clijsters (n°2)
Good outside bets: Kutuzova, Golovin (n°23), Zheng, Medina Garrigues (n°26).

time to buy 3113 again

Wed, 24 May 2006 03:58:34 GMT

the last time 3113 opened first prize, i got a speeding ticket a few days before it.

today my car just got rear ended.

a short fling with london

Mon, 08 May 2006 13:55:42 GMT

my hotel. thistle horseguards hotel. this is where the seminar is held too. at 1 whitehall.

cosy room. thank goodness. bbc1 and bbc2 is snooze inducing! good thing there is a comfy bed(s).

to save money - buy the one day zone 1 pass. this will set you back for only GBP4.50!

0900hrs-1000hrs

take the undergoround down to green park. walk across one of the garden and right in front of you will be buckingham palace!

1000hrs-1200hrs
take the victoria line down to pimlimco. tate britain is just 10-15mins walk from the station.

1200hrs-1330hrs

change to district/circle line and alight at westminster. this is where the parliament house, westminster abbey, big ben, etc. are located.

cross river thames to jubilee garden to take a 'flight' on the london eye.

1330hrs-1500hrs

walk along the south bank towards tate modern.

to enjoy some modern art?

st. paul's cathedral is right across the bridge.

1500hrs-1800hrs
take the undeground back up to covent garden for some shopping before heading to the british museum.

1800hrs

dinner at chinatown!