Had a pretty full day today, I went to IIU to pick up a couple of forms (which I'm not so sure I'm going to fill in, because I'm not really sure why I picked them up in the first place), and then went with some friends to the MARA building, to inquire about their thing, for the students.

Apparently their policy is a lot different from the one I envisioned originally. It turns out these days, you can only apply for a loan or scholarship AFTER completing one year on your own budget, and submitting your results for their consideration. Thanks MARA! Maybe this time you can update your information page. It still bears the December 2004 date, by the way.

this one's for all my buds

...and that includes you!

Apparently Real Moms Aren't Like the Ones on MILFhunter.com -- powered by Cracked.com
Greg and Lou are awesome and this is their site.

UPDATE: I'm sorry, I can't figure out why the video plays itself automatically. Either it's gained self-awareness (whoa!!) or it's something funky in the html. Either way, this post will disappear into the "past posts" realm soon, so just bear with me here. Much love.

You really should enlarge the image for yourself to see what this kid wrote. Somehow I think we would have been pretty great friends if we were in the same college. You know something's wrong when there are two "see me"'s on one answer sheet!

Still, he did get a 100.

Oh man, this song rocks. They're Atmosphere, and their album is titled, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. This song is "You".

This is pretty dumb. It's a dick move and unwarranted. You are pulling a commercial just because the girl is supposedly wearing a keffiyeh? And that, the scarf in question is a "reference to extremist Muslims"? You are idiots.

Dear conservatives, this is what a keffiyeh looks like. Please, don't freak out! Your computer won't explode! This blog is not a vehicle for terror! You fucking idiots. It is just an article of clothing.
Oh my God, it is a picture of a caucasian male wearing the symbol of Palestinian terror! Let's get the suffering and perpetual discrimination and systemic genocide that Palestinians go through out of the way first. Obviously, the clothing that your people put on must be consistent with your WASP-ish, conservative ways.

What's next, then? Are you now going to ban that Vampire Weekend song, the one with the line, "spilled coffee on your keffiyeh"?

Fine, remain "vigilant". Your idea of vigilance is bigotry. It's just an article of clothing! My goodness.

Diesel Sweeties, as always.

If you aren't subscribing to the DS feed, why? Why do you do this to yourself? Aren't we friends?

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

since we're on the subject of good early 90s debut albums...

Y'all should give Gin Blossom's New Miserable Experience a listen. Not only did it feature a good number of their hit singles, as an album it was a pretty complete, cohesive mix of songs. It was melancholic, sweet, sad, regretful and nostalgic as a whole. Check it out.

Here's Mrs. Rita:


So tell, me Mrs. Rita, what's it say on my Tarot? Why do lovers come and go? Good shit.

if you haven't already listened to this in its entirety, now is as good a time as any to start

The Blue Album. Genius. Genius. Genius.

My dad took the Stephen King book, so I had no choice but to read some other stuff. My sister picked up Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins, which I always wanted to read anyway, and here are a few pretty compelling quotes from the book:

'The English major looked me directly in the eyes. "Stop being so greedy," she said, "and so selfish. Realize that there is more to the world than your big houses and fancy stores. People are starving and you worry about oil for your cars. Babies are dying of thirst and you search the fashion magazines for the latest styles. Nations like ours (Indonesia) are drowning in poverty, but your people don't even hear our cries for help. You shut your ears to the voices of those who try to tell you these things. You label them radicals or Communists. You must open your hearts to the poor and downtrodden, instead of driving them further into poverty and servitude. There's not much time left. If you don't change, you're doomed."'

Yeah, I don't feel like typing any more than that.. feels almost like plagiarism. Anyway, this book makes for a pretty good read.

you guys wouldn't happen to have any suggestions for loans or scholarships would you? i'm thinking mara or jpa since they have covered me before..

anything?

also, today's achewood offers sage advice for guys about to get all married up.

Good night everyone

"Mystery Juice" by Sean Lennon

She won't speak to me
Won't speak
And it's all my own fault

Baby, I'm afraid to let you know
They stole the show and towed the rowboat
Though slow
We're on the go like rabbits in the snow

Baby, I'm a lonely kind of man
Like a rapper with a forty in his hand
I can't stand
When you talk about that other man

Every day I watch the TV shows
It's getting so I know the shows hosts
I don't boast
Maybe I should try and make the most

I'm always biting more than I can chew
To loose the blues I choose to flew the coop
Who knew?
Is it news that you were out the loop?

Dreaming is a singing of the mind
And taste is like seeing to the blind

minor rant

attention scriptwriters and producers of commercials for specific nutritional/supplementary drinks on tv (anmom? infagrow? i don't remember nor care what the product names are):

if you want to point out that your drink contains certain nutrients that you claim are beneficial, then for god's sake DON'T FUCKING GIVE THEM GODDAMN ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS. tell us, the viewing public, what the abbreviations stand for.

this is a growing trend, and it shows no signs of abating. what the fuck is AD or AG or whatever the fuck you're putting into pregnant women's/little kids' bellies?

please. we are not googly-eyed hick fucksticks who will buy into whatever the hell you are saying just because a guy dressed up as a lab researcher is on the screen saying that so-and-so contains LSD.

seriously, be responsible for what you're selling. otherwise, you guys are full of BS. also, STFU.

So.......

Dear Ezanee Gires,

I would like to congratulate you on your admittance to the MSc programme Aerospace Engineering. You should have received a letter from the admissions office with information on further procedures. To officially confirm your enrollment in the masters programme you must complete the Confirmation Statement online at the website: blah blah blah as instructed in your acceptance letter, if you have not yet done so.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to welcoming you here at the start of the programme.




Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to do my masters at Delft after all. Praise God, all Glory be unto Him. Thank you for your support everyone. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

some live acts for you

Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea


Bloc Party: Plans


Oasis: Slide Away

Happiness Only Real When Shared

Into The Wild
Screenplay and Directed by Sean Penn
Based on the non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer

So I finally got around to watching this movie last night, after getting the dvd. Right off the bat, I will say, this is a damn good movie. I haven't read the book, and I had no real prior knowledge of who Christopher McCandless was, or what he did and what happened to him, so I watched Into The Wild with no expectations, only half-read good reviews in the back of my mind. Sean Penn can write a really good script, and he is a damn fine director. Emile Hirsch did an excellent job acting in this movie, both in terms of his character's interaction with his many friends he made, as well as in scenes where he's by himself, interacting with his environment. And the soundtrack! You all know I am sucker for soundtracks that are written and sung by specific artists, and this is no exception. Eddie Vedder wrote the songs and music for this movie, and to listen to his voice as the camera pans out and around, with his signature guitar playing, it damn near brings a tear to anyone's eye.

For those of you who haven't watched this movie yet or have no familiarity with the story behind it, Into The Wild is the story of Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, who makes a wildly life-altering decision to venture out into the American wilderness after graduating from college. He is spurred by his disillusion with the material world, and the nature of his parents, whom he felt were superficial and overly materialistic, and whose marriage itself felt like a sham to him. There's a lot of emotional baggage that he carries because of what he thought of his parents, and this serves as the main driving force of his rebellion.

But it's not so much rebellion as much as it is the need to find himself as an individual, and to appreciate the things that people normally take for granted. It's the not uncommon feeling amongst those who need to break free of conceptions of wealth and status and reputation, and to just be happy with themselves. So he sets out with the intention to just wander until he can reach his ultimate destination, the Alaskan wilderness, where he can finally be on his own and live off the land. His inspirations are books like Jack London's Call Of The Wild, which depict the harsh and stark beauty of the untouched forests of the north.

Throughout his trek, he befriends people with their own demons and pasts, but who empathize with his desire to be free all the same. From hippies in love to farmers, to bohemian European tourists to an elderly widower, these people give their support and advice to him, the basic underlying message being, forgiveness is love, and to not take things too far. The supporting cast in this movie are all excellent, from Catherine Keener to Vince Vaughn, everyone. There's a lot of love that then actors put into their characters, and it shows.

And this is the lesson that the movie gives, in that isolation and self-imposed exile, no matter how highly sought after and coveted, is not something we're meant to keep at for long. Hence the title of this post, and the penultimate message in this movie. Hirsch obviously put in a lot of dedication to his role, and it's equally thrilling and heartbreaking to see his triumphs and his hardships in his adventures. There's a sense of Christian Bale-like proportions as you can see the changes to his body from peak physical fitness to crippling emaciation. All I can say is, if you invest your attention and emotion into this movie, you will be touched immensely.

Some people might say that what he did was justified, others might claim that he was pretty reckless and oblivious to his own family and friends' suffering. For me, it's more an issue of moderation. We all want to break free, to live off the land and to be happy by ourselves, but we need to give consideration to those who do care for us, to drop them a line every once in a while, just to tell them we're ok, everything's fine. But hey, this is a movie, and as such we can draw our own conclusions.

So let's summarize; kickass soundtrack (of course), top notch screenplay, and very, very good acting from Emile Hirsch and co. This movie is definitely a keeper. Here is "Hard Sun", by Eddie Vedder.


"I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!"
Cristopher McCandless, 1968 - 1992

I still haven't found a bookstore around here that has a copy of On The Road in stock. Sigh. Upsetting. I did start however, on S. King's Duma Key. Last year when they published the last Bachman book, Blaze, there was a preview of Duma Key's first couple of chapters, so my interest was piqued for a while now. Curse you, book publishers! Anyway, I'll write about my impressions on Duma Key once I'm done with it. I like to take my time with these things.

Meanwhile, if you have a lot of songs lying around, take a break from listening to one or two artists and try playing everything on shuffle. I was pleasantly surprised to have Rush's Fly By Night starting my queue, funny shit.

I'll stop with these after this one

Oh, but how can you resist??

Things that have made my day today

Rabbit.

Eastern Promises dvd.

Having the car to myself and not really having to go anywhere.

Flight Vol. One.

Getting some goddamn chores done. Cannot believe I had 2-3 weeks worth of laundry!





You guys should check out the Flight series of comic anthologies. While not all of the stories are about flying or flight per se, the stories are well drawn, all the talent is relatively fresh, and there are absolutely no superhero cliches. It is good stuff.

Pets that are not mutually exclusive and would coexist peacefully in my future home: a beagle, a cat and a rabbit. Tomorrow I start jogging again!

This is already making its rounds along the internet on blogs and such, but in case you haven't seen it yet, this is the video for Weezer's Pork & Beans, from their upcoming Red Album.

From the songs I've heard so far, this album is shaping up pretty nicely. But then again anything would be an improvement over the extremely emo Make Believe.

Maggie May by The Faces

Wake up Maggie I think I got something to say to you
Its late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused but I feel Im being used
Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried any more
You lured me away from home just to save you from being alone
You stole my heart and thats what really hurt

The morning sun when its in your face really shows your age
But that don't worry me none in my eyes you're everything
I laughed at all of your jokes my love you didn't need to coax
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried any more
You lured me away from home, just to save you from being alone
You stole my soul and thats a pain I can do without

All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand
But you turned into a lover and
Mother what a lover, you wore me out
All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head
Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore
You lured me away from home cause you didn't want to be alone
You stole my heart I couldn't leave you if I tried

I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool
Or find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin hand
Oh Maggie I wish Id never seen your face
You made a first-class fool out of me
But I'm as blind as a fool can be
You stole my heart but I love you anyway

Maggie I wish Id never seen your face
Ill get on back home one of these days

Many chores to do tomorrow.. Had a pretty good day out, watched Indy IV (which, in my opinion, was pretty damn awesome), got some dvd's and picked up the new Stephen King, which I have been planning to buy for a few months now. And then I met up with the guys for sort of a farewell dinner for an old friend.

All these things I will write more on later. In the meantime, I want to watch a movie, and sleep. Probably staying in for most of the day tomorrow, except to look for food. Later, people!

Also, I am an idiot for not getting your number. I'll try not to lose sleep over it, ha ha.

Just trying some close up shots..

Just so you guys don't confuse Pete Yorn with Peter Bjorn and John. Though Pete's version of Young Folks rocks harder than the original, haha. Seriously, it does! Oh my goodness. This is what I hoped the original would have done, made it a bit higher-fi. Pete Yorn is awesome, but I wish he'd release another album soon. You know who else I've been waiting for a follow-up album from? The Strokes. But at least Albert Hammond Jr is releasing a new solo album soon.. this is a good year.

this is like a regular thing isn't it?

The song is called Beautiful Beat. The band is Nada Surf. I am off for my obligatory Friday thing.

Listening to The Grateful Dead's Touch of Gray might inspire you to be a Dead-head, but just try, I mean really try to listen through American Beauty in its entirety and not be bored out of your skull. I think they meant for it to be listened to while dosed on peyote or something. So, for me, it's just a case of "loving that one song that band did", which most people do anyway for a lot of bands that I like, whom I feel are underrated simply because the rest of their material is just as good, or better, than their few hit singles. So I guess I am being a hypocrite here.

Anyway, Touch of Gray, people. A fine video for a fine song.

I think I will be house-sitting this weekend, as the homestead will be pretty empty except for me and my old lady rabbit. Seriously she is like a wily Snoopy rabbit that acts cute but will bite your toes if you don't do what she wants. Wait, what am I talking about?

Anyway, I am now pleased to say that Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is a pretty damn good listen. It took a while before I eventually got around to listening to the whole thing, and now I'm proverbially kicking the back of my head for putting it off. Give this album a listen and you'll see why I want to kick myself in the nuts now. I think I will write about the grand majesty of The Who's Who's Next sometime soon. It's something I've been meaning to do for about a week now.

That, and also another piece on age and turning half a century old.. you'll see what I mean later on, if I get around to it.

I read Jim Munroe and Salgood Sam's graphic novel Therefore, Repent! which was sort of an impulse buy (well, it was either that or an Ed Brubaker crime story, this is one of the guys that reinvented Iron Fist!), upon the recommendation of Afifah and Zaimah. T,R! is pretty good as far as one-shot stories go. The black and white pencil/charcoal style of art and an unconventional story make this an interesting read. But then again, when it comes to graphic novels, what is unconventional? Anyway, the story is about the Rapture, a Christian-style apocalyptic scenario where the "true believers" are lifted up into the sky, and the remaining people on earth have to deal with the knowledge that they weren't "chosen", having had to make a deal with a higher power not to practice magic or sorcery on earth in exchange for the privilege to live normally.

Suffice it to say, the scenario we are initially presented with is never the one in which the ending takes place, that is, nothing is what it seems, and the story takes a few psychedelic turns to show what goes on behind the cosmic scene. The ending itself is left hanging, which may imply that there is an ongoing story arc that I am unaware of. So yes, I liked what I read enough, and I am interested to read anything else Salgood Sam and Jim Munroe wrote or illustrated.

daily dose of awesome

So I was reminded of the beautiful graffiti that used to be visible by LRT near the Pasar Seni station, lining the wall of the public drain/flood system, when I saw this. It was there for a while, but I notice now that it's been completely whitewashed, which is a great shame, because I really liked it. It broke the monotony of the dull gray of the cityscape, and graffiti isn't all that bad if it's tastefully done. I wonder how our local municipal council would have reacted if this piece was done here.. I think their heads might have exploded trying to comprehend this. Which is sort of a comforting thought.

It had to happen eventually

It seems like anywhere I go, whether to work or study, I am asked to check/translate things in English. It's a gift and a curse, I guess? I don't know. Anyway, I am now officially the guy who students are sent to to proofread their abstracts. I don't know how I should feel about this...

Lemme say this again: The Faces. Great band, great stage presence, amazing underrated legacy. Blues, rock and roll, soul... these guys had it all. And boy could Rod Stewart sing.

The Faces

You know how I said a while back that I was listening to a lot of Rolling Stones and The Faces? Well, here is one of my favorite Faces songs, and it is their cover of Maybe I'm Amazed. They were pretty fucking amazing, too.

Kickin' it old school

It's a pretty slow day at the lab today. Last night Man U won the Champions' League, so to all of you ManUre supporters out there, I say, congratulations. Now bugger off, please don't rub it in that my club had a pretty sub par season.. but still, better ManYoo than Chelsea.

Anyway, I am not here to sulk about Liverpool not making the final. My intention for writing this morning is to share some more songs with you. In the last two months I've been recommending a lot of newer albums, but this time I think I want to go retro for a while. So let us start with some Paul McCartney. First off is one of his earlier hits, Another Day.

The beauty of Another Day is pretty much everything in it, from the signature bass to the little breakdown with all the cheers and clapping. There's a pervasive melancholy in this song, one that hints of loneliness and having to deal with the daily grind, interspersed with the occasional romance that isn't always there as much as the subject of the song wants. It's a sweet song, and one that holds up really well today. Office work isn't going to go away anytime soon, so this song is for all of you working 8-5. Or 6.

The beauty of the Beatles is that all four of them had different vocal styles. Paul's voice is probably the most melodic and that is why their pop songs were so goddamn catchy when he sang them. But more importantly, when they started writing more sophisticated songs and veered less towards pleasing the crowded stadiums than satisfying their own need to branch out musically, his voice lent the necessary power to make these later songs all the more potent. Tell me when you are listening to "Yesterday" or "Eleanor Rigby", or even "Get Back" that you don't feel the emotion behind the vocals. Actually, from 1965 onwards, George, John, Paul and Ringo all matured in their singing and playing styles. I get goosebumps every time I listen to that drum solo on Strawberry Fields Forever. Oh, and Helter Skelter. They rocked the shit out of that song.

Anyway, I am getting carried away again. Here is another early solo single, Maybe I'm Amazed.

(Courtesy of Cat and Girl)

AUDC was fine. Met a lot of old friends, made some new ones. It was a nice break from the cycle I have been stuck in for a while, but eventually I had to come back to work (or lack thereof) anyway, and it is different now than it was as a student. Priorities, folks. This boy needs to grow up.

Anyway, thanks everyone. I love you. You're all wonderful friends, and it is always awesome regardless of what we do when we hang out. Indiana Jones this weekend anyone?

Regular posting to recommence soon my dears. Oh my, the deja vu is strong in this one...

So, still no reply from Delft, but I am ever hopeful. Things have a way of working themselves out, even if they don't go the way we want 'em to.

Also, American Gods IS good. I think of the three Gaiman novels I have read, this is the Gaimen-est.

i'll be back

SOON

here it goes

So one of the movie channels was showing Terminator 2: Judgment Day tonight. Being a guy without anything to study for or have much choice in the way of nightly activities (it is sad, I know), I decided to watch it with the folks. Man, how things have changed since the early 90s. How do things look nowadays?

Firstly, let's consider the then-cutting edge techniques they used to present the T-1000 (is that correct?), played by the awesome Robert Patrick, in liquid metal form. When I saw that goop of liquid moving on the floor, it didn't look like liquid metal... it looked like really cheap CGI. The stuff they'd use in today's B movies, in fact. Oh, but they might still employ it in big budget local films. Heh. Seriously though. Do you guys remember this one old Nickelodeon live action program where this girl could morph into a puddle of water? It looked really cheapass when they did it on tv back then, and that's what it looks like in T2.

Secondly, there's just that kitschy early-to-mid-90s feel to the movie at some points. For example, the scenes involving Eddie Furlong's kid character, young would-be commander Connor. Do you remember how movies with kids back then just seemed to have these goddamn smart alecks, street-smart and worldly wise kids whose films are centered around their resourcefulness and spunk? I can't believe I used the word spunk in a sentence. Anyway, that stereotype of movie kid has been overused to the point where whenever some dumbass movie producer decides to have a kid hero, God kills a kitten. Or starts a tsunami. Who knows.

And there's that scene where the cops and SWAT teams swarm on the cybernetics building. In an isolated movie universe, watched a propos of not watching any action movie afterwards, this scene would have been fucking heart stopping. You'd be sweating, pulse pounding, thinking how are they gonna get out of this one? Yeah, in the old days this sort of scene would be totally kickass. But now, watching it after so long, it just feels extremely cliche and outdated in execution. There is even a scene in GTA IV, a modern day videogame, where after pulling a bank heist the cops arrive, that affected me more than this scene in T2 did.

But writing about how dated this movie feels in terms of modern day contrasts is not what I am about. No, this post is about the spirit of T2. It remains as a testament to the crowning of Hollywood action blockbusters as something to look forward to every summer. It is probably, in my opinion, the last good Arnold Schwarzenegger movie ever made. Everything else after Terminator 2 feels like an injustice to the movie's legacy. All Arnold's later movies were just milking on the Terminator formula; muscled, grizzled Austrian-accented hero is introduced and redeems himself at the end of the movie. Emotional tear jerking endings abound (not my tears, I am speaking in general here). Tell me if you disagree here.

Another achievement I attribute to this movie is the portrayal of the strong leading action lady. At the time this movie was released, we already had Ridley from Alien, but Sarah Connor was a different class all her own. Linda Hamilton owns this character. She is strong, clever. Resourceful. Dangerous. Good with weapons. Can stand on her own. This was a character I bet a lot of girls back then could have looked up to; nowadays we have a glut of female action heroes, but it's actresses like Linda Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver who helped pave the way. Even watched from a 21st century lens, this movie beams these qualities.

Hey, if you watched this movie and weren't convinced of the awesomeness of Arnold, Patrick and Hamilton (and Furlong!), then sir I do not know what to say. I shed a tear for you. If I were to pick only a handful of action movies from the 90s worth watching today, this would be one of them. Hasta La Vista, baby (insert Ahnold accent here).

Here's a special sweded version of T2. It's titled Low Budgment Day, and it will knock your balls off. The full 10 minute version is here, but this is already six minutes well worth your time.


Also, if they were making a movie or TV series for Preacher, an excellent comic series mind you, I think Linda Hamilton would be a good actor to play Jesse Custer's mom (when he stays for a while in that Texas town as sheriff). Preacher, ladies and gentlemen. A damn good read.

I put these in-ear headphones on in the lab even when I'm not listening to anything... it's mostly to drown out the repeating cycles of Top 40-style music blasting from the lab tech's speakers.

What's up people

OK, that's better. Yeah, so like I was saying, I feel almost tiptop again, hooray. Also, a friend of mine from aerospace got accepted for his masters, so three cheers for him, too. Seriously, congratulations. Which makes me all the more nervous thinking about my outcome. But you all know that, don't you.

Hmm. Still not getting into the flow of literary godlike writing I'm used to. This might take a while. Anyway, here's a video for you.


Do you see what I meant earlier?

Wow, it's nice to know the blog still has visitors. I'm feeling better now, but there's a persistent smell in my nose whenever I sniffle. Sinus infection? I don't know, maybe. Anyway, you probably don't want to know about the insides of my nasal cavity.

Which reminds me of this one Roald Dahl short story, in one of his er, adult books. Yes, he wrote mature fiction as well, not just the stuff we loved in childhood. Can't remember what this particular story was titled, but it's about this adventurer/playboy and his doctor friend, who comes up with some super strong pheromone perfume.. do you see where I am going with this? I don't know why I am writing about this in the first place.

Let's start a new post.

Flu update: pretty strong headache today, and some aching legs. Fuuuuuuuuuck.

Also, two words: Cold. Roses. This will last you months and months. Thank me later when I am better. Thanks for wishing me well everyone.. Much love and peace wished upon you.

I am still not feeling very well, this has to be the worst flu I've had in a while, hope it's not a precursor to anything worse.

Anyway, I am not sure how alike I am in appearance to the kid from Kite Runner, and I am not too keen on finding out either, dude..

Meanwhile, it's probable that I will miss some work when I join the judges for the AUDC.

Regular posting shall recommence shortly, people.

In the meantime, this article made my day. By that standard, it doesn't really take much to make my day, but whatever. Non-gamers playing video games make for some funny anecdotes.

Also, is anyone else excited about the new Wolf Parade album? Gee whiz!

light side or dark?

I know I've said this before, but Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer is a real goddamn experience. Of Montreal you have outdone yourselves. Give this album a listen if you haven't already. It is a modern classic! The video below is "Suffer For Fashion", track no. 1. If you want to know why this album is so good, here is Sink The Seine and Cato as a Pun, the next two tracks. So beautiful..

Man, I am not sleepy at all...

130 bpm it's not too slow

so early this morning.. one of those wake up in the middle of the night nights for me. back to bed i go!

Big shout outs to Choobs and Dan.

Hey, I am sure by now you guys have heard about the terrible cyclone Nargis that hit Burma, right? The death toll is already about 15,000, and is likely to rise if the infrastructure is as bad as the news reports it..

Here are some websites you can visit if you wish to help or to gain information on this tragedy.

I hope the junta makes it easier for the aid workers to help out.. I am not sure if journalists are still being kept out. But if you can, donate to the relevant organizations, otherwise pray that the people are ok. Because hey, it's not the populace we don't support, it's the junta.

Isn't it sad that things like this happen to both the just and the unjust?

Thirteen (Big Star cover) by E.S.

The lyrics are straight to the point and serve as one of the coolest ways of saying "Be Mine". Elliott Smith, your voice was a beautiful thing, and you played a mean guitar. Hardly any other artist has touched me or clicked with me the way you have. I'd spend a lot of nights by myself just listening to all your songs, man.. those nights on the stadium bleachers, those were ours man.

R.I.P.

Man I feel so sick.............................. my nose is a dripping faucet and for some reason I am sweating like crazy! So... sick......

i am on sick leave
today
still no reply
from admissions
damn

Albums I find myself listening to this morning. These just sort of flit by, but that in no way means that they are forgettable. Rather, they are perfect mood music choices for Monday morning.
REM - Accelerate

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing

Figurines - When The Deer Wore Blue

Still no reply from TUD!

Also, someone told me once when I asked what was wrong, that she'd tell me "when the world is right". Looking back, that's a pretty corny thing to say. And now I find myself not really caring. I am cold that way. I'm sorry.

I've stumbled onto the suicide food blog, after finding a link from the Bizarro blog. Check them both out, they are hilarious.

let it ride on letterman

also I don't know what is going on with his blog these days.. I hope he sticks around though, I like it.

skip to 1:20 for undistilled awesome

apologies to my friends who went this weekend

I thought I would share some recipes with you guys! I don't really cook, but I dabble every once in a while when I am in the mood. Let's start with:

1. Pumpkin pie
This is actually a really simple dish, and I put up a link in one of my comments about where to find recipes online. Basically you can just google pumpkin pie recipes (or any others) and the first couple of hits should be ok.

You will need;

• a pumpkin (any pumpkin should be ok, if you are going to a tesco, get the ones that are around RM2 a kilo)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 can of evaporated milk

To prepare the pumpkin, you have to boil/steam it inside the skin, so the insides are soft and mushy for when you need to prepare the filling. To fill 2 cups, half a pumpkin should do the trick. Next, you'll have to beat the eggs inside a large mixing bowl, adding in all the other ingredients as you go along (it's advisable to add the evaporated milk last). So mixing everything together, you should have a filling ready. Make sure that when mashing your pumpkin (is that a euphemism??) you really mash it smoothly to avoid chunks.

For the crust, well that is sort of a family secret. But I can tell you that it involves a) butter, b) digestive/ginger biscuits, and optional c) chopped walnuts.

Baking instructions;
Start by baking for 10 mins. at about 230 deg C
Continue with 40-50 mins at 175 deg C

2. How to Make Fresh Yogurt Good
A lot of cultures actually enjoy fresh yogurt that is unprocessed and without preservatives and added ingredients (i.e. plain and sour). So there has to be a reason why yogurt with fruit at the bottom of a cup hasn't caught on.

One of the reasons why we shouldn't be fooled into thinking we're eating healthy when having a cup of Danone or whatever brand fruit yogurt, is because in order to make sure that the fruit doesn't spoil, a lot of preservatives, high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners are added.

So what I recommend is, buy a tub of fresh yogurt (they come in tubs at the dairy section, usually on the lower shelves). And then, if you feel like having a delicious dessert or breakfast, scoop a few spoonfuls of yogurt into a bowl/mug. Add any chopped fruits you like, or not if you prefer. For flavor, I recommend adding ground cinnamon (always a favorite), and if it's not sweet enough, some honey. It is good shit.

3. Lasagna
I make a pretty good lasagna, if I do say so myself. This is probably one of those dishes that has many variations in terms of filling, cheese quantity and meat. So this is the recipe I picked up from my mom. You'll need;

• 1 box lasagna sheets (San Remo, or whatever brand available)
• red, green, yellow peppers
• onions
• tomatoes
• portabello mushrooms
• canned button mushrooms
  
• 1 pack of minced meat (if there's no minced meat available, you'll have to do with burger patties, not as good, but it'll have to do)
  
• 1/2 a can of tomato puree
• mom's secret! (starts with a 't' and ends with...)
  
• feta, mozzarella, cheddar cheeses

The first step is to precook the meat. First, prepare a large pan/wok, and stir fry some chopped onions. Then, when you see the onions getting a bit yellow in color, add the meat. Distribute it around so you can cook everything evenly. After about 5-10 mins, add the tomato puree. Stir it around a bit for a while and let it simmer. Add the chopped tomatoes to the mix and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, take some time to chop your remaining vegetables! Chop up the peppers, the mushrooms. If you want to add eggplant, by all means. If you like olives, add those too! Put all the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl (my best friend).

Prepare the cheese! Take one or two packs of feta cheese, and squish it in your fists, get them properly smooshed. Add it to the bowl of vegetables and mix! My mom adds something else to the mixture, but I am not supposed to share (unless you are cooking with me). Hint; it is a way to cut the calories while adding to the overall texture of the feta cheese. So in the end you should have a bowl of cheese n vegetables.

OK, the meat you can leave on the stove for the time being. Now prepare the lasagna sheets. It is made the same way you would prepare spaghetti, by boiling it in water. Next, when the lasagna sheets are ready, get a deep dish or pan ready.

For the first layer, pour some of the meat mixture, but not all of it, just enough to cover the base. Next, cover it up with a layer of lasagna sheets. For the next layer, add your vegetable/cheese monstrosity. Again, don't put all of it. Cover this again. Repeat this process until you have reached your final layer and your lasagna sheets have run out. To cover the final layer, place strips of mozzarella cheese on top of the lasagna, along with some cheddar cheese slices. So when you bake it, you have an upper layer of delicious cheese!

Bake at about 180 deg C for about 45 minutes. Again, you can vary this recipe any way you like. The basic idea is to put all the layers there, and to mix your vegetables with feta cheese! It is the bomb.

Hope you guys can try some of these. Next I want to tackle the great New England tradition of fried dough (a childhood favorite) and possibly tacos.
EZ

trying to keep my days full so i won't be lost in thought thinking about whether or not i get accepted.......................... part of that involves not being online too much as well, so yeah. pray for my sanity to remain intact and that god grants me patience.....

ez

wondermark, folks. genius.

whatever hype surrounds gta iv, i buy it. it is goddamn excellent. rockstar, bless your twisted hearts. you have created a monster, and verily it is awesome

who would have thought tegan & sara are pretty cool? fun stuff to work out to. also? iron man. let's go.