"Score one for Internet justice"

So I got this little writing gig going on which really sucks so I’m not gonna say anymore bout it cos this blog is not gonna be bout things that suck.

Anyway, it’s almost Chinese New Year again. Looks like most of the popular places selling really pineapple tarts are all sold out. Looked at the pussywillows on sale this year and they really looked bad so decided to get this other auspicious new year plant instead. Sorry, but I don’t know the English name for it. It’s supposed to last a year and the twists at the top, they symbolize your luck improving, increasing, raising up etc. By the way, I didn’t tie those red ribbons. The lady who sold them offered to do it for me. ;)

One of the cool things I discovered is Kotaku.com. If you are a gamer of any sort, go visit it. It updates very regularly and its not just games, there are also lots of social commentary. My recent fav has to be last week’s Mass Effect/FOX News/CooperLawrence fiasco. Go Google it! It’s worth it! Basically, its bout ultra right-wing FOX News inviting Cooper Lawrence (some self-help author guru) to trash Mass Effect, the video game, calling it porn, bad for kids and so on (even though the average age of today’s gamer is like in his late-20s to 30s). Of cos, it’s all not true and Ms Lawrence even admitted to never even playing it but they STILL continued to do a witchhunt on it. No research was done for the news report, they just took a swing at the game.

Well, EA (Electronics Arts) the makers of Mass Effect issued a statement pointing out all the mistakes in the news segment but FOX refused to apologize. Then comes the cool part, the Internet gaming communities … they spammed her book at Amazon! At one time, there were over 400 one-star reviews! I saw them! Amazon had to keep deleting them! It was huge, hilarious and all over the Internet news!

After all, since she was so quick to condemn a product she never used/played, why can’t people do the same to her book? Score one for Internet justice!

She finally apologized on The New York Times over the weekend and admitted that the game isn’t porn at all (having watched someone play for over 2 hours). Nothing from FOX News though.

"That didn't come out right"

I was just thinking the other day bout how some kinds of food that most folks don't normally like that, well, I do!

1. Raw onions. I really like them. There was once I even asked for extra onions on my Subway sandwiches. But I kinda stopped that since I realized that although I love the taste of onions, its the lingering aftertaste that I (and people around me obviously) ain't crazy about.

2. Garlic. See above. Hah!

3. Cod Liver Oil. I love the white sticky liquid, ok, that didn't come out right. Been drinking Scott's Emulsion Cod Liver Oil since I was a kid and almost everyone I have met till today, can't stand the taste.

4. Chinese medicine. Well, I have drank my fair share of really foul tasting. Ok, it's not that I like taking them but it's just that I don't mind taking them I guess.

As for things that lots of people like, but I don't ... well, off the top of my head, I can only think of two right now.

1. Chilli or hot spicy stuff. My entire family loves them except me. Growing up, I saw my aunts, uncles and parents eat all kinds of hot stuff. My mom even grew her own chili padi and would bring to the dinner table. I would play with them but never eat them.

2. Almond desserts. Lots of people love Chinese almond desserts but I just don't like the taste. It's a weird taste that's neither sweet or sour or anything to me.

Here's a cup of Chinese tea that I enjoyed at the Imperial Herbal at VivoCity. Sorry for the fuzzy pix. There's a whole bunch of herbs and flowers in it. Let's see now, there's wolfberries, lychees, rose petals and ... er ... bunch of other stuff.

"Right down to the secret hidden bookcases"

This morning I paid off my entire mortgage and am now officially debt free and loan free! The apartment is mine, yup, right down to the secret hidden bookcases.

Strange thing that's been happening since the beginning of the year ... I been dreaming again almost every nite for like, the past couple of weeks. This is after months of dreamless sleep. Now I'm not complaining at all as I love my dreams as you can see here and here. So you can imagine how I felt when those ... 'adventures' started all over again, every nite. Crap, I hope I haven't jinxed it by writing bout it.

"It's a crab fest"

A great crab dinner is one of my favorite meals. Back home, it's a rare trip to the famous No Signboard Seafood Restaurant, really that's their name. My usual would be the White Pepper Crab. I actually had it yesterday with company before I headed back home alone, and had my fruity vodka.

So it's no surprise that while in Osaka, I found myself in one of their famous crab restaurants. I really don't know the English name for it. I remember Anthony Bourdain reviewing it in one of his TV shows. He didn't go in, he ate at the small stall outside the joint.

We had one of the many the sampler meals thatconsisted of eight (I think) different small crab dishes. You got your crab salad, crab tempura, grilled crab, crab sashimi, baked crab and others that I can’t remember right now. It’s a crab fest! Every little and I do mean little, dish was a pure delight. But just not enough meat, like those big Sri Lankan crabs back home I guess.

Here's the first dish which is kinda like a salad, I guess. After that, I can't really remember what came after that. Hah. But everything tasted great and as you can see, the portions aren't that big.

The one directly above is a sashimi dish while the one below is given the tempura treatment.

Next is the crab sushi and finally we got the green tea dessert. The hot matcha was actually poured onto the vanilla ice cream. Of cos, there were other crab dishes like the baked crab that I forgot to take. Heh.

There's even a handy urn to dump your empty crab shells!

"Do the maracas with the lot"

Well, it's a Saturday nite and here I am at home alone ... listening to Take That on my iTunes and trying to get drunk, well, the key word here is 'trying'. I think I am a little drunk since I just admitted to listening to Take That. Heh.

These pix were just taken bout an hour ago. Take a whole bottle of Classic Juice, apple and peach flavor, and a bottle of Absolut Vodka Peach.

Mix them with bout 1/4 of the Vodka to the entire bottle of juice. Add in the ice, do the maracas with the lot. Ah, its Tom Petty now ... cruising through the 't' s in my iTunes. ;)

Then pour them out out into a beer glass. Well, that's the only glass I had that was big enough.

oh, and if you think I haven't got anymore Osaka stuff, well, you are wrong ... I still another piece to write bout that. Heh. That one is gonna be on food with more food pix!