syncopation

Now Showing: Prep and enjoy high tea within 2 minutes (from scratch!)

Scones serve with strawberry jam and cream is one of my many favourite food.

Ever since having morning tea at work on last Wednesday, I was craving for scones and tea for the entire week.

After a-day-long scone hunting, I found that very few places in Melbourne offer scones – Baker’s Delight and Hopetoun Tea Rooms are one of the very few places. (If you are familiar with Hopetoun, you probably know how quick they run out of GOOD stuff EVERYDDAY.) Plus I am broke, so going to Hopetoun every time I crave for scones is clearly not an option – not that they ever have scones every time I visit any way!!!

Yesterday I finally committed to what I have said after I left Ridley – I made scones! (If you didn’t know, we often enjoyed the most yummy snacks in the world at Monday supper – freshly made pancakes and scones, cheese and cracker, nachos… to name a few.) I invited Kitty over for lunch and afternoon tea while we were out to Victoria Market on Saturday.

Here comes my debut time-lapse movie and high tea, enjoy!

Let’s high tea! (economy version) on Vimeo

It’s an unfortunate that we can’t share smell and taste over the internet, they were very yummy!

My Detox Plan you said? What?

NB. I also had cheese and cracker at drinks day… so maybe you can predict my next craving :P

I’m gonna sue you if you make me sit next to this disgusting person!

I usually hate forwarded e-mails, but I think this is a really good one so I would like to share it with you guys.

This scene took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.

A white woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black man.
Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air hostess.

You obviously do not see it then? she responded. You placed me next to a black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat.

“Be calm please,” the hostess replied. “Almost all the places on this flight Are taken. I will go to see if another place is available.”

The hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later. “Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in the Economy Class. I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there is also no seat in the Business Class. All the same, we still have one place in the First Class.”

Before the woman could say anything, the hostess continued. “It is not usual for our company to permit someone from the Economy Class to sit in the First Class. However, given the circumstances, the captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone sooooo disgusting.”

She turned to the black guy, and said, “Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in First Class.”

At that moment, the other passengers, who’d been shocked by what they had just witnessed, stood up and applauded. This is a true story. If you are against racism, please send this message to all your friends; please do not delete it without sending it to at least one person.

Aside from BA’s recent workers’ protest that creates a huge disturbance to all other air companies. British Airways had at least done something right before!

I love pelicans :)

So besides photos, we have also taken some videos during the trip. I especially wanna share the following clips with you guys:

Looking for food–

Looking for food on Vimeo

Feed Me!–

Feed me! on Vimeo

Mac Recipe: Make Acutal Phone Calls via Quicksilver!

Call your friends via Quicksilver!, originally uploaded by Straußer.

I don’t know what brough me to this impromptu exploration of Quicksilver. I am pretty sure many people out there would know about this trick, but I have never read it anywhere else. (Maybe I have but then I forgot.) So I figure I could share it to all of you!

Ingredients needed:

1. First, make sure you have get all the ingredients listed above.
2. Then, make sure your Quicksilver has Phone module & Bluetooth module installed. If unsure, check preference > Plug-in > All Plug-in. Make sure the two boxes of Phone module & Bluetooth module are checked.
3. Turn on the bluetooth connection of your mobile phone!
4. Trigger your quicksilver (e.g. mine is double-option)
5. Type a contact’s name that you have got an actual phone number in the address book.
6. Press than right arrow on the keyboard – and QS should let you browse the contact details of that contact.
7. After you chose the number of that contact you want to dial, click tab.
8. Scroll until you’ve select Dial with in the middle box as illustrated above.
9. QS should prompt you with the third box – choose Bluetooth and click return!
10. Oh your phone is dialing now!!!

NB. I just realise the steps are soooo clumsy, I should do a screencast tomorrow – hold tight!

Academy Awards update

Am I a little bit too behind? I only know it’s been another year when the new list of Oscar nominees is out.

I haven’t watched all the movies, but here’re a couple thoughts on the some of the nominees:

Best Picture

Actress – Leading

Actor – Supporting

Costume Design

Directing

Screenplay – Adapted

Now I really wanna go watch Dreamgirls, Babel (regardless that it stars Brad Pitt), Little Children, Note on a Scandal, Volver, The Black Dahlia, Marie Antoinette, Pan’s Labyrinth, Little Miss Sunshine and Blood Diamond.

The long due photos from last July…

Yay!!! The pictures from last July’s road trip @ Australia are finally ready to be viewed!

This was our itinerary:

Melbourne » Geelong » Great Ocean Road » 12 Apostles » Melbourne » Canberra » Blue Mountain » Sydney » Central Coast » Port Stephens » Port Macquarie » Coffs Harbour » Gold Coast » Brisbane » Gold Coast » Brisbane » Melbourne

NB, It took me 3 days to organise and edit all the pictures, and 3 MORE days to upload just half of them. (And I haven’t even tagged or edited the titles!) What a nightmare of digital cameras.

Can I grab your first/fake name please?

Imaginary Scenario begin;

Staff: Hi, how may I help you?
Me: Um…umm… Can I have a tall soy latte to go? hold on… no, I will have a medium chai with soy please.
Staff: Sure, that’d be $3.80.
Me: There you go.
Staff: And can I grab your name?
Me: urgh… urgh… Bob.

Imaginary Scenario end.

What’s your Starbucks name? – Slashfood

Giving fake names seems to be a growing trend, especially at the coffee giant’s many outlets. Instead of giving their real name, people are being pretty darn creative: Frankenstein, Ben Affleck, Bartholomew, even Darth Vader and Chewbacca have all been given as names from customers. Some girls go by the name “Bob” (hey!), and one man just goes by “The Man.”

I do not work in Starbucks nor do I visit Starbucks often. (I swore I won’t go to Starbucks for any coffee!) But I do have a similar first-hand experience at Boost – Imimi used my name to order a pure lemon juice for herself. Of course it didn’t really matter to me. It just felt weird being called when you are damn sure that you’ve ordered nothing.

Just a piece of advise, if you decide to be creative with your names, you gotta work on your memory too. As you may forget what you’ve called yourself 5 minutes ago. (I would! That’s why I always stick to my real name.)

My Detox Plan

Minmin, I need your help: I am determined to get rid of my long due freshman 15 and get into my skinny jeans nicely!

YES:

water, green tea, lemon, almond, banana, tuna, salmon, tomato, chicken breast, peach, nectarine, grapes, multi-grain bread, butter, sweet potato, celery, carrot, weetbix, soy milk, walking, sit-ups, push-ups, prunes, swimming, squash

NO:

Coffee (it’s impossible to imagine the energy intake I gain from JUST coffee each day)

currently: 120 lb
target: 105 lb

Sem 1 Timetable (Provisional)

ER – 5 cliffhangers until Feb 1

Just watched ER’s new episode 13×13 A House Divided.

We all know Kerry is leaving ER. This episode is actually the last episode we are going to see Laura Innes as Kerry Weaver. In my opinion, Weaver’s exit episode has been way better than Carter’s – at least we get some decent acting and speeches from other characters. I don’t know since when I’ve liked Kerry/Abby interaction but the following scene in the lounge is really top notch.

I like how this episode has wrapped up the character of Weaver e.g. her past interaction with Ray and that he is still intimidated by Weaver from time to time. I also like that when Ray suggests hug/kisses and Weaver went with hand shakes, but when Luka puts his hand out for a hand shake, Weaver pulls him into a hug – there’s a different degree of closeness between the characters when it comes to Weaver – TPTB is finally thinking a bit clearer.

In regard to Eddie/Abby relationship… I must first confess that I have been spoiled for too long for this story line, so I wasn’t surprised at all. However, the one thing I don’t like is how TPTB portray Luka’s feelings toward how Abby cares about Eddie. I am not saying that Luka doesn’t have the right to be jealous or sceptical about Eddie. Contrastingly, I actually think there isn’t enough tension to make the audience interest in whatsoever this Eddie is going to affect Abby/Luka/ER.

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