candy inside

Really lazy days

2006-06-04T17:18:00.000+08:00

Recently I just cannot afford the time-consuming food preparation anymore...

So tried some frozen foods, again

Even a simple meal, do my best to make it appears healthier,

And more tasty,
When too lazy to wash dishes, just call food delivery,

Update! My bookshelf

2006-06-04T17:00:00.000+08:00

The ones in English...

And the ones in Chinese...

Classical Chinese,
Hitchcock's,
Therapies and regimen

As a whole,

House at Wuhan - Snowy spring

2006-03-21T09:49:00.000+08:00

Black and white

2006-03-14T01:54:00.000+08:00

It is said that at first the king Shah Jahan decided to build two tombs on both sides of the river, a white one for his beloved wife Mamtaz Mahal, and a black one for himself, with a bridge made of black and white marble linked them across the river. However he never had the chance to build the black one....

Taj Mahal

2006-03-12T14:56:00.000+08:00

Chinese Spring Festival in Bangkok

2006-02-11T16:34:00.000+08:00

Dance

Tour along the River

Temple of Dawn

Tailand King

Days in Nepal---Himalayas

2006-01-20T13:44:00.000+08:00

Days in Nepal---buildings

2006-01-15T22:48:00.000+08:00

Hannes' happy new year vacation!

2006-01-13T17:13:00.000+08:00

Abtenau, a ski resort in Austria
(http://www.skimaps.com/Abtenau_skiarea810.html)

Carol singers, as" the three Magi" (Epiphany)

The winter Goddess: Perchta

originally a goddess of vegetation and fertility from German mythology

Quiet X'mas vacation with parents

2005-12-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

kitchen

living room

backyard

entrance

stairs

mah-jong room

Dusk to night

2005-12-19T18:21:00.000+08:00

Filipina

Bay
Santa Town

Tramway

India Travel Tips

2005-12-15T15:55:00.000+08:00

http://www.hoteltravel.com/india/

If there is one place on the face of this Earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when Man began the dream of existence, it is India. - Romain Rolland (French Philosopher 1886-1944)

A Tourist Visa is valid for 6 months from the date of issue and is usually a 90-day visa. A Tourist Visa does not permit the holder to do business or research work in India.

Climate Basically India has a three-season year - the hot, the wet and the cool. The heat starts to build up on the northern plains around April and cools off by September. The monsoon rains begin around June and end August. India's northern cities start getting cool by October and become crisp at night in December. In the far south, it never gets very cold and the temperatures are comfortably warm rather than hot.

Clothing Women should dress conservatively. Avoid tank tops or short skirts/shorts. The best outfit, especially` during the hot summers, is a T-shirt worn with loose cotton trousers.

If you are adventurous, wear the Indian 'salwar-kameez'. It is comfortable and free sized, and you will be amazed at the change of attitude among the shopkeepers, pedestrians and taxicab drivers…suddenly you will be respected! Note: Do not forget to remove your footwear when visiting a place of worship or mausoleum

Food and Drink Drink only bottled water ("Bisleri" mineral water) and always check the seal that can be bought anywhere but best bought from a respectable or known outlet.Try Indian beer - it is quite drinkable.

Curd or yoghurt is served with most meals. It is a natural aid to digestion and helps temper the spicy food.Eat fruit you can peel. For the uninitiated, it would be better to stick to idlies, parothas, plain rice with rasam in the case of vegetarians.

In some of the distant regions food usually remains a problem. Bread, eggs and plantains which are available anywhere are always safe.

Most cities have Chinese restaurants which offer comparatively "milder" food. Wash your hands before and after eating as India can be a pretty dirty place generally.

Social Interaction Try to avoid shaking hands. Greet people with a 'namaste' (hands pressed together at chest level as if in prayer). You will be appreciated for using the Indian style of greeting

Photography is prohibited in some areas including certain government buildings, bridges, railway platforms and some monuments. VCR equipment is allowed at most monuments provided you are not filming for commercial purpose. Do not photograph defence and police personnel in uniform.

Time India is 5 hrs 30 minutes ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) in the winter months India is 4 hrs 30 minutes ahead of GMT. Everything in India takes time, so always give yourself extra time for whatever you may have to do. Indians joke about the concept of "Indian Stretchable Time" (IST).

Other Useful Tips
Dress codes for religious places can include covering your head, being barefoot etc. Ask, so that you don't unwittingly offend anyone.

Most museums in India are closed on Mondays and Site Museums, those near archaeological monuments, on Fridays.

Cows are considered sacred in India, so when you are driving in India do not hit one.

Toll, Kids and Railway in Mumbai

2005-12-15T15:31:00.000+08:00

Buildings in Mumbai

2005-12-15T15:00:00.000+08:00

Mumbai University

Centre Garden

Parkplaza Hotel

Terminal station

India Gate

X'mas in HK island---IFC mall

2005-12-12T16:49:00.000+08:00

X'mas in HK island---Cartoon land

2005-12-12T16:13:00.000+08:00

X'mas in HK island--- Shops

2005-12-12T16:06:00.000+08:00

X'mas in HK island---Central

2005-12-12T15:50:00.000+08:00

Christmas countdown in Vienna

2005-11-28T17:44:00.000+08:00

Hannes described to me how his family celebrate on the First Advent Sunday.
It is the first time I heard about Advent, in fact that is the period beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, a season in preparation for Christmas.

Advent calendar, the bags are fillend with candies...

Advent wreath, made by Hannes' wife...

One more lit candle on every Advent Sunday, then on Christmas Eve there will be four of them...

A varitety of cookies, also made by Hannes' wife...

Christmas markets at university campus...

Go to have a cup of Punsch

Strolling through the stalls

Fried dumpling

2005-11-25T13:18:00.000+08:00

A little busy these days in lab...
Yesterday I decided to eat something that looks and tastes fresh enough, at the same time, easy to prepare.

In frying pan...

Serve ...

Sweety sweety

2005-11-19T10:38:00.000+08:00

Lotus root filled with glutinous rice in coconut cream

1)Choose a section of straight and thick lotus root, chop off one end along cross section and set that end aside;
2)Fill dry glutinous rice into the holes, leave enough space for the increasing volume of the rice while cooking, then lid the choped end in 1) back onto the section and fix with bamboo toothpicks;
3)Boil the lotus root section in water with brown sugar for three hours, then rinse in cold water;
4)Put some coconut cream, brown sugar, Chinese date, haw on the simmer to make the sauce;
5)Finally cut the lotus root section into pieces and sauce with 4).

In hot sauce...

After chilled......

Soup of fried beancurd and mushroom

Some of Hannes' favorites

2005-11-18T14:07:00.000+08:00

Semmelknoedel - Bread Dumplings

The popular boiled dumplings are made from Semmel, a type of Viennese roll. They can be served with meal dishes or gulasch.

And this is Baked Viennese Bread Dumpling with mushroom ragout, a special creation from Hannes' wife ^_^

Vanillekipferl - Vanilla Crescents

Small iced shortbread crescents with ground almonds mixed into the dough.

Simple supper

2005-11-18T13:56:00.000+08:00

Soup of burdock,mushroom and carrot

Macaroni with cheese and garden sauce

Yeast Dumplings

2005-11-14T18:25:00.000+08:00

Hannes just sent me a photo of GERMKNÖDEL, one type of dumplings as typical Austrian dish, which I had never heard about.......

Then I searched for the recipe...and found it:

****************************************

GERMKNÖDEL (Yeast Dumplings)

1 lb flour
1/2 pint milk
1 oz yeast
1-2 eggs
2-3.5 oz butter
2 oz sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
plum jam
1.5-2 oz butter
2 oz ground poppy seed

1.Form a dough out of some lukewarm milk, flour, sugar and yeast.
2.Let rise.
3.Add the rest of the flour, milk, eggs, butter and a bit of salt to make a rich dough.
4.Knead this well and let rise again.
5.Take a little bit of dough at a time, fill with very thick plum jam and form dumplings.
6.Simmer for 30-40 minutes in a covered pot.
7.Serve with hot butter, poppy seed (or bread crumbs) and sugar.
_________________
http://www.austria.org/sep99/dumplings.html
***************************************************

Dumplings,Dumplings,Dumplings...

The well-known and ever extensible versatility of the dumpling is demonstrated by the variations from country to country, from region to region, from house to house, from generation to generation. It is believed its fans do not simply read recipes but uses them as a starting point for imaginative, and thus also for inventive, cooking.

It is all the same whether the dumplings to be prepared are naked or blind (without filling or seasoning apart from pepper and salt), or are filled (with meat, sausage, vegetables, fruit or whatever), or fried in dripping or boiled in a cloth such as a table napkin.

Dumplings as garnish and main dish are generally bulky, but cannot be distinguished in their function as main or subsidiary matter. No matter what dumpling serves as main dish, great care is needed in the choice of accompanients.

Sweet Dumplings are indeed esteemed mostly as dessert but are also enjoyed as main dish. It is easy to understand that the size of sweet dumplings varies according to their role as dessert or main dish.
_________________
Source: "Nur Knödel" by Helmreich/Stau-dinger; published 1993 in Austria by Verlag Christian Brandstätter; out of print

Sunday alone

2005-11-14T11:14:00.000+08:00

I expected to go to the movies 'The Legend of Zorro' (to see Antonio Banderas : )) , but in the past month I was always occupied in some other activities at weekends. Now for the first Sunday at my leisure, I'm not in the mood for any outdoor activities......so I stayed at home and spent my whole weekend on reading novels, only interrupted by meals and a nap. Before supper I finished three books---a quite efficient reader.

Mushroom, gingko nut and cauliflower

Curd of soybean oil with carrot and onion

Add some celery...

Or cook with brown rice....

Pastry making

2005-11-10T15:50:00.000+08:00

Mix some cheese with mashed potato; Add an egg and salt, cook it dry in frying pan;

Then make a layer by pressing before cool; Pour chocolate liqueur on surface and chill in refrigerator; Finally cut into small pieces, adhere two pieces on the chocolate surface, and coat every cake with milk powder.

Serve......

Lunch set

2005-11-09T10:37:00.000+08:00

Brown rice cooked with macaroni, carrot, cauliflower and tomato

Lettuce salad

Carrot and sweet pepper with onion

New Report

2005-11-07T10:53:00.000+08:00

Add some cheese into the filling

Wonton...

Add an egg, a little sesame oil and some soy into the filling

In frying pan...

Serve hot

Color and shape....

yummy ! ......

Porridge

Brown rice cooked with......

2005-11-02T10:00:00.000+08:00

Sweet corn, mushroom, Chinese date, lily corm, white haricot bean, gingko nut

...And Jew's-ear

Vegetable salad

New dance shoes

2005-10-31T15:49:00.000+08:00

Good quality for such a bargain here ^_^
Wish their lives can be long enough to see my improved skills......

other snacks

Single 's weekend supper

2005-10-29T18:54:00.000+08:00

Gingko nuts and lily corm?

Quite delicious bean curd

Soup of Job's-tears, gingko nuts and white haricot bean

Mustard & Alfalfa with curd of soy bean oil

cabbage with mushroom

Ebony

Fresh breakfast for vegetarian

2005-10-29T10:55:00.000+08:00

Mustard & Alfalfa with tremella and a variety of mushroom

Mustard & Alfalfa in mashed potato

Sweet corn

Gifts from Vienna

2005-10-28T10:42:00.000+08:00

My penpal Hannes is a middle aged engineerer who sounds and looks quite young and energetic at his age. He travels a lot during vacation, and this time he has three days in Hongkong from his Asian trip timetable. While I could not leave my work in the daytime, we only had a Peak tour together on the day he arrived, and a farewell dinner on the eve of his departure. We talked much about the differences and similarities of our lives: meals and snacks, job market, family relationships, city surroundings, etc. Really quite happy conversation with him, face to face in the real world. By the way, the chocolate he brought taste good : )

SISSI TALER Chocolate

Mozart Chocolate Liqueur

View from the Peak

My dessert

2005-10-24T16:47:00.000+08:00

Even for a lazy guy, there are quite a few choices....

But at weekends we do have the choice to clear the fridge by preparing some colorful foods...

Mashed sweet potato with cauliflower

Mashed carrot and white potato

Soup of tremella and gingko nut

My lunch

2005-10-24T15:24:00.000+08:00

pasta with wonton
Job's-tears with gingko nut

cauliflower with mushroom and carrot
cabbage with a variety of mushroom
lettuce with bean curd and carrot

MOVIE---The brothers Grimm

2005-09-25T16:24:00.000+08:00

Monica asked me to accompany her in a party held at a Mid-level apartment, in fact, she had been invited by her handsome French penpal...and his girlfriend. Thirty minutes before the party I refused to come since it was windy so hard that all I want is to stay in my cozy room with a cup of hot tea, just to receive a long emotional lecture on the meaning of 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'. Then I decided to come even it was pouring knives outside.

http://miramax.com/thebrothersgrimm/

MOVIE---The Skeleton Key

2005-09-21T17:29:00.000+08:00

It was mid-autumn, one more weekend with Derek. He want to persuade his boss to suspend his journey to Malaysia so he could spend the October holiday with his parents, who now live with their eldest son and the baby granddaughter in a newly developed spacious apartment. Derek himself is highly adaptable, compared with me he eat nothing, and he would lie on the table or the floor for the night day after day if there are no bed. Again, the considerate man will leave to another country far away from me, and again, it is me who suggest him to pursue a brand new working surrounding.

I choose to go to the movies after a lonely and boring Monday morning at lab, I need some exciting plot. I was a little late for the ticket but I felicitate myself that I didn't miss it. Even I know it is impossible to exchange the soul like that, not to mention making use of others' young body to continue the life forever, I could not put the images of the black couple out of my mind at night !

http://www.theskeletonkeymovie.com/

The Skeleton Key

Directed by Iain Softley
Writing credits (WGA) Ehren Kruger (written by)

Genre: Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller (more)

Tagline:
It can open any door.
You will believe.
Fearing Is Believing.

Plot Outline:
A young woman helping care for an invalid in New Orleans finds herself caught in the middle of morbid going-ons centered around a group of Hoodoo practitioners.

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some partial nudity and thematic material.
Runtime: 104 min
Country: USA
Language: English / French
Color: Black and White / Color
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification: Argentina:13 / Brazil:14 / Hong Kong:IIB / Peru:14 / Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) / USA:PG-13 / Ireland:15A / UK:15 / Finland:K-15 / Germany:16 / Norway:15 / Netherlands:16 / New Zealand:R13 / Australia:M / USA:R (original rating) / Sweden:11 / Canada:13+ (Quebec) / Czech Republic:15 / Philippines:PG-13 / Singapore:PG

Goofs:
Continuity: When Caroline is reporting for her interview, she steps out of her car and walks up to the house for the first time. We see her back from the car's side mirror. In reality, the car is parked (and she walked) in a direction that would not allow her to be visible in the car's side mirror.

Quotes:
Caroline Ellis: I told you I wanted a black one this time.
Luke: You know the black ones always run away.

MOVIE---Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-08-24T17:05:00.000+08:00

It was raining and raining and raining on Saturday that I spent the whole day at lab watching Sex and the city. In fact I think Friends is more suitable for a girl like me, who just want to see how people chatting in an easy way, how ordinary people get into troubles and... Hahaha!

Affairs are necessity for plays, but I am still not used to see one affair after another just for serious discussion about sex. So that is the reason why I choose this movie as the very beginning of the next day, my real happy weekend.

Still I booked the ticket at IFC cinema on the eve of my holiday, but this time alone without Derek. I am right, Johnny Depp did not let me down, that morning put me in a merry mood all day long. I heard laughs from the kids around me, mostly for the Oompa Loompa's song and dance, or maybe partly from Deep Roy's serious look. It is said that Deep Roy played every Oompa-Loompa himself, repeating the same movements several hundred times. While these were then put together digitally, each Oompa-Loompa represents a separate performance by Roy. In recognition of this, Roy's salary was raised to $1,000,000.

http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com/

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA: Rated PG for quirky situations, action and mild language.
Runtime: 115 min
Country: USA / UK / Australia
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS

Certification: Australia:PG / USA:PG / UK:PG / Ireland:PG / Canada:G (British Columbia) / Brazil:Livre / Czech Republic:12 / Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) / Singapore:PG / Germany:6 / Mexico:A / Philippines:G / Peru:PT / Norway:7 / Argentina:Atp / Hong Kong:I / Portugal:M/6

The lyrics to four of the five musical numbers in the movie were written by Dahl himself.

Welcome Puppets: Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolatier / Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, everybody give a cheer / He's modest, clever, and so smart, he barely can restrain it / With so much generosity, there is no way to contain it, to contain it, to contain.... to contain... to contain... / Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, he's the one that you're about to meet / Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, he's a genius who just can't be beat / The magician and the chocolate whiz / The best darn guy who ever lived / Willy Wonka, here he is!

Oompa Loompa: Listen close, and listen hard / The tale of Violet Beauregarde / This dreadful girl she sees no wrong / Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / She goes on chewing till at last / Her chewing muscles grow so fast / And from her face her giant chin / Sticks out just like a violin / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / For years and years she chews away / Her jaws get stronger every day / And with one great tremendous chew / They bite the poor girl's tongue in two / And that is why we try so hard / To save Miss Violet Beauregarde / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long / Chewing, chewing all day long.

Oompa Loompa: Veruca Salt, the little brute / Has just gone down the garbage chute / And she will meet as she descends / A rather different set of friends / A rather different set of friends / A rather different set of friends / A fish head for example cut / This morning from a halibut / An oyster from an oyster stew / A steak that no-one else would chew / And lots of other things as well / Each with its rather horrid smell / These are Veruca's newfound friends / That she will meet as she descends / These are Veruca's newfound friends / Who went and spoiled her / Who indeed? Who pandered to her every need? / Who turned her into such a brat? / Who are the culprits, who did that? / The guilty ones - now this is sad / Are dear old mum and loving dad.

Oompa Loompa: The most important thing that we've ever learned / The most important thing we've learned as far as children are concerned / Is never, never let them near a television set, or better still just don't install the idiotic thing at all. / It rots the senses in the head / It kills imagination dead / It clogs and clutters up the mind / It makes a child so dull and blind / He can no longer understand a fairytale, in fairyland / His brain becomes as soft as cheese / His thinking powers rust and freeze / He cannot think, he only sees / Regarding little Mike Teavee, we very much regret that we / Shall simply have to wait and see / Wwe very much regret that we / Shall simply have to wait and see / If we can get him back to size / But if we can't / It serves him right!

MOVIE---Sin City

2005-06-06T04:34:00.000+08:00

I spent another Sunday morning in Palace IFC cinema with Derek. This time it is Frank Miller's "Sin City". The "raw, gritty atmosphere, great acting, the superb production value, and the innovative 'look' of the movie' is really quite attractive, but I do not think it is suitable for the ones who are not very confident about his mental health.

http://hem2.passagen.se/fm4/sincity.html

Frank Miller's Sin City (USA)
MPAA: Rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue.
Runtime: 124 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color / Black and White
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS

Certification: Australia:MA / Canada:16+ (Quebec) / Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) / Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) / Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba/Prince Edward Island) / Denmark:15 / Finland:K-18 / France:-12 / Germany:18 / Hong Kong:III / Ireland:18 / Italy:VM14 / Japan:R-15 / Malaysia:(Banned) / Netherlands:16 / Norway:18 / Singapore:R21 / South Korea:18 / Spain:18 / Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) / UK:18 / USA:R

Trivia:
Leonardo DiCaprio was originally up for the role of Junior but eventually declined the role, which later went to Nick Stahl.