stop and think

ever since I created my blogger account, I've thought of blogging about numerous things but not yet about things that inspire, intrigues, find funny or possess an opinion on something. in the 15 blogs I've posted thus far, I've mainly typed about some events of notable significance that has occurred in my life while keeping others confidential.

I think this entry shall solely be for the purpose of sharing my philosophy as in beliefs or thoughts in life reflected upon in photos. its lovely to know that other people out there share the same point of view. I shall get this type of blog rolling with some lovely photos that just makes me think, like 'yes, that is so true' and wonder things such as 'what could have been'.
along the line of 'photos/pictures saying/telling a thousand words', I shall discontinue typing and hopefully leave you thinking. sneak peek: I will blog about what I did on my sizzling Thursday including the after exam party I attended in the evening hopefully with some photos if Nancy uploads them soon enough. until next time, enjoy life wherever you are.

the French influence

Bonjour! I'm finished for exams. what now? what lies ahead, around the corner or bend? sad, mad and/or bad times? likely, very likely. hopefully I'll get to experience more fun and less sun during the summer. mother nature has already provided us with a sneak peek of what this summer has installed for us. a lengthy blockbuster movie filled with action, comedy, drama and possibly some romance here we come. life is unpredictable and has endless possibilities so who knows what will happen next.

anyway, let me get those avid readers updated, last week my French cousin and her 2 friends came to stay at my house. they have been travelling for about a month and basically covered the east coast of Australia. ultimately, my Friday was spent getting to know them and testing my limited French (Francais) vocab on them to see if they understood. not much studying was done there, so Saturday and Sunday I limited myself to the length of time spent with them and studied instead. I was content with the amount I studied as I understood the topics required for the macroeconomics exam. (French Flag)

(Paris, France my cousin's home city)
--> fastforward to monday. exams completed, personal thoughts deemed satisfaction with the performance. after completing my final exam, I stayed with a few friends before bidding them 'au revoir' (goodbye). I then left to go to the computer labs to stream some episodes of 30 rock while waiting for my French cousin to give me a call as she & her fellow friends wanted to go to the beach. after receiving that call, I made my way to Flinders to greet them and direct them to St Kilda beach, only after taking my time to finish an episode. unlike my macro exam, I was ill prepared for the beach and didn't bring any extra clothing to change into. anywho, I still made my way into the water as we found a nice spot on the sand. however, the water presented us with numerous dead jelly fishes. I do believe they weren't box jelly fishes or any other poisonous jelly fishes but my cousin steered clear of the water. I ventured into the cool soothing water with one of her friends and waded past several floating jelly fishes until water reached my upper thighs.

the moments in the water were short lived, even if the day was a sizzling one because I didn't want to travel on trams and trains soaked from feet to head. fortunately, one of my cousin's friends asked 2 guys if it was ok for us to play cards with them. to the eye I thought they were just regular Australians chilling out on the beach but as some people say 'You can't judge a book by its cover' and found out they were two cool Canadians that can withstand the glaring sun. when I was within earshot of normal speaking level, I heard their accents and asked them whether they were Americans. my mistake, this isn't the first time I've met a Canadian in Melbourne and once again I failed to distinguish where they were from. initially, I cautiously approached playing cards with them but soon grew to get a long with these two new Canadian guys I've just met. their names were Matthew & Cody and both were surprisingly the same age as me. they are just fortunate enough to travel a lot and through many parts of the world instead of studying for their first year after graduating from high school.

fortunately, the card game my cousin's friend wanted to play, were also recognised by M&C. this game was called 'arsehole' with a few minor adjustments from each group's understanding of the game. I'm still new to the game as I've only learnt how to play it a few days beforehand. it was great meeting M&C as they shared stories of their adventures thus far and their future plans after they leave Melbourne. it was nice hearing new intriguing stories and for me definitely unexpected when I set foot on St Kilda beach that day. before we knew it the time flew by and it was past 6pm and we all headed home together on the same train. I didn't exchange contacts with them but we did take this photo of them which shall be a cool memory in my life. hopefully soon or in a few years, me and a few friends can travel together to Europe. (Cody&Matthew)from then on, the week took me on a whole new adventure each day. you learn or do something new whether it be small or significant. my cousin cooked some nice french food including crepes (pancakes in french) which I unfortunately didn't try as I wasn't feeling hungry and they were all gone. however, I did enjoy a delectable meal consisting of potatoes, cream and cheese which I have no idea what the name of it is. I better conclude this blog entry soon, so just to say briefly my cousin and her friends said they all had a great and fun time. (Crepes!)
but wait theres more. thursday, was a nice trip to Mornington beach with my family including my cousin Jenny, aunt and French cousin along with her two friends. the beach was a quaint, petite and seemingly secluded beach where I could just let myself free. fun and relaxation were bountiful. I consumed a pleasant lunch prior to hitting the water and sand and applying a substantial amount of sunscreen to shield my skin from the beaming sun rays. end result, I come back with partially tanned skin on one side of each leg where my shorts didn't extend.

Friday, was the last day of my French cousin's holiday in Melbourne as she and one of her friends were heading home to Paris. this didn't deter us and we went to watch 2012 at the cinemas. at the outset of 2012, I thought to myself 'what the heck was going on'. however, as the seconds and minutes ticked by, the movie began to unravel itself and I began to enjoy it more. along with its explosions and visual effects, the movie featured a few sentimental moments and zeitgeist issues that face us. all in all, the movie was pretty good even though some of the events that took place in the movie are fictitious. after the movie, we went home where we had time for one last dinner of 'Lau'. delicious! after taking a few snaps as a mementos and then I bid 'au revoir' and my goodbyes in front of my house. there I stood as my family's camry sped off into the distance to airport, taking my French cousin and her friends with it.

first name Taylor, last name Swift

for all those Taylor Swift fans out there, this one is for you. so Judy this one goes out to you because I know you're such a big fan of T-Swizzle. (above: Taylor Swift in a lovely black dress)
'she wear short skirts, I wear t-shirts. shes cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time' (singing off key with passion)

ah that was an excerpt of lyrics from the wonderfully composed song called 'You belong with Me' written by Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift, wondering why I am blogging about her? simple reason. my admiration for her music has grown ever since I've listened to her Fearless album, where a platinum edition has been recently released with new songs such as 'Jump then Fall'. I know its not the normal type of music I listen to but I really enjoy it and I can relate to some of the lyrics. (above: album cover for Fearless Platinum Edition)

I have heard previous songs on her previous album such as 'Teardrops on my guitar' or 'Our song' but it didn't grab as much of my attention like 'You belong with me' or 'Love Story'. I guess like some people say the rest is history, rather I shall state that she is amazing. so amazing that I considered attending her concert with some friends when she tours over here next year. (sorry Judy) maybe someday soon she'll rise up to the ranks of The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Vampire Weekend and The Shins as some of my favourites.

last Friday, while I was watching NBA (Chicago Bulls vs San Antonio Spurs), when I suddenly remembered that Ellen was on. I switched channels and to my delight Taylor Swift was a guest on the Ellen show. I tuned in for the rest of the interview until the commercial break came on where I flicked back to basketball. the promo before the ad break screened Taylor & Ellen writing a song and to my disappointment when I switched back, that it was just a short segment where Ellen was trying to get Taylor to say a magic word 'Spiral Staircase'. I think when someone says the magic word then the audience, all get a prize. (above: Taylor Swift on Ellen show on Friday, Thursday show American time)
it was a nice little interview where they talked about her music, new platinum fearless album and new movie she will be in named 'Valentine's Day'. Ellen as per usual, casually queried Taylor about the rumours of how she and Taylor Lauter guy from Twilight might be seeing each other as they recently attended an ice hockey game together.

something else I found out from the interview was that she writes all her songs and they are written in under 30 minutes. thats awesome, I do that as well and they just come naturally. its either I write it down and remember or it shall go away just like that. I guess me and Taylor should collaborate someday. that reminds me, I should resume writing some more songs/poems after my exams end. anyway this will probably be my last blog until after exams. good luck for your exams, that is if you do have any. cheers

p.s. below is a video clip of Taylor Swift being pranked by Ellen Degeneres which is quite funny. enjoy!

food, food and more food

(above: an oddly shaped cherry I discovered)

the title certainly caught the attention of some people. something I'm also certain about is when I say that everyone who will read this would not have tried all the varieties of food available in the world.
some people in this world are more fortunate than others and go around sampling and consuming foods from many locations around a city, country or even the world. they then critique and judge the quality of the food produced. its a part of their job description under the title in bold stating 'Food Critic'.
I think these people disregard any human feelings that people like chefs or cooks can be hurt after being slandered, as a result of one of little creations is imperfect or could use a bit more salt. wouldn't it be nice for these people to take a breather and relax on the assessment and instead have their job title being reinstated as 'Food Precautionary Adviser'. their new role would be slightly altered to consume food and warn the general public of any potential hazards such as food poisoning in consuming a certain 'food' in a particular location. with all due respect, a food critic's job is a good one, just hoping they can be less of harsh thats all.

not sounding too contradicting, I myself consumed a delicious chicken parmigiana on Monday at a location where I finally dined at with some friends from uni. the walk was definitely worth it where we had a nice chat and my friends began to wonder where I was leading them. my friends even thanked me for taking there like I was the one who cooked the parma. the parma was served with garden salad and french fries. on the side, drinks were included. if you want to know where it is, you can ask or I might randomly take you there myself if you were in the mood for a parma.

back to the blog, food can be taken to granted by so many people that we know and probably even ourselves. my grandma once told me something. although I can't remember it vividly, but the fact that I remember is either because she may have utilised an intimidating tone for an old lady or the wise truth she told me after. I can only say I remember eating food possibly at a temple and probably left the bowl on the table as a signal that I was finished with some food left. my grandma looming over my then petite stature beaming down and implored how many people are starving and not to waste food again as its a sin. from that day on, I attempt to not waste food again even if it means struggling to move after a meal. now I just try to only obtain a reasonable size serving of food in an attempt not to waste. I admit sometimes I misjudge my stomach'sability to hold food but I don't eat much.

I just hope that we all can appreciate food more as many people out there around the world right now are hungry. not the hunger that we know, where we would just groan and moan when without some sort of snack that will satisfy our cravings and hunger but the hunger where people starve and would almost eat anything consumable to survive. as you read this, people constantly die of this sort of hunger. its sad but true.

thanks to my grandma, I appreciate food more. optimistically, I'll be able to travel the world and enjoy many other countries and culture's delicacies. expectantly, over the summer I will be able to finally have cooking sessions with friends where we can create our own version of recipes and critique ourselves if we please and warn each other of any possible consequences of consuming them. I remember that one my friends baked a salty cake which was disguised with M&Ms to make it appealing to the eye but not the mouth. (top left: friend's salty m&ms covered mud cake)

hopefully, these cooking sessions will enhance my cooking skills and enable me to move away from resorting to mi goreng or throwing all sorts of food in a bowl or dish for whatever my heart desires. this is while ambitiously inventing something wonderful that other people might enjoy. however, in the end, the only person that these creations is for, is me and I will be the only one who can critique, assess or judge it. unfortunately, it means that I can't prevent myself of an upset stomach. (below: one of my random creation through combining, vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and sprinkles served on top of 4 Danish cookies, while a tootsie roll lies on the summit)

horchata

horchata is a name for a type of drink containing ground grains or nuts. it is apparently a sweet drink which originated from Spain where it is made by tigernuts (chufas) or hazelnuts with the addition of sugar and water. horchata is mainly popular in other hispanic countries and ingredients may vary. (below: horchata on the right, and probably a churro on the left)
thats about as much as I know about 'Horchata', the drink as I've never heard of it this time last week. what led to my discovery of this drink that I initially thought was an alcoholic beverage? what caused me to go and do some research on this intriguing drink? well, Vampire Weekend is the answer. for those who are going 'what the heck is Vampire Weekend?' i suggest you go on google and type it and start listening. anyways, last week they released their first single, funnily enough named 'Horchata', from their forthcoming album 'Contra'. their sophomore album is due to be released on the 12th of January which I'm highly excited about. I'm also hoping they tour Melbourne soon but I can wait. its unfortunate they're not playing a gig in Melbourne when they are going to Sydney to play one show next month. I'm still hoping regina spektor's name will appear in upcoming tours in gigs guide soon.

(above: album cover for Contra I presume)

the first taste from Vampire Weekend's latest offering, Horchata, in my mind believe is another song that grabbed my attention almost immediately when I first heard it last week. like most of Vampire Weekend's lyrics, they comprise of peculiar lyrics with even more odd sounds and instruments playing in the background. personally, I really like this song but the strange mix of sounds and instruments utilised may not be so tasteful for everyone. so you can come up with your verdict by listening to 'Horchata' here. it has been playing on repeat on my itunes for a significant amount of time while writing this blog. alright enjoy everyone!