I am going for the Singapore Scrabble Open.
(Ooops, I forgot that Nigel is heading that way too).
Will be officiating the Selangor/KL prelims this weekend.
Assuming I won't get lost looking for SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2
(apparrently there are 4 of them)
(projected scenario)
Me: Hello, is this SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2?
Guard: No, this is SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 1. SMK BUD 2 over there (points off into yonder)
Me: (drives off)
(30 minutes later)
Me: Hello, is this SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2?
Guard: No, this is SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4. (offers directions)
Me: Thanks. (drives off)
(30 minutes later)
Me: This looks familiar....hello, is this SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2?
Guard: No, this is SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 1.
Me: WHAT!!! (drives off)
(1 hour later)
Me: Hello, is this SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2?
Guard: No, this is SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3. SMK BUD 2 is on the other side of the highway.
Me: (drives off)
(2 hours later)
Song Kim Lian: Hello, is this Henry? Where are you?
Me: In 1 Utama, relaxing at Starbucks
Song Kim Lian: WHAT!!! YOU are suppose to be here officiating this Scrabble tournament...(imagine the rest of the conversation, dear readers)
Me: I got lost for the past 4 hours.
Song Kim Lian: (gives directions). Now, make sure you be there.
Me: Yes (saunters off to my car)
(2 hours later)
Hello, is this SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 2?
Guard: Yes, this is SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3.
Me: Yes! (drives in)
(walks into empty hall)
Me: huh! where is everyone?
Guard: They all finished la 30 minutes ago.
Me: AARRGHH!!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
First it went very high, then it got lower, and lower
Trying to hoist an 85kg barbell 5 feet up onto my shoulders.
then I caught the next lift attempt at 4 feet.
Then 3 feet.
And then 3 days later, the 95kg barbell tears out of my right hand, injuring my right wrist.
(Mutter a few choice expletives)
then I caught the next lift attempt at 4 feet.
Then 3 feet.
And then 3 days later, the 95kg barbell tears out of my right hand, injuring my right wrist.
(Mutter a few choice expletives)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
My old keyboard goes bust
and my company replaces it with a an even older keyboard that is stiff and unresponsive to anything except the most brutal key pounding.
Have put in another request for a new keyboard.
This one is definitely not working since it took me about 20 minutes to type out this post.
Have put in another request for a new keyboard.
This one is definitely not working since it took me about 20 minutes to type out this post.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
An Omakase Initiation
for Lyrical Lemongrass.
Appetizer: Boiled ripe blossom mixed with mustard sauce, marinated firefly squid & egg curd sakura style
The mustard sauce was less pungent this time and it doesn't overwhelm my nostrils either. The interesting portion of this dish was the serving of egg curd, which is the golden sauce spread over the slices of crunchy fruits on the left. The fruit is very mild so that you taste the richness of the egg curd, with the taste of egg permeating your tongue while it slides over it down your gullet.
The best part of this dish is the marinated firefly squid, which is seeped in sake, mirin and soy sauce the moment they are caught. The squid tasted sweet and tangy with a slight hint of saltiness. Definitely a showstealer.
Soup: Clear Broth with sliced bamboo shoot & seaweed
The thin slices of bamboo shoots were crunchy and the seaweed is bitey. Yet, both their flavours did seep into the soup, balancing each other out without coming across as too complex.
Sashimi: Sakura Sea Bream wrapped sea urchin, tuna, bonito fish, sweet prawn and firefly squid
The raw taste of the firefly squid was very different from the earlier marinated one we had in the appetizer. This one had more bite in it and the saltiness is more pronounced (which makes me like the marinated one more) .
The tuna belly this time is less fatty and has a milder taste the previous ones and the bonito fish is pink and tender. The Sea Bream-sea urchin combo probably takes the compliment on this dish; with the creamy sea urchin filling in the middle of the meat like a pasrty piece, biting into it will spill the sea urchin onto your tongue, which will overwhelm your tastebuds for an instant before melting away for a salty aftertaste that lingers on and compliments the sea bream as you chew.
Simmered dish: Simmered Bamboo shoot, butterbur, Japanese Yam, bean curd skin and fish roe.
The bamboo shoot were cooked until tender, just because they still had their bite. The Japanese yam tasted quite melty in your mouth, probably from soaking up the excess sauce.
The innocent looking bean curd skin (lying atop the Japanese yam) was probably the hidden gem in this dish. One bite into it and the sauce seeps out from its many layers onto your tongue.
Sadly, I can't say the same for the fish roe or the butterburs since their flavours seem to be cooked right out of them
Grilled dish: Grilled Spring Trout with Teriayki sauce, octopus, tempura & assorted vegetables
The white and pink fishball were made made from prawn and crabmeat respectively, which was really tasty. the salty one-inch green beans and tempura were just distractions from the three gems on this plate: The grilled trout, the mini octopus, and the bowl of small bamboo shoot cubes with green sauce.
To be honest, anything with Teriayki sauce will definitely taste great but it really takes someone special in the kitchen to grill the trout nicely until it is firm but flakes easily upon pressure from your chopsticks. The meat was moist but not very juicy; very tasty because most of the fat had melt into the meat itself.
The cube bamboo shoots were paired up with other crunchy cubes, but the green sauce with its herby bitter made this bowl look fresh. The slices of octopus were perfectly chewy and it was a breeze letting my teeth slice through them. Probably the biggest puzzle about it was the slice of the octopus stomach that was wrapped around a gooey(?) substance that tasted almost like textured yam but the flavour was distinctively different. Chef ricky did point out that this species of octopus was in season this time of the year but the description for the thing inside the mystery substance was lost in translation. Thumbs up for this dish.
Vinegared dish: Sliced clam shells mixed with seaweed.
a new addition to the menu, this one is easily my favourite dish of the evening. I will not show you a photo of this dish, so you better go to Iketeru and order the menu just to try out this heavenly concoction.
Sliced clam shell meat and grated seaweed have been allowed to sit in a vinegar sauce (made from rice vinegar, sake, eggs and seasoning). The taste is complex, with the seaweed acting like noodles, slurping up the tangy vinegar sauce onto its surface as you take portions of it (but the sauce slides off the clam shell meat very easily). The effect is sort of like Jekyll & Hyde: on one hand, the clam meat needs very little vinegar to compliments it flavour; while the seaweed probably resembles shark fins, another food with great texture but needing the vinegar to give it some flavour to augment your tastebuds.
Sushi: Salmon Roe, Sea Bream wrapped in Oba leaf, and three other.
The Oba leaf this time looked a bit age, but somehow its flavour was not as overwhelming as the last one (I don't know if it is the leaf or me getting use to it) but I can definitely taste the sea bream wrapped in it.
The Salmon Row sushi was so-so (probably because the seaweed became a bit loose) but the other three sushi were very very good. The white and pink sushi were scored to add texture to the taste. And the middle one was cooked was accessorize with a tangy mix of radish and herb that lightened up the oiliness of the meat.
Accompanying soup: Soya Bean Soup with miso paste
Another soup to warm the soul while you dine on a hearty meal.
Desert: Japanese Pastry & fresh fruit
I am not such a big fan of fruit desert, so I will just skip straight to the pastry. It is a red bean pasted, double wrapped: first in a white dough and then a leaf before being cooked.
Somehow, the leaf becomes a bit more crunchy (I think this one went through the oven) the dough was springy but not very moist and the red bean paste inside very very thick.
Finally, Lyrical Lemongrass and I got our chance to grill Chef Ricky Kamiishi over a vigorous examination about his dishes. Lemongrass even took a picture or two with our esteemed chef.
Still think that I am not a gourmet? Say it so in the comment section, please.
Appetizer: Boiled ripe blossom mixed with mustard sauce, marinated firefly squid & egg curd sakura styleThe mustard sauce was less pungent this time and it doesn't overwhelm my nostrils either. The interesting portion of this dish was the serving of egg curd, which is the golden sauce spread over the slices of crunchy fruits on the left. The fruit is very mild so that you taste the richness of the egg curd, with the taste of egg permeating your tongue while it slides over it down your gullet.
The best part of this dish is the marinated firefly squid, which is seeped in sake, mirin and soy sauce the moment they are caught. The squid tasted sweet and tangy with a slight hint of saltiness. Definitely a showstealer.
Soup: Clear Broth with sliced bamboo shoot & seaweedThe thin slices of bamboo shoots were crunchy and the seaweed is bitey. Yet, both their flavours did seep into the soup, balancing each other out without coming across as too complex.
Sashimi: Sakura Sea Bream wrapped sea urchin, tuna, bonito fish, sweet prawn and firefly squidThe raw taste of the firefly squid was very different from the earlier marinated one we had in the appetizer. This one had more bite in it and the saltiness is more pronounced (which makes me like the marinated one more) .
The tuna belly this time is less fatty and has a milder taste the previous ones and the bonito fish is pink and tender. The Sea Bream-sea urchin combo probably takes the compliment on this dish; with the creamy sea urchin filling in the middle of the meat like a pasrty piece, biting into it will spill the sea urchin onto your tongue, which will overwhelm your tastebuds for an instant before melting away for a salty aftertaste that lingers on and compliments the sea bream as you chew.
Simmered dish: Simmered Bamboo shoot, butterbur, Japanese Yam, bean curd skin and fish roe.The bamboo shoot were cooked until tender, just because they still had their bite. The Japanese yam tasted quite melty in your mouth, probably from soaking up the excess sauce.
The innocent looking bean curd skin (lying atop the Japanese yam) was probably the hidden gem in this dish. One bite into it and the sauce seeps out from its many layers onto your tongue.
Sadly, I can't say the same for the fish roe or the butterburs since their flavours seem to be cooked right out of them
Grilled dish: Grilled Spring Trout with Teriayki sauce, octopus, tempura & assorted vegetablesThe white and pink fishball were made made from prawn and crabmeat respectively, which was really tasty. the salty one-inch green beans and tempura were just distractions from the three gems on this plate: The grilled trout, the mini octopus, and the bowl of small bamboo shoot cubes with green sauce.
To be honest, anything with Teriayki sauce will definitely taste great but it really takes someone special in the kitchen to grill the trout nicely until it is firm but flakes easily upon pressure from your chopsticks. The meat was moist but not very juicy; very tasty because most of the fat had melt into the meat itself.
The cube bamboo shoots were paired up with other crunchy cubes, but the green sauce with its herby bitter made this bowl look fresh. The slices of octopus were perfectly chewy and it was a breeze letting my teeth slice through them. Probably the biggest puzzle about it was the slice of the octopus stomach that was wrapped around a gooey(?) substance that tasted almost like textured yam but the flavour was distinctively different. Chef ricky did point out that this species of octopus was in season this time of the year but the description for the thing inside the mystery substance was lost in translation. Thumbs up for this dish.
Vinegared dish: Sliced clam shells mixed with seaweed.
a new addition to the menu, this one is easily my favourite dish of the evening. I will not show you a photo of this dish, so you better go to Iketeru and order the menu just to try out this heavenly concoction.
Sliced clam shell meat and grated seaweed have been allowed to sit in a vinegar sauce (made from rice vinegar, sake, eggs and seasoning). The taste is complex, with the seaweed acting like noodles, slurping up the tangy vinegar sauce onto its surface as you take portions of it (but the sauce slides off the clam shell meat very easily). The effect is sort of like Jekyll & Hyde: on one hand, the clam meat needs very little vinegar to compliments it flavour; while the seaweed probably resembles shark fins, another food with great texture but needing the vinegar to give it some flavour to augment your tastebuds.
Sushi: Salmon Roe, Sea Bream wrapped in Oba leaf, and three other.The Oba leaf this time looked a bit age, but somehow its flavour was not as overwhelming as the last one (I don't know if it is the leaf or me getting use to it) but I can definitely taste the sea bream wrapped in it.
The Salmon Row sushi was so-so (probably because the seaweed became a bit loose) but the other three sushi were very very good. The white and pink sushi were scored to add texture to the taste. And the middle one was cooked was accessorize with a tangy mix of radish and herb that lightened up the oiliness of the meat.
Accompanying soup: Soya Bean Soup with miso paste
Another soup to warm the soul while you dine on a hearty meal.
Desert: Japanese Pastry & fresh fruitI am not such a big fan of fruit desert, so I will just skip straight to the pastry. It is a red bean pasted, double wrapped: first in a white dough and then a leaf before being cooked.
Somehow, the leaf becomes a bit more crunchy (I think this one went through the oven) the dough was springy but not very moist and the red bean paste inside very very thick.
Finally, Lyrical Lemongrass and I got our chance to grill Chef Ricky Kamiishi over a vigorous examination about his dishes. Lemongrass even took a picture or two with our esteemed chef.
Still think that I am not a gourmet? Say it so in the comment section, please.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Parallel Internets
Researchers explore scrapping Internet - Yahoo! News
Interesting alternatives, but I guess the new system will probably be US govt endorsed. (which probably means that it will be full of the American govt spyware enroaching on us global citizens' rights of the Internet)
I wish these people would stop trying to reproduce the thing and try to make the current one better instead. I would really like to see these people's arguments regarding the trade-offs their system has.
Let's face it, to do away with anonymity is to lose the psychological barrier that helps oppressed people put their voice and opinion on the Internet without fear of persecution by various national authorities;
And to lose the ease of access which we have today, means the Internet will probably operated and grow at a much slower pace with its inbuilt firewall system;
Not to mention that hackers and spammers will still get their evil stuff into the system, remember how Kevin Mitnick got people to give up those computer security blueprints, security will always be lousy until you can teach computers and bots to distinguish adware, spyware, spam and everything bad on the Internet.
Maybe we should all just shut down the Internet for 24 hours and see what happens.
Interesting alternatives, but I guess the new system will probably be US govt endorsed. (which probably means that it will be full of the American govt spyware enroaching on us global citizens' rights of the Internet)
I wish these people would stop trying to reproduce the thing and try to make the current one better instead. I would really like to see these people's arguments regarding the trade-offs their system has.
Let's face it, to do away with anonymity is to lose the psychological barrier that helps oppressed people put their voice and opinion on the Internet without fear of persecution by various national authorities;
And to lose the ease of access which we have today, means the Internet will probably operated and grow at a much slower pace with its inbuilt firewall system;
Not to mention that hackers and spammers will still get their evil stuff into the system, remember how Kevin Mitnick got people to give up those computer security blueprints, security will always be lousy until you can teach computers and bots to distinguish adware, spyware, spam and everything bad on the Internet.
Maybe we should all just shut down the Internet for 24 hours and see what happens.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Do you want 1/2 the DVD set?
Went window shopping for DVD sets today. (make it pirated DVD sets. Hey! I know of one local TV series actor who goes shopping for them too!)
My Titles?
Men In Trees &
Grey's Anatomy (3rd season)
(Why do I want them? SEX SEX SEX and MORE SEX. Erhem)
A quick check on Amazon reveals that they have not hit the inventory yet. Nor could they be preorder as the books. Dang!
So a quick jaunt to the local stores to see what do they have.
"Hi! do you sell TV series DVD sets?"
"Yes, what do you want"
(mumbles) "Men In Trees & Grey's Anatomy 3rd season"
"what did you say?"
"Men In Trees & Grey's Anatomy 3rd season"
"Men In Trees, we don't have, but we have Grey's Anatomy and Heroes. 15 minutes (this being the time it takes for them to bring the stuff around from another place)"
"How much is the Grey's Anatomy set going for?"
"40 ringgit."
"how many disc?"
"Three. Do you want to come inside our store and have a look?"
"Okay" Steps inside store. and probably get caught for future blackmailing.
Vendor takes out list, I read list. See Heroes & Grey's Anatomy then something hits me.
"How many episode per disc?"
"Five to six." (Alarm bells ring in my head because Grey's Anatomy is already showing their 19th episode in the US)
"So..., this is not the full DVD set?"
"No."
"So when is the full DVD set?"
"...Two months."
"You sure you don't have the full DVD set?"
"No."
"If I buy the 1/2 DVD set, can I come back next time to exchange it for the full DVD set and pay for the extra discs when you get it?"
"No." <--Stupid, right? doesn't want the business.
"Okay. Bye!"
Looks like I will have to get my fix in front of the television.
Where's my culture?
My Titles?
Men In Trees &
Grey's Anatomy (3rd season)
(Why do I want them? SEX SEX SEX and MORE SEX. Erhem)
A quick check on Amazon reveals that they have not hit the inventory yet. Nor could they be preorder as the books. Dang!
So a quick jaunt to the local stores to see what do they have.
"Hi! do you sell TV series DVD sets?"
"Yes, what do you want"
(mumbles) "Men In Trees & Grey's Anatomy 3rd season"
"what did you say?"
"Men In Trees & Grey's Anatomy 3rd season"
"Men In Trees, we don't have, but we have Grey's Anatomy and Heroes. 15 minutes (this being the time it takes for them to bring the stuff around from another place)"
"How much is the Grey's Anatomy set going for?"
"40 ringgit."
"how many disc?"
"Three. Do you want to come inside our store and have a look?"
"Okay" Steps inside store. and probably get caught for future blackmailing.
Vendor takes out list, I read list. See Heroes & Grey's Anatomy then something hits me.
"How many episode per disc?"
"Five to six." (Alarm bells ring in my head because Grey's Anatomy is already showing their 19th episode in the US)
"So..., this is not the full DVD set?"
"No."
"So when is the full DVD set?"
"...Two months."
"You sure you don't have the full DVD set?"
"No."
"If I buy the 1/2 DVD set, can I come back next time to exchange it for the full DVD set and pay for the extra discs when you get it?"
"No." <--Stupid, right? doesn't want the business.
"Okay. Bye!"
Looks like I will have to get my fix in front of the television.
Where's my culture?
random convo after gaming session
Anyway, this convo took place between Jeff and me after our brain-draining Euro-boardgaming session on the morning of 31 March 2007 (The one where we tricked someone into a 2 hour 1856 session that overran by 4 hours. Sneaky people, aren't we). And it is all on text messages (I was at home doing chores and preparing for the Scrabble competition while Jeff spent the remainder of the morning at BGC-Land).
On playing strength:
Me: I really want to play Ainul at his best game.
Jeff: He (Ainul) used to be good at PR (Puerto Rico) but a little rusty now since he's not playing tat some time (Since we have been 1856-ing all this while). He's not bad in 1856 as u've to und(erstand) he does "experiment" in most of our sessions in OTK so we cannot say how good he is. If u can get the following ppl to play thru say 20 sessions of 1856 with no misplayed rules..then sit them together for a competitive game where say a significant price is on offer, u'll have a really good game - yourself, heng, chua, ainul, rob, mebbe jeff goh. possibly chrstopher once he gets into it. And Alan Woon is always a good game regardless of wat game.
Me: Don't see your name in this lineup. You volunteering yourself to be the moderator and judge.
Jeff: me small fry... cannot play in same table with Padawans hehehe
Me: You jedi council member...
On breakfast (ie, how to make our sessions last longer so that everyone can go for dimsum in Cheras afterwards):
Me: Maybe we should have a 3 player game with Heng, you and me.
Jeff: Nah, Heng is already tired and he is driving back to Klang.
Me: Maybe we lock everyone up with food and water next session.
(after some random messages)
Jeff: fark... now I'm damn hungry! Shud hv lock YOU up and play some random 2p game with u till dimsum time. But since you've Scrabble, I let u go... shit, go hunt for biscuit now
Me: Hahahahaha
(I am lovin' this)
On playing strength:
Me: I really want to play Ainul at his best game.
Jeff: He (Ainul) used to be good at PR (Puerto Rico) but a little rusty now since he's not playing tat some time (Since we have been 1856-ing all this while). He's not bad in 1856 as u've to und(erstand) he does "experiment" in most of our sessions in OTK so we cannot say how good he is. If u can get the following ppl to play thru say 20 sessions of 1856 with no misplayed rules..then sit them together for a competitive game where say a significant price is on offer, u'll have a really good game - yourself, heng, chua, ainul, rob, mebbe jeff goh. possibly chrstopher once he gets into it. And Alan Woon is always a good game regardless of wat game.
Me: Don't see your name in this lineup. You volunteering yourself to be the moderator and judge.
Jeff: me small fry... cannot play in same table with Padawans hehehe
Me: You jedi council member...
On breakfast (ie, how to make our sessions last longer so that everyone can go for dimsum in Cheras afterwards):
Me: Maybe we should have a 3 player game with Heng, you and me.
Jeff: Nah, Heng is already tired and he is driving back to Klang.
Me: Maybe we lock everyone up with food and water next session.
(after some random messages)
Jeff: fark... now I'm damn hungry! Shud hv lock YOU up and play some random 2p game with u till dimsum time. But since you've Scrabble, I let u go... shit, go hunt for biscuit now
Me: Hahahahaha
(I am lovin' this)
Jackie Chan's "The Disciple"
Yahoo News
After Donald Trump's Apprentice series (and the doomed Martha Stewart spinoff and Richard Branson version), we get this tidbit of news of Jackie Chan getting thousands of people to audition themselves to become his "Disciple(s)".
And to make sure that you have a better chance of winning, the show will be picking not just one winner, or two, or three, but up to ten winners (Read that: 10) and all of them will be starring in a Jackie Chan movie slated for release next year before the Beijing Olympics. On their official site, you can not only audition for the show, and even submit your script (by email) for the movie here. Somehow I get the feeling that we are in for a funky remake of Kurosawa "7 Samurai" ala Jackie Chan flamboyant production (if you want to get enough screen time and action fights for all 10 winners).
Should I go?
Nah, I think I will just stick to script submission and let 10 other people do all the fancy fighting. As it is I have enough pain from my weightlifting sessions at the gym. :\
After Donald Trump's Apprentice series (and the doomed Martha Stewart spinoff and Richard Branson version), we get this tidbit of news of Jackie Chan getting thousands of people to audition themselves to become his "Disciple(s)".
And to make sure that you have a better chance of winning, the show will be picking not just one winner, or two, or three, but up to ten winners (Read that: 10) and all of them will be starring in a Jackie Chan movie slated for release next year before the Beijing Olympics. On their official site, you can not only audition for the show, and even submit your script (by email) for the movie here. Somehow I get the feeling that we are in for a funky remake of Kurosawa "7 Samurai" ala Jackie Chan flamboyant production (if you want to get enough screen time and action fights for all 10 winners).
Should I go?
Nah, I think I will just stick to script submission and let 10 other people do all the fancy fighting. As it is I have enough pain from my weightlifting sessions at the gym. :\
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
SA membership does have its privileges
One full year learning about Scrabble starting in 2001: Promotion to Masters
Several years worth of SA newsletter: good reading material to donate to some burgeoning Scrabble Club library.
Two years of slaving away as Singapore Nationals TD: 2 years of membership - free
One good performance at Lim Boon Heng Cup: 1 life membership (almost fully subscribed)
A copy of the Collins Initiation Kit before anyone else has it in Malaysia: great
A headstart on Collins: priceless.
Now to win the Nationals!!!
Several years worth of SA newsletter: good reading material to donate to some burgeoning Scrabble Club library.
Two years of slaving away as Singapore Nationals TD: 2 years of membership - free
One good performance at Lim Boon Heng Cup: 1 life membership (almost fully subscribed)
A copy of the Collins Initiation Kit before anyone else has it in Malaysia: great
A headstart on Collins: priceless.
Now to win the Nationals!!!
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