Going Gourmet.

I've became a Food Network junkie lately. Haute cuisine is definitely something that I cannot afford but watching the chefs cook have been a total satisfaction. I even idolized a few chefs! Of course, it's not like I'll try cooking the dishes and try to become Randy in South Park!

My favorite chef No. 1: Nate Appleman

When he appeared in Iron Chef America he was rather plump but he was an exceptional chef. So focused and creative... for his age! He has some qualification from the Italian Pizza society or something and he's a true butcher. The way he handled the suckling pig in Iron Chef was crazy incredible! I was watching Chopped: All Stars yesterday and he competed against two other top chefs; Beau MacMillan and Anita Lo. Basically the all stars chefs battled for the top prize of $50000 for the charity of their choice. Everybody was heartbroken when he explained his choice; his son suffered from Kawasaki disease a year ago and so he wanted to donate to the Kawasaki Disease foundation.

Nate sharing Japanese soba with his son.

My favorite chef No. 2: Anne Burrell

Fiery and she can really talk smack, no joking when it comes to cooking. She was trained in classical Italian dishes and could really scare all her opponents. She was Mario Batali's sous chef in Iron Chef America but has also hosted Worst Cooks in America for 2 seasons now. Her group won in both the seasons! All the guy chefs are definitely scared of her as seen in Chopped: All Stars.


I have a bunch of other chefs that I like... say, Jamie Oliver, Giada de Laurentiis and Jose Garces. But there are two chefs you can really pick up recipes from; JAMIE OLIVER and RACHAEL RAY. Both of them have shows for 30 minute meals and the recipes are amazing. However, one thing in common... 30 minutes meals but 1 hour of cleaning up to do.

Creeping Up from Behind.

Time is real sneaky. It slowly creeps up to you and before I know it; April is a few days away! Spring kicks in and then it's time for travelling again! Heck, I'm already booked myself a trip to Leeds on this Wednesday.

Reason to be jolly; The Sims Medieval is out today!

I cannot wait to start playing this! Oh yes, on another note... totally random but interrelated with the medieval tone; there is this new movie called Your Highness.

This film stars James Franco as a Prince in a quest to save his virgin bride (Zooey Deschanel) from the evil wizard played by Justin Theroux. Joining the quest are the Prince's lazy brother acted by Danny McBride and Natalie Portman plays a warrior who accompanies them for the quest. One interesting thing about this movie is that the film is made without a proper script. Everything was improvised and ergo; all the random modern swearing were incorporated into the movie. The movie was filmed in the Scottish Highlands back in summer last year and the scenery are simply breathtaking!

As You Poison Me.

I had just realized that the colour on my blog is quite soothing. Must be the excessive football matches that I have watched today caused severe after-effects to my vision. Hence, no gaming tonight!

I am currently hooked on the KCRW YouTube page... they have really good clips of musicians performing on air for the radio station. One of my favorite:

Jenny & Johnny - My Pet Snakes



Oh the cute couple and their great chemistry when performing together.
As usual the shy bassist remained unseen!

Life has been not good lately. I am deeply affected by the chaos in Libya and the sad natural disasters which struck Japan. I'm glad that my friends in Japan are okay! What a stark contrast of sufferings seen in these 2 countries; one caused by human and another caused by the nature. Haven't we been blessed enough? And the suffering never ends.

CMSCE: Sorry Note.

Guess what? Converse Lady All Star *gasp*

Now someone will have a good excuse to get herself a pair of Converse. CMSCE: Think Alike.

How to Deal?

Oh the big question mark in my head please give me a break. My mum is still overjoyed by the fact that I'm "supposedly" going to head home in 21st June but I'd actually extended my stay until 6th of July... all because of Death Cab for Cutie. She's going to be so disappointed in me but I cannot just give up on my indie mission!

Then, another prolonged secret trip that I have not revealed to her... second trip to Hong Kong one week after our family trip to Macau-Hong Kong. HOW TO DEAL SERIOUSLY?!

One too many times I almost slipped the facts out but I held my words back... still lying. But I've always been such a bad liar and if only she could see the expression on my face she'd knew I was lying.

The truth must come out... okay, by this weekend. (dragging on)

Indie Mission.

I've always had a dream of meeting the my favorite musicians. I have my batch of rockstars-dreamy-husbands namely Our Lady Peace and Three Days Grace. I've always joked that Raine Maida and Adam Gontier are my husbands (even though they're married)... That is how crazy I am. However, it is next to impossible for me to meet both of them because Canadian bands rarely tour UK and Europe... and I don't know why!

So never mind that, I have my own set of favorite indie musicians. Death Cab for Cutie; a band I first start listening to back in 2002. Ben Gibbard is simply a genius and their music influenced the whole US indie rock music scene. Their music are heavily featured in TV series likewise of their band of friends. Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley collaborated with him on his side project, The Postal Service. Jenny's boyfriend, Johnathan Rice was featured as a frequent collaborator for Ben's concert tours. Ben's own wife, Zooey Deschanel is part of the indie folk revival in the US and one-half of She & Him.

When I first came UK... She & Him had one performance in London for their second album. It was my first concert and I had to go alone. I didn't even know I was that brave!!! I travelled to London by noon and returned to Leeds past midnight. It was such an unforgettable experience. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward are two amazing musicians!!! And of course, most people who saw my pictures (and know their music) were angry and very jealous at the same time.

I didn't have high hopes of meeting Jenny Lewis -EVER. Rilo Kiley took a hiatus in 2005 and she went solo. She had two very awesome albums but none came out in 2009. Moreover I was already on a high after meeting Tegan & Sara in London... I am so satisfied, I cannot ask for more. I never expected that I would meet the Queen of Indie (in my heart) and front row within 2 metres from her -and her boyfriend, Johnathan Rice of course. It was snowing so heavily in Manchester that night but I braved the storm of snow to attend the gig. I could barely hold my breath after the gig; she's such a rocker! She's such an inspirational person and I really hope to see Rilo Kiley reunite for a new album!

So, I posted this photo on Facebook. My Indie Mission... meeting this bunch of great indie musicians that I have adored over the years. I found out that Death Cab for Cutie is producing a new album due this year but I've never thought that they'd tour with Foo Fighters and thus... COMING TO MANCHESTER!!!

From left: Zooey Deschanel, Jenny Lewis, Matthew Caws, Ben Gibbard and Johnathan Rice.

Death Cab for Cutie: Nick, Ben, Jason and Chris.

Chris Walla is probably the most prominent member of the group besides Ben. He's a producer, music engineer and mixer... not forgetting his role as the lead guitarist in DCFC. He had produced two successful albums for Tegan & Sara; namely The Con and Sainthood. He is also a frequent collaborator with Nada Surf and The Decemberists. All the bands I listen to!!! Isn't it so incredible how they know each other so well and create beautiful music together???

Oh Death Cab for Cutie; I've changed my flight ticket back to Malaysia just for you... I really cannot wait for 4th of July!!!