Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Baking with Joyce!
O my gosh. That title sounds like a TV show!!! Ahaha.=P Or a cookbook.=P
Anyway. Yay! Joyce and I baked a hell of a lot of stuff today.xD *beams* Feeling so accomplished!!! xD And we watched Nana too!!! Joyce could totally predict everything [almost] because she read the manga. Haha.=P She was telling me all about the background and what happens after and everything. And both of us got so upset at stupid Shinji for not only cheating on Hachi but dumping her as well.xP COW. Useless spineless coward! xP Ahem. And Takumi! *_* He has the Jrock look. Haha. I hope he gets recast in NANA 2.xD
Anyway, feast your eyes on the fruits of our labour! ^_^
xD Almost everything we baked. Yay!
Joyce's Apple Muffins.xD I got blahed at by my mother for using the muffin cases..-_-" Sigh. Sorry Joyce!!! xP
Chocolate Munchies!!! ^_^ Not at their best yet since after we took this picture, we glazed them with even more chocolate..xD YAY.
Beams. I am VERY proud of this cake that Joyce and I made and glazed with the most amazing chocolate ganache.
Speaking of the chocolate ganache, allow me to interrupt the flow of pictures. It was so easy and omygosh it was so good.xD xD xD Haha. Just melt dark chocolate and when you take it off the heat, stir in an equal amount of whipping cream to get luscious wonderful results. Joyce and I were marvelling at how fabulous it looks..xD xD xD BEAMS.
Back to the pictures.*trots merrily away*
Another angle for your viewing pleasure. Just look at the chocolate. LOOK AT IT. *drools*
C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E. I now know why bakers can't help but glaze their cakes with chocolate. I felt so happy glazing the cake. Just being around all that chocolate makes your endorphin levels go wild with happiness.xDAnd just being around all that chocolate makes your weight shoot up like nobody's business. But really. Who cares? xDI was showing Joyce this manga-ish artist on deviantart too. O my gosh. I love her work. Her colouring is amazing. And I love the way she draws her character's hair. And I love the brushes she uses on her work.. Absolutely stunning. They suit the drawings so well. The faces aren't really nice but everything else is just.. Amazing.*gushes* xD I always wished I could draw like that. But I can't. And I'll never know how to manipulate Photoshop to give me that kind of work.. I can't believe she's practically our age. xPAnyway. I'm really tired. Time to read some manga! *beams* Or maybe I should go read LJ first seeing as my friends page seems to just go on and on.. forever.O.ocheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Arigatou Home Made Kazoku (Bleach OST) + Eege Malice Mizer][mood : xD][food : --]Thanks for coming over Joyce!!! ^_^ Hope your family likes the stuff you brought back.. xD Haha.Edit: I'm adding the tagboard back by request.^_^ And once I find an imaging programme.. I'll change this template. *beams* I wonder if I can use the DeviantArt artwork without permission? Hmm.=S
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Baking.. Soon! xD
Hello
Will be baking later with Joyce! Yay. I adore baking. It's funny though. No one understands why I don't like eating what I bake. It's more a matter of.. "I like baking for other people" than "I think my stuff is poisoned". Besides, what's the point of baking if you can't share it? [Unless you're baking for your own dinner or something. But that's not the point.]
Been listening to Gazette. I repeat for the millionth time, Maggots was a very bad song to start off with. It's wayyy too noisy. So far, I really like Cassis. Reila is a nice song too! Ruki's voice is not unique but it fits the music well [which, being typically Jrock, is similar to people from other bands.^_^"]. Taion isn't bad either. Unfortunately, I haven't really heard anything that seems to be going into unchartered territory.. Everything sounds.. Similar to other people. Maybe it's because I've heard a lot of bands already? And since I can't quite bring myself to download the Gazette album song by song.. I'll have to content myself with single-song recommendations by people.^_^" I'll only do that song by song or image by image thing for people like.. Gackt [for sure. I spent 2 hours last night refreshing the damn sendspace page so I could download this video I didn't have.-.-" Sadly, my dedication is lost on MU which hates me no matter what.]. And Hyde. And Yoshiki. And maybe Rentrer en Soi. And Miyavi if it promises to be good.xP [And I can just borrow w-inds. from Jiamin so I don't need to download! Beams.]
From The Gift, The Sixth Day and Seventh Night Tour Document. ^_^ Gosh. It looks pretty clear doesn't it? Well, at least not completely pixellated. It's weird. Sometimes, I have giant images that become super pixellated when I post them here, smaller than their actual size! HMM. How bizarre.
Wee! I hope we can try the honey semifreddo recipe. I am seriously DYING to try it out. And *cough* as Joyce suggested, we can buy backup ice cream too. Just in case. ^_^" Like.. Haagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate!!!!!! BEAMS! xD Of course urm.. I don't actually have money for Haagen-Dazs. But it's just a thought.^_^" I would love Ben & Jerry's too but same sad story of my financial difficulties apply..xP Hmm. Maybe.. Could Island Creamery be cheaper? Hmm. I don't think so.. But I'm not sure.. *rambles off*
Is he not droolfully goodlooking here? xD xD xD
Ahh. I'm thinking of all the stuff we can bake already! Yay! xD Nothing like baking to put one in a good mood.*beams*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : sekirei~seki-ray~ Gackt]
[mood : boing!]
[food : corn with butter.xD]
Baking for Teacher's Day!
HelloWee! We made banana and apple crumbles today for teacher's day along with chocolate muffins for ourselves!!! *beams*The lit paper in the morning.. Hmm. I did a poem called "Eggs". Do you know how stupid I felt writing "and the eggs' significance.. the eggs in the poem.."?! -.-" Like.. Which cow names their poem eggs?! Sheesh. And I think I read one of the poems before. But owing to my excessively bad memory, I couldn't remember where or why or when or how I read it. Haha.=PHad lunch at BK. Gosh. Can we please stay away from fast food for a while? I need a veggie fix..xP Well. Maybe not a veggie fix. But almost anything is better than those sad limp lettuce leaves at fastfood chains.. Heh. And those sad bowls of what they call "salad".. Tsk tsk..Ahaha. My mom bought My Name is Sam Soon/My Lovely Sam Soon [whichever title you prefer] today!! YAY! =D Can watch it once she's done. Which should be pretty soon. Haha. *beams* Jiamin! Want to watch it too? xD It's pretty short. Only 6 DVDs long! [Compared to like, Da Chang Jin. Which just goes on forever. But is still good though some bits are a bit draggy.] 6 DVDs! We'll be done in no time! xD [If we follow the lighting-fast watching method that's been perfected by Jiamin.=P]And we watched the Art of Seduction today. It is simply HILARIOUS! Ahaha. Sadly, the ending was kind of blah although I thought it fit the story. They could have had a much better ending though to make it a more satisfying movie.=DI need to go read NANA! xD And Tsubasa! xD Hmm. Could I finish it tonight? No. I don't think so. I shall start.. Urm. Tomorrow! *nods* Haha. I will return them soon my friends. I promise!!! [I still don't understand how Jiamin and Joyce can reread one manga like, 3 times or something in one evening.O.o I'm obviously damn slow and damn low on the manga-power section..xP]Right. Watching Gackt videos! Beams.cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Cassis Gazette + December Love Song (Chinese) + Last Song Gackt]
Monday, August 28, 2006
Bara no Konrei + Mononoke Hime
Hello
Besides reading the incredibly boring E8 stuff I have [I avoided all my essays. Way to painful to read.xP] I watched Mononoke Hime to mark the start of watching the Studio Ghibli Archives! *beams* And then I watched Bara no Konrei, english name being Bridal of Rose [I know. It doesn't make sense to me either], which is one of them Malice Mizer films. It's silent meaning no one talks and they've got these white words on a black background to tell you what they are saying. It's in Japanese and engrish so AHAHA. Very hilarious.=P It's got loads of gothic background music that's very Malice Mizerish and if I'm not wrong, Klaha sings a bit.
Bara no Konrei PosterKlaha actually looks rather good in the show! Haha. Never thought I'd say that but..=P And Mana looks wonderful as usual. Kozi and Yu-ki look very strange. And the other characters are hilarious. They look like the usual Malice Mizer extras. Think: Illuminati. Mwahaha. It's a really really really stupid movie. Bara no Konrei is about Klaha and like, his fiancee who is this random Japanese girl. And they are in London! But Klaha gets called to Transylvania. Ahaha. I know. Isn't Romania like, really far away from London? [Although a map in the movie puts Translyvania in Austria.O.o And Hungary is in Austria as well. LOL!] Anyway. Then for some inexplicable reason, it turns out that Klaha's bride to be is actually the Earl of Dracula's fiancee. Like.. O.o How did that happen? And something about the bride to be getting bitten so she couldn't marry Dracula or something like that [or was it another girl?! O.o They all look the same!! xP] and... You know. Usual vampire stuff that's really confusing. It's really funny though.=P Oh. And Mana gets burned at the stake while Kozi looks on in horror. I've never seen anyone burning at the stake with a straight face like Mana [in a nun's costume no less]. Ahaha.=P
They use a lot of camera tricks to make stuff appear and all that but it's completely obvious so it makes it quite laughable.=P And they have this scene that totally reminds me of Interview with a Vampire! The Anne Rice novel since I've never seen the movie..=P The acting's pretty bad although I applaud Malice Mizer for doing all those stupid things with straight faces. Ahaha.=P What I find hilarious though.. is how the girls seems to writhe with pleasure whenever a vampire bites them.=P Especially Miss Klaha's Fiancee.=P Who gets bitten by Yu-ki like, 3 times or something and still doesn't die.
There's no plot. No plot linkages. No characterisation. No beautiful scenery [no nature in other words. Unless you like old gothic mansions and believe them to be part of nature..xP]. It's all in black and white-ish/sepia-ish and you get this haunting music. Gets rather dreary after a while. I think this is simply for girls to fangirl over their favourite Malice Mizer member.xP Like, Klaha. Or Mana. Haha. Oh. And the English "dialogue" is EXTREMELY bad. =P
And.. I think only Mana gets nice costumes. Tsk. Klaha's are really boring. Yu-ki and Kozi have moth eaten looking cloths draped over them and miss fiancee gets tablecloths. Everyone else either has bondage looking stuff or really lame 15th century clothing.xD Oh. And they all still have to wear the requisite platform boots.=P
I do wonder where they filmed everything though. Hmm. There are scenes that look like the ones from Hyde's Roentgen Stories. And nothing looks Japanese!!! O.o
All in all, it's over an hour of dreariness. I think I only sat through it to see when it would end. Haha.=P [I like the music though..xD I finally know where some random Malice Mizer music I have is from!] It's as slowmoving as Pretty Persuasion. *yawn*
Tomorrow! The end of the prelims! *_* Can't wait.=D Wee!! Maybe I'll finally have time to watch Napola! ^_^
Jiamin: I think Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel are cute.=D
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Symphony of the Night Bloody Tears Malice Mizer (at least. I think that's what the Bara no Konrei piece is called..)]
[mood : ...]
[food : --]
Sunday, August 27, 2006
YSI Link: The Seventh Night~unplugged~
Hello
Yes. I've gone to new heights in uploading. Here's an entire album by Gackt: The Seventh Night~unplugged~. I haven't gotten my hands on it. But I will I will! Sooner or later.. *looks around darkly* As long as no one stops me.. *glares*
Gackt - The Seventh Night~unplugged~ Album
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=197AFCA577FF7427
Just watched Hero, you know, the one starring Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi and.. Jet Lee. And.. That guy from 2046.^_^" It was so sad at the end!!! Okay. I thought some parts of the dialogue were really spastic. But other bits were rather poetic. Like the whole about "tian xia". =) Heh.
And I love the music!!! Apparently, it's performed by a famous violinist. I can't remember his name. But my dad was so horrified to find out that I, his useless daughter, had no idea who the violinist is. Haha.=P I do know the final song is by Faye Wong. And I like that song! Haha.=P *beams*
During a commercial, they were showing the President's Star Charity ad again and they used the Spirited Away piece in the ad!!! xD I kept prodding my mom and going, isn't that a nice piece!!! And she was like, yes it's rather nice. Haha.xD xD xD Exciting!!! =P [I'm such a kid.-_-" So easily excitable. Haha. I think I'd be more excited if they were to show a Gackt ad though. Or play a Gackt PV on MTV. *beams*]
And I love this new MSN game I found! It's called Chuzzle and it's a lot like Bejeweled. Except that instead of switching the gems around to form rows of the same gem, you move the rows to match these fuzzy creatures with 2 eyes.=P It's cute! Haha. *beams*
Okay. Off to play more. *scuttles away*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : One Summer's Day Spirited Away OST + Hero Faye Wong]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : --]
YSI Link: Love (John Lennon cover) + Soybean Curd! xD + Kettle Chips Unsalted
Hello
Another upload [courtesy of pixiezdust. I try to remember where I get downloads from but sometimes it's really hard when you download a lot of stuff at once.O.o] of Gackt! =D It's a mp3 rip from a live performance of John Lennon's Love.Gackt - Love (John Lennon cover)http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=DD841701084CE3BDWee! Tried the unsalted Kettle Chips at dinner. They are actually good!!! I was really surprised since usually chips are far better with salt than without.=)
And! We bought the 2 different tau huays from selegie road to try.^_^ Conclusion? The new stall is better. 
The original stall's beancurd (pictured above. Crap quality since it's taken with my dad's phone) is smooth alright, but leaves a heavy grainy aftertaste. I used to love it but after trying the new one..
The the new stall's beancurd (pictured above) is just as smooth as the original stall's but ends off really light without the same grainyness. ^_^ Great stuff. And apparently, their elder brother's stall has even better beancurd!!! I urm. Can't remember where it's located.^_^"
Wee! Foodie evening. But I really want to go watch Hero.. *edges away*
Jiamin: Sure!!! We have to go to the Hello Kitty exhibition. I was thinking the same thing when I read it. Ahaha.=P I love my Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel too. *beams* And sorry I don't eat mooncakes. Everyone else can have my share.^_^" More for you! Raffles Hotel has oreo mooncakes this year. They taste surprisingly OK. Hahaha.=P However, the filling is black. Which is slightly disconcerting..
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Endless story Yuna Ito + Beast of Blood Malice Mizer]
[mood : ladida]
[food : --]
Wee! Just watched a live performance of Beast of Blood. And and and! It's got Kozi in his extremely revealing outfit of a corset and .. Other things. xD I finally know where the image is from. Mwahaha. It's sexy in a rather disturbing way. Especially when you think about how it's on a .. Guy. O.O Heh.
YSI Links: Keiko Matsui
Helloo
Uploading stuff and as usual.. I don't want to waste the links.=)
Keiko Matsui - Deep Blue
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=B5B04334591A2183
Keiko Matsui - Water for the Tribe
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=0F8665D854DABEDB
Keiko Matsui - Across the Sun
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=FB594E637FA5BE3B
Keiko Matsui - Trees
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=CDA06D874F35E2F0
Went to Chef Chan's for lunch, went to this Japanese restaurant at Grand Copthorne for dinner last night and my mom bought mooncakes today.[Not ourselves though. I don't eat mooncakes anyway.]
Hmm. I think the highlight of the meal last night was the salmon fishhead(s).^_^ We had 2, one simmered in soy sauce and one grilled with salt. I loved the one simmered in soy sauce. I think most things simmered in soy sauce taste great. Haha.=P Or anything flavoured with soy sauce tastes great too.=) The futomaki was yummy too although it was falling apart due to the softness of the rice, according to my mom. Apart from that.. There was nothing spectacular. My mom keeps telling me we should go to Kuriya to eat the sliced grilled beef that is fabulously expensive if I like it.=P Well. Considering how much it is.. I better like it. xD But I love grilled beef so..^_^ GYUKAKU! Haha. My dad hates that place. He's constantly complaining that there's too much meat.-_-" O well. I love their salads too..
Lunch was fine I guess.=) My mom bought mooncakes for my grandparents after that and we went to deliver them to my wai po's house.^_^
Argh. This JUNK MAIL thing!!! Completely irritating. They fill up my inbox like every single day.-_-" Will spam never stop?!
Anyway. I was reading Life and Colin Goh's column this week was so sweet! ^_^ He was wishing his sister best wishes for her upcoming wedding [urm. I think it's over. But urm. Yes.^_^"] and recalling their moments together.=) I thought it was really sweet of him. Haha.*beams*
My SIA Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel toys!!! ^_^ Aren't they the most adorable things ever? xD xD xD Haha. I got them a few years ago from my dad's friend in Tokyo. He works in SIA see. And I got a Hello Kitty SIA notepad as well as a Hello Kitty SIA watch which doesn't work because the battery ran out.=X
My parents were also telling me about this.. Japanese Cultural School or something in Singapore that I can go to!!! =D Completely exciting!!! It's near NAFA [You know.. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts] at urm.. Middle Road. Or something like that.=) Wee! I wouldn't mind going there instead of China actually since I do want to study Japanese language [not necessarily Japanese studies] in university anyway. Hmm. I don't think I'd ever pursue Japanese Studies instead of Psychology as a major though.=S Firstly, it's not very practical. Secondly, I really do want to study at least a bit of Psychology [and see if I like it. Ahem.=X] and finally, I might as well beg to go to Japan if I really want to study Japanese Culture. Haha.=P Or maybe not. I'd have to spend an extra year learning Japanese.O.o Very expensive..
However.. Ahh! I really hope we get to go to Japan [I've been informed that it depends on my darling brother's schedule.-_-" *grumbles*] and then.. and then.. AHH!!! xD xD xD Haha. I told my mom that simply staying in Tokyo might be a bit sad since one should go exploring so.. I suggested Kyoto! And she's in full agreement. *beams* I think. Haha. Anyway. When I was talking about Kyoto I was like, we have to go to Gion and Pontocho at least to you know. Check out the district since we only passed through it briefly the last time we went [which was at least a thousand years ago..]. Plus.. We can go to a kimono museum!! *is all excited and jumpy* And.. I can get some pretty kanzashi!!! *beams* You know.. Those cute Japanese hair ornaments!!! Maybe it'll make me more adventurous since I have to find some use for the kanzashi. Haha.
I'm reading about kanzashi on Wikipedia [it's my favourite information site. It's got like.. EVERYTHING. Haha. Yay Wikipedia! ^_^]. Very interesting.=) You can see some kanzashi here: Puchi Maiko (link). It's an online site selling handmade kanzashi. But it's not from Japan so I'm just assuming from the look that it's authentic. Heh! It's quite simple. I've seen more elaborate designs that look like the kind the maiko wear.^_^
I know the birds are pretty small but I took a photo of these.. Toucans? Hornbills? That landed on the antennae of a neighbour's house! Haha. I was extremely fascinated.=P But.. It's so cool! These funny birds! At my house!!! *retarded* xD
Zeelei: Uruha does not look like a ghost!!! *glares*
Wee! Off to read more and drool over more pictures. And see if there are any Gackt updates! *zooms off*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Endless Story Yuna Ito + Nine Spiral + Last Song Gackt]
[mood : cheery]
[food : salmon fishhead.xD]
I really have to urm. Go read my Lit. Although you technically can't study for it. But it always makes one feel a bit safer when one attempts to do something for the exams.. Hah.=P
Saturday, August 26, 2006
YSI Link: Sukeban Rock + Happy Birthday!
First off.. To my brother hanging out in dear ol' Michigan..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D =D =DYou are now officially old and ancient! *beams*
Moving on..
Uploaded this for someone and decided the link shouldn't be wasted.=)
Inugami Circus-Dan - Sukeban Rock
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=26228BC229868905
Inugami Circus-Dan started out in 1995 and has a female vocalist. I'm pretty sure they are still indies because I can't think that this style of music could ever be truly mainstream.. Inugami Circus-Dan [meaning The Dog-God Circus Troupe] is angura kei [a subdivision of visual kei] which tends to use the Japanese cultural element in their works to evoke the horror of old Japanese ghost stories. They are also ero-guro which focuses on sexual corruption, eroticism and decadence. [info taken from wikipedia.^_^] This can be seen in their dressing I suppose.. Seeing as the female vocalist is always in kimono and the male band members wear military style costumes. Oh. And don't forget their scary white makeup! Haha. [How's that erotic though. HMM. O.o] My makeup at the haunted house during Fun-O-Rama looks like the vocalist's usual style actually, now that I think about it..
Don't you agree? O.o Except of course, that I love her white make-up and the perfectly applied eyeliner. And the very scary carelessly applied lipstick.. [It looks almost gruesome in those PVs..O.o]
I love their music because it's really different from what one usually hears with a rather operatic female voice singing to rock music. [The closest English equivalent I can think of off-hand is Evanescence.=)] The vocalist sings in an old-school Japanese way which I think is really cool. Zeelei thinks it's terrible. And I think Jiamin will hate it. Brenda on the other hand, is highly amused by their visuals. =P I personally like their style.
This song is from their 2005 release, Sukeban Rock.=) They released an album this year in February! xD Sadly, I will never ever see it in the local HMV so unless someone wants to lend me their credit card [I'll pay you back. I promise!], I'll never get their CDs.xP
And I'll never get the Gackt DVDs now either. I saw a picture of them yesterday. O MY GOSH. The box design is gorgeous!!! xD It uses the same DVD box as the Diabolos tour but the design inside.. xD xD xD PRETTAY. Haha. I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD(s) once I get to Japan!!! *runs to a CD store* xD BEAMS.
Been reading Her World and they had an article on women collecting art instead of spending their money on clothes and handbags [and shoes.. and makeup.. and skincare products.. and their hair.. the list goes on..]. There was one who collects books with beautiful prints as art. ^_^ I fully approve! Look at this gorgeous painting I found on DeviantArt for example.. [It's by either enayla or blackeri. I seriously love their works.^_^]
Ahh. GORGEOUS. I seriously still can't believe they do this kind of thing on photoshop. Digital art = very amazing.=) Thinking about it.. I would much rather collect this kind of artwork than oil paintings [which can be amazing too, no doubt] because I'm very much attracted to the fantasy elements.^_^
And now that my computer can suddenly read png files, I is pleased! ^_^ Wee! Can finally download them amazing anime style drawings. Yay.
Couldn't stop listening to Endless Story by Yuna Ito [or, as they refer to her in the NANA soundtrack, Reira Starring Yuna Ito] this morning.=D Heh. It's a really good song. So I went a-hunting for the mp3 and ended up downloading more than just that one mp3. I got the piano duet from Corpse Bride, alice nine. PVs, a Due le Quartz clip, a Malice Mizer clip and.. Hmm.. Some other stuff too.. ^_^ I'm going to have to start my burning spree soon.
Ramen for Dinner! Yay! =D If it's good, I'll try to remember to take photos [before I finish the ramen] and post them. Heh.
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Circus no Ningyo Inugami Circus-Dan + Endless Story Yuna Ito]
[mood : brilliant]
[food : --]
I need to buy Jeans. And NANA. And.. Lots and lots of clothes. Oh. And let's not forget the prom dress.=) Don't get me started.. I haven't gotten to the Gackt stuff I need yet..
Edit: Just watched the Malice Mizer clip where they visit a fan's home. OMG. HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHA. xD xD xD I was simply dying of laughter. Firstly, they transform their entire dining room into this medieval setting for dinner. Secondly, they made the poor family dress up as a vampire [the dad], a witch [the mom] and an egyptian mummy [the daughter] that was reminiscent of Mana's very very very bad transsexual experience in Shoxx. *dies laughing* AHAHA. Thirdly, they were traipsing down this suburban neighbourhood in full regalia and shocked all the old oba-chans. AHAHA.=P And Gackt was simply hilarious!!!
They were all acting in this mini movie that was written and directed by Malice Mizer.When the oka-san pronounced something wrongly, Gackt corrected her. It was so funny. You could see he was just dying inside trying not to laugh and kill his image while the oka san just burst into laughter.=P Seriously. Malice Mizer was so entertaining with Gackt around. Why o why did they ever break up!!! [Not that I don't love Gackt as a solo artist..xD] Come over to my house to watch it in all its hilarity!!! I'm off to watch the Malice Mizer fishing clip. Ahaha. That one's hilarious too!!! [Especially when they are all doing stupid things in full costume. *guffaws*]
Friday, August 25, 2006
Pretty Persuasion, Kino and NANA!
Hello!!
WEE! xD I just watched Nana the Movie. You know. The one starring Mika Nakashima? xD
I LOVE THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beams. However. I think it's far too short. I'm so unsatisfied now!!! I want to read the manga!!! [Another expensive endeavour..-_-"] Like hello?! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT??!!! (T_T) Manga please.
And I ADORE their clothes. And the cute Nana's hair.xD xD xD Haha.=P I am so watching Paradise Kiss on animax from next week onwards!!! Haha.=P Must rush home every Tuesday to watch it now.=D =D =D
It was so much better than Pretty Persuasion which stars Evan Rachel Woods. I read the review in Life that said it's good and.. I really beg to differ.-_-" It was so slow moving!!! I think that it's just second to Schindler's List on the slow moving scale. [I'm not being fair to Schindler's List though since urm. I didn't actually watch the whole movie. I will. One day.^_^"] The first 45 minutes was so painful!!! Joyce and I were just grumbling endlessly while Jiamin and Vivion were kind of sitting there in this stoned state. Haha.=P I liked the ending though. However, I really don't think Kimberly [whom Evan Rachel Woods acts as] is a "Machavellian villain" as Life so kindly put it. Far from it!!! -.-" I think she's more like Iago in Othello. But I thought the linkages were really bad because they chucked everything that's the plot right at the end of the movie.-.-" Like urm. Hello. Groan.
And the way it was shot looked very low budget film. Not that I'm against low budget films. But I'm just pointing it out. I thought the acting was actually quite good and the storyline wasn't too spasticated either but it really could have been a better movie concerning the way it was shot and the way they developed the storyline. The first part was so painful. I was all, "why am I sitting through this!" and worse still, "why am I here again?!" The ending was the saving grace of the entire show. Seriously. And even then, it wasn't like the most brilliant ending ever. Sigh. I liked the music though.=) I say, if you want to spend money on a movie, save your money for next week. The Devil Wears Prada is coming out! [Yes yes. Chick flick. But I like chick flicks! They are brainless and fun to watch. Haha.]
Went to Kino too!!! ^_^ Beams. I bought the Donna Hay Magazine. =D And Jiamin bought the new W-inds. photobook. Vacanza!!! Gosh. Keita looks really cute!!! Ahaha. Jiamin was like, "why are you drooling over my guy?!" Gomen ne? He was seriously cute!!! Haha. Can't resist squealing.=P
Right. Nana!!! O my gosh. Go buy the DVD! NOW! I want the limited edition one they released in Japan!!! (T_T) It had like, making-ofs and extra clips and videos as well as the PV for Glamorous Sky!!! xD xD xD Sadly, I'll have to make do with whatever's available. But I think I'll only buy the DVD if they promise extras like the making-ofs and stuff like that. I still remember watching the trailer and totally loving it.^_^ I guess I was right about it being good.
Okay. I admit.. There are some shortcomings in this film since nothing can be perfect and wonderful. For example, I found the ending really abrupt and like HUH. I mean.. I don't know. It didn't really seem like an ending. It was way too unsatisfying which is why I now want to read the manga.=) I would also have liked to see more character development since this wasn't really addressed for the not so major characters, a major failing in many movies. However, some parts of the main characters weren't really filled in either which was quite annoying. I think they edited parts out for the movie in case it required too much explanation? =S Finally, I have no idea why Nakashima Mika has such dead looking eyes. I mean, she fitted the role really well but I don't understand how anyone can have such dead looking eyes.=S
I loved the clothes though. Gosh. Nana [the cool one] had such tiny skirts with gorgeous lace trimmings! I WANT! =( I want skinny legs too. I wish I could carry off that kind of skirts with the same panache. I think I'll just look like an idiot if I dress like that.xP And I'd look like a Nana cosplayer. Haha.=P And I love Nana's [the cute one] footwear!! O MY GOSH. I LOVE HER BOOTS!!! xD xD xD And her heels are all stupendously high! It's crazy. Seriously. But I love her boots. I was telling myself I totally need to slim down to wear those boots! xD Haha. Such high heels are completely impractical though. But so pretty! *_*
I liked the storyline as well. It's not very complicated but perhaps they'd simplified it for the movie for people like me who have never read Nana. =) It's about two girls who share the same name, Nana, meeting on a train and then eventually meeting again [what are the odds?] while apartment-hunting. They end up living together and the movie explores how this new relationship changes their lives and makes them best of friends.^_^ There are lots of sweet and touching moments in this movie as well as some sad ones. I didn't cry though. Perhaps a girl less stone-hearted than I would.=)
The cute Nana annoyed me at first but as they developed her character, she wasn't quite so irritating anymore.=) Plus I totally forgave her because I love her hair.^_^ Heh.
I think the cool Nana and Ren are so cute together! xD However, it seems like a completely silent relationship or something. They say like, 2 sentences and then they are in each other's arms not saying anything.-.-" Like urm. How exactly do they communicate? Telepathy? And Jiamin thinks that Nana forgave him too easily. Hmm. I don't know about that but I think that she understood why he did what he did. And anyway.. Doesn't she love him? xD [*melts* I'm very easily taken in by this kind of thing. Haha.=P] And he loves her too! xD xD xD True love reigns above all huh? xD However, the 2 Nanas are really compatible too! =D Heh. One's cool and one's cute. Opposites attract.=) It seems that they really do complement each other though. I think it's sweet how these 2 strangers made friends because they shared the same name. Haha.=P
All in all.. I really loved the movie. It's not the best movie ever. But I enjoyed it.=) I can't wait to read the manga. Jiamin! TRIP TO KINO IS CALLED FOR!!! xD O dear. I really shouldn't get into this "I love Manga!" fanclub now.(T_T) It's too expensive!!! Argh. O well. Nana calls..xD
And I tried using eyeliner today. BEAMS. Haha. I thought I used too much though. And pencil eyeliner smudges on me!!! Groan. Maybe I should try liquid eyeliner when I get better with pencil eyeliner.=) *is pleased with self* It was really ugly actually. But I thought it was a good first try. [I'm very forgiving of my own mistakes.^_^"] I'm trying to follow the Jrockers who seem to have experts doing their eyeliners everytime..xP Can't quite achieve the nice line yet. But I will I will!!! *determined*
The Cherry Trees
The cherry trees bend over and are shedding,
On the old road where all that passed are dead,
Their petals, strewing the grass as for a wedding
This early May morn when there is none to wed.
Edward Thomas
When I think of petals.. I think of Cherry Blossoms streaming down from the trees creating a beautiful pink carpet. ^_^
Wee! Off to look for scanlations [Thanks Joyce! I'll watch Nana with you soon!!! =D] and more about Nana!
THERE'S GOING TO BE NANA 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *squeals with delight* I CAN'T WAIT! xD
And I want to watch the Nana anime!!! xD xD xD
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Glamorous Sky Nakashima Mika (NANA OST)]
[mood : xD xD xD]
[food : Mos Chicken!]
Jiamin: I think Miyavi looks good too!!! But doesn't it look like a letter opener?! It looks like the letter opener that Gackt gave in the limited edition version of his Diabolos tour document!!! Ahaha.=P And the only picture of Gackt I posted was the one you like.O.o Unless you're talking about Malice Mizer. Haha.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Downloading Spree!
Yay!
Finished my downloading spree just now. BEAMS! =D Totally beefed up my image collections, music collections and video collections. YAY. Except for one Kagrra, album, I'm practically done with their releases I think.=P Wee!
And I downloaded some old Malice Mizer stuff.*_* Gackt! With extremely long hair!!! It was quite hilarious. And Mana has some gorgeous costumes.. The whole lace thing. Nice.=D And I've fallen in love with the Beast of Blood video!!! It's so dark and nicely shot and.. Gothic. xD Yu-ki looks rather Marilyn Manson though.=P
Speaking of Marilyn Manson.. I saw a photoshoot of him and Lily Cole. Probably to build up publicity regarding the new movie, Phantasmagoria, that is supposed to be an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. I really want to watch it!!! Except that everytime I see the word Phantasmagoria, I think of the Jrock band.. =X Heh. I'm looking forward to the movie though. I'm trying not to hope it'll be all gothic and dark in case I'm going to be disappointed..
Anyway! I must share the download joy!! =D Okay. So I'm only sharing pictures. But hey. It'll be a treat after the killer math paper today.*beams*
URUHA!!! xD xD xD Gosh. Is he pretty or what! xD I told you I love Jrock magazines.. There's a picture in this series of Uruha the Vampire.xD BEAMS. Haha. I love vampires. [Particularly of the Gakuhai variety..] Anyway. This is from Shoxx October 2006 [the Miyavi photos too] and it's a solo photoshoot for Uruha.. Apparently, they've featured Ruki and Aoi already. So that leaves Kai and Reita! Haha. Gotta look out for the Kai ones for Brenda. Beams.=D
Malice Mizer in 1998!!! xD When Gackt was still with them. Mwahaha.=D I like the feathers used at the side of the picture.=)
And yes yes. The moment you've been waiting for. MIYAVI! xD
Looking fabulously tall as always. With his sexy black guitar.xD *squeals!*
The requisite closeup shot.xD Gosh I love that knife he's holding!!! Or is it a letter opener? =S
And I saved my favourite picture for last! Beams.=D
Does he look good or what! xD
I wish I could find all the scans of him from the Gothic & Lolita Bible. Sigh. He's usually gorgeously pretty there.xD
Stupid photobucket resized all my pictures! Wails.O well. I've been watching all my new videos but now I can't decide what Gackt DVD to watch!!! *peers at shelf* Hmm.Ganbatte Minna! xDcheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Beast of Blood Malice Mizer + Gackt's Mizerable minialbum][mood : cheerful][food : --]
Math = Die.
Hello
As you can see from the title.. It was terrible. Completely and utterly terrible. I've never been so demoralised during a math paper in my life.
I mean.. Tough papers are fine. But papers that are practically undoable just send me into depression overdrive. (T_T) I'm so getting a Gackt fix tonight. I promised myself I'd only watch my DVDs after the E8 paper next Tuesday but I think this complete and utter depression certainly warrants a bit of cheering up.xP Love Letter is playing.=D I love that song!
The paper was like.. Hmm. How should I put it. How about.. UNDOABLE?! And.. TOO DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND?! -_-" If I pass it'll be a miracle. Seriously. Completely demoralising!!! I'm so glad this isn't the first math paper.(T_T)
O well. Must. Move. On! xD
STUDY HARD FOR ECONS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D =D =D You can make it!!! Remember..
ENGAGE THE DATA
*beams*
And for some encouragement..
Well. You have to admit he's cute..xD [The picture Jiamin declares is actually cute.xD *is pleased*]
And for those who aren't Gackt fans..
Look! It's Mr Bunny clapping his hands in encouragement!!! *beams* Uber cute is it not? xD xD xD
And for those who aren't moved by Gackt OR Mr Adorable Bunny..
I'm sure food will spur you on!
Ganbatte Ne? xDcheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Love Letter Gackt][mood : devastated][food : --]My mom's tried out her brand new soymilk maker.O.o She was making me strain it just now. What's the point of getting the maker if it doesn't strain the mixture properly?! -_-"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
YSI Link: Hanashitaku Wa Nai
*beams*
Here's yet another Gackt download! It's a live performance of Hanashitaku Wa Nai which is originally a song by T-Bolan [never heard of him sorry].
Gackt - Hanashitaku Wa Naihttp://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=7FA6C5ED6B76333FSome trivia behind it: I don't know where I read this but apparently, Gackt and You performed this one christmas to raise money or something. That's why this live performance was set up by the street where You played the guitar and Gackt just sang. It was to recreate their experience or something like that.^_^Quite contrived really. But oh the nostalgia.=) It was quite a touching performance and Gackt didn't mangle "everyday every night"! xD Haha.Just now I heard the orchestral version of Unchained Melody from the OST for Ghost. It was really good. Which is why I'm now wondering where to get that OST.. [I hope the rest of it is as good.O.o] Orchestral versions always sound fantastic. I have no idea why.xDNow I must attempt to do my math. Beamscheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Hanashitaku wa nai Gackt + You][mood : ...][food : --]
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Gackt Greatest Filmography 1999-2006
Gackt Greatest Filmography 1999-2006 Red and Blue Collections Sigh. They are officially released today. [Or yesterday if you trust Yesasia] Sigh.
Don't you just wish you owned one of them? Or that you're one of those girls waiting in anticipation for it to arrive because you pre-ordered it? Sigh.
My math is.. Dying! Completely! (T_T) Sobs.
Can't you just see everyone walking away in disappointment at my completely terrible memory? (T_T)
Back to math.*glares at papers*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Moi Dix Mois Latest Album - Beyond the Gate]
[mood : grumpy]
[food : --]
Beyond the Gate is pretty good! ^_^ Perhaps I just like Mana's style because I love their older works as well..=D [Older Moi Dix Mois works I mean. Although I love Malice Mizer's style too..^_^] With 5 instrumental tracks, you really get to hear the arrangements and layering behind the voice.=)
Now for Alizee's Mes Courants Electriques! [And no. She's not Japanese. She's French.xP] [And when I think French pop.. I get reminded of how Mana is inspired by French Pop. *laughs*]
Airport Farewell
Helloo
Well. My brother's probably in the air now. I mean, one hour after the flight was scheduled to depart.. I don't think they can delay it for that long. Haha.=P Returned from the airport not too long ago from a rather unteary farewell.^_^
I hope my brother reads this. Because I'm uploading pictures so he can see them quickly!!! xP
Anyway. I don't know if I feel sad or not. Because you know. He went for NS so the whole "omg my brother is not around!!!" thing isn't as strong anymore. [Plus he was never at home even after NS anyway.-_-"] But well. 1 year! [okay. Less than 1 year.^_^"] 'tis okay. Time passes really fast.=) Plus!!! My mom is all ready and planning to visit my brother at the end of the year! Ahaha.
Jiamin! New developments again! =P Since my dad has a meeting around the time we're having prom, we can only go after!!! Ahaha. So much my mom's grumpiness at me not wanting to go between the end of the A levels and Prom.=P I'm quite interested in going in January even though I know all of Michigan will probably be frozen then and bloody cold. I mean.. That's the fun isn't it? My mom is wholly against the idea though since she's like, "IT'LL BE TOO COLD TO MOVE!" which is practically true but I've never been a practical person so..=P Yes. I'm looking forward to the stop in Japan!!! *_* BEAMS!
Anyway. Enough of my rambling. On to the photos! xD
My aunt [the one who lived in Japan! Exciting stuff no?] and I! xD Haha. Yes yes I know. Pictures of my brother coming right up..
My aunt looks positively tiny! O.o And my brother is slouching. O.o
His sending off partyy! Haha. His other colleague from SPH came later.=) Very sweet of them to come to the airport at night. I mean.. It's not like the airport is the most centrally located place in the whole of Singapore.. It looks like we're having a soya bean milk party. Ahaha.=P
Ze family.^_^ With the mother in the center of course.=)
Extremely blurry picture of my brother waving goodbye.^_^ We kept waving. It was quite a poignant moment really. [Except *cough* my dad found it rather amusing.O.o]
I don't have much to say about it. Except that my parents [and my aunt] kept going on and on about
1) How it'll be my turn next year
2) When my brother's plane is taking off
3) What happened when my dad went to France all those years ago
4) The dislocation students feel when they go overseas
5) Communications! [You know. Him blogging, my mom actually planning to learn how to use *cough* Skype and MSN Messenger. O.o]
Bye Piggy!!! Hope you read this soon.=D Haha. *beams* Like, in the nice comfort of the hotel or something. Or maybe in the smelly old Amsterdam airport!
Onward to a brighter future! *beams* [With kissables to illustrate my point.xD]
Now. Math. HMM. I can't remember a THING about statistics. God I'm dead.-_-"cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Anima Mundi Rentrer en Soi + Tsuki no Uta Gackt][mood : contemplative][food : --]And I didn't buy my lapis cake after all. Sigh.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Break Day 1!
Hellos
=D Time for a 2 day break between papers. Not that I didn't have a break before. But you know. It's a break!!! *BEAMS*
Downloading like anything. Sigh. Wendaye! Your thing to bypass megaupload's spastic download slots hates me too.(T_T) Sigh. So Jiamin will never ever get Can't Sleep Can't Eat I'm Sick by Namie Amuro.. Except for the Remix. Ahaha. I don't even know if it's nice.O.o
Wee! I uploaded this photoshoot on LJ for someone who wanted it so here. You get to enjoy the Gackt Goodness too! =D [Alliteration! Beams.]
Grunge Gackt
Truth be told, I'm not fond of this photoshoot.O.o It's a bit weird. Grunge Chic so doesn't work it for me.^_^" Heh.
I like this photo though. Maybe because you can't see his face.*cough*I like the other photos in this shoot where he's modelling H.Naoto clothes. Not quite modelling per se. But H.Naoto styled these photoshoots for him or something. You know. Makers of very-expensive-clothing.O.o They've got cool goth stuff if you look though.^_^ [Yes yes. I went to the website.=X And then lost all hope of ever owning anything. Heh.]*bounces* Alizee! Quicckkk! Download FASTER. xD Heh. I'm quite anxious to get my hands on Moi Dix Mois! =D Beams. Why can't everyone use SendSpace? Sigh. Why o why do people still insist on using the extremely terrible MU? =( Possibly because they don't have limits on Americans. *sigh*Ahh. I found this other game that's a bit like Diner Dash but not as cute. It's very.. Realistic.O.o I liked the concept but the realistic bit was a bit too much. I mean.. You could actually hear the customers eating. O.o How gross is that. *sigh* And the waitress you control has more tasks too. Hmm. Maybe I'll play more later..=XAnyway. My brother's leaving tonight.O.o I'm not particularly bothered about it right now but maybe I'll get all teary tonight. Ahaha. Maybe.=PMoi Dix Mois! *bounces away*cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : sounds of food cooking! xD (watching food shows now.=X)][mood : bouncy][food : --]Gee. Math Tuition. (T_T)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Neverending SEA & Chinese Dessert
Will the agony never end? I can't wait for 24 hours to zoom by so all this will be over! For now.(T_T) SEA is just so painful. ARGH.
Anyway, my mom made a snow fungus dessert with chinese almond and hong zao [red dates?] just now.^_^ Well. Okay. She finished making it yesterday but kept it in the fridge and served it today. So.. ^_^" Yea. It was yummy!!!
But I want to eat more pineapple tarts.=( However, the thought of the fat and calories just scares me so I'm sticking to cups and cups of water. I think I gained a lot of weight thanks to those pineapple tarts. And to think they look so innocent and lovely in their little jar..-_-National Day Rally tonight. I wonder what it'll be about.. My cousin was telling us about the drinking games they played in the US for George Bush's speeches. Hilarious! Haha. I can't think of how we can apply the same concept here though. Lee Hsien Loong really isn't as amusing as Bush..My mom is merrily planning the end of year holiday to see her beloved son. And from the looks of things, my parents have relented concerning the trip to JAPAN. YAY!!!!!! I could not be more thrilled! I kept going. JAPAN. JAPAN! JAPAN!!! And finally my dad was like we can go there AFTER SEEING YOUR BROTHER NOW SHUT UP!!! Beams. Victory at last! =D Wee! My mom refuses to see my brother in January you see.. Because Michigan is so bloody cold. So she kept prodding me to know when my prom is. Like I would know.-_-" And if my brother's exams are in December, how is visiting him before the exams going to be so different from visiting him during the exams? -_-" O well. Whatever. I would love to go to Michigan. Apparently, there's a J-rock store in Ann Arbor. But more importantly is the stopover in Japan for a couple of days [at least!!! Hrmph.].xD xD xD I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!Now. Why can't the bloody A levels be already over?!cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Studio Ghibli music][mood : panicky][food : pineapple tarts.=(]The Studio Ghibli soundtracks are starting to bore me. But I really can't think of anything else I can listen to. Argh.xP
Lunch at Lawry's
HelloJust returned from lunch at Lawry's.xD The food was great! But the service was so completely horrible. I thought it was atrocious that such an expensive and reputable restaurant should have such badly trained staff. Like, one person knew what was going on. Everyone else? Hah! xPAnd I'm panicking over my studying. So if I intersperse this with really random things.. Please forgive me..Also.. Sorry. But no pictures.Lawry's is done up in a faux-old English style so you've got the whole portraits on the walls, heavy furniture and old school decorations in general. Even the chairs aren't spared. You've got regular leatherish chairs and you've got the high back throne-like chairs.O.o It was almost ostentatious. The servers are dressed in "costume" like apparel as well with the females in these rather embarrassing to be seen in maids dresses and the men in.. Men's clothing.^_^" On Sunday's apparently, they've got the Sunday Brunch where you order a main course and you get a salad and buffet comprising of appetisers and dessert.The selection of main courses is rather good and they have good options for those who don't like all the meat so I was quite pleased.^_^ My aunt had a great fish and chips for example, the batter was done superbly and it as fried to perfection. My cousin was eating all her fries and she said they were really good. The portions in Lawry's are also pretty huge but you get what you pay for so don't expect anything to be inexpensive.The buffet was rather sad though. While my aunt felt the sweet corn soup was nice and light, I thought the carrot and beef soup was tasty but had a strange gelatinous texture. O.o Too much starch maybe or perhaps it was the collagen in the beef? Whatever it was.. It tasted nice but the texture was a bit off-putting. Apart from fried calamari and stewed beef ribs [which were huge and rather tender. But they were merely passable.] .. The selection was pathetic! I mean, they actually had century eggs as one of the items in the buffet. O.o Century eggs?! Gee. Obviously they were running out of ideas. Other uninteresting selections included nachos [yawn], quesadillas [I have a strong feeling they used roti prata], a sandwich station [with rather sorry looking choices], and other forgettable items. A true disappointment. But I'll leave the dessert for later.Oh before I forget. The Lawry's Spinning Salad was also included but we had to ask for it.-_-" I reminded my cousin who was getting all appalled and annoyed at the fact that they didn't even have a salad bar. The spinning salad was made in a bowl that they *cough* spun and poured dressing in. A gimmick it seemed like. I was barely impressed except that I do think it might help to distribute the dressing well? Anyway. The dressing coated the leaves well although they didn't use any special lettuces. O well. I was quite happy with the salad even if it wasn't anything to shout about.^_^As I was in Lawry's, a place for beef, I just had to order beef. I left the lobster off for the moment I mean.. I wasn't sure it'd be good since lobster in Singapore is a somewhat hit-and-miss affair. One never knows if one will get a good lobster or not. O.o Like the elusive scallop. Scallops here are generally terrible. Oh for the scallops I had in France! *_* Those were.. o my gosh. I've never had better scallops in my life! Anyway. Back to the beef. [Can I be brief? My notes are glaring at me for ignoring them!!! xP] I had the California Cut, medium. I'm a bit wary of medium rare because they can sometimes be seriously bloody and .. generally unappetising looking. Medium's a safer option although once I got a medium somewhere that was well-done. Gosh. I was so pissed. But here, medium was really a great choice! Perhaps medium-rare would have yielded an even juicier portion but I was really happy with my beef.^_^ The California Cut of prime rib is the smallest portion in Lawry's and it was still quite a substantial slice. Served with great gravy and mashed potatoes as well as Yorkshire Pudding, it made for a rather substantial if unhealthy meal. The mashed potatoes were yummy! They were creamy and coated in a great gravy. [I'm trying to alliterate. Bear with me.] The Yorkshire Pudding was rather flat but it wasn't too horrendous. Then again.. I'm not a fan of Yorkshire Pudding so..^_^"The beef was tender and went really well with the gravy. I thought that was more than enough as seasoning and like my cousin, I'm quite the purist. No special horseradish, mustard or Lawry's seasoning salt thank you very much. The gravy went well with the beef and has more than filled my sodium quota.^_^ My family did say that the seasoning pepper went very well with the salad though. My grandfather was quite happy with his beef so that's quite a good sign. No complaints. It was a great piece of beef, well cooked and tender.^_^Dessert was quite the disappointment again. My highlight was Haagen-Dazs icecream! *beams* They had chocolate and strawberry and.. of course. I chose chocolate. Do you know how I adore Haagen-Dazs chocolate icecream?! [Belgian chocolate is even better..xD] They had fruit and a selection of cakes as well as readymade coffee and a variety of teas. I was appalled. Readymade coffee like in McDonald's?! At Lawry's?! What is this world coming to? I mean, even though it's a buffet.. There's certainly no excuse!!! Everyone avoided the coffee like the plague which is shocking since my family is made up of coffee-guzzlers.O.o The teas were good though.^_^ Although I think they were Lipton.. My brother said the cheesecakes were horrible. My mom said the others were forgettable. My aunt liked the selection of fruit though it was rather basic: watermelon, rock melon, oranges and.. pineapple I think.=) I was very happy with my chocolate ice cream and my granddad was pleased with his strawberry icecream with syrup! ^_^Onto the service. Oh the service.-_-" Firstly, the staff rattled off promotions and descriptions in such an omg-I-memorised-this-please-don't-let-me-make-a-mistake way. I'm not against memorising the names and descriptions but have they ever heard of being natural about it? O.o Apart from that.. The main servers were quite knowledgeable about the food in the descriptions but we had to get this young waiter to check what items were about 3 times.-_-" My cousin who works in Raffles Hotel was highly amused. She was like, isn't it basic to brief them about daily specials?! I couldn't agree more. Apart from that, the staff were well-trained and didn't clear plates or glasses in a horrendous manner. They were also relatively attentive in filling glasses and clearing empty plates. So that was a good thing.^_^All in all, I thought Lawry's was good at what's it supposed to be good at, apart from the fish & chips which gave everyone a pleasant surprise. But the management really has to shape up to make it a great dining experience. I also think that it's pretty expensive but Morton's isn't much cheaper so this is definitely the going rate for prime rib.=) However, I really don't see why I should pay $50+ for my prime rib with that horrible buffet. And that doesn't even include service charge or GST. I think it's nice to just try the place out but I don't think I'll be craving to go back..They have an August special now where if you order a prime rib, you can get an item off the new menu at 50% off [or is it the other way round? Can't remember.=X You get Lawry's vouchers and spa vouchers too.].^_^ But the new menu.. Hmm. I was not impressed. Except for the fish & chips without all the stuffing. Which was really really really good. =D Great choice my aunt! Beams.I think if you had $400 to blow on food, I'd definitely pick something else. Like St Pierre or Les Amis for Western food.. And seafood or Gyukaku for Asian! Although Gyukaku isn't that expensive. But it's really good and value for money.*_* I love Gyukaku!!! Beams. And I love Asian food anytime so..^_^" I'm partial to Japanese especially. Beams. Otherwise. Hmm. Apparently Osso is good [so says my dad and cousins] and Iggy's, I'm sure, is worth a try one day.^_^ Maybe I'll coerce my dad into going there so I can try their supposedly fantastic burger..Right. Back to SEA.O.o Sigh.cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : Gackt's Rebirth album.=)][mood : panicky][food : --]
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Seafood Dinner! =) Brother's Farewell Part One
Wee!
Went for a seafood dinner at Long Beach at Marina. There was crab [which I didn't eat], geoduck, prawns and .. not much else. Bamboo clams? =D Heh. Anyway. Pictures for all!
First up, we had the geoduck sashimi/steamboat.=) Sadly, my relatives were attacking it like there's no tomorrow so.. no pictures for you! But not to worry. They were rather ugly clam-like slices on ice. I urhh decided to be unadventurous and cook my slices shabu-shabu style in the great soup they placed in the center of the table.^_^ It was great stuff. The geoduck I ate at Crystal Jade [the one at Paragon, upstairs] was just.. terrible! But this stuff was good.^_^ It had a nice, firm, chewy sort of bite to it like a lot of other shellfish. But it wasn't overly chewy like abalone sometimes is. The slices were also quite thin so they didn't take ages to cook.^_^ My family assured me that it tasted absolutely fantastic at sashimi. Urhh. I'll take their word for it.^_^"
Bamboo clam!!! Oh how I adore you! =D =D =D You can see the amount of garlic it's covered in. Gosh. It was damn good. And that's only half of the damn thing. Haha. I ate one half before realising I had no pictures so ahem. Tried to make it look less messy before taking a picture.^_^" Didn't quite work but o well. This bamboo clam was good stuff!!! I LOVE bamboo clam with tons and tons of garlic. I mean. This place was great. The garlic was done really well! It was actually sweet and very fragrant unlike the usual overly strong stuff you get in lesser seafood establishments. It gave the bamboo clam a wondrous flavour and removed all traces of the fishy smell that you get if the clams are steamed without anything. The flesh was nice and bouncy but not super chewy so you know it was done to perfection and not overcooked.=)
Up next was the black pepper crab and the prawns! ^_^ I love prawns. I'm not a fan of crab at all so I graciously let them attack it with relish.^_^ They claim the black pepper crab is really really really good. But it was really spicy because of the amount of black pepper. *cough* I should think so. Just look at the colour!!! Apparently, Long Beach does a great white pepper crab too.=) Back to the prawns. Oh the prawns! It was such a pity they were so small! But I loved it. They fried it so it was really crunchy, the kind where you can eat the shell and all.=D I love that. And it was fried with these delicious unidentifiable but certainly fattening bits and loads of sweet onions. Delectable. The flesh was sweet and firm so that was good. And the shell was really crunchy and fantabulous.^_^ Yum. Plus it wasn't overly greasy so I didn't feel like I was eating a mouthful of prawn-dipped-in-oil. Which is what you get at some places. The margarine taste wasn't overpowering either so yay for prawns! And urhh.. The crab too.^_^"
Yay! Chilli Crab! Universal Favourite [almost].=) I urhm. Tried the sauce? And ate some mantou [I really am not a fan of the fried variety..]. But.. steered clear of crabs yet again.=) The sauce was rather good, I could see why people would like it. But for me? I'm not a convert. And I really wanted to ask for steamed mantou. But my brother rolled his eyes at me so I resisted..=X You can see the half empty plate of black pepper crab on the right. O.o Shows how animalistic those family members of mine are when it comes to crabs. My mom was very pleased. She says the crab meat was really good and firm, and there was lots and lots of meat. The 'rou xie' that she loves.^_^ Good thing too. My mom gets so incredibly GRUMPY when she doesn't get rou xie. Haha.=P
Fried fish done in the Thai-style! I have no idea what fish that is. Doesn't really seem like snapper or soon hock. But I could be wrong. =S In any case.. It was great. Well-fried, the fish was filleted well, meaning the meat was rather bone free! And the skin was fried really well because it didn't have that fishy, slimy taste and was actually crunchy! ^_^ The sweetness of the mangoes also went well with the spicy chilli sauce and the cucumbers and mangoes complimented the soft tender flesh of the fish.=) My only complaint was that the chilli sauce was like.. damn spicy.O.o My mouth was burning.
All that seafood was followed by a roast chicken, vegetables and e-fu noodles. The vegetables were forgettable to say the very least. The fried garlic was slightly burnt, giving the vegetables a bitter taste that I try to avoid.xP So no, I didn't really like the vegetables although they were otherwise well done. The roast chicken wasn't too bad I guess but it was rather anti-climatic after the giant crabs. But it was otherwise pedestrian [Wong Ah Yoke's favourite synonym for normal! -.-"]and certainly nothing to go on and on about. The e-fu noodles were not too bad, I loved those chive things in it. Sadly, it was topped with a lot of really bad crab meat. The meat was tasteless, watery and otherwise unappealing. Very disappointing. They weren't even peeled well, with lots of shell still in the meat. I was very sad. But o well. E-fu noodles! I love e-fu noodles. ^_^ Have yet to have a seriously life-changing experience with them though.=S
Finally.. Dessert!
Does it not look strange? The colour combination is rather off too. I mean.. Here's Vanilla ice-cream [creamish-white] in pulot hitam [reddish] on top of a green liquid that's pouring steam because of dry ice. Like.. O.o Is this supposed to be some kind of reverse plant? Otherwise.. I found the pulot hitam to be rather bland after the very sweet and not very good ice cream. I mean.. Okay. Maybe I'm being overly judgemental. It was just regular vanilla ice cream. Nothing sensational. But it was a rather interesting dessert in the sense that they were trying to meld east-and-west together? =P
Anyway. While most of the staff were rather pleasant there was this bitchy looking part-time waitress! -.-" The kind with the really sianded look. =P Sorry. Can't think of a good english equivalent.xP Like.. She just had this bitchy air about her.O.o Not very pleasant I assure you. Other than that though, most of the staff were quite responsive and fast. Apart from this girl who took like.. eternity to get me a glass of water.. I had to ask someone else in the end.O.oAnd while I would never call seafood dinners fine-dining [inspite of how much everything costs] because it's so damn messy, I love seafood cooked in this sort of Chinese style.^_^ *beams* Beats all that cold seafood you get at Western restaurants anytime. I like my prawns and lobsters hot please. Speaking of lobster..I can't wait for lunch tomorrow! *beams!* It'll be at Lawry's thanks to my brother's really strange cravings. Like hello. He'll get steak in the US. It won't be good steak [he can't afford it] but it's beef! SAME THING [for a poor student].-.-" So yes. Twin tails!!! *beams!* Lobster in other words. But it's Lawry's! You've just got to eat the steak. So my brother suggested surf & turf. But I actually like eating like, one giant lobster. I feel horrendously unsatisfied otherwise. O.o I'll see how things go tomorrow.. And I'll see if I manage to get pictures. My dad tends to think it very embarrassing to have me taking pictures in nice restaurants. Haha.=POkay. So it's occasionally embarrassing. But the guy at Les Amis was so nice about it the other time! He even angled the plate nicely for me to get a great picture.^_^ Beams. I love the service at Les Amis. He was so nice about explaining the dishes so you really know what went into them without making you feel like a complete ass about not knowing *anything* about classical French cooking. *beams* I did get embarrassed at like.. That place near Fullerton.*thinks* St Pierre? No. Urhhmmm.. Waterhouse.Waterboathouse.Boathouse. I CAN'T REMEMBER. Sorry.=X Yea that place.. Hmm. It was quite embarrassing taking photos there.=S No idea why. Or actually. I can't remember.=XSo yay! More food this weekend. When am I going to study?!cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : randomness playing.xD][mood : *boing!*][food : seafood.]
YSI Download: Kimi no Tameni Dekiru Koto + Izayoi no Tsuki
Wow. I'm on an uploading spree or something! xD
Anyway, here you go:
Gackt - Kimi no Tameni Dekiru Koto (from the Rebirth album)
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=CD4FD8F84EFBBCC3w-inds. - Izayoi no Tsuki (Unplugged version from THANKS)http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=A1B16D6343E1A9E5*beams* I love that song. Jiamin doesn't agree. She prefers seki-rei~seki-ray~ which I love too!!! =D
Speaking of love.. I tried making a list of Gackt songs I love. xP It was so hard.
And I really don't feel like studying. *sighs dramatically and flops on the chair*
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Mizerable mini-album]
[mood : flighty]
[food : --]Edit: My dad bought me a mouse. It's black! So that's a good thing. But.. It.. Urh.. Flashes different colours and the box describes it as "Disco Flash Disco Feeling Multi Light Flashing Movement". O.o In how many ways can you say tacky? xP O well. At least.. I *cough* have a mouse.^_^" *is not ungrateful*
Friday, August 18, 2006
YSI Download: Leeca + MSN Games!
Beams.
I uploaded yet another song for someone else so here I am again to share the love.^_^
Gackt - Leeca [from the Mizerable mini-album]:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=ED90711655F77D76
*beams* I finally got off my butt and ripped the CD. Yay.=)
Oh and Wendy.. Do you still want the w-inds. song? I found the romanji title: Izayoi no Tsuki. I've got the unplugged version from the THANKS album.=)
Yay Wendy! Diner Dash Dudes.O.o Very Bad Alliteration! xP Anyway. Yay for Diner Dash! ^_^ They've got this.. Pizza game too I think? And it's hell fun. Haha. Ooh. There's a new Spongebob Diner Dash! And they've got this new game called Virtual Villagers. It looks so Sims! xD I love these cheesy cliched games. Wee! Mystic Inn.. Coffee Tycoon.. Teddy Factory.. Roller Rush.. Cake Mania.. Plantasia.. Betty's Beer Bar.. Cinema Tycoon.. xD Try them out here at MSN Games! (link)
And I used to play Feeding Frenzy too. xD It works best if you have a nice new responsive mouse.=) O yea. Should get my dad to get me a mouse!!! Ahaha. But knowing him.. He'll get me a really ugly cheap mouse.xP Groan. O well. *gulp* As long as it works..
Wee! Shall intersperse studying with Diner Dash while I'm not yet panicky.xD Heh. I think I shall become panicky say.. tonight? After the huge seafood dinner. Hopefully I can take photos and post them.^_^
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Spirited Away OST (sen to chihiro no kamikakushi)]
[mood : bouncy]
[food : pineapple tarts and japanese pocky!]
There's just something about pineapple tarts that make them the perfect snack. Maybe it's the great balance between the pastry and the pineapple filling.. Maybe it's the fact that it isn't so sweet that I want to flush my mouth with water after eating so many I've lost count.. Maybe it's the slightly chunky pineapple filling that just gives it a nice extra bite.. xD I love Pineapple Tarts! *beams*
Pictured: The pretty box of ichigo (strawberry) Japanese Pocky! And pineapple tarts from Kim Choo, the same people who make fabulous nonya dumplings.xD Yay! They taste fabulous and homemade. =) O yes. And it's featured at my favourite study space: my dining table.xD You can see from the corner of the picture the garden outside.=) It's nice and peaceful looking out at the plants as long as no scary insects come to invade..
Edit: OMG. This pocky tastes great!!! All Pocky should taste like this. And it isn't a lurid pink like regular pocky you get here.xD I am a Japanese Pocky Convert.=D
