1988 will always be fondly remembered by Mountaineers as the best year in the history of WVU football. We simply couldn't lose, not with a dynamo of a quarterback running and throwing all over the field. It has taken nearly 20 years to finally recognise Major Harris for his achievements with a 2009 induction into College Football Hall of Fame.

What a year that was! Blue & gold everywhere. Packed football games and alcoholic tailgating parties. Rabid fans tearing down the goal post in the dying minutes of the WVU and Pitt game in what has always been billed as a 'backyard brawl'. Every television on campus (and I believe the state) tuned to ESPN when WVU played. It was a magical year when Don Nehlen led his team and the college to victory after victory.

I remember 1988 as the best year ever for me too. That year, everything in my life fell into place and just clicked. I listened to my heart and switched majors. Ha! I knew what I wanted to do, who I was going to be and where I wanted to go.

It was truly the best of times.

Every now and then, I stumble on news of WVU, old college friends, the football team, and I get all tingly with memories. I guess it is true after all: once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer!

Labels: General, News

Pity that Adam's gay cause he's just soooo gorgeous. Quite unfair to all us women who'd love to have a chance with him.

I know... me bad.

Labels: General, News

My sister sent me this recipe for a no-fail chocolate cake that can be done in a microwave. Perfect quick fix for when you're craving cake at whatever time of day. I made this twice. Once where I followed the original recipe (with the oil) and the second time where I substituted the oil with melted butter and a pinch of salt. Oh, the original recipe had everything dumped into the coffee cup to mix. I decided to split the ingredients and mix them separately - less messy, and I could also ensure everything gets incorporated properly.

And yes, there is a difference in taste! The second with the butter, tastes richer. However make sure you use good cocoa. I'm fond of Van Houten whose cocoa is richer and more 'chocolatey' then Hershey.

Finally, this cake is best eaten warm, with ice cream or cream. When it sits for awhile, it gets a little harder, liked most things cooked in microwave.

5-minute Chocolate Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil (I substituted with 3 tbsps melted butter and added a pinch of salt))
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

1. Add dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. In a separate bowl, crack one egg and beat thoroughly.
2. Pour in the milk and oil (or the butter) and mix well. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix.
3. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Pour chocolate cake batter into mug.
4. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. (I'll cut down the time to 2 mins 45 secs.)
5. The cake will rise over the top of the mug and drip down the sides, but don't be alarmed!
6. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate. it won't be the prettiest cake in the world, but it sure is tasty.

Labels: Food, Projects

The general rule of thumb in the USA book industry is that 1/3 of the books bought are never started, and a further 1/3 are never finished, there is definitely room in most people's lives to be more choosy about which of the millions of books in print they should spend their limited time and hard earned money on...

Read rest of article on Too Many Books, Just Enough Time.

Labels: Books

What with the new job, this beastly hot weather (temps have neared 40C!!), and a really bad bout of flu (at least I think that's what I had or was it mycoplasma?) - I've not been online much.

For the past 2 weeks, I've had a chronic cough that's kept me up at night. It was the result of a severe congestion that affected my ears, nose and throat, along with general tiredness, a bad upset stomach, fever and body aches. Then it got so bad that I lost my voice for nearly a week. It came back last Friday but I've been coughing ever since. The coughs are particularly bad at night when I'm lying down. Bad enough for me to throw up. Finally saw my doctor again, and I've got a post-nasal drip that explains the itchy scratchy throat and coughing. Sounds sexy, right? *Eyes rolling* I'm now on some pretty serious meds that knock me out about 40 mins after I've taken them.

Instead of my computer (this is the first time I've touched it in 2.5 weeks), I've been using my baby, my iPhone and twitting. 140 characters of news, comments and rants have been all I could handle while in bed. Till now. Nearly 96% better now.

I also have to confess: I've not picked up a book in WEEKS! I hope to change that soon. I'm looking for a seriously fun book that's utterly without any merit, values or life lessons. Also known as trashy romance or page-turning thrillers. Recommendations welcomed.

So... what's been going on in your universe? Hope everyone's well and keeping cool (I'm so jealous if cold weather is still upon you!). If you have a spare rain cloud or two, send them my way. Singapore is baking in a furnace from hell!

Labels: General, News

...for being away so long. I've just started another job at a new place, this time with a little bit of a learning curve.

It's still in design but in branding and packaging - quite different from the usual stuff I've done before. Terminology, processes and requirements take a bit of getting used to. Plus, I have a new set of colleagues to get to know, names to remember, and adapt to new personalities. And this is a much larger company. Egad!

Ah...such is the vagabond life of a contract employee! However, I'm hoping that this 6-month contract position (I'll be here till October) may turn into a full-time post. Crossing fingers and toes (although the latter is kinda tough when wearing sneakers)!

On a lighter note - I'm off to KL again on Thursday night for the long Easter weekend. What new stuff will I find from plundering the stores there, hmmm? I'll blog if I can and give full details later.

I've also been assigned by my crafty cousin at whose place I'm residing, to make an English tea for some visiting friends (from the UK, of course) this Friday. We planned the menu thus: Cream Scones with Strawberries and Clotted Cream, Cucumber (or Pate) Sandwiches, Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies (these maybe replace with store-bought) and pots of Tea. Simple, fuss-free and quite English, don't you think? And yes, I'll post some pics but only if they all turn out looking as good as they should.

Have a good weekend everyone (albeit a tad bit early of a wish).

UPDATE: My KL trip's cancelled. I've got the flu and am staying put this weekend.

Labels: General, News, Work

I had my heart in mouth when it happened to me about a month back.

Thanks Flee, for the link!

Labels: Geek Stuff, General

Sixpence House: Lost In A Town Of Books :: Paul Collins

I scoured the net for weeks looking for this book. There were no more copies left on Amazon and I, living in Singapore, could not buy them from the Marketplace. Finally found it and a first edition hardbound copy too. Woohoo!

Then it was several months later, after I finished some books ahead in the queue, when I finally picked it up. It goes something like this: Man, wife and baby son move from San Francisco to Hay-On-Wye in Wales, UK, looking for a better life. It is a small village of 1500 people and 40 second-hand bookstores. Man finds a part-time job in a bookshop while working on book in the midst of publication. They meet interesting village people while looking for the perfect home. But after months of being unable to find one that doesn't need costly renovations, they realize that maybe they are not ready for the move after all.

I was and still am enthralled about a village bulging with books. I've now got a standing invitation to visit a good friend who lives "just down the road", to see and smell it for myself. Musty old books have the third best smell in the world, right after pineapple tarts at Christmas and the smell of new books, freshly bought. I looked forward to reading of Collins' efforts to assimilate to village life, and his adventures there but was left bereft.

The story of someone trying to adapt to life in a new country, with all the cultural and social missteps, is always quite entertaining. You know it works when you feel you're right at their elbow through their adventures. However I found that lacking here as well as any insight, the "meat" if you will, of really living in a bibliophile's idea of heaven.

Yes, there are LOTS of anecdotes about books and book-making and book buying and book cataloging and book dumping...quite enough and then some for the rabid bibliophile. It made me want to move there. BUT that was because of the village itself, not the author who after all the fuss, had another life-changing decision to make.

A good read but not worth the weeks I spent online to buy it. By the way, I got my edition from Alibris.com.

Now reading: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, and with a few months to live, gave his 'last lecture' at Carnegie Mellon. It was a lecture on "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". This is his autobiography.

Labels: Books, Bookshelf

These bronze heads are at the centre of what's brewing to be a political storm. The rabbit and rat heads were part of a large fountain at the Summer Pavilion when it was plundered in 1860 by French and English troops during a humiliating period of Chinese history aka the Opium Wars.

They've been traded, legally or illegally, ever since. Until they landed into the collection of the late fashion designer Yves St Laurent. When they were put on auction just last month, the Chinese government stepped in to ask for their return. However, Christies and Pierre Berge (St Laurent's partner) refused. In fact, M. Berge offered to return them if China freed Tibet (which is an entirely different political argument altogether). The French court backed the sale saying China has little claim to the bronzes, since it was looted over a century ago.

Hmm... I suppose if the Mona Lisa was stolen during Germany's invasion during WWII and spirited out of the country, and sold several times over the years, and then appeared on auction in about 100 years, France should just zip it because the last owner bought it legally. And Christie's would be allowed to sell it. HA! You know that that would never happen. By the way, she was stolen in 1911, and rediscovered in 1913.

So it gave me great satisfaction to hear that the Chinese collector who bought it, now has no intention of paying for it. He did it as a patriotic act to stop the sale, embarrassing France and Christie's in the process.

Christie's could always re-sell the bronzes but the unwanted media attention and notoriety will render them undesirable to collectors. Perhaps now they'll be returned to China.

Labels: General, News

I've re-discovered flickr. Thanks to the iPhone, I've been taking pictures and playing around with the fun filters available at the Apps Store. And also experimenting with my Lumix a bit more. Stop by for a look.

Labels: General, News, Photos