The anniversary post

a drumstick pencil of a classmate

Today, 18th September 2011, is the anniversary date for my time in Leeds. Exactly one year ago I was on the train from Manchester Airport to Leeds, wondering in delightful uncertainty what would happen in the year ahead. I had been mentally prepared for the upcoming culture shock, communication gate, doggy weather, food crisis etc. In fact I expected all these to happen without an attempt to avoid them, which was part the reason of enduring the 15-hour flight to come all the way to the other side of the world. In retrospect, not all the things have naturally gone out of expectations; and not all the surprises and changes were necessarily exciting or discouraging. The variations have slowly developed into a new pattern of thinking, attitude and lifestyle. This pattern is hard to be defined. Even I myself don't know what it is exactly. I only know it does exist, as I try to understand the social and cultural constructs of everything in quite a 'different' way, a perspective that would never occur to me if I didn't come to the UK. Certainly the subject I studied has to be largely accounted and further development needs to be uncovered. Nonetheless compared to other practical skills I've obtained from the modules, this feeling of getting a broader picture is the most cheerful outcome for me.

So, I made a whole pot of creamy mushroom soup for the anniversary party this evening. Don't criticize me.

The liberal-minded in Louvre

In communications studies, we are taught to be aware and respect the 'otherness' of different cultures. There was I, standing on the dirt pavements that lead to Palace Louvre and appreciating the pond with my 'poor eyesight'. Then the de-motivational spectacle below completely caught my eyes. I was also shocked to see people around seemed to be so calm and easy until I stepped closer enough to see the amusing truth.

Face icons come from Clipart Illustration

It's so true that the change of perspective can change the perception of an image. The fact: http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/5255760

Two easy dishes for thesis strugglers in the UK

It took me almost 2 months to realize that the rumour of British food reputation is true. I stayed and dined with a lovely British family in the first two months in Leeds, enjoying the yummy home-made food and cakes for quite a while. Until later I moved out, started to do regular shopping in the supermarkets (i.e. Morrisons, Hang Won Hong), and randomly ate out in restaurants (both western and eastern styles), I came to notice the very significance of being able to cook at home.

Fried chicken wings

Home cooking evokes a certain pleasure of creativity, artistry and most importantly, price quality (for an international student). Back in China, my knowledge within the kitchen area was limited to the use of pressure rice cooker and the chopping board. Most of the time I functioned as a pedestrian. The kitchen simply belongs to mum. And now living on my own has given me a chance to explore the possibilities of kitchenwares, raw materials and recipes from the Internet. So much joy and taste as I've gained from creative cooking in the past ten months, the recent two months of thesis crisis still has turned my cooking habit into only 'two' dishes: fried chicken wings and pancakes. The making of pancakes was quite tricky for me. I ruined 4 'pancakes' to get one with a shape in the first time of cooking.

My first immature pancake that has a shape

I have to admit it was is absolutely tragic to alternate between only two dishes 90% of the time. But concerning the relatively cheaper materials and easier preparations, I feel the need to record the steps of making for reference in the far future, since I'm going to stop cooking these stuffs for a break. Also, looking at these words and photos can also help recall the most intensive and sleepless time in my life (so far). >__<

Fried Chicken Wings (approx. 20 min.):

1. Slash both sides of the wings and place them in the boiling water for approximately 3 minutes, then set aside;

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry some chopped ginger, then stir in the chicken wings;

3. Sprinkle some vinegar with little salt, stir and sprinkle some cooking wine;

4. Fry them over medium heat for 2 minutes, sprinkling with some dark soy sauce and stir until they look evenly coated;

5. Turn in some water, cover the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes;

6. Mix in a tablespoon of sugar, continue cooking until the sauce thickens; the end.

VERY Basic Pancake (approx. 15 min.):

1. Mix a cup of flour, 4 tablespoons of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of salt with a cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 eggs;

2. Gently heat a thin layer of oil on a small flat pan, slowly pour in the mixture (not too much) and tilt the pan to form a thin round layer;

3. Wait until the layer thickens and golden brown, turn the layer over by a flat frying spoon;

4. Wait until the side is also golden brown; the end.

Interesting, the prophecy suggests ominous!

Here goes the number of plays scrobbled to my last.fm account: 44444 which means "die die die die die" in Chinese. Regarding that I'm not a superstitious person, hopefully it won't become the outcome of my thesis.

Bill Clinton's ultimate ego in [Bread And Butter]

Today is the first time I have watched this video of The Newbeats, unfortunately. The funny thing is not only the video itself or their voices and eccentric tones. It's the guy who sings the high key. He has such a comedian Clinton face, or Clinton has his face, even the hairstyle. So next time the waiter wouldn't bother to ask, because everyone knows that Mr. Clinton will definitely order break and butter, toast and jam cuz he likes them. XD (another dry joke told by Chelsea)

The Man Who Fell To Earth/落到地球上的人 (1976)

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Year of Release: 1976

Main Cast: David Bowie, Candy Clark

好久没写中文了，并且好久没写电影了，有点惭愧和忐忑。这部片被神奇的港人译为[天降财神]。很难把它归为某一类型的片，超现实，科幻，剧情，前卫艺术，还是摇滚？先看剧透:

Glam rock之神David Bowie来自某干旱星球，坠到地球上找水喝 (持英国护照到美国历险)，掌握了人类最重要的赚钱技术，认识了一些让他留恋的人，在回家与不回家中犹豫挣扎，经历种种被发现被研究后还是留下来称谓地球的一分子。

各种元素都占齐了，各种对人性对社会的隐喻都有了，可惜拼凑得松散，奇怪。因而传达主题的力量也弱。观影完毕就留下Bowie好酷，Candy Clark (American Graffiti, 1973)三年后老了那么多之类的印象。此外，手枪开炮的设定让人觉得它也只不过是70年代茫茫众多的奇幻摇滚电影中的某一位。

For Elizabeth Taylor

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

I've dropped the habit of blogging since GFW kept blocking my blogs wherever I switched to (it was the time back in China). Sure it is also an excuse for being too lazy to type. ;P

On 23th March, 2011, the death of an (my) ultimate icon - Elizabeth Taylor (who is considered to be one most significant and most talented as well as most beautiful actress)- hasn't emotionally affected the people around me much. This circumstance has given me the pulse to write a piece of blog to 'mention' this sad piece of news and to at least indicate those very very downcast feelings I hold for her one-way trip to heaven.

A Brand New Restart

I've left my home country (mainland China if you want to know) for over a month and kind of settled down in 'Great' Britain now. So I guess I still retreat to this blog, my favorite one, to write some boring nonsense again.

Still, it shocked me to find '37 comments' on my last blog about the address change of my former blog (right, FC2 blog is also being blocked in mainland China thus I don't use it any more as well). It is also disappointing to see most of comments are actually ads of pornos. Does my blog look like I'm into that?

Oops, forget to say: Happy Halloween!