Art of Cooking: Don't Hesitate to Experiment

“Why don’t the potatoes soften after I cooked it for a while? The onions are getting burned!” That’s what ran in my head as I attempted a chicken dish for the first time. I still lack the moves and knowledge, but cooking is exciting! I always have myself imagining what dish I’d create once I go to university before I go to bed. Potatoes, beef, fish…all these ingredients seem to flow inside my mind every night with me cooking it in different styles. My mouth would water, and I’d get hungry.

To think that cooking would actually stimulate my imagination and not just my appetite. Once after I had finished cooking breakfast, loads of ideas come into my head for my writings. To see the different ingredients mixed together to create a delicious dish also gives me an insight that arts (I mean any type of arts) are basically the same. It requires the ‘ingredients’, passion, hard work and most importantly; experimentation. It’s not always good things that come out on your first try. Experimenting different ways and ‘ingredients’ are essential in getting a work of art that satisfies you and also others.

What’s great about cooking is that anyone can do it and it’s much easier for others to indulge in your work of art. Not everyone adores reading, but all humans must eat right? So come on, let’s try some cooking! It’s worth the try. I’d recommend watching ‘Chef at Home’, a good cook show for most beginners. Well then, enjoy!! Just make sure don’t serve anything burnt!

[UPDATES]
It's been a while since I experimented with my writings. Recently it suddenly hit me hard that i can't really write factual things. So I guess it's time to pick up that pen and start to practice. Factual writings would really help me in getting assignments done, right? Enjoyy these updates for today!

1. "Zero Degrees: Nine" - http://dansoriginal.blogspot.com/
2. "#01: Presenting The Detective" - http://tesl-dissapear.blogspot.com/

[FEATURE]
The month is going by rather quickly, meaning the season of food is coming to an end!! Featured today on this site is: my mother! That's right. When I think about food, my mom would pop up as one of the best cooks I could ever think off. If I were to express how her cookings are like, they are: rich, expressive, and simple at times. What catches my attention in my mom's art of cooking is that no matter how she thows in her ingredients, it would eventually turn out right in the end. For example; she once substituted 'bread crumbs' with 'wholemeal biscuits' (since we had no crumbs at the time) to make Pegedil! I never thought that would work.

The most important thing that can be learned from my mother's excellent cooking skills is to practice, practice and practice! She got that good because she has been 'drilled' by her grandmother ever since primary school. Talk about cooking for almost all of your life! =P

Introducing, Eccentric Foods!

In a way, cooking is a form of art as well. The 'artists' that are widely known as chefs, battle it out everyday to come out with an original and interesting 'masterpiece' (which is their food). I just came to realise, that in a modern day like this; it's no surprise if you stumble into some unique taste and sight in food. In a personal view, I believe it's very sporty of chefs to come up with such things. But do I really want to eat such food? Here's a list of some of the eccentric foods I've come across with!

1. Ayam Masak Hijau - Really, it's totally green! The colour is quite vibrant in a way, and perhaps it's another form of 'rendang' made with peas as one of the main ingredients. I never really like exessive vegetables in a chicken dish. It looks tasty though.
2. Coca-Cola Cake - Now here's a weirdo. Who ever thought of making a cake out of a carbonated drink? I love Coke, but I don't think I'd want to indulge in a Coke Cake. It must be REALLY sweet!
3. Kek Gulung Pisang Berkeju - No rules applied in making food everyone! I have this set of mind that fruits can never really go well with cheese, but I guess some taste buds can handle it. Banana with cheese anyone?
4. Squid Ink Curry - What else can I say? It's also known as black curry, and I think it's widely accepted in Japan!

There you have it. All of them are very amusing to hear and see, but I won't eat them. Maybe I'm not as adventurous when it comes to food. Maybe in the future, we'll be hearing of Ayam Masak Biru made from blueberries!

[UPDATES]

Don't start to lose your appetite readers. Eccentric foods are just the many ways cooks experiment and have fun! Enjoy this singular update for this time. (link next to title)

1. "Zero Degrees: Five" - http://dansoriginal.blogspot.com/

[FEATURE]

Featuring in this segment, my nostalgic memories on LEGOs! LEGOs are one of the two types of toys I onced had in the past. Playing with these multi-shaped cubes was really fun at that time; I learned to build houses and I learned to arrange shapes. Now, when I look at LEGOs and how they have expanded...I was quite impressed. Many different versions of this toy can be found at toy stores; ranging from Star Wars to Bionicles. I rarely even see the basic version I had once when I was small. All in all, it is a fun and creative product. It evokes creativity and imagination in a child, so don't hesitate to get one for your kid! Just be careful of choking though, for those younger than four. (Even grownups play with LEGOs too! Here's a picture taken by Balakov using LEGO pieces, and all of his LEGO artworks can be viewed here.)

The Drive: There Was a Jam, There Was an Advice

It's the end of a holiday season and the rain keeps pouring down each day, as if it were tears of those who wished their holiday was a day longer. Hehe, well the rain is quite refreshing nowadays. It has been too hot in the past few weeks. Recently I had two seperate drives with my parents; one with my mom sending my brother back to his boarding school and one with my dad as we went to lunch after my official business. The drive with my mom was quite smooth at first (eventhough the rain seemed dangerous that day) but it got slower on the way back. There was a road block by the police officers (I think there was a murder!) and the traffic jam lasted for eternity. I remembered during Form 4, in an English oral exam, I was asked how do I see Malaysia in ten years time. One of my answers that I remembered was, "I see Malaysia having flying cars on their roads and many underground tunnels to solve the endless problems of traffic jams." Well, can that really happen? I guess I was too naive back then, but I did wish during the drive with my mom that Malaysia would hurry up with the flying cars and underground tunnels!
Haha...then the drive with my dad was filled with advices for me. I think I've changed a bit with more maturity, as I never really talked with dad about myself when I was younger (though I still am very quiet in the family). One thing that he said, was to learn from your past. And I will dad!

[UPDATES]
Readers, there is a new title this time! It's a part of my 'TESL Production' project, so do check it out okay? Dwane's the main cast this time. Hehe...enjoy and have a nice rainy season. Oh yeah, there's going to be a speacial release titled 'Your Say in Independence' here. So I want you guys to give me your speech later to show your love to our country, Malaysia!

Click the link next to the titles for the new releases:

1. "Zero Degrees: Two" - http://dansoriginal.blogspot.com/
2. "Shot! :: Teachings of a Homeless" - http://dansoriginal.blogspot.com/
3. "Dwane VS The Enigma: Prologue" - http://dansoriginal.blogspot.com/

[FEATURE]
In this post, I'd like to feature something speacial to me as writer personally. I present you: Pilot G-2 Pen! The only type of pen I put my trust in to. I began to use this type since form one, and I always make sure I have one in my pencil case up until today. The pen helps me in having a smooth and quick writing (I tend to write much slowly with other type of pens), and I think the design is fairly simple and attractive (a bit unnecessary here...hehe). However, the only fatal weakness is that the ink is VERY sensitive towards water, and is unsuitable for exams/forms purposes. Sigh, but I still love this pen! Try and win my heart, other pens! ;p

[BLABBERS]
Again, the society strikes an otaku branch. This time it hits those figurines lovers. I'm not much of a figurine collector, but I understand their dissapointment when some people think that they collect models for dirty reasons (like accusing all manga fans as also readers of hentai). I have to say, that there are some obscene models but most (90%?) are decent items suitable for all ages. Maybe some had accidently put out a provocative figurine for display, but some hard warnings would have been enough and they would learn their lesson. No need to blame and 'hit it hard' on ALL fans right? To all figurine lovers, don't get down when they say you're weirdos. As a manga fan, I assure you it's fun being weird. No, not weird. We're eccentric! =)