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June 28, 2007
toronto impression- update
the building i saw in bloor district is royal ontario museum.
Posted by renh at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
The buildup to the much-anticipated interview was palpable.
buildup: n 1, gradual increase; 2, informal widely favourable publicity
Time will be the determinant of whether Hilton has changed her wily ways or if this is a spurious attempt to rebuild a battered image
wily: tricky: sly
spurious: not authentic or geniune: false
battered, batter v to pound or damage with heavy and repeated blow
she's been playing somewhat of a vacuous role.
vacuous: 1. empty: blank. 2. a. lacking intelligence: stupid. b. pointless: inane
being a good girl may not bode well for business
bode: to be a sign or omen of: signify
Posted by renh at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
Larry King live
I watched last night's Larry King live - Paris Hilton interview
"Don't serve the time; let the time serve you," Hilton said. "I have a new outlook on life."
"But I don't know. Even though I hate it, I'm glad it happened in a way because this really changed my life forever, and I feel stronger than ever."
Personally, I think she is a very shrewd business woman much to the contrast of the giggling moron image she portrayed on the simple life. Larry was a good interviewer, and I wonder how he came up with the question about "your favourite bible passage".
Posted by renh at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2007
what I'm looking for
Well I don't know what I'm looking for
But I know that I just wanna look some more
And I won't be satisfied
'Till there's nothing left that I haven't tried
For some people it's an easy choice
But for me there's a devil and an angel's voice
Well I don't know what I am looking for
But I know that I just wanna look some more
Well I don't know what I'm living for
But I know that I just wanna live some more
And you hear it from strangers
And you hear it from friends
That love never dies, love never ends
Now I don't wanna argue, no I don't wanna fight
'Cause you're always wrong and I'm always right
Well I don't know what I am living for
But I know that I just wanna live some more
I used to be involved, and I felt like a king
Now I've lost it all and I don't feel a thing
I may never grow old, I may never give in
And I'll blame this world that I live in
I visit hell on a daily basis
I see the sadness in all your faces
I've got friends who have married
And their lives seem complete
Here I am still stumbling down a darkened street
And I act like a child and I'm insecure
And I'm filled with doubt and I'm immature
Sometimes it creeps up on me and before I know it
I'm lost at sea
But no matter how far I row
I always find my way back home
But I don't know what I've been waiting for
But I know that I don't wanna wait anymore
Looking for...
What I'm looking for...
Looking for...
What I'm looking for...
Looking for...
What I'm looking for...
Looking for...
What I'm looking for...
Looking for...
What I'm looking for...
Posted by renh at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2007
of the three vetoes during GWB's presidency so far, two are for stem cell research bill.
"even if the embryoes are to be thrown away from the fertility clinics, they can't be used for stem cell research, because it crossed a certain moral boundary."
Posted by renh at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
a movie to watch
with all the summer blockbuster movies and sequels especially, yet I find it hard to find a real movie to look forward to. don't get me wrong, shrek 3, ocean's thirteen, pirates 3, spiderman 3 and fantastic something are good, and the evidential support comes from the box office record. however, i am looking for something "serious and makes you think a lot", not something "lighthearted and happy ending" kind of thing.
Recently, I am thinking maybe Sicko could be the next movie to watch. Maybe. "A mighty heart" sounds decent. but i probably won't watch it in theatres.
Posted by renh at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2007
polar
I like the gift from polar bear. :)
Today's record
duration 1h 30min
cal 556 40% fat
HR max 176 (91%) avg 133 (69%)
Posted by renh at 07:47 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2007
cheese straw
Recipe Summary - cheese straw
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 22 to 24 cheese straws
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry (such as Pepperidge Farm), defrosted overnight in the
refrigerator Flour, for dusting 1 extra-large egg 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup freshly
grated Parmesan 1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 1
teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it is 10- by
12-inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry.
Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1?4 cup of the Parmesan, 1?2 cup of the Gruyère, 1?2
teaspoon of the thyme, 1?2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin,
lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a
floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking
sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake
for another 2 minutes. Don't over bake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room
temperature.
Posted by renh at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2007
toronto impression
I am not ready to dedicate a long article about the toronto trip. Toronto is a big city, pretty good. but it did not stand out for me.
we lived on the king street. one thing good about the location is that it's in the entainment district and has good restaurants around it. the first day we went to a Japanese restaurant called mizu. it should be neo-japanese food, somehow too far away from authenticity, and plus the lousy service by the waiter, it failed to make a positive impression on us. honestly, i like the sushi in ann arbor much better. later on, i tried the urban for a three-course lunch. i like the decoration of the restaurant. the first course was gnocchi with tomato sauce. i wasn't a big fan of gnocchi, and the acidity from the sauce made me uncomfortable. the main dish was cold poached salmon with asparagus and potato salad. the salmon tasted bland, the asparagus was little, and I had way too much potato from the gnocchi. the only i really liked was the mushroom from the potato salad. the desert was fruit with some cream. not bad. over all, it was OK experience. I also tried thai princess. I ordered curry lamb, simply because it was too cold that day. love the lemongrass soup, the spring roll tasted good, but i might like the cold roll better. the curry lamb tasted good. I like this one. Of course, during the stay, we also went to a couple of restaurants in the Chinatown. typical greasy chinatown food, i did not enjoy it very much. but at least it was budget friendly. i kinda like tim horton's food a lot. I had a breakfast sandwich at the niagra fall, omg, it was that good. And their turkey bacon club did not disappoint either. one morning, i had a blueberry muffin, and that was the best muffin I had during the stay in Toronto. I also found some good eats at the st Lawrence Market. i like this sort of in-door food-stand market. i bought some baked goodies, the chocolate lacey, coconut macaroon, and a cranberry biscotti. very nice, i found my sweet tooth satisfied.
because of the packed meeting schedule, I did not get much time to wonder around the city. I finally went for a self-guided tour on the last day. I started from the theatres near the hotel. at the corner, there was an old church surrounded by modern high-rises. I found this mixture between old and moden quite common in toronto, sometimes harmonious, sometimes striking contrast. one extreme is the building in the bloor-yorkville district. the new metal/glass building fused with the old victorian building, it almost seemed that the sharp edgy building grew out of the old building like crystals. (DSC00595)(later, i found out it's royal ontario museum). My favourite building is the Osgoode Hall. The exterior is grand and solemn. in the busy downtown Toronto, this hall is surrounded with trees and grass, seems to be an isolated green island, very peaceful yet possesses the power (of something I am not sure how to describe, maybe justice). The interior is more impressive. I like the antique arm chairs sitting quietly in the corners. The chandeliers are lovely. And they light up right in the middle of the arches, with the elegant pillars standing on both sides, it's perfectly framed. Together with these are the parquet floor, the paintings of queen victoria and former chief justice, and the bronze sculpture. Compared with the Osgoode Hall, the old city hall looks like it's made of graham crackers, I did not like it too much. According to the map, the architect revenged the city elders by featuring them as the hideous gargoyles above the front steps, because his request of carving his name on the building was rejected. I couldn't find the hideous creatures. There were more people both inside and outside the building, the entry was kinda dirty, no camera was allowed inside the building. I didn't find this hall particularly attractive. Then next to it is Eaton Center, the shopping place. It's just like a mega briawood mall. not very unique. It's very windy and cold outside, but i couldn't find any cheap and warm clothes. By this time, I decided to go to the bloor-yorkville district. Finally I got a comfortable jacket at Jacob. I was kinda disappointed with this district. I was expecting to the victoria style renovated buildings, I found some, but not very impressive. I took the subway to king street and walked to st Lawrence Market. St James Cathedral looks magnificant, too bad I did not have enough time to tour inside.
We also went to the niagra fall. to me, it's just tons of water falling by gravity. I care about the culture aspect more than the natural wonder. The scene along the niagra parkway was wonderful.
Posted by renh at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
peony Garden 2007
Just before I left Ann Arbor for Toronto, I noticed the peony flowers at the roadside and realized that it's the peony blosom season again. I immediately went to the Arb for the peony blosom.
I love the flower - the magnificant color, the elaborate the pedals, the impressive size and shape, and the splendid blosom.
It's been a year since last year's blosom. I got sentimental again.
年年岁岁花相似， 岁岁年年人不同。
I was happy that I still got the chance to watch the blosom.
Posted by renh at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)