Something to burst

Why are there so many obstacles awaiting me to go through? FML!

宫崎骏 Hayao Miyazaki

Let me introduce you a well known Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films, 宫崎骏 Hayao Miyazaki - loved by all Japanese kids and adults. A number of Western authors have influenced Miyazaki's work, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Lewis Carroll, and Diana Wynne Jones and also(rumours) the director of the famous film Avatar,James Cameron (see this). If you have had watched his projects, you will notice this familiar name - Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli was originally established in 1985, as a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten. In 2005, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata established a new Studio Ghibli in Koganei, Japan and acquired all the copyrights of Miyazaki's works and business rights from Tokuma Shoten.
Following the success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Miyazaki co-founded the animation production company Studio Ghibli with Takahata in 1985, and has produced nearly all of his subsequent work through it. Miyazaki continued to gain recognition with his next three films. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) recounts the adventure of two orphans seeking a magical castle-island that floats in the sky; My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro, 1988) tells of the adventure of two girls and their interaction with forest spirits; and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), adapted from a novel by Eiko Kadono, tells the story of a small-town girl who leaves home to begin life as a witch in a big city. Miyazaki's fascination with flight is evident throughout these films, ranging from the ornithopters flown by pirates in Laputa:Castle in the Sky, to the Totoro and the Cat Bus soaring through the air, and Kiki flying her broom.

Princess Mononoke was the first Miyazaki film to use computer graphics. In this sequence, the demon snakes are computer-generated and composited onto Ashitaka, who is hand-drawn.

Miyazaki’s works are characterised by the recurrence of progressive themes such as the absence of villains; environmentalism; pacifism; and feminism. His films are also frequently concerned with childhood transition and a marked preoccupation with flight. Miyazaki's narratives are notable for not pitting a hero against an unsympathetic antagonist. In Spirited Away (2001), Miyazaki states "the heroine (is) thrown into a place where the good and bad dwell together,she manages not because she has destroyed the 'evil,' but because she has acquired the ability to survive."  Even though Miyazaki sometimes feels pessimistic about the world, he prefers to show children a positive world view instead, and rejects simplistic stereotypes of good and evil.

These are some of his projects which I'd seen and liked the most:
Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle follows the story of young Sophie Hatter, a bookworm, the eldest of three daughters, a girl doomed to an uninteresting life as a hat maker. Sophie resigns herself to her boring fate, but fate has other plans for her. Cursed by the Witch of the Waste with the body of a 90-year-old woman, she finds her way to the moving castle inhabited by the wizard Howl, rumours of a wizard who eats the souls of young girls. Whereas,Howl has also been cursed by the Witch as well, and is seeking the love of young girl to help him break the curse. Will both of them be able to break the curse in the end?

*Howl's voice in Japanese language is a famous actor/singer - Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉).

Spirited Away

Spirited Away opens with Chihiro and her parents traveling to their new home. Chihiro resents the idea and expresses her disapproval in a quiet sulk. Along the way, her father mistakes an off-beaten road for a short cut, and they inadvertently wind up in what he thinks is an abandoned amusement park. A brief exploration reveals a restaurant's unattended buffet and Chihiro's parents succumb to the delicious offerings. While her parents gorge themselves on the food, Chihiro continues to explore and encounters a young man named Haku. Haku warns her to leave at once, but by this time it is too late. Chihiro discovers she is trapped in a vacation spot for the spirit world and that her parents have literally become pigs. With no one to turn to, she must learn how to survive in this strange land and, more importantly, how rescue her parents and return home.

Most Delicious Chocolate Bar! - L

Best 70 Percent Cocoa and Up (Extra-Extra Dark)
Scharffen Berger Bittersweet: Don't be daunted by the high cocoa content. This winner is bright and fruity, with a smooth finish.

Best 60 to 69 Percent Cocoa (Extra Dark)
Chocolove Rich Dark: Get ready for a flavor explosion: chocolate goodness spiked with roasted coffee, chilies, and cinnamon.

Best 50 to 59 Percent Cocoa (Dark)
Ritter Sport Dark: Rich and glossy, this semisweet pick is better than anything you'd find in a bag of morsels. Serve it with an after-dinner liqueur for a grown-up dessert.

Best Milk
Dove Silky Smooth Milk: The pure cream and cocoa flavors are so delicious, even dark-chocolate snobs will see the light.

Best White
Perugina: The white stuff may not technically be chocolate (it doesn't contain cocoa solids), but who cares? Rife with lemony notes, this is buttery and sweet.

Best Almond
Scharffen Berger Milk Almond: A sprinkling of coarse sea salt intensifies the sweetness, and chopped roasted almonds accompany Every. Decadent. Bite.

Best Hazelnut
Trader Joe's Swiss Dark With Whole Hazelnuts: This monster slab is so loaded with protein-packed hazelnuts, you could almost consider it an energy bar. (Almost.)


*It is not a problem to get the chocolate brands listed above in western countries. For southeast Asia region,you can get Scharffen Berger chocolates from Farm Fresh, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Publix.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and grab a chocolate bar now! There is evidence from scientist saying that eating dark chocolate can reduce stress. Besides, the study adds to a growing body of research showing that certain elements in chocolate - such as antioxidants called poly phenols - can have helpful health benefits. Previous studies found chocolate can help fight heart disease and reduce the chances of developing cancer. One of my favourite way of eating chocolate is to spread a large amount of chocolate 'jam' on top of the bread. Accompany with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. That's such also a great joy of eating breakfast. You guys can try this out.

But most important is do not over eat! Cheers! 

Quote of the day:

" Don't complain about things you permit, if you don't like what's going on in your life,

then change it. " by anonymous 

Thousand Layers Cake - by L

I believe many people out there are cake addicts, it's just too hard to resist. There are many types of cake we have seen and tasted before but have you eaten thousand layers cake?  Weird huh? Is is possible to have thousand layers?

 Haha, actually it's just the name of the cake. Actually it do have a lots of layers,I guess it's about 20-25 layers. It's not an easy task to complete it as in normal cake, we have 2-4 layers ,less or more, and it took approximately 5 hours+ (depends on what kind of cake) to complete. How about 20+ layers? Well,it certainly took days to complete it.

Yeah,my brother was once a dessert chef of The Palace of the Golden Horses - Asia's Most Extraordinary Hotel and a world-class award winning luxury hotel in Malaysia.  I'd seen him making cakes at home before. You have to slice each layers with same height and perfect diameter during the "sponge cutting" session. Thousand layers cake making process might be completely different but it's still uneasy to complete,I suppose. Because you have to inform the cake shop and order earlier if you are planning of going to Melacca to try out the special cake!

Tiramisu

There are two shops selling thousand layers cake at Melacca. Hmm, but I do know one - Nadeje Patisserie, at G-23 & 25, Jln PM4, Plaza Mahkota. Cozy cafe, a nice place to chill out on Saturday afternoon. It specializes in mille crêpe, a French cake made of many crêpe layers. "Mille" means "a thousand" in French, implying the many layers of crêpe used. But don't expect to see a 1000-layers cake. There isn't any of it in there but about twenty lacy crêpes layered with fresh cream and custard. The top crepe is usually sprinkled with sugar powder and flambéed until the surface caramelises,simply delicious. You won't regret going there even if you stay a thousand miles away. But if you stay in Melacca,you are just too lucky. You know, people came all the way to down to Melacca just to taste this super delicious unique cake.

Quote:-

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
Mother Teresa

时尚美容达人-近视雷射手术 LASIK surgery

又到了时尚美容时间， 今天要分享的是近视雷射手术。
很多人一听到手术就怕了，但是我相信爱美是要复出代价的。
为了要摆脱眼镜的困扰，在去年的今天我在新加坡眼科专科做了雷射手术。
1.)跟医生预约时间进行检查眼睛(毕竟不是所有人适合)
2.)医生会跟你详细说明眼睛和手术方式
3.)选好日期，进行雷射手术lasik surgery
4.)手术后的三次复诊

看起来很简单的手术其实一点都不简单，手术过程虽然只是短短的五到十分钟，但是躺在手术室里压力满大的。
手术过程并不需要麻醉，过程中，眼睛被撑得大大的，听着医生的指挥下进行。只听见医生说："眼睛不要动""看上面"。

朋友都会问："为什么这么勇敢去动手术"
我只能说："其实选一个对的医生就不用怕了"
朋友问：不怕后遗症吗？
我说：(爱美不要命?!哈哈)

Today is a normal day,bored afternoon with Ayumi... Okay,my brain couldn't think much of anything except foods because I'm hungry now though I'd eaten porridge with a mini hash brown. You know, porridge isn't a satisfying choice for dinner - you may get hungry in 2 hours, or lesser I guess. And now I'm HUNGRY >:O and I wanna eat Chocolate Cupcakes! Or Durian! Arghhhhhh!

Simple & delicious,yummy...

P.S.: Enjoy your sushi on your own risk. But Hey,those slices are seriously larger than usual!

Hello and welcome!

Welcome all to my brand new blog! No matter who you are, I hereby wish you have a great day! Check back soon as this place is still under construction. Feel free to leave me a message.

p.s.: Want to remove the two unrelated images at the bottom left or just put some stuffs to block it. Still figuring it out.