Music to my ears

It's incredible how the music industry grows by the day. New songs are generated from artistes all over the world so quickly you can never listen to them all.

Just an update of some new songs that have caught my ears:-


Irreplaceable - by Beyonce (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3URfWTEPmtE)

All Good Things Come To An End - by Nelly Furtado (http://youtube.com/watch?v=k-q4KdJ98WU&mode=related&search)

Before I Fall to Pieces - by Razorlight (http://www.myspace.com/razorlight)

Bones - by The Killers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHUcLreILCw&mode=related&search)

I Don't Feel Like Dancing - by Scissor Sisters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZ1tygRaVw)

Snow (Hey Oh) - by Red Hot Chilli Peppers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E08VtCNj23E)

Whistle for the Choir - by The Fratellis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5fpsln6cUg)

.....and for all the loyal Take That fans, their new single is Patience(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFhkhRZhDas)

Yes, yes...I have to admit that it's all POP music. Probably influenced by the fact that the lab's radio is tuned to Radio 1, which is equivalent of HITz fm back home.

Ohh, and do check out the soundtrack for Zach Braff's latest motion picture THE LAST KISS by various artistes. Specifically adore Hide and Seek (by Imogen Heap), Star Mile (by Joshua Radin), Chocolate (by Snow Patrol), Pain Killer (by Turin Brakes).

http://www.myspace.com/thelastkiss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8az8EiyQeg0&mode=related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEGCc13aAVw&mode=related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLB7uY-p8WY&mode=related&search

http://www.myspace.com/rachaelyamagata

Craving

Was craving for a bowl of 'Lin Chee Kang' one day.

So I decided to make some myself!

Bought some of the basic ingredients from 'Chung Ying'. Not sure whether I got all the ingredients necessary but just decided they would do. Chucked them into the pot and left it to boil at slow fire for an hour.

~~My version of Lin Chee Kang~~


It actually tasted ok, couldn't believe it. But it would have been nicer if I had a boiled quail's egg to go with it (Ipoh style, I think).

Halloween

I know this update is 2 weeks late but, oh well, better late than never.

Our department organised a fancy dress Halloween party a couple of weeks ago and this was what we got up too!

I know, I know.... Halloween's supposed to be about dressing up in scary and spooky costumes but there's just such limited scary costumes one can come up with. So we decided it should be a fancy dress event, be it scary or not.

I was attempting to dress up as a dark angel (successful or not, you be the judge). Borrowed a pair of black feathered wings from my brother's colleague. Bought the black fluffy halo from a local Goth shop for £ 1.99. Wore it along with a black dress I had and black tights. The dark purple lipstick was courtesy of Suma.


Notice we decorated the place with faux cobwebs (which had wee spiders strung up to them!).

Apart from drinks and nibbles, folks which turned up without a costume were made (or rather 'punished') to dunk for apples. Check out this picture of Tony.

Yes, the girls were saving the day: Batgirl, Supergirl, Catwoman and one of the Charlie's Angels (check out that wig. haha!)

What can I say, it was great fun :)

Me in Sari

I'm uploading this photo in conjunction with the recent Deepavali celebration.

I was over in Suma's apartment one day chatting about India and Sari (and that I've never worn a Sari before) when she came up with the brilliant idea of dressing me up in one! So....TA-DA.....bollywood in the making.... *haha*

The Sari cloth was gorgeous...lovely colour and lovely design. This was her graduation Sari. When looking back at the photos we took of me in her Sari, we both realised later that she should have put a bindi on my forehead to complete the attire. Oh well, maybe the next time ;)

The Importance of Living

Having more free time in hand, I have started leisure reading again.

About 3 months back, a friend of mine passed me a Chinese philosophy book to read as I was keen on reading something different. The title of the book was 'The Importance of Living' by Lin Yutang. I managed to read a couple of chapters before putting the book aside as I had to attend to my thesis writing then. Nevertheless, I have started reading it again and it is, indeed, refreshing to the soul and mind.

Here is an excerpt from the book, which I think is food for thought - the author's take on the definition of wisdom within mankind:-

'....I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living, and I call no man wise until he has made the progress from the wisdom of knowledge to the wisdom of foolishness, and become a laughing philosopher, feeling first life's tragedy and then life's comedy. For we must weep before we can laugh. Out of sadness comes the awakening and out of the awakening comes the laughter of the philosopher, with kindliness and tolerance to boot.'


The thing that interests me most about Lin Yutang's book is his opinions about Science. This thing he wrote really amused me (...and which I thought was so true):-

'....Science, if anything, has taught us an increased respect for our body, by deepening a sense of the wonder and mystery of its workings........The workings of the internal parts of our body and the wonderful correlation between them compel in us a sense of the extreme difficulty with which these correlations are brought about and the extreme simplicity and finality with which they are nevertheless accomplished. However, instead of simplifying these internal chemical processes by explaining them, science makes them all the more difficult to explain!.....'

Anyhow, I shall not bore you with anymore excerpts from my new-found joy. ;p
May you all have a good week ahead!!



~~~The cover of the book ~~~
(sorry for the minute image, couldn't find a larger image on the web)