I've got the egg of Columbus

I think Christopher Columbus cheated - when you smash an egg, the content leaks - not breaking the egg was the implicit premise. The thing is, you don't have to break it to make it stand, turns out there is a way to do it, there is no need to crack it open, inject anything whatsoever, it's actually quite simple.



Okay, mine doesn't stand, but it sticks, and I will make it stand at the tip end next time.

A street cat named desire

Have me met? Some years ago late at night I was at my backyard, and I heard some noise. I turned to look, it was from the other side of the fence. A few more rattling later a kitty was peering over the top (the noise was him jumping up climbing over the fence). Our eyes met in shock, not expecting each other. Then he turned in an "oh shit" kind of way and ran.

Was that him? I couldn't remember his face. Over the years quite a few kitties have visited my territories. Most shy away at first sight of me.

Not this kitty.

It was day light saving time now so the other day when I got home from work, the sky was still bright. I went to check my mail box and there he was, hiding behind the bushes of my neighbor's house. I noticed him, and as soon as I kneeled down, he approached. What an unusually friendly kitty.



He would rub his body against my pants. He would be on the move non stop - I could hardly get him to sit still for a picture. He liked the head rub, but not his back - he would let you know. He purred then rolled over then purred again when I stroked his head.

He was downright daring. When I stood up and opened my mailbox; not only was he not scared by the noise, he came right under and rolled on the ground while checking out my finds of the day. He was certainly hungry for attention - he meowed whenever I stopped the petting.



He had light blue eyes, a slighly bulgy body and some very soft fur. What an amazingly beautiful creature. I only wish I could understand all his thoughts through those squinting eyes.

Maybe one day.

Body of Lies (2008)

Warning: Spoiler ahead.

I had never liked Ridley Scott as a director, especially for the undeservedly acclaimed Gladiator (2000) - gum'on, a macho trained soldier with swords and slings in hand, lugged around by a skinny guy? How did he remain a slave! - but I must say I am impressed by Body of Lies (2008).

It's just another action thriller, you are right, but underscore action, cause there are explosions, and hardware (helicopter blowing up cars), etc. an adequate job. It was however the story telling that impressed me.

Normally I like the really complicated onion peeling kind - multiple parallel plots, flash blacks, uh ah, OMG moments, you know. This movie however is a simple serial single plot narrative with basically 3 characters only. The clever part, he was able to clamp alot of story into a 2 hour time frame - from tracking down intel in Iraq to the safe house in Amman to setting up a fake terrorist group in Dubai to going back to Amman and be taken away - the story line, the locations and the motives are all explained and easily followed. Fewer characters also meant better character development: like Ferris affinity to the middle-east, Hani's cold tactics, all very true to the individuals' situations and believable.

Overall it was a surprisingly entertaining movie that did not disappoint.

My new menu item V - Beef stew

I had always wanted to make a beef stew myself, with lots and lots carrots I thought, cause I just think the sweetness of those orange sticks make a stew that much more flavorful.

It's certainly out of my character to make a stew, cause everything I make normally takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. But anyway off to the supermarket I went. At the end I did forget a few things, but I made do.

I chopped up some onion and a few cloves of garlic - I used a tiny food processor I didn't know I had, now my blender is really for blending only - I peeled and cut up some carrots and potatoes. I actually "food processed" some of them to make my stew a little thicker. I cleaned and cut up just a few celery stalks - I hate celery, but no stew can go without it, so I cautiously experimented with the amount.



And then my secret ingredient - half an apple - to give it the acidity and fruit flavor.

I carved up some beef cubes from a slap of london broil. I forgot the tomatoes, but I should be fine, because I have a can of tomato juice to use as base.



Lastly, for seasoning, a pitch of salt. I forgot bay leaves, so in its stead I added some chopped oregano, basil and thyme.



I dump everything into the pot, bring it to boil on high, then let it simmer on medium for another 45 minutes. Then it goes into my miracle vacuum thermal - where it continues to cook form within - for about 5 hours.

It smelled so good while it cooked, you have no idea. The spices, the garlic, the onion, everything, it was mouth watering.

And when the lid was removed... oh well, it didn't really looked the way I had expected... it looked a lot like an Italian vegetable soup... nonetheless it was absolutely delicious. Everything was just right, the beef dotted with bits of onion and carrots were so tender and the sauce was thick and layered with flavors.



Experiment next time: I will trim the beef's fat (didn't know it would add so much grease), more salt, more celery and perhaps an entire apple. Less liquid, a bay leaf, and perhaps some asparagus. Should be interesting.

In case of a plane hijack...

... I am just kidding, but these people aren't.

Stupid thing.

LEGO Computer II

You've got LEGO computer in the form of a box, and you've got LEGO Turing machine. What more can you ask for.

Oh well, how about a LEGO computer in style.