Notes Left Behind

If you'd like to give a book to someone this hols, you may like to consider this one- "Notes left behind".

Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer at 5 years old. She began to hide hundreds of little notes around the house — in sock drawers, backpacks and tucked between the books on the shelves — for her parents, Brooke and Keith, to find after she was gone. In “Notes Left Behind,” her parents share the journal entries they kept during her battle, as well as content from the notes left by Elena.

HarperCollins published the book and proceeds goes to the charity the Desseriches founded in memory of their daughter, The Cure Starts Now.

Birthday Celebration 2

My bro Pat treated me to a birthday treat at Kampachi Pavillion.


We ordered individual set meals as all had different taste. Mine as usual the sashimi set which came with the usual cawan mushi, miso soup, fruits and salad(instead of rice). Was abit disappointed tho as the fish wasnt exactly fresh.


This is the Sashimi rice set which has the raw fish slices on a bowl of rice.


Syd ordered her fav of unagi which she complained had a string of bones in it which spoiled her meal since she had to be careful while eating it.Is this normal? I dunno but dont remember other restaurants serving unagi with the whole unagi spine in it!! Not at a fine-dining restaurant!!

Anyway, am sure you can tell we didnt really enjoy our meal but we made the best of it by going downstairs to Coffee Bean for dessert!! LOL.


Something sweet to finish the day and start off another year of memries!!

Birthday Celebration 1

Yes yet another milestone in my life just passed last weekend. Sigh... Okay so we head to Changkat Bukit Bintang....which has turned into a nitetime "happening place" for KL-lites.

1st celebration was at El Cerdo(renovated since the last time i came like more than 2yrs back) - the piggy non-halal restaurant that has made a mark in KL for serving all things porkielicious- nose to tail!

This is a caricature of the owner who started it all- German Mr. Werner. However El Cerdo's menu is a fushion of Mediterranean, German and Asian!?

One of the latest specialty dishes is the Oyster Kil-Patrick Baked on rock salt with pork bacon and Worchester sauce. Mmmm...oysters and bacon...both my favorites!!

Another recent creation is this pork chop served with mash potatoes, salad and apple slices.

Crispy Pork Knuckle baked with bacon and pork skin. This is served with salad greens, potato wedges and some goulash thingy. Huge serving that costs around RM95!

Which explains why we had to "tabau" leftover pork knuckle!! El Cerdo wraps your food in aluminium foil and presents it to you in their piggy paper bag!! Sydney and the uncanny resemblance!!






Dessert of some chocolate thing with slices of banana and cream.

















Syd with her Werner's Special which is raspberry sherbet with chocolate and berries.
























Once you call for the bill, they will bring you petit little glasses of lime juice with a dash of martini.Rim of glasses lined with salt.Perfect touch!

An Ecovillage - ideal living environment

A cohousing community in upstate New York, EcoVillage at Ithaca sits on a 70-ha land with green spaces. 160 residents live in 60 homes built on less than 20% of the land. Residents own their homes but share a Common House, a place where they meet, hold parties or share weekly meals as a way to bond.




















The close-knit community provides a safe environment for kid to roam and play in the neighbourhood. The wide green spaces and wilderness are part of their extended playground.





















After the work-party at the Berry Farm, volunteers get to savour a simple yet delicious meal of freshly baked bread, hummus, raw crunchy beans and cucumber, and green salad with tangy balsamic vinegar dressing.





















Some of the eco-friendly practices at EVI - houses are designed with large glass windows to absorb heat from the winter sun while the vine-wrapped trellis provides shade during Summer. Multi-paned fiberglass windows and insulated walls keep the homes cozy during the freezing winter without cranking up the heater. EVI homes uses one third the energy of typical American homes. Some houses have composting toilets, rainwater collection and solar heaters




















Alyssa and her brother, Nathan, picking berries at Kestrel Perch Berry Farm. The U-pick concept means you pay les money for berries beause there's less labour cost and you have to harvest the berries yourself.


A private organic farm in the EcoVillage, West Haven supplies 60% of its bountiful harvest for their CSA (community-supported agriculture) members while 40% is sold at Ithaca's Farmers' Market.




















EVI resident and sustainability educator, Elan Shapiro, offering a cherry tomato from his veggie patch in the community garden. "Good, healthy food should be for everybody," says Shapiro who promotes more access to healthy food for low-income families.


The pond in the EcoVillage is a hit with the kids. In winter the pond turns into an ice-skating rink.


Katie Creeger baking fruit pies from her Kestrel Perch Berry farm for a farewell party for one of EVI's residents. Residents usually hold potluck parties at the Common House for birthdays, festive seasons or special celebration.


In Summer, residents love to hang out in the community space and enjoy a nice chat under the blue, sunny sky.


The duplex homes are designed around pedestrian-friendly roads and the entrances face each other. Parents can look out for their kids playing outside.

Ideal, right?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We had our early Thanksgiving Dinner on 14th November at Bangsar Seafood Restaurant and tho the food and service wasnt up to standard, nevertheless it was a great get-together to give thanks to God for His Providence.

Thanksgiving is actually this weekend so lets be thankful for what we have. PTL.


Yes and this turkey..poor thing will end up on the White House dining table!!

Netbooks

Netbooks are the in-thing now and with prices coming down and down,I am anxiously awaiting a Netbook that can do what my laptop can but weigh less!! MUCH LESS!! I have been using my brother's Asus Eeepc when travelling and its great as i can put it in my handbag and be able to check emails and blog with it. Basic functions which is exactly what Asus wanted and the name Eee derives from "the three Es," an abbreviation of its advertising slogan for the device: "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play".


It’s one thing if you are going from an old Celeron or Pentium 4-based laptop from 5 years ago to a Intel Core 2 Duo-based system, it’s another if you are already on a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo-based system. I think we’ve reached the point where people aren’t going to be compelled to upgrade as often. On top of that, you have Microsoft Windows 7 which is going to perform as well or better on existing systems that were sold with Vista.

So comfort is something consumers like me would be looking into next cos upgrading is really not so important for non-geeks like me. I want something that will be easy on my aging shoulders yet do all the basics that my job/leisure requires. So the choice is still limited at the moment for models between 8 - 12 inches.

10.1-inch Intel Atom-powered Samsung N110.


And what about this just launched Acer Aspire AS1410-2285? Pricing is around USD400(not released here yet). It has a dual-core CPU with Intel’s 4500MHD graphics, an HDMI port, Windows 7 Premium, and an 11.6-inch display.Weighs 3pounds.

Asus officially announced the first Eee with Nvidia Ion graphics, the 1201N on November 19, 2009. After months of speculation around the exact specifications, it will feature an Intel Atom 330 series processor, a desktop-intended chip which has dual core, another first for the Eee line. It will begin shipping in mid-December in the US, with a European launch at the start of January. It will cost US$499.Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Asus regarding a version of Windows 7 optimized for platforms such as the Eee.

8″ Intel Atom-based Sony VAIO P series could be undergoing a refresh in coming months. Higher end of the "Netbook" spectrum but so are the specs.

Really hoping to upgrade to a netbook fitting my usage specs and soon....!!Any sponsors??!!LOL

Fullhouse Lifestyle Store and Cafe

A cute little cafe has just opened in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng off Jalan Ampang in a bungalow lot. It was pouring the day i went there so i didnt get any pics from outside. However you wont miss it as its on the left towards the end of Jalan Yap Kwan Seng if you are coming from Jalan Ampang. Its a little white house and valet parking is available FOC.



As you enter the cafe, this is what greets you. As the name of the place suggests, they do sell the stuff that is displayed.


Interior decor is done in white and this sort of brightens and enlarges the space.

Cute little settee set but you are not allowed to sit!! Didnt ask if you could buy that!?
Cute little sweets, decor stuff are sold. There is a little bit of Ikea here.
The Menu....comes in a booklet features ala carte Western cuisine as well as some of the inedible stuff sold here.We settled for the set lunch which is around RM16.90+- with lemon tea, soup and dessert thrown in.

Mushroom soup was delicious and the best in KL so far i have tasted with small chunks of mushrooms.
One of the mains was a Ceasars salad with Salmon. Also very good!!
Lemon tea which can come hot or cold. I ordered mine hot but regretted as it was way too sour.
My main of a chicken chop with mash potatoes and some salad. The sauce was abit sweet but other than that it was okay tho nothing to shout about.
Fullhouse serves a variety of pastries and desserts consisting of cakes and tarts. These 2 variety of cakes was the dessert given with the set that day! Kinda tiramisu-ish!

Not very sweet and in 2-bites size which probably wouldnt satisfy dessert-addicts like my Syd but for lunch, it was just right!!

Fullhouse was still in the midst of putting up finishing decor touches when i was there last week and there is a space behind the bungalow allocated for evening diners/drinkers! However this may not be practical during the current rainy season. Indeed when i was there, there was a leak in the ceiling of the cafe and rain water streamed in causing the diners to move to another table. However they would have sorted that out by now i presume. Do drop by for their hi-teas as well as i heard its scrumptious!!

20.12.2012

If you knew the world was coming to an end, what would you do??

1. Call your loved ones, ask for their forgiveness(?) and tell them you love them
2. Try and save yourself (HOW??)
3. Accept it and just wait
4. Spend all your money, get into as much debt as possible cos wth...everything's goin up into smoke anyways. In other words, live like there's no tomorrow.
5. Regret all the things you did and didnt do and go into depression.
6. Seek salvation from God.

Verdict on 2012 - Great movie, lots of suspense and action, lots of emo, provokes you into thinking about your life....what more can I ask(tho i fell asleep for like 10min during intro...lol)?