Sunshine for All by *LarsVanDeGoor on deviantART

Xiao Long Bao

I've read about these several times before and have been meaning to try them for a while now. I came across this comment about the Noodle Factory just now and decided I'm gonna try them on Saturday. I can't wait!

Look at him jump! (a.k.a. Kitty vs. Metronome)

ROFL!

This is a picture my sister took of the road in front of my parents house. I love it :D


hallows eve. - 195 by ~FriendlyArt120 on deviantART

Tamari Sesame Dressing 2 Ways

So I found some tamari sesame dressing at the store the other day. It sounded yummy so I bought it, but didn't like it at all. I thought the idea was good though so I tried to make my own version of it and got it on the 2nd try, it turned out really yummy. Here's the store-bought stuff:

Here's the ingredients for my version, tamari, sesame oil and vegetable oil:

Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 2tsp sesame oil and 4tsp tamari. Whisk well and drizzle over greens:

Licorice, Mama and Kitty.

Licorice has been living with my parents for a while now. Here's a pic of her and my mom, who has a love/hate relationship with her:

And here's the cat my parents had already, Kitty. Licorice likes to bully her apparently:

Stray cats October 2010

Here's the stray cats I wrote about earlier. I don't understand how people can do this to cats, it turns my stomach.

This one kept meowing all night, would only quiet down when I was with him, poor thing:

This one kept trying to chew on my fingers, although I had already fed him:

He had very pretty checkered paws, I've never seen a b&w cat with markings like this:

This picture makes me laugh:

It seems I'm a stray magnet. I picked up 4 strays in the alley outside my old apartment, only kept one of them though, Licorice. And I already had Sambuca, yet another stray, from a few years before.

White rice with Olinesa eggplant appetizer

Ok it's a bad translation to call that appetizer but whatever. It's yummy on white rice.

+

=

Yum!

Indian Summer Picture

And here's the pic I wrote about earlier:

Foggy October Day 2010

Here's the fog pictures I wrote about yesterday:

Semitarianism

This is the first time I hear this word. Apparently it has been coined to describe people who are sometimes vegetarian and sometimes omnivorous. And being Orthodox, that makes me one too heehee :P Or is there another word for people who are sometimes vegan and sometimes omnivorous?

Ok now I REEEALLY want a smoker...

Ok I just read this article about a vegetarian that cured their cravings for meat by buying a smoker and smoking everything, from fish to veggies to dog food. Yes, dog food lol. I have to try smoking cat food some day to see what my parents cats would say about it...

I love smoke-flavored anything. I want a smoker for Christmas! Although I could make one myself for much cheaper, gimme a new trash can and a hot plate and I'm set to go!

Indian Summer

Today it's 20 degrees out, the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. I think this is the last day of such warm weather we'll get this year. On my walk during my lunch hour I saw about 5 mallards in the lachine canal, right near the edge. Their green feathers were so pretty and shiny in the sun. There were about 8 more further on, in the middle of the canal. I should have brought my camera with me, I also wanted to take pictures of all the bright red crab-apples in the trees. And the tall golden grasses with tufts of fluff on top. I did take a picture of the canal once I got back to work though. I'll post it up when I have time.

My plans for posting up pictures last night were put off, I found 2 stray cats and spent all evening bringing them in, buying food and litter, settling them down in the bathroom, feeding them and talking with the neighbor who took in the other one and eventually brought it to the SPCA. The second one is getting picked up today. I wish I could have kept them, but my health and my roommates prevented me. Carlo really wanted one too, but his grandpa hates cats and his mom is allergic to them. The pictures will go up when I have time. Tonight it's dinner, laundry, bathroom cleanup, shower, and maybe some internet/picture posting time. All in 2 1/2 hours if I wanna get to bed early enough to not be tired tomorrow. We'll see.

I read 2 more posts on Eggbeater, the one about pickup lines she links to in the current one is hilarious. I'll have to show that to Carlo, he's a pastry chef too.

The new compose editor thingy is annoying. I dunno if it's just cause I use Firefox, but when I press enter several times to start a new paragraph the cursor stays on the same line, although there are two spaces below, and I have to press the down arrow to get it there. I suppose someone is working on it already, I don't feel like sending them a message.

*sigh* Off to work again...

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"The Minimalist"

I just read an interesting interview with Mark Bittman. I'd like to think I'm a minimalist too, and I agree with the 3 dishes everyone ought to be able to make.

It was nice and foggy today. I like fog. I just took a few pics that I'll post up tonight if I have time. We don't get fog that often here in Montreal.

Last weekend was crazy busy, I cooked myself stupid and then posted up a few pics from the week before on Facebook. I had fun though :)

This place looks a lot like a place I used to go to in Södertälje (near Stockholm), we lived there for a few months when I was 11 years old. I remember finding it a magical place.


Where elves live by ~Andarana on deviantART

She has silver heart... by *woxys on deviantART

Backlit Forest by =r3novatio on deviantART

Believing, pictures to come and weekend at my parents

This post by Fr. Stephen is great.

I've been busy with work and friends and other parts of the internet than this one lately. Work is the same as usual. I got to see Scott and Joey last weekend for the first time in a while, and meet Scott's girlfriend. We went to chinatown and the hotpot and had lots of fun, then played pool at the Maz with Carlo, Nellie and Johan. I've been taking lots of pictures, there's the ones of the 10 year high school reunion at Hurleys, and the ones of the sponge toffee I made, and the sunset and Carlo and the birds outside the window at the L2, the delicious stewed egg appetizer and frothy honey tea with bubbles (tapioca) that I had there, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting about.

This weekend I'm going to my parents place in the country to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. They've invited all the uncles and aunts and my mom and I will be cooking up a storm. We'll be about 12 people in total. I'll probably have time to upload all my pictures then. Tonight I have laundry and dished to do and I'm leaving for Rawdon  from work tomorrow so I have to pack my bag tonight.

Une Sacree Montagne!

The title is a play on words, literally translated "A sacred mountain" but the word "sacree" is also used as a slang term along the lines of "helluva" so the title is also a play on words and can be read as "A helluva mountain!".

I found this video on youtube, sorry for those who don't speak french, I might post an english transcript later. This video and the site linked to at the end are just beautiful, they put into words and images so much of what I love about that place. When you hear me talk about the Tamtams this is what I'm talking about. Here's the link to the english version of the site.

About prayer

Here's an excerpt of a post I just read by Fr. Stephen. It's "...a small passage from Mar Jacob of Serugh (6th century). It is a meditation on the “boldness” of prayer and its measureless worth." I like it a lot.

Prayer reveals the deep things of the Divine,
by it one enters to behold the mystery of hidden things.
It is the key able to open all doors.
From it one can clearly espy what is hidden,
by it the soul can approach to speak with God,
it raises up the mind so that it reaches the Majesty.
It is easy for prayer to learn the mysteries of the divinity,
for it can go in and out unhindered by the angelic powers:
no angel is as swift-winged as prayer,
nor do the seraphim fly up with it as it ascends;
it whispers its words in the ears of the Lord, without any intermediary,
it murmurs in the heart, and God hears it in his exalted place.
Where it ascends not even the Watchers have ever reached,
for it is capable of approaching the very Divinity.
The seraph hides its face fromm the divine Being with its wings,
but prayer stands there unveiled before the Majesty:
nothing at all stands in the way between it and the Lord,
for it converses with him and he hears it gladly.
The Watchers tremble and the heavenly hosts in their modesty are held back,
whereas prayer goes in and relates its affairs before God.
The cherubim are harnessed and cannot see him whom they bear,
but prayer goes up and speaks with him lovingly.
In its love prayer speedily attains the exalted place,
in its love prayer advances to be raised up above the heavenly orders.
The cherub is afraid to raise its eyes to the Majesty,
being harnessed in its modesty with the pure yoke of flame;
the ranks of fire do not approach the Hidden One,
whereas prayer has authority to speak with him.
Prayer enters closer in than they and speaks unashamed;
above the myriads of heavenly hosts does it pass in flight, unhindered by their ranks.
As though to a close relation prayer reveals its secret to the Lord of the Watchers,
asking of him what is appropriate in all sorts of activities.
Prayer does not bend down to the angels to speak with them,
for it asks God himself, and he bids the angels attend to its affairs.

Fish two ways

I'm gonna make poisson a la creme tomorrow, and start curing some gravlax tonight. I can't wait :D

Hmmm... I wonder how poisson a la creme garnished with gravlax would be?

Dilemma

I'm increasingly questioning the point of double-posting all my pictures here as well as on Facebook. I'm not sure whether I want to stop posting here or not. Eh I guess I'll wait and see. The pictures to post here are starting to pile up though, don't know when I'll have time to post them.

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