Cooking Lesson: Tea Eggs

We all have something that we want that we would give our kidneys for. This is what I would give mine for: Tea Eggs!! These little buggers are small packages of deliciousness overload at an extremely cheap price. In Taiwan, these are sold in EVERY convienence stores. But here in the good ol' US of A, these little bundles of joy have become a rarity. 

But have no worries, for I shall teach you how to make them with easy to find materials!

Materials: 
-10 large eggs 
-1/4 cup red tea leaves OR 3 red tea bags
-2 aniseeds (may be harder to find)
-5 cups of water
-1 teaspoon of peppercorn seeds

Spices:
-2 teaspoons of salt
-1 tablespoon of soy sauce
-1 tablespoon of 5-spice powder

Directions:
1) Place eggs into a large pot, and fill water until all eggs are covered. Bring water to boil, then turn off the stove. Cover the pot and use the steam to cook the eggs. Cover for 15-20mins. 
2) Remove eggs and place into cold water bath. Gently crack the egg shells (with spoon) so that the eggs can absord the flavors during the broiling process.
3) With a new pot, place the remaining ingredients (tea bags, water, spices, etc) and bring to boil with low heat.
4) Place the cracked eggs into the pot, and broil for at least 1 hour on low heat. 
5) Remove tea bags after 1 hour, and the tea eggs are ready to be served. 

TIP: If you want more flavors, you can let the eggs sit in the pot overnight, and enjoy them next day. The flavors will be rich by then. 

I can almost smell it already. Ahhhh...

rOar

HTML

Messing with the blog's HTML atm. Will take some time to get used to doing some HTML programming. 

Mathematics of War

Something very interesting I've found. 

PSN ID

Alllright. Finally got my PSN ID to show up on this blog. So now you can track whats happening in my gaming world. Just look to right side of the blog for updates. 

心情悶

今天心情悶悶的 不太確定為什麼 就是有一種說不出口的空虛. 打算出去走走散散心 卻還是甩不掉這個心情. 窗外的場景也只能看到對外的一百公尺 再更遠的風景卻是模糊的. 不管我如何努力看 那片較遠的世界總是看不清楚. 有一點無助, 有一點迷失, 有點喘不過氣.

好難受… 

Hot Babe Friday!

Today's theme: Girls with 氣質. Now, if you don't know already, I adore girls with 氣質. 氣質 simply translated means "class", "elegance", "aura", "character", "temperament", "charisma", and "chic". If you still dont get it, just look at the damn pics and you'll know. 

The first three pic are the same girl (name escape me atm) that appeared in Jay Chou's MV 説好的幸福呢. I have that MV for Music Monday on May 18th. Fourth pic is 陳意涵, a new upcoming star who's latest work is the current big hit Taiwanese series 痞子英雄. Lastly we have our lovely Fujii Lena. 

Click pics to enlarge. 

rOar

Round-Island Scooter Around Taiwan Update #1

Okay, now that things are set into motion, heres the first part of the research for my 2010 summer adventure: 

Here I've found a guy's blog documenting his 5 day trip. Included in here is his recordings of the distances, locations, and estimated times of his journey. Quite detailed I must say. 

He also included in here a tried and true route that he has ridden. 

This guy's map included alot of the scenery locations around Taiwan. So that means he doesnt go along just the coastal roads. Many of the locations are in the mountainous or metropolitan areas. Also, his trip was 5 days, meaning he had to speed through alot on his journey. His map includes the northern and southern most points in Taiwan. Also, his focus on his trip is more on the natural sceneries, hence most of the routes he has chosen are concentrated on the eastern side of the island. 

For my trip, I'm hoping for a more relaxed trip, so most likely be a 10 day to 2 weeks ride. Also the inclusion of city touring means that I'll have to plot new courses to ride through certain major cities. 

At this moment, heres a brief summary of the locations I want to visit:
-Northern/southern most points
-Major cities (counter clock wise from the north):
-->Keelong
-->Taipei
-->Taichung
-->Tainan
-->Kaosiung
-->Taitung
-->Hualien
-->Yilan
-Sceneries (not much at the moment):
-->Taroko  (also known as the "Grand Canyon of Taiwan")
-->Ocean Scenic Drive Highway #1 (need to check if thats the correct highway)

Of course, food is also a major theme in my journey. I plan to sample various kinds of beef noodles as I travel. Not just that too, street side vendors to famous restaurants, I'll try to make sure to catch as much as I can. From what I've heard, southern parts of Taiwan tend to make food that are much sweeter than in the north. Strange, huh?

More updates to come soon. 

rOar

Pussy Overload

Easy now boys. Its LOL Cats I'm talking about here. 

Fashion Wednesday - Hairstyle

Yes, I can hear the moaning and groaning on this already. Yes, hairstyle is important. How important? Just as much as you would dress well for a serious interview. 

A hairstyle can make or break a person's image. Choose whatever hairstyle that suits your style and situation. Dont go to an interview with an insane buzz cut, or go workout with a style that takes 2 hrs to complete. Whatever style you choose, know that you'll be stuck with it for another month before you can style it again. 

There are many different styles out there, and just as many different methods to acheive them. If your not into the style terms, heres a simple few. Cut: Simple, it just means cut. Layering: Cutting with a special scissors that only cuts a certain layer per cut. Buzz: Usually its the mechanical device that cuts with a straight edge. Often cuts in bulk. Feathering: A type of cut that makes the ends of the hair thinner than at the root. 

Theres a ton more ways of cut, so make sure to ask your stylist which ones are best to acheive your style. 

Now, style aside, color is just as essential in making a good impression. For asians, black is the standard base coat. If your into more fancy styles that only non-black colors can bring, then feel free to dye your hair. A common scene is the colors of orange and brown. Generally, this is good in bring out the layering effects in your hairstyle (layering brings depth to your head, fyi). 

If your into more complicated hairstyles, you can consider perming. Yes, the old paradigm is that only girls do perms. But times have changed. Guys can get 'manly' perms too (if you would believe that). Again, many techiques in this too. Beware tho, as this can get costly if you're not careful. 

Now, when you want to style your hair, there are many products out there that you can choose from. Generally, for guys, a hair wax is best, as hair gel is too messy to deal with. I would suggest using a brand called Gatsby, as their hair product "Moving Rubber" is good for the standard guy hair styling. Hair sprays are good too, but use conservatively. 

Lastly, most important key in hairstyling is maintaining your style for as long as possible. Unless you have money to burn, then chances are you want to make sure your style lasts as long as possible. We all know to wash our head everytime we take a shower. This is now even more important as you will now have styling products (wax) that you want off at the end of the day. If you want to maintain your hair, I would suggest using a conditioner (if you didnt know already). A good conditioning once per week is enough. If you have permed your hair, I would suggest getting hair cleaning products that contain amino acids, as the perming process have already done damage to your hair. 

Again, all this hair knowledge arent hard to obtain. A simple conversation with your stylist can go a long way in your fashion knowledge. If you're uncertain, you can always trust your stylist and have them give you a style they see fit. 

Happy hunting.

rOar

How To Prevent A Bear Attack... And Stay Warm At The Same Time

Found this online: Its a sleeping bag designed to look like a freaking bear! I mean, WTF?! I guess the whole point is to make yourself look like you're on your way down another bear's digestive track before a real bear comes and eat you alive? See for yourself: 

rOar

Terminator Salvation

Aight. Went to see this one yesterday. My review? 2 hours full of action scenes with only a weak plot that connects one explosive action part to another. Nothing really different from other terminator movies. A defo no brainer flick. 

By the end of the movie, you'll get so sick of Christian Bale saying the same damn line "This is John Conner" that you really question his ability to act. Who knows? Maybe that little meltdown during the shoot really took its toll on him. 

In the end, dont expect to be intellectually stimulated when watching this movie. 

rOar

Intro of the Lazy

In retrospect, it probably would have been pretty cool for me to introduce myself into this blog with a massive bang of poetry and prose. But sadly, I am lazy (saw that one coming a mile away), and am not feeling my creativity as of this moment. 

So instead, I shall grace you all with some humor (well I think it's humor). For anyone that has ever played fallout 3, you'll love the first video.  All others that cannot appreciate video game humor...well...you could always wait for my next post.  Enjoy.

Music Monday

Hot Babe Friday!

Special edition today. Today's theme: mixed beauties!

Kato Rosa

Suzanne (Yamamoto Sae)

Fujii Lena (yes, we need three of her)

Leah Dizon (of course)

Yuzuki Tina (FTW!!)

rOar

Fashion Wednesday - Accessories

Aight, heres a simple one. Men's accessory. What is it? And why do you need it? Simple. Men's accessory are stuff that are not your shirt, your underwear, and your pants/jeans. Things like hats, sunglasses, rings (gay, dont wear them), necklaces, belts, watches, tattoos, and certain shoes are generally considered accessories. Normally I would recommend only wearing no more than 2 pieces. So this would often times be a watch and a nice looking belt (with good belt buckle).  Why do we need them? Its not a 'need', but suggested. Like a wedding cake without the little bride and groom figurines at the top, the cake just isnt complete without them. The icying on the cake, if you like. 

Now, dont go over board. Know what styles suit you. And for god sakes, dont wear rings on your finger. Unless your married or gay, there should be no reason for you to wear them. 

rOar

Classes...

I hate my summer class. It can just flip over and die right now. 4 times a week, 2 hrs long, and 20 min hike one way from my apartment to the classroom, makes this the worst class ever. I'm still trying to balance studying and blogging for this summer, so bear with me. 

Music Monday

Classes... again

Summer classes start tomorrow. F-U-N. 

rOar

Hot Babe Friday!

Once again, this week's HBF is of double quantity in celebration of a sucessful passing of classes! Enjoy!

rOar 

Oh Happy Day

Final grades for the spring 09 semester came out today. And the result is.......

 

 

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Three of the hardest classes I've taken so far, and I passed! Better than I expected! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! I'm so pumped right now. Oh man, I - I just cant express how relieved I am right now. ARRRAAalskdj;fj[ ieasd;gkj oawiej [asidjfskdf;lgka;ldj;zldfgI3q9pvfhgn;kntg;lkxco;skdn;glkhd;lkzvj;alskdgj;lkzjd;vlka
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A week of torture and I made it!!!!!!!!

 

 

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!

Fashion Wednesday - Layering

Its Wednesday again, and today's topic is layering. What is layering you ask? Layering is a technique of wearing certain articles of clothing on top of each other to create depth to one's appearance. Most people do this without realizing it. Generally, layering is focused on the upper body, so not much details will be done on the lower half. The important key here is knowing how to wear it to make it work. Heres an easy example of basic layering: Think of men's business suits; for your upper torso, you got your shirt, your tie, and your jacket. First, you got your shirt in the inner most layer, then the tie in the middle, then the jacket provides the outer most layer. The V-shape of the jacket and the tie brings the focus onto the upper chest area, thus creating a broader upper body physique.

Generally, there is no rule as to how best do layering. Its personal taste. But the key is to make sure that all your clothings match each other when wearing them on top of another. This includes taking notice of color and texture. What I would suggest is knowing which body part you want to embellish. Normally, this would mean the neck and upper chest for guys. That being said, simple layering is always the best. Avoid wearing too much or too little when doing layering. Remember, fashion only exists between -5 to 40 Celsius. Layer accordingly. 

Here I've shown some simple layering:

Single layer: Plain white shirt

Double layer: Plain white shirt with thin striped sweater

Triple layer: Plain white shirt with thin striped sweater and black tie

This is a very simple layering example that I've shown with 3 elements: white shirt, striped thin sweater, and a thin black tie. Here, the focus is on the upper chest and lower neck area. Notice in the triple layer, the striped sweater is unbuttoned. This was done on purpose so that the sweater and tie won't conflict with each other. This also elongates the upper body, thus creating the illusion of extra height to the wearer. The black tie opposes the light colors of the rest of the body, thus drawing attention to the center of the body. As you get more experienced with layering, you can use layers to add more definition to other layers, bringing out more of the contrasting color themes or physical appearances. 

When layering is done right, it can add some serious extra points to one's appearance. Again, personal taste is very important, so it'll take some trial and error to find your niche. 

Happy hunting. 

rOar

Tailgate, Beer Games, Baseball, Oh My...

Felt very 'American' today. Earlier today, a bunch of friends and I loaded two mini vans with tables, booze, snacks, and a mindset of getting wasted before the Brewers VS Marlins game. A total of 25 people went, and I was the only non-white person. Reached the ball park parking lot at 5pm, set up tables, blasted music, and started the drinking right off the bat. Game is at 7pm, but we were well on our way to happy land by 6. What can I say? Getting wasted at a parking lot doesnt sound too bad when you're in Milwaukee. 

Anyways, tailgate and drinking games aside, baseball was pretty tight. Brewers won, and I devoured 4 one dollar hotdogs before the 3rd inning. 

Interesting day. Didnt have my camera for pics, so I took with my phone. Got home and realized that my phone's bluetooth doesnt connect with my laptop, so pics cant be transfered. FML. 

rOar

Music Monday

The Down-side of Being Cute

Found this today:

"When the cute-as-a-button Aki Hoshino tried to enter a casino in Macau the other day, she suddenly found herself forbidden from doing so by the staff. The reason was supposedly that they thought the famous gravure idol -- that's a made-in-Japan French word which means a model in a sexy bikini -- was under the age of 18 and thus forbidden from entering the casino premises by law, so they blocked the door to keep her out. It seems hard to believe that a 32-year-old woman could be mistaken for a minor, but I'm inclined to believe it."

Aki Hoshino, 32 years old, yet still beautiful as ever

Believe it.

rOar

Hot Babe Friday!

In celebration of the end of finals and a buddy's bday, todays HBF is of double exp! (get it? get it? double? double... from the usual 5? god, you guys are lame) -_-"

rOar

Digital Amnesia

Lost something very important to me today. Felt like old memories were being replayed in my mind once more. An unsettling feeling. A little lost, a little confused. A little out of words, a little out of breath. Memories that were thought to be forgotten, were saved till today. Now, when its really lost, it doesnt want to be forgotten. 

Will you still remember me? Will I still remember you? No, I shouldn't. You shouldn't. Its not fair for me to keep you.  

Years to create. Seconds to destroy. 

Goodbye, to you. 

今までありがとう　いい思い出できたぞ

Finals' Essentials

You gotta love finals. Its a time period of about a week where you stop doing everything that is considered human. IE: Eating, sleeping, social interaction, nature callings, essentially: life itself. Oh, you feel like you're about to pass out due to malnutrition? Hows about finishing that 6 page philosophy paper first before you can eat any ramen? 

Heres what I've been living on for the past week:

Wake up, three cereal bars and a redbull before 9am, then study/take tests. No lunch, then down another redbull and two more cereal bars before 7pm. Then study till 3am. Repeat. 

FML.

rOar

 

Fashion Wednesday - Color and Texture

Alright, I thought it'll be interesting to help all those guys whos had been called a bum or those whos been complained cus of how they dress themselves. Now, I'm no fashion guru nor do I want to become one, I'm just here to share what I've picked up in the past 3+ years. 

Many people overlook the importance of their outer appearance. Unfortunately, clothing often cover roughly 80-90% of our bodies. So its vital for guys to at least be aware of what they're wearing to avoid making mistakes. Think of it as an investment: you invest in it, and often its return/reward is having others having a good opinion about you based on say, your first impression. 

That being said, I only want to talk about fashion on a daily basis. No BS on how to dress like characters in ficticious dramas or movies. Just everyday good looking joes. 

Todays topic: Color and Texture. 

Because whats fashion without color and texture? Here, I give you a few rule of thumbs: 
1) Do not wear more than 3 different colors on your body. 3 significantly different colors mind you. Just because different shades of one color looks different, it does not make it okay to wear them all at once. 
2) Generally, 2 textures are good. Anything more and its risky to still look good.
3)When in doubt, go white. Black/white, khaki/white usually are good themes. 

Now, in terms of color, remember: your jeans are considered one of the three you're suppose to have. So that leaves two colors left for your upper body. What you do with them is up to you. Generally, light colors gives a more friendly appearance, while dark colors gives a more mysterious feel. If your red shirt has patches of blue in them (less than 15% say), then that shirt is still considered red. But if any color on your clothes is takes up more than 15% of the clothing, you'll have to consider it as multi-colored, and adjust it accordingly.  

Understanding texture is more tricky than knowing what colors to wear. Because there are so many textures than the pallets on the rainbow, its up to your personal taste. Wheather you like plain, pleated, or stripes, it doesnt matter. As long as you keep each texture away from getting into each others way, you'll be fine. 

Here are some examples of textures that I own: 

'Wife-beater' texture

Wool texture with discrete strips

Stipe texture

Pleated texture

Dont worry if you still cant get your colors and textures to look good just yet. Its not as easy as it seems. Hell, I'm still learning about it as I go. But its just like learning to type on a keyboard: at first, the alphabets are all over the place, but with more practice, your fingers just know where to hit.

Happy hunting.

rOar