Every day, I think, I have this mind-blowing moment of realization. It's a kind of shock that you get at trying to grasp something so mind-blowingly innovative that you teeter on the verge of the realization that there are people out there, that you may not know of, who are innovating things so far-out exciting this very moment even as we speak, that you may get to hear about maybe a few months or a few years later. We live in very exciting times, and this is what gets me up every morning.
Today's is definitely the discovery of an experiment written by a scientist in the Chemical Engineering department in the University of Maryland called "Enzyme Entrapment in Alginate Gel" which Drazick of Draz's Kitchen came across and showed me. The shocking thing is... the scientific procedure outlined in the experiment to entrap any enzyme in alginate gel is almost the exact same procedure carried out by Ferran Adria when making mango and apple caviar.
I cannot nearly articulate how mind-blowing this realization is. Either to attempt to understand how serious Ferran Adria is about his experiments into pushing the boundaries of possibility with fine dining and cooking - even down to the very definition of cooking - or being amazed at how an experiment conducted in a lab so many thousands of miles away from Spain can be used in an application probably unimagined by the inventor.
Either way, it reaffirms that the things we do are never truly and completely ignored or forgotten. Whether Ferran Adria (more to follow about this new cool guy in my life) had read the experiment and subsequently decided on its application to making mock caviar, or he had come upon the technique by himself in his own experiments in his food laboratory is irrelevant. The truth is that our little discoveries accumulate in small victories to become the culminating successes of our individual lives.
(Did I just go really way over the top in that post?)
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
The New Cook
[Flickr post by articnomad] that I happened to stumble across. A cute, innovative macro take at a view most people take for granted. I love this one so much because it's so ordinary, yet it really made me look at my microwave all over again in a different light (which is quite difficult - I hate microwaves).
Thursday, June 23, 2005
A Yuzu by any other name...
I'm in love with the yuzu (ユズ, 柚, 柚子). One of the most distinctly Japanese of fruits, it is commonly grown in Japan and used in much of Japanese cooking (teas, flavoured shoyu, garnishes on food, salad dressing, as traditional perfume, as a bath during winter etc.)
Yuzu is a fruit associated with winter (to bear in mind when/if writing haikus*: yuzu on the ground/the snow is falling fast, and/i mull over tea.) and has also soothing and medicinal properties for colds and flus (one reason probably on its popularity in winter). The peel, juice and pulp are all used to make drink/food.
Anyway, getting to the seed of the matter: I came back from Tokyo recently raving about Yuzu only to be asked multiple times on what yuzu is. Not knowing the equivalent English translation of yuzu (and convinced that there wasn't one), I described as, "A Japanese citrusy fruit that tastes zingy, kind of like a Mandarin orange but not really exactly a Mandarin orange, and you make it into drinks, flavour all kinds of foods, even perfume... (giving up) it's just Yuzu LA!" Obviously friends assumed that what I meant to say was "Mandarin orange" and continued to pester me to prove my case, or improve my description.
It was not only until the famous, trusted worldwide and accepted in over 140 countries internationally Wikipedia came to my rescue today. Yuzu is a different species of citrus (Citrus aurantium, formerly C. junos) than the Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) although it has (and I quoth) "overtones of Mandarin orange but it is rarely eaten as a fruit".
So, I hate to say this but I love being proven right (and proven also to be an anal-retentive, detailed-oriented b***h armed with a photographic memory). But Wikipedia really does have a very comprehensive (tic) analysis of Yuzu vs. Mandarin Orange to check out. I'm also armed with a huge bottle of yuzu jam that some swear to taste like marmalade.
I leave Japan of course with a highly ratified view that the country like their fruit, language and people, is distinctly unique, full of richness, flavour and sensitivity, and possessing so delicate a sense of balance and taste it is unsurpassed by many other cultures in the world.
-------
I have also discovered by accident that if deprived of yuzu in Europe and Singapore, Bunalun's Vodka Lime Marmalade tastes (even dissolved in water as a drink) remarkably like yuzu - and, if consumed in adequate proportions, may even give you a certain buzz that yuzu alone may not provide...
* Side note on haikus: it is a rule that haikus must contain an indication of the seasons, eg: yuzus in the winter, frogs on ponds in spring, rainy seasons in summer, falling leaves in autumn... that type of thing.
Yuzu is a fruit associated with winter (to bear in mind when/if writing haikus*: yuzu on the ground/the snow is falling fast, and/i mull over tea.) and has also soothing and medicinal properties for colds and flus (one reason probably on its popularity in winter). The peel, juice and pulp are all used to make drink/food.
Anyway, getting to the seed of the matter: I came back from Tokyo recently raving about Yuzu only to be asked multiple times on what yuzu is. Not knowing the equivalent English translation of yuzu (and convinced that there wasn't one), I described as, "A Japanese citrusy fruit that tastes zingy, kind of like a Mandarin orange but not really exactly a Mandarin orange, and you make it into drinks, flavour all kinds of foods, even perfume... (giving up) it's just Yuzu LA!" Obviously friends assumed that what I meant to say was "Mandarin orange" and continued to pester me to prove my case, or improve my description.
It was not only until the famous, trusted worldwide and accepted in over 140 countries internationally Wikipedia came to my rescue today. Yuzu is a different species of citrus (Citrus aurantium, formerly C. junos) than the Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) although it has (and I quoth) "overtones of Mandarin orange but it is rarely eaten as a fruit".
So, I hate to say this but I love being proven right (and proven also to be an anal-retentive, detailed-oriented b***h armed with a photographic memory). But Wikipedia really does have a very comprehensive (tic) analysis of Yuzu vs. Mandarin Orange to check out. I'm also armed with a huge bottle of yuzu jam that some swear to taste like marmalade.
I leave Japan of course with a highly ratified view that the country like their fruit, language and people, is distinctly unique, full of richness, flavour and sensitivity, and possessing so delicate a sense of balance and taste it is unsurpassed by many other cultures in the world.
-------
I have also discovered by accident that if deprived of yuzu in Europe and Singapore, Bunalun's Vodka Lime Marmalade tastes (even dissolved in water as a drink) remarkably like yuzu - and, if consumed in adequate proportions, may even give you a certain buzz that yuzu alone may not provide...
* Side note on haikus: it is a rule that haikus must contain an indication of the seasons, eg: yuzus in the winter, frogs on ponds in spring, rainy seasons in summer, falling leaves in autumn... that type of thing.
I'm making savoury mini muffins this weekend!
Inspired by Ferran Adria in trying out new things with old ideas, I'm going to attempt a recipe at making savoury mini muffins in the style of tako-yaki (Japanese octopus balls). I reckon that since both recipes involve enclosing a strong tasting, chewy savoury meat with a flour mixture, and both are "baked" to some extent, the recipes would only require a slight modification to work.
Here's the recipe I'm going to try:-
Basic Muffin Mixture:
I'll probably end up using the BBC Good Food Guide's Savoury Muffin recipe, but took this recipe as a sample proportion for savoury muffins.
The typical Muffin Mixture reads something like the following (generic muffin recipe):-
10 oz (275 g) plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
8 fl oz (225 ml) milk
a little butter for greasing
1 teaspoon sea salt
I'm going to make the following modifications:-
Instead of using the whole 225 ml of milk, the batter for the muffin mixture is going to include some cooled dashi stock (which is what goes into the batter for tako-yaki to give the batter that savoury tako taste). I think I'll end up using the following proportions to retain the creaminess of the milk - 125 ml dashi broth (consistency must be similar to milk) + 100 ml milk = 225 ml fluid into the batter. I may also think about melting/dissolving a bit of powdered bonito flakes into water and use it as a substitute of the dashi stock. Draz has also suggested a few drops of balsamic vinegar into the butter before the mix-in.
The BBC Good Food Guide's muffin recipe also called for melted butter to be added to the muffin mix to give that cakey feel - so since butter is savoury and creamy, I'll probably still go with adding butter as well.
The real challenge is actually in what's *inside* the muffin, since you need both tako (the easy part) and a soft center of creamy mayonnaise (the tricky part) which half melts into the batter mixture. Here's how the tako portion is going to look:
Tako (Octopus) Filling with Japanese Mayonnaise
200g boiled octopus (tentacles are better) - cut to little bits and pieces. Several suggestions here, we don't want the tako to sink to the bottom of the muffin, at the same time, we want to retain the bite of the tako.
Suggestions include: A) finely chopped tako (may lose bite); B) thin long strips of tako (has bite but may sink?); C) finely sliced and wide tako (may not have bite, potentially loads of trouble but you know it will definitely float and not sink in the muffin mix); D) the usual chopped up tako (will sink, but may taste good if it's big)
Japanese Mayonnaise. Again, many suggestions for incorporating soft cream Mayonnaise into puffy muffin mixture. Award-winning, Ferran-Adria-ish suggestion is to inject soft mayo into puffy muffin with a syringe. I love this idea, and it will definitely work, except that A) I'm making many mini bite-sized muffins which will disappear in a bite; and B) taking a syringe to it is really just too much trouble. Plus I need to get a syringe.
It will however work, because the muffin is so aerated that you won't notice a needle going in to inject much needed cream into the muffin (kind of like a reverse liposuction exercise). Come to think of it, that would probably qualify in gross-factor as point #C.
Other suggestions for Japanese mayonnaise incorporation include: Freezing (will not work as oil in the mayo will not freeze) and possibly, (much easier too!) just mixing it into the damn batter to have a cheesey layer. I could also think of using parmesan or mozzarella solid cheese in place of the Japanese mayo, but wonder about the shoyu taste required (hmm... maybe I can put a few teaspoons into shoyu into the batter and use light solid cheese.)
Anyway, I will try it out and let you know how it goes. There's also movements to have an experimental cooking workshop this weekend, and/or a 5 course Adria-inspired meal going on this week, so I hope I really have time to do my muffins.
Here's the recipe I'm going to try:-
Basic Muffin Mixture:
I'll probably end up using the BBC Good Food Guide's Savoury Muffin recipe, but took this recipe as a sample proportion for savoury muffins.
The typical Muffin Mixture reads something like the following (generic muffin recipe):-
10 oz (275 g) plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
8 fl oz (225 ml) milk
a little butter for greasing
1 teaspoon sea salt
I'm going to make the following modifications:-
Instead of using the whole 225 ml of milk, the batter for the muffin mixture is going to include some cooled dashi stock (which is what goes into the batter for tako-yaki to give the batter that savoury tako taste). I think I'll end up using the following proportions to retain the creaminess of the milk - 125 ml dashi broth (consistency must be similar to milk) + 100 ml milk = 225 ml fluid into the batter. I may also think about melting/dissolving a bit of powdered bonito flakes into water and use it as a substitute of the dashi stock. Draz has also suggested a few drops of balsamic vinegar into the butter before the mix-in.
The BBC Good Food Guide's muffin recipe also called for melted butter to be added to the muffin mix to give that cakey feel - so since butter is savoury and creamy, I'll probably still go with adding butter as well.
The real challenge is actually in what's *inside* the muffin, since you need both tako (the easy part) and a soft center of creamy mayonnaise (the tricky part) which half melts into the batter mixture. Here's how the tako portion is going to look:
Tako (Octopus) Filling with Japanese Mayonnaise
200g boiled octopus (tentacles are better) - cut to little bits and pieces. Several suggestions here, we don't want the tako to sink to the bottom of the muffin, at the same time, we want to retain the bite of the tako.
Suggestions include: A) finely chopped tako (may lose bite); B) thin long strips of tako (has bite but may sink?); C) finely sliced and wide tako (may not have bite, potentially loads of trouble but you know it will definitely float and not sink in the muffin mix); D) the usual chopped up tako (will sink, but may taste good if it's big)
Japanese Mayonnaise. Again, many suggestions for incorporating soft cream Mayonnaise into puffy muffin mixture. Award-winning, Ferran-Adria-ish suggestion is to inject soft mayo into puffy muffin with a syringe. I love this idea, and it will definitely work, except that A) I'm making many mini bite-sized muffins which will disappear in a bite; and B) taking a syringe to it is really just too much trouble. Plus I need to get a syringe.
It will however work, because the muffin is so aerated that you won't notice a needle going in to inject much needed cream into the muffin (kind of like a reverse liposuction exercise). Come to think of it, that would probably qualify in gross-factor as point #C.
Other suggestions for Japanese mayonnaise incorporation include: Freezing (will not work as oil in the mayo will not freeze) and possibly, (much easier too!) just mixing it into the damn batter to have a cheesey layer. I could also think of using parmesan or mozzarella solid cheese in place of the Japanese mayo, but wonder about the shoyu taste required (hmm... maybe I can put a few teaspoons into shoyu into the batter and use light solid cheese.)
Anyway, I will try it out and let you know how it goes. There's also movements to have an experimental cooking workshop this weekend, and/or a 5 course Adria-inspired meal going on this week, so I hope I really have time to do my muffins.
Fans made the 24 CTU Ringtone is available for free!
Probably one of the most comprehensive 24 fan-sites around (these 24 fans like their databases neat, tidy and complete!) they have finally broken the sound barrier and made the CTU office phone ringtone from 24 available for free in .mp3, .mid and .wav formats! It's very good quality, and I've been using it on my phone for quite a while now - always the temptation to answer, "This is Bauer!" at the first ring though.
Incidentally, a bit about the technology used by the Los Angeles Counter-Terrorist Unit (CTU) as seen on 24 (since I'm *such* a geek!):
Computers: Hewlett Packard desktops and Apple Powerbook laptops
Office Phones: Nortel Digital Phones. I've been in an office that use Nortel digital phones, and the CTU ringtone used is actually a real, in-built ringtone provided by Nortel on some of their digital phone models.
Office Chairs: Dexler ergonomic office chairs, high-back model in blue, used in the meeting rooms and board room. Each chair cost more than $1,000 US dollars (my office has a few in black). [At least we know they care about analysts having backaches by spending more than 24 hours at a go in the office!]
Incidentally, a bit about the technology used by the Los Angeles Counter-Terrorist Unit (CTU) as seen on 24 (since I'm *such* a geek!):
Computers: Hewlett Packard desktops and Apple Powerbook laptops
Office Phones: Nortel Digital Phones. I've been in an office that use Nortel digital phones, and the CTU ringtone used is actually a real, in-built ringtone provided by Nortel on some of their digital phone models.
Office Chairs: Dexler ergonomic office chairs, high-back model in blue, used in the meeting rooms and board room. Each chair cost more than $1,000 US dollars (my office has a few in black). [At least we know they care about analysts having backaches by spending more than 24 hours at a go in the office!]
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
遇見 by 孫燕姿
Ting Dong's actually got a great translation, hanyu pinyin and chinese character full posting of this song, which I've linked to. I'm still going to work with my own translation, at least with my own infused interpretation, since the lyrics in Chinese can't all be expressed easily in English.
To me, this song is so much about anticipation, waiting for something to happen and not knowing when things will fall into place. It's something I'm feeling so much now, this combination of anticipation, looking up in hope, and being somewhat tired by the way things are now. As always, things never happen when I want them to.
(This song was actually sent to me by Katsu, who doesn't speak much Chinese, and I had to actually run around trying to identify it to find out what song it was - for shame!)
遇見 by 孫燕姿
聽見 冬天的離開
I hear winter leaving
我在某年某月醒過來
I wake in some year, some month
我想 我等 我期待
I think, I wait, and hope
未來卻不能因此安排
Yet the future cannot be planned like this.
陰天 傍晚 車窗外
A cloudy evening outside the car window
未來有一個人在等待
There is someone waiting in my future
向左 向右 向前看
I look left, right and ahead
愛要拐幾個彎才來
How many turns must Love take to arrive?
我遇見誰 會有怎樣的對白
What kind of conversations will I have with the one I'm meeting?
我等的人 他在多遠的未來
The one I'm waiting for, how distant in the future is he?
我聽見風 來自地鐵和人海
I hear the wind rising from the subways and the crowds
我排著隊 拿著愛的號碼牌
And wait in line, holding Love's ticket's number.
我往前飛 飛過一片時間海
Flying forward, towards a sea of time
我們也常在愛情裡受傷害
We are so often hurt by romance anyway
我看著路 夢的入口有點窄
Love has such a narrow entrance in the road before me
我遇見你是最美麗的意外
That I had met you has been the most beautiful accident.
終有一天 我的謎底會解開
There will finally be a day when my riddle will be solved.
To me, this song is so much about anticipation, waiting for something to happen and not knowing when things will fall into place. It's something I'm feeling so much now, this combination of anticipation, looking up in hope, and being somewhat tired by the way things are now. As always, things never happen when I want them to.
(This song was actually sent to me by Katsu, who doesn't speak much Chinese, and I had to actually run around trying to identify it to find out what song it was - for shame!)
遇見 by 孫燕姿
聽見 冬天的離開
I hear winter leaving
我在某年某月醒過來
I wake in some year, some month
我想 我等 我期待
I think, I wait, and hope
未來卻不能因此安排
Yet the future cannot be planned like this.
陰天 傍晚 車窗外
A cloudy evening outside the car window
未來有一個人在等待
There is someone waiting in my future
向左 向右 向前看
I look left, right and ahead
愛要拐幾個彎才來
How many turns must Love take to arrive?
我遇見誰 會有怎樣的對白
What kind of conversations will I have with the one I'm meeting?
我等的人 他在多遠的未來
The one I'm waiting for, how distant in the future is he?
我聽見風 來自地鐵和人海
I hear the wind rising from the subways and the crowds
我排著隊 拿著愛的號碼牌
And wait in line, holding Love's ticket's number.
我往前飛 飛過一片時間海
Flying forward, towards a sea of time
我們也常在愛情裡受傷害
We are so often hurt by romance anyway
我看著路 夢的入口有點窄
Love has such a narrow entrance in the road before me
我遇見你是最美麗的意外
That I had met you has been the most beautiful accident.
終有一天 我的謎底會解開
There will finally be a day when my riddle will be solved.
Taking up the Musical Baton
Finally taking up the musical baton meme from enuwy who has probably tried throwing me the stick a long time ago...
Total Volume of Music files on my computer: 38.18 GB (Shameless, yes I know. I decided not to count the music videos I had on my hard drive, since that'll skew the metric. And yes, I *am* having a storage problem at the moment. How unsurprising...)
The Last CD I bought was: Sentimental Lovers by Hirai Ken (Purchased together with the LIFE is and Gaining Through Losing albums by Hirai Ken.)
Song playing right now: 遇見 by 孫燕姿 (Translations on this in the follow-up post)
5 songs I listen to a lot or that mean alot to me: (I think this list changes too often to be helpful. Audioscrobbler would be better at telling me what I listen to a lot I think...)
Total Volume of Music files on my computer: 38.18 GB (Shameless, yes I know. I decided not to count the music videos I had on my hard drive, since that'll skew the metric. And yes, I *am* having a storage problem at the moment. How unsurprising...)
The Last CD I bought was: Sentimental Lovers by Hirai Ken (Purchased together with the LIFE is and Gaining Through Losing albums by Hirai Ken.)
Song playing right now: 遇見 by 孫燕姿 (Translations on this in the follow-up post)
5 songs I listen to a lot or that mean alot to me: (I think this list changes too often to be helpful. Audioscrobbler would be better at telling me what I listen to a lot I think...)
- 遇見 by 孫燕姿 (mean a lot to me)
- LIFE is... by Hirai Ken (listen to a lot)
- Sleeps with Butterflies by Tori Amos (mean a lot to me)
- Martha's Foolish Ginger by Tori Amos (listen to a lot)
- Iris by Goo Goo Dolls (mean a lot to me)
5 People I'm passing the baton to: (Unfortunately, none of them blog often, so I think I'm a bit of a chain mail dead-end.)
- Fe
- Katsu
- Alf
- David
- James
How do People See Me?
Good god... as if being detail-oriented isn't enough? The picture kinda looks like me too (grief...) Is it too much to ask for people to understand that deep down inside there is a fire that burns brightly and passionately (gag gag) and it's just because I have too many sensibilities holding me back?
| Slow and Steady |
 They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it. |
Personality Test
I just did the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator) test a while ago for work (so it's official) and disturbingly enough, they didn't immediately give me the results like I'm used to. The facilitator to whom the results have been posted will be discussing it during the Shanghai off-site in about two weeks' time. So meanwhile I'm here twiddling my thumbs and shifting in my seat - I hate waiting for results of any kind.
To avoid doing that, I came across yet another one of those MBTI lookalikes online, and decided to go with it again to take a measure check of how I'd do. Usually I'm quite consistent, and it seems here that I've 5 possibilities of what my results will look like - I'd be quite surprised if it comes back with something else (like for example that I'm an I instead of an E).
To avoid doing that, I came across yet another one of those MBTI lookalikes online, and decided to go with it again to take a measure check of how I'd do. Usually I'm quite consistent, and it seems here that I've 5 possibilities of what my results will look like - I'd be quite surprised if it comes back with something else (like for example that I'm an I instead of an E).
Your #1 Match: ENTJ |
| The Executive You are a natural leader - with confidence and strength that inspires others.Driven to succeed, you are always looking for ways to gain, power, knowledge, and expertise.Sometimes you aren't the most considerate person, especially to those who are a bit slow.You are not easily intimidated - and you have a commanding, awe-inspiring presence. You would make a great CEO, entrepreneur, or consultant. |
Your #2 Match: ENFJ |
| The Giver You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine. You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist. |
Your #3 Match: ENTP |
| The Visionary You are charming, outgoing, friendly. You make a good first impression.You possess good negotiating skills and can convince anyone of anything.Happy to be the center of attention, you love to tell stories and show off.You're very clever, but not disciplined enough to do well in structured environments. You would make a great entrpreneur, marketing executive, or actor. |
Your #4 Match: ESTJ |
| The Guardian You're a natural leader and quick, logical decision maker.Goals are important in your life, and you take many steps to acheive them.You enjoy interacting with others, mostly through work related activities.Your high energy level means you are great at getting things done! You would make a great teacher, judge, or police detective. |
Your #5 Match: ENFP |
| The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller! You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. |
Monday, June 20, 2005
Unfortunately only available in America
Bath and Body Works has the uncannily (I suspect deliberately) poor supply chain distribution system that Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch has which limits their products to only certain states within America, and even so, not anywhere else outside of the country. One of the nicest things I miss about Telegraph Street and a 10 minute walk down the hill is this fabulously light and citrusy body lotion.
The stuff that surrounds you
I was standing in the middle of a crowded city square the other day when a strangely familiar scent wafted up my nose. It was exactly this, in strong scented undertones coming from the woman standing a few feet in front of me. I've been showering with Shokubutsu religiously ever since I stumbled across the stuff in the very nice bathroom of a friend's designer home.
Life's Little Luxuries
The things I shamelessly cannot live without. This is the wonderful (and cheap!) apricot scrub that I was raving so much about.
Beauty Magazines Only Make You Feel Ugly
I'd used a particular facial scrub made with natural apricot (S$7.50 from Watson's) when I was 13 and used to think that my skin was in such good condition only because I was young (natural elastins in the skin, youth still prim and in spring, age hasn't crept in, no pimples miraculously until 17 due to lack of stress etc. etc.) and gradually, through the subliminal but unfortunately persistent in-roads that beauty magazines and advertisements for expensive cosmetics have, migrated myself over to branded cosmetics and beauty products like Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome and Biotherm. Only to find the results surprisingly disappointing. My skin rashed to Biotherm, broke out into pimples with Clinique, greased up with Estee Lauder and had no reaction (cleanliness or otherwise) whatsoever to Lancome.
Sick of it all, I dumped my Harper's Bazaar and did the skin test. Washed my face yesterday (normal day and all) with Clinique Extra Mild Soap bar and did the toner thing to close my pores and wash off exceed invisible "dirt" on the skin. The result was that I had to use 4-5 cotton pads and cleaned my face twice over to get the cotton pad and toner liquid coming off absolutely clean. I tried the same thing again (normal day after work) after washing my face with St Ives's Invigorating Apricot Scrub (what I used to use when I was 13) and the first sweep of my face with the toner came out clean! Good grief, was that because there were scrub beads present? Somehow, the creamy texture of the scrub, coupled with the gentle, natural scrub beads just seemed so stabilizing compared to the astringent packed stuff that usually comes in today's combat-your-oil-by-sucking-it-out-with-alcohol face cleansers.
My conclusion (and this is not an ad): so often than not, it's the cheap, reliable, boring, mom's recommended type of things you find out when you were young that sticks with you best throughout your life. More so than the expensive, fluffy, pretentious schticks that ad themselves throughout your consciousness. I'd hated to come to this conclusion after 24 bloddy years of living. But the sad truth horribly - beauty magazines really do make you feel ugly.
Sick of it all, I dumped my Harper's Bazaar and did the skin test. Washed my face yesterday (normal day and all) with Clinique Extra Mild Soap bar and did the toner thing to close my pores and wash off exceed invisible "dirt" on the skin. The result was that I had to use 4-5 cotton pads and cleaned my face twice over to get the cotton pad and toner liquid coming off absolutely clean. I tried the same thing again (normal day after work) after washing my face with St Ives's Invigorating Apricot Scrub (what I used to use when I was 13) and the first sweep of my face with the toner came out clean! Good grief, was that because there were scrub beads present? Somehow, the creamy texture of the scrub, coupled with the gentle, natural scrub beads just seemed so stabilizing compared to the astringent packed stuff that usually comes in today's combat-your-oil-by-sucking-it-out-with-alcohol face cleansers.
My conclusion (and this is not an ad): so often than not, it's the cheap, reliable, boring, mom's recommended type of things you find out when you were young that sticks with you best throughout your life. More so than the expensive, fluffy, pretentious schticks that ad themselves throughout your consciousness. I'd hated to come to this conclusion after 24 bloddy years of living. But the sad truth horribly - beauty magazines really do make you feel ugly.
Life in the Macro: Snapshots of the Ordinary Life
This is the miniscule, the trivial, the little things which irk you and please you. The details of a life most ordinary if left unseen, unheard, unkept, silent. Sometimes the random collage of the habits of the ordinary life will make up the life in the macro if you let it.
These are pictures in the life of a girl who put on a different pair of lenses one day and started seeing beauty in the ordinary things: habits, laundry lists, shopping carts and mp3s. She's realised that the only things unique about the Mrs Dalloway life are exactly the quirks and the flowers she buys.
thegirl's grown up now, into practicalism and ideal realism.
These are pictures in the life of a girl who put on a different pair of lenses one day and started seeing beauty in the ordinary things: habits, laundry lists, shopping carts and mp3s. She's realised that the only things unique about the Mrs Dalloway life are exactly the quirks and the flowers she buys.
thegirl's grown up now, into practicalism and ideal realism.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)