Monthly Archives: July 2005

A different take on beef noodles

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While flicking through my old shots on Flickr, I realised I forgot to write up this recipe a couple of months back. So I’m back-dating the post, ‘cos I don’t want it cluttering up my recent slew. –20th Sept 2005 (yeah, i know.. slack!)

The first proper meal I cooked in LA, with a $5 frying pan (v. thin, cooked too fast). Still in my miso-marinade phase, strips of sirloin steak sat in a couple of tablespoons of brown miso paste for about 30 min (better o/n if you can help it) while I sliced the various vegetables. Apologies for the bad slicing. There’s something about using crappy knives on glass boards that really annoys me. And add to that the fact that the board would not sit still because it was on an uneven tiled surface. I can’t understand that about the two kitchens I’ve cooked in over here; why tile it, thus leaving plenty of grouted surface to grime up and look disgusting? Then again, it’s probably because these are rented properties and the landlords don’t care.

Stir fry the beef and veg (separately if your pan is as titchy as mine), and mix with some cooked soba noodles. Sprinkle on some soya sauce, sesame seed oil and rice vinegar. To garnish, plenty of toasted sesame seeds and spring onion.

Ingredients (continued) Step one completed
vegetables Step two (continued) miso beef and noodles

appalled

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I’m appalled.

Marin Alsop is an excellent conductor, and we’ve gone to many of the concerts where she was conducting the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra. And yes, it has both Royal and National in its name). And we’ve always come away greatly impressed. I’ve also heard she gives fantastic pre-concert talks, and is extremely knowledgeable. It’s a shame we tend to miss them cos there’s only so much time before the end of the work day and start of concert. Anyway, I’m appalled at the orchestra’s behaviour, and am hoping they were just so overjoyed they were speechless. Yeah right.

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From the Guardian: Foreign scientists barred amid terror fears.

Meant to write a few thoughts about this last night, but was too eager to go to the pub to watch some *real* football. Unfortunately, it was Real Madrid vs LA Galaxy. Yawn.

Anyway. I wonder if that’s why, for YEARS, the Home Office held on to my passport for months at a time while they had me vetted. I didn’t think my PhD work would be a threat to anyone (it’s medical research, for g’sake!), although I guess any life science lab would be capable of producing dangerous substances, given the right starting materials. Just thinking aloud on why the HO kept picking on me… Funny how when the university applied for my work permit, they gave it to me within a week. Any HO case workers care to comment? Am I on a blacklist? Will I be able to return to the UK in the near future? Will the Safety Elephant (™ I don’t know who coined it first) bring in a UK equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security? (omg, just the name fills me with dread. even more so when I see it on the forms I have to fill in here… remind me to post sometime about my wee immigration/security scare in Schipol on my way into the country… i’m still recovering from the fear.)

Popping in

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Busy at work (don’t ask), busy at play (more on that next week on the other blog). So much so I haven’t read or written much all week other than lots of boring science. curious hamster has posted the inaugral weekly Scottish political blog round-up (stress on the weekly, because Stuart posted a round-up many moons ago).

Sighs. Just linking to others for now. No cogitation going on up there. Wee edit: Umm… I should clarify that I’m referring to *my* lack of writing and my bad habit of merely linking to commentary by others, not dissing the quality of the round-up. (See comments for apology… Oh, I feel so bad…)

Segue

Further brief ruminations on nationality. My new colleagues consider me Scottish, even though I explained that I wasn’t born in Scotland, nor have any Scottish ancestry. To them, and my friends in Edinburgh, I’ve lived there long enough to have picked up some mannerisms, expressions and a wee bit of an accent (although I still swear I have nae accent!). I find myself having to defend Scottish/British sporting sides (easy enough) and London’s Olympic victory (ambivalence from me). But since my link there is by residency (and by having a Scottish partner), to all the governmental agencies here, I’m not. Which makes filling out forms pretty difficult. I’ve been putting my Edinburgh flat as my permanent address, with Singapore as my country of nationality (and legal residency). Sooner or later, I’ll come a cropper when someone in some bureaucratic office finds the discrepancy. So, although I’m posting infrequently, if you don’t hear from me in the space of a fortnight, send a rescue mission to Cuba…

My £28 [loses to/beats] your £5

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In anticipation.

Update: I meant to come back to this to write my thoughts about Liverpool’s loss/win over the minnows that are Total Network Solution, but nothing. Nada. Not one spark of inspiration. Instead, I was engrossed in the annual saga of “Will he stay or won’t he?” that has involved every home-grown talent from Liverpool for the last few years. Funnily enough, there’s a bit of a trend there for impressive talent, peaking in the early 20s, waning quickly (usually after 4-5 years of service), and a hurry to sell to the first chump squad that believes the hype. Honestly, which of the recent born-and-breds has succeeded upon leaving ‘pool? If anything, we’ve cursed Man City with the g’awful Liverpool B -side.

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Sick f*cks. (via curious hamster and doctor vee)

Nosemonkey, too, is well-angry. Although I wouldn’t go as far as placing ALL the blame on the damn BNP (but it would be a plus if there is a massive backlash against the bastards from the entire country), I would stick my neck out now and say it’s not just them, but also the “low-level” racism on a daily basis that gives young people the feeling that they’re being persecuted, that only [insert cult or religion of choice here] can give them a way out of the shit-hole they’re in.

Sorry for the serious time-delay, btw. I’m too darn busy at work to check the news and other weblogs, and too darn tired when I get in. So much so that I fell asleep on the laptop’s keyboard last night, and b*ggered up the post I was trying to write. Lost it now… (Or, have been losing it and have only just realised…)

Update: chicken yoghurt has a long list of considered opinions by a wide range of British bloggers. I strongly urge a read, if not of the posts, then at least of the choice quotes.

Compare and contrast

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Watching a bit of C-Span to try to cure the insomnia.

“We are united in our determination that our country will not be defeated by such terror but will defeat it and emerge from this horror with our values, our way of life, our tolerance and respect for others, undiminished.” –Tony Blair.

And from across the floor: “”The faceless killers behind last Thursday’s attack brought death and tragedy to many innocent families. They have tried with the fires of hate to destroy the bonds of love. But since their attacks we have seen compassion and self-sacrifice prove themselves stronger than fanaticism and evil.” –Michael Howard.

Compare and contrast to:

“We will continue to take the fight to the enemy. And we will fight until this enemy is defeated. [snip] America will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers.” –George Bush.

Clearly, Dubya thinks that offense is the best defence. I take offence at that.

Also, addressing Dubya’s declaration that “America will not retreat”, see Commemoration Day vs. chicken American troops.

To erase the annoying whine of the Bush along with the sycophantic clapping of the carefully chosen “crowd”, playing on the ipod: Explode (or implode), Cardigans.

Wee update: I’d like to add badly dubbed boy’s discovery of yet another self-centered twat to the list: Omarion. I really have no idea who this guy is, but I like google-bombing even though my low ranking will hardly help.