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Tweeting to Meself - Argentina vs Mexico Top 16

2.30am
To watch the Argentina match, I slept a bit in the afternoon. Mexico coach and Maradona both crossing themselves. Wonder who God will answer

2.36am
Mexico almost scored. A playing rather poorly suddenly. Passing like shitty England. Could it be true that they are heading to the French self-destruction, as rumored?

2.41am
Messi almost scored. 3 Ms on his tail, just like first group match. Think M gg for shoot-on-sight. Maradona's 3 men attack is a vacuous idea. Sooner or later someone will break this tactic.

3am
Someone scored. I just woke up. Oh wait Higuain just scored again. Tevez scored the first goal. M disarray.

3.08am
Free kick to M. Shit job. Can't watch tv with sound. Can't yell. Stay awake by texting.

3.12am
How m I gg to survive half time. H just headed wrongly, that's a shock. A's glkeep is hardworking man.

4.22am
A won. Germany vs Argentina now an Ugly Reality.

zzzz

Sunday Munchies - Easy Baked Apfel Tart

Takeshi Okada is Atashi ni Chi Papa

Japan's World Cup 2010 coach, Takeshi Okada looks like Atashi Ni Chi's Papa-san. So cute isn't he? It was interesting to see his reservedness at the sideline (would have loved to contrast that with drama papa, Maradona). He often looks like he should be at a izakaya drinking after a hard day's slog.

Now that he has brought his new tactical line-up into Top 16, all of this Japanese Salaryman-looking coach detractors at home can "eat his shorts", to quote Bart Simpson. Go Okada-chan!

Paul the British Expat in Germany predicts German World Cup results

[source: scienceblog.com]

Apparently there is a British-born Octopus living in Oberhausen's Sea Life public aquarium, which can (so far) predict accurately the outcomes of Germany's games. Sensationally it even got the Serbia win over Germany correct. Where was the octopus when I needed it?

If Germany doesn't not win against England as predicted by this seafood, I know of at least 8 recipes that uses Tako, e.g. Korean's raw Octopus, Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki...1 for each of liar Paul's legs.

Updated!!!
Turns out Paul was right. What are its thoughts on the upcoming German-Argentina match?

Saturday Munchies 20 - BLT

Going Jinguashi 金瓜石 and/or Jiufen 九份? Don't take a cab

It's a total con-job. Cabbies gather at the Keelung bus stop where tourists wait for the bus that goes to Jinguashi and Jiufen, tempting you with stupid short trips around that area, to see the Jinguashi, a really lame castle (which looks like an abandoned fort) and some dirty seawater. Do not fall for their courtesy and kindness. They will dupe you into sharing their cab with some locals to reduce your cost, and then trap you into taking their tours once you are on board. It's not like you can just get off in the middle of nowhere.

Instead, like what -Ade- said in his blog, take the 1013 "Jinguashih" bus just in front of Zen Shyang Clinic, just about below the pedestrian bridge. If you are coming from Yehliu like I was, it is the first stop after you see the Keelung waterfront. This is the bus schedule for bus 1013, which also goes to Jiufen.

Personally, I think you can skip Jinguashi, and all that crap, if you want to just see the old tourist trap, Jiufen.

Mr B's expression describes what I feel about Jinguashi



At Jiufen, there are three things you must do:

1. the confectionery shop just next to the bus stop. They make Sun Cookies 太阳饼 with a light buttery flavour, totally delicious. Never buy the ready made crap (made with shortening) when you can buy them freshly baked with butter. However they only take pre-orders for 太阳饼, though you can buy the local Pineapple cakes 凤梨酥 instead (this is popular with Hongkong tourists). Don't worry, you don't have to travel to Jiufen to order from them, you can order from their shop at Taipei Main Station. To get them at their freshest （they last 2 weeks) order them to be delivered at the Main Station shop the day you are leaving (as they deliver around 10am from the Jiufen shop). Here is the shop's signboard if you are looking for it at Taipei Main Station (it's one of the tiny shops in the middle block of the arcade).

2. Try Lai Ah Poh's Dumplings 阿婆粉圆. How do I describe it? They sell flour dumplings of pumpkin, yam, green tea, or sweet potato flavour, served cold or hot in a sweet soup containing red, green and haricot beans. Unique flavours in every bite. They use cute recycled school chairs for seats and a giant marble slab for a table.

3. Admire the old street and the surrounding countryside.

What to do with your Outputs - A Poem in the Toilet

Now this is what I call, toilet humour. [Click on image to read]

小便向前靠, 水滴不外落
蹲坐正对位， 厕间保芬芳
便后随手冲，春泥了无痕
粪物不入池， 槟榔不乱 吐
勤练弹指功， 健康又干净

雪糕比小熊大

Singapore has "龙虾比小女孩大" (lobster bigger than a little girl, yeah right, try removing the feelers, and we see how long the lobster is again), Taipei has 雪糕比小熊大 (ice-cream bigger than Mr B).

Great for taking photos, Bad eating.

The Great Gatsby Ambush Marketing

I told colleagues that I will be chanting "Eye of the Tiger" when I watch the Argentina vs South Korea. I love Maradona and his theatrics (at least it is off-field and not on-field like that drama papa C. Ronaldo).

Instead I started humming the Japanese Gatsby commercial song, which is modified from "I can't give you anything". Why? Because the Argentine hair is out in full glory. Heinze's dirty blond hair fanned out slow mo when the commentators were playing back the part where he clashed with Park Chu Young (the same idiot who brought you the first goal of the match with his leg, straight into his own goal).


[source:fifa.com]

It was very funny. How Tevez's hair ran stiffly beside him whenever he drove the ball towards the Korean goal, was straight out of Takuya Kimura Gatsby commercial for Moving Rubber. Gatsby should endorse the entire Argentina team (and coaches) in South America.

16 June 2010 - Bloody Unbelievable Wednesday

Well, my friend saw the fantastic odds that Singapore Pools was giving for Swiss to win, she decided to go for the kill and buy. Guess what she is $65 richer now, covering her losses in believing in Italy. As for me, it was like I said, Bloody Unbelievable Wednesday.

I had to hobble home in my terrible heels. Don't buy Anna Nucci, it's crap. 2nd day, and all the rubber soles dropped. When I reached home, Swiss scored... Brudder opined that Spain must have betting against themselves. National pride be damned, the Central Bank needs the moolah. European champions of 2008 (and I checked that most of the team from that league made it to this WC team) lost to a team weakened without its best players? But I do say I admire the Swiss strategy of chionging for the goal. Pity Ivory Coast or Portugal didn't do that.

I had a bad feeling after hearing the results from the earlier 2 matches. Decided to go and zzz instead of watching Uruguay rape South Africa, given my terrible luck yesterday.

I was right.

Uruguay 3, South Africa 0.

Well done South Africa, you are going to be the first host nation that does not qualify for quarter final. I believed in the power of the vuvuzela in vain. =D Uruguay might have become deaf now from the noise but at least they go home knowing they may at least make it to quarter final, since all the Group A teams drew for their first matches. I think most teams will not be aiming for friendly draws for their second rounds.

Team Nibblez hasn't disappeared

We have been watching the World Cup, that's all. Well, I have been trying to watch of course, despite the best efforts of Singtel and Starhub. Malaysians, Indonesians, and even Africans can watch for free, we have to pay. I rather have free soccer than stupid fireworks.

Anyway, it has been very frustrating watching the Ivory Coast versus Portugal. My colleague said that Ivory Coast people should be very good at running, and that they are quite a strong team. Portugal, in my opinion, is that bunch of wayang actors from World Cup 2006. I pity the referee.

As usual, Portugal is back to their "O woe is me", roll on ground here, roll on ground there act again. Luckily the referee is a sensible man, and after he yellow-carded C.R and an Ivory Coast guy, Portugal stopped "invalid"ating themselves.


[source:fifa.com]

As for the Ivory Coast team? What the fuck. If they are not clustering at the midfield like a bunch of dozy orange hens, they are showing off their dribbling skills near the goal. Just kick the gott demn ball in already, you are not trying to impress the neighbor 's kids in your backyard.

Spread out!!!

They have the hero mentality, chiong all the way to the goal, and then oops, no one else from the team is there. Only the Portuguese are there. Crap. Don't spread out and don't run together as a team with the ball.

So frustrating. If C.R and gang can stop wayanging and concentrate, they would have trashed the orange biddies over and over again.

(This is my second time trying to blog this. I cancelled the entry by mistake just now)

NWVA - Japanese Breakfast Bento

I tend to associate certain foods with certain traumatic events, such as becoming sick, and start to perversely rejecting it ever since. Just like B1 associates ikan bilis with illness, because his mom used to buy him marcaroni soup with ikan bilis when he was sick as a child. No surprise that he hates marcaroni. It's a huge pain for me sometimes because I am fond of resorting to ikan bilis and ginger as a soup stock versus boiling chicken and veggies from scratch and having to get rid of the chicken fat and guts.

I don't eat tomato ketchup with a sunny side up egg on bread. My brother once made a sandwich for me with the above composition, and I became heartily ill after that. Since then, I refuse to eat ketchup on bread, even for bratwurst mit brot.

I also don't eat raw tofu. It's disgusting, and also because I became very ill (though I don't think it is related to what I ate) after that. This is the breafast bento I had on the day I became extremely ill and was given a lovely cocktail of 4 multi-colored pills by my evil doctor. I am still a bit leery of Korean strawberries right now.

How many types of Mistresses are there?

According to the ChineseDaily article I was reading, there is now... a website for mistresses, cheated wives and cheating bastards. Apparently, it rehabilitates mistresses and attempts to guide them to a more ethical, moralistic path.

小三论坛 - 关注第三者现象，构建和谐家庭's motto is to build a harmonious family while taking the trend of acquiring mistresses into consideration. Bizarre isn't it? According to the creator of the site, there are four kinds of mistresses.

A) a woman competing with the girlfriend of a guy who is not yet married,
B) a woman who doesn't know the man is married because he hides it from her,
C) a woman who stays with a man for monetary reasons, knowing he is married,
D) a woman in love with this man (i.e. the stupidest kind who does it for free).

I read it more as the type of mistress who deserves empathy, and the type of mistress who doesn't. Perhaps the only kind who can be pitied is B, but it does take a certain lack of perception to not realise that your beloved is married.

I tried to visit the site, but there seems to be a dns error. Will try again later.

What Happens when you google "World Cup"?

NWVA 7 - Pancakes at Breakfast

NWVA 6 - Fried Udon + Banana + Apple

新站虱目鱼專賣店 New Stop Milkfish Specialty Shop

When you go to Hua Lien 花蓮 by train, there is only one place you must eat at. It's 新站虱目鱼專賣店. They specialise in milkfish 虱目鱼. We were advised by the very friendly girl at the 暮署 shop nearest the train station, that it was the best food thereabouts.

The shop is located beside the brightly lit 阿美暮署 shop, and is rather dingy in comparison, but it has tons of celebrity signatures (and photos) scrawled on the white tiled walls. It also had a giant proclaimation that it was the only shop and had no franchises. It was intriguing that people, even celebrities would travel to Hualien to eat milkfish, which are indigenous to Southern Taiwan, thus proving how excellent the dishes at this restaurant are.

Anyway, we ordered milkfish soup, milkfish fishball soup, and two bowls of the ubiquitous braised meat rice. The dishes came with a delightful dipping sauce of oyster sauce (I think) and minced garlic (very sharp and fresh). The fishballs were interestingly QQ, while the fish (same fish yet different texture) was tender and cooked with lots of julienned young ginger. The fish soup was great, settling my uneasy stomach with its gentle flavour. The braised meat was QQ as well, and had a nice slice of preserved radish on it. Interesting, I should make that my new flavour of rice dumpling this time.

By the way, here's a photo of the actual 虱目鱼 if you are interested in knowing how it actually looks like.

Taiwanese Oyster Omelette

Taiwanese version of Oyster Omelette is way different from Singapore's. Yes, both versions have gooey flour mixture, but Taiwanese version has uncut oysters (though smaller) and fried with lettuce and drowned in a sweet peanut gunk (which I disliked).