The Great Sound of Music.......

Recently I bought an Altec Lansing stereo system with a bass to be connected to my laptop. And I have been enjoying great sound of music ever since in the comfort of my small space........


The 2 speakers connected to my laptop........


The subwoofer with bass you can feel............


Without music, life is a journey through a desert.


Music is the vernacular of the human soul.

" Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite."~ Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881) ~


"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.

Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." ~ Ludwig van Beethoven ~


"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." ~ Plato ~

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.~Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885) ~

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.~ Maya Angelou ~

"Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit.No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same."~ John Denver ~

Credit Cards The Way To Go.........

Each and everyone of us today has at least a credit card if not a few for some in their wallets or purse. This so called versatile plastic card has evolved into many uses as well as the many varieties of platinum, gold or silver cards it has become. Every bank on earth have been churning them out like sweets to attract as many customers as possible to slash this card as many times as they wish as if money grows on trees.

But to be honest, our life have become so much easier with this wonder plastic card. With so many uses together into this age of modern technology we cannot live without it. For a simple housewife like me, I have been using it to pay for my groceries , at the gas stations and on my shopping spree without having to carry big lump sums of cash in my purse.

With so many choices out there, you have to be choosy and on the look out for the best deals like low interest rates or even better when they waver the annual fees giving you as much benefits as you could ever dream of. You can choose from the many types of cards on offer to cater for your different needs. With some like these Low APR Credit Cards , you can save more on the advantages of the low interest rate and to add to that there is no annual fees for most of them.

As for me, I can still choose from these variety of of cards specially for women. One of the best deals I find is in this Visa Platinum card and I would choose this one as I could also use it during my overseas trip as Visa cards are accepted all over the world. So if you are considering applying for a good credit card , with low interest rate, Visa Platinum is the one for you as they are offering 0% APR during the introductory period with no annual fee.

Maybe I will get one for my teenage son a student credit card when he goes abroad for his studies. Must teach him to use the card only when needed and not to go overboard with its credit limit so that there will be better chances for the best credit cards offered in the near future. So all that said, credit cards will always be on the advantage side if we are careful with our spending , like spend what we have in our bank accounts and not what we want in our dreams and also get the best deals to our advantage and our limits.

Dried Chilli Chicken with Cashew Nuts....

Dried chillis are not limited to making sambals and curries. It can be stir fry with other meat dishes to give a distinctive taste to the dish adding some pungent spicyness to it different from that of fresh chillis. Here is a dish which I cook recently using lots of dried chillis .....a favorite of my boys..........

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken thighs - deboned and cubed

10 - 15 dried chillis - wash and drained

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Minced garlic and ginger juice...............

Dried chillis, washed and drained.................

Chicken meat marinated with seasoning ingredients.....

Seasoning ingredients:

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp ginger juice

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp water

1 tsp cornflour

***********************

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

15 -20 cashew nuts - roasted

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Roasted cashew nuts.....................

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Sauce ingredients - combined

1/2 tbsp light soya sauce

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

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Method:

Lightly pound the chicken meat with the back of a cleaver and marinate it with the above seasoning ingredients for about 30 mins. Heat oil in pan and stir fry garlic til fragrant. Add in dried chillis and fry for 30 seconds under medium heat. Put in the marinated chicken and fry til the meat changes colour. Pour in the combined sauces stir frying it to mix well for another 2 mins. Lastly stir in the cashew nuts and serve hot with white rice.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...

This is the movie I watched yesterday at GSC Gurney. I have a soft spot for fantasy , fairy tales and adventures story books when I was young. This is one movie of adventures and fantasies that is both exciting and entertaining from the start to the end running for a straight 2 hrs 20 mins show.

This movie is based on one of the 7 fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis. It has a mixture of fairy tales and fantasies with charateristic of Greek and Roman mythology where animals could talk, magic is common and where the good battles over evil. For the synopsis of this movie, click here.

Check out Kess' Mama on the lessons learned from this movie.....and here are some screenshots from movie.....

The evil Lord Miraz.......battles with Peter.

The Pevensie siblings...Edmund, Peter, Lucy and Susan

Aslan, the lion with Lucy...........

The battle between the Narnians and the Telmarines troops.

What Your Fridge Says About You.

Discover yourself with this interesting quiz.......mine is here:

What Your Fridge Says About You

You tend to be a very hedonistic, greedy person. You have trouble saying no to what you want. You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver. You don't tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it. You are likely to be married - and very busy.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

Weekend Snapshot # 2..Strawberry Kisses Indulgence.

I love everything with strawberries. This is my dessert for the weekend. Swirls of strawberry and cream flavored ice cream caressed by a crispy sugar cone with a saucy strawberry core, along with bits of nutty topping.

Friends Around The World.........

Start Copy HERE.

Rule:

1. Copy from ::Start Copy Here:: through ::End Copy Here::.

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. Just make sure to post this to each of the blog you added in the list.

3. Tag other online friends you know.You don’t need to be tag in order to join. If you want to join just post this one in your blog.

4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.That way, everyone is happy and can meet new friends too!

5. Come back once in a while to get the master list! Let’s see how this makes our Technorati and PR goes up! :D

6. DO NOT REMOVE THIS: scrap page made by Yen. Using alphas and tapes from Kate H., flowers from Ida,paper by Catrine.

1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.ChatterBin 4.Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6.Because Life Is Fun 7. Piece o’Kaje 8. Mon a Bric 9. Bearandberries 10.My Journey11. Deeply In Love 12. Pink and Brown Diaries 13. Happyheart 14. Wilstop 15. FunFierceFab 16. Dancing in Midlife Tune 17. Celebrate Life 18.Little Peanut , 19. BloggingInMyPyjamas, 20. Baby Shern 21. Rainbows 22.YOUR-BLOG-HERE

Please feel free to join me here ........

Beachlover.....Bokjae....Kess & Mama...Little Corner of Mine...Kok.

French Onion Soup..........

French onion soup is an onion and beef broth based soup traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings. The modern version of this soup originates in France in the 17th century, made from dry bread or croutons, beef broth, and caramelized onions. It is often broiled in a ramekin traditionally with gruyère melted on top.The rich flavor of the base is not due just to the broth, but to the caramelized onions. Caramelization, in this case, is the procedure in which the onions are cooked slowly until the melting sugars approach burning temperature, becoming brown. (From Wikipedia)

Here is a version of my son's H French Onion soup.......

Ingredients: ( for 2 pax servings )

25 g butter and 1/2 tbsp olive oil (the butter is to brown the onions easily)

2 nos big white onions - sliced

3 cups of chicken stock or broth

1/2 tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper

Few slices of toasted garlic bread

1/4 cup of white wine or red wine

Mozzarella cheese for toppings

Method:

In a saucepan , saute the sliced onions with butter on medium high heat til well brown... be careful not to burn it. Add in sugar and keep stirring the mixture to carmelize the onions with the sugar....takes about 10 mins. Then add in the chicken stock and white wine and cook covered in a simmer for a further 20 mins til all the flavors are well bended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle the soup into 2 ramekin bowls or any heat proof bowls. Then top it with a few pieces of toasted garlic bread to cover top of bowl...next sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of bread. Put in an oven toaster or broiler at a high temperature til the cheese melts and slightly browned. Serve immediately with some more garlic bread .

Onion soup broiling in oven toaster...............


His big brother enjoying the onion soup.............

Make the World Go Away......

This is a small tribute to Eddy Arnold who sang this lovely song with his beautiful voice. Eddy Arnold was a country pop singer for a few decades stretching from the 40's to the late 80's.......This song which he first sang in 1965 was a big hit going to #1 on Country charts and #6 on the Pop charts. Arnold died on May 8, 2008, in Franklin, Tennessee, just one week short of his 90th birthday.



Original version sung by Eddy Arnold........

This version was sung by the Rock and Roll King....Elvis Presley in the early 70's...........


MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY (The Lyrics)
Recorded by Eddy Arnold
Written by Hank Cochran

CAPO: 1st Fret/KEY: C#/PLAY: C

CHORUS

[C] Make The World Go A-[F] way ... [G7]
And get it off my [C] shoulders
Say the things you used to [F] say ... [G7]
And Make The World Go A-[C] way [F] [C]

[C] Do you remember when you [G7] loved me
Before the world took me a-[C] stray
If you do then for-[F] give me
[G7] And Make The World Go A-[C] way. [F] [C]

CHORUS

I'm sorry if I hurt you
I'll make it up - day by day
Just say you love me like you used to
And Make The World Go Away.

CHORUS

TAG: Last 2 lines of chorus.

p.s. more of Eddy Arnold's songs on my i-pod playlist on the sidebar.

Understanding Women.............

Women are God's greatest gift to men...but many a times men do not understand women...here are some eye openers posted strictly in jest.

What Women Look for in a Partner.............???

A McDeluxe Super Giganto XXX Combo of social, emotional  and physical elements of a man.

Confident - This is KEY. If you do not have confidence, then you have a better chance of hooking up with a potato.

Smart - Are you smarter than them? Woo her with your intellectual skills.

Past - Women always fear your past, just be honest about it as women seem to have an uncanny tool of figuring it out.

Desire - They want you to long for them, to love them long time.

The Moods of a Woman..........

An angel of truth and a dream of fiction,

A woman is a bundle of contradiction,

She's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse,

But will tackle a stranger alone in the house.

Sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose,

She'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose,

She'll win you in rage, enchant you in silk,

She'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk,

At times she'll be vengeful, merry and sad,

She'll hate you like poison, and love you like mad.

The 7 Wisest Movie Quotes About Women....

1) "Every woman is a mystery to be solved." Don Juan DeMarco (1995) - Don Juan DeMarco (Johnny Depp)

2) "The key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." Finding Forrester (2000) - William Forrester (Sean Connery)

3) "The man is the head but the woman is the neck. She can turn the head any way she wants." My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) - Maria Portokalos (Lainie Kazan)

4) "Looks don't concern me, maestro. Only talent interests a woman of taste." Amadeus (1984) - Katerina Cavalieri (Christine Ebersole)

5) "All women are wonders because they reduce all men to the obvious." Out of the Past (1947) - Leonard Eels (Ken Niles)

6) "When a woman makes a choice to marry, to have children, in one way her life begins but in another way it stops. You build a life of details. You become a mother, a wife, and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave, they take your life of details with them. And then you're expected to move again only you don't remember what moves you because no one has asked you in so long. Not even yourself." The Bridges of Madison County (1995) - Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep)

7) "A man doesn't tell a woman what to do. She tells herself." Notorious (1946) - T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant)

A True Friend..................

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. Walter Winchell

I need to know if you’re my true friend,

will you be by my side until the end?

Can I tell you my secrets deep,

and trust them in your heart you’ll keep?

We are neither of us without our flaws,

can you accept mine as I will yours?

I’ll be a shoulder to cry on when you’re blue,

will you be there for me when I need you?

No matter how busy I will make time for you,

if you are busy will you make time for me too?

I will take your hand and comfort your tears,

will you hold me and soothe my fears?

Fulfilling My Dreamz...................

1. Who is the professional image consultant dishing out juicy tips on how to look your best at CloveTWO.com's ?
Answer: Wendy Lee at Lookin' Good section.

2. Name the bloggers at the Guy and Parent blogs.
Answer: andrew william at Guy Blog and Sharmila Rajah at Parent Blog.

3. At which section do you find stories on women's fashion and beauty?
Answer: In Stylesheet.


Attending Dreamz would be a dream come true for me because... it fulfills all my needs for a magical and an extravaganza lifestyle.

Fragrant Flower Crabs ...............

Recently I cook this fragrant flower crabs using curry leaves, soya bean pastes, chillis, garlic, ginger and eggs to bring out a nice salty and spicy flavour to the crabs. It is uniquely fragrant and the scramble eggs together with the crabs makes it a wonderful appetising dish.........Here is my recipe to share...............

Uncooked flower crabs..............

Ingredients:

4 nos. flower crabs -cleaned and quartered

3 nos. red chillis - chopped

2 tbsp chopped garlic

3 sprigs curry leaves -removed stems and washed

2 cm knob ginger - juliennes

1 tbsp soya bean paste

2 eggs - lightly beaten

2 tbsp oil or a knob of butter (optional)

100 ml of water

Drizzle in the beaten eggs....................

Method:

Heat oil in pan....fry garlic, chillis, soya bean paste, ginger and curry leaves til fragrant. Then add flower crabs and stir fry for a minute or two til it change colour. Add a few tablespoon of water(100 ml) to crabs and cooked covered on medium high heat for about 5 minutes to 7 minutes. Remove cover and drizzle in the beaten eggs slowly while scrambling and mixing it thoroughly with the crabs til all the eggs are cooked. Serve it hot with rice.......

Weekend Snapshot # 1...Traffic Light Drinks....

My first posting of my weekend snapshot........our drinks at Secret Recipes last week.........looks like the traffic lights......pink for strawberry milkshake......yellow for ice blended mixed fruits......and green for apple juice..........