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26 September 2019
rim
Through a rather random on point pinterest suggestion, I found one of Sotheby's Chinese ceramic & art auctions. It was a lot of fun scrolling through the lots. A whole bunch of things stood out to me, mostly teapots and bowls ha.
SFP
I started reading Strong Female Protagonist on the recommendation of David and am very impressed by the series. I do have some bias against Western comics since the art style is generally quite jarring to me, but the story and writing of SFP is phenomenal. The beginning is a bit of a slow built up, but from chapter 6 onwards it's intensely amazing.
Some of my favourite panels:
Overall I find there's similarities in tone with Bojack Horseman, another show that I adore yet did not ever write an impression / review of (not watched season 5 yet). In SFP, my favourite character is definitely Patrick, which I like for similar reasons as Princess Caroline. The arc where Alison goes inside his mind induced a lot of feels. Unfortunately the comic has been on hiatus for a year now, so hopefully the final chapter will be worth the wait.
24 September 2019
crisp
Some recent eats:
Alley has the cutest sleeve for hot drinks, bonus points for the keen employee who hand drew the harry potter-ness
I'd almost forgotten that Manpuku is a reliable (and cheap!) source of udon
I didn't use to like cream sauce for pasta, especially at home, but I've now been converted. Also eggs fried in bacon grease is amazing
20 September 2019
挽留的话却没有说
It's ben a long time since our king Jay Chou released a song, but this was worth the wait. Very much his typical style, but that's what I love anyways.
没有了联络 后来的生活
我都是听别人说
说你怎么了 说你怎么过
放不下的人是我
人多的时候 就待在角落
就怕别人问起我
你们怎么了 你低着头
护着我连抱怨都没有
电话开始躲 从不对我说
不习惯一个人生活
离开我以后 要我好好过
怕打扰想自由的我
都这个时候 你还在意着
别人是怎么怎么看我的
拼命解释着 不是我的错
是你要走
眼看着你难过 挽留的话却没有说
你会微笑放手 说好不哭让我走
眼看着你难过 挽留的话却没有说
你会微笑放手 说好不哭让我走
你什么都没有 却还为我的梦加油
心疼过了多久 还在找理由等我
Both Darvey and my first impression of the mv was how the heck does a bakery worker afford a Hasselblad??
没有了联络 后来的生活
我都是听别人说
说你怎么了 说你怎么过
放不下的人是我
人多的时候 就待在角落
就怕别人问起我
你们怎么了 你低着头
护着我连抱怨都没有
电话开始躲 从不对我说
不习惯一个人生活
离开我以后 要我好好过
怕打扰想自由的我
都这个时候 你还在意着
别人是怎么怎么看我的
拼命解释着 不是我的错
是你要走
眼看着你难过 挽留的话却没有说
你会微笑放手 说好不哭让我走
电话开始躲 从不对我说
不习惯一个人生活
离开我以后 要我好好过
怕打扰想自由的我
不习惯一个人生活
离开我以后 要我好好过
怕打扰想自由的我
都这个时候 你还在意着
别人是怎么怎么看我的
拼命解释着 不是我的错
是你要走
别人是怎么怎么看我的
拼命解释着 不是我的错
是你要走
眼看着你难过 挽留的话却没有说
你会微笑放手 说好不哭让我走
你什么都没有 却还为我的梦加油
心疼过了多久 还在找理由等我
Both Darvey and my first impression of the mv was how the heck does a bakery worker afford a Hasselblad??
14 September 2019
Arquiste fleur de louis
Newest acquisition *u*
Excuse the super inconsistent editing, opps.
I tried looking for a post with my first impressions of this fragrance, but surprisingly I didn't seem to have posted it. There is not much to say aside from this being such a wonderful blend of different florals. It has the usual suspect of floral notes, but well balanced and blended enough that no one note stands out, yet if you could identify each flower if you wanted to.
Family photo :)
I also didn't realize how much product 100ml is, I hope I will empty the bottle at some point in the future.
Excuse the super inconsistent editing, opps.
I tried looking for a post with my first impressions of this fragrance, but surprisingly I didn't seem to have posted it. There is not much to say aside from this being such a wonderful blend of different florals. It has the usual suspect of floral notes, but well balanced and blended enough that no one note stands out, yet if you could identify each flower if you wanted to.
Family photo :)
I also didn't realize how much product 100ml is, I hope I will empty the bottle at some point in the future.
11 September 2019
whole wheat sandwich loaf
Jeff brought back some nice whole wheat flour and gooseberry jam, so I had a first attempt at whole wheat sandwich load today. Again I followed abreaducation as I did for the white sandwich loafs (1, 2).
It...turned out alright
The obvious defect is the huge fissure along the bottom crust. I'm not sure whether this is purely damage caused when I forcefully removed the bread from the pan as it was stuck somewhat firmly, or if there already existed some large air bubbles. Probably air bubbles since I didn't roll the dough very tightly during the final shaping. But I will line the pan with parchment paper next time to eliminate the first cause as well.
I also could've let it bake for maybe 5 to 10 mins longer as the interior is still quite moist. The silver lining to that is it'll toast wonderfully and will last longer before drying out to an unbearable state.
In terms of crumb density, I think it's acceptable but also not great. It's a 50/50 white and whole wheat mix so perhaps the bar to reach for is as fluffy as pure white bread. I could've shaped the dough more aggressively, especially during the initial 3 folds. My yeast is also quite old, so getting some fresh yeast would also help in addition to better shaping.
...
I went through many pages of my food tag archive to find the white sandwich load post, and it made me realize that I cooked and ate so well in Bath. I miss the UK grocery availability waaaah.
It...turned out alright
The obvious defect is the huge fissure along the bottom crust. I'm not sure whether this is purely damage caused when I forcefully removed the bread from the pan as it was stuck somewhat firmly, or if there already existed some large air bubbles. Probably air bubbles since I didn't roll the dough very tightly during the final shaping. But I will line the pan with parchment paper next time to eliminate the first cause as well.
I also could've let it bake for maybe 5 to 10 mins longer as the interior is still quite moist. The silver lining to that is it'll toast wonderfully and will last longer before drying out to an unbearable state.
In terms of crumb density, I think it's acceptable but also not great. It's a 50/50 white and whole wheat mix so perhaps the bar to reach for is as fluffy as pure white bread. I could've shaped the dough more aggressively, especially during the initial 3 folds. My yeast is also quite old, so getting some fresh yeast would also help in addition to better shaping.
...
I went through many pages of my food tag archive to find the white sandwich load post, and it made me realize that I cooked and ate so well in Bath. I miss the UK grocery availability waaaah.
10 September 2019
07 September 2019
03 September 2019
core
(part 5)
Finally! The last part of my Lucky Scent sample impression saga! I've managed to finish my first pass through the samples before I make my Etiket order, will pat myself on the back. The last part is dedicated to the Essential Parfums discovery set that I ordered. Since the discovery set counts as a regular product, my order total was high enough to net me 3 free samples, which made it cheaper to buy the entire sample set (5) rather than individual samples of the 3 scents I was interested in.
Essential Parfums Nice Bergamote
I expected a citrus centric scent but this is actually predominately floral, of which Fragrantica says is jasmine. It's a light floral for sure, I can see myself wearing this on a sunny early summer day. This smell is very similar to how The Alleys earl grey milk tea taste (the drink is also surprisingly floral). The performance is pretty good, with decent projection (can smell from the back of my neck on occasions) and good longevity (lasted 8 hours). I do like this fragrance, but don't think I'll spring for a full bottle.
...
Essential Parfums Orange x Santal
The name of this is very accurate and to the point. There is a big burst of Orange upfront, with a creamy texture but not necessarily a creamy smell (like a vanilla). There's whiffs of woodiness that poke through starting a couple minutes in, but I don't smell any basil or oak moss yet, which are honestly the notes that drew my interest. 20ish min in I start to get whiffs of the oakmoss accompanying the wood notes, which is honestly a great combination. I'm liking it a lot more now. I wonder if this counts as a fruity chypre adjacent, with Orange in the place of bergamot, and wood in place of labdanum? This is a good match for the late summer transition to early fall. It would be interesting if the entire collection spanned all four seasons haha.
...
Essential Parfums Rose Magnetic
This is a pretty standard rose, with some woodiness (but not oud I think) in the back. As the minutes pass, the wood aspect becomes more prominent, becoming a full on rose and wood. But it doesn't feel heavy like Floris' A Rose For..., it maintains the initial lightness and spaciousness, which I enjoy. The projection is also great, better than both Nice Bergamote and Orange x Santal. Interestingly, despite me getting such a strong woody impression, Fragrantica doesn't actually list any wood in the official notes, but rather a bunch of fruits that I don't detect at all. Overall I'm not a fan of rose and wood, so will pass on this.
...
Essential Parfums Mon Vetiver
The opening is creamy, citrus-y (lemon maybe?) and has some rootiness of the vetiver. Almost like a lemon vetiver ice cream? A few minutes in the cream sinks into a texture moreso than a note, and the citrus goes away too. This is such a pleasant vetiver, definitely qualifies as a dumb teach.
...
Essential Parfums The Musc
All I smell is sweetness, at least it didn't last very long (less than 4 hours). Nevermind I take that back. 8 hours later, after waking up from my sleep, I can clearly smell the musk. This is my first time experiencing the longevity of musks that I often read about. Nonetheless it's still not a scent that I like, but at least it performs.
Finally! The last part of my Lucky Scent sample impression saga! I've managed to finish my first pass through the samples before I make my Etiket order, will pat myself on the back. The last part is dedicated to the Essential Parfums discovery set that I ordered. Since the discovery set counts as a regular product, my order total was high enough to net me 3 free samples, which made it cheaper to buy the entire sample set (5) rather than individual samples of the 3 scents I was interested in.
Essential Parfums Nice Bergamote
I expected a citrus centric scent but this is actually predominately floral, of which Fragrantica says is jasmine. It's a light floral for sure, I can see myself wearing this on a sunny early summer day. This smell is very similar to how The Alleys earl grey milk tea taste (the drink is also surprisingly floral). The performance is pretty good, with decent projection (can smell from the back of my neck on occasions) and good longevity (lasted 8 hours). I do like this fragrance, but don't think I'll spring for a full bottle.
...
Essential Parfums Orange x Santal
The name of this is very accurate and to the point. There is a big burst of Orange upfront, with a creamy texture but not necessarily a creamy smell (like a vanilla). There's whiffs of woodiness that poke through starting a couple minutes in, but I don't smell any basil or oak moss yet, which are honestly the notes that drew my interest. 20ish min in I start to get whiffs of the oakmoss accompanying the wood notes, which is honestly a great combination. I'm liking it a lot more now. I wonder if this counts as a fruity chypre adjacent, with Orange in the place of bergamot, and wood in place of labdanum? This is a good match for the late summer transition to early fall. It would be interesting if the entire collection spanned all four seasons haha.
...
Essential Parfums Rose Magnetic
This is a pretty standard rose, with some woodiness (but not oud I think) in the back. As the minutes pass, the wood aspect becomes more prominent, becoming a full on rose and wood. But it doesn't feel heavy like Floris' A Rose For..., it maintains the initial lightness and spaciousness, which I enjoy. The projection is also great, better than both Nice Bergamote and Orange x Santal. Interestingly, despite me getting such a strong woody impression, Fragrantica doesn't actually list any wood in the official notes, but rather a bunch of fruits that I don't detect at all. Overall I'm not a fan of rose and wood, so will pass on this.
...
Essential Parfums Mon Vetiver
The opening is creamy, citrus-y (lemon maybe?) and has some rootiness of the vetiver. Almost like a lemon vetiver ice cream? A few minutes in the cream sinks into a texture moreso than a note, and the citrus goes away too. This is such a pleasant vetiver, definitely qualifies as a dumb teach.
...
Essential Parfums The Musc
All I smell is sweetness, at least it didn't last very long (less than 4 hours). Nevermind I take that back. 8 hours later, after waking up from my sleep, I can clearly smell the musk. This is my first time experiencing the longevity of musks that I often read about. Nonetheless it's still not a scent that I like, but at least it performs.
01 September 2019
stretch
This day was a double noodle kind of day.
First up is 炸酱面 from 曼食慢语. This is the second time that I made it and feels like it's much less labor intensive than when I made it the first time. I think the difference is that I rendered a loooot of lard from the fatty portion of the pork belly, hence the reduction was faster (how?) and I was able to clearly hit the oil / sauce separation phase. But alas I put too much sauce in each serving and the dish was too salty 😅
...
Second is a quick stir fry of sweet potato starch noodles...which I wanted to be japchae but the flavour profile didn't turn out to be what I wanted. So after taking the photo I recooked it with some gochujang which made everything better. Shown is also my preferred ratio of vegetables to noodles.
First up is 炸酱面 from 曼食慢语. This is the second time that I made it and feels like it's much less labor intensive than when I made it the first time. I think the difference is that I rendered a loooot of lard from the fatty portion of the pork belly, hence the reduction was faster (how?) and I was able to clearly hit the oil / sauce separation phase. But alas I put too much sauce in each serving and the dish was too salty 😅
...
Second is a quick stir fry of sweet potato starch noodles...which I wanted to be japchae but the flavour profile didn't turn out to be what I wanted. So after taking the photo I recooked it with some gochujang which made everything better. Shown is also my preferred ratio of vegetables to noodles.
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