leynos: (Ladytron)
Since my Gran didn't thought it would be less hassle (she was right), I went to Bridge of Earn yesterday, and cooked us an early Christmas dinner. For a first attempt at making roast chicken, I thought it turned out rather well. My Gran seemed inclined inclined to agree. It all turned out to be quite a chilled out day. After lunch, we watched My Neighbour Totoro, which my Gran also liked. (Tho, as [livejournal.com profile] scotm observes, everyone likes Totoro.)

My Grandad is still in hospital, but he should be going home soon. Unfortunately for him and my Gran, he never made a full recovery from his stroke, so he's still confined to an electric wheelchair. He'll be getting a lot of help from visiting nurses, but my Gran is still worried that it will mean more work for her than she will be able to cope with.

Today, I visit my mother, then tomorrow, I'll have a relaxing day to myself, hopefully free from concerns (except for maybe what temperature to cook a duck casserole at.)
leynos: (Default)
A lot has happened in the past month. Too much to really write down on my lunchbreak (which is what I'm trying to do).

Living with someone takes a lot of getting used to. Especially if you're new to it all. It's worthwhile though.

Good things that happened:

I saw the Phantom of the Opera silent movie with live organ accompanyment at the Usher Hall on All Hallow's Eve with Scottie and Angus. That was lots of fun. It sounded like the organist was having fun too.

Firbush was great too. I've got some photies somewhere, which will be up in due course. I'll let Paul tell you about it. The half-day's sailing I managed to partake in was fantastic. A light breeze on a crystal clear loch.

I finally got to eat at the Queen Street Cafe during my lunch break. With Sam, no less. Yay.

We've been shopping at Ikea, Habitat and BHS for goodies for the flat. There's still a lot of junk that I brought over when I moved in, but we're making progress in sorting everything out.

Not so good things that have happened:

My Dad died two weeks ago. Basically, things have been a mess. My sister has been sorting most of it out, and taking care of my Mum. I hope I've been helpful, but I wish I could do more. The funeral was on Monday. A very sad day.

My Dad was really the person who held the family together. There was so much more I whish I'd asked him. So much more I sish I could have done to help him and my Mum when he was still alive. He taught me so much about life, but there was so much more he had to teach. He was a great cook, and a great father. He was respected at work, by his friends and loved by his family. Even his clients came to the funeral.

His death was totally unexpected. Just about the last thing I expected to happen.

I'll miss him.
leynos: (Default)
My new toy arrived. A Palm Tungsten X, as promised, which I have christened "Wyvern." It has so far functioned well as a drop-in replacement for my TE2. I think it likes me so far. Only time will tell though I guess.

Being able to web browse in bed on something other than a PSP is a nice novelty.

Le Sept

Having failed miserably at persuading Lu as to the merits of paying £12 a head for dinner on Friday, it was left to me to try the pre-theatre dinner menu at Le Sept on Monday evening. And I'm pleased I did.

Their menu might not be shining with originality, but it more than makes up for that on the quality of the cooking. To start with, I ordered a smoked salmon and crayfish salad, which I found hard to fault. The fresh tasting crayfish tails and the salmon balanced beautifully with a light mustard sauce.

This dainty preface out of the way, I dined on a wonderfully juicy and flavoursome rare rump steak that had been pounded and seared to perfection. A rich, biting brandy and peppercorn sauce and satisfyingly creamy potato dophinoise accompanied the steak. Of course, you can't enjoy such a fine dish without something to help it on its way, and the vibrant and full-bodied house shiraz fitted the bill to a treat.
leynos: (Default)
It's diane sauce. Made with courgette. And served with a chicken kiev. Honestly, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. It wall worked out really nicely though. Although it did set the smoke detectors off when I flambéed the sherry, which was fun.



Lunch time today was spent outside of the central mosque handing out fliers for the national demonstration on the 12th.

I borrowed a book on Windows Small Business Server 2003 from work today. Somehow I have to figure out how to use Group Policy Objects by Monday. Except I'll spend most of the weekend sailing, knackered from sailing, or pished ootta ma heed. Silly me.
leynos: (Default)
As the man said, it would be pretty hard not for me to like Renaissance. It's French and it's film noir. Well, neo noir, to be pedantic. What else can one say? It looks like animated Sin City. It's set in a world equal parts Blade Runner and Phantom of the Opera. The characters talk like escapees from Ghost In The Shell. The action scenes rival those in Shirow's film, too. It has its fair share of dames and femme fatales. And its pacing is somewhat akin to Akira.

Oops. I just described it entirely in terms of other films. Oh well. See it anyway. It's teh roxor.

~

Cheers to pajh for urging my on to trying Petit Paris. Lovely food.

It's all part of my plan to try all of the restaurants I've been reading about in The List, and dreaming about dining in. It probably involves drinking a lot too, of course.

~

Dirty Husband, Edinburgh's very own attention-defecit-special-needs-core duo have put out a four track EP. And it's free.
leynos: (Default)
On the morning of the second day of sailing lessons, we received a received little lecture on how to parse the Met Office weather forecasts. In a funky RFC kinda way, there actually exist standard definitions for words like "soon," "occasionally," and "mild." Now I should be able to garner useful information from the BBC Shipping Forecast. In theory anyway. They also explained how pressure systems work.

After that, we took the boats out and practiced coming to berth from and against the wind. Thankfully, this didn't result in any major incidents.

Following lunch, we went through sailing round a triangular course. What this entails, is sailing downwind, beating upwind (in a zigzag course), adjusting the sails to suit the direction of course, and jibing (turning across the wind while its to your back). So, pretty much everything then.

Under the supervision of the instructor, I conducted two perfect laps, so I was feeling quite ready to take on the course unassisted. Of course, the minute the instructor left the boat, I went to pieces. "Um, why is the boat moving sideways?!?" My crew shouting orders at me didn't help much either. (Shouldn't it be the other way round?) I got it eventually though, and by the time we were told to head back in, we had all sailed a few perfect laps unsupervised.

I felt a bit out of place over the weekend tho. Everyone on the course seemed to be in their mid-thirties and employed as high skill-professionals or managers. I don't like to think of my job as defining me, but in the real world, that seems to be the first thing people look at, unfortunately.

One more weekend to go. I wonder what it will bring.

~

It's not every day that you get to see a window into the inner workings of fate. Everyone knows of friendships that have come about through a chance meeting dependent on a hundred or more disparate factors. By chorally, a million "could have beens" pass us by every day. You accept a lift off of a classmate. As you drive past the bus stop you would have waited at, there is standing the girl who smiled at you earlier and you smiled back at. Of course, nothing would have happened. But it's nice to dream.

~

The itamae at Sushiya seems to get better at his craft every time I visit. I tasted the most divine of unagi and sea bass nigiris today. Bonsai and Izzi just can't hold a candle.

~

I now have LocoRoco for the PSP.

Yum x10

Jul. 29th, 2006 11:20 pm
leynos: (Default)
Lidl sell a breakfast cereal that consists of Special K-esque flakes, and slivers of dark chocolate. I'm sure they designed it with me in mind.
leynos: (Default)
I can't remember exactly what the twenty year old Glenfarclas tasted like. I do remember that its soft caramelized fruitiness and slight notes of burnt straw went a treat with the pre-theatre dinner I tucked into at the Whisky Society after work. The vegetable tempura starter with home made sweet chili sauce and the chicken with roast shallots on a bed of parmesan mash had both been prepared to perfection. These dishes more than made up for the slightly disappointing meal I had been served last time I dined at the Society.

Amicus Apple is a newly opened cocktail bar on Frederick Street. I was told about it by the alleged owner, whom I met in the Blue Blazer about two weeks ago. Apart from the disturbingly large number of people drinking Tennant's, it seems like a rather convivial place. An impressive array of inventively designed cocktails greets upon opening the menu, whose witticisms and wise cracks speak to the clientele as much as the drinks do.

First up comes the Monk Martini, a sharp and dry summery creation involving Benedictine, Grand Marnier and lemon juice. Enjoyed in the sun, it piqued the mood of the moment to a tee. Amicus' bid to be different extends to their stemware, which is markedly distinct from the traditional martini glass. Sadly however, this bid doesn't extend to their spirit selection. A very stock range of whiskies is accompanies a selection of rum that extends as far as 1919, and a solid, but not exceptional run of bourbon.

Following this, I ordered a mint julep. What I got wasn't a mint julep, but instead a delicious concoction of bourbon (Basil Heyden's, as requested), mint, bitters, gome, ginger beer and lemonade. It was so good that I found myself quite grateful for the surprise outcome. A tempting promise of further delights to come is offered by the intriguing compliment of non-alcoholic ingredients at the bartenders' disposal, including heather honey and fresh strawberries. For me though, I had to leave it at that for the time being.

Both drinks came to a very reasonable six quid each.

For those drinking shorts, it maybe doesn't offer much beyond the usual, but a very individualistic and adventurous cocktail selection awaits those willing to experiment and splash out a little. I'll definitely be returning.

Foooood

Jul. 7th, 2006 12:06 am
leynos: (Default)
And how does Leynos celebrate? By pretending to cook something tasty and getting very drunk, of course.

Gratuitous food pictures. W00t. )
leynos: (Default)
If I keep at the cooking, I'll get good at it eventually, I guess. I'm starting to get the hang of what the individual curry spices taste like and what sort of effect they'll have on the overall flavour of the dish. Made a rather respectable (or so I thought) bhindi bhaji for Ho-Il tonight to go with the cook in curry he'd brought along.

I should branch out a little though. As much as I like Indian food, I think I want to learn to create other types of flavours too. Time for a little experimentation in the near future, methinks.

~

I could never get enough of sexy, needle rifle packing, silent assassins. Luger is pretty much the only reason to play Killzone. Shame she can't climb over a four foot high wall. Or jump for that matter.

Yummy

May. 23rd, 2006 08:40 pm
leynos: (Default)
Today is payday, so I decided to treat myself. Rather than the usual trip to Sushiya followed by a whisky overdose in the 'Blazer, I thought I might try something different.

I can't cook, but I like to pretend that I can.

Cut for gratuitous food pictures... )
leynos: (Default)
"Now then, tell us about a time when you sat in a job interview, staring at the floor, mumbling incoherently in ridiculously convoluted and incomprehensible language about an occasion when you might, more in-spite of rather than because of your own abilities, have functioned successfully as part of a team."

No, I don't think I got the job. They'll let me know on Friday.

On the other hand, there are more important things in life than employment. I spent most of Sunday at my parents' house, showing the dandelions in the garden what for with a lawn mower. I also made a good start at ridding the garden of debris: mildew infested garden furniture, old dishwashers, etc. It's now all in a neat pile at the front, which with any luck a white van man is going to remove this week. My Dad has apparently bought a new barbecue, and it would be nice for the whole family to make use of it at least once this year. We didn't have time to empty the greenhouse, but I'll be returning in three week's time, so I'll see to it then.

My Dad had cooked beef olives (something I've not had in a while), and to accompany them, we prepared asparagus spears and mange tout. The asparagus turned out lovely, with the stalks al dente and the tips bursting with flavour. I'll have to make them at my flat some time.

Ho-Il visited tonight, so there was much playing of Killzone, and more cooking. We finally came across the machine gun that resembles the one used in Jin-Roh, which cause much delight. When I say "machine gun", you have to understand that this thing resembles a man-portable piece of artillery. Lots of fun. Although I prefer the assassin character, who is pretty much a rip-off of every female sci-fi assassin character ever, but wields an Aeon Flux-esque needle gun and a shiv, and talks with an oh so sexy Islington accent.

For dinner, I made a sort of chicken jalfrezi, using one of the "make your own curry" kits they sell in Lidl. These are little shrink-wrapped packets of fresh ingredients. I quite like the idea actually. It's not like you can buy a single birdseye chili in most supermarkets, and I don't think I've ever seen turmeric root in the shops. To that I added diced chicken, one onion, one capsicum, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a little powdered ginger. Et voila. Everyone was happy with the result.

I'm still a little funny about cooking. If I'm going to cook, I have to see cooking as a pass-time in itself. Something to do instead of watching a film or coding or whatever. I enjoy cooking for friends and family, even though I'm still learning. And I enjoy cooking for myself, providing that it's all I'll be doing that evening. If I'm cooking, I can pretty much write off getting anything else done. In my experience, self cooked food isn't any cheaper than ready meals, and most of the time, I would rather save the effort and devote my time to what I actually intend to do that day.
leynos: (Default)


Coke and Cake playing at the Blue Blazer. Coke's the one on the right, but apparently they take turns. Apart from their own stuff, which is fantastic, they played a few top notch Radiohead covers. Listening Room aside, the rest of the night was rather naff. Especially the part where I got kicked out of two nightclubs for falling asleep.

West Wing == Crack


I did mean to go to the Dean Gallery today, but after watching an episode of the West Wing Season 4 over lunch, I thought "just one more." Of course, I didn't make it out of the house until five. And that was only because I realized that I had eaten the flat's last remaining item of "food" for lunch.

My search for food took me to the Whisky Society where I enjoyed a fantastic pre-theatre dinner of smoked salmon mousse followed by roast pork and mustard mashed potatoes. You can't honestly take me to a place with "whisky" in its name and expect me not to have a few. Actually, I spent more on whisky than on food. Although I got one dram on the house when I managed to snarf the last drop of 36.31 ("Speyside of the gods" -- Leynos).

There's a thought. Save for those sensible enough to buy a bottle of the stuff, I am among the last people to drink this particular creation. And there will never be another exactly like it.

Following dinner, I watched Paradise Now, a fictional account of the final forty-eight hours of two Palistinian suicide bombers, at the Cameo.

Paradise Now


My impression of Paradise Now is that it offers something of a discussion between those who have grown up under occupation and those who are seeing it from the outside. The filmmakers are clearly against the idea of suicide bombing, but rather than offer a damning condemnation, they explore what it means to both the bombers themselves and to people still holding some modicum of faith in a non-violent solution.

I have seen the case for suicide bombing put forward before, most notably in 11"09'01. I can see why, in a situation of desperation, it would make sense, but I can't agree with it. Aside from the obvious reason, it is, as Lubna in Paradise Now explains, just offering a continued excuse for the mistreatment of the bombers own people. By offering these perspectives, the film is the most complete exploration of the subject that I have seen to date.

I want to write a proper review of the film, but right now, I'm not quite ready to do it justice. Right now, I'll just mention that I thought it pretty funny that the Hamas Minister of Culture thought he might have to take issue with the film.
leynos: (Default)
Another thought that struck me about the kendo class on Friday is that I now feel a lot more inclined to learn than I used to. This is mainly on account of meeting people in the dojo whom I have had actual conversations with both about kendo and other interests. Before, the people I have spoken to were mostly being polite, making conversation to fill in time, or didn't want to talk at all. Essentially, I felt like I was on a different wavelength from everyone else there. This left me with a sense that I was alone–although part of the class and being taught with everyone else, I didn't really feel included, and so had less of an incentive to pursue the lessons.

It's also interesting to note that the new kihon-waza drills are just that. The All Japan Kendo Federation only officially adopted them in 2005. It is most likely for that reason that the teaching methods concerning these drills have slowly been improving since last year as the sensei and sempai discover how best to integrate them into training. I never thought about this before, but this could actually be considered a fairly radical change in something that has been around for several hundred years.

Bokuto ni yoru kihon-waza keiko-ho mnemonic:

"ichi-ni-hari-hiki-nuki-sure-ba-kaeshi-uchi"

Portrait Gallery


[livejournal.com profile] galaxy_girl00 is right, the entrance to the gallery from Queens Street is indeed an impressive sight.

As I've said before, portraits aren't really my thing, but as I've also said, my last experience with the Edinburgh galleries happened a long time ago, and my perception of the world has changed a lot in that time. For the most part, I did enjoy the visit.

To decide what I was going to get out of the gallery, I had to ask myself what portraits are for. They are glimpses into the past, albeit through a heavy filter of perception. An opportunity to look eye-to-eye with someone significant and often long dead, through the eyes of another. A portrait, done properly, speaks volumes about the person depicted, the way that person perceives themselves and the way that person is viewed by the artist and the world at large.

There is no matter of fact recording of events. Certainly, the way in which the subject is posed and dressed, the items they choose to associate with are all elements from the real world brought into the image, however even these can be artifacts of the creative process, especially in the case of posthumous depictions. In one example, a painting of a Labour MP from the 1920s, whose image I found noble and haunting, the Glasgow canal in the background was an addition requested by the artist to honour his close association with the area.

I found that I enjoyed the 20th century portraits the most, in part because of the freer experimentation with styles and materials. I felt that the greatest significance of this section was the way in which it offered an alternative view of a familiar world in an era so dominated by the rigidity of photographic depiction of life. It is the people that make this world, and the recording of one person purely through the labour of another offers an insight into those people in a way that neither the camera nor the written word can achieve.

The Victorian gallery could be viewed similarly. It told a lot of the era, and the heroes of that time. Of the rise of the savant class, and of the role played by royalty and empire. It's dangerous to view the gallery as a crystalline historical documentation, but as a window into the past, specifically the minds of a people past, it is an invaluable experience.

It was in this light that I viewed the Scottish history gallery. Placed in chronological order, the paintings here depict significant figures in the period of Scottish history from the battle for independence through to the Act of Union. The greatest impression I got from this was of an age of utmost reverence. Portraits here serve the subject above all else, as an instrument of vanity and propaganda. While this will always be true, in this age of our history more than any since, the paintings served as weapons in a war of opinion.

It is perhaps because of this that I enjoyed this section least. Of course, it is important history that is depicted, but here more than anywhere else in the gallery, the subject will be most guarding of their flaws and most eager to project an image as above themselves as they could. Consequently, there is little room for artistry that does not serve this goal and little variance in style over what is a significant period of time.

I have to add, lunch in the gallery cafe was fantastic. I may well have to visit again if I'm in the area around noon.

Afternoon


I showed up at the Wellington Statue at two pm. No sign of the PSC stall anywhere. After ten minutes of waiting, I received a phonecall from a friend who needed help finding the roleplaying shop from where I got my funny dice. This being preferable to standing around doing nothing, I helped him out.

That task done, I headed to the cinema where I watched Inside Man.

Inside Man


There is a rare breed of film that sets out to be purely entertaining, where the filmmakers believe in this goal, leave their baggage at the door and accomplish the task in a way that leaves the audience feeling satisfied and not in the least bit guilty that they enjoyed themselves. No prizes for guessing that Inside Man is one of these films. Gerwitz intricate plotting and Lee's flawless timing and oversight put all the right elements in place for what unfolds.

Cinematic slight of hand is the order of the day, as pages in the story turn revealing just enough clues to let us guess at what will transpire without being certain that our answer will be correct. Inside Man wants us to guess, and the cast of players in its bank heist tale play along with us. The trio of commanding screen presences, each charismatic and likable in their own way do battle through wit and guile. It's impressive that such such suspense and intrigue is created in a structure with no real bad guy.

Denzel Washington as the detective, who works with the audience to delve behind what at first seems like a straight forward hostage situation, is the one who we spend most of our time cheering for. But it's hard not to find admiration for Clive Owen's bank robber who executes the perfect crime with icy calm and steady nerve. Our admiration only grows as the full extent of his planning becomes apparent. Even the sly fixer, played with impeccable suave by Foster, who at first seems like our enemy, eventually comes to earn our respect. As she wisely informs the detective, she didn't get where she did by making enemies.

It's entertainment, not high art, but as entertainment the film sits among a small vanguard of similar recent titles that have provided us with an evening of entertainment that we didn't feel the need to question. This is a film that believes in itself and delivers accordingly.

Food


For tea, I made myself a stirfry of tehina and broccoli, according to a recipe I found on E2. The last time I tried this, it didn't turn out quite right, but for whatever reason, it tasted delicious this time round. I may well be ready to subject others to this particular piece of culinary experimentation. This was followed by cheese and oatcakes, which I will have to do more often, and plenty of whisky. (Freshly opened bottles of Macallen 10 and Highland Park 12.) Not a bad evening in.

Sunday


Not a lot happened today by contrast. Chris and I went to GEAS at two, but none of the games happened to be running. Most likely, I think, on account of the current exam season at the University. I introduced Chris to the curries served at the Mosque's kitchen, and we had a good wonder around the city, stopping off at Games Workshop. A bunch of emos on Cockburn Street mistook Chris's girlfriend for a private school on account of her work uniform. This resulted in plenty of laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. At Chris's persuasion, I bought some produce from the cheesemonger on Victoria Road, which I shall save for later in the week.

To be honest, I don't mind that all we really did was wander about, because that's what the weather lent itself to today.

According to someone at work, the world ends tonight. I'll be at Neon celebrating.
leynos: (Default)
I declare my first experiment in cooking Gaeng Ped to be a success. I did burn the rice a little bit, which is embarrassing, but it all turned out right in the end. More importantly, Ho-il liked it too, which makes me happy, since he's such a kick arse chef. The recipe I used in the end turned out to be an amalgam of the one on E2 and a sheet that the lady in the Thai supermarket gave me. Here's what I used in the end:

300g chicken breast, diced
2 tins coconut cream
3 tbsp red curry paste
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
6 kafir lime leaves, shredded
1 tbsp Thai basil leaves, crushed
1 small tin bamboo shoots
1 cup pineapple pieces
100g baby sweetcorn
5 baby aubergines, quartered

These were all bought from either Thai@Haymarket, or Lidle. Despite this, it added up to a fair bit. I wound up paying around £13 in the end, although some of that constituted inital outlay on ingredients that make several dishes. This made enough for two, with a little left over for my lunch today.

Using a large stew pot (no wok in my flat), I briefly fried the curry paste first, then seared the chicken. Into that, I poured one tin of coconut cream, saving the other for later. After that, I added most of the other ingredients, except the aubergines. When it had reduced down a little bit, I dropped in the aubergines and topped it up with the rest of the coconut milk, covering and leaving it to simmer until the aubergines had cooked. Lovely.

Ho-il did indeed bring Killzone (an FPS for the PS2), and we played a fair bit of deathmatch then took turns at trying to clear campaign missions. Killzone certainly is visually impressive, with a powerful aesthetic and a lot of detail. As an experience, it has a lot to offer, however, I think it lacks a lot in AI and in the design of a comprehensively believable environment. There is much shepherding, and that bizarre predicament where an elite soldier can't jump a 3 foot wall rears its head. In fact, he can't jump full stop, except where permitted by the level designers.

Midnight


At GEAS yesterday, Colin's D&D game wasn't running, so I asked around for something else I could join in. It transpired that I could join a game called Midnight, that was just about to begin afresh. Midnight uses D&D rules, so I didn't have that much to relearn, and is set in a dark and opressive world where evil gods reign, the dead walk the earth, and literacy and combat training are outlawed.

Suitable to such a hopeless world, the GM threw us in at the deep end, as the party began manacled together, being herded north by a gang of orks to be worked to death in an iron foundry. Read more Tolkien-esque goings-on... )

So, quite a fun afternoon. I'm still a beginner, and I try, though I worry that I'm not contributing enough that is useful to the game. I'll just have to endeavour to improve that with time.

Colin did show up eventually, then proceeded to fall asleep at the table, much to everyone's amusement. Wild night, I guess.
leynos: (Default)
I have some film reviews to post, but I'm too drunk to finish them right now. The great thing about alcohol is that it erases everything that happens before. It's like you get two days for the price of one.

Ho-Il is visiting tomorrow. I will try and cook chicken gaeng phed for him, since I owe him a nice meal. I was a little surprised to learn that he'd purchased Kill Zone for the PS2, until I remembered that the bad guys in it bear a striking resemblance to the Wolf Brigade troops in Jin Roh, which he has a major obsession with.

Anyway, I found a recipe for Thai Red Curry on E2 (where else), so I'll give it a go.

I was also surprised, and a little happy to find that cigar smoke doesn't set off the fire alarms in my flat. I think I may have to visit the Cigar Box and pick up a Monte Cristo No. 2 to celebrate. Although I'm a little worried that I may have become addicted to nicotine now.

Fun goings on at the 'Blazer:



All pints £2.20

Tasting notes


Cacique 500 (Venezuelan Rum) - Very spirity nose. Cadbury's chocolate buttons with a hint of cinnamon on the palate. A little dull in flavour, but very warm. No smokiness. By the time I finished the glass I was hooked.

Saturday


The day started at two pm. Well, kind of earlier, since I needed to get dressed, have a shower, etc. But at two, more or less, I showed up at the PSC stall on Princes Street and offered to help. Leafletting turned out to be surprisingly easy. I had expected plenty of heckling and cold shoulders. In fact, most people are quite happy to accept the material when offered.

As before, the friendliness of the other PSC members I worked beside impressed me. As did their technique with passers by. They excelled at identifying interested passers by and building rapport with them. One guy in particular seemed to have a good way with multiculturalism, greeting people in Arabic and Polish, among other languages and presenting the leaflets to them with a flourish. Personally, I found that a friendly smile worked best, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to work on technique. As it stands, I learned how to say "welcome" in Arabic.

On Monday at 7:30, there is a screening of Arna's Children, a film about refugees in Jenin, at the CWU, 15 Brunswick Street (off London Road).

When the stall wound up, I headed to Nicholson Square for tea. For a change, I decided to give Kebab Mahal a go, where I was treated to a pleasingly delicate lamb and fenugreek curry followed by gulab jamin.

Remaining plans for the evening consisted of Junebug at Cineworld and Pierrepoint at the Filmhouse.

Er... Speaking of Junebug, I'm really angry that I can't watch a film about romance or listen to music about people fucking without getting upset. I really like Arab Strap too, and it annoys me that it now hurts to listen to their songs.

~

There are two Bluetooth devices in range of my PC that aren't mine. My flatemates? The downstairs neighbours? Who knows?

Hotpot

Apr. 15th, 2006 12:04 pm
leynos: (Default)
Yesterday evening was spent in Glasgow, where a former flatmate of mine, Yanny, invited me to a hotpot dinner with her and some of her friends. I know I said no more Chinese buffets, but I'll make an exception for hotpot. What is hotpot? It's where everyone sits round a pot of boiling soup and cooks meat, fish, tofu and vegetables in it. It's tasty, and oodles of fun. Rather messy too, if you're not careful.

It's also an opportunity to try some unusual ingredients (unusual to me anyway). I got to taste salmon head and razor fish for the fist time last night. Both were surprisingly palatable. Salmon head meat is sweet and very soft. Besides that, we all ate an inordinate amount of tiger prawns, fish balls and cockles, leaving an impressive stack of shells at the end. Just to balance things out, plenty of pac choi and wild mushrooms went into the soup too.

I enjoyed meeting Yanny's friends, though a good deal of time was spent over the usual foreign student type conversation. Since I got asked about Scottish dialects, I figured it was fair game to enquire out about language usage in India, which I did indeed find very engaging. With the restaurant being surprisingly quiet for a Friday, we got to stay for four hours.

After the meal, some embarrassing karaoke ensued. Damn good thing the place was empty. I think Chinese karaokeka have an unfair advantage, since there is a one to one correspondence between characters and syllables. Either way, Yanny and Carla are good singers.

When we left, we had a difficult time trying to locate a pub open past midnight that didn't also suck, so in the end we parted company and I took the twelve o'clock bus back to Edinburgh. In the search, it kind of disappointed me to see the number of chain pubs that are identical to their counterparts in Edinburgh. It strikes me as a sad erosion of local culture.

~

Before the meal, I did a little window shopping at Hellfire, where I found a few nice pairs of Lip Service trousers that are kind of what I'm after. I may return and buy some other weekend. I still feel that a proper day's shopping in Glasgow is in order though.
leynos: (Default)
This evening, I went along with a bunch of Palistinian Solidarity Campaign members to assist in er... disseminating information. In a very conspicuous manner, it would seem. We got about an hour and a half's work done, and I'm happy that I was able to help. The people from the campaign that I have met so far are all very friendly, and brought me up to speed on how it's done. Most likely, there'll be more to be done later in the week.

I worked along side a nice chap who seems to know a lot about George Galloway, and despite being only of school leaving age, has already attended a conference in Cairo, and is going to the European Social Forum in Greece this year. The credentials and dedication of these people never ceases to amaze me.

On Friday, the PSC is holding a demonstration outside of the EU Commission Office on Alva Street between 16:00 and 18:00. The reasoning behind this being that the EU has ceased sending aid to Palestine, whilst continuing to offer favoured trading status to Israel. This is what we were publicizing tonight, whilst drawing attention to yesterday's court judgement. I'm sorry to say that I won't actually be able to make it to this picket, but there are other demonstrations and presences later in the coming weeks that I have committed to attending.

Easter Road


Something I forgot to mention on Monday is a pair of very lovely shops I visited on the corner of Easter Road and London Road. Next door to each other is a fantastically well stocked off-licence that specializes in bottled beer, and a patisserie selling lovingly crafted wares. The offy sells just about every beer I've heard of and a fair few I haven't. The variety on display is impressive indeed, including at least six different Heffeweißens, for example.

I know where to go for purposes of exploration now.

Last night, Ho-Il was kind enough to get the tab when I met him in Palmyra to exchange DVDs. I'll have to cook him something nice next time he visits. Well, I'll try. Sometimes my cooking can be more like punishment. But at least now I have a motivation to lay on something a little more lavish than chicken and steamed vegetables.

Sleep Patterns


I've done it now. Four hours on Sunday and five last night. I have to be up at six tomorrow on account of a dentist appointment, and Wednesday will be another late night. I guess I'd better get to bed now.
leynos: (Default)
I'm of the opinion that Saturday was a very productive day. In the morning I visited the Palestinian Free Trade shop on Shandwick Place. I couldn't buy any produce that day, as I would be traveling to Kinross later to see my parents, but I purchased enough reading material as seemed reasonable.

The woman in the shop asked if I was considering travelling to Palestine, and I said that I was thinking about it. She suggested going in October for the olive harvest. I'm not sure if she meant as a tourist or to work. Right now however, my holiday plans for this year are already made, but it is something to consider for next year.

Before leaving for Kinross, I also got my hair cut in Haymarket and hassled the guy in Games and Movies about selling some of my PSP games. I'd get £12 each for PQ and Tales of Eternia. I might try flogging ToE at AASoc. It is getting better, but it still doesn't really feel like my thing. On the other hand, the Nippon Ichi published Generations of Chaos is now out in the US.

Kinross


I arrived at my parents house in the early afternoon, where the leftovers from last night's curry were offered to me as lunch. Yummy, curried spinach and chicken tika.

I couldn't cut the grass, on account of the heavy rain showers that had made their presence known earlier that day, but I gave the raspberry canes a good run for their money. Five years of unattended growth had left them as a rather heavy thicket behind the greenhouse. A pair of loppers and good heavy gloves sorted that lot out however, and now that part of the garden looks reasonably presentable.

In shades of my life in Glenrothes, the spent fireworks from November still protruded from the lawn. I felt kind of embarrassed about this, as I should have dealt with these long ago. They're in the bin now.

My sister had asked me to speak to my Dad about the possibility of getting my Mum put into psychiatric care. My Mum is ill, and she needs to be treated under observation. Unfortunately, none of us know exactly how to go about this. My sister is making enquiries, and I was to persuade my Dad to go along with this. I'm not sure if I did this well enough. He agreed that it was a good idea, but he is fearful of my Mum's reaction to it.

For dinner, I cooked steak diane under my Dad's supervision, and it turned out rather well. I got my Dad's steak perfect, though mine was a little on the well-done side of medium. I couldn't get enough of the sauce, which was a shame, as we all finished it in one sitting. This was followed by some heavenly vanilla icecream with maple syrup.

JakN


Back in Edinburgh, I got changed and left for the Venue, where Fuk-Nut and Sekonz were spinning the hardtek and the schranz. I'm always a little apprehensive about the top floor of the Venue, as it's a small environment with no quiet spots. This means that it's rare that I get to talk to people there. JakN also feels like a rather cliquey night, where the other attendees seem unwilling to talk to strangers.

Still, I love the music that they play there, offering the kind of driving beats that I crave and unpredictable transitions that challenge and entice.

I didn't stay for the whole thing, partly because I was feeling knackered, and partly out of fear that I would again damage my ankle. It's still healing from the last time I went dancing two weeks ago and managed to mess it up big time. Never the less, two hours of dancing was enough to bring a satisfying end to the day.

I did run into an acquaintance from Dogma at the night. We talked about the current state of Edinburgh clubbing, and the story sounded bleak. The Venue is to close next month. With the Honeycomb also closed, that really only leaves only Ego and the Studios as the last big venues. There is another establishment by the name of The Caves on South Nidrie Street that has opened recently. I will have to take a look at that one, as a promising sounding electro night runs there monthly.

Apparently a lot of people are down now that Dogma is gone. I know I definitely feel like something is missing from my life. It was one of the few places where I really felt like I could fit in and be the person I wanted to be.

In Hiding

Mar. 21st, 2006 07:33 pm
leynos: (Default)
The cold got worse. When I woke up this morning, it was actually painful to breathe. Which meant that I took the day off of work. Sadly, it also meant that I had to miss the final AASoc series night of the term. I'm going to be stuck wondering what became of Sousuke and Kaname. Oh well, I hope it won't be too long until I can see all you nice AASoc people again.

To make up for the missing series night, I watched some episodes of Paradise Kiss and Ghost In The Shell SAC 2nd Gig. Parakiss is showing quite well that what you think about someone to begin with seldom proves to be true in the long run. Caroline and George's relationship is getting to be rather fascinating stuff.

I also managed to finish a book for a change. Earthlight by Arthur C Clarke. Okay, it's only 160 pages, but it seems depressingly rare these days that I see a book through to the end. It's a novel that I haven't seen in current publication, and I'm rather puzzled why. There's nothing like a good bit of political intrigue combined with a revision lesson in high school physics. I suppose it retreads a little too much familiar territory, but I don't think I've read any other Clarke books about outright war.

Having a cold is always a good excuse for an Indian carry-out, and the Royal India in Corstorphine kindly posted us a menu this morning. I am pleased to report that their cooking is far richer in flavour than that of my local Indian, so no more will I be stuck in times of desperation without a decent curry.

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