2010年10月13日 星期三
都市閒情之咖啡篇
1. 貓屎咖啡:
麝香猫咖啡(Kopi Luwak), Kopi(印尼语,咖啡),Luwak 是印尼人指一种俗称“麝香猫”的树栖野生动物,产于苏门达腊、爪洼、和苏尔维什岛上。Luwak属于杂食动 物,它们生性孤僻、嗅觉灵敏、浓毛长尾,喜欢夜行,栖息在海拔2000米以下的热带雨林、亚热带常绿阔叶林区、山地灌丛或者丘陵、山地、草丛等地。它们的 食物包括小型兽类、鸟类、两栖爬行类、甲壳类、昆虫和植物的果实、种子等等。
咖啡原理
Luwak 喜欢挑选咖啡树中最成熟香甜、饱满多汁的咖啡果实当作食物。而咖啡果实经过它的消化系统,被消化掉的只是果实外表的果肉,那坚硬无比的咖啡原豆随后被 Luwak的消化系统原封不动地排出体外。这样的消化过程,让咖啡豆产生了无与伦比的神奇变化,风味趋于独特,味道特别香醇,丰富圆润的香甜口感也是其他 的咖啡豆所无法比拟的。这是由于 Luwak的消化系统破坏了咖啡豆中的蛋白质,让由于蛋白质而产生的咖啡的苦味少了许多,反而增加了这种咖啡豆的圆润口感。
咖啡沖泡方法
Kopi Luwak的香味较一般咖啡容易流失。为保持风味,咖啡豆都要以独立包装,再注入氮气防止咖啡豆氧化,制作工序繁复而且严谨。如果要享受Kopi Luwak的真味,千万不要在咖啡里加糖或奶,建议使用塞风壶(Siphon虹吸式),加入160~180毫升(ml)的纯水,倒入17公克 (grams)约咖啡专用匙2平匙的咖啡粉,待水滚上升后以平竹片将隆起的咖啡粉轻轻往下压,切记!!不可搅拌,否则咖啡会变的苦、酸、涩。水温规定为 96℃,水压为9-10atm,沸腾约1分45秒~2分钟迅速移开火源并同时以冷湿布反复擦拭下玻璃瓶使其急速降温,冲泡好的咖啡将快速落下而呈现大量的 金黄色绵细泡沫,如此即可达到最极致的风味。
2. 蓝山咖啡
世界上最优越的咖啡。蓝山山脉位于牙买加岛(Jamaica) 东部,因该山在加勒比海的环绕下,每当天气晴朗的日子,太阳直射在蔚蓝的海面上,山峰上反射出海水璀璨的蓝色光芒,故而得名。蓝山最高峰海拔2256米,是加勒比地区的最高峰,这里地处咖啡带,拥有肥沃的火山土壤,空气清新,没有污染,气候湿润,终年多雾多雨,这样的气候造就了享誉世界的牙买加蓝山咖啡,同时也造就了世界上最高价格的咖啡。此种咖啡拥有所有好咖啡的特点,不仅口味浓郁香醇,而且由于咖啡的甘、酸、苦三味搭配完美,所以完全不具苦味,仅有适度而完美的酸味。一般都单品饮用,但是因产量极少,价格昂贵无比,所以市面上一般都以味道近似的咖啡调制。
蓝山咖啡为何味道纯正的“秘密”:他们的咖啡树全部长在崎岖的山坡上,采摘过程非常的困难,非当地熟练的女工根本无法胜任。采摘时选择恰到好处的成熟的咖 啡豆非常重要,未成熟或熟透了都会影响咖啡的质量。采摘后的咖啡豆当天就要去壳,之后让其发酵12—18小时。此后对咖啡豆进行清洗和筛选。之后的工序是 晾晒,必须在水泥地上或厚的毯子上进行,直至咖啡豆的湿度降至12%—14%。然后放置在专门的仓垛里储存。需要时拿出来焙炒,然后磨成粉末。这些程序必 须严格掌握,否则,咖啡的质量将受到影响。
Sex and the City S2 ep18
今天, 剛剛睇完 Season 2 最後一集, 係講女主角 Carrie Bradshaw, 同佢個難捨難離o既Mr. Big第2次分手後, 又再重逄, 但,今次, Mr. Big 已經 engaged o左... 劇情一轉, 最後一幕, 係 Carrie 不由自主地出現在 Mr. Big and Natasha 既 Engagement Party 外面, 然後, 再次相遇:
Big: Well, You are late. The party is over. (Carrie just arrived after the party ends)
Carrie: I would say it is...
Big: Funny... (both laugh)
Carrie: Anyway, I am just on my way home...and, hey, I have a question for you... Why wasn't it me?
Big: Carrie...
Carrie: No, seriously. I really need to hear you say it. Come on, be a friend.
Big: I don't know. It's got so hard... and she is...
Carrie: Ye-ah... Your girl's pretty, Holbert...
Big: I don't get it....
Carrie: And you will never get it.....
Then, music starts and Carrie walks off briskly......freely......
(This is where the OS - 讀白 starts)
OS of Carrie:
Then I have a thought. Maybe I didn't tame Big. Maybe the problem was, he couldn't tame me. Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free.....until they find someone.....just as wild, to run with......
..................................................................................................................................................
Brilliant episode and yea, if you are someone who weren't meant to be tamed, then, just run free, until you (1) tied yourself down or (2) find someone who can run with ya !!
2010年9月28日 星期二
得不到的葡萄,原來是甜的
上一個月, miss o左 apply 去智利 study trip o既機會, 真係好傷心, 因為上一年join 呢個 Program 時, 最想參加就係呢個活動, 只怪自己唔留心學校o既 e-mails, 所以無為意個 deadline, 唉~
今天上課時, 從同學口中得知智利’’大軍’’明天便出發了, 心情有些少失落, 可能好似世界杯那些球員, 因為受傷, 本來有得去參賽, 追逐夢想, 到只係見住d隊友, 開開心心o甘出發, 自己卻只可留在家裡呆著...心情應該差無幾? HAHA…
但聽到他們的行程後(當然, 唔係遊玩同考察既細節啦,而係個 flight plan)...真係可以用’’嘔心’’黎形容!! 點解o甘講? 你估下由北京飛去智利要幾耐?? 同飛 LA 差唔多, 15個鐘?? 錯!! Um…o甘好似飛加拿大o甘20幾個鍾? Sorry, 都唔係好接近, 答案係…38個鍾!!!!! Holy sit…….一程 ja, 大佬…
事緣要轉2程機: (rough estimation from my classmates)
(1) 由北京飛 Munich = 15 hours
(2) Waiting time = 5 hours
(3) Munich 飛 Madrid = 3-4 hours
(4) Waiting time = 2 hours
(5) Madrid 飛 Chile = 10+ hours
真係就o甘聽都覺得恐怖, esp. 我怕搭飛機… 我問同學A, 無得飛得快d架?? 佢就話, 其實有第2條行線, 就係先飛加拿大, 再飛智利, 但因辦签证太長時間, 而且, 又要飛過百慕達三角洲上空, 老師話驚喎,haha~~ 但同學就話, 消失左仲好, 唔駛做作業同考試 = P
Anyway, 我計一計数:一程38 hours, 2程 76 hours, o甘即係 only spend 在transport 上都3日4個鍾, 佢地會去10日, wah, 1/3 o既行程都o係飛機or機場上過, um… 我突然覺得miss o左呢個trip, 真係好幸運!!
呢d係唔係叫做柳暗花明又一村呀 ??!!!
2010年9月22日 星期三
联合國部隊
昨天是中秋節, 我們班熱熱鬧鬧o甘去o左一間家常菜聚餐... 大家2杯到肚後, 也很 relax, 有一個同學還帶了瓶59度既白酒來贈興, 我倒不敢喝,因真的受不了太多的酒精...但他們興高彩列的不停灌酒, haha, 食完飯後, 有幾個已經 high o左啦~
下樓去拿 e-bike 時, 其中一個台灣同學, 突然高聲唱著歌, 我們問他是甚麼歌, 他說, 是台灣的軍歌, 然後, 另一個韓國同學, 二話不說的, 又唱起無人聽得懂的韓語歌, 然後好像在單挑台灣同學般, 告訴他這是韓國的軍歌, 好攪笑... 在回家途中, 他們一邊開著 e-bike, 一邊大大聲o甘互唱自己以前從軍o既歌, 一個新加坡同學也加入''戰團'', 你一句, 我一句o甘, 在中秋月圓的夜空下, 我們在路上風馳電掣, 秋風吹來, 感覺真係好正.....
今年, 是一個特別的中秋, 雖然沒有在維園賞月, 也沒有像往常一樣在家中渡過, 但, 也是一個值得紀念的中秋節吧!!
2010年9月18日 星期六
INCEPTION
剛回家和我 roommate 閒聊o左幾句, 先發覺佢都剛剛睇完, haha, 我倆跟著又討論起劇情來, 一部成功的電影, 莫過於此吧!!
在某 website 上找到對這劇情o既解釋, 看看大家是否同意:
Confused about the ending of ‘Inception’? Here’s an explanation of what really happened in the film.
The Ending
There are a ton of theories being tossed around the Internet about the ending of Inception, the two biggest debates being whether Cobb was still in a dream or did he in fact return to his children in the “real world.”
The ending of Inception is meant to leave you thinking and questioning the nature of reality. The important question is not “Is Cobb still dreaming?” – What is important is the fact that the character of Cobb goes from being a guy who is obsessed with “knowing what’s real” to ultimately being a person who stops questioning and accepts what makes him truly happy as what’s real.
But people want more concrete answers than that, so here you go:
After two viewings I can tell you that from the moment that Cobb and Saito (seem to) wake up from limbo, Nolan very purposefully shifts the film into an ambiguous state that leaves it somewhat open to the viewer’s perception and interpretation of that perception – two big themes of the movie, coincidentally enough.
From the moment Cobb and Saito wake, there is no more dialogue between the characters and few shots or images that would concretely explain or prove one interpretation. Is Cobb still dreaming and his team and family (and maybe Saito) are all projections? Or is it the job completed, everyone is back in reality and everything is happily ever after? There are a few pieces of “evidence” that we can certainly address:
-Was Saito truly powerful enough to make one phone call and end Cobb’s problems or was that just Cobb in limbo projecting his subconscious wish to go home? You can argue logistics all you want, but if it’s said that Saito is a powerful and wealthy man (he bought a whole airline on a whim), then there’s reason enough to infer that he could bend the legal system for Cobb. Rich powerful people bend laws all the time.
-Is there something up with that immigration agent or is he just an immigration agent? After two viewings, the conclusion should be that the immigration guy is just a guy. If he’s staring at Cobb, it’s because his job is to look people over and scrutinize them. Would you want immigration letting people through without face-to-face scrutiny?
-Did Cobb’s father (Michael Caine) arrange to meet him at the airport or is he there because he’s Cobb’s projection? At this point we’re reading way too much into things. There is a phone on the plane, so Cobb could’ve easily arranged for pickup. This was also an intricate plan they were hatching, so arranging for airport pickup would probably be on the to-do list.
-In early dream scenes Cobb is wearing a wedding band that doesn’t appear in the “real world” scenes or the end scenes in the airport – does that mean the ending is “reality?” Details like that are certainly strong evidence that there is a real world and that Cobb does live in it at times – such as when he isn’t wearing a wedding band.
-Does the fact that Cobb uses Mal’s totem mean it doesn’t work as a totem and therefore he never knows if he’s in reality or not? Again, we’re reading a little too deep into things. The only people who know the weight and feel of that totem are Mal and Cobb, and since Mal is dead, Cobb is the only one left who knows the totem’s tactile details. So yes, he could certainly use it as a measure of reality, the totem was not “ruined” by him using it.
-At the end, Cobb’s kids seem to be the same age and are seemingly wearing the same clothes as they were in his memory of them – is it “proof” he’s still dreaming? As carefully documented by our own Vic Holtreman, at the end of the film Cobb’s kids are wearing similar outfits to the ones he remembers, but their shoes are different. As for their ages: if you check IMDB, there are actually two set of actors credited with playing Cobb’s kids. The daughter, Phillipa, is credited as being both 3 and 5 years old, while the son, James, is credited as being both 20 months and 3 years old. This suggests that while it might be subtle, there is a difference between the kids in Cobb’s memories and the kids Cobb comes home to. That would suggest the homecoming is in fact “reality.” But feel free to debate that.
-Will the spinning top keep spinning or was it about to fall over just before Nolan cut to black? Sorry, we will never know for sure, although it does start to wobble and it is never shown doing that in the dream world. Each of us will take away a guess – kind of the point of that final shot.
At the beginning of the film, after the first job Cobb’s team tries to pull on Saito, we see Cobb sitting in his hotel room alone, spinning the top and watching it intently, gun in hand. This is a guy who is ready to blow his brains out if the top keeps spinning, in order to “wake himself up.” That’s how obsessed and paranoid he’s become.
Throughout the film, Cobb continues to obsess about spinning the top and verifying reality – however, at the end of movie, he spins the top and walks away from it before he can verify if it stops spinning or not. His kids come running in and Cobb could care less about about the top or “true reality” or extraction/inception anymore. He just wants to be with his children, in whatever place he can be with them. That emotional connection and desire is “reality” enough for him.
In the end, Cobb walking away from the top is a statement in itself that also completes the arc of his character. In a way, the movie is its own maze designed to plant a simple little idea in the viewer’s mind: “reality” is a relative concept.
2010年9月12日 星期日
黑仔日
就係拖住o甘o既心, 早上在出發前去了屋企附近o既眼鏡鋪fix一下我o既眼鏡, 好可惜, 可能太早, 行左3間都未開, 好彩第4間時, 終於有一間開o左... 然後趕返屋企, 拿拿臨執好行李,便去巴士站, 好可惜, 應該係 miss o左班車, 等o左20分鐘, 唉, 時間真係失晒預算…到機場時, 已經係12點半, check-in 過後, boarding pass 上寫住o既登機時間係12:40, haha, 但個一刻, 已經係 12:35… 個地勤都叫我快d去閘口… 誰不知, 過關後, 在等無人駕駛時, 竟然突然間通知大家, 無人駕駛壞左, 無電!!!!! 嘩, 真係未試過, 亦都無諗過無人駕駛會無電囉, 真係 bairrrr ~~ o甘, 點好?? 已經o甘趕時間, 仲要有突發事… 我即刻問個staff, 佢竟然叫我同另一個同機 o既乘客行過去, 話10分鐘就 ok… 於是, 我地行呀行, 又要拖住件 hand carry, 今日仲要有 d 頭痛…激氣… 結果, 我o地半走半行, 都要成20分鐘, 超累…
好彩今程機都幾穩定, 無咩大氣流… 落機時,唔知攪mud, 要d乘客行落機, 再搭接駁巴士後再要行上飛機跟terminalo既connecting bridge, o甘, 點解架機唔直接停係個bridge 呀, 要d乘客走上走落...連一個中國人都忍唔住同一個外國遊客講: ''This is China Service. They just can't let the plane stop at the empty bridge!!''
落機後去o左搭機場大巴, 因有一件大行李, 兩件 hand carry, 所以打算放件大o既係巴士o既行李storage, 點知, 其中一個櫃已經满左, 另一個, 係壞左, 開唔到…..shoot, 又要好辛苦o甘抬舊又大又重o既行李上車…好煩… 到o左總站, 又等左20分鐘的士… 都唔明點解成條街都無車…唉…
回到家, 已經很累,很累… 點解一日內可以o甘黑仔??
希望,明天會更好啦...好彩, 今晚,有我的超級巨聲 ~~ GOGOGO ~~
Hubert & Mag Lam: ~ Support ~
2010年9月3日 星期五
網友的我的志願
網友1:
我小時候的志願是當工程師,因為小時候看見有位伯伯坐轎車,就問媽媽,媽媽說因為他是工程師,所以有車坐,於是我就夢想著當一名工程師,目的就是有自己的車坐。現在,工程師是當上了,不過自己的車還沒有,因為我也不想做馬路殺手.
網友2:
記得當年有個小學男同學, 他說他的志願是做一個”書包”, 老師話書包是一件物件, 不能當志願, 他又說, 我未工作過, 咁點知自己想做什麼, 但書包他日日用, 知道它的工作是什麼.
以前覺得他是挑戰老師的權威, 現在卻覺得他說得對.
幾 creative ~
