My Sense Worth

04.10.12

So Generally I..

Watched the movie Sense and Sensibility on HBO this afternoon. That is probably the 20^th time I watch the movie..or is it more? It’s a lengthy film..2 hours and 16 mins but it always had me glued to the screen..always.

A fan of British films (and recently, British soaps), I especially liked films of the olden days, or in this case..centuries.

I have been asked why I like watching the movie so much, and the answer is pretty simple..firstly, I like the dialogue…Emma Thompson as a screenwriter did really, really  well..secondly, I like looking and comparing the vintage fashion of those days.. there’s something about the way women wear their dresses in the old days that are just so appealing and thirdly, hey.. it’s a Jane Austen story. What’s not to like eh?

The film boasted an impressive cast who carried their respective roles well. I always thought each actor casted was perfect for the role they played. But the last few times I watched it, a few other thoughts have crossed my mind. Nothing that discredit the film though..nothing at all..You see, I consider myself a huge fan of Harry Potter movies, so watching Col. Brandon (Alan Rickman) rescuing Marianne from the horrid rain or reading a poem to her in the lazy afternoon sun, I can’t help picturing him as Snape and imagining him casting a deathly spell on John Willoughby for breaking Marianne’s heart. LOL..

Then there was Charlotte Palmer’s (Imelda Staunton) laughter and silly dialogues to her mother and husband….well put her in a pink modern dress suit and she becomes the Delores Umbridge with the evil giggle who likes to drink her tea with a potful of sugar. :) Its too bad though Hugh Grant was never casted as a wizard in Harry Potter (though I think he could easily replace Kenneth Branaugh (Prof Gilderoy Lockhart)..but then Emma Thompson was casted and she was cute as Sybil Trelawney.  .. 

Btw, JK Rowling has a new book out – the Casual Vacancy. In Singapore, a major bookstore chain is selling it at SGD49. Amazon Online is having a promo now, and it’s selling at only US$20.90 (or approx. SGD27). Click below to get more info.

Following the Planetary Dots..

I’m starting to monitor the weather for the countries I’m visiting. First up – Paris..this week’s weather is dropping to an average of 15 degrees C..and it’s only October. The coldest I have experience was 3 degrees in London.

My self learning of the French is taking as little setback, due to a busy week doing other pressing tasks. The good news is I found French channel on my cable box – TV Monde..so I am feeling for encouraged. I’m definitely tackling that French for Dummies book next week.

Show Me The Money..

Im reinstating the link here again in case anyone is looking to read more on the My-Data-Team programme.

Click here

Delish! Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins!

02.10.12

So Generally I...

Spent most of the afternoon submitting this blog to the free web directories..tedious job I tell you..but one which I know will be worth it in the long run. The good thing is I am getting help from My-Data-Team which provides step-by-step instruction videos and manual on how to go about doing it. It makes the task so much simpler… Like my mentioned in my earlier posts, My-Data-Team is a programme which gives you a lot of information on how to start earning money online. They have many programmes , and each programme is supported by detailed training and explanation. All you need to do is figure out which money making programme works best for you.

If you interested to find out more, check this link.

And so I did the muffins yesterday..Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins. This is from a book called ‘Muffins Galore’ by Catherine Atkinson (hmmm.. any relations to Rowan? J)

Muffins are easy to make and almost fail-proof. Once you tried a few recipes, you’ll realize that it follows just a few simple process mainly, combined the wet ingredients, combine the dry ingredients..and then combine the two. 20 -25 mins later in the oven, you will be greeted by a batch of delicious muffins! Well this particular recipe is a personal favourites..and so good that I have sold them at fundraising events and to friends.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins (Makes 12)

You will need :

A:

150g plain flour

175g caster sugar (you can substitute with light brown sugar for better flavor)

35g unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

¼ teaspoon salt

B:

125ml sour cream (I usually use light sour cream)

3 tablespoon vegetable oil (eg canola oil)

50g butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

75g plain chocolate, melted (I usually Cadbury dairy milk chocolate)

25g flaked almonds (for muffin top - optional)

For cheesecake mixture:

175g cream cheese or full-fat cheese, at room temperature

60g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do :

Preheat oven to 190 C /375 F/ Gas mark 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cups.

So easy peasy..combine A and set aside. Then combine B and set aside. Combine A and B and tah dah!!..you have your muffin batter ready.(Tips : the fastest way to melt the butter and chocolate is to microwave the butter for about 1 to 1.5 mins. Remove from the microwave and stir in the chocolate. Don’t forget to cool this before combining with the other wet ingredients)

Combine the cheesecake mixture ingredients and with a hand whisk, whisk the mixture until smooth and lumpless. This mixture makes a lot and its actually enough for a double batch of the muffins.

Fill in the paper cups with the muffin mixture (3/4 filled will do). Spoon the cheesecake mixture on top. With a wooden satay stick or a chopstick, stir the cheesecake mixture to get a marbled effect. Lastly, sprinkle a fee pieces of the almond flakes in top.

Bake for 20-25 mins or until risen and firm to the touch. Cool muffins.

Serve warm or cold. Personally, I think the muffins taste better the day after..if they last that long. Give it a shot!

Show Me The Money

I found a couple more new programmes which are simple and easy to follow. I am in the midst of reading and evaluating them in details. Will definitely share it here when I am done.

Cheers

Food!

Happy October!

So Generally I…

Am liking the cooling weather more and more. Sunny mornings.. rainy afternoons. There is an urge to make muffins this week, so once I did it, I will upload the recipe and pic to share.

But today I would like to share another recipe though. This is a mostly Asian dish..simply because I’m using chillies and oyster sauce.. but the amount of heat can be controlled by the amount of chillies used, so if you are not a fan of chillies, you can still try this.

It’s a seafood dish..Mussels In Oyster Sauce.

Mussels are low in fat, a good source of protein, folate and zinc. It is an excellent source of Vitamin B12 (source of info : Wikipedia.org). Mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbecued or fried in butter. Like all shellfish, be sure they are properly cooked before eaten.

So the recipe will call for;

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 onion (small size will do), quartered

2 chillies, thinly sliced 

3 tablespoon of oyster sauce (more if you want more gravy)

1 packet of snow peas, cut off the ends

1 carrot, thinly sliced

400-500g of cooked mussels (I bought frozen mussels and microwave with some water for 4-5 mins. Save the juice)

a dash of white pepper

a dash of coarsely grind black pepper

1 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional)

2 tablespoon of olive oil

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chopped garlic and stir. Add in the carrots and stir for about 2 mins. Add in the mussels with the juice and the oyster sauce. Cook & stir occasionally for about 2-3 mins . Add the snowpeas and stir for about 1-2 minutes or until cooked. Add in the onion, chillies, white and black pepper. If you like the gravy to be thick, add in the cornstarch last. I usually don’t bother with this. Cook for another 1-2 minutes and remove from the fire.

Serve hot with rice or crusty bread for a simple, healthy, one dish meal. This portion serves generously for 2-3 pax. You can also substitute the mussels for shrimp. 

Following The Planetary Dots.. 

Will need to book tickets to the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland in Paris and the Harry Potter  Theme Park by end of this week for the trip. But before that, lots of reading to do on other places to visit. I’m not even thinking of the shopping yet..just trying to keep the excitement manageable for now. LOL

Show Me The Money..

I am still reading on My-Data-Team website. I have tried out the opportunities under Home Typing and they do work. There are several options under this section to consider and try out. One thing I like about it is that it's all free. No cost whatsoever. If you wish to find out more, just Click Here.

The FNA marathon

So Generally I...

Spent most of today watching FNA, in particular the Food Network Stars episodes. Cool..as I have not been watching the channel for weeks. I am so going to check out some new recipes from their website soon.

Following The Planetary Dots 
60 days to my Europe trip.. 5 countries, 3 weeks. And loads of luggage. I'm kind of worried about the language barrier in Paris. Been hearing so many stories about the importance of understanding and speaking some French in order to communicate with the locals..so I'm trying. Got a book (with a audio CD :) ) on learning how the speak the language so I am going to give it a try...soon. 

Show Me The Money
For a couple of months now I have been searching from the internet on how to make some money working from home. God! There are just so many options and websites to consider out there. But of all that I have tried so far, I think one of the better ones is the website owned by My-Data-Team. The website is very thorough in its explanation all the possible ways to make money online. Sure it involves a lot of reading, but I think there are a lot of valuable information to consider too. If you wish to find out more, just Check This Out.

Cheers