Lau's Thoughts

General Agitation #2- Plain English Please!!!

2010-09-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

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I know I'm not perfect myself and probably say 'y'know' too much, but here are some little niggles I have with conversations in spoken and written forms. They are in no particular order of irritation......

In speech:

1) Saying 'persific'- instead of 'specific'
2) Saying 'like' every other world- I blame the Americans for this one. Once heard an American girl chatting to her friend on the tube. 42 times in the space of 4 minutes. I kid you not!
3) 'I writ I down'- no you 'wrote' it down
4) Someone over using the word 'obviously' when they are explaining something to me
5) 'At the end of the day....' - most commonly heard on daytime talk shows
6) saying 'i'm not being funny, but....' - and then they say something which is is 'funny'

In written form:

1) A question with an exclamation mark rather than a question mark
2) ritN n txt spk owtsd of a txt - i had to look this one up using a handy txt translator

Have I missed any out?

Lx

Shocking! 6 year-old can't tell a Tomato from a Potato

2010-09-13T12:10:00.001-07:00

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Pretty shocking stuff I think. How can a child of that age be so detached from fresh food that they think a tomato is a potato?

This is a clip from 'Jamie's Food Revolution'. It starts tonight at 10pm on channel 4. The show was aired in America earlier this year and has won an emmy award for the best reality show.

Following the success of 'Jamie's School Dinners' and 'Jamie's Food Revolution' in the UK, British TV chef Jamie Oliver heads over the pond to America to see if he can start a 'food revolution'. He goes to Huntington, West Virginia. Last year this town was named statistically as the most obese town in America. 34% of the population in Huntington is clinically obese and its not unusual to see a child of 4 or 5 weighing twice the amount they should do.

Jamie sets about educating the people of Huntington to ditch some of the junk food and get back in the kitchen, cooking with fresh ingredients. He sets up a 'kitchen' along the main street to give residents cooking lessons and has a bet with a hostile local DJ that he can teach 1000 people how to cook a meal in just 5 days. Jamie also checks out the local schools and is shocked to find the school providing children with pizza for breakfast and artificial milkshake that contains as much sugar as a can of coke.

Have watched some of the series on youtube and think its really good. You can see the difference he has made by the end of it. I know Jamie Oliver isn't always the most popular of people, but I've always liked him. He is passionate about what he does and genuinely cares. Plus- he's from Essex and we Essex people should stick together I reckon!

Lx

Where were you on September 11th 2001?

2010-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

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I was staying at my ex's student flat in Hays, West London.

Quite early that morning we had got back from our holiday in Turkey. It had been the first holiday for me that had involved getting on a plane. Before that, the furthest I'd been was France which is quite unusual for a 21-year-old Brit. As soon as we landed I had rang my dad at the airport to wish him a Happy Birthday.

We were both very tired when we got back to Hays about 9 or 10 in the morning and decided to get a little sleep. I dropped off straight away. A few hours later I was semi-aware of him getting up.

Next thing, I awoke to him rushing into the bedroom saying ''Lau, Manhattan is on fire! there's smoke everywhere. Come and see this!'' Was in a bit of a daze but followed him into the living room where BBC 24 was on the telly.

Sure enough, I saw the pictures of a building I recognised with smoke pouring from it. I was asking him what was going on and he said that he had just put it on himself and didn't know.

Remember sitting there for the next few hours seeing the same images of planes crashing into the towers, the towers falling, people in the streets in panic covered in dust. The whole world had just stopped and were glued to their screens wondering who? why? and was there more to come? Was the most shocking thing I'd ever seen and what was worse, it was actually really happening.

I also remember quite strongly that initial reports said that there were five planes involved. Now in news reports you just hear about the 4. The two into the towers, the one at the pentagon and the one that didn't quite make it. I'm sure there was another that is not mentioned now. Does anyone else recall?

After a few hours watching the reports, we needed to go out to the local supermarket to get some food in. All that we had been eating was toasted bread from the freezer. The roads and the shops were eerily quiet.

When we got back from shopping we put the news back on to see if there were any updates. As I sat there watching, I started to recall reading something as a teenager in a book about Nostradamus predictions about a disaster occurring in New York.

I still had the book at my parents house and the next time I visited, I looked it up. It was published in '93'. I had used it for a school project. It went through Nostradamus's muddled code-written predictions from 500 years ago and their translations. Sure enough, It was as I remembered (I still have this book)...

''The sky will burn at forty-five degrees, fire approaches the great New City. Immediately a huge, scattered flame leaps up when they want to have proof of the Normans''

the translation was:

''If this one is true then New Yorkers must fear a massive aerial bombing at some point which will destroy most of the metropolis. New York county actually lies between the 40* and 45* parallel in the USA. The last line is typically muddled and no one seems to have come up with a satisfactory explanation of his reference to 'the Normans' ''

I know its not completely accurate, but it did make me think.

Can't believe it has been nearly ten years since this has happened. The world has seemed to have changed so much during that time.

Lx

The End of Big Brother

2010-09-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

So, tonight marks the end of the reality TV phenomena Big Brother. A programme that is about 5 years passed its sell-by date.

I admit that I watched this show when it first started. Since series 3, have dipped in and out of it. The last few years it has been completely off my radar and this year- I didn't even know it was still going on until a lunch-time discussion with some work friends (you know who you are!). They brought it to my attention that past housemates would be reprised in the two week long 'Ultimate Big Brother'. I watched with curious interest to see who they would bring back, I got sucked in a little for the first week. Haven't been bothering with it since.

It's such a shame. It all started off so innocently. Labelled as a 'social experiment' in 2000, I remember channel 4 showing a pre documentary about the shows success in the Netherlands and how the term 'Big Brother' came from George Owells classic '1984', a book I had always wanted to read and ended up buying the day after. It is still a favourite of mine. I will re-read it once every two years now. The idea of filming ten people for who were locked in a house 24/7 seemed like an interesting concept. What would happen? Would they become friends? Would they fight? Would they become crazy? Turns out.... all the above.

For the first two series, the Big Brother house was located in Bow, London. Just down the road from where I lived at the time in Plaistow with my uni housemates. It was always good to pop out into the garden on finale night and watch the massive firework display. It brought a little excitement to a normally dull and depressing area.

What the program became is very far removed from its beginnings. It brought in people who used it as a fast-track to their five minutes of fame and then inevitable obscurity. Happily only a few managed to make much money from their 'experience'.

I expect they will go all out tonight. The crowds will be bigger, the fireworks will be louder. Will I be watching tonight? Maybe, for old-time’s sake.

Lx

The year 2000- Seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?

2010-09-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just been watching (or had on in the background) My funniest year- year 2000, an entertaining take on stuff that happened in the year 'Y2K'. It was a time of hope, a time of excitement and a just a little bit of fear.

I guess the year didn't start off too great in the UK. All the fear of the millennium bug and the anticlimax of the firework display in London. I was there that night. 20 years old and at uni in London. All excited and looking forward to the 'river of fire' that was apparently going to happen.

There we thousands and thousands of people along the river. All the bridges were crowded and I spent most of the night walking the stretch of it to get a good view. Alas, just before midnight I had ended up walking too far and then not being able to get anywhere near the action. Began the new year somewhere near westminster and watching the firework display from the reflection of a building. Meh! And that river of fire? I didn't end up seeing it, but there apparently was not much to see anyway.

As soon as the new year had been rung in, there was a moment of panic. Was the millennium bug going to strike?...... No! Although it was entertaining to see those people who owned mobile phones not being able to get through to friends and family and panicking... ''Its the bug! Its the bug!.... No, its just a busy network!

All that 'millennium bug' madness ey? ''Oh no! the world is going to end! The computers of the world can't cope!! There will be chaos!!'' Back then, apparently 1/3 of people feared for their personal safety. Completely forgot that the BBC had a 24 hour rolling news service called 'bugwatch' to keep an eye on all the disasters the millennium bug would cause. However, the only action was that of a tumbleweed rolling past the screen.

And so the year rolled on and it brought us...The first Harry Potter film, Big Brother UK, the Tate Modern openening and Sydney hosted the oylmpics.

Yay for 2000!

Found an interesting article from a 1922 German newspaper which predicts life in the year 2000

Lx

Oatmeal and Raisin Cookie Recipe (Yummy!)

2010-09-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

So, I keep getting asked about my oatmeal and raisin cookies. Yes they are sooo good. Really easy to make and kids an adults love 'em. Recipe in metric and American measurements...

You need:

180g (3/4 cup) butter, softened
150g (3/4 cup) white sugar
150g (3/4 cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g (1 1/4) cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg (or 1 of each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
230g (2 3/4) cups rolled oats
150g (1 cup) raisins or sultanas

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
2) Get a big bowl and cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth
3) Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until mixture is fluffy
4) Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add into the butter mixture
5) Stir in oats and raisins
6) Once everything is mixed up, roll up teaspoon sized balls and spread out onto a greaseproof paper covered baking tray
7) Bung in oven for 8-10 mins
8) Get out of oven and set out to cool for 10mins
9) After cooling, set on wire rack to cool further
10) Eat!

Happy Cookie Making!

Lx

General Agitation #1- The One Show- why oh why?

2010-09-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

The BBC's pointless 'magazine' show broadcast weekdays at 7pm

If I were to buy this as a magazine in a shop, I would want a refund.

So, you get home from work, switch in the telly to the default BBC1 channel and it’s just on in the background acting all inoffensive. But, have you actually tried WATCHING it? I think it could be best described as an adult 'Blue Peter', but half as interesting.

For starters it has the most annoying and unimaginative theme tune ever: # Wunnnnnnnnn! (didli-didli-doo) Wunnnnnnn! (didli-didli-doo! Wunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! (yeaahayeah)#. It’s the kind that is designed to grate. Then there are the topics. Such a wide range of interest- from learning about bat droppings to.... boxing hares to......hairstyles for those who are in their mature years and then to.... pelican feathers. ??????

Ohh- but least we forgot the shows 'guests' who half the time seem embarrassed to be on such a show, but feel that it is an evil necessity to promote their latest song/book/TV show. And what all this fuss over the presenters. Do we care that Adrian Chiles has defected to ITV? ITV can have him bore them instead. Good riddance!

And to make it worse, they then start having it on for an hour rather than half hour. Was there nothing better they could have filled the time-slot with?

The only good thing about the show is the investigative reports by consumer hero Dom Littlewood. Yes, he seems to be everywhere on the BBC at the moment, but he gets in there and is always up for a barny.

So, as long as we have our TV's tuned to this channel, and there is no competition with this time-slot from the other main channels, it looks like The One Show will be parked up at 7pm for a long time to come.

Lx