TheFaceStyler

Durian Face Mask

I've never tried this myself, but if you are brave enough why dont you try and tell me if it works!

The Philipines Experience - Manila thrilla and Baguio City

Jeepney in Manila

More colorful jeepneys

Balut - a fertilised duck or chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut is widely sold by street vendors. 

Public transport

Famous fast food chain

Congested

More jeepney

Krispy Kreme!

Eyelash extension at a salon. Hairwash and blowdry is not as good compared to Indonesia and K.L.

Buko pie - a traditional filipino pastry filled with young coconut and sweetened with condensed milk.

Chillin'

Confession time

Ice cream

Medicine

Baguio's famous mall

Baguio City at night

Q for ice cream

Bus to Philex Mines

Vegetable dish

Reminds me of My Little Pony and Friends

Let's Get Jazzy!

Here's an interview with groundbreaking Ethiopian Jazz musician and arranger, Mulatu Astatke and U.K collective The Heliocentrics about their forthcoming album 'Inspiration Information 3' under Strut Records. A much anticipated album, this collaboration is to be released very soon..for more info visit Strut Records.

On a different note, i spent last Saturday night chilling to Brazillian World Percussion Ensemble at No Black Tie. Led by VALTINHO ANASTACIO of Sao Paolo who has lived and performed in Japan and New York, the rest of the crew features our very own Lewis Pragasm on drums, Tay Cher Siang on piano and Norman on bass. The crowd was small but attentive and the ensemble was spontaneously breezy but lively. A nice way to end an evening. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these lovely cupcakes with a friend on a lazy afternoon and it turned out to be very popular. Friends who came over even wanted a few to bring home (lol). I found the recipe at elise.com but substitute/add a few ingredients to suit my liking. We decorated the cream cheese frosting with dried blueberries, sprigs of mint and zesty lemon peel. These are worth trying, the recipe makes about 24 medium sized cupcakes or you can make one medium red velvet cake. Happy baking!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups of cake flour
• 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder *I add 3 tablespoons instead of 2
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk*
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar *i used apple cider vinegar

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
•   *sprigs of mint leaves, 1 cup dried blueberries, 1 grated lemon peel

*You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

METHOD

The cupcakes

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

The Frosting

1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.

3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Banksy does it again : New York's Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

Guerrilla artist Banksy has opened his first official exhibition in New York. The fake pet shop aims to question "our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming".

His exhibition, at The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, in Manhattan, features chicken nuggets with legs, busily dipping themselves in sauce.

The exhibition also features a fake rabbit wearing a pearl necklace, a robot monkey wearing headphones and watching TV in a cage, and a caged bird which has lost all of its feathers.

Banksy said: "New Yorkers don't care about art, they care about pets. So I'm exhibiting them instead."

The New York Times said: "Banksy's statements, like much of his pranksterish oeuvre, should be taken with a grain of salt. But there's no denying the show's attention to comically pointed detail."

Source : BBC News

Chocolate fever

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge has just opened another branch in Bangsar Village Shopping Centre. Indulge in a variation of chocolates (duh!), hot and cold chocolate beverages, chocolate desserts, melted chocolate dips, and the list goes on. I must say, the dark iced chocolate was heavenly..mmmm

If you would like to try a hand at baking, here's a recipe worth attempting.

Chocolate fudge cake by Michael Caines

Ingredients
225g plain dark chocolate
225g unsalted butter
345g caster sugar
6 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
120g ground almonds
145g soft white breadcrumbs
30g plain flour 
2tbsp vanilla essence

Icing
85g cocoa powder
255g icing sugar
130g butter
170g caster sugar
6tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas 3.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or in a bowl placed over a pan of boiling water. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until white and soft. Add the egg yolks gradually, one by one, then add the almonds and beat them in. Gently fold in the chocolate with a spoon, then add the bread crumbs, flour and vanilla essence and mix together.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, along with a pinch of sugar, until stiff - but do not over-beat. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture and then pour the mixture into a buttered 26cm cake tin (lined with paper). Place in the oven and cook for one hour.

During this time make the icing. Place the cocoa powder and the icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Warm together the butter, sugar and water until dissolved. Add the liquid into the dry mixture and mix together for a thick but 'pourable' consistency. Once the cake has cooked and cooled, pour over the cake.

Top tip 
Always use dark chocolate, as opposed to milk, when cooking and baking because it provides the desired taste and texture for a recipe.

Recipe source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/14/chocolate-cakes-recipes

SEA FOOD

    

Excellent for good, fast and reasonably priced seafood. Favourites here are the crabs (curry leaf/sweet & sour), lala and prawns (fried & salted). The fried rice, char kuey teow and vegetables from the neighbouring stall is also worth a try. My favourite is pucuk keledek with garlic ; )

Upside : You will be entertained by the 'live' cooking show

Downside : You might come across little creatures running into the nearby longkang

Address: Seafood. Food Court, Jalan Walter Grenier, Off Jalan Imbi 55100 K.L

Stay Healthy at 93

Mrs Lim or 'mommy' as her neighbours call her is amazing. Her skin is absolutely flawless, it's hard to believe she's over 90 years old. She claims she's still able to drive a car, but is not allowed to renew her license because she's too old. She loves to play mahjong but her friends are now too old and ill to play with her. She drinks milo and eats rice with no meat. *apologies for the terrible audio*

Kota Wisata Belanja

           FACT : Bandung (pronounced [bʌndʊŋ]) is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's fourth largest city. Located 768 m (2,520 ft) above sea level, Bandung has relatively year-around cooler temperature than most other Indonesian cities. The city lies on a river basin and surrounded by volcanic mountains. This topology provides the city with a good natural defense system, which was the primary reason of Dutch East Indies government's plan to move the colony capital from Batavia to Bandung.

The Dutch colonials first opened tea plantantions around the mountains in the eighteenth century, followed by a road construction connecting the plantation area to the capital (180 km or 112 miles to the northwest). The European inhabitants of the city demanded the establishment of a municipality (gemeente), which was granted in 1906 and Bandung gradually developed itself into a resort city for the plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques were opened of which the city was dubbed as Parijs van Java.

After Indonesian independence, the city experienced a rapid development and urbanization that has transformed Bandung from idyllic town into a dense 15,000 people/km² metropolitan area, a living space for over 2 million people. Natural resources have been exploited excessively, particularly in the conversions of protected upland area into highland villa and real estates. Although the city has encountered many problems, ranging from waste disposal, floods to chaotic traffic system, Bandung however still has its charm to attract people flocking into the city, either as weekend travellers or living in. Source : Wikipedia

There are many factory outlets (F.O) and distribution stores (DISTRO) in Bandung and some of them are on the famous shopping streets of Setiabudi, Dago, Riau, Chibaduyut and Chiamplas. These are some of my favourite finds :

OLD & NEW -J L. L.L.R.E Martadinata 85, Tel 4203727

  

 

Maika Etnik - Pasar Baru Trade Centre, Lantai 3, Blok A-1, No. 80. Tel 022-4246598

Visit maika etnik blog

 

 

Airplane Systm - Airplane Space Shop, JL Aceh 44

Blind Cafe - Cihampelas Walk, #SG 05 Jl Cihampelas, Tel (022) 2061082

Photo Gallery

   

 

 

menipuLATE Shoot June 14th, 2008

The dating scene: Fariz and Ayu gets cosy at a park by the stream and comes realllyyy close to kissing until Ayu's phone rings and she has to leave. The first two scenes were shot at Lembah Kiara Recreational Park, Jalan Abang Haji Openg, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. It didnt take too long for the director Ariff to capture the shots he wanted, then we were off to a nearby restaurant for yet another dating scene between Ayu and Fariz.

                                                   

The next location was 'Spices of Asia', situated at Jalan Datuk Sulaiman. Chef Isham who prepares and cooks the scrumptious food at the restaurant greeted us cheerfully when we arrived. There was a generous spread of dishes to choose from, and more on the a la carte menu. We decided to satisfy our rumbling tummies first with the variety of food. The favourites among us were their chicken rice, soto and mi bandung, while we quenched our thirst with ice kacang, sirap bandung and nescafe tarik. Everyone commented on how good the food was before we started preparing for our last scene of the day.

                                          

  For more info on the restaurant, kindly visit Chef Zack's Blog.

"menipuLATE" the movie is brought to you by the independent Makers of "Kerusi Panjang",2003/4 & the Award Winning "Best Alternative Cinema" Category in Anugerah Skrin TV3 2007 "Ciplak" The Movie.
Directed by Ariff Aris & Zulkarnain Zakaria,
Production Manged by Nurzaila Suffian & Amri Ramli,
Art & Technical Direction By Khairil M Bahar
Director of Photography is Arif Mustanza,
Sound Engineered by Khairil M Bahar
Music Composed by Rendra Zawawi
Promotions Directed by Zurhaimy Madon (jimmy)
Assisted by Muid Latif

The movie production is a year long project for 2008 & is expected to be released, distributed and screened by January 2009! "menipuLATE" the movie is a Self Financed Non-Commercial ARTISTIC Independent Movie Production Intended for international & local Film Festivals.

"menipuLATE" the movie is a Bi-Lingual Movie in English & Bahasa Malaysia. "menipuLATE" the movie is based on a true relationship story on how men lie (menipu) & how women manipulate and it all creates a chain reaction where what 1 persons action could determine his fate. This movie brings the meaning to "what goes around, comes around..."

"menipuLATE" the movie is currently being shot on Weekends around the area of Klang Valley during the period of APRIL to JUNE 2008.

Cast lineUP!

Leading Roles

Tuan Faisal
Claudia Low

Supporting Roles

Jimmy Madon
Helen Merete Simm
Linora Low
Nurul Aain
Iedil Putra
Sani

Additional Roles

Davina Goh
Khairil M Bahar
Moots
Pop Shuvit!

"menipuLATE" the movie is sponsored by these generous peeps:

nails & faces : Make up & styling
Secret lemari : Clothing & wardrobe
Rahsia bistro : Location Sponsor
Aprilia MotoMillia : Product Sponsor

"menipuLATE" online @

http://menipulate.terapad.com

"menipuLATE is now on:

MYSPACE
FACEBOOK
FRIENDSTER
Hi5

Add up "menipuLATE" @ "menipulate@gmail.com"

Let's all "menipuLATE" shall we?

menipuLATE @ Cinema Online's Movie Carnival 2008