Wow

(via All Things Pakistan)

if death is kind

*ulysses' gaze theme

This morning, I heard that a friend had passed away under tragic circumstances. Time stopped for a few minutes while the news sank in. Then dread creeped through. My first thoughts were his parents - the piercing pain they must feel, outliving their child. I called my mum back in Singapore — just to hear her voice. I thought of writing about the fleetness of life, of the recent unexpected deaths of people I know. But I won't because I don't understand it and I don't know where to begin.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Green Tea and White Chocolate Mousse

As I was drafting this post, I thought that the pretty colors in the pictures deserve its own soundtrack. After yesterday's poem read by Andy Garcia, how about another poem by Neruda? This time "And Now You Are Mine" read by Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts. You may press play.

My easy and quick go-to dessert is Alton Brown's Moo-Less Chocolate Pie. Before you pooh-pooh the idea of tofu in your chocolate, try it first. Every time I make it for guests, which is many times, it always receives rave reviews. No one can taste the tofu, even people who hate tofu love it and have asked me for the recipe. It's convenient because I just keep a bag of chocolate chips and a box of tofu (I use Morinu's organic tofu which does not require refrigeration) in the pantry for emergency dessert (what do you mean you've never had such an emergency). It's easy because I skip the crust - just blend all the ingredients (I use expresso coffee instead of coffee liquer), pour the mixture in ramekins and let it set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Serve with some fruits of the season and have very happy guests.

But to avoid same dessert-fatigue, I set out to make a variation of my own. My version uses white chocolate and green tea. I've made this twice for friends we had over for dinner recently and I'm delighted that they enjoyed it. I served it with sliced strawberries and pistachios. One of my friends commented that she liked the strawberries because the slight tartness countered the sweetness of the white chocolate. So I imagine this would go well with blackberries and raspberries too. I lined the strawberries because I used glass cups. But you can easily use ramekins and put diced fruits at the base or on top of the mousse. The pistachio rounds up the mousse with the right texture and crunchy richness, so don't skip it. Use a good quality white chocolate bar - the inexpensive, chips in a packet tend to be higher in sugar and too sweet. This recipe is not vegan because white chocolate usually contains milk products. But you can get vegan white chocolate or make your own if you want to make it dairy-free.

Green Tea and White Chocolate Mousse
inspired by Alton Brown

10-12 strawberries
12 oz white chocolate
3 oz firm silken tofu
1 teaspoon matcha
⅓ cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 oz pistachios (shelled and peeled)

1. Slice the strawberries thinly and use them to line your glass cups or ramekins.

2. Use a double boiler or put a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Melt the white chocolate in the bowl and then stir in the vanilla.

3. Dissolve the matcha in the hot water. Pour into the blender with the tofu and liquefy. Then pour in the white chocolate and blend the mixture. Pour into the glass cups or ramekins. Refrigate until set - about 2 hours.

4. To serve, sprinkle pistachios over the mousse.

Makes 6 in 6 oz containers.

Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Line

My taste in poems is, shall we say, common? I like crowd pleasers such as Yeats' He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven and Walt Whitman's Song of Myself. Pablo Neruda? I'll take all his love poems, thank you. If you need convincing, please press play.

Singing Spanish - Caetano Veloso

My friend Dave listens to Spanish radio to help improve his Spanish. I tried that but like with most pop music stations, I cannot deal with the DJs' shouting and drivel - especially drivel I can barely understand. I've decided to watch Spanish movies and listen to Spanish songs instead. This Caetano Veloso song is in an album of his that I own - Antologia 67/03. Unfortunately, I left the CD sleeve back in Singapore so I can't read the lyrics as I listen to his songs. Thank goodness for Google - found the lyrics and the translation below by Genève Gil. It's not a line-by-line translation but it's all there. You can read it as you listen to the song - it's completely charming.

Music of the Birds

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli:

"Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

I sent the music to the photographer, Paulo Pinto, who I Googled on the internet. He told his editor, who told a reporter and the story ended up as an interview in the very same newspaper.

Here I've posted a short video made with the photo, the music and the score (composed by the birds)."

Songs you used to love

So fun! You can check in every day for a surprise tune from the past. Or, click on the button on the bottom left corner to play all the songs.

R.I.P.

I was in college when Michael Jackson came to Singapore to perform. My brother was a long-time fan. Michael Jackson's Thriller album was the first cassette tape he owned. We had planned to go to the concert separately with our friends. Then I jokingly asked my mum if she wanted to come along. I never expected her to say yes - after all she is a conservative and traditional woman who does not even speak English. But this was Michael Jackson - whose music we had played frequently in our home and whose music videos kept my siblings and I mesmerized in front of the television. So in the end, my brother and I decided to take both my mother and our younger teenage sister to the concert. In her traditional Malay garb, she sat back and enjoyed the music while her children were dancing and screaming crazily. It was the only time she ever attended a pop concert - she had to - it was Michael Jackson. And she loved telling her friends all about it.