Sense and Sensibility: 200th anniversary

In 1811 Thomas Egerton of Whitehall, London published Sense and Sensibility. Quick math shows it has been two centuries since Jane Austen became a full-fledged author.

Quite an anniversary, indeed. A celebration, I declare.

Blogs regarding the publication anniversary of this romance novel picture Jane Austen's engagements whilst making the final touches of her manuscript from Sloane Street. In letters to her sister Cassandra, Jane gave accounts of her shopping for muslin, the party that their brother Henry and SIL Eliza gave; mentioned several acquaintances, and referred to her book as S and S.

As a fan I wonder which between sense and sensibility did JA deem more important since she portrayed both attributes equally well. I'm obliged to enthuse over my S & S reading experience. Alas, I only managed fourteen chapters before getting sidetracked by another novel, the very first that JA wrote. I will resume and complete my affair with the celebrant before 2011 ends.

This post is linked with ABC Wednesday.

Neurotic old maid patties

"...I'm single. I eat in the kitchen sink."

- Sarah (Diane Lane) in Must Love Dogs

Well, I'm single too, and I eat on top of the fridge facing a rickety bread toaster and a good, old reading lamp amongst pens, receipts, stray ear rings and notes bound for the loony bin.  In this one particular case when I had been in bed too long, I stood on my 5th floor porch for some fresh air. These are oat patties I managed to conjure err... make during one Saturday when I was unable to eat out.  Tuna chunks, pancake flour, evaporated milk, a large egg, Knorr soy sauce, and shitake bits. There are no spices at all; can't be bothered. Just mix, fry and voila! Every piece turned out yummy.

You would expect me to fidget while trying to leave some for a friend who was coming to dinner. The AC machine became the next table. And then a thought struck. This plate is royal bone china. It falls and hits a sedan on the parking lot below and I'm going to mourn my loss for a long time.  Neurotic, old maid.

A tip: Use quick cooking oats, not instant, for patties.

This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday

and

Friday Food Fight

Girl reading

The pictures space in my e-library contains a folder named Anastasia's Looking Glass.  It is where I store photos that inspire me. Recently I stumbled upon this website called vi.sualize.us where you can "bookmark your favorite images and share them with everyone." So far I found 12; (thought I'd include one of me to complete the list as I like it the way it is), and I'm sharing all with you.  A link to the source is placed before each photo. My 'favoritest' are nos. 2 - 13. Got yours?



1. Reading blurbs @ Dasa Book Cafe. February 2011

2. reading
http://piccsy.com/2011/05/reading-88r2ws7ph/

3. Untitled / Lauren Treece
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/user/12221102..../style

4. reading
http://piccsy.com/2011/05/reading-88r2ws7ph/

5. Beauty of childhood / via ver2go (tumblr)
http://ver2go.tumblr.com/

6. Sisters / Mig_R
http://flickr.com/photos/fawbs/2819244943/

7. 163 / 365 - Felix Felicis / Noukka Signe
http://beautyineverything.com/4518817536

8. Books to Read
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/books-to-read

9. Charles Edward Perugini, World Gallery
http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/

10. http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Jean-Honor-Fragonard oung-Girl-Reading-Print-C10032525.jpeg http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://artfiles.....5.jpeg

11. Young Woman Reading By A Window, Delphin Enjolras
http://www.oilpaintings-art.com/movement/Young-Woman-Re....ow/162

12. Pietro Magni’s marble statue The Reading Girl
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://curledupwi....ng.jpg

13. Book of Fairy Tales... by *louvre89 on deviantART
http://louvre89.deviantart.com/art/Book-of-Fairy-Tales-88905326

Megan and Janet host Thursday Thirteen

A BBC list of 100 books

A BBC meme asks how many of the 100 books of a list they published have you read.  Library Thing comments that "the BBC apparently believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books."  It's probably true to me. While I read two Harry Potter books and Da Vinci Code twice, I managed only parts of numbers 7-13 on my list: (Library Thing link has the complete list; see how many have you read)

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
3. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
4. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
5. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
6. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
7. Adventures of Sherlocke Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
8. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
9. Anne Shirley of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery
10.  The Bible
11.  The Complete Works of Shakespeare
12.  Moby Dick - Herman Melville
13. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Megan and Janet host Thursday Thirteen

Chikuyoh Yakiniku

You know what happens when you live in a normally boiling hot city and it suddenly turns cold? Instead of staying where you are you wander... Half an hour into looking around your empty stomach growls and you remedy it with a cup of coffee -

And then you become curious what's on the other pages of the menu. 

Ok, that's my routine, sort of. A month ago this was what I experimented on: Chikuyoh Yakiniku @ Yagura Chaya Fumi. Loved it!

This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday

and

Friday Food Fight

The culinary excuse of the hedgehog

Bangkok used to be predictably boiling hot during summers but now it's freaking cold. Two nights ago I walked around Piyarom Sports Club, my long-time haunt. The wind only had to make me shiver slightly and I was inside Ma Kitchenette in an instant, one of several eateries in the complex. It was half past ten at night and I needed the warmth you know :)

 

Rice fried with fish paste and dried mint leaves. The cashew nuts were my first attraction.  And that book club session I got back from earlier had too much red wine, chips and opinions on The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I had to temper those with a warm cup of cappuccino.

This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday

and

Friday Food Fight

Between lunch and dinner

What do you call food eaten between lunch and dinner?

Last weekend I looked for a place to read a book in peace and 9th Cafe @ Siam Paragon was a yummy find. Chocolate swirl cheese cake! I did not regret choosing this.

Sprite.  A drink I have not had in awhile.

 

And mini beef tacos. Yum and I got to do two of my fave pleasures: eat and read.

The world is all good. 
This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday

and

Friday Food Fight

Weekend brunch

This is not a sudden interest in Japan. Japanese cuisine has always been my preference for weekend brunch since I acquired a weekend life. And the beef steak set at Fuji is my usual order even though they always give me rare no matter how much I emphasize that I want well-done:

 

The set includes choices for either coffee or tea, hot or iced. I always have the hot tea with milk.

The meal is concluded by a trio of papaya, pineapple and watermelon slices.

Rarely do I pick something else on the menu. This set is what I order almost every weekend. Here's hoping it's not a weekend eating abnormality. I'm going out in a few minutes to have this brunch again.

This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday 

Friday Food Fight

Kiwi and dragon fruit

Since I started blogging there's one thing I have been neglecting and it's one of my major pursuits - eating or dining if we are so formally inclined :D. I will start my very first food post with something healthy. You don't want to know what I explore if I go splurging on food. These slices of kiwi, dragon fruit, pineapple and capsicum were one of those weekend breakfasts when by some stroke of luck I walked into the fruit section of a supermarket.

This post is linked with Food Trip Friday

 

and Friday Food Fight

It's not what it seems so don't wander

Lazaruz Vault by Tom Harper tells of knights and castles; a 12th century poem kept deep in a Scottish forest. The star character, a gradschool student lured by old world affluence, is wondering about what lies on the 6th floor of her employer's headquarters as much as I furrowed my brow over some words in the story. There could be more as I haven't touched chapters 20 - 53 yet. I make each vocabulary simple with just the obvious term of the definition and reminders intended to warn my mind against wandering off.

1. hauberk is a shirt not a partner in crime

2. bittern is a bird not a betel nut

3. fascia is tissue not a hue

4. vavasour is a tenant not a sour guava

5. breton is a horse not a variant spelling of briton

6. brigand is an outlaw not a brigadier

7. declension is an inflection not necessarily a decline

8. donjon is a keep not a dungeon

9. seneschal is a butler not Senegal in the 2000 FIFA World Cup

10. fewter is a holder not Harry Potter's cauldron

11. letch is a satyr not the grub in Lion King

12. tannoy is a loudspeaker not a tan alloy

13. proscenium is a wall not "Mr Van Helsing, your reputation precedes you."

Megan and Janet hosts Thursday 13.