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…the comfort just can’t be beat:

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Note to self: when answering personal handphone, there is no need to greet with “Hello, this is Phil.”

Note to the rest of the world: the reason is that.
The reason is never because.

I feel better already.

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Continuing a series on the wedding and honeymoon that I wrote up a while ago and haven’t posted, here are my thoughts on the Portland Classical Chinese Garden.

On Sunday, the inviting landscapes of Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden (or ‘Lan Su Yuan’: the Garden of Awakening Orchids) offered us a serene walk through exotic pavilions and lakes. This is the kind of thing that needs to be seen to be understood. The immersion was impressive: it was a block in the middle of the city, yet it seemed seperate and distant from the commotion.

The garden is billed as ‘never twice the same’, and I can see how the claim holds. The atmosphere changed even in the short time of our visit, but I can only imagine the shift a covering of snow or a blanket of raindrops would have brought about. The shallow water which covered about a third of the garden’s area made the view dynamic, and the reflections brought out the symmetry in the architecture in new ways. The way in which water, leaf, stone, and sky interplayed showed something subtle and unique about the eastern ideas of harmony that must be undeniably true, or it could not affect the viewer so powerfully.

The highlight of the trip had to be our visit to the Tower of Cosmic Reflections, the two-story tea house opposite the lake. As soon as we entered the building the atmosphere of calmness and relaxation took hold of us. We went upstairs and ordered a Jasmine Tuo Cha and a High Mountain Oolong with Ginseng. They brought us each our own individual teapots, and as our supply emptied, they would refill our water, allowing more tea to brew with the potent leaves that were left.

I enjoyed the drinks immensely, although I have to say that this method allowed my Jasmine to overbrew a great deal. I don’t know if I needed to be drinking it faster to avoid it, but it ended up being quite bitter before the pot was refilled with water. On the other hand, Alisha’s oolong was fantastic. I’ve never been too excited about the roasted taste of oolong, but this one was definitely different. Neither tea was sweet upon the sip, but after drinking hers, there was a terrifically sweet hint of flavour on the breath along with all kinds of subtle nuances. I can only compare it with Yogi Licorice Tea, only not quite so overpowering.

We had to start thinking about leaving when the sun hid because, well, Portland is definitely cold this time of year. Even the tension of being outdoors in bitter cold was affected by the walk through the beautiful scenes of the ancient Chinese display. An air of tranquility made me slow down and take things as they came. The contrast to the outside city was striking, and I welcomed the many sensations the garden left with us.

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Lem! You need some of these!

The Savers Software Saga continues: I found MYST at Savers for $5! I was headed straight for the register when I looked inside and saw that it had all the manuals but no CD. What a disappointment! (In 2000, MYST was the best-selling game of all time. I don’t know if the record still stands, but that was very impressive considering it was 6 years old at the time.)

I also found a Windows 95 box, but it was completely empty. I will repress all snide comments I could make about that. (But you’re free to fill in for me in the comments.)

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Man, I need to spend time at home more often. I’m catching up with my friends on chat, researching new technologies, and blogging three times!

Actually, the most productive thing I did today was make some delicious treats. In the tradition of Achewood, The Rum Balls I Made Using Only Ingredients On Hand Or Available At The Dollar Store Across The Street:

You will need:

• A package (12 oz) of vanilla wafers
• A cup and a half of mixed nuts
• Four tablespoons of corn syrup
• About a cup of powdered sugar
• A quarter cup of cocoa powder
• Three ounces of marshmellow cream (half a jar)
• Half a cup of rum
• A bunch of brown sugar

Ok, the first step is to get crushing. You need to crush the wafers pretty hard. It helps if you start doing this when they are still in the packaging, if applicable. This keeps the mess from getting out of hand. Eventually you need to open it so air gets out, otherwise you won’t be able to get very far in the crushing because you will just be crushing air.

The next step is to crush the nuts. You just basically spill them out and then take a hard object (I used the bottom of a cup measurement) and just go at it. Crush those nuts like the dickens.

Ok, once you are done crushing the first two things (did you really crush them thoroughly?) it’s all downhill. Just mix together everything except the brown sugar in a bowl. You will need a pretty big bowl. Mix it nice and well; you don’t want large chunks of wafers. It won’t quite be like a paste until you let it sit for a while. I put mine in the fridge for half an hour. Then it should be nice and pasty, kind of like rice krispy treats.

From there, it’s easy. You can eat it straight as gooey stuff (mmmmm!) or roll it into balls for better storage. Take a tablespoon or so and roll it around in the brown sugar. Then you can store it for later. Be sure to put them on wax paper if you stack them. I’ve heard their flavour improves after a few days, but have been unable to verify this.

Enjoy!

• - If you want to, you can use crushed pecans or walnuts, but they cost a lot more.
  • - This is the crucial ingredient that makes my rum balls the best.
    • - Adjust amount to taste. =D

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I saw Garden State today. I have to wonder about those movies that are directed by their stars. Could it be that the entire production of the movie was an elaborate scheme by Zach Braff to make out with Natalie Portman?

Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time someone has done something crazy for a really beautiful woman.

As for the movie itself…. good but not great. There were moments when it captured the beauty of everyday life, but overall the message was very muddled. And then when it was clear about what the point was, it bordered on cheesy. Oh well. Overall it could have been more coherent in terms of theme, but it had some genuine beauty to it that counts for something.

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Those of you who get bored by my inane tech ranting will be happy to see this new feature:

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It’s amazing! With the click of a link, my blog is transformed into something vaguely normal! Unprecedented!
There is a link on the bottom of the sidebar for future reference. Thanks to Tim Malabuyo for loosely inspiring the idea.

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