Tomato Time

The tomato harvest has begun in my garden. I planted a small slicing variety called Northern Delight Ultra Early, and they've lived up to their name...I started harvesting my first tomatoes about two weeks ago, which is early for tomatoes around here. I wasn't sure what to expect from this variety; I thought they might be bland, but they've turned out to be sweet, tasty little tomatoes.



They're good little producers too, each plant is putting forth dozens of tomatoes. And they bloomed out in intervals, so the tomatoes are coming on in succession, which is convenient. They're a nice size for canning too. I fertilized them with kelp extract when I transplanted them and again when they started to set fruit. I also sprayed them with a kelp extract tea, which they seem to have liked. Despite being overcrowded, they've come out robust and disease-free. Here's my messy little "tomato orchard," you can see that they are all in containers and are more crowded than is ideal for tomatoes:



We've been having a warm and sunny summer, which also helped bring on the tomatoes in a timely fashion. The squash and cucumbers are loving the heat too. I'm a little worried about my peppers though; I planted a miniature red bell variety. There are lots of little peppers, but they don't seem to be getting any bigger. Like the tomatoes, the pepper plants are bit overcrowded as well, and I suspect that's the culprit. I'm waiting to see what happens...I have a feeling that we're going to be eating lots of little green peppers.





The summer is going by quickly; I can't believe July is nearly out. :)

The Sayn Apple iphone Limited Diamond Deluxe Edition

Owing an Apple iPhone is still considered to be a prized possession and what if you are given an option for Apple iPhone caste in gold and brilliant cut diamonds. Check this Apple iPhone limited Diamond deluxe Edition from Sayn Design crafted in 24k gold which comes with a Sayn Design crown draped in 18k gold. The crown is bejeweled with brilliant cut diamonds of 0.20 carat each. Even the Apple logo is milked with 18k pure gold. A total of 53 diamonds have been used which are 0.50 carat. Covering of gilding is nano technology surface which ensures shiny gold surface remains intact.

Carrying the Made in Germany tag, this Apple iPhone comes in a crafted wooden box with a certificate backing its authenticity. Only 500 pieces will be produced of this wonder of the world and will be priced at $8500.

image and tip courtesy: sayndesign

Rainbow Food

From left to right: fresh tomatoes, black beans, sweet potatoes, avocado/cucumber/radish salad, and red cabbage with a coconut-lime sauce.


I saw a picture of this meal in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine at my mom's house. The photo was titled "Rainbow on a Plate" or something similar and, of course, was much more beautiful than the photo above. At any rate, it made me want to put together a simple plate of fresh, organic veggies. There was a recipe in the magazine, which I didn't bother to read, but rather just used the picture as a springboard.

The weather has been very hot lately, so not wanting to cook in the heat of the day, I soaked my beans overnight and cooked them first thing in the morning. I cooked the beans until they began to tender, then added some sliced garlic, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt/pepper, and a splash of cider vinegar, and let them simmer for ~ 30 minutes. I reheated them in the evening, but they would have been tasty cold or at room temp too.

I would normally roast the potatoes in the oven, but in this heat, I decided to throw them on the barbie instead. I used about two pounds of potatoes and glazed them with a mixture of 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and a splash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.


The sauce is plain coconut milk yogurt with a couple tablespoons of fresh lime juice, a dash or two of coriander, and salt/pepper to taste.

It was a perfect summer meal--light, but satisfying. We usually eat dinner after dusk fall, and as a result, my dinner pics are the worst of a bad lot: eerie pictures of food coming out of the darkness.

Get the Gucci Gold Cufflinks to complement your attire

No man’s attire is complete without cufflinks and there is nothing better than designer gold cufflinks to complement your attire. Check these sober cufflinks in 18 carat yellow gold which was launched by Gucci with their logo embossed on it.

Priced at $1640 these luxury cufflinks can set you apart from the rest of the crowd as they are certainly a style statement.

Image and story courtesy: Gucci

Almond Hyssop Cookies

These little biscuits are a perfectly-sized sweet treat to have with afternoon tea. I made these with blue anise hyssop from my garden, which is ever-so-slightly bitter with overtones of mint and anise. (If you don't have any hyssop, you could try mint flowers, lavender, or anise seeds)

This is a small batch; it makes ~24 half-dollar size cookies:

You'll need:

-- 1/2 cup sugar (I used raw cane turbinado, which gave them a golden-brown hue)
-- 1/8 cup anise hyssop flowers, removed from the stem
-- egg replacer for 1 egg ( I use EnerG brand)
-- 6 tablespoons of Earth Balance buttery stick
-- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
-- 1 cup flour
-- 1/8 teaspoon salt
-- 1/2 cup almonds, raw or lightly toasted, chopped into small pieces

With a gentle hand, finely chop the hyssop flowers. In a mixing bowl, mix sugar and hyssop flowers until well combined.(Alternately, pulse sugar and unchopped flowers in a blender.) Prepare egg replacer according to package instructions and add to sugar/hyssop mixture. Add vanilla extract.

One tablespoon at a time, add Earth Balance, mixing until the sugar is well incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Combine flour and salt and add to bowl, mixing until just incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped almonds.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball; you may need to work in a bit more flour so the dough is firm enough for rolling. Divide dough ball into two pieces and roll each piece into a log, roughly 1 - 1.5 inches in diameter
Wrap dough logs in plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least an hour.

When the dough is firm enough to slice, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough into 1/4 inch rounds and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until biscuits just begin to golden.

Sea, Sky

Centre Point Sabah Summer Fashion Show

Jawbone: The ultimate Bluetooth headset

Looking for a Bluetooth headset which makes you stand apart from the rest of the crowd? This is Jawbone, designed by Yves Behar and this cell phone accessory is not just a piece of technology but also an artistic piece. It has already won several awards including the Mobile Choice award for best bluetooth headset due to its great voice clarity technology which makes it stand apart from its competitors.

Have a look at the features of Jawbone Bluetooth Headset:

• Military-grade NoiseAssassin™ technology eliminates real-world noise like busy streets, pub chatter and airports, and blocks out as much as 90% of the noise transmitted by other headsets
• 50% smaller than the original award-winning Jawbone - a top-selling Bluetooth headset in the US
• Designed to look and feel luxurious, using premium materials including medical grade plastic, Jawbone is a stylish accessory that fits your lifestyle
• Weight: 10 grams
• Talk Time: Over 4 hours
• Standby Time: Over 8 days
• Range: Up to 10 metres
• Charge: 80% charge in 35 minutes, 100% charge in < 1 hour
• Colors: Black ⁄ Silver ⁄ Rose Gold
• Supports Bluetooth® 1.1, 1.2, and 2.0

It’s priced at $127 and I feel it’s worth it!!

Image and link source: Lussorian

Own a wine book for $1 million!!

Attention all you wine connoisseurs!! Here comes a wine book which will be available in spring 2010 at a price of just $1 million. It will be listing world’s top hundred wineries in this wine book. Besides this wine opus you would also be eligible to receive six bottle case of wine from each of the hundred wineries listed. Published by Kraken Opus, only hundred copies of the book are being created as twenty five have already been pre ordered along with a number of copies being set aside for auction.

If you love this wine then you cannot miss on this wine book.

Image and link courtesy: Luxuo

Ordinary Shot of the day

by the time, my shutter has been flipping for 17317 times since the day I bought. OMG -_-, phew its still working ;) Good job canon.

Seattle - Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai

I've got a great restaurant to tell you about: Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. We've been a few times now, and each time we've come away with really happy tummies and tastebuds! It's 100% vegetarian, so no fish sauce to worry about. There are plenty of vegan menu items, and most dishes can be made to order vegan simply by ordering a dish and requesting "no eggs." Anyway, the staff are super lovely and know precisely which items are de facto vegan and which ones can be ordered vegan.


We started with the appetizer special: Mieng Pak Gad, which was a mix of shitake mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, carrots and cashews in a sweet/savory sauce. It comes with crisp, fresh lettuce, so you can make little lettuce rolls with the delicious Mieng Pak Gad as filling. It was total tastebud titillation.

The Papaya Salad went along very nicely; it had a fresh crunch, slightly tangy, and was accented with fresh tomato, green beans, and cashews:


For mains, I had the Tum Yum soup; all the ingredients were very fresh and the broth was wonderfully aromatic:


My friend had curry fried rice; he ordered it with eggs, but you could also order it vegan by requesting no eggs:


And here is the simple yet lovely table decoration:

After dinner, we wandered over to the Seattle Tilth Gardens, just a few blocks away.



A bed of borage, nigela, and other flowers in the Tilth gardens:

A spectacular bed of amaranth rising up towards the heavens:

Some echinacea:

The Tilth demo gardens in the early dusk:

Here's the Wallingford QFC super market...back in the 80's ( and prior), this was the much less posh and lower-scale Food Giant super market, a lost icon of old-school, off-the-map, Seattle:

Avenue Princesse Grace: World’s most expensive street

If you are filthy rich and plan to blow away your money then there is no better place than Avenue Princesse Grace to achieve it. Avenue Princesse Grace in Monaco is being dubbed as world’s most expensive street where by forking out $120,000 you can purchase only a square metre of prime real estate property.

At the moment a 334 square metre four bedroom penthouse is selling for $50 million at an asking price of $149,000 per square metre which does not include a 220 square metre terrace.

A year ago when the prices were booming a square metre of property was available at a rate of $190,000. $120,000 per square metre still seems a bargain to me!!

Image and link source: luxuo

Canon EF-S 55-250mm ƒ4-5.6 IS , EF 70-200mm ƒ4L USM size comparison

Ive got the opportunity go to Investline camera shop and test these 2 lenses.

Here's a comparison of their sizes.

Retracted

Extended

58mm vs 67mm glass filter size

The closest up for EF-S 55-250mm at 250mm focal length.

@ISO1600, 1/50sec, ƒ5.6

Candid of my father, using EF 70-200mm at 87mm focal length

@ISO400, 1/100, ƒ4

I've to admit that the EF 70-200 is far away sharper than the EF-S 55-250 if you use it properly. But in the price per performance, the EF-S 55-250mm gives you the best ratio.

If you have tight budget, just buy it for practice and save for EF 70-200 series when you mastered telephoto zoom.
However, the EF-S 55-250 offer a lighter weight which is 390gram compared with the EF 70-200 ƒ4L 705gram.
Canon EF-S 55-250mm is an moody lens In My Opinion. It performs like a good boy but it also performs bad sometimes.

My comment for this EF-S 55-250mm is that it's a light weight, cheap, good entry sport lens.

It gives the best price to performance ratio.

*This lens (EF-S 55-250 ) suits the best for poor student like me, hahaha

Best Regards,

JkYong

Bokeh II

First time trying OOF on light bulb. I'd say sorry if you found composition is not good enough.

Best regards,

JkYong