Wednesday, November 10, 2010

To Do List

*EDIT* Here we are, photographic evidence!
Timmy's before yoga = yes.

Even though I have been in Vancouver for a while, there are a bunch of "Canadian" things that I haven't done yet, so Eva of The Hungry Undergrad and I thought that it would be a good idea to make a list of the things I need to do before I leave. I'm going to post it in a new section, and cross them off as I do them - at the moment it is quite short, but I am going to add to it - if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. You will also find that most of them are food-related - this is how my life works!
I have already crossed one off since we thought of the idea last week - I have finally been to Tim Hortons! I hope to have pictoral evidence soon!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Artist of (last) Week - Elbow

I have had news that someone out there actually likes this feature! Hurrah! Sorry this is a bit late, this week has been an interesting one, and these things take time. Hopefully this can become a Thursday thing.

Artist of the Week - Elbow




Elbow are a five-piece band from Manchester who play some beautiful music. They consist of Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Craig Potter, Pete Turner and Richard Jupp. They formed in 1997 and have always been a staple of the indie crowd, but became more popular with the masses (including me) after their album "The Seldom Seen Kid" won the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, and also after their song "One Day Like This" was widely featured on TV, including on the BBC coverage of the Beijing Olympics.  They have a rich, heavily instrumented sound, which compliments Guy Garvey's powerful, seemingly love-lorn voice and heartfelt, straight-talking lyrics.

Here are a selection of my favourite Elbow songs - it is so hard to choose just a few, so I have ended up with 10! My favourite album is of course The Seldom Seen Kid, the one I heard first, so most of these songs will be from that album.

One Day Like This
This, along with Grounds For Divorce is probably their most well known song, mainly because they are in so many trailers and adverts.

Grounds For Divorce


Powder Blue
I do love this song, but the saxophone bit at the end always reminds me of this

Bones Of You
This is definitely one of my absolute favourites. Plus the video is really cool!


Forget Myself
There is so much going on in this song, love it!

Some Riot
This one always sends shivers up my spine!

Not A Job
Some nice synth going on here

Mirrorball
I've mentioned this before - I absolutely adore it! I first heard it on "The Chain" on the Radcliffe and Maconie Show

I've Got Your Number
Intimate.


Weather To Fly
Lovely and chilled.

If you like the music of Elbow, or the type of music that I feature in Artist of the Week, I would recommend listening to Guy Garvey's radio show on BBC 6music.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Remember, Remember

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes' night, and a time when I really miss being at home. I miss bonfires and fireworks displays and bonfire night food and that particular feeling of coming inside after watching fireworks on a cold, frosty night and the smell of gunpowder in the air...


On bonfire night, I semi-re-enacted burning the Guy by starting a month of unlimited hot yoga at Bikram Yoga Commercial Drive. If you don't know what hot yoga is, it is when you do yoga in a room heated to 40C. It warms the muscles so you can stretch deeper than usual, and it can burn up to 1000 calories a pop. It is also very hard work! My first class was terrible, it inched by so slowly and I couldn't do half the postures because every time I stood up I almost fainted, but afterwards I felt amazing. I knew I wanted to go back and get better, so this evening I went again and it was so much better! It's amazing how much has changed after only one class - bring on the whole month!
I may not be posting as often this month, because I will be doing yoga as often as possible, and it can take over an hour to get there depending on the traffic. I will try to post when I can.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Comfort Food

There are some days when all you want to eat is greasy fake-chinese food. I'm talking gloopy sweet and sour with battered pork - calorie central! So, for when those days strike, here is a slightly less artery-clogging option!

Salt-and-Pepper Chicken with Egg-Fried Rice
Serves 1-2
For the chicken:
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

For the Rice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
vegetables of your choice, chopped finely
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown)
1/2 cup frozen peas

oil for frying

First off, the chicken
IMG_1596
in a tupperware or large sandwich bag, put the flour, some salt, and lots and lots of pepper (I used about 20 turns of a pepper grinder). Seal it, then shake it about a bit
IMG_1598
cut the chicken into bitesized chunks, and put them in with the flour mixture
IMG_1599
then put the lid on and shake until all the pieces of chicken are covered with the flour mixture.
Then heat some oil in a pan and start to fry the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, it is time to start the rice.

Mix together the oyster and soy sauces in advance
IMG_1600
Heat some oil in a wok or high-sided frying pan, then mince the garlic and cook for a minute or so.
IMG_1597
Then add your chopped vegetables. I used cabbage because it's what I had on hand, but carrots would also be good.
IMG_1601
Push the veggies to one side of the pan, then pour in the egg on the other.
Scramble the egg and break it up, then add in the rice and the oyster and soy sauce and stir fry.  When the rice is heated through, add the peas and stir fry some more until the peas are cooked.
Now you are ready to serve!
IMG_1602

A Good Day

I got up at about 7am this morning to close my window, and I saw this:
IMG_1595

Now the photo just doesn't do it justice - the sky was stunning. A perfect way to start a day.