Beautiful Creatures~

I must be on a movie roll this week, as last night I went to see Beautiful Creatures at the Odeon in Marble Arch. My housemate was very very resistant towards going to see this, but as we know, erosion is a very powerful force, and so like the wind is able to wear down stone, eventually I managed to persuade my housemate to come out.

Online ratings had prepared me for something average, so I went in not expecting anything mindblowingly awesome and in the end, I was pleasantly surprised (housemate less so). I liked the cinematography, the special effects, and the overall plot - teen angst is such a guilty pleasure of mine hehe.

On the other hand, I didn't think the dialogue was particularly great, and whilst I was impressed by the male lead's acting, physically, he was not my type... :'(

I love love love Lena's gothic make up in the movie. Despite it being generically gothy, it still looks really good - wish I could pull off something like that!

Anyway, this movie deserves less hate than it got - whilst it wasn't groundbreaking, I like it enough to want to watch the sequel if there is one, and will definitely be picking up the books!

[排骨冬瓜汤] Rib and Winter Melon Soup

Hey there~

During Chinese New Year, I asked my parents for their recipe on how to make 排骨汤 (rib soup). Romanized, the characters read pai gu tang. It's a really simple but delicious soup made using the stock of pork ribs, that I find both 清淡 (qing dan, i.e. light) and detoxing. Perfect for if you are feeling under the weather.

My parents used to make this soup loads during my childhood, so when I made this for the first time last night, tasting it was like tasting a flavour of my home: nostalgic and warming.

So, I will share with you how to make this! ◠‿◠

You will need:

One pack of pork ribs (~ 500g, smaller pieces are better)

Winter melon (~500g, quantity not too important)

3-4 carrots

Some radish (optional)

Lotus root (optional)

6-7 slices of ginger

2-3 spring onions

Salt/sugar to season

Lots of water!

Large pot

What to do:

1. Fill a large pot with water and add the ribs, bringing the water to a simmer for around twenty minutes.

2. Chop the winter melon, carrots, radish and lotus root into small slices, and add to the pot. Quantities are not too important, they will depend on your personal taste. Add the ginger, spring onions, and a teaspoon of salt.

3. Simmer for at least an hour; the longer the better!

4. Serve with rice or bread, or just drink on its own.

I like to let the soup simmer for at least 3-4 hours, if not longer, since the flavour of the rib meat and the bones takes a long time to become infused with the soup. My parents would keep the soup on the heat for so long that the meat would eventually fall off the bones, and sometimes the bones would even crumble, releasing the marrow which tasted really yummy! ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀

Again, I hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you have any suggestions, do let me know~

Yishi xxx

Warm Bodies!

Hey all! Yesterday I went to the Empire cinema in Leicester Square to watch a movie called Warm Bodies. This was the first time I'd been to the Empire, and we managed to get a sofa to watch the movie on! :D

To summarise, this movie is set in a post apocalyptic world in which most humans have been turned into zombies. It follows the story of one of the zombies, a guy called R, who retains more of his emotions than the average zombie, and the events that he sparks when he eats the brain of one girl's boyfriend, absorbing his memories to fall in love with her. For a romantic comedy, it was pretty fantastic, probably the best love story that I've come across to date. This movie really warmed my heart, and I definitely recommend it to everyone.

R of course is a fantastic character - I mean, how much quirkier can you get with a zombie who collects things, hoarding them in an abandoned airplane? 

Plus, he is sooo freaking hot! :)

(I think I may have found a new crush <3)

I really liked the emo undead make-up, the ironic narrations, and the whole tongue in cheek aspect of the film - it gave a feeling of not taking itself too seriously, but could revert when it needed to. The skeletons of course terrified me, reminding me of another movie - Hot Fuzz, which for a comedy, was oddly scary too.

When I went to see this, I didn't realise that it was based upon a book so note to self: must acquire a copy! Maybe I can treat myself to a late New Year's present hehe~

~Yishi xxx

Confuzzled~

So recently, I've become a little confused about who I really am... @_@

I've noticed myself becoming more and more fixated on things like my appearance and my weight, even when I've been told that I don't need to worry about either of these. They're things I never really cared about when I was younger - back then, it was all about how smart I was and what I could achieve. I guess my parents kept me away from those kinds of influences, but they're both something that I've become more aware of once I went to uni and gained my own independence.

I find that I can't help but slip into self-deprecating chats with my friends, and that I may be developing some bi-polar esteem issues. It feels like there is an angel on my shoulder - the old me, telling me that I have nothing to worry about, and then on the other shoulder, a little devil, chipping away at my confidence. I look in the mirror, and see so much wrong with my body, yet, I am unable to have enough will-power to do much about it. I enjoy eating too much, and as for exercise, since I've been diagnosed with knee problems, I only do low impact exercises now, no more running or anything majorly intensive.

Regular thoughts that run through my head when I am out and about:

She's so pretty, her legs are nicer, she has such a small waist, she's so much taller than me...

I think a part of this comes down to me being attracted to people that are usually physically out of my league, a 7 or an 8 to my 5. Studies show that people of similar attractiveness tend to end up together, which is the matching hypothesis. I saw a great example of this on the Discovery Channel's The Science of Sex Appeal, an interesting social documentary you can watch on Youtube. If this is the case, then I can't really compete with the girls that the guys I like are interested in. Which leads to this spiral of self-esteem.

If people are happier with people of similar attractiveness, then I need to lose this shallow way of thinking~

*siiiigh*

Sorry about this depressing post, it was something I needed to get off my chest and I promise to make my next ones happier!

Yishi xxx