How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Friday, April 27, 2012

Some finer things in life

When I first heard the term 'barista', I thought it sounded so much like 'barrister', a member of one of the two classes of lawyers found in UK.

According to Wikipedia, "A barista (from the Italian for "bartender") is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks."

"Baristas generally operate a commercial espresso machine, and their role is preparing the shot and pulling the shot; the degree to which this is automated or done manually varies significantly, ranging from push-button operation to an involved manual process. Machines range from manual (lever), where the pressure is applied by hand, to semi-automatic, where the pressure is applied automatically but brew time is selected by the barista, to automatic, where the brew time is also preset (but preparing the grinds is still manual), to super-automatic, where the barista need only load the beans and push a button, but is otherwise completely automated. Espresso is a notoriously finicky beverage, and thus good manual espresso making is considered a skilled task. Further, preparation of other beverages, particularly milk-based drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes, but also non-espresso coffee such as drip or press pot, requires additional work and skill for effective frothing and pouring, most spectacularly, latte art..."

In case anyone got the impression I am a coffee lover, I am not, though I don't mind having a cup when in the famous white coffee shop in Ipoh. It seems odd to order an ordinary cup of tea there. Once, in UK, I ordered Expresso since it was the cheapest on the menu and it was so strong that I had to add lots of cream to overcome its bitter taste, much to the amusement of those with me. Last night, I happened to watch a discovery channel on Astro and a barista was showing the different results from slight changes to the process. Anyway, now it is trendy to have one little coffee-making machine at home for those who love coffee. Honestly, I don't need nor want to know.




For the discerning, design makes a difference to show your skill...


This is the way to make love-shaped egg slices...



Visual effect has its problem... your church probably won't allow the following cookies in their bake sale...

1 comment:

CLY said...

Drinking espresso is like drink whiskey neat. I would order cappuccino and add the espresso to it, to get the extra kick. However I prefer the local Hailam black coffee, freshly roasted and brewed thick through the cloth strainer. Unfortunately, freshly roasted coffee is a rarity and almost extinct. How we long for the yesteryears, for freshly roasted coffee, roasted in a big kuali under the rain tree behind the coffee shop. Taken with freshly baked bread, toasted over a charcoal fire, smothered with a thick layer of kaya, adding on a slice of frozen butter. That was one of the finer things in life, lost forever.