Good Things Jar

I can't recall where I first heard the idea for a Good Things Jar - it may have been Reddit - but the concept is a simple one. Every time something good happens to you, write it down on a strip of paper and keep it in a jar. On bad days, or simply when you feel low, take out all the paper strips and read them.

My Good Things Jar is a Word document, ordered by date. It's mostly little events like successfully preparing a new dish, or meeting up with friends, or having an exceptionally productive day, or reading a thought-provoking essay, or simply viewing a nice sunset. All the little things that make me happy. And when I read about them again, weeks later, it's like reliving those happy moments again. It reminds me of how many good things happen every day.

I think I need that reminder, sometimes. That I am living a good life. That nice things are happening to me, all the time. That I have the right to be happy with what I have.

Brown Glue

So, I learned something new today!

I have an old, old scientific calculator, bought for school use almost 17 years ago. It has survived multiple examinations, being carried across international borders, and usage of varying frequency.

Yesterday, it suddenly developed an error. It physically would not let me enter 2-digit numbers. I could type, for example, '5', or even '5 × 5', but not '55'. Opening up the case, I noticed that the circuit components had been carelessly attached, with glue smeared all over the circuit, which was not entirely unexpected of a relatively cheap school calculator. More importantly, the single button cell was rusted. That's the problem, I thought. I cleaned up the contacts, and inserted the new battery.

No dice. Exactly the same problem as before.

I reopened the calculator and had another look inside – the keypad design was fascinating – but nothing stood out, other than the smears of brown glue. Wondering if there was something to it after all, I looked up 'brown glue on circuit board'. When Google auto-completed the phrase for me, I knew I was on to something.

It appears that the glue was chloroprene rubber adhesive. It starts off yellow, but slowly turns brown over time. It also becomes conductive. And this dried, conductive material had been carelessly dribbled all over my calculator's circuit board.

I very carefully chipped the dried glue off the conductive tracks using a small screwdriver, dabbed away the dust with a damp cotton swab, allowed the circuit board to air-dry, and replaced the casing. The calculator effortlessly informed me that 55 × 11 = 605.

It's nice that my old friend will continue to function at least a little longer, but I'm also pleased to have found something new to look out for when repairing electronic devices. There's something very fulfilling about getting a broken device to work again.

KFC Chizza

So I tried KFC's newest offering. The Chizza is a cross between fried chicken and Hawaiian pizza. Or, if you prefer, chicken parmigiana with pineapple.

It's not terribly big; the box is about 15 by 15 cm.

Compared with other pictures I've seen, mine looks pretty attractive! It's at least vaguely heart-shaped.

And here is a cross-section. The Chizza is composed of a battered chicken fillet - original recipe, judging by the taste - topped with tomato sauce, chicken ham, pineapple chunks, a proprietary cheese sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Did I mention that it's basically chicken parmigiana?

In spite of its dubious appearance, the Chizza is actually pretty good. The chicken is standard KFC fare, juicy with a crisp crust. The tomato sauce is unexpectedly excellent, a good balance of tangy and sweet. The cheeses, ham, and pineapple come together nicely without overwhelming the taste of the chicken base. Since it doesn't contain much in the way of carbohydrates, it's not too heavy, and it's not terribly greasy either.

I do recommend using a fork and knife, because it is pretty messy and difficult to hold. Also, at S$5.10 à la carte, it is on the expensive side. Nevertheless, it's worth trying at least once. I might go get another one, when the hype dies down a bit. (When I was at KFC, practically everyone was ordering a Chizza. Or multiple Chizzas. The staff really had to rush around. It was crazy!)

On Why Singaporeans Hate Singapore (But Shouldn't)

Found this commentary via Reddit, and I have to say I agree, completely. The writer managed to crystallise many of the thoughts I've had regarding life in Singapore, including the faint annoyance that many locals don't seem to recognise or appreciate what they have.

In the accompanying comment section in r/Singapore (which, full disclosure, I usually avoid precisely because it is full of the appreciation-lacking sort), one redditor commented that the only thing they hate about Singapore is a weather. I... can get behind that, mostly. In a country with a largely consistent climate and a dearth of major natural disasters, 100% relative humidity is the price we all have to pay. On the other hand, that redditor clearly has never been to Melbourne.

Recipe: Pineapple Streusel Cake (Egg-Free)

There are many, many reasons I love J. Kenji López-Alt, but introducing me to aquafaba is probably near the top of the list.

Aquafaba is the slightly pungent, somewhat turbid water left over from boiling chickpeas (or theoretically, other legumes, but chickpeas apparently work best). Recently, it was discovered that aquafaba can function as a vegan egg white substitute.

I'm not remotely vegan, alas, but I have been watching my calories, and eggs are as calorie-ridden as they come. Also, raw eggs somewhat disgust me. I think it's a combination of the slimy texture, the bits of reddish material you can sometimes see in them, the off-putting smell, and those annoying shards of shell which get into the bowl and then refuse to come out. Not that I'd turn down an omelette, or a hard-boiled egg, or even a poached egg on a baguette slice - anyway, the prospect of replacing egg whites with a non-eggy substitute is very appealing. Also appealing: painlessly dealing with those annoying recipes which call for, say, 8 egg whites but only 2 egg yolks. WHY??!!

Yeah, I'm kinda irreverent when it comes to cookery.

So I found this recipe from an old Family Circle book and substituted in aquafaba. It worked really well. Nobody suspected a thing.

Also, I cut out a bunch of sugar and added weight measurements and stuff.


Pineapple Streusel Cake
Adapted from a recipe in Fabulous Fast Cakes, Murdoch Books, 1994

275 g self-raising flour
125 g unsalted butter
150 g caster sugar
90 ml aquafaba (or 2 eggs)
450 g can pineapple chunks or crushed pineapple
50 g desiccated coconut
80 g brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a deep 20 cm cake pan.

If using pineapple chunks, crush roughly using a blender, wet grinder or food chopper. Strain the crushed pineapple, reserving 125 ml of the pineapple juice. 

Melt butter and caster sugar over low heat, or in a microwave on medium-low, stirring until

homogeneous. Separately, combine aquafaba and pineapple juice.

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the butter and aquafaba mixtures into the well, and stir using a wooden spoon until just combined. Transfer half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top using a spatula.

Mix crushed pineapple, desiccated coconut and brown sugar until evenly combined. Spread on top of the cake batter in the pan. Carefully add the remaining cake batter and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is crisp and a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan. Serve warm.

Notes

To prepare aquafaba, cover about a cupful of chickpeas with water and allow to soak for about 4-8 hours, until the peas have swelled up. Transfer to a saucepan, topping up the water to just cover the chickpeas, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 45 minutes, until the chickpeas are soft. Remove chickpeas with a slotted spoon and continue simmering the water on low heat, until reduced to half the initial volume. The aquafaba will be more viscous than water, but less viscous than egg white.

Alternatively, just use the water from canned chickpeas directly.

The base of the cake may be very moist, so be careful when turning it out of the pan.

IRL

I had a weird moment when this song started playing on FM 92.4.



I first heard it on YouTube, so it was startling when it starting playing off a real, physical radio. As if the fourth wall had broken.

(The Piano Guys' Oogway Ascends remix is pretty great too.)

Concerning Science

[...] This mistake is why many people think they can argue about science the same way they argue about relationships, politics, and all the other imaginary human entertainments. They think that a single verbal counterpoint can undo what went before. But science is based on reams of data. Saying "That's just what they say" doesn't discount reams of empirical proof; it just announces who shouldn't be allowed in the room when the grown-ups are talking.

 - Luke McKinney, Cracked.com, from 5 Mind-Blowing Scientific Mysteries Solved Without Computers

Quoted for extreme truth.

Another Quick Post

It has been too long, yes!

I've been writing my PhD thesis. It seems that there is a critical limit to the amount of writing I can endure in a single day. So, a high thesis output means a low blog output. Even though blogging is significantly less boring.

So! What have I been doing recently? Well... writing I suppose. Where do the days go?

I did spend some time the other day watching the following video multiple times. It's an excellent parody of the video game, the style of music, and the style of music video. Also, it contains the second-most deftly-executed "Your Mom" joke I have seen (the first, of course, is from Meet the Spy).

Canonically, Ratonhnhaké:ton is supposed to be a serious, driven, unquestioned badass. Much of the humour of this video derives from a weedier version of the character engaging in slapstick antics, casual psychopathy, and constant, overwrought, failed attempts at being cool. (George Washington is the opposite - he still appears as a tough, admirable character, just not quite in the way one might expect).

As an aside, I am consistently impressed with level of effort fans expend when making tribute to their favourite media. Regarding the above video, if you take into account the costumes, the actors and actresses, the sets, the props, the stunts, green-screen effects, script writing, lyric writing, sound recording, editing... that's a lot of work for less than four minutes of payoff. Hats off to the Smosh team, and to others like them.

As a further aside, how proud would you be, if you were a creator and someone spent so much time and effort to celebrate your work? Creators who attempt to shut down fansites and delete fanworks on grounds of copyright infringement only confuse me. Copying others' work and trying to take credit for it is unethical, make no mistake, but creating what amounts to a love letter has an entirely different intent behind it.

Through the Fire and Flames - in LEGO

Through the Fire and Flames is already the darling of Guitar Hero enthusiasts, but you have to admit, this stop-motion LEGO version is pretty rad.

May 25

It's slightly odd to be talking about this now, but anyway - the local newspaper used to have a feature, on the same page with the horoscopes - about which famous person you shared a birthday with. And every year, I got Mike Myers. It was very irritating - I wasn't overly fond of Mr Myers's brand of humour, so it wasn't something I'd brag about.

But now we have Wikipedia, and its tendency to make lists of everything, and so I find that the writers of that newspaper feature simply lacked imagination. From the May 25 page, a selection of the cool people with birthdays on that date:

• Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton - he of "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the infamous "it was a dark and stormy night" opening line which inspired two contests.
• Igor Sikorsky - pioneer of the modern helicopter.
• Sir Ian McKellen - famous actor how can you not have heard of him.
• Frank Oz - the puppeteer who plays Miss Piggy (and other characters) on The Muppet Show.
• Stan Sakai - creator of Usagi Yojimbo.
• Frank Klepacki - I admit I jumped when I saw this, because he composed several tracks for the Command & Conquer series of video games, including Hell March 2.

Also, May 25 is Geek Pride Day, because in 1977, that was the day the (real) first Star Wars film was released. Take that, newspaper section written by an underpaid journalist!

Traffic Warden

Just a lovely, heartwarming little film. (Pay attention to any words you might notice in the background - they are all important!)



P.S.: David Tennant! <3

Now You're Thinking With...

I would love to watch a full-length version of this. This is what a video game film adaptation should be like.

Scale of the Universe 2

Or, how to feel small and insignificant.

Humans can't comprehend large numbers. It's only when a bigger and a smaller number or objects are placed side by side that the differences are obvious, and even then it can be hard to comprehend. The creators of the Scale of the Universe series have done a great thing here.

(The Large Hadron Collider is bigger than Vatican City? Seriously?)

(Actually it's bigger than Uluru as well. And the Titanic looks quite comfortable sitting next to the International Space Station.)

(I need to think a little.)

Update XXX: Thirty Posts Titled "Update"

Quick check in here - been stupidly busy. SO MANY EXPERIMENTS. I am a fiend of science.

Whatever that means.

There was a great short story in Nature last month. Go take a gander. (Make sure that you're not eating anything, or intending to eat anything. There's a fair amount of squick.)

Blue Ball Machine

It's sorta like a Rube Goldberg machine, only insane.

But check out all those details! Those hypnotising, hypnotising details.

Unpublished Post: In the New Year

(Note from the future: I found this post in my drafts, it was never published for any reason that I can see.)

The (Chinese) New Year is almost upon us! I'm irrationally excited because this is the Year of the Dragon, and I'm a dragon. (This also means that my age this year will be a multiple of 12.)

I discovered that the Today newspaper publishes a Sudoku puzzle almost daily. Sudoku puzzles are fun! I've even gotten the hang of the 5-star difficulty ones, and no longer have to slave for 3 hours over them.

I recently had some Kinokuniya vouchers to spare, so I got hold of Black Jack volumes 16 and 17. Black Jack is a manga series about a renegade surgeon with incredible skills and a tendency to be involved in the most bizarre of medical situations. (Building a little girl out of a teratoid cystoma? Surgery on a computer? Surgery on himself while suffering from a parasitic disease and being attacked by wild dingoes in the Australian outback? All in a day's work for Dr. Black Jack.) The stories are well-written with a balance of humour, seriousness and poignancy. In spite of Dr. Black Jack's almost godlike skills, he cannot save everyone, and his personal life is beset with tragedy. Yet there are the moments of fourth-wall breaking silliness, triumph and sheer awesomeness. (Self-surgery! Dingoes, I'm telling you!)

Also, the art is excellent. Poo to all those people who think art has to be realistic to be good. Black Jack is unashamedly cartoony, and yet there's a brilliance about the composition of each panel, even the panel layout as a whole. (In one story, a ship is rocking badly in a storm, tossing its passengers back and forth. The panels angle diagonally and even crisscross to reflect the movement.)

tl;dr Black Jack is an awesome manga about an awesome doctor, definitely a series I recommend.

Canon Rock

I love this song more than should be legal.

Monolith Action Figure Part III

Yessss....

A baby monolith! And it's mine. All mine. Muahahahaha...

(If you would like to adopt one for yourself, they can be obtained from the Moon, Olduvai Gorge, or Europa.)

A Momentous Occasion

Today, I started writing my PhD thesis.

The end has begun!

On an entirely different note, while the MRT Rap is largely cringe-worthy, the chorus is good and catchy. The bilingual lyrics just gave it a touch of Singaporean flavour to a performance which was otherwise trying too hard to imitate American rappers.

We'll take the MRT
It's where you want to be
No need for ERP
Mari kita!

Let's take the MRT
Come in and ride with me
This is equality
Mari kita!

And I did enjoy the parade. I got shivers from the theme song and the main performance, which was heartfelt and genuine. OK, the puppets were creepy. But the rest was great.

(Did you notice at the end, when President Nathan was shaking hands with some of the performers, he said  something to Gurmit Singh who promptly burst out laughing and patted the president on the back? I really want to know what he said!)

Lilac Nails

Apparently, kicking a two-decade-old habit is harder than it looks. I kept nibbling on my nails during moments of inattention. Finally, I painted them in an unappetizing shade of light purple, with a topcoat to preserve the colour layer a little longer. It seems to be working, although the oddly-coloured nails keep distracting me.

Turns out that a Coke Float made with peppermint-chocolate ice-cream is both refreshing and delicious. Which is a good discovery, since I don't actually like peppermint-chocolate flavour and was looking for a way to get rid of it.

I haven't mentioned The SCP Foundation, which is a pity since it contains some well-written examples of short horror fiction the absolute right thing to do since everything there is highly classified and certainly not made-up in any way. Since they are classified, you should never read any of the articles. Especially not at night.