Space Cowboy

Yes! The xanga blog is dead.

Now am @ : http://godchased.wordpress.com

Learn capoeira and backflip!

I've posted a friends-only entry. Log in if you're on my friends list to read it if you haven't already.

This will be my last post on LJ in the near future.

Not been writing much I know.. I've been recharging the batteries. It's a new year and for me it came like a breath of wind - soft, quiet and gentle.

Gonna work on the drawing instead, for now. Might be doing some freelance stuff soon, so I might as well get some practice.

see ya space cowboy..

Dedicated to Terra and Gloo:

1

This might mess up the page formatting a little.

This is funny!

After a long hiatus and an extended bout of procrastination, I've finally uploaded new art to my deviantart page.

Whoohoo!

It's been a rather eventful two days, but work's been really busy so I haven't had the time to update.

Had a tasting at Morton's Steakhouse as the magazine is doing a review - I think my mum and I easily ran up a potential bill of close to four hundred dollars. Steak will never taste the same again, no doubt. I'd write more, but this is a hastily-typed entry so a proper review will have to wait.

Thursday night I attended the O2 XDA Atom launch event at Esky bar, and was coerced (say 'forced') to join the drink-mixing competition - I was supposed to come up with a drink that best personified the Atom. So I stepped behind the bar, took up a bulbous-looking glass, filled it with grenadine, vodka, Jack Daniel's, some aqua-blue liquor and topped off with a dark-looking creme de cassis (which I don't know what is). The result was a lethal-looking purple concoction that thankfully I was not asked to taste. Though the bartender judging the competition grimaced visibly when he gently sipped at my drink, heh.

Well, I didn't win the top prize, which not surprisingly was an XDA Atom, but I got a cocktail mixer as a consolation prize. Fair enough - though I don't know when I'll actually use it; it'll probably just look pretty on my table. The winner was a Sinead O' Connor lookalike, complete with shaven head, a photographer from Cleo.

Into my yearning hands
outstretched
you have poured the sun,
brilliant and golden
threads,
that gather in your presence
when your truth is
unveiled,
and your song emerges
with a single
teardrop

In me you will find few
words,
nothing that can seek you
with heart or graceful
art,
and each one will tell little
of who you are to me
revealed,
when you call out to me
with a crystal
breath.

I know you are there
always,
in the fullness of each moment,
the air of October nights,
every tread
in long walks and conversations,
in the quiet
darkness of the theatre,
even as I write
longingly,
You are there.

Child of grace, filled with sad beauty
On every delicate line and curve,
She covers her pale velvet-spun skin,
And dims the silent fire in her soul,
But that does not quell the gold,
Nor becomes hidden to my eyes.

There are things I will always see;
That liquid light that I hear in her laugh,
Or how the twilight is caught in her hair,
The tender radiance filling her heart,
Or the gentle song that shimmers
Across the tapestries of her spirit.

She is my child of grace, beautiful
As I have always seen her, and
She turns her eyes to heaven and follows
The high flight of the eagle and the falcon,
Their soaring dance, the call of hope,
And a little smile curls on her lips.

They shall take each other's hands in the night,
Underneath the confines of the glittering sky,
And the glow of rising stars, with
Whispered poetry in each other's ears, and
The winds that carry the hopes of their hearts.

Child of grace, filled with sad beauty
On every delicate line and curve, she
Turns her eyes to heaven and follows
The high flight of the eagle and the falcon,
And a little smile breaks on her lips.

-------------------

this is still unfinished and written quite a while a ago. I doubt I shall ever get down to completing it though. And it seems to me that both stanzas do not mix. Well, whatever.

and NO comments for the comic strips I posted? I am sorely disappointed! Come on, I want to know what you guys think.

Wizards of the Coast are accepting submissions for original fantasy stories! Be the next R.A Salvatore or Troy Denning!

Pity they don't accept stories related to the Forgotten Realms.

Check it out.

ah! I finally found the part in Promethea in which she traverses the supernatural realms, and while on her travels encounters Jesus Christ.
  


the images enlarge if you click on them. To be read in sequence =) Enjoy!

writing by Alan Moore, art by JH Williams III.

I know that when I close my eyes,
To bright morning, or moonlit night,
Your shadow falls upon my face,
A piece of lightning,
And whispered within each breath
Is Your name.

Every wind is blowing,
And the seven directions are bringing
The scent of cedars and flowers,
The warmth of the sun, and
Every sense of You, precious, is
Carried in my arms.

I think that beyond all logic,
All manner of reason or doubt,
Far past all the workings of men,
You know what I know,
That in me is all of You repeated,
And already Yours.

(written 22nd August)

Do not shield your eyes
When the child of the night comes.
She is clothed by the darkness that
The prying glasses do not see,
For with graceful step she treads
With glassed shoe and twirling dance.

She is wreathed in cloaks of velvet
And hardened by smoothened steel.
Yet she is a delicate blossom that
Blooms with silver light and golden shadow,
With a radiance brighter than the sun,
And she is sated by love.

Smile when she falls to your voice,
The song of your delicate beauty
That calls to her and brings her close.
Take her when she does, for she is a capricious thing,
Fleet-footed and elusive like smoke,
But do not be afraid, for
She will be yours if you are hers.

(written on 28th August)

i had the most amazing brunch this afternoon.

my mum invited me along to a 'media lunch' at the Sheratown Towers Hotel, which I didn't know about at first so I turned up in a scruffy t-shirt, well-worn jeans and sneakers. I was a tad embarrassed to be so under-dressed, since the other media people that came were a little more better attired, either in shirts or pretty sundresses. However, my discomfiture was soon forgotten when the people there proved friendly enough, making me laugh with their rather humourous methods of dissuading my journalistic aspirations when my mum offhandedly mentioned my interest in becoming a writer.

but I digress. The real highlight of the afternoon was the tantalising spread of culinary delights offered in the buffet. Going at a price like $48+++, the food had better live up to it. Yet I can say, with little hesitation, that it is worth every single penny. I'm sure some of you know that with most buffets, you may have a large variety of food of average quality, or alternatively, a few pretty good dishes but with lousy dessert. However it was not so with this brunch, with every 'section' in this buffet having gold-star dishes, I kid you not. From the rice to the grilled meats, to the sashimi and the desserts, they all had offerings that would make you scuttle for seconds, and subsequently beat off anybody who'd try to steal that last piece of lamb chop.

notable mentions:
i) Fried Duck Rice with Foie Gras - I nearly wanted to beat the kid in front of me aside when I saw that. It was bloody amazing and it has probably ruined every fried rice dish that I will ever eat until the rapture comes. Luncheon meat is a poor comparison to this culinary masterpiece. Without a single sliver of doubt, it remains my favourite.

ii) Oven Roasted Potatoes in Duck Fat - Which looked nothing like what the name suggests; just delicately-sliced potatoes in oil - not looking very appealing since it probably sets off a dozen alarms for anyone trying to drop a few pounds. I helped myself to a couple of slices though, and it was so finely cooked that it melted in my mouth like warm butter and slid down my throat with a seductive flourish. Beautiful.

iii) Sashimi - It was surprisingly fresh, with simple yet elegant presentation, and much better than anything in Sakae or Genki or the myriad pseudoauthentic Japanese restaurants. I can still remember the little Japanese restaurant tucked away in a corner of the Adelphi that my parents once brought me to, and nothing I've tasted since then has ever come close. On a side note, I've also been wanting to try this restaurant at Robertson Quay that I read about, that uses NO local ingredients for their ramen, including the ramen itself. The chef says that having even a little local ingredients will mar the authenticity of the flavour. You just have to admire this kind of ethic because it just lends an artistry to his craft.

iv) Grilled Rack of Lamb - There was mushroom sauce for the lamb that I didn't use but it did not in any way diminish its flavour. It was grilled just perfect - lightly crispy on the outside but deliciously tender on the inside, and juicy with every bite. It just makes you wonder how they do it and how far all the other times you had lamb just fall short of this.

v) Boxing Chicken Wings - I forgot the rest of the name, but it was really called Boxing Chicken Wings. I did a double take myself when I glanced at the little placard too! Well, I'm not a big fan of chicken wings, but Dennis would heartily approve of this dish. It had a lightly spicy marinate, and was well and evenly cooked; tender enough that the meat just slides off the bone when you cut it with the knife. A definite must for chicken wing lovers.

vi) Noodles in Shark-Bone & Wolfberry Soup - Another winner! And a big thumbs-up from a noodle lover. Poured over the noodles like gravy, the soup was almost a broth, but not quite as thick, and it was delicious to the last drop; apparently the soup is boiled for two days before being served. It has a distinct taste, as anyone who has tried shark's fin soup can attest to, and the noodles were done perfect - soft but not soggy and with no hint of being undercooked. Lovely.

the other dishes I tried was the lobster bisque, which was a little salty and had an almost overpowering taste of shellfish. The laksa that I also had is apparently a hot favourite at the hotel, but I never eat laksa so I am hardly an authority of it. Interestingly though, one of the people at my table was raving over it and saying that everything else he tasted couldn't take his mind off it. I can empathise with that sentiment; such is the way I feel about the foie gras duck rice as well!

after that sumptuous meal of savoury food, how can it be complete without a helping (or rather, several helpings) of the dessert spread? With dash and aplomb, it delivers the coup de grace:

i) Chocolate Dome - I saw the dome in its entirety, before it was ravaged by the ravenous buffet crowd and it was a mound of chocolate goodness. You scoop it like you would a pudding, but the amazing thing is that it was layered, like a cake, within. It was really good - soft, creamy and rich that fills your taste buds with dreams of chocolate.

ii) Chocolate Souffle - Impeccable presentation with an assortment of almonds, raspberries and a dainty scoop of vanilla ice cream, with the risen souffle in a small little cup. As any accomplished cook can tell you, souffles are notoriously difficult to pull off - even the chef doing the souffles bitched a little about them when my mum shared some of her cooking woes with him.

iii) Light Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake - Chocolate again, but with peanut butter! This has to be my favourite of the lot, which is largely similar to the chocolate dome but with a delightfully crispy crust below and the lovely taste of peanut butter. Mmmm.

iv) Chocolate Banana Pudding - Served in tiny glasses, the chocolate coming with a creamy texture and the mashed banana puree setting off a beautifully sweet and tangy taste.

whew. I also tried the ondeh-ondeh, which was a little disappointing because the kueh was too chewy and had too little syrup (gula melaka?). I tried this funny ginseng & wolfberry jello, which was chewy like konnyaku, but coming off with a bitter herbal aftertaste. My mum loved it to bits though. There were other desserts that looked inviting as well, such as the raspberry cheesecake and the lemon pudding, but I was too stuffed by the end to try anything else. It's a shame though, I'd liked to try everything. It's a dilemma whether to have second helpings of some of the mouth-watering dishes or to try another one you haven't had before.

all the food was washed down with generous amounts of fantastic champagne. I can't recall the name, but it's $48+++ per bottle or $10.50 per glass. The champagne was very refreshing and sweet, and went perfectly with the food; especially the fried rice and grilled meats.

ah. The food is definitely worth every penny you pay for it, and best of all, because it was a media lunch, it was free! You'll probably be reading reviews of the buffet in 8 Days, Her World, Simply Her and other magazines in the coming months.