Books...

I found an interesting website today http://www.scribd.com/
There are many interesting books here to read and download, so ... enjoy :D
You will find screenplays, creative writing, cooking books, thrillers, history books, comics, almost anything you want so it's worth a look.
If you feel confident enough you can even publish your stuff here!

Vodafone Avantaj

I saw today all 3 commercials with Moga's gang for Vodafone Avantaj and I found them hilarious...
If I wouldn't have been an Orange fan, I sure would have gone to Vodafone network!

Tomorrow never dies

I was complaining today there is nothing interesting on tv... but I was wrong!
It's Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow never dies http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0120347/
I know I saw it a couple of times, but still... it's Pierce Brosnan. I think he is the best Bond ever... Daniel Craig is too dark and miserable for a Bond, he has no sense of humour and is not as charming as this irish lad...

James Bond: You were pretty good with that hook.
Wai Lin: Thanks. It comes from growing up in a rough neighborhood. You were pretty good on the bike.
James Bond: Thank you. It comes from not growing up at all.

What have I told you - he's a dream ;)

Earth Hour

I hope I will not forget tonight to turn off the light because it's Earth Hour http://www.earthhour.org/home/
... but they didn't mention anything about laptops and tv's.
Should I light a candle and watch the game? Or forget the game and just watch tv instead ;)
I think I'll skip the game, we'll lose anyway!

Secret...

What's for dinner tonight, mum?
I've done my homework and cleaned my room, so...
French fries... maybe ;)

James Morrison - Please don't stop the rain

This boy has such an amazing voice, you could listen to him singing and talking forever...

Der Schuh des Manitu

I saw today Der Schuh des Manitu http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0248408/ and I died laughing...
I bought the DVD 3 years ago and this is the first time I watched it! Well, I saw it at the cinema and on tv like 5 times, but today was the first time with german subtitles... so I understood more jokes! Did I mention that the whole movie is spoken in German? But by now I know all the lines so it get's easier everytime.
Oh yes, I watched it again in the evening, but this time with the director's comments on (actually Bully and Rick commented the whole movie, doing the Abahatchi/Winnetouch and Dimitri voices) - and it was even better!!!
Michael Herbig is a genius and together with Rick Kavanian and Christian Tramitz they make a wonderful team, I watched the Bully Parade for years on Pro 7 and when I was in Munich I was hearing them every day on Radio NRJ!
This is one of the best german comedies ever... and I'm happy I bought it so I can watch it everytime I want!
Servus ;)

Thousant-Hand Guan Yin

The 21 dancers are all deaf-mutes!!!
And still they do this amazing dance...

Clatite perfecte

Cand am ajuns azi acasa mi s-a facut o pofta de clatite...

100 gr faina alba, 2 oua, 300 ml lapte degresat, 1 lingura ulei de floarea-soarelui, plus extra pentru prajit

Se pun faina si un praf de sare intr-un castron mare si se face o adancitura in mijlocul fainii unde se pun ouale, se toarna aproximativ 50 ml lapte si o lingura de ulei. Se amesteca dinspre centru, incorporand treptat faina de pe margini, pana se amesteca toata cu ouale, laptele si uleiul. Se bate compozitia cu telul, pana se obtine o pasta omogena, fina si groasa. Se continua amestecarea turnand continuu tot laptele ramas, pana se obtine o pasta de consistenta unei smantani subtiri. Se lasa aluatul sa se odihneasca 30 min. Se incinge tigaia pe foc mediu, apoi se unge cu ajutorul unui prosop de hartie imbibat in ulei. Cu ajutorul unui polonic se toarna din aluat in tigaie, miscand tigaia pentru a acoperi toata suprafata cu un strat subtire si uniform de compozitie. Daca tigaia are temperatura ideala, foaia de clatita se intoarce dupa 30 de secunde. Se tine pe foc inca 30 de secunde apoi se asaza pe un platou cald.

Le-am incercat cu 2 umpluturi:
Ceapa, branza si bacon: se prajeste ceapa maruntita, se adauga cubulete de bacon si se prajesc impreuna pana devin aurii. Se pune amestecul pe clatite si se completeaza cu branza cheddar rasa. Se impaturesc clatitele si se dau 5 minute la cuptor, pana se topeste branza. Se servesc fierbinti.
Lamaie si zahar: zeama de lamaie si zahar tos dupa gust.

Spring is in the air...

Vivaldi - Spring (Allegro)

Wales - Ireland 15-17!!!!!!!!!

They won, they f***ing won!!!! I can't believe it!
I thought I will go prematurely grey watching the game tonight, but all is well when it ends well...
After 61 years Ireland won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Cup!!!
I am totally speechless, I was convinced they will lose and I was watching the game with my eyes almost closed, but still hoping. The last minute was a complete nightmare and I think I need a heart transplant!
Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara were the heroes of the game and of an entire nation, they wrote history tonight!!!
I wish I was in Dublin enjoying the parties and the Guinness...

Cordon Bleu

Inca o reusita culinara ;P pe care o impartasesc cu restul lumii...
Traiasca Good Foods ca publica retete comestibile si usor de facut!

4 fileuri de porc (pentru snitele), 4 felii de cascaval, 4 felii de sunca, 1/2 cana faina, 1 cana pesmet, 1 ou amestecat cu 1 lingura de lapte, 3 linguri ulei, 1 lamaie taiata felii pentru servit, sare, piper

Incalzeste cuptorul la 180 grade Celsius. Asaza snitelele de porc pe un fund de lemn. Pune pe fiecare snitel o felie de cascaval si una de sunca. Impatureste marginile bucatii de carne pentru a sigila cascavalul si sunca in interior. Prinde marginile cu o scobitoare. Pregateste 3 farfurii diferite, una cu faina, alta cu pesmet si ultima cu ou. Trece fiecare pachetel de carne prin pesmet, faina, ou si din nou pesmet. Incalzeste uleiul intr-un vas de jena si adauga pachetelele de carne. Lasa-le pe foc timp de 5 minute pana devin aurii, apoi intoarce-le si pune vasul la cuptor timp de 15 minute. Serveste cu felii de lamaie si legume fierte.

Tarta cu bacon si branza cu mucegai

Azi a fost zi de gateala, asa ca am facut o tarta delicioasa si usor de facut ;P
Din pacate nu am avut rucola dar am inlocuit-o cu untisor!

1 aluat de pateuri, 100 gr bacon taiat cubulete, 1 legatura ceapa verde taiata rondele, 2 oua batute usor, 300 gr crema de branza de vaci, 2 maini de rucola, 50 gr branza cu mucegai faramitata, 2 linguri seminte de pin

Se incinge cuptorul la 160 grade Celsius. Se unge cu unt o forma de tarta si se aseaza aluatul de pateuri. Se amesteca baconul, ceapa verde, ouale, branza de vaci si rucola, se condimenteaza si apoi se toarna in forma. Se presara pe deasupra branza cu mucegai si semintele de pin si se da 30 minute la cuptor. Se lasa putin sa se raceasca, se taie felii si se serveste cu salata.

U2 3D

Although it's wednesday today, due to an unfortunate event, our weekly cinema meeting was cancelled.
So I decided to go and see U2 3D http://www.u23dmovie.com/, my first 3d experience in Romania!
Last year when the movie was launched I searched everywhere in Europe to find an Imax to see it and I found out last week that it was available in Bucharest - actually in Rahova, next stop Ferentari!!! WOW! And people complain that we are not in Europe... pleeease :P
I will not comment on the price of the ticket, because I don't want to start crying, but I will tell you that the movie was absolutely f***ing amazing!!!!! Even if you are not a U2 fan you will be won over by the concert filmed in South America - the vibe you get there from the crowds it's unbelievable, they really know how to have a good time...
If you don't get a chance to see U2 live, the U2 3D is the best alternative. And if you saw them live, it's a great way to spend 90 minutes :)
This movie gets 100 billion thumbs up, I would watch it every day and still wouldn't get bored by it... but I'm quite a U2 fan, so it's not an impartial opinion! So better go and see it for yourself :)
I do hope now all the musicians will start thinking of filming their concerts in 3d, because the feeling you get from watching it it's quite special, you will never get a chance to see your favourite bands so close even if you have the VIP tickets...

P.S. Oh yes, did I mention it was a private screening? But I found out only at the end, when the lights were turned on and I saw that there wasn't anybody else in the cinema...
If I only knew that in the beginning, I would have sung louder :D

'appy St Paddy's Day!!!

What can I say on such day?
Let the Guinness flow and forget all our worries...
and hopefully the next St Paddy's day I'll be in lovely Baile Atha Cliath :D
Beannachtam na Feile Padraig to you all!!!


Dubliners - 7 drunken nights (live)

True Blood

I just started watching True Blood http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/, the HBO vampire series, and I must say I'm quite charmed by it...
It seems the new trend in Hollywood is Vampire!! From the Twilight mania to True Blood, based on the stories of Charlaine Harris, everybody wants to be a vampire or at least get bitten by one!
There are many similarities between the two stories, but True Blood is more bold and has loads of blood and sex scenes. The charisma between Sookie and Bil the Vampire is quite tangible, but the southern accent is something you get used to it... eventually ;)
It already won a Golden Globe for Anna Paquin, so it seems other people like it too.
And the soundtrack is well chosen, it really gives you a Louisiana vibe.
I should try to find the Sookie Stackhouse books to see if they are better than the series.

When did my heart go missing...

Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing

Scotland - Ireland 15-22!!!

Happy, happy, happy - this is the feeling for today :)
Hurray! Ireland won again, this time against Scotland and is one step away from Rugby heaven!
They played really bad in the first half, I thought maybe some prayers to St. Paddy will be in order, considering that he drove the snakes out of Ireland, maybe he could do the same to release the ball from Scotland's prying hands... and it worked!
The second half was much better and they finally won with 22-15.
I'm sure the Irish already started celebrating St. Patrick! Not that they need a reason to have a pint of Guinness anyway...

Friday the 13th

Today is Red Nose Day in the UK http://www.rednoseday.com/, so here is a Ricky Gervais clip from the 2007 edition. Be patient and watch it till the end - it's a killer if you like british humor ;)

Xavier...

Die schönnste Stimme aus Deutschland...

RZA feat Xavier Naidoo-Ich kene nichts

Watchmen

It's wednesday again :)
As everybody knows by now - it's movie night...
We decided to see Watchmen http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/, no. 01 at the US and UK Box office's - so it must be good... right?
Well... WRONG! It's such a crappy movie I don't know how to comment it... It felt like Benjamin Button story all over again, this time with special effects! It's a sort of documentary about some superheroes that ar not heroes at all, or at least this is the feeling you get from watching it.
I will never understand american's affection for comics... After the first half hour we were on the brink of suicide and afterwards we were watching our watches :) every 10 minutes to see how much of the movie is left. Did I mention it lasts only 2 hours and 15 minutes?
The only interesting character was Rorschach played by Jackie Earle Haley; Billy Crudup who used to be an ok actor is just dangling his wee-wee the entire movie - maybe that's why it ended up no. 01 at the box office ;P
The special effects are interesting, the filming is quite spectacular sometimes and the music is good (actually it's great to hear german music in an american movie - Nena with her 99 Luftballons).
Apart from that, the feeling you get from watching this movie is summoned by miss Silk Stalkings or whatever her name is: "It feels like licking a battery!"
YUK! YUK! YUK!
So this movie doesn't get any thumbs up, but other fingers up! I'll let you guess which ones ;)

P.S. Let's see you comment on that Little Mountain :D

The last of the mohicans...

... a chapter ends, a new one begins... The story continues somehow...

Twilight... again

Rob Pattinson - Let me Sign

Chocolate Crinkles

Reteta de la Fursecul mecanic...

Ies aproximativ 50 bucati absolut delicioase :D

60g unt, 225g ciocolata amaruie, 2 oua, 100g zahar tos, 1 lingurita extract de vanilie, 210 g faina, 1 lingurita praf de copt, un varf de sare, zahar pudra

Se topeste untul intr-un vas pe foc. Cand s-a topit complet, se adauga in vas ciocolata facuta bucati si se amesteca pana se topeste. Se ia vasul din cand in cand de pe foc pentru a nu se lipi. Se lasa la racit. Se incinge cuptorul la 180 grade. Se amesteca ouale cu zaharul pana devin o crema spumoasa si deschisa la culoare si se incorporeaza compozitia cu ciocolata. Se adauga vanilia, faina amestecata in prealabil cu praful de copt si sarea, amestecand bine. Se acopera cu o folie de plastic (direct pe aluat) si se lasa peste noapte in frigider. Din aluatul preparat se ia cu o lingurita cate o cantitate mica si se modeleaza sub forma unor mici bile (diametru 2-3 cm). Acestea se dau prin zaharul pudra si se asaza intr-o tava, pe hartie de copt. Se lasa sa se coaca timp de 15 minute, pana cand incep sa apara mici crapaturi in zaharul pudra de pe fursecuri.

Meerkat Manor

I saw today the best soap opera ever....
The Young and the Restless is nothing compared to The Meerkat Manor ;P
I used to watch this show a couple of years ago and it made me laugh and cry with the adventures of Flower, Basil, Parsley, Mozart and Shakespeare (I know the names are lethal, but you should see their faces... )
Now a new series has started "The Meerkat Manor The New Generation", the main characters are Flower's children and their adventures. It's almost a thriller - will One Eye Hannibal convince Maybelline to follow him, will Rocket Dog (actually a she...) fight with Nikita for Zaphod's affection?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Meerkat_Manor_episodes
Tune in every Saturday at 19:00 for 2 episodes on Animal Planet :)

Two peas in a pod

Monetu remember this formula: 33+1=32!
I don't think we changed much since this photo was taken, maybe we are a little bit taller, but none the wiser ;)

Kader Abdolah - The House of the Mosque

I finished today "The House of the Mosque" by Kader Abdolah from the Cotidianul Literature Collection.
It's a beautiful story that deals with the cope of the Iranian people with second half 20th century American influence over Iran. It is well written and it helps you understand some of the differences between christians and islamists.
It's almost a history book of sorts of the family living in the Mosque for centuries and it is an interesting reading if you want to know more about iranians and their way of life...

Easy Virtue

Well.. it's wednesday, so you know it's Orange day :)
We went to see Easy Virtue http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0808244/ a quirky comedy with Jessica Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth. The screenplay is an adaptation of a Noel Coward novel, so the laughs and songs are guaranteed.
I never liked Jessica Biel very much, but with this role I changed my mind - it's a long way from 7th Heaven. Kristin Scott Thomas is lethal as her mother-in-law and Colin Firth can really tango ;)
But of course as in any English movie about the 1930's the most obvious thing is - THE BUTLER DID IT! He is absolutely hillarious and he will make you cry with laughter...
And we mustn't forget to mention Poppy - the wonder/squash little annoying bacteria aka DOG!
It's really a funny movie worth watching, especially if you go in a 6 people formula - the way you can play the wireless phone is priceless :D
My verdict? 12 thumbs up!!!
Hopefully in the near future we will rent the entire cinema with our Orange tickets and then we can really start the popcorn battle of the year!

P.S. I know that on Saturday I said I received the best gifts for my birthday but I was wrong...
Today I recieved the best gift ever - a trip down memory lane ;P - a photoalbum with pictures of the Grafititi team past and present!
All I have to do now is to get autographs from the talented photographers and the most skilled graphic designer with a screwdriver that ever lived and I'm set for life :P

Snow Patrol - You're all that I have

This week I'm a declared fan of Snow Patrol ;) http://www.snowpatrol.com/ and this is my favourite...



Snow Patrol-You're all i have



Strain this chaos turn it into light
I've got to see you one last night
Before the lions take their share
Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere

Just give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Just give me something to hold onto

It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have
It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have

You're cinematic razor sharp
A welcome arrow through the heart
Under your skin feels like home
Electric shocks on aching bones

Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Just give me something to hold onto

It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have
It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have

There is a darkness deep in you
A frightening magic I cling to

Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Just give me something to hold onto

It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear now you are all that I have
It's so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear now you are all that I have

Martin... Aston Martin ;)

Pretty ain't it...
http://www.one-77.com/the_car.html

Pui la cuptor cu mascarpone

6 linguri de mascarpone, 1 căţel de usturoi, zdrobit, 2 lămâi, curăţate de coajă, apoi tăiate în jumătate, 1 lingură de cimbru, 1 pui ptr grill, ulei de măsline, 3 cepe, tăiate în felii groase

Se încălzeşte cuptorul la 180°C. Se amestecă crema de mascarpone cu usturoiul, coaja de lămâie, cimbru, sare şi piper. Se îndepărtează uşor pielea de pe piept (vârâţi-vă cu grijă degetele pe sub piele) şi se îndeasă compoziţia cu mascarpone. Se presează uşor pielea pentru a netezi umplutura, apoi se dă suprafaţa puiului cu ulei de măsline, sare şi piper. Se umple cavitatea puiului cu lămâile. Se aşază feliile de ceapă la baza unei tăvi, iar deasupra de aşază puiul. Se acoperă cu folie de aluminiu şi se coace. Se îndepărtează folia, se toarnă zeama din tavă peste pui, se creşte temperatura la 200°C şi se mai coace timp de 20 de minute. Se scoate din cuptor, se lasă la odihnit minim ½ oră.