Raining raining in whose country...

Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, lebih baik negeri sendiri.

A Malay saying, basically it means, raining gold at other country, raining stone in your own country, it is still better your own country.

It is one of the sayings that I often heard and one of the sayings that I do not really like. To me, this saying kills the spirit of adventure and loving somewhere else in one heart.

People go around and stay at a place for many reasons. Each has their own reason to be at that place, so why would you want to questions his reason for staying at one place? Should that saying is truly applied in your life and practise fully, I will tell you that, things may not be what it is today.

Home is always a place you love to come back too because you are comfortable there already. You know your mother will cook for you and you are in your own familiar surrounding. To me, any places that I am comfortable with are my homes. It is good to be at home with my parents and be pampered but I do feel the need to walk on my own too. To be able to create my own home. Anywhere that will be…

Look around and think, where does your parents came from? Your grandparents? Your uncles and aunties in law? Your friends? I am very sure, most of them, at one point in their life, start off somewhere else to be at where they are now. Call it fate but if they do not migrate, then, you may not even exist…

I for one think that this is one of the culprits for why one of the races in my country does not venture out of their country. Not even to my state which is still under the same country. All because we are divided by sea. Compare to some races that we know of, they are basically all over the world.

I have not asked them but I am pretty sure they will not have that saying in their culture.

Icky Icky Gooey...

One of the stuff that is a must with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the ooze. I still remember when I was just a little boy; the ooze was sold in a small canister. I had always wanted to buy one…

And so, I found a bottle of ooze from the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Still looks gooey, icky and yucky. Just the way I like it…

So, after taking pictures of the Mousers, I was like,

“Hey, let’s take pictures of the Turtles and the ooze too…”

And so I did.

For those who do not know the Turtles, the ooze from TCRI mutated them into the humanoid form. The ooze is also responsible for their Master Splinter to be mutated from a rat into the humanoid form.

Those cute miniature petite small tiny turtles in the pictures came with the NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. One turtle each for each of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pack. The TCRI canister is also included in the NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It came with Donatello’s pack.

For those who desperately need ooze, you can use the readily available natural ooze from your nose. The colour may not be too green, but it is ooze. Oh, and it will dry up pretty quick too…

Now, let us wait for the next wave, SHREDDER, FOOT SOLDIERS AND APRIL O NEIL! Oh, and the Mousers with jaws that can be opened too…

Mousers with no pretty jaws...

Ever since I had bought NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last year, I had waited for a while for other line up in the series. Then the Mousers came out.

Then again, it will be too much for my wallet to handle should they all come out at the same time... Good thing they come out one at a time. The Turtles themselves were quite a stretch for my wallet to be able to collect all four of them.

Anyway, the Mousers were created by Baxter Stockman with the help of April O Neil. The Mousers are one of the popular and dangerous Turtles enemies. They look awesome in great numbers but I have to settle for three Mousers. For now that is…

Still, they do look good though…

The Mousers are slightly more expensive compare to the Turtles. Apart from the look, other things are quite a let down. NECA had done a good job with the Turtles. Never had the Turtles look as wonderful as they are now and the articulation points they have are the best among all of the Turtles’ series.

Then the Mousers really turn my expectation to pieces. They look great and their sizes are exactly like in the comics. The biggest let down, their jaws would not open up! So much for being much more expensive than the Turtles.

WHAT IS A MOUSER WITHOUT ITS JAW!? So much for their jaws that can crush concrete and steel…

Their heads can be moved up and down and also moving their head from one side to another without a slight problem. The best thing is, the ball joint that connects the head to its neck is very stiff. It will probably helps to make it last longer. It was so stiff that I thought it cannot be moved at first.

The same thing can be said for the legs. Good stiff joints but not much of articulation points. I had to move them so carefully so as not to break their delicate legs.

No, definitely no legs breaking…

So not much can be done with the legs…

It is very hard to make them into running position because of lack of articulation points. They just look weird with their legs like that. If the toes are moveable, then they will look super! Greater still with running pose plus jaw wide open!

The Mousers also come with display base…

The display base is a part of road and a manhole cover. Exactly like the Donatello’s display base except his manhole cover has holes and looks so plain. The Mousers manhole cover has San Diego written on it and underneath the lid, picture of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The reason why San Diego was printed on the lid was because the Mousers were introduced exclusively during the San Diego Comics Convention. So that is why…

Then I snapped the display bases together and get the Mousers to attack Raphael, one of the turtles.

Why Raphael, I can hear you ask… Well, I just like his aggressive expression on his face.

So then I just play around with the angles and the positions and try to get some exciting fighting scenes between Raphael and Mousers…

Still wish their jaws can be opened… So much for their jaws that can crush steel and concrete. Wait, I had mentioned that already.

NECA had announced last year, Casey Jones, Shredder and the Foot Soldiers will be next in the line... The new series or the second wave also includes Mousers with jaws that can be opened.

Why not now?

Wish Im at Jupiter...

I had just finished studying… and had just is if you mean nearly nine months ago…

Thought that when if I am not doing all the studies, I have more time to do other thing.

In a way it is true, I have more time to do other thing. Except now I need more time. Just few hours ago I was thinking how it would be if I stay at Jupiter or planets farther from the Sun. I should be able to have longer days. More hours…

I have so many things to do but limited by time and money. Yes, money is also limiting my wanted to do list…

Still, now that I have got my part time job while still in search of a real proper job or if I strike rich or something like that, I am able to do more stuff compare to when I was a student. I am still studying though, except that I have no deadline to catch and no classes to go. I like this sort of studying…

With all the reading and other reading, plus training and doing my Gundam, my days just flew by. Now I am nearly in the middle of the year. I still have a lot to do… I have not even finish panel lining and paint my Gundam. Still have lots of books to be read.

Now I want more time.

And more money.

And probably both will be good…

Something short...

I started out with nothing,

and I still have most of it...

Quick way to learn Chinese...

English: He's cleaning his automobile

Chinese: Wa Shing Ka

English: This is a tow away zone

Chinese: No Pah King

English: Small Horse

Chinese: Tai Ni Po Ni

English: Your price is too high!!!

Chinese: No Bai Nut Ding!!!

English: Did you go to the beach?

Chinese: Wai Yu So Tan?

English: I bumped into a coffee table

Chinese: Ai Bang Mai Ni

English: It's very dark in here

Chinese: Wai So Dim?

English: Has your flight been delayed?

Chinese: Hao Long Wei Ting?

English: I thought you were on a diet?

Chinese: Wai Yu Mun Ching?

English: They have arrived

Chinese: Hai Dei Kum

English: Your body odor is offensive

Chinese: Yu Stin Ki Pu

English: You know lyrics to the Macarena?

Chinese: Wai Yu Sing Dum Song?

English: I got this for free

Chinese: Ai No Pei

English: Stay out of sight

Chinese: Lei Lo

English: Phew! Does this bathroom stink!

Chinese: Hu Flung Dung?

English: That's not right

Chinese: Sum Ting Wong

English: Are you harboring a fugitive?

Chinese: Hu Yu Hai Ding?

English: See me ASAP

Chinese: Kum Hia Nao

English: Stupid Man

Chinese: Dum Gai

English: I think you need a face lift

Chinese: Chin Tu Fat

English: Our meeting is scheduled for next week

Chinese: Wai Yu Kum Nao?

English: Staying out of sight

Chinese: Lei Ying Lo

English: Great

Chinese: Fu Kin Su Pah

Thanks to jardmail...

Beautiful Burgers...

One of my favourite in the food family is burger. It was originally known as hamburger and the basic ingredient will be two pieces of bread, ground beef patty between it and with condiments such as pieces of vegetables, few blots of sauces and maybe some slices of cheese.

A hamburger nowadays is solely used for ground beef patty in it. A burger then may have chicken, lamb, goat, fish, crab or even vegetable patty. Some burger do not use patty even but instead uses steak as the patty.

The hamburger started to make its name in the early 1900. Various people and restaurants claimed that they had created the hamburger. I do not really care who created it but seriously, it is one of the best creation in the food family ever…

It is actually hard to find halal hamburger patty here where I staying now. This led me to the search for burger patty maker. I know it exist because my mother bought one for herself when she visited here. Lo behold, after that, it is impossible to find one. I had going in and out of different kitchen utensil stores to no avail…

Hey, I have not tried the internet. Maybe I should order one instead…

Anyway; I can actually make my own patty from the mince meat without using the burger patty maker. It is just that I do not like my burger patty in an odd shape. As circular as possible will be nicer!

Yeah, sound a bit useless, but I do appreciate art and beauty in food too.

Another alternative to lower my craving for burgers is to head into Nando’s. They have quite a number of burger variations with either chicken breast or vege patty basted in peri peri sauce or rib sauce. For those who does not know what peri peri means, just remember that peri peri is chilli. I had tried all of the Nando’s burgers but it is still not the hamburger.

Yet another alternative is to eat my burger with steak! I tried it and I am totally pleased with the result. I mixed and match the knowledge I have with some stuff I have picked up from Nando’s.

The most important main ingredient to make a beautiful burger, I went to buy some round steaks for the patty. This will be the burger patty which is also the heart of the burger. Round steak is quite long piece of meat, but you can fold it up so it is not a problem.

Anyhow, a good rule of thumb to remember is, get a piece of steak that does not have even a single piece of bone in it. That is totally not a good burger, no sir!

Sirloin steak or even rib eye steak will be a good patty providing you like the extra thickness. I will try that next!

I marinade the steak few hours before I cook them. I just use any marinade sauce available from the shop and you can make your marinade sauce if you want. Use the sauce for basting when you cook the steak to make it taste better. I had tried roasting and frying and both taste super!

So it just basically your preferences.

The usual burger bun is nice. I also learned that rolls are nicer if you prefer crunchier buns. So I went to the bakery and get myself some wholemeal rolls. If you do not want your rolls to be broken rolls, heat them up in the oven for a bit and cut them into two when it is still warm and soft.

Gourmet salad gives some fibre in your burger. Add the usual burger condiment such as tomatoes. I am not a pickle fan so no pickle and cucumber even. I used avocadoes instead. Slice the avocadoes up when you had get rid of the seed. Mayonnaise is a must and other sauces such as tomato ketchup or even the chilli sauce will add more taste to your burger. I forgot the cheese and I usually like to have a slice of cheese in my burger. That will be next time then. I still have few more pieces of steak waiting…

Put them together and you have one of the most beautiful burger…

Sigh...

Next will be steak burger with cheese, then steak burger with caramelised onion and hopefully homemade burger patty.