Adapted this recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-spicy-roasted-pecans-50400000116410/
90g pecans (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin & coriander mix, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 175 deg C.
Verdict: They were good although Mark found them a little sweet.
I am very happy. I watched the Brownlee brothers win a gold and bronze in the triathlon (a completely bonkers event) for Team GB this morning, then we won some gold medals in the dressage (so elegant), then Laura Trott and Chris Hoy won golds in the cycling.
It makes a huge difference to have real medal contenders to support but I’ve also enjoyed watching other events where team GB aren’t involved. I was enthralled by the balance beam event even though GB wasn’t represented in the final. It’s simply astounding what these people can do. It’s such a privilege to watch the best in the world compete against each other right here in Britain. Awe-inspiring.
I bought this book on Amazon Warehouse Deals, which sucked me in with its bargains even though I had pledged not to buy physical books this year. I was supposed to borrow books from the library and, if I was going to buy fiction, buy it for the Kindle. Anyway, I only paid £1.27 for this book and I’m glad I didn’t pay any more than that because it wasn’t that good.
The writing is honest and sharp – I will give it that. But I saw the ‘surprises’ coming a mile off and I found the subject matter so trivial. I’d read reviews saying that this book tells the truth about the first year of motherhood so I was ready for something deep and affecting, possibly with a dark side. I’m not a mother but plenty of my peers are so I do glimpse into that world, even if I don’t have first hand experience. So some of the motherhood stuff was familiar. I had a problem with the main character though. She seems so selfish and superficial, especially the way she always notices people’s appearances. Her friendships with her friends mostly seem very shallow too, though there are a couple of touching moments.
I wanted to enjoy this book. Maybe I would have if I was a mother, but reading this book made me grateful that I’m not one. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Well, if I’d paid attention to the cover (or at least the title) before buying, it would have registered that the books I love do not have covers like this. I don’t like books about women who don’t seem to think about anything apart from babies and relationships and bitch about other women. Perhaps chick lit is not for me.
(34th in 2012)
I wasn’t just indifferent to the Olympics during the build up to it, I actually felt quite negative about it. I didn’t have any faith that it would be any good. Then I watched the opening ceremony (after the event as I was working at the time) and was completely blown away.
Olympics Day 8: British athletics' gold medal winners. Taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/
Yesterday was one of the best Saturdays I can remember. Great Britain had it’s best Olympic day for over a hundred years. I’m not much of a sports fan but I was incredibly happy. Fantastic day.
Today we’ve had Ben Ainslie winning a gold medal and making British Olympic history and Andy Murray has beaten Roger Federer to get gold, with his defeat to Federer in the Wimbledon final just 4 weeks ago seemingly forgotten. What a proud weekend for the British!
I’d become interested in Michael McIntyre’s journey to stardom when I heard him on Desert Island Discs. (I love how that programme brings out the human and honest side of the celebrities featured on there. Possibly the best one was when Morrissey was on it.)
Anyway, Life and Laughing is ok. Some bits are quite interesting; I never knew that his family knew Kenny Everett or that he came from ‘a broken home’. Some bits are funny; I laughed out loud a couple of times. But other parts that are supposed to be funny just aren’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that Michael McIntrye is best when he does stand up. His comedy isn’t best showcased in the written word. That may say something about the level of sophistication of his comedy. But, although he’s a bit mainstream, I do like his stand up. He’s not as good as Jason Manford or as cool as Stewart Lee but he is undeniably funny.
But the book’s only ok. I mean, it’s not as good as How Not To Grow Up, which I read last year. I liked it because it was funny and also honest to the point that it made me not like Richard Herring. Oh and I almost forgot Shappi’s book, which wasn’t particularly funny but I enjoyed it a lot more than this one.
One thing I have to say is that I hate the cover of the book. It’s completely bland and seems to be designed to cash in on the fact that he’s a household face.
In summary, there’s nothing that is awful about this book but only proper McIntyre fans will truly love it. Otherwise, there are plenty of better books by comedians out there.
(33rd in 2012)
2 medium onions /equivalent quantity of shallots, finely chopped
Filippo Berio cooking olive oil
2 x 400g Waitrose cherry tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of chilli powder
Glass of red wine
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1/2 Kallo organic chicken stock cube
Dried oregano/chopped fresh basil
I read most of this book in one day. It seems short though it claims to be 315 pages long.
It starts off well. The subject matter is original; there aren’t many books out there about a child, Daniel, who allegedly murders a child. But the story is that of the accused’s solicitor, Leo Curtice, and the effect that defending Daniel has on his family.
There are some tense parts in the book, like when the car Leo is in gets mobbed or when he and his family are being stalked on a day trip. The dialogue mostly feels very real. But there’s nothing that makes the book any more than just reasonablly well written. The ending felt out of place because most of the book until that point focusses on Leo’s situation and also Daniel’s to a lesser extent but the conclusion – here I don’t want to spoil the ending – doesn’t.
Something that annoyed me at various points in the book is the use of the pronouns he or she without naming the character so that the reader isn’t clear, at least for a short while, who is being written about. Sarah Winman also does it in When God Was a Rabbit. I don’t know whether it’s deliberate or not but I strongly dislike it!
In summary, compared to the other books I’ve read, I’d say that The Child Who is only average.
(32nd in 2012)
This December it will be 20 years since I went to India. The White Tiger brought back many memories from then.
In the book Aravind Adiga tells us the truth about India. About how poverty and ignorance crush most of the poor and corruption ensures most of the rich remain that way. The protagonist – The White Tiger – pulls off a rare trick: he escapes his position as a servant and becomes a master.
There’s nothing that feels fictional about this book. The superstitious beliefs, the mannerisms, the way characters talk and so on…all feel very familiar to me. Yet there is something more that marks this book out as special: it’s very angry but breathtakingly articulate. The sarcasm and wit is dazzling. At other times the book is rather touching and even tragic. It’s quite a journey.
The Guardian interviewed Adiga when The White Tiger won The Booker Prize in 2008.
(31st in 2012)
This article in The Guardian and the comments following it make very interesting reading. I don’t think about it much these days but I am so glad that I’ve escaped Indian culture. I think those two young feminists in the article have hit the nail on the head:
“…modern women are divided into “bad” and “good” according to what they wear, whether they go out after dark and whether they drink alcohol. “We are seeing a rise of moral policing, which blames those women who are not seen as being ‘good'”
My parents and indeed the wider community expected me to be a ‘good’ girl, especially before I got married. But I’ve ended up marrying someone who doesn’t care about any of those things. In one respect I am now the complete opposite of ‘good’: I work in my in-laws’ pub! But there isnt any question in my mind about my or my husbands morals. Basically, the rules for being ‘good’ are patriarchal bullshit. Yes, I’m angry about it.
Women being seen as inferior is a part of most cultures that I know of. In Hinduism it’s even mentioned in the scriptures that women are lesser than men. When I realised this in my twenties I found it so condescending that I abandoned Hinduism altogether. I’ve never looked back.
I think the problem of violence towards women in India is due to a lack to respect towards women that is ingrained in the culture in many ways. The dowry tradition, which still goes on to an extent in my own community, devalues women. It is a completely outdated practice anyway as most women in my community pay their own way by working. The frowning upon women who go out and have a drink sends the message that women are second class citizens; they are not allowed the same pleasures as men. And women being seen and treated as objects for sexual gratification translates to women not even being regarded as human.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Indian culture, even in Indian communities in Britain, is going to change any time soon.
I watched all four episodes of The Take over two evenings as it was available in HD on Virgin On Demand. It’s the story of two cousins who are a part of the East End’s criminal network and their girlfriends.
The plot spans 10 years from 1984. I especially loved watching the fashions, hairstyles, decor, music etc change through the decade. There is a lot of violence and bad language but it doesn’t feel gratuitous. It all felt a bit like Lock, Stock and Smoking Barrels, but without the humour. The main character, Freddie Jackson, is a criminal psychopath and most of the shocking behaviour comes from him. Tom Hardy, who plays him, is incredibly menacing, though I couldn’t take him 100% seriously as he had what I think of as a comedy cockney accent. Still, I liked The Take a lot. It’s very stylish and, while the plot is very slightly ridiculous, it’s a cracking story.