Indulgence in Hell...

oh, piss off!!!

I love eating. Who doesn't? Even the good Lord invited us to feast with him (go check John 21:12, Matthew 22:2). With that. He made so many talented and ingenious people to prepare banquets for us on Earth, just to give us (more like the ones with deep pockets) a glimpse of what banquets in Heaven would be. Now, I did NOT take a course in the culinary arts. Rather, I indulge watching other people do so. Let me correct that last sentence. I indulge in watching cooking shows so that I can learn how to cook on my own (my mum's eyebrows would be raised if she reads this) and hopefully impress some girl to show that I'm not that useless hopeless blur in the kitchen department. 

My endeavor into the culinary arts comes in the form of Sir (sorry, not knighted yet) Gordon Ramsay. Most would know him as the foul-mouthed bugger who hosts Hell's Kitchen, The F Word, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and the most recent Masterchef U.S., with the latter and Hell's Kitchen being my personal favorites. 

First of all, yes he's a foul-mouthed a-hole. Couldn't agree more. But then again, he's a foul-mouthed Scot who has earned 12 Michelin stars to date (for those who do not know what a Michelin star is, it's equivalent to an Oscar or Golden Globe award for chefs). He's known worldwide for his high standards and  scrumptious cuisines. Just watching the contestants prepare his famous beef wellingtons is enough to make my mouth water and get me out of the chair to look for anything equivalent to that (usually. it ends with me just finding snacks). He yells, he cusses, he screams at contestants in every season of Hell's Kitchen. Sometimes to the point his voice even breaks. But it's all due to the high standards he practices and upholds in  the kitchen. People may argue "why does he need to be like that?" and what not. A friend of mine who took a course in this field replied by saying that this IS the atmosphere in a fine dining kitchen. Chefs all around have to constantly make sure that the standards of the food prepared are maintained under all circumstances.

some people are just plain hard to work with

some just need to get screwed with Gordon to buck up

in the end, some people were meant to be great

I enjoy Hell's Kitchen cause it also brings out the very nature of a person. On Monday, I finished watching the entire 9th season of Hell's Kitchen. There were very interesting contestants in that season indeed. Some where indeed talented and deserved to win the competition. Some were just so arrogant and bossy that you'd wish Gordon would just kick her (it's a girl. No pun intended to girls ya) out. And then there were some that were just plain dumb and blur. Mr. Ramsay does push people to the limit. But it is only because that this will strive them to bring out the better part of themselves. My grandmother doesn't understand why I enjoy the series so much (heck, I even played a game based on it, which included the foul-mouthed bugger). Indeed, it's about the food. But then again, it really shows you the different type of people that walk the face of the Earth and how we would have to deal with someone like this one fine day. I'll just leave you with a quote from the man himself from an interview with the local newspaper in UK;

"I maintain standards and I strive for perfection. That level of pressure is conveyed in a very bullish way and that's what cooking is all about." 

The Evolution of Batman...

I can be considered (and consider myself) a movie geek and a comic geek to some extent. With the prices of comics soaring like Superman, I'm not the avid comic book collector... But I do update myself once in awhile with the past and current events in the comic book universe.
In saying that, I've noticed the evolution of one iconic comic book character throughout the decades (not years mind you). Batman has been one of my favorite comic book heroes from DC Comics. Dark and gloomy, the Dark Knight really has been one of my favorite, heck, even my only favorite DC Comic hero.But there was a time when the dark and moody hero wasn't that dark and gloomy...
I was chilling with a friend of mine at the local mamak after a heavy night of gaming at the cyber cafe and decided to just watch what was on tv that night. To our surprise, amusement and delight (to some extent), TV2 was showing the old Batman & Robin series. Not the one with George Clooney and Chris O' Donnel. The one with Adam West as the Caped Crusader. I do believe that i did watch this series back when I was still drinking milk from the bottle (didn't realise my memory was that good ;p). Fast forward 20 or so years later, and I cannot understand how people at that time could watch a series like this. Here's why;

1. The dialogue was lousy and corny. Example: Batman & Robin discuss matters right in front of the street in public. 
2. The acting was lame and horendous. Example: Batman runs aimlessly like a frantic lunatic trying to throw a bomb which doesn't seem to go off in broad daylight when he is supposed to have a whole arsenal of gadgets with him.
3. The story and even the logicness to it doesn't add up. Example: Penguin fires knockout gas at the guard. The smoke doesn't even touch the guard one bit, rather, it was heading for the Penguin.

I really must applaud the script writers of that era. No wonder the series lasted for 2 years only. Oh well, at least there was Chris Nolan's version of the Dark Knight that boosted everyone's interest in the Caped Crusader again.

So here's the evolution of Batman in the media;

non-muscular Batman with weird mask and patched-on horns... and a rather gay-looking partner

"This suit is really hot and rubbery!" Batman goes rubber...

They don't make cartoons like they used to...

The era where Batman (and Robin) got tits on their suits...

I'm Batman!!!