Cooking

 

My mom taught me cooking, of course.

But I really started cooking for myself after moving out. For the first 2 years, I was preparing dishes that I remembered from my original home, such as spaghetti, chili con carne, Dutch stamp potten and nasi goreng.

I really started experimenting and exploring once I discovered the Korean cuisine, which I wanted to do for years, ever since I took an expanded Arabic cooking session with my step sister. And now that wish has come true.

So far, I have, with success, prepared the following recipes; Dolsot Bibimbap, Tteodokki and Japchae, while serving Kimchi, dumplings and vegetables as side dishes.2 of those main dishes were tolerable for me, but one of them was way to spicy for me ;P

Guiding me in this fun process and I suppose hobby of gathering the right ingredients, preparing the kitchen and cooking in the right orders and timing, I used the internet, Pinterest and certain YouTube channels such as Gordon Ramsay and Maangchi, which I recently found to deliver the right quality.

Looking for feedback, almost all of my friends and families visiting my current home are invited to join my dinner, either with traditional dishes known in The Netherlands, or foreign ones like the ones I described earlier.

So far, the feedback has been positive, save for my father who is very traditional and picky with trying out new stuff hehe. In any case, by trying out new recipes using not only the local supermarkets, but the local toko's too, my experience has leveled up.

Ironically, I think that my contributions towards brewing cocktails in the past for my birthday parties, as well as my food & beverage background as several jobs, naturally led me to become an amateur cooking chef back home.

In overall, cooking is fun, especially if you can manage and prepare well. At a certain point, you will feel and know when components during cooking will be ready, but at the same time, you will keep learning, as there are countless amounts of possibilities to try out!

Star Trek: TOS and TNG

I finally saw this ground-breaking piece of medium.

Star Trek has inspired numerous sources and pop culture itself by showing us futuristic concepts and themes, of which some of it has become reality, such as using smart devices to video call people.

The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise goes on many voyages and journeys together while discovering more about the universe. Most of the episodes were above average, some were exceptional, and some were utterly weird.

Captain Kirk and Mr.Spock lead the star ship and the stories encountered into intriguing ways, and the series is just iconic. Although it shows it’s age, I still admire it for various reasons.

Rating: 7.5

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's five-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers set off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on their own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Bigger, better and more technological advanced, The Next Generation is a much more ambitious and fun ride to endeavor than the original series, and this cast has astonishing characters, with Picard, Data and Geordi being my favourites.

The various alien races such as the Klingons and Romulans return, but more are introduced, including the Ferengi, the Cardassians and the Borg. Some episodes are throwback to the 60’s, others are goofy, most are watchable and others are exceptional and memorable, especially the time related ones.

The screenplay and acting are the meat, as the science and technology fiction have deepened, which makes it compelling. Star Trek: The Next Generation was long overdue for me personally, and I suppose I am officially a Trekkie now.

Rating: 8.5

Wario Ware Gold

Intelligent Systems puts out a best of Wario Wario entry, alongside new micro games, while not really introducing a new feature, but to be fair, it has always brought something new to the table previously.

Twisting, touching, motion control, blowing, Do It Yourself, multiplayer and of course d-pad and buttons, the franchise has been going far with the mechanics and the controls. The older micro games have been polished and are welcome to see.

Of course, the all stars cast of Wario's friends return, including Mona, Orbulon, 9-Volt and my favorite one Dr.Crygor, although I miss his theme from the first game here. The categories this time include Fantasy, Sports, Anything Goes, Nintendo and That's Life.

Not as much categories as before such as Weird or Sci-Fi, but I am content with the quantity, over 300 micro games are available and for the first time in the series, there are cut-scenes with voice acting involved, so it was nice to hear Charles Martinet in here.

Wario Ware Gold is a very enjoyable edition and it's suitable for beginners and fans alike! I still really like this pick up and play concept.

Rating: 8.5