World Class Drummer

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I was privileged to interview one of the most popular professional drummers in the world; Simon Philips of the band called Toto. The Star Publication could not send in their writer so they engaged me as a freelance writer for them. Simon is on a hectic schedule traveling around the world conducting drum clinics, sharing his years of experience and motivating drummers all around the world.

Simon, at bentley Music's new store

A simple and humble person, Simon has a great sense of humor and disposition to live. At 51 he said traveling could get a bit on you. Your band members can get a little cranky as they age.  He found the Asian countries to be pleasant when traveling but not the US since the 911. American customs have been really hard on the travelers even if you are an American.

He feels someday he may settle in one of the Asian countries, maybe Singapore. He said that when you get older your body couldn’t do as much as it used to. He recounted some legendary musician who can’t do some of the things they used to years ago. Simon said this is where you get to be a bit more creative and do a whole lot by playing lightly and still achieving much.

Simon will be doing a clinic today at Wisma MCA at 8pm, 3rd floor. Tickets are RM35.

Healthy Curry style Chicken Fried Noodles

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

Have you ever wished you could tuck into a lovely delicious plate of fried noodles and not feel guilty of the calories, cholesterol based oils and ingredients and yet have the mouth watering, savoring dish that tastes as good or even better?

Well put your concerns to rest. Here is a simple half hour preparation for a sumptious healthy fried noodles.  

Noodles (Serves two)

Ingredients and Condiments

1) Chicken ( preferably kampung chicken 200 gms diced )
2) Mushroom ( buttons or Portobello ) 4 small mushrooms or 2 large portobello ( cut into slices)
3) Organic asparagus beans ( 10 pieces ) cut into small pieces
4) 1 medium size organic capsicum
5) Organic chilies, 2 small pieces cut to small slices
6) Grape seed oil
7) 5 pieces of leafy organic vegetables ( any type )
8) herbs; rockets, basil or herbs of your choice
9) Black ground pepper ½ teaspoon
10) 1 teaspoon Fennel powder (jintan Manis) and ½ teaspoon fennel uncrushed
11) 1 teaspoon chili powder
12) 1 teaspoon cumin powder ( jintan Putih) and  ½ teaspoon cumin uncrushed
13) Garlic, 4-5 cloves diced
14) 1 medium size onions sliced
16) Mustard seed (Biji sawi)1- ½ teaspoon
17) Organic noodles ( as per desired sufficient for 2 persons)

fried noodles with all the goodness!

Cooking preparation

Boil water and put noodles in and cook for 2 minutes. Remove, drain water and add some olive oil  in noodles to prevent it from sticking together.

Heat oil (1 tablespoon) on pan at high heat and put in mustard seed when oil is hot. Cover lid as seeds may burst. Once bursting of seeds has settled, reduce heat to medium size and add cumin and fennel (uncrushed) . Cook for a few seconds and throw in garlic.

Simmer until garlic is light brown and then add in onions.

Once onion is cooked (soggy and soft ) throw in chicken and simmer for a few seconds and add in cumin, fennel and chili powder. Add half cup of hot water , close lid and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Check occasionally to make sure water doesn’t evaporate completely. After 10-15 min most of the water should have evaporated but the chicken should not be too dry or too soggy.

Throw in mushrooms and stir and then close lid for another 1 minute. Throw in beans  chilies and capsicum, stir and close lid and allow to cook for ½ a minute.

Throw in noodles and stir and after stirring well add in leafy vegetables and herbs and close the fire and stir for a few seconds. Make sure you don’t stir too long, just enough for the leafy vegetables to cook slightly. Preferable a few seconds only.

Serve while hot.

Bon appetite!

Local Talent Makes it International

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I was so happy and proud to hear the good news this morning that one of my friends, Arthur Kam was selected as the winner for the international modern drummer festival undiscovered drummer for the under 18 category.

Arthur Kam in action

I knew Arthur from the day he picked up a pair of drumsticks when he was 7 years old. Today at 16,  he will be playing with world class drummers come this September in the Modern drummer festival which is held annually in USA. He will now go international, as he will be playing with world-class musicians and singers. The sky is the limit now for him.

Many years ago I ever wondered if any of our local talents will ever make in the international scenario looking at the quality of local movies and music we produce. But some have broken the barrier of mediocrity in this country to go on to perform in the international arena. I was once surprised to see a Malaysian saxophonist playing for Shania Twain in the California open concert.

So let us rise up to the occasion. If you have the talent, don’t let circumstances or  lack of opportunities weigh you down. Break all frontiers and make a name for yourself!

To watch Arthurs video submission, please click the link below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRFWnoFXcAs

Garden Wedding

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

Most of us dream of a garden wedding being the ultimate, when we plan to get married. The open-air concept with the sky above, the lovely lush greenery is just the kind of wedding bash one would love to throw. My cousins, when they got married in UK, their wedding was held in a garden. The weather in UK is conducive for such an event outdoors.

We have an excellent weather in Malaysia but is the climate conducive for such an event? The heat and humidity can be a drawback. I was invited last Saturday to a friend’s wedding in Cyber lodge at Cyberjaya and I was the drummer for the music band. I must say I was truly impressed with the set up. The Spanish like staircase leading to the wedding isle overlooking a pool that cascades to a waterfall. The well-maintained garden was really beautiful. Truly magnificent! The weather was great. Was just a little hot even at 5 pm. It would have been more suitable for a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts attire. Suit is definitely not going to be comfortable.

The perfect set up

After the official ceremony, we were treated to a cocktail and thence to an excellent 10-course dinner in the ballroom. The air-con environment was a sheer welcome after that hot experience.

We were well entertained with some Bollywood dances from the bride’s side of the family among other things.

Hmmm…. they managed to pull it off. Looks like we can have a really lovely garden wedding in Malaysia after all.

Attitude

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I recently read a book on the A-Z on happiness. The first chapter starts with the word “Attitude”. I found this to be the most powerful element and catalyst for success in anyone’s life, be it relational, career, wealth, ambition, goals etc.

When we wake up everyday, what is out attitude? Our life is determined by the way we see our world and not the current circumstances of how our world is. We make our tomorrow with our creative ability that starts with our attitude.

What a man thinketh, so is he.

I have found success in everything that I have tried my hands on, even if I don’t get what I want. I have learned the secret of having the right attitude.

A recent survey was taken and a few of the comments of married women of how they view their husbands are as follows; not motivated, gives up easily, gets discouraged easily etc.

let us rise above the storm.

That is sad? Do we need external stimuli to motivate us? The world will always have its fair share of problems, but are we going to succumb to it or rise above it? One of my favorite animals in the animal kingdom of the air is the Eagle. An eagle does not fight the storm but embraces it by rising above it and soaring on high.

Lets decide today to be like that eagle and not like a turkey, who only gets weighed down, and cannot fly more that 2 feet of the ground.

The new i Phone

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I was all excited to see the keynote address by Steve Jobs on the launch of the new i phone and it’s exciting new features. I believe all those enthusiasts who weren’t tempted to buy the phone before it hit our shores were the smart ones. Now over the next few months i phone will find its way to 70 countries. And guess what? It will be available in Singapore but not in Malaysia. So take a trip down and get it at the standard international price of US 199 or 299 depending on the size of the phone memory.( A lot cheaper now)

Sexy and Sleek

The new i phone with business, education and social networking features plus 3 G is going to be a hit, unfortunately we can’t use the 3G facilities yet as we don’t have an apple partnering network here. Maybe 2 years from now Malaysia may be included.( hopefully)

I wonder why after building the tallest buildings, longest bridge etc, we are still not recognized internationally as a viable market compared to our neighboring cousin who never ventured into such endeavors.

Were we short sighted? Or short changed?

Are you too Fussy?

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

We all have heard that ever so common phrase from well wishing friends, when they see that we are still single, wading through the period of our marriage zone. Well some of us choose to be single while others are so called, “ shopping” for their partners.

Beauty is fleeting, and charm deceptive, but the woman of a noble character is from the Lord

A person’s choice of a partner is affected by their personal background, social, financial and or spiritual needs. The choice also differs between the male and female gender.

Sometimes parents come into play; “will my parents accept my choice ?”, is the big question. We have all heard the horror stories of the In-Laws. So much of our decision is based on external factors rather than personal choice.

Sometimes we need to take stock of our thinking process. If you are old enough to get married, than you are adult enough to take the responsibility to make choices based on good principles and not out of personal or external bondages.

Is your knight in shining armour just for display?

Some rate their future spouses as if they are buying a product. You will never be satisfied with any choices that come your way. And the one you want, may be far beyond your reach. So if you are getting along in age and still have not settled down, and want to, it is time to re-look at your values and find that partner who is of good character, virtue and wisdom.

Nice Guys or Bad Guys?

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I have met a number of women, who prefer the slightly bad guys to good guys. They like their men to be rough on the edges. Not slap them around though, but the kind whom we call, the bad boys.

Hollywood rated the 10 best bad boys in movies and the number one bad boy title went to Johnny Depp of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Keira Knightly in an interview said she likes pirates. She thinks they are sexy.

Women love bad boys, I think it gives them the adrenaline rush. The excitement, the passion, the unknown and the mysterious.

I would like to welcome all women to respond to this question;

What kind of men do you like? The nice guys or bad?

No more Mr Nice Guy Competition?

If so, why?

Lets see who will emerge as the most popular in the women’s list. Nice guys or bad guys?

Probably Clove Two may need to scrap the Mr. Nice Guy competition and have the Bad Boys competition instead.

Lonely Hearts

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

I love my Saturdays. After my final class, I normally cook a nice pasta and have it over a movie on TV. But of late, I have been not doing that regular celebration, instead I just resort to some left overs in the fridge and spend the evening watching whatever is on TV.

This is how Karen looks like, after a great meal.

 I guess the lonely heart is calling out. Although you may have all the comforts in life, it's not easy when you do not have a partner to share it with. I decided to call my close friend Karen over the weekend for a meal as I didn't want to spend another weekend alone. She was kind enough to accept the invitation. She came over with a box of my favorite chocolates; Thornton's from England.

I cooked pasta and we had a lovely meal in the kitchen and thence we adjourned to my garden where she introduced me to the "face book" on my notebook. We spent the evening enjoying the conversation and each others company.

Karen left not too late as we both had to wake up early for Church the next day.

I guess we aren’t designed to be alone.

Organic Noodle Soup (Laotian style)

Posted by: andrew william Post(s) by this blogger

How do you prepare a simple, quick and healthy meal after a hard days work? Here is a simple recipe that takes about 15 minutes or so for preparation and cooking time.

First stock up your larder and fridge from the health or organic store with the following;
Organic noodles, such as seaweed, tomato, spirulina or oatmeal noodles.
Organic seasoning (If you don’t have the time to prepare chicken or beef stock)
Bean curds, fish balls and what ever you prefer to be put into your soup (you can pick up these items from any cold section of the supermarket)
Organic vegetables( salad, spinach, beans, tomatoes, green chilies and any leafy vegetables)
Herbs such as rockets
Button mushrooms

Simple to prepare and tastes great

Cooking method ( serves one person)

Boil some water sufficient enough to fill a bowl.
Add 4-5 cloves of garlic into the pot when you have started the fire
Throw in button mushrooms, fish balls, bean curds etc (what ever you like.)
Wait till water boils, reduce flame and allow boiling for another 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare some side dish of organic salads to fill one bowl's serving.
(Just wash them).
Prepare cut chilies in a small bowl and add some organic soy sauce. Add a teaspoon of all grain mustard in the soy sauce to give some flavor. ( You can dip your salads in the flavored soy sauce before consuming or just add some of them into the soup when its ready to be served.

When the 15 minutes is up, add some noodles of the quantity you want, into the pot. Add 2 and a half-teaspoon of organic seasoning and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Add half a teaspoon of pepper.

Well, its ready to be served.