Joe Hisaishi commerating 25 years with Hayao Miyazaki works Live Concert 2008
On August 4 and August 5 2008, Tokyo's Nippon Budokan complex hosted a concert program of music pieces created by Studio Ghibli's Joe Hisaishi for the 9 films directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Hisaishi was accompanied by a 200-piece orchestra and 400 chorus singers. The event, titled "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Movie Opening Commemoration" also commemorated 25 years of cooperation between Miyazaki and Hisaishi. The two began working together in 1983, when Hisaishi wrote the music for the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind movie image album. Hisaishi went on compose the scores of every one of the full-length films that Miyazaki directed since then, and pieces from all of them were featured during the concert. (source1, source2)
200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
200g butter , cut in pieces
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
85g self-raising flour
85g plain flour
1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g light muscovado sugar
200g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
3 medium eggs
75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
grated chocolate or curls, to decorate
FOR THE GANACHE
200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Difficulty and servings
Cuts into 14 slices
Preperation and cooking times
Prep 30 40 mins
Cook 1 hr
1 hr 30 mins Plus baking and cooling time Without icing
Nutrition Per Serving:
541 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 55g, fat 35 g, saturated fat 20g, fibre 2g, salt 0.51 g
Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.
This fully illustrated step-by-step instructional sushi book will show you how to make favorite sushi-bar staples, new styles of sushi with Western ingredients, and dazzling decorative creations. Beginners will enjoy the detailed instructions on finding the proper equipment, cooking the rice, choosing the nori, and rolling perfectly everytime. Sushi experts can expand their styles with the inventive decorative rolls and the surprising flavor combinations.
Encyclopedia of Sushi Rolls
features: -beautiful full color illustrations throughout the book -step-by-step instructions -rolling techniques -tips on how to fix common sushi rolling problems -how to create decorative rolls
Contents: Fundamentals:
Making Sushi Rice, Nori, Sushi Rolling Mats, Sushi Barrels, Makizushi Futomaki (Large Rolls) Fillings: Simmered Gourd, Simmered Shiitake, Oboro Sprinkles, Omelet, Cucumbers How to Roll Futomaki: Detailed instructions on 27 different rolls, Vegetarian Roll, Rolled Eel Roll, Round Clam Roll, and more Special Futomaki: Mashed Potato, Soba, Spaghetti Deluxe Hosomaki (Thin Rolls): Flower (Triangular Petals), Flower (Teardrop Petals),Wisteria How to Roll Temaki (Hand Rolls): Detailed instructions on 28 different rolls, Cod Roe, Squid, Shrimp, Shiokara, Grilled Tuna, and more How to Roll Uramaki (Inside-out Rolls): Sea Bream, Crab, Sausage, Pork Cutlet, Salmon and Roe, Fried Tofu, California Roll, Tuna Salad, Two-sided Roll, Onigiri Roll, Cod Roe, Ham and Egg
Ah, wake up and smell the coffee ... and that's all you may need to do to pep up in the morning, a new study finds.
An international group of scientists reports that inhaling the rich, warm aroma of a hot cup of joe may alter the activity of some genes in the brain, reducing the effects of sleep deprivation — no drinking required.
Coffee has been a part of the human diet for more than 1,000 years, and is now the most widely consumed beverage worldwide.
Scientists have conducted numerous studies that investigate both the beneficial and adverse effects that coffee can have on health, from the antioxidants it possesses to the possible detriments of too much caffeine. Much of coffee's lift has been attributed to its caffeine content.
But "there are few studies that deal with the beneficial effects of coffee aroma," said study leader Han-Seok Seo, of the Seoul National University in South Korea.
Seo and his colleagues allowed lab rats, some of which were stressed by sleep deprivation, to inhale the aroma of coffee. The researchers then compared the expression of certain genes and proteins in the rats' brains. Some of the genes expressed in the coffee-sniffing, stressed rats expressed proteins that have healthful antioxidant properties known to protect nerve cells from stress-related damage. Their stressed out counterparts who weren't allowed to smell coffee didn't show these gene expressions.
Their findings are detailed in the June 25 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study was partially funded by the Winter Institute Program of the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation and the Japan-Korea Industrial Technology Foundation.
So next time you need a morning pick-me-up, all you may have to do is just walk into Starbucks and take a deep breath.
u(o.0)u Haa.. this mischievous bunny is simply irresistable! hop hop hop~ Wii wii weeeee~ Rabbids Secrets to Health & Happiness: Princess Bunny needs a Wii Fit too! q(=^o^=)p
hmm.. actually I've been hesistating on my first entry.. cos i wanted it to be significant.. well.. I think the most significant things are the people & pets around me.
Im gonna thank my parents for having me, my 2 bros who give me bday presents every year (haa..), my relatives who are fun to b w during family gatherings, my frens who had walked this journey of life w me and all the pets that I've attempted to keep.
Outils 
Happy 2009! 
Prep 30 40 mins 
Cook 1 hr 
100 ratings
Super Mario Bros @ Video Games Live London 2007 
