Photography: Dragonball Z Kamekameha Photography (PS version)!!!

Sneak-preview photo on Locky's English Playground Facebook last week
Image from Locky's English Playground

After I have uploaded this photo onto the Facebook last week, I have got 353 photo views, that is almost like 10 times the usual views I get for any blog post updates on my Facebook (since I usually gets around 35 views, sad!), thus proving "a picture speaks more than 1000 words" and "a picture gets more than 10 times the views". And so as planned, I will let you know what that picture is...

What do you know? It's me
Image from Locky's English Playground

It's me, of course, with a Son Goku's Kamekameha pose Photoshopped into an image of fireball explosion. It all began as a fun photography honeymoon photography activity when my wife and I both got bored and decided to fight each other while taking pictures. 

One of the many honeymoon photos
Image from Locky's English Playground

I did all those Bruce Li's flying kicks and she did the sidestep dodges. When I got exhausted, I decided to take a photo of me doing a Kamekameha pose, then that photo was kept in the computer hard drive, until last week...

Image from bubblews

Ever since the trailer release of the latest Dragonball Z -- Battle of Gods movie 2013, fans have gone wild and flooded the internet with their very own Kamekameha photos.

Image from neversaymedia

Image from izismile

First the school girls of Japan goes creative ...

Image from a.xx.fbcdn

then it spread to the western world. By now Kamekameha Photography should be an official photography move after levitation and planking. 

It would be fun to try something exactly the same, especially if you have a group of silly friends and Dragonball fans around, it could make a whole-day activity during an outing, but like you have seen my honeymoon photo above, it wouldn't be too spectacular if there are only two people, so instead, I went to combine Kamekameha photography with my Photoshop skills.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 1:

Since Kamekameha かめかめ波, literally meaning "Turtle Turtle Wave", I will need to create waves or Ki-blast (in computer game term). I can make my own using Photoshop but for the simplicity of this, you can capture a photo from a Dragonball game like I did above, or download a photo from the internet first.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 2: 

Take many photos of the "victim" in painful postures, try to look as agonized as possible. As for the Kamekameha performer, just perform the Kamekameha and take a couple of shots, it won't go too wrong.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 3:
Cut and shrink the same of the men to fit the size of the characters in the image, remove the original cartoon characters with Spot Healing Brush Tool with Content Aware, use layers so you can fine tune the Opacity and Set the blending mode for the layers. Don't forget to add the shadows back to the image and...

WA-LA!!! You have your Kamekameha photo to share with your friends! It doesn't take long if you are good with Photoshop.

Give it a go and have fun!

Vocabulary:
dodge -- (n)[C] [I or T] avoid being hit by something by moving quickly to one side:
levitation photography -- (n) A person photographed while bouncing may appear to be levitating

Levitation Photography
Image from yowayowa

planking -- (n) an activity consisting of lying face down —sometimes in an unusual or incongruous location. Both hands must touch the sides of the body.

Planking
Image from washingtonpost

agonized -- (adj) (UK usually agonised)  showing or feeling extreme physical or mental pain:


Resources:

Levitation Photography @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levitation_(paranormal)#Levitation_in_photographies

Planking @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planking

Kamekameha @ Dragonball Encyclopedia
http://www.dragonballencyclopedia.com/qdb/Kamekameha

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dodge_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/agonized?q=agonized

Cooking: Japanese Tuyu (Absolutely Velvety) Chicken Wings

Japanese Tuyu Chicken Wings
Image from Locky's English Playground

Another stay-at-home activity day and this time it is chicken wings!

Surely there are many recipes out there, such as Cola wings, Swiss wings and Honey wings are Hongkongers' favourite, mostly because they are easy to make. Well this time I want to share with you all a chicken wing dish which I have created, hereby I call it "Japanese Tuyu Chicken Wings" (at home, I call it Absolutely Velvety Chicken Wings instead).

It is very simple to prepare this dish.

Step 1: Buy some chicken wings.

Step 2: Defrost the wings.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 3: Lay them on a chopping board and poke the wings with something sharp. This is to allow the sauce to be soaked up by the wings easier and faster.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 4: Add about 80ml of Tuyu -- the kind of sauce used for soba noodles and it is usually concentrated when you buy them.

Tuyu
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 5: Add about 80ml of mirin, a type of rice wine which is low in alcohol but high in sugar content. This is  to actually replace plain sugar and add a little wine taste to the wings.

Mirin
Image from Locky's English Playground

Alternatively, you can also use Chinese Shaoxing rice wine to remove the frosty smell from the frozen chicken.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 6: Add about 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. I find this Topvalu brand the best, feel free to use other brands as well.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 7: Stir the mixture and immerse all the wings into the sauce.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 8: Leave it to marinate for about 1 hour, flip or poke the wings a few times to maximise the effect of marination.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 9: Roast the chicken wings at 250°C in an oven, 10 mins per side of the wings.

Step 10: Apply honey or golden syrup on the wings and then return them to the oven for another 2 minutes for caramelisation -- the browning of sugar.

Image from Tumblr

Step 11: Enjoy the taste of the fabulous Japanese Tuyu Chicken Wings!

Japanese Tuyu Chicken Wings
Image from Locky's English Playground

Give it a go and feel free to leave a comment after you have tried!



Vocabulary:
velvety -- (adj) (also velvet) literary describes something that has a beautiful soft, smooth quality or appearance, usually something dark or deep:
defrost -- (vb)[I or T] to (cause to) become free of ice, or to (cause to) become no longer frozen:
frosty -- (adj) very cold, with a thin layer of white ice covering everything:
marinate -- (vb) [T] to pour a mixture, usually containing oil, wine, or vinegar and herbs and spices, that you pour over fish or meat before it is cooked, in order to add flavour to it or make it tender:
caramelisation -- (n)[U]  is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. As the process occurs,volatile chemicals are released, producing the characteristic caramel flavor.


Resources:
つゆ @ Wikipedia
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A4%E3%82%86

Mirin @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin

Caramelisation @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/velvet_3?q=Velvety+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/defrost?q=defrost
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/frosty?q=frosty
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/marinade?q=marinate+

Cooking: Hong Kong Curry Fishballs and Turnip

Semi-homemade Chinese Curry Fishballs and Turnip
Image from Locky's English Playground

Raining and raining day after day. What's better to do than staying at home and cook something real nice for your love ones?

Yesterday morning, my wife wanted to go yum cha just to have their Chinese curry fishballs and turnips, turned out that they didn't sell it on weekdays. She was quite disappointed and so I volunteered to cook the dish for her to cheer her up.

Cooking this dish is in fact, rather easy, there are only two challenges:

1. how to cook turnips thoroughly?
2. how to make sure the taste of the curry is in every bite of the turnip?

Normally, it would be great if you have a day or two to prepare, but I don't. I only have 2 hours, so what was I going to do?

Texture-wise, the fishballs are really bouncy!
Image from Locky's English Playground

To make sure I don't fail, I needed to get some semi-products, and so, I got the curry fish balls with an Indian on the packet.

AMOY, claims to have no MSG and preservatives
Image from Locky's English Playground

But I knew the curry that came with the curry fish balls was not adequate to make a sauce, and so I bought a bottle of AMOY curry sauce, mainly because it does not come with MSG and preservatives, something that my wife is highly sensitive of.

Next, cut the turnip into thin slices to shorten the boiling time. I added salt and sugar into the water and boiled the turnip slices for a good 30 mins at maximum flame.

After 30 mins, the turnip slices should be about 80% cooked, indicated by the semi-translucent outer rings and slightly whiter core. Give the centre of the turnip slices a soft poke with a fork, if the fork does go in slightly, turn off the flame and then remove the turnip from the boiling water.

80% cooked turnip and fishballs in the wok with curry sauce
Image from Locky's English Playground

With clean boiling water in the wok, add 6 table spoons of curry sauce and stir, then pour in the curry fishballs and 80% cooked turnip slices. Add one tablespoon of sugar to calm the saltiness. 

Close-up at the turnip slices revealing the some translucence
Image from Locky's English Playground

Next step is crucial, turn the flame on maximum and when the sauce starts to boil, turn the flame to minimum and let it cook slowly. Repeat this step several times at 10-15 mins interval. This allow the turnip slices and fishballs to slowly soak the curry sauce up without overcooking them.

Lid is put but not fully covered to maintain the temperature but allow excess steam to escape
Image from Locky's English Playground

After several rounds of cooking and cooling, the final step is to concentrate the curry sauce. I added about 3 tablespoons of corn flour into water to make starch water before pouring it into the wok.You may want to adjust the amount according to the size of your dish.

100% cooked turnip slices with chewy fishballs!
Image from Locky's English Playground

After the sauce is condensed to your liking, it is time to enjoy!

Mine tasted even better than the ones at the restaurants! How about yours?

If you like, do check out my other cooking articles:

Cooking: How To Cook Steaks with Sticky Wok and Clean Easily
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/08/cooking-how-to-cook-steaks-with-stick.html

Cooking & Health: How To Cook Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Healthy Oil and Good Wok 
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/07/cooking-health-how-to-cook-perfect.html


Vocabulary:
translucent -- (adj) If an object or a substance is translucent, it is almost transparent, allowing some light through it in an attractive way:
interval -- (n)[C] repeated after a particular period of time or a particular distance:
soak sth up -- phrasal verb If a dry material or substance soaks up a liquid, it absorbs the liquid through its surface:
chewy -- (adj) describes food that needs to be chewed a lot before it is swallowed:
liking -- (n)[S] a feeling that you like someone or something:


Resources:
Cooking: How To Cook Steaks with Sticky Wok and Clean Easily @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/08/cooking-how-to-cook-steaks-with-stick.html

Cooking & Health: How To Cook Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Healthy Oil and Good Wok  @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/07/cooking-health-how-to-cook-perfect.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/translucent?q=translucence
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/interval_1?q=interval
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/soak-sth-up_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/chewy?q=chewy
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/liking?q=liking

Food: The Search For Great Curry -- Part 2 @ Hainanese Chicken Rice

Great -looking curry Chicken Rice set @ food republic
Image from Locky's English Playground

 Easter holiday we eat Easter eggs, I ate the chicken -- curry chicken. Since the last time I had that horrible curry in Mongkok, I was so into finding the taste that can satisfy my angry taste buds.

Hainanese Chicken Rice @ food republic
Image from Locky's English Playground

So I found myself back in food republic in Cityplaza. To my disappointment, there was only one shop that sells curry and it happened to be the store I have recommended before in Food & Restaurant: Hainanese Chicken Rice -- Food Republic @ CityPlaza. Last time though, I reviewed their Hainanese chicken rice (by the way, I've added the Scores to that review too), this time it's their (Singaporean?) curry. 

Curry Chicken Rice set at food republic
Image from Locky's English Playground

HK$48 a set is again asking quite a lot, but every food kind is inflated these days, it's going to be very hard to find any curry dish at $30-ish.

Okay, how was the food? I must use that punch line of my dear old friend John Poon,

"looks can be deceptive".

In fact, it was so deceptive that the presentation is a definite 5-star, but only the soup, rice and the veg actually tasted good!

What about the curry? It was tastelessly ridiculous -- not a pinch of salt or sugar, just red-coloured oil and dead dry chicken which is worth no more than one star texture-wise, an obvious outcome of continuous over-boiling.

In fact, it was so disappointing that I went to focus on making fun of the statue sitting on the table before me. See the photo below?

A human-looking statue with 4 claypots at his butt
Image from Locky's English Playground

I did that, I moved the claypots.

Overall, a complete waste of money and stomach space. Which goes to show that the difference in terms of food quality of two different dishes from the same store/restaurant can be huge! Will not give this dish a second chance, never!

Primo Aprile? <=  (This is Italian)

Scores:

Look:            ★★★★★ 5/5

Taste:            ★★☆☆☆ 1/5

Smell:            ★★☆☆☆ 0/5

Textures:       ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5

Temperature: ★★★★★ 3/5

Overall:         ★★☆☆☆ 10/25

Vocabulary:

taste buds -- (n) plural a group of cells, found especially on the tongue, which allow different tastes to be recognized

-ish -- (n) when used after a number, it means "plus some number"

punch line -- (n)[C] the last part of a joke or a story that explains the meaning of what has happened previously or makes it amusing

pinch -- (n) [C] a small amount of something, esp. the amount that you can hold between your finger and thumb:

stomach space -- (n) [U] the available room inside your stomach

Resources:

Food: The Search For Great Curry -- Part 1 @ Locky's English Playground

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2013/03/food-search-for-great-curry-part-1.html

Food & Restaurant: Hainanese Chicken Rice -- Food Republic @ CityPlaza @  Locky's English Playground

http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/08/food-restaurant-hainanese-chicken-rice.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/taste-buds?q=taste+buds

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/ish_3

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english/punch-line?q=punch+line

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english/deception?q=deceptive

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english/pinch_1?q=pinch

Food: The Search For Great Curry -- Part 1 @ San Lung

Curry chicken chop with rice
Image from Locky's English Playground

After writing about my Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast series (see Resources below), I have been searching for my next favourite food search. One day, I wanted to have curry for dinner, and I said to myself, "Let there be curry", and there it was. I found myself at San Lung, a Chinese noodle / curry restaurant in Mongkok. Since I had only 20 minutes for dinner, I needed something quick, and because most curry dishes are ready-to-serve in Hong Kong, this place might just be the perfect place...

Image from smallcatbb

... and so I thought.

I ordered curry chicken chop with rice and it was soon delivered. First look though, wasn't very appetising.

Curry chicken chop with rice
Image from Locky's English Playground

In terms of look, I am not going to say what I think it looks like, but the colour is close to dark brown. The curry had particles of red and black, which I'm guessing is the chilli powder, ground pepper, ground star anise, and some unidentifiable leaves of herb which did not seem to be adding any special taste to the curry. 

The taste of the curry? Hot, plainly hot, other than the fact that there were many herbs I could identify, they never seemed to match. It's not Hong Kong curry, not Japanese, not Indian, not Pakistani, not know where!!! It was like pouring everything into a grinder and then the cooking pot and then to the table without actual cooking! No, without even testing before rolling it out! What are the boss and the chef thinking?

As for the other stuff in the dish (I use "stuff" for a reason), the potato tasted normal, the chicken chop was tastelessly partly hot and partly cold, which means that the chicken was not cooked with the hot curry, and the curry was poured onto the cold, pre-cooked chicken chop without prior reheating.

Overall, it's not disgusting, but it is just edible. Did I get a stomach ache? No. Will I return for more? I don't think so.

You can't always get what you want, right? Better luck next time, I hope.

Scores:

Look:            ☆☆☆☆☆ 0/5

Taste:            ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5

Smell:            ☆☆☆☆☆ 0/5

Textures:       ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

Temperature: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Overall:         ★☆☆☆☆ 6/25

PS: I have added the Scores to the Hong Kong-style French toasts series, do go and check it out once more!

Vocabulary:

appetising -- (adj)  (UK usually appetising) describes food or smells that make you want to eat:
grind -- (vb)[T] (ground, ground) to make something into small pieces or a powder by pressing between hard surfaces:
roll (sth) out -- phrasal verb to make a new product, service, or system available for the first time:
edible -- (adj) suitable or safe for eating:


Resources:
San Lung - Hong Kong Style Noodles/Rice Noodles Tea Restaurant in Mong Kok - Hong Kong Restaurants Guide HK Restaurant @ OpenRice in English
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=38379&tc=sr2map

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 1 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/12/food-search-for-great-french-toast-part.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 2 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2013/01/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 3 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/01/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style_18.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 4 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2013/02/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style.html

Medical & Healthy and Fitness: Star Anise As A Cure For Flu @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2011/11/medical-star-anise-as-cure-for-flu.html

Song & People & TV: You Can't Always Get What You Want -- Band from TV & The Rolling Stone @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2011/08/song-people-tv-you-cant-always-get-what.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/appetizing?q=appetising+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/grind_1?q=grind
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/roll-sth-out?q=roll+%28sth%29+out
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/edible?q=edible

Learning Method: Learning English From Sport Blogs and News

Jeremy Lin (left) and Kevin McHale (right)
Image from Houston Rockets/Facebook

I have always talked about the importance of reading, especially in helping us learn new words, expressions and idioms. With that said, Hongkong English learners are often reluctant to read anything related to sports, unless they are real sport fans of course. Some say they are not interested in sports, other doubt the usefulness of reading sport news; however, this is not a good mindset and I hope that I can break you free from it.

As starters, we can simply read the titles of the sport news to learn words.

The first article titled Jeremy Lin shackling hurts the Rockets: Almost treated with Tim Tebow disdain already gives us 2 words to learn. From the vocabulary section below we can tell that the actual meaning of the title is "Preventing Jeremy Lin from playing is hurting the Rockets (basketball team) and he is being treated with the type of disrespect that Tim Tebow has suffered".

Sergio Aguero, shown celebrating after scoring for Atletico Madrid against
Real Madrid in 2011, could be returning to the Spanish capital - in a white shirt
Image from Dani Pozo/Getty Images, caption from ESPN

In the second news, Real Madrid eye move for neighbour's ex, the word "eye" is a verb, not a noun, meaning "interest in"; a "move" means "signing a player", and "neighbour's ex" refers to the ex-player of Athletico Madrid which is Madrid's other big club.

Combining all that information, the title means Real Madrid is interested in signing an ex-player of Athletic Madrid.

As you can see, even if you are not planning to go deep into the story, there is already quite a bit you can pick out and learn.

Then of course, reading the articles definitely benefits us much more!

Image from Houston Culturemap

"languish" means to leave Jeremy Lin is left on the bench and seldom get to play.

Image from Houston Culturemap

"lack of touches" means lack of match practice. A "novelty act" is an artistic performer.

Image from  ESPN

"be under a cloud" refers to the fact that Balotelli has lost popularity at Inter Milan, especially after he has thrown the club's jersey to the ground.

And there are many many more, so you see, you don't have to be a fan to find a good reason to read sports news.

Vocabulary:
break sth/ sb free from sth -- to force something to detach from something; to get something out of the hold of something else
shackle --  (vb)[I] If you are shackled by something, it prevents you from doing what you want to do:
disdain -- (n)[U] formal the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do not deserve your interest or respect:
eye -- (vb)[T] (present tense eyeing or eying, past tense and past participle eyed) to look at someone or something with interest:
languish -- (vb)[I] to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time:
novelty act -- (n)[C] A artistic performer with an act that is strongly linked to some particular gimmick that makes it stand out from the crowd, even though it has little intrinsic value, and is therefore likely to wear out its audience quickly
be under a cloud -- to not be trusted or popular because people think you have done something bad:



Resources:
Jeremy Lin shackling hurts the Rockets: Almost treated with Tim Tebow disdain @ Houston Culturemap
http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-18-13-jeremy-lin-shackeling-hurts-the-rockets-almost-treated-with-tim-tebow-disdain/

Real Madrid eye move for neighbour's ex @ ESPN
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/realmadrid/id/1143?cc=4716

Balotelli: Italy increased my popularity @ ESPN
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1386930/balotelli:-performances-for-italy-increased-my-popularity-?cc=4716

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/break+free
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/shackle?q=shackle
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/eye_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/languish?q=languish
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=novelty%20act
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/be-under-a-cloud?q=under+a+cloud