Bacon Pancakes.

 

Bacon pancakes, makin' bacon pancakes,
Take some bacon and I'll put it in a pancake,
Bacon pancakes, that's what it's gonna make,
Bacon pancake!




Bacon Pancakes are awesome!

Receipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 8 slices bacon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and egg. Whisk flour mixture into buttermilk mixture just until moistened, with small to medium lumps remaining.
   
   
2. (Do this while singing the above song) In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, cook bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until golden and crisp on underside, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels; pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use).
   
   
3. Heat skillet over medium. Pour 1/4-cupfuls batter into skillet and top each with a bacon slice. Cook until some bubbles appear on top of pancakes and a few have burst, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, carefully flip pancakes and cook until browned on underside, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, bacon side up, and loosely tent with foil. Keep pancakes warm in oven and repeat with remaining batter, adding more bacon fat if needed. Serve with pure maple syrup if desired.
   

These bacon pancakes are simply amazing! They will change your life!

-- Robin Low

Samuel Adams -- New World Beer Review

Sam Adams -- New World is a limited edition beer -- A Golden Tripel with Notes of Spice and Tropical Fruit.

This is a pint of beer with a 10% alcohol content. (There is yeast in the bottom, so this is an ale)

Color: This beer is pale golden color, clear.

Smell: You can get a whiff of herbal hops, and tropical fruit, like pineapple and some spices. If you have tried the Sam Adams Boston Larger, this beer smells quite similar with an added fruit smell.

Taste: Refreshing and flavorful. Very Smooth. Definitely taste some sweetness and little bitterness from the hops. It does not taste like a 10% beer at all, but after a pint, you can definitely feel it. There is also a fine layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle, so the bottle can still age if you don't drink it, but it is definitely tasty and will not stay long in your collection.

This is a limited edition beer available at the Sam Adams Gift shop in Boston by the Brewery.

Try it while it last!

Almost Perfect, one of the best beers I've tasted!

-- Robin Low

Jack Reacher (2012) Movie Review.

Jack Reacher is a fictional character created by British author Jim Grant. (Child Lee)

Tom Cruise is Jack Reacher and this movie turned out to be actually a pretty good action comedy! Starting the movie with a sniper scene, the movie starts off as a crime investigation as you do see the sniper and someone else getting blamed.

Yes, the plot was a little predictable, and there are some obvious bad guys that you don't get to know much about just that they are "bad people". However, there are some scenes that are genuinely funny! Tom Cruise tries to intimidate people throughout the movie and nobody really cares. In this case, Jack Reacher is a really dangerous man, and could deliver his threats, but as he is short, his threats were simply ignored.

Robert Duvall's role as an old rifle range owner is also hilarious as he was supposed to support Jack Reacher in the final assault, but his shooting skills was questionable as he was an "old man" He also brought a weapon for Jack Reacher -- a knife, where his opponents had automatic weapons. So yes, Tom Cruise brought a knife into a gun fight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More about Jack Reacher (Comic Character)

Jack Reacher is a former United States Army Military Police Major. He was born on a military base in Berlin in 1960. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he served 13 years in the Military Police, during which time he became part of a fictional military police unit, the 110th Special Investigations Unit, formed to handle exceptionally tough cases, especially those involving members of the United States Army Special Forces.

Though he was demoted from Major to Captain in the prequel novel The Enemy, he regained the rank of Major by the time he mustered out in 1997. He received many military awards during his career, including the Silver Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983.

Since leaving the Army, Reacher has been a drifter. He wanders throughout the United States because he was accustomed to being told where to go, when to go and what to do for every day of his life from military childhood to military adulthood. He also felt he never got to know his own country, having spent much of his youth living overseas on military bases and at the military school West Point. He usually travels by hitchhiking or bus. As a drifter, the only possessions he carries are money, a foldable toothbrush and, after 9/11, an expired passport and an ATM debit card. He has never possessed a driver's license.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Overall, the pace and action is actually pretty good. The movie is rather enjoyable and the unexpected comedy is hilarious.

Rating 7/10


-- Robin Low

Southwest Airlines Review

South-Worst Airline.

I've flown over 100k miles this year, and this is my first time taking Southwest Airlines with checked in Luggage.

I flew BOS-DEN-SEA on Dec 7 and I arrived more than 2 hours earlier at Boston Logan to check in.

"First and second bag checked free", So I checked in 2 bags and proceeded to board the plane with a small camera bag (1 DSLR and 1 lens) and a 5 ft long scroll tube and a 8"x10" framed photo. They all fit into a plastic bag until I got to the gate to check in and the staff informed me that my 5 ft long scroll tube was too long for the plane and I had to check it in.

I informed her that there were people with bigger and longer carry on bags and someone just went on board with a tripod that is longer and bigger than my scroll tube and she said that the plane was now full and there was no more space for the tube.

I agreed to check it in and she delayed me for another 15 minutes and when everyone else has checked in, she told me that I already had 2 checked in luggage, a 50 Ibs bag and a small 10 Ibs bag. and I would have to pay $50 for the additional scroll tube.

I informed her that I've been flying many different airlines and this has always gone on the plane with me, and I was never charged $50 before, but she insisted that it is my decision whether to get on the plane or not, and that tube is not getting in. As the gate was closing, I had no choice but to pay the $50 to check in the scroll tube.

Almost all airlines I took would be customer centric. The tube could fit into the luggage compartment and I felt I was singled out. I've flown more than 70 flights this year, and in all my life, I've never encountered anyone that unreasonable and sticking to the rules instead of listening to reason.

My trip was to raise funds for Relief 2.0 Survivors in Haiti and Japan after the disaster and I informed the staff but she did not seem to care.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On my return trip, I flew SEA-MDW-BOS

I arrived about 50 minutes before take off and there was a long line at the check in counter. The staff at the check in counter in Seattle seemed very chatty and the line was not moving fast. I approached the staff to ask if I had enough time to board the plane and to my shocking horror, they said if I was not A-List Preferred, I would have to be in line.

When I reached the counter, there was less than 20 minutes to board and surprisingly at the TSA counters, they let me through fast as I explained my situation to them. TSA was more understanding than the counter staff at Southwest.

I ran and finally reached the gates and luckily there were people still at the gates and I managed to catch the flight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've never experienced such bad customer service at the check in counters or the gates until I flew Southwest, and I promised that unless the fate of the world depends on it, I will never fly Southwest again.


Robin Low
Delta - Gold Member
Cathay Pacific - Silver Member
Singapore Airlines - Silver Member

Tide Pods Review

Tide Pods are a detergent, stain fighter, and brightener all in one. Get the same Tide clean in a small, convenient package.

I bought a small pack of 16 at $4.99 at Target to try, and was impressed by the innovative design. 

Pros:

1) Convenient and easy. Bring only one pod per load to the coin operated laundry or the shared laundry machine in the basement.

2) Less waste. Getting the old small -- one use -- laundry packs in aluminum foil is such a waste. I tend to use too much detergent, and this pack cleans perfectly.

3) Works with HE washing machines.

Cons:

1) Cannot vary load. If you are just washing table cloth and sheets, 1/2 a load, you are out of luck.

2) Not really working well with cold / gentle wash. Leaves blue stains behind.



I like it overall.

-- Robin Low

Wreck It Ralph Movie Review

The concept of Wreck It Ralph seemed very interesting - everyone has a role to play - even as a villain. Ralph, a game villain wants to get cake, medals and rewards, and decides to be the Hero, and in the process nearly destroys his world where he lives.

It is an eye candy for adults to recognize old game characters from Street Fighter 2, Qbert, and there is also Beard Papa! At the same time, the director also introduces very beautiful new worlds with interesting game characters that make you care about them.

There are a lot of interesting in-game jokes, which seemed to be literally and cleverly funny as well. The whole movie is well put together, and pacing is pretty good, keeping you interested in the characters and building the story. Although there is no emotional tear jerking moments, the movie is more like a fun comedy which make takes you into the life of a video game character.

This is a very smart movie which has many subtle messages to learn from. Somehow, even if you are not a video game buff, this movie is great, especially for kids.

Not to reveal more, you can watch the trailer which shares some of the funny parts of the movie. This is a movie to watch as it comes out, the 3D effects are pretty good too!

Overall I give it an 8/10

-- Robin Low

Singapore F1 GP Night Race September 23 2012

 I would really like to say that the Performances are indeed spectacular, stage is fantastic, screens are 99.9% working (less some dead pixels here and there) And artists are simply engaging and interactive.

 This is the 5th year after all, and the entrance to the gates are done very well and smooth now.

 In the day, there are other races and the Porsche cup is quite exciting.

The apparels are kinda expensive, $100 for a shirt is not affordable to many.
The food and drinks are pricey too, a beer is US$8

The weather is hot and humid, sitting on the Bay Grandstand is nice, but walking around makes you sweat. And besides F1, there are a lot of other performances as well.

But being Singapore there are lots of rules to follow.

Then there are the performances, the stage and artists are pretty fantastic. I am pretty puzzled as many of the fans of Jay Chou, Katy Perrie and Maroon 5 seemed to be young girls and not interested in Formula 1, yet, they have to pay $$$$ to get in and $$$ for food. However, for those who are interested, its great as it is all under one .... fenced up area.

There are also lots of photo ops.

So overall, I would say, if you can endure the loud sounds of the F1 cars, and the outdoor weather of Singapore, the whole F1 experience is definitely more fun that watching at home.

However, it does cost a lot, and everything in there cost a lot as well. For example, my tickets for Pit Grandstand is about US$1000 a ticket. More information can be found here.

So do I think it is fun? Yes, definitely, but do I think it is worth the $$$? I do not think so as there are many other F1 circuits that are as exciting and cost way less.

--Robin Low