dinner -sigh-

As I left the office at 8 pm, I stopped by at the supermarket in the neighbourhood to pick up a few stuff. Initially, I wanted to get only some garlic, tomatoes, and sardines to make spaghetti, but changed my mind, and saw they got a pretty decent sea bass on individual wrap.

I decided to make sea bass in a bag instead, and picked up white wine, lemons and potatoes.

Before taking the bus back home, I need to make another detour to the library to drop the audio book I've been listening to (The Girl with the Pearl Earrings; pretty good), so by the time I reached home, I am all but ready to drop at the sofa and forget about food.
However, I continued to the kitchen to take out the ingredients out of the plastic bags and start preparing dinner.

Once I set out everything, cut the lemons, pick all the basil leaf from the potted plant,etc, I just realized that the fish is yet to be scaled and gutted! The fishmonger at the supermarket didn;t remove anything, just slap the fish on the styrofoam plate and cover it with cling wrap. I honestly thought that I just have to wipe it clean and cook it! Drat

Well, I didn;t see any other choice, so borrowing the energy of a marathoner at the last 100m, I attacked that fish, scraped the scales, flip the fish this way and that, to clean the cavity, and after a few agonizing minutes (and changing my knife to a cleaver) my fish is clean and ready!
I have to say I am proud of myself, since this is my first attempt to clean a fish from scratch and I did quite a good job. I knew reading those cooking books will come in handy.

Finally, when I done with the cooking, eating, cleaning and setting the kitchen to rights, it was 12 midnight and I haven't even bathe. Yuck. I'll definitely considered take out tomorrow.

The wind that shakes the barley

This is one of those movies that grips at your heart.

I heard the review on a local radio regarding the movie and pique my curiosity, partly because its background of the IRA movement and I wanted to know whats the "Irish lilt" that everybody is saying when they tried to describe a way of speech.

The movie was really interesting and heart wrenching at the end; its sort of potrayed what the Irish people going through. There is nothing more tragic than brothers at opposite sides, and those who supposed to protect end up abusing the people they are protecting.