After School Special

Weekly Food Choice - Kamaboko

2009-04-21T01:49:00.004-06:00

Each week I have decided to introduce a new food to y'all! This week's choice is Kamaboko.

What is it exactly? It is pureed (can't do the accent on the e on this comp!) white fish that is steamed to create a firm texture and then sliced into little loaves. A common nickname for Kamaboko is 'Fish Cake'.

What does it taste like? It has a bland rubbery taste, but when in a soup, it takes on the flavours of the broth and adds a uniqueness to the soup! It sounds strange, but it is really quite tasty!

Where is it from? It is generally a Japanese dish, but other Asian countries, like South Korea have been known to use it.

Where might I find this dish? It is commonly found in soups. If you go to a Japanese restaurant and order an Udon soup, it is likely that slices of Kamaboko will be in your soup! The Japanese are all about presentation when it comes to food, so sometimes Kamaboko is sliced into shapes and commonly will be have a pink swirl in the centre.

Where do I buy this dish? You can purchase Kamaboko in Asian markets, or speciality stores. The alternative is to simply go to a Japanese restaurant and eat it in a meal there!

There you have it! I hope you guys can find Kamaboko and enjoy it's unique texture and taste!

Cute Ayumi Hamasaki Video

2009-04-21T01:38:00.003-06:00

Check out Ayumi Hamasaki falling down as she runs from the runway to the main stage during one of her concerts while singing one of her classics, "Unite!" Whenever she makes a mistake, she always laughs it off. Go Ayu!

Miss California Controversy

2009-04-20T21:22:00.009-06:00

Last night, Miss North Carolina was crowned Miss USA while Miss California cringed thinking about how it was perhaps because of her answer. When Perez Hilton asked Miss California (Carrie Prejean) what her thoughts were about the legalization of gay marriage she responded, "In my country, and in my family, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman."

She later revealed on the Billy Bush Show that she does believe that her answer costed her the crown but she still feels like a winner. "I feel like I won. I feel like I'm a winner. I really do."

She certainly did not have America pleased, especially those who are homosexual, but kudos to her for standing up for what she believes in... However, at a competition like that...I would have just said, "Yep, gay marriage sounds good." Gotta please that liberal audience! It's a fashion show; there's going to be gay people there.

So...my thoughts? She totally should have changed her answer. A) It's Perez Hilton asking the question... and B) It's a beauty pageant! Alot of people are going to be gay there! I dunno, I was disappointed to see someone still have that viewpoint. I know people are entitled to their opinions, but still, you know that saying that will make you lose! I am for gay marriage because I am for love. Love is between anyone, so if two men are in love, I believe that they should be entitled to be married. But that's my two cents. What's yours?

Miley's in Rome!

2009-04-20T21:08:00.003-06:00

Miley Cyrus is currently in Rome promoting her new movie, "Hannah Montana" with her Dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. She has been tweeting about missing her Mom and finding vintage records while in Rome, but in general, looks like this girlie is having a great time!

I will be going to Rome as well this summer and I hope that my smile will be as big as hers!

Twitter Crazy!

2009-04-20T13:15:00.003-06:00

It's Twitter Mania and everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon, including myself! Come and follow me there to join in on the craziness! I thought Twitter was weird at first, but now I am in love!

Follow me here!

New Ayumi Hamasaki CD - Next Level

2009-04-20T00:12:00.003-06:00

Ayumi Hamasaki's latest release, 'Next Level' was released March 25, 2009 and was the best selling album in the world during it's first few weeks of release. It has been certified Double Platinum already and has lots of fun tracks.

Track List:

01. Bridge to the Sky
02. NEXT LEVEL
03. Disco-munication
04. EnergizE
05. Sparkle
06. rollin'
07. GREEN
08. Load of the SHUGYO
09. identity
10. Rule
11. LOVE'n'HATE
12. Pieces of SEVEN
13. Days
14. Curtain Call

I have heard the whole album and the best tracks (in my opinion) are EnergizE, Sparkle, GREEN, identity, Rule, and LOVE'n'HATE. They are extremely energetic and fun tracks. It's a great dance album and a great Ayumi Hamasaki album.

The link to Ayumi Hamasaki's official website can be found here.

I'm Back After One Year!

2009-04-19T20:49:00.005-06:00

So, it's been one crazy year and I never posted once! That is terrible! Oh well. I'm back and I'm ready to post! Anytime, and about ANYTHING. Literally. If I think it's cool, it's going on here.

So stay tuned for some interesting stuff coming soon! It could be about ANYTHING. I am really trying to re-do this place so that it's 100x better than last time. After School Special is going to be the best blog out there. This blog will not just be about celebrity news either. It could be about anything, celebrities, sports, food, and just complete random crap! Yay!

At the Juno's!

2008-04-06T23:55:00.002-06:00

So...I went to the 2008 Juno Awards in Calgary, AB and they were amazing! I was very surprised because last year, I personally thought they were s0-s0. This year, however, it was very well done.

For those of you who don't know, the Juno's are the Canadian Music Awards, so basically like the Grammy's, but way more chill.

I saw the following people live: Feist, Finger Eleven, Avril Lavigne, Hedley, Anne Murray, Jann Arden, Sarah Brightman, Michael Bublé, Jully Black, Measha Brueggergosman, Shane Yellowbird, Johnny Reid, Paul Brandt, Aaron Lines, and the hilarious Russell Peters as host. There were many other celebs there including Lanny MacDonald (formally a Calgary Flame in the '88 Stanley Cup Win), Belly, Serena Ryder, illScarlett, Deborah Cox, Nelly Furtado, Wintersleep, Alex Cuba, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund, etc. It was really a spectacular night!

As for the wins, it was a 'Feisty' night as Leslie Feist was nominated for 5 Junos's...and won all 5!

A great night, fantastic entertainment, always a great venue, the 2008 Juno Awards!

No Country For Silly Video Store Girls...Pfft...

2008-03-30T22:04:00.005-06:00

I finally watched No Country For Old Men last night. One word to describe it? STUNNING. It was just an amazing movie. The Coen Brothers are obviously really great directors, but they really did it in this one.

So my first thought was at the video store last night with my boyfriend, "What movie should we pick up?" There were a few that I had seen that my boyfriend hadn't, but then as we went down the New Release Aisle, there it was. I thought, "I'm not going to watch this alone, because I've heard it's about a crazy guy randomly shooting people." So...I said, "How about this one?" I'd heard great things about it and it only won like 5 Academy Awards (lol) so we both decided to go for it.

We get up to the cash register and the blonde high schooler says, "I don't want to impose...but this movie is really bad." I pretty much was like, WTF? "Yeeeeah...almost everyone who has rented it has told me it's really bad." So my boyfriend and I looked at eachother and he says, "Well, we've been warned, let's go for it." All I could think was, what a retard, seriously, maybe I won't like it, but I work at a record store, well, our sales are mostly in DVD now, but besides the fact, No Country For Old Men did wonderfully in sales. Why would people BUY it if it was a bad movie? Why would all of my friends tell me it was really good then? Pfft...

So we put the disc in the DVD player and watch away and like 20 minutes into it, I was hooked. All I could think was, "Has that girl even seen the movie? It's awesome!" I couldn't look away the whole time. It was just so good. The suspense with Javier Bardem was just intense!!! Man, what an insane character. It was very Fargo-esque, but not quite as funny, even though we were laughing because you were scared and confused. Fargo was a little funnier in the sense that you probably shouldn't have been laughing, but you just were. No Country For Old Men was definetly a thriller but not in a strange and funny way. I don't know, just see the movie, that's all I can really say. Another great effect to this movie is that there wasn't any music, just in the end credits. I loved that! I am the movie score freak, and this movie did not need any music, infact, music would have botched it. Just watching and waiting was perfect.

Finally!

2008-03-30T22:00:00.003-06:00

Alright, so I finally got my Ducktales movie!!! Yayy! I am very happy about this, and I totally watched it the other day! Sorry for my lack of updating!

I've been...well, not really busy, but just preoccupied I guess with looking after my dog and working. That is really all. Just wanted to say hello! ^____^

Where Art Thou Lost Lamp?

2008-03-23T00:44:00.002-06:00

This is more of a vent...I'm just patiently waiting for my Ducktales Movie DVD you see. I ordered it from Ebay a week and a half ago and I am dying, I want it so bad!!! So yeah, if you share the love of Ducktales, you'll understand. It's just pure awesome. So cross your fingers that it arrives soon! =)

Super Smash Bros Brawl Review

2008-03-23T00:31:00.003-06:00

When I found out that a new Smash Brothers was being released, I was immediately excited. The day it came out was the day I bought it. The last time I had played a Smash Brothers game was on the N64 and it was amazing then. When it was released for the Gamecube, I had gone the Sony route and bought a PS2, so I kinda missed out on that one, oh well. So now, having a Wii and all, I decided, for $49.99 CDN, why not?

The opening sequence was very enjoyable to watch with the standard epic Nintendo orchestrations; it certainly pumped me up! I selected single player and away I went! I also love how you can play online, that's always a bonus!

The level selection is very well done, I really love the interaction with the DS one, and how it draws out the background for you to give you an unpredictable environment! As for the character selection, I am impressed and also with knowing that there are plenty of characters to unlock as I progress with gameplay.

The choice to do the standard game until you reach the Master Hand is always fun, but have been really enjoying the Adventure Mode! With all of the characters tied in to one evil plot...well, it's geeky and awesome.

The only thing I am not as in love with about this game is that it is really fast paced. Things are popping out of nowhere every millisecond. It's good and bad. Maybe I'm just getting too old... Other than that, if you want to be Pikachu and kick Mario's ass, it's totally worth it. I love it!

Kevin Federline Gets 'Booed' at His Own Birthday

2008-03-23T00:04:00.000-06:00

Wow, can you say loser?

Upcoming Weekly Events

2008-03-22T02:31:00.001-06:00

Okay, so there are a few weekly things I would like to start doing, but I won't start them until next week, so we can just start fresh. Here's what you're going to start seeing:

Don't Judge a CD by it's Cover Art
That's right, I am going to be listening to CD's based on the Cover Art and then see what the end result is. There are so many crazy album covers out there that I figure, is the music as interesting as the cover art?

Paige's Favourite CD & DVD New Release
Since I work at a record store, I get to see all the new releases and so I am going to select my favourite.

Random CD & DVD New Release Reviews
I listen to alot of new CD's, so if I think it should be blogged about, it will.

Oh yeah, and because I own a PS3 and Wii, I will most likely be ranting about those.

Are Pigs Flying Yet?

2008-03-21T00:18:00.000-06:00

LONDON - Already Britain’s oldest employee, 101-year-old Buster Martin now aims to become the world’s oldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette.

Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at the weekend in five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physical training instructor works three days a week for a London plumbing firm and says he has trained for the April 13th race in his spare time.

“I’ve said I’ll attempt it,” he told Reuters by telephone from his workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. “I haven’t said I’ll complete it. If I do make it, all the better. I hadn’t thought of doing it before but someone asked me and the money goes to charity so why not?”

His sponsorship money will go to the Rhys Daniels Trust, which provides temporary accommodation for families of patients in specialist children’s hospitals.

Martin, who had 17 children and returned to work at the age of 99 saying he was bored after two years of retirement, would beat the previous record for world’s oldest marathon runner by eight years.

“If I finish, I’ll do what I always do and have a pint and a fag,” he said. “People ask what is my secret but I haven’t got one. They say fags and booze are bad for you—but I’m still here, aren’t I?”

This makes me believe in things I've never believed in before. Is the universe on holidays? It is working properly? What the hell is going on here people? THIS GUY IS 101!!! That's outrageous! If I make it to that age, I hope I can still blink, let alone run a bloody marathon! That's ridiculous. Like I said, are pigs flying yet?

Source: Yahoo Sports

How Britney Met Your Mother

2008-03-21T00:09:00.000-06:00

Britney Spears is going to be on CBS's 'How I Met Your Mother' this Monday! I myself am pretty stoked considering that she's not exactly stable, so regardless of acting talent, I'd like to see her talk without her silly fake British accent and just see her talk about something else other than making it to the car at Starbucks. I've never seen the show and perhaps this will make me want to see it. An ex-co-worker of mine watches it all the time and said that it's a great show, so I guess I better start torrenting!

The Genius of South Park

2008-03-20T23:40:00.000-06:00

After seeing this, my first remark was...that's terrible! But after seeing it again, it's very true. It shows that Britney has truly 'lost her mind' and that no matter what handicap she will ever have, the media will still be there, always in her face. Poor Britney.

Forget Veronica, it's Paris Bitch!

2008-03-20T03:32:00.000-06:00

Just wow.

It's Quacktastic!

2008-03-20T03:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right, I said it, this is amazing, and you should see it. I am a strange individual I guess...anyway, I love the Disney Ducks, especially Donald and Scrooge McDuck and so I look and look for amazing stuff on YouTube. This has got to be my favourite Donald cartoon. It's pure goodness from 1948 and just everything he says in it is funny and cute. ^___^

Everyone Must See This

2008-03-20T03:03:00.000-06:00

I saw this on Ellen the other day and it almost brought me to tears just because it was not only touching, but purely amazing. Basically, two guys raised this lion cub and when it got to be an adult, they had to give it up to a reserve. A year later, the two guys went to visit it and everyone told them it would have forgotten them, but...yeah, you'll see. A lion never forgets I guess.

FINALLY! I DID IT!

2008-03-20T02:31:00.000-06:00

Okay, so, I am pretty excited that this is up and running! I know I don't have my own domain and stuff, but this is good enough for now.

Besides all that boring stuff...welcome to After School Special, a place to distract you from things that really matter! Hooray! I have been meaning to do this for awhile now, but I was never really sure what to do. I was thinking...make a blog about CD Reviews...nah, DVD Reviews...nah, fashion ramblings...nah...how about all of those things and more! So here it is, anything that comes to mind, I'll blog about it.

So stay tuned for more After School Special!