THE JOURNEY INSIDE...

Running Up That Hill (by Placebo)

2007-08-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

It doesn't hurt me.
You want to feel, how it feels?
You want to know, know that it doesn't hurt me?
You want to hear about the deal I'm making.
You, (If I only could, be running up that hill)
You and me (If I only could, be running up that hill)

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
Get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building.
If I only could

You don't want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder.
There's a thunder in our hearts, baby

So much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?
You, (If I only could, be running up that hill)
You and me (If I only could, be running up that hill)
You and me, won't be unhappy

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building.
If I only could

Come on, baby, come on, come on, darling,
Let me steal this moment from you now.
Come on angel, come on, come on, darling,
Let's exchange the experience

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems.

If I only could, be running up that hill...

Smashed (by James LaBrie)

2007-07-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

I lay AWAKE
I'm feeling WEAK
NOT sure I can GO on
Please TAKE ME FAR
THERE'S NOTHING I CAN GIVE
ALL I HAD IS GONE

Buildings fell
STEALING people's DREAMS
A way of life
Guess we don't FIT
Fit their PLANS

Familiar streets
Familiar sites
PLACES WHERE FRIENDS MEET

It's been A WHILE
So MUCH has CHANGED SINCE THEN
THE FUTURE SEEMS SO BLEAK

Nothing STANDS
ALL'S BEEN LOST
They silence our despair

Keep your cool
WORLD is WATCHING you
ACT as though you CARE

Buildings fell
Stealing people's dreams
A way of life
Guess we don't fit
Fit their plan

Watched so many of my
LOVED ONES FALL today
It's like I'm standing here
With ALL of my PAST ERASED
THE MAN I HAVE BECOME
IS NOT WALKING AWAY
IT IS THE MEMORIES
THAT MAKES THE MAN YOU SEE

Buildings fell
Stealing people's dreams
A way of life
Guess we don't fit
Fit the plan

Our buildings burn
Can't comprehend
THE LOSS SURROUNDING ME
And DOES IT END
WHEN NO ONE'S LEFT TO BLEED

June 16, 2007 @ 1a.m.

2007-07-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

I am mostly on a collision course with myself...

I was paying too much attention to details. Now, I do not care that much. I am not sure whether this is good or bad...

Sometimes I want too much... Sometimes, I am wanted too much...

Things feel different at different times of the day. More dramatic at nights, always shitty early mornings...

I watch baseball because I see tired-looking guys there. I have great empathy with them after a tiring day...

Sometimes I do not really know how I feel...

Maybe it is all because tomorrow is a f***ing Monday. I guess I will see soon...

Cool Things in My Life...

2007-07-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

1- Living in NYC: I feel like I am in the middle of everything! A few examples:
* I go out for lunch at the Central Park. On the way back, surprise! Kelly Clarksson is giving a concert for a TV show in front of CBS TV station building...
* I am walking to the subway to get home after work. Another surprise! iPhone is out and there are TV cameras and people and people everywhere around Apple's basement.
* I go to a market just a few blocks by the house and there is whole bunch of Turkish stuff: rice, chocolate, etc. And the store is not even specifically selling Turkish food!
* Beyonce Knowles and Johnny Damon (of NY Yankees) live at the top of the building I am working at. Maybe, I will see them one day, who knows?
* I almost forgot the most important thing: The places are open until 4am!!! Yes, finally!!!

2- My new GPS device: Having to look at mapquest and writing the directions, or calling friends hoping that they have Internet access and can help you is over. There is Magellan Maestro 3100! The cheapest on market ($250), but it is great! Example: I want to go for shopping, but do not know where. I would have to look it up online and get the address and find the directions, write it down. Well, GPS device has 750K built-in points of interest. I search for Stop & Shop. It comes up with the closest ones to my house. Even better: What if the roads are closed as it happened today! You would be in trouble with written directions; there is no other option! GPS device recalculates the route and gives you new directions! I think this is a major convenience!

3- My new camera: Canon SD 1000. Has face detection software, correction software for shaky hands, etc. It is so fast and so simple to use. The pictures are so good for a camera worth $250.

4- The 4400 Season 4: Just started a few weeks ago!

5- House Season 3: I could not watch the third season on TV. Now, I am catching up...

6- Systematic Chaos: Dream Theater's new studio album. It is not the best album of the group, but there are good songs in it like "In the Presence of Enemies", "Forsaken" and "The Ministry of Lost Souls". I cannot wait for the concert on August 24. I will be in the first row and then backstage following the show!

7- Work-free nights and weekends: No work at nights and at the weekends! I do not have to think if I will be called on Sunday! I do not have to worry about what to report as progress three times a day (Well, I do it once a day here, and do not report to anyone, but to a computer system which is reviewed later on).

Well, that's all for now. Another week is starting tomorrow. 3 weeks of training already past. 7 more weeks to go! Take care, everyone...

Hello, World...Again...

2007-06-04T00:55:00.001-05:00

It has been quite a while since I had an entry, huh? During the first half of May, I was busy with my deadline-extended thesis. During the second half of May, I was still working on a few things. Then, the graduation came. Really nice event...

Well, I am in Shirley, NY now at Uncle's house. I checked a few apartments today (06/03/07) in Brooklyn and applied for one of them. I am going to meet the owner tomorrow. If he likes me and my references and credit history is good enough for him, I will get the space. It is on the last floor of a six building apartment in Bay Ridge. It has one large bedroom and a large living room. Lots of windows and great deal of light inside. After staying in the basement for a year, I feel like choking even when I hear about first and even second floor apartments! Anyway, there is kitchen and bathroom, of course. When you look left from any of the windows, you see the Verrazano Bridge. When you look right, you see Manhattan. If you look straight, you still have a pretty good view :) The apartment is just a couple of blocks from the subway and it would take me 30-45 minutes to get to work, great! I will write more about the apartment and the neighborhood when I hopefully get the place. I do not want to overjoy it now!

Meanwhile, I am waiting for the new Dream Theater album that will come out on Tuesday. I have been awaiting this album for such a long time that I even saw dreams about it for one whole night! I am listening to two tracks from the album right now and the songs are pretty hard. Sorry Avram, still not the Dream Theater you liked. Well, I like it anyway. The group will go on a tour for the album. I will be at the concert in New Jersey on August 24th. I am very excited about it because I spent $600 for two special package tickets. I got first row seats. Following the show, I will be backstage with a lucky friend of mine personally meeting the members of the band. We will take pictures and get autographs. There will also be a Q&A session. You may think that I am crazy to pay this much, but as many of you already know, Dream Theater is my favorite band, so the price is well worth the experience!

I resumed watching movies at a pretty good pace. I watched Edmond last week. Sex and murder based, very weird and shocking story. On Thursday night, I watched Raising Arizona and Big Lebowski (both films by Ethan and Joel Coen) with Deniz and Bahar. The former was okay and I have watched the latter for many times (I do not remember how many!). Big Lebowski is just a great movie in my opinion.

Yesterday, I watched Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhall. It was a pretty good story and Maggie Gyllenhall was gorgeous. I watched Deja Vu today. Oh my God, what a stupid storyline! I have not seen such a ridiculous story for the last few years! I especially started to hate movies that pictures biggest problems in computer vision solved! Recognition algorithm takes seconds to run on a whole database and low resolution images are getting so clear after some magical software! If this software is out there, why the hell are we paying so much for cameras with higher MegaPixels!?!

Finally, I ended the day by watching Casino Royale. It was good, but I do not think as good as appraised. I am not a fan of Bond movies anyway.

I have been doing something that I missed so much in the past years: Reading! I was so busy with graduate study day and night that I almost completely ignored reading books. I was reading mostly magazines such as Time for the last year. So far, I have finished The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton and The Husband by Dean Koontz. Both books are fine, but I cannot advise neither too strongly. I am reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown right now. It goes pretty smooth.

Wow, I must have missed writing! Anyway, take care everyone. I hope that I will be able to write more...

Adanaspor promoted!!!

2007-05-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

After the games played last weekend, my hometown team have won promotion to the Turkish Second League Category B. After almost coming to the point of disappearing from the history, we are back...

Goztepe...

2007-04-24T04:54:00.000-05:00

A legendary team in Turkish soccer history... They have been relegated to the conference (amateur) division, now. It is just sad; no words to say. Check the video below. It gave me a chill on my spine...

NOTE: Go to canaras.blogspot.com to see the video if you are viewing this from Facebook.

Adana 5 Ocak Stadium...

2007-04-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

Check out the first half a minute of the video. The supporters shout "GOAL GOAL GOAL" to fire up the team... And the goal comes!!!

I missed being there...

NOTE: Go to canaras.blogspot.com to see the video if you are viewing this from Facebook.

Latest Albums I Listen To...

2007-04-20T02:05:00.000-05:00

Hi there everyone,

I am working hard on my thesis, last 10 days. I just gave myself a little break to tell you about the albums I am listening to lately. I think you should try it out. I will write more in detail about the albums and the artists when I have more time...

"Room V" by "Shadow Gallery": A progressive rock album, but the sound is soft relative to other progressive rock material. Every song is a different delight, but I especially like the below:
- Comfort Me
- Vow
- Lamentia
- Seven Years
- Torn
- Rain

"Eraser" by "Thom Yorke": The solo album of Radiohead lead singer. The album can be regarded as an pop-rock-electronic music mix. Check out the songs:
-Analyse
-And It Rained All Night
-Harrowdown Hill

"Sam's Town" by "The Killers": The second album from the alternative rock group. The lyrics are really deep. Check these:
- Sam's Town
- When We Were Young
- Bling
- For Reasons Unknown
- Uncle Jonny
- Exitlude

'Analyse' by 'Thom Yorke'

2007-04-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

A self-fulfilling prophecy of endless possibility
You roll in reams across the street
In algebra, in algebra

The fences that you cannot climb
The sentences that do not rhyme
In all that you can ever change
The one you're looking for

It gets you down
It gets you down

There's no spark
No light in the dark

It gets you down
It gets you down
You traveled far
What have you found
That there's no time
There's no time
To analyse
To think things through
To make sense

LIKE COWS IN THE CITY, THEY NEVER LOOKED SO PRETTY
By power carts and blackouts
Sleeping like BABIES

It gets you down
It gets you down
You're just playing a part
You're just playing a part

You're playing a part
Playing a part
And there's no time
There's no time
To analyse
Analyse
Analyse

Movie Ratings...

2007-04-01T17:22:00.000-05:00

What do my movie ratings on the right column mean? Here is what they mean to me:

1 - Avoid this movie for your mental health!
2 - Hated this movie!
3 - Did not like this movie at all! Total disappointment!
4 - Did not like this movie much! Disappointed!
5 - Liked this movie a little! Almost disappointed!
6 - Liked this movie pretty much! Watch if you want to spend your spare time nicely!
7 - More than liking, almost enjoyed this movie! Try to find some time to watch it!
8 - Enjoyed a lot! Watch it!
9 - Enjoyed greatly! Watch it x 2!
10 - Loved it! Are you kidding me? Stop doing whatever you are doing and watch this movie!

'Wonderful Life' by 'Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds'

2007-03-30T02:54:00.000-05:00

Yet another great song by Nick Cave. Here are the lyrics for your thinking and understanding. Of course, I've got things to say about this one, too!!!

---
Come in, babe
Across these purple fields
The sun has sunk behind you
Across these purple fields
That idiot-boy in the corner
Is speaking deviated truths
Come on, admit it, babe
It's a wonderful life
If you can find it
If you can find it
If you can find it
It's a wonderful life that you bring
Ooh it's a wonderful thing

Speak our secret into your hands
And hold it in between
Plunge your hands into the water
And drown it in the sea
There will be nothing between us, baby
But the air that we breathe
Don't cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
If you can find it
If you can find it
If you can find it
It's a wonderful life that you bring
It's a wonderful, wonderful thing

We can build our dungeons in the air
And sit and cry the blues
We can stomp across this world
With nails hammered through our shoes
We can join that troubled chorus
Who criticize and accuse
It don't matter much
We got nothing much to lose
But this wonderful life
If you can find it
And when you find it
And when you find it
It's a wonderful life that you bring
It's a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful thing

Sometimes our secrets are all we've got
With our lives we must defend
Sometimes the air between us, babe
Is unbearably thin
Sometimes it's wise to lay down your gloves
And just give in
Come in, come in
Come in, come in
To this wonderful life
If you can find it
And if you find it
It's a wonderful life that you bring
It's a wonderful, wonderful thing
It's a wonderful life
It's a wonderful life
---

I would really like to ask him in person if he knows anyone who found that wonderful life. Isn't it sometimes good to build a dungeon for yourself? Yeah, it is hard to build it, but it would protect you from the effects of hazardous environment. Better yet, you can give the keys just to those that you want to be with. Hmm, what if things don't turn out to be fine with a visitor to your dungeon? It was already hard to build one. How are you going to build another one? How about your new visitors? Is it best to have no visitors at all?

How can you appreciate happiness if you don't know the feeling of being miserable? People are programmed to create problems for themselves. They need to feel bad. They need to suffer to get through the bad feelings and at the end they are happy again. Well, for a while! We move in circles, anyway.

No, my friend. There is nothing called wonderful or perfect! Yet, I am still looking for it. Maybe, I should just stop. But then, what would be the meaning of living?

'Sweetheart Come' by 'Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds'

2007-03-30T02:29:00.000-05:00

It is late and I am working! Well, I have a month left to submit my M.S. thesis, so I should better increase my pace!

Songs are great late at night when there is no one else (except Nhon who is working like me in the lab). Nick Cave is my best friend when I want to listen to something calm, smooth and soothing. Here are the lyrics of one of his great songs: SWEETHEART COME... Find this song somewhere and listen to it. Piano and violin combination with the deep voice of the singer is always a winner!

---
Come over here, babe
It ain't that bad
I don't claim to understand
The troubles that you've had
But the dogs you say they fed you to
Lay their muzzles in your lap
And the lions that they led you to
Lie down and take a nap
The ones you fear are wind and air
And I love you without measure
It seems we can be happy now
Be it better late than never

Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come to me

The burdens that you carry now
Are not of your creation
So let's not weep for their evil deeds
But for their lack of imagination
Today's the time for courage, babe
Tomorrow can be for forgiving
And if he touches you again with his stupid hands
His life won't be worth living

Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come
Sweetheart, come to me

Walk with me now under the stars
For it's a clear and easy pleasure
And be happy in my company
For I love you without measure
Walk with me now under the stars
It's a safe and easy pleasure
It seems we can be happy now
It's late but it ain't never
It's late but it ain't never
It's late but it ain't never
---

Well, Nick! You are a romantic guy, but is it really worth all the pain, my friend??? I hope that I will learn one day. Sweetheart come...

Lately...

2007-03-21T17:56:00.000-05:00

Dear reader,

It has been a while since I posted an item here. Well, I have reasons.

First of all, I was sick for about a week. I had fever; I was coughing and feeling dizzy most of the time. Thanks to Murat and Lufo, I rested at their place for a couple of days and got back on my feet. It was actually very nice not to do anything all day long, watch movie in the afternoon and eat my boiled potatoes from time to time. I still have the last remains of coughing, but I am hoping that it will go away in a while.

Second, I am very busy working on my project. My thesis deadline is May 1st and I have to work really hard!

Therefore, I do not have much time to put anything here. I still update my movie and music lists regularly. Anyway, I promise to be more active (Do you want me to be more active?) once I am done with all this work.

Take care; don't hurt yourselves...

-can

About to Crash (Reprise)

2007-03-07T04:44:00.000-05:00

I'm ALIVE again
The DARKNESS far BEHIND me
I'm INVINCIBLE
Despair will never find me

I feel STRONG
I've got a NEW SENSE of elation
BOUNDLESS ENERGY
Euphoria fixation

Still IT'S HARD to just get by
It seems so MEANINGLESS TO TRY
When ALL I WANT TO DO IS CRY
WHO would ever know I FELT SO SAD?

'Cause even though I get so HIGH
I know that I WILL NEVER FLY
And WHEN I FALL OUT OF THE SKY
WHO'LL BE STANDING BY?

WILL YOU BE STANDING BY?

Drunk Stewie; he cuts himself deep!

2007-02-28T01:19:00.001-05:00

Another joyful clip of Stewie:

I love the way he says "I cut myself deep! It doesn't hurt, though!" :)

Systematic Chaos...

2007-02-20T00:15:00.000-05:00

Some of you might already know that I am a big Dream Theater fan. Therefore, it is great news for me that a new Dream Theater album is set to be released in June. The group's ninth studio release is named "Systematic Chaos" (wow!). There will be seven compositions one of which is a 25-minute long song! They will hit the road for an album concert tour! Well, I will be at one of those concerts! Maybe, I should plan attending two or three close-by concerts this time :) For details, click here.

A Dream Has Come True!

2007-02-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

Memo is the first Turkish basketball player to be picked as an all-star in NBA!!! It is a great honor and a historical moment for Turkish basketball...

Click here for the details...

Stewie's Head...

2007-02-13T16:41:00.000-05:00

Where does Stewie's elliptic head shape come from? Here is the answer :)

---

If you are viewing this entry from Facebook, click here to go to my blog and see the video.

El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)

2007-02-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

I watched Pan's Labyrinth last weekend, and am still under its influence.

It is a great drama with touching moments and a heart-breaking ending.

It has fantasy themes such as monsters, fairies, etc. Make-ups and almost all scene shots are great.

There are very violent scenes as well, including beating and torturing, so beware!

The movie is from the acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro who is famous for his fantastical movies.

The soundtrack is a masterpiece and can be listened from here.

The movie is nominated for six academy awards in the following:

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Makeup
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

I hope it gets all the awards it is nominated for!

The movie is currently #65 in all-time top 250 movies list of IMDB with an average point of 8.5 over 10 (18,965 votes).

Finally, here is the trailer:

'The Awakening' by 'Joseph M. Martin'

2007-02-06T01:16:00.000-05:00

We were singing this song when I was a member of METU chorus between 2000-2003. Here are the lyrics. I strongly recommend you to find the music file and listen if you like chorus music with only piano playing in the background.

"I dreamed a dream, a silent dream of a land not far away where no bird sang, no steeples rang, and teardrops fell like rain. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. I dreamed a dream of a land so filled with pride that every song, both weak and strong, withered and died. I dreamed a dream No hallelujah; not one hosanna! No song of love, no lullaby. And no choir sang to change the world. No pipers played, no dancers twirled. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. Awake, awake! Soli deo gloria! Awake, Awake! Awake my soul and sing, the time for praise has come. The silence of the night has passed, a new day has begun! Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Wherever emptiness is found let there be joy and glorious sound. Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Let all our voices join as one to praise the giver of the sun! Awake, awake! Let music live!"

NBA.COM Headnews: "As Usual, Okur Clutch as Jazz Hold Off Bulls"

2007-02-06T00:21:00.000-05:00

No comments needed. Check here and here.

Mehmet Okur is named the Western Conference Player of the Week!

We are proud of you, Memo!

Family Guy...

2007-02-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

I love the series "Family Guy", especially the characters Stewie and Brian. Here are two clips. I think it might not be even a little funny if you are not watching this show, so you have been warned...

Annoying Stewie:

Singing/Dancing Brian:

Cooking with Chef Garfield-IV (Oven Pasta)

2007-02-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

Bored of eating pasta cooked using regular techniques? Try this. (I took the recipe from a Turkish cooking website)

Ingredients
-----------
300 grams pasta
50 grams butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1.5 glasses of milk
1 egg's yellow part
Salt, pepper
1 glass of shredded mozzarella cheese
Half a glass of Parmesan cheese
Directions
----------
Boil the pasta, and drain using cold water.

Melt the butter, add flour in it and roast for 2-3 minutes while mixing over medium/high heat. Add milk slowly, continue mixing. Add salt and pepper as desired. Mix until the sauce boils. Once the mixture boils, bring heat to low, and leave on the heat for about a minute.

Now, remove from heat. When the sauce cools down to warm temperature, add egg's yellow and mix well (See picture below).

Put pasta in large pan. Add the sauce on it. Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, too. Mix well. Put aluminum foil or oily paper on the bottom of a oven-able pan (not too deep, 25cm. squarish is best). Put the pasta, sauce, cheese mixture in the pan. Add 4-5 tablespoons of mozzarella on it homogeneously. (See picture below)

Bring the oven to 200C or about 400F. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until the food looks like the picture below :)

Let it cool down before you serve it. Cut in squarish pieces carefully to serve. Enjoy!

Funny Cats...

2007-02-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

You might have seen this compilation of funny cats many times before; it is almost a classic :) I love to watch it. Enjoy!

P.S. For those who are reading this blog entry from Facebook, go to http://canaras.blogspot.com/ to see the video.

Losing Time / Grand Finale (by Dream Theater)

2007-01-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

she dresses in BLACK every day
she keeps her hair SIMPLE, and PLAIN
she NEVER wears make-up
but no one would CARE if she did anyway

she doesn't recall yesterday
faces seem TWISTED and STRANGE
but she always wakes up
only to find she'd been MILES AWAY

A SENSE OF AWARENESS LOSING TIME
A LAPSE OF PERCEPTION LOSING TIME

wanting to ESCAPE she had created a way to SURVIVE
she learned to DETACH from herself
a BEHAVIOR that hindered her life

HOPE in the face of a human distress
helps us to understand
THE TURBULENCE DEEP INSIDE
THAT TAKES HOLD OF OUR LIVES

shame in disgrace of a MENTAL UNREST
keeps us from saving those we LOVE
the GRACE within our HEARTS
and the SORROW in our SOUL

DECEPTION and FAME
VENGEANCE and WAR
lives TORN apart

LOSING oneself
SPIRALING down
feeling the WALLS CLOSING in
A JOURNEY TO FIND THE ANSWERS INSIDE
ARE WE LOSING MIND?

Cancer with Volkan Demirel...

2007-01-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

He is the goalkeeper of one of my favorite soccer teams, Fenerbahce, in Turkey (My first two favorites are my city's (Adana) teams and both are in lower divisions, a big shame for a city of 2 million people!). When he was young, he showed signs of developing into a great goalkeeper. However, as the amount of hair gel he uses increased, his goalkeeping skills got worse. Now, he is busy driving all supporters crazy. Oh well, this is the end result of living in Istanbul nightlife as a young, rich, yet unprofessional man! Below is one of his "I cannot believe he is a goalkeeper" mistakes...

Cooking with Chef Garfield-III (Meat-Stuffed Eggplants) featuring Gulen Oktar

2007-01-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

Here we go again. This was done with Gulen Oktar's help...

Ingredients
-----------
0.5 pound ground beef meat
A handful of white rice
1 small size onion
1 large size egg
A pinch of parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, oregano, cumin and red or black pepper as desired
2 large size eggplants

Directions
----------
Remember how we prepared the mixture for the meatballs last time? We are going to do almost the same thing. Chop the onions and parsley first, as small as possible please. In a medium size bowl, mix all the ingredients except the eggplant (obviously!). Also add rice. Note that there are no bread crumbs for this mixture. Continue mixing with hand until all the ingredients are almost homogeneously mixed.

In Turkey, we would have small size eggplants. They would not be bigger than your fist. However, in the US, large and even gigantic fruits and vegetables are common! If you can find fist-size eggplants, that's perfect. If not, cut the large eggplants into three pieces. Carve the inner part of the eggplant, but do not make it like a tube. Leave the bottom part of it not carved, so it is like a glass. Be careful not to make a hole on the walls or at the bottom.

Fill the eggplants with the prepared mixture. Put a slice of tomato to cover its open top. In a middle-sized deep pan, mix and heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Put the stuffed eggplants in the pan, cover the top and leave on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Finally, fill the pan with hot water until it covers all the stuffed eggplants. Cook 20 more minutes over medium heat. You can understand if it is cooked by checking the hardness of the rice in the mixture.

This is it, enjoy!

Deja Vu Anyone?

2007-01-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

Back in the summer, there was Zidane vs. Materazzi...
Now, there is Delvecchio vs. Materazzi...
This guy Materazzi, a.k.a. 'The Matrix' (see Wikipedia to learn why he got this nickname), really knows how to get an opponent dismissed from the pitch! He is somehow like me in this aspect :P

Cooking with Chef Garfield-II (Mediterrenaen Meatballs) featuring Murat Altay

2007-01-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

Here is another recipe. This one is featuring Murat Altay. He had learned this from his Mom. Thanks to him, he was kind enough to share this recipe with you at no additional cost or roaming charges. You can see him in the picture above, impatient to consume the food while I take his picture.

Ingredients
-----------
1 pound ground beef meat
1 small size onion
1 large size egg
A pinch of parsley
A handful of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, oregano and red or black pepper as desired

Directions
----------
In a medium size bowl, mix all the ingredients. Of course, you should chop the onion and the parsley before mixing! Mix with hand until all the ingredients are almost homogeneously mixed. If the mixture is sticking to your hand a lot, wet your hands and continue the process.

Once you are done with mixing, take small chunks of meat to give a total of around 20-25 pieces. Roll the piece softly between your hands, and press your hands gently to make it thinner and oval in shape.

You are now ready to fry (absolutely with no additional oil) in mid-sized pan on medium heat. I personally prefer well-done, but you can choose to cook it less.

Serve with your favorite side dish. Rice is strongly recommended.

Bon appetit!

Path Volume II (by Apocalyptica)

2007-01-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

I want to LIVE IN FIRE
With all the TASTE I DESIRE
It`s all good if you LET ME DIVE
with some sharks on the ground
You lose your routine
You lose your routine
You lose your routine
Cause I FOUND MY PATH
What the HELL are you trying?
Now I know there is something more
What happen to you?
still standing on MY PATH
Are you still DENYing?
now I know there is something more
that this is the TRUTH
It`s all in you!
What do you come for?
What did you expect to find?
What do you live for?
What did you expect to find?
What do you live for?
What did you expect to find?
What do you live for?
What did you expect to find?

So BOUNDLESS I FEEL
and boundless all MY FEARS
STOP RUNNING BACK TO OLD TIMES
Stop running back to old times
you loose your ROUTINE...
cause I FOUND MY PATH
What the hell are you TRYing?
Now I know there is something more
What HAPPEN to you?
still standing on my path
Are you still denying?
now I know there is something more
that this is the truth
It`s all IN YOU!

Oscar Hopes and Predictions

2007-01-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

Cooking with Chef Garfield-I (Liver Kebab)

2007-01-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

I sometimes will share my cooking recipes here, and we start today.

For boys: I know that you are not born with the cooking instinct, but this does not prevent you from learning to do it. Do not expect your girl to cook for you every day. Improve yourself, man!

For girls: Use these recipes for better meals and after-meal times, you know what I mean...

Okay, here is our first recipe. I learned this from Grandma by simply watching her.

Ingredients
------------
1.5 pounds (or about 700 grams) beef or sheep liver
1 big size onion (White onion preferred)
1 big size green pepper
1 tablespoon Butter ("I cannot believe it's not butter " preferred)
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
Salt, crushed red pepper, oregano, cumin (Original Turkish brands preferred)
Lemon juice

Directions
----------
Chop the onion into small pieces. Start cooking in large pan with butter on medium heat. Mix occasionally until it turns orangish or pinkish in color.
Add the chopped (small size please) green pepper. Also add the tomato paste.
While these are cooking, deal with the liver. Cut the liver into cubic pieces. You choose how big :) Put the pieces in a large bowl; add salt, red pepper, oregano and cumin; mix.

After about five minutes of adding the green pepper, add the liver pieces. Add a quarter glass of hot water, cover the top and leave it. Still medium heat, do not cheat just to be quick! You can burn the stuff!

Occasionally uncover the top and mix. Cover the top again after mixing. It should be done in about 15-20 minutes. There is another way to understand this: As it is cooked, the liver gives out juice. When the juice is almost all gone, the food is done!

Additional Information
-----------------------
With the given amounts above, this should be enough for about 3, even 4 people with normal-appetite. However, a giant friend of yours could finish all at once!

It is very IMPORTANT to serve the food with lemon juice. The liver has a difficult taste for most people to eat, even I have problems. Put lemon juice and add cumin also. This will make it more delicious.

Finally, eat it with bread! I would recommend Italian bread. But do not get it from the big markets. Move your precious body part, and get it from the bakery!

Enjoy!

Time Travel in the Brain

2007-01-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is the question: When we are not doing anything (for example while resting on the comfortable sofa), what does our brain do? The answer is surprising: Our brain does time travel. Confused? Check this out: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580364,00.html