The City of the Void or how I follow through on some more reviews

In this post, I cover some Big-Brother, the movie My Super Ex-Girlfriend, a recipe for vegetarian Thai lentil soup, the book Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds and more!

Today’s featured photographer is Rod Monkey. Check out his beautiful pictures of architecture.

Index of this post

1. Big Brother UK
2. My Super Ex-Girlfriend Movie Review
3. Vegetarian Thai lentil soup recipe
4. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds Book Review

 

Big Brother UK

 

 

This is a great quote from last night’s BBUK show. The housemates just started the prison task. This is like the San Francisco Prison Experiment, which was the inspiration behind the German movie Das Experiment.

 

Pete and Glyn have been wearing their prison issue kit bags over their heads for the last 12 minutes.

 

I have to say that this task is the best task ever. And the housemates chosen to be the inmates are the best. Glyn, Pete, Aisleyne, Spiral and Imogen. Pete and Glyn have finally found their spark again. They are crazily horsing around and playing and goofing up. I guess the best bit, before they found the secret spa room, was the choreographed dance that they did with the bags over their heads.

 

So this is how it went down. The housemates stuck playing the prisoners were finding the time pretty bleak after having pealed and diced onions for three hours. They then received information about a secret hiding place. They found a tunnel which led to another part of the house which was transformed into a luxury spa with a beach and a bar. They were all very exited and they had to hide this fact from the guards at all costs in order to pass this week’s task.

 

I have to say that again the most annoying thing in the house is Aisleyne constant squealing and screaming. I can’t handle that anymore, I just mute it whilst she is there. She has definitely got to go, though not this week, since she isn’t up for eviction.

 

I’ll do’

Everything

Ta ya

Spiral the rapper

 

My Super Ex-Girlfriend reviewed

 

 

This is a comedy about a neurotic superhero who becomes enamored of Luke Wilson. This follows in the wake of Superman Returns. This is a nice twist on superhero movies. It is also a good twist on neurotic break ups. Uma Thurman plays a great crazy super heroine.

 

A man with a history of bad breakups and crazy ex girlfriends gets involved with this quirky woman who turns out to be G-Girl, the local super heroine. It also turns out that she is completely nuts and things go bad after the breakup. The story is interesting but nothing incredible. There are some really funny scenes in this flick.

 

All in all, it’s a good date movie or a good movie to take your wife on. The characters are nicely fleshed out but the plot is somewhat weak at points. It ends on a somewhat cheesy note.

 

Vegetarian Thai lentil soup recipe

 

 

I thought I shared a few more recipes, for humans this time. I based this one on a Thai lentil soup, though I’ve modified it quite a bit. It is best served with a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt scooped into the middle of the individual soup bowls.

 

Ingredients

 

The ingredients make for a pot full of soup, enough for serving 12 people. I like making big quantities so that I can enjoy the food for a few days afterwards. You also have the option of freezing the excess quantities for later consumption.

 

-2 cans of lentils of chick peas. Any combination of beans will work, though personally I like chick peas

-1 can of tomato paste

-1 can of crushed tomatoes

-2 tablespoons of Madras curry paste

-2 teaspoons of Sambal Lolek

-a few pinches of cumin

-a few pinches of cilantro if no fresh cilantro can be added

-2 diced and finely chopped onions

-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

-1/3 of a cup of lemon juice

 

 

The soups when served can be garnished with

-spoonfuls of plain yogurt

-chopped chives

-freshly diced tomatoes

 

Directions

 

 

1) Start by browning the onions for a few minutes in a bit of oil

2) Add the cans of lentils or chick peas

3) Start adding some of the spices, half of the quantities mentioned in the ingredients

4) After 10 minutes, add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes

5) Add water until the rim of the pot

6) Add the rest of the spices, make sure you taste the brew to ensure the right amount of spices. If more spices are needed, add them. This depends on the size of your pot

7) Continue simmering for 3 hours at low heat. I let the soup simmer until the onions are soft and melt in your mouth.

8) Serve soup garnished with yogurt, chives and fresh tomatoes

 

Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds

 

 

I’m almost through with the 2^nd book in the Revelation Space series, Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds. The plot revolves around Tanner Mirabel, a security specialist from Sky’s Edge making his way across to Yellowstone to kill the assassin of his boss, Cahuela, an arm’s dealer local to Sky’s Edge. Whilst on the way to Yellowstone, unbeknownst to him, the Melding Plague hit Yellowstone. The Melding Plague transformed the planet in the midst of La Belle Époque into a gothic nightmare. The plague melded people and their cybernetics and implants, corruption most modern technology.

 

Yellowstone was known for its postmortals, a clique of ultra rich citizens who had been enabled to become more than mortals by beating natural death through longevity treatments and periodic scannings into alpha level simulation in orbit.

 

Dan Sylveste, one of the main characters from Revelation Space is mentioned here but his importance is lessened since the plot revolves around something new.

 

Now, the Glitter Band of orbiting carousels is transformed into the Rust Belt. This is the planet that Tanner Mirabel awakes from refersleep to. The story is told in two parts. One from Mirabel’s perspective, the other from Sky Haussman’s perspective, the mythically tragic figure who helped settle Sky’s Edge centuries ago. This all ties in towards the end of the novel. The reason why we hear about Sky Haussman is that The Church Of Sky had released indoctrinal virii on Sky’s Edge and Mirabel had become infected by one. This virus makes the infected relive parts of Sky’s life in their dreams, hence why Mirabel dreams of Sky, hence why the story is told from Sky’s perspective in part.

 

We follow Mirabel in his relentless quest for vengeance and Haussman’s incredible tragic journey with the Flotilla on generational ships to settle Journey’s End. Through it, we discover secrets about the momios, the refersleepers that each ship carries, the reason why Mirabel is so obsessed in finding his target and the genesis of Dream Fuel, a drug in short supply that postmortals use to shield their implants from the Melding Plague.

 

This setting is one of a techno thriller, somewhat of a departure from Revelation Space, but still quite a page turner. With each chapter, more is discovered about the motivations and means of the main characters. Reynolds paints an impressive picture of Yellowstone and how the high and mighty society is still able to flourish seven years after the Melding Plague hit the planet.

 

This novel also ties in with the Inhibitors, who were introduced in Revelation Space. The Inhibitors seek to destroy emergent intelligence in new cultures. Why? This is revealed in Absolution Gap, the latest book in the Revelation Space series.

 

I can also see why Reynolds decided to pursue a few different novels before writing his next one in the RS universe. Reynolds novels are quite technical and complex. They can take a while before getting used to. However, once immersed, they are incredible.

 

Next up, Pushing Ice and Redemption Ark, also by Reynolds followed closely, Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. The next Dune book will also be out in August and is called Hunters of Dune and is supposed to be part 1 of 2 of Dune 7 never written by Frank Herbert. The book is based upon his sealed notes that were found sometime after his death.

 

 

 

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