Christmas Eve

Mr KE popped into M&S on his way home and fancied these chinese snacks, so we had them as starters on Christmas Eve. They were all duck-based and came with a little pot of hoisin sauce.






For our main course, we had individual beef wellingtons, potatoes dauphinoise and green beans. The beef wellingtons were from Waitrose but I made the potatoes from scratch; they are basically potatoes cooked in layers with double cream and milk. Very decadent indeed!

As for the Beef Wellingtons, they were OK but I can't help thinking that it is a bit of a waste of beef fillet. If you haven't had it before, beef wellington is beef fillet, pate and mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry. Very 1970s dinner party. These days it's more fashionable to have cook things simply eg if I had a good bit of beef, I would just pan fry it with a bit of salt and pepper.

Anyway, we were too stuffed after our meal for any pudding, so we just crashed out on the sofa for a rest before heading off to midnight mass. I had to have a nap before our walk up the hill...I need to conserve my energy these days!

Happy Easter

It's Easter, which means church, chocolate and DIY. The Pope is on TV, the chocolate eggs have been plundered and I am eating hot cross buns.

It's cold and rainy today, but that's not going to spoil my Easter mood.

Happy Easter everyone. Rejoice!

The Golden Compass

Good. It's just an interesting story with well-fleshed out characters. No more, no less.

According to some, an attack on Christianity. Really? Maybe these guys don't get to watch a lot of films ;)

I really enjoyed Philip Pullman's trilogy (Northern Lights / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass) and thought that Lyra was one of the best heroines ever - both in children's or adult fiction. There's no doubt that Philip Pullman is no fan of organised religion and this comes through in his writing. However, I can't help feeling that the people who rant and rave about the "anti-religious" stuff must not get out a lot. A bit like the people who thought that The Da Vinci Code was ground breaking truth / blasphemy / the meaning of the Universe.

Apart from teenagers (who latch on to anything, bless 'em), I just can't understand this kind of reaction. Do these people not read the newspapers or watch the news? In a world where people hack other people to death, fiction cannot compare with awful reality.

Sorry - back to the film review. Yep it was good. Mr K-E and I are big fans of Lyra and Pantalaimon in the books and we were not disappointed by the film. I was surprised when it finished though, as it ends before the close of the first book. Mrs Coulter (and her golden monkey) are as horrible as they are in the books.

Definitely recommended. Just don't take things too seriously.

Happy Easter

I had some friends visiting this weekend so I didn't go to Easter Vigil mass as planned. We went out for dinner and drinks on Saturday night, staggering in after two in the morning.

When the alarm clock rang on Sunday morning, Mr K-E nudged me and muttered - Get up, you have to go to Mass. Unfortunately, the spirit was willing but the flesh rolled over.

Oh, well, Happy Easter everybody!

I had Simnel Cake today, which is fruit cake with marzipan on top. The 11 marzipan balls on top represent the apostles; there are 11 balls as Judas is not invited.

There is another layer of marzipan in the cake, which makes it extra yummy.







When we finally got out of bed, we went to the Imperial War Museum because there was an exhibition about Camouflage on.







I can't recommend it though, I thought it was a rip-off. I expected more about modern methods of military camouflage and "future" camouflage techniques, but it was mainly focused on WWI and WWII stuff. For £7, I want more!










I don't think this taxi is well camouflaged at all, do you?






We then wandered into the West End and had lunch at Yo Sushi. I was surprised that Virgin Megastores and HMVs were shut. I don't think I've ever seen them shut during the day!

Anyway, it's been such a busy weekend that Mr K-E has not even started eating his Easter eggs. The chocolate frenzy starts tomorrow.

Good Friday : Celebration of Our Lord's Passion

Just this morning I was thinking about how the Catholic Church is not one of those "fluffy, cuddly" type churches. You know, the type where everyone is all happy-clappy, hugging, holding hands and singing about love.

The Catholic Church has more of a "suffer now or suffer later" philosophy. All the suffering in the world is your fault. See those nails in Jesus' hands on the cross? You put them there. Our Lord suffered and died for your sins. You are a terrible, terrible person. You should suffer. If you are not suffering, well you must be doing something wrong, and you are definitely going to Hell.

OK if you are really sorry, say 500 Hail Marys while slapping yourself in the face, and then maybe you might get to Purgatory instead.

(Purgatory is about 10,000,000 years of torture and suffering instead of eternal suffering aka Hell. Gulp.)

And guess what, in church today the sermon was about : (yes you guessed it) suffering. And how it's good for you. *Sigh* :(

On a different note, when I got back from church I was absolutely starving. I skipped lunch because I was trying to fast (See! I'm trying to be a good Catholic, honestly!) but when I got back I stuffed my face with hot cross buns.

Split the buns, toast lightly, spread butter and jam. Not meat, so I'm not completely doomed. Not yet anyway.

Soul of my Saviour, sanctify my breast,
Body of Christ, be thou my saving guest,
Blood of my Saviour, bathe me in thy tide,
wash me with waters gushing from thy side.

(One of my favourite hymns, if a little gruesome)

Maundy Thursday: The Mass of the Last Supper

I went to Mass tonight.

Maundy Thursday is a remembrance of the Last Supper (before it all went wrong as Mr K-E says) when Jesus ate and drank with his disciples.

The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin word "Mandatum", which means command. On that night, Jesus gave a new commandment to his disciples - Love one another, as I have loved you.

The other big thing about Maundy Thursday mass is the "feet washing". During the Last Supper, Jesus shocked his disciples by washing their feet, which was a task normally done by servants. He wanted to teach them a lesson about humility and service to others.

At Maundy Thursday mass, we remember this act when the priest washes the feet of 12 "volunteers" (normally ordinary members of the congregation). It's a reminder to all of us to be humble.

I'm glad I went to Mass, it really reminded me that I should be more humble and remember that all blessings come from the Lord. We should try to serve others, not expect others to serve us.

Reading yesterday's post, it makes me *cringe* Arrogance is not very attractive, is it? *giving myself a mental slap* The world doesn't revolve around me, after all.

Palm Sunday

I feel really guilty because I didn't go to Mass today, and it is Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week and commemorates Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem, when the crowds were cheering him and waving palms as a sign of their support. Later on in the week, the same crowds would be shouting for him to be executed and crucified. Talk about a fickle crowd, eh? You know what they say, a week is a long time in politics! (Did they have mass media in those days?)

Anyway, all joking aside, Holy Week is the most important week in the Christian calendar. This Thursday is Maundy Thursday, then Good Friday when we remember Jesus's death on the cross. There is an Easter Vigil mass on Saturday night, which leads onto Easter Sunday, the most important day of the year for us Christians.

My favourite mass of the year is Easter Vigil, when the church is dark and we wait for the light of Christ. Even for a rubbish Catholic like me, there's something special about the Easter Vigil mass.

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

So did everyone have pancakes on Pancake Day?

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday (the "formal" name) is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. If you are a Catholic like me, then you will know that Lent is the build-up to Easter; a time when we should fast, repent, do good works and get ready for Holy Week. In the old days, Christians were not permitted to eat rich food, meat or other animal products (except fish) during the 40 days of Lent. So the day before Lent, all the perishable "rich" ingredients such as flour, eggs, butter etc had to be used up....hence pancake day. In some countries, it is known as Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) and people party, party, party before Lent. I think nowadays, most people celebrate Pancake Day without observing Lent, so it is just a secular tradition.

We had pancakes (they were more like crepes) with lemon and sugar. Simple and delicious. It's quite pathetic that I have to look up a recipe for pancakes, but I only make them once a year. Maybe this year I'll make them twice a year. :)

Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics (No, it's not. We are only encouraged to go to mass. It's not compulsory. Thanks, Justin - edited 21/2/07) which means we should go to mass and fast. We shouldn't eat any meat, and we are encouraged to fast if possible. I always find Ash Wednesday mass meaningful as we are reminded that - "you are dust, and to dust you shall return". The priest places a blob of ash on your forehead and says something like - repent and believe the Gospel. It's a day to remember that our bodies are only temporary.

Questions, or Why are Catholics obsessed with sex?

Jewelle's post about being a lukewarm Catholic inspired me to blog about some "issues" I have with the Catholic Church. Before I start, I should say that I am practising Catholic, and my intention is not to attack the Catholic Church in any way. I can only really talk about Catholicism because I know it intimately, but I am sure that these issues apply to other religions too.

When I was a teenager, it seemed that the church youth leaders would spend a lot of time emphasising things like: no sex outside marriage, no birth control, sex is for procreation and not for pleasure (what???hahaha). Although they had my best interests at heart, it left me with the lasting impression that the "worst" sins were the "sex" sins.

Now that I am older, I wonder why was it given so much emphasis? Is going too far with your boyfriend/girlfriend really that bad? I should explain....

Take for example, Gluttony, i.e. overindulgence with food and drink, which is supposed to be a sin too. But I have never heard a priest or church leader saying that it is sinful to eat too much, that all-you-can-eat-buffets are the devil's temptation or that all fat people are going to Hell. If you really think about it, and how many people don't have enough to eat in this world while we stuff our faces - it is a sin. Consider this - some people in this world have so much to eat that they are constantly trying to diet and lose weight (including me), spending money on diet products, anti-cholesterol medication, gym memberships and plastic surgery. While their maid's family may only eat one meal a day because they have no money to buy food. Don't you think that is a sin??? When you can spend $50 on a meal, but then give your amah a $5 annual pay rise (or no pay rise at all!)

(And before you say - I deserve it because I work so hard, I'm clever etc - isn't Pride a sin too? All blessings come from the Lord, right?)

And what about the sin of Greed? Are people who drive luxury cars going to Hell? If they drove a cheap car, they could give US$50,000 to charity. Just think that one billion people live on less than US$1 a day. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when even the Pope wears Prada shoes! What?? How can he??? When he tells the poorest people in the world that it is wrong to practise birth control? Is this crazy, or am I crazy?

So I guess my question is - why are young Catholics taught that it's wrong to live together without marriage, but nobody talks about how wrong it is to be an obese, bad-tempered, Mercedes-driving, granny-swindling millionaire? Well? What's the answer?

I'm not trying to be some kind of goody-two-shoes, as if I give all my money to charity and live on two beansprouts a day. I want a big big house and to have lots and lots of money. But hey, that's OK right? As long as I don't do the birth control thing? :)