Billie

What a breathtaking view! The wonderfully designed Eden project located at Cornwall in England of the United Kingdom. Two of its huge domes being a home to thousands of plants species, each dome serve as a natural biome. Suddenly, I imagine myself wandering in this beautiful place! Two of its largest domes replicate a rainforest environment, and for that, it is deemed to be the largest indoor rainforest in the whole world. The other one being a Mediterranean environment. Nature lovers, here is another place to write down in your bucket list! 

Nature combined with the manmade craft geodesic biome domes, it undeniably looks magnificent! 

The flowers, leaves and trees in this enclosed nature-like environment domes are labelled based on its uses: medicinal, cookery, and the like.

In December 2010, the Eden project have been granted the permission to build a geothermal electricity plant enough to supply Eden and about 5000 households. 

The geniuses who built this deserve all the praise! to exert an enormous effort in building such a place is no joke. 

This daydream-like reality in England really increases my desire to suddenly book a plane ticket and fly there. Unfortunately, I do not possess the money to do so. But that’s alright, just join me in this travelogue and together let’s enjoy the Eden project’s beautiful photographs provided by the internet. 

The view of a perfect blue sky and wandering clouds with the sun shining high-above and mighty, below it being the brilliantly crafted mimic of a natural biome surrounded by green hills and forests, it surely is a sight to behold. But wait ‘til the blues is replaced with the night skies. The domes glow in different colors, artificial flowers and leaves perfectly aligned on the sides of pathways as they also glimmer. Indeed, it is a tourist attraction. 

Added by the beauty of the stars alight and the moon elegantly shining on the chocolate heavens. A view that will certainly leave you staring... mesmerized.

The Eden project has also become a wedding and a concert venue. It is the perfect place to spend with your loved one, your friends, or even just by yourself. It is also an educational place, if you’re doing a research related to nature or maybe you just want to appreciate more of the nature, then go on and include the Eden project on your travel bucket list! It is a place I highly recommend. 

"Joni Mitchell took this potent popular image that has been building for 7 or 8 years anyway, the 'California girl', the 'beach boy's girl', the beautiful golden girl with the long hair parted in the middle. And Joni not only was the girl, but she was also the Bob Dylan, the Paul Simon, the Lennon-McCartney writing it. You know, she was the whole package; she was the subject and she was the painter." - Bill Flanagan

When you listen to Joni Mitchell's music, what do you think of? and what do you feel? Maybe you'd say you feel like you want to fly with the clouds, feel the wind hug you warmly or coldly, make you want to dive into the deepest meanings of life. It's unexplainable. But one thing that her listeners would probably say is - it's real and authentic. No one does it like Joni Mitchell.

As young as 9 years old, Joni contracted polio and it was in the hospital where she began singing to an audience of patients. Joni had always been an artist, she said in one of her interviews, she loved painting and music was her hobby.

She trained herself to play guitar, studied in an art college and performed at local folk clubs and coffehouses until suddenly, she became one of the most anticipated music artists on the big stages during late 1960s and '70s.

She was even described as the "Yang to Bob Dylan's Yin, equalling him in richness and profusion of imagery." Indeed, her music paints a world in your mind, rides you in a sea of feeling, it opens your perspectives about different aspects in a new way. And she does it all so with honesty.

In the mid' 1960s, she moved to the United States and by 1968, she recorded her first album "Joni Mitchell" produced by David Crosby. It was the beginning of her success, more albums followed which gained her numerous accolades. Her sophomore album Clouds released in 1969 being the first one to win her a Grammy Award (best folk performance), her next album, Ladies of the Canyons became her first gold album and was a mainstream success including her hit singles "Big yellow taxi" and "The Circle game." It was also during this time when she experimented more on the genres of pop and rock. Some of her other most soulful and famous successful recordings include Blue (1971) being her first-million selling album, The Hissing of Summer lawns (1975) which conveyed more of Joni's societal views based on her social observation, Hejira (1976), and Turbulent indigo (1994).

By 1974, Joni showcased her jazz skills in her album Court and sparks which was her best-selling album that garnered another Grammy award as Best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s) and was highly praised by critics.

Her expressive songs continue to inspire, motivate, influence and amaze even the younger generation of today. Differently styled covers of her songs by other musicians had also gained much recognition. Although she isn’t as popular as she was during her prime, Joni Mitchell's music continues to give light for those in the darkness, speak for the voiceless and comfort people in their time of loneliness.

"When forests rise to block the light that keeps a traveler sane, I'll challenge them with flashes from a brighter time"

From a verse of her song "I think I understand." Joni speaks of her courage of facing her fears, finally stepping out of the comfort zone and becoming a stronger person. Problems, challenges, struggles, they may all block her way again but she will fight it much braver than she did in her yesterday's battles. Dark experiences made colorful, beautiful as a musical masterpiece, it fires up a person's will to live no matter how hard life gets.

"And I play if you have the money or if you're a friend to me, but the one man band by the quick lunch stand, he was playing real good for free."

From her song "For free." It reminds us of how we should keep our passion alive and well, reminds us of the reasons on why we pursue it - it is to be happy. We don't become artists or do what we are passionate about for the sake of turning heads our way, we pursue our passion for the reason that it is what our hearts desire. In this song, Joni expressed how the passing years had changed her, she's still passionate but her experiences has grown her tired, and her passion wasn't as fiery as it was in her earlier days. It made her look back on the beginnings of her career. It is an inspiring piece of music that nudges us from the chaos of our mind and of our surroundings, reminding us of the goals we have set to achieve.

"I've looked at life from both sides now from win and lose and still somehow, it's life's illusions I recall. I really don't know life at all."

From the last chorus of her song "Both sides now." Life is messy, so many paths to take on, bigger and much bigger problems to overcome and other aspects of it. It can get too complicated and you may even lose yourself in it. It is truly incredible how Joni Mitchell sings not only to express her mind, but also to move the hearts of her listeners. Like this song of hers, Both sides now, deeply relatable and vulnerable. Such moments prove the creativeness and greatness of a music artist; when one feels the singing of a musician’s heart and understand their message through each changing melodies, the song becomes a live soulful person or even a whole world in one mind.

Do you ever just dream of New York? its big cities and bustling crowds, lively nights and shimmering lights. Especially its aesthetic cafes, fancy coffees and  the famous creamy, cheesy, deliciously baked cheesecakes! with a rewarding sweet sauce drizzled over its top.  

But how does one bake New York's Best Cheesecake? Well, it's a good thing you stumbled upon this article. Because I will teach you how to turn your imaginative New York Cheesecake into a reality! So join me and let's bake!

First, you have to know what the ingredients are. And do remember to take notes! as every ingredient is important in making your New York Cheesecake the best one.

INGREDIENTS:

120G of biscuits/Graham crackers

 60G of melted butter

 400G of cream cheese

 120G granulated sugar

 200G of sour cream

 150ml of heavy cream

 2 eggs

 2tbsp of corn starch

 1.5tbsp of vanilla extract

 1/4 lemon juice

 1tbsp of water

 200g raspberries

Now, to making the crust.

 1. Fill a bowl with 120G of biscuits and crush it 'til it becomes powdery like. You can also use a machine to grind your biscuits. 

 2. Then, pour 60G of melted butter on your crushed biscuits and mix until every biscuit is coated with butter. 

 3. Next, transfer the buttered biscuits onto a spring foam pan, spread evenly on the surface and flatten it to satisfaction. After that, Coat the sides with butter and cover it with baking paper. Surround the outside of the pan with foil and set it aside.

Here's the favorite part, it is of course, making the batter!

 4. Put 400G of cream cheese and 120G of granulated sugar on a bowl. Mix until sugar dissolves.

5. Then, add 200G of sour cream and mix it again.

6. Pour 150ml of heavy cream and of course, mix 'til everything comes together.

 7. In some recipes, the egg yolks are separated from the whites and added to the batter one by one, always mixing the egg yolk with the batter first before adding another egg yolk. But in this recipe, we're just going to add 2 eggs all at once without separating it from the whites. 

 8. Mix until everything is perfectly mixed and you'll notice that the batter becomes this light yellow color, which is the typical color of cheesecakes.

 8. Next, add 2tbsp of corn starch and mix until the powder dissolves. 

 9. Next, add 1.5tbsp of vanilla extract and mix again.

10. Lastly, slice a 1/4 lemon and squeeze its juices on the batter. Hover a strainer above the batter while you squeeze the lemon juices out, just to make sure that the seeds won’t fall on the batter. After that, mix to satisfaction.

 The baking part.

 11. Get the pan you set aside and pour the batter over the crust, spread it evenly.

 12. Put your pan on a tray and place it in the oven. Fill the tray with enough hot water and close the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

 13. After the first half of an hour, reduce the oven to 150°C and bake for another 30 minutes. 

  14.  Once you're done, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an hour. 

  15. After an hour has passed, let it cool down out of the oven, then, refrigerate for 6 hours.

The sweet raspberry sauce topping

  16. Fill a bowl with 200G of raspberries, add 40G of sugar and 1tbsp of water. You can microwave it for 4 minutes 'til it's melted or boil it instead with more water 'til it's melted. Either way, I'd  still recommend straining the sauce on a bowl once you're done melting it.

And last but the best part of it all: serving the cheesecake.

 17. Once 6 hours has passed, get your cheesecake out of the fridge and transfer to it to a cake platter.

  18. Slice a part and place it on a smaller platter, pour just the right amount of sweet raspberry sauce over the cheesecake and there you have it! New York's Best Cheesecake is ready to serve. Enjoy eating!

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