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Yesterday, I dropped my car off for it's 6-year scheduled maintenance and for it to be detailed (it's been too long since I've had a chance to do the full treatment inside and out), and was able to get a loaner car. I was given the choice of two types of vehicles to choose from, an Audi A3 TDI and an Audi Q7 TDI. You can probably guess, I did not choose the ogre that is the Q7 TDI, not to mention, I was thrilled to be able to get a TDI as a loaner.

The loaner A3 TDI is Ice Silver Metallic with the all black interior of the included S-Line package. It's drivetrain includes a turbocharged 2.0-litre that makes 140HP at 4200 RPM and 236 lb-ft of torque from 1750-2500 RPM, and is mated to a dual-clutch transmission (which is also known as DSG or S-Tronic in VW/Audi parlance).

Last October, I decided to take on Salvador Molly's Great Balls of Fire challenge and was able to complete it in under three minutes.

This afternoon, another set of co-workers wanted to attempt the challenge and I decided to try it again. This time, I was able to take down the five fritters and salsa in under two and a half minutes... without hiccups even (I had a short bout of hiccups when I chugged the salsa last time).

What slowed me down this time was that the fritters were just fried and were absolutely, searing hot. The first bite was almost hot enough to scorch my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The level of capsicum heat didn't seem to be as high as last time, but that could be a sign of acclimation. I wanted to chug the salsa, but it was spread out on the plate this time, instead of being in a small ramekin.

There has already been some chatter among the same co-workers about the next food challenge: durian. Keep in mind, I've grown up eating durian in many ways, fresh, baked and made into ice cream. In this case, I'll be more of an evil spectator ;)

This recipe is an adaptation of various rice preparations that I've seen served with Chicken Tikka Masala or Chicken Vindaloo. For a quick, small meal, this pilaf recipe can be served with a tangy chutney and sauteed tofu or roasted chicken.

Another blog post, another recipe; and this time, no challah is involved... although you could thinly slice up some challah, spritz some olive oil on it, toast it up and dip it into the hummus. This recipe is one of the many variations of hummus that I make and eat with carrots, celery, brocoli, bagels, matzoh crackers or with a hot bowl of jasmine rice.

Yep, another blog entry with another recipe. I have always liked to cook with rhubarb in various methods, be it in pies, in jams, and in cobblers. The only problem is that, I don't always like the cobbler toppings. Instead of making another common cobbler this weekend, I decided to make something that is a cross between a cobbler and bread pudding.

I've made various versions of meatloaf with ground turkey and chicken for a while, but never really had a proper recipe. Unlike other meatloaf recipes that use eggs as a binder, I decided to use matzoh meal and croutons made from toasted challah. The texture of this meatloaf is closer to homemade gyro loaf, which makes it good for sandwich fodder.

Now that my current lens needs have been fulfilled and I have gotten most of my lens envy under control, my focus is now on upgrading the supporting equipment for the times where hand-holding is not feasible or doable (say, for those super long exposures, or for shots that should be focused manually).

For quick and simple support, I have an Induro carbon fiber monopod with deployable metal legs. The monopod works quite well with my Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II (and that's the shortened version of its official name) or when I don't want to lug around my tripod and ballhead. As far as my current tripod and ballhead, I have a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod and a Manfrotto 488RC4 ballhead.

When I get home, after a hectic day at work, I tend to crave something simple and comforting. Lately, I have been able to satiate my cravings with a 0.75-1.0" thick biased-cut slice of challah, covered with sliced cheese (be it jalapeño or habañero jack, sharp cheddar or crumbled Rogue Creamery blue cheese), chuck it into a toaster oven and toast it until the edges and bottom get slightly charred.

It may not be as iconic as a proper grilled cheese sandwich, but an open-face, toasted challah and cheese sandwich is rich and has a good amount of chew.

For additional flair, spread a thin layer of good mustard, such as Beaver Food's Sweet Hot Mustard, on the slice of challah before layering on the cheese. Want even more spice? Apply your choice and amount of hot sauce on the challah or cheese before toasting. It's even better if you have a panini or grill press. Instead of one thick slice of challah, use two slightly thinner slices. No butter or non-stick spray is needed, as the challah shouldn't stick and you don't want to mess up the mallard reaction.

I need to get into a habit of posting new entries more frequently. Until then, I just wanted to post a couple of hot sauces that I have found likings to. Below are those sauces in no particular order:

• Pickapeppa Spicy Mango Sauce

  Great as a wings sauce when used with the Good Eats Buffalo Wings recipe. Heat: 2/10. Flavor: 8/10.

• Tapatio Hot Sauce

  It may not be hot or spicy for me, it has a great flavor and can be used with almost anything. Heat: 1.5/10. Flavor: 6/10.

• Dave's Hurtin' Habanero Sauce

  The hot sauce to get, no matter cost or availability. If you like taco sauce from a certain fast food perveyor but want something that has a good punch, this is it. Used to be quite spicy for me, but now it only has a bite in quantities of over a tablespoon. Heat: 4/10. Flavor: 8/10.

• Dave Gourmet's Insanity Sauce

  While intake in large doses can be considered punishment for some, the sauce combines the flavor of Hurtin' Habanero and an indescribable heat. It bests the heat of Salvador Molly's Great Balls of Fire fritters and salsa. Heat: 8/10. Flavor: 6/10.

• Dave Gourmet's Hurtin' Jalapeno Sauce

  Want the overall flavors of the Hurtin' Habanero sauce without the heat, go for the wimpier (in a good way) Hurtin' Jalapeno sauce. May not be an easy sauce to find at grocery stores. Heat: 2/10. Flavor: 5/10.

• Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

  Mostly known as the "rooster sauce" for its trademark picture of a rooster on the bottle. This sauce substitutes flavor with a vinegary, harsh heat. The hot sauce for use with Pho or any other Vietnamese soups. Want a double punch? Use it to make spicy tuna sushi and pack in a good amount of wasabi, and you'll probably think you've inhaled pepper spray. Heat: 4.5/10. Flavor: 1/10.

There are a couple of other hot sauces that I like and others waiting to be tested, so expect another post or two on this topic.

For those that have followed Bill Moyers and his various series might know, his current "Bill Moyers Journal" series will end on 30 April 2010. Announced his retirement last year.

Unfortunately, last fall also brought the announcement that PBS will be canceling "NOW on PBS", which was previously hosted by Bill Moyers (when it was "NOW with Bill Moyers". "NOW on PBS" will also see its last broadcast on 30 April 2010 to be replaced by another news journal series.

All that I can say is that the new introduction and theme for the new Doctor Who series (Series 5, Series 1, New Series, or whatever it is called) seems to have lost touch with its predecessors. While there still is the TARDIS zooming through the Time Vortex, as seen in Series 1 through 4 (Ninth and Tenth Doctors), and the base melody is there; but it does not seem to have the same depth and oomph as the one for Series 4.

The only thing I like about the new intro is that the TARDIS in the new logo morphs into the TARDIS and continues to zoom through the time vortex.

Maybe it will grow on me like the Series 4 theme, but only time will tell.

For a while now, I have published some of my photos up on Picasa and have been relatively happy with how it presents albums and photos. The workflow that I went through to upload photos to Picasa included exporting pictures through ViewNX to a separate folder, Picasa would index the photos, then I would create and upload albums. I didn't new any other features of Picasa and decided to look for other publishing options.

Recently, Digital Photography Review announced a new section to their site: user galleries. After looking at the user interface and the features available, I decided to switch their gallery service for all new photos and albums. In doing this, it helps simplify the upload, sorting and tagging process. For the time being, there is no way to add comments to photos or albums. I hope that this feature is added in the future, either for free or paid accounts.

The new photos and albums can be viewed by going to: Photo Albums (dpreview).

As mentioned in my last blog post, I have taken a step into the world of manual focus lenses (not only for cost, but also for the capability of both lenses). I have taken it a step further and picked up a Lensbaby Composer for my D300.

I have always been fascinated with macro and architectural photography, even more so by pictures with unique exposures and compositions that focused on only the subject. Of those photos, some were taken with various Lensbaby lenses and optics... so when the opportunity arose, I decided to order the Composer and the Lensbaby Accessory Kit. The Accessory Kit includes a macro kit, a telephoto/wide-angle kit.

I am currently learning how to use the lens and will hopefully have some fruitful pictures that I'll post online. I will hopefully be able to get the Soft Focus Optic and the Lensbaby Optic Kit, once I am comfortable with the Composer.

When I entered the world of digital photography, I started with a Nikon AF-S 18-200mm DX VR lens and a D300 body. Over the course of a year, I've expanded my lens collection to include several more Nikon lenses (AF-S 50mm f/1.4G, AF-S 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro, AF-S 70-300mm VR, AF-S 35mm f/1.8 DX and an AF 85mm f/1.8) and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. I also ended up selling the 18-200mm lens, as I decided that I liked the quality, size and simplicity of prime lenses.