Life after imac death

It's a bit of a struggle, but I know there could be worse things then not having our computer. I'm using mom's macbook in the interim. I'm not used to a laptop so everything is a little bit harder. 
I started a little photography class on Friday but of course without the comfort of my own computer, it's been hard to get into it. 
I'm documenting how we count down to Christmas, our advent. This year I decided to forgo the inexpensive licensed boxes of waxy 'chocolate' and make my own advent calendar.
 It took a lot longer than I had hoped. Cutting the boxes was a bit time consuming even with the Cricut doing the majority of the work. Adding the ribbon was piddly and Kerry helped with that.
They are full of Hershey's kisses, and Reese's Peanut Butter mini cups. 3 of each. Kerry needs his daily chocolate too.
I have them hanging from twill tape tied to bull dog clips on our Ikea shelves. I'm sure I will come home one day and find them dangling from one clip, with dog slobber on them. But then again, I have faith in my dogs. I believe they never get on that couch, but always on the other so they can look out the window. I believe they won't even notice that the boxes are within their reach.
It's Christmas time, time for believing!
I also believe the mac guy at London Drugs will find and save Emily's Disneyland pictures and videos!

Public service notice of the week: BACK IT UP, Baby! All the time. Don't wait and do it later. Do it now. No one ever said "I wish I hadn't backed up today!"

BLOGGER YARD SALE video! :)


My first vlog! Some of you might know last month we (Indonesian fashion bloggers) held a bazaar of secondhand & cool new fashion stuffs called "BLOGGER YARD SALE" at fX 6th floor (supported by: Mazee & Girlfriend Magazine). This is the second time we held it and it was totally a *bigger* blast! thanks a lot to all of you who came & shop, we had loads of fun :)



This video recorded by me with Vivaz HD camera phone Sony Ericsson! *it got compressed by youtube, I don't know how to post in HD quality yet, wud someone tell me? hehe :p* edited with windows movie maker, backsound: Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev - Like A G6

if you want to join us in our upcoming blast / bazaars, you could follow the updates thru kak diana's blog, or thru my shop's group at facebook (I'll send you message anytime we held any bazaars if you join this group): www.bit.ly/riotsbarbie :)

See you at our upcoming blast!
Xx

Sneak Peek



Kak Diana's booth :)Align Center


Evelyn, Marcella Caroline & me, before the bazaar


Cindy & Clara :)




our pink phones! me & kak Heidy having the same pink Vivaz phone :p


Marcella Caroline - Me - June Paski


Spinelli's tiramisu cake


Cindy's brand new Jeffrey Campbell heels.. fierce! :)


Rp. 500.000,- voucher for photo booth contest winner :)


All bloggers :) and thanks to Cindy & Evelyn who helped me A LOT at the bazaar!
These girls totally rock :)

Things learned about multi-sport events...

Having raced the 'Enduro course of the Tre-x yesterday at Kurwongbah...I made so many enlightening observations that I thought I should share them with you. like it or not!

• Everyone may rock the lock-laces, but jury's out as to wether they actually save time in transition
• Commissaire's act the same in all sports
• Swimming is very hard to do if all you want is some good clean air!
• Checking if you have cut up your feet while scrambling from the water back to your bike by putting your cycling shoes on, then taking them of again to look at your feet, and then having to put them on again to start the bike leg is a sure-fire waste of time...even if it seems like the right thing to do at the time
• Running is best avoided in all circumstances
• Cycling is the best sport to undertake, but perhaps not when sandwiched between swimming and running
• If you find yourself in this unlikely 'sandwiched' position, be sure to avoid trees, rocks and wildlife when you head out on the bike leg fresh from a lap of a dam filled with pondweed—swimming the the tool of the devil and leads to hypoxia and ALOC (altered level of consciousness) when heading out on the MTB leg (though you may have the power, there is also an overwhelming feeling of drunkenness...for at least a lap)
• If you are racing and you are under ten, the cheering and support for your effort—no matter how feeble and pathetic—will be unsurpassable. If you're 25 and racing open women with a look of disdain as you cross the finish line, people just stare
• Racing in a multi-sport event actually gives every competitor, despite age and shape, the god-given right to rock out in a skin-tight trisuit or bathers


Everyone feels they have a right to wear a tri-outfit. Exhibit a. Despicable! No socks, gloves or sleeves. Eeew. Give me a chamois and jersey anyday.
 
The staring, obviously a 10+ competitor. Just get me over the line so I can lie down and/or barf. Definite look of nonplussed-ness.



Despite my non-plussedness, I did like the challenge of once again racing something 'new'. I ended up third to some multi-sporting old hats, but smashed the bike leg. Well, except for losing time on the second one checking my feet for lacerations (because that's going to do me a whole heap of good?) and rolling my ankle in the last run...which didn't really slow me down too much. As mentioned—not much of a runner now! Mind you, I did manage sub-five minute km's on the offroad course, which is a lot better than last time. 

Anyway, that concludes all multisporting adventures on my part. 

I have resigned, at least for a while!

We Are No Longer in Ordinary Time

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13 going on 30

Okay, so, I'm at query 13 out of 30 (and working on 14 while simultanteously writing this blog). There are days when motivation is hard to come by, which is why I feel the need to make the following list of the top 10 reasons I love being a writer.

Reason #1: I can work anywhere. My office is poolside, in a coffee shop, or in my pajamas (if I so desire).

Reason #2: I don't feel like I'm working. Writing is the single most enjoyable thing I know, other than making art and running. I am never happier than when I'm putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), crafting prose or poetry.

Reason #3: I want a life without boundaries. If I am suddenly offered a roundtrip ticket to anywhere, I want to be able to take it...and bring my work with me, if necessary.

Reason #4: Documenting my experiences gives my life meaning. Moving about from country to country has left me with an immense desire to record my rovings. I'm not sure what it is about travel that makes life seem transitory, but it certainly seems to have that effect on me.

Reason #5: At this very moment, I am perfecting my craft. That's right - blogging is an entirely appropriate way to be spending my time at work. Awesome.

Reason #6: Writing keeps me smart. I'm continually thinking, analyzing, and, most of the time, anyway, actively involved in this process called life.

Reason #7: I happily work, even when I'm not working. Because I'm doing something I love, I am constantly thinking of new ideas, new pitch angles, new ways to improve upon what's already been done.

Reason #8: Work is 63% reading, researching, and thinking, 37% writing, editing, and revising. I like that "using my time effectively" often involves reading travel publications, eating at new restaurants, or brainstorming new travel destinations.

Reason #9: I am not meant to be employed. Anyone who knows me knows this is entirely true. I've never wanted to be in the confines of an office, unless it's an office that I purposefully lease and design. I love the freedom and responsibility of self-employment. I'm even okay with the long hours, unpredictable salary, and loneliness that sometimes comes with working alone.

Reason #10: I'm doing what I'm meant to do. There's no better feeling in the entire world.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. It is no longer (and perhaps never was) a celebration affiliated with any particular religion or faith, although some in America celebrate with religious ceremonies. On a social level, it is celebrated by Americans of a broad variety of religious backgrounds.

The bible discusses one of the many sacrifices that were instructed in the Tabernacle and Temple. The thanksgiving offering, would be brought to the Temple by anyone who survived a life- threatening situation, such as a potentially hazardous journey or illness.

These days one fulfills this obligation by making a certain blessing before a quorum and publicly acknowledging G-ds kindness. The code of Jewish law recommends giving money to charity and making a special party so that others will also share in recognizing G-ds benevolence.

In the times of the Temple, the Thanksgiving offering, included flour which was used to bake 30 unleavened loaves with oil and 10 leavened loaves without oil. The sacrifice along with the 40 loaves had to be eaten in an exceptionally short amount of time- less than 24 hours.

Why does the Thanksgiving offering have to be eaten in such a short amount of time? And why does the Thanksgiving offering include 30 unleavened loaves baked with oil and 10 leavened loaves baked without oil?

The Bible wants to create a situation whereby someone saved from a life-threatening situation will not only appreciate his good fortune, but will share that appreciation with others. With so much food to eat in a short amount of time the individual bringing this sacrifice and expression of thanks will have to invite family and friends to share in his gratitude to G-d.

Another reason offered for the requirement to eat the sacrifice in one day. EVERY DAY, if we only look out for them, there are lots of reasons to offer thanks and gratitude.

As for the symbolism behind the unleavened and leavened loaves, Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch elucidates. He explains how the leavened loaves (which rise and puff up) represent growth and unrestrained freedom. The unleavened loaves represent basic food, and the oil with which they are made is associated with well-being. Together the unleavened and leavened loaves show the idea behind the Thanksgiving offering.

The person has just emerged from a restricting, dangerous situation to an unrestricted life (leavened loaves) and now he must show recognition and gratitude (oil). He must realize that he owes everything - his food and well being (unleavened loaves) - to G-d. This recognition that we owe our very existence to G-d is done publicly. The books of Mysticism tell us, this act encourages G-d to continue his blessings of abundance to us.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from Rococo & Caffeine!
We're grateful to all our wonderful readers for making this year such a success!

21st Century Phones

My new toy.
It's pink but it has a black protective colour so you really can't tell that it's pink. Now Kerry can use it, but he doesn't have to because, drum roll please... He has his own phone too. With his own phone number.
We've always just had a basic phone. For emergencies like calling home to ask what is on the grocery list, or to find out when someone is coming home. So that's what Kerry has now, a basic phone. And I have this one that needs a 894 page instruction manual to tell you how to answer it. Might just be me.  Now I can text (which I've done with Dad and Shaun), instant message, get messages, and access the internet. It's way more than I need. But I have to tell you that even though my scrap room is off the computer room, I'm pretty stoked about having the phone right beside me so I can see whatever it is that I'm looking at on the internet. And I can facebook while standing in line at the grocery store. That is what everyone needs!


Update: Our 8 month old iMac kicked the bucket today. I am not a happy camper.

Thanks to Michelle for helping me pick out phones!  If you need help in the camera/phone department, go see her at London Drugs.

The Only Exception

Hi guys! This is the song that loads of you have been requested since the Brand New Eyes album released. :D My first ballad cover, please please I hope you enjoy this and don't get bored haha :) Thanksss a lot for those cool people on my comment column, thanks for watching, subscribing, rating, you rocks!

I made this video using Vivaz Phone HD from Sony Ericsson, 8 mp High Definition quality camera --but it quite sucks than the video got converted by youtube :( I'll post the photos using the Vivaz camera soon. Thanks Sony Ericsson! :)


Caffeine, km's and super nanna naps.

Holidays so far have been a whirlwind, but I am glad for the break from the sometimes harrowing uni routine!

I have had some singletrack come-down post the You Yangs National Series Round...of course this isn't helped by the fact that I have been a slave to the bitumen since then. However, I am excited about carving some sweet trails on the Flash tomorrow.

The coffee machine has had an awesome workout this holidays, with my two-coffee-a-day protocol quickly abolished throughout my uni exams. I am planning on cleaning it today. In fact, I have a lot of things planned, but after my ride in the pelting rain and with tired legs pedalling slowly up the killer-burgers, the best option presently consists of either couch time or computer time.

Anyway, this is me...pretty much. Although once you stop doing stupid things faster with more energy...you just feel sick. Bleh.

Trip Continued.

Life is doing a very good job in interrupting with my trip blogging.
 I long for the days when we could roll up to a sign in our van and after telling that sign what we wanted to eat, a woman on roller skates would bring our food.
 It came in my favourite shape! Tot shape! And the cherry limeade chiller was so yummy.
 I long for the days when you could wear your costume to Disneyland and see people like Asian Baby Elvis. He was so cute, it's hard to tell but he was bustin' a move for us.
 I also long for the days when we cold ride Big Thunder Mountain anytime we wanted with Dorothy and the Tin Man.

To Infinity and Beyond



see the crowds... :) Sweet.



thanks for the cutest couple, Boki & Cindy for picking us up yesterday!




Out now, PEE WEE GASKINS 3rd Album: Ad Astra Per Aspera
get it on your local CD store! *recommended song: Summer Thrill* :)
Congrats for PWG, plus all crews & dorks!

Postcards from Paris

[image via We Heart It]
Letter writing is certainly becoming a lost art in this day of Blackberry Messages, emails, and friend requests. I write regularly to my grandmother, but there was still a part of me that wanted to have a pen pal or letter swap like I did when I was a child. Luckily, I stumbled upon the PostCrossing website and signed up. To put it simply, PostCrossing is a way to exchange postcards across the world that is organized online. When you sign up, you are able to start out by sending 5 initial post cards across the world. I sent my first post cards to the UK, Singapore, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. The website makes the process really straightforward and user friendly, no worries about  Once your recipients register that they have received your cards with the unique code you place on each postcard, you will begin to receive postcards yourself.

Here are the postcards I've received from France, the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands. It's been simple enough and has been a cost effective way to get some interesting artwork for my apartment. Sending a postcard internationally from the US costs only 98 cents (except for Mexico and Canada which is less than that), making it an affordable way to start a collection or simply get something in your mailbox that isn't a bill. It's a bit of a nerdy hobby, but I'm excited to see how my collection grows.

2010 Dayi 7562

2010 Dayi 7562 Shu Brick - face detail
As mentioned in my post on the 7452 cake, the 7562 recipe offers heavy competition in the realm of Menghai shu pu. A little grittier and less refined than 7452, the 7562 brick's blend contains more heavy fermentation leaves. This yields a greater complexity than the aforementioned cake, but sometimes at the cost of brewing tenacity and usually making it less "easy" to drink.
2010 Dayi 7562 Shu Brick - box front
This year's 7562 is certainly more complex than 7452. It's earthy, chalky, woody, mineral, and aromatic. The earthiness and chalk/talk are bold and bolder still after the tea cools in your cup: a shu lover's shu pu.
2010 Dayi 7562 Shu Brick - back detail2010 Dayi 7562 Shu Brick - back
As the tea brews on, it lightens some, tasting of bark and then of wood, eventually tasting thinly of rocks--or, at least, tasting the way rocks smell. All in all, it gives the impression of wet stored sheng pu'er but without the mold smell/flavor and with more punch.

7562 lasted a few infusions less than 7452, perhaps 9 good infusions. Knowing of its limitations, I used a lot of leaf to get this many out of the tea. I think that, using less leaf, the tea would have a smoother feel, but taste less rich.

I brewed leaves from the back of the brick. As you can see, there's a fair amount of broken stem in the mix.
2010 Dayi 7562 Shu Brick - brewed leaf

Across the Universe

Over the past 3 months, I have begun reading All Lacquered Up, a great nail polish blog. Back at the beginning of July, she featured Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe and Bad Romance. Both colors are amazing, but yesterday I took the plunge and bought Across the Universe.

This is truly a gorgeous glitter. It is semi sheer, but not. It has a navy base, and when layered over itself, you can still see the glitter in the layers before it. It is also navy but not so dark that it looks black, this is true blue. It is also fairly simple to apply, unlike most glitters. I am sorry I am not providing a swatch, but my nails are camera shy, aka terrible looking. You can hop over to All Lacquered Up here, to see Michelle's swatches.

Also, if you want to pick up Bad Romance or Across the Universe, Nordstrom no longer has them listed online, but I walked into one of the stores here in Atlanta and was able to find it with no problems. They are available for order from Deborah Lippmann's website here.

Blogger Yard Sale -- PART 2!


It's on! Thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU to all of you who came & shop at the BLOGGER YARD SALE *the first one*,
it was verryyy fun and we decided to make the second bazaar! :)

Same place, MORE fashion bloggers! It's sure gonna be a bigger blast.
This week, Friday 26 November 2010, from 4 - 9 PM :)

Photobucket

For some of you who can't come at the first bazaar, this is is your second chance! Make sure you come, cos there'll be lots of new stuffs, unexpected discounts from me & my shop RIOTOUS. :) Don't miss it!

"Yeeeeeewww" Yangs MTBA National Round XC #1—Boulder Country.

Race bikes—cleaned and ready for a drilling!
Yesterday, 20th November, marked the official start to the 2010/2011 MTBA National Series XC racing.

Last time I headed out to this particular venue, the You Yangs in Geelong, Vic, it was a shocker. A beautifully built, awesome and fun track...but typical Melbourne weather let us down with damn near flooding. The whole race was a mess, I was a mess too, and didn't ride well at all. Aido prevailed in the tough conditions—the tough cookie that he is—and rode to second.

This time, the first half of the course was completely new—it seemed a lot like they were sending us up a DH track. It was boulders and granite wall-rides galore. It was a climb that local knowledge favoured, or at least a whole lot of technical skill. Arriving at our first practice lap I felt quite nervous, not being able to nail much of the technical climb at all. The second lap was a fait bit better, and by the third practice lap there were only a couple of features I felt needed some work.

The race day rolled around and the whole ride out to the course I was moaning and groaning—hating everyone and bitching about everything, I had a myriad of complaints and grumbles. This lasted a while, well into mid-warm-up when Aido presented me with an espresso, and suddenly I was optimistic and jovial once again (I have a fairly large dependence upon caffeine, I have discovered).

I don't know that I have felt this nervous before a race before. I tell myself 'it's just like a state series race!' but I am not kidding myself. I had the jitters. What if my race turned out like the last one here? What if I can't keep focussed and lose the plot? What if I haven't gotten any better since last season and I get lapped? There are a lot of what-ifs, and the only thing that helps is caffeine and a dose of HTFU on the start line.





I felt sorry for the junior girl sent off with the elites...it would be a long day for her!

The gun went off and I got a good start, at the end of the start loop the relatively large field was split into a few groups, and I had tacked onto the rear of the front group—a good move.

I climbed with the main part of the front group for lap one and tacked onto a girls wheel for a couple of laps, switching who would ride in the lead, until a stupid manouvre on a rock garden saw me momentarily unable of clipping in. Lost some time, and the wheel.

Anyway, managed to minimise my losses, despite my distinct dehydration and running into stuff on the last lap (I maybe drank one bottle throughout the whole race, silly AB!), and finished 7th overall and 6th Elite Women—my best National Series result yet. Super stoked, and now motivated to get fitter and faster (within reason, of course!) for Hobart in three weeks...we'll see. Can't get too fast yet, as National Championships is in February and I would love to be flying by then!

Meanwhile in the boys race Aido lead for much of the race, claiming second behind Ben Hendo. Glenny Boy had a great race, sneaking into the top ten. Cyclinic rocks!

L-R: Aido, Hendo and Carlso on the podi-o


Nothing better than a pre-event wrap in the Geelong Advertiser...

The SBS Cycling Central Wrap-Up...

Beer and Pizza after bikes and sun...perfect!


Behind the Blog: Laura

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getting ready for the "libertarian nerd nirvana" wedding of the century...


It's been quite a while since Rococo and Caffeine first did a post on ourselves, so I thought I'd revisit the series, once again using The Pink and Blue Blog's 20 blogger questions.



1. Blogging since...

January 2009.




2. Was there any event, incident or anecdote in your life that pushed you to start blogging?
I am a person of lists and opinions. Back in December 2008, while working on law school applications, I decided that it was entirely necessary for me to share my thoughts and stuff I like with the world. Michelle and I were constantly chatting on Facebook during this process, and Rococo and Caffeine was the result, springing from our heads fully formed comme Athena. Well, not really. R&C has really come a long way from the inaugural post.





3. Did you follow any blog before creating yours?


I sometimes looked at my friend Caitlin's blog, East by South, and Postmodern Conservative (thumos, philosophy, literature, and Catholicism, all in one tidy website).





4. Do your family and friends know about your blog?

I know my mom looks at it, as do some of my friends on Facebook (no doubt because of my shameless advertising).




5. Favorite time of the day to write posts?
When I should be doing something else. Procrastination is also the only thing making sure I clean my room.




6. Longest hiatus between posts?
I think I've gone a month or so.




7. Have you set any goal about your blog? Anything you want to achieve with it?
I'm not sure that I have any real goal per se, but as long as other people agree with me in regards to Gossip Girl, etc., I will be happy.




8. Do you believe it has some kind of social function?
I think blogging in general is helping to transform the information economy, which is pretty cool.




9. What would put an end to your blog?

If I had to give up for a job. For example, employees of the U.S. Tax Court can't engage in certain political activities. Not saying that R & C is in violation of legal policies or anything like that, but if I were to be legal counsel for a job, I might not be allowed to link my name with certain content.


10. Do you have or consider having more than one blog?

I have a personal blog, "Pareto Scoffs at Me" (originally entitled "Prep Judicata," but that's a really dorky name, so I ditched it as soon as I came up with something marginally better). If you want to read my blathering about law and economics or my frustration with ridiculousness in general, it might please you.



11. You follow more a) personal blogs, b) news blogs, c) thematic blogs.

It's a toss up between A and C.




12. You tell yourself you need to a) "post/comment less", b) "post/comment more", c) "post less, comment more", d) "post more, comment less".

B for sure. I never have time to blog, and I'm terrible about commenting on other people's work.




13. Have you ever stepped back and delete things after posting?

Editing will be the death of me. Blogger tends to mess up, at least on my computer, so it can take a couple of tries for something to come out right.




14. Have you refused to publish any comment? Why?

Nope. Everyone who comments on R & C is really nice.




15. Has Twitter changed anything about your blogging habits?Not really. But it's a good way for people to advertise their posts so I remember to read them.




16. Has Facebook changed anything about your blogging habits?

Since a number of my Facebook friends read the blog, I try to keep them in mind when I'm coming up with topics.




17. Do you ever wonder if you're disclosing too many personal details?
I'm sure there's some stalker out there who can pinpoint my exact location and personal history using the details I've mentioned in passing. But other than that, not really.




18. Do you feel like a blog star?
Hahahah, absolutely not. Though my econ prof did check out R & C yesterday.




19. Do you conceive blogging without the help of Google Images or Youtube?
No, considering most of my posts involve some sort of Youtube video.




20. Have you lied in this questionnaire?
Yes. My name is actually Jimmy Himmelfarb, and I'm a forty-one year old mustachioed video rental clerk in Topeka.

2009 Lancang 0081 Shu Bing

2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - wrapper 1
Of my most recent order, none of the teas so far had heavy earthiness to them, which is odd for the genre to which they belong, shu pu'er. This tea is the exception.

This tea hails from Lancang region in Pu'er Prefecture (formerly known as Simao (1950-2007), formerly known as Pu'er (1729-1950), formerly known as...?). Lancang is a minority autonomous county inhabited by the tea-growing Lahu, Dai, and Bulang ethnic minorities. It contains the famous Jing Mai tea mountain (Dai minority) and lesser-known Mangjin (Bulang minority).

I couldn't remember the last time I had a purely Simao Pu'er Lancang shu pu'er (Pu'er pu'er sounds too redupicative!), and thus I bought it for variety.
2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - face2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - back
I generally don't like Lancang area sheng pu'er: I find it bland and lacking depth. But in the spirit of "don't knock it until you try it" I kept an open mind.

The leaves are the usual "pretty face, ugly butt" blending trick. If this isn't obvious enough from the pics above, click on the pics below for comparison. I should mention that this review is of leaves from the back of the cake.
2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - face detail2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - back detail
Also, the tea was pressed in January 2009, meaning it's likely summer 2008 tea material, maybe with lighter fermented stuff from fall.

The first three brews tasted very earthy, like the smell of loamy soil, so I would suggest rinsing this tea twice to reduce some of that taste if you don't like it. Not fishy or pondy, just muddy. For the large size of the leaves, the tea held out for an impressive 13 infusions, even when pushed for more flavor.
2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - neifei
The next infusions were sweet, earthy, woody, finishing rocky. They made me salivate quite a bit, and the "mouthfeel" of the tea was comfortable and oily. Not too much aftertaste, and not too much depth, but enjoyable nonetheless. It took extra long infusions very well. All of this adds up to be a good tea for brewing at work, where I have no one to impress and want passably good tea even if I forget it or otherwise abuse it.

I forgot to take a picture of the brewed leaves and the brewed liquid, but it's all the same with shu pu, no? No? OK, well, the leaves are mostly heavily fermented, with some of the larger leaves looking lighter in color.

A good tea for sitar music, rain, and the smell of baking pumpkin sourdough bread.
2009 Lancang Factory 0081 Shu Bing - nei piao
(the neifei (far above) and nei piao (immediately above) are both marked "10", whatever for I can't say. Any clues?)

If you have had this tea or any other shu pu from this region, please comment here and give me your thoughts. I'm always curious!

Update: 25 February 2011

As of today, I am halfway through the Lancang 0081 shu cake. I have been drinking it at work, which is where I drink most of my shu tea. For me, shu is easy to brew, easy to drink, and given it's of decent quality or better, forgiving when brewed in imperfect situations, such as my office.
In my office, a small fabric-lined cardboard tea caddy holds a comfortable half a qi zi bing (approximately 179g).

I dip into the red box about once every four days. I keep to a routine tea schedule at work, alternating between teas daily--usually one or two oolongs and one or two pu'er teas. The benefit of this seemingly obsessive-compulsive habit is that I don't spend unnecessary time pondering what tea I'm in the mood for or want to brew. I stick to the order unless I arrive at work with a strong feeling for what I want to drink.
Enough distraction and onto the tea!

The tea remains smooth, earthy, and rocky, even when brewed in my California stoneware pot using filtered water. It feels less thick in the mouth and tastes less rich, but the rocky aftertaste seems stronger.
I suspect the filtered water, boiled in a metal kettle, causes this thinness and stronger mineral flavor. It's a small complaint to say a good tea could be better unless the price is high. Thus, even at this slightly lower quality, the good value of this cake remains solid. A loose shu at a similar price ($15.90 per pound) would probably taste horrific.