MEGA TOWN

Lost In My Mind

2011-09-20T22:38:00.002+10:00

Wow... Reality is really sinking in right now... I'm going to be half way across the world in a month, by myself in a whole new environment. It's exciting and daunting at the same time.

This song sums up how I feel! I'm totally going to miss all my friends! ;(

Excusez Moi

2011-08-30T23:06:00.001+10:00

You must pardon my French, but...

Fuck those that bring you down!

Nothing's Real...

2011-08-23T22:22:00.002+10:00

I came across this song again on my iPod this morning on the way to work. It used to be one of my favourite songs, and probably IS still one of my favourite songs. Unfortunately... it put me into such a crappy mood for the rest of the day, lol.

Belief

2011-07-13T00:44:00.005+10:00

"Belief makes things real, makes things feel, feel alright...
Belief makes things true, things like you, You and I..."

Gavin Degraw - Belief

I know I haven't posted in a long time, but I've been real lazy! I guess that shouldn't be an excuse when I've finally finished college, as well as reduced my working hours! Anyways, last weekend I got to catch up with a lot of my old friends who I hadn't seen for long time. Many of them I hadn't seen for over half a year because of the chains school and my previous job. It was really good to see them, but a shame it was at a terrible location to 'catch-up' at. I've never liked clubbing and I probably never will, but I guess any place is better than no place, huh?!

Anyways, it was my first opportunity to actually tell people about my future travel plans to go around the world and develop my pastry experience. It was a chance to express my hopes and dreams, and the long and daunting journey ahead of me. What really surprised me that night, was that multiple people said they were really happy and proud of me, for working so hard and doing what I've always wanted to do. It wasn't just one person, but different people during the night voiced their opinion and feelings towards my life.

That's when it really hit me. That so many of my friends actually believe in me... believe in what I'm setting out to achieve... and believe that I can do what I set out to do. I know this might sound very neurotic, but all this time, I've always thought of myself as a failure. I've always thought that everything in my life has taken a turn for the worst and that I'm eventually going to end up at a dead end. I guess... I never really believed in myself and that's what has always set me back. But at that point in time, I could really feel their support and it really meant a lot to me.

I need to really start believing in myself and maybe one day, I can truthfully say, that I've found my happiness once again!

Childhood Memories!

2011-06-23T00:27:00.003+10:00

Remember AQUA from back in the days; growing up with 90s pop music?! I can truthfully say, I owned a hard copy of AQUA's album... and it was AWESOME! I don't know where it is now, but they were the official 'Cartoon Heroes'! I don't know if they are still producing music, but I came across this video tonight and it brought back many memories. Even though I'd never seen or heard this song before, just the fact that I was watching AQUA brought it all back to me! Needless to say, this song is catchy, because hey... what AQUA song isn't catchy?!

The autumn leaves in this video also triggered childhood memories for me. I remember growing up, I used to see 'Autumns' on TV, where leaves would be falling down from the trees... children running through big massive piles of leaves on the ground... and children stomping their boots... with the sound of crushing leaves. Sadly, growing up, this remained an imaginary autumn... a 'TV Autumn'... and I never, ever, EVER saw leaves shower from the tree tops.

Now... When I drive to work and park my car, I can look out the window next to the Botanical Gardens and see leaves falling from the sky, collecting into big piles of crisp autumn leaves on the ground. The little kid inside of me always wants to run out into the park and play in the leaves instead of going to work, but the other part of me is holding me back saying, 'You're a Fking 22yo man.. GROW UP SON!'. The lesson I learnt from this experience is... You need to be rich and live in South Yarra to have a TV Autumn!

Am I A Lunatic?!

2011-06-21T18:43:00.005+10:00

"And maybe, I should care more about safety,
But I can't ignore or betray these voices singing...
You can do this, you can do this!
You are not a lunatic!"

- Andy Grammer

As the final weeks of work comes to an end, I can not help but feel a little sad about leaving. I've met a lot of talented chefs along the way, and learnt a lot of skills and lessons, not just in the realms of food or pastry. I've met many different characters and personalities in the kitchen who have made my time an enjoyable one, and it's true when they say, 'It's all about the people you work with.'

Although part of me feels sad, another part feels excited about for the future. A future that is unknown and foreign, full of new life experiences and environments. All I can do now, is to hope that the next kitchen I step into will be filled with the same energy and spirit as the last.

On a musical note, Andy Grammer has debuted his first self titled album. It's a very upbeat pop album that has a slight jazz feel to it. I'm loving the song 'Lunatic' which kind of relates to my life, going against all odds and trying to make it in a tough industry. Other album favourites are 'Kepp Your Head Up' which was his first debut single, and 'Miss Me'.

A change for the better...

2011-06-08T23:09:00.009+10:00

Okay... no more messing about... I finally took the first step. No more of this, 'I wanna travel, but I don't know when... I want to travel, but I'm tied down to school... I want to travel, but I'm tied down by work... Oh I'll travel later when I'm older and have money...' NO... No more excuses!

I took the first step and resigned from my current job last weekend. Though it might not have gone well, and I still have 3 weeks remaining... I made the first move. Sure things are tough at the moment, and I might endlessly bitch and whinge about how I hate work, but the last 6 months has taught me a lot. I have to say, looking back on it now, there were many more positives from working at this establishment than there were negatives. I've developed a lot more confidence and skill as a pastry cook, yet I am not at all complacent with the harsh reality that I am only 5% of the way to becoming a good pastry chef. This is one of the reasons why I want to travel, because I want to experience the world and sponge up as much of what the world has to offer.

When I look back, I realise that I've worked so hard these last 5 years and sacrificed a lot to get to where I am today, and sadly, sometimes that included sacrificing my happiness and enjoyment of life. But I can safely say, I do not regret any minute of it. If I could go back, I might change a few things here and there, but there is no qualms (even my ink...which I plan to get more of, haha!). I guess that's all part of life. As they say.. 'When life gives you lemons... squeeze the fuck out of them and make a kick ass lemon tart!'

Now it's time for me to pause my current life, and do something for myself. Sure it may be reckless to quit your job and use up your entire life savings to travel the world, but it's something that I ~~want~~ have to do. Who knows... It might go all pear shaped and I'll end up back at square one, but at least I'll have an experience to take away from it all. My initial plan was to just head to the UK, but it has developed numerous times over the span of three months. At the current standing, I plan to head to Singapore, then to Qatar, then hopefully roadtrip to Dubai, then maybe back to Qatar again and finally fly to London to settle down. I'm even considering adding a few more pit stops along the way, but at the same time, I'm worried I will eventually deplete all my funds before I even hit the ever so expensive living conditions of London, UK. But who knows, I'm open to more suggestions! Hopefully from there, I can eventually get my hands on a EU Visa and then work and travel around parts of Europe!

Anyways, enough blabbering on about my hopes and dreams. I need to get back to reality! I begin my final showpiece practicals tomorrow... and still have 3 more stressful weeks of work left! Fingers crossed I survive them both!

***

City & Colour - Little Hell

On a musical note, Dallas Green's music never ceases to amaze me. It might be cliche to say something like, 'his music comes from the heart', but the lyrics to his songs seem so raw and truthful, that it attracts many listeners around the world. I've been waiting for this album for such a long time now, and I have to say, it was well worth the wait. It's debut is closely as epic as the debut of Bon Iver's new album!

Various Artists - For Nihon

This album is a massive compilation of post-rock, instrumental, ambient and contemporary classic music from artists all around the world. They've collaborated to raise funds for Japan's tragic tsunami disaster and can be purchased here. The CD features some of my favourite artists such as Arms & Sleepers, The American Dollar and Olafur Arnalds as well as many other talented artists that I've only heard for the first time. Definitely check it out, not just for very inspirational and moving music, but also for the good cause.

"B"

2011-05-23T18:54:00.007+10:00

B is for Bon Iver.
B is for Billboard Music Awards.
B is for Beyonce.
B is not for Lady Gaga.

HAHA! I'm so lame it's funny. Anyways, I guess a lot happened this week in terms of music. I've always been a huge fan of Bon Iver, and the much anticipated Bon Iver album has been leaked/released (I'm not sure which of the two is correct). I've had a few cycles of the album and it's pretty bad ass. It's something about the music they make that is so calming and relaxing, that it makes you want to be in some secluded setting and just be doing nothing.

Beyonce also released her music video for Run The World which I thought was very well created and directed, but what blew me away more was her live performance at the Billboard Music Awards where she won the Millennium Award. The visual aspect and concept for the performance was so creative and I don't think I've seen anything like it before. There was actually one point in the performance where I lost track of which one was the real Beyonce, haha! I laughed to myself during the video when I remembered how my 45yo, chemistry teacher used to always use the reference, "IT BECOMES HOT LIKE BEYONCE!" during chemistry class.

Lady Gaga's Born This Way album was also released. I had a listen to it, and I have to say it's pretty disappointing. The whole Jesus and Christian theme was pretty stupid and the whole, 'I'm my own person' theme was overly preachy to me. Alas, there were a few 'okay' songs like Government Hooker and Schiße.

The Organ Hearts

2011-05-18T22:37:00.003+10:00

So Arms and Sleepers don't mess about when it comes to pumping out new music. After the release of Nostalgia For The Absolute earlier THIS year, they've released a second album for the year, The Organ Hearts. The video below for The Architekt isn't on their current album, but is worthy of a post!

'Forever and Always'

2011-05-18T20:46:00.003+10:00

When I first heard this song, I thought it had a really catchy melody and tune. From a distant 'glance', or listen, this song sounded like a uptempo, feel good love song. It wasn't until I actually listened to the lyrics whilst stuck in morning traffic, that it become apparent that it isn't in fact a feel good love song, but a sad and emotional love song. It's probably one of the saddest songs I've heard in a while, and that's saying something when 90% of the music I listen to is sad, haha.

EDIT: Parachute's 2nd album 'The Way It Was' is also out so check it out!

Life In A Day

2011-05-17T12:53:00.005+10:00

So on my one day off, I have two massive assignments to do, but all I want to do is lie in my warm bed and watch TV. I managed to muster all the energy I could to drag myself out of bed and switch my computer on to get started on some work. Because I was still pretty much half asleep, I went to the kitchen and made myself a latte for the first time in 7 months and boy was the caffeine hit good! OKAY... enough with the 5 minute break down of my morning.

So instead of doing my assignment, I've been trolling the internet from blog post to blog post, and came across a French 'inspiration' blog. Although I cannot speak or read French, most of the items posted are visual items and provided me with hours of well worth time wasting. Anyways, I came across this video and I'm pretty excited to see it when it comes out.

I guess I'm at the point in my life where I need to find the motivation and direction in terms of where I'm going. It's fitting that the release of this documentary is around the same time as I plan to embark on my journey of exploration around the world. Nothing is really set in stone yet, but I don't think this journey will ever be set in stone. I plan to wing the trip and see where the roads lead me, which is way out of my comfort zone. Those who know me personally, know I am the biggest control freak when it comes to planning ahead. Just the thought of buying a one-way ticket makes my stomach churn, but I know this is something I gotta do to grow as an individual and as a pastry chef. I'm still in the rookie years of my career, and I need to explore the world and sponge up as much of the world as I can.

In the words of my good friend M, 'Let's hope you don't end up dead down some dark alley in Germany!'

EDIT: Woah, Apparently it was streamed online earlier this year in January when it was featured in the film festival! Downloading a web-rip now and going to stay up and watch it!!! =D

Young Talent

2011-05-05T16:39:00.003+10:00

I'm sure I've posted Olafur Arnalds' compositions before, but his work is so amazing, I just had to do it again. It's so amazing when you watch this live performance, that such a beautiful piece of music can be envisioned by someone who ~~looks~~ is so young. You'd think the composer would be really old with years of expertise under his/her belt, but not in 24yo Olafur Arnalds' case (TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME!). Olafur Arnalds has a plethora of powerful and moving compositions and I could post 100 different videos and songs! I'll just leave you guys with one, and the rest can be discovered yourself.

The Last Dance

2011-05-02T16:16:00.005+10:00

We are the happiest pretenders...

- Clare Maguire

I wanted to introduce a fairly new artist named Clare Maguire. I first discovered her earlier this year when she released her first single Last Dance which impressed me for an 'underground' artist that I'd never heard of before. I then recently heard her followup single Shield and Sword which enticed me to look into her music.

Maguire released her first debut album earlier this year entited Light After Dark. Her style of music is a cross between Beth Ditto, Adele and Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes. After a few cycles of the album, her original style of music grows on you and the electropop ballads become somewhat catchy. You can check out her music below.

Wow... two posts in two days... what is happening?!

Alive... but barely...

2011-05-01T21:17:00.004+10:00

Wow, it really does feel like an eternity since I've blogged. I've been so busy with work and school, I've barely had any time to even eat or sleep. I've been working 15hour shifts and skipping breakfast/lunch/dinner and binging out on junk food when I get home from work at midnight, which isn't a very healthy lifestyle, but I'm working to change my habits.

Anyways, Augustana's new self-titled album is the bomb! I don't know if I'm biased, but I love what they do. Tracks from their current album diverge a little from their previous albums in terms of style, but the change brings something different and exciting to the table. Another awesome group I've recently discovered is The Head and the Heart. This live performance of Down in the Valley is one of the best performances I've heard in a long time!

In terms of Pop music, Jessie J and Natalia Kills both released their first debut albums, Who You Are and Perfectionist. They're pretty decent pop albums but nothing out of the ordinary. What was interesting was Natalia Kills' video for Wonderland which I thought was very good, maybe because it was something different and provocative. Some may say it is Gaga-eqsue, but I think she's her own artist.

Apart from my quarter life crisis, I don't know where the road ahead of me is taking me. I'm having second thoughts about what I'm doing, and slowly reassessing my options (not that I have many left). Let's hope it doesn't involve selling myself on the streets of Melbourne as some of my friends have suggested... haha.

A New Era

2011-02-01T23:27:00.003+11:00

It's feelin' like the time's run out...
But the hour glass just flipped itself over again.
The sun is slowly sinking down...
But on the other side a new day awaits to begin.

- Boyce Avenue

So I haven't posted in a long time, but I think it's time to break the silence. I've been working hard at a fairly ~~new~~ newly relaunched restaurant in South Yarra. I've learnt so much in the few months I've been there and arguable, I learnt more in the first two weeks of working then I did doing my crappy trade school course at Academia. I've been blessed with the opportunity to work with one of Australia's top pastry chefs, but unfortunately she will be departing the restaurant by the end of February. I guess this means I need to spend the most of my time left with her to improve my knowledge and skills, and hopefully one day, I'll be at the same calibre.

One thing she told me was to aim for the sky and never look back. There's no doubt in my mind I will face obstacles along the way, but I need to learn to shrug them off and get back on track. I guess sometimes I dwell on negativity for too long and that's something that has to change. I know I can achieve great things and that is my goal; to be the best chef that I can be.

Alright, enough blabbering about my life, onto some music! There's so many things I haven't posted, but I'll just pick up on current things. Here's Sara Bareilles playing an awesome cover of Coldplay's 'Yellow'. The next is a song off Near The Parenthesis's new album 'Japanese for Beginners' which is awesome. And finally, the piano version of Boyce Avenue's 'Dare to believe', also awesome. And I blame the overuse of the word awesome on Barney Stinson.

Apparently....

2010-12-18T23:03:00.003+11:00

Apparently I didn't study enough in high school...

Apparently I chose the wrong university course...

Apparently I didn't try hard enough at university and graduating with a 73.5 GPA wasn't enough...

Apparently studying 28hours of school whilst juggling work to pay for fees doesn't show dedication...

Apparently I don't do enough around the house...

Apparently doing 16 hour days and 60+ hour weeks doesn't show passion and commitment...

Apparently getting the opportunity to work with a 3 hat pastry chef is worthless...

Apparently following my dream is meant to be the biggest mistake of my life...

And last of all... Apparently your parents are the ones who are meant to support you through thick and thin...

It's hard to stand tall and proud when you're constantly told you're not ever good enough.

Pura Talent

2010-11-19T21:35:00.005+11:00

Okay... That was a pretty lame pun, not to mention 95% of people won't get it. That's because I'm like one of the only ~~food~~ dessert obsessed people who are sad enough to download and watch a reality tv culinary competition from another country called Top Chef. (Man, does that sentence even make any sense?)

ANYWAYS... Enough ranting. Top Chef Just Desserts finale just aired and Yigit Pura won (there's the pun)! He was one of my 3 favourites (Erika and Eric also) to win and he eventually did! His skill, technique and creative conception is one that I admire and hopefully one day, I will be as talented as he is.

Here are some snapshots of his Grand Finale 4 Course Progressive Dessert Tasting.

Cucumber Lime Sorbet with Straus Yogurt Caviar Pearl

Strawberry Sorbet & Lemongrass Ginger Ice Cream with Berry Meringue & Consommé

Muscovado Braised Pineapple & Coconut CakeHazelnut Dacquoise, Milk Jam & Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Enough with the food porn... I so need to exercise and get back into shape after gaining a whopping 5kgs doing pastry work!

Natalia Kills

2010-11-14T23:34:00.002+11:00

Far this bitch is crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy... in a good way. I wouldn't want to be her boyfriend though. I'd probably end up tortured or left for dead somewhere, haha.

Procrastination at it's Peak

2010-11-13T20:55:00.003+11:00

So instead of doing my assignment that's due next Friday, I've gone and downloaded about 10 movies. I'm slowly working me way through them and plan to download a whole heap more. I just watched Brothers (2009) and Shutter Island (2010) and they were 'alright'. They weren't bad but I expected a little more.

Natalie Portman is an underrated actor!

Killer J Bitch

2010-11-10T18:42:00.007+11:00

So I saw this video about a month ago of Jessie J performing an acoustic performance of "Do It Like A Dude". I had never heard or seen any of her songs before so I thought to myself, "Wow, this girl can sing." And now today, I saw the official video for the studio recorded version of "Do It Like A Dude". Only thing I can say is, "Wow, what a sick bitch!" Her crazy eyes reminds me of Nicki Minaj, haha.

And here is her debut single (I think). It's a pretty killer self motivational ballad.

EDIT: OKAY, Do It Like A Dude is the debut UK single, and Who You Are is the debut US Single. It will be available digitally Nov 16.

Multiple Teenage Dreams...

2010-11-04T18:11:00.000+11:00

Mind out of the gutter PLEASE!~

2010-11-03T21:08:00.000+11:00

"If you don't understand my silence, you'll never understand my words..."

Good Old & New

2010-10-09T14:34:00.003+11:00

Wooh, good old Cary Brothers. I remember in high school when I went to Sanity music store, I asked if they had his 'Ride' CD. I was given a 'Cary who?' look, followed up by an empty computer search. And how about good old Greg Laswell or good new Lissie?! No interesting story to tell, apart from they rock!

Lissie - Catching a Tiger (2010)
Greg Laswell - Take a Bow (2010)
Cary Brothers - Under Control (2010)

The Real World

2010-10-09T02:13:00.003+11:00

Hrrm. How could I be so naive? I was totally smooched into thinking I even had the slightest chance at a new job. Smooched into working a free trial shift, even though it had been 4 weeks after the job advertisement was posted. I thought to myself, 'Wow, I'm pretty lucky they're willing to wait this long for me to finish my exams to give me a shot.' But little did I know, it was already over before it even begun. I think it would have been fine if they had just rejected me first at the interview, but to pull my leg along for the ride and to lie to me at the end of the whole ordeal just pushed me way over the line.

I guess that's how life is in the real world of hospitality. Employers don't give a fuck about anyone unless it gains them profit. Maybe this is true for all industries, but it sure as hell seems prominent in hospitality. It seems like I've got A LOT to learn about the real world. I need to stop believing that people can be nice because most people just care about themselves.

I've been in em-o-clock for the last few nights, which has made me open up some ye old classic songs! I've always loved The Fray, and "Trust Me" is all about growing up. It's one of my favourite songs from the band from the 'How To Save a Life' album.

Top Chef: Just Desserts

2010-10-02T14:07:00.004+10:00

I think I creamed my pants a couple months ago when I heard there would be a TopChef series featuring only pastry chefs (pun intended, haha!). I became a fan of TopChef from season 4 and have been following the show all through to season 7. Now that TopChef: Just Desserts has started to air, it's become the icing on the cake to my reality TV addiction (OKAY, I'll stop with the terrible puns!).

Just three episodes in and the claws are already out. So many of them are already bitchin and backstabbing with a lot of sabotage and throwing team mates under the bus. One of the contestants, Seth, even has major anger management issues.If he's not running around with a massive head full of ego, he's crying and having a pity party for himself about how his life is so hard (Oh get over yourself!). Even though he's still a contestant on the show, I wouldn't be surprised if he is eliminated in the following weeks to come. From my careful observations, he's not featured in the above promo shot, as well has having his promo shots missing from the official TopChef: JD website. Maybe it was the case of a mental breakdown where he refused to comply with shooting of the rest of the show.

Anyway, this week's quickfire challenge was that they had to flavour, construct and decorate a wedding cake in 1.5 hours. For those who don't know, wedding cakes can take multiple days, sometimes even a week to construct. Even though they didn't have to bake the layers of cakes, a few of these elite chefs couldn't finish on time. One of the cakes even collapsed before judging, LOL! Words can't describe how entertaining this show is for me, but then again, I might be in my own little bubble as always. Unfortunately I can't find any video streams that will play in Australia, but definitely check it out!

A Mentor

2010-09-27T02:07:00.003+10:00

So my term has finally come to and end. I finally finished all assessments and I think I've done pretty well. It was a big sigh of relief when I finished my practical exam but at the same time it was sad to say farewell to one of my practical trainers who was leaving the college. Not only was he a talented pastry chef and a knowledgeable teacher, he was most of all a good mentor. He spoke a lot about life in general in class and made you think about things you would usually never think about.

At the end of examination day, he pulled me aside, firmly shook my hand and wished me all the luck for the future. He shared with me his thoughts on what I should do and suggested that I go into management because he believed I had the qualities and potential to become a very good manager. What struck me the most was that he said I could do so much better. Not in the sense that I had a long way to go in terms of improvement, but in a sense that I could do so much more than 'just becoming a pastry chef'. He said if I did decide to continue with pastry, I would be a good pastry chef, but said I should look at other options and aim higher because I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

All weekend, that's all I could think about. The words that he said to me. I keep asking myself, am I doing the right thing? Should I really become a pastry chef? Or should I aim higher? and how high? Now I'm back into the mindset of, what am I really doing with my life?

ROAR!

2010-09-26T23:33:00.002+10:00

From the upload date; this song must be pretty old but my friend sent me this song today. I don't fully understand the song, but does it matter when it sounds good?

Science & Faith

2010-09-24T14:15:00.003+10:00

Oh I've been kicked right down
I've been spat in the face
I've been pulled way down to the lowest place
I've been lied to, shamed
I have been disgraced
Been excommunicated from every holy place
I've been beat up, robbed
I've been left for dead for the way I look
For the things I said

- The Script

I haven't started my blog posts with quote/song quote in a long time. But yeah, a quick music update at this busy time. I'm currently listening to The Script, Maroon 5 and HURTS most recent albums. Both The Script and Maroon 5 haven't diverged much from their usual style, which in their case, is a positive. As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." HURTS however is a new group that I've heard for the first time. Their vocals and style reminds me a lot of MUSE.

I was going to write a whole post about my thoughts on science and faith, but time is short. I've got my final exam tomorrow where I have to bake, construct and decorate 7 different types of cakes/tarts in less than 7 hours. I'm a little stressed but I know it will be hella fun. I guess I have to stay calm and enjoy the task and worry less about making 7 perfect products. Anyways, back to preparation!

PS. Doing some 'flavour/taste research' at home. I just tasted some Creme de Cacao chocolate liqueur straight. Something tells me you're meant to mix it with something first before you drink it, haha.

That Great Mistake (Original)

2010-09-21T12:46:00.001+10:00

The Folks at Kinfolk

2010-09-16T18:59:00.003+10:00

noun, verb
an inspired idea.
a crash course in problem solving and positive action.
a hub of humanity; a way of being in the world and with one another.

On Wednesdays, Fridays and occasionally Mondays I change my travel routes and visit Kinfolk to buy myself some caffeine to start off my day. It's a cafe situated on Bourke Street, a short walking distance from Southern Cross station and has only been open for a couple of months. Once done, I make my way down to Elizabeth Street, ready and ~~energized~~ caffeinized for class.

So, why do go out of my way to buy myself a coffee here when there are 100 million other cafes in the city, closer to where I go to school? And why am I blogging about it?

Well the answer is, that I was inspired by the concept of the cafe. Kinfolk is a non-profit cafe that injects its revenue back into community projects and charities. The concept is similar to Melbourne Universities 'Kere-Kere' Cafe where the consume chooses where the profits go and in Kinfolk's case, customers are given a coffee bean to place in one of the four jars.
What impressed me the most is that the visionaries behind Kinfolk have thought out the long term implications of such projects and has made it into a sustainable one through the help of the community and other helpful sponsors.

Well me blabbing on and describing the concept doesn't really do much justice, so if you have some spare time, I invite you to watch the following video. You can also find out more about Kinfolk here.

The 'story' behind Kinfolk depicted above, is pretty much what motivated me to trek all the way down that side of town to show my support, and is also the reason why I'm blogging about it today. Even though I only consume a couple coffees here every week, I like to think that every contribution counts. If you do get the chance, definitely check it out and hopefully you too contribute to this positive thinking.

Unbelievable!

2010-09-15T21:14:00.000+10:00

No words can describe this!

A glimmer of hope!

2010-09-15T18:09:00.003+10:00

Apologies for that terrible emo-depressing post below. That's what happens when you turn 22 and feel like you've achieved nothing, when in reality you've already proven to yourself you're capable of doing anything you set your mind to. I guess it only takes a friendly gesture from a stranger to bring back some motivation.

Anyways, I'm pretty gleefully proud of the production of my first wedding cake. Because I'm at trade school, we unfortunately don't have all the tools, equipments and ingredients to produce a professional wedding cake, nor do we have the time, skill and experience; but I think it turned out pretty good for a first attempt.

It was a chocolate wedding cake, so most of the decorations and garnishes were made from some form of chocolate, with the exception of some white sugar paste items. I was surprised at how good my chocolate roses came out. When my chef demonstrated them the day before, I defeatedly said to myself, 'No way in hell am I going to be able to replicate them.' Luckily for me, it wasn't as difficult as I thought. On a side note, I think I ate enough chocolate ganache that day to sandwich together another cake which was definitely not good for my health!

Also, check out this friggen awesome short media film. I saw it in my Facebook news feed from a design friend of mine. I was oh so amazed at the concept and all the work required to produce such a film.

Also from the same friend was this interactive video. It doesn't run very smoothly in Firefox so I went and downloaded Google Chrome, but it was so worth it, even if I'll never use Google Chrome again.

Anyways, I better get back to preparing for my two final assessments. I'm a little nervous, but I know I have the skill and knowledge to do well. I just need some confidence so I don't second guess myself all the time.

PS. I handed in my CV to a fairly new patisserie in Essondon that's drawing a lot of attention in the Melbourne food media lately. The Pastry Chef there has offered me a 'trial' shift in a few weeks time. I'm praying to god that I somehow impress and demonstrate enough potential to land a part time job there. Seeing as though I'm still a student who has had no previous industry experience, my chances are slim but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I could gain so much experience and knowledge from such a high caliber workplace if I successfully portray my passion for the industry.

All I can do is hope.

22 and counting...down...

2010-09-04T23:07:00.002+10:00

Excuse the lack of posts, but when there are highs there are also lows. I feel so old, so drained and so depresssssssssssssssssssssed.

This is not a fair fight.

My First Time...

2010-07-30T21:07:00.004+10:00

My first time... attending Stage 3 class! Wow, what were you guys thinking?!?! :o

Anyways, the college has decided that I complete Stage 2 AND Stage 3 at the same time, which is a good and bad thing at the same time. The good thing is that I get to 'fast-track' my course and I'll finish a term earlier. The bad thing is, that I'm thrown into a new class with peers who know each other already, and with other students who are a whole stage ahead of me in terms of skill and experience. Not to mention I didn't find out about this change until the second week and missed out on making macrons last week (a week 1 menu item)!!!

Anyways, here's my Stage 2 - Week 1 Chocolate Sponge that looks pretty awesome!

And my Stage 3 - Week 2 Petite Fours.

I was HUGELY disadvantaged because the Stage 3 group had done petite fours the week before as well. The trainer didn't even demonstrate all the menu items I had to make since the class had already seen them the previous week and which I hadn't.

It actually felt like I was in some MasterChef elimination challenge. I was so stressed out for the whole practical day, because I kept thinking I wouldn't get everything on the plate in time. I skipped out on eating lunch, and went into overdrive, just to keep up with everyone else. As luck turns out I eventually finished, but kind of cheated by using someone else's caramel. It got to the point where I was so behind compared to everyone else, I willingly disregarded safety precautions and ended up burning my finger with hot caramel because I didn't get some cold water for emergency.

Okay, so that was a really bad idea and mentality to take in the kitchen, but I guess when things settle down and I get familiar with my class, things will turn out better.

I'm still getting used to these intense schedules too. I have class at 7.50am to 3.00pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday AND Saturday, which totals to 28 hours of class time. ON TOP OF THAT, I am working part time for 10+ hours a week to pay for my course, and if I didn't have centrelink help, I'd be toast! My only day off is Monday, which leaves me with no social life what so ever. =( The hard life of a wanna-be pastry chef eh?

PS. I need to buy a REAL camera, and not use my shitty old camera phone that takes TERRIBAD pictures!

BATMAN BEGINS

2010-07-23T21:35:00.002+10:00

Okay, maybe not Batman, but the journey begins. My Journey. I've got so many things I want to do over the next few years. I used to tell myself, 'Yeah... that's not really possible. Only if a miracle happens.' But now I'm full of optimism. I'm still at square one, but the 100th square is in my sights. I will definitely travel around the world and learn more about the international food stage, more specifically pastry. Of course France is still number one on my list of destinations, but I've decided that settling for another destination won't be the end of the world (no pun intended, har har har). Instead of taking all the ladders to reach the end of the board as quickly as possible, I'll take it square by square, even if it means I slide down snakes along the way.

HieuTube

2010-07-02T15:53:00.003+10:00

See what I did there?!?! HAR HAR HAR! And no, it's not a collection of videos of me if that's what you're sick mind was thinking. It's a collection of videos I've wanted to post this week.

The first of which is a contemporary piece from So You Think You Can Dance S7 featuring Ashley and Ade. It's a piece about a girl is 'broken' and can't stand up by herself without support from the 'guy'.

The second video is a Hip Hop piece which was also featured on this week's So You Think You Can Dance S7. Alex Wong (the asian guy if you couldn't work that out yourself), is actually a ballet dancer, so kudos to him for pulling off such a performance.

Third, is Sara Bareille's new song, 'King of Anything'. I love the use of forks!

When I'm Alone

2010-06-23T18:59:00.002+10:00

I'd like to introduce an artist named Lissie who's popping up everywhere on music blogs. Her style is indie/rock and she comes across as raw and unrefined, in a good way. Less talking and more watching I say!

My Falcon

2010-06-19T18:47:00.004+10:00

When I was cleaning my room the other night (insert shock), I came across Paulo Coelho's book called Flow Like A River. I had only half finished the book when I must have put it away somewhere and forgot about it. The bad thing was that the book isn't even mine, so now I'm trying to read as much of it as I can so I can return.

Anyways, It's a book that consists of heaps of short philosophical stories about life, and I specifically tabbed this one with a post-it tab.

Genghis Khan and His Falcon

One morning, the Mongol warrior, Genghis Khan, and his court went out hunting. His companions carried bows and arrows, but Genghis Khan carried on his arm his favorite falcon, which was better and surer than any arrow, because it could fly up into the skies and see everything that human being could not.

However, despite the group’s enthusiastic efforts, they found nothing. Disappointed, Genghis Khan returned to his encampment and in order not to take out his frustration on his companions, he left the rest of the party and rode on alone. They had stayed in the forest for long than expected, and Khan was desperately tired and thirsty. In the summer heat, all the streams had dried up, and he could find nothing to drink. Than, to his amazement, he saw a thread of water flowing from a rock just in front of him.

He removed the falcon from his arm, and took out the silver cup which he always carried with him. It was very slow to fill, and just as he was about to raise it to his lips, the falcon flew up, plucked the cup from his hands, and dashed it to the ground.

Genghis Khan was furious, but than the falcon was his favorite, and perhaps it, too, was thirsty. He picked up the cup, cleaned off the dirt, and filled it again. When the cup was only half empty this time. The falcon again attacked it, spilling the water.

Genghis Khan adored this bird, but he knew that he could not, under any circumstances, allow such disrespect; some one might be watching this scene from afar and, later on, would tell his warriors that the great conqueror was incapable taming a mere bird.

This time, he drew his sward, picked up the cup and refilled it, keeping one eye on the stream and the other on the falcon. As soon as he had enough water in the cup and was ready to drink, the falcon again took flight and flew toward him. Khan, with one thrust, pierced the bird’s breast.

The thread of water, however, had dried up; but Khan, determined now to find something to drink, climbed the rock on search of the spring. To his surprise, there really was a pool of water and, in the middle of it, dead, lay one of the most poisonous snakes in the region. If he had drunk the water, he too, would have died.

Khan returned to camp with the dead falcon in his arms. He ordered a gold figurine of the bird to be made and on one of the wings, he had engraved:

Even when a friend does something you do not
like, he continues to be your friend.

An on the other wing, he had these words engraved:

Any action committed in anger is an action
doomed to failure.

-Paulo Coelho’s Like The Flowing River

What an awesome story eh? If I did ever want to get another tattoo, it would probably be a falcon. I doubt I'll get one anytime soon, but I guess it's always in the back of my mind.

Wish Right Now

2010-06-17T17:01:00.005+10:00

I know this song has been around for quite some time now, and I've already been told that I'm so '2000 and late', for having it on my facebook/msn comment, BUT THE VIDEO IS NEW! Anyways, I'm not a big HipHop/Rap fan, but this song is hella catchy. Maybe because it features Paramore's Hayley Williams.

B.o.B ft Hayley Williams - Airplanes

Whilst listening to this song, it really got me thinking. What do I wish for? Putting aside all those unrealistic wishes such as 'eternal happiness', 'world peace', 'all the money in the world', etc. What is the one thing I would wish for if I had the chance.

The answer would be Belief... belief in myself. The belief that I can achieve whatever I want to achieve, and the belief that I can be whoever I want to be. Not only the belief in myself, but for others to believe in me. For others to believe that my choices are the right decisions, and even if they aren't, that they will believe that I will learn from my own mistakes.

So... what would your wish be?

Stereotypes

2010-05-24T21:27:00.003+10:00

So on my payslip this week, it says Congratulations on your 2 years of service with Pancakes. It's kind of depressing I've been there for so 'long' and what's worse is I don't think I'll be moving anywhere soon either, so FML. Anyways I'd like to stay semi-positive and share with you guys, some awkward 101 waitering moments I've had.

Me: Can I get you anything else?
Caucasian Customer: No I'm right. Xie Xie.
Me: Sorry, what was that?
Caucasian Customer: Xie Xie.
Me: Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.
Caucasian Customer: It means thank you in Chinese.
Me: Oh... okay... no problem. (walks away)

***

Customer: You've got a really good Australian accent!
Me: .... Thanks... (walks away)

***

Customer: So where do you get your haircut?
Me: My friend actually cuts it. She studies hairdressing and I'm her guinea pig muse. (Which isn't actually true, but I sometimes lie to customers to make conversation.)
Customer: Thanks, I just wanted to know so I never go there.
Me: Wow... Thanks. (walks away from the table)

Okay, to be fair, the guy who dissed my hair was a pretty old man in his 50-60s, and the group of people he was with were pretty friendly. They called me by my first name which is very rare at work, and made good conversation with me about my own personal pursuit to becoming a pastry chef. It wasn't the first time I've had comments about my hair where people ask me, "Have you been electrocuted?!"

***

Anyways, on a musical note, my friend recently introduced me to Tyrone Wells. His musical genre is acoustic/pop-rock and I'm amazed that I've never heard any of his music before. I've downloaded two of his latest albums and I've yet to download his 3rd. I've been told it's also good, so I should eventually get around to it.

Check it out!

Secrets

2010-05-18T20:54:00.003+10:00

I know I haven't posted anything lately, and that's because I've been super busy with life (without sounding pretentious or anything). I have class 3 days a week for 7hours each starting at 7.50am in the morning. To top that off, I work another 3 days to try and pay for this overpriced course, and what sucks is EVEN THEN I don't make enough money to cover for my fees. Fingers crossed that Centrelink approves my claim or else I might have to resort working for 4 days, leaving no days off at all. I pretty much don't have a weekend anymore and Thursdays have become my 'weekend' because it is my day off.

Anyways, I've been meaning to post a lot of music items over the past few weeks, but I've never had the chance. New music has become old, and then the new new music become the new old music. In the end, I decided to scrap them all and post the new video for One Republic's 'new' song. Well it isn't new to me but it is my favourite song from their sophomore album, Waking Up.

PS. I'm getting fatter and fatter everyweek. The next time you'll see me, I'll most likely look like a typical fattie pumba pastry chef. XD.

PPS. I think I've even posted this song here before. I remember it was a OST song from a foreign film and there was a movie film clip for this song. Oh well, and excuse to re-post an awesome song.

PPPS. I heard Augustana's new song and I'm hella excited for their new album. It sounded a lot different to their old-school acoustic type music and had like a 'The Killers' style to it (well at least the newer stuff from The Killers).

...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness

2010-04-26T23:40:00.003+10:00

Sounds emo doesn't it? Well it's the Album title of Ólafur Arnalds' sophomore album. Words can't describe how talented he is as a musician. You can listen to a short preview of the album below, and I highly recommend you do so.

His music is pretty much my bedtime soundtracks. Not only do I fall asleep to his compositions, but I also wake up to them. My docked iPod pretty much plays throughout the night in my iPod speakers. Since I've been doing this for a long time now, I've realised something pretty unusual. And that's 'waking up'.

I'm not sure if it's true for all people, but when I wake up naturally (without the aid of an alarm), I seem to consciously wake up before I can sense my surroundings. It's weird. You pretty much lie in bed with you eyes closed, and your mind tells you you're awake, but you don't hear anything and you don't feel anything. Then slowly, as if someone is turning up the volume dial, you slowly start to hear your surroundings. The only reason why I've noticed this, is because of the constant music playing in my room at night. I guess it doesn't work if you don't have some sort of constant sound to use as a benchmark. It's the same for your sense of touch, if any else has experienced sleep paralysis.

Anyways, I thought that was interesting, but I probably just bored you all to death. Anyways, check out his music. It's awesome!

Yes Chef!

2010-04-21T00:26:00.006+10:00

WOW! It's nearly been a whole month since my last blog post. I think it's more that I've been lazy rather than anything else, so this post will be very random in nature.
First off, MasterChef is back!!! I'm so excited. I'm angry that I missed tonight's episode. I was in bed watching it, and 10minutes into the episode, THERE WAS A BLACKOUT! It was funny because the power came back on at 9.00pm, right as the show finished. It means I have to stream it, but it's annoying because I'd rather watch it on my TV. The judges can be a little douchie at times, but hey, I guess they're forced to say all that corny stuff through their earplugs.
Secondly, I attended orientation for my course earlier this week. The majority of students are International Students, so I'm not sure how easily I'll make friends because of the language barrier, but I'm sure I'll manage somehow. Anyways, I got my chef whites this week (no... that's not me in the picture above!), and I look like a total dork. Not because of the uniform itself, but because the uniform is too big for me. Picture a Year 7 student in a uniform that's too big for them. The only difference is, the Year 7 will eventually grow into it, whereas I probably won't grow into it at all. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, 'Maybe I'll gain a whole load of weight from all the pastry stuff I'll be eating', but I don't think it's a good idea to wish for since in fat enough, haha.

Thirdly, I'm high and dry for new music. I've resorted to listening to new RnB songs which just signifies how desperate I am for new music. Anyways, this song below is fairy old, but I only just recently viewed the video. To be honest, it's not a very entertaining video, but re-listening to the awesome song is enough for it to warrant a post. It's not an RnB song by the way.

It features Kid Cudi, a pretty sick dude. I'm also currently watching a new US show called 'How To Make It In America', which he also makes certain appearances in.

Welcome Back!

2010-03-31T00:41:00.002+11:00

Welcome back Mr Motivation! Where have you been for the last year?

Well I'm hella excited that I'm starting my course in a couple of weeks. Although I know the first few modules are boring and all about safety and hygiene; I know where it will eventually lead me in the end. And what better way to fuel my excitement by baking in the kitchen!
Chocolate Cheesecake! Although I ran into some complications along the way, I managed to make some adjustments. Things could have turned out better if I remembered to buy everything at the supermarket the first time, but I had to make do with what I had. I wasn't going to drive back to the supermarket a third time, so I made some substitutes.

Anyways, I hope to blog more about my forthcoming cooking adventures!~

PS. I HATE WORK, NEED TO FIND A NEW JOB!

Black Sands

2010-03-20T16:34:00.005+11:00

Bonobo is back with a new album. A few years back I downloaded a huge chunk of his discography and fell in love with the chilled out tracks. His latest release of Black Sands is no exception, and lives up to previous expectations. Below is the first two tracks of the CD, Prelude and Kiara.

Telephone

2010-03-12T18:41:00.002+11:00

LOL!~ I liked the concept with Beyonce and the continuation of the Paparazzi video clip, but the first couple minutes were pretty trashy and useless imo. Nonetheless, it was an interesting video.

The Dream Begins

2010-03-11T16:00:00.000+11:00

Wow! It's been close to a month since I've blogged. A lot has happened since then. I've finally enrolled in my Patisserie course which I start on the 19th of April. I was initially going to apply for July intake, but it seemed so far away, so I got myself into the earlier one. Unfortunately for me, this course is costing me an arm and a leg, $17,000 in fact. That there could buy me a brand spanking new car right there, or 4 old bombs for that matter. It's all in term fees so I have to make payments regularly, so this probably means I will be working longer and harder down at dungeon on Bourke Street. I guess it doesn't matter really how much it costs. I'm following my dream and hope that it all works out. Even though my parents don't support me, I'm very glad I've got a billion friends who are backing me all the way!

Bean Docos

2010-03-11T15:54:00.001+11:00

Gaga in Wonderland

2010-03-11T14:52:00.002+11:00

This has to be the funniest thing I've seen in a while. lol

Arms and Sleepers

2010-03-11T13:20:00.002+11:00

I've been on a massive music drought up until this week. I finally received Andrew Belle's new album The Ladder in the mail which was also coupled with a live acoustic set CD. On the acoustic set, he performed Lovers In Japan from Coldplay, which made me realise how similar his voice is to Chris Martin.

Anyways, going to leave you with a live set from Arms and Sleepers. Their PostRock/Ambient music is off the heezy!~

Belle of Acoustic Music

2010-02-23T21:57:00.002+11:00

I'm in dire need of some new music. I've been listening to the same shiz for the past couple of weeks now and it's growing old. I'm excited to say that I've ordered Andrew Belle's new LP entitled The Ladder. I've heard a few of the tracks from on his official website, and they're pretty sweet. I'm really liking the style and vibe of his music, and how his voice is so 'raw' compared to other acoustic artists. Now for the long wait before it arrives here in my mailbox.

I'll leave you with some miscellaneous acoustic performances from Andrew Belle.

Go Do

2010-02-22T23:32:00.004+11:00

So I heard this song about a week ago and at first I was like... hrrm... I didn't really know what the fuss was about but I after a few listens, it has grown on me a lot. I still can't say it's super awesome, but I do admit, I like it.

I've now finally seen the video for it, and it adds some quirkiness to the song. Reminds me something from the books of Empire of the Sun. Maybe it's the make-up and costumes. Anyways, check it out.

36

2010-02-10T11:15:00.003+11:00

So my posts have all disappeared lately. I guess I try not to post when I'm all aggro'd and fk'd up, in case I say things I'll regret.
Anyways I got out my foreign DVD collection last night and picked out one of the few DVDs I've yet to watch. I think I went on a crazy buying spree sometime last year, but never got around to watching them. Anyways, I picked out 36, Quai Des Orfèvres (2004). To be honest, I thought the movie was just called '36'. Even after finding out what it's full title was and watching the whole movie, I had no idea what it meant. After some googling I found out it meant 'Criminal Investigations Division' and is located at No. 36. I guess you gotta be French to know that. Anyways, it's an action packed movie that really delivers. I'm usually not a fan of action movies but it kept me watching until the very end, even at 3.00am in the morning.
Balmorhea has also released another album, Constellations (2010). I don't even understand what the cover is, but somehow screams artsy to me. It's so simple yet so dramatic (lolers @ me). Anyways, I guess it fits the music. They've orchestrated some very dramatic songs with the piano, and some more subtle songs with the guitar. I'm loving their stuff!

I've still yet to drag my sorry ass into the kitchen to make anything. =(

Death & All His Friends

2010-02-03T03:09:00.007+11:00

Death is something that most people don't want to acknowledge. We all know what it is; we all know it's going to happen. But when it occurs, we all close the shoebox and push it under the bed, where it remains unseen and unheard. The reality is that the shoebox still exists in it's place, and that one day down the line, you'll open the shoebox once again. Whether it be putting something new in the shoebox, or remembering what previously went in there.

Earlier this week, a distant relative had passed away. This is probably the first time someone around me has passed away and even though I did not know the person directly, it's not a very good feeling. The presence of death spreads quickly, even to those who aren't immediately related. I guess it's the uncontrollable empathy for those who are affected; putting yourself in their shoes. You think to yourself, 'What if that we're me? How would I cope if I had lost someone close to me'. In a way, I'm lucky that I've yet to experience that feeling, and for now those feelings are hidden away in the shoebox, which I hope never to open again.

+10 swag points

2010-02-01T16:43:00.006+11:00

This is the second song and video that I've head and seen from Cheryl Cole. It's called Parachute and the video is just as good as the last (3 Words featuring Will.i.am). I think I'm going to go find some more of her music and check her stuff out. Anyways, I think that her videos are creative; well at least better than your average video. +10 swag points!

Lady GaGa Performs with Elton John. +10 swag points!

Pink performs Glitter In The Air. +10 swag points!

Adam

2010-01-24T02:31:00.003+11:00

So I haven't made a movie post in a while. Maybe because I haven't been watching any movies lately, or good ones for that matter. And yes, I still haven't watched Avatar yet!!! I want to, but everyone's already gone out and seen it, so there's no one else to watch it with. Anyways, here's a fairly recent movie called Adam (2009). It's about guy who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and the relationship he has with his neighbour.

I was also going to post a song from the movie, but I've decided not to. I guess listening to the song before watching the movie ruins the magic-movie-music-moment, when you're like "Wow, this song is so awesome!" Joshua Radin for the win!

Check out the trailer above. I'm not sure if will be screening in Australian cinemas, but it is available online (bad encouragement). If it does, it will probably be early 2010 so definitely check it out.

Over before it began

2010-01-22T22:49:00.004+11:00

I've blogged about thesixtyone music website before. I've always known it to be a cool place to discover new indie music. It's recently gone through a major layout and interface change. Check it out.
Whilst I was browsing for music, I found this album cover. It looked so sad... just like my current state of mind. So sad and intriguing, I spent $9.99 US on it. Will Knox reminds me a lot of Nicholas Roy, a Melbourne based artist.

Anyways, I'm just very pissed at myself. I decided to put my life on the line and follow my dream. Unfortunately, I've hit a dead end, before my dream even started and left with nowhere to go. Life fucking sucks!

Just the way you are!~

2010-01-18T18:51:00.003+11:00

My posts have been very scarce lately, so I'm just going to post a random story. So I went on a day trip to Mornington and this song started playing in the car on the way there. It was such a party song back in the days, kinda like the current Tik Tok song. It reminded me of the time where I was like, "Oh my god, I'm looking for this song, but I dont know what it's called or who it's by. It's a really old song... and it goes like this. 'Doo Doo Do Do Doooo, Doo Doo Do Do Dooo....' You know what song I'm talking about?!"

Obviously my friend thought I was delusional, but I've finally found the song after a few months.

Have you seen my ghost?

2010-01-14T01:57:00.002+11:00

But I'm still trying to make my mind up...
Am I free or am I tied up...

There's something about these songs that gives me comfort. I don't know what it is, but they do. The perfect portrayal of my life. Not knowing where I am, where I wanna go or where I'm headed. If you listen to them without listening to the lyrics, they sound pretty chirpy and uptempo. But underneath it all is another story. Just like other things...

First Album of 2010

2010-01-05T22:37:00.002+11:00

So the first new album I've downloaded for 2010 is 'Atlas' from The American Dollar. I've posted about them before, so I won't go into much detail. They do pretty sick Ambient/Chill-out music and this album does not fall short. Check it out!
I was also meant to attempt to make green tea cupcakes tonight, but I've gotten lazy. Maybe some other time this week.

Black and White

2010-01-03T20:37:00.003+11:00

I'm usually not a big fan of rap music, but Jay-Z's latest music video is sick! I really like the use of black and white contrast with some crazy fierce imagery (lol, I sound like Tyra Banks).

Hopefully I get cooking this week in the kitchen too, and try some new recipes. =D

The Best of 2009

2009-12-28T00:22:00.002+11:00

This has to be one of the coolest 'mash-ups' I've heard in a while. It sounds pretty awesome taking into consideration how many friggen songs are mashed together. It pretty much sums up pop music of 2009.

As the new year edges closer to existence, I wish everyone a Happy New Year. This might or might not be my last post of the year, but rest assured I will blog on! I promise I won't be as neurotic as I have been previously, even If I am in a crabby mood.

Happy Holidays... from Hieubert.

Miniature Bundles of Christmas Joy

2009-12-22T23:34:00.006+11:00

So in the spirit of Christmas, I've decided to bake something with a seasonal theme for my family and workmates. My sister is back in Australia for Christmas, and I'm sure she's glad to taste my kitchen experiments once again.

So there are a lot of different Christmas things I could chose from but because I wanted to share them around, I had to pick something that could be easily divided. I haven't made cupcakes since my cousin's wedding, so I thought I should give that a go. The problem was, cupcakes are so big, and with 20 or so people rostered on at work in a given day; it would be a nightmare carrying them in transit without one of those cool cupcake holder things (I obviously don't have one... yet).
Anyways, I found this miniature cupcake recipe and gave it a go. Since it was a new recipe I've never used before, I wasn't sure how much to scoop into each mold since I didn't know how much the mixture would rise. It took 1-2trays, but I got there in the end. It was also the first time I've ever piped frosting too, and it turned out better than I expected. I expected it to come out really really ugly, but I think they weren't too bad.
The only problem left is how well they will cope in transit to work tomorrow. It's mfking 36 degrees tomorrow. I'm praying to the gods that they won't melt on the way, or else it will be an epic fail!PS. I came across this picture and I thought it was cool. Mario for the win! The frog suit is the best!

Cook Up Fun

2009-12-18T23:49:00.003+11:00

Earlier this week, I got together with some friends and had another cookup. These cook ups are becoming a regular event and are a good time to have a bit of fun. We're obviously not professional chefs, and some of us barely cook at all. It doesn't really matter because it's all about getting together and having a laugh with mates in the kitchen. We usually make something really simple that doesn't take a long time to prepare/cook, and this week we decided to make pizzas.

Here's a snap shot at P's pizza before it went into the oven. And yes... that is a massive chicken and cheese schnitzel on his pizza. It was hilarious, but it came out pretty well. Too bad I didn't take a photo of mine (which was obviously the best, har har har). I think the highlight of my night was when T's pizza slid off the oven tray and flipped over onto the bottom of the scalding hot oven.

After stuffing our faces with pizza, we played a funny game of pictionary. So if you ever looking for things to do on the holidays, I recommend you getting together with some friends and making a meal together!

PS. Jason Reeve's Patience for the Waiting EP is coolios!
PPS. I was planning to make Greek Almond Cookies tomorrow night for SUNDAY CREW, but I switched my shifts around and I'm working at night instead of the day. I guess I'll make them the following week, so look out for my blog post!
PPPS. I need to do my Christmas shopping!!!

Arnott's Eat Your Heart Out!

2009-12-14T00:14:00.004+11:00

What a tiring weekend it has been. Killer busy shifts at work, and hours at home in the kitchen baking. As my motto goes, The best way to cheer yourself up, is to cheer somebody else up. And what better way to do that by baking desserts! Work can be a downer sometimes, so to lighten the mood, I decided to bake everyone Chocolate Peppermint Creams. It took a lot longer than I thought, but it was fun.
They weren't very pretty, but they sure as hell were a hit. I actually tried to temper the chocolate as well. As it was the first time trying, I failed miserably but I don't think anyone noticed or cared (or knew that I tried to temper the chocolate). What a waste of money buying a thermometer! Ah well, maybe next time.
They came out like mint slices. The only difference is that mine had two layers of chocolate biscuit, and these layers were more cocoa-y than your average Arnott's Mint Slices (which I liked). I'm not sure if I'll try and make something else next week. I need to find something interesting to make that can feed the masses of staff.

Scene

2009-12-11T19:52:00.004+11:00

Writers block has hit me again. There's nothing interesting to blog about and in a way, it sums up the current state of my life. I finally got my results and I'd like to say, FUCK YEAH I PASSED STATS! I had two different statistics subjects. The stats from the psych department was Easy-Peasy-H1-Me-zee. But the one from the Maths department was the one I was worried about failing. Luckily for me, I passed with a 60! wooh!

Anyways, life is pretty boring at the moment. A lot of my friends have gone overseas on a holiday and therefore I've got nothing to do. The only thing left is to work, but a lot of my close workmates have left as well, leaving me with only a few enjoyable colleagues. Since I'm working less and less, I've got less funds to splurge on food, drinks and more food. Which means I should start cooking more. Oh the woes!!

Anyways, as you all may know, I'm a fan of acoustic music. You might also know, I'm also a fan of ambient music. So what happens when you put Acoustic and Ambient together?! You get Amoustic... or Acobient... okay that was really lame. The real answer is you get Matsuda Mitsuyoshi. His album entitled Scene (2009) is pretty saweet! It's such a peaceful combination of songs. I've got a growing collection of albums I wish to play in my dream specialty coffee house/cafe.

JUST DANCE

2009-12-05T21:36:00.003+11:00

Man, this week has been one of the busiest weeks in a long, long time. I went out for Thai food on Tuesday, did a double shift on Wednesday. After completing my double shift, I went to Krazy K's house for Krazy Korean food on the other side of melbourne. Then went out for Japanese BBQ at Shoya on Thursday, popping by a 21st on the way home. Then out for another 21st on Friday, followed by 5hours of sleep and then work again on Saturday with new crappy trainee staff (LOL, I gotta stop hating on the new kids. I was once one of them, haha). Anyways, all that blabbered is just to sum up that I was busy and couldn't blog/post anything cool.

I guess this post will fall under the 'art' category. I've always been interested in dance, even though I myself cannot do so. I don't really have a sense of rhythm, coupled with the fact I have two left feet. Anyways, this is one of the coolest routines I've seen in a long time. It's the Legion of the Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) performed on SYTYCD.

The second is a clip of Sonya Tayeh's routine this week. It's so typical her, and so typically awesome (did that even make sense?!).

PS, I've got a friend who has a middle name Dance. True story!

3 Words

2009-12-01T11:56:00.002+11:00

It's been a long time since I've made a post. Surprisingly enough (not), I'm sick again! Haha. I'm always sick. I have an immune system of a... hrrm.... I don't know. I'm so bad with making witty analogies. Anyways, check out this video. It's concept is creative and the song is pretty catchy too.

I was going to post something else too, but I can't remember anymore. lolers

Everyone's A Vamp

2009-11-23T15:04:00.003+11:00

So like, I think the whole vampire storyline has been overdone 100times over. I haven't watched any of the twilight movies, nor have I read any of the books; but it seems like everyone is on the vampire band-wagon, including Timbaland. Even though I don't like the song that much, I have to say he's done well in creating this music video, even if we've seen enough vampires for the next decade. It's 7 minutes long, but I guess you need that much to create a story with a music clip. Check it out.

As you can see, I'm clearly not studying, which is a bad sign. I'm on youtube streaming random music clips and looking for new music. Remember my 100 single ladies post. Well after watching Shakira perform 'Give It Up To Me' @ AMAs, I thought to myself, how awesome would it look if 100 ladies did that in London. Any takers on if that will happen?!

Polaroid Piano

2009-11-23T11:53:00.005+11:00

I'm worried I'm going to fail my last exam. It's the hardest subject I've ever done, even though it's considered a 200-level subject. It's Statistics and it's tomorrow... and I really should be studying. Why aren't I studying you might ask? Well the answer is I'm getting distracted by my music. I usually study with 'background music'. Music that usually has few words and therefore I can easily attenuate to the music, and block out random background noise that might distract me.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), when you listen to music that is well composed, you stop to listen to it. And that's what's happening to me with Akira Kosemura's music. Instead of concentrating on my practice questions, I find myself pausing and listening in awe to the peaceful melodies and tunes of the piano. I recently downloaded Kosemura's Polaroid Piano (2009), Tiny Musical (2008) and It's On Everything (2007). I highly recommend you visit his myspace page and check out his songs. Let's hope I pass my Stats exam eh?

Polaroid Piano (2009)

Tiny Musical (2008)

It's On Everything (2007)

I Truly Believe In Karma

2009-11-20T16:58:00.006+11:00

So, next time you think about laughing at someone with a clear umbrella in the sun on a 30 degree day... think again.
For you may never know when you might need a clear umbrella on a sunny 30 degree day.

As I found out on my walk home from the bus stop... in the pouring rain.

POSE! POSE! POSE! POSE!

2009-11-17T23:01:00.002+11:00

Watch me come to life!

So I usually don't listen to RnB/Hip Hop music that much. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I don't really follow Hip Hop dancing much either, but this is pretty sick. I'm really liking the song too. So much swagger.

Home Stretch

2009-11-16T10:55:00.004+11:00

I wake up, put my poker face on,
It's roughly the same hand I was dealt yesterday...
I stand up and stare out at the skyline,
It's roughly the same town that I saw yesterday...

- Kris Allen

I know my blog has been highly skewed lately. Not much about food, not much about life and all about music. That's probably because of stupid exams. There's not much to life apart from study, study, study, and I can't exactly cook and bake or go out and eat. Hopefully after I finish exams, I can splurge my hard earnt pancake money on eating and eating and eating. Less than 10 days left, and on the home stretch!

Anyways, Kris Allen's self titled album has landed. After a few listens, I have to say it's a solid debut pop album. His style is kind of a mix between The Script and Maroon 5. There's also a cover of Heartless which is different to the rendition he did for American Idol. Heartless has to be the most overdone cover song in a while, (The Fray, William Fitzsimmons, probably 1000more artists) but apart from that, it's still an alright track. Definitely check it out.

Lady GaGa's The Fame: Monster has also leaked. It's definitely got flair. Can it top The Fame? I'm not sure. It took me a while to fully appreciate all the songs on The Fame, and I guess it shall take me some time to fully love The Fame: Monster, but I'm sure I will.

The Civil Wars

2009-11-14T21:23:00.006+11:00

Stolen from Greys Anatomy. Yes, I am procrastinating instead of studying.

Anyways, this song has to be one of the most powerful songs I've heard in a long, long, long time. I love melodramatic music that gradually builds (Vega4 - Life Is Beautiful, Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes, etc.). I've never heard of The Civil Wars before, but I'm sure I'll be following them in the years to come. The Music Video is done very well to fit the mood. You can download their free Live @ Eddie's Attic here.

PS. Does anyone else think Shakira is looking a lot like the character of Quinn Fabray from Glee lately?!

My Story

2009-11-13T10:57:00.004+11:00

Sometimes I wish I was in a fairy tale... because we all know fairy tales have happy endings...

Reality

2009-11-13T00:15:00.002+11:00

In a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Haus of GaGa

2009-11-11T16:18:00.002+11:00

I'm still undecided if I like it more than Paparazzi. Both are very good, but Bad Romance's storyline isn't as clear unless you've heard Lady GaGa's description. I think the bear-cape-swag won me over though, haha!

And what is that cool looking drink in the video?! It looks like Vodka... and we all know how much I like Vodka! It's funny, I haven't had an alcoholic drink since my birthday which was a very long time ago. I haven't had the 'urge' to go out drinking until yesterday. It was after my first exam on the tram back to the CBD. It was 100 degrees and I thought to myself, man I wish I had a cold F'in beer right now. I'm not even a beer person, but a nice Kronenbourg would have made my day. I'm sure I'll end my sober-spree this Sunday when we revive the old-school SUNDAY CREW!~

Now that I've got a 10day gap in between my exams, I've shifted into complacency mode. I haven't done any study today and it doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon.

E.R. Meets 24

2009-11-11T01:20:00.002+11:00

Going along with my love for medical shows, I went and gave 'Three Rivers' a go. Unfortunately, I didn't even make it half way into the show before I switched it off. No wonder it was axed by channel 10 (or going to get axed). Terrible concept, terrible acting with a terribly fake setting and environment.
Why the hell would hospital monitoring systems need to have crazy Star-Gate SG-1 graphics to show a heart rate and vitals? Surely that's using necessary computer processing.
Since when did hospitals get crazy Minority Report interactive touch screen glass pane display panels. What century are we in?!
And when did doctors get crazy decked out offices with 24-Jack-Bauer-C.T.U style screens placed around the room with moving 3D scans etc. It's funny because they try and do the cut-scene things like they do in 24, with dramatic music and shots sliding across the screen.

Did I mention the very AMATEUR camerawork with weird zoom in and zoom out shots? Seriously, I can't fathom how crap this show really is. It's like 24-meets-ER in a bad way.

As you can see, I was highly disappointed. Hopefully the next medical show that comes out does a better job. I still want to buy the complete ER box-set though, WITH the cool medical carry case, (LOL if you're reading this).

Dancing In The Dark

2009-11-10T18:00:00.004+11:00

It's been a big week in pop music ~~releases~~ leaks with some big name artists.

Leona Lewis - Echo

John Mayer - Battle Studies

Norah Jones - The Fall

One Republic - Waking Up

One Republic's Waking Up is probably my mostly anticipated release. I've always been a big fan of them and love the music they produce. They've taken a new direction with their album, and I think I like it.
I was planning to embed Lady GaGa's Bad Romance video today as well, but apparently it's been pushed back another day. What is up with video releases these days. They make a whole big hype over a release date (eg. Beyonce/GaGa's Video Phone countdown), and then when the time comes, they push it back!!! Lady GaGa can be forgiven since it's only an extra day, and her new tracks are rocking my stereo, haha! Both final studio versions of Dance In The Dark and Alejandro have surfaced. I've previously heard the demo for Alejando and wasn't very inspired, but album version seemed to provide some improvement in terms of sound and EQ. Dance In The Dark however is fucking awesome! If the rest of her album keeps up the same pace, I might consider buying the whole shabang with the fancy limited edition stuff, ho ho ho. I'm definitely going to buy One Republic's album though.

PS. I think I smashed my first exam!! =D Okay... maybe smashed isn't the right word. I only need to pass, all my subjects, so I think 'smashed-passing' is the right word (if that makes any sense what so ever).

FEAR

2009-11-07T20:50:00.002+11:00

Death is not the biggest fear we have...
Our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive...
The risk to be alive and express what we really are....

- Miguel Ángel Ruiz

So this week's SYTYCD was pretty mediocre. Out of the 9 routines performed, only 2 of them were worth remembering. Regardless of this, Legacy and Kathryn's performance below gave me goosebumps, and I watched their performance 3-4 times over. To really appreciate the piece you need to watch the cut-scene before the performance, but instead I'll briefly explain the routine.

Kathryn is portraying a woman who is struggling with fear, and Legacy is portraying her fear itself. It reminds me a lot of last season's Mia Michael's Addiction routine, but this one still stands on its own merits. I think I like this one more. It's pretty damn good knowing that Legacy is a B-Boy and not a contemporary dancer.

Leona Lewis' Echo and Norah Jones' The Fall are also both out. So many friggen albums to listen to with so little time! Time in which I should be studying and not watching SYTYCD. ><

If It Ain't Broke

2009-11-05T16:19:00.005+11:00

DON'T FIX IT!
Okay, I just had to say it. It's exactly what I feel about the retarded changes we have at work, for problems that weren't even there!

So Matt Wertz fans can feast their ears on his latest FREE live album. It comprises of his show in Seattle featuring Justin Rosolino. He's pretty interactive with the crowd which can be a little weird since you're listening at home by yourself, but it's fun if you can imagine yourself there (lolers how sad am I). Anyways, both of them have pretty sick live voices (which singers are meant to have, cough cough Britney), but yeah. You can download it here for a limited time only. Enjoy!

PS. Dashboard Confessional's new album and deluxe acoustic CD is out. I never really listened to their music, but I guess I'll give their new LP a go.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!

2009-11-05T11:26:00.004+11:00

Grrrr!!! So I thought I got the extraction right yesterday... but I think I was wrong. I made myself a latte this morning and it wasn't very strong at all. It might be the polar opposite to my initial problem which was the grind being TOO fine. Now it might be TOO coarse... but who really knows. Only more apothecary tales will tell, haha! Apparently you can make good coffee with a $300 machine and a $250 grinder opposed to having a $1000 machine and no grinder at all. Which makes me wonder, should I go out and invest in a grinder? Maybe I'm fiddling with the wrong variable, and the thing that I should be fiddling with is the grind?! Who knows.

To temporarily fix the problem of my coffee not extracting enough flavour, I've decided to start making espressinos (is that even the correct term for what it is?!). Instead of a whole shot, I use an espresso with a smaller amount of milk to fill the rest of the cup. That way, I'm using the 'strongest' part of the shot (which isn't very strong since I'm doing something wrong), with a very small amount of milk.

As you can see, the volume on the right is half the volume on the left, so theoretically, it should be the same strength as a normal latte since an espresso is about half the shot in a latte and I used half the amount of milk. I think...?! If anyone has any idea to fix my dilemma, then shoot away!

PS. Don't you hate it when you spell a word correctly, and it looks really weird, and you think it's spelt wrong when its not? After typing the title for the post, I was like... wrong looks like it's spelt wrong... Wrong?! Of course it's spelt correctly, but my cognitive schemata of the English language tells me otherwise!

Wishing Weed

2009-11-04T12:43:00.005+11:00

"Then a dragon-fly, took it to the sky...
and it rode on the wind until it caught your eye.
...
I took a secret path, to where I saw you last...
and a sparrow dropped a letter to me as it passed."

- Jason Reeves

I have to point out to everyone that Jason Reeves is set to release a new EP soon. He's posting songs on his myspace before the release and the current song is Wishing Weed. It's whimsical lyrics are typical of Reeves songs and makes his music stand out from the crowd (I can't believe I just used the word whimsical). Unfortunately I can't find the mp3 anywhere and have to keep it on repeat from myspace (LOL @ N if you're reading this). Anyways, check it out! I'm definitely going to buy his EP/LP when it comes out.

So in the mailbox today, I received a medium sized package that resembled two small sacks of soil. I'd been waiting for this delivery all week and knew exactly what it was when I saw it. Once I opened the outer package, a strong aroma filled the kitchen and my caffeine neurons got all excited.

Yes, it was a delivery of St. Ali coffee (+100 Coffee Nerd Points). I'm still pretty new to trying different types of coffee so I went with the safe options. I bought St. Ali's espresso blend (which I drink pretty much every day at The Brooklyn Project @ MU) and opted for their 'Chompy' blend, which I've never had before. The size of the grind they use seems to be coarser than the previous Seven Seeds grind I've been using at home, but similar to the size I use at work. Unfortunately, this was the first time using this coffee in my home machine, and it didn't turn out very good. I think I need to tamp harder than usual since it's coarser than usual, and I guess it will take me a fair few shots before I get it down right.

Hopefully by next week, I will have mastered this new coffee and enlighten everyone with an "OH MY FUCKING GOD I JUST MADE AN ORGASMIC COFFEE" post.

Edit Post: Okay... so after caffeine hit numero quatro, I think I've got it right (or closer to what it should be). Not yet orgasmic, but getting there, haha!!!

Violet the Psychologist

2009-11-02T00:34:00.003+11:00

As some of you may know, I have this weird obsession with watching medical shows. I would have to say my all time favourite drama series would have to be E.R, and I know that no body watches it here in Australia. Anyways, here's a clip from this week's Private Practice. Violet the psychologist speaks to her attacker for the first time. Amy Brenneman who plays Violet does a very good job in this scene. Ever since the first episode, I've had an interest in the show because there was a psychologist. Maybe it's because I study psychology and watching over the top case studies entertain me.

bitch bitch bitch

2009-11-01T12:00:00.003+11:00

Okay, so this post shall fall under the "DON'T BITCH, GET BLOGGING" category.

It's now 12.00pm on a Sunday morning and I'm blogging. Why is this unusual? Maybe because I should be at work since I always start at 12.00 every Sunday. And why am I not at work you might ask? Because work called me up 20minutes before I was about to leave the house and told me not to come in for the morning shift. What sucks is that they still want me to come in for the evening shift at 3.00. Not only have I woken up early for nothing, but I probably have to stay until 10.00pm since I didn't start early in the morning. I'm just so fucking over it.

Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (Chew Fu Fix)

Seems like all my music posts are of Lady GaGa, haha.

Dazed & Confused

2009-10-30T13:25:00.005+11:00

A short fashion film featuring Lady GaGa and some avant garde pop designs from some pioneering names (I obviously don't know anything about fashion so I'll leave them out). I've decided not to embed it in the page since it starts automatically and therefore would be annoying as hell for those reading posts later on. It's called Dazed & Confused and you can check it out here.So I just had my final class. No more tutes... no more lectures... no more labs. Oh fuck, I was too busy reading blog posts etc., that I forgot I had a coffee on the desk and it has gone lukewarm, ggrrr!!! (lol @ my real-time blog updates). Anyways, getting back to what I was saying. I've finally finished all my official university classes, both for the semester and forever. It feels kind of weird not knowing what I will be doing next. Most people know I'm a really bad control freak, probably most evident at my 21st birthday party, as well as the pre-planning of trips etc. If I don't have a plan, I tend to flip out and worry about unnecessary shit that will eventually work out anyway.

In my last ever class today, my friend asked me, "So what's plan next year?" My response was, "I don't really know, I think I'm going to wing it..." This made me realise that I really don't have an attack plan for the future, which is both a good thing and a bad. On one side, it's always good to have a game plan to follow in order to keep yourself moving. Maybe not always in the same direction, but just to keep moving. On the other hand, sometimes you need be free of a plan, to seize the moment so to speak. To grab opportunities as they arise, that might not have come about if you did follow a plan.

So as I sit here now, dazed and confused about my future, I'm not worried, not at all. As long as I have a roof over my head, friends and family, enough food to eat, and enough money to fund my coffee addiction, I'll be happy.

Wow, I just spent the last one and a half hours being unproductive. I still have a major 33% assignment due in next Wednesday that I haven't started to write up yet. Get cracking Hieubie! PS. Check out this month's the age (melbourne) magazine. It has a pretty spectacular pastry spread of molecular gastronomy desserts. It features a better picture of this chocolate parfait desert that represents mushrooms in a forest.

Secrets

2009-10-27T20:31:00.006+11:00

And everyday I see the news, All the problems that we could solve...
And when a situation rises, Just write it into an album...
Singing straight, too cold... I don't really like my flow...

- One Republic

No, I'm not talking about that retarded book that everyone says you should read. Okay, that was a bit judgmental. I've never read the book for me to make such accusations, haha. Anyways, I'm referring to One Republic's second single Secrets, from their upcoming album Waking Up. I'm really loving the use of strings in the song, and glad that OneRepublic have decided to put more emphasis on orchestral instruments.
You can check out the Official Music Video here, and unfortunately I can't find an embeddable object. I have to say, I love this song already. I think they should have used it as their lead single, but meh. They must have had their reasons.

The Quiet Corner

2009-10-26T01:10:00.003+11:00

"Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past."

- Chris McCandless

I have an urge to read the book again or watch the movie. I guess the latter one would be easier.

Into The Unknown

2009-10-25T00:39:00.005+11:00

So I had the shittiest day ever on Friday. It was so shit, I had to even write it up as a blog to win sympathy votes with everyone. I had fully written up my post on my iTouch, and all I had to do was go home and add some MSPaint edited pictures to make it more interesting. Unfortunatetly it is now Sunday and I've yet complete the images, and therefore too late to bitch about a crap ass day that happened two days ago. I've decided to scrap the post and roll with something new.

Anyways, today at work, I was seated for a brief period of time to work out my 'summer holiday' shifts. It was so depressing to think about how I would spend the rest of the summer 'there'. Part of me didn't want to pick up any more shifts at all, but the other half knew that I'd be a starving, poor, jobless student to be (if I even get into TAFE) with no money to spend if I didn't agree to any. I ended up picking up a minimum amount of shifts, hoping I don't burn myself out. As I spoke to my other workmates, I realised that they were all 'moving on' and leaving by the end of the year. I guess this happened last year too, but for some reason, this year seemed even more depressing. Maybe it's because this time around, I'm one of the ones who doesn't find work enjoyable anymore. Last year, I was one of the 'fresh kids' who was still eager and lively. Now I've turned into a zombies whose life has been sucked away by the evil PP-Demon.

Enough whining and bitching from me. Here's an upcoming artist that I'm keen to hear more of. His name is Andrew Belle and is who resides in both Chicago and Nashville. I'm not sure if I've blogged about him before, but his 2008 EP All Those Pretty Lights was available for free download a couple months ago and was pretty sick. He's set to release his first LP earlier next year. What I like most about Belle is that he's got a unique tone in his singing voice. It sounds very raw and unrefined, and that's what makes his music so good. My favourite track from his EP is I'll Be Your Breeze which you can listen to here.

So all three pictures are from Andrew Belle's photo shoots, but you might be wondering why I put the first two in there. I did because right now, I feel like doing a Christopher McCandless and going Into The Wild and these two images reminded me of his story.

Hope

2009-10-21T12:41:00.003+11:00

"It's not that I wish my sadness to ever truly leave home inside my heart. I just want hope to someday get the master bedroom."

- William Fitzsimmons

I haven't used an opening quote for a LONG time so it's good to get back into it. Fitzsimmons wins 100 points for that creative and quirky quote. Unfortunately I've got nothing else to say but... EF YOU ASSIGNMENTS! And... One Republic has a new song called Everybody Loves Me.

I Got You!

2009-10-19T22:00:00.002+11:00

So I'm meant to be doing my assignment, but I'm wasting time blogging/browsing/chatting/other things. I received a statement of employment today, and it said I've worked for 1211hours in total. 1200hours too many, I say! Anyways, I've got an interview for course selection this Thursday and I'm hella nervous, even though there's nothing I should be nervous about. I just always think of the worst, and usually it turns out okay, but who knows!

Out of the 3-4 snippets of Leona Lewis's new album that leaked, I liked 'I Got You' the most. Luckily for me, the full version leaked and I have to say, it would have been a better lead single to her upcoming album. Even though I like 'Happy', 'I Got You' seems to be more radio friendly and would have been a better choice. I guess it could be her 2nd single, who knows. The MV for 'Happy' has also been released and can be viewed above.

Alicia Key's new video to Doesn't Mean Anything.

I always knew the leaked demo of Lady GaGa's 'Bad Romance' was never the fully edited version. Even though it grew on me and became catchy, there would be no way Lady GaGa would release such as the poorly EQ'ed track. The properly EQ'ed and edited version has finally surfaced and I have to say it's F'in awesome. I'm so glad it's the lead single to The Fame: Monster re-release. Another track entitled Alejandro has also surfaced. I think it's a little lack luster, but I'm still unsure if it's the final version. Let's hope it's not, but I have a feeling it is.

Here's a list of upcoming albums to look forward to. I'm probably forgetting a few since I remember counting a lot more, but these are just off the top of my head.
- Alicia Keys
- Leona Lewis
- Lifehouse
- One Republic
- Timbaland
- John Mayer
- Kris Allen

~~Mega-Music Download~~
Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (High Quality)
Leona Lewis - I Got You

UPDATE: LOL wow, Recording Industry Association America were pretty fast to claim their turf. I've disabled download links. I've always thought of my blog as a personal blog where I share music with friends, but I guess RIAA thinks otherwise, haha. I guess I have to comply unless I want CIA on my ass.

Bad Reader, Bad Romance

2009-10-16T13:04:00.004+11:00

One of the key 'arts' of blogging is to include many pictures. That way, if people aren't interested in what you're writing about, they can just look at the pictures like a primary school picture book. Which reminds me of my childhood experiences with reading. When I was in prep, I was placed into an 'advanced' reading group, where I had to pick all my 'reader' books from a separate box. This made me annoyed because I didn't want to read more difficult books, and wanted to read my favourite Clifford books (I was totally devastated when Clifford books stopped appearing in my BookClub catalogues because they weren't of the right reading level). Therefore I started to 'pretend' to read books.

This bad habit went on all through primary school, where I'd pretend to read a book and if my dad asked me what it was about, I'd make up a description that fit the pictures of the book. Because English was a second language, he never bothered to check whether my descriptions were actually what happened in the book, so I pretty much went through all of primary school not reading books, even in years 5-6. Because of this, my reading ability through high school was pretty much impaired. I wouldn't say I couldn't read, but more that reading didn't come as second nature to me like it did for other people. Others were able to read a whole book in a few nights, whereas it would take me at least a week. I'd usually do this thing where I'd read a whole string of discrete single words, rather than a sentences as a whole, and after reading a whole paragraph, I would have no clue about what I had just read. This was very apparently to me whenever we did class comprehension tasks, where I was unable to pick out important facts in a slab of text I had just read.

Even now, I find it very hard to read novels. I've got a fair few novels at home that I've bought over the years, and only few of them completed. I guess that's probably why I enjoy reading blogs, because there's always pictures to 'guide' me along the way, haha. Anyways, that's enough blabbering on about me.

I'm really excited about Lady GaGa's re-release of The Fame on November 24th (the day I finish all my exams, though it will probably leak 2 weeks prior). After many listens of Bad Romance, it's grown on me. The official tracklist of the 8 new songs have been posted, and Bad Romance is set to debut on US radio next Monday. Here is the cover of her new single, which reminds me of a photo shoot from the current cycle of America's Next Top Model (oh yes I did!~ HAHA). Her promo poster for her tour is also pretty unique. GaGa performed on SNL with that crazy orbit-space-contraption which I thought was fully siQQ too.

So over it!

2009-10-15T01:43:00.002+11:00

I've been in the shittiest mood lately. No motivation to do anything. It might be partly due to the fact I'm sick with a cold or flu, but I think it's more than that. As the semester closes, it becomes more apparent that I've wasted the last 3 years of my life doing nothing productive. I've already ticked the box to 'Graduate in Absentia' which is the fancy way of saying, 'we'll send you your degree in the mail', which means I won't have a whole graduation 'hoo-rah' bullshit (okay, maybe my resentment is a bit strong, but you get the picture). In about a months time, I'll be out of school with nothing to do. I'm not even sure if I've put in my preferences properly for next year's TAFE course. I hope so, because I don't think I can take much more of my current craptastic job, working for craptastic people.

On a more 'positive' note, I've recently bought the new Vegemite Cheesybite and it's AWESOME! I've always been a fan of Vegemite, but this blend just blows the old Vegemite out of the water. Anyways, the reason why I'm talking about Vegemite is that I think it would be an awesome "Kid's Menu" item in a breakfast cafe, (not that many kids go out for breakfast at cafes). The menu item would be "Vegemite Tiger Toast". I remember when I was in kinder, I'd have Tiger Toast occasionally which was pretty much just Vegemite toast with melted strips of cheese to make 'tiger stripes'. It was just the novelty of the stripes that made it so good, and when I wanted it at home, it HAD TO have stripes. If the cheese wasn't cut into stripes, all hell would break loose, lol. Anyways, I think that same novelty would work to sell vegemite toast to kids at a restaurant. Why do I randomly mention Vegemite? It's because I barely pay any attention in class anymore. My mind is always off somewhere, thinking of ideas for a breakfast restaurant and patisserie cafe.

Hrrm being awake at 2.30am when you're sick isn't a good idea either. Hopefully I'll get better before this weekend's SEAFOOD BUFFET DINNER! Get pumped!

Paramore - Ignorance (Acoustic)

Burger King of Patisserie

2009-10-12T14:02:00.000+11:00

So I'm currently at uni, not doing work as usual. It's a very bad habit of mine, going to the library by myself and wasting time... until it's time to go home. This is where I do a lot of my web browsing. Anyways, check this out.

It's not your average burger. Indeed it is a Burger Cake. A cake coated with sesame seeds, filled with chocolate mousse and apricot jelly slices. I thought it was very creative and I'm sure it would taste awesome as well. It reminds me a lot of Adriano Zumbo's Escape from Columbia Rainforest, which can be seen below.

I like his play on the cherry cola can, and how the cake oozes with cherry cola syrup when you cut it open. Speaking about cola, is it Kola or Cola? At work, we use 'Kola' and workmates have spoken about 'passionate' customers insisting (or interjecting) it is cola, correcting the abbreviation of 'Kola' used on our dockets. I always thought Kola was the generic name, whereas Cola was associated with Coke/Cola-Cola. Well who knows. I didn't know people cared about Cola/Kola so much, haha.

Anyways, here are a few more snapshots of Zumbo's patisserie that I hope to visit one day which is located in Sydney. I don't think there's anything like this in Melbourne just yet, which gives me some encouragement to be the first to open one (In my fucking dreams, lol).

Apparently, places like this is the norm in Paris/France. Which makes me wonder, why France is not the fattest country per capita, instead of Australia. I don't know how the next few years of my life are going to span out, but I hope to save a bit of money and travel to France after my studies, hopefully to study/gain experience in the Patisserie capital of the world. Unfortunately I don't speak French, nor know anyone living over there... so right now my French dreams are currently a blob of BLEH with no ideas on how I'm going to make it happen. (I don't want to hear excuses, I want RESULTS!! haha) I'll leave you with pictures from Carl Merletti's Patisserie in Paris.

Shield

2009-10-12T01:12:00.004+11:00

Noun: a person or thing that protects.

Verb: to protect (someone or something) with or as if with a shield.

We all have one. To protect ourselves from harm. To protect others from harm. But sometimes our shield does more harm than good. Instead of protecting someone else from harm, we end up harming ourselves. So when do we put down our shield?

Two different people on two separate occasions asked me relatively the same question. A question that made me think. Will I ever reach my goal?

Mario Kart Classic

2009-10-11T22:51:00.002+11:00

If you never played Mario Kart, these two songs would probably mean nothing. But for those who did, they are pretty cool and creative. I think the original Mario Kart Love Song is better because it has more Mario Kart references, but the Bowser Reply is still decent. So here they are. My only gripe is that Sam Hart has this stupid mustache in the video which makes it look stupid.

Mario Kart Love Song

Bowser's Reply

SwaG(a)G(a)er

2009-10-11T20:18:00.004+11:00

I think the first cover looks way better. The second one reminds me of the grudge, which makes it a little less original.

All The Right Moves

2009-10-09T01:30:00.000+11:00

Wooh for One Republic. When I first heard this song, I wasn't very amazed at what they had produced. I guess it's because it's not their normal style of music, and they intended to go somewhere new for their sophomore album. Since I'm a One Republic fan, I gave the song many cycles and it eventually grew on me. After watching the video for it, it seems so much more fitting for some reason and I don't know why. It's not like the video told some fitting story, but I think it's more to do with the setting and costumes. It kind of fits in with the orchestral instruments they use, and makes it all work. So here it is. I'm still excited to hear their new music with a new direction.

Still need to go out and buy some mfking BEANS! Magic Beans!

fml... Food, Music & Life

2009-10-06T22:45:00.000+11:00

Life:

OKAY! I'm not dead or anything, if that's what the few people who read my blog are thinking. I've just been really out of sync with my usual routines because of the university break. Now I'm back into my 'routine' so here I am again, blogging as usual. Since I haven't blogged for a while, this post will probably end up being very long and I'll break them up into three categories, Food/Music/Life, but I guess I have to start with Life first because then this blog wouldn't flow properly.Since I'm back at uni, I'm back eating my loner-lunches from TBP. It's funny, because my university life revolves around me looking forward to lunch. Whenever I'm in lecture, I'm thinking about what I wanna have for lunch. When I don't have class until 2.00, I'll be motivated to come into uni early to study, only because I get to eat lunch first, haha. Anyways they've always had these interesting bottled drinks at the counter, and I've always assumed they were some gimmicky flavoured 'nutrient' water or something along those lines. I know these types of drinks aren't very good for you, so I never really paid much attention to them. I only JUST recently found out that these aren't what I assumed they were, and they are in fact bottled juices. I bought a Fuji Apple one, and it was friggen awesome. I usually don't drink bottled juice, but I think these have won me over.After reading more about them, I found out that they are the first in the world to use high pressure processing to kill off bacteria instead of the normal heat pasteurization. Apparently it keeps in twice as much nutrients and doesn't affect the taste, which may explain why it was so good. Today I had the apple and lemon Preshafruit, and I intend to 'taste the rainbow' in the upcoming days. I just realized that this section isn't really about life but more fitting to the food section, but it's too late to change my whole post around since I already wrote my 'Food' post a few days ago. (That's what I get for trying to be creative =[ haha.)

Food:

So during my break, I went out for dinner with two friends, S and W. I wanted to go and eat Korean or Japanese BBQ but since S wasn't a fan of red meat, I decided to find a place that was seafood and poultry friendly. I finally decided on a restaurant in Port Melbourne called '3 Station Pier', (which is also the address). Anyways, I've decided not to try and be a 'food blogger' and critique everything but more to share my experiences.

Ever since George Calombaris described his resentment to food bloggers in last week's Herald Sun, Melbourne food bloggers have gone crazy with rebuttals and write-ups about how they have a right to state their own opinion. To be honest, my viewpoint stands in the middle of both opposing views. I acknowledge the benefits of 'real' customers giving their piece of mind but there also comes a point where their judgments may become unecessary or even detrimental.

Anyways, I can blab on about this even more, but I assume that it will bore my audience to death so I'll leave it at that. My whole point of this food update was to show everyone the AWESOME chocolate fondant cake I ate with orange sauce. I think I ate enough calories that night to last me a whole week, haha. The photo 'could have' looked prettier, but I obviously couldn't control myself and had to gobble half of it down before whippin out the camera. Did I mention how friggen awesome it was?!

Music:

Okay, so the problem with not blogging for a while is that you have a stockpile of songs/music that you need to post about. Then when you've written up a little block of text, you find something new and decide to change your post, and the cycle loops around another 10 times. Then you realise your former 'new music' is now 'old news' and there's no point blogging about it in the first place. So I'm just going to list stuff, because if you've made it this far into my post, you're probably already wishing it was over.

In the Pocket (Rhodes and Moog Light Paint) from Ethan Goldhammer on Vimeo.

- So here's a pretty cool song/music video. It's a mix between soul and electronica.
- Lady GaGa's Bad Romance demo leaked. It's okay, hopefully it grows on me and gets its EQ tweaked.
- Lady GaGa performed on SNL over the weekend. LOL @ her bubble dress skit.
- Britney Spear's new song 3 is embarrassingly catchy, LOL.
- Leona Lewis' Stone Heart leaked, pretty average.
- The Script's self titled album from 2008 is pretty good.
- Kris Allen's Live Like We're Dying sounds like it's from The Script's album, I like it though.

PS. I NEED TO STOP BEING LAZY AND GO OUT AND BUY MORE COFFEE BEANS! IT'S BEEN LIKE THREE WEEKS!!!

Heard Em All

2009-09-26T18:27:00.002+10:00

So this track leaked about two months ago, but Amerie has finally filmed a video clip for it. I usually don't listen to RnB music that much anymore, but I remember listening to it for a couple of weeks when I first heard this track, which is a good thing. I've always liked Amerie's video clips, such as One Thing and Touch. Check it out. she definitely has swag.