Macarons are hard to make

I enjoy baking.

I think it comes from my days back at uni. Living in a self-catered dorm, and rushing between study, work, classes and socialising, there was a need to become efficient with cooking.

It was around this time I discovered the oven. The long forgotten cooking implement in a college full of students.

Baking seemed to provide with the ability to prepare, then walk away.

I would do the prep, shove it in the oven, wander off to do my study and come back to find a hot meal that didn't come out of a packet or a can.

Over time, as my abilities grew, so did my ambitions. I would start baking more complicated dishes and start challenging myself with more difficult recipes. It wasn't too long, before baking became more than merely a convenience, I actually began to enjoy it.

However, there was one thing I never tried to make.

French macarons.

I had always been told about how difficult these were too make. So now that I had a bit of time, why not? How difficult could it really be? Surely this would only take a couple of hours or so and then I would have some fresh macarons to eat.

The first mistake I made was not adjusting the volume in the recipe.

The next mistake I made was thinking that this was going to be easy.

Every single step of the way, I seemed to run into difficulty.

Forcing the almond meal through the sieve, getting enough egg whites, having large enough bowls for the mixtures, getting the egg whites to stiffen....

Two hours in, and there still didn't seem to be anything remotely close to a finished product.

I kept working, and eventually I managed to combine the mixtures and get everything in the oven.

Thankfully "some" of the macaron shells came out looking like I had hoped.
As I left them to cool, I started to make the ganache. I didn't want to make a simple ganache, so I had chosen a more complex recipe that was supposed to give a smoother and more velvety texture.

By the third attempt and two discarded disasters, I managed (with the help of Andy who had grown tired of hearing me screaming in the kitchen) to achieve what appeared to be a semblance of what I had hoped to make.

Time was ticking on past three hours since I had started now.

I slowly began filling the macaron shells with the ganache, boxed them up and put them into the freezer to set.

It had been almost four hours since I had started.

The simple job was clearly not so simple.

What I had was a small batch of macarons that I thought looked the part!
Crispy shells, nicely developed feet, chewy textures and silky smooth ganache.

I'm still undecided as to whether it was worth the trouble though!

A different view (part III)

I need to start carrying my camera with me again.

Part of the fun of taking photos is the spontaneity of finding the shot you like when you least expect it.

Unfortunately, the camera in my phone really doesn't suffice. The grainy photos it takes doesn't do justice to the images I am trying to capture.

One cold and wet night in Sydney, I was wandering out of the public swimming pool having completed some laps as instructed by the physio (Aussie rules football has wrecked my knee) when I noticed another of Sydney's landmarks being illuminated as part of the Vivid Festival.

Seeing St Mary's Cathedral glowing an eerie blue, with strange writing slowly scrolling across the front isn't something you see everyday.

Even though I was standing shivering in the rain, I couldn't help but think that the foul weather we had been having somehow added to this show, with the rain capturing more of the light and adding a glistening shine to everything.

Creating atmosphere

I used to hate buskers.

I found them annoying and generally a bit sad, garnering most of their money from pity rather than actual talent.

However, my attitudes began to change as I started to see that buskers were not merely school children and professional annoyers.

I started seeing genuinely talented performers, people who were dedicated to the craft of performing. Working at Cirque du Soleil also gave me a far better insight into the world of performers, with many of the top Cirque artists having honed their craft as street performers.

Then, my first trip to Europe truly opened my eyes. I was given a glimpse of a world where even the average street performers seemed plucked from concert halls. Walking through the train stations, I would be confronted by violinists and pianists who played with such emotion that I felt compelled to reach into my pocket for any loose change. I found myself in Bonn, standing in the town square once mesmerised by the Roma performers in their brightly coloured clothes and almost hypnotic music.

And now I find myself with a changed perspective towards the craft of the street performer.
.... even those who are clearly seeking to achieve more through novelty value rather than through skill in their craft.

A different view (part II)

I maintain that living in Sydney during the winter is boring.

This is a city that is made for warmer temperatures.

Through the gloom of the rain and the lack of sunshine, it can sometimes be easy to forget that Sydney is a beautiful city.

During this time of the year, Sydney now plays host to the "Vivid Festival". A reasonably new event, this festival changes the city at night through an enormous light show.

It's amazing to see familiar sights under a completely different perspective.

I particularly liked the constant change of the lighting.

Seeing the Opera House in the multi coloured light reminded me of the importance of seeing things in a different light (sorry for the pun).

Lately I've been feeling bored and uninterested in my surroundings. I've become increasingly blasé towards the daily grind, ignoring the sights around me.

It's not the right attitude to have.

There's always something to see, and there's always something amazing to catch your eye.

If all it takes it is for a slight change to make the mundane interesting again, then maybe it was never uninteresting to begin with.

The lights have brought me a new appreciation of Sydney. The city is and remains stunning.

The lights make it seem as though it is glowing and alive.

And now, it's even filled with new and wonderful creatures to share the experience with.

All I had to do was open my eyes to it.

A different view

Sydney is a strange city.

Many people don't realise that the city of Sydney itself isn't actually that big.

Now don't get me wrong, there are still lots of people here as there's a population of more than 4 million. However, it is hardly the bustling, non-stop metropolis you would expect. Instead, much of the population lives in the huge suburban mass that sprawls out from the city centre.

I found myself in a strange part of town.

Instead of being the middle of the city (where I work) or in and around the high rises, I actually found myself at the very southern part of where the city ends and where the suburbs start.

Standing on the roof of a building, I was able to look North through the centre of Sydney, a far less well known view.

From this angle, there's far less glamour and excitement to this place.

It's amazing how a simple change in perspective can completely alter how you see a place.

Classy as ever

Is there anything that's classier than a moving a mattress on a the roof of a car?

If there is, I'm yet to discover it.

And if you've found that you don't have enough rope to hold the mattress to the roof, isn't it just as acceptable for the four guys in the car to reach their hands out the window and hold on tight?

No safety issues whatsoever....

Not in any way weird

.... and as you can see here, Andy is modelling the latest in winter snake fashions....

People have pets. Lots of people have pets.

A snake isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of pets.

But, as part of moving into the apartment, compatibility with the house pet was necessary.

A snake as a pet is surprisingly easy to adapt to. It really has to be one of the lowest maintenance pets that a person can own (I'm not including a pet rock in my analysis). There's minimal feeding, cleaning, costs, time or energy that is actually needed. In fact, you can pretty much ignore the thing for the 3 weeks between the feedings and it would be fine.

I was personally relatively nonchalant to the prospects of living under the same roof as a snake, but from what I have learnt in the last year, that's the not the same response of all people.

In the space of less than 12 months, I have seen people screaming, people instinctively jumping away and I have even seen one person run screaming at the top of their lungs out of the room when the snake was brought out of its enclosure.

But again, as you can clearly see, that's not the reaction that I have to the house pet....

It's relatively harmless (I hope) and up close she is genuinely a beautiful and amazing animal. Her skin is something to be marveled at and usually elicits comments from me directed at my housemates about how great a belt or pair of shoes she would make (only in jest of course).

There are times that I'm made to jump though.

Those instances usually involve the surprise of Andy or Josh holding the house pet behind my head just before I turn around so that I find myself face to face and inches away from a hissing snake's head..... lovely.

Or they could just hide the pet in my bed.....

Old Melbourne town

Work has been hard. Hours have been long and the work has been crazy.

Being sent off to Melbourne for work was something I both welcomed and dreaded.

It had been a while since I had been to Melbourne, but these weren't really the circumstances I had wanted to rediscover the city in. Moving from airport, to office, to hotel doesn't give you much of an opportunity to do anything.

I will admit that it was a nice change being in a different city. Change (even if fleeting) has always been something I've approved of.

For this trip, I found myself in the Windsor Hotel. This is an old landmark of Melbourne. Directly opposite of the Victorian Parliament, it has played host to more than its share of dignitaries over the years.

It's getting on a bit in years now. It's still a very nice place, but age has clearly sapped some of its granduer.

Still, I much preferred this old style of hotel to the new generic hotels. The old fixtures and the wood gave the place a warmth that's wholly lacking in the newer counterparts.

Hotels!!!!!

I don't get it. Why do hotel rooms all look the same?

I had somehow found myself being sent away for work again and ended up in another random hotel.

It was a nice hotel too. Nice area, beach frontage, expensive looking bar....

And yet it was so bland it felt like I had literally stepped into a catalogue. I had somehow ended up in yet another one of the completely non-descript hotels that exist all over the world. I don't think I spent more than an our there outside of sleep.

I don't understand it. Why is there this need for hotels globally to move towards this central, boring, homogeneous state of nothing. Why is there this complete lack of difference between the hotels? If they were moving towards a common goal of class, beauty or comfort, it would make sense. But that is not the case. What they have moved towards is mind numbing, colourless and drab. The rooms always feel empty and they always feel sterile.

And who designs these things? I'm assuming the owners don't just come up with the ideas themselves, but rather they hire people to do the designs. They would PAY people to "design" these things. This would have to be one of the most pointless and unimaginative jobs in the world. A job that consists of stealing an idea that has already been a stolen a countless number of times to ensure that you in no way display any originality or creativity.

... and it's not even a good idea that they're stealing...

A day at the races

I was initially reluctant to go to the races.

I had never been in my life, but as a strict non-gambler (I choose not to gamble for a whole host of reasons), spending a day being surrounded by the activity did not seem the most appealing prospects.

However, after much prodding I decided to go.

And as usual, the lure of going in the members section rather than in general admission helped my decision.

Royal Randwick is actually situated on my bus route to and from work. For well over a year now, I have sped past the race course in the early mornings and evenings. The extent of my interest in this place has been to briefly catch a glimpse of the horses being trained as my bus sped down the road.

I think it is quite amazing how often in life this happens. You pass things by on a day to day basis and never give it consideration. Amazement and wonder can stare you in the eyes, and yet you will ignore it because its shine has been eroded by familiarity.

Now the races isn't something that I would classify in the "amazement and wonder" category, but the idea remains the same.

Here was something that I had ignored. Something that was part of my daily routine that I had neglected.

Even with my personal ban on gambling enforced, I still found it to be a great day out.

Sitting in the sun. Chatting with friends. Having a few quiet drinks.

I also quite enjoyed process of the steward blowing his horn and the procession into the stands to watch the next race.

As the day came to an end, a light rain storm swept through.

People laughed and screamed as they ran inside, to continue the party without the horses.

The domain of Slugboy

Andy and I don't see as much of Josh as we used to.

He's undertaken a disappearing act. While we know he's in the apartment, he really isn't actually there with us anymore.

Even when we do see him, he seems to be a shadow of his old self. It's like we're looking at him through an unfocused lens. It's Josh, but it isn't the Josh we are used to seeing.

There are bags around his eyes, he's often yawning, he's paler and he seems perpetually tired. In the mornings, his wakeup times have been progressively pushed back.

Many people would be concerned by this change behaviour and appearance.

They would be questioning why this was happening and what help they should be arranging for the person.

Not Andy and I though.

We find this situation hilarious in fact!

We may seem callous, but we know better.

All of Josh's behavioural and physiological changes have been self inflicted. He has no one to blame but himself.

A few weeks ago, Josh decided that it would be a fantastic idea to a purchase brand new flat screen television for his room. It didn't matter that his room gets terrible television reception. There was only one main purpose for this purchase.

His PS3.

Night and day, Andy and I now find Josh glued to the television, black controller in hand, ear piece in place, hammering away at the latest Call of Duty game.

His lack of movement and slothful ways have led Andy and I to rename him "SLUGBOY".

His obsession with this game is starting to affect his perception of time as well. Last Saturday, he found himself playing from 10:00 am till 1:00pm, taking a short break for lunch and then playing from about 2:00pm through till 7:00pm. Count those hours. Those are EIGHT hours. What are they again? EIGHT HOURS!

Josh however, was certain that he had only been playing for "three or four hours".

No Josh, EIGHT HOURS.

It appears that even time slows down in the domain of the Slugboy.

Thunderstruck!

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a free ticket to AC/DC!

Like many Australians, I hold a soft spot for AC/DC and their music. It's hard not to have an appreciation for what is probably Australia's most famous and successful band.

When Josh managed to get tickets, Andy and I were more than happy to join him at the concert.

Armed with our jeans and black shirts, we dashed out of our respective offices. Wandering through the city, we were confronted by a strange mix of black shirts and flannelette.

In Australia, AC/DC attracts a strange combination of fans. From the dedicated lovers of hard rock, to the fans of rock and roll music and through to their most famous type of Australian fans.... the bogans.

Every country has bogans. In the UK, they're called "chavs". In the US, they're called "trash". In Singapore, I remember they were called "Ah Bengs".

Regardless, it would be a good atmosphere. The sheer crush of people attending would ensure that.

Josh had wrangled us good tickets. We were up in the members stand, with a clear view of the stage, comfortable seats and a private lounge behind us.
Before the main act, the newly constituted Wolfmother came out to entertain.

Sadly, they were far from capable of achieving this goal.

In fact, we found the "music" of Wolfmother to be so loud, out of synch and screetchy, that we decided that it would be best to retreat to the comfort of the lounge for some drinks and quiet.

Thankfully, we would have to wait long though.
The main act quickly came on!

And they did not disappoint.

From the very start, they did not disappoint.

The concert started out with a bang as Angus Young came charging out onto the stage in his famous schoolboy uniform. This alone made it worth attending the concert.
More was to come though. AC/DC were up to their usual antics and were a well oiled performance machine. There was a clear understanding between the band members of what was happening and when it was to happen.
Seeing AC/DC perform was definitely a "box ticker". It's one of those things that I'm glad to say I've been able to do, one of those things that needs to be done before the opportunity is gone.

Who knows, one day, maybe I'll be able to sit grand children down and tell them with pride that I was lucky enough to attend an AC/DC concert.... and then listen to them look at me with questioning faces and either laugh at me or ask who they are......

Dexter-ing Josh's room

With Andy's room sorted, I turned my attention to Josh's room.

All of us are big fans of the show "Dexter", which follows the life of the serial Dexter Morgan. We're such big fans in fact, that Kosta gave me the perfect idea for how to destroy Josh's room. This would take some effort and work. We had decided to turn Josh's room into a replica of one of Dexter's "kill" rooms.

That should freak him out nicely!

So, with the help of Kosta, we gathered the materials we needed and set about turning Josh's room into the terrifying vision that we wanted.

This was not an easy job at all.

The amount of work that this took surprised the both of us. We came to the quick conclusion that there is no way that Dexter could put this set up together with such frequency by himself and in the time that is depicted. Showtime has lied to us.

After all the hard work, the room came together nicely though. We taped the plastic up all over the walls and we draped the bed and floor with the plastic as well.

To add a sense of terror to the whole prank, I even burned the Dexter theme onto a CD and played it on repeat on Josh's stereo.

With a final flourish, Kosta grabbed one of the large knives out of the kitchen and stabbed it into the head of the Dora the Explorer pinata. Placing it on the centre of Josh's bed was the final icing on what was now a very creepy cake.

Turning on Josh's stereo with the Dexter theme and standing in the middle of his now completely plastic-ed room, there was a strange feeling of oppression and strangely heat that was being trapped in the room. Standing silently in the middle of the room with Kosta... you could hear a strange echoing from the plastic and the occasional creak from the plastic as it shifted beneath your feet.

I think I need a new hobby....

What you need to Dexter-ise someone's room:

- an assistant;

- 2 rolls of painter's tape;

- 1 roll of double sided tape;

- 10m x 80m of builder's film or of plastic drop sheet;

- sturdy scissors;

- a step ladder;

- a way to play the opening theme of Dexter on a stereo.

Destroying Andy's Room

My stupid housemates Andy and Josh had somehow managed to take over a month of leave from work (paid leave). With this enormous amount of freedom in hand, they decided that a long trip to South America was in order.

Stupid housemates....

Since they were coming back soon and since I was in no way at all jealous of their travels, I decided that I needed to leave them some nice surprises for their return home.

Did I mention that I wasn't in any way jealous of their travels?

First up was Andy's room.

For Andy, I decided that what was needed was massive inconvenience for him.

So I cling wrapped everything in his room.

And I mean EVERYTHING in his room.

His drawers, his clock, his lamp, his shoes, his camera tripod, his chair, the things that were on his chair, his pillows, his bed.

EVERYTHING.
It seemed like it would be a relatively simple thing to do, but my god, it took an age. Roll after roll of cling wrap disappeared as everything slowly disappeared beneath the transparent film of the wrap.

Josh's room would be next. What I had in store for him would take a fair bit of effort and planning.

Travelling for work

It's a bit of a difference when you travel for work instead of working for travel.

Being sent to strange locations is a rarity for work, but it's not unwelcome.

It's been a while since I've actually gone and done any real travelling so I need to take advantage of any opportunity I get to do some exploring.

I was a bit surprised when I was sent out to rural Australia though.....

I was even more surprised by how much this place looked like Canberra.

.... like seriously......
This place was like mini-Canberra....

Or rather maybe it's that Canberra is just a slightly enlarged version of Albury?
Regardless, it was something new. I'm constantly amazed by Australia. The size of this country is difficult to fathom. It's strange how little of this place I've really seen.

Piñata Piñata!!!

I'm always up for a get together, a nice party, a catch up, drinks, dinner, chilling out at a cafe. Whatever really. It's just nice to DO SOMETHING. Anything is always better than nothing.

I had a great reason to do something though one weekend recently. One of my good friends had recently overcome some health problems and what better way was there to celebrate than to have a party near the beach (being my house of course)!

In honour to make the party truly awesome, I decided that we needed a piñata. We needed something to best represent the annoyance and suffering that the illness had caused her so that she could beat the hell out of it. I wandered off to the shops searching for the perfect piñata and to my immense surprise, I was confronted by one of those rare situations in life where what you get far exceeds anything you could have hoped for or imagined.
With the choice of either Dora the Explorer or Elmo, I knew that I was going to have to choose Dora. Leaving Dora in my apartment the nights before the party was more than a bit disconcerting.... the way she would stare at me with her empty eyes.....

The day of the party came and everyone seemed happy enough. Once Dora came out, the hilarity began though.

One by one, everyone gave in to their desires and started swinging away at Dora. It really didn't take long for people to get over their original nervousness and to start attacking this poor defenceless cartoon character.

As Dora was finally smashed open and the candy gathered off the floor, we were then treated to the bizarre sight of one of the kids at the party deciding that Dora needed to be rid of her head. Everyone stood in awkward silence as Dora's head was methodically removed. This was followed by the equally bizarre sight of the smiling child hugging the head and giving it a kiss.... lovely.

With Dora's head off, it seemed a shame to waste it, so I decided to turn it into a mask. I think it looks rather fetching.

An explosive start to the new year

Spending 11 days in Newcastle with the parents was an interesting experience.

What made it even more interesting was the fact that of the 11 days I found myself in Newcastle, it was raining for 11 days. By the end of my stay, the feeling of cabin fever was more than overtaking me. Being unable to go to the beach, being unable to go for a run, being unable to really even go outside.... there's something incredibly unsatisfying moving from one inside location to another by car. Whilst you may be in a new place, it still feels as though you are trapped and unable to get out.

Finally, my time came to an end though, and I began my trip back to Sydney.

The road works between Sydney and Newcastle have been completed and so the trip is now an easy one. There is little in the way of distractions and there are clear landmarks that help to notify you of just how far into the journey you are. It's a journey I've done numerous times now with no incident.

That should have alerted me. I had had it far too easy.

On this occassion, a little bit out of Sydney, just after Gosford, it was my time to come to grief. Driving along, I suddenly lost power and I found myself losing control. Luckily, I was able to pull my car to the side of the road. Unluckily for me, it was at a part of the road that did not have a shoulder, and so I found my car perched precariously between the deep storm water gutters and the left hand lane of traffic.

Getting out of the car, I quickly found out the problem. My right rear tyre had exploded. So badly in fact that the tread had become completely separated from the side wall. I came disturbingly close to some serious damage and harm it seems. After jacking up my car, I steeled myself to walk into the left hand lane of traffic to change the tyre.... I quickly lost my metal when the first semi-trailer screamed past at 110kph. I made the wiser decision of calling roadside assistance, who sent a truck to drag me to safety where I was able to change my tyre in peace and safety.
The tyre is finished. Completely destroyed. It's a good indication to me that I probaably need some new tyres on all my wheels.

Either way, what a way to bring in the new year....

Christmas Cheer

Well Christmas has come and gone.

This has been an interesting Christmas. The first in years that I've actually been in Australia. It was actually a nice change to be able to experience the lead up and the change in attitude of everyone as the holiday season approached.

The change in food was also very welcome.
Since everyone was going to be in different places over the festive period, my housemates and I decided to do a Christmas dinner a few weeks ago. Now this wasn't any simple Christmas dinner, we decided to go all out!

Here's Andy gloating over the fact that he won the wishbone.... stupid Andy.....

To top it all off, we even had a Christmas pudding that we flamed!

A lot of hard work went into making the whole dinner, but none of us seemed to mind.There's something about this time of year that brings out behaviour that would normally make little to no sense. For instance, cheering and applauding when we flamed the pudding? Yet during this period, it seems like a fantastic idea.

And the effort that goes into it all! Josh even found his inner Margaret Fulton and made a hard sauce for the pudding.

Food really is a fantastic way of bringing people together.

But unsurprisingly, when it comes time to washing up the ridiculous mess that was created preparing the meal, everyone seemed less festive....

Taronga Zoo

With my little godsister in town with her family, it was the perfect time for a nice little trip to one of Sydney's famous attractions.

We went to Taronga Zoo!!!

Now, I hadn't actually been to Taronga Zoo since I was about five (I think it was around that time anyways....) and I was probably more excited than my little godsister!

The trip over to the Zoo itself was fantastic. We decided to catch the ferry over and we were treated to the amazing views of the harbour.

The Zoo was fun. Much more fun than I expected.

I got to see this koala up close!
And I even got to see the giraffes being fed!
It was a nice day out. A simple thing to do, but fun nonetheless.