I have made a new website! I know, after updating this one so frequently over the last two (!) years, makes perfect sense to now have two sites, no? Anyway, here goes! Bon appetit and happy viewing…
Blue Mountains.
06
Dec
Lindsey Gray really kindly invited some of us international refugees to camp and walk in the wilderness of a spectacular National Park called the Blue Mountains (so-called because airborne oil droplets from eucalyptus trees actually give a sapphire blue tinge to the landscape under certain lighting conditions). Then we had a delectable BBQ at her parents’ house! It was my first time outside Sydney, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty and splendor of Australia’s wild side. We went for a night hike and saw a tawny frogmouth and moonlight-silhouetted kangaroos hopping over hillsides… All the while we were swallowed by an ethereal fog that gave everything depth. It was a most memorable weekend– altogether: THANK YOU LINDSEY! Here are some pictures; Bas also has a cool site with some photos.Bicycle maintenance.
04
Dec
Upkeep of one’s means of transportation is critical. Check out my manual and help me diagnose my problem.
Sour cherry vodka is nice.
04
Dec
Mel, Derek, Lindsey, and Antony came over and joined Marek and Katerina and me for a bite to eat… I ran home a little early from work and had fun making a mess in the kitchen! Lots of the food came from a binge shopping experience at the ‘Good Living Growers Market’ on the first Saturday of the month near Darling Harbour. Also got some prawns from the Sydney Fish Market– here’s what we had:
- Some roasted chickpeas and three infusions that Katerina kindly created. Hear her tell you what was in them!
- A very spicy beer Antony brought. Enormous peppers actually floated in each bottle.
- Sheeps milk yoghurt salad with yellow tomatoes, red onion, and balsamic vinegar.
- Prawn, garlic, and mushroom enchiladas with sour cream and cilantro served with Spanish brown rice and braised glazed baby carrots.
- Pumpkin bread and a special goat’s cheese.
- Sweet Australian wines.
- Duck sausage with baked butternut squash and new potatoes in a creamy leek sauce.
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Lupe’s flan (based on recipe from my dad’s friend’s friend from Baja California) with exciting impossibly-hard caramelized sugar bottom.
- Samples of a beautiful sour cherry vodka which Marek made and brought from Poland.
Science is sexy because…
01
Dec
I love it when things like this happen: Erich Jarvis, one of my mentors and recommendation-writers at Duke University (for whom I went to Brazil to study hummingbird songs, aw, so romantique!) has just added this award to his CV.
For you internationals, People (circulation: millions; yearly revenue > USD $1.5 billion) is perhaps best known for its yearly special issues naming “The 50 Most Beautiful People”, “The Best and Worst Dressed”, and “The Sexiest Man Alive”. I think the magazine is called Who here in Australia…
Who is Azor?
29
Nov
I decided that a brief profile of our house cat is overdue.
Name: Azor.
Summary: lives life of sprawling splendor and pampery. Never begs. Impeccable disposition and behaviour, never jumps on counters. Not overweight (according to veterinarian). Very healthy looking. Freely comes and goes from house.
Diet: from butcher, not random cans: (1) raw kangaroo steaks and (2) raw beef steaks.
Anecdote 1: Once Katerina gave him sashimi grade salmon and he scoffed. Katerina lamented, ‘The only cat I know that doesn’t like fish!’
Anecdote 2: He occasionally retrieves small weird Australian creatures like this thing.
Anecdote 3:Reported to have physically threatened Chai Mi (see Where I Live post, coming soon) by eye contact alone to the extent that Chai Mi almost didn’t want to live here.
The excitement of lawn bowls.
26
Nov
Today I went to a ‘bowling club’ for the lab Christmas party. There were a number of confusing things about this event.
- I showed up ready to get a turkey. This was even less possible than usual because, as I learned, we were playing “lawn bowls“— no strikes or spares. No scorekeeping computers designed to let you to change your friends’ names when they’re away purchasing beer.
- This Christmas party was held outdoors. It was sunny and people were wearing shorts, T-shirts, and sunglasses. And plus it’s a month away from Christmas (I think).
- These little balls kept rolling forever no matter how gently and gingerly you rolled them.
- There was an amazing man with a polo shirt that said ‘Camperdown Bowling Club’ who talked to me for a while about the poetry of the game (his choice of topic). “When you bowl really early in the morning, you gotta take into account that the grass is wet, ya?” he began, “and then you’re playin’ for a couple hours, maybe three, so the sun’s comin’ up and the lawn’s dryin’ off— if you’re not with it, if you’re not focused, you’ll still be throwin’ like the grass is wet!!” Yeah, I said. “And this game’s good because you can drink while you play!” Yeah, I said.
Then I went inside and got some really good rocky road ice cream. And I stole some of Carolina’s bubble gum ice cream.
O ya, according to Wikipedia: “Sir Francis Drake is famous in bowls folklore: he is said to have insisted on completing his game of bowls before setting sail to confront the Spanish Armada in 1588.” Haha.
The Weedle Schnail!
25
Nov
Every time Esther and I walk around near the Pyrmont footbridge we see this tantalising restaurant called The Little Snail… when we overheard a nice Asian lady call it (without exaggeration) The Weedle Schnail, we knew we must go.
Today Esther treated Zoe and me to a really scrumptious lunch there! We all shared and mixed and matched our meals:
Entrees:
- Snails (one dozen) in the shell, garlic butter (SO GOOD!) – Esther.
- French onion soup topped with parmesan cheese and crouton – Zoe.
- Eggplant terrine with truffled mushrooms and red pepper sauce. Plus some kind of tasty cheese. – Gabe.
- Garlic and herb bread. -Everyone.
Mains:
- Kangaroo fillet grilled and served rare with a native sweet plum glaze (YUMMMM!). – Esther.
- Marlin steak on a bed of butter beans and snow peas. -Gabe.
- Chicken breast fillet with a balanced combination of honey & ginger sauce. -Zoe
Desserts:
- Mango and coconut bavarois. -Zoe.
- Banana ice cream in a brandy basket. -Esther.
- Frangelico pannacotta with raspberry coulis. -Gabe.
Was very tasty. Now I’m at work preparing to feed grasshoppers their (much less appetizing) diets.
Yann Tiersen concert.
23
Nov
Tonight I saw one of those rare splashes of genius. One of those rare days, rare times, when you say out loud, “Whoaaaa. Wow. WWWOOOOW!”
Yann Tiersen is best known for having composed the Amelie and Goodbye Lenin soundtracks, but tonight, playing at the Metro in downtown Sydney, he completely shattered his whimsical accordion typecast– in addition to the accordion, Tiersen played, with equal & mesmerising virtuosity, electric guitar and violin… And violin, nooo wayyy!!! AMAZING!! Every four minutes his assistants had to bring him a fresh bow. The violin strings looked like a horsetail after every song. The feelings transduced– the staccato, the vibrato, the pizzicato– rendered everyone speechless. So passionate. Familiar Amelie melodies were recast in quickbeat drum and guitar- everyone was dancing. Yann spoke French to the crowd and they mostly understood (even me via personal interpreter girl next to me from Paris). What an amazing experience, highly recommended to anyone who would enjoy the man likely to be the most avant-garde (crazy) composer in France. I couldn’t believe I was seeing his violin-playing. It was the kind of experience that makes you want to commit your life to a single cause. Seeing someone so in tune with and skilled at what they do is always an inspiration.
Calculation station.
11
Nov
I love calculating things like fungal spore concentrations with this funky-sweet antique calculator. This machine has many nice features:
- The screen is really bright.
- There’s a half-second delay before the screen shows an answer, giving the user time to reflect.
- Sometimes when you add really big numbers the thing actually takes longer. Presumably this is because the calculator is double-checking its calculations. Excellent!
