He Swears But Still Delivers

Surprisingly I have become a fan of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, shown on Channel 9. This might seem strange to others, considering I had this to say about swearing. I still don’t like his swearing nor do I condone it.

What I enjoy watching more so is the transformation of the restaurants he is invited to attend. More often than not he is spot on with his sentiments as these kitchens are atrocious and can make you sick. Perhaps his methods are a bit strong handed, but he is passionate about food. Most of his rantings stem from the evidence he finds of a lack of quality in the food and the lack of cleanliness of the kitchen.

The people running these kitchens need a good kick up the pants to change things, some are stuck in that big a rut, while others only manage to prove their incompetence an find themselves out of a job.

Let’s face it, someone being polite about everything would not make good television.

The Time Machine – Book Review

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I feel like I’m reading more this year than I have in my entire life. I’m trying to mix it up so it was time to go back to the classics.

Funny how the main appeal of this book was it’s length, only 90 pages, broken into 12 sections.

The story is very science fiction, which isn’t really my area of interest. I was sceptical from the start, but was willing to give it a fair dinkum crack.

I enjoyed reading it and was drawn into its story line as the professor told it to his dinner guests.

Written in 1895 it is the story of a scientist from that era traveling into the future to the year 802,701. Traveling to such a distant time allowed Wells to create an alternate imaginative reality. Although far fetched it probably will have an essence of truth. The scientist initially finds a peaceful species, called the Eloi, that can’t understand his language and are childishly afraid of the dark.

We find that they have a very good reason to be afraid of the dark as in the underground tunnels lurks the sinister Morlocks. It is this species that steals the time traveller’s machine. Most of the story is his adventures and discoveries to find and recover his machine in order to return to his own era.

Pro Tibetans Making Me Anti

It’s been all over the news, protests about China’s human rights record. All focus is on the Olympic Torch that will eventually make it’s way to Beijing.

Protesters have been vocal and physical in getting their point across. One gentleman even lunged at the torch, which scared the tiny female torch carrier to death (not literally). On Sydney radio one Australian protester said that they would do whatever it takes to get their message across. What this entails I guess we will have to wait and see when the torch touches down in Canberra.

No doubt there will be complaints of police brutality and how it was just a peaceful protest. The only way for it to be a peaceful protest is for protesters to stay clear of the torch. It’s obviously going to well protected by various authorities, and if someone dare come too close then they will be hurt. Common sense really.

But because protesters continue to act so erratically I usually end up not caring about their cause no matter how important it may be. If I don’t know much about the issue, such as what is happening in Tibet, I am not motivated to learn more about it due to the images of protesters’ ridiculous antics.

Here’s to a truly peaceful protest and then maybe a change in attitude.

Our Nation’s Capital

It’s official, I love Canberra. It’s an easy place to get around and everything feels so cruisy.

Best of all, most places to go are free.

Here’s a run down of my recent 6-day stay.

Thursday 13th March

Information Centre – very helpful first port of call

Friday 14th March

Questacon – I used to rate Questacon as a must see on any visit to Canberra. While it is still fun and interesting, the exhibits hadn’t changed much at all since my last visit over 6 years ago. It is a bit pricey to at $18 for an adult. Still worth a trip with children though.

Gold Creek – There is a lot of stuff at Gold Creek, including the miniature village at Cockington Green. We visited the old federation style shops

Saturday 15th March

Old Parliament House – Was interesting to learn that this house was always meant as a short-term purpose. It outlasted its proposed 50 year life and was going to be knocked down. I’m glad they kept it, a lot of interesting history in those walls.

Manuka – Wanted to check out where the footy is played when the AFL comes to Canberra

Sunday 16th March

New Parliament House – A beautiful place to walk around, very serene.

Old Bus Depot Markets – Very artsy but nice to walk around and check out what people are creating.

Canberra Glassworks – Next-door to the markets. People can book in to create their own piece of glasswork. Next time in Canberra I intend on giving it a go.

AIS – Just drove past this time, as it was late in the day. Somewhere to tour properly next time.

Monday 17th March

Art Gallery – A special exhibit was on at this time on landscape painting. Art usually isn’t my thing but I went into it with an open mind to perhaps find out what art I like. Funnily enough it turned out that I like Australian landscape paintings.

War Memorial – There is so much here that it needs a few visits. It’s a good thing it is free to enter.

Ainslie Football Club – Ainslie plays in the AFL Canberra. Had to check out how good it was. Very nice looking club and great food.

Tuesday 18th March

National Museum – They had the Legends of League exhibit and that’s all we checked out. The museum is full of stuff and can be overwhelming, which is why we gave the rest a miss for this trip. Luckily, this place is free to visit also, unless you wanted guided tours.

Wednesday 19th March

Big Merino – Now in it’s permanent location closer to the freeway.

The Bakery of Goulburn – Has become the must stop location when heading south. Overlooks the Big Merino.