Shiok Food Truck

Katong laksa

So just got back from eating at a Singaporean food truck.  pretty sweet.  i'm not too familiar with singaporean food, other than those dry noodles and chicken+rice.  As I come from the land of food trucks, I'm used to the good old burritos and taco trucks.  Occasionally, I'll venture out and grab something from those 'cool' trucks, but i'm quite against those.  Reasoning? it's a bit sacrilegious.  Food trucks are supposed to be for the working class that serves basic food that can be cooked on a grill or fryer; be it burgers, tacos, etc.. As a way to bring hot fresh food to the people for low prices, food trucks are pretty functional.  That being said, I'm sure you've noticed the trend of these 'cool' trucks popping up in the past couple years: chinese buns trucks, french food trucks... etc.   Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of all types of food, but the one thing that I can't stand are the 'cool' food truck prices.  They are absurd!  As you may know, food truck portions are already sub-par, but the extra added cost for novelty just adds insult to the cuisine.  The worst offenders (in my opinion) are the fusion food trucks: eg. korean burrito trucks, curry burrito trucks, etc...  good food, but not worth it.

Anyways, enough ranting for the moment, I'm here to write about Shiok.  This Singaporean food truck was worth checking out.  Singapore, itself, is not a large area and food trucks don't really have a place in a country with food stands around every corner.  So I was a bit skeptical in the beginning, but then again, south east asian food is generally made in a small kitchen so I wasn't detered.  

Audra Morrice, masterchef finalist

I got the katong laksa.  It's similar to regular laksa with chicken, a prawn, etc,. but the noticable thing was that this laksa was pretty viscous and spicy (both rated as excellent on my checklist of laksa requirements).  The size portion wasn't very large, but for six bucks, it did alright for a small lunch.  Now six bucks for a bit of food in sydney isn't too bad (despite the portion size), but this was the wining factor in my book.  In addition, the recipe came from Audra Morrice (who was present at the food truck as well,.. probably should have snapped a picture).  She was a finalist on the show Masterchef Australia and, that being said, I was pretty keen on trying the food (just to see if tv chefs can really back up their fame).  It was heavy in ingredients, flavorful with seafood and the amount of spices were flattering.  A bit of line contrasted nicely with the coconut milk base and chillies.  and although the chicken was a touch dry, it was quite satisfying on a hot day (which it was) and hit the spot.  Also, the noodles in this laksa were made shorter and thus increased the absorption factor which added to the flavor to spoonful ratio; subtle difference = big change in enjoyability (the new vocab word for the day).  All in all, I'd give it a 7/10.  would try again, but would probably need to order more food. 

Soundwave

Well, Well, Well.  So you've coming crawling back, looking for a read in the midst of your workweek; that said, welcome back.  So, lets kick this off with the BANG!  Soundwave is the festival that is quite a big deal.  To start off, its a music festival; genre: METAL/PUNK.  yep, that's right, my music preferences knows no bounds.    Secondly, i bought these tickets months and months ago..  Last, and most importantly, this marks the one-year anniversary of me moving into the house (which I currently reside). 

AWWWW YEAH

As Metal isn't usually at the top of my playlist, I've had to prepare and prepare I did.  For months and months I've listened to the different genres (yes there are different types of metal) and found i was particular to the power metal.  

to get a better understanding of metal, i suggest watching this

There were tons and tons of bands and once the timetable came out, I had to plan my attack accordingly.  Oh yeah, also of note: the venue of Soundwave was Olympic Park.  Yeah, remember when Sydney held the Olympics, yeah.. anyways.  First stop: Red Fang, a bit of stoner rock (which is a bit heavy, and not too bad). Second stop: Dragonforce.  (imo, one of the best power metal bands EVER)  Think high vocals and awesome fast guitars. I made my way up to the front and got it ON!!.  IT WAS AWESOME.  Next stop: Pucifer, which was the special guest (cause the lead singer is also in the band Perfect Circle, also playing).  After that, we went to the big stage: Kyuss Lives.  I like the Queens of the Stone Age, and the guitarist is also in Kyuss, but after they split (drama), Kyuss Lives was formed.  Next up: Stone Sour, alternative metal (not too keen, but I was tired and didn't want to move).  Then: SLAYER,  awww yeah. well, SLAYER is a bit heavy for me, but it was great to see one of the big 4: SLAYER, Megadeath, Anthrax and Metalica (i'll come back to that later).  After this: A Perfect Circle, alternative metal/rock... mmm wasn't too keen on that either.  At this time, I made it inside the D-barrier to get more of the experience..  Anyways, next up was: Linkin Park .  Yeah, a bit more punk than metal.  I was actually surprised with their performance, not too bad despite the Windows '98 screensaver backdrop.  How do I know there are still some hardcore Linkin Park fans? someone had to get carried out on a stretcher... which made me worry about the headliner: Metallica.  AWWWW YEAH 10X..  I was pumped, excited, etc.etc.   It was GREAT!!  for 2h15m, they pumped out a set that could only be described as PHENOMENAL. The lights, pyrotechnics, EVERYTHING>  It's everything that I dreamed it would be.   Some dude even snuck in a flare and started waving it around (just glad he didn't throw it).

 Anyways, it was a long long day with awesome awesome music and friends.  One year ago, I didn't think I'd have gone to Soundwave, but it's been quite a year and this weekend was a great way to start off the semester  (oh yeah, happy birthday bec).  As this is my last semester of my program, you could say these will be the last set of chapters in the trilogy that is my blog.   That being said, I hope you guys carry on reading and i'll see you next week.

And the Jacaranda blooms

pizza pizza

Well, it's that time of year.  Exams just finished yesterday and i'm ready for vacation.  It's been a slow week. Just studying, bushwalking, swiming, and just hanging around.  Although the weather hasn't been exactly summer, I've seemed to be able to complete a few summer activities in the past couple months.  To add to my version of the 'austalian experience', I went to the Australian Hotel yesterday and ordered some pizza.  Well, it was pizza with 'australian' meats.  I was fortunate enough to try kangaroo, emu, and crocodile.  This was obviously a novelty dish, but that doesn't mean it wasn't tasty.   (imo the emu was the best tasting).

 One of the cool things about this time of year are the Jacarandas.  Pronounced exactly as it's spelled, this tree blooms a vibrant purple.  This blooming, often signifies summer... and the dreaded exam period.  well, since i'm done with exams; for me, it signifies a nice tree.

Anyways, since its holidays (i'm not in school), I'm gonna take a break from bloggin for a couple months as well.  .  Well, i'll be travelling around here and there: recharge, relax, and keepin it real.

A night at the House

oh SNAP

Australia is known for two things: the native land of kangaroos, koallas and wallabies... and having a kickass opera house.  A couple weekends ago, I got to experience the later.  I figured, since I'm here I might as well see a show.. ya know.  get the whole experience (or something like that).  I went on a tour of the house a couple weeks before that.  pretty cool.  (some interesting facts, history, yada yada yada).  well, after the tour, I went to check out the upcoming shows.. why not?  and saw something I really really wanted to see.  Blue Ocean w/ the sydney symphony (the same dudes from BBC that make Planet Earth).  Sounded like an epic adventure with great scenery footage and awesome sound track..... but I missed it.  So a bit later, I checked out that pamphlet again and BOOM.  Pixar-In-Concert.  How could I miss this opportunity?  so a little background of the Sydney Symphony:  they've been around since the 1930's doin gigs and collaborations with artists and whatnot.  They've done some tv, movie, and video game soundtracks as well.  Some of the popular ones are: Final Fantasy, Star Trek, The Wizard of Oz... and most recently, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  So i'm pretty stoked, and on top of that, the venue was the Concert Hall.
 Lemme explain:  ther'es multiple theaters at the Sydney Opera House.  There's a studio, drama, and some other one that I can't remember.  All those stages are pretty technology heavy and can put on some sweet plays and musical..etc/  In the largest of the barnacles, is the Concert Hall.  This theater is the largest of them all.  featuring a 360 stage, the ceiling is held up by the roof, kinda like a bell..  let that sink in for a second.  ; the sound isn't dampened by the walls.  and to top it off, there are these 'space donuts' in the center to help with sound amplification and prevent any deadspots.  Also this theater was designed where everyone had a good seat without any view obstruction.  This was accomplished by a pretty steep 'stadium seating' arrangement followed by staggering of seats.  The concert hall (and opera house) also took hella monies to build, but has held events such as boxing matches and sumo wrestling (both one-off cases).  This might seem a bit boring, but  it's interesting to me and this is my blog.. so BooYah\!!

da Concert Hall

Alright.. on to the actual show.  Imagine a montage of every pixar movie into 5-7 minute segments.  accompanied by kickass instrumentals.  Bubbly ballads (with 'exotic' instruments) for Finding Nemo.  Upbeat spy music (heavy on the horns) for the Incredibles.  Light-hearted waltz (yep.. bet you didn't think I knew about dem waltzes) for Ratatouille.  Those were my favorites and it was all pretty moving.  For those of you familiar with cinema, you know the soundtrack/ music plays a huge part in setting the mood and ambiance, and it was pretty awesome to see film clips with that extra 'umph' and emotion....  well that's where it got a little complicated with Toy Story 3.  If you haven't seen it, it's not a movie you wanna watch with 'the guys'.  If you have seen it, then you know it tugs rips at the heart strings.  Imagine 'that scene'... you know the one near the end . now add the complex sounds of the symphony (damn you string ensemble... that goes double for the timpani).
Luckily, they finished the concert with the Randy Newman classic : ' You've got a friend in me'...it was a good note to end on.  (see what I did there?).

'MERICA

livin the dream

So, as those gifted with the blessing of tv and internets, yall know the US presidential election was this past tuesday (wednesday in australia).  Well, as an import from overseas I'd be damned if I didn't feel a bit patriotic.  Longing for the land of the free (debatable depending on who you talk to), I woke up and turned on the TV.  Not one, but two stations were covering the election.  'USA Voting' and 'America Chooses', I believe where the names of the program (one was a bit left, and another far right).  Anywho, during the programs, they'd show footage and clips of interviews of both candidates and the 'general public'..  which led me to understand the perception of America from the Australian point of view.  .  I've asked a number of people about their view on Americans and it's pretty much what was expected.  Wal-mart, the deep South, Hollywood, New York, rednecks, rascal scooter carrying the obese and uneducated.  (even though we did pretty well in the Olympics and just earlier this year, we landed on Mars.  BooYAh)

damn straight you can

 Well, who can blame them, after all everything portrayed in the news and imported tv shows are the only glimpse of American life available.  I understood how they felt, when I came over here, I didn't expect Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin (R.I.P.) to be strollin around, but it was all I had going for me.   (though I've only met 2 aussies that have tried surfing.. I kid you not..)  Anyways, while watching the elections, I was really surprised about how much the general public of Australia knew about American politics.  I'd bet the average Australian  would know more about US politics than an American would know about Australian politics  It was pretty impressive.  So I'm lounging around watching coverage of the elections and it cuts to the activity in Canberra (the Australian capitol).  As they were watching the elections ( i think the us ambassador is there), they had an 'American' party of sorts: red, white, and blue all around.  serving the traditional American cuisine of gumbo and hot dogs.. (but no Cheetos?).
It's quite unfortunate that the sterotypical image of the States are like this (though who doesn't appreciate gumbo?), although I know many individuals (such as yourself) who know differently.   The trick is to see this in a comical light and not take it to heart.
Hailing from California, a 3 hour drive and take you to the deserts, forests, mountains, snow, valleys, ocean, even Disneyland and Mexico (depending where you at).  not many places in this world are that diverse and these are the treasures that aren't capitalized in the media (same goes for many other states, but you get the gist.)  I'm not gonna say the US is the best country in the world (cause that's just a known fact haha/ jk), but as the most powerful country in the world, it's a nation that gets a lot of hate.  For those of you reading this (and haven't been to the States), you should check it out and i'm sure you'd enjoy it.... maybe stay a while.... and start a blog

Freo

don't let the exposed piping fool you, this place is pretty bangin

Ah dear friends, I'm back!  A great weekend filled with fun on the west coast.  Well, to start out, I met up with a buddy of mine and headed straight to the crib in Fremantle (spoiler: I had an awesome time and had to make separate post to emphasize that it is distinctly different).  Just south of the city of Perth, this suburb by the sea seems to be the place to relax and chill.  The first thing I noticed, was the casual atmosphere EVERYWHERE>  We took a bus and I was supposed to get a standard ticket for $4, but the driver looked at me with my bags and was like... watev  $2.75 plz.  cool.   Anyways, that's the kinda relaxed, easy-going vibe around Freo (Fremantle).  There's a bit of shopping streets with cafes and shops (shopppes?) but the staple of Fremantle's tourism must be the brewery.  The Little Creatures brew a couple of nice beverages though the surprising thing about this place, was that it was really family friendly.  I mean they have a sand pit for children to play in, while the grownups get properly intoxicated.  Although a bit expensive, it's definitely a place to spend an afternoon with good company.  They also offer free tours at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm,... and somehow I missed ALL OF THEM (complicated story), but we did get a free tasting out of it so I wasn't too disappointed.  As Australia is known for sunny hot climate, it makes sense for the drinks to be complimentary.  Lagers, pilsners,  ales, ciders..  all drinks of the refreshing sort.  quite tasty I might add.

Sunset over the Indian Ocean

 Anywho, as you may recall, I went back to the states during the 'winter' break.  The one thing I had forgotten to do was see the sunset of the ocean, and I'd be damned if I missed it in Australia.  So viola!  The weird thing that struck me was that this wasn't the Pacific Ocean (obviously); I just never thought that I would ever see the Indian Ocean.. word.   The water is quite a bit warmer and just nice. (In my quiver of vocabulary,.. I think 'nice' is a pretty good description.)  So me and said buddy watched the sunset with the warm glow of light and heat emitting from the ground.  serene, peaceful, relaxed...  then we got hungry.

tourist information for a restaurant: sell out or just that good?

Hallelujah Hollaback 

 Luckily, everything worth seeing in Freo is right next to the beach.. including 3 or 4 fish and chips restaurants.  Well after going to the wrong restaurant (another long story), I finally ended up at the mythical establishment known as Kailis.  Recommended by my housemate as the 'best place' for fish and chips, there was a lotta hype.  And having many fish and chips (fishes n chips?) in my time, I think I've got a fine pallet for such tastes.  So after a long trip (also a long story), I finally made it to the holy land. Hot weather, shaded table, ever so slight breeze... yep.  perfect conditions for fish and chips.  I looked at the menu and was faced with a dilemma.. fish n chips..  or full on seafood platter.  Well in any situation like this.. gotta pull the trigger. BAM.  mussels, calamari, shrimp, scallops, and, of course, fishnchips.  (why there's salad, I haven't a clue).  Then to complete the meal.. a nice lemon bitters drink.  Yep,.. to say I was content would be an understatement (note, I did share the platter.. I think it'd be too much for just one person to indulge).  Verdict: it was a damn fine meal. on a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 'delicious'.  I didnt know how much fresh fish made a difference, but it was all flaky with minimally light batter. (non of that crumbly cakey stuff).  The mussels came in a red tomato sauce.  The mussels were alright, but the sauce has a consistency closer to soup.  Also good.. just a bit messy.  The other fried food was great.  especially the scallops: lightly crispy and held together well for maximum dipping potential.  All-in-all: Awesome meal.  awesome time in Freo.  That being said, I did get to see a bit of Perth during the weekend, but I'll cover that next week. until then- keep it real.

Floriade

flower city

hipster flower was red before it was cool.

Floriade (pronounced:  floor e' a_de)  the pride of Canberra.  This flower show is the biggest in all of Australia and attracts people from all over.  Flowers on flowers.  Well this was just a pit stop on our way outta the capitol city.  We strolled around for a bit and took in the aromas and fragrances of tulips, gardenias  (is this a real flowers) and other flowery things.  I've never been to a flower show before but it was more than I expected.   I mean this is THE event for Canberra.  Everyone comes out for this event. So there's carnival stuff, stands for food, arts and crafts... stuff like that.  So the flower patches (gardens?) were in designed to make some image, .. but from the viewing angle and disproportionate growing patterns (courtesy of weather)... the designs didn't turn out so hot.  In any case we had a good time wandering around... til we saw this.

gnomes... everywhere

 So, along with any garden belongs a mischievousness gnome.  Thus.  gnome decorating contests!  They were classified into different groups, based on age.  (note: 0-6 years of age, motor skills have not been developed).  It was good to see different groups collaborate and produce a theme... though so got kinda weird .

note:  death metal gnome

So next week, i'm going to perth.  check it on the maps.. yep all the way across the continent.  (is the west coast the best coast?)  i'll find out soon enough.  with that said, imma skip out on the post next week and write when i get back.  til then, keep it real