Masai Mara- Day 3

It was another early start for the group as we headed to the Masai Mara National Reserve around 7:30 am this morning.  Today was more about quality than quantity of animals, and since we had time we spent quite a bit longer in spots and were able to observe them.  We saw herds of elephants, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, topis, wildebeests and zebras roaming around.  Our two big spots of the day though were a leopard, which we saw emerge from the bushes and climb up a tree, and a cheetah with its two cubs who were these little balls of fur.

 

We returned back to the Siana Springs Tented Camp around 1:30 pm for lunch and a leisurely afternoon.  Chantal, Shevonne and I got to chat with Junior, a 21-year-old Maasai man and the camp conservationist about the history of the Maasai people.  He took us to a secluded place on the grounds and spoke about the creation of the Maasai, traditional rights of passage and roles for boys/men and girls/women, the importance of cattle, religion and education.  As more children are educated they have more choices about how they want to live their lives.  Junior, who went to boarding school, exists between two worlds but wants to be a change agent for his community, which is fantastic.  He is fairly progressive as he is against female circumcision and wants to modernize the practices of the Maasai people.  He hopes to study wildlife conservation at university next year, but it would mean moving to Nairobi.  I was very impressed by him and hope he gets to achieve his goals as he is so articulate and would make an excellent leader.

At our last dinner we were once again treated to a performance by the Maasai men and a market afterwards.  I bought a wooden giraffe and elephant for my niece and nephew.  We have had such a nice stay at the camp and the staff have been so friendly and welcoming.  The grounds are lovely and coping with limited hours for power and hot water has been a breeze.  Tomorrow we are back on the road as we head off to our next destination- Lake Nakuru.

Masai Mara- Day 2

Today was an early start for Chantal and Shevonne as they decided to do a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara National Reserve.  The rest of us got to sleep for a bit longer but we were out on the road at 8:00 am for our full day game drive.  The first animals we got to see up close were a couple of buffaloes.  We also saw some impalas, ostriches, and many wildebeests and zebras.  After picking up Chantal and Shevonne at a designated spot around 11:00 am we were really lucky to see a pride of lions on a hill resting in the shade.  They were amazing to watch.

 

While the migration across the Mara River to the Serengeti is coming to an end we had a couple of attempts at trying to watch the wildebeests make the crossing.  It was a bit of a cat and mouse game with the various safari vans trying to catch a glimpse and racing to spots along the river when word would go out across the radio.  At one point we saw a stampede happening, but no luck with the wildebeests crossing the river.  We did see a group of hippos though, which was cool.

We ended up having boxed lunches at a safe spot under a tree and then got see some giraffes, which was the highlight of the day for me.  There was a male and female which basically stood still for a few minutes as if they were doing a red carpet photo call.  We then had another giraffe come up close and walk by our van.  It was so amazing!  Some other great moments in the afternoon were seeing various herds of elephants, a cheetah lying under a tree and a lion sleeping in the shade.  We have been very fortunate these past two days to see the animals we have, which is a credit to our excellent drivers.  I am even getting used to the off-road driving we are doing around the Reserve and the unpaved and bumpy roads.

 

Nairobi - Masai Mara

After a little bit of sleep I was up early for our first full day of the safari.  The five hour drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara allowed us to watch the changing landscape from an urban city to the rural countryside as we drove further out.  We stopped at a viewpoint of The Great Rift Valley and came across a lot of goat, cattle and sheep herders along the roads as we drove past.  The last hour of our drive was on an unpaved dirt road and we bounced around a lot in the van.  Our final destination and home for the next three nights is the Siana Springs Tented Camp which is located in the middle of where there are some Maasai villages.  The large tents include a shower, toilet and twin beds and are set amongst a natural setting.  There are deer wandering around the grounds and we have to tie our tent zippers closed so the monkeys don't get in!

After lunch we set out for our first game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve, which is about 30 minutes away from where we are staying.  It was a pretty amazing afternoon as we searched for and found zebras, wildebeests, Thompson's gazelles, topi antelopes an ostrich and then our first big sighting- a herd of elephants including a baby!  They were just eating and walking around and it was so cool to watch them.  We next set our sights on finding a lion.  We drove around for a while without much success, but our big break was finding a group of vultures eating a zebra, which our drivers thought indicated there should be a lion in the area.

By some miracle we managed to spot a lion up the hill and drove towards him.  Then he started walking towards our van!  He was so close to us as he walked past and then went to a watering hole to drink.  Because he appeared to be full from a feed he didn't pay much attention to us watching him.  After that incredible experience we started to head out of the park and came upon another herd of elephants.  It was such an amazing afternoon that I wonder whether we have cursed ourselves for the rest of the trip.

When we got back to Siana Springs it was dark so we headed to dinner where we were treated to a performance by a group of male Maasai people, including a jumping competition.  They have a fire pit with a man singing songs on guitar, which adds to the camp feel of the place.  Chantal and I returned to our tent and enjoyed the sounds of nature outside before falling asleep.

Melbourne - Nairobi

Today has been a very long travel day to start off my three week African safari holiday.  Tash was kind enough to drive me to the airport at midnight for my 2:40 am Emirates flight from Melbourne to Dubai (with a stop in Kuala Lumpur).  As you can probably guess, the Melbourne airport is pretty empty at that time of the morning.  The travel Gods were smiling on me as I was lucky enough to have a whole row of seats in the middle all to myself on both legs of the flight.  This greatly helped with getting some sleep, and I also entertained myself by watching The Bling Ring and The Great Gatsby.

At Dubai airport I met up with the rest of my travel group, including Chantal, her sister Shevonne, mother Shirin and their family friends who had all travelled from Sri Lanka where they were at a wedding.  There are 12 of us total in the group- it's me and the Aussie Sri Lankans!  The flight from Dubai to Nairobi was a short hop of around 5 hours compared to the first two legs.  When we landed in Nairobi we were taken by bus from the tarmac past the burned down international terminal to a makeshift one at the bottom of a parking lot.  After making it through customs we were picked up by our drivers from African Jacana Safaris and taken to the Nairobi Safari Club where we are staying the night.  After over 24 hours of travelling I'm not really looking forward to the 7:30 am start tomorrow morning!

The Basics- Leftover Ingredients Tour

The past three nights have been a bit of a Basics marathon as I attended all three of their sold out Melbourne shows.  I figured since they haven't played together live over the past three years that I was making up for lost time.  Besides, no Basics show is ever the same so you can expect the unexpected to happen each night (a bit similar to Crowded House in that respect).

The opening act was the wonderful Louis Spoils (aka Jake Rush) who played solo on electric guitar.  While his set was short I really enjoyed it as he has a rich tone to his voice and was quite funny with his explanations about the inspiration behind each song.  Next up was the 6 piece band Hoy, which featured Mr Tim Heath on bass.  They had a bit of a 1970s folk rock vibe to them.

As for The Basics, here is what happened at each show:

September 27

Mary and I met up at the Northcote Social Club for dinner before the show and got a high five from Kris when he walked past (I think high fives are his new thing).  Tash joined us by the time the boys hit the stage, and it was a very strong start to the set with "So Hard For You" and "The No. 1 Cause of Death Amongst Youth Today."  The show was being filmed, which Wally admitted was making him a bit self-conscious.  The set list featured earlier material such as "She's Gonna B. Late," "Lovin' Man," "Hey C'mon!" and "Yeah, Yeah" complete with some exceptional choreographed dance moves by Kris and Tim.  Other highlights were "Besame Mucho," "Second Best," the lovely harmonies on "Hey Rain," and two new songs: "To Think Of You" and "The Lucky Country," which is a blistering commentary on Australian politics at the moment.

After doing shots backstage before coming back on for the encore we were treated to a couple Creedence Clearwater Revival covers of "Long As I Can See the Light" and "Proud Mary" before they finished with "Call It Rhythm and Blues."  Poor Wally had all sorts of trouble with his drum kit throughout the night as it kept moving around on him and he even lost the kick pedal in the bass drum mid-song.  By the end he had had enough and lightly threw off the cymbal that kept spinning on him and knocked over its stand in the most rock move I've ever seen him do.

September 28

Before the show Ruth, Danny and I had dinner at Los Hermanos Mexican Taqueria in Brunswick, which was quite yummy.  It's such a relief to have another good Mexican place to eat at (and so close to home).  We grabbed dessert at Delphi Continental Cakes on High Street before heading into the Northcote Social Club.

The Basics started their set with the one-two punch of "Hey There!" and "Just Hold On."  There was great energy from the boys right from the start as it was Grand Final night and Tim's team Hawthorn had won in the afternoon.  The set list was switched around a lot from the previous evening.  They played "Money (Gimme, Gimme)," "Feels Like Love," "Home Again," and "What Do You See In Me?"  We were also treated to more new songs: "The Lucky Country," "To Think Of You," "Roundabout" and "Come Back" (not entirely sure on some of those titles).  There were also lots of covers throughout the evening, including Ryan Adams' "Shakedown on 9th Street," and Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'" with AC/DC's "Jailbreak" mixed in.

September 29

The last Basics show was at the Corner Hotel, a venue they haven't played at in years.  The set list was pretty similar to the previous night, but there were some additional gems in there that hadn't been played on the other nights, including "My Baby" and "All or Nothing" with Kris solo on acoustic guitar (and a silent venue listening along).  This show was pretty epic and got more rockin' as the night wore on with a cover of The Kinks "All Day and All of the Night," and an encore that featured "Rattle My Chain," Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," the "Gimme Some Lovin'/Jailbreak'" medley and finished with "Call It Rhythm and Blues."

It was great to see the boys playing live over several nights.  They were very gracious with fans after each of the shows as they hung out at the merch desk to chat with people, sign albums and take pictures.  I hope the new songs that are emerging will eventually get recorded, especially "The Lucky Country" which I think should be released as a single because Australia needs a good protest song right now.

Here is a live version of "To Think of You" from 3RRR minus Wally, but featuring some lovely guitar work by Tim:

Alexander Gow- The Red Hummingbird

Photo by Mary

One of the benefits of living in Melbourne is impromptu gigs by your favorite local bands.  Although Alexander Gow from Oh Mercy has relocated to Portland, Oregon he was back in town this week being filmed for a "Where Are They Now" bit for the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards (SOYA), which Oh Mercy won for music in 2009.

Mary, Tash and I met up after work at The Red Hummingbird to watch this intimate set by Alex solo on electric guitar.  It was good to hear these Oh Mercy songs live again and stripped back, especially "Rebel Beats," "Drums," "My Man" and a particularly strong version of "Suffocated."  We were also treated to a couple new songs, one about courting a woman of faith, and another called "Cool Water" which I really liked.  Alex joked he sang them to prove to himself and us that he has actually done something over the past four months in the States.  The set finished with an impassioned cover of The Waterboy's "Fisherman's Blues" and the title track "Deep Heat."  There is a new "trans-Pacific" version of Oh Mercy about to emerge at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City in October and hopefully some shows along the West Coast soon (I was strongly advocating for one when I am home in December- I will get you a crowd Alex!).

Here is Alex performing "Drums" solo for Tram Sessions last year:

Lunch In The Melbourne CBD

Working in the Melbourne CBD allows you a plethora of choice for excellent lunch options.  Normally I pack a lunch (because I would be broke if I ate out everyday) but sometimes it is good to escape the office and grab a meal with coworkers.  These are a few of my favorite places to get a bite to eat.

Mamasita (Level 1/11 Collins Street): There have been many Mexican restaurants that have opened in Melbourne over the past couple of years, but I still consider Mamasita to be the best.  The key to getting a table at lunchtime is to get there before 12:30 pm.  All the food is light, fresh and flavorful with a variety of options on the menu depending on what you feel like eating.  My favorites include the chips and salsa, tostaditas, fish tacos and the chickpea fritters.

China Red (Shop 6/206 Bourke Street): Located down an arcade by JB Hi-Fi, China Red is the place to go for dumplings in the city.  Add in touch screen ordering and it is a very efficient lunch trip as the food comes out quickly.  My top three picks on the menu are the pan fried pork dumplings, pork won tons in spicy sauce, and their signature dish the Shanghai Shao-Long-Bao.

Wonderbao (Shop 4/19-37 A'Beckett Street): Continuing the Asian theme, steamed buns (bao) became big over the last year, with Wonderbao leading the pack.  Located in a laneway near the RMIT campus, Wonderbao puts an updated spin on your normal steamed buns, and are best known for their gua bao.  All the food here is really great, including their amazing egg custard buns.  The prices are also a steal due to their proximity to the university and student clientele.  Seating is limited, but you can usually get a spot in the alley if all the seats are taken inside (it's best to go when the weather is nice).

Mr Burger (428 Little Bourke Street): Another big food trend in Melbourne over the past year has been hamburgers, and Mr Burger is definitely the best I have found.  Starting out as a food truck they recently opened a store in the CBD and also have a semi-permanent spot at the Queen Victoria Market.  There are three different burgers to choose from (Mr Burger, Mr Meat and Mr Veg) along with a side of chips.  I've only had Mr Burger so far and it is a great classic cheeseburger.  The brioche buns are what make them so tasty.

Bowery To Williamsburg (16 Oliver Lane): The current fad on the Melbourne food scene is American, with a focus on Southern cooking and New York style deli.  The recently opened and appropriately named Bowery To Williamsburg has the New York deli vibe down pat.  For $16.50 you can get a sandwich and side of your choice, along with some pretzels and a pickle.  The reuben sandwich is quite good, and the mac and cheese side is delicious.  There are also bagels with lox and schmears, as well as some yummy desserts including New York cheesecake and pumpkin pie tarts (although I will say that my pumpkin pie is better than theirs).

So those are some of my favorite places- what are your recommendations for places to eat in the Melbourne CBD?

Hungry Kids Of Hungary- Do Or Die Tour

I was secretly happy when a second Melbourne show was announced by Hungry Kids of Hungary at the Northcote Social Club.  I always love to see bands at more intimate venues, so Mary and I took advantage of this opportunity and bought tickets for last night's show.  After catching up over dinner we headed into the bandroom for the first act of the night, indie rock band Lurch & Chief.  Next up was Split Seconds, who we saw open for Oh Mercy last year.  They played a great set and the lead singer had funny stories to tell to explain the origins of their songs.  They did a cover of Paul Kelly's "Little Decisions" and mixed in a bit of Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" during their final song.

Hungry Kids of Hungary opened the evening with "Litter and Sand" and played songs spanning all of their releases, including the rarely played "One By One" and "Old Money" from their first two EPs.  The harmonies from the boys were soaring as always, and the front of the crowd was dancing and singing along to favorites such as "Wristwatch," "Let Me Down," "Scattered Diamonds," "Sharp Shooter," and "Twin Cities."  The band were so humble and appreciative of the Melbourne audience that continues to support them and would come out to see them on a weeknight.  They stayed on stage instead of going off and back on for an encore, and finished the night with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain."  If you haven't bought their latest release You're A Shadow yet you need to get it- it's a fantastic album.

Here's the video for the latest single "Do Or Die," which was shot in Scotland:

Rock The Boat

You can tell a federal election is on because the rhetoric around asylum seekers has become over the top.  From Tony Abbott's mantra to "stop the boats" to Kevin Rudd's PNG solution, there is a distinct lack of focus on the human element of this issue.  Last night Tash and I attended the Rock The Boat concert to benefit both the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Australian Greens candidate Adam Bandt MP's campaign to retain his Melbourne seat.

The first two acts of the evening were mainstays of the Melbourne music scene in the 1990s.  Even played more of an acoustic set, while a reformed Snout came out firing with a very energetic set that got a great response from the packed crowd.  I have a feeling many came to the gig specifically to see them play.  After a short interview by MC Alan Brough with Adam Bandt and a representative from Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, hip hop act Joelistics took to the stage.  Joel started with some slam poetry before launching into songs off his album Voyager.  He was very entertaining and even sampled Dolly Parton's "Jolene" in one number.  Although he was worried it wasn't his type of crowd, I'm pretty sure he managed to win everyone over by the end.

I don't think the final act for the night, The Basics, knew how to follow Joelistics, and that coupled with technical difficulties made for a bit of a shambolic start.  Kris seemed drunk, which always adds an air of danger to their set as Tash and I have witnessed in the past during a few of their residencies.  After an abortion joke at the end of "She's Gonna B. Late" his bass decided to cut out in the middle of "The No. 1 Cause Of Death Amongst Youth Today."  Kris then invited people to hit the bar during the slower number "Feels Like Love."  It wasn't until Tim Heath's Paul Kellyesque spoken word intro to "Hey Rain" that they managed to turn a corner.  Who would have thought that Tim would be the one to rescue the set?  Dave Bramble joined the boys on keys for the rest of the set as they played "Have Love, Will Travel," "Rattle My Chain," "Lovin' Man" and then finished with some call and response on "Call It Rhythm And Blues."  It was certainly an entertaining second show back and proves that you never know what might happen at a Basics gig.

The Basics- The Post Office Hotel

It has been nearly three years since all three members of The Basics shared the stage together, so Tash and I were super excited when a "secret show" was announced for last night at The Post Office Hotel in Coburg.  After three days of rehearsals the boys were somewhat ready to play live to a packed yet intimate venue. Coming out wearing brand new matching navy blue pinstriped suits, they started the evening with "Money (Gimme, Gimme)."  The set list featured a lot of older songs, including "She's Gonna B. Late," traditional set opener "Yeah Yeah," "Can You Trust Me?" and "Hey C'mon!" which had some nice additional harmonies.  The show overall was quite loose with lots of funny moments throughout the night.  Some of the best came from Tim, who sang lead on a few songs and when he couldn't remember the lyrics would start singing random things in French.

You could clearly see that the boys were enjoying playing live together again.  "Just Hold On," "With This Ship" and new single "So Hard For You" had most of the people in the crowd singing along.  I was happy to hear my favorite "The No. 1 Cause Of Death Amongst Youth Today" and "What Do You See In Me?" off the Keep Your Friends Close album.  During the extended encore Wally donned a red wig to match the hair of his fellow bandmates.  We were also treated to great versions of "Call It Rhythm And Blues," "Lookin' Over My Shoulder" and Wally's very accurate impersonation of screaming goats before they finished the night with a cover of AC/DC's "Jailbreak."  It was a fantastic hour and 45 minutes of old time Basics fun that I have really missed.  I'm so glad they are back playing live and look forward to all the upcoming shows in Melbourne.

Here's the video for the latest single "So Hard For You"

Food Trucks, Monet, and the Bombers

Melbourne is known for its food, art and sports culture, and since there is always so much on it is easy to find activities relating to all three things to do in one day!  Food trucks have been slowly taking off here over the past couple years, and a new event called Trailer Park has started at Village Melbourne on St Kilda Road where a group of food trucks are featured each month on Saturdays and Sundays.  Tash, Carly and I met up for lunch there yesterday, and were able to sample some food trucks we haven't tried yet.  We shared tacos from Cornutopia, a mesquite smoked pulled pork po' boy from Gumbo Kitchen, and a combo plate from The Curry Truck.  Of the three my favorite was the po' boy, but they all tasted good.  For dessert we each picked a different flavor creme brulee from The Brulee Cart, which while tasty was not worth the price considering the size of the serve.  Trailer Park has a great atmosphere and we look forward to coming back in September to sample the next group of food trucks.

Tash and I then headed to the NGV to catch the Monet's Garden exhibition.  It mainly featured paintings Claude Monet did of his garden at Giverny in northern France, including the waterlilies and Japanese bridge he is most famous for.  It was so interesting to see these impressionist paintings up close and compare the variation of colors used to paint the same setting at different times of the day.  I didn't realise that later in life Monet had cataracts issues which affected his vision and perception of color.  Thankfully he was able to have surgery to restore his sight, but it must have been fairly devastating to go through that as an artist.  At the end of the exhibition there is this great panoramic film of the gardens at Giverny which makes you want to go there to visit it in person.  The exhibition is on until 8 September so if you are in Melbourne get down to the NGV to check it out.

After a mulled apple cider at the Tram Bar outside the NGV we hopped onto a train to get to Etihad Stadium for the twilight match between Essendon and North Melbourne.  Tash's cousin Nick O'Brien was starting in the team this week, and we were fortunate enough to get tickets from Tash's aunt.  The Bombers have not been playing well for the past month, and with the interim ASADA report on last year's supplements program and the club and senior officials being charged this week by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute, I did not have high hopes for this match.  The skill level was poor throughout the game and we paid the price for errors on the scoreboard.  Although the boys finally showed a bit of life in the fourth quarter it was way too late and we ended up losing to North by 45 points.  There are two more matches left in the regular season, and we are going to make the finals no matter what (as long as we don't get stripped of our premiership points by the AFL).  I hope the team can find some form so we aren't completely embarrassed in the first round of finals.

Final Score
Essendon: 9.16 (70)
North Melbourne: 17.13 (115)

MIFF- Accelerator 2 and Good Vibrations

This is the last weekend of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and I spent the afternoon catching two different sessions.  The first was Accelerator 2 at the Kino, a compilation of short films from emerging directors in Australia and New Zealand.  Of the seven films shown there were two that really stood out.  One was Rebecca Peniston-Bird's Summer Suit about an epileptic girl who lives in a country town.  She spends the summer working at her father's service station while wearing one of her brother's brown suits as her uniform.  The other highlight, and my favorite short, was Jordan Prosser's Hungry Man about a homicidal tape worm that lives inside its host, Declan Greene, and talks him into eating things he wouldn't necessarily choose on his own.  A film noir with a warped sense of humor and a fair amount of blood, it received the best reaction and biggest laughs from the audience.

After a quick gelato break at Spring St Grocery I walked down to the Greater Union to line up for my second session of the afternoon, the Ireland/UK film Good Vibrations.  Set in 1970s Belfast during the Troubles, it follows record store owner Terri Hooley who ends up starting his own label and becoming the godfather of the city's punk scene.  While Hooley has a great enthusiasm and ear for music, his business sense is not as strong which affects his family and business partners at the end of the day.  The bands featured in the film were on Hooley's Good Vibrations label and the closing concert is a triumphant moment for the musicians and the Belfast punk scene.  Definitely check this film out if you get the chance.

MIFF- Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

The Melbourne International Film Festival is currently on at the moment, and Tash invited me to join her today to see the documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer.  Pussy Riot are the Russian feminist punk collective that saw three of its members arrested in 2012 for their protest performance at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

The film follows the trial of Nadya, Masha and Katya and gives you some background on their upbringings and political activism through archival footage and interviews with their families.  All three women gave powerful and articulate statements at the closing of their trial, which ended in them being sentenced to two years in prison.  At an appeal hearing Katya was able to get her sentence suspended and be released, but the other two are still serving time in separate penal colonies. 

The film also delves into the broader issues of President Vladimir Putin, his policies and connections with the Russian Orthodox Church in what is supposed to be a secular society.  It's also timely to watch considering the global media coverage of Putin's anti-gay policies and threats of boycotts and protests at the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi (never mind NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden just getting granted asylum in Russia for a year).

Gertrude St Projections and The Good China

The annual Gertrude Street Projection Festival is currently on through this weekend, featuring a wide array of light projections on buildings and other objects throughout Gertrude Street in Fitzroy.  Last night was the first time I had been, and it was great to walk down the street and discover the different projections.  Here are a few of my favorites:

After checking out the Festival I walked up Brunswick Street to The Evelyn Hotel to catch The Good China play.  They started their set with "No More Maps, No More Roads," which allowed for some hand clapping fun.  We got to hear some of the new songs they have been working on as well as their recent single "You Looked Better A Brunette."  Mit sang lead on an awesome cover of The Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" and they finished their 40 minute set with the appropriately titled "We Knew That We Had To Leave."  It was good to see the Chinas live again and I am hopeful that their debut album isn't too far off.

Here's the video for "You Looked Better A Brunette" which was shot in Japan.

South Yarra Sweet Treats

South Yarra is becoming a bit of a foodie destination, especially for gourmet sweet treats.  Today Belinda and I headed down there to check out two of the top places in the area.  We started our afternoon dessert fest at LuxBite on Toorak Road and decided to have the Tea Set for 2 sampler which included 2 finger sandwiches, 2 desserts, 4 macarons and 2 beverages for $48.  For our desserts we went with the green tea cheesecake and meringue monster cake, and chose the green tea pistachio, salted caramel, bamboo oolong tea and heilala vanilla creme brûlé macarons.  Each little bite was delicious and the flavors were light, especially the cakes.  Of the macarons, the bamboo oolong tea was my favorite- the combination of tea and chocolate works really well.

After a bit of a walk we ended up at our next destination, Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio on Chapel Street.  They have a mix of prepackaged treats, cakes and other desserts on offer at the studio.  There were some very cute chocolate animals on display, including a Mr Potato Head one.  We ended up buying 3 little treats to share: a chocolate, pear, hazelnut, and caramel cake, a chocolate hazelnut and salted caramel tart, and a pineapple, mango, and chocolate cake.  Of the three the tart was my favorite.  I also got a couple items to take home with me: the explosive raspberry wheel and the popcorn and honeycomb rubble.  All in all it was a very sugar filled afternoon and I look forward to heading back to South Yarra soon, especially once Adriano Zumbo opens his first Melbourne patisserie in August.

Essendon v. Western Bulldogs

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I was last at an Essendon match so I dusted off my Bombers scarf and headed down to Etihad Stadium this afternoon to see us play the Western Bulldogs. While Essendon are having a great season and currently sit third on the ladder there is a dark cloud that has been hanging over the club since the start of the year around the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) investigation into the supplement program last year and whether or not players were injected with performance enhancing drugs.  Their report is due next month and depending on the results we may be facing some severe sanctions.

Today's game was a bit frustrating as we would get a comfortable lead only to let the Bulldogs kick themselves back into contention.  I think the team was missing captain Jobe Watson, who is out for the next 4 weeks with a broken collarbone.  There were some amazing goals, including one by Jason Winderlich which could be in contention for goal of the year.  And Tash came along to the match to see her cousin Nick O'Brien play his first senior game of the year (It's the only time she will be caught supporting Essendon!) as he came off the bench in the third quarter as our sub.  Thankfully we won comfortably in the end.

Final Score
Essendon: 18.13 (121)
Western Bulldogs: 14.6 (90)

Here's the Winderlich goal:

Dan Sultan- Back to Basics

After eating a yummy dinner at Cookie, Tash and I headed upstairs to The Toff In Town last night for the first of two sold out shows by Dan Sultan.  While waiting for the evening to start most of us were glued to our phones to see the result of the latest Labor Party leadership spill, which went to Kevin Rudd as he defeated Prime Minster Julia Gillard 57-45 (I guess third time's a charm).  Ruddy is back and the upcoming Federal election just got more interesting.

The purpose of these shows was for Dan to preview some new songs before he heads off overseas to record his third album.  He played solo on electric guitar across two sets with an intermission in between.  The new songs ranged from rock numbers to more soulful ones with lots of tales of heartbreak and lost love.  Dan also played some newer songs we have heard previously including his song for constitutional recognition "Do You Recognise Me," "Kimberley Calling" about his grandmother's burial place, and his new collaboration with Way Of The Eagle "Rattlesnake."  There was lots of funny banter in between songs as Dan made a few references to the Reclink Community Cup footy match over the weekend which once again ended in a draw.  He finished the evening with everyone's favorite "Old Fitzroy."

Here's the video for Way Of The Eagle's "Rattlesnake"

Cloud Control: Album Preview Show

Tash and I were very excited when Cloud Control announced a sideshow in Melbourne at the Corner Hotel while they were in Australia for the Vivid LIVE festival in Sydney.  It has been a couple of years since I last saw them play as they are now located in the UK, and this was our first chance to hear songs from their upcoming album Dream Cave.

The first act of the evening last night was Melbourne singer-songwriter Ali Barter, who played a solo set on electric guitar.  Her songs sounded good and she also did a cover of the Foo Fighters' "Tired Of You."  Next up was Sydney band Bloods who I just loved.  A girl punk band with a boy drummer, they reminded me of 1990s riot grrrl bands.  I thought they had a fantastic energy, good humor and found them to be very impressive.

The Corner was absolutely packed by the time Cloud Control took the stage.  As this was an album preview show, the set list alternated between old songs and new ones.  The new material sounded great on first listen, with a couple of really stand out tracks.  We were also treated to many songs off of their debut album Bliss Release, including my favorites "Gold Canary," "There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight," "My Fear #2" and "Ghost Story."  For the encore they played the title track "Dream Cave" and finished with their first hit single "Buffalo Country."  I am looking forward to the release of Dream Cave as well as their album tour later in the year.

Here's the new single "Dojo Rising"

Eurovision 2013

It's one of my favorite weekends of the year- the Eurovision Song Contest!  This year it was held in Malmo, Sweden and I kept myself in a media blackout all day so I wouldn't be spoiled for the finals on tv tonight.  There was a bit more diversity in song styles and I liked that a lot of countries sang in their native language instead of English.  I'm not sure if this is due to post-GFC national pride or what I would like to call the Psy effect- not needing to sing in English to have a worldwide hit.

It was a tight race but the winner was Emmelie de Forest from Denmark with "Only Teardrops" 


My top 3 on the night were:

Margaret Berger (Norway) - "I Feed You My Love"


Amandine Bourgeois (France) - "L'enfer Et Moi"


Andrius Pojavis (Lithuania) - "Something"


I was very disappointed that Who See from Montenegro didn't make it through to the finals with their song "Igranka."  Their performance had astronaut suits, hip hop and dubstep.  It was awesome.


Finally, the "What the hell was that" award for this year goes to Cezar (Romania) - "It's My Life"

Oh Mercy- Last Melbourne Shows For 2013

The last two nights have been spent at the Northcote Social Club with Tash and Mary (on Thursday only) to catch the last Melbourne shows for a while by Oh Mercy before they relocate overseas.  It was coined as a celebration and both evenings were a bit of an Oh Mercy fest.

The opening act was Slow Dancer (aka Simon Okely) accompanied by James Harding on bass and Myles Wootton (The Panics) on drums.  They played an excellent set both nights.  There is such a great groove to all of Simon's songs, especially the single "Leave It To Me" (see video below) which has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it over a year ago.  I can't wait for his debut album Surrender to be released sometime this year.



Next on the bill was Alexander Gow solo on electric guitar playing some older Oh Mercy songs.  He began with "Hold Out Your Hand" and "Blue Lagoon" from Great Barrier Grief.  I was so thrilled to hear "Salvation Jane," which is one of my all time favorites and a b-side from one of their first singles.  Interestingly it was "In Good Time" (only played on Thursday) and "By The Collar," the two Privileged Woes tracks, that sounded the strongest to me in the set.  This could be because I haven't heard them live in years.

Alex did covers of songs by Kieran Ryan (Thursday) and The Panics (Friday) and Jae Laffer of The Panics returned the favor by singing his version of Oh Mercy's "Labour Of Love."  Alex also invited Gossling (aka Helen Croome) onto the stage to sing their duet "La Minute De Silence," which was recorded for the Melodie Francaise album of French songs sung by Australian artists.  He finished the set with the Deep Heat b-side "Lady Eucalyptus."

Here's the video for "La Minute De Silence," which was shot in Paris a couple months ago:


For Oh Mercy's set Alex returned to the stage with Rohan and began with "Europa" before Eliza and Simon joined them for "Lay Everything On Me."  The set was mostly songs off Deep Heat including my favorites "Rebel Beats," "Pilgrim's Blues," "My Man," "Still Making Me Pay" and "Drums."  We also got a few Great Barrier Grief tracks with "Keith St," "Stay Please Stay" and Kieran Ryan's lovely cover of "Doldrums."

The funniest moment of the two shows revolved around Simon's birthday on Thursday, which his band members completely forgot about until he announced it on stage.  The reason they gave was that they did so many fake celebrations of his birthday at shows that they didn't know the actual date.  To make up for it they brought out a birthday cake (complete with a penis drawn on the top) and Jagermeister shots on Friday as we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Simon.

The band was quite sentimental at both shows since these will be the last Australian shows for at least a year.  Alex thanked all the familiar faces in the crowd who have supported them over the years.  They finished the night with a ripping version of The Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues" before taking a final bow on stage.  It will be a new chapter for Oh Mercy with Alex and Rohan moving to the US for a while but I have great faith that we will get their best album yet from the experience.

La Belle Miette

My battle against obtaining an afternoon sugar hit at work just got harder now that La Belle Miette have opened their Collins Street store in the last couple weeks.  I have been a big fan of their macarons for over a year now, with their Hardware Lane store being a safe enough distance away to make it more of a special treat than a regular visit.  Now they are just down the road.

Besides the wide variety of yummy flavors available daily (with salted caramel being my favorite) they also do special macarons during various holidays.  For the past two years there have been special limited edition flavors in honor of Mother's Day.  Last year the theme was floral scents, and this year they did a Macaron High Tea with cucumber sandwiches, pink champagne, berry cheesecake, Devonshire tea, opera cake and chocolate brownie flavored macarons.  All of them tasted exactly as described, with the berry cheesecake being my favorite of the six pictured above.  Between La Belle Miette and Spring Street Grocery's gelati I'm either going to go broke or need to hit the gym more often!

Hungry Kids Of Hungary- You're A Shadow Tour

Last night I met up with Mary at the Corner Hotel to see Hungry Kids Of Hungary play to a sold out crowd on the last date of their You're A Shadow tour.  The first act of the night was Melbourne indie pop band Them Swoops.  I was very surprised to discover my friend Satoshi playing guitar and keys with them.  Next up was Sydney band The Preatures, who I thought were pretty good with their atmospheric and soulful songs.

Hungry Kids Of Hungary came out to a very eager crowd and started their set with "What In The World" before launching into "Sharp Shooter."  It was great to hear the majority of tracks off their excellent second album You're A Shadow, including my favorites "Do Or Die," "Twin Cities," "Litter and Sand," and the absolute highlight of the night, "When Yesterday's Gone."  We were also treated to some classic Hungry Kids songs like "Set It Right," "Scattered Diamonds," and "Wristwatch."  They finished the main set with an epic version of "Coming Around" and for the encore did their Triple J Like A Version cover of Tame Impala's "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" before inviting all the support acts on stage to close the night with an energetic "Let You Down."  I always love seeing Hungry Kids play live and their harmonies and musicianship were once again on point.

Here's "When Yesterday's Gone" live from when they were on Triple J a couple weeks ago:

MICF: Lawrence Leung's Part-Time Detective Agency

After meeting up with Ruth, Danny and their friends for dinner last night at Terra Rossa we all headed next door to the Swiss Club for my second comedy festival show of the night, Lawrence Leung's Part-Time Detective Agency.  I always enjoy seeing Lawrence perform because of his use of multimedia and pop culture references in his shows.

This time Lawrence has been inspired by Sherlock Holmes and the tv show Bored To Death to become a part-time detective and solve one of the greatest mysteries in his life: Who dumped a bucket of raspberry cordial on him at his 21st birthday party?  He took the crowd through the evidence and the various suspects for the prank, but the culprit may or may not be who you expect.  The filmed bits were quite funny, and I had no idea he was so obsessed with Brandon Lee and the movie The Crow.  Check out Lawrence's show if you want to put all those detective skills you have learned from watching tv crime shows to the test.

Here's the promo clip for Lawrence's show:

MICF: Hannah Gadsby- Happiness Is A Bedside Table

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is currently on with shows occurring all over the city.  I headed down to the Melbourne Town Hall last night to catch Hannah Gadsby's show Happiness Is A Bedside Table.  I first became aware of Hannah from her work on Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight and this was the first time I had seen her live.

Her show focuses on the themes of adulthood and the loss of innocence and confidence people go through in childhood.  Many of the stories she told were quite personal as she discussed some of the lows she has experienced in her life and trying to regain her confidence back again.  Of course, there were also some very funny moments woven throughout the show, and her description of an incident on a water slide at an Adelaide water park when in high school had me laughing to the point of tears.  It's a hilarious and poignant show that you should definitely go see if you have the chance.

Here is Hannah's short set from the MICF 2013 Gala: