The boil

Painful. Angry. Oozy. Nathan won't got near it. No, this post has nothing to do with the finale of Britain's Got Talent. I'm talking about a blocked sweat gland in my groin. Not pleasant.

Sydney highlights

Just got back from three days in Sydney hanging out with my postdoc, T, before his trip back to Europe. I had a fantastic time. We ended up staying at a really nice hotel near Oxford Street and did so much walking that I'm now sporting a whopper of a blister on the ball of my right foot (but it was totally worth it). Highlights include...

1. sipping soy chai lattes in the upstairs cafe in the Berkelouw bookshop on Oxford Street;
2. watching an ibis terrorize a foreign tourist at Darling Harbour;
3. catching the ferry to Double Bay;
4. eating freshly shucked oysters at the Sydney fish markets;

Strike

There was a strike on today at Uni. Even though I'm not a member of the union, I figure I should work from 'home' to avoid having to cross picket lines. So...after brekky on Swan Street with Nathan, I headed over to the National Gallery of Victoria, walked through the front entrance and headed straight for my favourite security guard standing at the bottom of the stairs. I gave her a hug, then went for a bit of a wander around the exhibits before making my way up the escalators to the coffee shop. I bought myself a nice cup of english breakfast tea then settled into a corner where I spent the next 5 hours marking essays (which generally involved correcting bad english and poor referencing).

A tropical Christmas

I have a friend who is fortunate enough to be living and working on Christmas Island. He is a brilliant photographer and has been sending us weekly shots of amazing wildlife. His latest set of photographic offerings is making me extremely jealous. I think I need to plan a trip out there sometime soon (preferably during the Melbourne winter).

What to bring to Europe?

My postdoc wanted some ideas on what he should buy to bring back to Europe for his friends. I took him to woolworths and told him to get these...

Sydney visit and coming out all over again

I need to use up some of my annual leave and have decided to go up to Sydney for a three day visit next Monday with my postdoc who is due to fly back to Europe from Sydney. The trip (as always) will be planned around culinary priorities (e.g. a visit to the fish market, a meal or two in Chinatown).

I've also arranged to catch up for dinner with a friend whom I haven't seen for several years. In fact, I haven't seen him since I first came out almost 5 years ago. I haven't had the chance to tell him (and figure that it should be a face-to-face conversation). I'm not sure how much easier it will be to have to have THAT conversation all over again.

Eurovision II

Perhaps I will go to Oslo instead...

Eurovision

If Finland wins, I'm going to Helsinki next year.

The best meal EVER...

Went out last night with some friends to celebrate a 40th birthday at Shoya, a japanese restaurant located in Market Lane in the city. Wow! Talk about amazing. We opted for the degustation menu and, over the next three hours, sampled some amazing culinary creations creations. These included a grilled miso marinated eel canape topped with crab meat and black truffle, grilled perch topped with (among other things) foie gras and roe, giant crab leg tempura (the crabs were flown in from Hokaido), melt-in-your-mouth wagyu fillet steak, and the freshest sushi presented in a bowl made out of ice. It was by far the most special dining experience I've ever had (and am already planning and saving up for a return visit).

An eventful weekend...

(1) Sister got engaged
(2) Went to the Brack retrospective
(3) Dug up friend's front yard