Snapshots from Margaret River.

As promised, more pictures from our Margaret River trip!

Lavender bee.

Bee on lavender, Cape Lavender, Margaret River.

Snapping this picture was quite challenging. I've never seriously tried to shoot this close up before, and my lens isn't exactly the fastest, so I'm surprised this turned out as well as it did. Did I happen to mention that the bee kept on moving (as bees are wont to do), making it a complete pain to track and shoot?

Took this at Cape Lavender, which is a rather nice place somewhere in between Margaret River and Dunsborough. Don't ask me exactly where it is because we just happened to chance across it while on our travels! True to the name, there's lavender of all sorts practically everywhere and they've got a little cafe and a shop front selling all sorts of lavender-related products. I picked up a bottle of white lavender-infused wine there - it's really interesting! Quite fruity with a slight floral bouquet, it sits well on the tongue and finishes with a slight lavender after taste - really refreshing and excellent chilled! Lord knows what I'll pair it with, but hey, at least it's interesting!

Bridge to noms.

Boardwalk to beach, outside Bunkers Beach Cafe, Bunker Bay.

There's a bit of a funny story regarding how we found this spot. Char was looking for the Bunker Bay resort for her work, and we chanced upon the very lovely Bunkers Beach Cafe while driving around. The cafe's location is as perfect as it gets, nestled smack in the centre of the bay with a 180 degree view of the entire beach from headland to headland... plus a little boardwalk leading to the white sand beach a literal stone's throw away. Talk about a perfect place to grab a lunch!

This shot was taken from our table outside on the verandah and leads straight to the beach just a little beyond. Seriously, how awesome is that?

Tasting plate.

Bunkers Beach Cafe, Bunker Bay.

And the food at the cafe doesn't disappoint! We shared a tasting plate and a bowl of chips with garlic aioli. Clockwise from top; venison chorizo; mango, chickpea and herb chutney; and warmed mixed olives. There's some rice crackers hidden behind the chorizo too.

Talk about a burst of flavour! The chutney was a surprisingly good blend of sweet and savoury with a hint of spice. It tasted almost like a sweet dhal that's quite refreshing and a perfect match for the other flavours on the plate. The venison chorizo was really interesting though. It was quite dry and lean, as expected from venison, and packed a whole lot of smoky spiced flavour.

And seriously, who can pass up warm mixed olives?

Lunch.

Margaret River Providore, Margaret River

Still on the subject of food, on one of the other days we had a late lunch at the Margaret River Providore, which is a really 'up-there' sort of place with all kinds of different local and international produce like French cheeses, Ceylon teas, and a whole range of local jams, fruit, wines and small goods. Ever the curious fellow, I bought some French porcini sea salt (literally sea salt blended with dried mushrooms) to season my steaks with (awesome!) and some cheese for Char's family.

Oh, by the way, that's a 12-hour braised beef shin with mashed potatoes that Char's having. Really great blended flavours with the flavour of the meat and wine really coming through. Just goes to show that the wine you use for cooking is so important for the flavour of the dish. Seriously if you're inclined to use a cheap wine for cooking, I'd advise against it. Always use a wine that you'll be happy to drink. Seriously, you'll thank me for it! The benefits flavour-wise are massive.

On the grapevine.

Grape leaf, Vasse Felix Estate, Cowaramup.

Back to close up photography, here's a random grape leaf on one of the vines at Vasse Felix. Now I'm guessing it might have been the season or something, but there was hardly any leaves on any of the vines! Is there some viticulture maxim that dictates that you have to prune the vines just so? It is spring, so I guess I expected to see at least a couple more leaves on each vine!

Running river.

River, Vasse Felix Estate, Cowaramup.

One thing I've noticed about a lot of the estates in the region is that each of the large estates has some form of landscaped water feature. I must say, it is quite pleasant to look at though! I do enjoy taking shots of running water and trying to get that sort of milky ethereal look on the water. Takes a lot of tries when you're running around without a tripod, but thankfully I've been getting better at taking 1-2 sec exposures hand held. (Although this was a 1/2 second exposure, so no worries there!)

Enter hyperspace!

Wallcliffe Road, en route from Prevelly to Margaret River.

Another one of those shots that I just enjoy doing, taking shots of street lights at night. It's a very different ballgame when you're snapping from the passenger seat of a moving car as compared to the side walk or an overhead bridge on the freeway. I like the effect though! You can really see the motion (and you can also really see my hands shake). Looks quite a bit like hitting hyperspace eh? Where's R2-D2 when you need him?

Postcard perfect.

Beach, Eagle Bay.

One of those postcard perfect shots that you get every so often. It's amazing how the colours just blend into this amazing feast of blue. That's something that you rarely get back home. Singapore's beaches are a far cry from the beauty that dots the Australian coastline. How do you compare? Beaches like this really make me wish I had a wide angle lens, which really should be be my next big purchase gear-wise.

I find it funny how sometimes when you take these shots, they come out looking almost fake. Almost like it's too nice a scene to be real, hey?

And there you have a selection of shots from our Margaret River trip. Honestly three days/two nights really is too short to explore the whole area, especially when you factor in the three-hour drive. Next time we go, we're definitely taking a week to chill out and explore to our heart's content... well... if we can find the time and the money!

Next stop come December, Singapore and Kuching!

More critters!

I'm always intriguied by how our guinea pigs have such different and distinct personalities even though they're sisters from the same litter. You'd think that they'd be fairly similar in taste and temperment, considering that the pair haven't been seperated since birth, but they're such polar personaility opposites it's almost fun to watch them interact with us and each other.

I'm the studious one.

Eowyn ostantiously trying to maximise profits (or squeak-to-carrot returns)

Eowyn's the slightly smaller (and punkier looking) of the two. She's also the more calm and sedate of the two, always happy to be picked up and cuddled, and rarely startled by anything. She's also the bolder of the two and takes the lead in most situations. It's adorably cute how Leia follows Eowyn everywhere when we leave them to their own devices in the garden. It's a guinea pig train!

OMG!!!

Leia looking stunned/shocked/startled... again!

Leia on the other hand is the more skittish and tempermental of the pair. She startles really easy. So easy in fact that she often bumps her head on things while reacting and trying to get away! You should really see her jump! She literally does this hop, turns around, and dashes for cover while bumping her head on the wall/food bowl/house in the process! It's so comical and adorable at the same time!

Nom nom nom.

Eowyn, always focused on the important things in life.

Compared to Eowyn who goes 'meh' and just sits there and nibbles away!

Think smart, act blur.

Leia looking confused. Another of the many 'awww so cute!' expressions she's got.

Leia's very happy vegging out in front of the tv or computer - seriously! Leia sits through Warcraft sessions and tv episodes like a champ. Sometimes when the living room tv's on, you'll catch Leia watching through the bars of her cage. She also gets lonely quite easily and will start squeaking if we take Eowyn out of the cage for too long or if she can't find her sister. Eowyn on the other hand, just seems to take everything in stride!

Leia's also more inclined to try and hide or scurry off to her little corner. The only time she's aggressive is when it comes to trying to get food! She's trained herself very well to squeak whenever the fridge or pantry door is opened, which often either gets her a carrot or some attention. She's trained us pretty well too!

In your face, filling out your frame.

Eowyn on the dinner table.

Ave Ceasar!

To be honest I was a little apprehensive about driving down to Mundaring to check out the pizza. It is a fair distance from home after all! But in the spirit of adventure and finding a decent feed, Char and I made the trek up to the hills with her folks to see what all the fuss was about.

Having a little spare time, we did the touristy thing and went to the visitor centre to have a quick browse through before heading to Mundaring Weir to see the dam... and predictably it rained on us a couple minutes after stepping out of the car. I swear, some days it feels like I'm living in England with all this intermittent blustery days and shrieking rain.

And then naturally when we got back to Mundaring town, the rain stopped. Bloody weather!

Now to be entirely honest, I wasn't sure what to expect at Little Ceasars. Hearing stories about the great pizza and reading the news clippings about the awards the pizzas' won is one thing, but actually eating it is a whole different kettle of fish. Maybe I'm a little cynical about the whole 'best in wherever' tag because you see it around so much, but this really lives up to its reputation. The pizza is awesome!



We ordered the Oyster Kilpatrick (Char's Dad's choice) and Jane's Addiction (my choice) pizzas, and damn were they good!



The Oyster Kilpatrick is a truly interesting blend of bacon, smoked oyster, onion, parsley, worchestershire sauce and cheese. It's a very interesting flavour, almost a little tangy and sweet, then you bite into these little smoked oyster or bacon pockets of savoury goodness and you're inundated with a flavour explosion I can only call 'big'!

I admit that I was a little confused over the use of worchestershire sauce, but it blended in perfectly, and the onions just added enough of a counterbalance to the bacon and smoked oyster flavour that it wasn't overwhelming.



I love how they've named a good number of pizzas after bands. There's the Smashing Pumpkin, Eskimo Joe and White Stripe pizzas. Then there's what we tried, Jane's Addiction... and yes I am addicted!

I must say, I'm not a huge fan of the band, but damnit that's good pizza! Marinated prawns, prosciutto, garlic cream, rocket pesto and cheese? Sign me up! I've had a couple of garlic prawn pizzas in my time, but this one takes the cake, the cream, and the cherry on top too. It's that good. The combination of flavours is truly sublime. My sole complaint is that the prawns are just a shade this side of salty, but otherwise, it's as close to prawn pizza heaven as I've ever been.

When I next make the trek up to Mundaring, I'm definitely having another one of them Jane's Addictions! (Light on the Dave Navarro if you please.)



And then there's dessert. A pecan pie pizza. Lord knows I'm not the world's biggest fan of the sweet stuff, but this wasn't too bad. Little slivers of pecan and caramel dusted with sugar over a butterscotch pudding mix. Sounds interesting, no? Thankfully it wasn't too sweet, although after the really big flavours of the savory pizzas, I was expecting something with a little more zing, which this really didn't deliver. (Then again my taste buds might have been fried by flavour overload at that point!)

Overall I must say that I'm very impressed with the pizza. It's really worth making the trip and waiting and fighting the crowd for. Thankfully we where there early so we missed the bulk of the rush, but it was still pretty jam packed with people. Lots of Asian fellows there too. Guess we all subscribe to the 'don't care how far it is as long as it's good/cheap' ethic, eh?



If anyone wants to head up Mundaring way for a pizza any time soon, let me know! (Hi Robin! This means you! :)

Things to eat.

Like many others, I love food. Often I find it hard to discern the line between 'eat to live' and 'live to eat'; I fear that I lean towards the latter more strongly than I do the former! In our abundance, it is easy to forget those who have little to eat, especially when we never encounter them. It's a sobering thought.

Still, food is the great human leveller. We all need to eat, and invariably we all socialise while eating. I'm sure there's someone out there much wiser than I who will be able to discuss the social psychology of food with you; but today my mission is simply to present you with a few random things I've eaten over the past few months.

I think my doctor will probably cringe.

Seafood Ravioli.

This is probably the best ravioli I've ever had. It packed so much sheer flavour in every bite. It's a literal explosion of flavours and textures with all the different fish, prawns and other crustaceans packed into each little pasta dumpling. Admittedly it was pricey though!

Bacon and Egg Roll.

Seriously, that's what I call a greasy breakfast on the go. Seriously, who needs knives and forks? Get stuck in with your fingers is what I say! There's a visceral pleasure in physically touching and manhandling your food.

Sticky Pork Belly and Scallops.

The sticky pork belly and scallops is one of our favourite tapas at Mad Monks in Fremantle. The blend of sweet, hot and savory is quite well balanced in this dish.

Mad Monks is probably our favourite place to go at the moment. There's a good solid variety of food and the quality is always excellent. Plus they brew their own beers too. I'm partial to the Rogue beer, which is a lighter zesty style of beer; plus there's a whole bunch of others too. Among the beers, the Rauchbier really stands out in my opinion; it's seriously the first beer I've ever had that I can safely say reminds me of bacon and sausages. I kid you not. Its definitely something off the beaten track for me!

Sicilian Pizza.

Char loves her anchovies... In small doses! There's a good number of places here that do a pretty mean pizza; for which I am very grateful. I've had one too many poor quality pizzas from back in Singapore. I have to say I do find that I enjoy a nice glass of white with my pizza much more than I do the beer these days. Beer and pizza have become too filling for me. Or perhaps I'm just getting older.

Anyone up for supper?

Critters.

As most of you already know, we own two little bundles of adorable fur named Leia and Eowyn. Yes they're both girls and they're both named after strong female characters in two of my favourite science fiction franchises. I think the geekiness shows through eh?

By the way, they're guinea pigs, not hamsters!!!

Peek-a-boo!

Leia pokes her head out.

Mine!

Eowyn gets possessive over carrot.

Who? Me?

Leia gives the innocent look a workout.

Sorry, she's camera shy.

Aren't they adorable?

moments in monochrome.

A few more shots from the Dongara/Geraldton trip, coverted to black and white. I really enjoy black and white photography. There's a certain gravity and character about it that gets lost sometimes when shooting in colour. The tones and shadows are emphasised, the character is somehow enhanced... that's something I never tire of seeing.

Black and white conversion also can help 'save' a photograph. Especially when the colour's a little off or the picture's a little over exposed. I admit that I do convert some shots to black and white simply because I'm trying to 'save' the shot. Most of the time though, it's an artistic decision based on the very simple 'it'll just look better' argument!

I don't really subscribe too much to the overly artistic school of thought. A good photograph just has to look good. It doesn't necessarily need to have a deeper meaning or have superb technical quality. Or maybe I'm subconsciously making excuses because I'm not very good at the technical aspects of photography! Who knows?

Someone to lean on.

One of many leaning trees, Geraldton

I'm amazed at how many leaning trees there were in the area. I just can't get my head around how the prevailing winds stunt a tree's growth so much that the tree literally grows leaning over. It's just amazing in it's own way.

Towering above.

Tower at the HMAS Sydney memorial, Geraldton

I can't claim any credit for the picture. It was taken by Char using my camera and I am so taken by the framing and placement of the break in the clouds just nicely silouetting the flag that I just had to post it.

Whipped away in the wind.

Windmill, somewhere in between Geralton and Dongara

Snapped this one in the car on the way back from trying to find some pool whose name suddenly escapes me. There's literally miles of open plain, dotted every so often by a herd of sheep and by one of these giant windmills. When you think about the trees getting blown over by the wind, it makes perfect sense to build a wind farm out that way. This was probably the most dynamic of all the windmill shots I took. Shame you can see the window reflection in the picture though.

Somewhat pensive?

Char, in Mabeline's car

Admittedly I am horrible at taking portraits. This shot didn't turn out too badly though. I'm actually quite surprised that even though I was cooped in a car for hours on stretch, I didn't take as many images of my fellow car-mates as I could have. I really should try and utilise the opportunity to work on my portraiture, hey? Maybe next time.

As they say, carpe diem, hey?

happy national day!

Oh my goodness, I just reviewed the last post and realised what day it is! I'm so blur sometimes.

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY!!!

Have an awesome day all you guys back home!

apologies. weekend getaway.

My apologies for the absurdly long absence! I have no excuses other than (1) I have been fairly busy with work, and (2) I'm really good at procrastinating. More of the latter than the former to be honest. Then again most of you know exactly how much of a sloth the good Chris can be when it comes to getting things done, much to the girlfriend's chagrin.

We went up to Dongara with Mabeline and Calvin about two weekends back for a quick getaway. It's a fairly sleepy picturesque town approximately four hours by car north of Perth with a growing rock lobster fishing industry. Hell, they've even got a large metal lobster along the main highway! (Note to self: upload lobster pic)

We drove up on Friday night after work and came back Sunday afternoon by way of New Norcia. Spent most of Saturday in Geraldton, which is the major population centre approximately 30 minutes drive away. Sad to say, most of Saturday was horrible for pictures, although I think I managed a couple good ones. And yes, we did have lobster (among other things) for dinner.

I'd say it was a pretty good trip. Lord knows that Char and I both needed a break from the daily monotony. In fact, I'm pretty sure we need another break fairly soon! Maybe it's time for another drive down south...

A poem in stone.

Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, Geraldton

I felt an indescribable sense of 'coming home' when I stepped into the cathedral. The history and tradition literally seeps through the very architecture, at once both different and yet reassuringly familiar. The interior of the nave and the dome have a strangely mosque-like air, almost like the Byzantian-style architecture or one of the great Spanish mosques. I wish I had better pictures of the interior to show you.

For me, the most heartachingly beautiful thing in the cathedral are the stained-glass windows. I was most struck by one window dedicated to the memory of a son who fought and died in the first World War. The anguish of loss was palpably present in that stained glass, as was a quiet and reassuring hope. I spent a good while just drinking that window in. Tragic and beautiful. They rarely make art like that these days.

Lighthouse by moving car.

Moore Point Lighthouse, Geraldton

The lighting was poor when we first passed by the lighthouse; which is the first all-steel lighthouse built on the mainland and the oldest lighthouse still under federal government ownership. Thankfully I managed to sneak in this shot on the way back.

King of my castle.

Seagull on a trash can. Back Beach, Geraldton

For some reason this seagull just refused to move and actually chased off another bird who tried to land on 'his' trash can. I'm reminded of the seagulls in Finding Nemo yelling out 'Mine! Mine! Mine!'

Lunch.

Chicken salad with bacon and sundried tomato. Skeetas Restaurant and Cafe, Geraldton.

Lunch at Skeetas Restaurant and Cafe in Geraldton, overlooking the foreshore. Salad was excellent and the deep fried calamari were one of the better ones I've had in a while. Had a very interesting strawberry yoghurt dip with bread as part of the appetisers too.

Did I mention I really enjoyed the chicken salad? Mmm. Chicken salad...

Sharing a moment.

Sunset, Dongara

After all the dreary skies and washed-out colour of the day, we're suddenly greeted with a awesome display of magnificent wonder. Seriously, it made all the bad shots I've taken over the course of the day almost worth it to experience and capture another one of those glorious sunsets we so rarely have the time to contemplate.

And that's all I have for you at the moment. More pictures to come soon! I promise!

the pinky punk dog does blue steel.

Encountered this adorable fellow outside Kardinya Park a couple months back. Seriously, who dyes a dog's fur? And more importantly, who dyes it bright pink?! The critter did attract quite a crowd though, including at least twice his allotted share of adoring old auntie types going 'oh, so cute!'

Seriously, see for yourself!





Okay fine. He IS cute. Rar.

blacks and whites

There's a part of me that always loves black and whites. There's something about the medium that always seems to create a certain intensity. Or maybe Wayne Umehara really did get to me back in poly! Whatever the reason, here's a couple shots I rather enjoyed. 

'twas a dark and stormy night...

Hay Street Mall, Perth

Hay Street Mall, Perth


Hay Street Mall, Perth

the three wise men

Outside the Esplanade, Singapore

Snakes on a plane!

Just when you thought it was all movie magic. My question is, where's Sam Jackson? Only in Australia!

Cakes, bikes and gourds.

I really should be sleeping right now. I've got a meeting at Murdoch University tomorrow with Murdoch's PR people about a drama therapy programme that I'm working with the uni on.

Oh well, such is life isn't it? Sleep is a commodity I'm rarely able to catch. Thank goodness for caffiene.

Anyway, got a couple more snap shots from my Singapore trip to share with you. I'm knackered; have a good night all!

She's touring the facility.


Petit cakes, Sakura Buffet Restaurant, Marina Bay Shopping Centre

Don't fear the reaper (baby take my hand).


Raw oysters with lemon and tabasco, Sakura Buffet Restaurant, Marina Bay Shopping Centre

I want to ride my bicycle.


Damaged bicycle, North Bridge Road underpass.


Follow the drinking gourd.


Gourds, Chinatown

Hard day's night (and he'll be sleeping like a log).


Catching a quick nap, Chinatown

(He's) in fashion.


Candid snapshot, Tangs Shopping Centre, Scotts Road

Monkey business

I know it's the Daily Mail (read: sensationalist tabloid trash) but this just seriously tickles my funny bone.

Pretty awesome, eh? More proof that our simian cousins are inherrently funny! (As if we didn't know that already)

I can has blow up doll?

Yes. You read right. Not only have I (temporarily) succumbed to the evils of lolspeak, but I have a blow up doll... and she even has a name!

No. Not that kind of blow up doll! Scrub your mind - I'm not that deviant! :p

Without further ado, I present... Anni!



Serious, that's what she's called -Anni - go figure.

Work sent me on a two-day senior first aid course. Hey, who am I to argue?

As you can tell, the course was shit boring. At least I got a nice certificate out of it though!