A gay pub in the city of Melbourne has won the right to ban heterosexuals - the first time such legislation has been passed in Australia.
The Victorian state civil and administrative tribunal ruled the Peel Hotel could ban patrons based on their sexual orientation.
The pub's management said the move would stop groups of heterosexual men and women abusing gay people... [Read more here]
Which is more alarming? Homosexuals having to fear heterosexuals or heterosexuals abusing the homosexuals.
On one hand, these are occurrences of "bullying", and on the other, a sense of isolationist policies. It's rather petty and pitiful when we break this down. Yet it is undeniable that humans posses an intrinsic detest of anything different, anything that does not conform.
I'm not dead, between monitor lizard(s) roaming the hall premises, classes on computer games, weighing decisions with seemingly superfluous yet significant consequences, and trainings, there isn't much leisure time to go about. The arts fest is just around the little bend, cremaster is confirmed, with Doll House, Cogito, Sinfonia Eroica and Full Frontal pending. Procrastination, procrastination, why does thou plague me?
The news appears awfully quiet of late, unrest in the Gaza stirs, spilling some over the teacup, but that still the same old, same old. Some trouble brewing over in Lebanon, slightly more novel this.
As I type away here, the realization that I am inadvertedly contirbuting to the $70/barrel price on oil hits poignantly, perhaps not so, I let a moment of nervous concern pass and contemplate the future.
In local news, the EDB takes a jab at its reputation after the University of New South Wales decides to pull out of town. Too little students for a fledgling newcomer to an already saturated market. You need to establish a niche first, get some numbers before expanding to a full school. That's what I think.
Some events in our lives leave a mark, some leave scars, and some of these hurt. Little nips, stings, the bruises and cuts, and the anguish of having steel driven through vital pulsating organs. The natural human reaction to pain is withdrawal, and having learnt a lesson, avoidance.
Definitely, one gets hurt, one won't be particularly fond of that sensation, and one would not like to ever experience it again.
So sometimes, we run away. Away from situations and circumstances likely to result in any sort of damage. Logical option that is, running away. Doesn't come with the hurt and much simpler an undertaking. I'm rather fond of that specific otpion. When I run from things, I don't just keep a distance, I cover up the tracks, paint over the paths and make sure I have a 10 mile lead; all just because I'm good at it. A predisposition to running complimented with the natural gift of the gab, makes exiting a crime scene a breeze.
However, wise old men with greying beards make it a point to remind young men that "you can run but you can't hide".
I have walked from a fair share of potential troubles, hopeless messes waiting to happen. There is one that I've been running from for a good 3-4 years. It's catching up with me. In that time, I might have gotten new skills, new experiences, and old flaws made less glaring. Oh baby, time to swing for the fence
Problem is, what was it I was running from all this time? Too much fantasy and lies blurred reality. I can't tell where the real ends and the fake takes over. The scary part is, I'm starting to believe the same lies that I recount to the bystanders.
This is big, this is really big, and quite bad. Sorry Santa, I've been a really bad boy. Please don't put coal in my sock this christmas.
The thing I have neglected to explain is that running away comes with its own bag of demons. Regret, remorse and "what could have been". More importantly it forces the question "what about the other party(s) feelings?" In the best of cases, its put on cold storage, in the worst, they get hurt. (Maybe in those rare days, they are better off)
So lesson learnt? One must face one's problems, and be true to one's heart. Live without regret and without remorse. Be proud of your own decisions and stay true to them. Don't be afraid of failure and Carpe Diem!
Some 10 minute walk away from home is Frankel Avenue, well hidden enough to elude me for some 10 years. Only one bus service runs those streets, and to my surprise there is a whole row of food outlets in the row of shophouses along the road.
There's a Swiss Bakery, with a whole assortment of freshly baked gourmet breads. From 6 grain bread to Carrot and Herbs. I bought the Tomato bread (darn, I forgot the proper name), but that's for breakfast tomorrow. =p
I must go back and try out their lunch sets. I like the decor and the ambience. Quiet and quaint little corner shop with the wooden tables and chairs.
Ah, and I have digressed. The star of today's review is the "Blue Lobster". Unobtrusively sitting there with no signboard, just a little board with an article write-up on that restaurant.
Stepping into such an inconspicuous joint takes a huge leap of faith or just one large step, but I assure you, the sight of the interior is indeed breath-taking (quite literally).
In fact, I insist they be charged for causing undue stress on customers, especially those, who upon stepping in find that their wallet was much lighter than it was when they left home.
Jokes aside, now. You know how some places keep you guessing on the menu, and sometimes raise expectations too high. I call those the more pretentious places. The Blue Lobster is different. At one glance, it tells the customer "this is a seafood place". In fact it is brazenly advertised and forgive the language, shove in your face. Drawings of fishes, crustaceans together with porcelain sculptures of said sea creatures decorate the inside.
Step further inside and there is an upper deck to the restaurant. The upper deck is even more impressive. The perfect place for a date if I may add. Warm yellow lamps on each table set with white plates and dark blue napkins. Purple satin drapes separate the tables, adding that little touch of subtle elegance, that would certainly score many points with your date. Of course, try hard to fight the sinking feeling that the wallet seems like it will be going on a crash diet for days.
The quiter, and much more romantic upper deck. Nice homely touch, complete with Tabasco sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive oil The lavishly extravagent purple satin drapes The beautiful lamps on each table, a wonderful finishing touch to an already classy decor
One the menu were items like escargo, foie gra, scallops and oysters. For starters, I had the absolutely delightful Cream of Mushroom. There is a tendency for the cream soups to be overly thick and strong, but this one, it was nicely smooth, the light cream complimented by the fresh mushrooms. The bruschetta that was served with the soup definitely was not to be taken lightly. Soft and fluffy and with that hint of herb. Cream of Mushroom
We also ordered the their crab cakes (which I was to find out, was their signature dish). With expectations raised by the wonderful soup, the crab cake definitely did not disappoint. Thank god it was not some cheap crab/fish paste ground and shaped into the final product. It was genuine crab meat nicely shaped into a patty, served on a citrus reduction that was mixed with balsalmic vinegar. The citrus and vinegar added that perfect finishing touch to the savoury, golden brown patty. You wouldn't go wrong ordering this starter.
Crab Cakes
For the main, we ordered Lobster Pasta, half a lobster prepared in an olive oil based sauce, served fresh with linguine and mushrooms. As I called it, an improvised aglio, olive oil mushrooms, but of course, much more succulent than the normal aglio. Ah yes! They added white wine in it. The lobster meat was absolutely tender and the sauce, oh so lightly teasing your tongue as the meat slides down the throat. It was a great decision, not cooking it in a cream sauce which in my opinion, would have overpowered the sweet lobster meat.
Lobster pasta, apologies for the poor pictures. It just doesn't do it any justice.
For mine, I had the Premium catch of the day, Swordfish on this particular tuesday. Lightly grilled and charred at the edges, drizzled with a light cream sauce, two swordfish fillets came with mushrooms and mash, and topped off with a grilled prawn (poor thing was neatly slit down it's spine where cheese was melted onto it). It was my first time trying swordfish, and it was good, really good. Lightly charred, the taste of the barbeque lingering as you bite down on the firm juicy meat.
Swordfish fillet, oh-lala! Take 2 Oh my god! Delicious!
For desert, it was really a hard choice, Creme Brule, Panna Cotta, Apple Crumble, Chocolate Fondant. Eventually, we settled for Apple Crumble and the Coconut Panna Cotta.
The Apple crumble was gorgeous, light crust with a generous amount of cinnamon, that didn't overpower. The apple filling inside was soft and sweet, though, not quite formidable enough to compete with Aerin's.
Apple Crumble
The Panna Cotta, it was just beautiful! The panna cotta sitting innocently in the middle of the plate, staring back at you through the ring of strawberries, coaxing you gently, imploring you to take a bite. It was an interesting twist, infusing coconut into the ingredients. The sauce had every bit of strawberry as one could desire, sweet and fruity (Not beating Galbiatti's though). Seriously, it's fantastic.
Hello! Come eat us! Heavenly!
Blue Lobster 87 Frankel Avenue (S) 458215 Call 6442 5090 for reservations The restaurant is open from noon to 2.30pm and from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. It's closed on Mondays.
Food: 8.5/10. Excellent! The chef definitely knows what he's doing and doesn't hold back. Presentation is top notch and every care is taken to make the food look pretty.
Location: 4/10. First, you need to know where it is, second, there's only 1 bus. Driving or a cab is the preferred option. It's just before Siglap along East Coast road.
Price: 6/10. Definitely worth the value, esepcially for the ambience and overall experience. The set lunch costs $25, which includes 1 soup, 1 main, desert of the day and coffee or tea. The Lobster pasta was $49, the Soup was $12, the crab cakes $15 and the Premium catch of the day at $30. Deserts costs from $10-$18 bucks.
Ambience and Decor: 10/10. The perfect place to bring a date to impress. The Western style combined with slight Eastern influences, Japanese paintings and oriental style sculptures. A really posh location regardless of occasion.
The 6 basic flight instruments are the Vertical Speed Indicator, the Attitude Metre, the Altimeter, the Airspeed indicator, the turn coordinator and of course, the Heading bug.
Hardly a day passes by without wishing I was up there in the cerulean skies, if only things went differently. Dreams of fighter pilot-dom shattered in a moment.
Until the challenge of being a Captain on a commercial carrier seemed much more attractive. "This is Captain Gavin on Flight 777 to Tokyo. The weather is excellent, with clear skies and a good wind. If there is anything you need, please feel free to approach our friendly crew members, and we attend to you promptly. I hope you enjoy your flight and thank you for flying with us."
Captain of the plane, not just about flying it through the skies, not just about seeing the beautiful sight out the cockit, ut sharing that experience with the hundreds of passengers and crew with me. Getting them safely to their destination and working seemlessly as a team with my crew.
That would be an unbelievably satisfying and gratifying experience. Forget about those days of young where we shot down bandits in our water bottle joystick controlled f-16s on the bus to school, or the more futuristic X-wings and Y-wings. To see the smiles upon the faces after a job well done, that makes the heart warm.
Maybe, there is a sliver of hope in this dream. Never give up on a dream. =)
Oh yeah, "Good Luck!!", one of my favourite Japanese Dramas, about flying of course.
There is this local adage, "Indian Chief", a slang in the army for the platoon's ic, and usually riddle with derogatory undertones. Of course, in BMT no one wanted to be the Indian chief, it entailed extra duties and responsibilities that meant certain doom for clueless young teenagers. There they were, just arrived on the island of tekong head shave, egos brutally decimated by the "amiable" instructors there, and the last thing on their list of priorities is to take care of 40 others just like him.
Fast forward a few weeks, and there we were in SAFTI vying to be the Indian chief, the coveted sword of honour at stake.
It is weird how a matter of weeks can transform an unmentionable chore into the most glorious accolade. Perhaps it's the allure of the privileges afforded to the Indian Chief.
Whilst it is necessary to have Indian Chiefs, I find it confounded how a local University can implement a system that only rewards students for being Indian Chiefs. Under this scheme for the allocation of points for people to stay in the hostels, normal members of any CCA or committee are awarded the lowest points on the scale, whereas the Executive committee members are given much more points. Whilst it is unfair to award the same amount of points to everyone; That would be close to communism now, wouldn't it? I think they arrest people for being communist.
Anyway, these points are non-cumulative, that is to say, the position of highest weight and only that would be taken into account. So an active sportsman representing the school in 3 sports might not have half the points of the President of a CCA that possible has less than 30 members.
There is a glaring disparity in the scheme, which taken quite literally, suggests that participation in activities are futile and worthless. Given the more pragmatic and practical nature of the students in school, this translates to a chronic lack in interests and participation levels in CCAs, committees and various activities in school.
People would much rather go straight for the executive positions.
It is rather alarming, that such a scheme is being put into force. Already many CCAs are experiencing low participation levels, because there simply is no motivation.
I cannot imagine if such attitudes were to be brought into society, where leadership positions are sought after for the privileges that they promise. Leadership is not about enjoyment, leadership is about a commitment to serve and a responsibility to the people who have placed a certain trust in the hands of their leaders.
These rights are afforded to leaders to facilitate their roles, not as some form of class discrimination.
Afterall, if the battlefield is littered with a million Indian Chief and no men, what kind of order is there?
I love that song featuring the Kumars! I can't beleive how unbelivably cheerful life has become after getting away from school! I see the morning light at 8, I sleep peacefully at night, I hear the news and all's really great! Going out, out of school, to town, around the neighbourhood. I. Love. Freedom!
Catching a film at the Film Festival and getting acquainted with Edgar Alan Poe. Austen is still waiting for me to finish it, but yet I am so compelled to make a trip down to Kino to shop for more books! A trip to kino anyone??
I'm trying to look into the possibility (and feasibility) of going to Japan for a while. It's close to a year since I went travelling, and boy am I itching to fly again.
And since you all have been really nice people, here is the "acursed" picture. =p
