Sometimes I get very hungry

March 8, 2012

Its true you know. Don’t you ever just get very hungry?…I’ll get straight to the facts. My Sister in law is a magnificent cook. Like proper magnificent, it runs in the family but she has a particular talent. We have been thinking about pushing her against her will into a book publishing store/business to ask them to let her do a book, but alas she we be in it. But, I do have some amazing news, she with help of yours truly has started her own website. Featuring none other than ……..Her Cooking, and sometimes on a daily basis.

The Push came the other day, we had just returned to their house for a visit after some time away travelling up the north coast of NSW. We had just finished Dinner. Sister in law in question says (not verbatim) something along the lines of  - “I should russell something up for dessert, what about some apple pie?”

Holy Fucking Shit.

After about 20mins of her and partner walking around as she likes to say to me ‘with the broom up their arses’ – alluding to the fact they have committed to too many tasks at once, out walk my sister with an apple pie. Not any ordinary apple pie mind you. A crazy apple pie. Perfectly stewed sweet apples glazed with the essence of brown sugar and southern american dreams, spread out on a most perfectly no perfect star shaped pastry. It resembled a beautiful Apple star like false god of deliciousness.

Here is a picture. We did not have time to take one at the start as it was too edible. We scoffed (?spelling) it.

Looks good huh?

This picture gives you a little bit of a reference point for how the whole tart/pie/thing was served up.

It was after we finished eating this (2 mins later  - I set my mouth to ‘Dyson Mode’) that Mrs Panda piped up “You should so start a food blog!”, the reply was “yeah maybe, do you think?”

It was all I needed, if she wasn’t about to do – Pandainabattlesuit.com would surely facilitate it, and so we did.

Please drum role – I would like to now redirect you all (after you finish reading my hilarious anecdotes of course to my sister in law’s new site.

I just <3 Food 

This amazing blog will tempt you, and make your hunger worse and your taste buds swell and engorge. Best thing about it, is I get to eat a lot of it.

Please head over their and check it out, whilst it is only fledgling at present, it is sure to be great in the not too distant future.

Oh and here is some other pies I have had recently, whilst on leave.

All from an RSL club. Exquisit. soon to come I will post a bit of a photo montage re: the lovely surrounds of another trip (quite touristy) to Coffs Harbor

Aural stimulation #6

February 23, 2012

This month is a little different. Haven’t been able to rock the normal metal, glitch beats that is normally on high resolution, instead taking a bit of a wind back. Currently on rotation are the following glorious creations.

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The reinvention of Lizzy Grant is one that hasn’t gone unnoticed, well we have no love for the haters, Lana Del Rey is awesome on this disc, what ever name she takes, especially on tracks like Radio, Lolita, and This is what makes us girls, makes me me want to be a girl it is so romantic.

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Tinie Tempah. I do love to hate, like a hipster gangster rapper, but this album is just full of addictive beats and lyrics, except for Pass Out. I’m pretty done with that one.

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Ok. I have jumped on the band wagon. But all I can do is advise you to download this album plug it in to what ever sound system you have, even the Honda jazz one and turn it up really loud. The kind of loud that hurts a little. Tracks like Right In and the title track are amazing. It is like a electronic heavy metal version of southern rock. Amazing. If if teamed up with a YouTube clip of Christmas lights.

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Just heard Zoe’s Album in a shop today. It was unbelievable. So nice on your ears like one of those fluffy blankets we all coveted as children. Go and support this young artist by buying her album, not as a charity case but to show support for musicians who actually make their own music from a place in their soul that has never heard about 808 drum beats or $4000 per hour mastering.

Well that is what is being heard at the moment by the ears of the writer of this blog. Go get them if you haven’t already, if you have thank you for the tweet or Facebook post that lead me to obtain the albums mentioned, happy listening.

Enjoi.

Some nice food to eat

February 23, 2012

We are on one of our lovely regular getaways to the beautiful city of Coffs Harbor. Whilst here we stay at our relatives’ house near the beautiful and fast becoming boutique village of Sawtell.
Whilst here you cannot go past this café – Café Treeo

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We stopped here as the menu was by far the best on the strip (today on first avenue) and seemed to have the most delicious, least pretentious, sharp but minimal atmosphere of all of the cafes.

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We ordered the baked pear and caramel pancakes (yes for breakfast) and the corn fritters. Both were to die for and I could not recommend this spot more.

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So many cafés open up in smaller towns and villages like this and proceed to overcharge under cooked and all over act like dick heads to make their patrons think they are getting a slice of Newtown or Lygon street. They forget that most of their clientele won’t be seasonal families. It will be joe neighbor that loves a good all day breakfast.

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Stars, Sunset, Mountain, Skyline

February 17, 2012

[via Design Milk]

Shut your eyes.

Now imagine you have just told yourself to go to bed. You walk across your perfect polished concrete floors, up your small ladder or stairs, through your little bedroom entry hole, yes entry hole, not door, lay down, and close your eyes, or keep them open because the view is far too perfect to shut them.

I guess this is what the Architects at this house a little bit had in mind. The sleeping retreats, each one of the four has its own unique out look.

The Four eyes house is not only beuatiful to look at, but as an inanimate object stimulates your brain by placing a context on other wise nothing spaces. Yes you can creat a bedroom that is spacious or a bedroom that is warm but these bedrooms, create a different environment all together that engages you visually.

It is just a really great idea.

I am a bit caught up looking at houses this week I am sorry.

More can be read about the Four Eyes House either via, Design Milk, or via the Amazing architect Edward Ogosta’s Site here

The idea is basically that all four bedrooms each have their own outlook, one being the sky and stars at night, one being the skyline of the near city, the 3rd being the mountain scape, and the final and fourth incorporating the horizon intune with the sunset.

Even the surrounding landscape is blended without theatrics or bizarre gardens, or succulents, it is just nice looking dirt, and a nice looking lap pool.

 

from Nanami Cowdroy

February 17, 2012

We have just received email from Nanami whilst she is busy, and while we are happily and patient waiting for her to return the blessed interview questions (no rush I promise).

Here is a video she has alerted us to after being featured artist by Smirnoff Vodka.

Enjoi

And don’t forget to frequent Nanami’s Website

Private Minimal Cube

February 17, 2012

[Via Design Milk]

This place is just amazing. Have I said that before on this site? surely not.

it seems as though through the restriction in space and the high density population the amazing current Japanese architects, are become a form of ‘zen master’ of minimal form and clean non clinical warmth.

Shinichi Ogawa and Associates, are responsible for this master piece, and as can be read in this beautiful article at Design-Milk .

Having a tree encompassed by the house (which includes smoked glass no less) is one of those dream boat things that you hope and prey that by some fortune you can install into your house, even if it is only on a window in a door between the garage and the street.

The rest of Shinichi & friends work is equally amazing, but lets not forget the fact that some terribly talented builders and his team with amazing attention to detail have work from the plan to create this building and give us a glimpse of what minimal heaven may look like if we are sent there after reading or watching too much grand designs.

Going to be planting a tree in our living room as soon as Mrs Panda agrees

 

Amazing Illustration – Helena Perez Garcia *swoon*

February 9, 2012

These are just some of the amazing illustrations doing the rounds on the interwebs, getting the artist Helena Perez Garcia well deserved kudos, you can see a lot more of her work over here at her website.

I will further feature some of her work after contacting her shortly, but these few pictures, just capture how truly amazing an illustrator and artist she is.

Hope you enjoy. I have to say my particular favourite is the wizard of oz parody.

These works by Helena are really eye catching, and I think I would like most of them on a t Shirt.

I imagine this is how my young daughters imagine their clothing is made.

i would definitely vote for him, such a sharp dresser.

Typical clinical waiting room, not as scary without the bellowing fire.

A good example of how my head feels most of the time, and perhaps Mrs Panda.

iPhone-SLR [mattebox]

January 27, 2012

I like this app. It is simple and elegant, and has all the mod cons of a lot of other iPhone cameras, without the wanky ‘real camera look’ to put your off.

Don’t get me wrong I really do like and use the Procamera app, and well who could go past Hipstamatic, but this one just wins.

The pictures that I have taken with this app far out perform any other pic with iPhone.

Some samples taken from the website show exactly the great quality pictures that can be taken but it is more the interface that gets me in.

The simple and screen-wide view finder, has minimal information and the buttons are concise and tell you only what you need to know, it takes a little getting used to, but once you are aware of all the information at your gazing eyes reach, then you can just use it like a normal camera. It even lets you know what ISO that you are shooting at, and the distance (macro etc). Getting to used to the lock and slide action only took a few shots and then was abused by myself in exploiting the artificial light capture on different scenes.

The adjustments take a little practice to get good results but for professional camera peeps that know how to rock the D-SLR functions this should be a breeze, for me it was a case of using the sliders, saying oh..thats cool!, and then saving the picture. The app gives you the ability to adjust the last picture that you have taken, and then if you like the settings of adjustment that you have come up with you can save it.

The ability to be able to set your white balance then lock it to take a shot of another scene is magical, and the slider controlled adjustments can recreate most filters available on the app store at present, sans ticket tape label and funny glasses of course.

 

The app designed by Ben Syverson took two years for him to develop and refine it back to the minimal app it is. It is apparently based on the Hexar, which is a great camera I am told, that was simple and easy to use but still created beautiful photography.

 

There is also a web-based tool at Mattebox.net that allows you to mimic the adjustment found on the iPhone app. I like it all. I recommend it, but don’t for a minute be expecting speech caption bubbles, 1970s toy camera filter or clipart rabbit ears.

 

Still. Japan.

January 20, 2012

These photos capture all sorts of emotion and no emotion at the same time.

I feel they give a chance to experience some level of empathy (1:100000000000000) of what the people of Sendai and Fukushima must be feel feeling.

Still thinking of you. Even if the AAP has stoped.

He/She just looks so lonely, and ‘radioactivey’

[via the big picture]

Todays #searchterms

January 19, 2012

I am glad my site captures everyone’s different tastes.

I think.

I am sure my tags have nothing to do with this.

 


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