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You are viewing the most recent 50 entries March 22nd, 2017: QueenStreetception https://flic.kr/p/SGfve9  I discovered that Google Streetview has an interesting glitch on Queen Street (the main street in Auckland's CBD). Tags: glitch, googlestreetview, inception : Cooking diary Monday: Hokkien Char (fried fat noodles in thick soy sauce) https://flic.kr/p/Rqd2Fj  https://flic.kr/p/SvnsQD  Wednesday: Prawn tacos https://flic.kr/p/SbgX3W  https://flic.kr/p/SL4teK  Thursday: Nasi lemak with chicken curry https://flic.kr/p/ScTeoA  https://flic.kr/p/SJ4kKj  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food March 19th, 2017: Optimist or sucker? Gave a stranger money for petrol on this morning's walk . He said he'd pay me back. Will my optimism in humanity be in vain? Fern had work to do today, so after I dropped her off, I went downtown for a nice long walk along the waterfront. It was a fine cool morning (winter is approaching, slowly) that got hot & sunny later. So there was this dude who approached me with a story of his car running out of petrol & having left his wallet in the gym, so he only had his car keys & phone. I decided to believe him & gave him some money. He said he'd pay me back & called me on my phone so I'd have his phone number. I don't know if I'll get my money back, and if I don't, I'm still comfortable with my choice. If I got scammed, it was because I chose to be compassionate instead of refusing to help a stranger.  https://flic.kr/p/SubD3E Tags: humanity, kindness, meme, optimism, watchthisspace March 9th, 2017: Improve any novel by changing its second line to “And then the murders began” It's a thing on Twitter. Some choice selections here. I contribute, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And then the murders began." Tags: funny, meme, twitter March 6th, 2017: Pokemon GO has a *steep* XP curve You can extrapolate how long it'll take you to reach Level 40 (the maximum level) in Pokemon Go using this online calculator. You need to feed it your current accumulated XP & the length of time you've been playing. Total number of XP to get to Level 40 is 20 million and at the 10 million (i.e. halfway mark), you'll be 20% of the way into Level 37. I'm not far past the halfway mark after 236 days of playing. It really is a steep XP curve. Tags: games, meme, pokemon : You get your news from sources other than Facebook don't you? I'm fairly sure my friends get their news from sources other than Facebook, news from a range of reputable sources. Here's another reason to keep doing so. Current Mood:  worriedMarch 5th, 2017: Cooking diary Monday: Mushroom risotto. #vegetarian https://flic.kr/p/SfNpky  https://flic.kr/p/RcReVU  Tuesday: Cheese omelette. Vegetables provencale. #vegetarian https://flic.kr/p/SwoER8  https://flic.kr/p/ReFNQ9  Wednesday: Sambal squid. Ginger chicken broccoli stirfry. Rice. https://flic.kr/p/RYnoeu  https://flic.kr/p/RYk1g5  Thursday: Merguez sausages. Grilled courgettes. Mash potato. https://flic.kr/p/SouKEi  https://flic.kr/p/RZXdjA  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food, vegetarian March 2nd, 2017: My current earworm. It's good to share, right? Right? Current Music: Kirsty MacColl "A New England" : March Madness has begun. Every year, around the beginning of March, the confluence of schools & universities resuming classes, morning traffic gets a little bit crazy. I'd been catching the first bus so have missed experiencing it, but today I got a lift a bit later, by car. https://flic.kr/p/SkcM  Tags: auckland, traffic February 26th, 2017: Cooking diary Monday: Spaghetti aglio e olio with rocket & prawn meat https://flic.kr/p/S3Swq9  https://flic.kr/p/SdVweW  Tuesday: Chorizo & penne salad. https://flic.kr/p/S5GqSd  https://flic.kr/p/S5EKW9  Wednesday: Moussaka. Tried to make a quick one by cooking the eggplant in the microwave. The end result was edible but watery; I really needed to cook the tomatoes down a lot more before adding. I guess moussaka just can't be rushed. https://flic.kr/p/S7oNdU  https://flic.kr/p/RLm7cJ  Thursday: Cheesy sausages, grilled corn, leek in cheese sauce (ok, maybe it was just the drippings from the sausages stirred in). https://flic.kr/p/Sj78nb  https://flic.kr/p/SnL5ND  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food February 25th, 2017: From this morning's walk: Michael Parekowhai's "The Lighthouse". From this morning's walk: Michael Parekowhai's "The Lighthouse". (Bet it looks better at night) https://flic.kr/p/SmGnfS  https://flic.kr/p/Sbz9W3  https://flic.kr/p/Rbk1xr  https://flic.kr/p/RbjUHv  Tags: art, auckland, sculpture February 21st, 2017: Cooking diary (And last week's) Monday: Beef nachos https://flic.kr/p/QQRvuK  https://flic.kr/p/S2bgZf  Tuesday: Gran's chicken stew, sauteed cabbage, rice. https://flic.kr/p/QQ32Gq  https://flic.kr/p/RwRuBE  Wednesday: Chicken & prawn paella https://flic.kr/p/QU8pzt  https://flic.kr/p/RyuZtC  Thursday: Unused vegetables goes into red curry with chicken. Rice https://flic.kr/p/SaJqSH  https://flic.kr/p/S76PKj  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food : Cooking diary (Getting behind with these, so here's the week before last) Tuesday: Har mee a.k.a.prawn noodle soup. Made the broth yesterday so prep time today was mostly boiling & blanching. https://flic.kr/p/RR5EGS  https://flic.kr/p/RF28FL  Wednesday: Beef salad https://flic.kr/p/RKrfKH  https://flic.kr/p/QGoST8  Thursday: Going the full vegan with mixed vegetables stirfry, stirfried gai lan with ginger. Rice. https://flic.kr/p/QFuAhC  https://flic.kr/p/RXYiev  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food : Kiwi Onion Dip The inventor of the Kiwi Onion Dip? She's still alive! You may well ask, what on Earth is a Kiwi Onion Dip? It's a New Zealand institution, a dip for your chips/crisps made with reduced cream and Maggi powdered onion soup. Yes really. The linked article is by Hayden Donnell who went looking for the inventor of the ubiquitous dish. Spoiler: he found her. And if you want to try making the dip yourself, here's how Rosemary Dempsey makes it. Tags: food, history February 13th, 2017: "Where's Auckland's summer?" they asked. Well today the humidity was 92%. I thought my mug of water had sprung a leak. (It was condensation pooled round the bottom) How do you like your summer now? Tags: auckland, summer, weather February 11th, 2017: This morning's walk Went for a walk this morning along the waterfront (caught lots of Pokemon). The weather was cool & fine. Later it would get hot (for Auckland summer values of hot, which is nothing like the heatwave in AUstralia at the moment: 47 C in Sydney!). At the end of Queen's Wharf is Michael Parekowhai's new work, The Lighthouse" which has its official unveiling tonight. From the water's edge. https://flic.kr/p/RXwPtb  From the shore side. https://flic.kr/p/RrvofG  The side. https://flic.kr/p/S2awU6  It's clearly peak season: the queue for the Waiheke ferry was ridiculous. This was the queue taken just after the 9am sailing just departed. Ten minutes later, the line curved round onto the promenade. If it had been straight, there'd have been people blocking Quay Street. https://flic.kr/p/QJFAcY  If you're planning on a trip to Waiheke, go really early, or be prepared to wait. Tags: art, auckland, summer, waterfront February 8th, 2017February 7th, 2017: Cooking diary Monday: Grilled lambchop 'Turkish-flavours', homemade hummus, salad & pita. https://flic.kr/p/RBpvPC  https://flic.kr/p/QrbDQi  Tuesday: Chicken curry laksa https://flic.kr/p/Rt6qFb  https://flic.kr/p/Qq43yC  Wednesday: Macaroni, ham, cheese. Salad. https://flic.kr/p/QrSBDq  https://flic.kr/p/RJkrev  Thursday: Ham & cheese omelette made with leftover ingredients. https://flic.kr/p/RKYNug  https://flic.kr/p/RbstzL  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food January 31st, 2017: Cooking diary A full week's worth of meals last week, with the hot weather having an influence on the food cooked. Monday: Noodles & cabbage with chicken curry https://flic.kr/p/Qc5GpU  https://flic.kr/p/QeS9xc  Tuesday: Grilled chicken wings marinated in honey, soy, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, with salad. https://flic.kr/p/Rvp41x  https://flic.kr/p/QdQ2P3  Wednesday: Corn ftitters (with, of course, chilli sauce), 'summer slaw' https://flic.kr/p/QXw91L  https://flic.kr/p/Rm7G9p  Thursday: Fresh rolls with chicken & prawn. Nuoc cham on the side. https://flic.kr/p/RnFQge  https://flic.kr/p/RuRsGA  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food January 30th, 2017January 23rd, 2017: Sidart: first Tuesday Test Kitchen of 2017 We went to Sidart for their first Tuesday Test Kitchen of the year. The menu changes every week and we haven't been since they refurbished. The bar area has been moved to the expanded space, the Alhambra Room, and a plating station sits where the bar used to be. I like that it brings the kitchen closer to the diners. We had an early reservation which worked really well; we got to watch Auckland shift from day to night from our table. Some of the friends we went with hadn't been to Sidart before, and I am glad they had a good time. (It's not guaranteed that a restaurant you like is liked as much by other people; tastes being so idiosyncratic & personal.) Flickr photoset here. https://flic.kr/s/aHskMiVURa  ( Or go beyond the cut for pictures & descriptions.Collapse ) Tags: dinner, food, restaurant, sidart January 21st, 2017January 19th, 2017: Recipe: Vegan fried rice vermicelli. Because I was asked. Vegan fried rice vermicelli. Serves two-three (I think). Ingredients: - Light vegetable oil, one tablespoon - Dried shiitake mushrooms, generous handful Place in bowl, pour boiling water until just covered & let sit until rehydrated. Cut into fairly thin slices. Retain the rehydration liquid. - Choy sum, one bunch cut into ~4cm segments - Grated fresh root ginger, about two teaspoons - Vegetarian mock abalone (a.k.a. chai pow yu), one can - Bird’s eye chillies, sliced, in a small container of light soy sauce - Light soy sauce to taste. - Rice vermicelli (I like the Wai Wai brand. They come in ~200g packets and I would use about half of that). Put the required amount into a large bowl, cover with warm water to rehydrate (takes some minutes). Make sure to drain while it’s still a bit stiff & set aside. Method: Heat up frypan to medium high. Add oil. Throw in sliced shiitake & stirfry until cooked through. Add grated ginger & rice vermicelli and toss gently so that the vermicelli strands don’t break up. Add liquid from shiitake and can of mock abalone including liquid, and stir through. Stir in choy sum, and add light soy to taste. Put lid on so the choy sum finishes wilting. By now, the vermicelli should be cooked through. Transfer to serving dish & serve with the chilli in soy sauce on the side. NB: I’ve never written this down, so amounts & cooking times are guesses; you’ll have to taste as you go and make your own judgements. It should end up looking something like this, but with choysum instead of bokchoy. https://flic.kr/p/GWbZad  Tags: recipe, vegan, vegetarian January 18th, 2017January 16th, 2017: Pokemon Go Tomorrow is 6 months since I started playing Pokemon Go. Today I finally got a Lapras to complete the non-regional starting set. It was from a 10km egg hatch; still haven't encountered one in the wild. Bonus: the last time I weighed this little, I was a teenager.  https://flic.kr/p/R5Arri Current Mood: accomplished January 15th, 2017: Cooking diary First full working week of the year = four cooknights (Fridays are normally for takeaways). Monday: Spaghetti aglio e olio (with rocket, lemon & lots of cheese) https://flic.kr/p/QuiMTs  https://flic.kr/p/QugkYL  Tuesday: Bacon, egg, salad. (Salad is healthy right?) https://flic.kr/p/R6kw1r  https://flic.kr/p/QUPs4e  Wednesday: Chicken, soy, shiitake, lily buds, woodear. Wilted lettuce with sesame oil & oyster sauce. Rice. (I remember when as a young 'un an Auntie described how to cook this dish to Mum. It's been a family recipe ever since.) https://flic.kr/p/R4GbS7  https://flic.kr/p/PQJRbG  Thursday: Shakshuka with merguez sausage. (Still not as good as Ima's, but so satisfying.) https://flic.kr/p/QY8MJx  https://flic.kr/p/QY8Bha  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food January 14th, 2017: Cooking diary Was a short working week last week, so only cooked two worknight dinners. Wednesday: Spicy beef mince & eggplant. Rice https://flic.kr/p/QjGsP9  https://flic.kr/p/QHp4a2  Thursday: Baked eggplant with miso. Egg & vegetable fried rice. https://flic.kr/p/QSkbvJ  https://flic.kr/p/QmBR8f  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food January 13th, 2017January 7th, 2017: Ted Chiang in The New Yorker “Ted Chiang’s soulful Science Fiction” by Joshua Rothman, in The New Yorker. Tags: meme, sciencefiction, tedchiang January 5th, 2017January 4th, 2017January 3rd, 2017January 1st, 2017: Happy New Year! Happy New Year! May 2017 be a better year for us all! (It's just ticked past midnight here in Auckland, New Zealand.) December 28th, 2016December 27th, 2016: Increased migration to New Zealand So it's happening. Since Brexit & the US elections, there have been increased numbers of British & Americans wanting to move to New Zealand. Tags: brexit, meme, migration, movingtonewzealand, trump : Save the Point England Reserve Sign the petition (or make a submission) to save the Point England Reserve. There is a bill proposed to revoke the reserve status of a quarter of that land to turn it into housing. The extra people & their pets (especially cats) pose a major threat to the diverse birdlife (that include common & rare species) that are found in that reserve. I lived in that neighbourhood growing up & spent many hours there: it's truly a wildlife sanctuary next to suburbia. Tags: conservation, petition, reserve : Holiday homework: Deck Lunch break: The deck has been waterblasted. New stain about to go on. Been putting it off too long. https://flic.kr/p/Qxfkmd  https://flic.kr/p/Pn2Fcr  Tags: homework : Christmas games can be deadly serious Evil brother in law is trying to Kill Doctor Lucky (or is that Doctor Ducky?) https://flic.kr/p/Qtjqr9  ETA: Evil brother in law succeeds in Killing Doctor Ducky, er, Lucky? (It took a few goes.) December 25th, 2016: Happy Christmas & festive greetings everyone! Hope you have a happy, fun & safe one! Tags: christmas, greetings, holiday December 24th, 2016: Cooking diary Monday: Chicken kerabu. It's a spicy chicken salad. https://flic.kr/p/Qbb2MK  https://flic.kr/p/PMppDw  Tuesday: Poached chicken with rice, tomato, cucumber, coriander, homemade chilli sauce. https://flic.kr/p/QjVEQd  https://flic.kr/p/Qaed35  Wednesday: Spicy pork mince, tofu, woodear. Mixed vegetable stirfry. Rice. https://flic.kr/p/QmKNAG  https://flic.kr/p/QmJ7Mq  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food December 21st, 2016: "Insects of New Zealand" playing cards. Got my hands on "Insects of New Zealand" playing cards. (I was lucky enough to see pre-production mock-ups. The finished article turned out great, and they make excellent gifts.)  https://flic.kr/p/Pbv21r Tags: cards, insect, insects, meme, newzealand December 19th, 2016: Cooking diary Monday: Panfried salmon steak, grilled asparagus, potatoes mint & avocado oil. https://flic.kr/p/PUzoY3  https://flic.kr/p/NTUWPp  Tuesday: Spaghetti aglio e olio with prawn meat. https://flic.kr/p/NVWgft  https://flic.kr/p/PAxyPA  Wednesday: Hand-cut noodles with beef & cabbage broth https://flic.kr/p/PCw3g1  https://flic.kr/p/NXLBsv  Tags: "cooking diary", dinner, food : The return of Exeggutor My Exeggutor finally returns. It's been in a Napier gym (I don't even remember exactly where anymore) since October 19. All good things come to an end, but I really am surprised it has lasted as long as this. I fully expected for it to get kicked out when Niantic "rebalanced" the gym combat system to favour attackers two months(!) ago. (It was one of my Top Three Pokemon, but now it's not even in the Top 30. Since I placed it in the Napier gym, Niantic "rebalanced" Combat Power and Exeggutors were one of the ones that got nerfed. And I've also levelled up too & acquired better Pokemon since then.)  Tags: pokemon, pokemongo |
