Harajuku Gyoza

Monday October 1, 2012

I woke up this morning early, as I do, and had some hours before the family arose on this public holiday, to push through some work tasks, do some thinking on a project I am working on, and then work up reasons to procrastinate Sue and I attacking the book keeping tasks, so urgently requiring attention.

I recalled a place that I was taken by Anthony, Nigel and Troy for my birthday lunch a few months back (thanks guys) which is a Japanese dumpling and beer bar.  What’s not to love about that combination!   So as sleep was hosed out of the family eyes, it was decided that it would be a lunch gig at Harajuku Gyoza

Dumplings & Beer bar, AND a smiling dumpling as logo, I’m all in!

Tegan immediately spotted the different plates each of us had

and they were all over the walls as well

We sat at a regulation table, but the bar looked a great post work drop in spot

To save arguments, we decided to order every type of dumpling, sans the chilli one (much to the silent angst of 25% of of the family).  Well we started to double up on a couple as we have a growing boy in our group, and one boy who is trying to shrink a little in size…

Something for everyone, dumplings and beer!

I was raving about a morish dish I had a while back, and I had spotted it on the menu when scoping out HG’s, Edamame.  Whilst they didn’t sound as good as I remembered them as I was describing them to the family, the 2 bowls were inhaled by all and sundry.

These guys are the business!

The place was very friendly and relaxed with staff shouting out each time someone arrived or ordered sake.

Relaxing at the bar

The menu instructed us how to mix the 2 parts soy, 1 part vinegar, and chilli to taste.  The boys side of the table heaped in the chilli with the wimp girl’s side opting out of the magic 3rd ingredient.

The 3 ingredients for the dipping sauce

The dumplings were superb! (thanks for the styling Sue)

Chefs in the middle of the bar area

We will be back, though those book keeping tasks are still to do, and scheduled for very early in the morning…

Today’s song of the day is taken from a favourite movie, Kill Bill –  Battle Without Honor or Humanity – Tomoyasu Hotei.

Radiohead!

Tuesday March 6, 2012

Well I have been bouncing off the walls for the last week, as I managed to secure Radiohead tickets.  I found out rather late (on the day) that there were advanced tickets available directly from Radiohead’s website.  As soon as I saw the link on twitter, I checked it out, and they were all gone.  I then saw another person on twitter say that he had just grabbed some.  A quick back and forth with Heath, and I was able to grab 2 tickets to their Brisbane concert. Thanks Heath!  I actually left a message with a friend JC that there were some advance tickets available, and when he got back to me, I knew they were gone, but I checked again online and they seemed to be releasing batches at a time, and there were some.  JC was heading home fast to get them and I just said, I’ll grab them, and they disappeared while we spoke…

So you I am stoked to have grabbed tickets, but maybe some context of my interest in the band…

This band does get a lot of hype in the indie scene, and to my mind, rightly so.  I was on the “yes that’s pretty cool” when Creep came out, but didn’t get into any other songs at the time.  Their second album, The Bends, was a watershed album for me in 1995, and I still play a song or two off it once a week.  I will put my favourite song off the album as the song of the day below.

the bends disc artwork

Well along comes 1997, and they release OK Computer.  Sue and I were just married and living in London at the time.  I had obtained my copy from Tower Records (which I seemed to visit at least once a week), and it was the sound track of the year, and still evokes many great feelings of the first year of marriage, hanging out in London and our travels to other European countries every time I hear a track.

1997 album OK Computer

I have followed along with Radiohead as we both mature through life, though they may be doing it a lot more gracefully.  All of Radioheads albums can be found here, and I am in position of the all…

I hadn’t got the chance to see them before, and as there is daylight between them and my next favourite grouping of bands, my bride had agreed to a “golden ticket”.  What is a golden ticket, you ask.  Well I could travel anywhere in the world to see them if I could secure a ticket.  The last 2-3 years, nothing…  No concerts, except for hastily organised one-off’s or secret venues.  Every Monday I would log on to their site, and go straight to the tour area.  This year, things got interesting though.  I saw concerts going up for Japan, Taiwan and Mexico, surely that’s close enough for me to head there, or if I wait and hope, they may add Australia to the list.  In the end, I couldn’t pull the trigger on the cost involved to head overseas to see them, it seemed just a tad over indulgent. I was so excited when I heard the announcement on triplej that they were touring, and then equally frightened that maybe others had heard the same announcement and I might not get tickets…

So you know from the intro, that I got tickets, but my quest, or dare I say Odyssey (tip of the hat to the Gill’s) was when the tickets went on sale proper on March 1, I decided to try as I might to grab some tickets for the Melbourne show, and Sue and I can head down to see the concert, catchup with her sister and enjoy a city we love. (and get to Movida!)

Just got in for the Melbourne Tickets

The website went into melt down, and I had multiple computers and phone trying to keep a session open until they went on sale.  The session kept dropping out, but somehow I jagged a couple of tickets, so I went be indulging in “Radiohead November”, and I will have the best year as we roll towards the date.

One week, I am still stoked that I will be seeing these guys, twice, this year.

Song of the day:  Street Spirit (Fade Out)

First Photo Project of 2012

Friday January 6, 2011

I will be undertaking a few photo projects in 2012, and the first is a 52 weeks project on Flickr.  Each week there is a theme given and people post into the group pool.  My aim is to produce some high quality images,  especially once the studio is finished end of January, more on that later…

This weeks theme was “Show us your town”. I debated whether to show our local area Wynnum, or to show Brisbane and decided on the latter.  I decided to head into a spot I knew about in Wednesday evening to get a picture of the story bridge with the city in the background, as I had travelled over this city most days heading into work over the last 12 years, and in a perverse way I do miss the commute across, listening to sounds and getting my head together for the day ahead.

You can see my commentary and other comments on Flickr by clicking the image.

Song of the day is Lisztomania by Phoenix as both Ryan and I like these French guy’s music.