Book: Nothing in my hand I bring”.
After a week of World Youth Day adventures taking over Sydney, it seemed high time that I read the latest Matthias release on the subject of Catholicism. One of my favourite pilgrims was struck by the way that people were protesting beside the walk - “Jesus is the only way” - that this wasn’t something that the pilgrim thought was disputed?
Clearly, Protestants and Catholics have a lot to learn about each other.
The author, Ray Galea is currently an Anglican minister, but born a Maltese Catholic. He spends the short, tightly written chapters explaining in broad brush strokes the differences between the bible’s teaching, and the traditions of the Catholic church, but in a way that is likely to offend neither Catholics nor Protestants.
if you’re wanting to learn some more about what your Catholic neighbours believe, this is a book that you can comfortably read in a couple of hours, and would be a good starting point.
movie: batman: gotham knight
A Batman version of the Animatrix: six short stories, in different Anime styles, set in Gotham city in between the two Christopher Nolan Batman films. I found the first story dragged a bit, and, while there were a few moments that were enjoyable, I think I’m just not sufficiently into anime for this to be my cup of tea.
I might have left the promotion too late, but if you’d like to spend the financial year reading through war and peace in just a chapter (or so) per day, you can join in over at matt’s blog.
A foodie blogger’s map - where to find the best croissants in Paris. I’ve only ever had one croissant in Paris, and I don’t see myself going back there any time soon, but I’m sure at least one reader will find it useful.
July 22, 2008 (2 days ago) – 12:06 pm
Instead of wasting money on a printer that’s only going to break down and have paper jams, why not just put a network card in a box of printer paper, with a sticker on top that says “Out of toner”? You can just say that the toner is on backorder, and won’t be there for months, and in the meantime, people can help themselves to the blank paper.
July 21, 2008 (3 days ago) – 12:46 am
I asked myself many times whether the curry night concept would actually scale, was pleasantly surprised. Would something that worked for two people stretch out when it was ten people all learning to make curries? Would we end up with something edible? Indeed we would.
The invitation process was a bit too haphazard: the next time I do something like this, I’ll keep better track of who has been invited, and when. It’s hard to tell, though: perhaps having everything a little rough helped the night run as it did. In the end, I had to do some chasing to get the RSVPs sorted out, but I had ten blokes, and we even had 7 out of 10 by thirty minutes after the start time.
Another ten minutes later, and we worked out that if we wanted to eat at a reasonable hour, we would need to start cooking. We were all working around a large bench with a sink at one end, and the stove off to one side - this was the kitchen layout of our host’s house.
There was plenty of time after the curries went on to simmer for people to mingle and talk (not to mention wash some of the dishes), and that’s when the host and I made samosas (I’d never made them before). Folding up the pastry with as much of the mince + potato mix as possible was the real challenge, but I think I had it figured out by the end.
After eating (for some, the curries were paired with wines - a Frontiniac and a sparkling red), we had tea and coffee, helped load the dishwasher, and then headed home, completely full. If you’re trying to find something that will help a bunch of men who don’t know each other terribly well learn a few new skills, I think a curry night is an excellent way to do it. The key to it is to have an excellent host (as we did), who contributed no small amount of time and effort to making sure that everything was set up, ready to go.
July 21, 2008 (3 days ago) – 12:32 am
movie: The Dark Knight
It was a really good movie: worthy of all the hype, though not the best movie ever made. Heath Ledger’s performance, too, was really good - he indeed disappears into the character. I don’t think it is going to result in an Oscar, but that probably doesn’t matter in the scheme of things. It ends up being that rare thing: a superhero movie that manages to ask the deeper questions.
July 16, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 10:12 pm
Calima Coffee. 299 Elizabeth St, Sydney. Just back from Elizabeth St at the south end of Hyde Park, this place is only open on weekdays, 6:30am-4:30pm. There’s outdoor seating for 12, and indoor seating (along the window) for another 4, where you can sit and read some complimentary magazines.
The name of the cafe is up against the wall in a mosaic, just above the coffee machine. One man stands behind the machine, another two people shift between taking orders and making the food: amazingly, in this small space there’s a full kitchen.
The decaf, though not fresh ground, tastes really good: it’s not a complex cup, but has a slight sweetness, and ends up being very drinkable indeed.
July 15, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 11:22 pm
After a few weeks of fiddling around, I’ve put another redesign together for the site: the next step is to upgrade to the latest version of wordpress - they’re churning the releases out now!
July 15, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 11:18 pm
[YouTube] Mark Kermode spends 12 minutes reviewing Mamma Mia. I’ve been enjoying Mark Kermode’s movie reviews via the podcast for a few weeks now: so British, so well-read.
July 12, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 4:47 pm
Movie: Kung Fu Panda
If you like the idea of Jack Black as an animated panda who wants to be a kung fu master, you’ll find this slapstick kids’ film enjoyable. If for any reason you hear alarm bells, then steer clear. For me, I laughed and enjoyed it.
July 12, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 4:45 pm
dvd: millions
You might not expect that the director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later would be able to make a kids movie, but in fact he can, and it’s a highly enjoyable one. What would happen if two young boys found a fortune in cash, only days before a currency changeover makes it all worthless? A story about family life that’s positive and happy, not dystopian and cynical.
July 10, 2008 (2 weeks ago) – 11:48 pm
[freelance switch] Hi-tech meets lo-tech in this how-to for a moleskine as HDD case.
July 9, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 9:39 pm
Toby’s estate coffee. 23 The Strand, Penshurst. New kid on the block, this place raises the bar of coffee at Penshurst. Clean, contrasting red and black on a wooden floor, this place has a modern feel.
Staff are chatty, there are two cooks working away in the kitchen; all that the place needs is some more time for word of mouth to spread.
The decaf is pre-ground, but when paired with Crema milk, comes together as very drinkable.
July 9, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 9:36 pm
Mokador Coffee. 26 George St, Burwood. near the train station, this is a cafe with a big sandwich bar, and a good range of breakfast options from the bay marie, and the staff are helpful, and suggest options.
The decaf comes pre-ground in a translucent container, and - though the first few sips are not great - eventually turns into an acceptable cup.
Achieves what it sets out to do well: it’s a good place to sit and catch up with friends: there’s space between the tables, and the staff are friendly and polite.
July 8, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 10:50 pm
dvd: Jumper.
From the director of Swingers, and Mr and Mrs Smith comes this “must try harder” effort. Watching the special features reveals that they put enough ideas together to make a trilogy: perhaps that explains the poor ending, and the reason that the comic-relief character has a stronger screen presence than the lead.
A diverting fluff-piece, but again, so much potential in the idea that fails to be realised.
July 8, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 5:36 pm
[k10k] goosh - the unofficial google shell; a javascript-based command line interface to google.
July 7, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 9:11 pm
hancock
Such a promising concept for a film, but so poorly executed. About half way through the film, there’s a plot twist, and everything goes awry. For a superhero film, where is the worthy nemesis? And what’s going on with a character who has no character flaws at all…?
Feels like they had an excellent concept for a 20 minute short film, but stretched it out too far - to over 80 minutes.
Having said that, it’s already taken $100 million in the US box office, and it’s not a terrible movie, it just makes you pine for what could have been.
July 5, 2008 (3 weeks ago) – 8:09 pm
DVD: duelist
Korean action-comedy-romance film, that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. There’s some entertainment to be had, but it’s a frustrating one to watch, and try to understand.
July 1, 2008 (4 weeks ago) – 10:34 pm
The dream-run of good health seems to have taken a break. Both Kel and I are feeling unwell, and it’s a bit of a contest to see who can look after the other. Unfortunately, work is too busy at the moment for me to take much downtime, so I’m spending my sick leave with the laptop in hand, working away much of the time.
Worth noting is that “Panadol rapid” is strong enough to get through a Sunday School lesson, even when I’m feeling sick. Even after two terms, I don’t quite have my head around how much content to fit into a single lesson.
