A Moment in Time: Falconer Cafe

A hidden gem in the middle of Oxford Street, the Falconer Cafe can easily be mistaken for a dilapidated greasy spoon diner, given its dark facade, dimly lit by a dying neon sign. However, once you step inside, you will see the idea behind the frontage. It’s like stepping back in time, into the 40’s, with the old style turntable churning away classic hits from some Billie Holiday album that only people with impeccable taste would remember.

I always drop by when I have a doctor’s appointment and every visit is a treat. My favourite dish thus far is the ricotta mushroom which is sprinkled with lemon oil, and their soy mocha never fails. Their desserts are also pretty darn good, and I would recommend the Tom Waits - don’t let the tobacco syrup turn you off. It’s pretty darn great, and unlike the majority of Oxford shops, it’s not horrendously expensive.

Falconer Cafe: 5/5 slices.

A Flash Review: Bohemia Beer

I found this beer in a Mexican restaurant in Manly - Mexico Via Manly (a bit expensive but quite good fajitas. Don’t try the churros though.) - and I have to say that I liked this beer. It’s heavier than Coronas but it’s flavourful still with a slight hint of lemon. Definitely recommended beer. 4/5 slices.

A Disastrous Pretension: Anatomy of an Afternoon

Lightning review:

I feel I should be supportive of dance, especially one that is choreographed by an Australian artist. But Sydney Festival’s Anatomy of an Afternoon is definitely far from enjoyable. The show starts slow and takes a LONG time to get to a point where it’s even close to enjoyable.

Now, before you critics yell out “Exegesis!” or “Human condition!”, let me clarify that I am all about artistic expression and all that. I just feel that this performance is a PhD thesis on dance that has no place in a festival that aims to bring accessible art to the masses.

Mind you, the dancer is REALLY talented and he does gets the message across… except the message is something I truly do not care to hear. Pretentious is one word to describe it. Boring is another.

If you are keen on seeing shows where the dancer prances around on stage in his undies with half his butt cheek hanging out (and I am not exaggerating here), then this show might be for you. Me? My tastes are more basal - and for me, there is nothing to see in this autopsy.

One slice out of five.

A Different Kind of Fox: Fleet Foxes Live

I’ve always appreciated The Fleet Foxes. They are, at least to my ears, best described as an alternative folk band. Their vocal harmonies remind me of the all-male choirs in churches and cathedrals, and their songs are produced in such a way that reflects this type of sound - very grand in their simplicity.

However, having a record so well produced makes playing the songs live very difficult (*cough* Britney *cough*) especially if the artists in question actually have artistic integrity and are not the lip-synching type. Because of this, I was quite keen on watching them live in the Sydney Opera House, a magnificent venue that is not known for its acoustics especially with bands.

Well, the end result is that they are good live, but as expected, they are not the same live. The songs take a different life of their own, and their performance is much more dynamic. The strength of the lead vocals is usually masked in the albums but only because of how the songs are produced. If you hear him live, you know he has great pipes and his unconventional techniques certainly suit the songs.

The only thing that brings their performance down is that the three singers still have to work on their presence onstage in between songs. Really exceptional bands know how to “work the crowd” so that people are not left twiddling and waiting to see what happens next. The drummer did his best and it did work from time to time, but truly not enough to really connect with the crowd - it was bad enough that the concert was at a venue that dictated a certain stiff decorum, but to leave the audience detached meant they could not warm up to the band more. Mind you, they were appreciative for sure, but they were far from fanatical.

One more thing is that the pianist really was ill-placed in some songs. I felt that in some parts, he was just a little bit slower than the band, and it dragged the song a bit. They still sounded alright, but for an prominent instrument to follow the harmony is quite risky, and I certainly think it did not pay off in songs that should have sounded astounding.

All in all though, I would rate that as 4/5 slices. It was still an enjoyable experience and I certainly admire bands that provide an experience that is different to what one would normally expect.

A New Year Resolution List

One good thing about getting a Macbook Air is that it does give me this chance to write wherever I want, given that it is much more convenient to type on, compared to an iPad at least. The other day, I was reminiscing of the days when I could write whatever went through my mind, creative juices pushing my fingers to type fast and my thoughts to throb even faster.

But somehow, with the years, I realised that the juices have dried up, so slowly that I barely even realised it until I found that my last journal entry was a year old, and my brain was a graveyard of thoughts I wish I had committed to paper - or at least, a blog.

So now, I am back. I’m not sure how long I will do this, but 2012 is the year when I will try my best. And I guess that’s more than enough for now.

So what is 2012 for me? This year is the year of change. As most people can tell, change can be difficult - but not unwanted. Sometimes, the pain will be necessary to make things better - not just for myself, but for my spouse as well.

To begin this change, ladies and ladies, may I present the 2012 Resolutions.

1. Clean. And I mean no more dishes lingering in the sink, laundry waiting for a wash or dustballs lounging in the living room. I think the worst is when I leave my shoes wherever

2. No chips and wedges. Yup. I said it first on Facebook and now I’m finally committing to it. No more fries/chips/wedges. It doesn’t sound like much, but I reckon it will make a darn big difference in terms of my weight loss / cholesterol levels.

3. No cheesy snacks. This means Cheesy Twisties, Toobs and all the lovely cheddar goodness I usually run to in times of depression, madness and … well, days ending in Y. However, BBQ and chicken flavoured chips are still fair game. Let’s face it - having a little treat once in a while will help me stay sane.

4. Nail my postgrad studies. Doing a Grad Certificate in Marketing this year - and by goodness, I am going to make this happen. The last postgrad I did was a decade ago and I had a distinction average - let’s see how consistent I can be.

5. Blog more. At least once a week. Once a fortnight at worst. I imagine that during essay week, even the fortnight promise will be pushing it, but we’ll see. :-)

A New Level of Awesome: Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors has its roots in the Spiegletent, during the Sydney Festival. Having been one of its most popular shows, the producers rightly decided to push it on a national tour, with the Sydney run closing on the 14th of May. Headlined by the fabulous iOTA, the show features a variety of talents, from the usual gymnasts to... Well, let's not spoil that part.

To say that it is a musical extravaganza will not give it its due credit. It's quite more than that, and because I don't want to do spoilers, I would like to leave it at that. I went in not knowing what to expect, and they blew my socks off. I think people should leave that show with that kind of feeling too. I will tell you that they have loud music, strong strobe lights, smoke machines and attitude in spades.

This is an absolute gem of a show and no review can ever do it justice. Act I is the stronger of the two in terms of performance, but Act II has better songs with a very unconventional ending. If iOTA ever needed to prove his talent, this closing number is it, his winning ticket, the one everyone can take home so they can say "Wow". The production design is astonishing, from stage to costumes to makeup. It reminds me somewhat of Carnivale meets Madonna's The Girlie Show. This show is so polished you'd think it was made of glass - but really, it's just smoke and mirrors.

If you are in Sydney and can spare the time, go to the Seymour Centre before it's too late, and if you have any ounce of culture in you, this is the show you **deserve** to see.

Smoke and Mirrors: 4.5 slices

A Film of Nordic Proportions: Thor (3D)

I should have written this a week ago after I had watched it, but the 5-day weekend caught up with me and I just needed that little breather from everything, really.

Thor is based on Marvel's comic hero of the same title. Being a Marvel reader as a child, I was quite excited to see where they would go with this film. I felt that, as long as they didn't go down the Fantastic Four route, they should be alright.

I am happy to note that it was not just alright - it took the whole comic-movie genre up a notch. Kenneth Branagh made sure that the movie followed the comic's main concepts but discarded everything that didn't work on film. Hence it had a very contemporary feel and visual images in comics, like Asgard or Loki's ridiculous costume, looked quite believable on screen.

The acting was alright and my instinct tells me that the director managed to squeeze all acting potential from the lead actor whose arms are large enough to have their own post code. Under any other director, I reckon he would have gone down the Keanu Hall of Fame. Natalie Portman, who seems hellbent on getting every single acting assignment that didn't have a strand of acting challenge, after her gobsmackingly fantastic performance in the brilliant mind bomb that was Black Swan, was just ok. She didn't have much to work with and the development of her love affair with the hero seems raw at best.

But luvey-dovey stuff is not what Thor is all about. It's about raw muscle, swirling Mjolnirrs, fast action and eye candy in all shapes, sizes and orientations - and Thor brings those in spades. Add a well-handled classic story of redemption among Nordic gods, and you have a good two-hour escapist flick that deserves your time and money. We watched the 3-D version, but heaven knows the 2-D version should still be more than worthwhile.

Thor: 4 slices.