Archive for the 'Life' Category

Everyones a food critic

Published at July 2, 2009 in Television, food and Life. 0 Comments

I have always loved food. Its kind of obvious when you see me, the belly is large because the food goes in. Unlike a lot of larger people, my girth isnt caused by junk food, or alcohol, just volumes of food. I have never really been a fan of junk food, aside from the rare binge on KFC or maccas in my younger days, most of the food I eat, I have either cooked for myself, or comes from relatively decent restaurants. Consequently, my palate can be quite demanding. So, it follows, I have always had my inner food critic, which monitors what I am eating, in order to decide whether a destination is worth coming back to.

Over the past few years though, there has been a massive run of foodie tv shows. Awesome shows such as  Top Chef  andHell’s Kitchen and (admittedly one i havent watched) Australia’s Master Chef where we see chefs competing and being judged  for their efforts by a panel of food critics and distinguished chefs. Also in food tv, there has been an increase in general food shows that discuss the joy of either food preparation ie: Heston Blumenthal’s In Search of Perfection or Gordon Ramsays Cookalong or just purely the joy of good food (one of my current faves) Man V Food (I may do an entry purely on this show later if anyone is interested.)

The result of all these great shows is for me twofold.

One, it gives me great ideas to try in my own kitchen. I have always loved cooking, now that I have my big shiny house with its excellent sized kitchen it is even more of a joy. I also especially love being able to present food that looks and tastes fantastic. Getting new ideas for food combinations and also new techniques that I can manage at home is something I  always appreciate, and these shows deliver that in buckets.

The other result, is something I only really came to understand last night, when out with friends, getting particularly bad service and for the most part average or below food. I have always had that “inner critic” which has let me say this is good, or this is bad, but now, I can go beyond that. I can not only express my distaste, I can be more specific. I can state that this meat is overdone, or that there is too much seasoning. With the added experimentation I have been trying from various shows, I can even identify some of the herbs and spices that may be too intense or lacking. My culinary understanding has been increased and along with it, my vocabulary. No longer is it just - I do not like this, or - This is fantastic! - Nowadays when I judge a meal, I can not only give my general feeling, but also the reasoning behind it.

So who says television is not educational.

Tassie Tassie Tassie

Published at December 7, 2008 in vacation!, Coffee and Life. 0 Comments

Well that was a nice weekend away.

A while back, Tiger airlines was offering a discount on their normal (already cheap) flights around Australia, and Rachel and I decided to do a weekend away in Tasmania as neither of us had been there before. So, flights were booked. Total price for the flights between the two of us, return, was $91. So a lot closer to the trip, a random motel was chosen, near Port Arthur, which we wanted to see, for a single night, car rental booked. (ok so when you factor in motel and car rental, a cheap trip is not so cheap anymore, but hey who thinks these things through properly?) and off we went.

I must start at the outset and say Tasmania is breathtakingly beautiful. We drove the 80km from the airport to Port Arthur and were stunned at the landscape. Also, we drove from the airport to Port Arthur and did not see anything that remotely resembled city or even suburban life as we are used to.

We got to Port Arthur with no problems, checked into our motel in Nubeena (10k out of Port Arthur), drove towards the historic site there, stopping at the Eucalypt Cafe for a meal and coffee.

An interlude here dear reader, as you may know, I am a little bit of a coffee snob and am not big on drinking coffee outside of my home, but this little cafe, in the middle of nowhere, had a menu that told me they certainly know their coffee. In fact I am not sure if I have ever seen a cafe with ristrettos and dopios on their menu ever before. So, if you are a coffee snob, and want a decent coffee in tassie, try the Eucalypt cafe in Port Arthur

Back to our main tale, we got to the Port Arthur historic site, and it started to heavily rain. We wandered into the information center, only to see that the pricing was a little steep to be wandering around a few ruins, especially in the rain. I mean yes, we could see it from the lookout and it did look pretty, but $28 each, to wander around some ruined houses, not an overly great proposition to us, especially in the rain.

Rachel particularly wanted to see the memorial site from when Martin Bryant shot a large number of people, becoming Australias biggest ever murderer. (some people refer to him as our biggest serial killer, but serial killers kill over multiple time periods, he just went on one big rampage. Does that make him a parallel killer?). So she asked at the information booth there, only to be told in hushed tones that they dont really talk about it, and handed a pamphlet with less info than might be garnered on the back of a cereal box. She also received unclear directions to the memorial, which we were then unable to find.

So in the rain, we drove to a lookout point not far from the historic site, where we once again took in the magnificent view, and then back to the motel for a quick nap.

It was still raining when we finished napping, so the decision was made to head into Hobart to check out the restaurants. 90Km later after a drive through rain soaked beautiful countryside, we made it to the CBD. It really had that country feel to it, and at 6.45pm on a saturday, was deader than a doornail that had twice been shot dead. We could not even find a place for a decent meal. So, several phonecalls later, to friends and family, we established that North Hobart may be better, and managed to find our way there.

Elizabeth St, in North Hobart seemed a little like a toned down version of Fitzroys Brunswick st. A massive variety of restaurants, lots of people walking up and down. We chose a lovely indian place whose name currently escapes me and had a very nice meal. In fact, I would rank their naan breads up there with the best i have ever had.

After dinner, we had the lovely drive back to our motel, 90kms away. In the dark, with no street lighting to speak of, along windy country roads, some unsealed, in a rent-a-car that i was not too familiar with. We were also tailgated for about 70km of that drive. FUN!.

 Oh i forgot to mention, anything further out than 30ks from Hobart, and we had no mobile phone reception, no voda wifi internet reception. For a couple who are as connected as us, this was mildly freaky.

Motel was comfortable enough for us, and sleep was had.

Next morning, back to Eucalypt for coffee and breakfast, and then back to the airport for our home flight.

A couple of notes on the flights and tasmania airport.

1. A food court is not 2 cafes serving exactly the same fare as eachother at exactly the same price. Please take note of this Hobart Airport

2. Tiger Airways has more room in their seats than Jetstar

3. Tiger Airways planes shudder a lot more than any other airoplane i have been on.

4. They also land in a more scary fashion.

5. Dont offer us the roomier seats only to take them away when we sit down. If you deem us unsuitable, thats fine, but nothing changed from when you offered them to us until we sat down.

All in all, the trip was much fun, and a much needed getaway. Will definitely go back and hopefully spend much longer there, soaking in the scenery and relaxed atomsphere.

Going to the dogs

Published at December 2, 2008 in dogs, pets and Life. 0 Comments

Last night, Rachel and I went and had a look at a couple of dogs that need rehoming. A japanese spitz, and a norwegian elkhound. Rachel has had her heart set on a japanese spitz for quite some time and I tend to prefer the idea of rehoming a dog that needs it, rather than getting a puppy.

These dogs were quite spectacular. Though we were really only interested in one dog, we agreed to take both and will pick them up on Sunday. I personally am very enamoured with the elkhound. Such a beautiful looking dog, but I am unsure of our ability to cope with two dogs. As such, we are offering the elkhound to Rachels uncle and aunt, and also my dad. Of course, if neither of them take it, we will provide it a loving home. Part of me is hoping that it just stays with us, the other part, that bit that is practical and pragmatic, is less hopeful.

The japanese spitz is also an absolute darling, and it connected with Rachel from the moment we got there to look. This dog knew it was going to get a new mummy, and seemed to bond instantly. I suspect that the house of Rachel and Raph will blossom with this new addition.

We would have loved to take them home last night, but we are off to Tassie for a couple of days on the weekend, so will pick the dogs up on the way home. Not sure how beej will react to them, but hopefully he will learn reasonably quickly.

More on the nation of procrastri

Published at December 2, 2008 in Education, State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

So, its getting close to the end of this masters. In theory, complete this last assignment, then do two industry based exams, and I have completed my course requirements. Of cours, during the course of the masters, I think I have attained a PhD in procrastination, and a Grad certificate in self frustration.

I should have had this assignment already. Its due in two days, and I have my day job to keep me busy in that time. Of course, being me, instead of finishing the assignment, I played a bit of spore over the weekend, and did some cooking, and sleeping.

Ok, i did do about 9 hours of reading, planning and preparing, but that leaves another 8-10 hours that need to be done in actually completing the bloody thing. Also, as this is the final assignment for this subject, it is an exam equivalent, and therefore is a MUST PASS assignment for the subject.

Still, I am learning, and despite my self sabotage habits, I am also progressing. I cannot ask for an extension on this one either, because on Saturday, myself and Rachel are off to Tasmania for a weekend away.

So hopefully, I can get it done over the next few evenings, well not hopefully, I WILL get it done… May involve some bleary eyes at work.

The next thing to consider is whether or not to put myself through more educational anguish, and pursue an MBA. I will get significant credit for coursework already completed in the Masters, but I need to consider my general sanity.

 Of course, having got a new desk to work on may help. I think I need to place a “study computer” on it, just so i can have a dedicated study desk. Could be interesting.

Ah well, will update when the assignment is in. I may even write up a brief commentary on the Rondell Data Corporation, as by the end of it, I may have some good ideas to impart. For such a well used example of organisational strategy and change, the Rondell Data Corp seems to be conspicuously absent from the web.

Update - Its been a while

Published at March 18, 2008 in Weight, The House, Education, Wii, State of the raph and Life. 1 Comment

Ok, so I will be the first to admit it, I have really slacked off here for a while. A lot has happened since my last update in December, and I have been either too busy, too tired or too slack to post any updates. So without much further ado, heres a bit of a quick summary.

Still in love with Rachel.

The house is going swimmingly, and with a little luck, I shall commence moving in within the next 4-6 weeks. At the moment, it is in the final stages, things like light fittings, appliances, carpets and flooring are left to do. Then its simply the driveway and the back decking and done.

Had this trimester off study, resume the masters in May, and will hopefully complete it all then. So by the end of August I should have a MCSE and also a Masters of Management. Hooray for me. The conditional there is that I am completely moved into the new house by May, otherwise I will only do 1 subject and not finish until December.

 The lap-band is also working pretty well, weight loss has slowed to a healthy 4-5 kilo a month and I am now down to 134 kilograms. Thats nearly a 40 Kilogram loss. I am able to eat nearly anything I want, I just eat very slowly and and make sure I chew my food thoroughly. I have only ever experienced one very painful episode where i chewed a roll and mustnt have done so thoroughly enough. I have still remained faithful to my giving up of soft drinks, though I do sometimes have some icecream.

Eating out is not an issue, though I do need to remember that I cannot eat as much as I used to. I often over order. However leaving food on my plate is not something that riles me like it used to.

On February 29th, my friend Bed got married to the beautiful Kristin. It was both an honour and a privilege for me to be part of the bridal party as a groomsman. The wedding was beautiful, the bride absolutely stunning, and Bed, dressed in a suit is a sight to behold.  Was an awesome night, and I know that it is a fantastic move onto the next chapter, for the two of them, in the wonderful story of their lives.

I did end up buying an Xbox 360 - JB Hifi had them on sale for $450 for the premium console with Forza and Viva Pinata. Have been playing it a fair bit. Certainly a lot more than the Wii, which I consider more of a party console than one to play solo. I do find that being a member of the Atari 2600 generation, the current model controllers with their many many buttons are a lot more complex to use, making certain combos rather difficult, but hey live and learn. Certainly a lot of fun. The new Tony Hawk game - Proving Grounds has been both entertaining me and frustrating me a fair bit lately. Am also going to be getting into Assassins Creed more soon. I may do a post or two on video game reviews in the near future.

So theres the current state of the raph. Comments might make me post more :D

December - state of the raph

Published at December 26, 2007 in The House, Work, State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

So, I havent been posting here much lately. i have been busy. Working for a retailer with over 90 stores, being one of only two IT people means that I have no time sometimes. In addition, I havent had a lot to say.

The house is going swimmingly, and is now at lock-up stage. Drove past the other day, only to find that I am totally locked out of my own house. On the bright side, it now has the big evaporative cooler unit on top, all the bricks are done, and soon they will start making the insides look beautiful.

Celebrated Christmas with Rachels family. Was fun. Unfortunately Rachel was a little ill and some time needed to be spent at hospital waiting for the doctors to give her the all clear. Took about 4 or 5 hours out of our day, but when we got back to the party, it was still going strong enough that there was dessert for us.

Today being boxing day, means once again this year, I am the only person in the office. Much fun and excitement. Read that as BORING. Mind you, a boring day is a good day for boxing day. Any excitement generally means stores cant trade. That then means the MD gets pissed off, and someone comes and yells at us. In all though, I would much prefer to spend the day lazing with Rachel at home. We also finally got employed an extra IT person to take calls and generally free up myself and Clinton to do our main projects. He starts mid-january. Should make it an entirely more fun place to work. Will also reduce my weekend load to once every 3 weeks as opposed to once every 2.

I am considering ducking out of the office to see how much an xbox 360 can be bought for. I probably shouldnt buy one, but I like my toys, and I think I have enough cash to spare for it. If I was being really good though, theres many better places to put that money towards at the moment. By the same token though, I have heard that the prices are supposed to be very good today. Will see.

Weight wise, I have been doing pretty well. Am down from 171Kg to 144Kg thats 27Kg down. Had a bit of a naughty day yesterday, but I was taking the christmas spirit in hand. Truth be told, though the lap band has been helping, I am hungry nearly all the time. I am just being good because I have spent a fortune on the damned thing. I am having my second tightening next week, and hopefully that will reduce my problems with being hungry. Once I get into the green zone, it should be much much easier.

Dad is away in Israel again. I miss him. We havent spoken much this time since he has been gone. He did sms me the other day, so I know all is well. I cant help but worry though.

 Passed uni for the trimester, not overly happy with my mark, have emailed the lecturer regarding it, but have decided against officially protesting my mark. I will need to nail my last two subjects (both in trimester 2 next year) in order to get the overall mark I want. It is good to be well over 3/4 finished the masters though.

Ah well, that is all for now. More updates as I feel.

State of the raph - an ongoing saga

Published at November 18, 2007 in The House, Weight, Education, State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

So where to start? I am not really sure, so lets just jump in and see what happens.

The house is going swimmingly. Frame is totally up, Rachy and I wandered down on the weekend as is our habit and its really starting to look like a house. Woah do the cupboards look big! It will be most excellent to have a house with enough storage to put all my stuff away. Of course, i do have WAY TOO MUCH stuff ™ but I do plan on getting rid of a lot of it. Will sell some, and freecycle the rest. The debate is on between myself and Rachy as too how much furniture to keep and how much to throw out. The part of me that takes after my father is absolutely loath to get rid of stuff, especially stuff that can still be used, however to a point, Rachy is right in that it would be lovely to start off with a lot of new stuff. I suspect we need to make a big furniture list and see what we can afford to start with. Ah well, still have a short while to work on that.

A lot of people keep asking me how I am going with the lap band. The short answer is “quite well thank you.” but that isnt the whole story. Truth be told, I am quite often very very hungry at the moment. The scenario with a lap band is that when they put it in, it is unfilled, giving minimum restriction to food. This means that now that the swelling in my stomach has gone down and I am back onto solid food, as long as I chew carefully, food just slides down the hole. So, because there is still a band around my stomach I do feel a lot less hungry in general, I am yet to get that “ooh I am full and satisfied” feeling. The big problem there is that I am and always have been a nervous eater, and not having hunger does not necessarily equate to not eating. On the more fortunate side, because my insurance did not cover the surgery, I had to pay for it off my own dime, and that means I have a lot of guilt if I do not stick to it, so I have been forcing myself to eat minimally. I am looking forward to my first fill in 2 weeks so that hopefully I will get that satisfied, full feeling soon. In the meantime, just having the band does reduce the need to eat, as in general I dont feel too hungry most of the time. At times the hunger does flare up, mostly after having eaten carbs, but I try to ride it out, especially late at night where I am pretty sure it is just psychological hunger.

I am still losing weight, and though I know through the online forums that a lot of lap band people gain a little weight during the first few weeks, I remain determined just to keep losing and losing.

Its exam time for uni, and I have one take home exam for my Strategic Practice subject and a Microsoft MCSE exam to sit ad Excom. Had a look at the take home exam and it doesnt look like I will have too much of a problem. I have had a fair amount of issues with this subject, mainly related to the fact that during assignment time, I have been either starving myself for pre-op reasons or being generally messed up post op. The lecturer has been very good in letting me be late with my assignments though, and I hope to do well enough in my second assignment and exam to pass with at least a credit. Time will tell.

As for the Microsoft exam, its active directory stuff and I am reasonably well versed in it, both from constantly being immersed in it at work, as well as having done a little actual study over the course of the trimester. Should be fine there.

 Next trimester is going to be a lay-off trimester as none of the subjects I need are being offered. I may do some other industry stuff just to keep the study knack. Second trimester next year I will do two core subjects and hopefully finish the masters. Dad is really hopeful that I will consider a phd after that, but I am not so sure, though part of me wants to do a MBA at some point. So much to think about.

Anyway, thats about all thats going on at the moment. Work is busy, life is busy. Its full steam ahead and much fun.

More later.

We’re putting the band back together.

Published at November 7, 2007 in Weight, State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

So, after much consideration, consultation and some financial consolidation, I decided that I was going to get a gastric band put in. This is the tale of how it all went down.

It boiled down to the long term view of the fact that though I can lose weight, my ability to keep that lost weight off is not very good, and that every time I have lost a significant amount of weight, within few years, I have regained it all, along with an extra 10% or so. Research has shown that such yo-yo dieting is worse for the health than just remaining overweight so its not really a good long term option.

So after attending a seminar back in August on lap banding, I booked an appointment with the specialist and started the ball rolling.  The initial appointment was in mid-september. At that appointment, a plan was laid out in order for me to get the required surgery. An appointment with an independent physician and a seperate psychiatrist were required in order to be sure that I was an acceptable candidate for the surgery.

Both the physician and the psychiatrist cleared me for surgery, and then a definite appointment for 31st of October was made to perform the surgery at the Epworth Hospital in Richmond.

A week before surgery, I was put on an Optifast diet. I will say that the optifast tasted so god-awful that I pretty much just fasted for that week, not feeling able to eat it. In one week, I managed to lose nine and a half kilograms. Not a bad effort really. The main objective of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver so that it is easy to move around while performing the surgery laparoscopically. Mission there accomplished.

Surgery day arrived, and with little drama got to the hospital. Ended up in a shared room, not a private one. Was also a little disgruntled by the fact that my bed had a clear label on it stating that it was not rated for more than 125Kg. If i was under 125Kg,  I would not be having surgery for it. Was rather uncomfortable in the bed, with my butt pushing down on the mattress hard enough that it felt like it was resting direct on the wooden backboard.

At about 4pm they took me down to the operating theater (after having my stomach shaved from just below the nipples all the way down to the top of my pubic hair). Apparently the operation was a resounding success, though there were some issues with my oxygen levels near the end, forcing them to wake me up while still having the oxygen tube in my mouth.  A rather unpleasant experience I must say.

Back up to the ward, and the most pain I have is actually in my shoulder, not where they operated on. This is caused  by the gas they use to inflate the body so they can move around the internal organs during surgery. I get given a pethidine injection in my thigh for pain, and get put on oxygen as I am still having issues getting enough oxygenation in my system. My beautiful girlfriend, Rachel, is there, as is my mother and stepfather. I am not coherent, and they go home, my father turns up, I am still not coherent. He leaves, I find out that the old man in the bed next to mine is an undiagnosed sleep apnea sufferer. He sounds like a broken chainsaw that is stop starting all night. Being that I am a diagnosed sleep apnea sufferer, and am on oxygen, I cant use my CPAP machine, and therefore do not get much sleep.

The nursing staff keep me medicated with a combination of paracetamol and trammadol through the IV line, also giving me antibiotics through there. One nurse steps on my IV line, causing me pain. The IV line in general is rather uncomfortable.

Still having trouble breathing, am concerned about this, as it may delay me coming home, and I REALLY HATE staying in hospital. The dietician comes to visit, and talk about the eating plan for the next four weeks, which will be a build up to eating solids. Due to participation and much reading on the lap band talk forum, I am already aware of most of this. The phsyio comes to see me ad gives me some breathing exercises in order to help with my low O2 levels. I also take a work call. Jesus, they really CANT LIVE without me. Visitors on day 2 include Andy Blume, my beautiful darling Rachel, my sister, my mother and step-father, bed,  and my father.

That night, after hours of non-sleep, I convince the nurse that my CPAP machine would be the better way to go for sleeping, rather than the oxygen, and manage 3 or 4 hours sleep. With the help of the exercises shown to me by the physio, I am able to get more oxygen into my system, and convince everyone that I am alright to go home.

Minor issues getting home, dad cant do it, so once again Rachel to the rescue, she comes and takes me home. Much much much more comfortable to be home in my own bed.

Day 1 at home, am unable to sleep on my stomach due to surgical wounds. Finally fall asleep on my back, turn over in my sleep, wake up in agony. Not hungry but forcing myself to keep fluids up.

Rapid improvements over next few days. Able to sleep on my stomach by the fourth day after surgery.

day 7 after surgery, still have no appetite, forcing myself to keep hydrated and have small amounts of soup. All the foods I bought in anticipation of this time are laying wasted in the fridge. Have left the house a few times, it is tiring, but good not to be totally housebound. Am going to attempt to go to work tomorrow. Expecting it to be tiring. For some reason my thigh where they gave me the pethidine shot is still numb. Also have massive bruising and a raised vein where they had the IV line in. My mother assures me this is normal, but if it hasnt cleared in the next few days i will get it investigated by a doctor.

I dont know how much more weight I have lost, but it is definitely coming off. Will have a better indication after my visit to the surgeon on the 12th. Will keep you posted.

As to the long term efficacy of the band, people have said very good things about it. I look forward to finding all about it first hand, and shall endeavor to share those learnings.

Swedish Band

Published at September 6, 2007 in food, State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

And I dont mean ABBA!

So, after a fair amount of investigation, some visits to regular doctors, discussion with friends and family and a information session held by the bariatric team at the hospital, I think that I am going to have the swedish lap band surgery. Its a big decision, one that will change my life significantly. Hopefully for the better, possibly for the worse.

What is for certain is that if I get it I will lose weight. If I dont lose a significant amount of weight soon, I am likely to encounter a great many health issues. That is on top of the general issues I already have which I do not particularly want to go into. Such things like type 2 diabetes, cardiac issues etc are just looming on the horizon for me if I do nothing. The threat of these things scares the bejesus out of me.

So while elective surgery is something that I believe should never be undertaken lightly, I have booked an appointment with the surgeon for 2 weeks time. He will then send me to be evaluated by a psychiatrist and a dietician. After  that, it will be back to the surgeon who if all goes well, will then book me in for surgery. The whole process apparently will take around 6 weeks from first visit through to surgery.

I do need to check how much my insurance will cover for the surgery, as well as work out how i can afford to pay for the gap in between. Several options there, which I may go into in another post.

After it is all done, I will be physically unable to binge eat anymore. Seeing as I dont drink alcohol, and do not have a huge sweet tooth, this will effectively mean that I will lose weight rather fast. Of concern to me is that I binge eat for a reason, good or bad, I am unsure, I think it is to curb depression or maybe to deal with day to day drudgery much like an alcoholic turns to drink. What I will do upon losing my ability to do this worries me, but I cannot see it being as bad as doing what I am doing. I am slowly eating myself to death right now.

 Some have argued that it is purely an issue of discipline, and that I should be able to manage to sort it out by myself. Maybe they are right. In my own defence though, I have in my life managed to beat addiction to cigarettes, regular binge drinking and a few other items that I wont mention here. I have also managed to lose up to 50 kilo before putting it all back on again with a bit more on top over a 2 year period. I stand before you, someone who does not drink, smoke or do drugs, but I eat. I have found that I lack the ability to defeat this demon by myself, so before you judge me for “taking the easy way out” ask yourself if you would judge someone with a broken ankle for using a crutch.

not much going on.

Published at August 16, 2007 in State of the raph and Life. 0 Comments

Blog guilt sets in.

This is kind of just a post to say i have not forgotten about this little space of mine on the web, but I have been on leave from work and study. As such, I have been avoiding anything that resembles essay or report writing.

That includes this space.

Anyway, normal service shall resume shortly.