Australian MasterChef - Malaysian and Fusion are Flavours of Recent Years

Australian cuisine continues to evolve with more sophistication. Judging by the results of the recent Masterchef competition, Malaysian tastes and chefs who originated in that part of the world seem to dominate the contemporary Australian culinary scene.

Masterchef 2010 Adam Liaw and last year's runner up Poh Ling Yeow had grounding in Asian cuisine.

Malaysia is a melting pot of influences from the early Malay and Indonesian islands settlers, Portugese, British colonial administrators, West Asian merchants and worker migrants from South China and India. The Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and Singapore) are good representations of the extensive depths of the cosmopolitan food culture in this region.

http://www.tourism-melaka.com/MelakaFoodGuide.pdf

The peranakan and Eurasians who were products of mixed marriages showcase a rich cultural heritage of food, language, architecture and handicraft.

Nonya cuisine, rice, noodles, seafood, Malay/Indian/Eurasian curry, stew, soups, sweet and savoury cakes, snacks and finger food, ice dessert ....

Thai used to be the hot favourite cuisine but Malaysia has taken over recently. Australia has benefitted enormously from the intake of many Malaysian talents of diverse fields who emigrated to escape racially discriminatory policies.

Modern Indian Fine Dining

Interesting and delicious vegetable appetiser with cripsy topping.

Lobster monet with chips and vegetables.

Risotto steeped in tangy sauce is interesting but unimpressive.

Yummy seafood rice dish which was lightly spiced with yellow curry and mustard.

Food was delicious and lived up to the well known restaurant chain. The service, however, was rather clinical.

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Blakes - very good value tasting menu

Thumbs up for mixed entree platter galore : spicy chicken tikka, salt and pepper squid, gratin, souffle, cream of cauliflower soup shot.

Roast duck with orange brandy sauce. A enerous portion but a tad too soft rather than crispy.

Crustacean in hollandaise. Succulent and tasty. Very enjoyable.

Caramelised pork belly with sweet potato chips and apple sauce.

Saute veggies with a little garlic oil would have been preferrable to the typically English blanched version served.

Sweet endings : sticky date pudding, creme brulee, two tier mousse.

Blakes scores high rating on good value and efficient service. However, there's something missing when measured against fine dining restaurants.

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Big Businesses Almost Always Win Legal Cases?

There are good and bad laws and the same can be seen in judgements. Complaints fall to deaf ears after the heat dissipates but the harsh realities remain lessons for us.

Given the flexible nature of equitable law, it is expectedly devoid of universally reliable guidelines especially on actions that attract estoppel.

This happened almost a decade ago. Franchisees of Mobil pleaded claims based on breach of contract, estoppel and contravention of provisions of the Trade Practices Act but all fell through.

Mobil was alleged to have unilaterally revoked its offer (that attainment of good performance would ensure the renewal of tenure) after representees followed up with acts of acceptance (a detrimental reliance).

The courts held that statements made by Mobil agents at a conference were vague, and did not amount to encouragement, nor were there elements of a legal relationship that could have given rise to reliable assumptions by the franchisees. Some said this was crap because precedence of finding estoppel as a sword did not require the existence of a formal contract.

Mobil’s success in all three major cases raised concerns among franchisees across industries and brand names. Great! Estoppel could not be counted upon to grant equitable relief!

Mobil franchiees whose tenure were discontinued by Mobil despite improvements made to the shop front and standard of service did not receive any compensation.

Of course there are many other prominent corporate names and banks that frequently triumph in litigation cases, albeit on small technicality. News reports do not provide indepth understanding of the pain small fries go through financially and emotionally when trampled upon in the highly competitive and inequitable business world.

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How the hell is bloody Macbeth relevant to modern daily living? The price to pay for freebies.

“I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (Act III Scene 4, 135–137; Macbeth)

Shocking! Yes, it's just an exaggeration. A appropriate way to explain it would be to describe the difficulty of sustaining momentum after being forced by circumstances. The analogy of having to continue with the process of shampoo and wash of hair once you have inadvertently or accidently wet the hair seem to fit the bill. In other words, there is no going back and too late to change one's mind.

In today's competitive e commercial world, there are heaps of alluring offers. It is FREE! Or so we believed. But think again and smarten up! There is no free lunch or free ride, perhaps, just temporarily, but not forever. The must be a catch - once the target has been hooked, they will have to be committed, because there is too much to lose by withdrawing. It would be gullible to believe that people are not profit driven, it is only a matter of degree.

It is hard to imagine yourself or your friends who are normally street wise could somehow one day land in such as predicament. Is there any sense of continuing when it is unsustainable. Should we just bite the bullet and lose 2,000 days of hard work, time and resources now than to drag and risk losing more later? Maybe it is time to write off the investments, suffer the short term pain, erase it from memory, than to pour good effort after bad? It is a dilemma that cropped up for more than a year and has yet to be resolved. I pray in search for a clear cut answer.

Laptop - the way to go, prevails over desktops

Laptops are ostensibly getting more popular in the last two years because of the vast improvements made in speed, storage space, battery life and weight, significantly closing the gap with desk top. The demand and supply factors are mutually reinforcing. Naturally, more investments would be poured into R&D of laptop computers, which will turn accelerate improvements in technology and present better prices for consumers with volume sales.

I'm no geek but fortunate to be surrounded by some, and so can't help getting sound advice and good deals. These days, one could get a decent, practical, brand name laptop for under $500. With at least 1 G Ram memory, more than 100 G disk space and 10 hour battery, it can adequately meet the needs of most students and professionals on the move. The only inconvenience is charging the battery when not using it. Experimenting with the new toys on the market, it is certainly leaps ahead of a three year desktop.

A $1,500 budget can get you a fairly high end and sophisticated laptop. Compare this with spending $2,000 on a desktop that is not portable, guess what most modern day consumers would choose?

However, procrastinators are advised not to wait too long. If you really need a computer for work, now is probably one of the better times to buy one as the technology has moved to a higher plane and retail trade reeling from the quietness in the aftermath of the stimulus package, are offering great bargains. Also noteworthy is that workers in China who produce the components for electronics may be getting higher pay after some success in their agitation for better work conditions. This is likely to translate into higher prices for the final electronic products in future. Since computers have become a necessity in modern times, as Intel puts it, its demand is becoming more inelastic. Companies are more likely to raise prices to make up for higher labour cost than to maintain prices which will eat into their profits for the consumers' sake.

First Muslim cricketer for Australian team

Games are colour blind.

Usman Khawaja's selection in the test squad shows the panel's confidence in his abilities. Racism and politics should be kept out of games.


Sceptics who question his loyalty and beliefs based on his country of birth are not giving him a chance to prove himself and do Australia proud.


On the other hand, the Muslims commentators should not play up his religious background since Usman himself admitted his practise of Islam is light. His assurance of torn loyalties should not be a major hindrance to his performance when Australia plays against Pakistan.

Usman has been raised in Australia and fully integrated into society at large. Traces of his Pakistani origin as scarce and very much diluted over the years. He should be a model to some who find excuses either could not or refuse to adapt to Australian way of life.

This is testimony of Australia's multicultural success.






http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/accomplished-calm-elegant--and-a-muslim-in-test-squad-20100622-yvsw.html


http://au.sports.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article/-/7441790/australia-names-muslim-player-test-squad

Be careful of phising by hackers of bank accounts

I believe this is an attempt at phising to hack into customer accounts. Previous attempts by hackers who claim to be writing on behalf of a Big Four bank have been reported. They keep trying and hope that some day, someone unsuspectingly fall into the trap. Be very careful before you divulge information on the internet. Note that banks do not send email to verify account details and passwords.

Below is a sample email some hotmail users have received in the inbox - not filtered as spam. Nice try. Hope that such tricks and scams will fail.

Dear Customer
We're making some exciting changes that will make your online banking experience even better, We therefore request you to verify your location.
ANZ Online Access Verification Please note that Your Online Banking has been flagged by our system and all flagged account required verification for Online Banking to remain active due to recent changes we have made to our online banking system.
This verification will allow us to activate new features for your account on our system and to protect your account fully against ID Theft. We have made these changes to ensure only You have access and use your ANZ Account's.
Please click the link below to proceed with verification process.http://www.anz.com.au/verification It is all about your security.Best wishesMark BanksHead of Online

Scammers are getting more sophisticated in their ruse. The most recent tricks take the form of offers to return overpaid bank fees, insurance premiums or other entitlements that appear legitimate at first sight.

To learn more about scams and how to avoid being conned, check out the Australian government website for details :

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/693900

Boost comprehensive public schools instead of retarding selective and private schools

Calling the state of the education system ''social and academic apartheid'' may seem shocking irresponsible hype, coming from a former high school principal, if we do not listen carefully to his qualification and good suggestions. The message resonates concerns over the dire need to improve comprehensive schools standards by having better support, management, teachers and facilities. But the solutions may be hindered by the chronic problem of state governments not placing enough importance on essential services like education and health.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/selectives-are-causing-academic-apartheid-20100704-zvxm.html

Every year when the selective school enrolment is publicised, the media will focus public attention on the negativity of selective schools. Such wanton rhetoric tend to whip up unwarranted discord and disgruntlement but at a superficial and bigoted level without getting to the root of the problem.

It is a myth to think that private and selective schools only produce geeks and nerds who do not enjoy their childhood and teens. It is no secret that these schools offer all round education, producing excellence in academic results as well as music and sports. To top it all, good, responsible and civic behaviour.

Indeed, you only need to ask the teachers of many public schools who struggle with disciplinary problems and lack of motivation among majority of the students. Parents also have a part to play in imparting good ethics, appreciate the value education and instil responsible behaviour such as : NOT to take drugs, refrain from foul language, stay away from bad company on the streets and not getting pregnant.

Don't we all want the best for our children within our means? It is pathetic that only two state schools - Killara High and Cherrybrook Tech have made it to the top 100 schools in HSC grading. Meanwhile, parents have to make the best use of their resources where the state has failed to provide.

A country needs nerds, geeks, all rounded scholars, tradesman, muscians, farmers and atheletes. Each has their strengths and weaknesses to serve the community well. To suppress and retard the gifted and talented who do not match our ideal model students would not seem fair. Such populist and narrow minded thinking is doomed to failure, or if allowed to spread, would be detrimental to Australia's interest with first rate human resources to sustain our advanced economic status.

Australians are fortunate to have many paths to success through TAFE, business and non-academic careers. The children only need a little more support to excel what they are best at. This is not too much to ask for, I hope.

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No credible mainstream party or leader - vote for fringe parties?

Some moderate educated Australians may be forced to vote for fringe parties out of Hobson's choice. The result may be a weak government with no clear mandate to set direction and implement difficult but necessary economic reforms.

PM Julia Gillard may be putting on her best charm and tactics to woo the voters, but I am not impressed. Her capitualation to big mining companies who have the monetary muscle to get their way sets a bad example for Australian political leadership even though it may have resolved a stalemate and restored some confidence. Every move Gillard makes is aimed at winning votes, without much regard whether it is for the good of the country. The interests of the working class, small businesses and minorities are neglected.

The alternative to Labour government is Liberal headed by Tony Abbott. He is a liability to the party's electoral chances and future. Unless Liberal gets its act together and choose a leader wisely and carefully soon, Australians would be inclined to choose the lesser evil - Labour.

P.S. Voting Green Party does not help because of the special arrangement with Labour to exploit preferential voting system.

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