Finally!

I have been talking about the australian barbecue so many times that a picture of it had to be posted on these pages someday. The traditional one is usually composed of a thick piece of meat and some big fat sausages (snags). On our side we opted from some local and very nice prawns, some kangaroo skewers as well as some kanga bangas (kangaroo sausages). I was actually a bit disappointed by the later as they - luckily for our health - lack all the fat that makes the pork sausages so sweet and taste quite dry as a result. But the kangaroo skewers were absolutely stunning and the shrimps exquisite.

Arthouse Movies

I just saw two very good movies back to back. I always enjoy it to ‘discover’ movies I had never heard about before. As I go there with no expectations I am rarely disappointed. First we went to the Flix festival in Darwin yesterday to watch the latest Claude Lelouch movie entitled ‘Roman De Gare’. What a plot!? I have always been a bit wary of Lelouch and don’t remember actually liking any of his movies. It’s probably due to the fact that I went to watch ‘Les Uns et Les Autres’ when it came out and let me tell you it was a real torture for a 12 year old kid. Maybe I would appreciate it now but I can’t face the idea of watching it again. As a result, ‘Roman De Gare’ came as real revelation. I would never have suspected it was a Lelouch movie.
Tonight was a completely different atmosphere, far from the twists and actions of yesterday’s flick. ‘The Band’s Visit’ is an amazing account of an Egyptian musical police band lost in a desolate Israeli town. It is based on a true story and I decided on it simply on the ground of the last lines of the synopsis: “Not many people remember this story, It was not that important”. I knew I would be in for a special story indeed!

Record of the Week: 1969

It’s funny how if I were to post a Christmas song today it would make no sense at all… So, just in time for the New Year I introduce a 40 years old track that you should start playing 1 minute 30 seconds before midnight for a crazy cosmic / psychedelic explosion of joy at your 2008 / 2009 party. Also, since there are no releases of interest this week that will fit perfectly as my record of the week this historic track will perfectly fill that gap. I can hereby wish you all my best for 2009 in advance. Enjoy!

Download here: Bonne Annee (I actually personally prefer the 1967 version here)

Darwin Sun

Even though we are entering the wet season, simply referred as 'The Wet', days continue to be quite nice with some clouds building up in the afternoon usually ending as a storm in the evening. As such, we have been getting a fair share of nice sunsets. I often wish I had my camera with me since some of them are quite spectacular. This evening's might not have been the best one but I always like the colours the sun creates on the clouds and the perspective it brings to the sky.

Aboriginal Art

I have always enjoyed Aboriginal Art and even more so since I have been confronted to the amazing collection of the Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne some years back. Now that I am in the Northern Territory there is no better place to acquire a better knowledge of what is going on but also to acquire a few paintings myself. I have started to look around in a few galleries and gather information about the Art on display. Prices can easily go as high as 30 or 40 thousand dollars for some pieces. I am now keeping an eye some paintings from Walangkura Napanangka who belongs to the Pintupi people but who also is part of the famous Papunya Tula school of Artists. She amazingly only started to paint a dozen years ago but her works have already gathered quite an international acclaim. Now if you want to donate a few dollars to help me buy some paintings, feel free to do so :-)

Nitmiluk

It really was a lovely way to spend boxing day. And what a lovely weather it was as well. We spent the night in Katherine yesterday and headed to Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorges) this morning. It is not quite the Grand canyon but it is pretty unique and undisputably australian. There are actually 13 gorges. We started by a boat ride on the 3 first gorges and enjoyed the crocodiles, the waterfalls, the vegetation and a few rapids. It gives an interesting perspective to visit the place at water level. But once back ashore we wanted to have another view over this amazing place and chartered an helicopter to enjoy the site from above. I really wish I can find time to make it to Kakadu and Lichtfield one day or the other.

Mr. Barra

As famous as Mr. Croc comes Mr. Barra. The Barramundi is the fish of the Northern Territory (even though it can be found in several places around South East Asia and the Persian Gulf). Territorians main passtime is to go fishing for Barramundi. It lives in freshwater, Billabongs and salty waters. Actually the saltwater Barramundi is usually favoured for having a more delicate flesh and less body fat. Once cooked, I admit it is difficult not to fall for this buttery flesh with a mild salty flavour. A real delicacy. It has fast become my favourite fish. It is possible to literally touch some live ones in a few places in the area and I took a few pictures at the aquarium the other day that I will post at one point or the other. In the meantime, here's a reproduction gracing a fisho's shop in Katherine.

Mr. Croc

You've seen him in my plate the other day. I admit I prefer to have it on my menu rather than being part of his menu. Yes, I am talking about the king of the Northern Territory. Mister Crocodile! As I mentioned before there is not a single day without a crocodile story in the newspaper here. That sounds very exotic for foreigners like me but the fact is that Mr Croc is really spreading out everywhere. There were around 200 of these removed from the Darwin Harbour this year (and it was a small year). Thankfully, I could observe the one above in all safety.

Gidday maaate!

People in the Northern Territory and in Australia can actually choose their plate number as long as it is not offensive, does not already exist and they are ready to pay for it. It is also valid for life and not attached to the vehicle but to the driver. The Northern Territory being pretty ‘unpopulated’ the chance in obtaining your plate number of choice is greater. I came across many many different plates here, some of them funny, some of them witty, others even clever and some really dumb ones (I would sincerely be ashamed to drive some of the vehicles I see just because of their plate numbers). This morning I had a good laugh following this very Australian car (another bad quality picture but I was driving and shouldn’t have been taking pictures in the first place!)

Best of 2008

As with every year, it is difficult for me to rank tracks especially due to my eclectic tastes. Nevertheless, this time my list might seem a bit ‘mainstream’ compared to the previous years. It might be due to the fact that I have been far from where the action is for some time now or because in this digital age there are so many tracks I can get access to that I end up listening to the most obvious or simply because I am aging? Anyway, now that 2007 has long gone and swept the whole record industry away, my own small revolution will come in the way that I will not be sending my lovely crafted ‘Best of the Year’ CD to my friends this year but proposing it as a download version instead. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, my friends.

1. TV On The Radio 'Family Tree / DLZ'
2. American Music Club 'The Windows On The World'
3. Calexico 'House of Valparaiso'
4. Elbow 'The Loneliness of the Tower Crane Driver'
5. Sister 'Lovers of Today'
6. Ladyhawke 'My Delerium (Single Version)'
7. Friendly Fires 'Paris (Justus Köhncke Remix)'
8. the Streets 'The Escapist'
9. Anne Clark 'Psalm'
10. Bon Iver 're:stacks'
11. MGMT 'Electric Feel (Justice Remix)'
12. White Lies 'Unfinished Business'
13. Joseph d'Anvers '1000 Fois'
14. Stickboy 'I Hope That You're Happy'
15. M.I.A. 'Paper Planes (re-issue)'
16. Quiet Village 'Too High To Move / Pillow Talk'
17. Vampire Weekend 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' / Hot Chip feat. Peter Gabriel 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (cover)'
18. Ting Tings 'That's Not My Name'
19. Flobots 'No Handlebars (DJ Shadow Remix)'
20. Portishead 'The Rip'
    

Well... I had to make decisions... I believe many other tunes really should have been in the Top 20 but there was not enough room to fit at least 50 tracks I would have loved to feature in such a restrictive space... So here's a bonus CD with just a few of the tracks that have been on heavy rotation either on my turntables or iPod.

• Goldfrapp 'A&E'
• Esser 'I Love You' (not on the CD)
• Alex Lloyd 'Same Day'
• Fleet Foxes 'White Winter Hymnal'
• Beck 'Chemtrails'
• LCD Soundsystem 'Big Ideas (Single Edit)'
• The Rapture 'No Sex For Ben'
• Why? 'The Hollows'
• Black Kids 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (Twelves Remix)'
• Metronomy 'Heartbreaker (Diskjokke Remix)'
• Cut Copy 'Hearts On Fire (Original Version)'
• M83 'Kim & Jessie (Montag Remix)'
• Santogold 'L.E.S. Artistes'
• Santogold & Diplo 'Icarus'
• Friendly Fires 'I'm Good, I'm Gone - Lykke Li Cover'
• Lykke Li 'I'm Good, I'm Gone'
• SoKo 'I Will Never Love You More'
• Bost & Bim Ft Brisa Roché & Lone Ranger 'Jamaican Boy'
• Kings of Leon 'Use Somebody (Single Edit)'
  
  Part 1 - Number 1 to Number 10 here (120MB)
  Part 2 - Number 11 to Number 20 here (95MB)
  Bonus CD here (143MB)

Mum and her joey

I have now been in Australia for quite some time (even longer than this all in all!) but I realise that I have actually never posted any picture of that Australian icon that is the Kangaroo. It is true that you do not really see them jumping in the streets of the major cities but they remain a common sight (unfortunately their dead corpses on the roads are even most common). Today, I was in a fantastic place called the 'Wildlife Park' 50 kilometers out of Darwin. It is not at all a zoo but more like a reserve or a sanctuary. I came across this tiny wallaby mother with her even tinier joey. It was quite extraordinary the way this little fella was getting hold of his mother's pouch that came hanging out of her belly.

Gecko on my window

Hello there! I am stuck in the office at the moment but I am expecting to go for a stroll in George Brown botanical gardens later in the day. The rain that has been pretty consistent over the past 6 days has finally nearly stopped. Nevertheless you can see that the window of my office still looks pretty wet and there is a lovely gecko enjoying the coolness of the glass right now.

Food of the Day: Aussie Croc

When living in Alabama I used to go to Louisiana very often on weekends. One of the specialties there is the aligator. It was most of the time proposed fried with lots of crumbs and it was very difficult to fathom the real taste of the meat itself. Now that I am in the Northern Territory I will have to try the local crocodile simply grilled with no additive whenever I see it on the menu. Nevertheless, I went for a Crocodile Salad for lunch today that had more bite than the tasteless meat I used to have in America. Or maybe the Australian croc is simply tastier than the American aligator indeed?

Food of the Day: Pearl Meat

I had actually never heard of Pearl Meat before entering this wonderful restaurant called La Beach yesterday. I understand that for many people in many countries, Pearl Meat is a delicacy. Much different than traditional edible oysters that are farmed around the world, Pearl Meat is a firmer flesh that is actually the muscle of the oyster that allows it to close its shell. As explained by the Owner of the place before it arrived on my table, it is a subtle mix between scallops and abalone. Let me tell you that I really really enjoyed it. And sorry about the blurry picture but I was concentrating more on my food than in taking a picture.

Green Tree Ants

From my office window I can see all those plants whose leaves have been weaved together to form pods. Getting a closer look you can see they are thriving with activity. These unusual natural constructions are actually the work of what is called the Green Tree Ants (or the weaver ants). I was already used to them in Western Papua but I never had such a close look at them before. The nests are in fact bound with silk produced by their larvae. Most of the nest construction and weaving is conducted at night with major workers weaving towards the exterior of the nests and minor workers weaving within the interior. It really makes for a fascinating viewing and their work can keep you busy for hours!

Billy is on his way!

It has been raining nearly nonstop over the past 24 hours and the temperatures have fallen down to nearly 25 degrees! They decided to call Australia's first cyclone of the year Billy. It is currently building up in the Timor Sea about 400km north of Darwin and meteorologists are continuing to keep a close eye on the slow-moving low and say the chances are high of it forming Thursday or Friday. Workers have been evacuated from oil rigs after the bureau issued a warning notice. It is yet 50% uncertain it will hit our shores but the weather certainly has changed those passed days.

Christmas Songs

Just on time for Christmas there are two Indie releases out this week. First is the 'Is This Christmas?' song from The Wombats currently being heavily rotated on the airwaves here. Second, is that unexpected Wedding Present single that landed on my screen with no warning! And needless to say it is my favourite of the lot having been a huge Weddoes fan since the 80s. 'Holly Jolly Hollywood', a duet with L.A. songstress Simone White is the track to go for and select as a loop in yout iPod.

Purchase The Wedding Present here

Purchase The Wombats here

Tommos Pies

We were supposed to go to the Crocodile Farm to have a Crocodile Burger and some Croc skewers for lunch but it was closed. Also the weather was not so great by lunch time. We stopped at Tommos Pie instead and did not regret it. We had some delicious Steak and Kidney as well Steak and Mushroom pies. While browsing over the internet I was amazed to see how you even have some blogs discussing where the best Australian pies can be found, and believe me some bloggers are talking about Tommos all the way from Victoria!

Australia

We finally made it to Australia - The Movie! It has been out for a few weeks now and I had those free tickets that were given as a freebie in R.M. Williams but I was waiting for the opportunity. And when it arose, I learnt while at the ticket counter, that the free tickets were only valid at Hoyst cinemas and there are none in Darwin! Ah! Ah! Irony! Anyway, Baz Luhrmann's vision of Australia is a bit distorted by strange filming techniques and colours but I was still thrilled on a few occasions by all the references to Darwin. Actually what touched me the most were the two sentences about the Aboriginal rights and Kevin Rudd's National Pardon at the end of the 2 hours 30 minutes long movie. It will certainly be a bit lost in translation when it is out in France on the 24th of December since I do not really see how they can translate those very Australian 'bloody' expressions and accents. I was expecting to complain the movie would be inundated with Australian cliches but in the end I found it was lacking them!

In the news!

Oh shock! While having my breakie and watching the French news this morning I was shocked to learn that Woolworths was under bankruptcy in the United Kindgom and about to close its 800 stores or so! Unbelievable. There are some institutions you believe will never disappear and then they do... Here, in Australia, Woolworths or 'The Fresh Food People' or Woolies as everyone calls them, still seem to be strong and are hardly put for competition to the exception of Coles. There are not many supermarkets in Darwin but Woolworths definitely sell some convenient, fresh and varied products. Not a surprise I find myself shopping there nearly every day!

A closer look

Here's a closer look at the 'Art' painted on the fire tank at Vopak fuel terminal in Darwin. I tried to get more information and I understood that this colourful and powerful design was painted by several aboriginal artists from the Larrakia Nation’s Art Centre. The ‘Tank Art Project’ was carried out on the instructions of Vopak and the government of the Northern Territory. The paint might not be suitable for the fuel tanks themselves and it is a shame as it would be very nice to have all them decorated as such.

Tank Art Project

Public Art is often so subtle or in reverse so 'over your face' that you sometimes do not notice it. For example, there is so much street Art in Singapore that it took me sometimes weeks to realise there was actually a sculpture located on my way to a place I used to pass by dozens of times a week. Maybe it is because I am generally less used to see Aboriginal Art in the streets but I seem to be more receptive or to notice all the displays in the Darwin area more than I would usually do. That said, it is difficult to miss the fire water tank that is located at the Port Fuel Terminal!

French news (in Darwin)

I do not have any foreign channels on my TV but every morning just in time for my breakfast if I turn SBS, which is a Government funded channel, I can see the unedited French news. I can actually watch the end of the Spanish news and the beginning of the Russian news since the whole morning seems to be dedicated to the news of the world. I find it to be a very good idea to serve all the minorities that form Australia. It is especially interesting that they do not subtitle and do not edit these programs.

Record of the Week: The John Steel Singers 'Rainbow Kraut'

All the way from Brisbane, Queensland comes this happy sextet. After hearing them on Triple J I could not help but bearing a huge smile. It is one of those tunes have a great healing effect when you’re feeling down. A sound difficult to describe except by saying it has a feel good summery vibe in it. A crossroad between Sufjan Stevens, the Polyphonic Spree and the Flaming Lips. The chorus on their Rainbow Kraut track is simply irresistible. Judge for yourself and please try to lay your hands on their new EP ‘In Colours’. It’s truly fantastic!

Lunch at the museum

I had a wonderful lunch at the Cornucopia Museum Cafe. It is adjacent to the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery and bears a lovely terrace where you can enjoy lovely dishes overlooking the Timor sea (picture above is the view from my table). Unfortunately the sea is only "for looking" in that part of Australia and especially at this time of the year. Sharks, Crocodiles and most importantly Box Jellyfish are sharing these otherwise idyllic blue waters and fine sand.

Charles Darwin

A few meters from my house there is this park which incidentally is named after the famous Charles Darwin. Nothing is more natural than having a National Park named Darwin in the City of Darwin, isn’t it? It was first part of the Larrakia people and has been subsequently used during World War II. You can now have nice views over Darwin City and enjoy some barbecues or walks amongst its protected forrest or next to its unrivalled wetlands.

Road Trains

In view of the big distances to be covered in this country, one of the amazing features you can't help but notice is the Road Train. There are literally trucks tracting as many as 5 or 6 trailers. The only thing is that the real trains here can be several kilometres long. As any other mean of transport you can find magazines, websites and DVDs dedicated to those amazing monsters. And some even try to break some records like the sponsored Hog's Breath Cafe 1700 meter road train, made up of an estimated 120 trailers!

Australian Products

Every country has its own specificities in terms of products. You can only associate Australia with Vegemite, Cherry Ripes, VB, Turkish Delights, Tim Tams and Ginger Beer. I will certainly tell youa bit more about the aforementioned products at one point or another. Ginger Beer is one of my favourite drinks. It has been produced for over 40 years from the town of Bundaberg in Queensland. It is a brewed product made using dried ginger root from the local area mixed with Queensland Cane Sugar and water. Despite its 'beer' name it is a soft drink and contains no alcohol. This is why I love it so much!

Northern Territory weather news

As per the local newspaper November broke several records, with hot temperatures and few rainy days in the Top End. Darwin experienced one of its hottest months on record. Mean temperatures soared to 30.2C last month - hotter than any month since December 1991 and the fourth hottest month on record.
The tropical capital also experienced more hot days than usual, with nine days recording a top temperature of 35C or more, more than any previous November. Non-monsoonal westerly winds blowing off the water kept up knots and kept storms away explained the Weather bureau climate services manager. Darwin also experienced below average rainfall.

Shrimp on the barbie

Coming back from work before it is dark tonight I had the opportunity to actually enjoy the view from my balcony for a while. In fact I quite enjoy the view from my Geylang appartment in Singapore as I can see as far as Batam Island but being in a villa in Australia as opposed to an appartment and directly fronting the water is also quite nice. It is just a shame that it is a tiny bit too hot for me to enjoy it fully. I will still try to have a few barbies in the open air though since the equipment is here and the environment seems ideal for it.

Record of the Week: Holger Hiller 'Das Feuer' / Hell Vice 'Crawfish' (Dark & Lovely volume 12)

You find it difficult to lay your hands on the ever limited 12" edits issued by the wonderful Dark & Lovely label or you simply do not own a turntable? Fear not, you can now find the latest releases compiled on CD under the final compilation of the crew (Dirty Edits Volume 2). The The 'Giant', JJ Cale 'Ride Me High', Del Shannon 'Gemini', etc... The jewel in the crown here probably is the 12th single that was issued a couple of weeks ago (Volume 12) under the name Hell Vice and that actually is Elvis Presley 'Crawfish (Pilooski Edit)'. The Dirty Crew (Joakim, Krikor and Pilooski) have actually decided to stop issuing edits after that and it is a shame since they are the originators of one of the biggest hits of the year 'Beggin' and could probably repeat the feat this year with that Elvis track.