Campos Coffee Melbourne

On 28th November, Sunday, I walked into the Campos Coffee outlet in Melbourne. This is a specialty coffee vendor which has a fantastic reputation for fine coffee in Sydney. The Melbourne, opened quite recently, therefore didn't feature in the Melbourne Coffee Review 2010. Nevertheless, I got the wind of it much attributed to my new interest in being a regular on Beanhunter.com. Given that the place is at a stone's throw from where I live, I did not need any more invitation to check it out !

So I got there in time, few hours before they closed for the day, for a cup of coffee. Though a huge coffee addict and an aspiring coffee aficionado, I was a little unsure about the bean and type of coffee to pick when I stood at the order table, So hesitantly I asked the Barista, who was more than happy to help me out. He suggested I go for black if I choose the Siphon or white if I preferred the house blend. So I went for the Campos Superior house blend in Latte. I also bought an almond croissant to go with it.

So I waited patiently for 10 mins while my latte was made. A sip of it told me, the extraction was one of the most perfect ones I have ever had. The bitterness was just right and the temperature too, I presume - neither cold nor too hot.

This is a definite recommendation to look up whenever you are in Sydney or Melbourne and need a good hit of coffee !!

Coffee: 8.0

Ambience: 7.0

Service: 7.5

Peace,

$ur

Jesus on Extasy

Thanks to my bro JJ, I was tipped off about this new band in the Industrial Rock arena. Based in Germany, their music, has a definitive influence from the popular German industrial music. I cannot really say that their music however is the most original of the kind. For those of you who are familiar with the music scene in this genre and slightly similar ones, will notice a certain uncanny resemblance in parts of JOE's compositions with other bands. But nevertheless, there are some really ear tantalizing tracks which will definitely get you hooked.

Tracks are mostly dark with a electronic rant in the background with experimental vocals; experimental because they sound different in each composition. The band caught my attention, not because of their drumming, vocals, strumming or anything individually, but for their 'compositions' in whole. The experience is strikingly awesome.

Ambience - Let me suggest a rainy/cloudy day to try the tracks. This will most undoubtedly set the right state of mind to assimilate the electronic intricacies in the music.

Favourite Tracks - No gods, Tonight, Assassinate me

Similar Bands - Marlyn Manson, Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails

Rating - 7.0/10

Peace,

$ur

Books versus Computers

I should have read enough books before computers invaded into my life..now its too late :P !! Well, by accepting that, I'm making a conscious effort in trying to mend that. Still remember those days back in my 7th or 8th grade, when I used to borrow about 10 books every fortnight from the Eloor Lending Library. I tell you, those were thrilling days. I would be eagerly waiting to go pick up some new book to read. At the time, I was also introduced to the captivating language in the writings of P.G Wodehouse; not to forget the absolute hilarity from reading them. 

My love for books started with Enid Blyton's works, just like perhaps any other kid's, in 5th or 6th grade. There was a brief period during which I felt a voracious need to read and finish as many books as possible, like it was some personal target. Though, I was still reading while in high school and sporadically during college, the drive was hardly there. I used pick books that used to be just page turners. That is when psychological thrillers dominated almost all of my reading material. I recall there was also a time when the classic works of Harper Lee, V.S Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and some others intrigued me; the books, I believe had a great impact on me.

On and off I kept this hobby alive by picking up books once in a while through recommendations et al. But, largely my life was getting increasingly dominated by computers which were(/are) an immediate entertainer, well, mainly attributed to the advent of the internet I believe. Momentarily I thought e-books might be the transition into this computer dominated age. But I quickly realized they cannot replace hard copies simply because the latter are more gratifying. True, the number of e-books in my humble collection of multimedia, is good enough to start a small school library; I hardly ever read them. I'm not sure how much successful the e-book readers, that are now getting increasingly popular in the markets, have been. But I'm still cynical about their impact on reading. 

One of the mistakes I have made up until now is, not accepting the fact that I lost the habit of reading. The more I denied it, the more I moved away from reading books. I found myself borrowing books from the library only to leave them on the table until the due date of return. Notice the past tense :), because now I'm trying to accept that I have lost the interest and can try and revive it only by accepting it and making a conscious effort. 

I hope the effort won't go in vain and in making sure it doesn't, I'm trying to couple it with other things I enjoy doing  - having a good coffee ;) ! I think Borders might have the solution for me !!

Peace,

$ur

On the social front

I must say that this semester has been quite rewarding in terms of socializing !! I guess the primary difference has been the change of residence. The place is more of a student accommodation than before though they are both meant to be essentially the same !

Well that started it off and then the new course has a very different ambience too. I'm pretty new to the whole non-technical form of study with more emphasis on the social, economic and political aspects. Hence I found it a little difficult, I must say, to get acclimatized to the sustainable energy context :) Well, the reason for having taken this course in the first place was to give myself some more time to figure out things; the next step in life at peace.

This of course coupled with a rather laid back attitude (acquired over the 2 yrs in Melbourne :P) looked like I was giving the semester a kind of a head start before I played catch up. Well, I can't say I was complacent, but maybe a little, perhaps, dunno..anyways so there I was playing catch up towards the mid semester. 

Of course, I forgot to mention the other highlights of this semester which makes me call this semester a rather social one, which has given me a new perspective to life in Melbourne. Sometime during the semester start, we began having these so called "Dessert Nights", which sort of became a part of weekly routine until assignment work piled up :P Our main "adda" :D became Pepperoni's !! I have never been a big fan of dessert, but here I was week after week trying new dessert delicacies :) ha, I tell you, it was fun !

The social front took a leap with the new community kitchen concept quite unfamiliar to us previously. It gave us probably more chance to interact with people. It also gave me certain new cooking ideas which we most readily tried experimenting with quite satisfactory outcomes :) The culinary experience has been terrific all throughout the life here, but yes, it took a leap too with the added attraction to use both the grill and the bake at the new place !! 

Then there was the much surprising Melbourne visit by CP. Now that played its part too I guess :D I bought the Metallica ticket worth 150 bucks in record time (there was absolutely not much of thinking involved) !! Well to be honest there was one point during this semester when it suddenly struck me, it looks like I'm living life a bit more carefree. I was even worried whether I was splurging a little too much. But then I guess I had a bit to spare after all ;) and the Aussie wind did blow past me a little :P

Today, after the last class of one of the courses for this semester, we went to the pub diagonally opposite our Uni building; I was just then reflecting how this semester has been. It has been a very different experience. Sometimes, its quite surprising how your whole outlook towards life changes when the things around you look different from the usual just because you have doing things a little differently - a new course, new place of stay, some new friends etc. I was telling my friend the other day that I think I've started to like Melbourne more ever since I moved to Carlton. Maybe it is Lygon Street, I was saying :) 

Ha..life ;) !!

Peace,

$ur 

Facebook

Pessimist's Version - 

No good has come out of posting on FB; but then why do we still post on FB ?? Is it because our online profiles are more rhetorical :P ?? 

Or is it just the sheer pleasure derived out of saying something totally bothering you; something you are psyched about; something to just know what others have to say about it, without having to ask them anything and making it unpleasant or awkward ?

Well, there can be a myriad number of reasons I suppose, just the different perspectives !! 

Well, it may well be that people wanna share their thoughts on a wider scale, reach out to more people at the same time without having to repeat it !! But knowingly or unknowingly aren't we feeding the introverted part of our conscience ?

Optimist's Version - 

Don't think too much !! Its just plaintive as this - to keep in touch, duh !? 

A way for the less extroverted, to start opening up, perhaps !!

Well, whatever it was, did the inceptor think this much through ? I bet he didn't ! Its the people and their minds that give birth to these numerous meanings of materialistic life. Sometimes you'll be surprised if you stop to think, 

"Almost everything is man-made"; we are all playing our parts as if it is all meant to be this way !! 

A lingering thought ~ comments ?

Peace,

$ur

To break the silence..in communication

I've wondered over the years what makes me concentrate at times and at other times be really fussed about not being able to !! Maybe it is coffee..is it ? Or is it the right attitude because of the feeling there is a purpose in doing something or not..!! Well, for one thing I'm loving that I can concentrate well now, but I hate it when I wake up the next morning just to find myself back in that state of distraction, those endless hours...ok I've already lost it..

Peace !!

$ur

\m/ Godsmack - A Tribute \m/

I can't help but wonder why Godmack, such a godly awesome "Heavy" Rock band is so very less known and followed by hard and heavy rock and metal music fans !! I have asked many and they have of course heard of them; but back India, when I've been to gigs, none of the local bands ever played covers of Godsmack; more interestingly, they are hardly even spoken about in the Rock/Metal world than by few hardcore fans such as myself ! 

One of the things I like most about this band is the notably big difference in the singing style of Sully Erna, the front man and vocalist of Godsmack; which is I think is one of the purest forms of clean growling vocals. This is something which even death vocalists don't normally do. Death vocals - both the screech and growl versions, are something different altogether. It takes more practice, patience and even a whole of breathing and vocal exercises than clean singing; but blood curdling clean growls is something of the genetics than anything else and that I think is what distinguishes the singing style of Sully from others. Maybe this is also one of the main reasons why bands don't try to play their covers !!

They are widely popular in the US and are known to have some of the best live shows ever. They have been nominated for the Grammys several times and have toured around the world several times which have made them very popular. Well, this therefore sounds very paradoxical, when I say, their band merchandise is very rarely seen in the shops. I myself have inquired at many shops here in Australia , only to hear "Ah..Nah mate..we haven't got anything of Godsmack" ; I'm like why !!?? It is not like they don't know of the band here :P, but simply that they haven't got it. 

I had this feeling therefore that, I have got to do something in my own way to let at least a few random blog readers know of this band. Maybe something like a tribute in the form a blog post dedicated to one of the best ever in the business and one of the bands I have been most loyal to, ever since I started my relationship with rock music. I'm sure people who have listened to Godsmack, are absolutely psyched about them; but for those of you are new this band and are fans of rock music, this is one of the bands you shouldn't miss listening to; correction, Head banging to \m/ !

11 Personal Recommendations -  (For a complete experience, watch their videos !!)

1. Re-Align 
2. Straight Out of Line
3. I Stand Alone - Live version
4. Doing the Best I Can
5. Voodoo 
6. Changes
7. Serenity
8. Awake
9. Enemy
10. Releasing the Demons
11. Speak

\m/ Peace \m/,

$ur

Coffee Shot

People,

I'm going to tell you something which I experienced today evening, while attending one of my classes here at the University. Well, the class was on Automotive Electronics. Well, the name sounds more interesting to me and it might even look nice like a brownie point , if I can put it under one of the course successfully passed, on my resume, but I tell you, it is a lot of pain !! Well, so as I was trying all I can to make the best use of the time in the class, I was failing again and again to get the much needed attention. 

Milan, our lecturer, has this very interesting way of saying "Very Good" when he feels satisfied or comes across something "beautiful", which generally is a technological marvel more than anything else !! So he was just hopping from one application to the other touching briefly upon the fundamental electronics principles in each. Anyways, to me, it was one thing hearing about the new electronic gadgets now becoming an integral part of a modern car, but another thing altogether, trying to comprehend the working of it at a level of transistors, diodes, Op Amps and what not !!! So the point is, there was too much of new information enough to make my mind boggle. One could notice almost every one in our class struggling to keep up (; which basically was because the majority had absolutely no background in Electronics being Mechanical Engineers :D ) with Milan, who as usual in his very jovial tone was smoothly cruising along uttering a "Very Good"  every now and then ! 

And finally, Milan gave us a much needed break. Off I ran to the nearest Turkish place to buy myself a latte !! It was meant to be more of a soother than anything else for my tired brain ! I have read previously about how the caffeine in coffee can stimulate your whole central nervous system, but experiencing it was a terrific feeling ! Well, the effect was pronounced or at least I felt it a lot more today than any time before, because there was a notable increase in the level of my concentration and attention span ! It was suddenly as if somebody put a decoder into my head (see, now I can even use electronics in my vocab, whoa :P !), as whatever sounded gibberish to me previously, made a lot more sense now ! It was like drinking a magic potion, lol ! I even tried to drink it slowly so as to take me through the entire class. Now as much as it sounds funny saying it now and maybe reading this :P, I really thought for a minute, I had found a permanent cure for my distraction ; a coffee shot !!

Peace,

$ur

Spreading the News !!

Hi All,

All this time, I have been reading stuffs on things that have interested me over the past many years. Off late, I have become a big fan of stumbleupon.com One of the many websites which have really let my imagination take flight, I must say, with the way it works. You just specify your preferences and press the tab that reads "stumble" and BOOM, it takes you on a magical journey.

I'm in no way exaggerating the wonder of the site. My friends to whom I have mentioned this before, would have noticed the sparkle in my eyes when I've spoken about the same :D. Internet is something that came into existence round about when I was 15 yrs old. I also made my first email account when I was that age and I can tell you quite confidently that I have by far seen and been to almost "all types of websites" which most normal and abnormal people know about ; or at least I thought I had !!

Stumbleupon was actually stumbled upon by me or rather an old friend of mine send me an invite at a time when invites to the many, now quite popular, social networking sites were a thing of everyday's email list. Most of such mails went swiftly into my email trash folder, with me not even batting an eyelid while doing so, everyday !! But this one, some how made it into the other list of websites, which I actually, out of the curiosity of the name, clicked to find out whether they were any good ! At that point of time, I must admit that, I wasn't driven enough to the point of boredom, to give the website a closer look than just make an account and then forget about it until a month or so back.

About a month ago, I was so bored of my daily routine of checking gmail, facebook and orkut (in that order) ; that I started to think, isn't there something new that can make you feel that the internet is still kick-ass the way it used to be when it started off !!??

That is when I rediscovered stumbleupon ! Well, again I set my preferences or more or less edited and added new preferences to my old list and BOOM, I was off, in the hope that I would find something interesting !! Well, the last few weeks, though were pretty good, in terms of finding new unexplored websites, which only few loyal patrons knew of ; today I stumbled upon something totally cool and mind blowing.

Yes, if you have already checked out the link, without reading the boring details I wrote till now :P, you already know of the site !! It is called Academic Earth. The site has free video lectures from leading Universities around the world - Yale, Berkeley, MIT etc.. to name a few, on a variety of topics to tickle your quest for knowledge !! I myself, being a big fan of Psychology, went straight into the psychology section to find something interesting. Though cynical I was of such sites, as some of you might also be, that nothing in this world comes free ; I was actually very surprised to find a whole list of video lectures, power point presentations and course material presented in the order they were taught to students of psychology at Yale University, available to the common man for free !!!!

I felt a spasm of excitement to let my fellow mates know of this site as soon I finished taking my first introductory lecture of the course !!!

So here I'm blogging about the way I used stumbleupon to find something useful as this. Who knows, you may find something better. Please do share if you do, as knowledge grows only if you share it ;)

Cheers,

$ur

Few thought trains..

People speak best when they are emotional !! Well, you might say that I'm talking about people here just so that I can report my own stuff in third person ;) Well, I'm part of that "people" too, I guess !!

Anyways, the point therefore is, So sometimes you just have to put some emotion into what you say, to communicate well ;) ! Well, just one of the things running through my head randomly just now.

Been missing blogging since sometime now. Hardly get anything to write, nor do I find it easy to express my thoughts. Into my final semester of my Masters Program and the project work had been keeping me busy the last few days. Now, I have sort of hit a plateau ; I need some feedback from now on to move forward with the research and simulation work I'm doing. Well, when I heard myself saying this out loud, I felt I'm complaining :), so I didn't let that leave me stuck; I have been doing other things !!

Last week or so, I was reading one of the posts of a fellow blogger; I was inspired to write.

I have always held a belief that, only if there is a volley of things to bustle your life, do you actually find time to do all the things that you love. Put in a more coherent manner, if you are busy, you are efficient and tend to manage a lot of things beautifully and simultaneously. Well, so if you can read between the lines here, I have made my point crystal clear.

Well, now it seems as though I have actually written a blog post out of just few thought trains ;) !!

Cheers,

$ur