1.  You will learn how to do Symbol Readings.

2.  How to tune into peoples Current Reality (what is preventing them from becoming that which they would love - or have what they want).

3.  How to tune into peoples Greatness (that which they truly are and the unique gift/talent they came down to share in this lifetime)

4.  How to do both readings on yourself.

5.  How to stop asking questions and KNOW the answer.

6.  How to hear your intuition talking to you.

7.  And how to talk to your intuition.

Alan & Kirsteen at the pre-race Expo on Saturday

Ella & Charlie on the way to the Expo

Alan with Charlie after the race

Marathon Man (hopefully raising lots of money for charity running in that outfit!)

Although stiff legs and tiredness have set in I'm not sure he's got the marathon running bug out of his system yet.....chasing a time is always the challenge so here's to next year!

K

IT'S A CAKE TO DIE FOR!

During my recent trip to Australia I was treated to coffee and cake and I had this most delicious pastry, light and fluffy, hmmm, out of this world.

Manfred's Cardinal cake
Heavenly light meringue sponge layer filled with a selection of raspberry mousse, Black forest, coffee, caramel or pistachio cream.

Would you have guessed that this cake is gluten-free?

Never had a better treat with my afternoon coffee. Their selection of cakes, muffins, biscuits and cookies make this place one of my favorites down under.

So if you are lucky enough to be in the Greater Melbourne Area, go and check it out. If you are on a gluten-free diet, it's a MUST.

You have to call and order though - no walk ins. Take out and wholesale only.

MANFRED'S

http://www.manfreds.com.au

The Good Food Room's flat white is impressive. It was my intro into the world of flat whites and it does not disappoint -- rich milk-infused fair-trade espresso with just a touch of foam. When adding sugar would spoil the experience, you know it's a good coffee!

Good Food Room is located at 3415 Warburton Hwy, Warburton, Australia (Ph 03 5966 2464)

As usual, we'll also talk about household energy consumption and transport, so please feel free to bring your bills, or calculate your emissions: http://www.carbonequity.info/crags/calculator.html

Here are the details:
When: Tuesday, 21st October @ 7:30pm
Where: Shaun & Neesh's place – 7 Burns St, Yarraville
Theme: Embodied emissions in goods & services
RSVP: 9314-7713 or crags@westnet.com.au

You guys might have to wait for the photos for a while, since I've got a couple of assignments due this week before I'm officially done with school.

Alright, this is making me really sleepy. I shall stop here.. Oh, please remind me to update about the nightmare that SF and I have encountered earlier. It was really really scary.. :/

Ryan O'Keefe looks good in navy blue but is still a Swan...well, for now anyway!

Not much to write home about as a result of AFL trade week...though it was always going to be an extremely difficult year to pull off any substantial deals. With the Gold Coast Sluggos claiming a large number of draft picks next year and talk of a seriously talented group of kids coming out this year, it would have taken an extraordinary deal for a first-round draft pick to be exchanged. And sorry, but none of these Kangas can be filed under 'extraordinary'!

So, exactly how many deals were done in this year's trade week? Six! Ryan O'Keefe didn't get to Hawthorn and now might be stuck in the middle of a 'who's dick is bigger' tug o' war between Essendon and Carlton. Andrew Lovett couldn't find a way to get to Geelong so has a big preseason ahead of him back at Windy Hill. And Brad Green stays with Melbourne even though he reckons we was never leaving anyway...that might be a tad more believable if it was said, say, last Tuesday rather than after the trade deadline!

Yep, that was worth five whole days of carry-on...

• It all started last Thursday with Port Adelaide's Adam Thompson heading to Richmond in exchange for the Tiger's third-round pick (no.42). Thompson will probably challenge for a spot in the Tiger midfield right now and with coach Terry Wallace about to enter the final year of a five-year deal, 'right now' is what he would be after!
• Shaw is traded! No, not that one...big brother Rhys moves to Sydney and takes Collingwood's fourth round pick (no.61) with him in exchange for a third rounder (no.46). The Swans always pick up an experienced 'fresh start' guy in the trade period for fear of bottoming out and the resultant drop-off in supporters...but no, Sydney is really, really ready for a second team!
• Michael Voss mustn't think too highly of Anthony Corrie...he basically gave him away to the Pies for nothing! Unless that juicy six round pick (no.93) which went to the Lions has the name 'Ben Cousins' written all over it. No, we don't think so either...
• The Bulldogs selected Farren Ray in 2003 with the fourth overall pick...now they've packed him off to St Kilda for pick 31. Will Ray become a regular midfielder at the Saints or the next Aaron Fiora? Either way, the Doggies will be hoping that pick 31 turns into a tall forward!
• With all their recent success, the Cats just can't keep them all... so Brent Prismall makes his way to Essendon for a third-round pick (no.39). But be patient Bomber fans, there is that whole knee reco thing to recover from first!

Ahhh, so that is what Robbie Warnock looks like...

• Robert Warnock gets his way...and Carlton have a brand spanking new ruckman! Fremantle get pick 24 and a whole heap of spare change but, seeming as though Warnock hasn't really achieved much and is no guarantee to be worth whatever he is getting paid at the Blues, the Dockers might even have the better of this deal in the long run. If they did, it would be a rare win for them on the trading table...

So, Kat's in the shower, sitting on the floor because of her heel, and her knee happens to touch the tiled wall. She notes the tile shifted slightly, and tries to even it again. Two tiles fall off, exposing quite a large and deep hole with a strong smell of mould coming from it. After bringing it to the attention of the rest of us, we laugh for a while and take a few photos to show our grandkids.

Coming to the conclusion we won't be able to shower, I start making the call to our real estate agents. As usual, their phone system is most unhelpful and I end up disturbing the innocent plumber who probably wanted an early Sunday night. After confirming that this wasn't a job for him, I finally navigate the phone system and leave a message for the maintenance girl tomorrow.

In the mean time, we just thank ourself it's not the stinking hot summer yet.

Oh, and here's the photo.

The city prides itself on its cafe culture and I couldn't wait to partake in the languid cafe life.

Australia as a whole is a huge consumer of the cuppa, with the median consumption being 464 cups a year per individual. That's a lot of coffee!

Before leaving, an Australian friend of mine, knowing my affinity for the caffeine-infused beverage, told me about the Flat White. The flat white is an espresso-based coffee beverage served in Australia and New Zealand, that is very similar to a traditional cafe latte, so similar in fact that the differences are arguable. Some say that a flat white is simply a properly made North American style cafe latte. Others say the key difference is the lack of foam at the top of a flat white (hence the “flat” white). Still others say that the difference is that a flat white is served in a china cup while the cafe latte is served in a glass.

Whatever the case, I decided to sample the flat white delights as I traversed Melbourne, surrounding area and beyond.

I'll keep you posted...

The flight took off from Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur at half-past midnight – so, one can imagine my state of mind – I wanted to get as much sleep as possible on the flight that lasted 4.5 hours – the Malaysian airlines didn’t offer some of the luxury comforts that are available on Emirates or even the local Jet Airways/Kingfisher (like personalized entertainment package). The flight landed early in the morning but my body clock was still in Indian Standard Time – hence, I was walking around in a dazed state. The connecting flight to Melbourne was after 2 hours – something that I like, since that meant that I could slip off my shoes in the flight and go off to much-needed sleep. This flight was better, compared to the first one. I had my lunch on the flight at Australia time – making me adjusted to the new timings. Thankfully I had requested for AVML and hence, could find the meal somewhat palatable.

Finally, landed in Melbourne after 15 hours of travel late in the night – this was where I came in contact with the famous ‘Quarantine’. Since I had not taken any food-item, I was quite comfortable in declaring on arrival that I didn’t have anything that would cause an issue with the authorities. Apparently, it is a good practice to declare all the items that you are bringing into Australia, for they are very particular about this – why this practice is followed is something that I need to check on the net. Then, I took the cab to go to Darling Towers in Darling Street. I had a reservation for a service apartment (the hotels are pretty costly in Australia) and was given the same by the very helpful desk-person in an adjacent street, the Caroline Street. The apartment was pretty big with all the facilities that a standard service apartment can provide. I just crashed at the sight of the bed in the apartment – so tired was I, after my travel.

Next day morning, I managed to get up in the morning as per Australia time (I had to report to my office in the morning as well). Within the next one hour, I got ready for my office but I was feeling hungry. I had not eaten much after landing from the flight and there was nothing in the apartment to help – I should have done some basic shopping in the airport itself, but who would tell me? Anyway, I thought that I will pick up something near the office itself. I had picked up a card from the Cab-driver the previous night – that helped me in getting a cab in the morning. The cab-driver arrived at the door-step within few minutes, to my surprise.

The drive to the office was quite interesting – I had to pass the MCG, the Rod Laver Arena, and the Olympic Park, passing the Yarra river, on my way to the office. When I got off on Elizabeth Street, I walked in and noticed that my organization was on the 40^th floor – good so far. I hadn’t asked anyone for the address before landing there – I don’t know how I could have been so careless, even after so many years of travel. But, I was lucky – there were no issues. On the 40^th floor, there was only one organization – that of mine. I went inside and started my work for the day.

The cab drivers are a good breed in Australia – they are usually from Asia (mostly Indians), but one day I met a senior person from Russia – he had migrated to Australia almost 30 years ago – it was a very interesting experience talking to him; especially hearing his questions to me and the way he was trying to understand India and the condition of Indians.

There is a variety of choices for food in Melbourne – Indian, Italian, Mcdonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, Hungry Jacks (the Ozzie version of Mac). Very interesting to note was the presence of dosas in the Indian restaurants – this is not so visible in the Brit Indian restaurants. All these varieties were present around my office – this was so helpful for me. That made my routine everyday – go to the coffee shop near the office, pick up my tea and start my work. Each day, one of my colleagues used to take me to his favorite eat-out – only requirement from me was that it should be vegetarian. Yes, there is at least one choice in the menu in any of the eat-outs that are vegetarian (except for Mac).

The typical practice of Australian businessmen is to meet up for coffee or lunch and discuss opportunities – I was party to the same. I found it to be a very interesting ritual – both parties have cups of coffee and discuss work, finalizing contracts that would otherwise take more than a month. One can see many businessmen talking work in the coffee-shops all over the town.

In the evening, did some shopping that would keep me alive in the service apartment – went into the nearby 7-11 store (there are hundreds of them in each street), picked up half-litre pack of Pura Milk, cereals, noodles, and other essentials.

The weekend arrived, and I was scheduled to travel to Sydney. Initially, the plan was to go to MCG. Since there was an AFL final, the ground was not accessible to any visitors. Hence, I decided to go over to Sydney on Saturday morning. The SCG was inaccessible on Sundays and that plan also went out of the window. Maybe I would plan for visiting them during my next visits to the continent.

The apartment given in Sydney was ‘BreakFree on George’ on George Street – this was the ChinaTown area, very close to the Darling Harbour – very happening place with lots of options for food and many Asian shops around. Saturday evening was spent in walking around these streets all the way to the Harbor. The walk had energized me enough and I decided that only an Indian dinner would re-energize me.

The next day, Sunday morning, was a very hot day – around 35 degrees and humid as well. I walked to the Harbor again and visited the major attractions present

· Sydney Aquarium – this was a good experience, with many fishes, sharks, seals doing various tricks to grab the attention of the viewers

· Sydney Wildlife World – the major attraction was that of the koalas and kangaroos – both very synonymous with the Australian continent

· IMAX – took the chance to view a 3D movie - Wild Ocean - once in a lifetime experience, definitely.

Office in Sydney had moved from York Street to Pacific Highway (North of Sydney) and I was not aware. Luck was not with me this time – I went all the way to the office in York Street only to see a different organization!!! Once I realized that the office had changed and had contacted someone from the office to help me out, I reached office in Sydney.

Sydney, obviously, is the bigger city and the change is very visible. Pacific Highway has many malls that offer varieties of food (once again) with Food Courts serving various cuisines. There is no dearth of variety in food here.

The people, overall, are very warm – there is a lot of US influence both in the business and personal life. This becomes visible when the major issues are raised in any TV debates – let it be the presidential campaign or the financial crisis. There is a major emphasis on the Green campaign – a report on this subject was released, which caused a lot of concern among the politicians.

The return flight was pre-poned by a day, because of cancellation of a meeting. The flight was delayed at Sydney because of oil-leak, by more than 2 hours. My connecting flight in Malaysia was less than 2 hours after I landed from Sydney – hence, I was worried whether I would land in India at the expected time. But, the authorities from Malaysian airlines were ready for issues like this – they ensured that the major connecting flights waited for this one. Hence, I was on the flight to India within no time – first time in my life that I didn’t have any wait-period in the airports.

Overall, it was a relaxing trip to Australia, fulfilling most of the tasks that I had set out to do. A trip to the MCG/SCG was not possible – I am sure I will have a glimpse of them in my next trips to Kangaroo-land.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union (Rail Division) is campaigning to re-staff Melbourne's Railway Stations. Re-staffing our stations will give the public an improved travel experience in terms of safety and customer service. At present 136 or two thirds of Melbourne's 211 stations are un-staffed, neglected wastelands.

Stations are an integral part of the rail system. A station is as important as a train. Stations were designed to be operated by station staff. A station without staff is a DEAD station.

Up until 1993 most of Melbourne's stations were fully operational with staff.
This changed when the Kennett Government attacked the public transport sector and removed staff from the majority of stations. At that time patronage was continuing to fall in comparison to private car use.

In 2006 this situation changed suddenly. A combination of sharp increases in petrol prices, traffic congestion, population growth and climate change has driven unprecedented patronage increases.

Nowhere is this pressure on public transport more heavily felt than on the rail system. Metropolitan rail patronage increases have exceeded 38% over the last 3 years.

These patronage increases while welcome are also creating overcrowding on trains and platforms. At un-staffed stations commuters have been left to fend for themselves.

The potential for crime violence graffiti vandalism and fare evasion is greatest at un-staffed stations.

Station staff sell tickets, give travel advice, ensure people get on and off trains safely, contact the police or emergency services, patrol car parks, assist passengers with special needs and interact with local business and community groups. Staff managing the gates at stations would improve train dwell times particularly in peak periods.

Restaffing stations is a centre piece of station improvement initiatives which need to be put in place by the State Government in addition to:
• Better lighting
• Improved signage
• Removal of graffiti
• Upgrading and reopening of waiting rooms and toilets
• Better cleaning
• Improvements to station surrounds including gardens
• Car park security and supervision
• Bringing the physical layout to a modern standard.

Now is the time to get behind this campaign. The train system is currently being re-franchised by the State Government which is also considering a new transport plan for Melbourne in the context of the recently released Eddington Report. Restaffing Stations must be an integral part of both processes.

Please sign our online petition and send a message to the State Government that staffed stations are safe stations.

SAFER STATIONS

Virginia (under the name Pure Gin) blogs a cityscape of poetry, rock 'n roll, urban life, photos, illustrations, and zombies. She's wonderful with a camera, a paintbrush, and a pen. 

You can check out her post with the link to 'Big Milk' here. 

Thanks Virginia for the link. I'm honored, and I'm glad you liked my little movie.

(Illustration by Pure Gin).

my bento was ready in about 10 minutes, so i went home eager to fill my stomach. this is what it looked like..

it was a very disappointing meal. i like the fish on my sushi to have a firm, crunchy texture, and this wasn't the case here. both the tuna and salmon were almost slimy, and the rice wasn't sushi rice but plain white rice. the teriyaki chicken was okay, but you'd have to be a pretty bad chef to ruin teriyaki chicken. the 2 spring rolls i got (apparently this was part of the tempura component) was stock standard, and the sweet potato tempura sat on top of a bed of salad that was slathered in a LOT of mayo making it pretty much inedible. the gyoza was average, but clearly store-bought and deep fried.

if it wasn't for the polite staff and green tea i think i'd be a lot more nasty in the way i was describing the food. but while i won't be going back there again, i'll be fair in saying that the rest of their offerings could be a lot better. just don't order the bento.

the paella was a massive dish and was more than enough for the 9 of us after all the tapas and chicken dishes we had. it was chock full of rice, peas, chicken drummettes, mussels, prawns, kalamata olives, squid and shrimp. it was good to pick at, especially when you got to the slightly burnt rice bits at the bottom.

the sangria is  worth a mention as well. as i was driving that night i only had one glass, but it went down a treat!

we finished the night off with some churros and dark chocolate sauce, with a sparkler for the birthday boy. the sauce was a bit watery for me, but it tasted ok. i was pretty full after our huge meal though so i only nibbled on one of the spanish donuts.

all in all, an ok meal with ok service. it was a great experience because of the company we were keeping, but i don't think i'll make a point of going there again just for the food. i'm heading to movida for tapas in a couple of weeks, it will be interesting to compare the styles and quality.