A modernist lego-land scaled house

Many of the Lego models I see are now built in modular scale, but there is the odd gem in the more traditional scale, like this one by frogstudio:

AZ Desk by Guillaume Bouvet

Plywood is a brilliant material, and given it's strength and size, can create some very interesting designs.
Here is one neat example, the AZ desk by Guillaume Bouvet:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The second half of a story, and the eighth in the series - a lot of anticipation was riding on this one.

I certainly enjoyed the movie, however, it wasn't as good as some of the others. Certainly the cinematography was on par with previous ones, but, the thing is, the story just wasn't designed to be cut in two.

The film therefore featured little character development, and Hermionne and Ron featured less than you might expect. However, there were certainly good moments, and it was good to see the story through to completion with thankfully a few plot twists which I would have seen coming had I read the books. Overall however 7/10.

Tutankhamun The Golden King and the Great Pharoahs

When I quit my last job, one disappointment for me was that I didn't make it to Melbourne one last time to visit the aforementioned exhibition.

Thankfully, however, I did make it there in the end, with an unexpected business trip to Victoria in my new role.

So, yesterday, after a lot of anticipation, I visited the Melbourne Museum, and the exhibit.

Tickets are limited to a set number each day, with entry every fifteen minutes. To be honest, I think they still sell too many tickets, and the batching of people to come in makes the crowding worse.

Moreover when you get to the end of the wait, and you think they're letting you in, that's not quite what's actually happening. You get marshalled into a room, the door is closed behind you, and you get told about the rules of exhibit and are forced to watch an introductory video.

Thankfully, that only lasts ten minutes or so, and then you get to go in.

The first few galleries focus on the time leading up to Tutankhamun, in particular the religious changes brought about by Tut's father, Akhanaten, who moved from the traditional gods, to one singular god (a move which Tutankhamun would reverse during his short reign).

Those galleries feature an interesting mix of items, including model wooden boats, models of animals and people, shabti (statuettes which would act as slaves in the afterlife) and religious iconography.

The latter half of the exhibition focuses on King Tut - with many items from his tomb - a childhood chair inlaid with the tiny pieces of ebony and ivory, a jewellery box with copper hinges (some of the earliest metal hinges found), and many other posessions.

The climax of the show of course are the more intricate posessions - the amulets with the tinest of inlays (some at a guess maybe 0.25mm accross), ceremonial weapons and tools, the lid to a canopic jar, and one of the coffinettes which contained his mummified stomach, and his golden slippers.

The one thing I did (wrongly) expect, was his iconic mask. I thought this because I thought that was what was on the posters - as it turns out, that was the coffinette mentioned earlier. I guess I'll have to visit egypt one of these days.

Having said that, there where some positive surpises too - I didn't even know that Egyptians kept dogs, let alone considered them highly, and some of the animal statues where remarkable.

Nonna Casalinga

If there is one thing I can consistently do, it's find good, albeit expensive food. I was a little worried when I first heard I was going to Warrnambool on a business trip - the challenge was definately on. However, I found the perfect place - Nonna Casalinga - with food that can easily compare in terms of quality with what the state capitals have to offer.

The portions are suitably sized for multiple course dining, and the prices are more on par with what you'd pay in bigger cities, but I don't mind that on both counts. What I like is what's on offer... be that a side of beans with hazelnut butter and sour cream, or a steak main with beetroot, blue cheese and walnut salad, or freshly prepared gnocchi.

The venue has a nice ambience (though it will get louder as it fills with patrons), and the staff are knowledgable and have perfect ettiquette.

10/10.

Tower Hill

Not far from Warrnambool in Victoria is a volcano after which Warrnambool is named. Ironically, that volcano is now called tower hill.

The hill has a tower, but more interestingly, a nature reserve where you can see some of Australia's wildlife, in today's case, Wallabies and Emus.

I completed two of the walks, the Peak walk, which is painfully steep but offers excellent views to the ocean, and the lava tongue walk. Both are perportedly half an hour long however I completed them in around half that time.

The Lincoln Lawyer

It is rare for me to watch an excellent movie on a plane, but on this occasion, I did - the Lincoln Lawyer.

Mick, the main character is one of those lawyers for whom you can have absolutely no respect, but by the end of the movie, you actually feel sympathy for him.

He finds himself defending a dubious estate agent on a rape charge, but is that all this defendant is capable of.

The movie has a nice pace, both expected and unexpected plot twists, and a decent dose of humour - you can't really go wrong. 8/10.

Counting chickens before they hatch

A few years ago there was a lot of controversy over a proposal by Mighty River Power to re-fire the Marsden B power station using coal.

A long drawn out series of protests and legal actions eventually led the electricity producer to drop the venture.

Greenpeace claims this one as a victory over coal. It isn't however. The plant is being dismantled and shipped to India, where, guess what - it's going to burn coal.

In my opinion, if anything, it's worse than had we fired it up, as I suspect maintenance and monitoring will be much less in India than it would've been here. A loss, not a victory for green ideals.

Colour and grain

Generally, when it comes to furniture design, you get either solid colour, or wood, but rarely a mix of both, and more rarely still, a good mix of the two.

Of course, it is possible, as this Oak outdoor setting by Scout Regalia shows:

A home for a gnome

Lego's collectable minifigure have inspired many a model. Like this one, by aresze.