Written by lainie at 03:07 AM on September 29, 2009 in melbourne.

On the weekend that Melbourne was hosting Malaysia Week, I decided my time would be better spent watching a barista from my favourite Melbs cafe compete in the Victorian Barista Championships. 

Talor Browne, of Seven Seeds / Brother Baba Budan.

Some photos from the event:

And finally, one picture of two of me. Thank you to (coffee fiend) Alex for the invitation to an awesome afternoon of coffee appreciation, and the introduction to Durkhanai.

As you can see from the looks of concentration, and the very careful pours they make, barista competitions in Melbourne are nothing like the crazy teh tarik competitions of Malaysia. I firmly believe if one of them threw coffee six feet into the air, and caught it in another 'lil cup, it would have totally rocked. I'd be the first to applaud.

More over on Facebook, if you're so inclined. 

Written by lainie at 12:26 AM on September 27, 2009 in Links / Email.

If you use third party Twitter apps, I strongly recommend trying out Mixero. Follow them on Twitter, also head to their website. Mixero is still in private beta, so wait for a followback on Twitter and get your invitation code DM (got mine the same day).

I was on Tweetdeck and Twitterfox before this. Tweetdeck takes up more memory — my computer starts up noticeably faster with Mixero.

Mixero's use of screen space is more intelligent and elegant compared to Tweetdeck, doesn't feel as clunky as the multi-column approach. Also, it can be minimised to a floating toolbar on the side of the computer, which can be handy.

Functions: You get groups, active lists, multiple accounts, channels, window pop-outs, auto-complete usernames, auto-URL-shortener, @reply-to-all, follow conversation (like FB's wall-to-wall function), filters (ban or display certain words/users), auto-Twitpic, and Youtube /Twitpic previews.....if any of these functions sound unfamiliar, you can watch their introduction video.

Also, Mixero supports Chinese characters, and Tweetdeck doesn't. I have friends who update in Mandarin, so this is quite important for me.

Only drawback I can think of is that it's an Adobe AIR client — while that means compatibility across major platforms, it also means Mac users may not get the aesthetics they are used to for Cocoa-based Mac apps. It's the small stuff, like your window controls are on the upper-right corner, instead of the left.

That being said, it's no biggie, and still prettier than Tweetdeck.

Others have reviewed this lil app, I don't intend to go beyond an introduction. Read this review, if you wish: Mixero: The Tweetdeck Killer? | Geek Technica

For now, I will use Mixero, and await the day a swiss/Helvetica/minimalist (same difference?) Cocoa-based Twitter app comes along. If ever. (Tweetie doesn't support groups, which means I won't be using it. Ever).

Mixero vs Tweetdeck verdict: Mixero is faster, lighter, better looking, and gives you lots of control. 

Links:

Mixero website

Mixero twitter

Written by lainie at 09:56 PM on September 22, 2009 in melbourne, Daily Life, Arty stuff.

Selamat Hari Raya to everybody, I hope you had a good one! I wish I weren't missing out on raya food here, but I did have a pretty awesome Indonesian lunch with Daphne. Eat more rendang on my behalf, please.

Random Monday T-shirt drawing. Some people get the Monday blues. I get cravings to do little vector drawings on Illustrator. To each her own, I suppose?

One of the better parts of Melbourne is the reading culture. Bookworms seem to be the norm here.

Guernica, by Dave Boling. A decent novel so far about lovers during the bombing of a Basque town in Guernica; the eponymous historic event of Picasso's painting. My latest read.

There are secondhand bookstores everywhere, plenty of titles, book signings, specialty bookstores, literature festivals; the last time a bibliophile was here I spent a lot of time dragging her away from several purchases (perhaps shouting something like "your budget will die!"). 

(latte from Brother Baba Budan, with Alex)

Pair that with Melbourne's love for coffee, and you have my new past-time. Bumming around for hours in a cafe with a good book and a thick latte (with requisite latte art). This isn't very different from back in Malaysia, except for the latte art part. 

I love that I can get really great coffee near my apartment (at least, before 5pm), and cheap too.

(spot the Sai Baba portrait!)

My loyalties for coffee lie elsewhere, but for lots of comfortable couches, books for reading, cheap prices, being open late on Sunday, the friendly laidback staff, free wifi and attached art gallery (how awesome is the list?), 1000 £ Bend (361, Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne) gets my vote. 

The reason for this post? I am trying to figure out if this is a moment for food (extra spicy beef noodles from Noodle Kingdom), a book, Photoshop, or Illustrator. Book, or random T-shirt monsters? Whichever I pick, there will be Milo.

Milo, om nom nom nommmmm.

I leave you with some graffiti from Melbourne:

(piece by Aerosol Arabic —Pakistani dude from Manchester, UK — and art crew Crooked Rib)

 It's a huge piece, spans across the end of the alley. It's rather different from the graffiti styles I've seen prevalent in Melbourne, especially the buildings. The quote reads: "A Thirst for Change", and "Do not waste water, even before a flowing river" — Prophet Muhammad.

It's partially cropped, I have to return another day to photograph the lower half. Still, pretty awesome piece, ei? And apt for Melbourne too, with its prevalent drought issues.

[ As I type this, Alex is busying himself in the kitchen making supper. Ohai! ]