2009 December | MEL: HOT OR NOT

HOT OR NOT List 2009 (Part 2)

December 31, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

Continuing on from yesterday’s fun exercise of listing my Top 3 HOT OR NOT experiences of 2009, here’s Part 2 of the list. What are your top 3 HOT or NOTs for 2009? 11. HOT 3 Fun things I could only do because I was unemployed Pick and Eat Winter BBQ at Heide Museum of [...]

HOT OR NOT List 2009

December 30, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

As the we count down to the close of 2009, I thought that I’d jump on the ‘best of’ lists bandwagon and reflect back on 10 high and low moments for MEL: HOT OR NOT in 2009. So, I present the inaugural HOT OR NOT List 2009! 1. HOT 3 Theatre shows that made me [...]

HOT: Alterations Now, Level 1, 234 Collins St, Melbourne

December 29, 2009 ⋅ 4 comments

My friend J’s mum is a couturier. So going op-shopping with J is a frustrating experience – she’ll pick up an ugly $10 drop-waisted peach coloured curtain-fabric dress and say airily ‘Oh, I’ll just get mum to alter it”. The next thing you know she’s decked out in a jealousy-inducing one-of-a-kind vintage outfit. I’m not [...]

HOT: Don Don, 321 Swanston St, Melbourne

December 28, 2009 ⋅ 10 comments

Have you heard of the ‘sports icon’ Takeru Kobayashi? This Japanese man is one of the great champions of competitive eating (he’s now ranked second according to the International Federation of Competitive Eating, after an unheralded six years at the top). I watched him in action in the documentary Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art [...]

HOT Gig List

December 27, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

Today we say hi to my new guest blogger CC, a cool ex-Melburnian who now calls East London home. Skinny jeans aficionado, mosh pit veteran, classical pianist now electric guitarist, CC will be bringing you news of upcoming HOT gigs in Melbourne. Her motto is ‘with great musical wisdom, comes great musical responsibility’ and this [...]

HOT: The Men Who Stare at Goats

December 26, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Say hi to my new guest blogger Yalin! Born and bred in Istanbul, matured (mostly) in the US and now London-based, Yalin is going to giving us the northern hemisphere scoop on upcoming movies before they’re released in Australia. Yalin’s a movie buff who used to write long term papers during university on the characters [...]

NOT: The Lovely Bones

December 25, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Today’s guest post is another review from our resident film guru, Yalin. Thanks Yalin! Jackson’s latest outing The Lovely Bones is definitely not an epic film, which has been his forte. By contrast, it is a decidedly small drama with an ensemble cast that’s as good as it gets. On top of that, Jackson’s signature [...]

HOT: In Search of the Perfect Rice Paper Rolls

December 24, 2009 ⋅ 4 comments

Lin Tan and I journey into Melbourne’s own piece of Saigon in the search for the perfect rice paper rolls, in pushy, exotically fragrant, fishwife-shouty Victoria Street, Richmond. Joyce: Before commencing the rice paper roll marathon, I asked my Vietnamese friends for recommendations amongst a choice of over 20 Vietnamese/quasi-Vietnamese restaurants. Surprisingly, they told me [...]

HOT: In Search of the Perfect Gelato

December 23, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

Lin Tan and I go hunting for the finest gelato in Melbourne. Joyce: When you think about ‘Italian culture’ in Melbourne, you think Carlton. Hence, the perfect place to start our, ‘In The Search For The Perfect Gelato’? – Lygon Street. So what makes a perfect gelato? In our view – small batches, taste, texture [...]

HOT: In Search of the Perfect Mince Pies

December 22, 2009 ⋅ 5 comments

In our own personal advent calendar, Lin, Billy and I went on a trip around Melbourne’s CBD in search of the perfect mince pie. “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me….12 mince pies and 2 macarons in a pear tree.” Joyce: We had optimistically planned 12 tastings in keeping with [...]