Some more sushi

I'm officially addicted. I love sushi and cannot get enough of it.
My first attempt at sushi
Even if I say so myself my first attempt pictured left is not too shabby. In fact I'll give myself a pat on the back right now. Pictured left in the image is the Tuna (the reddish meat) and Norwegian Salmon (almost yellow in colour) Maki. To the right of that there are two pieces on Sashimi made from Tuna (actually just leftover pieces) and three pieces if Nigiri on the far right also made from Tuna. You guessed it, the tuna is my favourite, and coincidentally also the cheapest :-). This photo was from last week Friday. Sorry about the quality - phone cams don't do it justice in bad lighting.

Last nights pleasures
Last night we one again indulged ourselves. I showed my housemate, his girlfiend and sister how to make sushi. Man, it is even better than in the restaurants. The picture to the right is by my buddy. Also not bad for first try. 10 points for the arrangement.

Now just to justify my claim to sushi addiction. Last week friday evening - sushi, Monday night - sushi, Tuesday night - sushi. You'll never guess what I had for breakfast today... OK, so it was not sushi in the true sense for breakfast as there was no fish, just the avocado. I didn't like the idea of leaving the fish overnight. Never trust raw meat. But, to satisfy the craving I had a good 12 pieces of sushi for lunch... Yah, I'm hooked bad.

Bleh, now its back to work. Any other sushi lovers out there?

Weekend pleasures

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. Its turned into a diary instead of something useful to others - It is somewhat rewarding to put to paper, or electron as it were, the things that happen in my life.

Weekend fun

The past couple of weeks were unusually fun, mostly over the weekends.

This weekend left me incapable of any productive train of thought. On Friday a couple of new friends invited me over for sushi. They love sushi just as much as I do, except they make it themselves. That was my intro to sushi. We arranged for some fresh Tuna and Norwegian Salmon (very expensive btw.) and of course a 1.8 litre box of Saki. My Sushi came out beautifully, pro like even. Perfect little square Maki. I decided to create a platter consisting of a lot of Maki, a few pieces of Nigiri and some Sashimi to complete the effect. If my photo came out alright I will post it a bit later.

My buddy and I proceeded to finish the bottle of wine (a nice bottle of Nederburg Baronne 2004), the box of saki (all 1.8 l) and then started with the vodka and whatever else was lying around. I found the Saki to be delightfully sweet when consumed right after chewing on some Maki with copious amounts of wasabi and soya.

Hmmm, as usual there is one girl that stands out at the gathering. I was shocked to discover she's only 17. Just shows you, you never can tell. Very mature person for her age, and very tall - maybe that's the reason.

After slightly recovering from sushi evening we proceeded to a nice and relaxed braai (barbeque for those who don't speak South-African). The bottle of Spruitdrift Shiraz 2003 was suprisingly unimpressive. It must've been an off day for me, because it is one of my favourite drinking wine As usual we did not skimp on the meat - I managed to get almost halfway through my T-bone. That lapse of eating ability could be due to all the game biltong we consumed before braaing.

The next morning I woke up early again, very refreshed, and very tired. The usual family lunch at home on Sunday was very nice as always. Some delicious lamb neck and ribs was washed down with some wine and then I passed out for a couple of hours. And that was the end of the weekend.

Update on the search for the ultimate ride

My plans for the ultimate ride are coming together. My buddy and I made a road trip to Bronkhorspruit and booked to write the learners test. Next month we'll hopefully be able to legally take to the road on our hogs. Just have to find the bike.

Yamaha Virago 500
I'm pretty confident I've found the one. Previously I was hooked on the Honda Magna V45 but I've been unable to find them in this country. Actually there was one, but that was the V65 I think. I came across a new bike, the Yamaha Virago and fell instantly in love with the bike. Best of all it comes in a 400cc which is perfect and is very moderately priced at about R25000 for a decent second hand model - it's a good compromise between performance and economy. Notice the twin V engine.

That is the one I'd like to eventually own (even maybe a slightly bigger engine). For starters though, I may go for something in the range of 150 to 250. I'd hate to hurt the Virago, so the classic cruisers with the small engines will do. At the moment I'm looking at the Qingqi Vista (150cc) and the Jonway Laguna (250cc).
Qingqi Vista 150
The Vista is priced the best at R11000 (about $1700) and includes a helmet and the first service. It is also backed by the local Shell service centers. The Jonway is a bit bigger and is priced at R18000 (about $2800), no helmet and no service. Yes, bikes and cars in SA are ridiculously expensive compared to most other countries, fortunately though, secondhand these bikes have almost no value, so it is quite possible to pick one up at about half that price. And yes, I noticed it too - the striking resemblance between the Vista and the Virago (aside from the twin V).
Jonway Laguna 250
About two weeks ago I spotted a 2005 Vista with only 500 km on the clock for R7800 (about $1200) still under warranty. The previous owner decided he wanted a bit more umf and traded up.

Both bikes are Chinese imports but are well supported by local shops so services and parts shouldn't be a problem. Both sport about 10 kw output at just over 10000 rpm and similar torque. I even found a local shop offering to do a conversion of the engine, airflow and exhaust system increasing performance about 15 %. We're not regulated as much concerning emissions in this country so it is a simple question of swapping out the jets increasing airflow into and installing a less restrictive exchaust system.

Also in line with motoring pleasure
Last week I purchased a radar detector from ebay. I've been looking for one for quite some time, but the cheapest I could find locally was priced at about R1200 ($190) which is way more than I'd like to play around with. I bid on it and won pricing it at just over R200 ($30 - not too shabby). Postage and packaging is quite expensive at about R100 ($15). Still, brand new radar detector for just over R300 ($45). It's just for the odd occasion when I'm not paying attention. I don't really worry about fast driving, even though my car is quite capable, but sometimes the mind wanders, and since the car is so quiet and stable at high speeds I don't always notice anything.

Whistler 1745 radar detector

From a legal standpoint, no one could give me a certain answer. The best I managed to find on the net was a posting on radar detectors hinting that the coppers may find it offensive and indicative of a speeder, but that no one has been prosecuted here for owning or even using one. Of course I'm still waiting for delivery as I'm almost half way around the globe, but according to the user stats on ebay, it shouldn't take too long.

Update on my health
I'm still not satisfied. After numerous antibiotic sessions I was still not fully recovered. My doctor eventually decided to refer me to an Ear, nose and throat specialist. The doctor was very nice and did the whole does this hurt, do you have any lumps here. Eventually he used a very interesting fibre optic probe to look into my throat. He checked my voice box and the rest of my throat and found everything in order, except for a patch to the right slightly red from some irritation. Now I would agree that it could be as simple as that, but what would irritate my body for so long in the same spot. I dunno. We'll see. If it doesn't clear up in 3 weeks I have to see him again.

I realised I'm more worried about this that I previously thought. Whenever something bugs me I don't want others to know, and I've been unusually secretive about this. I suppose when your doctor starts showing concern it adds something extra to the worries.

Future plans
OK, I know, this is stretching out far too long, but I have a lot on my mind. Lately, actually for a couple of months now), the idea that I should move on from my current employment has been growing. As much as I love the university I'm bored. It's not that there is a lack of things to do, it's more that I'm becoming less interested in the things that I have to do. Teaching is very rewarding, but provides only one challenge. That challenge is to not kill myself every time I have to mark 200 papers with the same mistakes in them. The students are wonderful, and I could never have imagined having such a good relationship with them. My colleagues are great people and I can't imagine my life without them. They're my peers and my friends. However, it is becoming harder to focus on the tasks at hand, harder to think about research. Research is good btw - my IEEE article should be published early next year.

It seems my friends, as great as they are don't understand my dilemma. Yes, industry work is more demanding in terms of time, but presents other rewards.

My other concern is that I may be left behind by my friends in industry. They're all gaining invaluable experience where I feel like I am becoming a jack of all trades, master of none. I know so many things, but not enough of anything to consider myself an expert. Maybe its just the unknown. All the little projects I've done for my industry partners came through without a hitch and I found my abilities to be more than adequate, but at some point they might get too far ahead for me to ever catch up.

Then lastly, engineering used to be my life. Don't get me wrong. It is still a fascinating hobby that I will always pursue, but lately I long for a better structure. Work should be work, and play should be play. It bothers me that the two so ofter become one. Some of my friends are still there, working 24/7. Call me selfish if you must, but I want to get home and spend time with my friends and forget about work. Even if I get home late, at least I'll be able to enjoy my home the way it is meant to be enjoyed, as my sanctuary, a place for relief and relaxation. At the moment it is expected that I go home and keep on doing research. My weekends are not only for play but to sit down, write articles and keep up with technology. I used to enjoy doing that, but there is no border between the professional me and the playful me. In some ways I've managed to separate the two, but its not enough.

Maybe I just need a break from it all. Work for another company, gain some experience and see what is out there. I could always come back after 10 years and share my experiences with the next generation. If anyone read this far, share with me your wisdom.

OK, this is a loooong post. I'll save some for later...