Was at the Scienceworks Museum last Thursday night to go see the Star Wars Exhibition. You could say most adults who went there were accompanied by kids. Heh, I guess me and my friend were just big kids there. Star Wars was a phenomenon, and every character created left a lasting impression, even the ever annoying Jar Jar Binks, who jars your memory everytime you think of him (pun intended).

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My credit card bill next month is going to be painful. Spent on the coffee machine, and just purchased a new fridge yesterday, a Fisher and Paykel E402BRX. It’s double the size of what we have in the apartment now, comes in stainless steel ($100 extra compared to the white version to satisfy the vanity) and is of the bottom, top variety. This just means that the freezer is in the unconventional location at the bottom of the fridge and the regular cooling section is up top. These types of fridges cost more, but you get extra freezer space (1/3 the space instead of 1/4 of regular fridges) and physics thought you that hot air rises and cold air sinks, hence the position of the freezer at the bottom, making it more efficient to cool.

Fisher and Paykel are sort of the luxury brand for refrigerators. Vyanne and I did research prior to visiting the store. You have Westinghouse, Samsung and LG refrigerators but after the slick salesman at Harvey Norman went through the materials and manufacturing process of the fridge, I was pretty much sold on the Fisher and Paykel brand.

I have the experience of purchasing a fridge before while I was still in uni back in 2002. As a student, and not knowing if I’d stay on after I graduated, the cheapest fridge at the shop was basically what I purchased. Fast forward 7 years and the fridge is still running, but I have to either finish my milk quickly, or throw it out before the expiry date as the fridge doesn’t cool as well as it used to. So a proper fridge is within the four digit range, and not the three digits I paid for it so long ago. You have to consider the fact that you use it 24 x 7, even if you don’t look at it like say a computer screen, so why cut corners on something that is essential for everyday life? Hence the stainless steel edition of the fridge, and if it’s 7 years before I get a new fridge, I think it’s money well spent.

Did we get the best price for it? Well, not quite. Slick salesman used some interesting tactics, asking up front if we would buy the fridge if the price was right. We quoted him an online price, so managed to knock down the fridge price quite a bit. Not as cheap as the online price, but prefer to deal with a physical store and a reputable brand (not that I’ve purchased anything from Harvey Norman before). The not so cheap part was the delivery charge and the extra warranty. Somehow we got talked into paying for the added warranty. Heh, I’m a believer of the idea that if you buy something, and if it doesn’t break down within 7 days, it’s not likely to break down at all, except due to old age. Oh well, you learn.

Fridge is currently out of stock at the store but sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Australia. Hope to get it soon so I can stop worrying about my milk turning into yogurt.

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Making coffee is like researching a PhD paper. There are so many variations to making an espresso shot that it’s almost mind boggling. Different beans from different locations have different taste profiles, suitable for different methods of making coffee. Roast them between medium and dark, and you get something different. Mix the beans together into different blends, and you get the various characteristics of each bean.

It is as much science as it is art, where you can be as specific as getting the 21g of beans required to make a double shot, or just using your senses to see, hear and smell if your coffee/milk has come out properly. I have pulled shots with varying success and the more I learn about the process, the more confusing it gets. Best to keep practicing until you can get it consistent, but I don’t make nearly enough drinks to be able to pick up the subtle differences that quickly.

One of the first coffees I made when I got the machine. Looked decent, tasted decent. Now I’m having a little more trouble trying to replicate a proper drop. My tastebuds have become confused with whether the coffee is sour or bitter, although I tend to think it’s verging on sour more often than not. Keen to learn everything but sometimes the information is overwhelming. Heh, that’s when I just go to the proper cafes nearby and for $3.30, you get a very decent drop of coffee.