After weeks of slicing, dicing and julienne(ing) the Masterchef Australia contestants the final is airing on Sunday 25 July. The success of this season is epitomized by the fact that the Australian Federal Election Debate was moved from it’s original scheduled time so as not to clash with the finale.  Seems even the politicians don’t want to compete with the wanna be chefs.

I didn’t watch season one, nor do I watch or follow anything to do with the contestants from season one.  For some reason I just didn’t get into it in the first season.  I wasn’t so fortunate to miss the bug this time around.

For the past few weeks I have been captivated by Masterchef Australia and the Masterchef Twitter Feed.  Seems I haven’t been the only one to notice that the popularity of this season is being, in part, fueled by those on Twitter.  Natalie Hambly wrote about the phenomena on 23 July 2010 in the Sydney Morning Herald.  

Some of my favourite moments from the season have come not from the show but from Twitter.  It’s provided an outlet for my snark and outrage at some of the decisions made in relation to the contestants and their performance.  I’m still smarting over the elimination of Marion, and thanks to Twitter I know I’m not alone.

Twitter also provided Chef Neil Perry (Twitter ID: rockpoolgroup) with an outlet to express his feelings about being misquoted by Jonathon Moran in The Sunday Telegraph on 18 July 2010.  The article attributed the following quotes to Perry:

“If you leave MasterChef and think that you are now one of the great chefs of Australia, I think you are probably up for a pretty rough ride,” Perry told The Sunday Telegraph.

“These people are just nobodies with very little experience, and [aided by the show] are able to be exposed and have opportunities. That’s why people go on the show.

“Most of them don’t go on the show thinking they will be opening a restaurant … most go on there to get enough media fame to be able to go on and do more media things.”

“You’ve got to have a really good palate and you’ve got to understand the process if you want to put your own spin on it rather than just put your name on it,” he said.

“And writing a cookbook is a really difficult thing to do.”

In fact, I received this direct message (DM) from rockpoolgroup after posting a tweet about Perry doing a backflip on his comments:

People seemed to be shocked by the comments as they came from a chef that had been a contributor to a number of episodes this season.  Unfortunately people also took it as an opportunity to sink the boot into Perry.  Which is a shame as Perry has done a lot of positive work for the food industry both nationally and internationally, regardless of his personal opinion about a reality television show.

One of my favourite television blogs, Reality Ravings, also posted about Perry’s comments and the majority of the readers seemed to be  in agreement with Perry’s comments.  In fact the comments on the original article seemed to support him in the main as well.  However it didn’t stop him from emailing Matt Preston, Masterchef Host, to clarify his position.  Matt Preston then took to Facebook and posted the email.

Regardless of whether he said it or not, I happen to agree with the comments.  Masterchef Australia is not a trade qualification; it’s a game show.  None of the contestants, even those that win the show, can call themselves Chefs.  They’re just glorified cooks.

The fact that they leave the show and start their own sauce ranges, restaurants or cookbooks is more about putting a celebrity face on a product then being qualified to do something.

The performance of the final two contestants, Adam and Callum, who will battle out on Sunday 25 July, merely supports this position.

Adam has been a consistent performer.  He’s produced quality dishes and always been in the top of the contestants.  However at crucial times his pallet and tendency to overstretch himself have caused him to stumble.

Callum on the other hand has stunned Australia by making it to the final two.  Admittedly, as a 33 year old that did some time in a professional kitchen I would struggle to produce some of the dishes he has delivered, it still doesn’t detract from the fact that he has consistently ignored expert advice, failed to plate dishes for judging and stumbled over simple recipes such as custard.

Let none of us forget the Country Women’s Association challenge where they all failed miserably to make traditional recipes such as lamingtons, fruit cake and jam.  Something that should have been fairly straight forward and basic caused major pitfalls for all the contestants, least of all Adam and Callum.  Interestingly, it was this challenge that pitted Adam and Callum against each other to make lamingtons.  Adam was triumphant in the end plating some of the best food on the day.  However Callum failed to even make a consistently sized product.

It will be interesting to see whether history repeats on the finale.  If I was a betting lass, and history and my bank balance has shown that I am, my money would be on Adam to win.  He has the maturity, calm nature and eye for detail that Callum is missing.

Regardless of the outcome, I’ve had a blast with this show and the interaction on Twitter.  I know my week nights won’t be the same without it, and I’m not alone there.  In fact, Jane over at Life @ Number 8 has posted about this exact problem.  She’s gone so far as to suggest alternative ways to fill the void that will be left by Masterchef Australia. For me, I’ll be replacing one reality television addiction with another and tuning in to Masterchef USA.  Bring on the Ramsey!

I am a reality television junkie… but only the high end products.  I don’t do Big Brother, but I can’t stop watching Masterchef Australia (this season). I love Top Chef, Australia’s Next Top Model and Project Runway.  I’m more about the talent then the human interaction… to an extent.

So when one of my favourite formats makes the journey across the pond and turns up in America with one of the best chefs to watch on television I get a little bit excited.  With a promo like this one it’s no wonder I’m salivating…

I can’t wait to see how Gordon Ramsay‘s fiery personality transforms this show.  Australian judges tend to be a little too… considerate… for my liking.  I understand they’re dealing with people’s dreams, but just occasionally it would be great if they could tell someone they’re crap.  I’m hoping that this version of Masterchef will deliver in the dream crushing stakes.

This seasons Masterchef Australia has sucked me right in. Actually I should clarify the television series COMBINED with the #masterchef twitter stream has sucked me in. Again I’ve fallen victim to the thrills and spills of watching a show with the rest of the twitterverse.

I love the interactive quality that Twitter now brings to watching television.  It’s a great way to get to know like minded people and see the humour in some fairly boring topics.  (The #qanda stream for the ABC’s Q and A proves that every week!)

But back to today’s funny…

When I saw this clip over on Reality Ravings I nearly wet my pants with laughter.  Growing up I was a massive The Late Show fan and one of my favourite parts of the show was seeing the celebrity impersonations.  Even now, a decade on I still giggle when I think about some of the skits they performed.  It’s good to see that Rob Sitch still has it…

* For those that haven’t seen the show, here’s some explanation and humour from Matt Preston (one of the judges).

I was watching the final episode of Selling Houses Australia for this year and I was captivated by this big bowl of lemons that were put in the kitchen to add some colour and jazz it up a bit.  I don’t know what it is about lemons but they always seem to bring sunshine indoors.  Now that we’re really into winter I could do with some sunshine indoors.  So this weeks Friday Fancy is inspired by lemons.  Enjoy!

1.  Vintage Salt & Pepper Shakers 2.  Lemon Still Life Oil Painting 3.  Dangle Earrings 4. You Are My Sunshine Typography Wall Art 5.  Bright Sunshiney Day 6.  Peakaboo Bunny in Yellow

P.S. Those of you that are in Canberra this weekend, don’t forget that the Handmade Markets are on Saturday 5 June at the Kamberra Wine Company.  I’ll be there, will you?

This ones for the girls who did the White Star assessment with me tonight – Shona, Ferne, Beth, Nat and Emily. You all rock and I can’t wait to start training with you for our first bout together!

I was singing this song while we were all standing in line in between our assessment tasks. I’d like to say I was as good, if not better, than Jensen but that would be a big fat lie.

I had an awesome night tonight, despite not having skated for five weeks and never having done jumps before.  I passed the endurance part of my test – 20 laps of the track in under 5 minutes.  Everything after that was gravy.

If I pass my white star I’ll start training with the league on Sunday, and then it’ll be training twice a week.  Rock on!

Right now however, I stink and need to get some sleep.

Today’s Music Monday is dedicated to Miss M who has so graciously lent me Ashes to Ashes.  I loved and devoured Life on Mars and have been wanting to see this series for a long time.  It hasn’t disappointed.  I managed to watch the first series on the weekend and I’m hoping to finish the second series this week.

In true BBC tradition it’s well written, superbly cast and totally addictive.  Oh, and the soundtrack is brilliant.

Out of twenty seasons of Survivor I think I’ve seen five seasons, but that hasn’t stopped me from becoming addicted.  I may be late to the party, but I’m here for a good time.  I’ve not seen any of the other All-Star episodes, so I feel like I’ve saved the best for my first.  Heroes Vs Villains.

So who’s on the teams?

The Heroes have: Rupert Boneham, James Clement, Colby Donaldson, Cirie Fields, Amanda Kimmel, Jessica “Sugar” Kiper, Stephenie LaGrossa, James “JT” Thomas Jr., Tom Westman (“Palau”) and Candice Woodcock.

With the Villains being: Tyson Apostol, Randy Bailey, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Danielle DiLorenzo, Jerri Manthey, Rob Mariano, Parvati Shallow, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Courtney Yates and Russell Hantz .

There’s a few of my favourites in the mix with some people I’ve not seen before.  I think it probably says more about me than it should that more of my favourites are on the Villains tribe.  But then again the nasty is always more entertaining when it’s not happening to you.

My first thoughts:

• I’m really glad the Boston Rob is back.  He’s always good for a laugh or two.
• Bringing back J.T and Tyson was also a good call.  J.T is a honey and so sweet, while Tyson is a wild card of random.
• The inclusion of Coach while annoying will bring some memorable moments.  Although I think I’m going to enjoy ranting about him more than anything.
• Randy was a funny one to bring back.  He was a horrible player in his series, but his best bit came when he had his meltdown. It’ll be interesting to see whether he does the same thing this season.
• Jerri is annoying.  She was annoying while in Australia and a decade hasn’t changed that.  Annoying and must go SOON!
• I’m glad Russell is back.  I felt so bad that he didn’t win last season, he EARNED that win and he was robbed.  I’m hoping he kicks ass in this season and gets what belongs to him.
• Sugar. I’m kind of surprised she’s on Heroes, I would have put her on Villains.  But that’s just me.
• I wish they’d brought back Kenny and Ace.  They were good value and I enjoyed watching them play the game.

Regardless of what my thoughts are on the people playing this season one thing is a certain; I will be watching every episode from the edge of my chair.

I thought I might make the most of the end of the year and do a quick summary of things that I’ve found this year that I can’t live without.  So, in no particular order, here’s the things that have made 2009 enjoyable:

1. Twitter - So many wonderful moments spent on Twitter.  I’ve met so many tweeps that make me crack up on a constant basis.  I also got to be a guest tweeter, which was awesome.  Who would have thought that 140 characters would be so much fun?

2. Etsy – I’ve found so many wonderful artists on Etsy and purchased so many great items for our home.  I visit Etsy multiple times a day just to see what’s on the front page.  It’s such a wonderful place to “window surf” (it’s like window shopping but on the net… get it?!?!?).

3. Threadless – In a matter of weeks I have tripled the amount of t-shirts in our house and all because of the wonder that is Threadless.  There’s so many wonderful artistic and humorous t-shirts available.  The quality of the shirts for the price is also brilliant.  I can’t wait to be able to fit into the smaller versions!

4. Sewing – Who would have thought that I would take to sewing; not I.  But for some reason I’ve really enjoyed it.  I’ve made so many little projects over the past few months, it’s been brilliant.  I’m looking forward to what patterns and fabrics I’ll find in the new year.

5. Flipping Out - I can’t get enough of this show.  Jeff Lewis is hilarious.  It combines my love of home design and reality shows. Woo Hoo!  HUBBY and I make a point of watching it together each week.  The relationships are just so wrong they’re funny.  I can’t wait for the next season!

6. Lush Lampwork – These beads are wonderful.  I love them and they add personality and sparkle to my bracelets.  HUBBY also gave me another set to go with my necklace for Christmas.  Another great find thanks to Etsy.

7. Charmish – I purchased my first Pandora bracelet in April 2009 and haven’t looked back.  I’ve always wanted a charm bracelet and this is a great way to collect charms and be secure in the fact that they’re not going to come off the bracelet.  It’s a shame that  Pandora don’t make cool charms.  That’s where the wonderful  Charmish comes in handy.  The charms are wonderful and detailed.  I have added so many to my collection that I’ve needed to buy another bracelet and HUBBY gave me a necklace for Christmas.  I can’t wait to see what new designs the new year brings.

A few weeks ago we finally took delivery of the shelving we ordered from Ikea and had delivered by Bring It Home.  The lads from Bring It Home were awesome.  Kept us in the loop about delivery times, moved all of the packages into the house for us and were just really lovely lads.  When they delivered the shelving they laugh and said “That’ll keep you busy for the next few weeks.”  To which I cavalierly replied “Not likely, they’ll be up by the end of the day!”  It was 4:00pm.

I was true to my word though, by 9pm that night we had everything built, installed and stacked with our stuff bar the one Billy that wouldn’t fit.  (My measurements were out by 6cm.  Whoops!)

I’ve been waiting for a sunny day to take some pictures of the completed project for posting, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the lounge will never be flooded with sunshine so I’d best just take the photos and be done with it.  (Plus I was inspired by the topic post at Meet Me at Mikes) So today I took some happy snaps.  I apologise for the quality, I really need to invest in a tripod because the natural light would have been good enough but I’m too shaky.  So here they are.

This is the view from our front door.   This is the view that I love to come home to.  That brown blur is George.  If you’re wondering why we have the bottom couple of shelves empty, do you see that brown blur – that’s George, she likes to chew and she especially loves to chew books.  The side with the board games is non-fiction.  All the “boring” books.  The picture beside the court jester rabbit is the 100+ year old map of Cambridge that I purchased while I was in London last year.  If you look closely you can see the first soft toy I’ve ever made adorning the Lonely Planet and Dictionary shelf.

HUBBY’s massive television has pride of place.  I’m ashamed to say it but we only ordered four of the Benno DVD shelves and they’re completely full.  We could probably do with two more and then we could probably do with stopping buying DVDs.    The two framed prints above the television are from Yumi Yumi – they are this and this.  Both are stunning and they never fail to get noticed.  I also have two Zukzuk prints, this and this, off to the side of the games shelf.  They greet guests as they come in and bring a smile to my face every time I see them.   (And they’re made by an Aussie!!! Ok, she’s a Kiwi, but in the true spirit of ANZAC I shall claim her just like we did Russell Crowe and Crowded House!)

On the other side of the television is “fiction”.

These shelves hold some of my favourite treasures.  There’s my rubber duck collection.  One day the shall go all the way across the top.  There’s my little sock monkey from Maribel Made, Ali Star.  There’s the gnome my Mum gave me when I was in Mount Isa – he’s hand made and he’s a miner!  There’s my Andrea Joseph print which I adore.  There’s my gnome from Brooklyn Rehab.  All the books I love to read and have read as part of my yearly reading challenge.  There’s my collection of vintage purple bottles.  My Belle and Boo print which makes my heart swell.  The little Bambi figurine that I found on a trip to Braidwood.  My tie died piggy bank.  There’s a photo with HUBBY and his mother who passed away last year.  There’s a photo of us together from our wedding.  HEAPS of things.  It gives me so much pleasure to have them all out on display.  Just little bits and pieces of our lives together.

There’s also this….

IT’S A MOOSE!!! Miss Alivicwil brought him back from Canada for me.  I love him!  He makes me giggle on the inside every time I see him.  Did I mention, IT’S A MOOSE!!!

So that’s the shelving situation in our house.  One of these days I’ll take better photos of all the little collections of things that we have going on.  It’ll have to be once I get a tripod though…

Inspired by the fact that I’m currently going through a few medical problems of the serious kind I thought I would give you some doctor inspired eye candy.  I present to you: McSteamy!  Eric Dane plays a doctor on Grey’s Anatomy.  I can tell you now that if any of my surgeons looked like this I would be begging to change doctors.  There’s no way my blood pressure would be under control if I had him looking at my insides!