Japan Trip Day 9 – Explore-It

TL;DR – I took a day trip to Miyakonojo.

Disclosure – I paid for my flights, accommodation, entry, and everything you see purchased in this article.

Looking over the Japan Inland Sea at Hiroshima.

Exploring Japan –

I had always planned to go back to Japan one day, and had started making plans to go back in 2020. Then, well, 2020 happened. But late last year, I finally had the chance to put those plans back in motion as I flew out of Melbourne for Osaka, and thus my time in Japan began.

By pure fluke, I had discovered just before leaving that a good friend of mine, who lives on the other side of the country, would not only be in Japan at the same time as me, but they would also be in Kyushu at the same time as me. Fast-forward through some schedules being compared, and we discovered that there was one day that we could catch up, and that was in the small mountain town of Miyakonojo. The first part of the trip for me was to take what turned out to be a very swanky train to Kagoshima, and then a local into the mountains.

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How to Make Gravy Review: A Deep Dive into Generational Trauma

TL;DR – I was not sure what to expect with this film going, but a deep exploration of generational trauma was the surprise that the film needed, that and gravy.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Art of rescuing his dad from jail.

How to Make Gravy Review –

One of the many odd traditions that happen in an Australian Christmas, along with seafood for Christmas lunch and the need to make Santa learn how to surf in his winter outfit for some reason, is that a song about making gravy becomes fantastically popular. It is a sad song of regret and longing for the family at a time when connections are fraught, and it has always felt like an odd choice for a Christmas song, but I didn’t get a say in that collective cultural choice. But will that song make a good film? Well, that is the question we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, last Christmas, everything changed, especially when it was the first Christmas without their grandmother. But no matter what happens, the family comes together and quietly judges that Joe (Daniel Henshall) lost his job. There is the joy of all the family coming together, but then the undercurrent of loss because one person is no longer there. Joe was struggling with everything and just does not want to talk to everyone, even though wants him to speak. Soon, a tipping point was reached, and Joe didn’t come home. Now, all his son Angus (Jonah Wren Phillips) wants for Christmas is to see his dad again.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 5 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

PAX 23 Logo. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 5 –

It was the final day in Melbourne, but unlike last year, I had my flight positioned for the end of the day, so I had some time to explore the city more, which is when I found the most depressing garden in Melbourne.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 3 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

PAX 23 Logo. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 3 –

Right next to where I was staying was the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, so if there was ever a time to have a wander, a calm Saturday morning was the time. Unfortunately, that was also the same time as a Park Run, so there was much dodging.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 2 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

PAX 23 Logo. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 2 –

The Yarra River. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.
The Yarra River. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

Well, one good night’s sleep later, and it was a slightly more welcoming day that greeted me in the morning as I made my way down the Yarra River to the Convention Centre.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 1 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

PAX 23 Logo. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 1 –

When you work in the games and pop culture space, you hear of the joy of PAX, but I have never experienced it myself, until I got there in 2022. Well, it is time for Round 2, where I know Melbourne/Narrm a touch better than before, and I see a couple of things I missed that I needed to make up for. So, in today’s and the next few Explore-It’s, we will look at our time down past the daylight savings divide to a city with an entirely different seagull-to-pigeon ratio than I have ever seen.

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Dinosaurs of Patagonia and QSO Cinematic – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dabble in some dinosaurs and music as we take a trip down to Brisbane

Disclosure – I paid for my entry and everything you see purchased in this article.

Dinosaurs and Music –

As we slowly get back to a newish normal, I have been trying to get out of the house a little bit more, not that I did it a lot before. But it is time to get out and explore some more, and where best to start is always with a map.

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Map-It – Worth-It – 2023

TL;DR – We map out every restaurant featured on About To Eat’s Worth-It

Image Credit: Buzzfeed.

Map-It – Worth-It –

Over the years, I have enjoyed a show on YouTube with a unique simple premise, but one crafted to perfection. The show’s hosts, Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj, along with Adam Bianchi and others, visit three restaurants based around a theme like Breakfast Sandwiches, Korean Soup, or Fried Chicken, to name a few. Each restaurant is categorised into three groups, and at the end of the show, they all come together to see which was the most ‘worth it’ for the asking price.

In the before times, we put together a map of all the restaurants that the show had visited. However, with the announcement that this current season would be the show’s last, it was the right time to return to the map and give it the update it needed.

Image Credit: Buzzfeed.
There is so much amazing chicken in this show. Image Credit: Buzzfeed.
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The Menu – Movie Review

TL;DR – This is one of those films that revels in subverting something that brings me great joy and captivates me the entire time it is doing that.    

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

Warning – Some scenes may cause distress.

Oyster Foam, with lemon lemon gel

The Menu Review –

There is always a delight when you walk into s film with no idea what you are about to witness. Even more so when that film goes to places, you would never have expected. Well, today we have just such a film which was taken to the next level with me only seeing it because of a mix-up, and I am delighted that mix-up happened because goodness, what an experience.

So to set the scene, we open at a boat dock as Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her date Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) wait in fancy evening attire. They and a bunch of important critics, celebrities, foodies, and businessmen are taking a trip to one of the world’s most exclusive restaurants, Hawthorne, run by Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), hidden away on its own island. The restaurant’s maître d’ Elsa (Hong Chau) takes them on a tour of the island, revealing all its natural bounties and constructed eccentricities. Everything has been tailored to each guest. The only issue is that Margot was not meant to be there, and no one let the restaurant or Chef know.

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Explore It – Gladstone

TL;DR – Today, I take a wander around Gladstone and its many surroundings.  

Disclosure – I was not paid to visit any of the locations shown here, and all Queensland Government COVID requirements were followed, including the use of masks.

Exploring Gladstone –

In this Covid world, one of the hardest parts has been the isolation from friends and family, I know people have had it worse, but I have had to cancel family get-togethers five times because of surprise lockdowns. To the point that it has become a running joke with my friends every time there is a lockdown. Well, there was a moment of stability (not that there wasn’t a scare the week before that made me think it would all unravel again). So, when you have the chance, you take it, and with that came the exploration of the many faces of Gladstone.

From Brisbane, Gladstone is about a six to ten-hour drive depending on the time of day, whether you get stuck behind a caravan/boat that only gets up to speed in the overtaking lane, and how many stops you can make. For safety, you should be making stops to rest, and our first one was at the town of Tiaro. We stopped here because you can get a mean burger, but also because their butcher is known all up the highway for its bacon, which will become important later. It also has the oddness of having a pedestrian crossing over the main northern highway in Queensland, the Bruce.   

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