Saturday, August 27, 2011

Star Wars - Lego Porn

A long time ago, I gave up the right to think that anybody has too much time on their hands....

I love this kind of crap...Its probably old news but when a guy who calls himself 'Marshall Banana' makes a 3 foot long Sandcrawler out of Legos, I don't think there could be enough recognition and applause.

Marshall's Flickr Gallery

Work in Progress Images

Good on you buddy!



Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Noah's Loaf - Resorts World Sentosa

I am a strong proponent of learning to use the Conceptual Massing Editor in Revit by modeling the buildings we see everyday.  Well, this one, The Maritime Museum at Resorts World Sentosa, had been bothering me for a while.



I am not aiming to accuratley recreate the form.  I am more interested in generating a family that could get me there!  So in this post i'll tackle the general, boat-like shape and in another week I'll go for the ribs and other stuff.  So join me as we look at how i did this...



and this...



and this...



and this...

Its a long way to the top....



This is the list of parameters if anyone is interested, notice that none of them are reporting parameters, this is all straight-forward behavior.



Here is a link to the family:

Noahs Ark.RFA


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Authentic Vietnamese Pho

Its been a while since posting.  I have been traveling....and I went to Ho Chi Minh City.  This isn't a food blog, I know, but this place is worth mentioning because it was awesome.

I got a tip on this place from a random HCMC food guide.  The review is at the bottom of the page, they said:


Ut Nhung: 109/7 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, Dist.3.
Jon Dillingham from the What's On Guide to Ho Chi Minh City claims this is one of the best phở shacks in the city: "This tiny phở shack doesn't have a menu," he writes. "The little hole-in-the-wall doesn't even have tra da, drinks are supplied by neighboring vendors. All Ut Nhung does is make one kind of pho: phở bo tai nam (pho with rare beef and well-done beef flank). They serve one of the best versions of this dish in town for VND11,000. In a hem off Guitar Street where Districts 1, 3, 5 and 10 meet, Ut Nhung has no sign. Just look for the tiny house with a huge cauldron of broth tended to by a bald lady surrounded by hungry pho eaters.
"The broth here is extra fatty and marrow is served in your soup. The raw meat is healthy and red before thrown into your bowl. The taste of the rare beef is likely to be some of the freshest you'll ever have in a city.
"Pho in Vietnam is a lot like burgers and fries in America or fish and chips in the UK: hundreds of places do it well, but special places like Ut Nhung make it nearly perfect."


With a recommendation like that, I had to give it a shot!

We found it pretty easily and though there was a language barrier, these people were so happy we'd come, they bent over backwards to help us out.  We asked for cold water but the shop didn't have anything, so they grabbed a guy with a motorbike from the house next door and sent him off to 7-11 for us...It was awesome.

Google Map to the general area:


View Nguyen Thien Thuat - Guitar Street in a larger map

Found the street:

Found a guitar shop

Found the Alley

This is the guitar shop at the alley entrance

This is the place....Both the smell and the fact that it was the only PHO shop in eyesight gave it away.

"Mr.Only-Guy-In-The-Neighborhood-Who-Speaks-English" and "Mrs. Brisket-Chopper"

The Menu.  Direct, to the point.... In the morning, they serve the clear broth Pho that most foreigners know and love.  In the afternoons, its the hearty, marrow-laden stew that i can no longer imagine living without!

The Broth...I'd like to make a request for the AUGI Beer-Bust next year!

Chopping the Brisket

Into the broth....this is how heaven on earth is created....

Some Noodles

Some garnish...

And Voila!

If you are in the area, I highly recommend it....

Regularly scheduled REVIT Non-Sense will return shortly...