The Night that Lasts a Thousand Years

The setting sun, it goes away, and shadows pave the way.

The darkness creeps in, it surrounds you, it laughs.

And the night will seem to last a thousand years. 

But a new day will grace the earth, soon enough. Soon enough.

All you have to do is remind yourself that the warmth will return tomorrow. 

A new day will come tomorrow.

Steve Smith, the Wrong Prover

Poor old Smithers. Mistreated, misunderstood, and desperately in love with his boss, Mr. Burns. Stuck in a dead end job with no way to move up in the world. It's no wonder he's turned to collecting Malibu Stacey dolls in attempt to eek something out of his most unsatisfactory life. Although I can't exactly say that I know all that much about Steven Smith's personal issues, hobbies and sexual orientation, I can definitely say that, unlike his dopelganger and nickname-sake Waylon Smithers, he is definitely moving up in the world when it comes to his chosen profession.

One of Steven Smith's early nicknames was "Waylon" after the Simpsons character. Hmmm.

Yes, by some miracle, Steve Smith has managed to get his unorthodox, ungainly, sometimes just downright ridiculous technique to work at test level. After making a fighting 92 against a skillful Indian spin attack in Mohali back in March, he followed it up in the most recent Ashes series with some handy fifties in Nottingham and Manchester, capping it all off with his maiden test century in tough batting conditions at The Oval. He fidgets at least 10 - 15 times before every delivery; with his pads, his gloves, his helmet, his box, then his pads again, and then he makes each of his shots look like singular giant fidgets. And yet in recent times he has proven to be as valuable to the stuttering Australian batting lineup as any.

When I first saw Steve Smith, probably back in 2009, I touted him as the next big thing (as did many others at the time), mainly for his legspin bowling. I was even telling my mates that he would be our next Shane Warne. Of course, they all laughed at me, and told me what they really thought of Smith's bowling (pretty average). Next thing we knew, he was into the test side for the series against Pakistan in the winter of 2010, picked as Australia's premier spinner. And the following summer he played in the Ashes as some kind of floating allrounder. His legspin was a bit of a flop, and his batting was comprehensively found out by the bowling quality at test level. Not for the first time, I was proven wrong. I copped the stick I deserved from my mates. Consequently, Smith was dumped, and his development handled extremely poorly by Cricket Australia (surprise, surprise). He fell into the cricketing void that is the limited-overs specialist. So much for the next Warnie!

So over the next few years, I didn't hear much of the man that I had declared the next cricketing messiah. His bowling declined as the ever-slogging batsman of the T20 world started taking spin bowlers apart. I saw him pull off a few flashy feats in domestic cricket and the IPL (including the best piece of fielding in cricketing history, see video below). He even captained the Pune Warriors India in a few matches, putting on display his potential leadership qualities. But that was all. I definitely thought we had seen the last of Steven Smith, at test level at least.

 

However, in the last season or two, Steve Smith started making hundreds. First for New South Wales, and then for Australia A. Suddenly, he was in the fray for Australian selection again. In March, Smith was handed a lucky break in Mohali after the fateful "homework" incident. I very much doubted the selection, and once again, I was proven wrong. This time not by my mates, but by Steve Smith himself. He displayed maturity and poise, such that I had not seen from him before. He certainly showed that he is the best player of spin in Australian cricket, behind only Michael Clarke (though it may yet be seen that he is even better than Clarke). I love watching both players play spin; particularly notable is the use of their feet in both attack and defense (I could very easily go on a large tangent about playing spin bowling, but I'll save you all the trouble... for now). 

The next twist in the Smith saga came when he was not selected for the 2013 tour of England, despite his obvious gains in ability and maturity. Questions were again asked of his ungainly style of batting, especially against the swinging ball in English conditions. And then, thanks to a mixture of good fortune and great form for Australia A, he found himself playing in the first Ashes test in Manchester. Before the series, he was criticized for his technique and temperament, and once more, he proved the critics wrong. It was such a relief to see that, finally, a young player had gone back to domestic level, had a long hard look at his technique, and worked perilously hard on improving it. He also showed that, although a good technique is quite handy at test level, what really matters is what's upstairs - and Steve Smith is one seriously mentally tough character - which is why he often out-performs his fellow young counterparts in Warner, Cowan, Hughes and Khawaja.

Smith celebrates his maiden hundred

More players like Steve "Waylon" Smith are needed in the Australian side. Not the flashy, fragile types like Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja, who are undoubtedly talented but just can't seem to adapt to the next level, but players who are gritty, mentally tough and are constantly striving to work hard on their games and improve. Like Smithers, Smith is the kind of guy who is never likely to be remembered as one of the greats; he's always going to be most famous for his unprecedented awkwardness. He's always going to have his doubters. I just can't wait for him to prove us all wrong again.

Saint Ashton, My Saviour

It was a sad and sorry picture. There I was, sitting in solitude at my dimly lit desk, head in hands and on the verge of tears. Anger, frustration, despair welling up inside of me, ready to burst out at any moment. Another innings, another collapse. James Pattinson had just been caught dead in front by Graeme Swann, Australia teetering at 117-9 in the first innings of the first Ashes test, still trailing England by 98. Never in my life had I felt so ready to give up. Never in my life had I felt so ready to throw in the towel for the game of cricket. And then out walked Ashton Agar...

I had seen him do it before for Western Australia, making crucial runs and winning matches from almost impossible positions. We almost made the Shefield Shield final on the back of his batting performances, particularly his 71 not out against Tasmania in February. But surely, I thought, not in a test match. An Ashes test match no less, with Australia having just lost 5-9 and Jimmy Anderson reverse swinging the ball around corners.

But the 19-year old batted with a certain calmness and maturity, not befitting his tender age. He used his experience on the hard and bouncy WACA wicket to play his pull and hook shots, drove straight and through the ball with his giant Marcus North-esque backlift, and defended with stern authority. He took on Graeme Swann, one of the world's best spin bowlers, using his feet and stillness at the crease to great effect to strike the ball long and hard. He showed the rest of the Aussie team how Swann must be played for the rest of the series.

He also kicked Phil Hughes into gear, and the New South Welshman played the most mature and secure innings I have ever seen him play. It was the perfect confidence booster for Hughes - him playing well will be a big factor if Australia is to be competitive in this Ashes series.

And then, Ashton Agar was on 98. Australia lead by 65, and seemingly the whole of Australia held their breath. After a few nervy plays and misses, he middled a cracking pull shot... straight down the throat of Graeme Swann. I couldn't believe it. Not again! I was watching when Warnie fell for 99 in Perth. I was in utter despair as Mitchell Starc nicked behind in India for 99, only a few months ago. And now this. My heart was pumping, my hands were shaking... and I was just speechless. The blow wasn't an easy one to take, but it was made just that little bit easier as he walked of the ground, the biggest smile on his face, taking in what was surely the proudest moment of his life.

As Ashton Agar walked off the Trent Bridge ground, a world record innings under his belt and an unfailing grin on his face, he would have known that he had, almost single-handedly, given his team a fighting chance in the test match. What he didn't know was that he had just reignited the passion and love for the game of one cricket tragic watching back home, sitting in solitude at his dimly lit desk, now with an equally big grin on his face.

The Darkest Day

I love cricket. I love cricket more than most things. There's nothing like the excitement and buzz around the build up to a big home summer, or seeing a young upcoming player make their first century or take their first wicket, or staying up late with fingernails in mouth to watch gripping conclusions of important matches fought in various timezones across the world.

Unfortunately, however, my voracious love for the game means, along with the good times, many heartbreaking moments and gut-wrenching days. Today is one of those.

I can't help but feeling that this could have been the day that turned the India-Australia series around. In fact, I have this sickening feeling which tells me that the success or failure of the Australian cricket team for the coming year hinged on today's play. Had all gone according to plan, the only way from here was up. Now, it feels like the only way is backwards. Today is probably the darkest day I have ever endured as a follower Australian cricket.

It all started when Pragyan Ohja turned an absolute beauty past Steve Smith's outside edge, causing him to lose his balance and consequently his wicket - stumped by MS Dhoni - eight runs away from what would have been one of the most deserved maiden test centuries I have ever seen. I was so ready to show a rare bit of emotion and give a little fist pump in celebration. Steve Smith surprised me with how well he played. He has a good temperament for a young player, he sticks to his own game plan, and he's a really good player of spin - nimble on his feet, with a good balance of attack and defence. Hopefully some of the senior members of his team learn a thing or two from his innings today.

If Steven Smith deserved a little fist pump for what could have been his maiden test ton, Mitchell Starc deserved a full-on jump for joy (as well as a rise up the batting order) if he had made his. I have never felt so heartbroken for anybody getting out in the 90's before in my life - and I was watching when Warnie lofted Daniel Vettori straight down Mark Richardson's throat on 99 at the WACA!

Despite Smith and Starc falling just short of their maiden tons, their heroics guided Australia for a very respectable 400+ total. With a fresh, well balanced bowling attack ready to come out and win the test match for the Aussies, the day's disappointments were surely well and truly behind us, right? Wrong. I didn't watch it, but I can only imagine the horror of Shikhar Dharwan making an absolute meal of Xavier Doherty and co in his debut innings. How Australia did not manage take a single wicket in two and a bit sessions, with four frontline bowlers and two allrounders on a day three pitch is unfathomable. I've seen long days on slow, low subcontinental pitches before, but nothing like this.

So continues the rollercoaster ride in this wonderfully fickle game I love so much. It's not like watching the great Aussie teams of yesteryear, when you were pretty much guaranteed a victory every time you watched. I guess it's kinda exciting, knowing that the next game the Aussies play will end in either one of the following: Complete disaster, narrow defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, or narrow win by a margin too close for comfort. Close your eyes and hope for the best. Kinda like what Phil Hughes does...

Aquarium Update!

I'm not trying to turn this blog into an all-aquarium menagerie, I swear. The thing is, I tend to write when I start feeling dramatic and emotional, and I just haven't had anything particularly emotional to write about lately (which is a good thing!). Also, the cricket, isn't going all that well over in India right now. There are many, many things I could write about the Australian cricket team right now, none of them very pleasant. So unless you enjoy long, angry rants, it's best you don't get me started.

Anyhow, in this post I want to update you on the progress of my freshwater tropical Guyana Blackwater aquarium. I'll provide some 'before and after' shots, talk about some of the changes I have made (or that kinda just happened), and provide some of my thoughts on the current state of fishy affairs.

Here is a photo of my 200L/52 US Gallon Guyana Blackwater tank when I posted about it five months ago, October 2012:

Guyana Blackwater - October 2012

And this is what it looks like now:

Guyana Blackwater - March 2013

As you can see, quite a lot has happened in the five or so months since the first photo was taken. The plants have absolutely exploded since October last year; the vallisneria (grassy stuff in the back left corner) has gone beserk, and continues to spread its runners all over the tank. The amazon swords and crypts (broad leafed plants in the mid-ground, left and right) have grown much larger, and are producing a healthy number of new leaves. The floating water sprite also went nuts on the surface, so-much-so that it started shrouding the whole tank in darkness, and had to be removed...

For those of you who are interested, I purposely chose plants for this tank which are simple to care for and don't require much maintenance. On a weekly basis, I remove dead leaves and decaying matter, and occasionally cut back the runners of the vallisneria to keep it from taking over the entire tank. I feed the plants with Seachem root tablets every few months, and occasionally dose with Seachem liquid fertilisers - but they seem to do fine without the fertilisers anyway. The plants grow perfectly well under only 60 watts of lighting (which is considered low light in aquatic gardening circles), and the tank is lit for a generous 10 - 11 hours a day. I've found the key to successful plant growth is doing the research, and choosing the right plants for your aquatic situation! 

Those with a keener eye perhaps would have noticed the slight change in positioning of the piece of wood in the centre. I was not at all happy with it's original position, so I fiddled around with it until I was satisfied - it turns out all I needed to do was flip it over! I think it looks a lot more natural in it's new position, like some gnarled piece of root jutting out of the riverbed... or something. The lesson is to take your time with your hardscape, and don't give up until you're completely satisfied. It will be well worth the effort!

The fish are going swimmingly, too. There have been a couple of changes to the stock since my last post. Previously, I mentioned that I had four angelfish in the tank. Now there are only three. Like people, I find that each individual fish has its own personality. For example, we all know that one guy who's just angry, all the time. Kinda like the lead singer of Linkin Park who screams all the time. Well, one of the angelfish turned out to be that guy. He was constantly chasing the other fish around the tank, nipping at fins, and just being plain angry. He was the Chester Bennington of the fish world. He was stressing my other fish out, so in the end I had to return him to my local fish store. Fortunately, the other three angels get on like, well, angels...

By the way, if anyone can come up with some creative names for my three angelfish by looking at these pictures, please let me know. I don't usually like to name my fish, mostly because I suck at naming things, but I'm willing to bump this trend if I get some solid suggestions!

To the stock I also added three Hoplo catfish (Hoplosternum thoracatum). These guys are possibly the coolest fish I have ever owned. They are so friendly and playful, and they love coming to the surface to say hello - they are the fish equivalent of puppy dogs. I highly recommend getting them if you're ever after a hardy, fun, small to medium sized catfish.

Hoplo Catfish - kinda like aquatic puppy dogs

So there you have it! I hope this update has been as interesting for you to read as it has been for me to write, especially in realising just how far the tank has come in a few short months. Looking back, I feel like I've steered the tank away from a tannin-stained, blackwater habitat as was originally planned, and slowly developed it into a thick Amazonian jungle under the water. I don't think the dark brownish water was sitting well with me - I'm enjoying the lush green tones so much more. As always, thanks a bunch for reading - hopefully I'll be able to provide you with another aquarium update in a few months - it will interesting to see how the tank continues to develop and change over that time! Oh, and don't forget to let me know if you think of any cool names for my angelfish. Cheers!

Tank Specs:

Volume: 200L/52 US Gal

Filtration: Eheim cannister 2213

Heating: 1x Aqua One 200W, 1x Aqua One 150W

Lighting: 2x 30W fluorescent tubes

Flora: Vallisneria sp. (Vallis), Echinodorus amazonicus, Echinodorus sp. (Amazon sword), Echinodorus tenellus (Pygmy chain sword), Cryptocoryne sp. (Crypt), Microsorum pteropus (Java fern), Java moss

Fauna:  3x Pterophyllum scalare (Angelfish), 17 x Pristella maxillaris (Pristella tetra), 3x Hoplosternum thoracatum (Hoplo catfish), 1x Ancistrus sp. (Bristlenose Plec)

Kingdom of the White Cloud - Aquarium Makeover

The aquarium in our living room has been running for nearly seven years, and despite enduring many changes over this time, the general theme has always been 'miscellaneous community' - a random mix of tropical fish species from different parts of the world, a selection of live and fake plants, rocks and wood. A good learning-curve for a beginner aquarist, and an interesting living room centrepiece, but in recent times I'd felt it just lacked a certain touch of character and intrigue...

The 'before' shot - a cluttered tropical community aquarium

The Inspiration

Close your eyes, and imagine the sound of a cool, clear stream trickling over a little rocky outcrop, with lush green forrest for a backdrop, and high mountainous peaks looming in the distance. I've always wanted to replicate a little section of one such clear, shallow creek system, with spring-fed origins forming amongst the snow-capped peaks of mountainous southern China. With one of my favourite fish species happening to inhabit that region, and my interest in the tropical community aquarium waining, I felt this was the perfect opportunity to give this biotope a shot. This is how I went about this little aquarium makeover, from cluttered mixed community, to shallow mountain stream:

The inspiration: Wu Tong Mountain, Guangdong province, Southern China (seriouslyfish.com)

1) The Strip-down: 

Just like with any makeover, the first step was to strip the aquarium down, piece by piece. With much regret, I sold most of the original inhabitants (2 x kribensis, 6 x emperor tetra) on Gumtree, and moved two remaining neon tetra to my South American tank (I decided that the four kuhli loaches and one bristlenose plec. would stay - this would only be a loose biotope, afterall). I then removed the hardscape, including rocks, wood and plants. I gave the tank a thorough clean at this point; the glass got a good scrub and the substrate a deep vacum. You could definitely tell that the poor old tank had not been tinkered with in many long years, judging by the amount of crap (literally) that came out during the clean!

The strip-down begins

2) The Hardscape

After the tank had been taken appart and given a deep clean, it was time to add the new hardscape (in aquarium terms, 'hardscape' relates to non-living decor, including rocks, wood etc.). The first step was to replicate a stoney creek bed. Using the existing gravel, I created a gentle slope slanting from right-to-left, and then arranged a select choice of river stones so that the largest were on the top of the slope, gradually declining in size toward the bottom, creating a natural flow and giving the impression of the bank of a shallow creek. I also entwind two small pieces of twisted wood around the river stones as to imitate some flooded roots.

Introducing the new hardscape, including river stones and wood

3) Finishing Touches

As the dust (or in this case, fish poo) settled, I was able to add the finishing touches to this riverine recreation. I scattered smooth pebbles along the bottom of the tank to round off the stoney creekbed look, and last of all planted a few specimens of vallis (Vallisneria sp.) behind the larger stones, representing a scattering of submerged vegetation growing on the banks of the 'creek'. And there you have it! It only took a few hours (and under $20) to turn the community aquarium into this simple, yet effective mountain creek biotope.

The end result - simple, but effective!

4) The Inhabitants

Running with the theme of a trickling southern Chinese creek, I could not go past one of my favourite fish species - the humble White Cloud Mountain Minnow (WCMM), Tanichthys albonubes. The WCMM originates from the clear flowing streams of southern China, and with its pretty red and neon-silver colouration, this species makes the perfect inhabitant for this tank. Along with the minnows and the original Kuhli loaches (Pangio kuhlii), and bristlenose plec (Ancistrus sp.), I added a shoal of glass shrimp to add some interest to the lower levels.

The humble White Cloud Mountain Minnow,  one of my all-time favourites

Glass shrimp love hanging out on the Vallis leaves!

Close-up of the hardscape

I'm really happy with the end result, and I find this simple, clean aquarium far more pleasing to the eye than the cluttered community setup. Eventually (a.k.a when I next get paid), I plan to double the number of WCMMs, and install a powerhead pump in order to increase the water flow in the tank to make it even more creek-like. Which do you prefer more, the community or the river? I'd love to hear your thoughts!


The Specs.

Tank:
75 cm x 35 cm x 35 cm
Approx. 90 L (25 US gallons)

Equipment:
1 Aqua One Hang-on-the-back (HOB) filter
1 Resun HOB filter
1 30W Aqua One heater
1 30 watt fluorescent light

Flora:
Vallisneria (Vallisneria sp.)

Fauna:
8 x White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)
4 x Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii)
1 x Bristlenose Plec. (Ancistrus sp.)
15+ Glass Shrimp

The Little Things

"Mithrandir... why the halfling?"

"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I find that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness, and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know. Perhaps it is because I am afraid, and he gives me courage"

Today I was asked whether I'd ever want to just move away to a far away country, seeking a new adventurous life in some unknown place. In fact, I've been asked this very same question many times before - am I happy with the current life that I am living? The answer has always been yes, but I have never quite known why. But now I think I have an answer.

I have never wanted to do anything extraordinary. Big, life changing events, and the prospect of an exciting new path has never appealed to me. Like any man I have my hopes and dreams, of course I do. But in the end, I find that is the little things in life that make me happy. Lying around, just talking for hours with those who I love. Breaking out into tear-inducing laughter at a well timed jest with my wonderful workmates. Having a beer or two (and good food) while catching up with old friends. Staying up into the early hours of the morning watching a thrilling cricket match unfold, despite needing to get up early for work the next (or often on the same) morning. Breathing in the crisp air of a cold winters morning under a bright blue sky, listening to the birds sing, and the smell of coffee roasting in the kitchen.

These are the things that really make me happy - not some far off hope or dream that someday my life will be different, but the all of the little things that are happening to me, right now. I know things may be different in the future; but at the moment it is the everyday deeds and ordinary happenings of life that are keeping my doubts and fears at bay.