July 28, 2008
Update
I've been pretty busy so here are just eight short snippets of my life for those who are interested.
1. Work's been alright, I've been learning new stuff and it's been interesting so far. I do a lot more writing than I did in my previous full-time job. I'm back in the grind of a 9-to-5 job and having to brave the morning crowds in the train and lunch crowds in Raffles Place. It's hell by the way - way too crowded for my liking. So anyway, back to being a minion at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder; the wrong end of the food chain that is the rat race.
2. I was sick for two weeks and sidelined from training. Had the whole works - flu, cough, sore throat. It's some nasty bug that has been going around. I went to see TCM doctor and a Western medicine doctor. I went back to training yesterday and am aching from the workout. Pathetic.
3. I'm pondering whether I should sign up for the Standard Chartered half/full marathon. I'm inclined to go for the full since I think I should do it at least once in my life. You know, just to say I've done it. But I'm pretty daunted by the distance.
4. I watched The Dark Knight on Friday Night. It was pretty good, but perhaps a tad too long. And I agree, the late Heath Ledger was great as the psychotic Joker.
5. I had dinner at Bodega y Tapas, a Spanish tapas restaurant at Orchard Hotel. Food was not bad, if not a little overpriced. Lots of expats hanging out there...looks like it could become a potential minefield for SPGs. The yummiest thing in the restaurant, in my opinion, is the young, dark-haired, and good looking angmoh chef. My girlfriends and I eyed him through the glass window. Haha.
6. Tomorrow evening I am to be event photographer for good friend Monomania's ROM! The couple Monoceros and I brought together are going to be married! So cool. The groom happens to Monoceros' bro.
7. Wednesday night I take a 10-hour bus ride to Penang for the World Club Crew Dragonboat Championship! It's going to be four days of racing and eating and partying. Yipee!
8. Am enthralled by the book Seabiscuit which tells the story of the Cindrella horse which no one wanted, but was later groomed by three men to become the greatest race horse in American history. The story of the horse's, his trainer's, and his jockey's triumph against all odds is inspirational. A proper review to come when I finish reading it. The book was adapted into a film but I doubt the film captures the heart and soul of the story.
July 23, 2008
Snapshots from Sydney
I love this window display
Fashion for the punk baby
Smart signage for a bed shop
A retro Singapore Airlines bag
It's hard to guess what this is and I couldn't quite make it out when I saw it, but it's soap! It reminded me of a cinnamon bun. Haha.
Horse riding at Glenworth Valley, a place 1.5 hours north from city centre. It's really fun to go on horse back and being at one with nature. My horse's name was Mandray, a brown stallion. Once while cantering, he tripped and lost his footing and for a split second, I was hurled forward and I feared that I was going to be thrown off! Thankfully regained his footing in time and I managed to stay on. Phew.
That's me in the foreground paddling towards the ANZAC Bridge and out into the Sydney Harbour during a guest paddle with the Pacific Dragons team one Sunday morning.
July 20, 2008
Kirribilli Market
If you, like me, are fond of going to weekend bazaars and markets, Kirribilli Market is one of the markets you can head to if you happen to be in Sydney on the fourth Saturday of the month. I love it because there are many homemade handicrafts and clothes, bags, and fashion accessories designed by budding designers, home-baked confectionary, second hand vintage clothes etc. Often, you can come across many great finds at such places!
Here are some snapshots of the market when I was there recently.
The market is situated at a scenic spot that overlooks the beautiful Sydney Harbour and has the Harbour Bridge looming just ahead.
Aprons for those who want to look pretty in the kitchen.
These puppets, toys, and accessories are handsewn from a very thick felt material. The stall also sold bags and clothes. The material used were ethically sourced and it's one of the burgeoning number of retailers advocating fair trade these days. Good on them!
Earrings galore!
I wished I could strut down the street carrying this bag in confidence. Unfortunately, I'm not blessed with a killer bod and looks to match!
Nice bags to use for a casual weekend
Rings made from bits of ceramic tiles
Various kinds of jams and dips. I liked the passionfruit butter.
Mini quiches and pecan nut pies
July 19, 2008
Gözleme
One of the greatest joys of travelling is discovering new foods. Food is so much a part of culture, so to not want to try food that you've never come across before seems to defeat the whole purpose of travelling and discovering new worlds and cultures. That's why I hate travelling with people who are unadventurous when it comes to new experiences, food, and everything else.
In my recent trip to Sydney, my cousin and I went to Kirribilli Market on Saturday 28 June. The market is at Milsons Point train station that is along the North Shore line. It's just at the north end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge so there is a fantastic view of the harbour from there. The market is there only on the fourth Saturday of every month.
Anyway, the focus of this post is not about the market but the Gözleme which my cousin introduced me to. Gözleme is a traditional Turkish handmade pastry filled with ingredients such as spinach, feta cheese, egg, minced lamb, mushroom and potato. The dough is then sealed and pan-fried. To me, it was like the Turkish equivalent of the Indian Murtabak, except not so heavy as the dough is not made of ghee. Plus, there's no curry to go along.
The stall at Kirribilli market.
The little lumps of dough sitting pretty. The dough is made from yoghurt, flour and a pinch of salt. I felt like picking one up to just throw at someone and see how it would stick. Haha.
There's a production line going. It was actually rather therapeutic watching this old Turkish ladies, head wrapped in scarves, going about kneading the dough, rolling it out, and folding it so methodically.
The Gözleme is laid on the pan to fry and make it crispy.
The woman on the left is in charge of scooping the minced meat into the dough that has been laid on the pan. She's also in charge of turning it over and once it's ready, passes it over to the woman on the right. The woman on the right is in charge of using a pizza cutter and cutting the Gözleme into several pieces. She then places the pieces on a plate, together with a big slice of lemon, and serves it to the customer.
Sizzling hot and just waiting to be eaten!
Voila! A delicious pastry filled with mince lamb and baby spinach. You can have it in different combinations, so you can request to have feta cheese in it too. Squeeze the juicy and succulent lemon onto the Gözleme, bite into it, and savour the taste of it – crispy pastry on the outside, coupled with the tangy zest of lemon and the savoury juices of the minced lamb spilling into your mouth.
Great grub. And yes, please, eat with your hands even though it's oily and all!
July 18, 2008
Flash Mob In Sydney
I was waiting to meet a friend for lunch in Martin Place, Sydney, when I walked into a flash mob at 12.40pm on Tuesday 24 June. Martin Place is part of the commercial district and it was so weird to see a group of people freezing in motion for five minutes. Anyway, it was quite amusing to me. It was like being caught in some twilight zone. Rather surreal.
July 15, 2008
Best Pistachio Gelato
One of the best pistachio gelatos I've ever eaten - so tasty with the generous amount of Pistachio bits in the pale green gelato. I loved its texture and I really enjoyed crunching on the pistachio bits! The hazelnut gelato also had hazelnut bits in it and was delicious too. I eyed the tiramisu and cannoli on other tables and they looked amazing too. Which means to say that I have to pay another visit to Bar Italia (below)!
Bar Italia is located in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt which is known to be the Italian quarter. So if you're in search for some good Italian food, it's the place to head to!
169 Norton Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
Tel : +61 2 9560 9981
July 12, 2008
Whale Watching
I had never gone whale watching before so I decided I had to do it during this trip to Sydney. So I paid A$69 and booked myself on a whale watching trip for two Friday afternoons ago. On the way out of the Sydney Harbour, we spotted a pod of dolphins who eagerly swam alongside the bow of the boat as they enjoy riding in the wake. There were about 10 of them and it was so nice to see so much marine life in ths harbour which is shared by ferries, speed boats, jet boats, yachts, kayaks, surfskis, dragon boats, sculls, and outrigger canoes alike. It's just amazing, isn't it?
Often the first sign of a humpback whale's presence is its 'blow', a cloud of vapour that it shoots into the air when it breaks the water surface to breath.
The tour operator gives a 100% guarantee that you'll spot whales - it's the time of the year when the whales are migrating from the south to the warmer waters in the north. The boat headed towards the heads (i.e. North Head and South Head) and turned right to go along the south coast. We were about 2 to 3km from the coast when we saw the first whale coming towards us. We knew it was a humpback whale because of the dorsal fin at the top which is unique to humpback whales.
The bottom of the humpback whales' tails is white and they will often roll forward to dive until only the tail sticks out of the water. This is called a fluke-up dive. Humpback whales are 14m to 18m in length as adults and can weigh up to 50 tonnes.
Humpback whales have a dark grey or black body, with white patches on its belly, pectoral fins and underside of the tail flukes. These markings are like fingerprints with no two dolphins having the same black and white markings. This fingerprint, or fluke identification (ID), helps researchers to identify individuals as they migrate along the coast.
I just found it incredibly fascinating and was extremely in awe of being in such close proximity to these wonderful and immensely powerful mammals. We spotted about 15 in total during the 3.5 hours out at sea and some of them swam very close to (about a metre or two away) the boat. It was as if they were checking us out instead of the other way around!
It's so wonderful that these sights are so easily accessible in Sydney. I just love the fact that humans and animals can co-exist so harmoniously in this city. Whale watching is definitely something worth doing once and I can now check something off my life's to-do list!
July 10, 2008
Red Lantern
If you're looking for Vietnamese fine dining in Sydney, you definitely have to head to Red Lantern, which is located in Surry Hills, a stone's throw away from Central. I first came to know of this restaurant after coming across the cookbook written by its owners in a friend's place in London. Titled Secrets of the Red Lantern, it's one of the prettiest cookbooks I've ever come across. Apart from recipes, it contains the story of the main author's (Pauline Nguyen) family journey as Vietnamese war refugees in Australia.
The book chronicles her parents' decision to smuggle themselves out of Vietnam because of the Vietnam war in the 1970s. People like them were known as the 'Boat People'. Their struggle and resilience in surviving and adapting to a foreign land is well documented by Nguyen. She also writes about her growing up years and trying to find the balance between being ethnically Vietnamese and culturally Australian.
The well written and beautiful book with its fantastic graphics and well-designed layouts made me want to pay the restaurant a visit during my next visit to Sydney. And I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. I was there with two other friends and here's what we ate.
Entrance of Red Lantern
Red Lantern is housed in one of the charming rows of terrace houses in the suburb of Surry Hills. On foot, it's about a ten-minute walk from Central Station. Surry Hills is a very quaint and charming suburb with nice bars and restaurants along Crown Street and Cleveland Street.
Red Lantern interior
Warm, red tones dominate with dim lighting, reminiscent of the old Asia.
Mussels with glass noodles and clear broth
Our entree was delicious with the mussels being fresh and the broth absolutely flavourful.
Vietnamese pancake with seafood filling. Loved the grilled smoky flavour!
What I love about Vietnamese food is the raw vegetables that accompany many of the dishes. It's so refreshing to eat them!
Beef brisket with warm French baguette
The baguette had been put over a grill, thus it possessed that smoky flavour which made that just that bit more delicious in addition to it being fresh.
Grilled pork with preserved vegetables
This tasted delicious with the pork being well marinated and grilled to perfection with a smoky flavour.
If you have a group of four persons or more, I'd suggest going for the tasting menu as it is good value for the amount of food you get which, according to the waiter, is 'a lot'. The restaurant has two seatings - the first at 6pm and the second at 8pm. Service was good and expect to spend about A$40 per person.
Red Lantern
545 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010
Phone: +61 (0)2 9698 4355
(Closed on Mondays)
July 7, 2008
New Journey
After several months of looking and exploring options, I'm starting a new full-time job today. It's been a journey in the past couple of months after returning from Europe. I miss Europe yet I know I can't really live there for several reasons.
My new workplace is at Raffles Place. If anyone wants to do lunch or meet after work, drop me a line! So it's the embarkation of another journey and we'll see where this road leads.
July 6, 2008
Kiss & Ride
This sign post was outside Epping train station in Sydney. I found the term 'Kiss & Ride' very amusing and couldn't help but take a picture of it.
Hamilton Cup
The race in Hamilton Island was awesome...to be paddling in that environment, surrounded by that breath-taking wilderness and natural beauty is absolutely incredible. One can't help but be awed and humbled at the same time by the elements - the hills that soar up on the islands, the power of the currents ripping through the water, the headwinds that hit right at you while paddling, the winds swells that whip the waters up like a washing machine, and the two tiger sharks that were spotted on radar feeding away at helpless turtles!!!
Yes, there were two Tiger Sharks spotted at the spot where all the women's crew were allowed to make their first change. Because of that, the organisers shifted the buoy to another spot. Thank goodness I didn't know about this until AFTER the race. Haha. But no worries, no one got hurt or eaten by the sharks - everyone was still jumping in and out of the outrigger canoes to make changes!
The start of a long-distance (42km) outrigger canoe race is a phenomenal sight - it's like the olden days of going to war. At the blare of the horn, about 100 OC6s power past the start line (men's, women's and mixed crews all head out together), as if ready to go to battle. When the support boats join up with their canoes after the first leg of the race, it's an even more impressive sight. Support boats (usually small yachts or speedboats) and outrigger canoes dot the entire waterway. It's amazing how no accidents happen when support boats, canoes, and paddlers are in the water all at the same time!
Anyway, so I had a whole three days' worth of paddling - the 16km (no change) race around Hamilton Island, 500m and 1000m sprints, and 42km change race. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
While my team didn't collect any silverware - we weren't expecting to anyway - we were happy to finish the race without huli-ing (flipping over) and happy that we didn't miss any of our sea changes. We also did it in a time that was better than what we expected of ourselves. It was a fantastic three days of paddling and hopefully we'll be back again!
