Sydney New Year Firework

Happy New Year 2008!!!

A new year, without any resolutions as usual ;p

Just came back from watching the 9pm fireworks near rushcutter park. The 9pm is intended for kiddies so it was shorter and prob not as interesting. However, am too lazy to go out catch the 12am one, so will prob catch it from home..

The darling harbor bridge is decorated with just a lame looking hour glass. Plus it was too dark so i didnt bother to take much pictures, esp not with the street light being in the way (quite evidently seen in the shot below...)

Xmas Presents!

Yeah!!! Love my Xmas presents this year!!

My fav being the new ipod+radio Tivoli player of course. I love the bass and cripsy clear sound coming out of it...just a delight to the ears, not to mention sleek and chic design to boot!

Of course there's this wonderful water resistant picnic mat and portable bag of picnic set from Gwennie! I love the colours of the mat!!! Gwen has such good taste.. and had already used the functional mat the other day just chilling at the park (lazing in the greens reading my new book).

Then there is this thoughtful and lovely glove mitt all the way sent from Anna..it was so sweet and came as a complete surprise! It was so pretty I am having two thoughts about using it for cooking..so I guess I will only use it for baking where it risks being dirtied lesser.

Last but the least, the lovely candle holder from papaya. Its expensive but I rather love it and am such a proud owner of it!! :P

Aahhh.. such a lovely Xmas! Thanks to all for the lovely presents!

My first xmas eve meal at home after so long...

Christmas has once again come and gone in a flash! The first Christmas after many years away from sydney, that I finally didnt have to join the mad rush of passengers flying between airports. The first "stress -free" Christmas from packing and jostling to buy presents at the last minute.

So instead, it was a nice leisurely trip to the markets to grab and stock up some food over the festive hols since most shops are closed over christmas and most worthy restaurants are closed all the way till 8th-10th Jan 2008. Yeah, its almost like a shut down period all the way till early jan.

Christmas is huge in sydney. It is comparable to how chinese celebrate Chinese New year. The crazy mad rush, the over stocking of food, the rush to beat the shops closing... Its just christmas isnt it?

I had my first christmas eve dinner at home, instead of crappy airplane food after 5 years of flying. So to me it is every cause worth celebrating to!!! To mark this milestone, I treated myself to huge lobster and oysters !!! I didnt like bacon, so I decide to bake half of my fresh oyster with ham and cheese instead, while leaving the other half fresh. They tasted as good as it looks! ;p

The cooked lobster that was destined to be on my dinner plate on xmas eve, was large, meaty and juicy and sweet, worth every A$45 each. It was so fresh that I didnt want to eat it with other sauce except to dip it with self mixed of mayo and chilli sauce. I never knew it was possible but I was truely stuffed and bloated by the time i was through my whole lobster!


After that, it was a drive the next day to Newcastle for another christmas feast with the rest of the family. Meaty spring rolls, king bone pork etc.. If my tummy skin was to stretch any further from over eating, I will never be able to have it stretch back nicely without any marks! Of course, again, this marks another year of solo effort in resisting the shark fin soup that was (sad to say) made with mum's much love and hard work. Yet, my conscience of the poor sharks struggling to balance and live without its fin left me struggling with what was right and wrong.

Killing sharks was just as morally wrong as killing whales. So I made my choice to skip the shark fin soup and while 7 grown adult munch happily away before me, since I reckon I shouldnt impose my food beliefs on others, I shall only hope that one day this tasteless habit will stop.

After lunch, while everyone else fell into afternoon siesta, I was left in the company of 2 children watching "Dora the explorer". My plans for a quiet read on my new book was quickly shattered when Zacky boy discovered I was a good "playmate" to defend against his pillow "fight"...After 1 hour of non stop action, I call it quits, shooed him back to his mum in a FLASH when she was back from her snooze and by 10pm, I was totally knocked out.

Ok, next year christmas, I really got to stop this lazy boring cycle and do something different!

アンフェア - "Unfair"

Just finished the Japanese Series (アンフェア) "UNFAIR"..It's sooo good!! Each episode leaves u guessing and guessing, and when it think its over, something else pops up!

I just love watching Japanese investigative drama. It is just so good!!!! Tickle your brain abit while keeping u in suspense... Fantastic!!

Honey Pork Ribs

In my mum's last visiting trip, she had passed me some recipes she had compiled based on her trips to library. I have to admit this particular Honey ribs that I have tried is one of the best recipe I had tried and really liked. Easy and quick to prepare is understatement, but the fact that it tasted really good was another matter :) I did variations to the original recipe and am glad i did.

Ingredients
1. American Pork Ribs (in sydney) / Pork Spare ribs (in asia)
2. Extra Honey for blasting/ coating during drilling
3. 1 spoon of tomato sauce combined with 1 spoon of water

Seasoning
2 spoon of chinese rice wine ( Got this clear neutral smelling Taiwan rice wine version that doesnt have that strong funny smell like shaoxin or huatiao rice wine)
2 spoon of Hoisin sauce (or more depending on flavour intensity)
1 spoon of salt
1 teaspoon of olive oil
2 spoon of dark soy sauce ( or more depending on how darken you like your ribs)
2 spoon of honey

To cook.
1. Chop the rib rack into smaller pieces (about 2-3 ribs per section piece)
2.Marinate the pork ribs for at least an hour ( i prefer mine for 2 hours and more) and store in fridge
3. Preheat oven to 250 C. degrees
4. Place marinated ribs onto the foiled metal tray and grilled/oven bake it for 15mins or until it is dark brown.
5. brush and coat the ribs with extra honey., as well as extra remaining marinating sauce.
6. Brush with a tomato sauce mixture.
7. Bake/grill until cook (another 5mins or when the surface looks cripsy, not burnt)

Done!

My "horror"

Imagine my "horror" when I just looked at the toilet mirror a minute ago..

I just realised.... there I had been left walking around the supermarket and other stores in the last half hour, with the brown tell-tale nutella stain on my cheek near my mouth..

I had missed that spot in my hurry to post my cards!
DAMN!!!!! I hope people just thot that was a big mole on my face...

Service level in sydney.. in torns and tatters

I keep forgetting, how UNSERVICE oriented people in sydney can be. Enough of the "How are you" greetings when I enter a store or paying my stuff at the counter, can i expect real good service please?

Sales staff who promise to call never calls. From car aftersales, house movers, to David Jones salesmen, to sales from any retail store from major mall. The only people who will ever call you back are the housing agents, and that is only because THEY get to benefit from you if they make a sale by calling back. Otherwise, there is absolutely NO INCENTIVE for anyone one to do followup calls to their customers or potential customers.

I have been here for months now, and repeatedly, I am constantly being "promised" to be called back in several occasions such as : "when the new running short stock comes in.." (sport retail store sales rep) , " to confirm if there is another Tshirt in stock in other brances" (DJ store rep), "confirm if there is the white colour of the new car you bought" (VW sales rep), "when the new stock for the toothbrush holder arrives this week" (Household retail store sales rep) etc etc. The list goes on but the above examples are suffice to make my point. They NEVER ever call back. No matter where or who I made the purchase.

I heard they are paid average $28/per hour (i have yet to verify the fact but i am not surprised) for a shop girl. Yet their sales attitude is appalling. They don't care. I mean it. The people who work here have no pride, no ownership, calculative and only care about their "rights". For a person like me who has long "grown accustomed to decent customer service oriented business strategies" employed by most retails worth their salt, am left shocked, in disbelief in the lack of care in Sydney's service industry.

Take for today for example when I was in Coles to pick up a chicken and some eggs. It is 4pm, a non peak hour and hence I got into an empty counter lane with my basket place on the counter top. I have in hand 3 other grocery shopping bags and I was struggling to get my purse out of my bag singlehandedly. The woman behind the counter just stood there and did nothing. She just stood there. It didnt register to me what the issue was as I had a lot in my plate that instant. As i moved closer to her, she stared at me and snapped "Take it out of the basket". So THAT was the problem for her. I didnt "obediently" take the wrapped chicken and a carton of 6 eggs and placed it on the conveyor and hence she REFUSED to proactively served me. Instead, she rather watch me struggle, while she just stood there empty-handedly and FREE. It would be TOO MUCH to expect her to just help me take the groceries out of the basket and scan it for my payment. Agreeable that its a common habit here to unload your own groceries unlike in Singapore and HK where the cashier wouldnt mind if they pick it up from the basket, would it be unreasonable for the cashiers in sydney to cut some slack here? They simply would NOT do anything that they think isnt their job.

And mind you, I have to be careful if I should complain officially (hence my venting of frustration unofficially), the last thing I need is someone accusing me of picking on the indian lady at the counter...for "doing" her job - which is doing NOTHING to help me.

My take on Singapore taxi hike.

Am reading in disgust, about the news debate about the yet again another recent taxi price hike in Singapore. I think what irks me the most was ComfortDelgro's statement quoted from the newspaper that

" The latest round of fare hikes by ComfortDelgro, the biggest taxi operator here with a fleet of about 15,000 cabs, will bring our fares much closer to Hong Kong's. Hong Kong's taxi charges have often been perceived as a good benchmark."

Their arguement is that because HK taxi charges THAT price, hence it is reasonable for SIngapore taxi to charge the same amount. What utter crap!!!!

The MAIN difference and my main contention is that HK taxi are in ABUNDANT SUPPLY!!! That means that as a potential passenger, i NEVER EVER have to WAIT by the roadside for a cab feeling the heat (apart from the 4-4.30pm changing of taxi shift). The MAXIMUM amount of time spend on flagging a cab down ANYWHERE in Hong Kong apart from rural area is at tops 3mins. Most days, i get one almost instantly. There is always a red cab round the corner, there is always a stream of flowing taxis everywhere in major city and mall. Even at the worst time where taxi are changing shift, a decent taxi Q outside Times Square where i use to work, while the taxi Q may be empty, yet taxi would still be driving in at about 1 or 2 cabs per 3 min. So the line was essentially moving just albeit at a slower rate than usual. And if the taxi driver isnt sure about the destination, he can easily radio in and some other taxi drivers or the main control station will radio back with the QUICKEST and NON congested route to where i needed to go. And whereever there is a congestion at anywhere, I would hear taxi comrades "warning" other taxi drivers not to enter the area if avoidable. Thus, saving passengers like me much possible grief of being stranded in an unpleasant jam.

On the other hand, what do singapore taxi operator offers? A long fustrating wait of over 10-15mins, even if i am lucky to get through the booking system. At the roadside even of a more popular mature estate, I can count my lucky stars if I can flag one down within 10-20mins. There was once at Boat Quay (link), I couldnt see a cab for 30mins at 11pm, and have to wait for 5mins before i could get through a booking operator and another endless 10mins wait on the line for "an available" cab. In the end, a waiting empty cab honk me and asked me if i wanted to take his cab as his passenger "never showed up". However on condition that I had to pay the booking fee in place of the MIA passenger. Seeing that I had already wasted 45mins, what is $3 booking fee in comparison to another possible waiting on the line. Even though i hate to surrender to blackmail, yet I was in a fix. I always have a choice. To board and be done with it, or I could spend precious 10-20mins more waiting on the phone and at the roadside, not to mention my mobile bill $$$$ ticking away as i wait, plus i reason i had to pay that booking fee anyway for a cab i am calling. It was not a win win situation but I was in no position to argue nor bargain.. so its like rubbing salt to a wound when i read what Comfort Delgro had to say about the recent hike.

In fact, MANY of my HK colleagues who travel to singapore for work often complain to me and mock our CONSTANT "lack" of taxi supply and the almost non existent of cabs especially near midnight. My HK friend would proudly pull the comparison of ever flowing of taxis in his city and remind me of my own country's inadequate handling of taxi demand and supply.

Many taxi drivers in HK are also not well paid, and most have worse living standards than singapore. Our taxi drivers have (optional CPF of 2.5% interest with occasional govt dishing out bonus handout), and cheaper health care expenses in comparison to our HK peers with a pathetic 5% MPF contribution that is a form of investment and not a guaranteed fixed interest and returns like ours, so what are our taxi drivers complaining about? I am not convinced that average $3k is insufficient to get by in singapore, not luxurious for sure, but barely surviable is a long stretch as far as i am concerned.

Hence the theory that we should equate our taxi fares with HK is both unrealistic and unreasonable because your service and supply of taxi is unequal to begin with!

Isnt it sickening when vendors like Comfort Delgro can make such sweeping argument because the bulk of singaporeans has never lived in HK to counter argue with them? At the end of the day, its all about more profits and dividends, with little respite for frustrated customers like us.

To top off, peak hour our trains are often JAM PACK not to mention jostling with sweaty humid crowd. Our train system is also less desirable than HK. The average waiting time in HK is about 1-2 mins waiting time all time round. In peak hour, I am often pampered with a min train wait in HK. In singapore, I am often left waiting for 7mins wait at non peak and 2-3mins wait on average peak hours. Sometimes the train is so full at cityhall to the east that i have to miss 2trains to board another if I stop being nice and giving way, so the wait is no longer a minute wait even at peak hour in singapore. Singapore train is only better than sydney as far as i can say.

Much that I hate the noise and pollution and contamination of food in HK, I would always fondly and proudly remember their best transport in the countries I have travelled to -HK train and taxi and their mini bus system.

(PS: Btw, in HK taxi, "creative" Taxi drivers will also dish out their own calling cards to passengers hoping to convert them to regulars and in exchange, I get further 10 -15% discount off the travel fare in future if i ring them up to pick me up. Hence i get a PERSONAL service at a cheaper price. I wonder if taxi operators will allow that to catch on in singapore too?)

Rain rain rain...

Rain rain rain.

Has been nothing but flash flood, heavy downpour in sydney recently... so much for a hot summer for the beach people....

According to news, up to 50mm of rain has soaked parts of Sydney as a three-day weather front moves through coastal areas and the central tablelands of NSW.

As a result from all these unpredictable rainfall, I have to now stock up my fridge with lotsa meat for "one of those days" where I wont be able to shop since I wont want to face a hailstorm and rain rampage.

Meanwhile, i am just glad I have stock up on my crate of mango... its the mango season now and my god they are yummy!!!! A mango aday, with some vanilla icecream to go along, man this is decadent living ;p

Happy Birthday Bro!

Alamak! Just saw the date today... I forgot! That's what happen when you dun have calendar at home...and you dun need to track dates. Not good excuses.... darn!

Happy Belated birthday Big Bro!!! Hope it was a blast!

More new buys

Went shopping for more homeware stuff today. Bought the 2nd candle holder to complete the set, which caught my eyes some weeks ago.. happy! It kills me when things are not even when i think they shld be. OCD, yah i know..but hell, dun they look just pretty!!! Took my bath the other nite with the candles lit, sooooo theraputic, not to mention the apple mango scent is really nice...

Finally got myself a tea container too. Am tired of those leaving the bags in the original Twinning box and having my tea bags vulnerable to moths invasions...so I decided to pamper my kitchen and spruce it up a bit with a little nice porcelin tea container.

Prawn tofu

Made some steam prawn tofu... taste really yummy and so healthy... nothing beats chinese food, well...maybe apart from some jap food ;p

It's kind of a hassle to prepare so I dun do this dish very often. Depending on my mood, i kinda vary the receipe abit. However, its hard to get fresh waterchestnut easily so i replace it with carrot bits for the crunchiness...

Unless someone needs and ask for this recipe, too lazy to blog it tonite...

Santa being banned from saying Ho Ho Ho..

Talk about some Americans going overboard with their protest and "political correctness". The latest news today is that "Santa" has apparently been told not to use the famous phrase "Ho Ho Ho".

If you are bewildered like I am, yup, join the club. This whole "PC" thing is getting out of hand..The reason for the ban were because the phrase could "frighten children" and was too close to "ho" which is a US slang term for prostitute. If a child is frightened by Santa, I would reckon its more to do with the "big size" and the fact that the child is being handed to a beardy stranger than what he says. The arguement that a normal child is able to translate what "Ho Ho Ho" means apart from being associated with Santa cheery greetings is beyond me...

I'm a woman, I absolutely dun feel offended if santa goes Ho Ho Ho at me. Plus, he is saying "ho Ho Ho", NOT "You are a HO". Its a different usage of word isnt it? If we have to ban every one that has negative conotation, we might as well stop using the words "crack", "coke", "rubber", "bunny" etc, since all these words have alternative meanings to them. So honestly, all this useless dispute should be buried...

Incidentally...who cares what slang US uses for their hookers, afterall, its a local SLANG. If we were to avoid every single slang used in the WORLD, we prob might as well be using sign language to avoid agitating anyone with out words.

Like what one guy said on australian news interview, he said it best. "Its an AMERICAN slang, we are AUSTRALIANS, and so we can use any word we want!" I applaud that stand!

more news
1. Santa banned from Ho Ho Ho
2. Santa warned "Ho Ho Ho" is offensive to woman

New guests

Gwen has gone back sg... .. so i am back to solitude. Not that i mind the quiet lifestyle which is actually quite growing on me, but still, I do miss those "girlie" conversations. It just is different. Initially was planning for another trip in feb for her to come back but the flights are fully book! Looks like I have to plan my next catch up with the girls when i return next year.

What comes next is to welcome my SIL and her kids staying at my place. Zacky boy has turned out to be a relatively "tame" boy now but his sister is still that "terrible two" stage. She screams, she attempts to crawl over restaurant table, she yanks things out. Quite a stubborn girl actually. Hopefully its a stage she will pass...

Hailstorm in sydney

The weather has been sorta crazy this past week. It has been kinda stormy, rainy and it was even pouring hailstorm the day before!!!

It feels kinda weird, coming from singapore where we are relative free from all these natural phenomenon. It was initially still bright and cooling, next thing i know, it started to pour buckets of rain down without warning. The skyline also changed from blue to dark grey with twister like clouds connecting the sky to the distance sealine....

If that wasnt surprising enough, i looked out at the balcony and started seeing little white pellets of ice hitting my green balcony floor at the speed of someone firing a machine gun!!! So there i was, looking at the sky plonking icedrops on the building... I would seriously hate to be out there, or imagine what it can do to your car (dents!). Apparently those i saw are "nothing" in size, i could expect much bigger ones on bad days... eeee....