SmileyLee: travel, thoughts, life

2009: new travels, new thoughts, new beginnings

2009-02-08T23:15:00.004+13:00

2009 has come quickly and this year has plenty on offer. Nick and I accepted roles in Muscat, Oman so in April we headed off to Muscat!

There will be plenty of new places to travel, which undoubtedly means new thoughts and a new chapter to explore!

With all the new travel the Food Tour is going international! I've yet to find a laksa so the food reviews will expand to other food types.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-27T00:37:00.001+13:00

Christmass Tree with lights

It's been such a crazy year that I think it took till Friday evening on 21st December for me to finally realise it was Christmas. Sure, I had been doing my xmas shopping, getting ready for the holidays but it's been such a hectic year I think I only finally got to breath on Friday evening after I left the city.

I've had to ask myself, have all of those long hours and late nights been worth it? I hope in the long that it'll pay off!

I'm just looking forward to going to Asia now to see and do lots of things. I think with the break coming around my mind has finally clicked that I'm about to head on my big holiday. Can't wait to meet up with friends & family I haven't seen in ages.

If you've had the crazy year like I have had, I hope you've also had the chance to have a breather and smile :)

Time

2007-05-31T22:38:00.001+12:00

I wish I had more time... either that or I wish I only had to work the "typical" 40hr week.

"To get all there is out of living, we must employ our time wisely, never being in too much of a hurry to stop and sip life, but never losing our sense of the enormous value of a minute." - R Updegraff

Why then, is it so hard to find time to breathe and stop to enjoy the view while working? Busy busy busy work work work... I'm getting close to working 6-7 days a week plus... it's about time I get a promotion or pay rise.

So, anybody know of a job which I can do which does NOT involve 50-60hrs+ a week?

Sounds you don't want to hear

2007-04-17T23:57:00.000+12:00

There are a few sounds in life which you do NOT want to hear often. These are noises which are worse than fingernails on a blackboard. Many a time, these noises are associated with the situation and environment it occurs in.

I heard one of them yesterday...

Flying... it comes with the job. Generally I LIKE flying, in fact I like taking off and landing. I don't don't fly very often so it's not as bad plus I get to keep the airpoints. Bad weather doesn't bother me particularly, c'mon I live in Wellington. Yesterday was supposed to be an ok day... fly there, do work, fly home. But there are a few times where I have not enjoyed my flight, yesterday was one... and they say things come in threes:

(1) The plane was over an hour late due to "mechanical problems." You think to yourself... "bloody hell they're late, I've had a very long day waking at 5am for work so I want to get home. Oh well, at least they've fixed the problem and we're safe to go."

(2) As the plane reverses from the terminal the air stewards and the co-pilot came over to examine the exit door (two seats in front of me). Apparently there was something wrong with the window and the co-pilot had to check to make sure that it was still safe to fly(!). On that assessment, we were given the ok to fly... Joy.

So generally if these things happen, it happens and you sit back into your seat and enjoy looking out the window. But after all of these issues and then you hear this...

(3) False take-off... This is one of the few noises you do not want to hear often in your life. The plane’s 737-300 engines roaring ready to take off, you feel the acceleration building and VERY suddenly it winds down. The sound of them killing the engine/take off process is awful. The plane almost slows to a halt before taxiing off the runway.

It's one of those times which you're particularly bunny eared and possum eyed.
We were told that the pilots received an error message, although it was very nice of them to tell us what went wrong. Problem fixed we took off and went home... It was one of those few trips which I was glad to be over.

... and they say things come in threes.

Food tour... Sydney

2007-04-14T16:05:00.001+12:00

Casa Asturiana
77 Liverpool Street, Sydney, Australia
Date of visit: Feb 07

Rather than live on chinese food while we were staying in the city (Sydney), we found this really nice Spanish place around the corner (literally) from Chinatown.

Budget: $$-$$$ ($50-$75 dinner for two although if you eat less tapas you spend less) then allow another $50+ for alcohol :)

Food: Nice range of dishes to choose from. Big selection of tapas plus main meals to choose from. It's really nice to mix and match your tapas... evening yum char :) If you want to try lots of different things but haven't got a big enough stomach to eat a main and tapas (!), the kitchen is willing to make some mains into tapa-sized dishes... yum!

Atmosphere: Good service. It's a nice little space where you can enjoy good food and good company.

Tip:
Alcohol - This is a great place to sample Spanish alcohol. Go on... treat yourself :) Enjoyed the Sangrias plus the Spanish wine. Sad part was that we couldn't find the same Spanish wine again in NZ :(

CNY in Australia

2007-04-11T20:55:00.000+12:00

A bit late in the post but here's a quick summary of our trip to Sydney during CNY. Not to mention a belated Gong Hee Fatt Choy to all!

Our holiday started out in Sydney Chinatown to see the going-ons Sydneysiders do to celebrate CNY.

CNY Parade

Compared to the Wellington parade, the Sydney CNY parade was fantastic! The parade was in 12 parts - each part following a chinese lunar animal. There were all sorts from lion and dragon dances, kung fu displays, and community chinese groups.

What else?

Firecrackers of course! Firecracker after firecracker the streets of Chinatown were filled with loud bangs and people surged to the noise. Shop after shop getting the dragon dancers to bless them for the new year and bring them prosperity. Red ribbons of the exploded firecracker lined the streets and car, the smell of gunpowder and smoke lingering in the air. Reminded me of my childhood...

Aquarium
We did the zoo the last trip so this time we went to the Sydney Aquarium. I'd have to say the best part was the giant aquarium at the end. You could see the aquarium from all angles and it was great seeing the fish swim en masse in schools (see picture above for peak hour traffic).
Tip: if you can get hold of a Sydney Entertainment book from someone it'd be worth it... we got 50% off the admission price.

CNY
This CNY was a pretty special one. All the relatives from Mum's side of the family met together at my Aunt's house to celebrate CNY (+ a birthday or two). So at times it was a pretty multicultural event listening to different accents from NZ, Australia, UK and Malaysia. This get-together included some of the typical CNY celebrations plus the very typical food funtastic involved. What can I say... I love food!

Whirlwind tour of Sydney
At the same time Nick & I managed to tour of a few more suburbs and the city. With our handy multipurpose train, ferry and bus ticket we manage to see:
Manly, Bondi Junction (definitely a place to return to on a shopping trip), Little Italy, Cabramatta, Kings Cross, Chatswood, trekked across Sydney City and the Botanical Gardens, Fish Market and even North Ryde (where we caught up with Brendan!). We even got to see the Queen Mary 2 when it came into port.

Other highlights...
IKEA: I can't wait till IKEA is in Auckland. We visited the Sydney store and wished we could have bought some big furniture pieces and bring it back with us. Unfortunately we'll have to wait yet again.

Overall
A great CNY! I could go on and on about our trip, definitely a memorable trip and I can't wait till the next CNY!!!
If you want to see more pics, follow the links to my flickr pics.

You're not an A1 driver...

2007-01-27T15:45:00.000+13:00

Vroooommm!

Where have I been in the last 1.5 weeks? Waipawa, Rotorua and Taupo! I've been in Taupo for the A1. Definitely a great experience, the sights and sounds were amazing! Here are a few pics for you to see what I saw :)

Favourite signs on the way to the A1:
"You're not an A1 driver... slow down"
Certainly there were enough police around to catch the boyracers even if you thought you could go fast.

Vrrrrrooommmmm!

2006: been there, done that

2007-01-04T10:04:00.000+13:00

2006
What year indeed. It was the year that I:
* Became a professional and was finally on a reliable salary
* Got Admitted
* Added another stamp to my passport
* Clocked a few more airpoints

Things to look forward to in the new year?
* Adding at least two more stamps to my passport
* Enjoy not studying
* Getting out and doing more!

Travel
Travel has always been a big thing for me. With working full time this year, I really appreciate that I took the time to travel as a student. If you're a student yourself, use your holidays wisely. Yes I did manage to work as much as I could but every year I'd travel a few times around NZ and a few times overseas. There's only one problem... my standards of seeing and doing new things have gone higher. Why?

I've been there ...done that
also
I see the unusual now it's the usual

Solution? Travel more :) See more unusual things :) There's a few more places to see in NZ: West Coast, Bay of Plenty, Bay of Islands and north of Auckland... that's all.

2007: going there, doing it

Let the food tour begin

2006-10-22T21:59:00.000+13:00

Yes I do love my food.. armed with an Entertainment book and my own fav spots the Food critiques/Laska tour Nick & I started in Sydney will now begin again!

La Bella Italia
Nevis St, Petone, Wellington, NZ
Budget: $-$$ (under $50 for two) for brunch
Food: Nice tasty food although servings could be larger or price could be lower considering what you get - if you want to try something different, don't follow the locals and try something else other than a panini... all people seem to eat were paninis.
Atmostphere: I was introduced to La Bella Italia for a week-day lunch, if you want to enjoy the place go there for lunch during the week. Expect to wait for a table so browse through their warehouse section of the store. Also go during the week if you want to avoid the crazy locals with large egos. It is NOT cool to dress up to go out for lunch and jump the table queue just because you think you're important, nor is it cool to complain about having to walk up to the counter to pay instead of service coming to you.
Tip: They have good customer service... if you happen to leave your scarf behind. If you have an entertainment card, go and buy their grocery stuff and add it to your bill... you get 20% off.

WOW!

2006-10-02T12:22:00.000+13:00

It's the World of Wearable Arts in Wellington last week. So what was a better thing to do between seminars and study? Go watch the parade!
Blurry pics but you get to see some of the Wgtn icons. Pity it was such a small parade.

Accessories crazy

Drums galore

Wgtn icon...silver ferns from outside the library

Wearable Art

Back to the books

2006-09-25T02:04:00.000+12:00

I'm heading back to the books for the final stint. It's the final stretch but it's always the hardest. It's been over four months since studying for my Profs so the last two weeks will be the crunch test.

I am currently doing trust accounts and property...joy...

What I do appreciated is the warmer weather. Nice enough that I can spread my books all over the kitchen table rather than huddling up with a blanket with the heater on full blast in the study.

It finally snowed

2006-07-26T16:54:00.000+12:00

Yes it did and I'm not the only one who saw it!

Last week, (Thursday 20 July?) it was so cold that flakes of snow were falling downtown Wellington. Snow was also sighted close to ground level by others so it wasn't just me mistakenly seeing things from the 22nd floor! *nya nya nya*

Study but not quite study

Into my 8th week of law profs. I'm currently doing the onsite section which is so so nice to be able to think about profs and not work. Its study again but it's not like uni study (for which I'm glad) although I'm sure there is just as much reading to be done.

Learn to think, learn to do

I've always thought that that was what uni was for... teaching me to think. Now it's time for the learning to do part. Doing fine and learning as I go. Been interesting with profs, in that even though its law, the approach/methodology is very similar to what I do at work. With problem solving, the context is different but the approach is pretty much standardised.

2006-07-17T16:27:00.000+12:00

When you're down and out,
some of the best things to look at are
FLOWERS!

I have with me a box of Strepsils, copious amounts of lemon and honey drink, Codral and a lot of tissues... damn... I have an assignment due in 16.5 hours not to mention a presentation at work tomorrow... so much for the flu jab.

Is it snow or rain?

2006-07-04T23:57:00.000+12:00

Well it was rain today.

Brrr it's cold and wet again. Have been watching the rain clouds roll into the harbour and then it's pouring with rain. Not to mention that I get sleet and rain flying around from the updraught of the building at my window.

But I'm sure that I've seen snow a few weeks back... I'm sure that I've seen snow flurries flying around. I know it's not rain because it's too white and I know it's not hail because well, you can't exactly have hail flurries... not only that, it sticks to the window... now if only someone would believe me.

Although compared to the cold I like the view when it's like this

Graduation

2006-05-22T20:23:00.000+12:00

Graduation = Celebration :)

Yay! I finally have my honours and my law degree.

After six years I now have two more additional certificates saying that I have some degrees and I also have some nice photographs of me in different hoods :)

The best thing about graduation is finally feeling that I finished something that I started a long time ago and also to see my family happy of what I have achieved.

What next on the study line up? Law Profs...(!!!)

Achievement

2006-05-14T02:19:00.000+12:00

What is it?

Achievement:
"1. The act of accomplishing or finishing.
2. Something accomplished successfully, especially by means of exertion, skill, practice, or perseverance."

To me achievement is more than #1 above. It's about knowing that you've been successful because you've put effort and enjoyed the work. I've been working for 11 weeks and now with the 12th week coming, I'll be graduating!

It feels like such a long time ago since I've been studying yet it was only a few months. With graduation actually happening months after the last class, what does it really mean? To me it means that I've finally accomplished what I went to university for, call it ending a chapter of study (for now). So I've achieved goals set years ago, then what is the new chapter? I've always had my short/medium/long term goals - changing them as life changes... so what's changed?
...I'm not studying anymore - although I'll be doing Profs in a few weeks time
...I have more time - or do I?
...plus a whole raft of other things
Come Wednesday, it'd be time to walk downtown and be happy that I've done what I set out to do.

I believe it's time to take on a few more new challenges

Counting 1 - 9

2006-04-29T21:01:00.000+12:00

if you can then you can play sudoku.

Love this game. Best site online that I've managed to find. Amazing... a simple game that I've used to procrastinate with when I had uni assignments. Unfortunately there's not much that I have to procrastinate with these days so I have to find time. Clocked myself doing a medium one on the website in 7min33sec... trying to see if I can pick up my old speed and do em really quick :)

More travel

2006-04-22T18:18:00.000+12:00

Yep, been to a few more cities. Masterton and New Plymouth. There are a few more places in NZ that I haven't been to but I reckon that I'll be able to see those places with this job.

Only wish is that I actually get a client in Wellington itself. Going to Lower Hutt next week for a day so I guess that's Wgtn enough for you.

As for airpoints... well it's not growing that quickly. With every flight taking about 45min-1hour long... you might as well drive (that and some places don't have airports... go Masterton). Saw Mt Taranaki and it's definitely an impressive sight. The best view was on the way home where the plane flew right around it. Spent most of my time trying to see the summit and only caught a glimpse once while working.

The Len Lye Wind Wand:
It sat right in front of my hotel and I was trying to figure out what it meant. I didn't know it's name but the closest thing I thought it could be was:
* an antenna of an alien
* some spying device
* a symbol of New Plymouth's power orientated city (although I thought that the closest power generated device it related to was wind but how it related to wind power I don't know)
* substitute for a lighthouse

So post-New Plymouth, here's what I found: Len Lye had a speciality in making kinetic sculptures. The wind sculpture is part of this and it sways and oscillates with the wind. Unfortunately when I was there it wasn't windy, but at least I kind of guess right that the sculpture was something to do with the wind.
More info about the sculpture can be found at the New Plymouth District Council site.

New Plymouth is interesting, you can see it's traditional city with the good ole NZ feel but you can see parts of it becoming modern and contemporary. It was a mix of the art sculptures (of which there were a few), the change in building types and type of businesses opening up and furnishing their space in such a contemporary feel. But then right next door there's a cute little old ladies shop with dolls and tea cups. Change it's everywhere but as long there's a mix of old and new it'd keep a city up and developing.

3 cities in 3 weeks

2006-04-04T23:24:00.000+12:00

I'm now into my 6th week at work and enjoying it. Only bummer is the downtime in between jobs. Still I've been told to appreciate the quiet time while it lasts.

How glamourous is travelling?
I've always looked forward to the travelling as part of my job but to any upside there's a downside.

I've been to 3 cities in 3 weeks - Auckland, Rotorua and Palmy. I get a little bit of a chance to go walkabout after work though it's getting pretty dark nowadays. It's good to go out and see the various towns. I definitely think that Palmy as a city is such a rural city, it just has this rural feel even though you're in the middle of town.

Downside to all of the travelling is being away from home and missing the comforts of home. It's not all that fun being away from your family plus you're living out of your suitcase (though I'm getting good at knowing what to pack). Believe it or not but eating out all of the time isn't all that nice either, miss a nice home cook meal and I'm sure that the stuff you can buy out isn't all that healthy either.

All in all I have been enjoying work as it's been pretty engaging and interesting. Grad recruitment is up and running again and it's interesting to think back to last year when I was applying for jobs. It's somewhat strange being on the other side of the fence while all of this is going on but it does give some insight to how it's done. I knew the type of job I'd like then and am glad I picked this one.

No longer a desk monkey... I'm now a "professional"

2006-03-06T22:44:00.000+13:00

I finally finished my job in data entry aka 'desk monkey' and boy was I glad of continuous typing all day. Ended that job on 24 Feb and started my new job on 27 Feb. To all of the other desk monkeys, thanks for an interesting summer. I wish all of you the best for your endeavours this year and beyond.

The start of being a "professional"
My first week has been an extraordinarily tiring week. Extraordinary in the sense that I thought I'd prepped my mind and body to get used to work... ie waking up early in the morning, working from 8:30am to 5pm (and even 7:30pm at times). But no, still tired as anything... not that the information was THAT bad. It wasn't really an information overload, rather long hours getting and trying to retain information.

I've just started my 2nd week and currently doing a bookkeeping course... it's amazing what you do actually retain in your head. It's been around 5 years since I've studied any accounting (or bookkeeping for a matter) and wow I'm pretty impressed on what I do remember. That and the fact that I'm amazed that I still have the thinking capacity to reason on things that I didn't know and yet still managed to get the right answer. Which makes me wonder how on earth someone doing an accounting degree can't get the right answer...

The bonuses of work has been good. Already got my tech gears for work plus next week I'll be heading up to Auckland for a week of training.

What I'm really looking forward to is just starting work and starting to learn. I guess that's the difference between a desk monkey and a professional... the additional capacity in your job to think and develop to solve problems. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Interesting CNY dates

2006-02-08T12:19:00.000+13:00

Did you know that the important dates of chinese new year all fall on a weekend this year? Fun! Well extra fun because we get to celebrate the days somewhat more properly than during the week.

Day 7 "everybody's birthday" was this Sunday so we had 'yee sung' at home... for those of you who don't know, it's a raw fish salad. Very yummy and tasty! Not only that, but it feels pretty healthy to be eating it.

Day 15 - the last day of CNY is also this coming Sunday so we get to celebrate the last day with yet another big meal.

If there's one thing I know for sure is that major celebrations/festivities/events are always linked with food. Food and culture are so well complimented, just imagine if you had to celebrate something that didn't have a dish associated with it?

I'm also looking forward to checking out the CNY festivities downtown. Wellington is holding their CNY celebrations on Saturday. Admittedly it is somewhat late being it at the end of the celebration period, but it had to make way for the Wellington Races on the first day plus the Rugby 7s last weekend. There's supposed to be a parade plus a chinese market so let's see what goes on! ...mmmm more foooood!!! ;)

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!!

2006-01-30T00:25:00.000+13:00

GONG HEI FATT CHOY!!!

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Wishing you and your family good health and prosperity!

Eat, drink and be very merry!

Had a wonderful day at home with my family. Had reunion dinner last night with a yummy bbq. Today, celebrated the new year with our tea ceremony, and for dinner a yummy chai and steamboat. You got to love chinese dinners at home :) I just wish that CNY was a public holiday as in other countries, lucky that it was on a Sun this year so we crammed in a few dishes from other days of CNY into one!

Day at the races
Went to the Wellington Cup yesterday and had a really great time. Lots of interesting things to see plus money to win or lose depending on your luck :) Some really cool fashion and some absolute fashion disasters. I was a bit on the underdress side of things but I rather have that than be a fashion disaster. I didn't realise how big the whole event was and how much it was a party be it high class fashion to teenagers drinking in the middle of the field.

Wear your sunscreen... *plays the sunscreen song* ...people don't you learn? I saw lobsters out there. Sense would have it that if your skin that's not normally exposed to the sun would mean you'd need a little teeny bit more of sunscreen, obviously someone didn't tell some people.

What's on around the world?

2006-01-23T23:04:00.000+13:00

Back in NZ and back to work... fun. It's amazing how the body quickly adjusts to sleeping in over the holidays but it takes so long to retune the body to waking up early enough in time for work :) Soon enough I'll be waking earlier when work starts... although I somehow think that it'd be slightly easier to wake up knowing that you won't be sitting at a desk all day entering data.

Currently looking around for interesing apps to add to this site.

I've been looking around online on the little cool things that people make and have managed to find this buzztracker that traces the world news - it's the map on the right that has the red dots.

I also found this site: Newsmap site

Day 8 : 8 Jan : Home time

2006-01-18T12:46:00.000+13:00

Home time
End of a holiday, end of a good time away. Had a great week away from it all and not having to work. You know that you've enjoyed yourself when you wish you could stay longer to see or do more things. So it was definitely a great time away. I think we'll be back pretty soon :)

Travellers tip: never forget about Tax Refund Schemes!!!
In Australia, if you spend over $300 in one store you get your GST back! :)
The only problem, you have to have the goods on you to show proof. Unfortunately, you have to show it to them after immigration which means it's going to be handluggage... make sure you bring a suit bag so you can have all your clothes that you bought in it!

Day 7: 7 Jan : speed shopping and finding the cool shots

2006-01-18T12:34:00.000+13:00

To market to market we go...
Paddy's Market, if you want anything, search and ye shall find some pretty good bargains. Still love going to Paddy's Market, it's just the pleasure of being able to pick some cool stuff plus see some funny things.

We manage to get a 5min massage... highly recommended. With the amount of walking around with a bag on my shoulders, I did not realise how sore and stiff my shoulders were until mr massage person went for it... ouch but good. Now I see why there are so many people advertising for massages in backpacker hostels.

MC Luksa
As ever we continued our search to try out Laskas from Sydney. Upstairs Paddy Market we found MC Luksa ("McLucksa"). Yum yum yum.

Shop shop shop
Spend our last full day around the center of town with the aim of visiting the QVB and do a little bit of shopping... oops I did more than a little bit of shopping. At least now I'm happy to say that I have a few more items to wear before I start work ;)

Food critiques tour:
MC Lucksa
Budget: $ c'mon it's cheap asian food and always under $10 :)
Big range of lakas to try out from your typical ones to Penang Laksa... yummy!

Day 6: 6 Jan : Lions, Tigers & Bears ...oh my!!!

2006-01-07T23:30:00.000+13:00

Zoo time!

With the threat of thunderstorms, Nick & I headed off to the zoo. :) Took a nice & short ferry-ride to the Zoo and got to go on the Cable car that headed up to the main entrance.

One of the big things that you notice at Taronga Zoo is space. The animals don't really have a lot of room to roam about when compared to Wellington or Auckland zoo. One of the saddest ones are the birds, with such a large wingspand, you'd think that condors would be in a big enough site. Wrong, two big birds in such a small space. At least the zoo is undergoing reconstruction, so hopefully more of the animals get their space.

Feeding time
I've normally seen lions and tigers just sitting in the shade minding their own business. Not today, Nick & I were lucky enough to be visiting those sites just as feeding time was to take place. Those lions and tigers really know when they're getting fed. We stayed by the tigers and waited till they were fed. Here are some of the really awesome pics:

[pics to be inserted]

Sydney Rocks!
Literally. Seriously.

After the zoo we had a look around Circular Quay and then to the Rocks. Having been to the market at the Rocks before, I expected that we'd just roam about the streets seeing what the place is like outside of market time. Not quite. We walked all around the whole Rock. Literally The Rocks sit on a very VERY large piece of rock and we walked all around it from the side facing Circular Quay right around. It's interesting to see how a whole area can be carved up, almost as if it's on an island of Rock.

Ya Uber-great!
Having tried a variety of foods, we went quite the opposite for dinner and opted for Bavarian instead of Asian. :) This was definitely an experience! Imagine being in a packed restaurant with a whole lot of waiters dressed in old fashioned German costumes (as in short short, bracers, short skirts, tops with fuffy sleves...). Not only there, there was a bank playing everything from German music to the chicken dance... You'd think this is a place for tourist but it was mostly local Aussies there :)
May I introduce you to the Lowenbrau...
Bars: cool... they serve you in large glasses that come in 3 sizes: 0.3, 0.5 and 1 litre!
Food: a little bit of something everyday
Alcohol: it's an experience just to try getting schnapps served to you on a long wooden board (sorry no pics, wish I had tho) plus also having 0.5 litres of beer to yourself (or more ;)).
Patrons: funny - imagine a restaurant full of people raising their glasses and swaying side to side singing along to some tune.
Recommended: hell yes, it's an interesting experience in itself.

Food critiques tour:
Lowenbrau
Budget: $$$$ well really it's anything between $50-$100 for two people but if you throw in alcohol make it a lot more :)
It has 2 bars, one attached to the restaurant and UberBar which seems to attact trendy Sydneysiders as well as the gawkyest tourists (not us by far).
Comments: not really that much of a tourist trap - it's only the upstairs bar that funny tourists walk in with their shorts, bags, hats...

Day 5: 5 Jan: rain rain go away...

2006-01-06T01:05:00.002+13:00

just another lazy day... supposed to go into the city but it's raining. I have to admit that i like the rain here, it just goes straight down, or at a slight angle if there's a slight breeze. None of this Wellington business where the rain comes from the sides or Auckland rain where it swirls at your feet and goes up! Nice and cooling, so the temperature is cool in the low twenties.

Stayed at the house and hung around Macquarie. Fun to watch people learn how to ice skate at Macquarie, I just can't wait till the new ice rink is built in Wellington.

Thank goodness for Thursday late night shopping! Shops open late and you can go around in the cool evening to see things.

Food critiques tour:
unhealthy stuff :)
Managed to try Aussie versions of
- fish and chips - mega expensive for your plain and simple fish and chips! I paid AU$6.50 for a small
- aussie meat pie

Pedometer:
5433 + 700 that's what you get when you're lazy :) altho only for when i was out of the house :)

Rain rain go away... come back another day

Day 4 : 4 Jan : 50 60 80

2006-01-05T14:23:00.000+13:00

I should be at work but I'm driving around Sydney instead

Macquarie - easy driving
Went to Macquarie when the shops were open but only had a quick look around. We were interested with Chatswood so off we went.

50 60 80 Driving Sydney 50 60 80
Wherever you drive it's either 50 = absolute residential driving filled with humps, 60 = main roads, 80 bigger than main roads/motorways/highways.

Driving to Macquarie is essentially driving down a v long road = easy
Driving to Chatswood is another story
Not that it's hard, with Nick as my trusty navigator I can't go wrong direction-wise. What's hard is which lane to take. It's normally really obvious in NZ as there's normally one lane. However let's say going down Epping Road there are 3 lanes which then split into at least 5 lanes when you get to the traffic lights, it makes turning at traffic lights interesting... you don't know whether the road you're turning into is one, two or three lanes so you don't know if you should be on the absolute right lane or can be on the second to right lane.

I've learnt to switch lanes faster in much more congested traffic now :) Don't worry the car is perfectly fine, I've had NO close calls or anything like that. Just learnt how to move quicker than in NZ. I now wish that I have my own automatic car. Ok I wish I had a car, but now I want an automatic one. :) All in all the drivers are rather nice drivers.

Another curiousity is that if there are 2 lanes you really should drive on the right to avoid driving into parked cars. Have found out that in the evenings, people tend to park their cars on the left lane so beware.

Yum char - thousand seater style
Found a thousand plus seater yum char restaurant in Chatswood Westfield. Imagine Grand Century restaurant but double or triple the size and put in a ton more of tables with streamline lanes for carts, waiters for food, drinks and payment allocated to the different quarters of a room and you've got yourself a well-oiled yum char restaurant.

Survival of the shops
What I have found interesting in Chatswood is the survival of small independent shops. Chatswood has two shopping centres - Westfield and Chase. I love the shopping centres but I also like walking around malls/pedestrian only streets. It's interesting in an area such as Chatswoods with two giant shopping centres, the small shops not attached to the mall survive and are bustling. Strength of the spending power :)

Food critiques tour:
Kam Fook - Chatswood Westfield
Budget: $$ (under $50)
An experience to be had to see so many people having yum char. Even at 1:30 it's still packed and you have to take a number to get in!

Vietnamese place
To be critiqued :)

Pedometer:
15361 + 700 steps which is over 6.144km

Day 3: 3 Jan: Rest em feet

2006-01-05T13:48:00.000+13:00

Didn't get up to much today, mostly rested the feet.

Direct Factory Outlets: only worth it during sales
In the afternoon we headed to the Direct Factory Outlet for a spot of bargain shopping. Truthfully, it's an overglamourised place a bit like Dressmart. Only worth going if there are sales going on like the New Year Sales. Otherwise, you're better off paying a few (and I do mean only a few) dollars more and going into the city to get some proper service and products.

The Rivers store was supposed to be a superstore with lots of stuff... yeah sure they have lots of stuff that's supposed to be cheaper but we found it was only a few dollars. Not only that, it was a self-serve place so if you couldn't find the left foot, you're on your own.

Other shops had annoying staff that just wanted to make the sale. Fake niceness was just oozing out of them.

There are some genuinely cheaper shops like the perfume one but you have to know what you want, locals know the normal price and flock to these stores... get in, grab it, get out.

Food critique tour:
DFO foodcourts: Subway and some other bakery thingie
Subway: service is terrible, they don't know how to make things and extremely slow
Bakery thingie: crusty bread thing

Comments:
DFO isn't worth the hype ...only go there during sales
I remember going to another factory outlet place when I was younger, now that was worth your money. Unfortunately I can't remember where it was. Go to a proper factory outlet store if you want a bargain not a pseudo factory outlet retail store.

Pedometer:
14257 + 700 steps = over 5.702km

Day 2: 2 Jan: These boots were made for walking...

2006-01-05T12:03:00.000+13:00

... and they'll walk all over you! : 2 Jan : Day 2

So what follows the 2nd hottest day recorded in Sydney... rain of course!

Nevertheless we headed into the city...

~> !Travel tip!
Get a Sydney TravelPass! It's cheaper than those tourist passes! $47 ...it covers a massive region and includes train, bus and ferry!

I love overseas public transport. The bonus about Sydney trains are it's speed, it's quiet, size and they are DOUBLE DECKERS! :)

We headed for Central Station and had a quick exploration of the Queen Victoria Building. Again, we've noticed that Sydney retailers are silly. 2 Jan you'd think there'd be extra tourists in the city, still most of the retailers (except for the few smart ones and food places) were closed. *duh*

It's on sale Sale SALE!!!
Had a nice look around the QVB, then set a course for exploring downtown CBD shopping district :) We went up and down George St and Pitt St exploring the large shopping centres and Meyers (was Grace Bros), David Jones, Centrepoint, Pitt St Mall and anywhere else in between. We still have to go back to a few places. Why? Why it on sale of course! It's a good time to shop, but it's a bad time for your credit card. We didn't go crazy, have a list of things to get so we're not spontaneously shopping. :)
Special mention to David Jones, as Nick noticed, it has that special charm as Kirks, old-fashioned registers with notes stuck all over it, and the people addressing you by your name.
Also managed to find Dymocks. I love big bookstores, it's not the biggest bookstore that I've been in but nice to just browse around and see what is out there. Nice little cafe to rest our feet too.

These boots were made for walking and walk and walk they will do...
Even though you've been walking to and fro from work everyday or that you're in nice comfy shoes, it makes no difference it's a fact that you'll get very sore feet.

A bar somewhere - off George street
The identity crisis bar: Old meets new
Found another place to rest our feet. It's quite funny seeing how Sydney keeps on upgrading itself. We ended up in a place that seemed like an old wateringhole but the decor was trying to be upmarket. Result: mix of guys wanting to sit down with their beer, a few chicks and plus a couple of tourists :)

The tourist mover - monorail
Memories from taking the monorail when I was little was that it was empty and you could do as many rounds... wrong... jam-packed just like a Malaysian MRT, only managed to do 3/4 of the loop.

~> !Travel tip!
The Sydney monorail requires you to buy a "ticket" which is really a token that you slot into the machine to enter the platform so there's no ticket required when exiting. Take advantage and if it's not too full, stay on the monorail for as long as you like.

Laid back lifestyle
Te Papa, Wellington closes at 6pm so in a major tourist city where I'm sure there are over 100,000 visitors a day, you'd think that museums or other tourist attractions would be open much later. Tough luck. The Powerhouse Museum closed at 5pm so don't even head over there after 4pm. Must be the laid back lifestyle. Even the people walk slow and if you're thinking about getting good speedy service, you have another thing coming.

Laid back attitude to technology too... Credit card = sign sign sign
In NZ you can attach a pin no to your credit card not in Australia. Even though the eftpos machine says enter pin after you press credit, you still have to sign for it. You know, when I went to Australia a few years back, they were still getting to grips with eftpos, they still are. In NZ, min eftpos purchase is $2... in Australia, min eftpos purchase is $20... go figure.

If there's business to be made, trust the Chinese to be the ones open
If everything else is closed, the place to head towards is Chinatown. Everything was still bustling with people, almost all shops open and streets packed with people and tourists right into the night.

~> !Travel tip! : Paddy Markets
If you're a tourist and you're going to the markets, don't BE a tourist. Nick & I were at a stall with other tourists. Stupid things they did:
1) made it very obvious that they thought it was very cheap;
2) took the price as given;
3) told the guy where they were from (unfortunately they were NZers - Mr Stall Holder was smart enough to say "Kia Ora" and amuse the tourists whilst trying to sell another shirt).
So what if it's Sydney people! You're in a market you should still try to strike a bargain. Admittedly it is Sydney so the bargain is only a few dollars. The tourists paid full price, we paid a lot less :) nuff said

... ain't that a Darling?
Walked around Darling Harbour and really felt touristy :)

We have pigeons, they have these...

Went back to Chinatown to search for dinner. Interesting drink stalls at the foodcourts... no biggie that he's selling water, soft drinks, juice and of course... alcohol :) I kid you not... alcohol... anything from your common wine to your stellas, heinekens and a few spirits too!

Food critiques tour:
Sumo Salads - Centrepoint (?)
Budget: $ (under $10 per person)
Food: why salads of course
Comments: Yummy yummy yummy. Healthy, tasty, satisfying and as expensive as fastfood. Eat greens or processed meat in between cardboard? The choice is rather obvious. It was pretty cool, they even weighed the serving to make sure they were giving you enough stuff like chicken in the salad.

Food court - Chinatown, back one of the entry ways on Dixon Street and it's below street level
Budget: $ (under $10 per person)
I love Asian style food courts, wished that we had them in NZ. Altho a bit curious in their food
- Laska - very creamy and too much coconut milk, quite bland
- Gado Gado - ingredients that even Nick couldn't figure out... you know its a bit sus
- ice kachang - yum!
- crush ice lychee - yum
I managed to find a Laska, but Nick didn't so he's on a search to find Aussie-style Laska

Pedometer:
29139+700 steps just walking around the city. Apparently it's over 11.655km!

...and these boots will walk over you!

Day1: 1 Jan: The 2nd Hottest Day Ever Recorded

2006-01-03T12:21:00.000+13:00

1 Jan: Day 1: Hot hot hot! : You know when you go to Sydney, you're in for sunshine and more sunshine plus it'd be hot... it got a little bit too hot

Interesting start to the day :
1 Jan so I expected the neighbours upstairs to be up... yep where they up. I swear that I went will go crazy hearing Bon Jovi played one more time. Didn't get any sleep at all... was counting on at least 2-3 hours sleep but no luck. Only by the time we left for the airport the party was winding up.

Arrived at the airport 4:30...nice. Surprisingly there lots of other people for a new years 4:30 tho quite a few planes going that day. Our plane was only half full so that was good.

Flight: uneventful - didn't get to flyover the city upon arrival
Landing rating: 7.5 - pretty good few bumps - v slow descent - thought that it was going to stall in midair.
Arrival time: 7amish... still a whole day to explore!

Had a short power nap and decided to walk to the Eastwood Shops... hot hot hot! Even Nick said it was hotter than the Hawkes Bay.
The temperature gauge said it was 44+degrees celsius.
Found out at night that today was the hottest New Years Day recorded and then it was recorded as the 2nd hottest day ever to be recorded!!! (Hottest day ever recorded was 44.3!) Hmmm we should have tried raw egg and see if it cooked on the ground!

Lessons learnt:
* Bottled water by "Mount Franklin" tastes weird
* price of Coke is expensive to say the least! Cheapest place to buy it is from vending machines. Tastes a bit bland compared to NZ
* not many people wear hats for sun protection, looks like if you want sun protection you have an umbrella

Food critiques tour:
Place: Excellent BBQ Kitchen - Eastwood Shops
Budget: $ cheap asian food need i say more :)
Food:
- BBQ pork & noodles - ok though char siew could do with a longer cook so that it caramalises
- siew mie - big and chunky
- crispy skin chicken - nice
- crush ice lychee - yummy!!! so so sooooo good on a hot hot hot day

Comments:
Retailers make money on 1 Jan - no way!
With a bit of spare time to take things easy we popped over to the Macquarie Shopping Centre... it was closed! The place was packed with cars and people walking around aimlessly trying to get in, the only thing open was the cinema and fast food! You'd think that if you want to make a lot of money you'd be open because everyone was on holiday! It was almost as if it was a Boxing Day Sale down there except shops weren't open!

Pedometer:
9720 + misc700
Not bad only to Eastwood shops and walking around Macquarie for a short while, didn't count other times

Sydney 06

2006-01-03T12:08:00.000+13:00

Yay! Nick & I are in Sydney! We're here from 1 - 8 Jan so we're enjoying our time away :)

Aims of this trip:
* have a break
* go sightseeing
* food critique tour :)
* shop shop and shop :)

Also keeping an eye on how far i'm walking each day when we leave the house.

2005 a year in review

2005-12-30T02:01:00.000+13:00

Finally back on the web... I've joined the masses and now have a blog. As for my old websites, eventually I'll start them up again, for now, I'll make do with blogging :)

2005 is at its end so here's a little summary of events:
* went to S'pore and M'sia - ate a lot of food, visited family
* moved into town
* got a grad job for 06
* finished my honours in economics
* finished my law degree
* got my FULL drivers licence (after holding my restricted for nearly 6 years, laugh all you want I've got my full now)
* got a summer job as a desk monkey