William Chong

More silly names in Sydney: Ali Barber, Thai tanic, Thai Foon.

Went to lots of different places in the weekend, despite the rain. Gerald and his registered-partner Karen were kind enough to take me out and about, despite the rain. We changed the temperature by trying our luck with the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney: very, very foggy. I think one of the Three Sisters was visible for about five minutes while we were there. Also had a look at the Sydney Olympic Park, Darling Harbour on a Saturday night (think Auckland Viaduct, except much bigger and a wider selection of Floats, Loaded Hogs and Provedors). Had dinner at a place called Mamak, which served Malaysian food that I have craved for a long time. Price difference aside, if I lived in Sydney this would be a local haunt, nestled snugly in Sydney’s Chinatown area.

You know when I mentioned there were mentally uneasy people around the city? One of them, a short squat man with a backpack and a pair of DJ ‘phones, approached me whilst I was on my lunch break yesterday. The conversation was mostly one-way and made no sense. He was in essence responding to triggers in our discourse and detailing fabricated side-stories as we went along.

“Here, I’m giving you this. It’s a travel magazine, I flew there yesterday. See? That’s a bargain, $400 for 5 nights. Would you dare to that in the picture? I don’t need to jump, I can fly. You have to be careful. Where you from? Vietnam? I went there last week. Working for the Secret Jewish Police, keep it hush. You have to be careful. I tried to tell him he dropped his wallet, and got it for him. Wouldn’t listen to me, they’re all watching you, you see? Look that those two. I’d love to **** it into them, but I bet those black**** are on it, gotta watch out. Where do you work? Yeah, I work round here too. I’m the President of the company there. Those guys work for me. OK, I’m gonna see.”

I’m glad I left my wallet in the office that day, heh.

I’ve just found out our church’s missionary pastor is leaving for the US for 9 months. This is big news in a congregation of say, 10-15 people.

Might meet up with a few Aucklanders here in the next few days. Going indoor climbing with a few colleagues after work today, not long left in this city. Wonder what happens next in Prison Break.

Listening to Ethan Waters  comforts me on these foreign streets.

It’s that sensitive, mellow tone in his voice today that tells me re-assuringly she’s irreplaceable… or that we’re all living under crazy summer skies.

No matter that I forgot to uplift my lunch from the second shelf in my fridge, or that the wind has picked up and skies are overcasting. With singer-songwriter ballads in my ears, simple songs for kids like me, I don’t feel so alone.

Thank you, ethan.

Some random musings from the streets of Sydney:

There’s more mentally ill people on the streets than in Auckland. I think one reason could be that Sydney is so busy and stressed (compared to NZ) that perhaps people that can’t take it fall by the wayside. You have the regular homeless/bum-types that sleep on the sidewalk against the wall, or huddle in the corner with a hat out in search of pity cash. This is hard to come by since people here usually don’t care. I also happened to watch an irate power-professional female at an intersection enduring some very inadequate window washing (the dude sprayed more soap than he scraped, no chance of any money) and then screech into the distance, leaving the man with a half-furious, half-bemused expression. Sad to see.

Queues are long. Not sure why, they just are. Trains have people, people, people. I’m quite aware that my limited worldview means that I’ll probably think Sydney relaxed when I hit the streets of Manhattan, for example. More people in the same space. Actually it means more food choices – as long as you have the money, you can’t go hungry in Sydney.

There’s an Easyway! *dances* How crazy is it that Easyway can franchise all over the word from Taiwan? In Sydney it’s very Westernised: you can order pearl milk tea as “Top Seller #1″, or as part of a drink and movie deal, or even little snacks. Definitely not a one-man stall in an echoey Meadowlands set-up…

Even in a small company, to do any discussion with more than one person you have to have a meeting. Meetings are held in boardrooms. Very businessy, very new to me.

Transit lanes. I saw them in Brisbane last time I was there as well, but it’s a pretty good idea – a lane on the far left is reserved only for those who carpool. If the road has a T2 lane, then any car driving along it has to have 2 or more people. I also saw T3 lanes, which is totally funky. What a great idea to reduce road congestion (though it invariably clogs up the other two lanes. Bring a friend in to work with you).

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Getting ready for a bear market. Sold a chunk of shares yesterday. Lost money, but would lose more holding on to it all the way through the downturn. Sea of red arrows striking fear into investors’ hearts.

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Director: Joe Wright. Producer: Tim Bevan. With James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Ailidh Mackay, Keira Knightley.

Based on a 2001 novel by Ian McEwen, Atonement is very much a film about the power of the written word, allied with the impact of some beautifully presented cinematography.

Set in London in 1935, aspiring 13-year old writer Briony Tallis, through a series of misleading events, makes a decision that separates her sister Cecilia from her lover, named Robbie. The film then transitions into a moving war drama a la Saving Private Ryan, as the story follows Robbie’s conscription into the army. Retreating to the beaches in France and awaiting evacuation, we see some tough and realistic scenes of British soldiers involved in the famous Dunkirk evacuation. Cecilia and Briony end up working as hospital nurses for different reasons: Briony in particular seeks atonement for her childhood mistake that ultimately resulted in tragedy.

The most fascinating part of this movie would have been the wittiness of the film – the opening half-hour is a collection of mis-interpretations, half-truths and a near-sitcom like narrative (albeit set in pre-war England). The acting is impeccable, and Briony especially shines so much that one can almost see her fanciful imagination running riot in the story. The various changes of tone from whodunnit to war drama to psychological thriller seem intriguing, but the pay-off is that much sweeter once you realise their purpose.

The cinematography is masterfully crafted – one scene in particular sweeping across the war-torn beach in France tied around Robbie’s search for water, and showed various aspects of living conditions before the evacuation all in one take. This was shot beautifully and was my favourite scene. Another creative plot line showed Briony playing the fiction game in going along with a wounded Frenchman’s dying testimony – subtle plot details emerge and you realise his banter about having met her in France stems from a brain injury, and their conversation is (once again) a work of fiction.

The question the film poses tests the very nature of fiction – what is its purpose? Can a writer, in his or her mind, really change the past?

Anyways. Very clever, A.

I started the weekend with a swim in the pool. It’s a shared pool between two apartments (ours and the one next door), but it was beautiful and the water was just right. Did the tourist thing and walked all round the city centre, lots of interesting pics of the various landmarks. Did you know that the roof of the Sydney Opera House is all tiling? You only discover this when you get up close. Very expensive shows in there too, most of them will set you back at least $100 if it’s opera. (I’ll leave the BridgeClimb, which was awesome, for another post.)

Also got to see one of Sydney’s many markets, the Paddington Market. Had to go through major gay and lesbian area to get there though. Very unsettling sight when it suddenly hits you why the tavern on the corner is packed, and there are no females in there, lol.  The market itself was pretty good. Lots of clothing-related stuff, some arts and crafts. Most of them too pricey for my limited budget, but very interesting to look at. If you’re wondering what the second picture above this paragraph shows… well those are decorated cakes. YUM.

(On a side note, some Sydney food places have funny names… try some Chinese food at “Wok On Inn”, or have a nice lunch at “Thai Me Up” restaurant. Not joking.)

The internet I’m borrowing is a wireless connection that’s not the best in Sydney apparently. I met up with a close relative of mine (his name is Gerald) – works as an IT manager setting up major hotel logistics and analysis, very well paid in Sydney. Everything here is more expanded: the salaries, the suburbs, the stress levels, the expenses.

I also managed to attend church – it’s a notable comfort that we can worship God no matter where we are in His earthly domain. The pastor here is also called John, he’s somewhat older (in his 60s), and oversaw a pretty efficient service (we went through 5+1 hymns, a Bible reading and a message about Christians and authorities, in Romans 13:1-7, in just over an hour. (John later told me that the mind can only handle as much as the backside, lol).

John and a couple of people from the congregation went from the church (based in Dundas Valley, west of the main centre) to a food court in Parramatta City Centre where a famous local Malaysian stall was. It’s a pretty good travel tip to go with the local wisdom, and I enjoyed the food so much I brought another pack home for a future meal.

YUM.  (I’m pretty sure I have a wider belly. Mm.. crispy pork belly.)

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Enough about me. I wanna hear how *everyone* is doing. TELL ME.

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So I finished a week. After hours work so far has been pretty much zoning out, relaxing – by the time I’ve prepared dinner and taken a shower, it’s usually 9pm and not much time to do anything more than a little bit of a wander.

The news about Sir Ed came to Sydney pretty quickly. That was pretty sad, made me wish I could be in NZ if just for more solidarity. Also they have tourism ads for NZ here (100% Pure New Zealand). Feel a bit homesick pondering these things, but I’ll see how I feel after 2 more weeks.
I’ve also been navigating the Sydney public transport system. Took a train and a bus to get from work out to St. Josephs College near Tarban Creek Reserve. Sydney actually has suburbs! Orienteering is really cool here, their rules are slightly different and make you think more strategically (you choose your own route and get different points for different controls).  Feels like the Amazing Race a little bit, which I’d love to do someday.  Richard and I sometimes joke about it, considering some of the contestants in the Asia Edition really look like fish out of water!

On the way home on the bus, started chatting with a Nirish (Northern Irish, lol) guy called David. He’s been OE’ing and seeing the world for 3 months now on a round-the-world ticket. Amazing stuff, what freedom. But we had some company, which aside from work people is hard to find at the moment (though a relative of mine will be in Sydney on Sunday, so will see what happens from there).

Anyways, if I can navigate properly again, tomorrow I should be able to attend church at a place where John recommended.

But as for today… I’m doing the BridgeClimb.

Take care everyone!

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Website: http://www.spiceiam.com; Ph: 92800928; 90 Wentworth Ave, Sydney 2010; lunch from $7.90, mains $14-26.

Rating: A
(A=return customer, AA=worth every cent, AAA=someone else must have paid for it)

Taking my now-usual route home from work, I chanced upon a small, well-presented restaurant – no fancy tables, plastic chairs packed in front of a small but bustling kitchen. Staff run between tables and clear them fast for the queue of patrons waiting outside patiently for a place. Apparently the foodies share this sense of regard, the LA Times rating it “one of the best 10 restaurants in Sydney”; the Morning Herald naming it “Sydney’s best Thai food – don’t go unless you expect the real thing, chillies and all”.

As most of you are well aware, I’m not a chilli aficionado – their dishes included basil pad kra prao (stir-fried with chilli, vegetables and Thai holy basil), their famed crispy pork belly (either in a pad prik king or with chinese broccoli and oyster sauce), and even signature dishes such as hoy tod (pan fried mussels with bean sprout and crispy flour served with chilli sauce) and whole fish dishes with even more spice.

I was in a hurry so I tried the safe option of chicken praram (stir-fried chicken and steamed kangkong vegetables topped with satay sauce, $13.90). The food came presented in gourmet-style plating removed from its hawker-table feel. The speed of delivery was amazing too – highlighting the amount of customers that come through each service a la wagamama. The satay flavour was delicious, not too peanuty – and the portion was large enough to eat without rice. The staff were a bit touchy about photos, but all in all the place was bubbling with a lively atmosphere. Probably would need to have spent more time (and money) to affirm without doubt its reputation, but overall spice i am was impressive nonetheless.

Incidentally, a table next to me had patrons matching a marvellously-presented whole fish main with an Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc all the way from good old New Zealand. Good to see some solid proof our savs are exportable.

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Incidentally, as a family we couldn’t be more scattered – Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei, Kuching, Auckland.  Hyde Park is quite close by I found – it’s like a smaller version of New York’s Central Park, and is probably a good place for morning runs etc. On the news the Aussies can’t get enough of Nicole Kidman’s pregnancy thing, and

Started work – feel like a comic strip from Dilbert at times, but Sydney is such an interesting place to walk around.  I’d imagine Albany to be cultureless, considering its lack of long history. The building I work in has been standing since the 1850s, which sounds pretty rickety – but I have my own workstation and Cisco IP phone, heh.

Today I’m going to try and navigate Sydney’s bus system to get to an orienteering event. Will see how that goes.

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Sydney is bigger than Auckland.

It has good city views, balmier weather, and from the looks of the banners and flags on my street, a very outspoken and active gay and lesbian community. It has rich people and trying-to-be-rich people. I have a nice apartment, it’s better furnishings than my house for the most part. It lacks a rice cooker. There’s a small supermarket opposite my apartment building. There is a pool, and I’m on the 12th floor. It’s a pain to carry groceries and swipe the card-door thing at the same time. Airconditioning helps. Trying not to use so much clothing, will see how I go.

TV presenters here have different accents. Barack Obama vs Hillary Clinton is in the news forefront. Lots of TV, they have satellite TV here. And there is a Yoshinoya across the road – aren’t they an Asian thing?

First real day of work starts tomorrow. Wonder what I should bring. Scary.

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I’m sitting here staring at books and odd-ends. It’s the first time I’ve considered how many business shirts I need to last three weeks.  Or what is a 100ml bottle, clear plastic resealable bag, and whether these safety concerns matter on a flight whose final destination is a Middle Eastern city.  Never have I wondered if it is wise/unwise to bring stationery in pencil cases. How much Australian currency is too much? Do I need a second bag for stuff to bring home? What’s an opera in the Opera House worth? How much spare time will I have to run the streets of Sydney ragged? Will I be a good working bee? Will my camera hold out for the trip, and how much song-writing is possible?

Sydney, here i come.

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