Sydney in May
A bottle of champagne, albeit Australian, awaited me from my host. It is a gesture much appreciated, that echoes personal mindfulness and care, actual implementation of all the otherwise often empty promises of advertising and customer services in commercial services. The unexpected Falung Gong protest had blocked
my usual road path and I had to take a convoluted route instead, but here I was with my bags at my residence for the next few days, with an opportunity to refresh and recover from my usual regime.
I looked forward to the paucity of the variety of food from different cultures and cuisines near my host's residence. Away from the lamb roast expected at one committed event, I could not wait to savour something different from the Illawarra base. I enjoyed a homely ambiance at the Yakuzano Japanese cafe run by a family. The Glasgow Arms was a solid heritage establishment which retained a very English setting and offered a bulwark to the demographics of its changed neighbourhood. Homok and pad see ew were my appreciated dishes taken at a fav Thai cafe,the former being fish fillet cooked in a spicy custard-like steamed concoction wrapped in banana leaves and the latter being broad rice noodles stir-fried with a savoury gravy, also recognised as sar hor fun in Malaysia and Singapore.
In this sojourn, I came across a friendly family of five, a typical Aussie bloke with a mainland Chinese wife and three strapling sons. They looked a picture of comfort to the father, who must have been an adventurous type in his youth, or maybe not. Whatever my imaginary speculation, I was impressed with his achievements in having such a family. The mother looked having settled well in this country of various cultures so far from her childhood. The sons had a sparky glint in their eyes having to straddle two different cultures -and seemed to relish in this unique position.
On another occasion, whilst strolling, I stumbled across a young man called Nathan, who was one of those who sat forlornly on the pavement and waited on the generosity of passers-by.. It was a coolish evening and this was Australia at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. He had the look of inner fear and a cry for help. He was able-bodied but his soul and heart looked distraught. Nathan still spoke gently. Whether under the influence of drugs, or just struggling on after being battered with the unfairness of life and an uncaring community, he spoke affectionately of his father and how he hoped to be reunited with him back in country New South Wales. Nathan did not ask for money - maybe he just yearned for some caring.
Euan at Myers was enthusiastic and helpful - he manned the Rhodes and Beckitt section handling Boston Brothers shirts. Hailing from Brittany, he articulated in a captivating manner of spoken English that added positively to the shopping experience. Whilst watching Wicked the musical, the fellow audience members to my right were a couple from Margaret River in Western Australia, having flown in five hours by air to spend some days in Sydney.
The Hindu calendar had declared a rare auspicious day on May 16, 2010, a day suitable for doing anything significant in the journey of life. I came to know of this important day while listening to Radio National driving form Wollongong to Sydney. Marriages and other contracts were locked in, especially in theUnited Kingdom and the Indian sub-continent, to savour the good luck and vibes of this special day. I even bought some miniature sucker catfish and golden snails to grace my small aquarium tank. Whilst I appreciated the cosmic significance of events like this, I also realised that it is fun - and important - that we make the effort to do something special each day. Time we have is the most important luxury each of us possess, and something special can be small - like being grateful for what we have - or bigger - like interacting with individuals, friends or strangers, who can teach us a thing or two.
my usual road path and I had to take a convoluted route instead, but here I was with my bags at my residence for the next few days, with an opportunity to refresh and recover from my usual regime.
I looked forward to the paucity of the variety of food from different cultures and cuisines near my host's residence. Away from the lamb roast expected at one committed event, I could not wait to savour something different from the Illawarra base. I enjoyed a homely ambiance at the Yakuzano Japanese cafe run by a family. The Glasgow Arms was a solid heritage establishment which retained a very English setting and offered a bulwark to the demographics of its changed neighbourhood. Homok and pad see ew were my appreciated dishes taken at a fav Thai cafe,the former being fish fillet cooked in a spicy custard-like steamed concoction wrapped in banana leaves and the latter being broad rice noodles stir-fried with a savoury gravy, also recognised as sar hor fun in Malaysia and Singapore.
In this sojourn, I came across a friendly family of five, a typical Aussie bloke with a mainland Chinese wife and three strapling sons. They looked a picture of comfort to the father, who must have been an adventurous type in his youth, or maybe not. Whatever my imaginary speculation, I was impressed with his achievements in having such a family. The mother looked having settled well in this country of various cultures so far from her childhood. The sons had a sparky glint in their eyes having to straddle two different cultures -and seemed to relish in this unique position.
On another occasion, whilst strolling, I stumbled across a young man called Nathan, who was one of those who sat forlornly on the pavement and waited on the generosity of passers-by.. It was a coolish evening and this was Australia at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. He had the look of inner fear and a cry for help. He was able-bodied but his soul and heart looked distraught. Nathan still spoke gently. Whether under the influence of drugs, or just struggling on after being battered with the unfairness of life and an uncaring community, he spoke affectionately of his father and how he hoped to be reunited with him back in country New South Wales. Nathan did not ask for money - maybe he just yearned for some caring.
Euan at Myers was enthusiastic and helpful - he manned the Rhodes and Beckitt section handling Boston Brothers shirts. Hailing from Brittany, he articulated in a captivating manner of spoken English that added positively to the shopping experience. Whilst watching Wicked the musical, the fellow audience members to my right were a couple from Margaret River in Western Australia, having flown in five hours by air to spend some days in Sydney.
The Hindu calendar had declared a rare auspicious day on May 16, 2010, a day suitable for doing anything significant in the journey of life. I came to know of this important day while listening to Radio National driving form Wollongong to Sydney. Marriages and other contracts were locked in, especially in theUnited Kingdom and the Indian sub-continent, to savour the good luck and vibes of this special day. I even bought some miniature sucker catfish and golden snails to grace my small aquarium tank. Whilst I appreciated the cosmic significance of events like this, I also realised that it is fun - and important - that we make the effort to do something special each day. Time we have is the most important luxury each of us possess, and something special can be small - like being grateful for what we have - or bigger - like interacting with individuals, friends or strangers, who can teach us a thing or two.
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