Kindly Yours

Cannoli filled with ricotta goodness. The Illawarra suburbs of Fairy Meadow, Balgownie and Mount Ousley combine to form a hub of Australians with a strong Italian background.   It is therefore no surprise to notice several Italian related icons when strolling around the main strip of Fairy Meadow - especially near the Fraternity Club, Leisure Coast Markets and the Costa Azzura Restaurant.  Earlier this year, a gem of a patiscceria , Massimo Papa, opened its doors at the back of an unassuming house beside the Coles Complex.  Walk into the driveway and there is a modern commercial building housing displays of row after row of beautifully made pastry, cakes, gelato,  savoury items and biscuits.  For me it was like walking into a cave of craftily made delights, many choices and with an Euro feel. Address: 130 Princes Highway Fairy Meadow NSW 2519 Landline: 612 4285 6353 Open every day, from around 7am to 5pm on weekdays and 8am to 3pm on weeke...

The waiting and the anticipation at the Eastwood store of Hot Star. View it as an effective business model, or a yummy chicken recipe, and that is Hot Star.  Already based in South-east Asia, it purports to have a Taiwanese crumbed recipe for mainly schnitzel-styled chicken on the go, although you can also order variations in snacks with curly fries, mushrooms and sweet potato.   It has been operating in Australia for around a year.  Its star performer on the menu literally is the rather chunky size of fried chicken slice, selling currently for AUD8.50 in the outlets in Brisbane Sunnybank, Adelaide Grote Street, Melbourne and Sydney areas.  I have been curious about its sensational start for Aussie sites and also with mainly Asian background youth gathering around its Liverpool Street branch in downtown Sydney.  I recently had an opportunity to try the chicken at its Eastwood store north-west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The menu is indeed l...

At times, I have flashes of gratitude in having liberties for which I have otherwise definitely taken for granted. I visit my local butcher and get an astounding variety of meats to select from, including turkey, quail, kangaroo, lamb, pork, pheasant, crocodile and ostrich.  No one stops me as to my preferred choice or avoidance of specific meats. The vibes in my society is that nobody else can impose their thoughts or preferences on me.  If I am different from my neighbours, they happily respect my right in my preferences - because they also know that I would grant the same mutual respect to each of them in such decisions.  I do not have to go to an under cover seller of a meat I want to cook for my kitchen - and I am not confronted with legislation for me not to have a particular meat of my choosing. Public transport is of necessity to me living near a capital city which amazingly charges possibly the highest rates for vehicle parking.  However my subconsciou...

As an economy and nation, Australia is now at a junction and a threshold of where it can move next, whether to positively secure its future or wallow in past possibly irrelevant arrangements and structures that may not optimise its growth and potential for most of this coming century.  The so-called Lucky Country syndrome has passed on, emphatically raising a dire need for an updated national attitude towards improving the standard of living and upholding national values long held, especially in this period of a hundred years since Gallipoli. There is a pressing need for the nation and its constituent communities to kick in measures to best ensure continuity in key national and state strategic requirements - despite the varying three and four year turn round of electoral periods of different levels of governments in Australia.  Both high level and town hall meeting dialogues should be facilitated to recognise what makes Australia unique and significantly act upon such ident...