Kindly Yours

1. Cross infection of Covid has occured before in quarantine hotels in Sydney and Melbourne - when will authorities learn? 2. Covid infected people can show no symptoms until later in the course of the infection. 3. There is no clarity that Covid vaccinated people cannot get infected, only show no or less symptoms of Covid. I reflect - I still can get infected with the common cold even after getting my dose of the related vaccine. 4. Covid contact tracing can be a useful tool, but can trigger sudden lockdowns, border restrictions and a flurry of more testing in Australian states. 5. Travellers can be caught in ensuing logistical consequences if they find themselves on the wrong side of Australian state borders. 6. The long term side effects, if any, of Covid vaccines are still unknown and yet to play out. Any so called medical or scientific interference with our human bodies take a longer time than these current crop of covid vaccines to be tested. So called "m...

Covid19 is now spreading, end of April 2021, to even less equipped rural areas of India, after the tragic scenes news media beamed about what is happening in their cities.  Under reported is the lack of preparedness and recent Covid case spikes in Nepal. The UK, USA, Brazil, Italy, South Africa and France have in the past 16 months experienced various levels of significant waves of infections - with differentiating and commonly shared levels of cause, reaction and management. What has been learnt for effective action to be taken in India, or has the proverbial horse already bolted there?  A shared causative factor to accelerate the massive spread of Covid 19 is the interference and prioritisation of politics in several nations over sensible public health management.  The utter disregard for social distancing and the obvious lack of using anti-Covid protective gear, seen in masses of people gathering for election rallies, should have spelt the increased likeliho...

When we look at the map of the world, at times we can see certain patterns emerging in the affairs of geopolitics and society relationships. Here we look at twinning bondships between entities destined to be related by culture, history and geography. Canada and the USA were born from the age of conquest, colonialism and search for resources. Their borders are almost a straight clean cut line between their two territories. Yet they share a past of intense French and British rivalries, the stampede across Indigenous lands and culture, plus the westward push of settlement by adventurers and economic driven migrants. In the 21st century, Canadians have a distinct character from Americans - and yet they are intertwined on the world stage as part of the Five Eyes Alliance boosted by Washington D.C. to counter the rising powers of Russia and China. Britain oversaw an Empire where the sun did not set, but now has a reduced political, military and economic influence, with only 16 nati...

  I was given a real treat in joining friends for a Cantonese Yum Cha (drink tea) or Dian Xin (Touch of the Heart) at my old stomping ground of the Macquarie Shopping Centre, near Macquarie University. Panda Yum Cha, North Ryde NSW Steamed choices can be more healthy.  The Siew Mai or Prawn-Pork dumplings on the right stood in a class of its own here. Forefront of photo are bundles of glutinous rice, with shrimp and pork bits, wrapped in lotus leaves before they are steamed in their bamboo cradles. Fong Chau or Phoenix Claws - they are really braised chicken feet cooked with chili black beans and a Char Siew sauce, amongst other things. An item of a definite acquired taste, but this dish boosts immunity, restores our own skin regeneration, strengthens our bodily joints and moderates blood pressure. The success of a Yum Cha dish is in its texture of bite, flavour and choice of fresh ingredients. My top preferred dishes, all small serve, at yum cha sessions generally are: 1. ...

The Blue Mountains in New South Wales, over a two hours drive one way west inland from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, has been a consistent tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors.  Its main hub, Katoomba, seem to have its buildings frozen in time, especially in the town centre. I understand this clever native fauna comes to have fast food as lunch almost every day along Katoomba Street. It is interesting to come across Malaysian street food in Katoomba.  Above is a serve of the Nasi Lemak, with coconut milk flavoured steamed rice, accompanied by yummy Rendang chicken curry, peanuts and other garnishings.  You can have your feed at the Unique Patisserie, formerly owned by Chinese from Malaysia but now run by a Vietnamese couple, Mr and Mrs Phan.   Do try their Bak Kut Teh but avoid their Char Koay Teow.  On the day of our visit, their Tamarind Laksa was over sourish and the pastry of their pies not encouraging on the bite.    There...

  The Republic of Singapore is significantly reinforcing the need to review reliability and diversity in supplies of its imports, food and foreign worker availability. The period after Covid 19 arrived has changed many assumptions in cross border travel, trade and mobility of talent. Accessibility to niche and common ingredients has affected its restaurants.  Eggs had to be imported from Poland.  Special cuts of beef from Australia dwindled. Prices of imported items in deli supermarkets doubled. The links of globalisation have been disrupted. An island nation that relies so much on air travel has been jolted off a key pillar of its usual economic drivers. What kind of vital security does your society cannot afford to lose? No one nation has everything covered in socio-economic needs.  It is not only a pandemic that brings to greater focus a country's vulnerabilities, but war, natural disasters and technological change. South Korean society prefers peace time se...

  How many club memberships, living in Australia, have you chalked up over the years?  I am not referring to exclusive country or city clubs where you network with the rich, politically connected and inner sanctum of useful contacts.   The prevalence of these other clubs I am talking about here, across the many suburbs of this Great Land, often depend on turnover, a huge but cheap membership base, gaming machines, a bistro of varying quality and some measure of community activities. Increasingly significant is the local barista.  Over many years, so many blends of coffee beans have come out of Australia, establishing Aussie brands in this space with a strong reputation beyond its shores.  The routine of having brunch or breakky has contributed to the new styled cafes mushrooming with new fangled food recipes accompanying the beverage.  Tea has nevertheless not lost its embedded loyalty, together with other penchants for avocado smash, sourdough toasts...

  I remember for many weeks after Covid arrived on our shores in 2020, Aussies were advised it was not necessary to wear face masks by the leading medical bureaucrats and elected political leaders in Canberra. The same people were stating it was okay to receive Astra Zeneca anti-Covid vaccines as recently as the first week of April 2021.  Now they have changed their minds. For many months, both State and Federal leaders in Australia have regularly sought refuge in their repeated statements "according to our best medical advice" . The public by now cannot be that patient with possible wool pulled over our eyes.  Changing positions on significant Covid related matters by our medical and political "leaders" can undermine our long suffering patience, trust and belief in their varying pronouncements. There was wavering uncertainty on how the Coronavirus spreads from human to human - aerosal spray projectiles or they remaining on surfaces? As Covid 19 raged through o...