To Go The Distance

Friends and relatives back in Asia do remind me of their relative convenience when accessing food they want at any time. It is often a maximum of driving out for only 30 minutes one way, before they are already physically in their eatery. Piping hot, freshly made and with appetite to be fulfilled. Staying in a large metropolitan area in Australia can mean very different circumstances. Getting to do anything in the course of daily life can mean the no choice but to commute for long distances. Whether it is to get to the latest shopping buzz, hyped restaurant, art gallery, preferred medical provider, niche grocery, not to be missed live concert, international flight, seasonal international cricket game, beloved relative or latest sensational bakery, one has to make effort and allocate time in travel before arriving at the destination and then again, before arriving back home. Several people I know with kids and elderly present book into accommodation close to their purposed venue - instead of having to drive several hours all in one day. Vehicle parking availability is increasingly a growing problem as well when one arrives at the destination. Australian mainstream populations continue to love their sense of spaciousnes, even if it can get increasingly expensive and not so practical to do so. New housing continues to spread out on the fringes of metropolitan areas. Those who live in units in the high rises in more densely packed city suburbs can on the other hand just take their elevators down to drop by the cafe or eatery that are commercial tenants in the same building. These same individuals can now also hop on to nearby street light rail ( even in Canberra) or sparkling underground Metro stations ( only in Melbourne and Sydney) to commute to all the fun out there. The two dominant supermarkets operating across Australia have branches in many suburbs. Such is their commercial power that it is easier to locate a Woolies or Coles than to find a post box, bank branch, butcher, pub or taxi stand. I must reiterate that I can find a refreshing and well maintained Nature's park in any Australian suburb, more easy than walking past a duopolistic supermarket. I am grateful that I can walk to several parks, small or large, near a forest or by the sea, within a 2km radius of my abode. It is important to carefully select the suitable kind of local community for your or family needs. Is it more significant that you do not need to use your private vehicle to travel to fulfil your variety of needs and daily use? Do you enjoy driving long distances or commuting for hours just to do things in your social profile? Do you make the long journey locally only once in a while and not on a regular basis? Levels of mobility, purpose of trip and easier means of travel do figure a lot in your decision making on these matters. Or do you commute only for work purposes? I know of individuals wh0 never venture beyond their residential precinct, except when going overseas for holiday or on a family reunion. More and more of today's population transact on line and in a virtual world, physically confining themselves to a particular site - getting food delivered to the door, obtaining stimulation through artificial intelligence and earning money on clicks and clacks. They do not have to commute much, except when they occasionally relocate internationally for better jobs, influencer nomadity and because of falling in love. #yongkevthoughts

Street Food Revisited

 Street food, with whatever label you call it, is the core of cultural dynamics you encounter in any society.  They are what is daily eaten and drunk by the populace, mostly without any pretension or hype, tending to true sentiments of a lifestyle not tainted by high margins, expensive rents and temporary fads. 

Inflation has spiked - and street food preparation, labour supply, venue rentals and pricing have all been shaken to the core.  Even the record, of rather stabilised prices of hawker food in the sanitised food courts of the Republic of Singapore, has been affected.  Access to ethnically diverse food in major cities of Australia and New Zealand have put us pause in our tracks with smaller sized servings and price hikes averaging 25 per cent. 

Culinary history follows the path of socio-economic evolution in the community.  Increased mobility, facilitated by better technology and higher standards of living, encourages experimentation, cross cultural influences and changing demands from the dining consumer.

No one society increasingly can claim to be the 

exclusive owner of a specific dish.

Even the setting for us to partake street food has been changing.

Smashed is the stereotype of eating street food with us exposed to the elements, risking a dodgy level of hygiene and soaking in an exotic atmosphere.  Most of us do not have to go through the Khao San Road Bangkok vibes or sit on those ridiculous low rise stools in Saigon.

We can eat our street food in air conditioned comfort in Shanghai, London or Vancouver. 

Still there can be nothing like trying hawker food in the perceived chaos beside a busy street in Havana, Kinhasa or Napoli.  We keep our wits sharp and senses stimulated downing our coffee, watching out for much talked about bag snatchers and making sure we have not been ripped off looking as obvious tourists. 

There is nothing like having ramen seated along a rather narrow counter with salarymen, punk haired youngsters and elderly pensioners in Tokyo.  Many recommended street food outlets are literally off the street, most likely locating their exact spot only after successfully navigating the rabbit warren of lanes and cubicles. 

Street food is more freshly prepared, massages our nostrils better and does taste better when we sit not far from the cook.  The roti, teh tarik and curry has more flavour when we see them created right in front of us.  Whether it is in Marrakesh, Delhi or Kuala Lumpur, the syncophany* of the street level can be incomparable. 

On an expensive cruise ship buffet, private tour or self managed adventurous track, the basic principles of choosing and consuming street food can be simple.  Avoid raw food or cooked ones which has been sitting out exposed to sunlight, pollution and dodgy handling.  What can be handled by local stomachs does not mean they also suit us.  Try to take small portions for variety.  The ingredients used in Melbourne can be much better than those utilised in other cities. 

Authentic street food is not naturally accompanied by wine, no matter what Michelin and Tatler may pronounce.  The best modus operandi when in a produce market or local eatery is to first observe, apply choices seen to your gut inkling and speak to any friendly diners. 

Partaking of street food is basically one of snacking.  Several times we realise there is no place to sit down, takeaway packaging is flimsy and we have to use our hands to best relish such food.   When touring, we may not have the numbers, financial or diners, to order every thing we want.  Pocket tissues are handy, especially popular in east and south east Asia. 

There are distinctive, delightful and unique street food servings in every nation. East Canadian Poutine, Portuguese preserved cod, dried camel meat, indigenious Australian bush tomatoes or South African Biltong come to mind - life is to be lived fully, try everything untasted of yet before at least once. 

Authentic street food around the world usually requires payment in cash -  this implies crumpled notes and a heavy load of coins.  No tipping is obviously called for in such places.  You have no chance to tap your smart phone or plastic credit card - and you do not want to anyway. 

One who goes for street food anywhere also enters a world unseen from a hotel restaurant, allows you to better understand the people and it opens doors to other perspectives. 

Language can be yet a challenging but delightful interim barrier, but hey, most societies do use English, perhaps not in selected communities and even migrant enclaves in Western cities.  Some street food stall holders can cling on to conservative attitudes of not wanting them or their food to be photographed. 

Street food reproduced by migrants in their settled countries can taste different from their nations of origin.  Usually they cost more than the same dishes in their hometowns. Street food can however remain precious to immigrants, part of the pyschological comfort required when they find themselves far removed from family and the hometown. 

Street food reproduced at airports do cost more and taste less.  Several Asian airlines include their iconic street food dishes as part of the on board menu.  

For me, one of the most memorable experiences of street food was discovering Teochew styled roast goose at a popular one-person stall in the thick and thin of the morning markets at Shantou on the southern coast of Guangdong Province.   The cooked meat hung seductively, language used was Mandarin for which I am not well versed with and the serving area kept rather clean.  Using hand signals and eye contact, the seller and I developed an optimal exchange.  The latter had a good demeanour, even if he was real busy and I enjoyed a social exchange away from the plasticised environment of street food outlets elsewhere.  Every bite of the yummy roast goose was savoured with gratefulness. 

#yongkevthoughts

The Coming Summer of Discontent

 The Mr Scrooge Predictions for the coming Antipodes summer 2022/2023. 

1.   A new wave of Covid strains is likely to cause spike in infections across greater Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane soon. Case numbers will continue to be under reported, more people can experience long Covid and we are approaching the third annual anniversary of the arrival of the now increasingly unmentionable matter. 

2.   Many eating places of varying set ups across Australia will be closed for a few weeks after Christmas. Shortage of vegetables and other fresh produce are likely to hit supermarkets and eating outlets across NSW and Victoria, as Christmas 2023 approaches, due to recent widespread flooding over many farms. 

3.  The months long continuing dispute between Nsw State Government and train workers for Greater Sydney have risks of getting worse. 

4.    Prices of daily consumption items will be going up further, like for petrol, groceries, human services, insurance premiums, utility usage and supply charges, airfares, private school fees and child care services. 

5.    Warmer and radiating dry weather can make afternoons unbearable going out in coming months, unless one is determined to have that tan and risk the health side effects. 

6.     Food, grocery and other delivery service charges will increase.  This is one example of the lack of labour supply for many sectors that rely on cheaply paid human resources to deliver the final stage of consumer interface transactions. 

7.    La Nina is forecast to hang around in the coming season - with some of the lingering uncertainty, more of the wet in some states, more heat in the west of the Australian continental island and generally more of the same like in the past 12 months. 

8.    The downstream impact of the huge battle for reliable supply of smart chips is yet to be fully played out. 

9.      Investment options for players of all funding ability sizes will change over the next 3 months, whether decision makers are on holiday or not.  The arrival of recession in the UK; the need to draw a line on the books before the festive season and the close of the year;  the staged increase in interbank rates by several central banks; the continuing rollercoaster ride of crypto currency; the changing return on bonds; the shifting attitude for small caps; the rise in exchange value of the USD; and the outlook for the Chinese economy are all still relevant in the heady mix of the cauldron. 

10.    Using airports will further embed our perceptions of their disorganisation; the lack of connect between corporate planning, purported marketing image and the actual customer experience;  the greater investment by airport operators/ owners in vehicle parking spaces rather than anything else;  of the strong need by airlines to fill up every passenger seat of every flight; and the silo effect and divide between Immigration, Airline and Customs as a passenger goes through the process before and after a flight. 

Okay, I better move on to brighter things. Lol. 

#yongkevthoughts

Pause for Thought

 

Oh, the habits of the past and what was a comforting routine is no more.

Many years ago, it was a casual relaxing pleasure to do something easy and different from weekdays, on a Saturday morning.  Simple regimes like going through the newspapers. Or catching up with people in a cafe. And driving like crazy just to try eating some hyped up dish, even before Instagrammable culinary.

On a small island, it was doable, until the escalating traffic jams made me think twice.

The pleasure and reward were to catch up with fellow human beings. The underlying pace was that it was unstructured, flexible and had delightful changes in store - surprise me!

Across the plains of Greater Sydney, I had to plan arrival and appointment times, for distances were greater to transverse and traffic jams even more congested at particular hours.

Now the newsagent is a sad shade of its past activity and future possibilities.  The dominance and ease of online publications have decimated the presence of print in magazines and newspapers.

I recall the high pleasure of reading subscribed weekly columns in print, to make sense of an ever changing world and events beyond my control.  Now, that is only but a distant memory. The advent of round the clock news and hijacked agendas in communication these days has made me turn off much of the media in whatever form.

I love visiting various suburbs, for many have a distinct character of their own in various layers of impression and experience.

I reckon each of us have cut down roaming the suburbs - and the big world - due to movement restrictions over the past two years.  We have inadvertently turned to nearby localities in our footprint - and this may not necessarily be a negative change.

Still there is the inherent instinct of the wanderer in each of us.  However, we no longer assume the right and convenience of greater mobility.  Our mindsets have inevitably transformed in rhe process.

Our eating habits may also have changed.  First there was a shift to more cook-ins and takeaways, when dining-in had or still have density limits and mindful physical distancing. 

The constant barage of almost daily telecast addresses by the powers that be has made me watch such institutionalised sessions to almost zilch.

We are increasingly told to comply and not question many important things.  The liberating joy of opening my mindset in reading books and magazines many years ago is no more. 

We cannot sneak out in the middle of the night to experience a secret pleasure.  Each of us are becoming more traceable through online devices and communication.

Yes, we still have the opportunity to embrace Nature in our own free time - and to physically sustain and manage our health with the wind blowing in our faces.  However, we must be ever conscious to build our mental resilience, more than ever in a changing world.

#yongkevthoughts

When the Days Did not Make Sense - and When They Did

The passage of time can be relative.

There are exactly six full blooming deep red roses in my garden right now, a delightful salute to life, as I move over from another another significant past twelve months.   They are especially captivating, with many elegant folds in each rose, an usually bright countenance and a magical moment about them.

The extreme dry conditions for most of the past several months, apart from a recent spate of persistent rain, have devastated the lawn.   Some individuals whom I am close to have had a variety of life's issues, but they still wake up each morning with a gusto to face the new day.   Some of them have created new opportunity for themselves despite the challenge, hassle and personal devastation.  Yet some others are in the prime of life, planting as much for the unpredictable future as much as they can and relentlessly moving forward, as if impregnable.

Just like the weather may do to us, each of us can be kept on our toes by a variety of personal experiences.    What can seem over bearing at first sight can free up our mindsets in managing the different scenarios.   A few hassles can make us fed up at the attacks on the status quo in our lives   - and then this experience can make us take flight in our inner selves and assume a different posture to over come the problem.   In so doing, the  interim problem does not become an issue anymore, but liberates us to better take care of ourselves.

Our human make up can be complex, but has better potential than most of us take credit for.   Healing can occur not by the intake of artificially made stuff alone, but by seemingly intangible influences such as shared laughter, friendship, faith, mutual conversation, someone opening his or heart to you and other natural processes of detoxification.  

Beliefs built up in us by the norms of society - especially in commercialisation, consumerism, reduction in morals, distraction and rise of various forms of addiction - are increasingly challenged by each of us, as the levels of trust in established institutional practices are eroded.   

If we reflect, do we still have as much faith as before in our medical practitioners; our religious institutions; our political leaders; our fellow vehicle drivers on the road we share with; the value of financial currency; the quality of our purchases of produce and products; the reliability of our white goods in the house; the integrity of our privatised providers, as for utilities and airports; our own ears, with the onslaught of media over load from people and parties with their own agendas; and the security of our own personal information, given the more regular corporate confession of privacy breaches?

At the same time, I remind myself of the gratitude in apparently smaller things.....  the tank fish are still alive, I have not had a vehicle tyre puncture for another year running, we are reducing the use of frivolous plastic, darling doggies still show us unconditional love, the food allocation system in our community has not broken down as in Venezuela and my neighbours still communicate with each other.   And I can still leave on-line purchased parcels at my front door, with no one stealing them.

Yet in our attempts to exercise more gratefulness, how does one handle deaths, emphatically negative people and parties that seem to communicate less with you than ever before?

Death for biological beings like us is part of the cycle of life, an all encompassing event like the shelf life expiry of supermarket items, not an option but an inevitable landmark that can indicate a significant transformation beyond a physical demise.  For me, the importance of a human being is what memory he or she retains in the rest of us, a process more meaningful to interact with when the person is alive.

When it is so much easier to communicate with each other, there is a growing impression that there is actually less meaningful communication happening.   What an irony, what a conundrum.   Persons who do not take the effort to communicate with me may have their own issues and I can only try.   It is a blessing to not have to deal with individuals who show such negativity that they do not even realise this.

In a world of increasing physical mobility, I come across more individuals travelling more often.  Increasing communicative ability in cyberspace means we can look at images created only a minute ago.  I sense the positive feelings of people finding themselves far away from their usual base and rejoice in their excitement.  Many come back from a holiday to go away again.  The network of airlines, agents, organisers, restaurants, accommodation outlets and guides is growing fast in a sector that provides for cruises, private tours, commission related incentives and more.  The holiday trade has customers who need to explore, get away and keep occupied.

Yet I get a more intense glow of comfort eating at my favourite ramen stall (Gumshara in Haymarket NSW), walking along a river (Port Macquarie) somewhere far out from an over burdened city and observing the signs of the change in the seasons in a countryside village (between Canberra and Goulburn NSW).  I have over utilised the joys of a share economy in the past year.  I continue to appreciate the detailed art of a barista made cup of coffee in my home town.  Not to forget, munching on a packet of naked corn chips laced with quinoa, chia and sorghum.   To each, his or her own pleasures,

In the past year I have come to understand better the traditional saying  of accepting what cannot be changed, changing what cannot be accepted and accepting the power of change as well.

Some books remain not read,  what had been de-cluttered are replaced with more clutter and then it finally dawns on me that human beings are creatures of habit.  It can be crucially the habits in our mind that we have to purposefully change to better ourselves and our experience of life.

I realise instinctively the pace and nature of our cycles on Earth.   The roses are at the top of their game right now, but the only certainty in life is constant change.    And as sure as they will fade, new buds will grow on the very same stem.

And so be it, as one can embrace life fully, making it happen, responding wisely and being always grateful for the journey.

How Do You Treat Airline Crew?

It is shocking to know that first line staff in Australia attending to emergencies are often abused, physically attacked and risk their lives trying to help.

The lack of personal morals and being under the influence of deranging drugs and Ice may be the reasons behind such behaviour, but it just does not make sense. Police personnel, medics and rescue specialists bear the brunt of anger from ungrateful individuals.

What has been under reported is also the personal risks faced by cabin crew staff working on the thousands of air flights hovering above our skies at any one minute. The age of elegance and privilege flying in the air has long finished with the advent of budget airlines, maximisation of paid passenger capacity and the boom in tourism.

It used to be the highest opportunity in the service industry to be a uniformed steward or stewardess working to comfort airline passengers. There was a high expectation of standards from both passengers and airline crew in their interaction. Although air crew members are mostly still spick and span in their wardrobe and work behaviour, passenger quality can deteriorate in several respects.

Air passengers tend to dress down these days in a more casual world. Don't even think of customers on cruise ships and train services. At the same time, rhe service expectations of many passengers have increased. Do we blame the airline companies for such developments? In an increasingly crowded field, there is pressure on airlines to differentiate on several fronts - and cabin crew service is a significant one.

Passengers see the crew, literally, as the persona of the airline. They dish out the food and alcohol, resolve issues arising when individual passengers need to store too many hand luggage items and have to play supporter and referee when there are disputes between passengers. Some passengers demand that cabin crew are house help, waiters, girl friends, boy friends, nannies, tech specialists, comforters, conversation buddies, nurses, barmen, butlers and restaurant staff - all at once.

Confronting incidents as being spilled by drinks and food can lead to things bigger than they are. And not just by serving staff. Many have come across episodes of air crew being thrown things, verbally abused by drunken passengers and being accused of rudeness. The aim of a flight is to get from Point A to Point B, you may think - but it is no more, as the hype builds up with too many cabin crew members and passengers trying to cope with the negative effects of flying across too many time zones, being cooped up in essentially tight spaces and having to fly too often.

Travel - To Buy or Not

Just like a Mackers Burger or a Prada handbag can be charged with varying prices around the world, so can an Apple IPhone. 

Would you factor in purchases as part of your next holiday agenda? Shopping in the USA is a significant activity for sports products, clothes and accessories. Local taxes, tips and currency exchange do figure well into such decisions of buying away from home. 

There may be no need to travel as cyberspace does offer a huge convenience and discount on prices and physical delivery. Where nations require you to be a local to be entitled to those attractive prices, there are also ways and means for foreigners to pose as such locals to qualify. The meaning of market bargaining has been expanded with various strong tactics on discounts during a tight time window, bulk empowerment and cutting out on retail front costs. 

Commercialism thrives on convincing a buyer of not to miss obtaining a product, whether through the need to have the latest version, to keep up with trends or with making passé workable but previous editions of the same product. This churns turnover, vital to pump up revenue and meet performance targets to meet shareholder approval and senior executive bonuses. The world is now the endless horizon for possibilities, requiring smart play offs in pricing and availability on markets that can increasingly have higher purchasing power. 

The Technology Price Index of 2017 lists an attractive average price of around $414 for an Apple IPhone in Japan, compared to $575 in Australia. Figures for Malaysia are $532, India 505 and China $471. (All US Dollars quoted). Does that mean just visiting your chosen foreign country to buy at a lower price? It can be more complicated than just this. 

There are product specs that can make technology products not so easily usable in another market or nation. Unlike clothes, barriers do exist to allow a typical consumer access to the best possible price with the most features. They can be compatibility, market protection of margins and economic factors like inflation. 

Overall, it makes for a very interesting and varied field when trying to secure your top ten most exciting personal purchases. A rare book, a motivating sports shoe, a car model or a unique orchid. The best markets to secure products usually synchronise with environments with high governance standards, more open trading conditions and more stable political climates. Where trade and commerce is encouraged, you can usually bet on your best prices for your personal pet list of purchases. Countering this is the high cost of living, unusual constraints on personal freedoms, state of civil unrest and small size of markets in the nations where you want to buy. 

Fly Away Empty Bring Back Loaded

Just like a Mackers Burger or a Prada handbag can be charged with varying prices around the world, so can an Apple IPhone.

Would you factor in purchases as part of your next holiday agenda? Shopping in the USA is a significant activity for sports products, clothes and accessories. Local taxes, tips and currency exchange do figure well into such decisions of buying away from home. 

There may be no need to travel as cyberspace does offer a huge convenience and discount on prices and physical delivery. Where nations require you to be a local to be entitled to those attractive prices, there are also ways and means for foreigners to pose as such locals to qualify. The meaning of market bargaining has been expanded with various strong tactics on discounts during a tight time window, bulk empowerment and cutting out on retail front costs. 

Commercialism thrives on convincing a buyer of not to miss obtaining a product, whether through the need to have the latest version, to keep up with trends or with making passé workable but previous editions of the same product. This churns turnover, vital to pump up revenue and meet performance targets to meet shareholder approval and senior executive bonuses. The world is now the endless horizon for possibilities, requiring smart play offs in pricing and availability on markets that can increasingly have higher purchasing power. 

The Technology price Index of 2017 lists an attractive average price of around $414 for an Apple IPhone in Japan, compared to $575 in Australia. Figures for Malaysia are $532, India 505 and China $471. (All US Dollars quoted). Does that mean just visiting your chosen foreign country to buy at a lower price? It can be more complicated than just this. 

There are product specs that can make technology products not so easily usable in another market or nation. Unlike clothes, barriers do exist to allow a typical consumer access to the best possible price with the most features. They can be compatibility, market protection of margins and economic factors like inflation. 

Overall, it makes for a very interesting and varied field when trying to secure your top ten most exciting personal purchases. A rare book, a motivating sports shoe, a car model or a unique orchid. The best markets to secure products usually synchronise with environments with high governance standards, more open trading conditions and more stable political climates. Where trade and commerce is encouraged, you can usually bet on your best prices for your personal pet list of purchases. Countering this is the high cost of living, unusual constraints on personal freedoms, state of civil unrest and small size of markets in the nations where you want to buy.


The greater ease of mobility, either in physical reality or in virtual cyberspace, has contributed to the consumer culture, apart from its impact on job transfers, lifestyle locations and movement of skills and labour.   One may have to fly on an aircraft to buy things under so called duty free prices, but deliveries can be made  directly to your home or other physical address.     Consumers do want a holistic retail experience,  soak into a hall with an attractive lay out and get attention from human assistance  - but  can also be lured into cost effective and good value packages of price, ease of delivery and comfort of the purchasing process.   Several products need to be examined and hand handled before making a decision to buy or not, whilst others are reliable as standard designs in any place you buy from.     It is the latter that makes it more captivating to purchase, for the risk of returns is lowered.


So if one buys from an overseas location, the policy and treatment of purchase returns can factor in significantly.   Warranty and guarantee provisions may be helpful, but what actually occurs to your consumer rights when a problem arises is all important.     Can you return the product physically for exchange in your local country of residence?   So the fun and hype of purchasing from an overseas holiday can turn into a stressful process.   The talk and practice of loading shopping stuff into new luggage on your flight home can be countered by the realisation that some of the stuff are dudes, although one may not fully get that extreme experience.  The best approach I reckon is to be realistic about what happens if you find the purchase you made is not what you thought it was when overseas  - can you let it go, can you cop the cost or can you have options for reasonable remedial channels?

On the Road, Me and You, and a Dog named Boo

Ah, the rather comforting accessories on any travel trip, if we can get them.  Australian accommodation notoriously do not provide toothbrushes and toothpaste, but most Asian countries pamper hotel and motel guests with them.  (picture above) For nutrition and health, always get the local milk and orange juice (below).

The camera is vital, whether you have it on an IPhone, IPad, compact or an SLR.  On arriving home, you then have the leisure to look out for things that somehow you did not see whilst you were actually there. (image below by Mr Yong Chung Shen) I reckon its is useful to back up your images and videos somewhere routinely along the route, so that you minimise the risks of not having them when you arrive home. Camera equipment can be a hassle to carry, but in the end it is just to have a picture record.

A most awaited and welcome scene at the end of a rather tiring but satisfying day out (image above).
Occasionally, you need to dress up for the unique shot or function, a rather contrasting change to the boardshorts, cargo pants, thongs and t-shirt unavoidable in practical travel gear (picture below by Mr Yong Chung Shen).

And before I forget, always have a great travelling companion.  Apart from the passport, tickets and money! At times, you do meet memorable mates along the way, like Lucy above in Penang.