Chinatown Delights, Sydney

A walking tour of any niche cultural district, in any city around the world, is always worth the effort. Forget about structure; sink into the atmosphere brought from places far away and so different from the mainstream; and get absorbed into a pace removed from our otherwise everyday lives.

So-called Chinatowns outside China offer perspectives that may surprise the eye and delight the heart – and we are not just talking of yum cha. Sydney is no exception, although the conglomeration of Chinatown businesses, malls and streets can blend seamlessly into the other major precincts of the central business district. The term Chinatown can be a misnomer, as it can contain things that are not Chinese in origin, but which are brought by already immigrant Chinese from other countries and cultures. The variety of spicy Thai soups, Vietnamese spring rolls, Indonesian salads and Malaysian curries in Sydney’s Chinatown is a good example. More illustrative is the South Indian murtabak available from a Chinese-owned outlet along Goulburn Street – the dish is a lamb or chicken laden rich pancake, originated by Indian Muslims (Mamak) and widely popular in Malaysia and Singapore.

One expects an Oriental theme in the architecture and signage of retail outlets, and this is amply provided when strolling through the Dixon Street Mall. What caught my eye is the prevalence of al fresco styled dining (or lunching) as if one were in Europe.

Off side, towards Harbour Street, I came across a vista of contrasts, with colonial facades on one side and the inevitable red lanterns on the other. Uighur, Korean and Japanese outlets have sprouted on this side of Chinatown as well. In the adjoining Darling Harbour, the Cantonese Gardens (reputedly the largest outside China itself) have matured and host so-called Western fashioned wedding ceremonies and visitors looking for a place of calm in the city. Paddys Market, operating for four business days a week, has a collection of stalls run by as many ethnic groups as the varied population of Sydney itself. The Capitol Theatre is offering a hit stage show from the UK, Billy Elliot, but finds itself surrounded by Hong Kong styled barbecue meat shops, computer retail stalls and over packed grocery shops.

Backpackers still find value in the relatively low cost of Chinatown meals at food courts. So do students from the University of Technology which has its main campus between Glebe and Chinatown. I was introduced by a good friend to a modest Thai café at the junction of Wentworth and Elizabeth Streets (maybe a stretch to still consider it as part of Chinatown). The food ordering and delivery is quick paced with no fuss, and the dishes served have a kick to the palate of those familiar with South-east Asian food. Meanwhile, the big Hong Kong styled restaurants still offer the more expensive menus at dinnertime. The Reading Cinema at Market City offers Mandarin and Cantonese language movies as if you were residing in Singapore, Shanghai or Macau. Freshly baked buns and drinks mixed with milk and fruits seem to dominate the snacks on offer.

When night falls over the gates of Dixon Street Mall, one may hear the clatter of mahjong tiles on gaming tables, the humdrum of muffled karaoke sounds from indoor and closed rooms and perhaps other multifarious deals beyond our imagination. Are the people lurking around tourists, immigrants, visitors from Sydney outer suburbs or long time residents? Who knows, who cares? I just enjoy feeling the pulse of making a living, making a business and making a life in this corner of Sydney.

The Summer Gone By

As I write, it's two more weeks before the festive season here hits its crescendo, to be followed by endless hours of the annual chilling out sessions on beaches and barbecue pits all over the country. Annual report drafts are being written not only for the business, family and self, but also for profession, region, country and world. We spend so many hours devoting ourselves to business and work goals - have we achieved that? Are there things that are not durable - including relationships, consumables and those with a limited shelf life - that we have not already chucked out? Have we completed the more important items on our wish list? There is also the ritual of ensuring that annual tasks - be they renewals or reviews - have been worked through. As with the approach of major holidays in every country around the globe, the timeliness of services get delayed ("come back after January") or delivery of products not fulfilled. Whatever the hiccups in travel, commercial delivery or kpi attainment, the most satisfying fall-back option is to reflect on how the family has grown, how love has accumulated and how much nearer that we can be to reaching our dreams. And to be surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Sunday 9 December 2007 in Sydney and Wollongong was muggy, hot and overcast. That it was, until mid-afternoon, when the skies played havoc with the residents of the suburbs north-west of the cbd. Hailstones rained down in spectacular fashion across Castlehill, Baulkham Hills, Cherrybrook, Hornsby and Wahroonga, breaking car windscreens and making dents of every kind where they hit. In country NSW, around Lithgow, the New Years Eve fireworks came earlier than thought at Howard & Sons, where a supposedly unmanned set-off of the products destined for around Australia in January had produced a Saturday night show visible from 30km away, and which had the undesired effect of blowing out windows of nearby residential homes. Road rage copied in violent fashion on one of the Sydney main freeways, the M4, with an altercation involving around six men and the accompanying two women - one young man is in serious condition as we write. Unexpected developments came in the collapse of a wooden balcony in inner-city Surry Hills, resulting in five blokes injured, one badly. An Alsatian police dog named Carts was knifed by an 18 year old in an altercation in Corrimal, a suburb north of the Wollongong CBD - he was named after an honoured NSW police officer who was also killed in a crime incident. Finally, if you have some spare change, organisers are asking for AUD 830 for a night on Fort Denison under the stars and fireworks on New Year's Eve in Sydney Harbour - the price includes a four course meal, valet parking, champagne and open air ambiance.

The VItal Link

Singapore Airlines is my personal favourite and one of those unique corporates which has worked magic in delivering both world class customer service and financial outcomes to its shareholders.

Last night, I had the opportunity to once again experience its service as a passenger, on both a short haul and longer haul flight sector. In all these past years, its ground crew at departure lounges had always impressed me as being top notch in ensuring an orderly entry of passengers to its aircraft, whether for full capacity of travelling passengers, to ensure compliance with requirements of foreign airports or under extreme customer handling pressure during festive and holiday periods. So it was interesting to observe the handling of two full flights on entry to the 915pm Penang to Singapore flight on 23 February and the 1230am Singapore to Sydney flight on 24 February.

Before the longer flight, the microphone facilities at Boarding Gate B5 in Changi Airport's impressive and recently opened Terminal 3 had broken down. The sole staff member attending to a full capacity passenger group (although this was not the Airbus A380 waiting for us) was obviously stressed out at having to shout out the necessary order - first class/business class/club members having priority, followed by specified seating rows. He was mumbling his dismay whilst walking around the waiting passengers - it was clear he needed a back-up microphone or at least another staff member to help him out manage the situation. At Penang International Airport, microphone facilities were working but four winding queue rows had formed, out of which the non-business or non-club member passengers again suffered some disorientation as to which passenger row was allowed to line up first.

Call it the weekend rush to Australia, but the overnight flight was so packed with customers that SIA cabin crew had to double up efforts to cater patiently to each passenger, whether for the expected drinks, meals served on board or for specific other off the cuff requests. Some past menu items are gone, like the Streets ice cream replaced by Ferroro Rocher chocolate balls, which may not be a bad thing. What has not disappeared, thankfully, is the dedication and care shown by on-board SIA cabin crew in dealing with individual passengers. This applies in the liberal dispensation of drinks, the ensuring of continuously clean washrooms, the offering of choices of served meals and the conduct of the duty free sales - in whatever class you choose to sit. More important is how each on-board staff member spoke to passengers. The quality of effective training and attitude of every cabin crew member showed through, whether with a strong tail wind pushing towards Sydney or through turbulent flight paths. These are all signs of the company's focus on the customer, instead of just on shareholder price, top management rewards and national pride. I do hope that SIA ensures that the vital link - operational staff motivation - is also thoroughly supported.

At Terminal 3 in Changi, one must visit the Ferrarri and FIFA clothing and accessory outlets - to me, they stand out in presentation and unusual choice of retail fare amongst a very competitive and varied selection of shopping offered at the literal mall in an airport. Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok International is a strong rival offered by Cathay Pacific, but I think Singapore Airlines can be serious about kaizen, the art of continuous improvement.