Easy Sydney Sunday - 20 December 2009

Start with brunch at Spice I Am, a modest Thai cafe providing food with a kick at the corner of Wentworth Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Sydney CBD.

Here is a lime flavoured twist with grounded peanuts over the Hong Kong egg noodles served with char siew pork cuts and garnished with fresh herbs.  It may be best complimented by a cool iced longan-flavoured drink.

Chill out and hot up at Swiss Bakerz in Darlinghurst - brioche and latte, with posters of Swiss inspiration and a friendly face at the front.

Eel (unagi) dinner serving at On Ramen in Sydney's Chinatown, a narrowly spaced ramen bar with but with flexible combinations in meal choices

Slurping hot Japanese noodles to wind up or start the last Sunday evening before Christmas.

Home On The Range: Prawn Soup Noodles in Balgownie

Allow tender pork neck cuts to rest before slicing them into thins or bite-sized pieces.

The prawn stock and chilli paste simmer with the pork bites.

Boiled thin rice vermicelli with garnishings like hard boiled eggs. According to preference and taste, crunchy stuff like fishcake slices and light fresh vegetables like bean sprouts can also be added.

The finished product, bon apettit

Return to Wollongong

The Beach House Restaurant is located at a scenic corner of North Beach in Wollongong.  Its first storey venue offers panaromic views of the surf and the ever present container ships on the far horizon of the Tasman Sea. The service that we had was efficient friendly, despite it being the last Thursday before Christmas Eve.  As we sat down, our attention were captivated by the sight of the green and tall Norfolk pines trees that line up on the beach only across the road. I thought of both Cronulla and Manly Beaches not too far up north.

For entrees, we both had pig cheeks with scallops.  Pig cheeks, you may wonder.  They turned out to be more tender and well done when served.  I could not help thinking of fish cheeks, a delicacy treasured in Chinese cuisine and proffered to the most honoured guest at a dining table. A good start to lunch, especially with the consistent stunning views of white caps of the ocean surf forming dramatically and increasing under emerging ocean winds.  Summer!

For the mains, I had the paella - Spanish-styled rice with seafood, but not as hard as those cooked in the Spanish quarter along Liverpool Street in Sydney CBD. What I was served, delightfully this time, was more rissotto like and definitely more to my preference. The mussel shells were carefully stuck out of the rice llike on the beach. The colour of the rice was off-white instead of the expected yellow, but the blend of flavours melted in my mouth and I forgot about the importance of colour.

Another  main dish that cuaght my eye was grilled barramundi, interestingly served with hard boiled eggs, opened in halves.

The lunch conversation was great - it struck me of how important family is, what sacrifices had been made by the parents and of how there was a gleam in the eye when grown up children were talked about. The years pass by quick, for now I can appreciate better the effect children can still have on the parents in a close knit family, even if they have already left home. It can be so meaningful when a father verbally appreciates the positive impact of a daughter-in-law on a son and of how a daughter has achieved a successful career in Canberra.

This enjoyable meal culminated for me with a dessert of panna cotta with water melon infused gelato.  We thoroughly enjoyed the accompanying wine from New Zealand, a white called the Heart of Stone.  The experience at the Beach House had been unique - like the speical yam soup cooked by Aunty Girly the following night.  This dish is rarely made these modern days and to have it home cooked made it even more tasty!

The Harbour Front Restaurant at Wollongong Harbour specialises in seafood.  The four of us naturally gyrated to fish in our meal choices, whether they be battered fish and chips or grilled salmon with spiced prawns on the side.The glass panes surrounding the ground floor venue did mitigate my doubts about being not able to be seated upstairs.  The marina-like ambience put us on eye level with yachts and fishing boats, the water was not too choppy and we couild even see the hill escarpment behind the Wollongong area. Despite another busy day in the restaurant, service was provided with a smile.   The two of us having entree chose the scallops with proscuitto, after our initial prefrence had run out and were not available, even for a noon start.  The light rain outside did not dampen our spirits and chatter - and maybe the Premium Hahn Dry helped.

Forever Summer

Shellharbour Beach Dec 12, 2009

Motif on the walkway

Charlotte slice, Green Poppy Cafe, Addison Road, Shellharbour

Sitting on the edge of the bay, watching the tide come in

What Really Matters

It is not how much you bring home in pay or reward, but how you spend it to not just take care of yourself, but how you utilise it to make a difference for the individuals for whom you care about.

We cross paths with various scenarios, attitudes and vibes. How we choose to respond and react to them reflects our strengths, insecurities and inner soul. In the end it does not matter the swipes of discomfort, hurtful words some blurt out without much thought or the temporary joys of insincere praise, for what is of value shall grow within our hearts and nurture our being without such distractions.

Material things provide the illusion of possession and temporal soothing.  We come to our individual existence without such acquisitions, but as we live out life's journey, we partake, accumulate and dispense more important things than the latest electronic gadget or an abode bigger than what we need. Real wealth goes beyond the material and is truly shown in what we do when facing challenges, how we share when we experience joy and what we actually do when we have the choice to ignore, be involved or be  a neutral observer or listener.

I love the reality of things being not permanent. How wise this teaching brought to me, so that when I suffer negative episodes, I know it will not last and look forward to better dimensions. Wheh things are really thrilling and satisfying, I am humbled to know that I better truly enjoy this positive sensation to the utmost.  As I understand that things will change, it dawns on me to not take anything for granted, whether it is pain or the lightest, happiest feeling in the world.  This helps me to better manage letting go, whether it is the clutter in the house or past friendships that have gone past its shelf life.

The seasons are the best signs to remind us to be one with the natural cycles of life, growth and renewal. This can be experienced not just physically but also mentally and within our inner soul. The universe can be paradoxical, but maybe it just wants to give us variety and change to feed our lives.

Diversions and expectations are fun tests to our heart and mind. Changing our way of thinking can be as refreshing as changing our directional steps when walking in a garden that we have not visited before.  We can never know what to expect and there is the thrill of absorbing new things and adding to our understanding and continuing learning.

Meeting new people and visiting hitherto unknown places involves risks, but also offers new vistas and different ways of thinking. Falling back on the ritual of tradition, whether of family, culture or region, provides a safe haven in times of changing weather, fortune and experience.