The Art Of Transiting

This month, a few good mates made the decisive move in jobs, notching up another step in their career, and once that was decided and done, that act infused and determined lifestyles, environments and people in their wake. Whether they moved from region to city, region to region, or one primary skill to another, each one of these mates shall have a different choice of breakfast, commuting style, working culture, networking and social opportunities, choice of the Friday pub, money at hand and subtle but sure influences downstream.

We are often told that one of the certain things in life is change. Things may transform, people come and go, or business, weather and economy undergo dynamic changes in cyclic patterns. What is reassuring personally are more reliable and constant principles that underpin the movements in time, age and experience.

Hot things shall cool down and vice-versa.
Reflect on Nature, weather patterns and the share market. What is significant is how we respond and react, or do nothing, to each of such events. Most of them are beyond our personal control. It is also what we make of it, preferably in a positive way.

There is depravity behind a rude stare.
Appearances can create perceptions, perceptions can mean reality. The literal "rude stare" from specific individuals can be a mask, to uncover shortcomings, misunderstandings and diversions. They can be a cry for help, or maybe not. My approach is not to embrace rude stares or behaviour, and allow such things to just remain with the rude person. Reaffirm your own ethics, strengths and principles in the face of such behaviour from others.

It’s a supply chain - people who make use of you will one day be used by others.
It is simply the nature of karma or what Justin Timberlake snappily puts it in the lyrics of one of his tracks - what goes around comes around. Maybe it can all be due to one significant variable - timing.

Always have a back up plan.
Life can be a smorgasbord - the essential freedom is to have more choices and to liberate your self from the realities of that supply chain. It's all very handy to know you are continually building up options, have access to reserves (not just money) and do enjoy a variety of things to do.

Donate something of yourself.
It need not be big, just regular and sincere - but make sure you enjoy giving that. It need not be material. Go plant a seed for some one's future, some cause and some community. Plant many seeds, and when you get going, never look back.

Position yourself at the right time in whatever you do.
Time is what we use and can never have back. Timing is what we anticipate and wisely identify, and can springboard to a good return - not just physically, but in terms of the heart, soul and smile.

Reaffirm the true things that matter.
Like comfort and soul food, each of us have reliable mainstays and pillars in life, that nourish, nurture, enrich and protect our hearts. The true things that count propels us to look forward each morning, test our decisions made throughout and cushion our joy and satisfaction each evening. It is the source of our inner glow, makes us forget the sweat and sweetens the proverbial deal. They can include progressing gradually to realise an ambition, or just as simple as doing the daily cooking and gardening. It can be just putting the trust and loyalty behind a true mate near or far.

Ignore the self-obsessed parade.
We do come across individuals who may look grunt and are convinced that the world revolves for them only. Call them competitive, controlling or clinging. Such people engage us only to serve their selfish agendas. No one is born like that, and their previous moderate selves have been changed by delusional processes of greed, ego and excess. I minimise my encounters with or avoid them like the proverbial plague.

It will not matter beyond tomorrow.

Our emotional and thought system can be instinctively geared to want to query, articulate, analyse, react and resolve matters as soon as we can. This is so required, when as gatherers and hunters, in the early history of mankind, we were literally facing the lion up front and the lack of food beyond tomorrow. In today's sophisticated and high-tech society and interactive systems, in terms of human relations, it is useful to selectively utilise the wisdom of the sages. I stand back and consciously ask myself, will this be still important in a month's or a year's time?

Let time prove otherwise.

When asked unreasonable questions, smile and say nothing. Individuals may ask such matters out of jest, aggression or with sincerity. True friends will understand our silence or provide us the comfort of replying, but we owe no answer to people who do not care for us. The proof of anything is in patience and integrity.

A Reunion At Carlingford

A classic serving of the nasi lemak, moving clockwise, first with tamarind flavoured prawns (top foreground); kari kapitan served with deboned chicken; sweet and crunchy Lebanese cucumber slices; crackling roast pork; and half a hard boiled egg.

Stir fried glass noodles (tung hoon) provided in a hot pot with broccoli, mushrooms and more ( image below) and an ever popular snack plate of crunchy and stimulating roast pork bites (image above).

Nasi lemak, a favourite traditional breakfast item in south-east Asia, is steamed with the light filtered milk of fresh coconuts and flavoured with the fragrances of pandanus leaves. Above image, a bowled serving of the aromatic rice,served on banana leaf patch, stands ready to be savoured with a dash of chili hot curry, crunchy anchovy bites, pickled vegetables (acar), roast chicken and /or roasted peanuts.

All images on this entry were taken from the kitchen of Susan and Boo Ann Yap, Sydney.

Asian Food On The Run Too

Crunchy and addictive yeow char kwai, or deep fried flour sticks, (above) are often eaten on their own as a snack or cut into bit sized cubes for soaking with porridge during breakfasts or late night suppers. Below, roast duck slices, with skins on, are a favourite with steamed rice for a quick meal.

In Vietnamese or Cambodian cuisine, dry rice noodles are an ubiquitous ingredient to mix with roasted peanuts, grilled meats and a choice of fresh aromatic herbs in a bowl. The significant choice of this dish is in the blending of tastes and textures on the palate. (below)

I never had a drink based on the unique flavours of the soursop fruit (above) but a welcome

plate of stir-fried rice noodles with your choice of sliced meats, bean sprouts and chives (below) is always reliable. I particularly love the Penang version called char koay teow.

Diggies, North Wollongong NSW

Diggies offers come-as-you-are entry. It is sited literally beside North Wollongong Beach and across the road from the nearby Novotel. You can feel the ocean breezes, the salt in the air and see the texture of grainy sand not far from your table. The menu changes according to winter and summer preferences. The cafe offers a fusion of styles -modern and traditional, Australian and Mediterranean, vegetarian and meat - but with a sense of creativity, passion and presentation. I love the drink concoctions -from Kissed to Little Tanaka - but what I enjoy most is the relaxed holiday ambiance -and looking out at those container ships queueing up to enter Port Kembla Harbour. Above image, grilled trout with a hard boiled organic egg.

As you would expect, fish and chips are a must (above, with the juice of the day, orange with mint and strawberry). Below, illustrations of a range of smoothies, frappies and other thirst quenching offers. You can choose to be seated on the out deck, inside a mirrored section or just be on canteen styled bar tops. There is also a selection of cakes and pastries, beers and wines, or mineral water.

My breakfast choice (below) of croquet with salmon, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

After a meal, you can run,cycle or walk down the user-friendly footpaths that lead one way to the Belmore Basin and Wollongong Harbour Lighthouse, or the other way to Stuart Park beaches, barbecue facilities and picnic grounds.

Diggies is at No 1, Cliff Road, North Wollongong, NSW.

Newport Arms Hotel, NSW

Placid waters (above) from an off shoot of the meandering Hawkesbury River provide a pleasant backdrop to the Newport Arms Hotel. My first visit there was on a Sunday afternoon, with many families, twenty somethings and more gathered for a lazy but gregarious chill out. They were all spread out in various break out seating arrangements. The Hotel has been serving this community in Sydney's northern beaches at Kalinya Street since 1880 and borders the marina at Church Point, Scotland Island and Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park. It is an icon of Pittwater living.

There is a sizable beer garden (apparently Australia's biggest) which adjoins bistro dining. I had fettuccine prawns, garnished by juicy cherry tomatoes (image below) and one can easily access the standard serve of chips or wedges. For more discerning occasions and tastes, there is the Pittwater on Terrace Restaurant. This venue is perhaps best to check out on a Saturday night. Then one can check in one of its limited number of rooms with en suites. It can be a base for exploring nearby sights like Whale Beach, Avalon Village and Palm Beach.