Encouraging Your Child - the Signposts

It is helpful during childhood, when parents do send consistent and backed up signals, measures and actions to their children that there are penalties for breaking rules which have been already and clearly articulated upfront.   It allows the child to demarcate parameters within which are acceptable and encouraged behaviours - and beyond which are no-nos with reasons and consequences.

Concurrent with rules, allowing your child to grow meaningfully is also to give them choices - and for them to realise that there is personal responsibility behind such freedoms.   Freedom when put into a context becomes more valued.

The world out there can be changed for the better - and parents demonstrate this to their children, not just talk about it.   Just the act of visualising various future scenarios can plant the seed in a child's imagination, passion and motivation.

Nurture your children to have a strong sense, reason and capability to not disappoint their parents.   There can be a healthy pressure that optimises a balanced level of effort and ingenuity initiated by a child.

Parents, who do not depend wholly on teachers and outsiders to help their children grow - in all aspects, in the heart, in supporting ethics, in embracing diversity, in shaping attitudes and in intellect - take effort to spend time and activity with their children.

Parents cannot set a child's personal aims, but can provide an enabling home culture of encouraging a mindset that things can be achieved.   Parents, who are seen working out issues, who overcome the consequences of mistakes made, who persist despite every day odds and who place priority on what is long lasting, can make many positive impacts on children, who will remember such behaviour and instinctively add these features to their own lives.


I reckon that you do not have to be a recent immigrant, a super intelligent person or have a burden of having experienced something severe, to motivate your child.    They look upon you, directly or indirectly, instinctively or guided, to help themselves form their own personality, strength of character and unique tools to successfully determine their world. 

Allow your children to best shape their own destiny.   In doing so, surround them with tools, not just mechanical and financial ones, but those that are also emotive, soul building and more reliable.

Madang Korean BBQ Restaurant Sydney NSW

I have had potato noodles, pancakes, marinated meats grilling in front of me and delightful dessert concoctions in the various Korean restaurants and cafes across greater Sydney.   Oh yes, I have blocked out the karaoke sessions, bar drinks and yet others more from years gone by.

And yet I have not been to the Madang along Sydney's Pitt Street.....what some others refer to as Koreatown!   Madang here has nothing to do with Papua New Guinea, as diggers from the Korea front know, but is a Korean term for an inner courtyard in a traditional Korean house set up, and which welcomes gatherings and meet-ups.

By hook or crook, no matter how quick a drop by, my mind was set to at least to grab a dish for a quick lunch on a working day.  Alas, the lunch menu was more limited when placed against my expectations, but never mind, let's go for it, all of us!   What would be a dish to test the place, what would be subtle yet providing taste - yet I went against all my initial principles when I saw the spicy seafood soup listed.

I was clear in my mind that it would not be a south-east Asian laksa, nor a French Bouillabaisse, and definitely not a clam chowder.   What was it?  The photo on the menu showed a rather empty bowl of orange looking soup - where were the sea creatures? 

There they were, mostly submerged behind a rather spicy hot dish, mainly several mussels on their shells, with some squid swimming nearby.  The noodles look hand made, but there was just too much water hanging around.

The saving grace was my face entree samplings of pickles, small eats and testers meant to warm up the palate. 

Madang has a reputation for late night availability, so that is my next strategy.  Yet others warn me about the queues that occur, a small price to pay for a city centre that gets more lively in the wee hours and which to has to still catch up with other world cities as to the vibrancy of night life.

Madang visited is located at 371A Pitt Street, Sydney NSW.
No reservations accepted.
Opening hours are from 1130am to 2am every day.
Contact +612 9264 7010





 

Black Star Pastry Kinokinuya Bookshop Galleries Victoria Sydney NSW

The new kid on the block has arrived, oh well, for a few weeks by now.

Apparently thousands of slices of the iconic watermelon and strawberry cake slices are shelled out every day across Sydney.   Now comes the new baby, with luscious and plump lychee yum yums resting on top of a multi-layered concoction, accompanied by the stronger flavours of raspberries.    Both fruits, one tropical and the other temperate, seem to symbolise Australia, where Asian meets up with Caucasian, all in a sea of ethnic diversity. 

Lychee has  a more subtle juiciness, but has its unique taste, by which the risks of it being over come by stronger and more acidic bites can occur.   This does not happen here, although raspberries are sweeter, but they do have more character.  So the choice of both toppings ends in a win win situation.   They look pretty as well, the neutral look of lychee being set off by the flamboyant raspberries.

I do find the layers of this creation interesting, with different sensations from the soft and hard options built for you.   Biting into the choc zone, I did think of dryness and had a flashing thought of the rather flexible bite from the watermelon-strawberry slice.   When I composed myself, I concluded that it is good to have a different make up, to provide contrast in texture.

The new kid costs more per slice and it will be interesting to watch the unavoidable comparison between the two royal siblings.






The Black Star Pastry visited is located at the Kinokinuya Book Store, George Street, Sydney NSW.   This is at level 3 of Galleries Victoria, accessible from Town Hall Station.

Opening hours are from  10am to 630pm every day, except for Thursdays and Sundays.  On Thursdays the opening hours are from 10am to 9pm.  On Sundays the cafe is open from 11am to 6pm.
Contact +61 2 9557 8656

Stellarossa Edward Street Brisbane

I was searching for takeaway coffee and croissants.   We looked at the glass shelf display and could find more sweet stuff.

The young female staff offered to check with the kitchen if fresh croissants could be made.   I thought this was a nice gesture.  It reminded me of another person in Brisbane a few days earlier who thoughtfully suggested I could take the complimentary bus coach from the Domestic Terminal to the International one.  I had aimed to jump on to the Air train, but she said to me. "You would save five dollars."

And I did not have to wait for this bus coach either, it came in as if on cue, as I approached the related stop area.

The Stellarossa cafe here at Santos House has an open preparation counter, with a very focused guy concentrating on his stuff.   I collected my ham and cheese croissants fresh and direct from him, a refreshing encounter as opposed to other cafes where we do not know how our orders have been made.  

Coffee here utilises Arabica and its five and six star blends are popular.  We did not have time to savour the food, with an extensive menu.

That morning, there was a movie location shooting at the corner of Mary and Albert Streets, no that far away -  but we enjoyed walking along Edward Street this particular day....



The Stella Rossa cafe visited is located at 60 Edward Street, Brisbane, Queensland. 
It is run by Adriana and Daniel Jasiecki.

Stellarossa has franchising opportunities and has several outlets in the Brisbane area and other parts of Queensland.already 

Opening hours are from 6am to 4pm every week day - this cafe is closed on weekends.
Contact +61 7 3211 2250 or +61418 763 389 or +61439 215 541

 

Doppio's Espresso Sydney NSW

I have often walked past the Doppio cafe, always bustling in the rush hours, but never stepped in.   I had taken note its catch cry - "the local taste of Europe".    Doppio has been around sixteen years in Sydney CBD.

So on a nippy winter's late morning, after having completed my business applying for a travel visa,  I did need a pick me up and so did not hesitate to try the coffee blend.   There are teas available as well.

The female wait staff was helpful and smiling on approach.   Several people were patiently waiting for their orders, which were being made by the barista carefully even with all this potential pressure. 

There is something of a continental after taste in my coffee, different from the Aussie blends.  I still find this wholesome, flavourful and comfortable.  The cold weather outside does help to make me appreciate my cuppa more.  I have to remind myself that the Doppio coffee is locally roasted. 

I did not have time for food on this occasion.  


Doppio's Espresso visited is located at 284 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW.

Opening hours are from 530am to 5pm every week day and from 7am to noon on Saturdays. 
Contact +61 2 9286 3367


My impressions of Doppio's Espresso, Sydney NSW:

Good coffee, a buzz about the place.  Seems to draw in regulars, office workers and visitors to the Big Smoke.   You can order online.   Located at not exactly the business heart of town.