Roadtrip to Sydney (Part 8) : Souvenirs

I went all out and spend during this trip. Although from time to time I do keep track of how I am spending and what I am spending on, but when it comes down to it, I spent a lot. I know. I did a count. But all in all, it was a well-deserved retail therapy, and I was glad to have someone 'experienced' in the shopping department to help me out.

There is a nice little tea shop in Newtown called T2. The shop itself is lovely enough with the hugest variety of tea, each in an individual shelf that stands from floor to ceiling. They have those cupboards alike to those Chinese medicine stores. The teapots are arranged stack on top of one another and slant left and right. And the aroma in the shop is just fabulous. I just felt like I have died and gone to tea heaven.

Although the tea is quite costly in this shop, but I guess it is all worthwhile. There are just a few things in life you should splurge for yourself, and this is definitely one of them on my list. I have always wanted a kind of tea to drink before I go to bed, or to help me with my sleep. It is just not healthy drinking vodka almost night to go to sleep, you know. So, the salesperson introduced "Sleep tight" and "Relax". I took the former, the latter is a birthday gift for a friend who loves tea as much as I do.

So far, I have yet to see clear result that it helps me with my sleep. Sometimes it seems like it helps me sleep better, other times not really. But nonetheless, it smells wonderful while taking sips in between reading a book or watching a TV show before bedtime.

Holding true to my decision to buy a souvenir for myself in every state I visit in Australia, I decided to buy this. It is so cute, a paperweight shaped as a balled music score. I admit I spent a little too much for something like this, but well, it is pretty. Heh.

It is from the Museum of Art and the store is in the Queen Victoria Building. It comes in other designs too, such as a crumpled legal paper. Quite nice. But do be prepare for the price you are about to pay.

While going through custom on my flight back to Brisbane, I had a little problem because of it. The custom guy decided he would like to pry it open and see what is inside, and got all pissy when I said it is designed that way and you cannot pry it open. A lady nearby perked up and said, "Hey I saw that paperweight!" And when I told her the custom guy is going to pry it open, she got a little sad. But in the end, the guy merely ran it through the X-ray scan again, and hands it back to me. Without an apology. But a mere forced smile. That was the last time, probably not the first, that I decided that the people in Sydney are not very friendly.

I have been looking for a nice little pouch for my cell phone. When I saw what Ye Shan has for hers, I decided it is good enough. The pouch is from kikki.K and it is actually intended for an iPod instead.

kikki.K is yet another stationary store with the cutest things. I would buy the entire store if I could, but then again, I would not know what to do with the things I buy. University days are almost over and why would I need fancy files and notepads and the likes for.

It turns out there is an outlet in the heart of the Brisbane city, tucked in a secluded corner of a shopping mall out of sight.

A gift for Ee Ling. She likes flowery designs and the bag reminds me of her. I would have bought something for myself too, but there is nothing quite to my liking.

It is from the Original Shuk Koncepts and the designer has her own stall in a flea market. She has got quite good bag designs and I will give her credit for that. The cloth textures for the bags are quite flimsy, but smooth to the touch. I would not recommend heavy stuffs in the bag though. But. Beautiful choice of cloth designs and textures. Definitely a decent gift for a girl friend or girlfriend or girlfriends.

Other than these little knick knacks, I have also done some shopping for clothes. I would put pictures of them here, but I do not want to be anymore of a camera whore as someone would like to believe. They are just some new clothes for school, nothing fashionable about that.

Roadtrip to Sydney (Part 7) : Chow time

#5: Sydney Fish Market
Pyrmont, Sydney

The Sydney Fish Market is one of the must see landmarks when visiting Sydney. The last time I was there, the notion of a wet market still hung around with overwhelming smell of freshly caught fishes and the slippery floors with shaved fish scales. I remember staring at a very, very huge fish - probably the biggest fish I have seen in my life - lying on mounds of grounded ice looking back at me. After two years, the place has cleaned up and stalls were secluded into different corners of the market.

People still crowded the famous tourist spot. Locals living nearby would swing by during lunch hour for another seafood meal. Ching Chong tourists would flood the indoors and come out into the sunshine only to pick their teeth and talk about their wonderful oysters. Mostly locals would hang around outside under the shades, by the ocean, fighting the wind and the seagulls. It is always packed so it takes careful lookout and quick witted reaction to secure a seat once the current occupiers leave.

The dish as seen above was not really that mouthwatering. We also bought fresh bags of oysters and cooked prawns. I guess the fish market is the place to get fresh from the sea products. Have them cleaned and cooked before you buy them back for your own recipes. So there is definitely a certain standard of freshness for their products. Oh the prawns were the sweetest I have ever tasted. And that probably includes my days eating prawns in Malaysia as well.

 

#6: Some-Espresso-Cafe
Newtown, Sydney

It is one of those quaint cafe bars along the streets of Newtown in Sydney. We were not really picky because it is already around noon time and I have yet to have breakfast. It was one of those mornings when I was still craving for a good breakfast meal. Waffles are quite hard to come by in my days in Australia and imagine my excitement when I saw waffles on the menu.

Waffles with chocolate syrup and some berry sauce of sorts. A scoop of cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It looks like Heaven. It tasted like Heaven. It felt like Heaven.

This cafe too serve the conventional breakfast sets and club sandwiches. The usual you would get in any cafes in any part of the country. And I think the orange juice was freshly squeezed too.

Definitely a good way to start off your day.

 

#7: The Liow household
Hurstville, Sydney

After my friends left Sydney to proceed the remainder of their roadtrip to Melbourne, I stayed with Ye Shan and her sister, Ye Ching. And I must say, I was quite pampered and taken care of in the food department while staying with them. Of course they will not let me get away totally as a guest of their house. They still make me clean the dishes and go to church and wake up early enough to start the day. Heh. But. Nonetheless, they are still great company and they are probably part of the reason that my Sydney trip turned out to be the must needed vacation I have been waiting for all through my semester.

We bought a crab during our trip to the Sydney Fish Market and on one of the nights I was there, Ye Ching cooked up a delicious meal of sweet and sour crab. As well as some other side dishes, but really, the focus is solely on the crab for me.

I love sweet and sour crab. Heck, I love crab. Once in a while, my family and I would go out for a seafood meal nearby my house in Penang and all I could ever eat was the crab. Granted the texture of the crab meat that night was not what I am used to back in Penang, but the sweet and sour sauce made up for it. Definitely a finger licking good meal. And just like that, one of my cravings for a hometown delicacy was satisfied.

Another dish for the night was Singaporean Laksa. Or. In another words, Penang Hokkien Mee. Heh. Another favourite dish for me. With all of my favourite ingredients in it. Spicy enough too for the cold weather in Sydney. Yum.

One thing I have learned about the Liow sisters while staying with them, is that they will never ever run out of chocolate substance. Never. They have a whole pantry of chocolate. Unlimited supply of chocolate bars. Different brands. Different flavours. Tins and tins of hot chocolate powder and seeds. And this goes without saying that they have two chocolate fondue sets.

So after another bloating dinner courtesy of the Liow sisters, we cut up some kiwis, peeled some langsats, and bought some strawberries. And Ye Shan proceeded to melting lots and lots of chocolates and mixing them with a carton of creamy milk. Funny thing was, she was looking for a milk chocolate bar but all she could find was dark chocolate bars. And she went to rummage this basket of random stuff under their coffee table and found a milk chocolate Easter egg. All puns intended, eh?

It was a wonderful desert. Sweet and heavenly and bound to keep you on a sugar high for the rest of the night. Or have you flow into a nice contented sleep in the night. But then. We had another dose of chocolatey goodness the following day at Max Brenner and although the chocolates there were quite irresistible still, it does get too much at times.

Roadtrip to Sydney (Part 6) : Chow time

#1: Pancake Place Restaurant
Port Macquarie, NSW

We spent the whole night on the road, sleeping in uncomfortable postures and listening to music on the loop too many times. When the light hit, we drove around finding a good place to have breakfast.

Pancake Place is where we stopped at. The first thing that got me interested was its adorable setting. Little cartoon figurines and colourful things hanging off the ceiling. I cannot say that this is the best place serving the best breakfast, but it had been a long drive and we were all starving. They did not hire rock scientists to figure out the best ways to arrange the presentation of the meals, but they were some effort set to it I presume. Their food reminds me those you get off highway diners by the road. Not the most beautiful cuisine you can find, but yet good enough to keep you going for the rest of the day. It is not how it is presented, but how it tastes.

They have a variety of pancakes, some simple fruity muesli cereal, and those big breakfast sets with bacon, sausages, toast, pancakes, beans, mushrooms... all in one single meal or take your pick. Nothing gourmet, but well, they have all you need for a good ol' breakfast time, in a nice little breakfast place in a nice little town, next to the lake where you can go take a stroll after a hearty meal.

 

#2: Fresh Cafe
Blue Mountains, NSW

Another big breakfast. It was our first and only day spent up in Blue Mountains and in the midst of the cold, cold atmosphere in the early morning - well, early for me - I think another huge breakfast is appropriate. It is like going all the way up to Genting Highlands for some mediocre Bak Kut Teh that you can easily find on the normal grounds of Penang or Kuala Lumpur. What makes it all so special? Because it at the very right place of the world that makes the food suddenly tastes so much better.

The cup of latte was warm enough. The piece of salmon on my toast was salty enough with the right kind of texture on my tongue and went especially perfect with the hollandaise sauce and runny poached eggs. Makes the cigarette right after just nice in the highlands of Katoomba.

 

#3: Mama Chu's Restaurant
Chinatown, Sydney

I thought a nice Chinese meal should be in order after being away from home for so long. Since Sydney has got a better Chinatown than Brisbane and that Chinese beggars cannot really be choosers in a foreign country, why not.

My century egg porridge was humongous. I only managed to finish up half the bowl. But I made sure I ate all the century eggs in my porridge. The Yau Zak Guai was nice. It was not the best one I have ever eaten in my whole life, but well, it was something. After being away from home for so long, it is not the taste we are looking for anymore because we will never find it here, but it is just the notion of eating something familiar that keeps us satisfied. The Dao Huey was a sheer downer. Even the notion of having it could not be fulfilled. Poor Esther, who loved the dish to bits but was straight away disappointed. It just was not sweet enough.

 

#4: Seoul-Ria Restaurant
Sydney CBD

It is probably the most popular Korean BBQ restaurant in Sydney. When we arrived, there was a long queue waiting to be seated and it took us about an hour before we could get a table. The place was packed for the entire night. But the food was good. It was spicy enough and warm enough to keep us filled for the night. I am just not a big fan of Korean food, is all.

A review: Once

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahoy!

It was something I needed, after spending an entire weekend trying to fight against the currents of writer's block to come up with something good for my assignment. It had been quite disheartening, the weekend. A night out to watch a movie I have been waiting to see was quite a release. As Leng and I made our way towards the Regent Cinemas a few blocks away, I anticipated a few hours of relaxation to take my mind off what I have been trying to proceed properly at home. We went through the entrance, and striding out with a group of people, with his head shied away a little from public notice under his brown beanie, it was Glen Hansard.

The movie started off on a humorous note, and would continue so throughout the hours to keep the audience entertained. What with the Guy (by Glen Hansard) chasing a heroin addict across the streets for stealing his busking earnings, and him and the Girl (by Marketa Irglova) going for lunch as she tugged her little Hoover down the streets. It seems quite cheesy at times, sometimes predictable, but all in all, funny and cute.

It is said that Once is a musical film. That would explain the lengthy music "performances". But that has never crossed my mind. Normally, a musical would include sudden breakouts of dancing and singing. Ala Moulin Rouge or Chicago. What we see in this movie is as if a bunch of music videos strung into one badly cinematographed movie. At times, I do get bored when the songs decided to be played entirely. But seeing that it is a "musical", I guess that explains it. Yet the movie has a wonderful soundtrack. I like the songs. I just did not expect them to play it all in the movie. I would just stay at home and listen to the soundtrack on my iTunes again and again.

There is not a really interesting story plot for the movie. Just a simple one of the Guy's journey to fulfil his dreams. While getting there, he tries to mend a broken heart and knows a Girl who could probably just help him by taking him into her arms instead. You could say that the movie is sort of like a fictional documentary of Glen Hansard's life as a musician before he got famous. He did mention that it is partly real. It feels like a fictional documentary, what with the bad cinematography and all. But hey. It is an indie film and it was shot in 17 days in January with only $160,000 as the budget. The film is not really out to win Oscar awards or the likes. But. It has already won the World Cinema Audience Award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

The movie tries to dodge potential cliched moments and did it quite marvelously. Although the ending did not really have a closure, especially after finding out what Miluju tebe means in Czech. But I guess I would rather take that ending than have the Guy and Girl kiss in the end and live happily ever after. As Hansard has stated himself, "Had Fox Searchlight Pictures changed it, had they changed the end and made us kiss, I wouldn't be interested in coming and promoting it, at all."

I will not say it is the best damn movie I have ever seen. Mind you, I have a tiny problem with musicians going into showbiz hoping to break free from their common ground but plays a part as a musician (Britney Spears in Crossroads and Ashlee Simpson in Undiscovered). But well. This is quite alright. At least Hansard is not pretending that he is trying to "break new grounds" for his acting career.

Before the movie began, a BIFF staff announced that Glen Hansard was in the next room and would come over after the movie for a little Q&A session, and hopefully sing some songs as well. Only then, was I certain that I did indeed bumped into him at the entrance. After the movie, Hansard took the stage and conducted a mini Q&A session about the movie. After that, he performed Say It to Me Now and Falling Slowly from the soundtrack, as well as a song he co-wrote with a friend in the middle of the night in a park drunk.

He hung around after that outside the theatre for an impromptu meet and greet. I managed to get his autograph and took a picture with him. I would have liked to comment on how brilliant his songs were, but I was never one good with words. Besides, I am not exactly his biggest fan nor am I familiar with his songs prior to Once. Honestly, I would choose Damien Rice over him any time of the day. Heh.

All in all, it was a good experience with such an unexpected encounter. Hitting two birds with one stone. Definitely something worthwhile. It is just weird that when I tell people I bumped into Glen Hansard they would have no idea who the heck I am talking about.

Credits: BIFF. IMDB.com. Wikipedia.

Roadtrip to Sydney (Part 5)

"I'm writing you to catch you up in places I've been." - John Mayer

Note: I added some more pics in Part 4.