Corporate look

I’m usually a pretty detailed packer so I don’t miss anything out when I travel. Especially long periods of travel.  And to my horror this time, I brought a jacket with no matching pants, two jackets with wrong pants and… a brown checkered suit.  D’oh!  Okay, it doesn’t sound as bad, but… is this interview appropriate? I’d rather stick to a classic black suit but that’s moot now, unless I head out and grab a A$300 suit  

I miss G2000 and Clubmarc.

Brown suit?

Woof woof!

Given the environment and lifestyle in Sydney, we’re seriously thinking about getting a doggy

Chat Thai Restaurant

Since I’m not working, these days I try to cook at home often since it’s so much cheaper than eating out.  Occasionally we do, but it’s a better option to takeaway because that docks off a dollar or two per dish. Weird huh? No wonder there’s always a much longer takeaway-line than waiting-to-dine-line.

So anyway, we heard Thai is pretty good here and I went to “Thainatown” (haha, a mix of Thais and Chinese area!) to “da-bao” (translation=takeaway). 

Chat Thai menu

I had the impression that it was just a casual dining place when I read the guidebooks and then I saw this:

So chi-chi!

It was a fifteen-minute wait for the food, fairly quick considering the long line that was there.  And the restaurant was really nice too, offering warm tea for those in line waiting in the cold. I missed out on a cup though – they were swooped up so quickly!!

Chicken and cashew nuts @ $10

Gai Pad Met Mamuang – Chicken tossed with roasted cashew nuts seasoned with chilli jam and shallots.

Green curry @ $10

Gaeng Keaw Gai – Chicken curry made with a spicy green paste of galangal, kaffir limes, lemongrass, garlic and long green chillies. The chicken and aromatic paste is cooked in coconut milk with apple eggplants and bamboo shoots then finished with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and basil.

Overall the food here was pretty good, very very tasty but I’m not sure if MSG and lots of salt and sauces had anything to do with it.  The spiciness and sourness of Thai cuisine was all there, the staff were all Thais and the menu was in Thai with English translation.  Can’t be wrong lah

Entrance

Chat Thai Restaurant 

Address: 20 Campbell Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000

Ph: 9211 1808

Website: www.chatthai.com.au

Prata!

Home-made prata!!  Because it goes for $5 a piece here in the restaurants O_o!!

Tastes just as good! Well, almost.

Oops! I did it again…

Fabulous heels! Whee!

HE almost got me to buy TWO pairs – same design in different shades!

Madness in the city

Starting from the 15th of July, the World Youth Day descended upon Sydney, along with the Pope, for a week-long celebrations!

Lots of roads in the city were either blocked or diverted (it’s like the equivalent of blocking off Orchard Road).  There were unusually large numbers of colorful and joyous people on the streets singing and dancing, and newspapers/television coverage of the event was pretty much 24/7! It was all very exciting!

Road diversion @ The Rocks

Road closures on George Street

I was pretty nosey and excited about the whole event, even though I’m not a Catholic.  But the event received mixed reactions from Sydneysiders, for the crazy amount of taxpayer $$ and logistical nightmare that came along with it. Well, it was great fun for someone like me since I wasn’t working and could enjoy the streets without honking cars. But I suppose for people heading to work, being told to “stay away from the city, change your work routine or simply go on a holiday with your family” wasn’t something very nice to be told by the city council. If Sydney had decided to bid for the event, it should have been prepared to cater to both its guests and residents, and not welcome the guests with open arms at the expense of its residents. 

To top it off, new ‘laws’ were introduced for the week, giving the authorities the power to order anyone to stop behavior that “causes annoyance or inconvenience” to the 250,000 pilgrims expected in Sydney, and anyone who doesn’t comply could face a fine of A$5,300.  Well, the law got struck down after much hullaboo and protests, but it really got people riled up that it was suggested in the first place. So guess what was the first things protestors did?  They went onto the streets to distribute condoms to pilgrims.

Oh well.

Anyway!  The kay-poh Singaporean in me decided to check out what the whole event is all about!  Walking along George Street on the first day, I was greeted with sights like these the whole way!

Walking down George Street

And before I knew it, I got swept into the main Opening Mass area!!

Oops...swept up by the crowd into the tunnel

I was getting a little freaked out by this time because I was really just being pushed along by the throngs of crowd. I had NO idea what was ahead because I didn’t officially register and so I didn’t get the backpack with all the necessary information. AND, all these people came with parishes and dioceses of their home country and were in a GROUP. Yours truly, was ALONE.

Hellppp!! I'm trapped!!

So after trudging for ONE HOUR in this mayhem, look what I saw!

Singapore flag!! Woohoo!

So I ran up to these guys and went, “hey! can I join you guys! I’m a Singaporean!”  So that’s me and my awesome introduction, which was met with a slightly bizarre look on their face.  Which I can TOTALLY understand why of course. But hey, fellow Singaporeans in a foreign land, after my bizarre introduction they said I could just tag along and stick to them.  I found out that the Singapore congregation was about 370-strong, and this particular parish that I joined had sent 7. Another 2, Daniel and Joyce, who got separated from the parish joined later. 

The Hungry Mile

Lo and behold, the Opening Mass area.  And this was probably just 1/20th of the area!!  So far from the altar!   I learnt that Daniel and Joyce actually works for the Catholic newspaper in Singapore, and they have been sent to WYD08 to cover the event.  So awkward moment came up when Daniel asked which parish I was from. “Uhm, I’m not a Catholic.” Oops.

Anyway, after awhile I lost them in the sea of crowds. To the Singaporeans that I met, hope I didn’t scare you guys with my abruptness, and I hope you guys had a great time in Sydney!

And so, after much meandering, I got THIS close!

Wide open view!

As the sun begin to set slowly, it was really quite an awesome sight to behold. 

Beautiful sunset

I left before the Opening Mass began.  Even though there was a crowd of tens of thousands, it can make you feel lonelier than standing by yourself in an open space.  Haven’t you felt that way before?

Plus, I’ve been standing squashed for three hours and my feet were killing me.

Hogwarts Express it ain’t…

So we took the train for the first time and transport is sooooooo expensive here!  On average we spend $5/pax on return tickets to just a few stations away!  And this is during “off-peak” periods, i.e. the weekend. 

Map of the very expensive Cityrail network

 Aside from the price, the wait at train stations are mind-numbingly looong.  On average, it’s like a 12-minutes wait. At reaally ghetto stations:

Looking a lil' like London, and not in a good way

The interiors of the train is fine, but not very space-efficient.  No wonder they had to charge such high prices:

Pretty cushy

And sometimes, the trains don’t stop at designated stops!! You have to keep your ears open for announcements on which stations that particular train is going to stop at!

Are we lost?

So Singaporeans, take heart.  Even though there’s much to complain about the local transport system (I know I have), it’s tonnes better than a lot of other countries.  The upcoming price hike is not the best idea given how services have not improved, but it could be worse.

Hillsong Church

Not knowing anyone here or which church to attend, we decided to go to the one we knew of here:

Hillsong Church

They have two locations, one near the city (Waterloo) and the other in the outskirts (Baulkham Hills).  The church offers a free shuttle service to the one closer to the city from Central Station. If you are coming from George Street city direction, continue walking towards Medina Hotel and through the long underground tunnel, turn right and wait at the bus-stop on Chalmers Street. There’s usually a signage saying “Hillsong Courtesy Bus”. Last bus leaves 15 minutes before service. So for the 11am service, be there by 10.45am! Otherwise, it’s about a $6 cab-ride. There’s also a courtesy bus back to Central Station at the end of the service, so no worries of how to get back.

By the time we got to the pick-up point, a long line had already formed and we noticed quite a number of Singaporeans! Including a bunch who seemed like freshies at Uni here (the giveaway was the accent and tightly bunched ‘Map of Sydney’ in their hands)

Packed bus!

After a very short 10-minutes bus-ride, we’re here!

Packed entrance!

Initally we were pretty apprehensive about how big the church was, whether we would be so overwhelmed and lost, but Hillsong has many services each week which has really helped to keep services smaller.

After meandering through the crowd (an earlier service had just ended and worshippers for the next service were arriving!) we finally got to the hall:

Worship hall

Now this was BEFORE the service started, so everyone was still hanging out outside.  A few minutes before the service actually started, the place became PACKED with a lot of extra chairs pulled out magically.

The worship was wonderful and there was a guest speaker from the Hillsong Conference 2008 that just finished earlier in the week.  Mike Pilavachi is from the UK, and he is very devoted to Youth Ministries.  He’s a very charming and funny man! It helped that he was hilarious, but more than that, he was sincere and sobering.  I just have to repeat, he was really, REALLY funny!!   

Some stuff that I took away:

• Worship is not for you, it’s for Him (1 Samuel 2:17 “This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.”)
• Sure, He’s listening to you, but sometimes, it’s your turn to keep quiet and listen to what he has to say (1 Samuel 3:10 “Speak, for your servant is listening.”)
• Sometimes it’s not our time and place, but our time and place to raise others (1 Samuel 9)

Funny story that he told with reference to Luke 9:28-35.  So the story goes that Jesus took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and Moses and Elijah standing with him. Imagine! Peter had just seen Jesus in his glory!  And guess what he said next?  “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  HELLO?! Jesus in his glory and all you can think about is putting up three shelters?!  Mike pointed out that Luke probably found it difficult to write all this down ( “Holy Spirit, are you sure? Erm, it might not look very good for Peter, you know…”)  And Luke probably couldn’t resist it so he added the following line, in paranthesis too :

(He did not know what he was saying.)

So God was probably thinking the same thing, because WHILE Peter was speaking, ”a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.”  And in reiteration of my first learning point, a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

So people, LISTEN TO HIM.

Alright, sermon’s over

Website: http://www2.hillsong.com/default.asp
Service details: http://www2.hillsong.com/church/default.asp?pid=69
Directions: http://www2.hillsong.com/church/default.asp?pid=77

Bite Me Burger

Haha how can you not love a restaurant with a name like that?!

Bite Me, Wipe Me, Use Me...

After taking our first bus ride (took a loooong time to figure that out), we arrived a stop earlier and had to walk a distance before reaching the restaurant.  This is a really small outlet and if not for the red neon light at the entrance, we might have missed it.  Instead of tables, it was just one looong bench that sat about 15-20 people, max !

Trolleys of fries and onion rings!!

 The restaurant is just so fun!!  We ordered a couple of starters – fries @ $3 and onion rings with honey mustard sauce @ $4.50 — and they came in these cutsy trolleys!!  Was absolutely tickled silly.  And in case anyone is wondering, yeah, there were the baby seats too!  The fries were just normal;  I would recommend anyone to go straight for the onion rings.

That's a bottle of ketchup he's holding!

I had no idea what came over Thad, but instead of ordering a classic beef burger, he decided to order a lamb burger instead O_o ?!  The Lambtastic @ $14, was flavoured with mint, cumin and olives, rocket, cucumber, grilled red capcicum, grilled haloumei cheese and Greek yoghurt on a Turkish roll.  Needless to say, it was not what he was looking for    Too little sauce, and too much veggies.  

Great Australian Bite @ $10

 I, on the other hand, had the classic Great Australian Bite @ $10.  And oh boy, it was gooood.  Juicy and succulent, it came with all the right in-betweens.  Sauteed onions, tomato, iceberg lettuce, beetroot and Bite Me BBQ sauce.  I don’t usually see beetroot in burgers, but they seem quite common in Oz, and may I say it’s a great addition!

Yummy vanilla milkshake @ $5

Pat and Stick's Vanilla Lace Ice Cream!!! @ $5

Last but not least, DESSERT!!  And they have Pat and Stick’s!!  It’s a gourmet homemade brand of ice-cream that is just impossible to find in the city.  And Bite Me Burger carries them!! At $5 a pop, they are not cheap but what a treat!  Classic vanilla bean ice cream with a crunchy oat and almond lace cookie, it was heavenly.

With all the sides and desserts, the bill wasn’t cheap.  But I guess it’s a fun place to go to for a night out

We heard from the very friendly server (whom I mistook for the boss cos he was just so charming!) that they are looking to expand into Singapore! Keep your fingers crossed!

Bite Me Burger

Address: 340 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021

Ph: (02) 9331 1916

They also have another branch at Bondi Beach, 108 Campbell Parade which is much bigger.

Pasteur Vietnamese Restaurant

Ah, what better way to keep warm in winter than a hot savoury bowl of Pho Bac Diet?!?!

Touted as the best Pho in Sydney, we just HAD to give it a try!

The restaurant looks pretty dodgy and grimey.  But hey, that’s part of what makes the place charming.  We went further into the restaurant which was closer to the kitchen, but also to their trashbin :/  Anyway, naturally we ordered their signature special pho, and in no time two piping hot bowls were brought to our table.

Slurping on a bowl of goodness

You can’t really have bad pho. With the right amount of broth, tender meat and slippery flat noodles, you’ve got a decent bowl of pho.  But what really makes a place standout from the rest is the broth.  You’ve got salty, MSG-laden broth, then you’ve got homemade goodness broth.  Now Pasteur definitely falls into the latter.  We had pho at Pho LV the other night and it was waaay too sweet and salty.  But with Pasteur, it was, to borrow the enigmatic Japanese term, umami.  Throw in a squeeze of the lemon and some basil leaves and it’s a slurpy bowl of goodness.

And for under $10, this place is a gem in the city of Sydney.

Oh another thing, the cashier (who seems to be the boss as well) is pretty goodlookin’ !

Pasteur Vietnamese

Address: 709 George St, Haymarket

Ph: (02) 9212 5622