Chinta Ria - The Temple of Love

A somewhat impromptu Public Holiday Monday dinner found my friends and me at Chinta Ria, Cockle Bay Wharf. It took me a while to find the place on my own. I've never been but I've read blog posts on other blogs about it. I went up a set of escalators much too early. To find it walk all the way down Cockle Bay Wharf until you hit the escalators leading to Pyrmont Bridge. Turn around and face the city and it'll be in that area on your right, hidden behind foliage (I'm not quite sure I used that word correctly ...) That's how I got there. There is probably another, maybe even easier, way.

The first sight that hits you is the massive Buddha. It's pretty in the low light. Well, I guess it's pretty in any light.




We had a table for six. I liked the colourful, retro-looking bowls and chairs. The restaurant had low lighting and the flash on DSLR was painful for my fellow dining companions so I used it minimally. As such, photos were too dark and not bloggable.

We ordered maybe 5 dishes, I forget which ones because it was a couple of weeks ago now. But these two were my favourite.


Beef Ria - $25.30


Roti Kari - $18.70
The other dishes, that escape my memory, weren't amazing. I guess that's why I don't remember. I think it has a very cosy atmosphere. Food wise, there's probably cheaper and better Malaysian restaurants out there. It's not bad but for the price (note: I'm still looking for work so ... XD) I was expecting some more bang for my buck, so to speak.

I think I'll go back one day to try some other dishes that perhaps are particular to this restaurant, if there are any.

The Buddha though. Amazeballs.

• Find Chinta Ria - The Temple of Love at the Roof Terrace of Cockle Bay Wharf, next to the Pyrmont footbridge entrance, 201 Sussex Street Sydney 2000. 

Sugar Hit at Shangri-La Hotel

I've always heard of, but never been to, the Sugar Hit part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival. As part of the month long food fest you can eat assorted desserts coupled with a glass of wine for $20 at selected venues.

After dinner on Monday night, at a friend's suggestion and after googling, we headed to the Lobby Lounge at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney.


According to the website "The Lobby Lounge offers a decadent chocolate tasting plate with an assortment of handmade chocolates infused with rose, Earl Grey, orange, lavender and Irish whisky; with a glass of Brown Brothers dessert wine."





I am not the neatest eater. I was trying to figure out how to best eat these (also, could not figure out a good way to take a photo of the whole plate). In the end I ate with my hands. I did not know a good way to eat with just that fork. Also, I do not think the flowers are edible.

My favourite in that whole platter was that little chocolate, double layer dessert on the end with the puff-looking stuff on top (awesome blogger am I XD). There was an unexpected crunch when I got to the bottom and it was amazing.

SO MUCH SUGAR.

For more info visit the Crave Sydney website: http://www.cravesydney.com/index.php

Because Topshop opens tomorrow

... which is something I had no idea about it until I walked by the as-yet-not-opened store on Monday night.




The only Topshop I've ever been to has been in Manila in the Philippines. I'm glad that Australia, and especially Sydney because I'm a Sydney-sider, is getting more international clothing stores. I'm not quite sure of the price range. Hopefully it's pretty affordable.

Also, look at the girl in the last photo just looking at me taking a photo. XD

I haven't posted in a while ...

Nothing really happening at the moment. My dad had his operation. It went well and he's recovering fast. Next doctor's appointment is on 17th October.

In the meantime here's a random photo of UNSW's main walkway at night. SO PRETTY. I MISS MY ALMA MATER. I was visiting UNSW for a friend's graduation.

24th August is Daffodil Day

Tomorrow is Daffodil Day. A day of fundraising for the Cancer Council of Australia to "to help support Cancer Council's research, prevention and support services for patients and their families" (http://daffodilday.com.au/cancer-australia).

I didn't really used to think about cancer. It seemed like it was a distant concept that had nothing to do with me. In 2004, my Aunt aged 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was in my last year of high school and I had finished my HSC. I had all this free time. It was spent going with my Aunt to and from doctors' appointments for tests and appointments. She had a biopsy performed to check if the tumour in her breast was actually cancer and I was in the room with her. She didn't want to be alone. She was scared. And I regret not being able to hold her hand at that time.

It was an odd summer day when we found out she had cancer. My uncle, her husband, returned first from the Doctor's office to where we were waiting and said simply, "She has it." My Aunt returned a little after, dabbing her face with tissues and sat with us. Her phone kept ringing and she just ignored call after call.

She had so many operations and stays in hospitals. She had a metal rod put in her leg, she had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, she had seizures. The cancer had spread from her breast to her bones to her brain. And it was sad. She was so positive and she believed in God and miracles and she prayed.

She spent time in a hospice in the last few weeks of her life. She spent her last birthday there. She was full of drugs of some sort and seemingly out of it. She was transferred back to a hospital where she was in a coma for the most part.

On 23rd April 2009 my cousin called me to say that the doctor believed that she would not stay much longer. All the family came to visit in the hospital. She was not conscious, just a body in the room, still alive but not living. My cousin had been spending the last few months living with my Aunt and taking care of her. I watched my cousin clean my Aunt's teeth and talk with familiarity with the nurses. My Aunt's two little children, aged 9 and 6 at the time, went in to say their last goodbyes.

And then, early in the morning of 25th April she went. There was another call from my cousin around 1am of 25th April and we all headed to the hospital to see her. I kept on thinking, she must have waited for everyone to see her before she left. The timing was spooky. What if we hadn't all said goodbye? What if we hadn't said "If this is too hard, then you can go. It's ok." What if we had sad, "Stay." But then, what kind of life could she have had? She was in pain and drugged up all the time. It would be selfish of us to keep her here. She once said that she didn't want anyone to tell her to go. Her mother, my grandmother, was in hospital because of cancer too. My other Aunt had said to their ill mother something along the lines of "It's okay if you want to go". But then, I wonder if it works that way.

My dad is currently scheduled for an operation to remove the lower left part of his lung. The doctor said that he's more than 50% sure that it's cancer. His opening words to us at the appointment were something along the lines of "It's probably cancer." I'm hopeful that once it is removed, whatever it is, that it'll be the end of it. That if it is cancer, it hasn't spread. It seems like removal of it is not urgent and that hopefully in the time before the operation, it hasn't spread either. I don't think I've said but my dad is the only parent I have left. I've wishing so hard that this operation is all he needs to be healthy again.

So, when fundraising days like Daffodil Day come around I try to do my part because it's not such a distant concept that has nothing to do with me. According to the Daffodil Day website "1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85." Statistically speaking, someone you know will be affected by cancer. Tomorrow, and if you can any other time, please do what you can. Every little bit helps.

http://daffodilday.com.au/

The one where I go to beaches, and eat.

(Did I use that Oxford comma correctly? XD)

It seems like the last blog entry I made was almost a month ago. July was rather a boring month for me this year. I’ve finished all my subjects for my Juris Doctor and I just need to do my PLT. Some personal things are in the way currently so I’m looking for work and placement rather slowly. A whole bunch of my friends have or are leaving Sydney for work reasons. A few of my friends are heading off to South Korea to teach English. I’ve been to so many farewells in the past month!

One of my friends had never been to Bondi or Manly and so, before she leaves the country for a year, we went!

I don’t live close at all to Bondi. I’ve been there now 4 times. Maybe. If you’ve never been you can catch the bus all the way to the beach or, like we did, catch the train to Bondi Junction and then catch the bus from there. It’s much quicker than a bus, I feel.

(I need to clean my lens. I can see spots!)






To get to Manly you catch the ferry from wharf 3 at Circular Quay. You can take a billion photos of the Opera House while you ride the ferry. I know I did.



It’s about a 30 minute trip one way. I no longer get concession tickets so it was better for me to get a MyMulti day pass for $21.00 than to buy all my tickets separately. Adult return to Manly via Ferry is $14.00. So steep.





Don’t be like my friend and I, be prepared! We didn’t have thongs or towels or anything. So when we went to splash our feet in the water the bottom of our pants were wet and we were struggling to remove the sand from our feet. Taps, where were you?

We took the 5:15pm ferry back to Circular Quay and got to see the sky change from sunset to night.



Places that I’ve eaten at recently:

Lemongrass Takrai (86 Union Street, Pyrmont)

Reasonably priced, delicious Thai food. Friendly service. They do takeaway. Loved their yellow curry with beef.

Adriano Zumbo at The Star

First time I went to The Star and first time I’ve had Adriano Zumbo macaroons. I got salted popcorn butter and peach iced tea. I can’t believe that the salted popcorn butter tasted so much like popcorn and went so well with the cream. Was so good.

Red Chilli Sichuan Restaurant (3/51 – 53 Dixon St, Haymarket)

Lots of Tsingtao beer was had. My mouth hurt so much when I ate the food from the chilli side. Ate so much. I think my digestive system had some trouble handling all of that food! Going to the toilet was ... yeah XD

Fishouse, Bondi Beach

Fish and chips and potato scallops and deep-fried Mars bar. They were sold out of Pluto Pups though! I wanted them so badly. XD



Deep-fried Mars bar. Very very gooey chocolate. Interesting to try. I probably couldn’t eat a whole one. Just too rich! Wonder if a deep-fried Snickers bar would taste better?


That's been my past month and a bit. I've just enrolled on an online course about journalism to keep me occupied and my brain moving while I look for a job/work experience. I've always wanted to do something in that area but it never happened. And I've been watching The Newsroom too much and yeah. I've enrolled in one unit for the forthcoming online semester about writing. So that should be fun. Maybe you'll see some marked improvement in my writing style in this blog!

And you guys, cannot believe it's August already!

Starbucks, Capitol Square (and stuff)

I took these photos last Monday morning. I had stayed out all night because of my cousin's birthday. We were at Wagaya Lantern until midnight singing (or rather screaming) at karaoke. Then we made our semi-tipsy way to Hungry Jack's on Oxford Street because it was the one where one of my cousins works at and we wanted to see it. It was closed so we went to Oporto next door instead. Then to a random Korean convenience store on Pitt Street to get some snacks and cup noodles. Alas, no photos because I was semi-tipsy. Damn you, red wine.

We stayed the night in the city at a hotel and in the morning I had to leave around 8am-ish because I had to get back to babysit my other cousin, who is 12, because it's the school holidays. But before that I needed my breakfast. And by breakfast, I mean coffee.

And, with that generous introduction over, have 4 photos of Starbucks. XD








I usually sit upstairs when I go to the Starbucks at Capitol Square. I think it's the best looking Starbucks in Sydney. I like the one at Cockle Bay Wharf more but that's because of the view. The inside vibe is rather cold.

Anyhoo, this has been a very slow week for me. The semester's over and I need to look for a job. Yep. Oh, and I'm so aiming to get my Learner's licence this week. I calculated it and, oh my gosh, I won't get my full licence until I'm like 28 or 29.

FYI, I got my Learner's licence when I was 16. Then it expired. Then never bothered to take the test again. Now that I'm 25, I don't need to bring a log book or have had my licence for a minimum period to take the test for the P1 licence. So, so aiming to get my P's by the end of the year. My dad is getting old and he only bought the new car because of me. Our other car was in an accident and irreparable. It's currently sitting on the front lawn because, well, it's worthless and we don't know what to do with it. Anyhoo, he was asking for car ideas and I was like "I want this car!" and he bought it ... yeah. I suppose we needed a new car and he's old and doesn't really want to drive anymore and my brother has a car so it seems only logical, I guess, that the car be one that I would like to drive.

Okie dokie ... that's all. Just trying to kill time 'til the tennis starts! Go Federer!

고진감래 (gojingamlae) - coke, soju, beer cocktail? maybe?

I can't really provide an English translation. I don't even know what the literal translation of the Korean name is. This is basically an alcoholic beverage made with coke, soju and beer. You need a beer glass and 2 shot glasses that fit within the beer glass. We (my friends and I) had an experience at a restaurant where the shot glasses were too wide for the beer glass. So we had to, uh, improvise some other way. XD

So, you put a half full shot glass of coke into the beer glass. Don't fill it up too much because when you put the next shot glass on top it'll overflow.




Then you put in a shot glass of soju on top of the shot glass of coke.




Then fill the beer glass with beer.



And then cheers and then drink in one shot! The coke at the end makes the drink sweet when you get to the end so make sure you drink it! If it gets stuck, then shake your glass!

The first time I encountered this drink was at a sleepover at my friend's house. She's an international student from Malaysia who loves Korean things. We didn't get to buy soju at the time and so we replaced it with vodka. It doe not taste the same. It tastes horrible. So horrible that when we drank it as a punishment when losing a game we were playing, it was an actual punishment.

In Sydney, the restaurants that we've made this at and consumed are Haru, Kobow, Zozo, Milliore and Angry Chicken. You just ask for extra shot glasses. XD

It's a really good drink and the amount of times I've like gotten knocked out from this drink - countless. So drink responsibly!

And BONUS photo:



I was looking through photos and this was in the background. Just a whole bunch of empty cans and bottles. I found it amusing. Hope you do too! XD