"All you Asians look the same."

Here we go again- yet another experience at the front door this morning.

Some background:
A new Asian neighbour is moving in and in the process of renovating in the last few days.
Their house is number "X" on our street- two houses away. Our house is number "Y".
My husband is in away overseas. I am alone with a child.

Before 7am this morning, two burly guys show up downstairs at the door.
I answer the door, still half asleep.

Burly guys: We're a couple of carpenters- we're here to do the skirting.

Me: You've got the wrong house.

Burly guys: (Pointing at the name on our doorbell) It says "ABCDE" (insert Korean surname) doesn't it? Is this house "X"?

Me: (Points to the big number "Y" on our house) That says "Y". *slams door in their face*

I know, I know, I know........ AGAIN!!!
Confusing one type of East Asian with another type of Asian AGAIN?
So I look East Asian, or Korean depending on the lighting to the average Australian. BUT my husband has a Chinese surname that can be confused with a Korean name and it's on our doorbell.

Get used to it, Australians. We're everywhere, as your old ladies love to mutter under their breath when we walk past. At this rate, we'll REALLY be everywhere in 10 years' time. Because you need our investments to hold up your economy.

What will you do then?

Yet another frou-frou hair post

Tired of my big 90's hair, I walked into a Korean salon in Chatswood and described an "Otome" (means young girl or virgin, neither of which I am) haircut in my best Japanese (two different and mutually exclusive languages, note to self).
An otome haircut:

*WAIL*

And I end up with a bishounen haircut. What's that, you ask?
It's the haircut of choice for Japanese MALE actors/popstars/idols.
A bishounen haircut:


HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?????

*time out*

I got rid of the blondie streaks so I don't look like a teenage asian boy (read: Ah Beng if you're from Singapore or Malaysia) who's into racing cars and manga.
No chance of looking like a sarong party girl (at least) now since my hair's too short and too damn layered!!! Grrrr.

This always happens to me at the hairdressers.

Culinary forays in the last month other than previous post.

Made beef rib stew in a slow cooker. It was in there for 24 hours.
Added Cabernet Sauvignon to it in the last 2 hours- BIG mistake. Epic fail.


Friends stayed on for dinner- This is your usual asian meal with a few shared dishes served with rice. The ingredients were lying around in the fridge and pantry.
Clockwise from top left: Wagyu beef teriyaki, stir fried veggies (broccoli, tomatoes & mushroom), salad (pinenuts, cherry tomatoes, spanish onion, avocado and baby cos lettuce), Okonomiyaki (shredded cabbage omelette).


Laksa!!!!!! Last night's dinner, I tried making my own version of a healthy laksa. Used laksa paste for Singaporean curry laksa but tried to recreate east Malaysian style garnishing. I used boiled chicken, calamari rings, bean sprouts, coriander leaves, rice vermicelli, a soft boiled egg and loads of lime.

Quick catch up.

I live my life in point form. Do you? Doesn't everybody?

• Back at work.

BUT this time it's different because I'm no longer working for someone, I'm working for myself. It's not about being better than your competition, it's about fulfilling your own potential. OK ignore this motivational speaker spiel for a minute... suffice to say it's very liberating.

The world isn't always your oyster, so get out there and make your own oyster!
An old friend and I got together a few months ago and created our own start-up consulting business. I'm getting my mojo back.

• Food.

Like everyone, I've been watching Masterchef. (I'll save those comments for my tweets.)
Made Salt and Pepper squid today-

2 large tubes of squid (butterflied and lightly scored on inside)
5 heaped tablespoons of good tempura flour premix
1 teaspoon of five spice
1 chilli (seeds removed and finely chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
Pepper and salt to taste
Celery leaves for garnish (optional)

In a bowl, mix tempura flour and five spice together and season with pepper only.
Cut squid into 6 x 6cm squares and put them into the bowl and coat well. Set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in wok and fry garlic and chilli until golden brown, adding salt to taste. Set aside.
Add enough vegetable oil for deep frying. Dust off excess flour on squid before adding to wok.
Fry until golden brown.
Add Garlic and chilli salt to fried squid.
Garnish with celery leaves.

• Don't Ask Don't Tell and Jason Akermanis

Whatever happened to giving everyone a fair go? Whatever happened to that egalitarianism that sums up Australia? Where's that laid-back attitude that we're famous for?

Jason Akermanis you could not sink any lower.
Since when has it ever been good for anyone to burden themselves and their loved ones by staying in the closet? His AFL career is ending and it will end on this sour note.

Me, I've always put gay men on a pedestal.

Problems in the suburbs.

Not everyone has a garage or a garage large enough to accomodate all their cars on my street here in North Shore suburbia. People love to park their cars on the kerb over here- maybe because there isn't enough car theft to deter them from parking on public property......

So that makes life difficult for those of us who park our cars in our garages. It's so hard to negotiate your way around these gas guzzling monster 4WD's (the vehicle of choice in these neck of the woods) on my street. See diagram below for a hypothetical street plan (Not to scale):

People are usually sensible and park their cars to allow for oncoming traffic, but sometimes you get idiots who like to park their horses right in front of their castle (illustrated in red).

To further illustrate the problem, click here for something similar. Except I'm in favour of these people getting fined.
This is such a granny rant, I'm almost embarrassed.

Those @#%$#! "Things I Want to Achieve" lists

Saw this on the blog of some [rich ex politician's kid who's pushing 40 yet still lives at home because he/she has fluff for career] self indulgent drama queen's blog:

"Things I Want to Achieve" and then obviously crosses out what's been achieved. Pfffffttt.

HILARIOUS. SO FUNNY. It proudly sits on that person's sidebar like a joke.
If I wanted to look like an achiever of any sort, my list would look like this

1. Wake up in the morning. (DONE)
2. Clip my toenails (DONE)
3. Have a coffee (DONE)
4. Brush my teeth (DONE)
5. Empty dishwasher
6. Pick up drycleaning (DONE)
7. Check my mail
8. Switch on the TV
9. Call my travel agent
10. Spend 10 days in Chiva-Som.

Wah soooo hard lahhh. Such a high mountain to climb lahhhh
And look how faaaar I've climbed!
*pats self on the back*

Impulse buying in Surry Hills

Spent an afternoon with my best friend and his husband in Surry Hills.

I come back with one Alessi and two Marc Newson for Magis objects d'art.




There should be a danger sign hanging around gay interior designers' necks.....

Ladies (and bubs) luncheon

Yummy mummies of the lower north shore (TM).........
hoping to make it into a reality TV show really soon.




We're the ones with bugaboos and Phil n Teds parked next to our table.....
We're dressed in Jigsaw or Veronika Maine.
We're the ones who take turns popping out a boob (or two) to feed our hungry babies.....
We're the ones with a noisy (but well dressed) toddler or two in tow......


View Larger Map

Sunday morning pondering

Husband is away for meetings overseas.
Probably to go over the head count during the next round of job-axing here in the colonies.
All the bankers here are shaking in their Florsheim shoes, I tell ya.

So here I am updating the blog again.
Wee hours of Sunday morning. Reading the non-news sections of the weekend paper.
Spotted these little ditties.

The SMH's Domain: "Concrete Castle" about an off-form concrete dream home in Lane Cove...... looks like this was an enjoyable process for all involved: it took a year to design and two years to build.

As an ex-project manager and architect, I say PIG'S ARSE.
What is this, a university student's project?
This is a real world. This concrete castle was probably built before the recession. Who wants their project to run over budget and over time? No joints and lines? Hello. What about using render-on blockwork???? Like I said. Pig's arse.



If I ever moved back to an apartment again, I wouldn't go back to The Rocks, I'd look to North Bondi- where Bondi Icebergs is.
That's out next goal. An uninterrupted view of the water.
We are currently near water but don't see any. WTF. What's the point?
Like a mantra that I tell myself over and over again. Renovate. Add value. Wait for the prices to go up again. Then sell.

Ok- that aside, I'm going to make breakfast now. It's miserable and rainy outside.
I'm gonna try this:

Has anyone out there tried this?
How does one get pancakes that thick?
Hmmm.

I wish I could cook like Karen Martini in the Sun Herald's Sunday Life magazine:
"Filo egg tarts with cured ocean trout, caviar, chives and dill"


Dream on.

Real estate hunt. part 2

We are true blue real estate opportunists. Thanks to the economic downturn, the price of real estate has plummeted somewhat and we're on the hunt for property in Mosman again. Buyers are staying away from the AUD$ 1.5-2 million price range and yes, beautifully designed and renovated water-view bargains are to be found in this area. Check out Mosman's listings on domain.com.au

Cue vintage Duran Duran please.
"In touch with the ground,
I'm on the hunt, I'm after you
Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found
And I'm hungry like the wolf"


We won't be able to afford waterfront property where you can park a boat (if we had one, we'd have buy a place to park it!) for another x years, so we are settling for glimpses of water views instead.
WHY is the Lower North Shore our suburb of choice?

View Larger Map
W-ELLL.... it has great private and public schools, it's near beaches, it's leafy and quiet.

In the afternoon, we spend some time on Balmoral Beach.


I love cool sand between my toes. I could get used to living here. My little girl loves the beach.

Even later on in the afternoon, we end up in the Inner West suburb of Haberfield, the Italian suburb that still considers itself authentic, after Leichardt became all commercialised as THE Little Italy of Sydney. We have coffee and sweets at famous Pasticceria Sulfaro on Ramsay Street. It's a family business that has been there for more than 50 years.

I'm no foodie like Helen of GrabYourFork, BUT I had to take a picture because I thought the china was so kitsch and the Southern Italian sweets were too pretty for words. The food was heavenly. Our baby was content to sit on my lap gurgling and playing. Yes. Carry a bag full of little toys that keep little people busy.

At the end of the day we did find a few bargains- we registered our interest in those properties, will view them again, get the finances in order etc. Very excited and anxiously keeping tabs on domain.com.au. In the meantime, we're also buying furniture for the new home, fun weekends in Surry Hills looking and browsing.

The Oscars 2009

My best friend may be someone's partner now, but I'm still his hag, and I have my duties to him- such as watching the Live Telecast of the Academy Awards Red Carpet with him and his man. The gay equivalent of the Superbowl.

Thanks to the magic of Foxtel IQ, I recorded it and we watched it together after work hours last night. We three and a half people ordered in and had dinner in front of the TV because....
A. I have a baby at home.
B. My husband is away overseas again.
C. I live near the city (where work is).
D. They'd use any excuse to swing by this area.

They left to have a drink at The Wharf. And I'll try and get the riveting highlights down.

His pick for best dressed: Marisa Tomei in Versace

He thinks that it's "pure drama-rama, baby". Gorgeous pleated details, so well constructed. She had the right hair and accessories, too.
I think that it's a great dress on a great body. It would be perfect if it was in a more daring colour. Like Red. She can wear any colour, really. This is playing it too safe.

His pick for worst dressed: Jessica Biel in Prada.

He thinks the dress had no shape and she was wearing black closed toed shoes with this white dress! "OMG, MAJOR CRIME!" Her hair was kinda "blah- like what she would wear to the mall." "What a waste of a Prada!" He went on and on....
I think that the dress is very architectural- a great dress BUT she could've played up her voluptuous figure in a better dress. Think Versace.

My pick for best dressed: Alicia Keys in Armani Prive.

I think it's a classy overall look. The dress is very flattering because it skims her curves where it needs to be skimmed and the dress is very structured where it needs to hold her in. It's a great colour on her. She usually picks Armani Prive and it always works.
He thinks that the best thing about the dress is the hair. There's too much unnecessary ruching going on in the bodice, adding too much bulk on the torso, but not enough bulk on the bust.

My pick for worst dressed: Nicole Kidman in L'Wren Scott

I think it's awful. Are those feathers or fibre optic wire fountains on her dress? It does nothing for the dress at all, especially the ones on her cleavage. Everytime she chooses white, she manages to look all washed out. Like a tall glass of milk. And what's with that hair? Is it a bob or not?
He thinks: Ditto. "Boring, boring, boring! NEXT!"

Honourable mentions:
Penelope Cruz in vintage Pierre Balmain

This is what you're supposed to look like when you're a 16 year old at the debutante ball. Check out the prom queen hair. Oh God, get a stylist. She rocks the sexy vixen look. The demure, innocent look just doesn't work on her.

Tilda Swinton in Lanvin

Age-appropriate and very flattering. I love, love, love the draping. In fact, I'm going to buy that black skirt!

Heidi Klum in Roland Mouret

She's a gorgeous woman who can wear anything in the world and still look good. It looks like something the designers at Project Runway cooked up for a challenge.

Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab

This is one designer who knows how to flatter a woman's curves. Great choice. And the green earrings and ring looks SO striking against a black dress like this one. She's just a beautiful woman- with her, it's not about the dress, it's all about her.

Thai your luck

I'm starting to crave food that I've never liked before. Never liked Tom Yum, especially when it's not a clear soup (versus all natural tom yum where all you can see is just lemongrass, galangal, bird's eye chili and kaffir lime leaves in the soup plus the seafood). I'm a purist. So sue me.

This one's obviously made from some generic paste from a jar. (But I'm not picky these days.)


So, with a pregnant craving to satisfy, we went to Chao Phraya at Star City on a hot Sydney weekend afternoon that was infested with flies. Yeah, everyone who has been to Australia in the summertime know what I'm talking about when I mention those damn flies. Arrrgh.

Glad we were indoors, not like the poor people out there. They eventually moved in because the flies were out of control.

Spicy food and Singha beer (for him, not me, dammit!)

Kevin Rudd. The face of the future.

Well, well, well. Call me an optimist. Or call me psychic. *EDIT: I actually predicted it all, and even blogged about it in 2005. It was so long ago I actually forgot about it*

Flashback to the 2004 elections: Kevin Rudd was just the shadow foreign minister, I, just was just a project architect who had just started her MBA in a local university. In a pro-ALP conversation (we are in the construction industry after all) with (let's call him "Macca's"), one of the directors in my firm, I said "Kevin Rudd should really be running for Prime Minister instead of that *#$%@ Mark Latham! Besides standing for a lot of good values, he's a master at the art of strategic marketing...for policies, the ALP and himself, of course" he said "The ALP will win the election as soon as they find the right leader." Macca, being an old timer, then went on and on about the ALP's glory days.

We also agreed that the then-NSW Premier, Bob Carr was also a fantastic candidate, but as fate would have it, he later resigned, presumably before the Cross City Tunnel shit hit the fan. He is a good leader. He might be an evil Macquarie Banker now, but that's because his business skills are unparalelled.

Kevin Rudd's election campaign is an excellent example of Blue Ocean Strategy.
What is Blue Ocean Strategy? In short, it's innovation that involves creates your own markets, all encompassing leadership and ensuring justice for all.

• He reached out to the younger generation (this demographic values education, environment and healthcare- no surprises to generation x, y and z) and the migrants (the rising demographic that John Howard has alienated) an untapped market for the ALP. And at the same time, he has maintained the union vote and the ALP old-boys' club (you know who you lot are, you chardonnay swilling, Northern Beaches dwelling, yacht sailing bastards) vote.
• K-Rudd now says things like "mate" and "fair dinkum"..... he never used to do that before hitting the campaign trail. He often refers to being born and bred on a farm, this subtle (or not) change in language is a symbolic way of reaching out to outback Australia.
• In the pre election debate, he kept his cool and stuck to the facts. He was the first one to walk over to John Howard to shake his hand. A very dignified thing to do. Or maybe he knew the cameras were still rolling, as K-Rudd is VERY media savvy. The media is great tool to manipulate perceptions. Joe Hockey and K-Rudd had been regulars on Channel Seven's Sunrise programme, they've even recorded an MTV style spoof.

Anyway, small little disclaimer here: I'm Asian Australian and that's part of my mental model.

K-Rudd is a former diplomat, speaks mandarin, markets himself in Asia very well and his daughter married has an Asian Australian man.
Bob Carr's wife Helena is Malaysian.
It's great to write again. It's a welcome break from being knocked up. LOL

Food blogging corner

Tapas for three:
salsa verde, roasted garlic and bread entree, sofritos, polenta biscuits, lamb, deep fried zucchini flowers, grilled cheese, artichoke hearts, tapenade, quail, zucchini, tuna stuffed pimento.... etc.

Perfect for that mid afternoon pick-me-up.

Delicado Foods
2/134 Blues Point Rd
McMahons Point NSW
2060 - (02) 9955 9399
Open Mon-Sat 7am-7pm; Sun 9am-5pm


View Larger Map