It's now less than a year until I turn 30. Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to:
Meeting new people
I really like continually new people. Years of experience meeting a lot of people makes it a lot of fun now - I know I can learn something from everyone I meet. I can look forward to meeting more people with good stories to tell, with something to contribute to world. I now know that where-ever I am, in whatever situation, there are people I can connect with. Currently I spend the most time with people my age and that live in my area. I need to spend more time with some different people - young people have good energy and new ideas for me, and old people offer some good stuff.
Career
Being 30, I've built up some good skills and networks so I can make a bigger and better contribution to the world. The best thing I like about working and life in general is setting up the scene so that people can work as a team to do something great. I'd especially like to get volunteers working together. My friends are building up some seriously good skills now in their careers, and I hope to link them into some volunteer work, hopefully with me.
Learning and knowledge
Wouldn't it be cool to be some kind if '-ologist'? My profession as a Health Manager doesn't quite feel like an expertise. If I ever got really bored I could always do a PhD. Unlikely though, but always there as an option. Those evening colleges are pretty good now too - a lot of online learning is available. Books are cheap too, and it is possible to learn practical skills from a book. My friends are getting quite good at what they do, and some pursue their interests also. Therefore another learning resource for me.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
5 things in a decade that changed my life
1. Living in Laos
This changed my perspective in an unbelievable way. I learned to let things go. I relaxed and learnt that being happy comes from social connections. I simplified my life. I became atheist.
2. University
I learnt so much during the first two years of university. The critical thinking and the ability to use information to make decisions consciously made me feel smarter. That and the friends I met too.
3. Travelling alone
I learnt to enjoy my own company. I also became more confident in talking to strangers, and make connections with travellers and others abroad. This has really paid off because I still can't find people to always travel with or even do things in Sydney with, so I need to do it alone. But really I discovered I'm never entirely alone, people that are happy to connect with me are everywhere, even under significant language barriers!
4. Working in a prison
I discovered a whole new section of society I had never seen. It makes me more curious about what's around me, and that things are not quite what they seem. The prisoners work making sandwiches, packing the salads for Woolies and QANTAS when I was working there.
5. Love
Fun to have someone you can rely on and do stuff with!
This changed my perspective in an unbelievable way. I learned to let things go. I relaxed and learnt that being happy comes from social connections. I simplified my life. I became atheist.
2. University
I learnt so much during the first two years of university. The critical thinking and the ability to use information to make decisions consciously made me feel smarter. That and the friends I met too.
3. Travelling alone
I learnt to enjoy my own company. I also became more confident in talking to strangers, and make connections with travellers and others abroad. This has really paid off because I still can't find people to always travel with or even do things in Sydney with, so I need to do it alone. But really I discovered I'm never entirely alone, people that are happy to connect with me are everywhere, even under significant language barriers!
4. Working in a prison
I discovered a whole new section of society I had never seen. It makes me more curious about what's around me, and that things are not quite what they seem. The prisoners work making sandwiches, packing the salads for Woolies and QANTAS when I was working there.
5. Love
Fun to have someone you can rely on and do stuff with!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Why I don't want to buy property
It's common for people to want to buy a property when they're about to hit 30. Not me, and here's why.
*It's extremely inflexible investment. I think one of my advantages to advance my career is that I'm flexible. The more flexible I am, the better my career and earning potential. Having to worry about a paying off a house and being in a fixed location would be bad for my career.
* The Economist has explained that houses in Australia are overvalued. I read the article, and it makes sense to me. Logically I can't bring myself to buy something so overvalued.
* People on average spend 7x their annual income on a house. That's so much money it's not funny. Working for 7 years to buy a material good isn't my idea of fun.
* I'm a snob and unless I can own a piece of land in Sydney's inner west, I'm not interested.
* I think government policies that fiddle with housing demand and supply are ridiculous, I understand that the home owners grant simply makes people bid up the price of houses. This only benefits the seller. I refuse to buy into that. Sadly, I think that the government will need to continue to create policies to inflate house prices. If the house prices go down, that government will surely be out.
* I actually don't think it's a good investment. The interest rate is 5.25% at the moment. I'm not convinced I can beat that, with a risk premium. People get excited about house prices doubling. But for the record, at interest rate 4%, it takes 17 years 8 months to double your money. At 5%, it's 14 years 5 months, 6% it's 11 years 11 months and 7% it takes 10 years and 7 months.
* I would find it personally negligent to make such a huge financial decision without appropriate information. Say I spend 2 hours trying to find a $100 dress. To spend $300,000 I'd need to spend the proportionate time or at least a huge chunk of personal time, that is, hours and hours. To get enough information to comfortably make this decision, I'd need to look at something like 50 properties, spending numerous hours doing so. I would not enjoy this. I suppose I could employ a property buyer.
The upside of buying property
* Tax avoidance because your principal place of residence is tax free, as opposed to interest. But I hate the tax system for the ability to avoid tax, so again, I don't buy into this. I haven't checked out the Henry tax reform details, but hope it stops this distortion in the system. This absence of tax might mean investment might go elsewhere and house prices could go down.
* You own your own thing, and can pretty much do what you want. But problematic neighbours could be an issue.
*It's extremely inflexible investment. I think one of my advantages to advance my career is that I'm flexible. The more flexible I am, the better my career and earning potential. Having to worry about a paying off a house and being in a fixed location would be bad for my career.
* The Economist has explained that houses in Australia are overvalued. I read the article, and it makes sense to me. Logically I can't bring myself to buy something so overvalued.
* People on average spend 7x their annual income on a house. That's so much money it's not funny. Working for 7 years to buy a material good isn't my idea of fun.
* I'm a snob and unless I can own a piece of land in Sydney's inner west, I'm not interested.
* I think government policies that fiddle with housing demand and supply are ridiculous, I understand that the home owners grant simply makes people bid up the price of houses. This only benefits the seller. I refuse to buy into that. Sadly, I think that the government will need to continue to create policies to inflate house prices. If the house prices go down, that government will surely be out.
* I actually don't think it's a good investment. The interest rate is 5.25% at the moment. I'm not convinced I can beat that, with a risk premium. People get excited about house prices doubling. But for the record, at interest rate 4%, it takes 17 years 8 months to double your money. At 5%, it's 14 years 5 months, 6% it's 11 years 11 months and 7% it takes 10 years and 7 months.
* I would find it personally negligent to make such a huge financial decision without appropriate information. Say I spend 2 hours trying to find a $100 dress. To spend $300,000 I'd need to spend the proportionate time or at least a huge chunk of personal time, that is, hours and hours. To get enough information to comfortably make this decision, I'd need to look at something like 50 properties, spending numerous hours doing so. I would not enjoy this. I suppose I could employ a property buyer.
The upside of buying property
* Tax avoidance because your principal place of residence is tax free, as opposed to interest. But I hate the tax system for the ability to avoid tax, so again, I don't buy into this. I haven't checked out the Henry tax reform details, but hope it stops this distortion in the system. This absence of tax might mean investment might go elsewhere and house prices could go down.
* You own your own thing, and can pretty much do what you want. But problematic neighbours could be an issue.
Nelson Bay and Ritual
Four of my friends and I rented a house in Fingal Bay, near Nelson Bay at Port Stephens this weekend. It was $400. It took 4 hours to drive there on a Friday evening, counting a Maccas stop at Wyong on the F3 and getting out of the Sydney traffic.
The Saturday was Sydney's hottest day on record, so we managed to avoid that and spend it on the beach at Fingal Bay. We spent a couple of hours walking all around the bay, mostly in the water and playing with lots of hermit crabs. I love the sea wildlife and hope it doesn't disappear. It's a beautiful bay with quite white sands, whiter than Sydney, but not as white as Jervis Bay.
For dinner we managed to get a table at Ritual Restaurant. It is a molecular gastronomy restaurant, and it was a lot of fun. We started with a garlic fairy floss on a rosemary stalk. There were numerous small items to taste from collecting spoons off the wall, as well as three main courses. The dinner was based on the Dorothea MacKellar's poem 'My country'. To select each main course, they gave you two spoonfuls of flavour to taste and depending on which spoon you like, that is the main course you get. Some examples of tastes: strawberrry spritz, strawberry sheeshah, pork crackling and plum, blue cheese. Tom yum soup encased in an egg shaped gel with a prawn inside. I had parsley sorbet as a palate cleanser, and the after dinner mint was a frozen scoop of sorbet.
We shared our courses so we could try both of them they had on offer. The entree was pork with cherry, with eel crackers, chocolate sauce and smoked eel on a cracker. The other one was kingfish with different tempura coatings, with different fish roe in circles around the plate. The main was rabbit roulade with root vegetables which was very tasty. The other main was a stuffed lamb chop, a strip of lamb, organic lentils with finely chopped mushroom - again very tasty. For dessert, my flavours were harissa, cardamon and rhubarb. There were a few flavoured 'gels' ie agar jelly, and some biscuits, creamy stuff. The other dessert looked spectacular! A lolly pop coated in coconut. A
I haven't had matched wines before with a meal. I didn't get much of a sense of how they matched the wine, but definitely enjoyed trying new wines. This was a really fun experience, and really, what is better than sitting around for 5 hours eating and drinking with friends? We spoke to the chef and he told us his wife who is scientist encouraged him to cook in this creating style, and will experiment with engaging mores senses in the future. The restaurant sits 16 people - very labour intensive. Initially the restaurant was a risk venture. I was inspired, in future I won't be afraid of trying new flavour combinations in future, if only 2 or 3 flavours.
The Saturday was Sydney's hottest day on record, so we managed to avoid that and spend it on the beach at Fingal Bay. We spent a couple of hours walking all around the bay, mostly in the water and playing with lots of hermit crabs. I love the sea wildlife and hope it doesn't disappear. It's a beautiful bay with quite white sands, whiter than Sydney, but not as white as Jervis Bay.
For dinner we managed to get a table at Ritual Restaurant. It is a molecular gastronomy restaurant, and it was a lot of fun. We started with a garlic fairy floss on a rosemary stalk. There were numerous small items to taste from collecting spoons off the wall, as well as three main courses. The dinner was based on the Dorothea MacKellar's poem 'My country'. To select each main course, they gave you two spoonfuls of flavour to taste and depending on which spoon you like, that is the main course you get. Some examples of tastes: strawberrry spritz, strawberry sheeshah, pork crackling and plum, blue cheese. Tom yum soup encased in an egg shaped gel with a prawn inside. I had parsley sorbet as a palate cleanser, and the after dinner mint was a frozen scoop of sorbet.
We shared our courses so we could try both of them they had on offer. The entree was pork with cherry, with eel crackers, chocolate sauce and smoked eel on a cracker. The other one was kingfish with different tempura coatings, with different fish roe in circles around the plate. The main was rabbit roulade with root vegetables which was very tasty. The other main was a stuffed lamb chop, a strip of lamb, organic lentils with finely chopped mushroom - again very tasty. For dessert, my flavours were harissa, cardamon and rhubarb. There were a few flavoured 'gels' ie agar jelly, and some biscuits, creamy stuff. The other dessert looked spectacular! A lolly pop coated in coconut. A
I haven't had matched wines before with a meal. I didn't get much of a sense of how they matched the wine, but definitely enjoyed trying new wines. This was a really fun experience, and really, what is better than sitting around for 5 hours eating and drinking with friends? We spoke to the chef and he told us his wife who is scientist encouraged him to cook in this creating style, and will experiment with engaging mores senses in the future. The restaurant sits 16 people - very labour intensive. Initially the restaurant was a risk venture. I was inspired, in future I won't be afraid of trying new flavour combinations in future, if only 2 or 3 flavours.
Weddings, Sydney, Australia circa 2010 - 2011
Weddings are an interesting social phenomenon. There are some observations and trends I find quite interesting.
Engagements, hens and bucks parties
*Engagement parties are a good excuse for a party, and fairly casual.
*As for hens and bucks parties - anything goes! Recent examples of activities for hen's parties include: wine tasting, lingerie party, high tea.
Invitations
*Most people like to do this themselves these days with the availability and ease of desktop publishing. It has allowed for a lot of personalisation of invitations.
*People are mainly expected to respond by email, by phone or in-person these days for convenience, and sending RSVP cards with the invitation are probably about to stop all together.
* Invitations about three months before the wedding, but will inform you of the date as soon as possible when they have they have picked a date. Invitations may be sent out with more notice in future as Sydney people get even more busier.
The marriage ceremony
My observation is that having a ceremony in the park is still the most popular, avoiding the heat in the middle of summer or the cold in the middle of winter
*The couple selecting their own vows is popular
*Generally, there are two bridesmaids
*Church weddings are out, celebrants are in
*People still opt for 'traditional' rings, a diamond for their engagement and a plainer band for the ceremony
*Brides wear white or there-abouts. My Chinese relatives often do a costume change to something red at the reception.
The reception
*No-Asian Australian women do like to personalise or colour theme their wedding reception, in contrast to Asian weddings which I think don't value wedding individuality in the same way.
*My Chinese relatives still tend to have their wedding receptions at Chinese restaurants.
*Wedding cakes have become very simple, with a plain butter cake or chocolate cake, 1-2 layers only, plain white icing and a simple decoration on top.
*Dancing is not mandatory - slide shows are more popular
*Wedding cars are still in, but not essential, the same as for decorative flowers.
The gift
This for me is one of the most fascinating parts of the wedding thing! These days, cash as a wedding gift is king again. My family is Chinese and am used to giving cash, because it pays for the wedding and is practical. Non-Asian Australians use the euphemism 'wishing well' if they want cash and include a poem about the wishing well on their invitation. I thought this 'wishing well' was metophorical, but saw a physical wishing well at the wedding reception. I think it will take 5 years before couples won't need to put a poem on their wedding invitations to ask for cash.
Couples often have a gift registry while still asking for cash. This is because there are still a fair proportion of people still offended by being expected to gift cash. I expect the proportion of people to be offended by cash to drop significantly in the next few years.
I'm not expecting to see Myer and David Jones gift registries from here on. For decades people would have been happy to furnish their house with goods from these two department stores. As we get wealthier, and want to be more unique with the availability of internet shopping I think internet gift registries with anything and everything will be the only type.
The guests
*Guests try to dress as the style of the ceremony and dictates, eg garden weddings tend to be more casual
*Black for women is an acceptable to wear
*Guests are expected to eat, dance and have fun, drink but not get too drunk
That's all I have to say about weddings.
Engagements, hens and bucks parties
*Engagement parties are a good excuse for a party, and fairly casual.
*As for hens and bucks parties - anything goes! Recent examples of activities for hen's parties include: wine tasting, lingerie party, high tea.
Invitations
*Most people like to do this themselves these days with the availability and ease of desktop publishing. It has allowed for a lot of personalisation of invitations.
*People are mainly expected to respond by email, by phone or in-person these days for convenience, and sending RSVP cards with the invitation are probably about to stop all together.
* Invitations about three months before the wedding, but will inform you of the date as soon as possible when they have they have picked a date. Invitations may be sent out with more notice in future as Sydney people get even more busier.
The marriage ceremony
My observation is that having a ceremony in the park is still the most popular, avoiding the heat in the middle of summer or the cold in the middle of winter
*The couple selecting their own vows is popular
*Generally, there are two bridesmaids
*Church weddings are out, celebrants are in
*People still opt for 'traditional' rings, a diamond for their engagement and a plainer band for the ceremony
*Brides wear white or there-abouts. My Chinese relatives often do a costume change to something red at the reception.
The reception
*No-Asian Australian women do like to personalise or colour theme their wedding reception, in contrast to Asian weddings which I think don't value wedding individuality in the same way.
*My Chinese relatives still tend to have their wedding receptions at Chinese restaurants.
*Wedding cakes have become very simple, with a plain butter cake or chocolate cake, 1-2 layers only, plain white icing and a simple decoration on top.
*Dancing is not mandatory - slide shows are more popular
*Wedding cars are still in, but not essential, the same as for decorative flowers.
The gift
This for me is one of the most fascinating parts of the wedding thing! These days, cash as a wedding gift is king again. My family is Chinese and am used to giving cash, because it pays for the wedding and is practical. Non-Asian Australians use the euphemism 'wishing well' if they want cash and include a poem about the wishing well on their invitation. I thought this 'wishing well' was metophorical, but saw a physical wishing well at the wedding reception. I think it will take 5 years before couples won't need to put a poem on their wedding invitations to ask for cash.
Couples often have a gift registry while still asking for cash. This is because there are still a fair proportion of people still offended by being expected to gift cash. I expect the proportion of people to be offended by cash to drop significantly in the next few years.
I'm not expecting to see Myer and David Jones gift registries from here on. For decades people would have been happy to furnish their house with goods from these two department stores. As we get wealthier, and want to be more unique with the availability of internet shopping I think internet gift registries with anything and everything will be the only type.
The guests
*Guests try to dress as the style of the ceremony and dictates, eg garden weddings tend to be more casual
*Black for women is an acceptable to wear
*Guests are expected to eat, dance and have fun, drink but not get too drunk
That's all I have to say about weddings.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Future skills
I'm going to have a look into the crystal ball here and think about what I might be future career might be like based on demand and supply (me). I'll have a look on the supply side first, ie me. I have an undergraduate degree in Resource Economics and a Masters in Health Services Management. I now have 6-years post graduate work experience in the health, government and NGO sectors, one of which was in SE Asia. I don't envisage myself doing a PhD, but may consider doing another university degree or further study with my professional college if I can see a demand for this. I enjoy working both in health, and am willing to work in the government, NGO and private sector. I have the potential to use my skills in economics more.
Now I'll consider the demand side. I will stay in the health sector because it is growing sector where work will be available. Plus I like working with people, I know it well enough now and know the people. Aged care will increase in the future, and maybe when it gets to a stage where it's big enough to hire more support/ corporate people that's when I might work - 15 years maybe? I think people will demand more information, eg from websites and the ability to write well will be important. Communicating this way still has a lot of potential for productivity eg admissions and discharge information, where people can log in and view their health information. I may be directing this in future.
I think as Australia becomes more populous and even wealthier, people will demand more health care, medical and surgical procedures like in the United States. This may not be my favourite thing to do, but would enjoy doing this temporarily. There is a chance that as developing countries become wealthier, they may need some advice from overseas, which I might be able to provide. The more populous the country, I'm not sure whether we'll have the issues of drugs and crime maybe related to social disconnection. I hope not, so I predict I won't be working for decades on end in this sector. I think with the communication and organisation tools available on the internet that assist with productivity, it is important to keep up. Otherwise it would be very possible to be unproductive compared with your younger colleagues.
The conclusion? So I suppose my future career is likely working in a support role in aged care or hospitals. Probably more likely to be in the private sector than ever. Now what should I do? I need to work on using those electronic tools that assist with productivity and discovering new ones, and keep my communication and information management skills up-to-date with the times. I'm learning to micro blog at the moment. It's probably good to keep up-to-date with politics. I think the way we use internet that there may be a general drop in the level of people skills and therefore more valued. I'd better keep those up too. I would like to become an expert at all of this and become a consultant toward the end of my career, hopefully with friends/ peers who I enjoy working with in the industry.
I'll have to look back at this for years to come to see how much of this is right or wrong.
Now I'll consider the demand side. I will stay in the health sector because it is growing sector where work will be available. Plus I like working with people, I know it well enough now and know the people. Aged care will increase in the future, and maybe when it gets to a stage where it's big enough to hire more support/ corporate people that's when I might work - 15 years maybe? I think people will demand more information, eg from websites and the ability to write well will be important. Communicating this way still has a lot of potential for productivity eg admissions and discharge information, where people can log in and view their health information. I may be directing this in future.
I think as Australia becomes more populous and even wealthier, people will demand more health care, medical and surgical procedures like in the United States. This may not be my favourite thing to do, but would enjoy doing this temporarily. There is a chance that as developing countries become wealthier, they may need some advice from overseas, which I might be able to provide. The more populous the country, I'm not sure whether we'll have the issues of drugs and crime maybe related to social disconnection. I hope not, so I predict I won't be working for decades on end in this sector. I think with the communication and organisation tools available on the internet that assist with productivity, it is important to keep up. Otherwise it would be very possible to be unproductive compared with your younger colleagues.
The conclusion? So I suppose my future career is likely working in a support role in aged care or hospitals. Probably more likely to be in the private sector than ever. Now what should I do? I need to work on using those electronic tools that assist with productivity and discovering new ones, and keep my communication and information management skills up-to-date with the times. I'm learning to micro blog at the moment. It's probably good to keep up-to-date with politics. I think the way we use internet that there may be a general drop in the level of people skills and therefore more valued. I'd better keep those up too. I would like to become an expert at all of this and become a consultant toward the end of my career, hopefully with friends/ peers who I enjoy working with in the industry.
I'll have to look back at this for years to come to see how much of this is right or wrong.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
More money, more what?
I have had some significant changes in income levels, and thinking take a look into what's changed in my life. Travel, accommodation, social activities, goods and services - what has changed? When I graduated and started full time work, I got a whole lot more money. I lived in Laos for a year, and my purchasing power increased. When I came back home, having had some work experience by income went up again. I don't get paid huge dollars as I've now mostly worked in NGOs, but live very comfortably and don't really need more money to keep up my current lifestyle. I'd be quite happy to keep the lifestyle I have with the same incomae.
My overseas travel, I think, has remained quite similar to when I was a student. I still backpack when I go overseas, but now I have less time I pay for Intrepid tours to help me get from place to place. I still choose Asia as a destination because I love it and it's cheap. As long as I don't have a desire to go to Europe or the US, I'll be fine. I have been able to afford more weekends away and short trips within Australia, booking hotels at Wotif.com when I go for about $100 a room, this has probably been quite a significant improvement to my lifestyle come to think of it.
Accommodation-wise, I still pay the same rent as I first did when I moved out of home, marginally more. In Laos I paid little rent, and this allowed me to have a lot more disposable income. I think this is still a good money saving strategy. Life would be very different if I had to pay off a property, hence I'm not very keen to buy one. It wouldn't suit my current flexible lifestyle, and am not convinced it would make me happier.
As for social activities, I think an increase in income has made a bit of a difference. Mostly theatre, comedy, and eating out, probably drinking more. It probably doesn't make me hugely happier, but I think my life is more interesting. Maybe I can consider doing more free stuff - I think I'd be equally happy most of the time.
I do think I have nicer clothes as a result of more income, and probably better quality stuff. I think this makes my life better. Paying for evening colleges, and sport I would have always managed to budget for, but having more money makes this a bit more manageable, and I have played more sport as my income has gone up. Massages have been a major luxury with more money, an addiction I picked up in Laos. I probably have one every month or two, and this is sensitive to income levels. With more money I would have even more.
So coming down to it, it seems my increase in income has been spent on more weekends away, with a few more social activities and better quality clothes and other goods. I'm very happy with my lifestyle and income level right now, I think my life's still pretty simple, and I think with more money I'd have more problems. With more money I'd probably start to pay for services such as cleaning and laundry, and probably more weekends away still.
My overseas travel, I think, has remained quite similar to when I was a student. I still backpack when I go overseas, but now I have less time I pay for Intrepid tours to help me get from place to place. I still choose Asia as a destination because I love it and it's cheap. As long as I don't have a desire to go to Europe or the US, I'll be fine. I have been able to afford more weekends away and short trips within Australia, booking hotels at Wotif.com when I go for about $100 a room, this has probably been quite a significant improvement to my lifestyle come to think of it.
Accommodation-wise, I still pay the same rent as I first did when I moved out of home, marginally more. In Laos I paid little rent, and this allowed me to have a lot more disposable income. I think this is still a good money saving strategy. Life would be very different if I had to pay off a property, hence I'm not very keen to buy one. It wouldn't suit my current flexible lifestyle, and am not convinced it would make me happier.
As for social activities, I think an increase in income has made a bit of a difference. Mostly theatre, comedy, and eating out, probably drinking more. It probably doesn't make me hugely happier, but I think my life is more interesting. Maybe I can consider doing more free stuff - I think I'd be equally happy most of the time.
I do think I have nicer clothes as a result of more income, and probably better quality stuff. I think this makes my life better. Paying for evening colleges, and sport I would have always managed to budget for, but having more money makes this a bit more manageable, and I have played more sport as my income has gone up. Massages have been a major luxury with more money, an addiction I picked up in Laos. I probably have one every month or two, and this is sensitive to income levels. With more money I would have even more.
So coming down to it, it seems my increase in income has been spent on more weekends away, with a few more social activities and better quality clothes and other goods. I'm very happy with my lifestyle and income level right now, I think my life's still pretty simple, and I think with more money I'd have more problems. With more money I'd probably start to pay for services such as cleaning and laundry, and probably more weekends away still.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Falls Festival
Myself and 5 friends drove from Sydney to Lorne on Australia's Great Ocean Road to bring in the new year over a 3-day music festival. I was thinking that this would be the last party before people get married, hit 30 and have children.
I had a surprisingly relaxing time and managed to take a yoga class. I enjoyed listening to music whilst lying and napping on the hill in the sun. I enjoyed the big acts: The Living End, Public Enemy and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Some other acts I liked: Jezabels, The Beautiful Girls, Ash Grunwald. I did go for the variety and enjoyed the other music, but it wasn't so memorable for me. Peaches DJ show was pretty funny though. I found myself the last person standing that night dancing to her music.
The camping situation was quite incredible. There were 16,000 people camping on site. cars were parked in rows next to each other and tents behind the cars. The loos and showers weren't too bad too. The crowd was the best I'd experienced, there was no pushing at all, which I have not experienced. I didn't feel too old like I think my friends did, I think it's about attitude. We were older, but I was okay with that. Everyone seemed to be wearing denim cut-off shorts, ankle boots, ray bans and a loose fitting singlets with huge arm holes.
I liked the surroundings, it was a farm with some forest. One night I went to bed with my gloves, beanie and thermal on. I woke up that morning really hot, and that day high a 39 degree high. We went to the beach at Lorne, it was a truly beautiful day at the beach with hot, dry heat, cool waters and blue skys.
Looking forward to going for another camping trip and listening to more music. It really is good to spend time with friends while on holidays.
I had a surprisingly relaxing time and managed to take a yoga class. I enjoyed listening to music whilst lying and napping on the hill in the sun. I enjoyed the big acts: The Living End, Public Enemy and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Some other acts I liked: Jezabels, The Beautiful Girls, Ash Grunwald. I did go for the variety and enjoyed the other music, but it wasn't so memorable for me. Peaches DJ show was pretty funny though. I found myself the last person standing that night dancing to her music.
The camping situation was quite incredible. There were 16,000 people camping on site. cars were parked in rows next to each other and tents behind the cars. The loos and showers weren't too bad too. The crowd was the best I'd experienced, there was no pushing at all, which I have not experienced. I didn't feel too old like I think my friends did, I think it's about attitude. We were older, but I was okay with that. Everyone seemed to be wearing denim cut-off shorts, ankle boots, ray bans and a loose fitting singlets with huge arm holes.
I liked the surroundings, it was a farm with some forest. One night I went to bed with my gloves, beanie and thermal on. I woke up that morning really hot, and that day high a 39 degree high. We went to the beach at Lorne, it was a truly beautiful day at the beach with hot, dry heat, cool waters and blue skys.
Looking forward to going for another camping trip and listening to more music. It really is good to spend time with friends while on holidays.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Lessons from Laos
Who said spending a year overseas is a waste of time and money? I volunteered for a year overseas in Laos, am thankful for the experience and the Lao people for helping me learn some things now part of me!
Passing on information
In Laos I discovered my inner Asian, dedicating more time than I usually would to chatting, eating together with people and laughing. I had read an article about how ethic people in the workplace form interdepartmental networks more than non-ethnics. I’m ethic, and a woman, so I decided I may as well use these strengths and network to the maximum. Whether it be information about jobs, soccer, cycling or shopping, I’ll pass on information and connect people.
Getting to know people
The volunteer program advised spending at least a month doing nothing else but get to know people. I really saw the value in doing this, and have invested time to do this in subsequent jobs. It does make the working environment happier, and more productive I if people do. And I do.
Subtle negotiation
I used by best leadership skill to support people do things for themselves. The Dutch were pure about the development work they do, they advise but not implement. I adopted some of this mentality.
Spending a little cash for work
We had a very small budget to spend for little things to make our life more comfortable. I have adopted the same thing for my life here. I allocate $100 or so to make life better at work, and it's gone a long way. The cherries, blueberries and strawberries on the two days before last Christmas made people happy. Well, it certainly made me happy. I've bought lunch for birthdays, gifts from overseas and I really enjoy what I can do with this money to make people happy!
Spend a little time making people feel comfortable
When doing cross-cultural training to prepare for Laos, they told us to spend a couple of months to do not much else but get to know people. This is quite excessive for an Aussie job, but it's worth getting to know people to be productive.
Switching between cultures
This did take a lot of time and I still am working on this, but I do try to be more culturally sensitive and way less offended by behaviours than I used to be. And I used to consider myself a fairly tolerant person. I really didn't realise that so many of our social rules were arbitrary. My parents are from China, and I only think I learnt to be Asian when I lived in Laos. With more and more people working in Australia from overseas, it makes bridging that cultural gap just a bit easier, and get to enjoy people better. But trust me, I have a lot to work on, I have a few friends so good at this I don't compare.
Travelling to other countries
I can live pretty simple and cheap when going overseas, learning to travel a bit more simply in Laos has given me the confidence to do the same in other Asian countries. Fear no food poisoning. I think luck has had something to do with it.
Collectivist culture
I learnt that on the scale of things, Asians are a collectivist culture while we in Australia are an individual culture. I've enjoyed a bit of collectivism. If I don't place my own life right in the centre of my universe as much as I used to, it gives me the perspective that the stuff I do really isn't that significant. That's a relief - life's short, definitely so being atheist, so most stuff isn't really worth worrying about. Plus it allows me to place some more importance on making life better for others, which is good, because human relationships I think are what make us happy.
I've started to work on some things from Laos to work on this year!
Passing on information
In Laos I discovered my inner Asian, dedicating more time than I usually would to chatting, eating together with people and laughing. I had read an article about how ethic people in the workplace form interdepartmental networks more than non-ethnics. I’m ethic, and a woman, so I decided I may as well use these strengths and network to the maximum. Whether it be information about jobs, soccer, cycling or shopping, I’ll pass on information and connect people.
Getting to know people
The volunteer program advised spending at least a month doing nothing else but get to know people. I really saw the value in doing this, and have invested time to do this in subsequent jobs. It does make the working environment happier, and more productive I if people do. And I do.
Subtle negotiation
I used by best leadership skill to support people do things for themselves. The Dutch were pure about the development work they do, they advise but not implement. I adopted some of this mentality.
Spending a little cash for work
We had a very small budget to spend for little things to make our life more comfortable. I have adopted the same thing for my life here. I allocate $100 or so to make life better at work, and it's gone a long way. The cherries, blueberries and strawberries on the two days before last Christmas made people happy. Well, it certainly made me happy. I've bought lunch for birthdays, gifts from overseas and I really enjoy what I can do with this money to make people happy!
Spend a little time making people feel comfortable
When doing cross-cultural training to prepare for Laos, they told us to spend a couple of months to do not much else but get to know people. This is quite excessive for an Aussie job, but it's worth getting to know people to be productive.
Switching between cultures
This did take a lot of time and I still am working on this, but I do try to be more culturally sensitive and way less offended by behaviours than I used to be. And I used to consider myself a fairly tolerant person. I really didn't realise that so many of our social rules were arbitrary. My parents are from China, and I only think I learnt to be Asian when I lived in Laos. With more and more people working in Australia from overseas, it makes bridging that cultural gap just a bit easier, and get to enjoy people better. But trust me, I have a lot to work on, I have a few friends so good at this I don't compare.
Travelling to other countries
I can live pretty simple and cheap when going overseas, learning to travel a bit more simply in Laos has given me the confidence to do the same in other Asian countries. Fear no food poisoning. I think luck has had something to do with it.
Collectivist culture
I learnt that on the scale of things, Asians are a collectivist culture while we in Australia are an individual culture. I've enjoyed a bit of collectivism. If I don't place my own life right in the centre of my universe as much as I used to, it gives me the perspective that the stuff I do really isn't that significant. That's a relief - life's short, definitely so being atheist, so most stuff isn't really worth worrying about. Plus it allows me to place some more importance on making life better for others, which is good, because human relationships I think are what make us happy.
I've started to work on some things from Laos to work on this year!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
In loving memory of Lina Chan
My aunty, the first of 8 children died last year. I would like a record of the eulogy my uncle gave so I have it here for all eternity!
Lina Chan
Lina Chan was born in China and raised in Hong Kong, in a loving environment. Father was a small businessman (a shoe maker). Mother dedicated to her family and was father's helper.
Lina had an excellent high school and college education. She graduated from Hong Kong University. She had confirmed her faith as a Christian and was involved in Christian Teachings during her college years. She was admired by her close friends as righteous and kind, with loving, generous and fun personalities.
She was the eldest of 8 siblings and her brothers and sisters will always remember her as being dedicated with a great heart (some say her heart is gold). She was always helpful and had a great sense of responsibility towards others. She had great passion for the truth, love and harmony.
She was taken home to join her father in Heaven on 2 September 2009. Her beloved mother, siblings and their families will always remember her and will miss her dearly.
She would have said these to you all: 'We believe that Jesus died and rose again so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him', 'Therefore encourage one another and building each other up, just as in fact you are doing'. Be joyful always.' (1 Thessalonians 4:14,5:11,5:16)
With our beloved mother, The Chans
Lina Chan
Lina Chan was born in China and raised in Hong Kong, in a loving environment. Father was a small businessman (a shoe maker). Mother dedicated to her family and was father's helper.
Lina had an excellent high school and college education. She graduated from Hong Kong University. She had confirmed her faith as a Christian and was involved in Christian Teachings during her college years. She was admired by her close friends as righteous and kind, with loving, generous and fun personalities.
She was the eldest of 8 siblings and her brothers and sisters will always remember her as being dedicated with a great heart (some say her heart is gold). She was always helpful and had a great sense of responsibility towards others. She had great passion for the truth, love and harmony.
She was taken home to join her father in Heaven on 2 September 2009. Her beloved mother, siblings and their families will always remember her and will miss her dearly.
She would have said these to you all: 'We believe that Jesus died and rose again so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him', 'Therefore encourage one another and building each other up, just as in fact you are doing'. Be joyful always.' (1 Thessalonians 4:14,5:11,5:16)
With our beloved mother, The Chans
Blackmores running festival half-marathon
I hadn't done a half-marathon for a year. Since my first half marathon two years ago, with this time being my 3rd time running this event, I now have another three friends join me. This is the best preparation I've had for a half-marathon with sufficient food and sleep the night before.
It officially started 6:20am at Milsons Point, but for me a little later because I was at the back. I started off very slowly, running the first kilometre in 7.5 minutes. For the first few kilometres, I was asking myself why I was running, and why would I do it again?
My pace was quite inconsistent. Though I'm impressed that I did get into the zone much earlier than I did in the city to surf. I am better off if I meditate and stop thinking about what's going on around me. I did manage to run the second half of the race at a good pace.
At kilometre 15 my legs started to feel the strain, and at kilometre 17 I started to get really hungry - no GU gels this year! I didn't think I'd push myself at the end but when I crossed the finish line I was gasping for air, and cried for a second because I was so happy to have finished.
I ended up finishing at a net time of 2:15:59, which is marginally quicker than last year when I finished at 2:16:56.
Statistics:
Finished better than 13.1% of all finishers
Finished better than 20.72% of all female finishers
Finished better than 19.75% of female finishers aged 25-29
Average pace: 06:26
I'm glad that I now have enough friends that run half marathons with me to join me in my post run ritual of eating food. This time we had a coffee and yum cha.
It officially started 6:20am at Milsons Point, but for me a little later because I was at the back. I started off very slowly, running the first kilometre in 7.5 minutes. For the first few kilometres, I was asking myself why I was running, and why would I do it again?
My pace was quite inconsistent. Though I'm impressed that I did get into the zone much earlier than I did in the city to surf. I am better off if I meditate and stop thinking about what's going on around me. I did manage to run the second half of the race at a good pace.
At kilometre 15 my legs started to feel the strain, and at kilometre 17 I started to get really hungry - no GU gels this year! I didn't think I'd push myself at the end but when I crossed the finish line I was gasping for air, and cried for a second because I was so happy to have finished.
I ended up finishing at a net time of 2:15:59, which is marginally quicker than last year when I finished at 2:16:56.
Statistics:
Finished better than 13.1% of all finishers
Finished better than 20.72% of all female finishers
Finished better than 19.75% of female finishers aged 25-29
Average pace: 06:26
I'm glad that I now have enough friends that run half marathons with me to join me in my post run ritual of eating food. This time we had a coffee and yum cha.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The meeting of the grandmas
Two old ladies met for the first time yesterday over yum cha. My boyfriend's A's grandma who's 97 and my grandma who's turning 94 this month met each other for the first time.
Both speak different dialects from the Guangdong province in China, my grandma speaking in Cantonese and A's grandma speaking Sze Yup. Both spoke in their own dialect and understood the other's dialect. I think my grandma made an attempt at
It was very sweet, they spoke like old friends and touched each other while they talked. What do a pair of 90 year olds talk about when they meet for the first time? I heard them complimenting each other on hair, skin, and teeth. A's grandma who's back spine is curved over, touched my Grandma's back in admiration of how straight it was. They spoke a bit about the past and how they got to Australia, and a bit about family.
At the end we took a couple of photos. My grandma poses as usual, tells us to laugh, and and tells A's grandma how photogenic she is.
Both speak different dialects from the Guangdong province in China, my grandma speaking in Cantonese and A's grandma speaking Sze Yup. Both spoke in their own dialect and understood the other's dialect. I think my grandma made an attempt at
It was very sweet, they spoke like old friends and touched each other while they talked. What do a pair of 90 year olds talk about when they meet for the first time? I heard them complimenting each other on hair, skin, and teeth. A's grandma who's back spine is curved over, touched my Grandma's back in admiration of how straight it was. They spoke a bit about the past and how they got to Australia, and a bit about family.
At the end we took a couple of photos. My grandma poses as usual, tells us to laugh, and and tells A's grandma how photogenic she is.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Shancheng Hotpot King
This is a sichuan hot pot restaurant which was heaps of fun. We went soup which was medium spicy and medium sichuan pepper, which I found pretty hot. At hot pot restaurants you order what you like and cook it yourself. Just some of the things we ordered - pig liver, dumplings, fish balls, sliced lamb, sliced beef, enoki mushrooms, sweet potato noodles, chinese veggies, tripe... I went with my family which are cantos and can eat chilli, but our tolerance is low compared to Sichuan people and we were coughing a bit. It makes you feel alive!
This is not a bad place for a big group, but you'll hear people coughing all around you because of the chilli!
Shop 8a, 363 Sussex Street
Haymarket NSW 2000
This is not a bad place for a big group, but you'll hear people coughing all around you because of the chilli!
Shop 8a, 363 Sussex Street
Haymarket NSW 2000
House
This eatery does north-east Thai food, which is quite similar to Lao food. I was very keen to try this place and I was very happy with it. They made a variation on some of the dishes, but not too much. I just loved the sitting outdoors on a large table, and despite a queue at some time, they never did hurry us. This allowed me to talk about travelling to Laos, as my friends are going there, while eating Lao food.
* The pork rib soup was very delicious - highly recommended
* The eggplant dip was good too, the blanched side vegetables made the dish which I miss so much. I prefer the char-grilled eggplants of Laos though, and am not sure whether they steam it in Thailand.
* I loved the deep fried snapper, a variation of the salted, grilled river fish you can get on the side of the street in Laos.
* Papaya salad was great - my friends said it was the hottest thing they'd ever eaten, and it was hot, but it didn't make me cry =)
* The fried pork and beef was pretty good
* The chicken curry in a steamed parcel was interesting - it was quite good and I'd never had something exactly like it.
I think this is a meal I will remember. This together with sticky rice came to $20 per person. I'll definitely be back as there are heaps of things I want to try. Actually, I want to try everything on the menu! It did remind me of Laos and north-east Thailand.
202 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills, 2010
* The pork rib soup was very delicious - highly recommended
* The eggplant dip was good too, the blanched side vegetables made the dish which I miss so much. I prefer the char-grilled eggplants of Laos though, and am not sure whether they steam it in Thailand.
* I loved the deep fried snapper, a variation of the salted, grilled river fish you can get on the side of the street in Laos.
* Papaya salad was great - my friends said it was the hottest thing they'd ever eaten, and it was hot, but it didn't make me cry =)
* The fried pork and beef was pretty good
* The chicken curry in a steamed parcel was interesting - it was quite good and I'd never had something exactly like it.
I think this is a meal I will remember. This together with sticky rice came to $20 per person. I'll definitely be back as there are heaps of things I want to try. Actually, I want to try everything on the menu! It did remind me of Laos and north-east Thailand.
202 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills, 2010
Mino
Mino is a Japanese restaurant with a kaiseki menu for $59. This means we had an aperitif, sushi, 5 small entrees, a main and a dessert plate. Very pretty surroundings. The service was average, and the food took a while to come, whether you came at 6:30pm or 7:30pm you finished your meal at the same time.
The small entrees were the highlight, as they were beautifully presented and delicious too. The sushi was perfect. It's not often I get to taste so many things in the one meal! There is a choice of two menus, and within that there's more choice. I had the goshu menu and had:
Aperitif and Amuse
Seasonal shot cocktail and small side dish (alcohol free available)
Appetizer
Steamed prawns and seaweed with plum dressing
Sashimi and sushi
Chef's selection of today' sashimi (3kinds), sushi (2pc) and a fresh oyster
Assorted entree (five small portions on one plate)
*Grilled kingfish and Shimeji mushroom with ginger and soy sauce-mayonnaise in foil
*Seared scallop salad with onion vinaigrette
*Asparagus and duck tempura with miso and blue cheese sauce
*Buckwheat soba noodle soup with duck mince ball
*Wagyu beef tataki (seared) salad with ginger sauce
Main (please select one of the following dishes)
1.Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce
2.Grilled salmon with walnut teriyaki sauce
3.Crumbed kurobuta pork loin
4.Steamed barramundi with spicy soy sauce
5.Sukiyaki hotpot (wagyu beef)
6.Mixed hotpot light soy or spicy miso flavour soup
7.Assorted tempura
8.Eel kabayaki served on rice
9.Seared king fish, gently simmered in soy stock
10.Chicken nanban
11.Slow cooked wagyu beef and beef strips on rice
Main Specials
12.Wagu steak with miso or ponzu sauce
13.Grilled ocean perch with sweet miso sauce
14.Assorted sushi
15.Grilled duck breast with Japanese style tomato sauce
16.Grilled lamp rump with red wine miso sauce
17.Japanese style beef curry with crumbed kurobuta pork or chicken
18.Eel hot pot Yanagawa style
*Rice and miso soup if required with main course.
Dessert
Seasonal dessert, fruit, chocolate with soy bean powder and your choice of ice cream or sorbet
521 Military Rd
Mosman NSW 2088
www.minomino.com.au
The small entrees were the highlight, as they were beautifully presented and delicious too. The sushi was perfect. It's not often I get to taste so many things in the one meal! There is a choice of two menus, and within that there's more choice. I had the goshu menu and had:
Aperitif and Amuse
Seasonal shot cocktail and small side dish (alcohol free available)
Appetizer
Steamed prawns and seaweed with plum dressing
Sashimi and sushi
Chef's selection of today' sashimi (3kinds), sushi (2pc) and a fresh oyster
Assorted entree (five small portions on one plate)
*Grilled kingfish and Shimeji mushroom with ginger and soy sauce-mayonnaise in foil
*Seared scallop salad with onion vinaigrette
*Asparagus and duck tempura with miso and blue cheese sauce
*Buckwheat soba noodle soup with duck mince ball
*Wagyu beef tataki (seared) salad with ginger sauce
Main (please select one of the following dishes)
1.Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce
2.Grilled salmon with walnut teriyaki sauce
3.Crumbed kurobuta pork loin
4.Steamed barramundi with spicy soy sauce
5.Sukiyaki hotpot (wagyu beef)
6.Mixed hotpot light soy or spicy miso flavour soup
7.Assorted tempura
8.Eel kabayaki served on rice
9.Seared king fish, gently simmered in soy stock
10.Chicken nanban
11.Slow cooked wagyu beef and beef strips on rice
Main Specials
12.Wagu steak with miso or ponzu sauce
13.Grilled ocean perch with sweet miso sauce
14.Assorted sushi
15.Grilled duck breast with Japanese style tomato sauce
16.Grilled lamp rump with red wine miso sauce
17.Japanese style beef curry with crumbed kurobuta pork or chicken
18.Eel hot pot Yanagawa style
*Rice and miso soup if required with main course.
Dessert
Seasonal dessert, fruit, chocolate with soy bean powder and your choice of ice cream or sorbet
521 Military Rd
Mosman NSW 2088
www.minomino.com.au
Monday, August 9, 2010
Couchsurfing.org
Couchsurfing started as a way to travel cheaply, by staying somewhere for free. It has grown into a way to meet people when travelling for cultural exchange. There are a few ways to participate in Couchsurfing, and the good thing about is that you can participate in an exact way that it suits you. I think it is well managed. It has a well- thought out strategy, and has guidelines on important issues such as security, and performance measures in place. I'd like to document my experiences so far. I joined up to meet some new people. I had been overseas in Laos for a year. When in Laos and when travelling in general, I was able to meet some people with interesting stories. I joined so I could continue to challenge my perspectives, meet new people, and go to place in Sydney I'd liked to visit. Some people I have met:
* A Swiss girl who quit her stable job to study English in Australia
* An American guy who was working as an engineer contracted to the US Army in Abu Dhabi who was travelling as much as he could while he was away.
* A French-Canadian who worked for one of main agencies that tests the quality of airline food made around the world.
* A Singaporean guy who was a water engineer who was working in Australia for a few months in a large multi-national in Sydney's west
* A guy from Melbourne on a short trip to Sydney who coordinates quality for universities.
* A Singaporean girl who was here with her boyfriend who was looking for a job, who cooked dinner for me twice and helped me cook for a dinner party.
* A Lao-French guy who had a good job in France's music industry who quit his job to travel the world whom I took to Royal National Park.
* An Indian guy who ran a catering/ event business including organising huge Indian weddings
Pretty much all the people I have met have been professionals - not what I expected at all! I definitely gained some perspective from meeting all these people, and managed to choose places in Sydney to take them that I usually wouldn't go to. If I had more time, I'd join in more of their events. There are pages for different cities, and I'm a member of the Sydney group and can join in things people are organising.
* A Swiss girl who quit her stable job to study English in Australia
* An American guy who was working as an engineer contracted to the US Army in Abu Dhabi who was travelling as much as he could while he was away.
* A French-Canadian who worked for one of main agencies that tests the quality of airline food made around the world.
* A Singaporean guy who was a water engineer who was working in Australia for a few months in a large multi-national in Sydney's west
* A guy from Melbourne on a short trip to Sydney who coordinates quality for universities.
* A Singaporean girl who was here with her boyfriend who was looking for a job, who cooked dinner for me twice and helped me cook for a dinner party.
* A Lao-French guy who had a good job in France's music industry who quit his job to travel the world whom I took to Royal National Park.
* An Indian guy who ran a catering/ event business including organising huge Indian weddings
Pretty much all the people I have met have been professionals - not what I expected at all! I definitely gained some perspective from meeting all these people, and managed to choose places in Sydney to take them that I usually wouldn't go to. If I had more time, I'd join in more of their events. There are pages for different cities, and I'm a member of the Sydney group and can join in things people are organising.
Bye Grandma
My grandma died the morning of 10 July 2010 in Hong Kong. She was 93. My parents went to her funeral one week ago. This is sometimes after the death because it takes a while for book a cremation which is government-run in Hong Kong. My dad said her funeral was very traditional Chinese. It followed Buddhist traditions as grandma had wished, with Buddhist monks being part of the ceremony. He had to buy white clothes and white shoes for the occasion. The funeral to 6 hours from afternoon to night. Then the cremation took two hours the next day. The close family attended. Bureaucratic issues with visas and a delayed death certificate meant some other relatives from China couldn't attend.
Some things that I'll remember about Grandma - that she came to live with us for one year in 1988. I don't remember much, but that she was around. I think my Canto as a 6-year-old was ok enough to speak to her, and I remember teaching her a few English words and the only one I remember is 'cucumber'. Then when I visited Hong Kong for the first time in 1993, and then for years after that until 2000, she was really active and could walk around for hours with us, despite being around 80 years old. When I visited her 2006 she was in a nursing home. The last time I visited her in 2008 she couldn't remember who I was. But she did understand my Cantonese, not even adjusting for my slightly dodgy non-native speaker less-than-perfect Canto, which means I must have been doing ok. As a person who couldn't remember much, she was a very smiley and easy going old lady, luckily not scared as some people get. She had the tidiest bed of anyone, with all her clothes folded up neatly. And she loved sweets and cakes.
Bye grandma!
Some things that I'll remember about Grandma - that she came to live with us for one year in 1988. I don't remember much, but that she was around. I think my Canto as a 6-year-old was ok enough to speak to her, and I remember teaching her a few English words and the only one I remember is 'cucumber'. Then when I visited Hong Kong for the first time in 1993, and then for years after that until 2000, she was really active and could walk around for hours with us, despite being around 80 years old. When I visited her 2006 she was in a nursing home. The last time I visited her in 2008 she couldn't remember who I was. But she did understand my Cantonese, not even adjusting for my slightly dodgy non-native speaker less-than-perfect Canto, which means I must have been doing ok. As a person who couldn't remember much, she was a very smiley and easy going old lady, luckily not scared as some people get. She had the tidiest bed of anyone, with all her clothes folded up neatly. And she loved sweets and cakes.
Bye grandma!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sydney women's soccer - my soccer diary
I made a new year's resolution to join a women's soccer team, and a couple of months ago, I did, and it's turned out to be one the best things I've done in recent times.
After not playing soccer for over a decade since high school, I joined a team in Sydney's Eastern suburbs. I tried out for the team so I felt like I earned my place. After winning the first game, my team has been consistently losing. Many team members have become disheartened, and as of this week I'm going to take responsibility for motivating them, because we're good learners and can win!
I think we're playing a reasonable level of football, and appreciate how quickly our team learns from training to match play. For me this is the best thing about the team. Plus I'm amazed that we have volunteer coaches, guys, that give up their time to train us, well! It's taken my understanding of football to a higher level and love the game even more. I love being part of a team, it does have ups and downs, and for me that's part of the fun and the challenge.
I started my women's football personal campaign a about 16 months ago, and it wasn't that easy to find football activities at first. There's no centralised point for women's football if you just want to start playing. Also, if you're not in the know, and if you don't have the right search terms you won't find football to play! I was googling 'women's soccer', but I should have used the search terms 'football' and 'futsal'.
I have a new life goal to get as many people as I can into the game. Then I will always have a soccer team to play with! Hardly anyone would disagree that it gives you good team working skills, as well as keeping you coordinated and fit.
My soccer journey so far:
March 2009 I signed up to Soccerfit located around Sydney, which is a one-hour soccer skills and fitness session, for some basic soccer skills. It has proved to be a great base for my soccer playing ability. My whole body was sore for the first couple of lessons, but my soccer fitness has improved vastly since. I did this once a week, on and off for about 9 months.
June 2009 - I met a girl at a party, and joined up to her social soccer team. It's mixed team in a competition where media companies play against each other socially. I managed to score one goal in the season, and was awarded best girl midfielder in the comp.
September 2009 - my friends and I started a 6-a-side soccer team in Sydney's inner west suburb of Croydon. It was hard getting enough players, but finally we got enough to register. We finished second last in the bottom division, but we had fun and learnt lots.
February 2010 - we entered into another 6-a-side soccer competition. We made it to the semis, but lost.
May 2010 - I joined a full-side outdoor soccer team. I scored a goal in the first game, but I injured my knee too. For the next few weeks I played goalie about every second week. It was utterly nerve racking and scary at first, but I got used to it. It gave me a whole new perspective of the game, which helps with being a forward. I was very happy to go back to playing again, and have rotated around the field a lot, being in the front, wing, centre midfield, goalie and backs. The only other major position I haven't been is centre back. I continued on my 6-a-side team and I think I improved significantly, with the field seeming much smaller than the full field. I finished that comp yesterday when we lost our division 2 semi.
There is much more football to come, and maybe I'll help bring football to others and look out for some volunteer work.
After not playing soccer for over a decade since high school, I joined a team in Sydney's Eastern suburbs. I tried out for the team so I felt like I earned my place. After winning the first game, my team has been consistently losing. Many team members have become disheartened, and as of this week I'm going to take responsibility for motivating them, because we're good learners and can win!
I think we're playing a reasonable level of football, and appreciate how quickly our team learns from training to match play. For me this is the best thing about the team. Plus I'm amazed that we have volunteer coaches, guys, that give up their time to train us, well! It's taken my understanding of football to a higher level and love the game even more. I love being part of a team, it does have ups and downs, and for me that's part of the fun and the challenge.
I started my women's football personal campaign a about 16 months ago, and it wasn't that easy to find football activities at first. There's no centralised point for women's football if you just want to start playing. Also, if you're not in the know, and if you don't have the right search terms you won't find football to play! I was googling 'women's soccer', but I should have used the search terms 'football' and 'futsal'.
I have a new life goal to get as many people as I can into the game. Then I will always have a soccer team to play with! Hardly anyone would disagree that it gives you good team working skills, as well as keeping you coordinated and fit.
My soccer journey so far:
March 2009 I signed up to Soccerfit located around Sydney, which is a one-hour soccer skills and fitness session, for some basic soccer skills. It has proved to be a great base for my soccer playing ability. My whole body was sore for the first couple of lessons, but my soccer fitness has improved vastly since. I did this once a week, on and off for about 9 months.
June 2009 - I met a girl at a party, and joined up to her social soccer team. It's mixed team in a competition where media companies play against each other socially. I managed to score one goal in the season, and was awarded best girl midfielder in the comp.
September 2009 - my friends and I started a 6-a-side soccer team in Sydney's inner west suburb of Croydon. It was hard getting enough players, but finally we got enough to register. We finished second last in the bottom division, but we had fun and learnt lots.
February 2010 - we entered into another 6-a-side soccer competition. We made it to the semis, but lost.
May 2010 - I joined a full-side outdoor soccer team. I scored a goal in the first game, but I injured my knee too. For the next few weeks I played goalie about every second week. It was utterly nerve racking and scary at first, but I got used to it. It gave me a whole new perspective of the game, which helps with being a forward. I was very happy to go back to playing again, and have rotated around the field a lot, being in the front, wing, centre midfield, goalie and backs. The only other major position I haven't been is centre back. I continued on my 6-a-side team and I think I improved significantly, with the field seeming much smaller than the full field. I finished that comp yesterday when we lost our division 2 semi.
There is much more football to come, and maybe I'll help bring football to others and look out for some volunteer work.
Australian Centre for Photography
This is on the main shopping strip of Oxford Street Paddington. I loved the photos, it's free therefore I think it's worth a visit. I was happy to see a photo of Laos!
www.acp.org.au
257 Oxford St
Paddington NSW 2021
www.acp.org.au
257 Oxford St
Paddington NSW 2021
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