The Photos That Didn’t Make the First Cut, But Should Have…. February 5, 2010

bondi beach-surf heaven!

There are so many photos that I either forgot to add in my previous blogs on Sydney, or just got lost in the shuffle.
I just had to add these in…I’m really missing Oz!

swimming in ocean water at the icebergs pool-bondi beach

beautiful modern house in watsons bay

what would it be like to live in one of these houses? watsons bay is just stunning!

watsons bay

bourke street bakery in surry hills was my absolute favorite bakery in sydney!!!

blue mountains australia...the one day i had a chance to go, it had to be foggy! couldn't see anything, except this photo was great!

posing in front of the 'whisk and spin' store in the blue mountains, my favorite muesli that i got hooked on!

i can just eat everything in this whisk and spin store!!!

surry hills library-spent quite some time here...

the front facade of this library is absolutely beautiful!

kristi and i on top of a hill near wollongong

melbourne cup day-the biggest race in australia! i bought this feather headband just for this occasion. not sure where i will wear it again... stephan and i did not coordinate our outfits either!

enjoying a cup of coffee at centennial park

i loved this photo-part of the art exhibit at hyde park during the night noodle mkts

last moments in sydney December 13, 2009

pad thai with chicken at spice i am

panang curry at spice i am

my last few days in sydney…

this is the cutest sign! miss chu is a hole in the wall vietnamese rice paper roll hot spot

miss chu herself taking orders! food was fabulous!!!

making fresh roti at mamak-popular malaysian spot

these noodles with fish were amazing at mamak!

traditional malaysian dish...actually, i wasn't too thrilled about this entree, mostly because i didn't know how to eat it! it's pretty random...

this was my favorite...roti with 3 different curries for dipping!

my last day was mostly spend at hyde park...absolutely love this park!

i thought this was pretty cool-anyone can join in on this chess game at hyde park! it was just fun watching them while drinking coffee...

my flat mate jackie treated me to coffee and sweets at sonoma right before taking off

had my last breaky at this cafe with kristi the morning i left...

Feel The Earth, Discover Life-Hunter Valley Wine Country December 5, 2009

A 2 hour drive north of Sydney, we spent a weekend at this beautiful wine country to draw away the layers of urban life. We were very fortunate to stay at this beautiful farmhouse (thanks to K’s boss!), and I literally thought I was in a movie! Hunter Valley ‘s wine industry is one of the oldest in Australia, and is well known for its Semillon and Shiraz, and more recently Chardonnay And Verdelho. There are over 120 unique wineries to visit-ranging from intimate boutique cellar doors to internationally acclaimed wine brands.

After the weekend at Hunter Valley, I found myself breathing deeply and my body more relaxed…the experience of the different wineries were absolutely genuine, where I was able to savour and satisfy each moment. I cannot wait to go back!

the beautiful farmhouse

even though it was extremely hot that day, we lit all the candles inside...yes, quite crazy!

the porch

our view from the porch...stunning!

check out this kitchen!

we grilled delicious chicken and veggie skewers, and tons of salad

K & S doing a little tasting...

these cows from next door greeted us each time they saw us-too cute!

Taronga Zoo-Sydney November 22, 2009

    

One of the places that everyone told me was a ‘must see’ was the zoo. At first, I was like why is this? Apparently it has one of the best views of Sydney from their cable cars! I was fortunate to go with Lena and her daughter Zoe, and found out they literally go every 2 weeks! I even got a personal tour from Zoe herself…I’m just glad I had Lena and Zoe to talk to, instead of just conversing with the animals!    

just chillin

the seal show was too fun!

the view was amazing!

see the owl?

short ride, but what an amazing view!

do you see the koalas?

photos that will make you salivate… November 10, 2009

linguine with mussels-becasse

becasse's deconstruction of the the traditional banana creme brulee-absolute the best!

canape-becasse

prosciutto with edible flowers, bread crumbs, jelly glycee-becasse

wrapped chinese pancakes with lamb-sea bay restaurant

delicately fried tofu from billy kwong's (bad photo, but this was an excellent dish!)

banana fritters from chat thai-soooo good!

duck-chat thai

pork-chat thai

afternoon tea at white rabbit gallery (modern chinese gallery)

ceiling in the tea room-white rabbit gallery

fennel, provolone, and tilsit fritters with fresh pickled cabbage-dank street depot

hapuka fillet on samphire in a butter & chive sauce, with sauteed kipfler potatoes-dank st. depot

veggie tempura with curry-wagamama

cocktails from the very posh zeta bar-hilton hotel

make your own fresh peanut butter! kristi sooo got me hooked on this...it's literally the best pb i have had, pure crushed peanuts, nothing added.

Sydney’s very own Korea Town… November 9, 2009

in strathfield k-town, with my cousins wife and daughter

I had a chance to visit Strathfield, the largest K town in Syndey. It’s a 20 minute drive from the city, in a very nice, quiet neighborhood…I didn’t know what to expect at first, but to my surprise, it was quite lovely! I had a great time with my cousins, and they made THE ‘Aussie-Korean’ meal at their place-’Wallamsam’ (direct translation=vietnamese spring rolls). Basically, the concept behind this is the vietnamese spring rolls meets Korean banchan, served with homemade chili sauce and crushed peanuts. You dunk the rice paper wrap in hot water, then add veggies of your choice, wrap, dip in sauce, and chow down!
Another Korean-Aussie couple mentioned this wallamsam concept a few weeks back, and explained that since there aren’t too many good K restaurants here (totally agreed unfortunately), the Koreans feast on this specialty at home. Great treat for guests (lot of labor preparing for it, even though it’s make-your-own), but the Koreans love it, and it’s freakin awesome!!! I seriously didn’t know when to stop.

The K-town in the city is mainly on Pitt street, sprawled onto George street. 13 of us went to Hanabi restaurant to indulge in the $10 dol-sot-bibimbop specials they had going on all of October. For most of those that went to Hanabi, this was their very first Korean food experience, and boy did they love the pork belly and soju! I warned them about the next day hang overs…but they didn’t bother to listen:)

strathfield square, right outside the train stop...

don't ask why this lady was walking around in her hanbok!

my cousin and his cute daughter alina

strathfield

still in stratty...

most of these places were empty b/c i went b/w lunch and dinner...but i hear it gets packed at night!

really good korean bakery...they wouldn't let me take photos inside!!! i was pretty annoyed...

korean butcher...

dukboki stand right outside the station!!!

i tried the fried dukboki, it was soo good!

if i lived here, i would probably pick one of these up everyday!

in the square

i think you can say this is a korean gloria jeans...hahahahaha

in the mall...love the interior!

wallamsam!!!

assorted veggies and soft pork...it was a very healthy meal!

korean stores in the city...

small korean food mkt in the city...

on pitt street

korean-japanese restaurant we went to

the gang after a nice meal at hanabi...i think the soju started to get to them!

one of the pretty art walls in a korean bakery-stratty

hanabi

not too impressed with this dolsot bibimbop from hanabi...looks better than it tasted

this cut of pork at hanabi was fantastic!

Sydney Gong Ride! November 5, 2009

What is the gong ride?

The Gong Ride is a one of a kind fundraising event. You can pedal 90km from Sydney to Wollongong on any day of the year but it’s only on the first Sunday of November that you’ll experience the camaraderie, fellowship, unity, safety, scenery and sense of achievement for pedalling in support of people living with MS (taken from their website). 10,000 cyclists participated this year!

Kristi, Stephan, and a few others that I have met, participated in this years gong ride. It’s a 90 KM ride that started from St. Peters, and finished in Wollongong-with tea and lunch breaks along the way! I took a 2 hour train ride to meet these guys at the finish line, where we had a sausage sizzle, beers, and other good food! The train ride was a amazing, I cannot imagine how great the view was for the cyclists! I don’t really cycle, and I would have died if I did this 90 KM ride. However, after seeing how beautiful it was to cycle along the coast, I would definitely try it if I live here!

Well done K & S!!!

rob, kristi, and stephan

the rest of the gang...

wollongong beach

Sculpture by the Sea Exhibit… November 4, 2009

Last weekend, we had a chance to walk along Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach, and see all the beautiful sculptures part of the ‘Sculpture By the Sea’ exhibit. They only have it for 2 weeks, and I’m glad I was still here to see it! The concept for Sculpture by the Sea is the culmination of many years thinking, where a new step in the thought process came up every year or so. It was absolutely stunning!

bondi beach...

this house is made out of toys! the kids loved it...

i look like i just woke up...kristi looks fabulous!

acting silly in one of the sculptures

love the towel scarf, is this a german thing stephan???

so many people along the cliff!

i had to take a photo of this...too cute!

shoes made out of sand, loved this!!!

cannot get enough photos of the water...

it's the take-away soy sauce containers!

this was quite amazing...looks like a giant spider!

me and my watch fetish...

little man on a beautiful rock!

it was a beautiful walk...

Random photos from a traveller… October 30, 2009

love this ad...

paddy's market in chinatown-it's a cross b/w nyc chinatown and namdamoon inside

thought this was funny-there were sydney book in chinese and korean!

pretty nice kfc!

sydney harbour bridge

sydney opera house

do you see the people climbing the bridge!

view from the pylon lookout...how beautiful!

food mkt at the rocks...

quite interesting...at the circular quay

haven't been inside yet...but of course there is a wagamama here!

cute cafe near the circular quay

love these tables!!!

what a job...

Yummy Mummy’s! October 26, 2009

  

Kristi recently explained the term ‘yummy mummy,’ which is a trendy, urban mom who mostly spends time taking care of kids, doing yoga, and having coffee at the parks with their other yummy mummy friends! Not to mention, they have the resources to really take advantage of the ‘yummy’ part. Hrm…this sounds like some of the mom’s I know in Chicago! Last week, we spent an afternoon at Centennial Park with Kristi and some of her friends…enjoyed a picnic lunch on a beautiful day, with 2 adorable kids! I was just amazed at how many mums and their kids were at the park, on a Thursday afternoon…what a life I tell you! It seems like Sydney is a great place to raise a family-so green, the pace of life is great, and people here take their ‘free time’ seriously. I guess when the weather is perfect almost all year round, how can you not be out and about with outdoor activities!

the cafe at the park

i love how most places use biodegradable disposables!

kids playground, very nice!

uma and i made sand pies for everyone...

menu on the wall at the cafe...very nice...