Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas 2009~~圣诞快乐2009年~~メーリークリスマス2009~~

Have a Very Merry Christmas Everybody!:-)

I went to the Annual Woolworths Carols in the Domain on 19th December 2009..it is the biggest free Christmas concert gala in Australia...there were over a hundred thousand ppl there i think..it was fantastic and it was my second time there since my first time last year with colleagues(2008), but last yr we couldn't see the stage properly as we had just walked in halfway and stayed for a few mins...but this yr i managed to get a good spot with the stage in full view and stayed till the end...took some videos too...it ended with a short 10 sec fireworks display!
Website here: http://www.carolsinthedomain.com/

Above: So artistic right...the tree above within the crowds..



Above n Below: My Second time seeing the Annual Macquarie Street Nightlights Display held around Christmas time every year....



Above: Discovered along an alleyway in Surry Hills area..i love the flowers and fauna on display in Sydney around Autumn/Winter time..
Above n Below: Christmas Lighting Displays around Circular Quay, Central Business District Sydney.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Queer Cinema in Asia Recommendations II..亚洲同志电影推介(II)..アジアゲイ映画お勧め(II)


This is a follow-up post to this post:


I read through some of the reader comments and would like to comment further on the issue. I intended for the post to be about Asian films with gay themes for 2009 and did not intend to go through the entire rich history of Gay Asian Cinematic history..too big for me to deal with!!

However, a reader mentioned 'He's a Woman, She's a Man' which is one of my fav HK films and coincidentally it had a gay-affirming theme in it. Released in 1994 and a blockbuster hit, it was one of the earliest Chinese films to deal with homosexuality not only in a positive affirming way, but also in a light-hearted comedy. It stars Leslie Cheung (the film mirrors his own life at that time, he came out in 2001 i think saying he was a 'bisexual'. But i think he was really gay but its just easier to say you're bi...i mean the guy was with his boyfriend for over 10 yrs by that time!) and my all-time fav HK actress, Anita Yuen (love her!). A follow sequel came out in 1996 with Anita Mui in it too. Both full films with Eng subs available on youtube online:

He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWbY-keudJk


The theme song and opening song sequences are so memorable for me...the movie theme song 追 by Leslie Cheung always brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it as it reminds me of him after his suicide in 2003, and i always sing it in KTV as the lyrics are so meaningful...if you want me to translate the meaning into English I will. Just leave a comment.

Chinese cinema has always been ahead of Western cinema/American cinema when it came to the homosexual theme. Although Western cinema started earlier in exploring the issue, with British film 'Victim' in 1961 being a breakthrough for its usage of the word 'homosexual' and a sympathetic portrayal of gay men at a time when homosexuality was still a crime in Britain, Asia caught up and sped ahead by the 80s and 90s and are still ahead now. It took a Taiwanese director, Ang Lee, to make the independent hit 'Brokeback Mountain' and no Western mainstream hit has yet been made dealing with gay romance without someone dying or some kind of tragedy like that which has happened in 'Brokeback' and 'Philadelphia'. Almost all Hollywood films which do deal with it in a light-hearted comedy always inevitably shy away from gay romance and focus on the comedic side such as 'The Birdcage' and 'Next Best Thing'. However, i would say despite the shying away from gay romance in gay-themed mainstream hollywood films to date, there are still 2 Hollywood films which i love and which are classics to me. They are 1) In & Out by Kevin Kline 2) The Object of My Affection by Jennifer Aniston.

Trailers here, watch 'em if you can!:


The Object of My Affection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_lNnxTPB9A


But of course, our Chinese cinema have always been more daring and ahead of American cinema in frank and positive portrayals of gays and lesbians. For instance, besides 'The Wedding Banquet' waaaay back in 1993 which was a mainstream success with its onscreen kisses and bed scenes of the gay interracial couple, in 1997, Wong Kar Wai made 'Happy Together' with Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung, two of Hong Kong's most well-known actors then with a daring sex scene in the opening mins of the film. No top Hollywood actors have ever attempted such a scene even now in 2009, i mean it'd be like Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks in a raw gay sex scene bck in 1997. We Chinese did it, and I'm proud of that.:-)Then came 'Bishonen' in 1998 with two of HK's hottest new actors then, now very famous, being Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung. Then came 'Lan Yu' which was the first mainland Chinese-HK film to win multiple awards and mainstream success in 2001. Even anti-gay severely homophobic Singapore's govt allowed the production by Jackie Chan's production company of a gay-themed comedy set in Singapore in 2004 called 'Hainan Chicken Rice'.

Trailers for them here:


There are many many more films which i've mentioned in previous post on gay cinema in Asia and so just check out my previous archives.
Two important last notes, remember I mentioned about 'Blue Gate Crossing' as one of my favourite Taiwanese film of ALL time before? The whole movie WITH eng subs is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfUufYr5XBA

Also bless the person whom uploaded the Discovery Channel program on Taiwan's LGBT movement in recent years just one day after it was broadcast:
Some recent Taiwanese Entertainment Programs with gay interest topics (read: either discussion of gay topics or invitation of gay men to choose their ideal idol !):
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGS5UXJhKbY (new film promo by out gay director of Bishonen, Yon Fan, new film 'Prince of Tears')
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i-ErG_dapQ&feature=PlayList&p=800A9DEC7634FEA4&index=0 (i really like Guo Yan Jun in here..he's the first guy to take down the mask..he discusses his experiences with being chased by gay men, he's straight by the way i think)
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFwYlEycPl8 (Guo Yan Jun in here, he's such a hunk! It's obvious that his good friend Lin Ke is gay..i can tell from what he's saying and also he's secretly in love with Guo..it's like SO obvious..those whom understand mandarin, have a look, it's obvious rite? Lin Ke obviously stole his worn underwear :-) )
Also, I just discovered a Malaysian tv drama "逆风18", it's so good! Rem my previous post on how good malaysian chinese dramas have become recent yrs? Well, this is another one, and its got a gay theme too! (wow! malaysia is becoming more n more open, i'm surprised the sponsors and management allowed the gay plot to be so central to the storyline). Set in Taiwan with a cast of malaysian chinese, thai, taiwanese ..it is a short 13 epi drama about a straight 18 yr old american-taiwanese whom returns for a summer vacation to Taipei after the death of his mom to visit his long-lost grandma. He meets and falls in love with a girl (taiwanese) whom in turn loves her childhood gay friend (malaysian) whom loves the straight guy...so it's a gay/straight love triangle about pure teen love and family relations, love it, love the song too with trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grpjLbe7q5Y

Last but not least, rem how i said i went to see the hugely fantastic Spanish film 'Chef's Special' at the Sydney Spanish Film Festival earlier this yr? Well, apparently, its a big hit and was shown in Taiwan and S.Korea as well..trailer here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIG3dXMuuuQ
Previous Post on Homosexuality in Asia:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sad and Heartwarming Stories...酒肝袒卖无与慰安妇阿嫲的一日空姐记...元慰安婦エアホステスの一日..

No, this post is not about current affairs..it's about some sad stories which occured in the past. One from a movie, the other in real life.

Now, the movie is called' Papa, Can you hear me Sing?' which was a famous Taiwanese tearjerker film which came out in 1983 (the yr I was born).
This movie was one of the first movies from Taiwan to have substantial Minnan/Hokkien dialect dialogue in it as Hokkien dialect was banned or restricted severely since the 50s in Taiwan until 1987 when it was allowed on airwaves,tv, movies, and songs. The theme song has since become one of the most famous Taiwanese Hokkien songs of all time, and I finally managed to watch this movie on Youtube recently, (given that it was screened in the exact year I was born in!)and of course I cried..haha..its a pretty corny story with tragedy after tragedy but it was still sad nevertheless..full movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJw2O4ayBvs

Another tragedy is that of the real life 'comfort women',Asian occupied territories women taken by the Japanese during and before WW2 to become sex slaves for Japanese troops during the war. However, this time, it is a heartwarming story as it involves a Taiwanese comfort woman named 'Xiu Mei' (whom i met and spoke to during an organised NGO visit by 3 comfort women to Sydney in 2007! I could actually speak to her as I understood Taiwanese hokkien and she had a translator for Mandarin/English into Hokkien for her). It was always her wish to become a flight attendant later on in her life and NGOs helped her to become one for a day with professional make-up, a wig, as well as the well-known China Airlines uniform on the plane! How touching!
Newsclip here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4JmIt3HeRo

A Heartwarming and Tear Jerker of a post ain't it?

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Male Hunks I Like in 2009/10 ...喜爱的男明星在09/10年....最近気になるの男優...

Update: Please leave me comments readers, this post has illicited too little comments!! Hey, its one of my rare posts on hunks actually....hehe..so leave a comment on YOUR favourite actors"-)

I am dedicating this post to male celebrities i've come to like recently. Of course, given that I only idolise and follow the Asian entertainment industry (and don't give a rat's ass about Hollywood) this post shall only be about Asian, and more specifically the Chinese entertainment industry (which includes China, Taiwan, HK, Singapore, and Malaysia).

I thought I 'd do this post to counter my other post on my fav HK female actresses.

As an aside, I do follow Hollywood entertainment very randomly, and some of my fav actors/actresses include Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler, and some others.

As for Asian ones, there are too many that I like such as Kang Dong Won (Korean), Jang dong Gun (Korean), Won Bin (Korean), Tsumabuki Satoshi (Japanese), Jo Hyun Jae (Korean), etc..too many for me to list out here...


As for Chinese ones, it'd be Leo Ku for his boy-next-door looks as well as Leslie Cheung for his genderless appeal, Daniel Wu (cos he's everyone's favourite list), and more recently, I've fallen in love with Guo Yan Jun (of 2moro fame) from Taiwan as well as Leon Jay Williams, a mixed-blood Singaporean model-turn-actor whom is prob the next big thing in the Chinese entertainment circle. He was a model in Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong before becoming an actor/singer in Taiwan and has now crossed over to the China market.



I noticed Leon Jay Williams again via the new Stephen Chow movie 'Jump' which was recently released. I had checked up on this movie becos I love Kitty Zhang Yu Qi (ever since her appearance in CJ7 last yr as the tight cheongsam-hugging school teacher, she's also Stephen Chow's new 'It' girl). Then when I saw the trailer, I just totally swooned at Leon Jay William's good hunky looks! How could anyone not?! I noticed him before when he first came out in 2004 in a hit Taiwanese drama series but didn't like his acting and the drama as it was one of those with pretty/good-looking actors but can't act at all..and judging from his works in the past yrs which i spent time checking on, he still can't really act and his mandarin accent is bad, cos as most younger singaporeans have poor mandarin skills (he said in an interview he could only read 20% of the chinese scripts and rely on hanyu pinyin most of the time).


But I saw an interview of him on a mainland Chinese program and he had a really great personality and I felt like I could like him as a good friend, coursemate or even relative! I was surprised as I always kinda felt guys with hunky, extremely good looks like him would not have that great a personality or I'd feel I would never know ppl like them in real life, but after that interview I really like him as a person (besides his good looks) although he really can't act..well, you cannot always be blessed with everything in life, correct? But anyways, I hope his fans dun come across this and kill me! Anyways, he has many yrs to improve his acting skills....

Some Leon J. Williams video links:

1)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAfCbNQIsMs (This song is amazing! It was originally the theme song for the Beijing Olympic Cube venue and turned into one for Audi.)

2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il7MA5KnPus&feature=related (An English song. Doesn't he just make you swoon, gay guys and ladies? Hehe..)

3) http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen#p/f/15/W1jZgn7GkuA(Stephen Chow's 'Jump' trailer..watch it! He's cute in it, sooo adorable. Hehe.)

As for Guo Yan Jun, he was never my 'type' of guy, given his atheletic dark-skinned complexion and sporty looks (i know i'm weird, i just don't really go for darker tan skinned guys with sporty looks) but after awhile of watching him appear on multiple shows (i watch taiwanese talk shows on youtube) I slowly realised I was becoming attached and idolising him...i was having an idol crush! So weird, and he's not even the type of guy i'd like in real life..well, anyways...he's had alot of gay rumours and experiences of gay men liking him, and one of his best friends in real life is very likely gay..i mentioned it in a previous post linking to the talk show where they both attended and I HIGHLY suspect his best friend is gay with my 'gaydar'.

If you want to see what Anthony Guo Yan Jun looks like in moving images, here's some links to taiwanese talkshows he attended:

1)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68h6mpELNSk
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i-ErG_dapQ&feature=related




Above: anthony guo in a PTS tv movie, i love pts as they show quality programs all the time! In the scene above, apparently anthony has a dream scene of him and another guy. He walks around in tight underwear alot in the above movie i think! Yea!Shao Yu Ting is another new upcoming Taiwanese actor whom grew up in Canada and is currently very popular in Taiwan because of a TV drama he acted in. He's kinda cute as well..hehe.. link here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GruShKu0bZE

Finally, someone i liked briefly because of his song OREA back in the day..haha..must be over 10 years now..Wallace Chung, I came across his news recently and checked up on his recent works, he's really cute even now!! Damn, how come they never age with time?!

He'd definitely be someone I'd possibly fall in love for..haha..very 'my type'..maybe alittle fairer skin would be good..hehe..


Some MV links:

1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7H2dgX6xJc


This post thus balances my previous post on HK actresses showing my favourite actors and actresses and also my preference in likable looks!

Friday, December 04, 2009

HK Stars of the 1990s: Anita Yuen, Charlie Yeung, Veronica Yip, Sandra Ng, Chingmy Yau, Carmen Lee, Athena Chu..and Vivian Chow..

I've always liked the female HK actresses of the 1990s, the era when i fell in love with HK cinema and also my growing-up years...it was strange that I never had any real male idols (despite 100% liking guys, mind you!) besides (maybe) Leslie Cheung, Lau Ching-Wan and of course, everyone's favourite comedian Stephen Chow. I also liked Leo Ku alot and still do...other stars which I liked are Carina Lau, Lee Yi-Hung, Hsu-Chi, Christine Ng-Wing Mei, and Christy Chung.
However, my fav HK female stars are definitely those mentioned in the title of this post. Except Vivian Chow whom i've only come to like this year with the mention of her coming back to the big screen after a 13 yr hiatus. Mind you, I liked all of them in the 90s and some are no longer acting, many married to wealthy businessmen now. Below are some clips of movies of them and also what some look like now:

Chingmy Yau in 1995's 'You're My birthday Cake': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpIx9jyzY4Q
Veronica Yip in 1994's 'Red Rose, White Rose' (lady in white veil whom appears in second part):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLttV36KxiQ
Veronica Yip 2008/09: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWl7c8JMDUg&feature=fvsr
Carmen Lee in mainland Chinese TV serial early 2000s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU1berbwpvE&feature=related
Anita Yuen in 1993's ' He's Ain't Hairy, He's my Brother': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRm9QUVbaFY
Anita Yuen in 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL3qlvaOAFg
Charlie Yeung in 1997 commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FcKvElKg00
Charlie Yeung in 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6j5AyY9AcI
Sandra Ng in 1993's 'All's Well, End's Well':http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ7jmdsj23M
Sandra Ng in 2009's 'All's Well, End's Well': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLCVqoPeEs
Athena Chu in 1998's 'Raped by an Angel II': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sihiPusY2fk
Vivian Chow in 1993's Mandarin MV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvEaymFMWcw&feature=PlayList&p=4469C6A828B4F07A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=49 Vivian Chow in 2007/08: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEuJhNoZW_o

Have a look, the one's in pink are particularly worth having a look at, Charlie Yeung and Vivian Chow still look stunningly pretty whilst Athena Chu's performance in 'Raped by An Angel II' is quite a cult classic for HK Cinema of the 90s, a typical Wong Jing movie. :-)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

My 26th BDay:-)...祝我26岁生日快乐:-)..26歳の誕生日おめでとう..

It's my 26 th Birthday today...wish me Happy Birthday!!:-) It also happens to be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women..which i am superb about given that women's rights come up right at the top of my list of priorities/interests.:-) What a lucky day for me to be born on such a significant day (given my feminist stance) as well as one month before Christmas.

26 years and hoping for more good luck in the new year of 2010!

PS: Since installing the feeder tracking visitors to my blog, i've noticed many common/regular readers to my blog whom don't leave comments. Hey, since it's my birthday today, at least leave me a birthday note hey? Better still, leave me a link to your blog if you have one as I'd like to see what kind of ppl my regular 'invisible' readers are like. I've these 'silent readers' spanning from London to Paris to Singapore! Leave me a birthday wish:-)!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Filipino Fever...菲律宾热情...フィリピンフィバー...

Remember how in 2007 i discovered Filipino entertainment and fell head over toes over the Philippines, it's people, it's culture, all just because of the 'soft power' of Filipino entertainment? Well, I am now revisiting that 'filipino fever' of mine, which kinda lowered for the past year before in recent weeks i'm kinda getting that 'filipino fever' back again!

Some songs I like: adik sayo (addicted to you): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JITAGe7YHw

Ikaw Lamang (Only You):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ycF5vqGR0

Tayong Dalawa MV (Two of Us): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzVf6_bpqkQ

The girl in the above MV is very pretty, her name is Kim Chiu, one of the new top talents in the Filipino industry. She's pure Chinese, being Filipino-Chinese, born to Chinese immigrants from Fujian Province, China. (Most Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines are from Fujian Province, thus being Hokkien people.)

Also, some movies from the past i love...'Got 2 Believe' (on youtube with malay subs), especially the end of the movie:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpf24xQDG7k

and 'You are the one', one of my fav romantic comedies of all time!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRQbpwux58

My love for Filipino culture and entertainment has also led to my peak in interest in the Philippines and understanding its current affairs, people, and issues. Have a look at this Current TV docu on Philippines No.1 export, its people!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7rVibDsWKo&feature=player_profilepage#

Enjoy!
Links to Previous Post on Filipino Culture and Entertainment:
1)
http://chinesechic.wordpress.com/2007/08/11/reconnecting-with-my-south-east-asian-roots/
2)
http://chinesechic.blogspot.com/2008/03/penang-cny-trip-08-ii.html

Monday, November 02, 2009

Singapore & the 'Inferiority Complex'...新加坡与新国语言政策...シンガポールとシンガポールの言語政策....

This post is going to be about Singapore and its inferiority complex. Hahaha..
I was going through blogs in recent weeks when i came across a few blogs written by young English-educated Singaporean Chinese. I also went on via links to this Singapore online site called 'The Online Citizen' whereby there are posts on Singaporean social, economic, and political issues as well as commentary left by Singaporean readers on their views regarding these issues. One common strain that i discovered was the inherent inferiority complex that many Singaporean (Chinese) suffered and how they view themselves and their country in such a negative and under-deserving light. I mean, read any Singaporean blog written by a certain section of Singaporean society and you can see how negative they view their own country, an extension of their own inferiority complex. These are usually people whom are ethnic Chinese, English educated with a good command of English, from an upper to upper-middle class segment of society, poor Mandarin/dialect capabilities, and probably with a foreign education background too. Their blogs and views on the The Online Citizen are 80% and more negative on Singapore and Singaporeans in general as a populace and you can hardly see any positive things they would say about their country, a country which is one of THE richest nations in the world in terms of GDP per capita, clean, efficient, with a high living standard but yet read any Singaporean blog from an elite intellectual background and inevitably its 80% and above negative. The only position mentions would be about family or food.

Quite frankly, this is a case of what I call 'Elitism' and 'Inferiority Complex'. Singaporeans with a good command of English and from a higher education level tend to have an elitism complex as well as inferiority complex. They look down on their own country and even worse, on their own people, with common terms like 'third world mentality' 'third world manner's' 'third world..bla bla bla' to describe something they dislike about their country. Although i do agree with criticism about the government as its extremely dictatorial, and there's really a case of 'third world freedom of speech, gay rights, and media freedom' to be argued for in the case of Singapore, i tend to find many of these Singaporeans overly critical of the country and their people when there's much to be proud of.

I believe this has to do with the unconscious elitism and inferiority complex which many Singaporeans have in that they feel the West or Japan will ALWAYS be better than their own nation, never mind the economy, transportation, healthcare,etc in Singapore. It's a feeling which is worse when i've read singaporeans describing 'typical singaporean behavior' and looking down on their on, typically the less-educated or more dialect-speaking/mandarin speaking singaporeans. Singapore, like Malaysia, suffers from an 'internalised white-worship' mentality whereby everything Western is considered somehow better, the education in the West is better, the social manners in the West is better, the bla in the West is better..without any warrant.

One post in the 'The Online Citizen' and the comments it elicited really riled me...it was concerning Singapore's language policy which mandates that each major race learn compulsory 'Mother tongue' as a separate subject in school (as the Singaporean education syllabus is completely English) which means ethnic Chinese learn Mandarin, Indians learn Tamil, Malays learn Malay and so on. The particular post by the writer went on and on about how Mandarin wasn't her mother tongue, how the government was 'forcing an alien language down her throat'(*rolls eyes*, yes Mandarin is an 'alien language' but English, the language of Singapore's former colonial masters is not? Not a word of criticism on English usage) how her mother tongue was really a chinese dialect like teochew, fookchew, hokkien, cantonese,etc and how they should get rid of this policy and allow dialects in school and like 80% of the readers meaning 70-80 comments completely supported her even 'blaming' compulsory Mandarin education for 'destroying dialects' in Singapore.
BULL CRAP. This is another problem with the elite English-educated Chinese Singaporeans. Like my native Malaysia, there's always been a stratification of languages, although much less pronounced now than in the pre-2000s days when it was VERY obvious.

Basically, put simply, those whom speak and write good English are right at the top of the social/economic ladder in society, followed by the Mandarin-speaking people, and then followed by the dialect-speaking (meaning they use Hokkien,Teochew, Fookchew, Hakka,etc more) with poor command of English right at the bottom. That's the perception anyway. English is connected with social mobility and class, being of an upper class. This is supposedly the same as in India as well where English newspapers, government interviews, tv programs, etc are given an 'elite class treatment' whilst the media which has actually more readership such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu,etc language media is given a second class priority in the public perception. This has caused such a huge elite upwardly mobile segment of Singaporean society to look down on dialect and Mandarin and recently, with the global trend in indigenous culture promotion, to just despise Mandarin and promote dialects.

I find it horrifying to say the least that these people whom already have poor to no dialect speaking skills are now rebelling against compulsory Mandarin education and promotion (A govt 'Speak Mandarin Campaign' which started in the early 1980s to promote Mandarin in place of dialects) and saying how it isn't their mother tongue. What is going to happen if the language policy of the Singaporean govt is done away with (one of the areas where i actually support it 100%) would be to result in Singaporean Chinese speaking poor Mandarin, equally poor, if not worse, dialect, and 100% English. This is already happening EVEN with the compulsory mandarin education currently. I mean, all the Singaporeans I've met, whom happen to fit into the elite english-educated foreign educated segment i just mentioned above, have horrible Mandarin skills and quite good English skills. They cannot really speak dialect as well given the elite group speak English at home, at work, in school, socially interacting with friends,etc that I find it resolutely ridiculous that some in this segment now would like Mandarin removed as a compulsory subject. One can only wonder with dialect being much less useful than Mandarin, which is actually a very useful language spoken by 1.3 billion Chinese plus the 35 million plus residing overseas in countries like America, Canada, Malaysia, and Philippines (there is even over 500,000 Chinese workers now living in Africa!) one can see what the result would be if dialects were introduced as compulsory. First off, it wouldn't work practically as it'd mean different teachers and materials and exams needed, given there's so many dialects, and also it'd mean different dialect groups would be unable to communicate with each other thus fracturing the Chinese community in Singapore.

Mandarin was introduced as the de facto unifying language in the early 20th century precisely to unite the Chinese Han race as different dialects were being spoken and people in the north could not communicate with the southerners and even southerners couldn't communicate with each other. (re: Cantonese with Teochews with Hokkiens with Hakkas,etc you get the idea.) But once again, the inferiority complex of these Singaporeans rear its ugly head and they decide they don't want anything to do with Mandarin. It's so silly given how much Singaporeans love to lament on their 'poor' English skills when its such a highly Anglicised and Westernised nation, one of the most Westernised in fact in Asia. They'd rather critcise and rebel against their cousin language of Mandarin, being within the 'family' than criticise the real culprit of what has destroyed dialect in Singapore (if you really must blame a language) which is ENGLISH. It is the English language and the accompanying inferiority complex mentality of the 60s/70s/80s/90s/00s which Singaporeans had/have which resulted in English occupying and completely kicking out dialect usage, first from the public sphere in the workplace, then progressively socially such that English has become for decades the language of choice when socialising amongst fellow Chinese friends, and then into the private sphere of the family, being used within the family. I read somewhere that a survey by the Education Ministry of Singapore ( i think) in 2009 indicated over 60% of all primary school aged children from ethnic Chinese backgrounds now use English as their spoken 'mother tongue' at home, meaning not only is the unifying Chinese language of Mandarin (or if you're one of those elitist Westernised Singaporeans, you'd at least call it a 'cousin language') or even chinese dialect not in use, a completely 'outsider language' of English is now the mother tongue of the majority of the next generation of Singaporeans.

As a fervently proud ethnic Chinese and proud Asian of both East Asian and S.East Asian descent(always has been, always will be...which is why i even majored in Asian Studies within my Arts degree in uni when it wasn't a popular major for Asians..) i find this EXTREMELY UNACCEPTABLE AND DISTURBING. But of course, no one in the Singaporean English blogosphere nor these influential online news sites are debating on the poor Mandarin levels of Singaporean Chinese, which as an ethnic race, all Chinese should understand. ( Believe me, with the Chinese population currently around the world, spanning from Malaysia, Australia, to Africa and the Middle East, Mandarin is VERY VERY USEFUL..even for my daily life here in Oz, i find so many Chinese people in Sydney and its very useful to understand mandarin, you just get more with an extra language and also dialects would prevent interaction between Chinese people meaning an outsiders language would be needed (English) for the different groups to interact (which is currently happening in Singapore and will get worse should Mandarin be removed and dialects introduced as the mandatory mother tongue subject). It's funny how some Singaporeans criticise about the 'poor english levels' in Singapore when it is the Mandarin levels and dialect levels which warrant debate and the status of English within society should be re-evaluated instead.

It's like attacking your cousin (Mandarin) whilst not being able to speak your own mother dialect (dialect) whilst being completely comfortable with speaking an outsider's language (English). Inferiority Complex at its worse. And the worse thing is when these elitist English-educated Chinese complain about Singaporean's English level and education system, it has still managed to produce thousands of Singaporeans whom successfully are able to enter and graduate from foreign universities and with Singaporeans making up a disproportionate number of students in Ivy League universities in America (relative to Singapore's small population size). Like seriously, obviously somethings been done right for them to even get into these places in the first place, right? But nooo, inferiority complex mandates that they complain about that aspect of Singapore as well...quite frankly, its like one of those people who go online heaping praise upon praise on North Korea and Communism in general whilst being in the comforts of their freedom of using the internet, their freedom of speech and freedom of movement within the comforts of a capitalist, democratic society, no???

And also the term of 'heartlander' which is used in Singapore is also a reflection of the elitism mentality of many young yuppie English educated Singaporean Chinese by creating this non-existent category of people in Singapore to refer to those ppl living in the suburbs, dialect/mandarin speaking, and supposedly socially bckward and conservative in values...so silly, as if Singapore is not small enough to have a 'heartland'?? So many of these socially English speaking ppl live or their families/friends' live in the 'heartlands' anyways to make this social distinction moot, but of course, they create this term to differentiate themselves from everyone else, with the 'everyone else' being more backwards...

It's not just a Singapore problem, sadly. I find it much more serious in Singapore though. In Hong Kong and Japan, there has also been a problem of 'Western White-Worship' and 'Inferiority Complex' as well despite their wealthy status. For instance, advertisements and magazines in Japan disproportionately feature white or mixed European-Japanese models and white men assumedly get the girls more in nightclubs compared to Asian men. In Hong Kong as well, white and English is also (or once was) put on a high pedastal as well.

However, both Japan and Hong Kong always had and have strong native popular cultures and pride to counter this inferiority complex but yet Singapore does not. This is why I find the problem of elitism and 'white worship' much more worrisome in Singapore and afflicting Singaporeans much more than Japanese or Hong Kongers whom actually have improved alot in the past decade with much more pride for their native culture and people. For instance, you are hard-pressed to find Japanese or Hong Kong ppl having a general perception that their people 'lack social manners' or are 'backwards' as opposed to many Singaporeans.

I do agree that Singapore and particularly its government has much 'third world' aspects such as lack of freedom of speech, media freedom, gay rights,etc for a First World(it is 1st world, despite these elitist claims of it being really third-world) .

However, I also think whats really shameful and 'third world' about Singapore is not its general citizenry or the nation itself, but those with elitist (generally) English-speaking Singaporeans whom have a 'third world' inferiority complex about their own nation, the nation which gave them so much material wealth as well as opportunities both abroad and at home to distastefully look down on their own nation and its people which provided them what they have today.

Thats whats truly 'third world' and deplorable about Singapore.

A society where the English educated elites unconsciously look down on those with poorer English skills whilst slamming their own unifying tongue of Mandarin whilst at the same time being completely at home with using their former colonial master's language.

A society where the future generation will all have as their true 'mother tongues' that of a truly 'outsider's' language, English.

A society which has become so Westernised that much attention is focused on the 'poor English' standards of Singaporeans whilst at the same time having no qualms on further eroding the already shamefully poor Mandarin levels of many Singaporeans and at the exact same time giving half-hearted support for dialect education.


A people whom have no pride in a nation which, despite having plenty of flaws, and a flawed government, has also managed to turn itself from a resourceless tiny island into one of the richest nations on earth within 30 years.

That's what's truly 'third world' about certain Singaporeans and that's the true shame of Singapore. And all this coming from a foreigner, me....Any thoughts, anyone?


PS: The above reflects my own thoughts on the subject and is not meant to offend any Singaporeans and be an attack on anyone, even if you happen to fall within the elitist English-speaking category of Singaporeans whom I refer to above. It's just to simply point out my observations and thoughts on the matter and, hopefully, change minds and spirits in that process, not to offend anyone!

Friday, October 30, 2009

I Love RTHK & Suzie Wong...我爱RTHK和苏丝黄...RTHKとスージーウォンが大好き...



I would like to introduce to readers the Wonderful World of Suzie Wong, a 1960 Hollywood production which was a box-office hit in America. Set in 50s Hong Kong telling the tale of a 'Wanchai Girl' with a heart of gold falling in love with a poor American painter.
This film introduced to American and worldwide audiences for the first time the beauty of the 50s-60s style cheongsam worn by Chinese women in Hong Kong and South East Asia and very popular at the time. As a huge cheongsam fan myself, i loved the tight body-hugging high neckline n slit cheongsams shown in this movie as well as the multitude of on-location scenes of what Hong Kong looked like back in the late 1950s (priceless shots, really!). Please have a watch of what Hong Kong cheongsams (very accurate, verified from a cheongsam 'expert' like me! haha) and Hong Kong looked like back in its poorer days in the late 50s.
Entire film is available for viewing on youtube, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9-A19RezTc&feature=player_profilepage

Also, I love RTHK (Hong Kong's only public broadcasting station) current affairs programs as well as docus alot. They show aspects of Hong Kong society which may not be readily known to outsiders, usually focusing on the underbelly and socially discriminated or disadvantaged groups in Hong Kong and their daily struggles and triumphs. I especially like how they focus on not only the problems of these people, but also on the kindness and unextinguishable spirit of the common person and the optimism and hope one can have to overcome adversity in life. The episodes are available online for viewing (for those whom understand Cantonese or can read Traditional Chinese characters as subtitles are available for most programs in Chinese characters.) here: http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/program_archive.cgi?progdir=tv/commonfolks&event_name=%3F%3F+%3F%3F+銋%3F+甇%3F+%0A
~Enjoy!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Queer Cinema in Asia Recommendations 2009..亚洲同志电影推介2009年...2009年のアジアゲイ映画お勧め

In Asia, recent years have seen a flourishing of Gay films in the mainstream media and undoubtedly, Taiwan and the Philippines have led this queer Asian film charge ahead of other countries such as South Korea which have also produced many gay-themed movies...as i said before, I believe in Asia, the most gay-friendly countries are definitely Thailand, the Philippines, and Taiwan. In terms of media coverage, the Philippines definitely comes up on top for its gay-friendly and wide-ranging exposure of gay storylines/characters whilst I'd say Taiwan comes in second in terms of media queer-friendliness.

There's been many gay Filipino films in the past 5 yrs, and this yr there's been many films as well..but i'm only looking forward to 'In my Life' by Philippine's veteran Star 'for all Seasons' Ms. Vilma Santos, one of Filipino Cinema's most recognised and esteemed actresses as well as starring John Lloyd Cruz, the leading Filipino box-office lead currently as well as hunky Luis Manzano!


A Taiwanese film dealing with the same theme of gayness is the film which is produced by veteran and probably THE most famous Taiwanese producer/screenwriter Wu Nien-Jen of the film 'Tou-San' (1994) fame. I'm really looking forward to this film about a colour-blind young girl and her gay cousin living in a small fishing village in rural Taiwan.


Another gay Taiwanese film, Neon Hearts, being an interracial romance between a teenage Swedish boy and a teenage Taiwanese boy, is also coming up this yr, trailer:
Given it's three gay male films to look out for pointed out for this year, lesbians, fret not, there's been many lesbian themed films and i personally like 'Saving Face' made by Taiwanese-American Alice Wu starring Lynn Chen (she's gorgeous!), Michelle Krusiec (i identify alot with her personality), and Joan Chen, whole movie here from 2004: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVVQq9Hkjuk
Also, one of my all-time fav Taiwanese films (note this is not just for the LGBT category but for the Taiwan Film entire category, it's THAT good for me.) which i first saw at the Melbourne In'tl Film Festival bck in the early 2000s and had not much expectation but was overwhelmed by the finishing scene-Blue Gate Crossing. Fan Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viiPb6z1ues&feature=related
Not to mention, THE BIGGEST NEWS out yet this year, in the HK entertainment industry, ...hold your breaths ppl (for those familiar with Hong Kong's entertainment scene ala 80s/90s)...Vivian Chow, the most celebrated and 'originator' of the term 'Jade Girl' in HK, whom retired from filming in 1996 and was well-known for being THE Jade Girl of the 80s/early 90s is making a comeback to the big-screen! And in a lesbian romantic comedy opp. Sandra Ng (my FAVOURITE HK comedian actress of ALL-TIME) to be funded by Wong Jing and helmed by esteemed award-winning director Ann Hui-On Wah. OH MY GOD. This is BIG. BIG NEWS. Given Vivian Chow's choice of this movie as her comeback movie after a 13 yr hiatus, it shows how much society has changed that a romantic comedy dealing with two lesbians can be made into a commercial mainstream hk flick, and also HK's pre-eminent Jade girl, known for her feminine, good-girl image from the 80's would choose this lesbian romantic comedy as her comeback movie..i can't wait!

Now, whoever said Asia was behind in terms of queer representation in the media and positive images/role characters in its media? I'm constantly doing my part to correct this incorrect perception many Westerners, Asians, and even gay Asians have that somehow or other, Asia is very behind in terms of gay rights, visibility, role models, when it isn't! In certain countries in Asia it is the case (re: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,etc) but definitely not in Taiwan and the Philippines, two countries which hold a very special place in my heart!
PS: Update 29/10: Taiwan's Annual Gay Pride Parade, held in Taipei and also Asia's largest gay pride parade, will be held on 31st October 2009. My very best wishes to my compatriot Taiwanese as well as overseas participants whom will be attending (predicted to surpass 20,000 marchers this yr!) . In addition, Discovery Channel Taiwan has decided to broadcast Taiwan's very first Documentary focusing on contemporary gay & lesbian Life in Taiwan and societal/political acceptance and changes in the past decade or so.
(I SOOO wanna see this!! Please record it and put it on youtube and inform me anyone living in Taiwan! Pretty pretty PLEASE?!)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Human Rights Focus: Child Prostitution and World Hunger...人权焦点:儿童卖春与世界饥饿....人権フォーカス:児童買春と世界飢餓...

I came across these documentaries ( i love docos!) on youtube and thought i'd share it with my fellow bloggers and blog readers, i was simply disgusted when watching them, i wanted to puke ..men, the root cause of all evil..and ppl ask me why i'm such a militant feminist..:

Caution: What you are about to see and hear is truly disturbing so please watch at your own discretion. Also you can see how widespread the problem of child prostitution is, spanning from Africa to Asia to Europe and all other continents as well.
1) Child Prostitution in Kenya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkhIW3QuVg
2) Child Prostitution in Indonesia:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw_e-E00e-8&feature=channel
3) Child Prostitution in Romania: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8R3mC1TEg&feature=related

On another unrelated but equally important note, did ppl know that world hunger is becoming a more and more serious problem now? It is estimated by the UN World Food Program that over 1 billion people are starving or suffering from hunger currently (YES, 1 BILLION people, meaning 1/6th of the world's entire population are currently suffering from hunger). And also apparently every 6 seconds, a child dies from hunger in the world today. Truly depressing figures.
Link to an Aljazeera Program (my fav English cable news network) on World Hunger: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2009/09/2009920134113629813.html
Oh gosh, with my post on child prostitution and world hunger, this post is truly very depressing ain't it??

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Fifties Fairs....in Sydney 2009!!!....五十年代嘉年华会在雪梨.....五十年代の祭りシドニーで..

Above: A touch of 50's class...

When i chanced upon the advertising leaflet promoting the 15th Annual 'Fifties Fair' in Sydney, I knew I just had to go!!!! Given that I am a 50s/60s fan of the cheongsam and that era, how could I miss it! What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon mixing amidst the crowd of 50s inspired and dressed ppl and pretending that I had been transported bck to the 1950s. Of cos, for Chinese representation, I wore my cheongsam top there..heheh..

I was very surprised to see the huge crowds there as the location is in Turrumurra which is really far north away from the city and inner suburbs, on the outer edges of Sydney already and tics cost $20 per adult and $55 per family which was quite costly, especially in a global financial crisis and with this being such a niche event, frankly i was expecting not many ppl to turn up..but boy was I wrong!! There were throngs of ppl and even queues to enter the fair! Cos it's held at this 40's built heritage house and enclosed garden estate and not very big...there were many ppl in 50's inspired fashion parading about and a 50s fashion contest as well as 50s style music and dance presentations ( i enjoyed the dance presentations alot!!!) and lots of stalls set up selling 50s/60s collectible items and fashion such as magazines, dresses, ties, shirts, 50s floral prints, etc..

Anyways, let the photos do the talking!

Above and Below: At the Bus Stop waiting for the shuttle bus to ferry us to the Fifties Fair..
Above: Entrance to the Sydney 15th Annual Fifties Fair 2009...





Above and Below: 60's Style...I was tempted to buy the 50/60s printed cloth cos what better way to make a cheongsam-inspired creation than with original 50s cloth material????







Above: Women getting their '50s makeover' at the booth...

Above: Lil' red riding hood with her cellphone..hahaha..

Above: Girls digging into their ice-creams on a warm Winter afternoon in their fifties outfits...

Above: Stalls selling 50's stuff...


Above: A sign of the times...guess whom won the 'Best 50s Couple' category..yep, the two ladies in the above photo..hehe..whether they're a real lesbian couple or not, it definitely goes to show a sign of the times, when a same-sex couple can beat the other straight couples to win a best couple contest..hehe..


Above: 50s Fashion Competition Parade..

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2009!... 中秋节快乐2009!...


Happy Mid-Autumn Festival my fellow readers~
Hope you all have a wonderful family gathering +reunion, and of course, have plenty of mooncakes too!

I've already had my fill, i like only the white lotus mooncake without the egg-yolk. I usually buy the ones imported from Hong Kong called 'Wing Wah Mooncakes', which is freakin expensive at $41 per box of 4 regular sized mooncake without egg-yolks..but quite ok if you share with friends the cost...what type of mooncake variety do my readers like? With the consumerism culture and innovative designs available nowadays, there's plenty of varieties and unique tastes to choose from, so do share readers!!

PS: For those whom wanna know more bout the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, click on wiki here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Taiwan's Chen Shui Bian Sentenced to Life Imprisonment..

If any of you have been following, Taiwan's Ex-President Chen Shui Bian has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with his wife on several corruption charges. His son-in-law and daughter have also been found guilty on several counts of money laundery and fined millions. He has also been fined millions along with his wife ON TOP of the life sentence.

This could possibly be the only case in Asia where an ex-President has been found guilty of corruption charges and actually been imprisoned and forced to serve a life imprisonment sentence. Quite frankly, I think its extremely naive for those whom support this decision as a sign of Taiwan's mature democracy as i think the decision is extremely politically-motivated. I mean anyone knows that all of Taiwan's ex-leaders have been corrupt and way more corrupt than Chen esp during the pre-1987 era under KMT dictatorial rule but no one then nor has any KMT president ever been found guilty of corruption, much less prosecuted or even a life sentence! But once a DPP leader comes, the KMT wasted no time at all in prosecuting Chen once Ma got elected and the Prosecution kept leaking information to the press and the mainstream media in Taiwan (which is extremely pro-KMT) kept their one-sided reportage of the ongoing trial of Chen such that he could not get a fair trial. Even the original presiding Judge of the case was swapped when he decided to grant bail to Chen and threatened with treason, how fair can Chen's trial be?!! Then another judge came in and decided to refuse Chen's bail application meaning Taiwan's Ex-President was and is still forced to sit in prison awaiting his trial..and there's no good reason for that! Like how in the world do they think Chen can escape Taiwan if let out on bail? It's simply a tactic by the KMT and pan-blue supporters to humiliate him...There's seriously no credible reason to continue to detain Chen in such an undignified manner..and you know what? The media in Taiwan even decided Chen was given too much 'preferential treatment' in prison, analysing and scrutinising what he got to eat for Chinese New Year in prison...i mean WTF?!!! He's an Ex-President, putting him in prison whilst awaiting trial is totally an abuse of judicial power in the first place with a strong hint of interference with the judicial system by the ruling KMT party, and he can't even get a lil' better prison food??!! Heck, he's spending CNY in prison ppl, give him a break!

The Taiwanese mainstream media and newspapers are mainly pro-China and pro-reunification with China and thus spare no opportunity in degrading Chen and pan-Green Independence supporters at any cost..for instance, Sisy Chen's news program (she's one of the more popular tv hosts in Taiwan) shows her bias against the DPP when she repeatedly wondered aloud what the point of anti-Ma anti-China bias demonstrations were for earlier in the year despite there being real concerns over Ma's current extremely pro-China stance and policies which seek to threaten Taiwan's national security and sovereignty. The fact they were held peacefully (which is a rare occurence) was something to be celebrated but all Sisy could talk about was what the point was, how tourism went down during the demos,etc..yea bla bla bla, and no one in the mainstream media bothered to criticise the huge anti-Chen demos in 2004 and in 2007 (i think) where the pan-Blue camp refused to accept Chen's mandate to rule and refused to accept election riots (despite the narrow margin) and continued to riot ceaselessly for his resignation..back then the likes of Sisy would go on their shows saying how 'shameless' Chen was, etc, see how many ppl didn't support his govt, how he should resign, etc...not a mention of the 'effect of tourism' or 'what lousy losers the pan-blue camp supporters were for not accepting election riots and committee official conclusions' but it was spinned as 'democracy at work'!

Even when Chen was in office, many ppl and mainstream media refused to call him 'President Chen' saying he wasn't the president as the 2004 election results were scammed and that the attempted assasination of Chen and Lu then was a Chen-preplanned hoax (despite all investigations coming with inconclusive evidence linking the assasination attempt to Chen himself)...this shows how disrespectful many pan-blue Taiwanese are of the democratic system in Taiwan. Many said that the election in 2004 was 'one of the biggest joke in the world' . NOPE. The biggest shameful joke was actually the ensuing refusal to accept Chen as the democratically elected President of Taiwan and holding massive ongoing demonstrations calling for his resignation, basically SORE LOSERS..thank god the Court back then decided the results was constitutional and thus, the power of hooligans did not overcome reason.

You simply can't riot until you get the result and party you want just bcos you are a sore loser...
Unlike America which has a mature democracy, and where Americans by and large accept election results, even in similarly marginal instances such as Taiwan's 2004 results (the 2000 elections between Al Gore and Bush had a similar result with Bush only winning narrowly) and where ppl still call Bush, President Bush even if they dislike him, and where Obama has decided not to go after former Republicans or Republican policies, in Taiwan, you see ppl rioting when they dislike the result, insult their President and decide he should get life imprisonment and crappy prison food, not call him 'President' when he was still in office and even decide to go for all-out 'revenge time' once the new KMT govt comes into power, immediately arresting Chen and other DPP leaders....

and of note, I do not even fall into the usual 'category' of ppl whom support the DPP and pro-independence, in fact, given my socio-economic-geographical background, being 'mainlander', 'middle-class', and living in Taipei's Daan District ( Taiwan's wealthiest and coincidentally also the district with the most 'mainlander heritage' residents in Taiwan) you'd think i'd be very pro-KMT and pro-China..as demographic surveys have shown that those with 'mainlander' heritage and living in northern and mid-Taiwan including especially Taipei City, tend to vote overwhelmingly for pro-China KMT. I simply believe the KMT and their 'Republic of China' illusion carry too much historical baggage and belong to another era and another time.

Note: For those readers unfamiliar with Taiwan's history, the term 'mainlander' or Waishenren, refers to those Taiwanese with grandparents or ancestors came over to Taiwan post-1945. This means those whom do not usually have roots in Taiwan pre-1945 and came over after KMT rule from the Japanese after 1945. Usually it means either both their grandparents or parents are from China or one is from China and the other is local-born Taiwanese.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sydney Food Recommendations..介绍悉尼的私房饮食..シドニーの好きな食べ物所..

Above: Indonesia in Harmony Festival, Entertainment Quarters Fox Studios.. my first time to Fox Studios/Ent' Quarters..pretty cool place i reckon..but tad lil' out of the way..

Above; Fishmarket, Sydney..a place for good sashimi..most importantly, cheap sashimi..hehe,...



Above and Below: Royal National Park in Sydney, The World's Second Oldest National Park and Australia's Oldest National Park...cool place..amazing experience n good camping/BBQ area..went during august/winter time..my 1st time...

I'd like to recommend some foodie places I enjoy in Sydney and visit on a regular basis, or try to visit on a regular basis....they're all cheap places and so-called 'food haunt's' of mine in this city..hehe..
1) Full House Korean and Japanese restaurant, CBD
This Korean restaurant located at Level 1, 238 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD right across the Galleries Victoria shopping centre serves cheap affordable reasonable korean cuisine with Japanese cuisine such as teppanyaki and sushi as well...what i love about this place is the balcony it has which is overlooking Pitt street busy scenes below....sit outside on the balcony for great views below..and also my favourite kimchi chigae can be ordered here...unlike many kimchi hotpot served in other korean rest. which try to save costs and give you only kimchi and some pork meat pieces, the kimchi tuna hotpot here has kimchi with tuna fish boiled in it which is heavenly..its the tuna pieces which are essential in making this the best kimchi chigae so far for me experienced in Sydney which is at once delicious and affordable..something like $13 altogether with rice and side-dishes...open for lunch and dinner.

2) Joy Cafe, Prince Centre, Haymarket.

This is located on the Quay St side of Prince Centre in Haymarket. I only order the Bakmi Gila here which is superb as its the best indo noodle i've eaten so far...i don't know where they order the noodles from but it's so qq..very bouncy...i usually ask for without the meat and replace the chicken meat they serve on top with plain veges and a fried egg..its a dry kind of noodles usually with dark soy-like sauce with chicken..costs less than $9 from memory..comes with soup as well..
3) Baba Laksa House, Grace Hotel, CBD.

Within the Grace Hotel in the Sydney CBD is this little Malaysian gem. It serves malaysian fare such as laksa, hainan chicken rice, fried rice, siam mee, etc. It is one of the more authentic places for Malaysian fare in Sydney. It opens from 11 30am-3pm i think mon-fri only. It is always busy with the CBD lunch crowd and with limited seating, be sure to arrive either before 12pm or after 2pm for good seats. Prices range from $9 to $13 per dish i think..

4) Ramenkan, Haymarket.
This is literally the best place of ramen in my humble opinion in Sydney in terms of price and authencity and deliciousness. It is located at Level 1, 90 Hay St, Haymarket on the 1st level..you have to take a lift up and the entrance is very obscure...actually the japanese restaurant Wagaya besides on the same street also serves delicious ramen but it only opens at 5pm daily doing the dinner/supper section so ramenkan is a better option for lunch...so i'd recommend wagaya as well for its authentic ramen and izakaya delicacies! Anyways, bck to ramenkan, anything ramen is good here...i like the miso butter corn ramen and negi miso ramen...

In terms of japanese food, and ramen in particular, Sydney serves quite alot of good ramen, unlike melbourne, which has quite crappy japanese food options in terms of affordability (obviously, if you're willing to pay high-end prices, you can still find good japanese cuisine in melb) and authentic ramen..at least this was the case pre-2006 when i was still in melbourne..another good sydney ramen place besides wagaya and ramenkan is menya...

5) Mother Chu Vegetarian and Cho's Dumpling Taiwanese Cuisine, CBD

For Taiwanese cuisine, i personally like Cho's at Prince Centre, Haymarket. It serves pretty authentic Taiwanese street food (well, can never compare with the real deal served in Taiwan of course, but close enough i reckon)....i love the 'xiao chai' (taiwanese side cold dishes similar to korean panchai) which you can order to compliment your meal..i think they're the real scene stealer..you can take them away as well which many ppl do to accompany their home-cooked meals..i also like to order the zha jiang mian...delicious..they also have a counter at hurstville shopping mall which is even better than the haymarket original shop (surprising, i know!!) as at the hurstville counter, you can order a cheap $6.50 'xiao bian tang' which is a taiwanese style-small bento box of rice and two choices of dishes and the variety is very authentic taiwanese food and cheap too..

Mother Chu serves Taiwanese vegetarian and I love ordering the Hong Shao Tofu..which is braised beancurd...absolutely delicious..and it doesn't come cheap too!..it's like at least $16 for the tofu alone..located at 367 Pitt Street...

6) Chat Thai and Thainatown, CBD
For Thai food, i personally like Chat Thai on 20 Campbell Street in the heart of 'Thainatown' in Sydney CBD...it serves delicious thai food in a good atmosphere and more importantly, has an opening hr until 2am at night every night ( i think!) so its a good supper place as they have a separate supper menu from the dinner menu! Website:http://www.chatthai.com.au/

I also like Thainatown on Goulburn Street..always order their Pad Kapraw with pork and kai down (thai style egg) and boat noodle soup with egg noodles replacing the thin white noodles usually put (my personal preference)...located on 91 Goulburn Street..
There's more places i like such as Kawa cafe on Crown Street in Darlinghurst and many others but too many for me to list here...hahaha..i do like my food/drinks..and so been to quite a few places...anyways, above are a sample..anyone have their own favourite places to recommend in Sydney? Do tell..