Sydney, Oh How I Love Thee..:D

There's been so much going on in Sydney in recent months..the new wing of the Former Starcity Casino has opened (now called The Star) which is just like minutes from my home and best of all, it has my FAV gelato ice-cream store in the whole of Sydney which is the only other branch store of the main store located in Victoria St Darlinghurst..which was quite awhile away for me..(but really close to my friend's place)..i was envying her as she lived so close to the gelato store but now i can walk to the new store in The Star casino..haha( altho the prices there are abit more expensive, compared to the main store, but hey i guess you pay for the convenience right?)

Also, another new development has just opened officially tonight, called Darling Quarter at Darling Harbour. It had been building for ages and now finally revealed..i actually like all the new restaurants there, which is surprising given that most of the time i find that new entertainment/restaurant districts in Sydney may not have so many places which attract me personally..but the best of all, THE BEST Brazilian All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet in Sydney 'Braza' (as informed by a Brazilian friend living in Sydney no less)has opened up a branch at Darling Quarter which once again means i don't have to trudge along to Leichardht which is where its main store is..haha..now the best Brazilian BBQ and the best ice-cream store in Sydney both have branches within 20 mins walk from my place! Yeahh..!! Suddenly, living in Sydney just got a whole lot better n attractive!!:D

周星馳系列 - 《行運一條龍》(1998) The Lucky Guy

Just spent the afternoon watching this on Youtube. It reminded me of my highschool years as it came out for Chinese New Year in 1998 when i was in highschool..simply loved the movie and the nostalgia of the times even after watching it after so many years..

Thai and Pinoy Hunks!!!:D

From Top to Bottom: Tik from Thailand; Ken from Thailand; Diether from the Philippines.

Just some lazy post about Southeast Asian hunks..there's Diether Ocampo from the Philippines, Ken Wongpuapan from Thailand, and Tik Jesadaporn from Thailand..hahaha..and the one thing in common is that they all have ethnic Chinese background (u can tell by just the appearance)..:D

ps: Another past blog post on Asian hunks:http://chinesechic.blogspot.com/2009/12/male-hunks-i-like-in-200910-0910.html

Bangkok Traffic Love Story (2010)--A Recommended Thai Sleeper Romantic Blockbuster!

I highly recommend this film. It's about a Thai-Chinese single girl in her 30s and her love life:-) The actor, Ken, is quite cute and very famous in Thailand. As you can tell, the main actor and actress are ethnic Chinese and i've realised after watching a coupla thai films (ie. four seasons, love of siam,etc) that they love using Chinese-looking actors and actresses in their movies:-) (obviously those Thai's with Chinese ancestry).

Full movie with Eng Subtitles here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaIpZXqUbSw

香港中古廣告: 鐵達時 天長地久(周潤發,吳倩蓮)1992

I recently discovered this TV Ad from 1993, I simply love the feel and theme (set during the Anti-Japanese War in China 1937-1945) about two lovers whom get married before the man whom is a Chinese pilot with the airforce flies off to fight the Japanese during the war. I used to LOVE and i mean LOVE LOVE Jacqueline Wu Chien-Lien...she's the actress in this ad..I also love the ending of the ad where it says '不在乎天長地久﹐只在乎曾經擁有'( can be loosely translated as ' Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all')

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPN9XyIJY4E&list=FL9OpZDcscYT68KNijstthaA&index=16&feature=plpp:This is the link to another movie which is a classic in my memory of Jacqueline Wu, one of the last films before she faded out of the limelight..she hasn't done any new movies or tv series for at least 4-5 years now..she is Taiwanese with very good Mandarin with quite a strong 'mainland Chinese' accent which is rare given she's Taiwanese and was one of the top actresses in HK Cinema in the 90s having worked and starred along almost all the top male stars of that era, including Chow Yun Fatt, Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, etc..:)

Al Jazeera Correspondent - Burma Boy

Oh my God, this is sooo interesting:)

As anyone whom knows me know, I'm really interested in WW2 and the Japanese Invasion and Occupation of Asia:D
And so when I saw this video, I found the video so exceedingly interesting! I didn't know the Africans had a part in fighting the Japanese too! Do Watch it!

Anita Mui - 周潤發和林青霞上台(92金像獎)

The Beautiful Brigette Lin Hsin-Hsia with the Charismatic Chow Yun-Fatt:-)
Those were the golden years of Hong Kong Cinema. It's interesting how times have changed..HK stars couldn't really speak Mandarin then as can be seen during the dialogue..this would be unthinkable now in the movie/entertainment industry in Hong Kong, with everyone having to know how to speak Mandarin. Also, back then, there were absolutely no mainland Chinese actresses (or even actors!) in Hong Kong and thus Taiwanese actresses were very popular back then for the more 'Northern Looks' and 'Northern Beauty' compared to the 'Southern Cantonese look' of Hong Kong actors/actresses...of cos this discounted the mainland Chinese whom immigrated to Hong Kong in their late teens/early 20s and spoke Cantonese all the time such as Faye Wong and Leon Lai or the fact that all the Taiwanese actresses who were popular in Hong Kong at the time were 'Mainlanders' those whose parents or grandparents typically fled from Northern parts of China such as Shanghai and Beijing to Taiwan and thus looked more like 'Northerners' unlike the local Southern Taiwanese whom actually form the majority in Taiwan. Those were the days..hahaha..oh yea, you can see the late Anita Mui was cohosting too..miss her!:-)

Sydney Opera House First Time...after more than 4 years..雪梨歌劇院初體驗:-)

OMG,it's been ages since i last blogged..AGAIN..i've just not felt the motivation to blog lately..hahaha..been super busy with my life in Sydney..i had a busy crazy July with house parties, takoyaki party, nabe party, birthday parties, and August as well, with more birthday parties, brunches at friend's place/art gallery cos their place has so much art collection hanging on the wall that it's practically like an art gallery..anyways, i also rode the scooter (or more accurately, my friend drove me) across the Sydney Harbour Bridge all the way from Neutral Bay to my place in the inner city...was totally AWESOME..just like in the movies with the winter breeze brushing against me as i took multiple photographs along the way..hahahah..it was my friend's cool bike/scooter which looks more like a pro-bike..

ANYWAYS, besides my random update, this post is actually about the fact that i never once saw a performance at the Sydney Opera House DESPITE like almost 5 years living in Sydney...until like almost one month ago, when i obtained 4 free complimentary tixs to a charity performance called 'Pray for Japan Charity Concert' which was fantastic..i invited along 3 friends as well , n no one had been to see a performance at the Opera House before so it was good for us all..then the very next week, i got invited by a friend with free tix to see a musical opera again which meant i had gone to see not one, but TWO FREE PERFORMANCES @ THE OPERA HOUSE! I know..sometimes, things happen like, you don't get to see a performance at the Opera House for almost 5 yrs living in Sydney and then BAMM, you get two free opportunities and experiences to view performances within a week of each other..

Anyways, will try to update abit more..though, i dun know if it'll work..hahaha..been cooking alot recently as usual, since last yr, made california roll, penang char koay teow, etc...and also, one last ramble..i seldom see gay black men in the media, or even hear much about them, but apparently a CNN anchor has come out earlier this yr, called Don Lemon..and omg, he's really cute! He's already 45 yrs old but looks like 20 years younger with flawless skin..gay men and their good looks! Type in 'joy behar don lemon' on youtube to see what he looks like. (cos i can't seem to copy paste the link here!)

Anyways, all for now..暫時先寫到這。。=)

Master Chef Australia...

Above: Japanese Curry......

Above: Bika Ambon Cake...

Above: Bee Koh Moy/Pulut Hitam...Black Sticky Rice Dessert...

Above: Nyonya Assam Fish Stew with my Sambal Belacan Kangkong..:-)

I didn't follow the 1st two seasons, but after the runner-up in the 1st season being an Australian-Malaysian Chinese girl Poh Ling Yeow, who went on to host her own cook show on ABC as well as publish her own cookbook, and the winner in the 2nd season being an Australian-Malaysian Penang-born Chinese Adam Liaw, who will be opening his own restaurant in Sydney later this yr and whose cookbook i've actually read, i thought i would give it a go and i've become addicted to the show!:-)

Anyways, being cooking quite alot recently..so here's some photos of my lil' own masterchef kitchen!

Canberra Coastal Roadtrip 2011:-)

Above: National Ceremony ANZAC Day 2011, War Memorial Canberra:-)

Above: Nantien Temple Berkeley Wollongong.

I went over the long Easter & ANZAC day weekend here in Australia to Canberra on a roadtrip with my housemates..the 4 of us had a roadtrip along the coast on the 'Grand Pacific Drive' going down along the coast stopping at scenic tourist sites, beaches,etc. We stopped over and had a picnic with dips and chips at Wollongong Beach near the lighthouses as well as visited Nantien Temple in Wollongong (the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere!) which was much more beautiful and amazing than I thought.:-)

We also visited Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay as well as Pebbly Beach whereby we encountered wild kangaroos hopping (the 1st time i had the experience of a kangaroo hopping so close to me!!) hahaha...anyways I've always loved Canberra in autumn and its autumn foliage and scenery and this time was no different. We rented bicycles and spent a full day riding around Canberra and admiring the sights as well as took a pic in front of our respective embassies in the Embassy District in Canberra (Australia's National Capital City). Had indian at a nice restaurant, lunch at a terrace overlooking the lake and rode around the lake visiting Parliament House, National Museum of Australia as well as attended the National Ceremony for ANZAC Day given that the last day there fell exactly on ANZAC day:-) Visited the War Memorial after as well...was an amazing experience overall, especially the roadtrip! Been awhile since i did a roadtrip in Aus:-)

Anyways, Hope you all had a fantastic Easter long holiday (over here in Auz that is!)

PS: Spent the last public hol day (Easter Tuesday) with a friend at World Sq Thai Express using the superb 'Sydney Entertainment Book' discount vouchers I had as well as afternoon tea at a cafe along Victoria Road Darlinghurst..the nice trendy area..hehe..I had a super Easter longweekend this year!!:-)

Back from a Hiatus from the blogging world...

Hey All So sorry I was away on a hiatus from my blog..been busy with stuff...but just started reading a couple of blogs i used to read months ago..and updating this blog...too many things happened in my social life to update but yea..will try to post more often from now on...hope everyone's well!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, Everyone:-)

How did everyone celebrate their CNY this yr? I went to a Chinese Restaurant at Circular Quay with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as we were sitting outside:-)

There was a free Lion Dance performance outside the restaurant in celebration of CNY and we took plenty of photos!:-)

Anyways, Happy Year of the Rabbit everyone!:-)

Gay Teddy... 90210 :-)

I have noticed many (and I mean MANY) gay storylines on tv, American tv shows, in recent years...there have been so many in the top tv shows that you can't turn the channel without seeing some kind of gay character be it in The United States of Tara or Glee or True Blood or...90210!

The gay storyline there, esp with the character Ian whom I am totally shocked to admit, could most DEFINITELY be someone whom I could fall in love (gosh, he's SO cute:-) ) with....is so addictive...although they have so little screentime:(

Anyways, I heard in the new season, the character of Ian will be cancelled off and replaced with a new love interest for Teddy....boohoo! I would probably stop watching it cos I like Ian ALOT:-)

Anyways, link here on youtube on the gay teddy storyline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqZ86ixOkUg

Hope u guys n girls enjoy the short gay storyline too!:-)

Happy 2011, Everybody!!!!:-)

Above: The Photo taken by my friend (who's a professional photographer with all the equipment btw! He has his own online collection) after the fireworks display~

I would like to wish all my readers a very happy new year and a great year ahead for 2011!!:-)

May All Your Dreams Come True!!!

PS: How did my fellow readers and bloggers celebrate NYE?? I went to Mrs Macquarie's Point @ Royal Botanic Gardens AND managed to squeeze into a great fantastic spot with unhindered views of the entire span of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge with the Splendid Fireworks!!

Christmas@ Darwin, Northern Territory 2010:)

I spent Christmas in tropical Darwin this year, spending a total of 3 days over there.:-) It was the monsoon season and raining every single day with large outpours on every day which we were there for. The weather was hot and humid and similar to the weather in Malaysia and I found my trip a unique experience, exploring a different kind of Australia.

Things which I learnt on the trip were:

1) Darwin people are extremely friendly. The bus drivers in particular left a big positive impression on me. They were ALL exceptionally friendly, with each and every driver being friendly and cheerful to us.:-) Many would also greet the passengers and ask them how their day was and also wishing them a nice day when they got off the bus. We had bus drivers stopping by the side of the road at night when we waved at them and when there was no bus stop there. We had 2 different bus drivers on 2 different occasions not asking for the bus fare when we wanted to pay, once on an admittedly short distance but the second time on a very substantial 15-20 min journey with multiple stops! In Sydney, this would NEVER happen, you'd always have to pay no matter how short the journey and bus drivers do not talk or wish passengers a good day,etc..the Darwin residents were also very friendly to us saying hello on the road even when we didn't even smile at them or solicit any response from them, or being very friendly, such as allowing me to walk past first and taking the initiative to show us directions in detail when we hadn't even asked for assistance yet, etc..

2) Darwin has fauna and plants just like SEA. I found many plants, such as the bunga raya (hibiscus flower) and other fauna and plants of which i see and am familiar with in Malaysia, in Darwin. I was pleasantly surprised to see all these plants of which I am very familiar with, from my growing-up years in Malaysia.:-) ps: You cannot find many of the plants and fauna which you can find in Darwin and Malaysia in colder cities such as Sydney, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, and Melbourne.

3) Darwin has many homeless Aboriginal people. My housemate told me of tv reports, when i returned from my trip, on the numerous homeless aboriginal people in Darwin and how they're affected with the current monsoon rains. I saw countless very poorly dressed Aboriginal people within my span of three days in Darwin. They would be everywhere, in the Darwin suburbs as well as CBD..and many looked homeless, simply wandering around without shoes or lying on the pavements...Darwin apparently has the highest aboriginal population of any other major city in Australia, more than sydney, melbourne, perth, adelaide,etc. It was quite a shock to see so many homeless aboriginals around the city.

4) That there are Chinese people everywhere. Even in Darwin and the Outback area of rural Northern Territory. I was abit surprised to see a Chinese-looking cook working in one of the rest stop restaurants/hotel along the highway out of Darwin enroute to Kakadu National Park (We took a daytrip to Kakadu National Park, Australia's largest national park and also a UN World Heritage Site!). The restaurant at the reststop which is like in the middle of nowhere also had a large banner written in traditional chinese characters welcoming supposedly chinese tourists. Amazing. There must be busloads of chinese tourists stopping over for the restaurant to especially get a chinese language banner made, out of all the possible languages.

5) Locals in Darwin don't have a habit of bringing umbrellas. Even during the monsoon season with rain pouring down in bucketfuls on a daily basis. I was dumbfounded to see local Darwin residents simply walking relaxedly under the rain and people walking around going about their usual business with the rain pouring whilst me and my friend were the obvious tourists with our black umbrellas and white raincoats everywhere we went in our backpacks just in case...you could see the locals staring at us when we wore raincoats..hahaha..with the strong monsoon rains and winds, I was surprised to see the locals without any rain protections whatsoever!

At the outdoor nightmarket style seats at Darwin Wharf, it started raining again 30 mins into our meal, and I almost thought that the Darwin people would just stay there and continue eating with the rain pouring down onto them and their food, given what i'd seen in the past few days, with people walking through pouring rain and getting off buses and walking home in the rain! haha...(for ur information, the people did start leaving the outdoor area for the covered areas at the first sign of drizzingly..hahaha..)

6) Darwin has outdoor markets similar to South East Asia as well as nightmarket style outdoor seating ordering from food stalls (food counters). Although the markets were all closed during our time there, we did come across a nightmarket style outdoor hawker centre at Stokes Hill Wharf, reminding me of Penang and Malaysia where we have outdoor hawker centres and seats.:-) It was my first time eating at a 'hawker centre' in my almost 10 years in Aus, with there just being milk bars and cafes in Sydney, Melbourne and even small towns which i've visited located in Southern Australia. Was very nostalgic for me, eating at the hawker centre and looking out towards Darwin Wharf.:-)

7) I saw full-sized large flat pomfrets ( like those you see in the markets) for the first time in my 27 years lifetime. And I saw it at Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin Harbour. I was so shocked and amazed to see several large pomfrets swimming in the sea when diners threw their leftovers into the Darwin waterfront sea..the pomfrets were large and flat..omg..i've seen small and even large narrow shaped fishes in the sea before but nothing like these large flat moon-shaped pomfrets swimming in the ocean before! It was so surreal seeing fishes which you usually only see in the wetmarkets n supermarkets (or at most already in fishermen's nets) swimming naturally in the sea.

8) Darwin can look like a horror movie during the monsoon season. The torrential rains and strong winds were enough to make the roads and isolated surroundings look like a scene straight out of a Thai horror flick. More so, bcos Darwin's surroundings are often large isolated green spaces and tropical trees with no houses,etc and the sea during the night monsoons also looked like a horror scene out of a horror movie.

All in...it was a great n interesting holiday!

ps; I also starred in my first 1 min movie in front of Darwin's Government House whilst in Darwin, for my first time...hahahaha..i pretended to be a high-class Chinese with my cheongsam top which i wore looking at Japanese WW2 planes bombing Darwin from afar..hahaha..maybe i should put it on youtube?

pps: There were many cute good-looking tropical boys and men in Darwin!:-) I was amazed given the small population of just over 120,000 for the Greater Darwin region..omg..haha..Chinese Chic, noticing men even on holiday!

What Would You Do?...

You see someone at the local boardwalk being taunted and bullied, what would you do?

This is usually how it starts, these real-life scenarios which ABC (an American channel)produces to see what everyday folks would do..it tests human kindness (or apathy and lack of compassion/motivation) and also seeks to gauge the American society's tolerance for prejudice and discrimination.

I love this series and have been addicted to it for about a year now:-) You can really see the human capacity for kindness to help a stranger or indifference towards our fellow human beings. As I expected, and which even the show has pointed out time and again, it is the women whom seem to step up and help others in need and whom are much more passionate and courageous in speaking out against what they perceive to be discrimination and unfairness whilst the men tend to let it go...

Anyways, I catch broadcasted episodes of the innovative show here in Australia, online at the ABC official website here:http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/

If you can watch it in your country too, do give it a go! It's an amazing and insightful show into human nature and societal prejudices as well as discrimination:-)

Happy Birthday, Chinese Chic:-)

This is my 27th Birthday!!:-) Happy Birthday to Me:-)

Filipino Fever Redux-Kimerald Team & Sarah Geronimo

I have relapsed into my 'Filipino Fever' once again, after having subsided from my addiction to Filipino dramas, movies, and music for over a year...it started with some Filipino songs which I listened to on youtube which i liked before and grew to a full-blown 'fever' again when I discovered the latest Sarah Geronimo movies and Kim-Gerald loveteam movies for 2010...In the Philippines, there're alot of 'loveteams' whereby they pair up actors and actresses as onscreen loveteams in multiple movies/tv dramas and even continue with the 'image/fantasy' of them being a 'real couple' even in real life...its so cute, u don't find that in Hollywood or in other Asian entertainment scenes...

here's some links, its just too good...I find Kim Chiu prettier and prettier by the day and Gerald Anderson is kinda cute I must admit now (i used to find him so-so only)...Kim Chiu is so beautiful as she matures...she's Filipino-Chinese of pure Chinese descent, having had parents whom immigrated from Fujian Province, China sometime in the 1980s apparently. I am surprised and amazed at how romantic and 'real' Filipino cinema can be, I'm just surprised that Filipino movies and TV series have not travelled further ashore and gained popularity in other nations too, given how good they are..I'm sure other nationalities would like them too..I love'em! Especially, how they deal with topics like 'rebound relationships' and 'success/career taking over a relationship for guys'..very real issues or show the guy shouting at the girl, very real...you wouldn't see that in Korean cinema...i guess the difference b/w Korean romance and Filipino romance is that Korean romantic dramas are more idealist and fairy-tale like whilst Filipino romantic movies are romantic but with a touch of realism and realistic representations...without forsaking the perfect romantic fairytale aspect as well, which is why I love them:-)

Anyways, without further ado, here's some of the movies and songs which I have become infatuated with recently:

Hating Kapatid (2010):
http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen?feature=mhum#p/f/8/YJgQUvClsTY

Till My Heartache Ends (2010):
http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen?feature=mhum#p/f/6/x1c-1vRfPNY

Paano na Kaya (2010):
http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen?feature=mhum#p/f/5/_kBbcT2NJbo ( I just the cliche story of the bestfriend theme of falling in love with your bestfriend...isn't it just so romantic? I love how they show Gerald Anderson topless so much in this mv trailer..hahaha...my perfect relationship would be to fall for a bestfriend/friend..i'd rather fall in love with a friend without even realising it later down the line than start a relationship feeling the sexual attraction from the very beginning.)
http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen?feature=mhum#p/f/4/In7HZtq_FrY
http://www.youtube.com/user/hcpen?feature=mhum#p/f/1/3G2TuoP5DYo (interview of Kimerald for their movie.)

And these are some older songs which i still like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ycF5vqGR0 (Ikaw Lamang)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdyxjLgGX00 (Tayong Dalawa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVCRvPYlbMo (Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now)

enjoy!~

Bondi Beach and Surrounds...

I went to Bondi Beach for the annual Sculptures by the Sea twice this yr...it was nice..and also enjoyed a picnic (and swim for my friends) whilst there...i visited 4 beaches along the Bondi-Coogee Beach Coastal Walk which we did, meaning we actually passed by 4 beaches n took either a beach nap or swim or dipping my toes into the seawater along the way...was nice:)

I was surprised by the number of good looking ppl with perfect bodies at the beach! Especially at Tamarama and Bondi Beach (and to an extent Coogee Beach too!)..it was like walking into a model shoot or scene from some American movie..haha..all the good looking guys there with sculpted bodies and not to mention topless women..i was shocked! Many cute gay guys in Tamarama Beach too! hehe...great beach for great eye-candy!:-)

Anyways, it was a nice way to spend a late Spring/early Sydney Summer at the Beach-Not to mention I was severely sun-tanned as usual!:-);-)

Parramasala at Parramatta Night:-)

I went with one of my housemates and his friend to the inaugural Parramasala Festival at Parramatta..it is a South Asian Festival celebrating South Asian cultures and food (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc)...it was nice, the lighting above the streets reminded me of the festival lighting bck home in Malaysia...there was free entertainment and ticketed events as well with henna stalls and a sari bazaar...nice overall...had dinner at a pizza n pasta place afterwards on the main street in Parramatta...my first time having dinner at Parramatta i think:-)

Anyways, the Parramasala Festival coincided with the important annual festival of lights, Deepavali (or Diwali)...so to all my readers whom celebrate the festival...

Happy Deepavali!