EISTEDDFOD GOLD COAST

I can't even pronounce or spell the name properly....!

This Welsh-sounding event is an annual music festival and competition for a wide range of young performers in Gold Coast. Up till now, Jordan has been joining the Somerset Music Festival, but this year, he expressed a wish to enter the Eisteddfod in Gold Coast. I think what spurred him on was his exposure to it through the school jazz band that he joined this year. They will be participating in Eisteddfod and his teacher suggested, why not join piano solos if he plays as well?

It has definitely more stiff competition than Somerset, and I expressed my reservations. Jordan very surprisingly told me: " Well, if you don't ever get knocked down, you won't learn how to get up."
Words of wisdom from my 12 year old and I admire his courage.

So, off to the Eisteddfod office in Robina I go, to register my son for his very first entries for Eisteddfod this year. We will practice hard and pray for a good experience..

"SHEN YUN"

Have been on a long break from this blog for a while. Guess I just ran out of writer's fuel for a bit and there didn't really seem like anything inspiring worth writing about in GC and my life so far.. Tales of the expected just seemed really boring, tales of the unexpected infringed too much on the privacy of my life,..so in between, there really wasn't any material worth publishing...

Thought I'd kick off this year with a little review of my recent visit to the Gold Coast Arts Centre which was hosting the event, "Shen Yun". Initially, no thanks to my limited Chinese knowledge, I had presumed the promotional booths for this at the malls were selling services of a fertility clinic!! Because Shen Yun also sounds like pregnancy.. Apparently, it means "Divine Sound" and it is a live dance and musical performance telling of China's 5000 cultural history. At any rate, we wouldn't have paid $100+ for tickets, but a kind client of my hubby's sponsored us for the show, so of course, we didn't pass it up!

The show was very colourful and vibrant, with costumes, dance ribbons, backdrops, props. Started out with 2 MC's who were bi-lingual, introducing the theme of the show. The acts included many types of dances, opera singers, all fully accompanied by a live band. The backdrop, although simple, was very well-designed and digitally executed so that the performers could seemingly fly off into the horizon and then back hop back again to the stage in one seamless effect ala chinese opera in the digital age...

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against chinese culture, but the show was just so blatantly Falungong propaganda! Albeit, performance was good, dancers very skilled, music impeccable, but the propaganda too strong...Falungong is a religious movement in China which has been banned due to its increasing popularity and possible threat to the authority of the Chinese government. Many members were severely persecuted and sent to detention camps for brainwashing. There were outright abuse of human rights in that part of Chinese history, and whoever backed this performance (which is New York-based by the way) must have been a combination of angry locals and provoked foreigners. It's a no-brainer of course, you won't be able to watch this show at all in China! But in many countries elsewhere, it has gone far and wide.

So, on the one hand, you have these beautiful and uplifting displays of Chinese cultural arts and history, their myths and beliefs interwoven with strong and loud stands of the Dafa set of beliefs and displays of cruelty of their persecutors highlighted in red.





To non-Chinese audiences, Shen Yun and its classical dance and songs must have been so refreshingly different and unique, something they've never been exposed to before. Because I have been exposed to these performances, it didn't overwhelm me as much, but nevertheless, I still enjoyed getting connected with chinese culture again and embracing the "pride" of a heritage that is springing forth from many years of rich history.

TOGETHER AT LAST @ MELBOURNE

@ our Penang home back in 1969

It 's been a long time since we last met together as a family. ..10 years ago.   

 After they finished school, my brother and sisters were usually either trying overseas or working away. Then along came marriage, children, jobs... 

This trip to Melbourne was a great chance to catch up with my mum and siblings. 

2014 Mum's kuih lapis birthday

We had a great time of sharing ideas, catching up, coffee, sisterly baking sprees, and walks in the park.

..and eating "chang" which are nice rice dumplings made by my mum. Mum was very happy to see us all at once as it was so rare. At any one point of time in past gatherings, someone was always missing, you see, since we were scattered all over different places.

Jordan had heaps of fun at their place.  

So, yes it was nice to tuck into mum's tasty nyonya and bak chang's and enjoy the company of those dear to me. I realised it wasn't just the taste I miss, it was the company.



My eldest sis very kindly hosted us at her place. She took us around and we had a wonderful time exploring Melbourne city, pigging out at buffets, going to the Victoria Markets, museum, and also boarded a city free bus tour for an overview of Melbourne landmarks.

CHORIZOS, SALAMIS, SAUSAGES

FEDERATION SQUARE

The 3 sisters @ Chinatown

We visited Chinatown as well, but I feel, just like in Brisbane, the food places just aren't as good and authentic as the ones being offered at suburbs that we had visited such as Papparich @ Glen Waverley or even at Boxhill area.

We also took a drive up to Lake Mountain- the closest place to see some "snow" as Jordan wanted to touch and play with some. He and cousin Yang had a blast tobboganing in the cold! At least 25 rounds up and down they went on the slope.

COUSINS HAVING A CHILLING BLAST!

It wasn't freezing cold, but it was enough to make us shiver.... and Jordan's bum to go numb... You can bet they were hungry after that!!

Unfortunately, it wasn't snowy, so the ice was pretty thin and they had to manufacture some with an ice blower machine uphill.

On the way home, we stopped by a quaint little town called Marysville which is at the foot of Lake Mountain and I popped into the local candy store for some lollies while waiting for the boys doing their playground break ...

SUH-WEEEEET!!

On one of the days, for a most arresting experience - we visited the Melbourne jail. They had an inhouse tour called the Watchhouse Experience.

The Watchhouse Experience was an insight into experiences of someone being locked up in the Melbourne gaol. The "sergeant' started shelling us the minute we walked in, addressing us as arrested offenders of the law. We were asked to line up agaisnt the wall, take a card which tells us the identity we were to assume, the offence we committed and our age. There were mouth and leg physical inspections to make sure we brought no hazardous weapons in and then,... we were locked up in cell in darkness. The bolts, the shouting, doors slamming, latches clicking shut were all psychological elements of the jailhouse experience.

It was also interesting looking at death masks of executed prisoners from death row.

In the 19th century, it was common for plaster 'death masks' to be made of the face and skull of executed criminals. At the time, these masks served several purposes. Firstly, death masks were used for phrenological analysis, whereby the shape of a person's head is studied to determine their character traits. Secondly, they were often put on display in public places to serve as a reminder of the power of the police force. Some of those death masks even had their original eyelashes stuck to the plaster when it was lifted off their faces in the past!! Creepy....

JORDAN THE JUDGE

JORDAN POSING IN NED KELLY'S FAMOUS BULLET-PROOF ARMOUR

Next was the Ned Kelly trial re-enacted in a courtroom hearing. My brother took on the role of the judge. Bet he enjoyed himself, hammering away... but forgot to hammer to dismiss the hearing after the verdict. Of course, Jordan simply had to try on the judge costume too after the whole event!

Ned Kelly was one of the most notorious criminals of history and was executed for killing a policeman, The re-enactment, however seemed to propose a notion that Ned was given an unfair trial, that he shot at the policeman out of self-defence rather than offensive attack, because the police had actually brought wood coffins along with them when they set out to nab him, probably with the intention of killing him. Oh well, arbitrary history, there you go!! No one will ever know unless you do a time travel back to the past.

We also stopped by Dendy Beach at Brighton to view the traditional colourful bathing boxes for changing, in the style of retro England. It's an iconic landmark in Melbourne, so gotta take some pictures rite??

Of course, food is one of the elements of a nice holiday.  So off we trudge to do an advance birthday celebration lunch buffet for mum at the China Bar. The place had a really good Asian spread.

MOUTHWATERING DESSERTS

They had a facebook promotion deal and because it was a BOGOF deal (Buy One get One Free), it was a real bargain.  They had a sumptuous spread of a mix of Asian fare, Chinese primarily with dimsum, roast pork, fried noodles, roti, laksa, char koay teow, curries, sushi and other treats. We found some nice durian tarts and durian popsicles there too, for home-sick Malaysians, I suppose...
                                                                                

MY BROTHER'S LOOK OF LOVE.. FOR DURIAN

Melbourne is so different from GC. For one, the place is swarming for Asians, never seen so many in one place in Australia. Multidiversity is definitely thriving here. Love the food, and choices available.

 is also much colder here. The lack of sun is such a stark difference from sunny GC.

Also, everything seems to be happening at a faster pace and at one sweep of a glance, I could see cyclists, pedestrians, cars, trams and buses and horse-drawn carts going at the same time... Amidst our walk downtown, we also saw a street protest of Egyptians urging US intervention to stop dictator rulership in Egypt.  Down the corner at Flinder street in an alley, there were walls allocated for creative expression of graffiti all over. It wasn't just vandalism-style graffiti, it was rather good street art on an open gallery tastefully done...

Really enjoyable trip. Best bonus was of course the family get-together! Don't know when it might be possible again, but definitely, precious for now....

EPISODE 49: END OF ANOTHER CHAPTER AND ONTO THE NEXT....

Some things you can say goodbye to and wrap it up to store with fond, loving memories. Can't say the same for this chapter I am closing for the call centre job.

Today marks the day I leave the call centre and am super relieved to finally close this chapter. Although I am grateful and thankful for the income and interaction skills I managed to get during my stint there, it was never my calling to remain in something like this. I was like a square peg in a round hole, albeit, I still managed to curve my edges a bit to fit in for a while..

Anyway, I choose to dwell on the positive note of things, in the fact that I found out that my life wasn't in that bad a shape after all. Mingling with all these gals from the call centre, my story was like fairy floss next to their burnt toast- bitter and hard. Many had painful stories to tell from their past experiences. Some had come out of one or a few broken relationships, others had children who died or even killed themselves, or husbands gone insane and trying to kill them, some were just fighting bad health, depression, bankruptcy, poverty and the works... So yes, I am thankful for what I have, fairly good health, a loving husband and a son who loves me for who I am...and also for the opportunity to have picked up skills at the call centre, dealing with objections, digging up persuasion skills I never thought I had, and getting exposed to the Australian society at large from all walks of life, the problems they were facing and dealing with daily, and some Aussie lingo while I was at it.. 

This job was a stop gap measure during very trying financial times for the family and it had served us well.

But, now to take a deep breath and move onwards to things which are more on target.... gonna take some time to sharpen those arrows, and find the right bow... then point it in the right direction. Can't wait to see how the next chapter unfolds.....

JACARANDAS IN SPRING

I love looking at Jacaranda trees in full bloom. Spring is its season of bloom and I see it everywhere where I live, along roadsides, people's gardens, parks, at the Bond Uni, lovely purple flowers and looks divine when they are strewn on the ground. They also remind me of Beryl, who died a couple of years ago. She was the one who told me what they were when I first saw them at her place. Purple is also one of my favourite colours... maybe someday when I have my own home, I will have a Jacaranda right outside....

UP IN STANTHORPE

Jordie wanted to see some snow this winter,. errr..unfortunately this is a rare thing in Queensland. However, Stanthorpe, the coldest town in Queensland has occasionally recorded snow in winter even though on a flakey (pardon the pun) level. This year, it had already snowed in Tenterfield, just right across the border in NSW, about 2 hours drive further from Stanthorpe. 

So over the long weekend holiday for the Queen's birthday, we trudged to this charming little town 800 metres above sea level. It is about 3 hours' drive from Gold Coast. We took the Hinterland roads just to enjoy the country sights as well. Lots of horses, lambs, cows grazing peacefully along the way. Because it was colder here, deciduous trees and autumn scenery was more common here. Beautiful sights, with also fallen leaves by the roadside... Been a long time since I last saw the fall effect...  

Stanthorpe used to be a mining town for tin and is part of the stretch in South East Queensland known as the Granite Belt, blessed with very fertile soil suitable for growing grapes, stonefruits and apples. Alas, early winter just wasn't the right time to be picking apples, but we had a go at it anyway at the apple farm at Sutton's Juice Factory at Applethorpe just before reaching Stanthorpe.

...and had fun picking our own fresh apples from the tree.

"MINE.. ALL MINE!!"

The fruit trees were trimmed to a very short height so it was very easy to pick them. Hmm, I was visualizing myself climbing up ladders to pick'em but this doesn't quite cut it.. Not much apples left at this time of the year, and the woman did warn us they won't look aesthetic or eye-pleasing especially since they weren't polished waxed and fully organic.. (which basically means, worms love it..)

THE UNFORBIDDEN FRUIT

So.. here comes Jordie with his bright red bag, ready to zoom in for his ripe red pickings...him & Daddy wandered from row to row looking for the best fruits.
Daddy took the 1st bite off his apple and offered me some. I commented that it felt like Adam was the 1st one this time taking the apple and offering it to Eve, a reversal of the Eden scenario.

Jordie quickly saw it was ok to eat them and off he chomps on his own apple too.

It actually is crunchy, sweet and fragrant, but a wee bit sour...I think one is supposed to leave the apple for a few days to let it sweeten up a little...

IT'S CRRRUNCHY!!

Apple fruit juice @ Sutton's

Sutton's farm canned their own fruit juice, no sugar added, no flavouring, 100% organic.

However, we decided not to get any because it was rather expensive.

Next time, maybe... but nice to be in cold weather and running around picking your apples.

We also visited the Crystal Lavender Farm although again, wrong time of the year! So, no huge hosts of lavenders...shucks!

But our sole purpose was to show Jordie the alpacas on this farm. Cute creatures, but not very friendly.. we weren't very sure if they would spit at people like their cousins, the Llamas... so we did keep our safe distance....

GIVING OUT THE LOVE..EEYORE!

 ..Neat huh, never knew the donkeys were named as such- the Jerusalem Donkeys. There is a quaint story often  told that a donkey acquired its cross because it carried Jesus into Jerusalem. It’s also told that the leg stripes were received from walking through the palm branches that were laid in its path in honor of the burden it was carrying.

THE DONKEY'S CROSS

Well, I did wind up getting meself a nice bottle of Lavender oil. It is a 100% pure extract of the lavender flower and smells divine... therapy for stress...

We also did a dairy farm that sold cheese and a winery called the Castle GlenWinery. They stocked lots of different muscats and wines and even creme liquers, such as lemon cream, white choc, mocha and the yummy lot. Many wineries here because of the suitability of soil for growing grapes...but I think Perth probably has better choices...

Overall, this was a nice, relaxing trip up to Stanthorpe in winter..Maybe by summer, we'll do the apricots and peaches next..

Jordie's wish to see snow didn't materialise though, but then, we did forewarn him not to get his hopes too high this time..    better luck next time.

CHANGING OF GUARDS @ GOLD COAST CITY

The change of guards to many means keeping vigil 24/7 and a handing over of the baton of responsibility and guardianship of safety for a place or person to ensure a smooth transition and continued security of the place or territory guarded over.

Well, Gold Coast is facing a literal change of guards in political leadership and it will see new faces taking up council leadership in its council as well. There are 7 candidates running for mayor this year for Gold Coast's top seat, one of which is Peter Young. I feel people need to take a good hard look at what he's done in the past and plans to do for the future before they cast their vote this Saturday.

Why I feel he fits the bill for mayor is based on two counts: he not only has the heart and passion for the city of Gold Coast but he also has the experience in political governance & town planning knowhow to make things happen for Gold Coast. Although most had criticised him for being a greenie advocate and for seemingly being anti-development because of his environmental-friendly stance, he has been advocating major change and lots of shifts in mindsets for Gold Coast development over the years - one of which is the recent successful bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games to be hosted by Gold Coast.

Peter Young  at the Commonwealth Games winning of bid for GC 

The other thing he has been involved in is pushing for new airline routing from China to Gold Coast and more trade relationships coming in from China investors as well - with the intention to create more jobs and stimulate the economy in the city.

Although some people are mad about many stupid issues in Gold Coast such as exorbitant price of water, high assessment fees for properties, and mismanagement of funds, or some just plain frustrated at national & state level government (esp. Miss Red Hair) they need to take a hard look at the voting authority in their hands and their individual potential to change things here locally. If they cast an informal or donkey vote, they only have themselves to blame.  In the words of former Combined Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce chief Bob Janssen, "If you're going to whinge about the performance of the previous council, then cast a vote, have your say. Otherwise, don't whinge," he said. True, so true...


For all you Gold Coasters out there with a vote in your hands out there know this...that even though I am not yet a citizen in Australia, I have committed to volunteering my time and effort to be part of this year's election mayoral campaign for Peter Young because I believe this city needs a chance for major transformation with the right guy at the helm,... and you can only get that with someone who knows and believes in what he's talking about. 

So, if you're reading this or you somehow stumbled upon my website because you had questions about Mr Young, and feel you can't make up your minds about it, go to this website, http://www.peteryounggoldcoast.com.au/. And then please cast your vote.... because if the wrong guy gets elected, heavens, DON'T WHINGE ABOUT IT.. because you never did your part.. and didn't make up the critical mass...  just remember:-


APATHY= NO CHANGE =  SAME SHIT.


Show up and be counted. Make the difference.

GOOD MORNING AUSTRALIA- PT.2

Most Aussies probably find telemarketers very annoying. Especially since there are hundreds even thousands of companies out there mining the same area at one point or another, it probably won't be unusual for a person to get up to 5 or 6 calls of this sort in a day especially if they had not delisted their numbers from the directory.

If any of you have ever been guilty of hanging up on a telemarketer abruptly or shouting or swearing at one, you need to think twice before you do that the next time okay? Why? Because nobody enjoys calling or intruding upon your time. We have a job to do and yes, it may appear to be annoying to you, but someone has to call people to get the message out there and to announce services or products. To minimise your pain and ours, here are a few "Thou shalt not's..."

• THOU SHALT NOT pick up then hang up without saying anything, because we will have to call you over and over again because you see,you are not considered completely marketed to as a lead if we hadn't gotten the chance to come into contact with you! 

• THOU SHALT NOT LIE OR HIDE. If you pretend that you are not that person, well, sorry! We will have to contact you again, until we get to speak to you. Anyway, what if you said the person doesnt live here anymore and I actually rang to tell you you had won $1 million dollars?? Big loss!! You'll never know what you just threw out the window...Be brave, acknowledge yourself...and if you pretended you are your parents, we can tell....I've lost count of the times when someone claimed the person I asked for was not them and no such person and when I said I had rang to offer something to them, they came out of hiding and really looked silly saying, "I am not interested." after that. 

• THOU SHALT NOT be rude. Be polite and hear the person out. If you really don't have the time, spell it out firmly but courteously. If the telemarketer is pushy or inconsiderate, then he or she probably deserves to have the call cut short anyway. Swearing and giving verbal abuses only demeans yourself, not us. It shows that you have no other more intelligent way of expressing yourself than four letter words. Demeaning a telemarketer and his/her job isn't going to stop many others from still calling you. There are thousands of companies calling everyday, if you don't want the calls, delist your number. But look, shouting at us isn't going to solve this problem. It only makes your throat hurt, blood pressure go up and another individual demoralised. If you can't cope, just say no thanks and hang up...

• THOU SHALT NOT say not interested on behalf of your parents. Sorry, we'll still have to talk to the parents even if you were given instructions to say not interested. And anyway, your parents may be interested, so give us a chance to talk to them. 

On the whole though, most Aussies are pretty polite, especially the older generation. Nice and friendly bunch, and sometimes wish you luck for the day. As for the rest of the bunch, TTYL! (Talk to you later)