#17 - Three things I've missed about Sydney and three things I miss about Singapore
🇦🇺 🇸🇬 ❤️
Hey Guys
Hope you have had a good week!
2nd week in Sydney down! The past week has been a fairly demanding one on the day job front, however with the time difference I’m still able to get out of the house in the mornings before getting started on the day job proper in the afternoons.
To cope, I’ve been experimenting with setting the alarm clock earlier (some days at 3:30am) so that I can get in a solid three hours or so of work in before heading out (most days this week it’s been either to a golf course or a golf driving range) at around 7am.
This has worked reasonably well in terms of ensuring I keep up with my ongoing goal of maintaining an inbox zero approach to the day job - however, I’m only human and naturally have a huge energy slump come mid-afternoon requiring a cheeky snooze to pump back fuel in the tank.
Hopefully, the volume of work will slow over the coming week and I have a chance to do a bit more reading and piano practice in the coming week - things I did say in the previous issue that I would address but have struggled/been too lazy to get around to actually doing.
This is not to say that it’s been all golf practice and day job. My sister made me home-cooked dumpling and noodles for dinner at her place, I saw my cousin for a dinner and earlier today, I caught up with a primary and high school friend where we yacked on and on about the arts (he used to work for the Sydney Symphony), side hustles, car design language (we both are fans of the Carwow YouTube channel), our Dads at sporting events and more - i.e. as if not a day had passed - following which I wandered around the CBD to check out the Sydney on a weekend.
Now, sitting here on my kitchen table typing this with Crazy Rich Asians playing on free-to-air TV, I actually find myself thinking about what I’ve missed about Sydney in the three years that I have been away and the things I now miss about Singapore and look forward to getting back to in a few weeks!
Three things I’ve missed about Sydney
My Mum’s Food
Being overfed and under-exercised? Yes please!
Braised chicken with mushrooms; tom yum soup Stir-fried asparagus with pork Soft Terrain Running
In Singapore, my running is mainly done on paved, hard surfaces whereas in Sydney, there are plenty of public spaces to do soft-terrain running such as this ‘fence run’ dirt and crushed gravel track in Centennial Park - my joints are thanking me for this!
Centennial Park in Sydney’s east Street Busking
After finishing lunch, I took a walk around the Sydney CBD and came across a street busker along Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall.
This is an extremely popular spot for buskers as it has plenty of pedestrian foot traffic.
While I have seen buskers in Singapore before, it’s far more prevalent here.
I caught the end of this afternoon’s performance by the beatbox artist Voltak, who said to the audience that he was worried at the start of his performance that he might need to take off his shirt in order to attract a crowd.
Clearly, he needn’t have worried!
A street busker in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall
Three things I miss about Singapore
Caifan (Economy Rice)
If you do not know what this is, definitely watch this music video and try it when you come to Singapore!
Super cheap (S$3 - S$8), super quick (rice and select your own dishes) and super satisfying (when freshly cooked)!
This is my regular lunch or dinner.
Public Transportation
This is a little unfair on Sydney (which is a lot older than Singapore and has a hodgepodge of transportation modes and layouts), however when it comes to getting around on public transport, Singapore is just so good.
The efficiency, cleanliness and superb connectivity means that I can get around quickly and in a very cost effective manner.
Weather
This may be a little controversial, but I love the hot and humid weather in Singapore!
Over the past fortnight in Sydney, it’s been a little hot (perfect!) and cold (requiring one, sometime two, layers) and my preference is for sweaty, tropical days and nights all year round!
Marina Bay Sands, as seen from Marina Barrage
What I’ve been watching this week
Red Notice
This is a recent release on Netflix starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. My sister and her boyfriend hosted a movie night at their place this past week, complete with an awesome projector, Snickers ice cream and Belle Fleur chocolates from my Mum.
5/5 popcorns for pure entertainment value!
Quote of the Week
Keeping with the Dwayne Johnson theme, my Dad and I also re-watched the 2016 action comedy film, Central Intelligence (for the umpteenth time!) on Netflix.
Again, 5/5 popcorns from an entertainment no-brainer standpoint.
However, there were some really good scenes that I think will give me some pep in my step for the week ahead, including this one where Dwayne Johnson’s character intentionally nosedives a plane in order to provoke a response out of Kevin Hart’s character - the actual clip from the movie is below:
Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson): [J]ust for the record, I think you'd make a great dad.
Calvin Joiner (Kevin Hart): Did you just fake this whole thing?
DJ: Yeah, kinda.
KH: You gotta be shitting me glory!
DJ: No, not at all.
I just thought that maybe a facing-your-own-death situation might help motivate you to clarify some of your goals in life.
And, hey, between me and you, I know you've been struggling a little bit.
KH: You know what I'm struggling with right now, Bob? Not whooping your ass.
DJ: Okay, Jet.
Excerpt obtained from Scripts.com
Have a great week ahead!
David
Central Intelligence equals NO REGRETS WHAT SO EVER!!!!!
interesting comparisons Chee Hou☺️