Australia Day - address by Dr Charlie Teo on racism and kindness to refugees

Advance Australia Fair - things we take for granted and thought everyone is equal and has a fair goal.

Discrimination - we thought this disappeared along with dumping of White Australia Policy.

Australia has progressed but still a long way for us to claim that we are truly multicultural.
Well, I guess only those from a minority race could tell you how it really feels to be discriminated.

Really, don't we wonder how many immigrants, refugees and local born Australians could hope to come close to being a Charlie Teo in terms of getting the recognition they deserve.  Sharing the hard truth in a frank and transparent manner, the speech has inspired and moved more Australians than random criticisms from detractors.

Indeed, the lucky country is not all rosy except for those who only see things in rose-tinted glasses. While calling for equal treatment, Teo clarified that all Australian migrants must embrace the values (positive aspects we assume) of the adopted country.  Fair enough and not much to ask to enjoy the privileges and reciprocity. Celebrate this Australian day with a bang!

QUOTE :  Dr Charles Teo

It was time we had an in-depth conversation about our future. It went like this: Genevieve to Charlie..."I’m going back to Australia. Are you coming?"

It was a done deal. We decided to return to Australia for lifestyle reasons and for our children’s heritage. We both wished for our children to be Australian and to grow up in Australia. 

Our reasoning was as simple as that. The decision was made not because we didn’t like Americans, or that we didn’t like living in America. 

On the contrary, I found Americans to be gracious, diligent, positive and charitable people for whom a meritocratic workplace had paid generous dividends. 

My personality was not dissimilar to my American colleagues and I found my inquisitive nature and my challenging of neurosurgical dogma was encouraged and nurtured. I did express to Genevieve one note of caution. 

Did she understand that the academic road back in Australia would have its challenges and might be rocky?

So on a very simplistic level, what is it about Australia that makes it the greatest place on earth to live? 

Those of you who have lived overseas for any length of time will recall that it is very easy to reflect on your homeland with rose-coloured glasses. 

When in the US, I would recall Australia’s magnificent beaches and national parks and sunny summer days with flawless blue skies. 

I would reminisce on the irreverent humour of Doug Mulray, the natural beauty of Australian girls, the fresh and bountiful seafood, my friends from childhood and university days with whom I could be at total ease and the relaxed quintessential Australian way of life. 

I conveniently forgot about the Sydney traffic, the tall-poppy-syndrome, the flies in summer, the geographical isolation and the hidden and sometimes overt racism.

My parents arrived in Australia in the early 1950s, my father to pursue a medical career and my mother a nursing one. 

They were given a warm welcome by many Aussies who adopted them into their families, giving them financial and emotional support. 

I was born in 1957 in a rented apartment in Mosman and soon moved to Picnic Point into the house in which I would live on and off for the next 20 years. 

Although both parents were Buddhists, my parents felt strongly that immigrants should assimilate with the local culture, adopt the local traditions, and be cognisant that we were "guests" and as such we should always be on our best behaviour. 

If a Chinese person were to fall on the wrong side of the law, it would be to the detriment of the entire Chinese community. 

It always made sense to me that if a country was attractive enough to uproot your family, leave your loved ones and friends, learn a new language, travel for weeks on a boat across an ocean, then why would you wish to change anything about the local culture. 

You would embrace everything about that new country because every aspect surely might contribute to the very timbre of what you found so attractive in the first place. Consequently, Easter and Christmas were fun events. 

Every year at Easter, without fail, we would spend the day and night at my Italian God-mother’s family farm in Leppington. 

The air was filled with the sound of a piano accordion, countless elderly men would chat to me in heavy Italian accents, and all the elderly women would squeeze my cheeks so hard they would be bruised by night’s end. 

The food was fantastic and the feeling of "family" was overwhelming. At Christmas, joss sticks would sit alongside the Christmas tree, my dad would throw an extravagant party, and our Chinese family accountant would dress up as Santa....not a little confusing.... and hand out the best gifts ever to all the kids.

Racism was rife in those days. I can’t remember a day that I wouldn’t be jeered or mocked by some group of kids anytime I ventured into a public space. 

It made a child tough. In my case, not as tough as I should have been, given my sister, diminutive but ferocious, would take on the toughest lads and I would be left enthusiastically backing her up. 

My father was a rigid disciplinarian. I was beaten to a pulp by a school bully and returned home that afternoon in the hope I would get some sympathy from my parents. 

Instead my dad castigated me for not fighting back. I was instructed to return the next day to reciprocate. 

Australia has become multicultural and racism has certainly diminished over the last 50 years but it still disturbs me when I hear some of our politicians reassuring overseas governments that it doesn’t exist at all. 

I have not experienced overt racism since returning 11 years ago from the USA, but one of my visiting Indian neurosurgeons was spat on by an adult male who drove past him as he waited at a traffic light. 

It is incorrect and naive to say that there is no anti-Arab or no anti-Indian sentiment, just ask someone of Middle Eastern or Indian appearance. 

Unfortunately, racism still exists in Australian culture today. But if you think it’s bad, you would’ve cringed if you had heard some of the things my mum said about you "white devils". 

In my case, the lessons I learnt as a child, to never give-in without a fight, the strength that I gained in order to overcome the insecurity of being in a minority, and the overwhelming sense of fairness I acquired by experiencing such unfairness, would influence how I would react to similar challenges in my professional life years later.

After an acrimonious divorce in 1969, my mum sacrificed any semblance of luxury in her own life to give me every opportunity to make mine better. 

I was schooled at the Scots College, travelled to Edinburgh to perform in the military tattoo, played rugby and cricket (...very poorly), debated and made lifelong friends. 

My mother made me work every school break and I have since found out, would ask the employer to reduce my pay to make me appreciate the value of money. 

I was paid $2.20 a day as a bowser boy and my lunch of a hamburger and soft drink would cost $1.65...it may explain why I was so conscientious with my studies! 

My father provided no financial assistance, but I applied for and received assistance from the government to attend medical school at the University of New South Wales. 

I supplemented the government assistance by working as a barman and then, after offering assistance to the hotel manager during an altercation with a drunken patron, as a bouncer, which gave me a substantial boost in my salary. 

I am proud of the many jobs I had before neurosurgery, milk-run boy, bowser boy, gardener, apprentice mechanic, barman, bouncer, electrician’s assistant. 

It was in fact during these times that I was exposed to and fell in love with the quintessential Aussie. 

In those days, my view of an Aussie was someone who was hard working, unaffected, genuine, affable, relaxed, egalitarian, irreverent and charitable. I still believe most Aussies share these appealing qualities, although I am saddened by the increasing incidents of rage in our society. 

Once there was only road rage but now it seems to have spread into the workplace, the malls and even the last bastion of the laid-back, free spirited Aussie, the surf! 

I don’t wish to trivialise the adversities of everyday life, but when a mother has just lost her son to brain cancer, or a husband his wife, or a daughter her father, and I see this 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, it makes the driver who overtakes on the left or the surfer who cuts in on your wave, seem so inconsequential. 

I am sure, if you are one of those angry people, if you could spend a day in my shoes, you would rapidly attain a more realistic perspective that the most important determinant of happiness is our health and the health of our loved ones. 

Brain cancer kills more children than any other cancer, more women under the age of 35 than any other cancer and more men under the age of 44 than any other cancer. 

It is totally indiscriminate and accounts for more person years lost than any other cancer. 

I am forced to deal with these statistics on a very human level every day. But quite separate to giving me a balanced perspective on life, I am in awe of the dignity and courage that my patients consistently demonstrate in their struggle with cancer. 

Not that my overseas patients are that much different, but the Aussie spirit is as impressive in the living as it is in the dying. 

To raise money for my Foundation, the Cure for Life Foundation, I have had the honour of talking to people from many walks of life, from miners in Muswellbrook, to fisherman in Hervey Bay. 

I am constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of my fellow Australians who dig deep when made aware of the worth and importance of this cause.

My university years were full of fond memories. I was lucky enough to be financially secure with my job as a bouncer at Centrepoint Tavern and later the New Chevron Hotel. 

Dealing with the intoxicated Aussie wasn’t quite the positive experience I had doing the milk run but once again, the trials of working in the service industry was a priceless lesson in life. 

I acquired a newfound respect for police officers. They have had and will always have my unconditional support. 

Indeed, the real heroes of our society are those who work diligently behind the scenes. I have also had the pleasure and honour of working closely with the tireless and self-sacrificing individuals in the medical world. 

They are the nurses, without whom I would be unable to offer my patients such quality care, the paramedics who are at the emotionally taxing coal-face, the hospital volunteers who are truly selfless and my fellow doctors, most of whom dedicate their lives to the betterment of their fellow man. 

The nobility of our profession is unparalleled. 

I never cease to be amazed by the trust that my patients place in me, a total stranger, at a time when they are most vulnerable. 

The privilege of operating on the very organ that defines the essence of that person, their mobility, comprehension, communication, vision, motivation, sensations and even their vital functions is unique and humbling.

Spending 9 years in the USA was an enlightening experience. 

Before I went to America I had an unresolved internal conflict on the issue of immigration. 

My parents were immigrants, my Godparents were immigrants and many of their friends were immigrants. 

As a child growing up amongst immigrants and die-hard, true-blue Aussies in blue-collar Picnic Point, I feel I am somewhat qualified to offer comment on the issue of refugees. I was proud that Chinese never featured in the tabloids or the evening news. 

I wanted it to stay that way and I thought that limiting the number of Chinese entering the country would ensure the bad ones would be excluded. 

I felt Australia was such a great place to live, in no small part as a result of its isolation, not despite it. 

We appeared to be immune from World Wars, border conflicts and dwindling natural resources. 

Why would you ruin this blissful isolation by allowing "queue jumpers", potential criminals, into our Utopia? 

My time in the USA made me reflect on how a country that was not that much older or bigger than ours had achieved such a standing on the world stage. 

In general, Americans were not more intelligent, diligent or talented than Australians. 

They have natural resources, so do we. 

Their pioneers did it tough, so did ours. They had a national pride, so do we. 

Speak to most Americans and they will be the first to concede the dependence of their economy on the hard-working and fiercely loyal Mexicans. 

Speak to almost any taxi driver anywhere in the 50 states and you will be inspired by a story of tragedy and conflict followed by hope and opportunity and concluded by a statement of national pride...in America NOT their country of birth. 

I don’t know for sure, and I don’t think anyone knows for sure, but, having lived in the USA for 10 years, I would be hopeful that our country would benefit from immigration of peoples from countries of conflict, or those subjected to political persecution, who are simply seeking refuge from violence and a better life for their children. 

I believe Australia has a moral and social obligation to demonstrate a higher level of kindness to and acceptance of refugees. 

I don’t know how this may be achieved but I certainly know that both sides of the political fence are floundering. 

I would humbly suggest that a bi-partisan approach would be one step closer to a solution and we need it now!

The USA does one other thing very well....it encourages scientific curiosity and innovation. 

After I completed my fellowship in paediatric neurosurgery and before I ended up in Arkansas, I wanted to return to my homeland. 

I wrote to every senior neurosurgeon in Australia whilst I was working in the USA in the hope that by sharing my dreams and relaying the magnificent experience I was getting in the USA, they would offer me a job back in Australia. 

Alas, the story was the same, only the names changed.....".....I am so pleased you are enjoying your time in Dallas. Unfortunately there are no opportunities now or in the foreseeable future. It would be better for you to make your future over there. Kindest regards". 

I was reassured that if I published at least 3 peer-reviewed articles every year, I would be so well qualified academically, they would be obliged to give me a job. 

So I worked tirelessly for the next 9 years. I published 79 papers, wrote 27 book chapters, made over 200 presentations and pioneered minimally invasive neurosurgical approaches. 

I was courted by industry as well as many of the finest universities in the USA. I became a consultant for a German company that produces over 70 per cent of the world’s surgical instruments who encouraged and rewarded my adaptation of precision technology to keyhole approaches. 

For my hard work I was promoted to Associate Professor and interviewed for "Chairman" positions at 2 acclaimed institutions. 

A senior Australian neurosurgeon, Dr Bernie Kwok, a man of rare vision and integrity, visited me in Little Rock and was impressed with what he saw. 

He suggested I return to Australia with his blessing and support. 

However, it became rapidly obvious that others would not share his vision for Australian neurosurgery. 

Maybe it was the tall poppy syndrome, maybe it was the conservatism of the profession. 

When I was the only applicant for positions at two of the Children’s hospitals in both Melbourne and Sydney, the positions were withdrawn. 

Since returning I have had obstacles placed in my way, but that hasn’t lessened my resolve to offer the Australian public the latest and most innovative cancer treatment in the world. 

Don’t get me wrong. The vast majority of doctors are caring and skilled, giving their patients the best treatments available. 

They are and should be held in high esteem. 

Unfortunately, a small number of doctors have forgotten the nobility of our profession, more concerned with their own empire building than patient care, confronted and insulted when patients request an explanation or a second opinion, unwilling to adapt to change and new treatment regimens and failing to continue self-education. 

This should never be allowed to happen. A selection system that identifies a caring nature and good communication and inter personal skills in medical school applicants would be one step in the right direction. 

This would be difficult but we shouldn’t give up finding a better way of selecting doctors and then nurturing their compassionate side.

I am at an enviable stage of my professional life. With my international reputation I am fortunate enough to be invited to lecture, operate, direct courses and spend time in foreign neurosurgical programs as visiting professor.

I see it as an opportunity to keep abreast of current trends in clinical medicine and basic science research and in so doing, ensure that Australian patients with neurosurgical conditions are getting the very best the world has to offer. 

An unexpected consequence is that it exposes me firsthand to the enormous disparity in scientific funding between Australia and the USA, Japan, Germany, Sweden and many of the other OECD countries. 

My good friend and colleague, Prof. Mitch Berger was recently awarded a SPORE grant of $50 million a year for 5 years to be spent on brain cancer research only. He was so impressed with the volume and quality of work I was doing in Sydney, he sent his chief resident to spend 6 months learning my minimally invasive techniques. 

When he asked how much funding I received from my government, I was ashamed to say only $150,000 over three years. 

He was totally shocked. The USA and California specifically has shown tremendous foresight in their approach to scientific research. 

A recent meeting I attended in California on stem cell research was the perfect illustration of this disparate approach to scientific excellence. 

I was impressed that the Australian scientists at the meeting could hold their own when it came to innovative ideas and universal knowledge of stem cell therapeutics.

I was equally disappointed to hear that our funding of stem cell research, although not as dismal as brain cancer research, was poor. 

One of the greatest gifts given to humanity by a few socially responsible corporations and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, maybe not on the same level as "I’ll be back", was a $3 billion grant for stem cell research. 

Australia has a perfect opportunity to ensure our children and their children will see a bright future. 

The wealth generated by the current mining boom should be seen as an opportunity to build the foundations of the next boom, the mind boom. 

We have the scientists. We have some of the most inquisitive minds in the world. We clearly have the resources. 

All we need is the insight and foresight to put our resources to good use. Of course this has long term benefits in sustaining and growing our economy. 

As they say, you don’t need to be a brain surgeon to know these things.

Since returning to Australia I have had the privilege of collaborating with some of the best scientific minds in the world. 

Dr Kerrie McDonald, who heads the brain cancer wing of the Lowy Cancer Institute, Professor Phil Hogg at the University of New South Wales, and many others, lead the world in their innovation and curiosity. 

They do so at times at the expense of their personal lives, with few accolades or acknowledgments and poor funding and remuneration. 

Many have left for greener pastures; many have been culled through lack of funding. These are the unsung heroes. 

These are the minds that will take Australia from being the greatest place to live, to being, simultaneously, the greatest place to work. 

We have a history of being able to identify talent, nurture it and reward it. 

We have done it so well in the sporting arena, there is no reason we can’t do it in the scientific arena. 

Steve Waugh is an iconic Australian. 

At an early stage his skills were identified and nurtured. 

He was rewarded by the Australian public as Australian of the Year and as an officer of the Order of Australia. 

He has inspired generations of Australian children and has given back to the world, through his charities, in innumerable ways. 

He is, on top of all of that, an incredibly humble man. He would be the first to acknowledge that he is no better an Australian than Kerrie McDonald or Phil Hogg. 

If we take this winning template that we use for talented sportsmen, and translate it to our talented scientists, Australians will benefit immeasurably now and in the future. 

One day we might have two AIS, one for sport and one for science. 

Indeed, with diminishing resources and a technological revolution, it may not simply be good for our country, it may be necessary for our country. 

And medicine is only one field in which Australians may lead the world. 

Recently I have had the good fortune of being involved with Voiceless, an organisation that is campaigning to have animals treated with respect and compassion. 

Inspired by the passion of the Sherman family, Voiceless is working to ensure that animal protection is the next great social justice movement.

A few years ago, Barry Kelly, another Australian icon, one of the first RAAF fighter pilots ever to be invited to train at the Top Gun academy, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. 

Facing deadly forays was part of his daily routine but, with 3 beautiful young children and an unknown enemy, he was about to face his deadliest encounter. 

Supported by his wife Jill, he rejected the grim prognosis given to him by his doctors and asked if I could remove the tumour. 

Courageously, he chose the path less trod, had the tumour removed and is alive and tumour free today. 

In true Aussie spirit, not one to take and not give back, he has made the largest personal donation to the Cure for Life Foundation and continues to support brain cancer research passionately. 

But I am most indebted to Barry for asking me to join him in walking the Kokoda track. I

nitially I saw it as an exercise in male-bonding and a physical challenge. But having walked the track with Charlie Lynn who explains the military history and significance of the track, I honestly believe it is a necessary part of being Australian. 

Kokoda serves as a cogent reminder of our responsibility to fellow Australians and fellow human beings. 

Our forefathers sacrificed their lives for our current way of life. Young boys lied about their age to fight for this country. 

The track is full of stories that illustrate the sacrifice, courage, endurance and mateship that contributed to the success of the campaign and the freedoms that we enjoy today.

Australia is a great country. Although my professional career might have been smoother in the USA, my roots are here, the people with whom I relate best are here and my future is here. 

Generations of Aussies before gave us the foundations onto which we may construct an even greater nation. 

One that is both culturally and socially sensitive and tolerant, one that acknowledges a responsibility to our own people as well as our near and distant neighbours who are less fortunate than us and one that identifies, nurtures and rewards scientific, economic, technological and environmental curiosity and innovation. 

We have the potential to reverse the preconception that one needs to go elsewhere for the best medical care. 

I have had the privilege of teaching neurosurgeons from all over the world, including the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University and UCSF in America. 

Patients fly in from every continent to get the most minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures and I am able to disseminate that knowledge to surgeons from developing countries. 

I hope that I may serve as an example of what Australians may achieve with the support of fellow Australians. 

I reassure you that if we give our scientists the same support, emotionally and financially, Australia and the world will reap the benefits. 

I would like to see this Australia Day as a turning point. 

I want my fellow Australians, those who were born here and those who have immigrated here, to pause and think of the lives that have been sacrificed for what we take for granted today. 

I want everyone who finds themselves angry and intolerant to think first about the misfortunes of those who are less fortunate...such as those with cancer. 

I want anyone who has come from another country to embrace the Australian way of life, it has served us well. 

I want all Australians to see how immigrants have contributed to our nation and to appreciate that a rich and prosperous country such as ours has a moral and global responsibility to share our resources. 

Finally, I want to thank Australians for giving me professional and personal fulfilment, for believing in me when some of my colleagues didn’t, for seeing a Chinaman as an Aussie, not as a foreigner and for this wonderful opportunity to address the greatest nation in the world.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/australia-day-address-by-dr-charlie-teo/story-e6freuy9-1226251661625

Banks lay off jobs unhelpful - more fraud, compromised service,

Rarely do we see long queues forming at tellers of banks at the beginning of the year. The more likely explanation is that staff are still on holidays as the move by financial institutions mulling axeing staff would presumably not affect frontline staff, at least for one of the big five ANZ. The only good thing that will emerge is retained staff will be less idle and strive to improve productivity and services to protect their jobs. However, it could also mean that many will be overworked and deliver less than impeccable services than before.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/283306/20120118/anz-bank-frontline-staff-spared-job-cuts.htm

A serious concern is that bank fraud would not be easily and quickly addressed with inadequate staff scrutiny of irregularities in transactions. Not surprisingly, ANZ staff  have warned of possible increase in fraud activities especially for online banking.

http://sale.yourguide.com.au/news/national/national/general/anz-staff-warn-of-increase-in-fraud/2425255.aspx

This certainly does not seem like a move to keep banking business afloat. Far from struggling, banks have been and are still doing very well in the current gloomy economic climate as financial services are most essential  whether in boom or doom times. Banks are in the business for profits and want to ensure that the bottomline is maintained and the whopping profits don't fall too much to pay its executives and shareholders.

Money is never enough even for the rich? Some wealthy are ironically insecure despite having financial resources to secure a good life. Existential insecurity is not unique to any one social status, operating environment or culture.  Materially rich but spiritually empty? This is a huge topic that deserves dedicating a whole chapter or article discussing it in depth.

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/XP267.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/30/michael-white-political-briefing-class-war

http://china.org.cn/english/Life/175341.htm

What about the middle class saddled with mortgages and young school going children? Worse off are middle aged who have lost their jobs through retrenchment

To be sure (but not reassured) this is a global phenomenon. Even in growing developing countries, financial institutions are cutting staff big time.

http://www.bankingonly.com/detail-news.php?news_id=1138

Lucky Country and Creativity do not mix? Australia lacks innovation

Have always suspected that necessity (and hardship) is the mother of invention. Aussies are lucky and clever but there is no push to innovate as things are well as they are. Australians are not known to rank highly in global comparisons of innovation and creativity.

Clever country rates poorly as ideas factory, says research

Vince Chadwick January 19, 2012

AUSTRALIA has an image problem when it comes to innovation. 

That's the blunt assessment of studies released by Thomas Edison's old firm, 

General Electric, today.

The GE Global Innovation Barometer ranked Australia's status as an innovation leader 16th from 30 countries. 


Only 2 per cent of 2800 senior executives surveyed worldwide mentioned Australia as an ''innovation champion''.

The US took out top spot with 65 per cent, while Japan was a model of humility: 45 per cent considered it a leading innovator globally, while only 26 per cent did at home. Eighteen per cent of Australian business leaders nominated 
their country.

"There's a disconnect between local reality and international perceptions," GE's Australian vice-president for strategy and growth, Michael Ackland, said.

He cited the 86 per cent of local executives who agreed innovation is the main lever for a more competitive economy, though 92 per cent did so globally.

Another study commissioned by GE from the Milken Institute, an independent think tank, found Australia leads the world in five of seven innovation indicators such as university-industry collaboration and research and development spending. However, the Innovation Barometer says only 28 per cent of Australian executives said research and development corresponded to their definition of innovation. Globally the figure was 41 per cent.

Before 2008, the Milken study found most research spending in Australia came from business. ''With our spending at 2.2 per cent of GDP, Australia still comes in below the OECD average, but it is rapidly closing the gap,'' the study found.

Thirty-one per cent of Australian executives felt the innovation environment had not improved in the past five years, while 66 per cent said government support for innovation was not well organised. This is despite the federal government's 2009 white paper Powering Ideas: An Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century.

The dean of the University of Technology Sydney business school, Professor Roy Green, said the government's research and development rebate was having some effect but the commodity boom was breeding complacency.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/clever-country-rates-poorly-as-ideas-factory-says-research-20120118-1q6kx.html


What have Australians invented so far? Some are just first in implementing or using, not necessarily the first to conceive the idea.

http://www.questacon.edu.au/indepth/clever/

http://www.questacon.edu.au/indepth/clever/100_years_of_innovations.html

Anti-Social Toilet Manners - Ego or Cultural?

The two cases are probably unrelated but the journalist has put a negative spin to continue the derogation of immigrants. 

http://www.ausletters.blogspot.com/2012/01/migrants-body-odour-and-queue-jumping.html

Now, I am afraid that feminists might protest if signs have been installed in male or unisex toilets where seats are frequently wet by inaccurate aiming at the target. This is a serious issue which has been the cause of many family quarrels between husbands and wives as well as siblings. But in public places, no one knows who did it!   Ask anyone if this is unique to non-Australian culture, I fear not. 

Quote : 


A UNIVERSITY is teaching migrant students how to use a toilet correctly after complaints from cleaners that they were leaving them in an unhygienic state.


The signs were installed 15 months ago after complaints from a company contracted to clean campus toilets.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/the-other-side/macquarie-university-teaching-migrant-students-how-to-use-a-toilet-correctly/story-e6frfhk6-1226242767424

Why only confine to a certain university? These signs  and more should be displayed in all toilet cubicles all over the world to educate users and make the jobs of cleaners easier, or even save payroll expenses by hiring fewer cleaners!  

Messina Gelato at Darlinghurst - favourite city east ice cream

Favourites : fruity sorbet and gelato combination

Next door : designer ice-cream cakes for special occasions.

                                      Enchanted forest?          Fairytale mushroom?

We love ice-cream especially in the warm summer heat. We scream!

Le Petit Creme (French Cafe Restaurant) - the hip place to be and to be seen near Sydney fashion hub Darlinghurst

Breakfast at a French cafe before going to Paddington Markets  

Coffee in a bowl for those who can't have enough of caffeine shots

French Onion Soup : very creamy and tasty replete with onion slices. But could have been better if the onion is evenly caramelised before making the butter rouille.

The Egg Benedict has been highly recommended in food reviews. It's excellent with rich hollandaise sauce. This one comes with bacon. The alternatives are ham or smoked salmon.

The huge portions meant that one could treat this as brunch or big breakfast.

Decor at Le Petit Creme is very simple with a hint of provencal alfresco but the food gives the restaurant a one up and adequately speaks for itself. We shall come back for dinner another time.

Le Pain Quotidien : refreshments for post-Christmas shopping

Sydney is teeming with cafes and lives up to its coffee culture with some of the best in the world.

Le Pain Quotidien has built up a reputation and following for its excellent pastries, cakes, beverages and unruffled quality service.

There are other cafes under this brand name in affluent Bondi apart from the better known ones in Sydney CBD.

http://www.lepainquotidien.com.au/?page=/en_AU/locations

Eastwood Japanese ramen rising to standards comparable to Jap enclave Artamon

Australian Ramen may not be as good as those special flavours you get in Japan. Nevertheless, the suburbs are catching up compared to decades ago when Asian cuisines are only available in the city centre.

There is a burgeoning of Japanese ramen  - several new sushi outlets and at least two ramen shops in the last three years. This new restaurant  near the train station (which replaced a previous family run Korean "Chocolat" home-cooked dishes) is as good as, if not better than, the another more established ramen restaurant opposite the public school.  You can't miss them as the walls are invariably dark and black against contrasting lights and wall paintings.

A look at the  soup stock would testify that they probably live up to the promise of boiling the pork ribs soup for more than 10 hours to achieve the opaque white colour.  There is also the chicken soup option for those who are more health conscious or prefer not to eat pork. However, the amount or type of shoyu used could be a bit salty for some gourmet's liking.

Hitherto, most restaurants in growing northern suburbs such as Eastwood are managed by Koreans.  That they offer a mixture of Japanese and Korean dishes does not make them less authentically Japanese.  In any case, some well-known restaurants in Japan are run by ethnic Chinese and Korean chef businessmen and their families.

Refer to previous blog article : http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/japanese-grill-hidden-treasure-in.html

Many longing for Japanese food have traditionally headed for the northshore suburb of Artamon. There is a lot of synergy in Artamon where an authentic Japanese supermarket resides at the corner. Food lovers like to patronise Hana Jarun  for the fresh sashimi while Genki Ramen is known for its noodles, quite close to those served in Tokyo streets. The decor and atmosphere is very casual and simple.  Not to be deterred by the long queues, the system is actually quite efficient. After a meal, one could purchase a wider variety of Japanese groceries and whip up a meal at home.