Monthly Archives: October 2012

Chinese garden of Friendship

Posted on October 8, 2012 | 9 comments

Last weekend, we went to visit a hidden treasure of Sydney, in the middle of the city in Darling Harbour.

Initiated by the local Chinese community to share their rich cultural heritage and celebrate Australia’s 1988 Bicentenary, the Chinese Garden is the result of a close bond of friendship and cooperation between the sister cities of Sydney and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China. The Chinese Garden of Friendship was designed by Sydney’s Chinese sister city, Guangzhou.

Even though I have been living in Australia for so long I have never been inside the Chinese garden. I have walked past the garden numerous times but for some reason never thought to go inside. Last weekend the weather was so good that I and my husband decided that we must go out and enjoy the sunny day. So we took a train to the city and walked to Darling Harbour from Town Hall train station.

We were in the garden by 11am and there were only 3 people on the queue to get tickets to go inside. We got the ticket and it cost us just $6.00. We started our tour from the right hand side door of the garden.

The whole garden cannot be seen from any one point within the garden. It has a number of features including the Dragon Wall symbolizing the bond between New South Wales and Guangzhou, the Water Pavilion of Lotus Fragrance, the Twin Pavilion and The Tea House that offers traditional Chinese tea and other refreshments. The garden is a popular venue for weddings, providing many beautiful backgrounds for photographs.

We were there to enjoy the day so we just walked around the garden and enjoyed the sun taking photos from time to time. There was a big pond in the middle of the garden and it had big colourful fishes. I actually forgot that we were in the middle of the city once we were inside. As spring has started here, there were so my beautiful flowers in the garden. I just loved everything in it: the trees, well-trimmed plants, beautiful spring flowers, calm lotus pond and the magnificent temple.

It was peaceful, serene, beautiful and calming. There is a waterfall which gives the feeling that you are in some national park. There are some alcoves to rest and overlook the whole garden to just soak in its natural beauty. We took so many photos as wherever I turned there was a beautiful view. The garden isn’t large but there are plenty of places to sit and take in the views. It took us about an hour to meander through the garden.

We saw a beautiful bridal carriage which is the imperial bridal carriage was used by Chinese Emperors in ancient times with extremely ornamental decorations. The jade carriage is typical of the historical carriages of past dynasties. It is believed 100 skilful artists were engaged in the laborious and intricate carving work. Over 300 tons of raw jade were used, the finished weight approx. 2 tons.

The carriage has a canopy decorated with entwining dragon motif with two lanterns in front. The main body of the carriage is carved into elaborate openwork of dragon, phoenix and fairies which are the symbol of Luck, Prestige and Authority. The two front shafts are cut as two lively charging dragons, guiding the carriage. Behind the carriage are two ornamental fans, which symbolise Royal Dignity.

The age and the cost of the carriage are unknown, however it is believed the carriage came from the Chinese Province of Guangdong and it is said to be the only carriage known to be outside China.

As we were walking around we saw a few people wearing traditional Chinese costumes and taking photos so we decided to find out more about it.

We found a place in one corner of garden where you can hire a costume for $10 and pretend to be a Princess/Queen/Emperor/Empress. They let you roam the garden with the costumes as long as you like and parade around the gardens and take as many photos as you like.

So me and AS decided to dress up as well and become Chinese for a while. I choose a red dress and the lady in the shop helped me to do my hair. AS choose a dark blue one and even got a long white beard to try with his costume. This was one of my favourite photos of the day.

Once we were dressed, the lady from the shop took a few of our photos. From there we walked the whole garden taking photos in different locations. We felt like we were in some movie walking around in the costumes and taking photos. Lots of people stopped to look at us and a few even asked us to pose so they could take a photo of us :). It was a really interesting experience to feel like we were in China.

I saw two girls wearing the costumes so we took photos with them as well. It was so much fun. I really loved it.

If you feel hungry there is a teahouse. You can also hire a 45-minute audio tour in English and Mandarin, if you like.

For the price, we had an amazing day, relaxing and wonderful.

9 Comments

Posted in Australia, NSW - Australia

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Nepali Sel – roti (Crispy Rice Donut)

Posted on October 6, 2012 | 25 comments

Dashain, the biggest festival of Hindu in Nepal, is just around the corner so I decided to learn how to make Sel roti, a speciality of the festival.  Dashain is celebrated for 15 days in Nepal. Sel can be eaten as a snack by itself or together with some side dishes if you like, such as aloo ko achar. Last Dashain I bought them $2 a piece so this time I wanted to make my own 🙂

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice flour
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup rice soaked overnight
  • 5 tablespoons sugar (add more if you like sweet)
  • 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
  • ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)

Steps

  • Wash and soak rice overnight, drain excess water and grind into a semi coarse paste.

  • In a bowl, add ghee and sugar.
  • Using electric mixer, mix it well and slowly add rice flour and plain flour.

  • Add all the rice paste to the mixture and mix it well using hand.

  • Leave the batter for few hours in the fridge.
  • Heat oil in a deep pan, making sure the oil is not too hot.

  • Clean an empty water bottle and cut into half so it will be like a funnel. (Use funnel if you have but I didn’t so I used empty water bottle.)

  • Put the mixture into the funnel and carefully, pour batter into oil into a doughnuts shape

  • Once it comes to the surface and is golden brown at the bottom, turn it over and cook for one minute on the other side.

  • Use wooden chopsticks to turn the Sel if you have one so that the Sel doesn’t break.

  • Once both sides are crispy and golden brown, remove from the oil and place on paper towel until ready to serve

  • Repeat with the rest of the mixture

You may also like :

*Yomari *Momo *Aloo chop

25 Comments

Posted in Nepali food, Recipe

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Guest Post : My Thai-Australian Relationship

Posted on October 5, 2012 | 4 comments

I first came to South-East Asia in 2011, seeking an escape from the trappings of western life. Finding myself preoccupied with television, junk food and long hours at my dead-end job, I needed a new lease on life. Backpacking South-East Asia was always a dream of mine, so it seemed like the best exit strategy from a life of dis-contentedness.

In my first month in Asia, I met my fiancée in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. From what was a purely platonic friendship for 6 months, we eventually entered into a romantic relationship and have ended up in her hometown in Southern Thailand, on the Malay Peninsula.

We haven’t encountered too many hiccups in the first year of knowing each other, but there have been a few misunderstandings along the way.

I am a westerner. I enjoy my alone time, I appreciate my independence and my ability to choose things the way I want. This is not always compatible with Thai values, for instance, sometimes family members will drop by unexpectedly and it will turn into a whole day affair. Or I will go to visit my fiancé’s village for a ‘few hours’, which turns into all day, and then I feel cheated a bit, because I find my time precious and want control over how I spend it.

Communication too, can be a problem. My fiancée speaks English beautifully, but that doesn’t mean that she will always convey her thoughts to me clearly. Sometimes, if she wants to bring up a touchy subject, she will beat around the bush, by providing me with an example. Like, she will say “I wonder how much time couples should spend together, maybe you should read about what’s normal for couples in terms of time spent together’, when what she really means is “you are not spending enough time with me”. I think this is the conservative Thai values coming through, where she cannot always say something directly to my face, but it’s hard for me to understand what she wants me to do.

The dowry, or ‘sin sot’ as it is known in Thailand is also something foreign to me. Unlike in Nepal and the rest of South Asia, where the bride’s family gives money to the groom, in Thai culture it is the other way around. So, I have been feeling pressure to save money, in order to provide a dowry that is acceptable in the eyes of her family. Failure to present a large amount of money at the engagement party will bring shame upon the bride’s family. The concept is quite foreign to me, as there is usually no exchange of money between the bride and grooms families in your typical Australian marriage, but I do love Thai culture and I must respect its customs.

Things are not always easy for my fiancée either. Sometimes I crave western food, which does not taste great by her standards, but she does not complain about going to western restaurants when we have the opportunity.

I don’t have the capability to suppress my emotions the way the Thai’s do. When I am angry or upset, I tend to let it show, and this is something that Thai people really try to discourage, instead preferring to give off the image of a cool-mannered person. I think it makes her feel ashamed to see me carry on, but it is a part of the way we express our discontent in the west.

Even though we do have those negative aspects to our relationship, the majority of our time spent together is fun. We spend nearly 24 hours a day together, 7 days a week. We trade books with each other, we send cute photos to each other through Facebook and we make sure to spend time with each other to wind down at the end of a busy day.

At the end of the day, everyone is human and no matter what we are more alike than we are different, regardless of nationality. My dream is that our children will have the best of what both the East and West has to offer in terms of ideas, customs and culture.

This has been a guest post from Archie Ward, why not check out his blog dedicated to travelling Asia and digital marketing .

Please click here if you are interested to write a guest post for me.

4 Comments

Posted in Guest posts, Relationship

Prabal Gurung made a 13 years old boy’s dream come true

Posted on October 5, 2012 | 8 comments

I have always loved Prabal Gurung and I respect him more now after reading this heart-warming story. I am sure you will start liking him too (if you are not his fan already) after you read this.

If you want to read more about him, you can do it here, here, here and here.

A 13 year old, Jeremy Miller, wrote a hand written note to Prabal Gurung which Prabal posted on his Instagram with the following note.

This melts my heart. The best note I have ever received. Who knew an affirmation for something I love doing would come from a 13 year old. @jerbear_fd601 you really made my day!!! Xo PG

So in reply Prabal sends him a shirt from his collection. Isn’t that sweet of him? Then Jeremy posted the following photos wearing the t-shirt. Prabal Gurung posted the following photo with a note in his Instagram.

Y’all this is my 13 year old Instagram buddy Jeremy who really touched my heart yesterday with his sweetest note so I thought why not return the gesture and look he looks adorable in our Fall12 Tee, no? He reminds me of my own nephew Arhant. @theboyoffashion @jerbear_fd601 dare to dream and inspire all of us. I am excited for your future!!!! PG

I am so touched by his gesture. I hope my dream of wearing his collection and meeting him one day will come true as well. Waiting for his collection to come Down Under!!!

You may also like :

*More stars shines under Prabal Gurung’s collection *Love you, Prabal Gurung *Sneak peak on Prabal Gurung for Target

8 Comments

Posted in Fashion

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I was reading a blog “living in west with values of east”. I was shocked when I found out who its author is :)

Posted on October 4, 2012 | 25 comments

I am sure by now all of you know that I really enjoy writing and I am blessed to have so many readers following my blog. I am happy to find this online world where I can share my opinions and experiences and above all to find supportive people who read my blog and share their opinions with me.

You must be wondering what the hell the title of this post means.

I have been blogging for a while now and except my husband no one around me knows about it. There are a few people who know my identity and know that I blog but they have all come across my blog first and then got to know my identity later.

Initially, I didn’t really see it as necessary for people around me to know about my blog because I was not sure where this blog was going. Now after a year I think it is not that important to tell everyone around me that I blog. I haven’t really found anyone who blogs so I always assume that they won’t be interested.

But at the same time I knew that at some point of time my family and friends would find my blog. The World Wide Web is so open that if they Google something relating to Nepal or Nepali festival or Nepali culture, there is a high possibility that they will land on my blog. They will recognise me straight away if they are in my Facebook as I use the same photos on both platforms.

I have to admit that my parents will be happy to find out that I write on a regular basis. As you know now that I have a few articles published in +977 magazines here in Sydney. Every time it is out in the market, I put that on my Facebook. I wasn’t sure who was reading it but one time my dad mentioned that he has read all my articles and he loved it. He said it is really nice to see me writing and expressing myself. I had sent a few copies of the magazine to Nepal and my mum was so proud that she was showing it to her friends.

Anyway back to the title of this post. This morning on my Facebook page, one of my cousins wrote, “I was reading a blog “living in west with values of east”. I was shocked when I found out who its author is 🙂 🙂 🙂.”

I smiled reading it because I thought my friends and family would have found my blog a long time ago and it took one of them over a year to do so :).

So I would like to welcome to my blog my cousin sister GA who lives in USA. She said she was reading some blog post from this blog and kept clicking on different photos until she got a post with a photo that had her in it. I think that must have been a bit of a shock for her. BTW here is the photo and she is the small kid in the middle. That photo was taken at least 13 years ago.

I am sure many of my other cousins and family members will find this blog in the future and I am ok with that. Most of my cousins live far from me so I think this blog will give them some insight into me and my life 🙂

While I am at this, I want to address another query. I get lots of people asking me why I am anonymous and why I blur the faces in my photos. I even have some people writing to me angrily that blurring photos are not cool.

I know some of you may not like it but one and only reason for my action is purely for the sake of privacy.

My life is like an open book on this web so I don’t want everyone to know where I live and other details of my life. Also I don’t want to use my real name on the blog because I don’t want people to Google my name and land on this blog especially if they are my future employer or someone looking for me in an official capacity. Anyway after year of blogging, I know now that my friends on blogosphere are happy to call me M or nepaliaustralian. So thank you guys for accepting me with my anonymity. Hope everyone else who is angry with my anonymity will respect my reason for my privacy and accept me as M from nepaliaustralian.

Does your family and friends know that you blog? Does it make any difference if they know? 

25 Comments

Posted in Personal

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