There’s something kinda distressing about having workmen on your door first thing on a Monday morning.
You’ve woken up, you’re thinking about the week ahead, you’re trying to make an important fashion decision, and then you have to deal with two strange blokes installing a new intercom.
They weren’t strange blokes, of course. In fact, they were quite nice. And they did their job quickly and quietly. One down, 31 to go, they must haver been thinking to themselves.
And to be honest, I’m pleased I was allocated first thing on a Monday morning and not 10am Tuesday or something like that.
A couple of workmates and I did the “unthinkable” today: we went out for lunch. It’s not uncommon for us to work through lunch, grabbing some takeaway to consume while seated at our desks. But we overcame the “guilt” by associating the trip with a forthcoming work-related event.
And our restaurant of choice was one of the hottest places in town right now: Mr Wong in Bridge Lane. When we arrived (without a reservation) just before Mr Wong opened at noon, we were told our party of three couldn’t be seated until 3pm, unless we were happy to sit at the bar. Too easy. Within twenty minutes, the place was packed: a combination of retirees and office workers.
Mr Wong in Bridge Lane, Sydney
We ordered a range of smallish meals to share, including some prawn dumplings, some dim sim, and some buns. All were really good, though you could argue you might find better elsewhere in Chinatown. That said, it’s a really good space, the service was excellent, and it was a really great experience. The smallish meals were all in the range of $8-10, with the main meals priced between about $25 and $35.
Mr Wong in Bridge Lane, Sydney
We’ll definitely go back. My colleagues and I have also resolved to go out for lunch monthly, and have actually added this to Outlook, so it’s definitely gonna happen more often.
On Saturday night, I was fortunate enough to be a +1 for the launch of the Chinese / Lunar New Year celebrations in Sydney. Here are some photographs from the festivities.
Chinese / Lunar New Year in Sydney (Year Of The Monkey)Chinese / Lunar New Year in Sydney. Great to see same-sex marriage advocate (and City of Sydney Councillor) Christine Forster and her partner attending in support. Chinese / Lunar New Year in Sydney
There was one moment of “normality” in today: it was attending the recording of “The Challenge” by Tony Delroy at the ABC in Hobart. A brief moment when there were no surprises :)
With the split in the independents, and all of today’s press conferences (and my role in getting this material to air across the ABC Local Radio network) it was a crazy day characterised by text messages, emails and phone calls.
After the recording of Nightlife, it was off to dinner to farewell a colleague at a place in Hobart called the “Ball And Chain”. Life’s rich tapestry….
Tony Delroy records the nightly quiz at the ABC in Hobart
As I sat at the bar and listened closely to the pre-recorded music playing softly in the background, I recognised the tune instantly. It was Two Little Boys” made famous by Rolf Harris, except this version was in Danish.
Having arrived from Reykjavik an hour or so earlier, I was sitting quietly by myself, enjoying a beer at what I’ve previously described as possibly the best bar in the whole world. The reason I like it so much is that it has “character”. Located straight across the road from the main Copenhagen train station, the bar is decorated with lots of colourful memorabilia.
Jernbanecafeen
The crowd is colourful too. The last time I visited was also a Sunday. On that occasion, a Sunday afternoon, Sue and I witnessed some very drunk patrons, and the way in which the bar manager dealt swiftly and decisively with some illicit drug-taking. This time around, the crowd was a little more sedate. Like me, they were there mostly to enjoy the music.
“Two Little Boys” was playing during a break by the main musical attraction of the night. Seated at the far end of the bar, an older man (probably in his 70s) was playing old-time favourites on a keyboard. Occasionally, someone from the audience would get up and sing along to tunes like “Strangers In The Night”, “Volare” and others. I can’t be sure if it was karaoke or if they were regulars, but deep inside I also wanted to get up and sing along too.
With just thirty-six hours in Copenhagen, and having experienced an awful lot over the last few weeks, I thought it was time for a bit of simple relaxation. You’ve got to do that when you travel, particularly if you travel to explore new things, and not just sit on the beach. You’ve got to set aside a day here and there for just sitting on the couch and doing nothing much at all. And that’s how I’ve spent most of my time here.
Other highlights of my time here have been a visit to the swimming pool (just around the corner) and to a nearby Chinese restaurant. One of the great things I love about Sydney (which I haven’t experienced much in Europe) is our access to Asian cuisine. It’s one of the things I miss when I travel. So when I realised the area I was staying in had an abudance of Asian restaurants, I decided to try my luck with some fried dumplings and some BBQ pork. Unfortunately, the food was pretty average, but I did have a nice chat with the owner of the restaurant. When I responded with a “xie xie”, he smiled and asked where I was from. I don’t think it’s a phrase he hears often from “Western” customers. He told me he was from Western China, not far from the border with Vietnam, and that he had been living in Denmark for thirty years.
I’m heading back to Stockholm tomorrow for a few days, which will be fun, and next Monday I’m heading to Turkey. Can’t wait.
I’ve always been fond of the bottle-brush (aka Callistemon).
We had one in our front yard of the house in which I grew up in South Lismore. I remember when dad planted it, it seemed like a fragile little thing. The last time I drove past the house, I noticed it was still there, almost as tall as the two story house itself. I think dad would be happy to know it has survived for thirty to forty years.
Until earlier this morning, I’d never really noticed the bottle brush in my street in Surry, Hills, Sydney. But as I made my way down the street to get a haircut, I was literally stopped in my tracks by the beauty of this one. The colours are vibrant, even if you can’t necessarily see them in my photograph taken on my phone.
Waking up at 5 am for breakfast to watch the Eurovision Song Contest is a far cry from how I experienced it two decades ago. Back then, we’d gather on a Sunday night in Australia for a delayed broadcast, indulging in too much food and alcohol, staying up excessively late, and dissecting it all at work on Monday. I no longer have the stamina for that kind of Eurovision party.
The Viewing Experience: Then and Now
Besides, the immediacy of results has changed things. Twenty years ago, even if you accidentally stumbled upon the winner, there was a strict pact among friends: no spoilers. Everyone was impressively respectful of that. It was a fun ritual; we’d have friends over, armed with our own score sheets, individually rating performers and competing to predict the winner.
Eventually, this evolved into online discussions, the Twitter Years, which was enjoyable for a while. However, I grew tired of some of the “too clever by half” comments, particularly those bordering on racist generalizations about nationalities. It became a bit tedious, so I stepped back from that. Subsequently, I transitioned to watching the live morning broadcast all by myself.
Australian Eurovision Coverage: Hits and Misses
For a number of years, I found some of the Australian Eurovision hosts a little tiresome, seemingly all trying to emulate Terry Wogan or Graham Norton. I haven’t watched the Australian coverage for several years now, as I didn’t find previous hosts particularly engaging; it sometimes felt more about them than the contest.
This year, however, I caught some of the Australian coverage with Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act. I thought they were quite good – respectful of the competition. Clearly, Courtney Act was more knowledgeable, but Tony seemed to genuinely embrace the spirit of it and wasn’t just there to mock, which I appreciated.
The Changing Face of the Contest
I do enjoy the Eurovision Song Contest. Obviously, it’s changed in the last 20 years. It used to be amusing to see the clichés from different countries, and sometimes, frankly, it was quite “naff.” More recently, it has morphed into a more mainstream pop competition. When I watch it now, I sometimes long for the days of more outlandish and “crazy” entries.
This Year’s Standout: Sweden’s “Novelty” and a Cultural Connection
Speaking of crazy, Sweden’s entry this year really appealed to me. They’ve gone from having a series of great pop songs – really beautifully made and produced – to actually having a great novelty song. It’s a great, fun number. It’s also interesting that the three men performing are Swedish-speaking Finns. As someone who speaks some Swedish, I noticed some words I didn’t understand, which I later discovered were either dialect words or Finnish. It was good to get that insight.
This year, I once again watched the Swedish coverage via SVT, the Swedish broadcaster. I prefer their more downplayed, minimalist approach – perhaps what you’d expect from the nation that gave us H&M and IKEA. It’s something I genuinely enjoy about getting up early now: breakfast and the Swedish Eurovision broadcast.
This time, I even prepared a bit more. There’s a Swedish guy in Sydney who sells Swedish confectionery through pop-up stores and markets. https://yumyumcandy.com.au/ Even though I really shouldn’t be eating sweets with my diabetes, my friend Andrea and I bought some yesterday at their pop up stall at Broadway Shopping Centre. She’s also been to Sweden and occasionally gifts me Swedish treats she finds. There was a young Swedish woman selling the candy, and we had a lovely chat with her.
Getting ready for Eurovision by buying some Swedish candy at Broadway Shopping Centre, Sydney. Pic: Andrea H
Australia at Eurovision: Reflections and Future Hopes
As we bought the Swedish candy, we also discussed Australia’s failure to make the final. We thought the song entered was reasonably okay, though it didn’t particularly stand out for me in the broader Eurovision context. Maybe a little “too clever by half”?
In fact, it’s been a number of years since I felt Australia was truly competitive. Kate Miller-Heidke’s song was quite good fun, but our peak was undoubtedly when Dami Im sang “Sound of Silence.” She came second to Ukraine, and honestly, had Ukraine not been competing, she probably would have won. It was such a great performance and song.
So, I don’t really understand how Australia’s Eurovision songs are chosen. I recall a deal with Sony Music for a while, and then perhaps a year or two of an actual national contest. Now, the selection process is unclear to me, but I believe we need to find a better way – something Australians can get genuinely excited about, and the Europeans too.
The Results (Spoiler Alet)
I caught a good chunk of Eurovision this morning, even if I did nod off once or twice. No surprises here, Sweden was my absolute favourite! What really jumped out was the massive gap between what the juries liked and what the public voted for. Juries played it safer, but the public? They were definitely up for something different. And, oh my gosh, the UK getting zero points from the public again is just golden – I bet they didn’t see that coming with Brexit! I also loved the songs from The Netherlands (who sang in French, how cool!), Ukraine, and Estonia (who went with Italian!). And even Sweden’s winner was a cool blend of Swedish, Finnish, and a Swedish dialect.
Here’s a summary of the top 10 results from the Grand Final:
Austria: JJ – “Wasted Love” (436 points) – Winner
Israel: Yuval Raphael – “New Day Will Rise” (357 points)
Estonia: Tommy Cash – “Espresso macchiato” (356 points)
Sweden: KAJ – “Bara bada bastu” (321 points)
Italy: Lucio Corsi – “Volevo essere un duro” (256 points)
