Lunch 2011.09.25 - Bianco

Wrong day to have lunch at Bianco Brighton-Le-Sands. Supposed to have a nice walk along the beach before or after the meal. With this pounding rain and howling wind, I don't think so. Couldn't find the restaurant so we called them up. No wonder. They're along the Grand Parade, instead of Bay Street as listed in Eatability and their own website. And yes, they offer complimentary parking at the Novotel. Apparently, that parking lot was being shared with a shopping centre, which is not doing too good. And we thought we parked at the wrong place.

Looks like we're the only party at the restaurant, as only our table was set. It's all good because it's nice and quiet. The kids have the whole place for themselves - the main dining area, the lounge, and the bar. The food's not so bad, but for the price, I expected better. The pork belly (slow-cooked for 15 hours) was kinda small, and I would've liked the skin to be crunchier. The lobster pasta didn't have a lot of lobster. The mashed potato is quite chunky, and the cod fish is a tad too salty. Service is excellent though.

Dinner 2011.09.22 - Piano Room

Not as classy as we thought. Perhaps the pictures on the website was taken from a different era. And to think that we actually dressed up. Can't find any decent parking space nearby, so had to use Wilson Parking. $20 per hour, can you imagine!

Can't find where the place was, so we just followed where the others are going. The place was so dark, I can't see the decor. Most of the light was coming from the surrounding streets and the giant Coca-Cola sign below through the wide windows. Entertainment was provided by an old-timer on a baby grand piano and a crooner singing Sinatra on the centre stage. Food's ok, but slow in coming. We had calamari and bocconcini-stuffed risotto balls for entree, lamb cutlets for mains, and ice cream for dessert. Red wine to wash it all down.

Lunch 2011.08.28 - ABBA on Rhythmboat

Took on a Rhythmboat Cruise with the family. There's a three-course meal plus an ABBA tribute show. What more can you ask for?

The meals' not too bad, but nothing spectacular. The same thing can be said about the tribute show. The sound system is not the best, and the acoustics of the "room" leaves much to be desired. Most of the patrons on the boat liked the music and the performers nonetheless. Liked them enough to get up and dance. Me, I'm here for the cruise, which took us from the King Street Wharf to Pyrmont to Balmain to Luna Park to Kirribilli to North Sydney to Cremorne Point to Mosman then back with spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from the top deck.

If you don't want to miss the ABBA action while checking out the views, there's a fenced opening on the floor, so you can still dance to the music.

Swatch Metal Flash

After selling the Brise-Glace (GK274) and the Sheikh (GG183), both with expandable metal bands, mind you, I bought a brand new Metal Flash (SSK104). This is the first time I've owned a Swatch Stop watch, and I quite like it. The watch has only one crown and it controls all functions on the watch/stopwatch.

Pull out the crown to adjust the time. Slow turn adjusts the minute hand one minute at a time. Fast turn moves the watch forward (or backward) by an hour. Press once to activate stopwatch mode. (Hands go to 12:00 position.) Press again to start couting. Press again to stop. Press once more to switch back to normal mode. In case the stopwatch doesn't reset to 12:00, do a long press (about 3 seconds). Pull out the crown. Turn crown clockwise to adjust the minute hand. Turn crown counterclockwise to adjust the hour hand. Once at 12:00, push crown back.

Trip to Costco

Today, we went to check out Costco Auburn. We've been given some warning that it's gonna be packed, especially on a weekend. I guess that's to be expected, given that it's been open for only a couple of weeks, but I mean, how bad can it be?

So from M4 we took the Silverwater exit, then left to Parramatta Road. Street's blocked. On a Sunday afternoon? That's strange. Looks like quite a few cars are turning into the Bunnings parking lot. There's actually a Bunnings staff talking to some of the drivers and waving them off. Next left is the Costco parking lot entrance, but that's been closed off. Ahead, I can see someone putting cones in front of the other parking entrance. Drove to Olympic Park, doubled back, and parked at Lidcombe Power Centre. Even that one's almost full. Crossed the street with about a hundred other people to Costco. The warehouse club is so full, I can't even have a good look at what's on the shelves. The checkout lines stretched all the way to the other side of the building. I had to ditch our trolley because there's no way I'm lining up. All we managed to buy is a combo pizza, an all-meat hotdog, and a very berry sundae from the food centre.

The Sleepy Gong

We got to Wollongong around lunchtime. It was relatively quiet compared to Sydney. Actually feels like a Sunday. Took a walk along Crown Street Mall. It's a 2-3 block strip of pedestrian shopping, like Sydney's Pitt Street Mall. There's some retail shops here and there, some already closed. There's David Jones, Myer, JB Hi-Fi, etc. The only time I got excited was when I spotted some $20 PS3 Singstar bundles and a ceramic white PSP on clearance for $99. (Take a further 20% off for the missing battery.)

After a late lunch, we went to the beach and the lighthouse for some picture-taking with the birds. (Real birds.) Not too many tourists there. By 4:30pm all of the shops, except for DJ, are already closed.

Next day, MIL woke up early and went out for a coffee. It was 9am, and all the shops and cafes are still closed. Good thing we found Campos Coffee and that's where we had our (big) breakfast.

Searching for Truffles

I know Truffles is very difficult to find, but this is getting ridiculous. The address given to us was 427 Princess Highway, Wollongong. We set off from our hotel around 6:15pm hoping to locate it in 15 minutes using our GPS units. We got to the place, but no Truffles. We got out of the car, searched the whole block. Nada. We asked around and somebody told us it's near the Corrimal RSL. Nope, it's not. (Remember, it's Truffles Restaurant, not Truffles Bistro.) We called them up, and were given some vague directions. We headed back in the direction of Wollongong, thought we might have missed it, so we doubled back. Nope, must be the other direction.

We finally found the restaurant at 8pm. Way past the babies' bedtime, which made them really cranky. The menu sounds very nice, but tastes average. Or maybe I was just not in the mood anymore. Prices are quite reasonable though, especially when it's somebody else's treat.

Trip to Viking Twice

Not a lucky day for me. Rushed out of the house to find that I have left all my keys and even wallet behind. All I've got is my backpack and my phone. Called up the wife. Really no point to have her drive all the way home to open the door for me and drive back to work. Called my siblings. All of them have left for work already. At least Mom's home. I decided to walk the 1.5kms to get the spare keys from her.

A few hundred meters down the road, it started raining. Ran to the nearest taxi rank and hopped into a cab. Lucky for me, my cabbie doesn't mind the short distance and the fact that I don't have any money with me. Though I did pay him with the money I borrowed from Mom. So I grabbed the spare house keys, took the spare car and drove back to my house. The keys won't work. In our haste, we got the wrong keys.

Drove back to the house. This time, my Mom's already waiting outside with the right keys. Got back to the house, grabbed my keys and wallet, switched cars, off to the office.

Sydney Royal Easter Show

Has been drizzling the whole day. If it weren't for the date-specific tickets, I would've just stayed at home, instead of going to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The rain stopped for a while by the time we got out of the bus, so it's not too bad. Still happy that the wife and baby didn't come along, as the whole place is packed. First activity we watched is the dog races. Man, those dogs are really hyper. I wonder what the trainers do to make them so motivated. Next, we watched the daredevil bikies do some stunts. The ground is still wet, so they only performed the easy ones. Started drizzling again, so we took shelter inside the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome. Everybody else had the same idea, so the place is packed. Love the produce displays.

Lunch is hotdog on a stick for $4.50 and chips for $6.50. Strange that the chips cost more than the hotdog. If you look hard enough, you'll find stalls selling hotdogs for $6. Ponchos for $5. Umbrellas for $9. After lunch, we checked out the cows, the horses, the sheep, the cats, the blokes chopping wood, etc. By 5pm, it's time for the Grand Parade, which has more cows, more horses, more sheep, more alpacas, more pigs, etc. Can't believe we wasted 1.5 hours for that. By 6pm, I was in such a hurry to meet up with the wife, I didn't have the time to look at the showbags anymore.

All-You-Can-Eat Ribs

Dropped in Tony Roma's on Sussex Street for some all-you-can-eat-pork-ribs goodness, compliments of a Cudo voucher. Normal price of a pork ribs buffet is around $30. With my Cudo voucher, it's only $15 for every person on the table. But wait, there's more. You also get rice or fries as a side.

With the first round, you get three big slabs. Once you've finished everything, they'll serve you smaller pieces, about three bones wide. This is about what we can finish within the two-hour time limit anyway.

Swim School

Aidan's first day at swim school. Got to the Aquatic Centre a few minutes late. No big deal. Then my wife tells me that the class lasts for only 20 minutes. What?! Mad dash to the kiddie pool without even taking a shower. I hope the others will understand.

Today's lesson involves the instructor taking the baby and gently swaying him in the water left and right. Then she pushes the baby towards the parent. After a few rounds, a rubber mat was brought out. The babies were left sitting on the mat. We turn the mat round and round (while singing Ring-a-Round a Rosie). At one point, we lift our babies and let them splash into the water. Then back on the mat for more. None of the babies liked it, as most were bawling at the end of class. They're probably confused as to what going on.

Weird Weekends with Louis Theroux

Spent most of my free time watching Season One of Louis Theroux' Weird Weekends. In this offbeat documentary series, Louis takes us into some strange and unfamiliar subcultures. He doesn't just interview the UFO fanatics and porn stars and off-Broadway wannabes and black nationalists and white supremacists, he goes deeper than that. He stars in an infomercial; he joins a rap competition; he goes under hypnosis; he interviews some potential Thai brides; he joins a demolition derby.

After the break, we'll have Season Two.

Home Buyer & Property Investor Show

Been a while since we came down to the city. With free tickets to the Home Buyer & Property Investor Show, we took the opportunity to visit Darling Harbour.

The expo is pretty much the same as last year. Most of the booths are hawking investment properties never-heard-of suburbs. Some even offer rental guarantees.Heck, for the price of one apartment in Sydney, you can buy five rental properties in the US with a return of 15% or more.

The deals are so good, I'm surprised I haven't signed any contracts yet.

Just next door is the Trading and Investing Expo. Even less interesting for someone who's too busy to trade shares and play with foreign currencies anymore.

Ten-Year Anniversary

My manager sauntered down the corridor, went in my cubicle, and casually handed me a plaque celebrating my 10 years of service with the company. I also get a MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) perpetual calendar designed by Gideon Dagan and made in China. It's a perpetual calendar because you have to mark the day and month yourself, every single day of the year. That'll remind me how time flies.

Cheap PS2 Hardware

To think that I spent weeks looking for an affordable EyeToy USB camera on eBay. If you know how, you could've gotten one *including* the EyeToy Play 2 disc for only $7.

I went to EBGames and bought Play 2 for $7. The guy asked me if I have the camera. Thinking this is another cross-sell, and I do already have an EyeToy, I said yes. Went back home only to find out that I already have Play 2. What I'm after is the original Play. Went back to EBGames the next day to return it. A different guy asked me if I have the camera for the game. Again, I said yes, I have my own camera. Oh, the games come with the camera, the guy mentioned. Hmm, is that so? Anyway, I found Play for $4, and asked for the camera. This time, the camera is not included. Bummer.

So I went back to the bargain bin, and looked around for Buzz! titles. If you read the item codes carefully, it actually tells you if hardware is included. For my efforts, I got a Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz game disc plus FOUR Buzz controllers for only $18. Not too shabby.

The Hillsong Experience

First time to attend a Hillsong Church service. Church is a bit misleading because the place is more like a convention centre. We were there for a dedication service for a friend's twins. We asked around and were told that we must be mistaken because there's no dedication scheduled for today. Apparently, there was some kind of miscommunication. We later located the harassed mom, who's trying to make things happen. Good thing the Hillsong guys agreed to add in a short dedication to their regular service.

We walked in the auditorium and was amazed by its size and the number of people attending the service. What's even more surprising is the availability of a parents' room complete with changing table, microwave oven, curtained booths for breastfeeding, and a flatscreen TV showing a live feed of the service. We stayed in the parents' room the whole time as baby needs a feed, then sleep. Also, I don't think he can handle the loud volume inside the auditorium.

Reverse Cycle Portable Air Condition on Mobile eBay

With summer coming fast, I'm onto eBay to look for a portable air conditioner. A no-frills portable airconditioner will set you back at least $150. If you opt for the reverse-cycle one, that's usually around $250 or more.

So I find a portable a/c for sale. A closer look at the description says it's a Dimplex DAC-12004RC, which tells me it's actually reverse-cycle. No wonder there's relatively little interest from the bidding public. The item location being in Horseley also helps.

minutes to go before the auction ends, we're still in Westfield. I took out my E75 and went to the mobile eBay site. No HSDPA, only 3G. Started putting in higher and higher bids until I got the winning bid. To prevent a last-minute upset, I upped my max bid some more. Must've put in the wrong number because I ended up bidding $13,500. With only a few seconds to go, it's panic time! It's a good thing 3G is quite slow, so I was able to stop the transaction. Ended up winning the RC portable aircon at $113. Add in a $5 Paypal voucher for not using my 99c free listings last weekend, and I'm a happy camper.

Calming Your Baby

Would've good if I found out about this earlier. After days of having the baby crying on and off, and not knowing how to pacify him, we turned to Google/Wikipedia/YouTube, and found out about the 5S's.

If your baby is always unsettled or crying after a feed, he probably has colic. Now, noboby knows what's the cause of colic, but most people think it's due to stomach gases. Regardless, Dr. Harvey Karp, author of the best-selling The Happiest Baby on the Block, tells us that all babies have a calming reflex. If we know how to trigger this calming reflex, it'll calm the baby immediately. And so I give you the 5S's:

• swaddling - Swaddle the baby tightly to recreate the sensation of being in the womb.
• side or stomach postion - Hold the baby on his side or face down.
• shushing - Constant shush sound or other sources of white noise, like hair dryers or vacuum cleaners
• swinging - A little bit of jiggling of the baby from side to side
• sucking - Breastfeeding or the use of pacifiers

As soon as I learned these techniques, I applied them immediately to Aidan. From my experience, shushing works best, but don't overdo it. This is not some mild, gentle shushing sound. From the video, it's a strong, constant in-your-ear shushing. Very effective though. Not sure whether it's the calming reflex at work, or the shush sound is so overpowering that it paralyzes the baby into inactivity.

Sucking also works, but be careful with pacifiers. I read somewhere that it might cause ear infection. At the very least, too much sucking prevents your baby from having a deep sleep and makes them hungrier faster. Swinging is also quite effective. Again, take care that you don't jiggle baby's brain into mush. Swaddling, my baby doesn't like it. It prevents him from moving his arms around (obviously), which makes him crankier. YMMV.

Project Aidan: The Weekly Report

It's been a week since I took paternity leave from work. I'm finding I have more free time, yet I'm also busy day and night.

I spend the day (and night) bottle-feeding the baby, washing and sterilizing the bottles, boiling water, bringing out the laundry and back, changing nappies and baby clothes, preparing the baby's bath, taking out the trash, and buying stuff from the chemist.

And oh yeah, downloading the Masterchef episodes that we missed.