Living Nerdy in Sydney

My family loves cruising, and this is our fourth cruise on Royal Caribbean. Our other cruises with Royal Caribbean had been on the Oasis of the Seas and the Mariner of the Seas. We have previously also cruised with Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruise Line. We have also previously cruised out of the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asia. This cruise would be our first cruise out of Australia and first one during Christmas.  Our family of 6, 4 parents over 60 and 2 adult kids over 30. We are an international family living in Asia and Australia. Voyager of the Seas docked in Sydney Circular Quay  (Source: Flickr John Copwer) Booking Process We started planning our cruise holiday about 12 months before the cruise and decided on the 11 night New Zealand cruise out of Sydney, Australia during Christmas. When the Buy One Get One (BOGO) half price offer came, we decided to strike when the iron was hot. What we realised by canvassing the different RCI websites and phone lines w...

Sushi Rio is a Japanese sushi train restaurant in Sydney CBD. It is located on Sussex Street, Sydney. The restaurant is pretty busy and it is common to have to wait for a table, as you can't reserve a table here. Sushi Rio is one of the very many sushi restaurants in Sydney CBD and has been there a good number of years. Seating is like any other typical Japanese sushi train - bar style. But there are also a few tables away from the bar for small groups. This really isn't a good place for a groups of more than 6 people as it would be very hard to find seating in this restaurant. Food and Drinks Sushi From top left corner (clockwise): Beef tataki nigiri, Chicken katsu with avocado roll, Salmon nigiri, Seared prawn nigiri, Mackerel sushi, Seared salmon nigiri, Mackerel nigiri, Yellow tail nigiri. All sushi were well made - nothing was falling apart. Every piece was well seasoned and there was no need for any extra soy sauce or wasabi either. All slices of fish were fr...

Ever had your hairbrush looking eeky with white fluffy stuff and little bits of hair you just can't remove?  I've had the real frustration trying to find ways to clean my hair brushes. I've washed it with all sorts of soaps, detergent and shampoo, soaked it, tried running a pin or pencil through it. I've tried using a scissors to cut off the tangles and even have tried rubbing the bristles of 2 brushes or combs together. But alas, the hairbrush still looks fuzzy. I do admit, I have tossed away a few brushes because I couldn't stand how unhygienic it looked after a month of using it. The chemical engineer in me decided I'm not going to read anymore hacks on cleaning online and find a proper scientific solution. This hack is ridiculously easy and cheap as well! So here's how: What you'll need is a tall glass which you can dip all the bristles of your brush in, some caustic soda drain cleaner and water. Step 1 Add 1 tablespoon of causti...

In the wake of the recent terror attacks by extremist groups, there have been radical calls to exclude Muslims, Syrians or other people from Middle Eastern backgrounds. In North America, there has been seemingly a real resentment and discrimination of people of the Muslim faith. This hasn’t been helped with public figures such as Republican presidential hopeful, Mr Donald Trump, engaging in fear mongering tactics. The Australian government are planning to introduce 1 hour of Middle Eastern politics into the current education curriculum. This aims to prevent radicalisation of young people by providing them with knowledge of the subject matter. This move mimics what the Singaporean government did in 1997. In 1997, the Singapore government introduced National Education in schools across the nation. Among its objectives, National Education aims to ensure multi-racial and multi-religious harmony. The program is not just classes and discussion about politics; it also provides a know...

The Australian cruise industry is fast expanding with over 1 million passengers a year boarding a cruise ship. Major players include P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Sydney is home to most of the Australian based fleet. Pacific Pearl docked at Ocean Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay Sydney has 2 cruise terminals. There is the Ocean Passenger Terminal located in Circular Quay, and there is the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Rozelle. You should check with your cruise company where port you will be embarking on, as the two terminals are not close to each other. I've has many people ask about how to get to both terminals numerous times on Cruise Critic and on Facebook. Here's how to get there. No Long-Term Parking There is no long-term parking at either terminals, so driving and leaving your car there is NOT and option. Uber Uber does not pick up from airports in Sydney. It's illegal to. Ocean Passenger Terminal The Ocean Passenger Terminal is l...

The Australian cruise industry is fast expanding with various cruise lines sending more and bigger vessels to the seas down under. Sydney is by far the busiest home port for most of these vessels. Circular Quay is home to the Ocean Passenger Terminal and has breathtaking views of not only the world famous Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House but also beautiful natural features. Pacific Pearl docked at Sydney Ocean Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay Here are the top choices picked your local Sydneysider to visit in Sydney within 10 km (6.2 mil) from Sydney Harbour. This is not in any particular order. 1) Powerhouse Museum Powerhouse Museum is the museum of applied arts and science. This isn't the traditional museum where you go in to see ancient relics. Rather, its collection spans history, science, technology, design, industry, decorative arts, music, transport and space exploration. There's something interesting in there for almost everyone. There is also free Wi...

Working in the public health service in NSW, one would be educated through mandatory training on the skill of Open Disclosure. As defined in the Open Disclosure Policy (PD2014_028), " Open Disclosure is the the process of ensuring that open, honest, empathetic and timely discussion between patients and/ or their support person(s) and Health Service staff following a patient safety incident." In the policy, it also describes how staff must apologize in an empathetic manner. The apology should acknowledge the consequence, yet it should not attribute blame. Examples quoted in the policy include, "I'm sorry this has happened to you" or "I regret this has happened." (Source: StraitsTimes) Pastor Kong Hee has indeed mastered this public relation skill. Pastor Kong Hee made a public apology at one of City Harvest Church's services after he was found guilty of criminal breech of trust. He apologised by saying he was sorry for the "pain a...

I didn't grow up in an Evangelical church. That is a church based on plain biblical Christianity built around the gospel. Instead, I grew up in a Christian family who attended a traditional high, yet liberal church. I'm very thankful to my parents and Sunday school teachers who taught me who Jesus is, and why I needed to be saved. In fact, I did become a Christian when I was very little. I grew up knowing it was important to read the bible and pray. However, I also grew up always trying to be more Christian, wanting to be more "blessed" and more loved by God. Unlearning the many years of liberal teaching through evangelical teaching has been the most liberating, confidence building and life changing experience. Here are my top reasons why. 1. I stop asking how to be more loved by God. Growing up in a liberal high church, I was made to believe doing more for God will get you more of His love. Never again. "For one will scarcely die for a righteous pers...

Source AFP News Today we heard the sad news that 6 church leaders of City Harvest Church, a mega church in Singapore has been found guilty of misappropriating  $24 million in church funds. Over the very lengthy trial, there were many reports about how this was being covered up to prevent detection. And more unfortunately, we witnessed Christian leaders unrepentant of their wrongdoing, setting a very poor example to the congregation. "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:22b-23a ESV There's something about equality in front of God. To God, even if we are a church minister, or the pope, or the richest man alive, or the poorest' fellow, or the prime minister or the queen, we are all equal in front of him. In fact we are all equally sinful. To God, sin is sin, be it something obvious and apparent to all, or be it something you hide, be it something heinous and destructive, or "just a white lie"...

The upper middle class population in China is fast growing. This means that more and more Chinese have access to holidays, and this includes cruising. Cruise liners such as Royal Caribbean International have started bringing their newest vessels such as the Quantum of the Seas to China. I've seen numerous complaints, predominantly from cruisers from the western world, on Cruise Critic about the behaviors of Chinese tourist on board their cruises. Some of these comments describe how these behaviors have spoilt the entire cruising experience. Here's some tips for surviving a cruise from Hong Kong or China. 1. Understanding the Behaviours Chinese from China have grown up in an environment of crowds. And when I mean crowded, I'm not talking about a full train or restaurant. But filled to no standing space and a mighty long queue behind. Chinese officials are one the best in the world at crowd controlling to preventing a stampede considering the massive crowd size. Push...

Love to eat Chinese Roast Pork (Siu Yok) 烧肉? Here's an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to making your favourite dish. This has been modified to suite a Flavorwave Turbo Convection Oven, as many Asian families don't have a built-in oven. This is a fun weekend project.  This dish goes well with rice or thin egg noodles, and green Chinese vegetables. Ingredients for 4 1 kg (or more!) of Pork Belly  1 tbps sesame oil Water Marinade  1 tbps table salt 1 tsp white pepper 1 tsp black pepper  2 tsp sugar 1 tsp 5-spice powder 2 tsp chicken stock Instructions Step 1: Blanch the pork belly by steaming it over a rack for 10 minutes. The water level should be at rack level. (Note: The piece of pork bought was scored already, avoid buying a scored piece.) Step 2 : Switch off the heat. Rinse the pork under cool water. Then prick the skin with a sharp knife to have tiny holes all over the skin. Step 3 : Across the direct...