Living Nerdy in Sydney

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...

Packing for a cruise isn't just like packing for any other holiday. Sometimes, this may involve packing for a plane trip before and after a cruise. Here is a comprehensive checklist of what to pack for your cruise holiday.You can also download a PDF printable version here. Sports wear is a huge must if you don't plan to put on weight. And a minimum of 2 sets of swim wear too, unless you don't mind putting on wet swimmers again. Click to enlarge Do be aware that there are variations to baggage allowance and what you can bring or can't. If you have a connecting flight, the flight baggage allowance is normally less than what the cruise itself would allow. There are some things which you really should not bring on board. This varies from cruise to cruise. The list below are an example of somethings which are not allowed. Certain cruises would prohibit additional items such as electrical extension boards, music instruments, hair curlers and alcohol. Be careful...

Most of us from South East Asia would have never experienced winter in our home countries. Watching snowflakes drift down slowly from the sky is a often a dream for most of us. With travel becoming more and more accessible to the middle class, snow now is just one flight away to a temperate country. What most of us don't really know is how to dress up to keep warm in winter. It really isn't just about donning on a thick coat. Here are some very helpful tips on keeping warm when you travel. 1. Understand your Jackets Thickness alone of a jacket doesn't make a jacket warmer. How a jacket is made and the types of materials use is just as important. A warmer jacket is made of materials which trap heat better. For example, a down jacket traps more heat than a polyester filled jacket of the same thickness. For knitted wear, wool is a much better insulator than polyester. Also, the more the jacket covers up, the warmer it is. For example, a long coat is warmer than a vest of ...