Sydney Through The Eyes Of A Rockstar – The City, Mosman And Bondi Beach

Every once in awhile we drive by a sign or two in the city, that reads along the lines of We Can Treat You For:
Depression
Anxiety
Phobia
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Umm… Why would anyone be depressed or anxious living/ working here? How come you don’t see these signs in Hong Kong where people are in the office in the middle of the night and kids get raised by crappy helpers, and the sun shines like, 3 months a year, and there are used batteries in the sea… Doesn’t anyone in HK care that you might be depressed/ anxious/ phobic? (It’s possible they have these signs in Chinese and I can’t read them but really don’t think they have that much)

A nicely dressed Asian girl walks by in navy peacoat and riding boots, carrying an embossed chocolate “Louis Vuitton” bag with silver hardware. I’m not an LV expert, and may never own one (just too common in HK, I keep thinking too many people know at a glance what I paid for it, be it at flagship or second-hand store) – but I’m pretty sure it’s fake. Either they carry better fakes in HK or even the less nicely dressed are carrying the real thing (because of the many branded bags for sale second-hand or in outlets… though btw some can sell for more in second-hand stores than new, because of massive waiting lists… One I noticed years ago was the Chloe Paddington, the one shaped like a vanity case, not the regular satchel).

On the way home, we pass near enough to some lighted office buildings to see in to still half-filled floors and I think Who says working in Aussie land you get to leave relatively early, pitch dark and still maybe half the people are at their computer screens… Then I catch sight of the time on the car radio clock: 5.46pm, Monday.

Inconsequential Picture Of Cool Funny Bridge

Back to Mosman, which we learn is the second most upscale housing area, and we spend a short day exploring and calling/ visiting friends. (Upscale or no, it takes a few tries to learn how not to trip the power (a faulty heater), the main living room blinds don’t work nor does the Wifi (we end up BuyingOurOwnprepaidWifi), and on the first night after washing my hair I discovered there wasn’t a hairdryer (first place we ever rented which doesn’t have one). Fuh-reezing. Temperature is in the low teens. But drying your hair very slowly with one of the room heaters gives pretty nice body. And your rockstar might feel sorry for you and considerately adjust his seating position next to you without comment as you shift your head, so you will still be able to read his I Wonder Why books to him without difficulty.)

Random Residential Picture

We meet an older Asian lady who turns out to be one half of a “family medical practice,” with a daughter who has just been accepted into Cambridge. She explains that majority of her patients are senior citizens coming for regular physicals (not say, your average cough/ cold/ flu patient). And her husband, who shares clinic space with her, is in pediatrics.

Mosman apparently has a high proportion of well-to-do senior citizens, “because they’ve either owned the property for some time or are the ones who’ve amassed enough savings to buy one,” she explains. But… isn’t this place near the city? Where are all the yuppies? She smiles wryly, “Oh there are yuppies, but they’re the children of the (well-to-do senior citizens) who live here.”

Then on to Bondi Beach for brunch today…

Kings, carrying a yellow spade on his shoulders (yes Rockstar was in full photo-ruining mode - umpteen pics of him covering his face or rolling his eyes back in his head)

Before settling with Yellow Spade at one of the many cafes overlooking the beach, also a very popular spot with the local pigeon population (Rockstar is momentarily distracted by our iPad)

A loud argument breaks out between the proprietors of two shops, an Asian guy and a guy who looks Middle Eastern. Something about where they are placing the tables along the sidewalk I think.

Q: Guess which ones goes, “You are so much Deek head. I don’t want to talk to you!”

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A: Asian Guy.

And how come the milk shakes come in buckets but the lattes come in teeny little kopitiam cups?

The sign in the shop window reads: PAINS & TIRED? GET RID!

I had to put this up… Because everyone makes fun of the English language signs in Hong Kong (and I maintain one of the reasons there are so many English typos there is because no one is reading the English except maybe us… and you haha)… Except… For some reason I get the feeling this English language sign might have been put up by someone who….. maybe used to put up the same in Hong Kong? As we gaze at the shop front, an Asian auntie exits…

Here's another...

Ok enough signs that you can get in Hong Kong…

Obligatory Beach Shot

And then some... (there goes Rockstar ruining another shot)

Rockstar gravely trooping back and forth with the sand - you would've thought he never gets sand when actually there's a sizeable sand area in his school but he spent quite a bit of time digging/ heaping over the last 2 days

 We meet a stay-at-home dad of a 16 month old with some serious sharing capabilities for his age, who tells us his wife is a lawyer working relatively long hours, “for Sydney”. I mention the work hours as a benchmark: Mon – Thurs, 7.30am – 8pm, plus quite a bit of work brought home. A mummy friend who lives here (and has worked in HK and London) will later confirm those hours would be considered quite long for here…

I’m still on the conversation I’ve had with SAHD <sheepish> I can’t remember when I last spoke to/ met an SAHD (a lot of the time you might not even get SAHMs in HK, you’d get helpers) – and he’s showed me how he’s dressed his son in a full footed onesie to keep all the sand out, and watching Kings bring Rockstar for a toilet break (Rockstar kinda prefers the men’s room if he has a choice :D), he starts a conversation about when to begin potty training. Wow.

Don't know why I like this picture of a couple on the beach, random birds and invisible surfers (there were like, 20-30 I think), but I do!

Then we crash at a nearby Italian restaurant (have to admit, eating out in general is pretty expensive – surprisingly quite comparable to HK) because Rockstar has spaghetti and meatballs just before 4pm (after not eating much brunch) then KOs for 2 hours while I have the cheese tortellini. And we had 6pm dinner plans. The elderly Caucasian man at the next table is the only person I’ve seen in a restaurant/cafe with a Kindle (we finally spot our first iPad over dinner later). When he starts brandishing a giant professional camera and iPhone however, I guess he isn’t local.

When we leave around 5.30pm (Kings toting a still-sleeping Rockstar who protests mildly), we notice the number of wetsuited surfers has not diminished… Apparently in the summer it would be wall-to-wall beach goers with everyone trying to leave at the same time and jamming up the carpark…