Sleeping Beauty Disease

Last week on Sunday Night, I watched a segment and it was about a disease that can cause one to sleep for long periods of time. It is referred to as Kleine-Levin Syndrome or simply Sleeping Beauty disease.

Sufferers of Kleine-Levin syndrome can sleep up to anywhere up to 6 months. There is little warning before an episode is about to occur although sufferers may become irritable and develop flulike symptoms.

During an episode, one may not wake up unless they are going to eat or go to the bathroom. However, there is a catch. Although they may be awake, the sufferer is not fully alert and may not understand what you are saying. Additionally, they miss out on events such as school recitals, friends birthdays, schoolwork  and milestones.

However, do not fret too much. It is not likely that you or the people you know will suffer from Kleine-Levin syndrome anytime soon. There are only around 500-1000 known cases around the world.

(Courtesy of Fanpop)

Until next time,

Laura xx

Caysorn Thai Restaurant

Today, I decided that I wanted to eat Malaysian for lunch but unfortunately the place was almost full by the time I arrived there. Instead of waiting around until a table was available, I had a look around to see if there were any other places to eat at for lunch.

I had the Caysorn Thai restaurant in mind as it was not too far from the Malaysian restaurant. Unlike the Malaysian restaurant, Caysorn was not full. Perhaps the reason why Caysorn did not have as many patrons was because of its location. It is on top of where the Burlington Supermarket used to be. Not as many people seem to venture there in my experience. However, most of the patrons that do eat here are Thai.

Here is a photo of Caysorn from the outside:

Unfortunately, it was slightly cramped to take the photo from the middle so it was easier to take a photo of the entire restaurant from the side.

Although Caysorn is a Thai restaurant, it is not like your typical suburban Thai restaurant that you will find other parts of Sydney. The dishes that you will find in their menu is Southern Thai. I have not seen too many restaurants in Sydney that serve dishes from Southern Thailand. The only dish I have seen being served from the region in the majority of restaurants is Massaman Curry.

I think I seem to like going off track a lot, haha. Anyway, I sat down and had a look at the menu to see what I wanted to order. I ordered Pad Gapi Sator. The other dish I would have probably ordered was Kua Kling but it is extremely spicy. Even for someone who is used to eating food with spices and chilli. 

Some photos of what the inside looks like:

It was not long before my lunch had arrived. The service here is quite fast.

Here is what Pad Gapi Sator looks like for those who have never seen it before:

Oh and some rice to make the meal complete. Yummmm!!!

Unlike in many other restaurants, I also do not find that the portion sizes are too big. For me, the portion size here is just right but perhaps for others, it may be too small. Additionally, for those wanting to share the meal, the portion sizes may also be too small.

The dish was delicious. I did not find it too spicy today which was good for my tastebuds. However, if you ever order this dish and find it too spicy for your liking, there are an array of Thai milk drinks that you can order to counteract the spices.

Overall, I really like Caysorn as the dishes here are different from other Thai restaurants. Next time, I might order one of their curries.

Until next time,

Laura xx

Concept of Age

In the West unless you are a minor, not many people seem to question how old your friends are. Generally, you can be friends with anyone no matter how old they are whether they are 25 or 60. You may have different life experiences to eachother but you can learn from one another's experience as well. For example, a younger person may learn about life experiences by being friends with an older person whereas an older person may learn the youth culture of today from a younger person.

On the other hand in places such as Korea, you can only be friends with people the same age as you. In Korea, friends are addressed as Chingu. Most of you now may be thinking, I can be friends with people born in the same year as me but this is where it gets complicated. If you are born in either January or February as I am, you are lumped with everyone born the year before. (From March that is) What is the reason behind this you wonder? The Korean school system as the school year begins in March.

For example I'm born in February and have a friend born in November of the same year. Although we are born in the same year, we are not technically friends as she would be in a grade below me at school. Another example would be a K-pop group called Super Junior. (By the way, I'm not too familiar with their music) Two of the members Shingdong and Sungmin would be considered friends although Shindong was born in September 1985 and Sungmin was born in January 1986 whereas Sungmin and Eunhyuk would not be friends because Eunhyuk was born in April 1986.

Here is a photo of Super Junior:

(Courtesy of Glogster)

Some terms you might want to remember when addressing people in Korea that are not the same age as you:

Noona: Male addressing a female senior
Hyung: Male addressing a male senior
Unni: Female addressing a female senior
Oppa: Female addressing a male senior
Dongsaeng: Seniors addressing their juniors

In addition to having the same age friends rule in Korea, I was told in Japan this is also the case but this time, people who are born in March are also lumped into the same category as the year before. Their school year starts in April. However, I did not seem to experience this when I was hanging out with my Japanese friends so I am not too sure if they are more relaxed about this. Maybe someone can confirm this for me.

The friends aspect is not the only thing I find interesting about Korean age. It is also the fact that you are one years old when you are born and on Lunar New Year, you add another year. If you are born a few days before Lunar New Year, you are considered to be two years old on Lunar New Year despite the fact that in reality, you are only a few days old. Strange isn't it? I think other Asian countries do this as well if they follow the Lunar Calendar.

Hopefully, this explanation makes the concept of age in Korea easier to understand.

Until next time,

Laura xx

Liz Lisa and Tralala

I have been meaning to do this post for a while but I have not got around to it. As many of you know, Liz Lisa and its sister brand Tralala are popular fashion brands in Japan. It is a gyaru fashion label for those of you who may not be familiar with it.

If you have never heard of the term gyaru, it is a type of Japanese street fashion that originated in the 1970s. A female who wears gyaru fashion also usually wears a lot of makeup, wigs and excessively decorated nails. Think Tsubasa Masuwaka and Himena Ousaki.

Back on track now. Although I did a blog post on my experiences in Japan, I decided not to include Liz Lisa in it as I think it needs its a post of its own.

Here is what the Liz Lisa logo looks like:

(Courtesy of Shibuya Closet)

I have heard of Liz Lisa prior to shopping in Japan as many people have talked about it on the internet whether it be their profiles or blogs. Plus my friends are into Japanese fashion too,lol.

Unfortunately, the shop does not let you try on the clothes before buying it which I find to be strange. Maybe they do not want the clothes to be stained, I do not know. Even the Tralala store does not let you try it on either as I learned this when I went to Shiga.

Anyway, here is how some of the clothes look.

This is a pink sweater I bought in the Liz Lisa store in Shibuya. It is really comfortable and I find it can be worn with a variety of looks whether it be jeans, black pants or shorts and stockings. It was a bit cool for it to be worn with shorts today so I opted for black pants. Also, it is better if you can wear a singlet underneath it, preferably pink or white.

Both the cardigan with the hood and the shirt with flowers in it are from Liz Lisa. The cardigan is nicely fitted but it can only be worn casually. However, the shirt can be worn either casually or a night out. The shirt fits okay as well but be warned, it is one size fits all.

The shirt by itself. Oh by the way, the flowers are supposed to be at the back but I was in a hurry when I put the shirt on,lol.

Finally, this shirt is from its sister brand Tralala. I have not really worn this shirt yet as it has been way too cold but I will wear it more often when Spring comes. Cannot wait for that. This shirt is probably best worn with either black or white pants/shorts. I guess you could wear it with a skirt as well.

Overall while some of the clothes at Liz Lisa are quite nice, I probably would not buy everything from there as some of the clothes have too much floral print for my liking. If you have the chance to ever go shopping in Japan, Cecil McBee also have nice clothes. I even like some of the gothic clothes there despite the fact I hardly ever go shopping at Gothic clothing shops.

Have a nice day everyone.

Laura xx

Bering Strait Tunnel

Ever wondered what it would be like to travel from Asia to North America overland? With the proposed construction of the Bering Strait Tunnel it may become possible within the next 20 years or so to travel from Asia to North America without being on a plane.

At the moment, constructions have not gone ahead although Russia has approved of the project which is estimated to cost around  £60 billion which would probably be close to $100 billion in Australian dollars or maybe even more perhaps. However, some sources say that the construction of the tunnel is actually  £99 billion pounds. If the tunnel ever begins construction, we will probably find out the true cost then.

If the construction of the tunnel goes ahead as planned, the tunnel is expected to pass underneath places such as the Big and Little Diomede islands. The distance between the far Easternmost of Russia and the Westernmost point of Alaska are closer than what most of us think. It is around 100km or so.

In addition to being able to travel without going on a plane from Russia to the U.S, it will also improve freight services from Asia to North America as well as improving renewable energy transmission between the two continents.

As for tourists, this will create more options for travelling from Europe to New York. If any of you have read the book "Long Way Round", you would have noticed that Ewan and Charley tried to travel from London to New York without resorting to air travel but they still had to take the plane from Magadan to Alaska.

Will this tunnel ever become a reality? Only time will tell.

Here is a map of where the tunnel may be constructed:

(Courtesy of the Daily Mail)

To make the view larger (Ctrl and +)

References:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2028891/East-West-rail-link-step-closer-Russia-approves-60bn-Bering-Strait-tunnel.html

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/bering-strait-tunnel-to-connect-u-s-and-russia/

That is all for now. Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Laura xx

Da Wan Lai: The Poets

Ok everyone, this is my first post about food. Today I decided to try Da Wan Lai: The Poets at Top Ryde shopping centre. I have been past this place a few times prior as well as the one in Eastwood but have never bothered to try it.

Da Wan Lai and its sister restaurant Da Wan Lai: The Poets is different from other Chinese restaurants as it specialises in Northern Chinese cuisine such as Shandong, Shanghai and Sichuan rather than the usual Cantonese fare.

Unlike Southern China where the staple food is rice, the diet in Northern China is more wheat based. That is probably why you see more dumplings, noodles and buns in the menu in restaurants that specialise in Northern Chinese cuisine as well as in Northern China itself.

Anyway back to the dining experience. As I was walking inside the restaurant, the restaurant felt like it had a nice ambience as it was beautifully decorated. You could also see the chefs preparing the meals through the glass window.

When I sat down, I was handed the menu but as I had previously looked at the menu from the outside, I knew what I was going to order already. I had decided to order Chinese Green Tea, Steamed Pork Dumplings and Dan Dan noodles.

As the chefs prepare the dumplings on site, be prepared to wait at least 10-15 minutes for them. As I was being served tea by the waitress, two other patrons came into the restaurant and their meals were already prepared for them. They had ordered dishes that were similar to mine so it was a relief to know that the dumplings looked tempting....yummmm!!

Here is a picture of the tea that I had ordered:

Finally. the Dan Dan noodles arrived. Dan Dan noodles is a Sichuan dish. It got its name from a type of pole that was used by street vendors in Sichuan. It was served in a broth that contained a lot of Chilli oil and Sichuan pepper. I enjoyed this dish, especially the noodles and the flavours as I like my food to have some spices in it. However, I would say that this dish was probably more bland than some Thai or Indian dishes that I have eaten in the past. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable but yet made my tongue have a strange sensation. Also, this dish seemed less greasy than at some other Sichuan restaurants I have been to but still if you are not used to oily food, you will find this to be a bit oily for your liking. I forgot to mention that this was served with quail eggs.

After some time waiting, the pork dumplings arrived. The name that the Chinese use for this dish is Xiao Long Bao. I think bao means bun. The pork dumplings were probably the best dish of the day as it was refreshing from the Dan Dan noodles I had just eaten. I will definately order this dish again. Maybe I might even learn how to make them myself as well.

Overall, I really liked this place. The food was certainly different from other Chinese restaurants that is for sure. Next time, I might try some of the seafood dishes that are on offer or if I go to the restaurant in Eastwood, the corn buns.

That is all for now. Hope you are all doing well.

Laura xx

Victorian of the Year

Today, I came across this article which was "Victorian of the Year". This award is given to a person who gives to the community and public service and resides in Victoria. Additionally, there is also the Young Victorian of the Year award which is open to people who are under 35. This year, it was awarded to Moira Kelly.

Moira Kelly may be a familiar name to some of you but if you are not familiar with her, she is a humanitarian who worked with Aboriginal children in Western Australia at the age of 20 before going on to work with Mother Teresa in Calcutta for a couple of years.

Other humanitarian work she has done includes working with AIDS sufferers in both Australia and in Botswana with the Kalahari bushmen, assisting ill individuals in Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johannesburg, the Bronx and Albania as well as setting up refugee camps, soup kitchens, dental clinics and schools.

She is also the legal guardian of the once cojoined twins Trishna and Krishna as well as former X factor contestant Emmanuel Kelly and his brother Ahmed Mustafa.

If you would like to learn more about Moira Kelly, you can visit her website which is the Children First foundation.

http://www.childrenfirstfoundation.com/pages.aspx?page=1

Hope you are all doing well.

Laura xx