Rocking the Kazbah… for Breakfast

My friends and I have been dying to try Kazbah at Balmain for breakfast for as long as I can remember. The restaurant is always packed on weekends and we never remember (or think far enough in advance) to book a table.

I don’t actually know anybody who has been to Kazbah for breakfast, it definitely wasn’t a personal recommendation that got us there, it was in fact the intrigue… of having booze for breaky. See, there was a rumour that Kazbah served alcohol alongside your eggs and we could not think of anything worse than recovering from Saturday night with a hot Sunday breakfast with a side of vodka! We must see this for ourselves…

We had a reservation for 9.30am on Sunday morning and surprisingly, the restaurant was only half full. We were seated at the front of the restaurant and immediately opened our menu and scurried to the drinks section of the breakfast menu. There it was in all its glory, a selection of five cocktails for breakfast.

I think the novelty wore off pretty quickly when we realised we couldn’t possible stomach a champers at this time of the morning and needed some eggy goodness to kick start our Sunday.

We perused the menu looking for something Arabian that wasn’t too heavy (so much meat on this menu!) and although I was tempted by the Breakfast Tagine (lamb mince, sucuk, spinach, roast capsicum, roast tomato, caramelised onion, feta, eggs, Turkish toast, Lebanese bread) I settled for the Chackchouka Eggs.

Chackchouka scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and turkish toast ($18.00)

The eggs were beautifully cooked with a capsicum, tomato and onion salsa swirled through, adding a rich smokey flavour to the light, fluffy eggs. Yummo! The smoked salmon was also delicious, again, with an intense smokey flavour above and beyond the usual flavour of smoked salmon.

My friend opted for the feta and poatato cake with smoked salmon. This dish was incredibly heavy and while the salmon and creme fraiche were yummy, the feta and potato was quite bland and lacked flavour from some herbs or seasoning. The cake was also crisp (burnt) and that flavour carried through the dish. The meal wasn’t a total disaster but one third of the potato and feta mix would have been more than enough.

Feta potato cake, smoked salmon, creme fraiche, red wine onion marmelade ($21.00)

There were several tables in the restaurant that were sharing platters, I wonder whether that is the way to go in a restaurant like this? I could only imagine going back for breakfast again if I have skipped dinner the night before and we get a reservation for 11am, so that I was positively starving by the time my breakfast is placed in front of me … or I just take my tradie boyfriend who I know will always finish my meals.

One thing that will definitely bring me back is the decor. I simply love all the Turkish bits and pieces and Kazbah certainly have it all. My favourite was the water jugs with mint leaves infusing the water. Where can I get me one of these?

Kazbah

379 Darling Street

Balmain, 2041

Sydney

Ph: 02 9555 7067

E: Kazbah@kazbah.com.au

W: http://www.kazbah.com.au

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has 296 steps to reach the top. This blog was viewed about 1,200 times in 2010. If those were steps, it would have climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa 4 times

 

In 2010, there were 8 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 35 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 39mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was July 23rd with 116 views. The most popular post that day was … Hong Kong – Social Media Bootcamp.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, alphainventions.com, facebook.com, superbhandbag.blogspot.com, and feeds.feedburner.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for hong kong dumpling, annabelle.g hong kong, no one reads, camera360 ultimate, and couple kissing in the rain in the city.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

… Hong Kong – Social Media Bootcamp July 2010
3 comments

2

About Me November 2009

3

… At SMCSYD Discussing Social Personas August 2010
8 comments

4

Contact April 2010

5

Graduation – Goodbye Uni, Goodbye Bathurst May 2010
1 comment

The New MySpace

MySpace was my first memory of social media; a place on the net that you could call your own, a place where you could collaborate, share and converse with your online friends. Then along came Facebook, and with that came the mass exodus of MySpace.

Facebook was the new kid on the block; the capabilities were better and the structure was cleaner. The ability to share digital photo albums was a big draw card for users of all demographics. Facebook grew and so too did its functionalities. Today9.1 million Australians visit Facebook each month and spend an average of 8.1 hours on the site. We are officially the most Facebook-addicted nation in the world.

One would think the days of MySpace are well and truly over. According to MySpace, they’re not giving up yet! Late last month the “new MySpace” was launched. The revamp focuses on music and entertainment and the social network has a whole new look.

Video is featured heavily in all areas of the network. After the re-launch this month, subscribers will be offered tailored recommendations for video content and live music performances, and the site will push further into areas such as movies, TV and celebrity news. This is one thing they have nailed over Facebook. According to the latest Nielsen Social  Media report, online video consumption is one of the fastest growing statics in social media:
* 57% watched an online video involving a product or service they were thinking of buying
* 51% downloaded and/or streamed video – two in three of these people viewed amateur video clips
* 40% shared video online

MySpace president , Mike Jones revealed that “the goal is to be relevant to 13- to 34-year-olds and help them discover new people and new content”. MySpace are carving out a new identity and ensuring they are not seen as a rival to Facebook, but in fact, a platform that provides a different experience to Facebook and answers a different set of user needs.

Will I go and create a new MySpace profile? Probably not. Will I go to a MySpace page to find information on an artist? Definitely. Will I consider using MySpace as part of a social media strategy for a client? Quite possibly.
What do you think about the new MySpace?

… At SMCSYD Discussing Social Personas

(HT @Tiphereth – Samsung ad from presentation at SMCSYD)

On Tuesday evening I attended the Social Media Club event titled Social Personas: How different is the social media you from the real you? I found this to be a very interesting and thought provoking session about human behaviours and the way in which social media and technology advancements have created behavioural change in society.

Bernard Salt’s presentation discussed the behaviours that generations X and Y deemed acceptable in the social media space.  The research highlighted  “superficial” activities that took place in Facebook and found that these behaviours are a lot more acceptable to the Y generation than X. The activities that were most commonly admitted to were:

• Posting a status that is designed to draw compliments/feedback from your friends
• Un-tagging yourself from an unflattering photo
• Searching through hundreds of photos of yourself to use as the perfect Facebook profile picture

We have been taking part in these activities long before the birth of social media. When we get back from a holiday we don’t put the unflattering pictures in the photo album do we? We don’t frame the teenage photos of ourselves with puppy fat and pimples and place it on the mantle piece in lounge room, do we? and as far as posting a status update to draw compliments and feedback, isn’t that called a conversation?

I believe the difference lies in the exposure that social media presents us with. Our conversations are no longer between the two people talking, our mantle piece in the lounge room and holiday photo albums are not only reserved for close family and friends. As Bernard highlighted, “the ‘always-on’ nature of social media means that now, more than ever our lives are like a shop window… if there is one thing that new technology has enabled it is the capacity for someone to project an idealised version of themselves into the ether”.

So the evening’s discussions got me thinking about my own social persona and the way in which I project myself to the world in the digital space. My first thought was “oh crap! My Facebook profile pic is a computer generated image of me kissing myself! What does that say about my social persona?”

While I’m sure we would all like to think that we are extremely transparent and authentic, when it comes to our own brand, there is usually an acceptable amount of manipulation – and I don’t believe this behaviour is exclusive to social media!

… At the Biennale of Sydney

It was the weekend before pay day and my entertainment options were limited. While it was a chilly day in Sydney, the sun was out and staying at home was never an option. So I get a couple of friends together and headed out to the Biennale of Sydney at Cockatoo Island and what a fantastic day it was!

The Biennale of Sydney is being hosted at a number of different venues, we decided to go to Cockatoo Island that was hosting 120 works by 56 artists. Wandering around Cockatoo Island was a treat in itself  but viewing pieces of art that were hanging from the ceiling, climbing over sculptures, listening to audio and being intrigued by the stories being told,  made for a great day of education, cultural experiences and fun with friends.

My favourite piece was a sculptural installation from the artist Cai Guo-Qiang who has a history of making works of extraordinary beauty from violent beginnings; most famously using gunpowder,fireworks and explosions. Cai’s Inopportune: Stage One (2004) is an installation of nine cars. The cars are pierced with pulsing rods of light that simultaneously suspend the cars like wings and penetrate them like blades, signifying a coexisting violence and beauty.

There were many other pieces that made the trip worthwhile. The other highlight for me was the series of shanty town roofs created by artist Kader Attia. The piece is a reflection of the conditions in which the majority of the world’s population live. They are installed at different angles to make a 350-square-meter patchwork of corrugated iron, satellite dishes and other scrap materials. This piece reminded me of my travels through Asia and really resonated with my experiences of how people live across the world.

I could go on all day about some of the pieces that were on display at the Biennale of Sydney but I think my favourite part of all was the free ferry ride home. We were lucky to board the ferry just as the sun was coming down. We cruised past some of Sydney’s best icons and I really felt like I had experienced a day in Sydney that others would envy. I have always loved living in Sydney but sometimes a day like this really cements the fact we live in the best city in the world.

I will leave you with a few snaps form the ferry ride home.

… Hong Kong – Social Media Bootcamp

So I was lucky enough to be sent to Hong Kong by work to participate in the Ogilvy APAC Digital Influence Summit. Basically Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence teams from around the Asia Pacific region met at the regional office in Hong Kong for a very intense and jam packed 3 day bootcamp. This was an incredible experience for a number of reasons:

• We got to share what we are doing in the Australian office with our team members in different countries.
• We got to hear about challenges that were being faced in different countries, which we have never had problems with in Australia; the demand of payment for blog posts in Korea and Singapore, the government restrictions on social media in China or the fact that Taipai have a real problem with Facebook fans using the platform to vent customer service issues about a brand rather than engage in a positive environment.
• We were able to form relationships with our team members who we have exchanged so many emails  and phone conversations with and develop friendships with them.
• We were able to participate in intense training sessions and interactive workshops that were ran by global industry leaders such as John Bell, Thomas Crampton, Brian Giesen, Scott McBride and John Stauffer.

Workshop with John Bell

Break time - Hong Kong, China, Korea and Singapore teams

The Ogilvy APAC team on the way to dinner at Lantau Island

The days were exhausting but I couldn’t get enough. When you combine social media experiences from the Ogilvy offices in the whole of the Asia Pacific region and then add in the experiences of the 60-70 team members in the Ogilvy U.S. team, we are bound to experience a bit of information overload.

The below picture was taken in the middle of a twit-pic war. The idea was that you had to get the worst, most embarrassing photo of someone and twitpic it before they noticed (such nerds), unfortunately the majority of these pictures have been deleted due to threats of being fired, but I managed to keep a picture of Graham White with his latest party trick – gets me giggling every time!  

Twit-pic that and you die!

Graham's Party Trick

Photos attributed to Thomas Crampton: Flickr

… Hong Kong – Central District

Hong Kong in the Rain

I arrived in Hong Kong a couple of days early for the Asia Pacific Digital Influence Summit I was attending for work. I wanted to explore the city a bit before the bosses arrived. I have been to Hong Kong before but admittedly, it was an intense shopping spree with one of my best mates and we went from market to market, from showroom to showroom, and even a day trip to Shenzhen, China to get our hands on the A-Grade handbags you just can’t find in Hong Kong! This time, I wanted to explore the other things this diverse part of the world has to offer, and just my luck … it rained every second that I was there!

Staying in the Central District was fantastic. It is the essence of what Hong Kong is all about; the contrasts of old versus new, rich versus poor, big versus small, bright lights versus dark alleys and ex-pats versus the locals. I start my walk from the hotel bypassing fruit markets and small alley ways before arriving at the world-famous mid-level escalators, renowned for being the longest outdoor escalators ever made.

The old/traditional side of Hong Kong

The new/modern side of Hong Kong

The fact that you can be enjoying the experience of being in one world and then you turn the corner to find that you are in a whole different world is why I think Hong Kong is such a remarkable place. There is so much going on, yet everything is organised . There are so many people, but no body gets frustrated and angry. Everything is organised and civilised. I could walk these streets all day, despite the rain. The perfect place for people-watching (one of my favourite sports).

My colleagues arrived on a later plane and we met up for some dumplings at the Taiwanese chain Din Thai Fung. A-MAZING. Not only can we watch our fresh dumplings being made but the food tasted incredible. I particularly loved the Xiao Long Bao (dumplings filled with soup). My workmate Jonathan demonstrated how to tear a bit of the dumpling open to let some steam out and pack in some fresh ginger for some extra kick. MMM … I could go on all day about the experience, however I learned that night that we actually have a Din Thai Fung in Sydney – Do you believe it!?

Dumplings being made at Din Thai Fung

Our selection before the arrival of the Xia Long Bao

@J4Jonathan demonstrating the bes way to eat Xiao Long Boa

Rolling home to bed seemed like a good option as we finished off our way-over-ordered dinner, but alas,  we had arranged to meet up with some of the crew form the Hong Kong and Singapore teams to watch South Korea and Uruguay play in the World Cup. So off to Lan Kwai Fong we went. Arriving at Red Lounge, we soon found ourselves packed in a sea of accents: English, American, Chinese, South African, Brazilian – it was incredible! The Lan Kwai Fong and Soho district only emphasised my earlier observations of the old versus new mix that Hong Kong offers. Old historic cobblestone streets converted into a nightclub/bar/restaurant hot spot for the ex-pats and locals alike. As the bars filled up, revelers were happy to stand under their umbrellas and watch the game from the street.

Watching the World Cup in the streets of Lan Kwai Fong

Graduation – Goodbye Uni, Goodbye Bathurst

Last Friday the 7th of May I finally graduated from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst with a Bachelor of Arts (Communication – Public Relations and Organisational Communication).

After years of international travel and a short stint working as a travel agent I decided to give uni a shot. I knew that CSU was the best option for PR and would give me the best opportunities when I was finished, but Bathurst – I dont think so! I tried everything in my will to do the course from Sydney and not have to start a new life in rural NSW but alas, it had to be done.

I thouroughly enjoyed my time at CSU.
I definitely met life long friends, both uni students and locals.
I managed an old country pub and had the warmest, funniest and most sincere patrons and worked with staff that were my family in Bathurst.
I moved in with some boys that ran a muck and stood in for my 3 brothers when I was home sick, they later became best buddies with my little brothers.
I met Tash on my second day at uni and I know I will besties with her for years to come, I could not have survived uni without her company.
I worked with Jac everyday and it wasnt long until we became housemates and are now housemates in Sydney.
I met my boyfriend, James just before it was time to leave Bathurst, he is now moving to Sydney to be with me.
I learnt everything there is to know about PR and gained practical experience that will always keep me one step ahead in my career.

My Nana once said to me “No-one ever wants to go to Bathurst for uni, but then no-one wants to leave” – I couldnt agree more!

Even though I cam back to Sydney in September last year and have been working full time in Sydney since August last year – its a damn nice feeling to know that I have a piece of paper that says I have completed my course and achieved what I set out to achieve.

(HT @tash_hanckel for the photo )

Twitter and PR Professionals

We have a newcomer to work who hasn’t dabbled much with Twitter in the past. I’ve taken him under my wing and been running through a few ideas to help him become a meaningful contributor in the Twitter medium.

I wanted to emphasis to our new-comer how fantastic Twitter is for conversing with PR professionals and how effective the tool is for sharing links, building relationships and providing thought leadership. As all social media advocates say – you need to be a part of the conversation!

The process has helped me clarify just what I think makes a PR professional a worthy person to follow on Twitter. After scrolling through my list of Twitter PR’s that I follow, it was easy to see which people added value to my Twitter experience. They all seemed to follow the same Twitter value rules:

Represent your personal brand. It is important to have a good balance between professionalism and personality. We want to know about your interests outside of work as well as your specialty within the PR industry.

Provide content for your followers. Your followers expect you to share links to industry-related news stories or announcements. It is important that the links are credible, relevant and recent.

Engage with your followers. We all know that PR is about 2-way communication and it is no different in Twitter. Retweet, @reply and follow back.

It goes without saying that authenticity, transparency and accountability are essential in ethical Twitter practice.

So without further ado, I would like to introduce Koby Geddes ( @kobygeddes ).

Koby has come to us after a year and a half at OMD as a print trader, buying ad-space for large Australian corporations. He is extremely active in social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. He is obsessed with music and fronts a punk band outside of work hours.

In my opinion @kobygeddes will be someone to watch on Twitter!

If you have any Twitter tips for Koby or any recommendations for Twitter PR’s to follow, please let us all know!

Why blog?

Ok – I actually set up this blog in November 2009. EEK! I am very up and down about blogging. Sometimes I think that it is pointless and no one reads it anyway, then I think I have something important to say and wish that I had a blog to store all my thoughts.

So why have I decided to finally start blogging?

• I have been working in social media marketing for 8 months now and work with bloggers regularly – I figure it would be beneficial to know WordPress inside and out.
• I have to blog for work regularly – expect to see a few social media posts in here
• I am obsessed with travel and will never get enough – expect to see some dream itineraries
• My ultimate indulgence is food and wine – expect to see some recipes and new discoveries

Who knows where this blog will end up? It may be a personal journal of thoughts that no body reads but myself, or it may be a worldwide hit with a specific focus and I will be a global phenomenon!

WATCH THIS SPACE!

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