So odd

I was just sifting through some holiday photos and looking at this particular picture now, I couldn't help but laugh out loud!! (What on earth was I thinking then????!!)

I must admit that our reservation at French Laundry was first on my list of places I really, really wanted to go to. There was so much anticipation of not knowing what my palate will be introduced to and the experience which I hope I'll never forget. And that included using their loo! Haha! It was probably THE brightest place compared to the dining area and it was in here that I noticed subtle prints of laundry pegs printed on their lampshades. Nice touch!

So I sat here and I'd like to think a lot of famous 'behinds' have too :) 

3 nights in Bangkok

Tom and I had Thai food for dinner tonight due to my sudden craving for something sour and spicy. The tom yam goong lacked a punch but the unassuming lone chili in our somtam had loads of heat! Deeeelish! Of course, all these was nothing compared to our recent food trip to Bangkok.

The last time I was back in Bangkok was just over three years ago. What was I thinking? How could I have neglected my once second-home for so long? 

Meeting up with my neighbour, Plaa and her family again was really nice and I'm especially happy for them that they've now moved from a 62 sq. metre flat to a 3-storey 600+ sq. metre house in a gated community where Tom and I ooohed and aaahed at every corner of their house!

So, of course I came up with a list of MUST EAT places. First up was Greyhound at Siam Paragon. I was happy to see that they've brought Complicated Noodles back on the menu so I delightfully ate every morsel, trying hard not to make a mess while thinking of Mum since this is her favourite dish. And no one else makes Cha Manao the way Greyhound does.

Complicated Noodles - I think it got its name from having to figure out how on earth do you eat lettuce, square-shaped kuay teow, minced meat topped with chilli sauce and coriander without making a mess let alone hold them all together. Every bite is always worth the mess and effort.

We shared some pate cooked with green peppercorns and Cognac served with toast. The waiter didn't step in to change our toast as they turned cold since we, as Tom said, weren't paying that much for the meal. Obviously, I only remembered to take a shot after three slices.

I was also looking forward to HAI Somtam along Convent Road where narrow sidewalks are still packed with foodstalls and the smell of food coming from dozens of them brought back memories of when I'd be on a food hunt.

I stuck with ordering in English eventhough the Thai words were very familiar.

We had Somtam (Papaya salad).

Khao Niaw (Sticky rice)

Khor moo yaang (Grilled Pork Neck) with a dip which is seriously to die for.

Sai-gor e-sarn (Grilled Thai sausages). I remember vividly how a friend stuffed a chilli into one of the sausages and gave it to an annoying classmate. We just sat back and watched his face turn red when he took a bite.

Another restaurant that I've been RAVING about since our return is Gianni. Possibly Bangkok's #1 Italian restaurant, Tom and I feasted til all he could do was lie in bed and move his legs for circulation. We enjoyed dishes such as pumpkin soup with truffles and lobster ravioli whilst sipping on a bottle of chilled Prosecco. It was heavenly. I would fly to Bangkok just for a meal at Gianni's. It's a MUST GO! Sorry, no pictures to show for it coz the place was quite dim and I didn't want to be that annoying diner who blinds all those seated at the other table with her camera flash. 

Shopping has improved heaps and I was awestruck at the sight of Central World (previously the World Trade Centre aka "wertek" to the locals). If you're there and want to have some coffee, head to Kuppa. Originally located in at Sukhumvit Soi 16, this place still serves one of the best desserts in Bangkok. Try the Mango and Pistachio Crepe with Icecream. I loved it!

And of course, our other meals wouldn't be complete without some Beer Sing.

The Special Mother

So in my last post, I've been bashing FB and how it's sucking the life out of me. For once, I see its goodness.

Eversince I signed up late last year, I've been able to track down quite a few of my classmates from way back. And because a majority of my classmates then weren't local, I sadly saw quite a number of them leave and never to return. So FB came as a nice surprise when I found some of them again after all these years. 

One friend in particular is pretty active in this game I'm currently hooked on. She'd also post up links to her blog about herself, hubby and kid so I thought it was like any other wife, hubby and kid blog. Until a few minutes ago, something made me click on the link and imagine my shock when I read the words "B & R - Sharing experiences about life, parenting and Down Syndrome".

Sure, I've seen Down Syndrome kids but I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know much about Down Syndrome. And it usually hits you when it has affected someone you know and in this case, my classmate's first-born child.

Naturally, I was filled with fear thinking it could easily happen to anyone and I am no exception. I also couldn't help but ask myself,  "Apart from the scientific reasoning behind it all, WHY does it happen to some?". As I scrolled down her blog and read further, I think my question was answered.

The Special Mother

by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it."

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will never consider a "step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!"

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".

"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Addicted

I'm alive!

*Yes, Mum. I'm taking time out from FB to update my blog just for you :D*

Yes. Facebook. I now see where the addiction lies because it isn't about snooping around but in those darn games. Whilst waiting to rake in my make-believe money at "Dhobi Perancis" in Restaurant City, I put my dexterity to the test in Ramsay's kitchen only to be shouted at - "You donkey!". 

I'm yearning for a weekend trip just for food. Not to sound like a real food snob *ahem, ahem* but eversince that reallllly long trip to the west coast, I find that most of the food we find here are (really) mediocre which narrows down the number of places Tom and I frequent now. Everyone is trying to cook everything without getting it right. Why!?!?

Which reminds me of our last trip to Singapore. I took Tom to the Apollo Banana Leaf Restaurant at Racecourse Road. Having been there twice myself, I thoroughly enjoyed eating with my fingers off a banana leaf and watching Tom do the same.

So the waiter came round with these steel containers in hand...

... then scooped a spoonful each of vegetables and chutney....

....and a whole heap of briyani.

And we feasted on chicken tikka masala....

Cottage cheese with spinach and for the life of me, I cannot remember what it's called! Palak Paneer?

Garlic Nan cooked to perfection.

The signature dish - Fish Head Curry.

And of course, washed down with a nice cold glass of this.

Have I made you hungry yet? *teehee*

Meet the chef

A few days ago, I received a text saying:

"Dear Princess, XXX is cordially inviting you to join me and XXX this Friday to stalk Bobby Chinn. The cooking demo pre-stalking show will start at 2.30pm at the DST HQ. You game?"

Naturally, I replied : Game!

Then two hours before the show, I was told that we were invited to the press conference as 'food bloggers'. *ahem, ahem* I was quite flattered but when we saw the measly crowd, we realised we had to come up with (at the very least) 'intelligent' questions. Despite the slight awkward silence at the start, I must say that some rather interesting questions (thanks to E!) were thrown at Bobby and I really didn't expect to hear that he had tried colonic irrigation before and has stopped eating red meat since. Now he's got me really curious since I've been doing some research on that form of 'cleansing' for some time.

The highlight of the press conference was when he showed off to us his 'tools'. Kitchen tools, that is. We lusted over his Japanese knives as he picked up each individual tool and explained its purpose (if needed). 

The actual cooking demo wasn't what I expected. The food prep seemed inefficient and I felt that it held Bobby back a little to show us more of his cooking skills, aside from his funny sense of humour which we now know he possesses. Being with the girls made me laugh even harder!

This was a Vietnamese beef dish he made but I can't remember what it's called. Since we were sat in the third row from the front, some of us managed to sample the dish. I forgot to ask them what their verdict was. 

Being as what he calls himself, a 'progressive Muslim', he gave away t-shirts from his restaurant in Hanoi. This particular green t-shirt was 'haram' as it described the supposed ten stages of drunkenness. I realised I ought to stick my arm up since most of the crowd in front of us probably wouldn't want it and now Tom is a proud owner of a Bobby Chinn t-shirt :)

He hates durian with a passion but would love to come back to Brunei to have a go at 'ambuyat' with its special sauces which he doesn't know is made with durian. He seems impressed with the really smoky sauce of the barbequed chicken wings at the Gadong Pasar Malam but he has yet to try some REAL wings at Linggi's ;)

Family

Mum was telling me over lunch how she was moved to tears while watching two videos online at the office. 

When she started describing the scene, I remembered watching bits of it repeatedly on TV whilst in Singapore a few weekends ago as it had recently won an award. I hadn't seen the entire length of the videos til now but the same message was still carried across very powerfully.

Family - English.

Family - Funeral

Have some tissues handy.

A second opinion

To say that the past two weeks felt like being on a rollercoaster ride is an understatement.

After thorough tests with an oncologist who specialises in breast cancer, Yen was told that she did not have breast cancer but instead, phyllodes tumour that were steadily growing. Had she/we been at another 'place', there would be such a big opportunity to sue the pants off these doctors who had inflicted unnecessary fear into her life as well as her family's. But in any case, we're ever so grateful and thankful that her operation went smoothly and that all the tumours in both breasts had been removed. She is recovering well and is in good spirits, and we can't wait to see her again!

I'm looking forward to seeing two lovely ladies very soon for dinner and *ahem* gossip :) A haircut is most definitely in order as I am at an annoying "in-between" length right now.

To colour or not to colour? That is the question.