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Took the day off to do some personal admin with the other half. Whilst waiting and hanging around we decided to take a detour to Harrods and also let ourselves loose at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. It is definitely worth a visit because (a) its free and (b) the exhibits are massive. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the arts and theatre exhibition, and even tried on a Juliet costume and took pics (for free!). We also looked closely at the history of jewellery and use of semi precious metals and stones in the name of vanity. Definitely worth it…
I will come again and this is a museum I probably will not be bored of!
I’ve not been diligent with the food posts lately. These days Arch uses his dSLR and I tend to use my phone as a camera.. and since locating the cable which transfers pics can be a bit of a challenge, I tend to procrastinate until I can no longer save any more pictures on my phone before I start transferring them out.
Without further delay- here’s what I’ve been eating, cooking and drinking…
My first peppermint crisp tart!!
November is a nostalgic month. Friends from down under are making their way home to the land of surf, turf and koala bears for good. To kick start off the first farewell gathering, Alex organised a winter braai (for those who do not know what “braaing” is, it means bbq in Afrikaans). South Africans, as I have found out, love their braaing sessions and the weather/season is never an issue.
We had a wonderful crisp and cold afternoon chatting over crisps, beer and wine whilst waiting for the braai pit to heat up. There was so much food on offer- lamb chops, borewurst (Saffa sausage), king prawns, chicken wings and also a vegetarian spread of paneer chutney, green salad, potato salad and also mint yogurt.
My contribution for the day was a South African dessert-peppermint crisp tart. Made from ingredients largely sourced from a SA shop- it went down a storm and the guests loved it. I am not very good at making sweets but was suitably encouraged by everyone who seemed to enjoy the tart, and shall venture out more bravely from now onwards. 
Have done a lot of soul searching lately on what I actually want to do, down the road- and also had a lovely chat with mom over the phone about her plans. Life’s looking good amidst all the what appears to be an economic doom and gloom.
Am taking the day off tomorrow to sort out some personal admin, will be bringing a book to read with me to kill the boredom.
Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend!
24-10-09…
Its been five years since I ranted on and off in my blog. What an adventure! I know I haven’t been diligent these days but its because I have a lot more going on in my life at the moment…
Cya folks!
For some reason autumn has only started settling in the past couple of week or so. As reluctant as I am to reorganise my wardrobe, pack away my summer essentials and retrieve my autumn jumpers and coats from storage, the windchill, early sunsets and the fact that clocks move one hour back with effect from tomorrow means that the big chill is coming.
I am happy to say that we have made the most of this year- with trips to Wales and Budapest, romping around in gardens and parks, and me singing Mahler from memory and then Elijah with the formidable Maestro Masur, and also braaing at a good friend’s house whilst glugging down delicious red wine has been a treat!
Also the colder weather has called for more stews, roasts and comfort food- so bring on the carrots, tatties and swedes and cheap cuts of meat.
Have also invested in a red coat this year, I absolutely love it and hope it will last me as long as my other winter staples have!
Here’s to a lovely autumn- the leaves are starting to fall and it is quite a sight to behold!
September 2009 has been a wonderful month for me.
We kicked started off Sep by going to Budapest, home to Bela Bartok and Franz Liszt, world reknowned classical music composers. Walking down the Danube on the Chain Mail bridge, going up the Funicular to explore the well preserved Buda Castle, traipsing along the cobbled streets in the touristy district, haggling in the central market for paprika and palinka, meeting an old friend who is carving a career there, were just part of the wonderful things that I saw and did in this breathtakingly beautiful city. Stuffed ourselves silly with the array of stews available during the Szeptember fest in the city park near Nyugati station.
Attended my solicitor’s admission ceremony at the Law Society in Chancery Lane. I was pleasantly surprised by the personal touches of the ceremony- the Master of ceremony encouraged family and friends to take photographs and during the Vice President’s address she even asked all newly qualified solicitors to turn around and give our friends and family a round of applause to thank them for their support in seeing us through the process of qualifying as a solicitor.
“To the parents, the husbands and wives, the children, who have been so patient and supportive in seeing you through your path to success”…
I am blessed. The wonderful spread of delicious goodies during afternoon tea was also something I hadn’t expected.
Best of all I had my other half and my very very good friend during the ceremony. I really couldnt ask for more.
And to top it all off, both of them attended my concert last night- 1st of the Autumn 2009/2010 season.
I am loving it… hoping for more beautiful and wonderful things ahead~!!
Budapest- a gem on the Danube, totally majestic and melancholy it takes your breath away for different reasons.
We were blessed with breathtaking views, hot and sunny weather for the brief 4 days in Budapest. This city has an age old charm about it, with its beautiful bridges dotted like necklaces along the Danube. A city rich in history, culture, a bit of old and new, with its charming architecture, landscaped parks and peaceful ambience, it is no wonder that Budapest is called the Paris of Eastern Europe.
Walking and taking public transport is probably the best way to explore this gem of a city. Although the Hungarians are not a super friendly lot, they can be quite helpful in giving directions- just don’t expect small talk like the Americans do, which is fine by me.
I personally felt my experience could have been enhanced if I spoke at least one Continental european language fluently. English is not widely spoken in Budapest and it has given me much food for thought-if I am to explore more of what continental europe has to offer, I must brush up on at least my German skills.
Hungarian food and wine is absolutely superb-their meat stew is flavorful and not overpowering, their wines fine and of an extremely high quality. I highly recommend trying Hungarian pork goulash (pork stew), catfish stew and also their cabbage soup served with sour cream (and a sausage too!). Stews are served with generous portions of egg/normal dumplings. A dollop of sour cream is necessary to maximise its potential.
Apart from the usual touristy sights, we were also in for a gastronomic treat, as the Szeptember Fest (September Festival which is also known as the “Stew” Festival) was going on this weekend. From 300 HUF upwards you can try different types of stew served by restaurants setting up stalls in the park. We spent about 1800 HUF on stew tasting (about £6, approx RM42) and left feeling totally satisfied!
Stay tuned for more updates and pictures!
Yasmin Ahmad, like many wonderful people on earth, passed away too young. Although I cannot classify myself as an avid fan of hers, I do enjoy each and every tv commercial she directed and produced, as well as the two movies which inspired a new breed of forward thinking media workers- “Sepet” and “Gubra”.
Sepia tones are the distinctive features of her work, and her keen sense of observation towards the day to day lives of the average Malaysian, irregardless of race and cultural background makes her work truly representative of a multicultural society.
I’m sure you would remember the familiar tv advert of a chinese man trimming his hedge and singing a Tamil song, with a big smile on his face. Or the little chinese boy who shyly admits that he likes a malay girl.
Simple, heartwarming little episodes, sending through huge and important messages to all of us-the true meaning of being Malaysian and racial integration.
She has played her part in putting the message forward. Let us ask ourselves, what can we do?
It doesn’t matter whether he is Michael or Mikaeel.
It doesn’t matter whether he intentionally bleached his skin, or whether he was suffering from a skin disorder.
He gave us great music spanning across three decades. Wacko Jacko he may be, but he left behind a legacy of dance, song and showbiz bonanza unrivalled by any other star of his time.
He wrote songs about love, the environment, children, social issues… the list is not exhaustive, but you could tell from his songs, the magnanimous nature of his soul. It was always about the people around him, never about him alone.
From a child start in the 70s singing with the Jackson 5 until the late 90s, Michael Jackson never failed to give us cutting edge entertainment, pioneering new boundaries in showbiz-particularly his legendary dance moves in Thriller, Bad and his moonlighting moves.
I was trained in classical music but as far as my brother and I were concerned, we grew up with Michael’s music. Bad, Thriller, Beat it, We are the World, Black or White… you name it, we heard it.
So much talent, he had.
It would not be an understatement to say that the whole world grieved for a fallen star on 25 June 2009.
Rest in peace, King of Pop. There can only be one- and the One has gone to join the Lord.
Enough said.
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