New Year 2008 and Barry's Birthday!

We were invited to a new year's eve BBQ in Bangsar and Barry got his birthday cake at midnight.
Barry surprised to see a cake for him.
Barry's first birthday cake for 2008. It says "Happy Birthday Punk and Happy New Year"

The bottle in his hand looks deceiving as he hardly drinks.
Aaron popping the bottle of bubbly to herald in the new year and pouring it for everybody...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BARRY!!

On new year's day, about 40 friends and family members (my mom came too! - she wouldn't want to sit at home and miss out on the celebration - such a strong person she is) got together at the poolside to surprise Barry. Pictures were blurry so not many at all to post.
Everybody was waiting for Barry to arrive - he was supposed to be meeting the boys for a game of frisbee....
There was a whole lamb roasted that came with mint sauce and Dijon mustard, fried calamari, chicken fingers and button mushroom with tartare sauce, salad, pita bread with dips, Hawaiian and Margherita pizza, chocolate brownies from Janice and noodles - fried Hokkien-style from Sai and Elsa.





Birthday cake - Raspberry Cheesecake from my bro.
Elsa and Scott helping with the candles.
Sai - the man with the lighter.
Thanks goes out to Shio, Elsa, Sai, Mark, Dian, my family and everybody who attended.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!!

Christmas 2007

My pressies from B : Kitchen Aid mixer (I am so in love with this baby!). I also got a cocktail dress, a chocolate/cream sweater and pair of Roxy jeans.
Basket on left from Shio (filled with beautifully-packed delicious roast almonds topped oat cookies which she baked). Basket on right was originally filled with a bottle of red wine and 2 boxes of cookies from Shio. I filled it with packages of my chocolate chip cookies. These cookies were handed out to guests who came for Christmas eve dinner.
Mike, Mark, Dian and Janice - Janice made the most delicious chocolate mint brownies.
Barry, Aaron and Sunny - we kept to the tradition of having a roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce and roast potatoes. I also made meatballs, fried spicy chicken wings and cheesy potato kugel but in a dish instead of individual balls.
Claudia placed on the bar chair; she was licking the guests' feet before. I made a drink just for Christmas : Sprite, cranberry juice, mint leaves, lime and orange slices. Very pretty with shades of green and red.

The next day which was Christmas, we had the whole family over - glad mom could come; exchanged pressies and had lunch of roast lamb, roast potatoes, more chicken wings, nuggets, cheese-filled sausages, brownies and potato kugel.

Then for dinner, we had Jeff and Dian over for dinner of roast chicken and potatoes.

I was very tired after having guests over for 3 consecutive meals but all worth it as it was so much fun. Christmas is really a time to be with friends and family and a time to share. It is really a precious moment for me to see the kids' joy and to hear their laughter.

Chateau de Clos de Vougeot

We had our gala dinner at Clos de Vougeot in Beaune, FRANCE.




In the bus to Chateau de Clos de Vougeot for the big dinner....

One of our meal courses being prepped...
Entertainment for the night... all in French, of course!

Traditional Burgundy entertainment....

Table setting pre-dinner...
Wine, glorious wine of Clos de Vougeot...
Me being served... Burgundy dishes' definitely very rich...



Interior of chateau.

Eating Out - Paris and Beaune, Nov 2007

Happy New Year! I know I have not been updating my blog.... my mom is undergoing radiotherapy (finish by end-Jan 2008) and chemotherapy (complete by June 2008). She is taking her condition pretty well and going to the hospital daily for her treatment without any fuss. It takes a strong person to want to be well.

Will talk about Christmas and New Year later; below are some pics from my trip to Paris/Beaune last November.

Le Bistrot de Marius
6 Ave George V
75008 Paris
T +331 4070 1176

Steamed baby lobster with lemon butter - lobster flesh was sweet - and I didn't care about getting my hands all dirty cracking these babies - simplicity is an art - just lovely!
Pan-seared scallops with julienned garden vegetables - plump and juicy

Due to la greve (the strike) in France, I couldn't venture too far from Les Halles where I stayed - the traffic was crazy!! It takes ages to go anywhere by taxi as a result of the traffic jam. So, I ate where my legs could take me... and my legs being lazy and at the same time, having to deal with news about mom, I moved about Les Halles area only.

I actually had dinner at Au Chien Qui Fume on rue Pont Neuf but did not take pics as I was with a client. The oysters were deliciously brine-y and fish soup was great as well. I was told that their steak is also good. Can't say that of my foie gras that was accompanied by mushrooms-filled canelloni pasta. Too bad the client wanted oysters and wine. The combination of food was definitely too rich.

The next day, I ventured out on my own to take a walk - got a call from family - mom's test results was out - not good news.... still, I know she would want me to be strong for her. I decided to go to a quiet place than the usual busy restaurant. So, I asked the front desk at hotel to make reservation for my lunch at Kong.

Kong Bar
1 Rue du Pont-Neuf Paris
T +331 4039 0900
http://www.kong.fr/

Complimentary bread
View from where I sat - see the LV logo on the facade? View from resto is spectacular- food is OK but not memorable. Food looks better than its taste. And the light filtering into the resto makes picture-taking a breeze - and it's recommended that you wear your most fashionable sunnies when you lunch at Kong.

Stress makes me want to eat all the time.

Salade de crabe à l'avocat & son crabe royal - Avocado and crab salad with King crab leg (EUR19) - looks can be deceiving as this little dish can be very filling due to the richness of crab and avocado.
Soupe miso aux fruits de mer - seafood miso soup (EUR13) - my favourite dish of the day - lapped up every single drop of the broth - but then again, being a soup fan, I am biased.

Foie gras poêlé pomme Fuji - Pan-seared foie gras with Fuji apples (EUR26) - very generous helping of foie gras (too generous, in fact). It was just ok. Garden vegs that came with the foie gras - totally unnecessary as it didn't go well with it. Total bill came up to EUR70 which is pretty expensive for a casual lunch (though I dare say, the guests at Kong are a beautiful, stylish lot... except moi, Ha!).

La Creperie Saint-Honore
24 Rue du Pont-Neuf Paris
T +331 4026 4354

I admit I had too big of a lunch at Kong Bar, so I thought that I would just get myself a crepe for dinner having smelled the warm aroma wafting in the air near the creperie.

My all-time favourite crepe is chocolate and bananas! A cup of chocolat chaud - hot chocolate, a Vittel and a crepe for EUR13.10. Savoury crepes are also available but somehow, I can't imagine myself having a non-sweet pancake : an egg crepe, for example... just doesn't do it for me....

An hour after the crepe, my tummy was rumbling and I had to look for food yet again. This time, I was craving seafood and that brought me to :

Au Pied de Cochon
6, rue Coquilliere
75001 Paris
T +331 4013 7700
http://www.pieddecochon.com/pagePlan.php?lang=en

(Picture taken from their website)

Le Plateau de Fruits de Mer ( 1 personne ) EUR36.60
3 Fines de Claires Moyennes, 3 Creuses de Bretagne Moyennes, 3 Belon Plates Moyennes, 4 Moules d'Espagne, 2 Palourdes, 4 Amandes, 1 Clam, Bulots, Vignots, Grosses Crevettes Roses, Crevettes Grises - Seafood Platter - I didn't like it - my craving for seafood was very quickly satiated by the oysters. The rest of the shellfish did not appeal to me. I should have gone for the pork feet which is basically their speciality (as you can tell from the name of the resto).

And it didn't help that the tables are all so close to each other that I had two single diners (one on my left and one on my right) who kept looking at me eating and talking to me. I gave up on shelling those grey shrimps and the smaller shellfish.

Before that I had the best bowl of onion soup ever! Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée EUR6.90. I can easily slurp down 2 bowls of the soup. And I don't even like onions! Go figure.

Be prepared to wait at the bar fo a very short while to get a seat as restaurant can be very full at meal times. Opens 24 hours.

As much as I enjoy traveling, I also look forward to going home after a trip. There is such comfort in taking a hot shower in your own bathroom and laying your head on your own pillow and snuggling under your own duvet on your own bed. It ain't no 5-star hotel yet home is such a warm place for me.

I almost always fly Malaysian Airlines so that I do not have to transit - though I was very pissed that they have scrapped the amenity bag as a cost-cutting measure.... Come on, how much cost can the little bag of mini handcream, lipbalm, toothpaste/brush, mouthwash, eyeshade and socks cost? We are already paying almost RM20,000 for a return ticket to Europe. Manage right : that's the key thing to do.

Satay with peanut sauce - still one of the better satays around.
Sesame encrusted sliced chicken breast - starter (meh, not a fan of chicken breast) - find them too dry.
Beef with stirfried veg and rice (if you have read my previous postings on inflight meals, you would know that I hardly ever eat the main course during flight). After >10 years of airplane food, it's very possible that one develops a phobia of pre-cooked-then-nuked food.
My fellow neighbour passenger was kind enough to snap a picture of his duck meal for me - I didn't have the heart to say no.
Ahhh! Saving grace is the silky creamy vanilla dessert encased in a chocolate pyramid shell with some tart redcurrants to balance the sweetness. You can trust the French to make a good dessert. I licked it clean (a very rare thing for me to do as I do not have a sweet tooth).
Did I say that I crave instant noodles when I fly? Here is a bowl of tummysaver for me.
Breakfast - Pastry and bread with fresh fruits.
Again, since the flight departed from Paris, the sweet stuffs are excellent, this pancake, for example. Chocolate-y, cinnamon-y, sticky goodness to wake up to.

I haven't been blogging for a while..... a lot happened and a lot is still happening.... The Friday before I left for Paris/Beaune on 12th Nov, my mom had her biopsy. She had found a lump the size of a tiny red bean in her right breast just the weekend before and we immediately sent her in to be checked on the following Monday followed by the biopsy on Friday.

Though worried, I tried to remain positive. It was hard being away and every call and every message made my heart skipped a beat. The results came in on Thursday and it was not good news..... Mom was admitted on the Monday (thankfully I managed to arrive KL in the morning of Monday before her surgery) to be prepped for removal of her right breast and her axillary lymph nodes the next day.

We explained to her the procedures and that she will lose a breast at the end plus an incision will be made at the armpit area... She told the doctor "Potong semua, kasi bersih" (Cut all, make it a clean cut). I must admit that I am very proud that she took it all calmly and has remained strong throughout.

Even after the surgery, she tried to remain cheerful despite the pain. She was hospitalised for a week and was a very good patient. It broke my heart to see her that way. I couldn't stop my tears.... It's so unfair....

There was more waiting after the mastectomy - the tissues removed were sent in to be checked to ascertain the spread and to know if it was removed in time. Results was just out 29th Nov. It has already spread and 15/15 of the axillary lymph nodes are affected. It was really hard for all of us kids to take the news. We cried, we washed our faces and tried to put a brave front especially in front of mom. Middle of this month, we will know the full extent and will decide on what the best treatment is for her condition.

If you are reading this, I hope you can say a prayer for my mom to be completely healed after the next course of treatment.

Mom still remains positive despite knowing the test results and I just have to do the very same. She really is a great woman.

We can only hope and pray for the best.

My new Roxy sundress!!

Barry spotted a gorgeous sundress from Roxy while we were at the mall last weekend - I tried it on and it just fits so well. They didn't have it in my size for the colour I want but could transfer a piece from another outlet and I was to pick it up a couple of days later.

Monday came. Tuesday flew by. Wednesday, Barry and I were to meet up some friends at night. I came home from work, made fresh mushroom soup and shrimp pasta for us (nephew was in as well - so good to have him over), ate dinner, I took a quick shower and we headed out.

We came home after, I was dead tired and just wanted to get to bed. But, I have this check-my-emails-(life working in 2 different time zones)-and-shower-before-bedtime routine which I stick to religiously......

I grabbed my towel and hey, there on the clothes stand is the sundress!!! Barry had got it earlier that day as a surprise for me and it was hanging there all along. Awww.....

Thanks, B. You. are. amazing.

P/S : He did the same with the engagement ring - placed it right in front of his Superman statue in the glass display for 5 months until the day he proposed - I walked in front of the display like 20 times a day and yet never did see it. That is the beauty of his surprises. He puts in so much of his heart and thoughts into his actions that I can only describe as special, just as he is.