LEKKER!
Birthday Presents
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
It's been a month since my birthday but here are photos of the birthday goodies I received from my nearest and dearest anyways. Thank you everyone, I love my gifts.
Beautiful birthday lilies from Kristi and her family. Kristi is our neighbour in Beijing and almost on a weekly basis, we'd go shopping, have lunch or just explore Beijing together while the kids were at school.
Swarovski crystal mobile phone charm from Sonny-boy. After much resistance on my part, Hubs replaced my dinosaur Samsung mobile with a brand new LG Cookie. He'd been pressing me to get an iPhone but iDeclined, saying I only needed to call and send the occasional text message and nothing else. I did want a touchscreen phone though and the LG Cookie looked easy enough. So there we go, new mobile. And new bling to go along with it.
And from The Girlfriend, a cross-stitch pattern from Nora Corbett's Pixie Couture Collection, complete with the necessary beads and metallic threads. The Poppy Chart has been on my to-buy list and I guess you can see why. I'm drawn to the seductive red skirt designed to resemble poppy petals.
And because a girl must treat herself well and not wait for anyone else to do so, my little gift to me: a coffee table book from Tiffany which I lugged all the way from Singapore earlier this year and waited till my birthday proper to open. Ironic then it is currently on its way with the rest of our things back to Singapore. This is going to sit nicely with my special edition Ferragamo book on our new coffee table, whatever it may be.
As previously mentioned, I'm in a jewelry phase right now, hence this marcasite and onyx set in sterling silver ensemble from the Hubby. Its geometric Art Deco style certainly brings one back to the era and I feel quite the glamourous flapper wearing it.
So, my birthday presents for this year.
I am loved.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:51 PM
Next Stop
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Labels: home life
So we've gotten confirmation about Hubs' next posting. We are going to ... *drumroll* ...
... Singapore!
Really, really well and truly!
We are all very pleased. More details later except to say we will be arriving on the 14th of July. Yes, as in this month; just another example of the the kind of lives we lead, all rushed and last minute.
In the meantime, I have errands to run and the faster I finish them, the faster I get to my bikini and deck chair.
Later, everyone!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 7:04 AM
We're Back
Labels: home life
Lots of things have kept me very busy since my last post, most of them downright heart-stopping in a bad way. Then there were the funny, happy bits in between too, all of which I will recount when I'm in a much calmer state of mind. It's been go, go, go and go faster until yesterday when I could finally sink down in my own big leather couch and breathe clean fresh evening air complete with chirping birds in the background.
Yes, everyone, we are back in the Netherlands! It is so good to be home for some much needed rest and relaxation. Our last two weeks in Beijing had sent my blood pressure sky high on a daily basis I'm surprised I hadn't popped a vessel yet.
Today, after restocking the refrigerator and cellar, I'm going to put on my brand new bikini (I have three, each waiting to be worn), pull out the wooden deck chair onto my favourite part of the backyard and catch a tan.
I love my day already.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:37 AM
Law and Order Special Letters Unit
Monday, June 15, 2009
Labels: just for fun
Clip taken from one of my favourite prime time shows made by my all-time favourite kids show.
I love you Sesame Street!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:32 AM
Happy Birthday To Me
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Labels: eating out, home life
It was my birthday on Tuesday 9th June.
Happy Birthday to Me!
This is my year too, the Year of the Ox. I was born in the evening, a water ox. Hence I do not need to toil so hard in life unlike those born in the day. According to the fortune tellers, I have it good amongst my bovine kind.
I did have a nice birthday. Hubs could not take time off on the day itself so we celebrated over the weekend. On Saturday we went to pick out my present. Jewelry again (I'm in a phase, okay?) but this time, I wanted an Art Deco inspired earrings cum necklace set.
The following evening, we headed off for dinner at my favourite teppanyaki restaurant Uama. Everything was the same as it always was, excellent food, people watching and funny conversation. Then the chef (not ours but the one over on our right) started flaming the meat. I suppose he was over eager with the alcohol because the fire went whoosh! Most impressive of course. But what really got me goggly eyed was the dish cloth next to him on the grill catching fire. It started with a small lick and the lick morphed into several dancing licks. I tried to catch his attention but it was too noisy for him to hear me. The place was crowded but yet no one else saw what was happening. Save short-sighted me who is blind without her contacts. Unbelievable! Finally, I gestured wildly to our chef and pointed to his colleague, yelling in Mandarin, "Fire! Fire! The cloth is on fire!" who, mind you, puts out the fire and continued on as calmly as you please.
Bless my grilled lamb chops! And there I was thinking we had to make a run for it without getting a taste of the beef wrapped goose liver and vegetable rolls we had ordered.
Tuesday was a couple of notches more serene and less heart-pounding. I went and spoilt myself at The Heavenly Spa by Westin with their Mediterranean olive body scrub and hot stone massage. It started with a foot wash and scrub in petal water while I sipped tea and nibbled on white chocolate bon bons. All this in a fluffy white robe, sinking in a plush seat. For the next two and half hours, I was kneaded like an overworked piece of dough. When it was all over and I had to get off the massage bed, my knees buckled and I almost fell. I was that relaxed.
After this, I slithered down to their restaurant where I had a little lunch of salad and a Reubens sandwich. Then I slithered off home.
In the evening, the three of us mosied on to the nearby Traders Hotel for a buffet dinner. Two of us walked while one of us, say it with me, slithered along.
We are regulars at the hotel's Cafe Noir. As such, we've become friendly with the two executive chefs, one from Devon for the Western kitchen, the other from Penang for the Asian one. This is very handy as the Penang chef would cook up something wonderfully local not found in the menu and slip it on our table. When he has a moment to spare, he'd come by our table where we'd talk about food and cooking, specifically Nyonya cooking.
On my birthday, he fried up some dark sauce Hokkien Mee (with loads of sambal belachan!) and Roti Prata filled with minced beef and scrambled eggs. As if that was not enough, he also let us sample some Chicken Curry and Bak Kut Teh for a private party the cafe was hosting later. We were floored. Hubs wouldn't touch the Bak Kut Teh on account of the pungent smell but everything else went down nicely. Little wonder we hardly had room left in our bellies for the main course.
*****
Before I end this birthday post, Sonny-boy bought me a Swarovski mobile phone charm and my 25th floor neighbour sent a huge bouquet of lilies. I gave myself a little present too - a coffee book from Tiffany showcasing and explaining the history of their various jewelry collection.
Oh, and the dentist hopped on the bandwagon and gave me a gift as well. I had to make an emergency appointment yesterday afternoon whereby she presented me with two root canal treatments back to back. This makes it a grand total of six root canals in three years. And three on the same cursed molar. The treatment took two and the half, almost three hours and when I got off her chair, my knees buckled and I almost fell but this time for an altogether different reason. And no, I certainly did not slither home.
What a difference a day makes!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 5:38 AM
Hae Mee
Friday, May 22, 2009
Labels: asian food, she cooks, soups
No long worded entries today. Just two photos of Hae Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup) I whipped up on Monday this week.
We are coming close to the end of our sentence stay here in Beijing and I wanted to clear out the freezer by cooking whatever could be used. I found a big bag of prawns, defrosted the whole lot and together with some pork ribs, made the stock for Hae Mee.
No one would touch the stuff (someone didn't feel like soupy noodles while the other declared it stank) so I ate it all by my lonesome for two straight days, both lunch and dinner. 
Can't see Hae Mee for three months now.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:21 AM
Sarong Kebaya
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Labels: home life, retail therapy
I paid tribute to my Indonesian Peranakan heritage last week by donning on a baju kebaya. I skipped the sarong and replaced it with some modern capris instead and felt very pleased with the way I looked that day.
The yellow kebaya in the photo is almost ten years old and as far as baju kebayas go, this is not the best of quality but it's good enough for daily wear. Every summer, I give it a couple of outings. The thin cotton muslin is so good for the heat.
On my bucket list of things to buy in Singapore was a complete sarong kebaya ensemble. A fine set, meant for special occasions. So while Hubs and Sonny-boy went off doing their men thing, I headed down to Rumah Kim Choo in East Coast Road. The lady in charge, Belinda, was very helpful and had an eye for matching up the various garments. She didn't rush me at all and gave me a whole lot of outfits to try. I think it was the third or fourth ensemble when she and I knew we hit the right combination: A crimson baju kebaya with embroidered flowers and butterflies and a two paneled sarong skirt in dark green and russet.
The sarong is a bit of a cop out. If I wanted to go old school all the way, I would have to fold my own sarong and secure it with a silver belt. Something which:
So no, ready-made and folded with all the convenience and security of a YKK zipper, if you please.
When the zipper and stitches are undone, the fabric will unfurl into a traditional tubular sarong, says Belinda of Rumah Kim Choo.
I also bought a set of gold plated kerosang rantay to secure the front of the kebaya. It's got a phoenix motif, to match the edges of my sarong.
Back in the 18th century, during the VOC (the Dutch East India Company) period , the ruling classes in Batavia were made up of Dutch families who had been in Java for generations. The Dutch women took to wearing the kebaya to suit the weather and lifestyle of their adopted country.
Dutch couples, not unlike Hubs' parents and their friends if I may be so bold to add (Mother-in-law reads my blog), playing cards at home in Java, circa 1900. The women wear sarong kebaya and the men are dressed in cotton jackets and batik chelanas or pants. Never mind the clothing or era, some things never change.
The kebaya then was plain, very much like the baju panjang, a long tunic-like jacket. It was only in the late 18th Century where the women started trimming their kebayas with lace. As with every new trend, word gets around fast and very soon, all the Dutch women had a kebaya rendah (lace kebaya) to go with her batik sarong and a new fashion was born.
Kebaya rendah and batik sarong worn by Dutch women in the Dutch East Indies, circa 1900.
And regardless of style or era, an outfit is never complete without matching footwear. With the Peranakan sarong kebaya, this comes in the form of beaded slippers. This was also on my bucket list but unfortunately, didn't find any that sang to me at Rumah Kim Choo so it will just have to wait for the next time we are in Singapore. By then, I would also like to look for a set of antique intan* kerosangs, if Hubs' my pockets allow it and maybe add another ensemble to my little collection. The lavender one I tried the last time was quite fetching too ...
*Intan are the shavings from cut diamonds. They are always flat at the back. Good quality intan have facets and are more valuable. The yellow coloured variety was the most popular and highly regarded in the late 19th century.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 2:06 AM
Of Friendship And Laksa
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Labels: asian food, home life, one dish meals
Our Laksa dinner tasted extra delish last night. Oh yes it did. And all because of friendship.
Hear me out, I'm going somewhere with this.
On board our flight back to Beijing from Singapore, Hubs lamented how he never got to partake of his favourite bowl of Laksa. Ten days of frenzied sightseeing, shopping and eating and somehow, the humble gravy noodle dish slipped past our taste buds. For shame!
I casually mentioned this to The Girlfriend on one of our morning conversations and promptly forgot all about it. But did she forget? No m'am. She went and sent me a Prima Taste Laksa Spice pack the very next day as a surprise. This made me fuzzy all over when I received it last week.
We couldn't wait any longer so I made Laksa yesterday evening. As luck would have it, I even managed to buy all the ingredients needed so it really was meant to be. You know how it is. Your heart is set on a certain dish but when you do the shopping, the store is out of this, that or the other. Utter frustration, you can imagine.
Anyways.
Hubs tucked into his bowl heartily (so nice to see your other half enjoy your cooking) and got his Laksa fix. I attacked mine too and while chewing on a piece of taupok not unlike a cow chewing its cud, couldn't help but think what a wonderful soul The Girlfriend was. She truly is a dear friend.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 2:13 AM
