The big dinner

We do three big dinners in the year for the friends and family: the Chinese New Year round up, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

After many trials and errors with choice of food and mix of dinner friends, we more or less have our act together.

The huge spread of food got to the table with minimal hiccup, and the humans got along nicely.

There was even a little surprise birthday celebration thrown in the mix!

It was a lot of work, but we got a lot of help from the friends throughout the evening with putting away dishes, refilling drinks and making merry.

And so it came to pass; we had a grand time celebrating the first of three big festivals of the year.

The friends, the family, the food, the drinks. Everything was right.

All the tomorrows

I love our quiet evenings at home, just the two of us. Sharing a simple dinner in our kitchen, just the two of us.Prawn udon with a generous side of vongole on a rainy night.

And just talk to each other, about our life together, the shared history and the days to come.

About the lousy people we know, the good friends we have, the annoying relatives we inherit.

Knowing that after all we have been through in our lives, we can see ourselves through whatever all the tomrrows might bring.

Why do they live here?

They did not get their way about redesigning and upgrading the lobby and grounds of the condo. So they vent their unhappiness by pelting the condo residents' committee and on-site manager with complaints and more complaints:

- How dare the drainage pipes burst after we've had heavy rain for several days.
- How dare the CCTV not be in good working order.
- How can children be allowed to play boisterously around the swimming pool.
- How can the security guards not stop their two maids from running away.
- How dare a pool side party be allowed to carry on beyond 10pm.

They point out (for the umpteenth time) that their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. They now write to the condo management that unless concrete steps are taken to remedy all the ills of this place, they will have no choice but to seek legal advice on how they may ensure they are adequately protected living here. (Ooooh...we are so scared).

There are some valid issues in their litany of complaints. And the condo manager does address problems that are brought to his attention. It is silly to threaten with legal action when there is simply no basis for it.

And I wonder, for the umpteenth time - why did they move in here? and why will they not consider moving to some place where the environment is more acceptable to them?

What brand what oil?

The man said he needed Rooster brand peanut oil at the store.

I stared at the huge array of 2-litre size cooking oils. Local and foreign. No Rooster brand peanut oil.

But this one label came close. I stared at it again. And again. In disbelief. I turned to ask the man if this was what he was looking for : Cock brand pure groundnut oil.

Yes. That's the one. Why didn't he say so; it's Cock brand pure groundnut oil. Not Rooster brand peanut oil.

He muttered something about trying to be a little more polite with words in public. Oh Bah.

Somebody loves his product enough to name it we should respect it enough not to change it...

We like it as is...

The young couple used to rent in a nearby condo where they had a view of this older condo with its timeless quiet charm and grace of simplicity and spaciousness. They immediately bought a unit and moved in when an unit became available.

Once settled in, they started to agitate for upgrading of the common areas which they deemed as deplorable and in dire need of updating.

I stand in the lobby and entrance of the condo, and see an open airy ground floor that serves as the reception area that leads to the various indoor facitilies (gym, squash courts etc), the common function room, the management office, and the lifts. The surrounding landscaped grounds boasts the obligatory tennis courts, swimming pool, koi pond and children's playground.

The newcomers want the entire reception area glasssed off to update the look, and swipe card access to increase security. Or else the condo will quickly lose its value because it is not keeping up with the new condos, they hissed at the naysayers in the last two Annual General Meetings.

Well, the majority of the residents voted for the necessary upkeep and sprucing up of the common areas. We voted to keep the open and airy feel of the existing reception/lobby areas. The majority of us will likely vote the same way again in the upcoming AGM because we really like our place as it is. The newcomers will complain about our non-cooperation and nearsightedness for another year.

And I will wonder again - for the umpteenth time - why didn't they just buy into one of the newly built condos that have all the newest gadgets and features they want?

From Turkey with love

It's been two and a half years since we were in Turkey. Two and a half years since the man got a chance to be around the carpet shops at the kapali carsi.

His carpet merchants waited the right amount of time before they started to tempt him again with their collection of beautiful antique rugs. They started sending him pictures of their latest acquisition by email.

Of course, the man fell for several of them. At last count, he bought four pieces from the dozen that they showed him.

I love the resourceful way they take their pictures. Like this 2-meter long tent band. They laid out the tent band on the pavement, then hung one of their brothers out the window of their 3rd storey shop so that they could take a picture of the masterpiece in its entirety.
The tent band will drape around the top part of the walls in the living room.

The home is well on its way to becoming a nomad's tent, inside and out.

The man cannot help himself. He loves these guys :)

Pretty Lights

We really were quite happy when we finally installed the mosque lights over our dining table.
But the friends kept referring to the centre piece as a disco ball. We have to agree the orb did not quite fit in with the pretty lights around it.

So, on our recent trip to Bali, we hunted down a Moroccan lamp to replace the odd ball.

It was the single shining moment of our trip. At least for once, the entire exercise followed expected custom when in Bali.

We were in a cab on our way to somewhere when we chanced upon the lamps and lights shop. We abandoned our original plan and settled for poking around the shop. We found the lights we wanted.

The vendor named his price. We counter-offered with our price. Back and forth. We settled on a happy compromise. The lights were carefully bubble-packed, and we went about our merry way.

So now, voila!
The impressive centre piece with four small matching mates surrounded by mosque lights.

About love

14th of February. A day dedicated to love between lovers.

Proof of love is in gifts of jewelry, chocolate, a candle lit dinner at a posh restaurant with 30 other starry-eyed couples.

Declaration of love is in the Straits Times classifieds screaming: love you forever, you are my everything, you are my life, be mine forever. There are others who have multiple loves in their lives so the declaration goes out to the number one, two or three wives. The more diplomatic and sensitive among them declare undying love to all three.

I am moved.

But something a little more subtle will move me more. Like these lines:

Nothing
in the world
is usual today.
This is
the first morning.

Izumi Shikibu (974-1034)

And in the evening, in the intimacy of my home, sitting down to a beautiful dinner cooked by the lover with so much care and thought.

We have Lights!

We've had the mosque lights for a long time. We did not have them up because we couldn't figure out how to.

Until - a flash of brilliance hit us recently. We needed to build a box trellis overhead!

The design, construction, installation and wiring of the project was a lot more involved than we imagined.

But, finally, it got done. With the help of a very good crew of carpenters and electricians.

The home is looking more and more middle-eastern. I like.

DON'T Cook like a Chef

I cook a lot. For myself. For the man and me. For friends and family. I will not go so far as to say I LOVE cooking. I view it as a wonderful and necessary skill, and I just happen to be very good at it.

It follows therefore that I also enjoy watching cooking shows. There is always some clever tip to pick up from the experts. And of course, there is always the entertainment factor to these shows.

I particularly enjoy watching cooks who are also artists with their craft. The ones who create something extraordinary out of the ordinary so that their final presentation is a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach.

Then, along comes Cook like a Chef - a series about how to cook, as opposed to what to cook.

I must admit the chefs (not lowly cooks, mind you) are, for the most part, brilliant in their take on any food. And I would most happily have accepted their generosity in showing us how those exquisite dishes are made in the world's best restaurants.

Except that they seem to be saying to the lay man (yes, the armchair-chef-wanna-be sitting next to you in front of the telly), that anyone, simply anyone, can do this magic at home.

Watch - the chef snaps his fingers and 3 of the 8 prep chefs on standby leap to do his bidding. The chef now goes on to make and then leave behind a horrific mess every where he turns.

By the end of the show, there is this exquisite dish. There are also all these tired prep chefs and messy work surface.

You know, this show should really make a distinction between what is feasible in a professional kitchen and what is do-able in a home kitchen.

I cook out of necessity. I also cook out of enjoyment on occasions for friends and family. I will work to the extent that I can still enjoy the company I have invited for dinner.

I-am-not-a-restaurant.

I will be doing everything from planning the menu, to grocery shopping, to preparation, to cooking, to serving dinner, and finally cleaning up.

So get real, Cook-like-a-Chef. Please do tell your audience to NOT attempt what you do in our homes unless we too have a team of elves to do our bidding and clean up after us.

Is it Art?

Or is it History?


He was my shelter, my refuge. With him and in him, I found reason to believe again. We drew comfort and strength from one another. He was everything to me, as I was to him.

He adored THE BODY. He was moved to studio lights, backdrops and shutter speeds. The result? Beautiful arty nudes. Over a period of three short years, a serious body of work was developed.

To this day, I see in every piece of his work a masterpiece of feminine beauty, intimacy and grace. I have never looked more beautiful or loved.

So the man put to me this question: If a woman enters into a relationship bringing with her these art nudes which in quality and quantity is worthy of a private gallery, how is the new love supposed to react to this?

Should he

(a) Be big about this and graciously accept her stand that this is a work of art that she treasures? or

(b) Kick up a fuss and refuse to have them in the new relationship on grounds that these are physical reminders of a past love relationship?

What would I do if asked to choose?

What would you do?

Hatchli Hatchli on the wall

It has been a dreary rainy week which effectively eliminated any thought of doing anything outdoors. We took the opportunity to do some long overdue D-I-Y projects in the home.

For a start, we finally got our hatchli's wall-mounted. These are door rugs originally used to cover the entrances of turkoman tents.

I am sooo impressed with the man's talent as a handyman!

We have two more blank walls to cover. Any guess what will go up on those?

Hosgeldiniz

اهلا و سهل Ahlan wa sahlan

otherwise, Welcome...

Our front entrance done turkoman tentage style
with tent band, mafrash cushions and even a camel garland.