Category Archives: BITS AND PIECES

What really happened on Valentine’s Day

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vday

Like Malaysian politics these days, mention Valentine’s Day and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I am not about to jump on that bullock cart and debate the virtues of paying for overpriced foie gras and even more overpriced shrubs. After all, I have been a recipient of both in the past, and I will not deny that I have felt good about receiving them.

What matters is that not a day passes by that I don’t look forward to the end of the day when I get to see the Bald one, even if it is for a brief 10 minutes. Our hectic lifestyles (our own choosing) dictate that we do not see much of each other, but I look forward to that moment when I step into our home, smell that familiar smell, and see that familiar smile. I’m touching middle age, and I’m still a sucker for romance. But not just for one day in a year….I’m greedy….I want it all.

So on 14 February 2009, we didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, not because we were in denial, but because it happened to be a weekend and we were looking for an excuse to get sloshed. Besides, my dear friend Fatboybakes throws the most amazing parties based on even more amazing excuses (this time, it was in celebration of Thaipusam, although the idea of being inebriated on a holy day is just sacrilegious).

vday

Yes, Fatboybakes calls me Thamby (little brother, in Tamil). I, in return, call him Tangechi (little sister). It is no Freudian slip nor does it have anything to do with his repressed maternal instincts (of which he has none, I must protest) but it has everything to do with the fact that we are childish and take joy in speaking in tongues (in our case, an extremely limited version of Tamil) and puns.

I think we ate everything that he served, but I can’t be sure, thanks to the twenty-something bottles of champagne that were consumed from 12 noon to 10 at night. There were sausage rolls, a chicken and mushroom pie, HairyBerry’s exotic gourmet platter, assorted cheeses, roast Australian ribeye and yorkshire pudding, seafood mousse, assorted gourmet sausages, roast duck pasta, wasabi mash, truffle mash, and a garden salad with pear, walnut and quails eggs. One word describes it best: sublime. After all, words (and I’m a poor wordsmith, I’m afraid) cannot do justice for the delicious food, so lovingly prepared by Tangechi, for a party of seventeen.

He baked two cakes and a bit. One, a very popular Mint Chocolate Mousse Cake with Lindt chocolate, a cake that will be spoken about for generations to come, and the other, a delicious heart-shaped Pavlova decorated with peaches and mangoes but lacking in passion(fruit) thanks to a maid who threw it away, not realising that a shrivelled fruit didn’t mean it was past its expiry date. The molten chocolate cupcakes were a surprise addition, but they received the attention they deserved.

Thanks, Tangechi. It was a fantastic party and it is such an honour to have my name (even if it’s just Thamby) on the menu. In the words of Kylie Minogue, I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky……

Happy Saturday and Sunday!

Is Rogue vogue, my friend, Mr Bourdain?

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rogue mag, dec 2008

Bald Eagle loves reading. One particular favourite is Rogue, a magazine which he purchases whenever he travels to the Philippines. “I love the articles,” he claims. “They’re very informative.”

I can’t deny that fact, even if they chose to feature Angel Locsin, an actress and model who revealed quite a bit in the December issue.   After all, a magazine that carries an interview with chef Anthony Bourdain has to be wholesome enough to be shared with my grandmother.   Waitaminute.   Did I put Anthony Bourdain and wholesome in the same sentence?

I admit I was amused while reading the interview on the potty (no interruptions, I guarantee).  If you don’t want to click on the above image to read the interview (or THIS), I’ll reproduce his opinion on food bloggers here:

“I don’t think there is any question that they are replacing the traditional food press.  They can, of course, be annoying.   And they’re easy to make fun of.   The food is getting cold and they’re writing notes, asking questions, taking photographs.  That’s excessive.   When you collect food experiences like butterflies, you’re not enjoying it the way it should be.  Eating should be a submissive act, you shouldn’t try to control the experience.”

Hmmm.  People, other than Bourdain, make fun of us?  And I thought they were just being friendly.  Except for that one time when a flurry of smiling waiters surrounded our table, probably because I was holding a big-ass camera, and waited for my next move.  I dropped a knife, and watched them plunge under my table.  Mass cunnilingus.

And for your information, Mr Bourdain, I don’t write notes.  I key it into my mobilephone.  The letters “abc” are missing, though…the key fell off from my Nokia one day, so it now takes twice the time to do it.  As for taking photographs, okay, I’m guilty as charged.  But one day, I’ll need proof that the worm was actually in that salad – how else am I going to get rich?

I wholeheartedly agree with his last two sentences.  Ultimately, eating should be fun.  Not a chore.  Always share experiences like these with people you love, and you’ll never go wrong.  Throw in some alcohol, and it’s a foolproof plan to get laid.

******

They say it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow.  Despite loving pink, hearts and hugs, I’m looking forward to enjoying a belated Thaipusam for Thamby Bubbly Brunch (TTBB) with good friends tomorrow.  Beats getting flowers and chocolates any time, any day.  Y’all have a wonderful V-day and say hi to the good saint for me!

******

Past issues of Rogue can be viewed at our residence.  Tissue not supplied.

If music be the food of love…

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22

az1

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Because there’s more to life than lap mei farn and yue sang.

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I think.

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Yue sang at Grand Imperial BSC
Be still, my beating heart

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4 more days to go…

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*****

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Note:   Hand model –  The very talented acoustic guitarist, Az Samad, who was in town recently to perform to an extremely appreciative audience.  (Thanks, Yin, for the introduction!)   Also a poet, don’t pray pray!

The Clear Moonlight

the clear moonlight
sways in the water
down in the distance
all the floors below.

the water an adagio
the wind a gentle song
the clouds a perfect chord
and as the melody becomes clear
i see the smile on my face
reflected in your eyes.

az samad, berkeley, CA , jan 20, 2009. (reproduced, with permission)

*swoon*