arthur's.seat

you had a bit of time to wonder around the city and you chose to run to the country.  it looks like you are out there in the country side but really you are just at the other edge of golden mile and still within the city of edinburgh.

you admire king arthur and his seat from a distance, knowing that when you stand on top of the hill, you will have magnificent view of the city, the castle and the firth of forth and of the sea beyond, and of the glimpse of scottish highland perhaps.

no, you didn't set your feet up there, this is as close as you can get to arthur's seat, one of the seven hills of edinburgh and looming over the city. you admiring him from a distance.

it's a hill to conquer, although is very reachable but you don't have the right shoes with you as you are here for work, not for a conquest or for a hike.

but arthur's seat ticks your heart. you will try to be on top of the hill next trip, if at all possible.

so dear king arthur, please wait! he probably would since he has been there for decades and witness the fight of england and scotland. king arthur is very charming and youthful under the sunlight and the greenery, you would really like to meet him in close proximity one day.

happy independence day to my home country ^.^ and the extended malay new year (raya) celebration. but for you, it's just another working day.

sunny.and.green.edinburgh

you are jet-setting again, but just a short trip to the north. a city that you visited just about two weeks ago. you manage to sneak away from autumn in the lowland to summer and green scotland.

and today you are in the city center of edinburgh, you seize the opportunity by having your lunch at the princes garden just opposite the client's office. this is the view from your the bench where you sit and munch on your sandwiches

 a little further, also along the princes garden is this green field just beside the national gallery of scotland museum, you sat on a different bench enjoying your ice cream and at one point you almost convince you should not return to the workplace. but no, you are a responsible person, you went back after all. although you may have left your heart here, thinking of the tree and lying on the green pasture.

fast forward, in the evening you had drink session with your colleague and then venture out for dinner.

 at a building along george street with some columns... it's like walking into national treasure...

 the interior of the building, the hallway with chandelier, the dome ceiling bar and dining area...

 everything is grand and impressive except the green elephant which seem completely out of the place. you asked the lead waiter and learned that it's a animal week of edinbrugh that most restaurants and establishments will have display of one animal that close to extinct. and this particular green elephant is wearing a blanket made by a renowned artist...bla, bla, bla,... even after taking the time to listen to the end, to you this elephant is still completely out of the place, spoiling the entire classic atmosphere of the dome.

 you had this fillet of scottish beef with potatoes - medium as always and it's delicious, although 8oz is a bit too much for dinner, but you wipe your plate clean. and leave the place.

walking back to your hotel, you can't paint the city red tonight because you still need to finish a few things for your work. tomorrow another full day and you will be going to another city.

yes, you <3 your job.

roling.spirit

since the success of the rose scented swiss roll, you are on the rolling spirit again. today you baked and made two rolls.

 black sesame roll (using a simple genoise recipe)

green tea (matcha) roll using your souffle sponge roll. 

today you learned about david and goliath at church and how david defeated goliath. and you are no longer afriad of the giants in your life, in fact you laugh and simply say "show me the giants" for you are trainned to defeat them in the name of Christ.

good night and have a blessed week again, september is just round the corner.^.^

laksa.saturday

you invited a few friends over for kuching laksa session.

a hometown delicacy that you missed and you can easily recreate as long as you have the gravy paste with you.  you brought back a few packs and since it is hot and spicy, it is something that you can enjoy alone or with other friends who like hot and spicy food.

there's a lot of work in slicing, peeling, cutting, pulling, boiling... but well worth the effort... to make the extra delicious broth, you have to make sure you boiled it long enough with chicken bones and shrimps shells..

and then you are proud to present your ingredient on a parade on a table runaway... it really worth all the hassles in particular when you insisted to serve it in the authentic way, no localization, no compromise and that is especially when you have the right company to sample the meal with you.  the weather is kind of crazy, it's rather cool and wet for august, so a bowl of hot broth with spiciness is always welcome

and you compose your master bowl on top of rice vermicelli,  some bean sprouts, some sliced cucumber, cooked shrimps, pulled chicken, sliced omelet, the fragrant of coriander leaf, the aroma of the spicy coconut broth, the tangy of  lemon juice, the fishy sambal all mingle with the freshness of the shrimps and a masterpiece of laksa symphony is composed and enjoyed. you are thoroughly satisfied. and your guests likewise.

and then your friend shows you the new way of photography, and here are the sample photos taken by her. you look kinda kinky...

the roses become extra enchanting with the swirl effect

and your orchid is in glow!!! how awesome, you love the impromptu photography session. you discover a new way of taking photo and is super addicting.

another friend brought some plain cupcakes along and you have spare fondant at home and so a spontaneous cupcakes decoration session kicks start without a due after the laksa.  lots of kneading, lots of sharing, lots of laughter's, lots of patience, lots of ideas but not so precise execution. some are completely satisfied with their first ever cupcake decoration attempt but you are not very satisfied with yours but again it's the fun and the company that counts...

asakusa.sensoji.浅.草.寺

we have a very strange weather lately, it feels like we are living in the tropics these days with extremely dark cloud,thunder storm with outpouring rain, and lightening. i just finished watching a japanese series called "ando natsu" (あんどーなつ) which is filmed in asakusa and with the story line on wagashi (和菓子).  i think i am going to start making a monthly wagashi starting september. it has a symbolic meaning to the seasons like the summer ones that i tried in kyoto, assorted wagashi in various sweets form, namagashi mostly made of white bean or red bean and expression of seasonal flowers.  and now i hope i didn't complaint about the heat of tokyo back in june. i kinda missing it now...
===
you never bother to come here during your entire stay in tokyo, this place is just too touristic for you. you came by once months ago to the kappabashi dori to check out the plastic food and the ceramic. yet on your last full day in tokyo, you decided to come here. after all it's just 10 min walk from your hostel.  the weather became extremely hot. you were here at around 10 am and it's HOT!

 as you approach the kinarimon, memory flashed back to 2009, your first visit to tokyo in july.

you were and is still thrilled when you see the big lantern of kinarimon.

 this place is still exactly the same, always busy and still selling the same things - the famous rice cracker - senbei (煎餅), dango, ningyoyaki (人形焼) and souvenirs.

at the end of the walk, you come to a quiet place where you  see this pagoda... and a temple which you never set your foot on...

and the giant straw made slipper hanging on the door which you wonder what the symbolic meaning it brings...

something definitely new is the tokyo sky tree that didn't exist years ago...

asakusa is the place where new and old tokyo mingle together, a place most visited by tourists and locals alike...
===
happy friday! i have been busy whole afternoon in the kitchen as i have a few church friends coming over for lunch...

joy.rose.sponge.roll

you drove through the country road all the way to amsterdam for a client's meeting. you feel more relax after looking at the green fields, the sheep's and the cows, even you didn't stop to take in the moment of relaxation but just en-route to a meeting. 

the meeting over run but the weather is fine, you came home in day light and in the mood to start churning something that you have attempted a few times but never pretty enough to show it here.  this time you use a much bigger and shallower baking tray...

rose sponge roll or generally called as swiss roll, using a souffle sponge roll cake recipe, you got the flower idea from two talented desperate housewives.

you are over joy, it's the first time you able to roll a cake without crack and it looks graciously pretty

 and seriously fluffy, elegantly scented in rose chantilly cream and a dash of joyful spirit

 you just love the rose petal prints on the cake.

and one more recipe tried from this japanese cook book but more to go... and you are getting excited again with baking!!

you feel a lot more relaxed and in fact filled with joy with this baking experience. you never realize baking can be so therapeutics and it lifts you up from your situation.

mister.donut

mister donut is like a japanese version of crispy kreme but a better version.  better because there are some donuts you really like because they are not super creamy or sugar rush types.

an mister donut outlet at asakusa, just at the side street of kinarimon dori.

this is the type of donut you love

of all the time you had in japan, you only visited mister donut twice. that's simply because they closed down a lot of outlet in the last few years.


on your last few days in tokyo you were craving for donuts. well, not just any donut but mister donut. since you lodged in asakusa area, you were lucky to visit the shop again.

quite a range of choices, but you always select the same ones...

 you grab two donuts and a filtered coffee as breakfast. and coffee is definitely not their specialty.

but the donut compensates the visit, it doesn't taste like the normal donut but spongy, springy and goo-ey on texture and as you bite on it.  this is something you are missing now...

leuven

you had this very strange weather today, tropical storms, thunder and lightening and the sky was completely dark in the morning hour. so much so that this is your first tropical rain experience in the lowland.  so weird that you wish you could travel back in time to last summer. 

you remember it's a very HOT day. you came here after the flea market fair at templaux.

this is a flemish speaking university town not too far from waterloo or from templaux.

a medieval city as you can see from the cathedral.

and the statue itself...

the weekend market is still on when you arrived... so a quick round of the farmer's market
and you walk toward the city center.

you love the architecture.

and you're welcomed by the colorful banners

and you finally come to the famous square, outdoor where the atmosphere is "gezellig" a dutch word that cannot be translated to english equivalent. it encompasses of the dutch/flemish culture.

and you walked all the way to the end of the square, pondering which cafe is the most "gezellig" to chill...

you decided and you order your  quick munch under the sun. it's hot. none that you experience this year.

and you sneak in to the museum to avoid the heat

the cool air in the museum refreshes you... what a relief...

and just didn't want to go but hang around and browsing some some interesting art books.

well, that's your quick stopover at leuven, a "gezellig" city by dutch definition.
hope you catch a little bit of sunshine and heat from here.

::freedom::

no pain, no sickness, no worries can stop me from worshiping my God! thank you God for allowing me experienced these! they bring me closer to You and worship You even more! 

galatians 5:1 stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

and the message version speaks even clearly about the freedom that "Christ has set us free to live a free life. so take your stand! never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you."

yes, that's the freedom that i am searching and claiming in His name