gordon.ramsay.heathrow

0500 alarm rang, arise and shine

0530 off to schiphol

0600 arrived P1

0620 cleared passport control

0645 boarded the aircraft

0720 off to heathrow

0730 arrived

0800 cleared the passport control

0810 purchased coach ticket, coffee break

0820 boarded the coach bound for your destination

0900 arrived the city train station

0920 hopped on to the free shuttle to office

0945 arrived meeting room

1000 greet and meet and meeting, meeting **yawn*

1300 phone interview with client

1330 quick salad lunch

1400 more meeting @.@

1600 finally over ^^

1630 shutter to train station

1645 coach to heathrow

1800 cleared the custom control

now the excitement starts....

it must be ages since you last landed at heathrow, you dislike the long passport control queue where you have to queue with all tourists arriving at nearly the same time in the morning. you opt for london city airport if you have the choice as you are normally the odd one not with the european passport in the flight, hence it's swift and it's right in the city. 

 but you arrived heathrow finding the airport has been revamped, duty free shopping really interesting and huge, you hardly browse a section of it.

 beautiful dress, they are plenty, pretty pricey too!

 colorful textiles ^^

the queen is celebrate her 60 years next week, so there are plenty of merchandised items to commemorate the occasion 

you ate at gordon ramsay **plane food**. you never been to his restaurant before but the food here is quite at par with your expectation. 

you ordered a chicken caesar salad with chicken. it came in a presentation that totally out of your imagination. it's clean and sleek. it's the first time you eat caesar salad this way. yum and green, best wash down with Chardonnay. the price is not really expensive, typical airport dining price tag, but you find it refreshing to discover such gourmet at the airport other than the fast food and sandwich joints.

it's been a tiring day but well worth the effort. it's the last day of the financial year of your company and you were excited with a deal that is closing today (hopefully).  your weeks and months ahead will be full with traveling. let's hope you can cope with it...

::HIS.way::

this week you are supposed to be in uk, but the planning meeting schedule got canceled because a colleague of yours who is supposed to present was stranded in his home country.  little you know the big plan for this to happen. you had a medical appointment on the midweek, which you have no gut to request to stay put in lowland this because a new project is running up.  you intended to forgo the medical appointment if you have to travel but God's way is above your way.  the fact that the meeting was canceled, and you were able to go for your appointment means a lot to you.

it's a confirmation that the Lord wants you to hear. now that both genealogist said the same thing, it gives you a sense of relief that the decision that you have made is the right one.

little you know that you still have to be in uk this week but only for a day trip, so tomorrow will be an intense day for you.

满.月席.full.moon.feast

last weekend was a very eventful one, packed with parties and get together.  you were invited to a full moon feast of baby A. a full moon feast is usually celebrated when the baby is 30 days old, sort of a month old.  baby A is  a very little, cute, adorable and petite baby boy.

 a reflection from the mirror where guests mingling around and eating...

 the long table with all the food

 kids' corner, where kids had their own food

 baby A with his grandma and mommy in red...

food prepared by the host, ranging from malaysian style chicken curry, beef rendang, roti jala, steamed yam cake to oil rice (nasi minyak), turmeric yellow rice (nasi kunyit), fried noodles, to western chocolate madelaine  and the traditional chinese full moon hard boiled red eggs.

from the guests, there are the authentic taiping sambal bun (太平香饼), your sarawakian kacangma (益母草) and a traditional nyonya delicacy - kuih angku (红龟).

you were there briefly as you have to be at the church for the pentecostal sunday celebration where you were translating. but you left with a very fully tummy and satisfied stomach ^^.it's been a foodie weekend!

lovely.afternoon.tea.by.the.lake

this is still what happened on last saturday.not long after your lunch, you have to set up the afternoon tea table, because you have overflow of food and only an afternoon and evening to enjoy them together.

 the men were still occupying the terrace sofa's area after lunch and comfortably hiding under the shade.

 while your host in red already start ushering the people to the afternoon tea corner and bringing out all the sweet stuff...

in no time, the table is filled. these are the sweet bits you had for your afternoon tea session. the table is overflow with yummy delicious food....

 everybody gathering at the terrace sofas area besides the boys that have set out for a boat ride.

you also hide at the corner with this lovely adorable boy...

while waiting for him to pop the bubbles

and a quick toast for those ladies who drink.... the rose is delicious with very mild bubbles that tantalizing your tongue... a refreshing drink for a breezy warm afternoon like this...

you enjoy doing nothing. sitting under the shade occasionally sipping your bubbles and taking a bit or two. you're still very full from lunch and that make it almost impossible to eat further. but you enjoy seeing other people eating, while you participate in the chats and laughter's...

 or even as simple as admiring the houses opposite and observing the movement of the water and waving to the boat that passing by occasionally.

 and the boys (well with a girl) are home coming. this boat is operated by a 10 year old boy.

you have lots of food as you can see again from the photo, not everything is on this photo.

lovely sunny saturday afternoon by the lake. nothing else you can ask for more. just being very thankful for the weather. thankful to the host who organized the party, thankful to friends who take time to make all the yummy delicious sweet treats...

pentecost.sunday

the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. the pentecostal sunday celebration.

taking this from the second floor stage where you were translating. the sermon is powerful and the anointing of Holy Spirit is really predominant too today.  people just move forward to receive the anointing of God and accompanied by the Holy Spirit.

have a blessed sunday!

peony.party

blessed with a really warm summer weather on saturday, you set off to a party, a peony party to be exact. in reality, the peony is not yet in bloom at the host's house but that doesn't stop the party and get together from happening.

the theme for food as usual becomes a little mixed as you all are craving for so many things. the main theme is dim sum, but the dutch-men need malaysian flare and thus the mamak style nasi lemak is on the menu as well as the bbq.

the house is facing a lake, with a deck directly by the water where garden sofas are located. the creative host made some paper peonies and hanging them on the terrace umbrella to live up the theme.

 in the kitchen, you are busy wrapping the gyoza and then pan frying them for lunch

other food are being warm up as well, this is a super spicy satay sauce - very spicy even to your spicy index ^^

meanwhile, out there at the deck, bbq has started with roasted pork belly, german's brad worst and ayam pericik

the kids started with their lunch first

while yummy ayam pericik is ready to be served

 second round of bbq with beef and chicken satay begin

adults chatting and moving casually to the dining table too...

mamak style curry chicken, good to go with the nasi lemak

the nasi lemak condiment, sambal ikan bilis, fried anchovies, cucumber, and the buns also being served at the same time. your appetite is more gear towards the malaysian  galore and so you attack mainly the nasi lemak and the bbq.

siew yuk (roasted pork belly) anyone? the texture is a little different as the pork is cooked at the bbq than your usual method, meat has a little moist fat content that you are not used to. but nonetheless the taste is the same.

there are more food for lunch then what you can capture with your camera. at some points you were carried away by the food and the breeze that you did nothing but just enjoy your food and chats.

more stories on food and the great day to be continue...

p/s: some photos are courtesy from all about yum and desperate housewife in holland

home.away.from.home

you booked this hotel with some expectations for your short stay in knokke.  you love the exterior, a normandy style building with a very homely, not entirely modern interior.

 the terrace area usually sunny in the morning but you didn't sit there a moment as the weather is too chill for outdoor sitting....

 the entrance of the hotel, the tiled floor and a door with period design...

 breakfast at a very beautiful dining hall,

 the "living" room, the snug room or as you called it, the cozy room. you love it the way it is. tastefully decorated with fresh flowers, bric and brac displays, nice view and floor length window, light and airy.

 at the corner, they are four colorful birds, singing or chatting in its own language, it didn't appear as noise to me but a rather soothing remedy of natural sounds...

 most important it's very inviting and cozy, you could stay here the whole evening or morning.

 there are plenty of magazines to browse, or you just browsing your ipad while lounging yourself on the sofas making yourself very "at home"

 you have a room that equally homely, no luxury or hotel standard trademark, just simply a feeling of home or rather you are staying at a friend's home.

::alexandra::

well, this alexandra is not any alexandra. usually when you hear a restaurant name like this, you always associate immediately with greek food.

but no... this is an exceptionally delicious restaurant with a rather modest exterior and minimalist interior but food wise is a journey of taste explosion...

 the patio area were full by the time you arrived, so you opt for the inner section but yet you are not isolated as the window give you the view of the patrons in the patio...

amouse bouche of tomato soup, that heavily scented by the broth of different seafoods, you can taste the complexity of the soup

 cod fish gratin - yummy delicious ^^

your starter - shrimp croquette, a specialty of knokker, it came in two with some fried crispy vegetables...

 it taste fresh and it taste rightfully croquette, with a very thin crust.... eating them with the crispy fried veg is a great way to enjoy a balance palate

 his oostende's style scallop and shrimp gratin, so fresh and the sweetness from the scallop overwhelm your taste bud... you attack the gravy with the bread....

 another marinated bread that you didn't touch as you already full after your starter....

your main course, is a compose of talbot fish, a slice of cod fish and a king crab leg on tomato.  very fresh and delicate. you just can't fault your dish....

his steak is heavenly,  so much better than those you have tasted in new york recently. this meat is full of flavor, you can eat it without any sauce, just some paper and salt. as that's the best way to sample and appreciate the beef taste.... you wish you have this plate instead of the seafood...

 he has an advocaat vanilla ice cream that is rather boozy with alcohol, you were too full by the time you finished your main and happy with just a cup of tea to finish off the meal. and sampling a mouth or two of his dessert ^^.

this restaurant is really exceptionally, price wise is reasonably too for such the quality and satisfaction. you are not sure when you will return to knokke again, but this restaurant is a keeper and worth the second visit.

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weather finally warms up in the lowland, hope it will remain stable for the coming days. i don't ask for extreme hot weather, anything around 25c is perfect!
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