japanese.canteen

still in london. you discovered this place sometime in november/december last year.  you fed up with pret-a-manger food. not that they're great but you just fed up with the choices of food. and you don't mind walking a little further like 5 min to japanese canteen and grab some japanese hot food there...

 a little bit like wagamama but the choices of food are more interesting here. it's less expensive and you can take away.

this is your food, a hot and spicy korean doenjang chicken on rice. it's tasty and hot food but not spicy enough for you. nonetheless, it's a good alternative to pret-a-manger sandwich.

rasa.sayang

back to london, you are back to malaysian food crazes.
you wanted to have a bowl of prawn noodles but you ended up with a few small dishes at rasa sayang.

it's bitter cold to walk on the street even it's just 8 minute walk from the underground station to london china town. it's the london chill and the dampness in the air that makes you feeling the extreme cold.

you ordered a michael jackson black and white.  the name commonly refers to the soy bean juice (white) with some mixture of cincau (a black jelly that has cooling effect).

you started off with roti canai (the malaysian style indian pancakes), the roti itself is fine but the dipping sauce has a strong trace of msg which you dislike...

the curry chee cheong fan 猪肠粉(another malaysian street side snack), you missed this for sure and this is by far the best dish you'd ordered and you wipe the plate clean.

the oyster omelet (蚝煎), commonly called as Or Chian using the hokkien pronunciation   it is made exactly the same style. or at least it uses the same ingredient, a mixture of tapioca flour like your mum and you.

 you love the distinct oyster taste, only you prefer the dipping sauce in fish sauce and generous of white pepper, but it came with chili sauce which is fine but not resemblance your childhood preference.

your breakfast the next morning. the seremban siew pau (芙蓉烧包) that you purchased from the bakery and eat it as breakfast.

::snow::

beautiful and serene snow.
you're not there to enjoy this scenery.

 a blanket of snow!

the garden looks very different with a layer of white!
this is the first snow of the year, the second in the winter but you missed them all out as you're in london.
you certainly would like to enjoy the white view and the crisp cold but not wanting the byproduct of 1000km traffic chaotic.
that's said, this is for your eyes only.

vietnamese.pho

that said, you are back to london as of today.  it's miserably grey and bitterly cold and wet.  the temperature is above zero but the chill factor just set it to below freezing point. you didn't want to venture too far, so you went to shoreditch and had your vietnamese food. you've been here before and this part of shoreditch has a dozen vietnamese cafes and restaurants to choose from. you are just being unadventurous to settle to the one that you been before.

 this is the deep fried spring rolls with beef. they are yummy only a little greasy. but you guess it's okay with such a cold weather to load a little more calories on...

 then your bowl of pho, vietnamese rice stick with slices of beef and tendon...

clear broth and the fragrance from the asian herbs. it's just exactly the bowl of dinner that you could imagine and wanted on such a wet and cold evening.

::remedy::

 you are still fighting the last bit of your cough. your cough has long ceased, it's just a minor residue remain persistent.

 you know this could cease the cough completely, wash away the last residue in your throat and clear it once and for all....

happy sunday!

::sleep::

it's a cold and sunny weekend. you are not complaining because you rather the weather is sunny and cold than grey and mild. you need your dose of sunshine therapy.

 he has a meeting at church in the afternoon, so you drop him off and drive to delft city center, you have nothing specific in mind, just want to stroll along the old city, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of course.

 needless to say its freezing cold whenever there is some windy, it does feel like below the freezing point.

you stop by a cafe, it's time to warm up your body with a cuppa and a slice of carrot cake. you read your online devotion. it's interesting that this is the second time God spoke about sleep. you first heard about sleep on the first service of the year by an Indonesia guest speaker. now you read about it again, the perspective is still the same, God is at work when we rest/sleep.  sleep is certainly a gift from God as written in psalm 127:2 "it is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep".

you certainly feel much better and rested after the holiday season. and rest restore your body, you are going through something supernatural as well at this moment which your internist cannot explain. you still believe in miracle and that's the fact. you know miracle can happen to those who love the Lord. the time will proof the goodness of the Lord. most importantly you know you are ready to go back and face london again.  as you continue in your deep thought, he called. so you pay and drive to church pick him up and go for a dinner with his friend and a 5 year old boy.

he has to babysit the boy for about half an hour while the boy's father is running some errands. you had a clay pot fish head, salted fish chicken tofu stew and a stir fried mix veg. they are all good and delicious (if not exceptionally) for a cold evening like this.

one of the ordinary weekend but a blessed and contented one ^^ simply because you have Jesus in your life.

dinner.tongiht

frankly speaking cooking daily as a chore is really not your cup of tea. you don't mind cooking but not when it becomes a routine to think and plan for what to eat the next day.  anyway,this is what you cooked for dinner tonight.

arrowroot braised spare ribs (慈菇汶排骨), you bought some arrowroot since the beginning of the week and finally you got to braise it with pork spare rib. a rather simple and easy dish to prepare only the spare ribs need time to get soften. somehow you just munch on the arrowroot, you like the texture and the subtle fragrant it gives.

jiu hu char, this is a very typical malaysian dish and you actually try not to cook this when you realize you don't have carrot at home but it's too late as you already soak the mushroom and the dried squid, so might as well. after all this dish taste even better the next day.

hot and spicy tofu (麻辣豆腐), you bought a pack of sichuan hot and spicy paste and he just cooked this dish for you this morning before he goes to work. it's quite spicy and the taste is quite authentically sichuan and perfect for a cold wintry night like this.

 zucchini & dried shrimp with vermicelli (虾米节瓜粉丝煲), you cooked this dish because the zucchini is rotting if not use up any sooner.  another homey casual dish that you used to eat at home.

oxtail soup (牛尾骨汤) but cantonese version. you usually request him to boil this soup if you can't think of other soup to have.

it may be a bit too much dishes for dinner tonight and dinner for two. but some dishes taste better the next day and any leftover will go to the meal next day in this case.

it's friday. you still need to pack your luggage as you are jet setting again starting monday.  once you start your routine travelling, home cook meal can only get by during weekends, so today, despite that you hardly touch your rice as you already full from munching the dishes...  hence you cherish your dinner tonight.

::golden::

after almost 2 hours of constant stirring at low flame, it is done. your pineapple jam. it's literally your very first attempt and you want to try making some pineapple tart. and yes, the chinese new year is round the corner again.

eat.what.you.love

you have been unwell lately. maybe it's the time of the year, you just barely recovered from the cold during Christmas period and now you are confronted with the nasty stomach flu - a mild one though but still put your appetite to halt.

you have not been eating for days, the most success story is you managed to stuff yourself with two slices of brown bread with nutella spread and that itself is an achievement.

today you woke up in desperate hunger. so desperate that you have to get up and grab your breakfast. and so you did. you ate a few mini stollen. and suddenly you woke up to your appetite. your mind start thinking about food again or at least food is no longer a disguise to you.

 you whisked up a plate of hokkien mee, based on what you can find in your fridge. you run out of shrimps, no pork cracklings but still it's a good plate of hokkien mee with fish cake, slices of pork, green, the must have caramel sauce and a dollop of sambal.

 you ate this for lunch, with a smile on your face, you know your appetite is back...

 you also baked a sweet savory version of pork floss roll. using the never failed genoise recipe, quick and easy, do what you think would work, you just spread the pork floss onto of the cake batter. you run out of spring onion, otherwise you will dice and spread them on the top too...

in just about 12 min, the cake is done. yes, genoise is a very quite and easy cake. you just roll the cake up while it's still hot and let it cool. and this is the result!
you devour yourself with 3 slices for tea. your appetite is definitely back.

eat what you love. love what you eat.

.wild.bold.fantasy.world.

musée d'art moderne et d'art contemporain in french or in english museum of modern and contemporary arts. it's free admission, there's not much to see but it's good to set a different perspectives to a city. you learned about niki de saint prahlle. her work is wild, bold and a fantasy world of her own. some if her works are showcase here.

you love this lady sitting under the colorful tree... and the total contrast of white pale lady and a boldly colorful tree

the details of the tree... full of life, full of fabric and good use of different textures and materials...

an image of a lady in the mirror

you kind of like this, quite nicely frame with some "junks" if you use the right word to illustrate your feeling

and four ladies in a bath or rather swimming...

it's quite enlightening to see such exhibition at mamac.  just her installation alone is already worth the visit. and of course the admission is free ^^.

villefranche-sur-mer

 finishing your evening of 1st jan at this picturesque fishing village - villefranche sur mer.

 it's been drizzling whole day, what a big contrast to a day before. but still this rustic fishing port is charming at this hour of the day.

the evening view is quite enchanting, it feels rustic especially when it's quite. you just stood there watching the reflection of the light on the sea water

and let the cool air swept your face and give you a gentle kiss. it's refreshing and a good way to end the new year day.  you give thanks for the great sunny and blue weather the past few days and certainly you are not complaining about today because you had had your share of goodness from the mother nature and you are optimistic about the weather the next day.
===
first day of work for the year and you are unwell :(. you didn't accomplished much today but it's a slow start for everybody anyway. in fact you lost your appetite and disguise about food.  you slept the afternoon away and hoping for a better tomorrow.
===

le.rocher

the rock!

you went back to monaco again. not to monte carlo but first to fontvieille, a reclaimed land and housing estate with plenty of posh yachts.  you had a glimpse of  le rocher from here and finally decided to chance the short hike up to the palace, the journey  was quite pleasant.

 you took in the view of monte carlo and the yatch haven, and watching the sun setting down

psalm 119: 105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and  a light unto my path"... strolling up the fortress of le rocher, the verse just surface in your spirit. you know this is an assurance from God that if you keep His word dear to your heart, He is a lamp and He will brighten your path...

 looking at the fortress, you know Jesus is your fortress too!

 another view before the sun set completely, the view is quite magnificent

 cross the fortress gate, you are at the rock, it's not very big. there're a few alleys for you to stroll and the feeling is like in any old city, only the time you arrived is already quite late (past the tourist rush hour) so the alleys are a bit deserted but safe nonetheless

you walked to the other side of the rock where you finally encounter the cathedral that you see from a distance from fontvieille  (see first photo)

Jesus is your rock, He is your fortress and your firm foundation, with this finally view of monte carlo and the yacht haven in complete dawn, you have a smile on your face, your vacation may be ending soon, but the rock will remain in your heart forever and ever and you will never be shaken. amen. thank you Jesus for a wonderful stroll with you in le rocher.

===
feeling a little sick again @_@. i guess i have a stomach flu but mild one :(, nevertheless, i made it to church and we had a fantastic renowned worship leader from indonesia leading the worship for us. it's amazing where many people have to pay for at least 30 euro month ahead to get to his praise concert in indonesia, while you enjoyed an up-close and personal sunday worship led by him completely free...