Solo in Italy - My Laid-Back Travel

I spent a week in Italy just to rest away from my usual surroundings and it became one of my best trips. I might not have visited the highest number of tourist attractions or highly reviewed restaurants on tripadvisor, but quantity means nothing to me in this trip. It was not about the most, but the BEST experience - even if it meant just one excellent meal, one heart-warming conversation, one breathtaking view.

The picture here was taken in Orvieto, Umbria. It was an impromptu day trip suggested by a local, after I mentioned that I wanted to visit a quiet town like Sienna, but near to Rome. It was a sweet journey, walking off the beaten path without bothering to follow the map or any guidebook and finding a quiet spot - with no one in sight - to enjoy this rare sight. All other tourists flocked to Duomo, underground caves, tower, ceramic shops. I covered most of those but also had some undisturbed beautiful views of the city and surrounding areas. It was priceless.

Every traveler's source of fulfillment in a trip varies. For a first visit to a city, I do often try to visit the key highlights, to experience as much of the best as possible. But for a second visit, I find it more enjoyable to take it easy and try to understand more of a local's way of life and view of the city. More of a cultural exploration. This trip allowed me to sit back and observe people, slowly enjoy a fantastic homestyle meal without having to chow down my food and rush to a museum or something, leisurely stroll around unfamiliar areas and get lost for a while (before GPS came to my rescue), have meaningful (and flirtatious.....) conversations with a local, take part in a 5-hour cooking class (I don't give a damn how many tourist spots I could have otherwise visited in 5 hours.)..... I walked a lot, rested a lot, talked a lot, smiled a lot. Just what I wanted.

Happiness is: Finding Your Space

Happiness sometimes comes from companionship, and sometimes from peaceful solitude.  I had a weekend of the latter.

To help ensure my dog's recovery after surgery, I moved him to the guestroom.  Normally he got to roam around my living room like he owned the place.  With the temporary - or permanent - home relocation of Curly, I finally had my time, space and home back.  No more toys and kibbles all over the floor.  No more jumping over hurdle to get into the kitchen.

I decided to get myself fresh flowers, nutritious food and beverages, not so nutritious food to spoil myself..... I made pita bread sandwiches for myself, added Amarula liqueur to icecream, spent some time sitting on the guestroom floor blogging, reading, napping beside my dog.  Finished two dvds and some TV shows as well.

I felt totally calm and at peace.  It's been a while since I last allowed myself to enjoy this.  I was afraid of going back to that happily single life, as rationally I felt I was supposed to seek companionship.

But guess what?  Based on my history, just when I became happily accustomed to single life again, I would meet someone who'd drag me out of my happy single space to adjust to a new shared space.  Let's see if history repeats itself once again.

Happiness is..... Having a good old friend

..... Who knows you so well that she can tell you you are out of your fu*king mind and not thinking straight (when you aren't). It is really invaluable having a voice of sanity standing by when you have the most retarded idea.

Happiness is..... Giving People a Break!

With my emotions often written all over my face, I could very easily ruin one's day, making one feel terrible about himself or herself. It's not nice and I've been learning to avoid it.

Past few days, despite observing some poor quality work, I managed not to feel upset or judge the person, but instead light heartedly helping these people out, reminding them how to do the work correctly, and doing all this with a sincere smile. I saw these people smiling at me and thanking me instead of having the usual scared look, I felt very happy I didn't ruin their days.

Happiness is..... Giving people a break.

My Toy Poodle Curly Update

Curly is turning 4 months old next week and I am very excited.  It means getting his third vaccine shot, and being able to start walking him and taking him out to meet friends! 

The first month of raising him was tough.  It was my first time keeping a pup - a very high energy and quick-tempered pup - and being patient and calm certainly was never in my natural genes.  In the end, I hired Trainer Ben to train me and pup.  Originally the intention was to teach him obedience.  Turned out, he was taught a lot of tricks - through which he started to understand rules and obedience.  It has been a great experience teaching him tricks, as it bonded us and gave him a sense of purpose each day - to focus on my combination of commands, follow, and work for his food.  Here's a few clippings of Curly.  I am so proud of Curly and love showing off his videos! 

Curly's First Day Home

I finally brought Curly home yesterday.  He's super active though whiny when kept behind bars.  I let him come out of the cage to explore the environment, and he already responded to his name and followed me around the living room while I walked zig zag or in circles.  It was a real joy to have a fur ball follow me around.

I tried hard not to be overly affectionate to him yet, and to ignore his whining.  I wish I could tire him out before letting him happily go back to his cage to rest, but since he was still sick afterall, I had little choice but to force him into the cage. 

Luckily he has good appetite and so far he is very well housebroken.  He is also much more affectionate to me now, knowing I am the boss in this household.  I wish for nothing but good health for him and more obedience growing up.

Gingerbread Man Cookies for a Very Merry Xmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!  I am looking forward to mine as I will be hosting a special New Year's Eve Kinect Party at my place and I will be cooking mulled wine, giving out my gingerbread man cookies, baking sweet potato fries and chicken wings for some of my closest friends in Hong Kong.

Here's some pictures of my gingerbread man creations :)  I love mine with lots of colors like they are in Hawaii or something haha!

Merry Christmas!  Put all sadness behind you and get into the festive mood!

Things which make me happy - Quality Time with Family

I didn't write about this earlier, because it hasn't really hit me yet.  Some of you know about my family relationship, that I had a rather unpleasant childhood, witnessing a loveless marriage, brother was rebellious, mom depressed, etc.  For years my dad felt that we were his burden.

I think last year I went to see an Australian psychic, who told my entire childhood story as if he had witnessed everything, and said it was time for me to bring my family back together.  Back then I was going through a very emotional period with my then boyfriend, and for the first time I shared that with my family.  Since then I became closer to my brother.

A few months ago, I thought of an idea and encouraged my brother to come back to HK for a visit, so that the whole family could spend time together - 6 years after his last visit.  On Saturday, when I was meeting up with my parents - something we do only once very few months - I messaged my brother and told him we were having dim sum, so that he could feel part of it.  That evening, I also posted a collage of the day, which moved my brother and led him to write a very very long and emotional email to us, explaining to us why he'd been quiet lately, and apologizing for causing so much sadness in the family for years when he was growing up.  I didn't reply to that email at first, because it was too heavy to once again bring back memories of my childhood.  Yet, to my surprise, my dad replied.  My dad - a very stubborn character who could not take any criticisms.  He actually replied and accepted responsibility for not properly treating my brother's ADHD (hyperactive disorder) when he was young because my brother as a kid didn't want to see the child psychologist after just one session.  I read the email and closed it, without really allowing myself to react to it.  I think my mind was trying to block out my emotions to protect me or something.  One day later, just an hour ago when I read my friend's facebook note about her visiting her grandmother anonymously since she had run away from home years ago, I wrote her an email trying to show her my support - which then turned into me sharing with her my experience with my family lately, the email and all that.  When writing about it, I started crying.  And I am crying again now as I write.  It is very emotional for me to write or think about my family because while each one of us is actually quite passionate and emotional as a person, all our lives we shared so little emotions towards our own family.  We were very reserved when it came to showing love for each other.  We cared a lot about each other but we showed it either through nagging or annoyance when the person wouldn't listen.  I think among the four of us, my mom was already the more expressive one - but she only became expressive when my brother and I became grown-ups and she was no longer depressed.  In my childhood, my mom was full of anger and sadness.

So here's a picture of me and my parents spending an afternoon together:

I took them to a quiet dim sum restaurant, then to Times Square to look for a duffel bag with heels for my dad to drag his clothes and tennis racquet to the tennis court (we couldn't find one) and ended up getting Mom a white, light, soft fleece jacket from North Face, and a cool looking fleece hoodie for Dad from Marks & Spencer.  We then shopped for some cookies and candies in Marks & Spencer, bought some ryebread for Mom in a Japanese bakery (my parents love bread), and finally I dragged (we were all tired from all the walking) them to Central to have a Holly Brown coffee.  My mom loves coffee.

It was a rare happy day we had together as a family, actually doing stuff we all enjoyed.  Normally it would be me going to their place for dinner and leaving after two hours to catch the shuttle bus back home (they live almost 2 hours away from me).

Perhaps we are all getting old.  We know that there won't be a lot of time left to spend together.  My dad is 77, my mom around 67.  It's about time to forget the unhappy past, and focus on spending happier times together in the present and near future.  And, showing our love and care.

Pao de Queijo - Brazilian Cheesebread

The past weekend was such a lovely one with a dear friend in town, to just chill and enjoy doing nothing together.

One of the "nothings" that we did was baking pao de queijo (Brazilian cheesebread) with the mix I had at home.

It was such "saudade" (roughly means sweet nostalgia in this context) when we enjoyed the freshly baked pao de queijo - dry and slightly crispy crust,  slightly moist, soft, chewy inside with a mild cheese flavor.....  It wasn't exactly the same as the homemade ones in Brazil, but it was close enough for a packaged mix.  I loved eating it just plain, but adding some butter, sugar, and cinnamon to the center surprisingly turned it into a very delicious sweet treat!

I will try the next batch with some parmesan cheese mixed in for more cheese flavor and chewy texture.  If you ever happen to visit Brazil or can get hold of these packaged mixes in your local Brazilian grocery shop, do try it!

Singapore Fav Food, Shopping & Play

Spent a few days in Singapore to visit good friends.  It wasn't a typical touristy trip, as the intention was mostly to spend time with my friends there, rather than going to all the tourist spots.  Still, I managed to revisit a few of my all-time favourites in Singapore, and discover new ones.

FOOD

• My Little Spanish Place - as its name suggests it's a small Spanish restaurant with very nice tapas
• Three Wombats Cafe - a small cafe on Kim Keat Road serving nice coffee, good breakfast, wonderful ca.esar salad, and peach cheesecake
• Icecream waffle sandwich vendor on Orchard Road near TANGS
• 211 Roof Terrance Cafe in Holland Village.  Food is alright, but drinks not that great.  It is a nice oasis on the rooftop of Holland Village Shopping Center.
• Lau Pa Sat - for years I loved Fatman Satay (Stall #1 and 2) but this time I tried Traditional Satay (Stall #3 and 4) and I actually liked it better.  I think mutton and duck are both particularly good.
• PS.Cafe is a nice brunch restaurant set in a very green, park environment.  I loved the whole atmosphere even though the food is mediocre and overpriced.
• Newton Hawker Center is NOT my favourite.  I prefer Lau Pa Sat, East Coast, and Maxwell.  Regardless, I always love sugar cane juice with lemon.
• Founder Bakuteh was alright.  It's very peppery and I think I prefer the Malaysian herbal version of Bakuteh more.
• Ion Shopping Center's food court was pretty nice, with large variety of food choices and a clean environment.  I loved that they had a wash basin for customers to wash their hands in the middle of the food court.
• Bengawan Solo is always my favourite for Indonesian cakes and desserts.  I often buy pandan cake at the airport both on arrival and departure.

SHOPPING
I love shopping in Singapore (even more if the exchange rate is more favourable).  I just always manage to find things to buy there.  A few of my favourites:

• TANGS is always my first stop.  I love the earring and accessories brand, Metalli, and I often bought more than 3 or 4 pairs of earrings each time I visited their counter.

• TANGS also sometimes have pretty shoes at very affordable prices.  They may not be the most comfortable shoes though, so I rarely buy heels from them.  This time, I bought 4 pairs of ballerina flats cos they were really pretty.  I am still trying to find a way to make them softer and more comfortable as I do not believe in torturing my feet no matter how pretty a pair of shoes is.
• Holland Village is also a great place to look for trinkets, home decoration items, or ethnic wear.  In particular, I love Lim's and Creative Dimensions.  The former has plenty of home decoration products, mostly Asian style with a modern twist.  I bought cushion covers and a jewelry box there.  Creative Dimensions is heaven if you are into sequins and beaded bags, coasters, cushion covers, etc.  I got myself two little purses, some coasters and a small coin bag there.
• Another favourite shop of mine in Singapore is Island Shop.  It's great for beachwear and summer clothing.  I have a lot of clothes from there, accumulated from each of my Singapore visits.  This time I didn't buy anything as it wasn't on sale.

PLAY
Apart from Night Safari, I never had much idea what else to do for fun in Singapore.  Thanks to my friends, Janis, Pat and Gautam, I was taken to some new places this time.

• Night Safari has always been my favourite.  I love taking the park train to see different animals, and love the walk up and down the jungle in the dark even more.
• Peirce Reservoir was a really cool place my friends took me to, as I wanted to get away from all the traffic and crowds, and be near to nature.  It was a really lovely walk, with a very flat trail by the reservoir, and lots of greenery perfect for a picnic date.  I really loved it.  
• A new and chic rooftop, open-air bar/ lounge is Ying Yang.  We walked past Chinatown to get there.  It was really happening.
• We also spent time just chilling in Starbucks, Page One etc in the mall for some aircon (the humidity in Singapore was unbearable, even my clothes and bag were damp most of the time).

iPhone 4 Obsession

I am embarrassed to say that I have been slow in updating my blog because I finally joined the iPhone 4 community last Sunday and have become fully obsessed with the phone and everything related to the phone.  Such is the power of Apple!

It was my first iPhone - and I so wish I could take a picture of my phone to show in this post - and I spent countless hours navigating through the different features, learning to maneuver the iPhone, finding the best value for money "apps", making more online purchases ("apps") in the past few days than my whole life combined, organizing the many "apps" on the phone, testing them out, waiting for friends to "whatsapp" me.....

I have to say it is a fun experience.  Highly addictive too!  I have been behaving like a kid with a new toy in the past few days - attentively playing with my phone during dinner with friend, playing with my phone while walking down and crossing the street, making wrong turns, missing entrances, almost run over by traffic :P

South Bay beach, Hong Kong

I love living in Hong Kong for the fact that I can be at the beach within 20mins.  South Bay is my favourite hangout when weather is great and I want to be far away from the crowds, especially on a weekday when it is absolutely quiet.

Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge, Hong Kong

No chocolate lover should live in or visit Hong Kong without indulging in a cup of decadent hot chocolate in VERO Lounge, a romantic chocolate lounge opened by a local premium chocolatier, VERO Chocolates, comparable to any world-class brands.

Located in Fenwick Pier Arcade by the harbour in Wanchai, this is a quiet location with a romantic ambience.  I am not a chocoholic, or chocolate junkie who eats all sorts of chocolates, but every once in a while I do enjoy fine chocolate.  

It is a must to try the hot chocolates in this lounge.  My friend and I shared three cups of dark and thick hot chocolate, each special in its own way:

Peru - Very refined, pure, with very understated sweetness and little acidity

Ecuador - Smooth, rich, sweet

Venezuela (Chuao) - Balanced taste, smooth and rich

Our favourite was Peru (blue one on the left - these pictures were newly added on Oct 22, 2010).  The Peru hot chocolate goes down so smoothly, and the delicate aroma was truly mesmerizing.  Each cup was also beautifully decorated with a colorful coating at the top.  Under the dim lighting, at first I thought it was a lid.  It was very pretty.  I did not expect such a lovely experience and did not bring my proper cameras to take pictures.  Next time I certainly will.  The experience left such an impression, we decided it should be preserved with only an occasional indulgence.  

The lounge also has chocolate cakes, brownies, and showcases of specially made chocolate display - such work of art - and their chocolate products.  They also serve alcohol, but I think the highlight is still the selection of hot chocolates.

I promise it will be a memorable experience.

A piece of advice:  When trying the hot chocolate, drink it from the cup instead of trying with the small spoon.  Like tasting wine, let the hot chocolate spread across your tongue to fully taste the true flavor.  If you only take small sips from the little spoon, likely you'll only concentrate on the tip of your tongue and the chocolate may taste much sweeter than it actually is.  Enjoy!

For more pictures, please refer to the new posting on Oct 22, 2010: Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge (Pictures)

VERO 

Address: 1/F, Fenwick Pier Arcade, 1 Lung King Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong 

Phone: (852) 25595882

Sunday to Wednesday: 10am to 10pm

Thursday to Saturday: 10am to midnight

They sometimes close for private functions.  Do call in advance to check before visiting.

感恩Give Thanks

I have been to a few Chinese Christian weddings where most of the speeches repeated the importance to give thanks 感恩. 

Whenever I am single, and have a moment to reflect on life before bed - which is a luxury when living with boyfriend because my mind is often occupied with other daily issues or worries - I often remember to give thanks to God for giving me a big comfortable bed to sleep in.  I have been doing this since about 5 years ago when I bought my IKEA bed frame and mattress with my own salary.  Now, despite the bed frame making squeaky noise and seemingly falling apart, mattress getting thinner and softer, I still go to bed feeling immense comfort and how blessed I am.

I do not take anything I have for granted.  Nothing is permanent in life.  I treasure everything I have while I can.  I hope by sharing with you these thoughts, you might also gain awareness of your own blessings from God.

Hong Kong Best Kept Secret - Home boutique, Soho

On 63 Peel Street, Soho, Hong Kong, there is a small quaint boutique called "Home", importing selected fashion items from Japan, Taiwan and Korea, usually free size and in very limited quantities.  There is also a great collection of accessories from beautiful scarves to headbands, belts, stockings, purses, etc.

I love the shirts they import from Korea, usually quite long and loose, very smooth and flowy fabric, perfect with a belt and tight pants/ leggings.  I like this relaxed romantic style very much.  The shirts are usually between HKD 300- 600, so they are very reasonably priced for the quality and style.

I was told that they have opened a showroom on Hollywood Road near Press Room.  If you feel that this could be your style, do check it out.  This place is a little treasure to me.  I am looking forward to their winter coats already!

Things which make me happy: My Sweet Home on Sundays

My home looks particularly nice on Sundays, after my helper spent 5 hours cleaning and tidying up. I really love this space a lot. Living alone is great when you have a space so customized to your style you feel you are in your own little world.  

Thanks to my new Sigma 10-20mm Super Wide Angle Zoom Lens, I was able to take pictures of the entire space.

Hong Kong's Best Kept Secret: Visage One, Private Jazz Club

This was a truly special night. Visage One is a hair salon by day run and owned by Ben, jazz club by night (first & second Saturday of each month). On jazz nights, it is transformed into the coziest space, for musicians to perform, jazz lovers to indulge in good music. No fancy furniture or decorations. No foods served. Just wine and music.

This is definitely one of Hong Kong's best kept secret. The whole atmosphere, respect & appreciation of music makes it special. Karissa Muse is very well known in the HK jazz scene, she is a female jazz guitarist, jazz radio show host, and jazz music critic. I had heard of her name for years, and had seen her numerous times in various jazz gigs but had never watched her perform/ listened to her play. Last night's visit to Visage One was an impromptu idea over dinner at my place with a few friends. I was so glad, after 2.5 years, I visited Visage One again and had the pleasure to listen to Karissa's music. She even played Chega de Saudade as the second last song - which I sing every other day in the shower in Portuguese.

Brazilian Milk Pudding / Pudim de Leite

After years of having a sweet tooth, I am generally not crazy about desserts.  Pudim de Leite does remain a favourite of mine, and I'd like to share the recipe here with you.  

I found the recipe on netcooks.com, and it is more or less similar to the recipe my Brazilian friends have.  It is super easy to follow.  I did make some small adjustments to this recipe to fit my taste and my small oven:

1 cup sugar (for the caramel)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Equal volume of regular milk (use the can to measure)
3 eggs
1 8-inch ring mold for large ovens OR small ramekins if you have small counter top ovens

Place 1-2 inches of water in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F or 163 degrees C.

Traditional way: Put the sugar in the ring mold. Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold. Be careful not to burn the sugar and yourself.

Alternative Way (My Way, tested): If you are using ramekins instead of a large ring mold, you can alternatively melt the sugar - preferably white sugar - in a saucepan.  You may wish to use a little bit more sugar because there will be some wastage.  So melt the sugar over medium heat, once it turns into golden brown caramel, immediately pour the sugar into the ramekins CAREFULLY but QUICKLY (the sugar solidifies in no time) and turn the ramekins to try and coat the bottom evenly as much as possible.  My experience is that you don't really need to coat it perfectly, because when you finally put the pudding in the oven to bake, the sugar naturally melts again and will evenly coat by itself.

Combine the condensed milk, regular milk, and eggs in a blender. Whip until smooth. Pour this mixture into the mold and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake the pudim for about 1 hour for large oven OR 30 minutes for small counter top oven using ramekins. It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold. You can also use a toothpick or a fork to poke into the pudding and check if it comes out clean.  Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, preferably overnight (at least 6 hours).

Just before serving, run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. Place a deep platter over the mold and invert. The pudim should slide out easily. If not, give the mold a firm but careful shake. Spoon the caramel sauce on top and serve. 

Enjoy!

Things which make me happy - A Date with Myself

My long-awaited date with myself on a Friday night.  Nothing comes between me, an enjoyable book, a nice pot of mint tea, a light dinner (plate of parma ham, cheese, bite size farm bread with Moroccan fig jam), and absolute peace.....

Spending quality time with myself - priceless.



          

Things that make me happy: Trilby Hat - Suncare

Being under the sun every weekend for hours due to my much loved outdoor lifestyle, suncare catches my attention increasingly as I get older and need to protect skin more.

Never really a hat person, I recently bought 2 hats for an upcoming trip to Koh Samui.  I played with the hats for hours at home, trying them with loose braids, tight braids, messy braids, chignon, ponytail, hair down, hair up, with shades, without shades, etc.....  Felt a bit silly but I had loads of fun!

I did a bit of research online and learned that trilby hat is supposed to be very versatile, and depending on the size and shape of the hat it looks good on almost everyone.  Some common tips I came across:
- Wear it slightly tilted
- Wear the front of the hat slightly lower till it is just about eyebrow level for a sexy look
- Wear it with a light and loose shirt over shorts for the perfect look
- Wear it with messy braids for a romantic look (didn't really work on me though)
- Don't wear it too high up, defeats the purpose of wearing a hat
- If you have big / curly hair, tie it back or to the side to avoid looking like a crazy woman