New stall. Kaya toast set.
Give it a chance, my stomach implored.
So I did, against my better judgement of the crew obviously struggling with the ten orders before mine.

Cue, 10 minutes later: Hot tea all over hand, eggs rare, toast wrong.

Thank you for reaffirming that Yakun will always be my number one.

318/366 Validating cookies

Validation is when the Mothership praises your home-made cookies and the Dad asks where you bought them. Mixing in a dose of smugness with the dose of childish pride (i.e. hahh!). ^^

197/366 #Adultgoals

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a housewarming. The host was a charming, eloquent, and cultured fellow. Adorning his walls were art pieces procured from all over the world. In front of the state-of-the-art speakers, there was a varied music collection. His study had a designated corner for his music stand and instruments. He even designed the living room lights himself. There was no dinner - just a selection of cheese, chocolate, fruits, and wine.

Very enjoyable, absolutely delightful affair. What impressed me most was how conversation was the focus of the evening instead of food being the highlight and the conversation on the periphery. Rather easily overlooked distinction - 'Let's have dinner' vs 'Let's catch up'. #Adultgoals indeed; I'd love to do something similar ten years from now.

95/366 Strategy vs Skill

Over a leisurely lunch of pho with a side of fresh spring rolls and a pot of lotus tea yesterday, I indulged in a spot of people-watching. Subject in point was a soft-spoken Caucasian male who arrived when I was three quarters done with the pho.

He ordered quickly, evidently famished. The spring rolls arrived first, followed by iced tea, then a piping hot bowl of chicken pho. He dug into the spring rolls, munching on them furiously as he stirred the noodles to cool it down. In between bites, he'd carefully fish out the garnishes - chopped chilli, lemon grass, bits of spring onion, and the seeds of the five pieces of lime he squeezed in.

Before I was done with my bowl of pho, he'd started on his. Then I noticed he was just armed with a spoon and wondered how he'd pick up the noodles. For a while, all he did was drink the soup and eat the chicken pieces (while looking very morose).

Finally, he picked up his chopsticks. By this time I had given up all pretence being occupied with what's left of my food and was most avidly watching out of the corner of my eye. He held the chopsticks so awkwardly that there was no chance he'd be able to pick anything up. I was very tempted to impart proper chopstick skills but y'know, social decorum and all, so I continued to observe his clumsy attempts to pick noodles up.

It was only when he stabbed the chopsticks into the now dry-ish pile of noodles, pushed it onto his spoon, and shoveled it into his mouth that I realised this whole time he had been very strategic about eating his pho. Was so amused and impressed that I couldn't stop a grin from breaking out and pretend it was due to a text I just received.

Observations

1. In Hua Hin, majority of the Caucasian males are balding, very pot-bellied, or both. It was slightly disturbing to see them with such frequency.

2. At the beach, you don't see Asians...until you look at where the shade is.

3. My family cannot do chill. We tried hanging at the beach (under some shade, naturally) and the what're-we-gonna-do-next-es promptly started. We tried leisurely having tea and sipping beer at a bar/restaurant establishment in the middle of the day and left soon after the drinks were finished.

4. The old school cinema in Bangkok provides a far better movie experience than the cinemas here. Huge theatre, seats that tilt back comfortably, ridiculously cheap popcorn (who doesn't love that), and theatre ushers with blazers and bow ties. Not to mention a very grand looking lobby.

5. The next family trip will have to be planned around food and meal times. 'Where shall we go later/today/tomorrow?' is always followed with a 'Depends on where lunch/tea/dinner is.' That said Bangkok has such amazing food. Particularly passion fruit.

Pancakes and Cheese

I finally got around to editing the backlog of photos that has accumulated since 2013. The trip to Bergen happened in September 2014, which was a great time since the weather was cool enough to only warrant a layer of clothes and a jacket. We touched down on a Sunday and made our jolly way to the Radisson Blu Hotel Norge (which, on a side note, has a scrumptious breakfast spread that I thoroughly enjoyed).

Wanting to make the most of our limited time, the three of us headed out almost immediately and spent a good portion of the afternoon checking out food. First was the fisketorget, or the fish market, where I sampled (dried) whale meat for the first time. Do not try it, unless you like the fishy tasting over done roast beef with an oily aftertaste. Admittedly, I've heard the whale steak is pretty tasty. Until then, nope. 

If you didn't know that cavier comes in bright pink, now you do, even if you can't see it in the photo. Flying fish roe stained with beetroot, apparently.

Luckily for me, there was a farmers' market pop-up that weekend. We're talking cheese, pancakes, reindeer burgers, grains, organic juices and produce, and more. Always interesting to amble from store to store. The most notable was brunost, that caramelised dairy goodness that the Norwegians have successfully kept a secret from the rest of the world. They need to export it to every corner of the earth.

<

They've got breakfast food right. Then again, anything with cheese is right by me. Even smoked salmon comes in second to it. 

Dear Beijing

You spoiled me. I came home and found that I didn't miss it very much.

You surprised me when they said yoghurt was popular there. I always thought yoghurt was a Western thing. A month and a half after trying the first pack, I still cannot get enough of it. Yoghurt with honeyed granola, with almond flakes, with strawberry, with red dates or with nothing at all. What is it that makes it so awesome??

And if that wasn't enough, you blew me away with the cafes that were everywhere and nowhere. Always concentrated in an area and I was always forced to decide which one to camp at. Each cafe I went to was like finding a gem; some more precious than others but I could always count on that-familiar-something. I'll miss Bridge the most, with its lovely staff, homey interior and awesome breakfasts. Can't forget the great company that went along with it too.

You spoiled me with the food that came so much cheaper than what I'm used to, even at pricey-ish restaurants. And they were good too. In a month, I've had a more international fare there than I've had in the first half of the year. Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Mexican, Xi An, Western, Taiwanese, Hang Zhou cuisine and more. There's always something new to try at such affordable prices that it's unthinkable to resist.

And you spoiled me with the constant presence of wi-fi almost everywhere I turned. Cafes, restaurants and bookstores (the three places I frequented most). It's something I took for granted there and I developed a habit of whipping out my phone to check for wi-fi the moment I entered a shop, to the amusement of my roommate. Now that I'm back, I've got to get used to the general lack of wifi again.

The last week was a thoroughly restful vacation and it was more than I could ask for. The four pillows on a king-sized bed with a luxurious blanket, breakfast spreads, people who smile when they hold doors open for you, home-cooked meals, hot Milo, a string of cafes right next to the apartment, good bread and wine. I lived with the greatest satisfaction those few days (:

Returning home felt like yesterday proceeding to today. There was nothing overly surreal or dreamy about summer in Beijing; it was every bit as gritty as it was fun and I quite like it that way.

I'll be back, but don't wait up.