tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85790552013-06-10T20:58:41.753+09:00To help me remember life's little moments so I don't forget.Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-41073427612081271582011-12-21T17:44:00.000+09:002011-12-21T17:58:53.139+09:00

We bid goodbye to Oliver’s and Tarangire in the morning as our Asilia driver drove us to the Manyara airstrip to be greeted by our new guide/driver from & Beyond. From the airstrip it was a 45-min drive to the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve. I first heard about the crater from a good friend who worked for a South African bank. Based in London, he makes frequent business trips to Johannesburg and

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-74120753390583801812011-12-06T16:05:00.001+09:002011-12-06T16:52:58.705+09:00

It seems that I’ve waited forever to go on a safari trip but the timing was just never right, and I also couldn’t decide which African country to go to.  This year, while planning hubby’s mandatory 2-week leave I stumbled upon a company called Tanzania Odyssey based in London that specializes in safari trips in Tanzania and Kenya.  After corresponding back and forth with Ted from T.O. for a while

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-11595443003378457032011-09-20T21:53:00.000+09:002011-09-20T21:53:41.697+09:00

This past Sunday was our 12th wedding anniversary, which is also known as the silk anniversary. I only found out about this via an internet search when a friend asked which anniversary is the 12th. As it happened, one of the presents that I got for hubby is a silk tie, so it’s totally in sync with the theme! Two days before our anniversary I received a tip from a chef friend that my local

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4Singapore1.352083 103.8198361.098096 103.503979 1.6060699999999999 104.13569299999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-62955403259367469292010-01-09T00:31:00.010+09:002010-01-09T00:54:32.742+09:00

The first time I attempted to make a gingerbread house was four years ago. I was in Tokyo and going to Le Cordon Bleu. That was also the last winter we lived in Japan. Since then, Christmas seasons had been spent moving, traveling, and being busy with teaching and churning out cake orders. This year, I made a decision to stop teaching all classes one week before Christmas and not to take any

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-72139639617551834122009-08-31T17:09:00.004+09:002009-08-31T17:17:02.675+09:00

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts to make, be it the traditional coffee kind or my own green tea version. I also like to make a stenciled pattern on top with icing sugar, after the coco powder or green tea powder, to give it a little something extra.In the past, I've always had to ask someone to help me with this taks, either to hold the stencil or to do the dusting. The problem with that

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-8760750446699407222009-06-17T12:51:00.015+09:002009-06-17T18:00:27.681+09:00

Like I said, I’ve turned into a Twilight fan. For three weeks after I came back from New York, I lived and breathed the Twilight saga, reading the books over and over again, watching the DVD, listening to the soundtracks, and searching any Twilight related video clips on YouTube. Yeah, I know, it’s all a little bit obsessive. The worst part though, is that I don’t have many friends who’ve read

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-65046217176796352452009-06-14T15:36:00.004+09:002009-06-17T12:49:30.804+09:00

It all started on a long-haul flight from Tokyo to New York city. I already had plenty of sleep from Singapore to Tokyo so I was wired. After watching Gran Torino and Benjamin Button, and even a stupid Jim Carrey movie called the “Yes Man.” I was left with either watching a LOT of Clint Eastwood oldies or the teen vampire flick Twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I love Clint Eastwood in his early

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-58203401473671743802008-09-17T21:32:00.007+09:002008-09-19T11:54:01.743+09:00

Last month while having lunch, a friend casually asked me whether I signed up for the photography workshop at the American Club. She said that it would be conducted by a famous National Geographic photographer and that it consisted of five days of photo-taking and critique sessions. Even though she couldn’t remember the name of the photographer, I knew I wanted to sign up instantly.I have been

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-48204567433462475132008-08-18T18:55:00.002+09:002008-08-18T19:03:24.052+09:00

I have been watching the Olympics and getting so darn inspired by the amazing athletes. Without a question, they are all extremely talented but what I admire most is the sheer determination and dedication they have shown. The most obvious example is Michael Phelps, who’s won every one of the eight gold medals that he set his mind on winning. But it is those athletes who were dismissed as

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-77417201298168965712008-08-11T17:38:00.015+09:002008-08-12T12:34:07.005+09:00

I’m a breakfast person. I like long leisurely breakfasts, either at home or at a roadside café, with a good cup of cappuccino. On weekdays I eat alone, because Jason leaves work at the ungodly hour of 7:30am and no amount of love can get this sleepyhead out of bed at that hour to have breakfast with dear hubby. Plus, unlike me, Jason is NOT a breakfast person. So weekday breakfasts are simple: a

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-47757595681735346672008-04-29T15:30:00.011+09:002008-08-28T09:55:37.236+09:00

One thing I won’t complain about living in Singapore is the size of the place. True, it is just one tiny island that you can drive from one end to the other in less than 45 minutes, but it is conveniently located for easy traveling. Most places in Asia are just a short hop away and even Europe and Australia are well within 12 hours. North and South Americas and Africa are a little far to get to,

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-70909568927394386522008-02-24T10:00:00.003+09:002008-08-28T09:55:49.756+09:00

Our waiter greeted us with “Hello, my name is Mike, and my blood type is O. What’s your blood type?” Yip, our waiter. I was at a restaurant, not a blood bank.Lynette and I and a couple of other ladies started this lunch thing last year. We don’t meet regularly and it’s not always the same group because people are out of town all the time, but whoever can make it will go and we usually try to eat

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-84284271957831531602008-02-21T12:16:00.013+09:002008-08-28T09:55:50.447+09:00

Last Saturday, we went with Lynettte and a group of friends to the lovely Sichuan Do Hua restaurant for a Chinese New Year celebration dinner. But, wasn’t CNY last week? Yes, and no, because traditionally CNY is celebrated for fifteen whole days, ending with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day. So we were well within the celebratory period.Lynette had outdone herself by booking the most

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-30112710814078535202008-02-15T13:44:00.008+09:002008-08-28T09:55:44.627+09:00

Here’s how I spent Feb 14th, 200812amv – 1:45amEmergency Room of Mount Pleasant Animal HospitalLibby and Cherry Garcia got into a fight and Libby’s two upper canines were ripped from her gum. The one on the right is pointing horizontally out instead of down. Her upper lip couldn’t even close properly. After a shot of antibiotics, pain relief meds and some blood sample we were sent home

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-14852492929105739862008-02-10T23:21:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:40.974+09:00

I am not much of a gardener. In fact I have never been successful at keeping anything alive for more than a year, except for those hearty house plants genetically engineered to take abuses such as long periods of draught when we travel and constant blast of cold air from the A/C vent. I do try to keep a little herb garden though because I use fresh herbs in my cooking so much. My little herb

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-66537024873259744882008-01-30T17:45:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:36.514+09:00

Despite the hot weather (I think our brief “winter” is over now) I find myself suddenly craving for a Japanese dish called butano kakuni （豚の角煮). It’s basically a braised pork dish made with pork belly or any cut of pork with layers of fat and lean meat. It is not sophisticated food but it has to be done the right way with the right flavors in the broth. One of my favorite izakayas in Tokyo serves

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-80764789608419556002008-01-21T16:48:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:42.474+09:00

It all started one night when I was surfing the internet and discovered a website selling all kinds of cookie cutters. They were extremely reasonably priced, with most selling below $2. Now, if you ask me I’ll deny it but I think I might have a secret agenda to collect all the kitchen gadgets and pastry tools ever made, so finding this treasure trove really had me over the moons. An hour of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-3570567576406858192008-01-07T17:53:00.000+09:002008-01-07T21:33:08.799+09:00

First of all, let me just say that one should never surf the internet while half asleep. Because when you’re almost falling asleep you tend to make decisions without using your brain, which is what happened to me around New Year’s. I was browsing through flickr as a means to put off going to bed, as I tend to do on so many late nights. As always, I checked comments that people left on my photos.

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-71610968962280247492007-12-03T18:48:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:46.154+09:00

Singapore is a great place to live: clean air, safe environment, convenient location for traveling in South East Asia and all the modern amenities you can think of. However, living in a tropical country where seasons blend into perpetual summer has its drawbacks. For one, you are always in shorts and T-shirts and the only way to wear your hair is up. The simple act of pulling on a pair of jeans

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-11526081791145670832007-10-19T18:57:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:39.325+09:00

Having lived in Tokyo for almost six years, I get approached a lot by friends and cyber-acquaintances for recommendations on sights to see and places to eat when they visit Japan. While I am by no means an expert on either subject, I do have a list of favorites. After typing out more or less the same responses at least half a dozen times in the past year, I finally got smart and decided to write

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-6546753073347764312007-10-02T23:01:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:41.697+09:00

Without a question, my favorite holiday is Christmas. Even though it’s becoming more and more over-commercialized, I still enjoy seeing all the Christmas decorations and hearing the carols, not to mention the sweet aroma of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven.My second favorite holiday, also without a question, is Halloween. It is probably not a coincidence that it happens in the peak of

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-2788420010035665422007-09-04T22:22:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:48.467+09:00

Yes, I know it’s been a VERY LONG time since my last post. Long story short, the minute I came back to Singapore from Provence I was swamped with work, both pastry and a big photo assignment, leaving me with little time to sleep, let alone blogging. I did manage to sift through the thousands of photos I took in Provence and sent them off to friends and family, but even that took almost a month to

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-35888878555751987732007-06-29T17:15:00.000+09:002007-06-29T17:16:52.905+09:00

I never thought I’d be so depressed going to Provence. We’ve been talking going with our friends Albin and Agnes for years and finally made the booking in February. Both Albin and Agnes are food lovers and avid cooks so the idea is to go for two weeks, rent a villa, go to the market in the morning, lay by the pool during the day and cook and eat and be merry. Agnes is bringing all her food

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-74418526603487345802007-06-25T00:05:00.000+09:002008-08-28T09:55:46.838+09:00

A while ago my friend Lisa asked me if I had ever heard of this restaurant in Spain where they do crazy stuff with food. She was referring to molecular gastronomy by Ferran Adrià at his restaurant El Bulli, which is only open half the year. Ferran Adrià spends the rest of the year in his “lab” developing new recipes. She said it sounded really interesting and wondered if there was any place in

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8579055.post-44487838418726824402007-06-22T21:26:00.000+09:002007-06-22T21:33:28.333+09:00

Just a very short post to report that I finally found a way to use up the bad griottes. Following some blogger’s suggestions, I removed the griottes from the alcohol syrup and soaked them in syrup instead, hoping the strong alcohol taste would leech out. That didn’t work.Along came Cherry, who virtually put me on house arrest because I had to watch her constantly, sneaking to a different room

Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564005251636500295noreply@blogger.com7