Guinness magic

It's been raining every night for the past week. It gets frigidly chilly in the middle of the night with the unusually big drop of temperature in this hot tropical weather.

Mr. J and I have been fighting this tug-of-blanket-war every night for the past week, resulting in me waking up in a sulking bad mood the next morning. And him leaving for work slightly miffed because we didn't have our daily morning banter-teasing-chatter.

Yesterday evening, I texted him to get me a large bottle of Guinness Stout before leaving his workplace at KLCC. He like all mere males, texted back < Whr to get them? In Menara Maxis?>

< Get them frm Cold Storage - opp KFC, next 2 Burger King >

< Oops, sorry. Forgot abt that ;) >

Last night, I slowly savoured the dark creamy stout while reminiscing of my late Ah Kung who drank his prequisite Guinness every Friday night while listening to Ella Fitzgerald jazz records.

And sure enough the pint of Guinness worked like a charm, warming my body and making me sleepy to slowly doze off. Last night, I slept like an angel and didn't grumble in my sleep when Mr. J tugged the blanket off me. And best of all, I woke up with him snuggled tightly to me.

*Ah Kung means grandfather in cantonese

Ain't no beach babe

Two weeks ago, I was enjoying the sea breeze, walking along Chaweng Beach at Koh Samui. As much as I love the beach, I can't be the beach babe in her bikini who lazes all day, with sand between her toes, sipping an icy cold mango fruit shake while luxuriating by the beach.

I brought two sets of bikini with me to Samui and didn't even once wore them. Perhaps, I was alone and after seeing gwai-los armed with Thai prostitutes, I'd rather not risk any chances of chatting up or being friendly with them. I could only allow myself to let my guard down with the men at Laine's wedding party. However, the local Thai folk are friendly and always smiling. Everytime I walked past the hotel's guard house, the smiley guard would wave and wish me, "Sawadee krap!" and I'd grin back, "Sawadee ka."

Not the beach babe, I just had to do something during my week-long stay at Samui. So I enrolled in the 3-day fruit carving course at the local Samui International Thai Culinary Arts, also known Sitca. During my first 3 days at Samui, I woke up early, at around eight, to have a hearty American breakfast at the local Khao San restaurant/bakery where friendly young Thai waiters served me. After a leisurely hour of breakfast, I'd head back to the beach and walk along Chaweng Beach to Sitca. It was a good half-hour walk. I now have a tan from all the walking by the beach.

Fruit carving class was super-fun. I learnt how to hold and angle a carving knife and learnt bits and pieces about local Thai culture from my instructor, Kim a sweet 25 year old Thai girl. After completing the course, I was stuck at Laine's wedding villa for the next 3 days, completing the mammoth task of baking and decorating her wedding cake.

After all the wedding excitement and holiday enjoyment (shopping, drinking, dining, staying out late and waking up late) I didn't realise how exhausted I was until I came home. I was completely knackered for the past week, really tired to the bone.

Perhaps, doing nothing and luxuriating by the beach would have been a better way to spend my holiday. Hmm.. nah, I think my toes would start wriggling and I'd start to get fidgety and restless.

Yep, I ain't no beach babe.

























* From top - Carved watermelon flower, vegetable plate cravings, mini mock cake of Laine's cake (sorry, no photos of the actual cake as I had too many cocktails on the night of the wedding party)

Overseas cake mission status- Accomplished

I just got back from Thailand. Laine's wedding was a blast - full of laughter, meeting old school/uni friends, getting to know her family members, delicious finger food, endless round of yummy cocktails and flirting with nice looking men (Mr. J couldn't come).

I was so honoured to be Laine's official wedding cake designer. Yeah, I did the unthinkable- lugged 10kgs of baking tools and ingredients all the way to Thailand to perform the mammoth task of baking a 3-tiered wedding cake from scratch. It was sheer madness as I was working round the clock for 3 days before the wedding- baking, icing and assembling the wedding cake.

After the wedding, I was dead tired that I booked myself for those wonderful Thai body massage. Highly recommended - icy cool aloe vera full-body massage which was so relaxing and orgasmic.

Some memorable moments from Laine's wedding:
* Gucci in disguise
Some snooty tai-tai from Hong Kong commented on my new pair of bronze peep-toe heels as I took my heels from the shoe rack to wear them to the poolside.

" Oh, that's a lovely pair of shoes. Is that Gucci?" (said in posh Brit accent)
" Oh, no. It's VINCCI."

I guessed she must have caught a glimpse of my VINCCI shoe label and assumed it was Gucci.

* My first cigar puff
Laine's dad and father-in-law were happily puffing away on Cuban cigars near the bar when I sauntered to the bar for another drink. They were both kind enough to offer me a puff when I asked how does it taste. My god. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever smoked. Vomit immediately came up to my mouth that I had to dash off to the bathroom.

* Champagne is highly overrated.
I wonder what's the fuss over champers, really. They tasted quite bland. Give me a fruity sparkling pink rosé anytime. Very dissapointed with my first sip of champagne.