London Calling

London welcomed us with a blustery and rainy day. After a safe arrival (with our luggage too), we slept our jet lag for a few hours in the deluge at the hotel. Then, we decided to brave the weather and explore the great indoors. This was greatly facilitated by London Tube. In this case, the great indoors was the fabulous collection of the British Museum. From the halls of Mesopotamia to Rosetta Stone, to the chessmen of Kent, to the controversial Lord Elgin Marbles (the Greeks are still sore and want them back), to the fabulous mummy room (including a few cats), to the reconstruction Temple of Nereid, and then to a fake Crystal skull (which in no way resembles the elongated one seen in Indy IV) but likely one of the sources of inspiration for Lucas' new movie.

Today, as if we weren't mummied out, it was off to a special King Tut exhibit at the new O2 venue out near Canary Wharf. Less is more is the theme here and thankfully so. Choice pieces of the boy king's tomb were on display with excellent presentation marks. Gorgeous jewellery, be welled daggers, very rare portable chests, an engraved car touche chest and so many incredible treasures made this exhibit a highlight of the trip. Strangely, the elongated skulls of Nefertiti and other members of Ahkaten's family (King Tut's alleged father), resembled the crystal skull of the new Indy IV movie.

It was off to explore the sites of Westminster city including the Abbey, Parliament buildings, Jewel tower and the views from the Embankment. The meal of the day was a traditional greasy fish and chip lunch (delicious from Fryer's Delight) To walk off this meal, we headed down from Inns and Temples of the Law courts to the South Bank. Taking the Tate Museum (newly graffiti ed by design), the Shakespeare Globe and then a few ales/Guinness at The George (an inn which was entertained Shakespeare and Darwin).

Dinner on our first night was a thali meal at a local curry house (actually a good restaurant) called Marsala Zone. The meal consisted of butter chicken, chicken Marsala, chapattis, two curried veggies, Dal and a yogurt dessert....delicious washed down with a splendid mango lassi.

Now it is off to the land of ancient Pharaohs!

Good bye Mr. Lee

The Main Course
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

It was a fine night for our last meal at Susur. It was fine tasting menu of his favourite dishes. There was wild sable wrapped in prosciutto with uni lobster bisque, braised morel and oyster mushrooms with white asparagus and enoki in blue cheese sauce and a mordern sashmi with tender kobe beef. Others had roasted venison witih coffee foie gras sauce or peppercorn crusted bison loin with home made BBQ sauce (served with a side of eggplant and polenta tart). It started with oysters (as all good meals should) and ended with sweet dim sum (mini desserts including forms of chocolate). Everyone was satisfied if not a little surprised by the meal and the fullness of it. So until we dine on Mr. Lee's delicious creatures in the big apple, I must satisfy myself by digesting this meal for a few months.

Going back to HIGH school

Well it has been along time since I walked the halls of any high school. Certain things seems familiar, girls hanging out waiting for their friends, boys with their bikes playing in the parking lot, teachers calling out instructions, the intrusive PA system announcing nonsensical information and in general, a hive of activity. More so on this day because E.C. Drury, the high school I speak of, was host of :The Strength Within Conference". Dedicated to teenage girls, the conference topics ranged from bullying, eating disorders, box-on (physical exercise), financial planning, amazing stories told by motivational speakers and of course, the usual health topics for teens. This last area was covered by me. In a mere 50 minutes, I managed to cover a range of topics from STDs, teenage pregnancy, birth control, painful and other problem periods and this year, very topically, HPV and the Gardasil vaccine.

As terrifying as these medical topics were to some of these girls (yes I did include a few "graphic" pictures), I found something more frightening posted on the walls of the Health room where my session was held: The Lock down/Lockout procedure kit which is likely a result from Columbine and other gun incidents at schools. The lock down procedure goes something like this. Instead of leaving the building(s) in an orderly and calm fashion as in a fire alarm, the students remain in their classrooms. This kit (see above) provides you with a suction cup and two happy faces. If your classroom is secure, you are instructed to hang one of the happy faces via the suction cup to the window and the second "all secure" happy face is to be slid under the door to the classroom or hung over the door of the classroom. The police are called out to the lock down school and proceed room by room, building by building until the "subject" is apprehended or the school is deemed safe. Wow, remember the good ole days when all you had to worry about was fire. Yet another development marking a generation gap.

Beer Can Chicken

Well another Jane Austen movie has come and gone. We celebrated with a new recipe for Chicken that is in fact a bit of a BBQ tradition in Canada: Beer Can Chicken. Beer in the can (with various herbs, garlic, rosemary) stuffed into an chicken. It is placed upright on the BBQ and roasted. Very tasty and made an excellent addition to the lamb chops and homemade hamburger patties. A happy birthday to Ms. Crowded House and a belated birthday to her husband. And a hearty homecoming meal for the "Return of the King" after a nearly six months stay in Singapore....and so well timed as the snow is finally melting.

178 cm

Where did the path to my front door go?

Can you see Mr. Hippo's hand in this photo?

About the only thing the ice is good for!

This is the cumulative snowfall for this winter season to date. To give you some perspective on this figure, it is about 29cm from breaking the all time record for a single winter season of 207cm. Incidentally, this record was set back in last great winter of 1938-39. What a difference a year makes. Last year, the total accumulation was a mere 63 cm (yes, a near all time low). In fact, I have blogged more about snow this winter than about anything else. With the official start of spring next week, many view the chance of breaking this record with mixed feelings. Perhaps it will provide this generation of Torontonians with a new badge of courage and help us to gain some credibility with being really Canadians to rest of the nation. After all, what do we have to whine about in the "tropics" of Canada. The all time greatest accumulation was set out east in St. John's, Newfoundland in the winter of 2000-1 when 634cm fell! Bring on that 29cm!

And when last did you see my backyard?

Is this really what winter was like? The answer is yes. I remember (through the aid of pictures) that the snow was really that high and everyone had to wear the snow pants. However, it has now been more than 45 days since I saw the grass, the other plants and the fountain the backyard. In fact, I can't really how the lawn must have looked like six months. For now it seem I am snow blinded and snow blanketed.

It seems I will need to borrow my neighbour's snow blower again this week as another winter storm is predicted and I can't throw the snow off my driveway any higher with the shovel. How in the world did we think it was safe to play in the snow drifts? One consolation, there must more days of winter behind as by now.

Family Day Weekend

After a very very busy Friday night at work, it was a good thing that there was an extra day to this weekend. However the weekend marked with delicious dinners. Firstly, my mother prepared a Canadian style Yu Sheng dish, a staple of the Singaporean reunion dinners on Saturday night. Ms. Crowded House was our only guest which was her great fortune as she enjoyed the Yu Sheng (and hence could have many portions). By the height of the ingredients tossed, it looks to be a very prosperous year.

The following night was the inaugural Jane Austen Movie club meeting. Despite delays due to injuries (see post on backaches) and technical difficulties (disc errors on DVD recordings), the first film, Mansfield Park, was viewed and appreciated. Ms. Noel, Ms. Crowded House and I revisited this classic which we had all seen before but long forgetten the details of. A splendid rediscovery. Tech Boy joined us for dinner at this local Korean restaurant where I had the hot pot dish. It is here that I came to the revelation: Yu Sheng and Hot Pot have very similar visual arrangements. Food is chopped, sliced, cooked, arranged and served as separate ingredients and then tossed together at the dining table. The joy is final moments when the meal is completed by the diner. So simple and so pleasurable are these visual as well as auditory and gustatory feasts.

Ground Hog Day

The snowstorm on Friday last seems to brought in lots of ice, snow, sleet and labouring patients. After a long and labourious night at the hospital (no pun intended), my backache returned again. Shovelling the nearly 20cm that fell probably was a contributing factor too. So here I am on Sunday again, lying flat on my back. My neighbour could barely get into his driveway when he returned that evening as our little side street had yet to be plowed. Now the forecast for Monday and Tuesday this week is for spring like conditions. The temperature is to climb to 10 degrees. Wiarton Willie may be on to something.

Flat on my back

Eek, can there be no worse sign of aging that the bad back. After an attempt at real bowling the past Saturday, I sent my back into terrific turmoil. I then spent the remainder of the weekend laid up on my bed trying not to move. This is naturally a lot harder than it sounds. With each leg extension, head twist, sneeze, cough or laugh, or attempts to get to the bathroom, my lower back would be sent into unceasing spasms. Expletives flowed until the pain ebbed.

Thankfully, there was Trimacet, an excellent analgesia which was coupled with warm and loving back massages from Mr. Hippo and cold compresses. Mom provided the requisite comfort food of rice porridge/congee with pork, chicken and preserved pickled vegetables.

I did get a lot of movie watching done.....Brick, Air Guitar Nation, Eastern Promises, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Assassination of Jesse James and Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street....as well as finish more than half of Bel Canto. Alas, as with all illnesses, the end comes.....at the start of Monday, the beginning of the work week.

The Hollywood writers' strike

The first week of January has passed and many are feeling the effects of the on-going TV/Movie screenwriters' strike. No new episodes of Heroes, CSI, Criminal Minds, Lost and other TV series are in sight and the entire season of 24 is likely gone. Only the reality TV shows persist which shows you how much actual production goes into them. All is not lost however, as this "lost" TV season has given me the opportunity to explore my other favourite pastime: the movies.

During this past holiday season, I finally completed Deepta Mehta's trilogy. Having seen Fire on CBC a few times and renting Water last year, I have had to find Earth. But it was in Rogers' Video this week and what a movie. Unconventional and complicated in its depiction of love and betrayal amongst a group of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim friends during the last days of pre-partition Pakistan's Lahore. The only film where I dislike Aamir Khan's role but what a grand performance. Then there was Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece, In the Mood for Love. The music, camera angles, costume and dialogue were in vocative of a time and place that is lost and almost forgotten....Hong Kong in the 1950s. Maggie Cheung's hair and cheongsams were so meticulously constructed, it was not surprising to learn that her makeup, hair and costume took hours. The plot slowly evolved in quiet, pensive and simple scenes. His last film was 2046 that I found far more abstract as 2046 may have been a time or a place or both. His trilogy started with Days of Being Wild which I have yet to see.

Of course, January is the run up to the awards season. So I have been catching up on loads of great movies. The Romanian film, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, depicted a gritty and bleak world of terminating a pregnancy. This films seeks not to be pro-choice or pro-life but focuses on a totalitarian world run by a heartless bureaucracy where only the work of a true friendship saves the day at a huge price. Filmed with a hand held camera to convey a near documentary style, it brings home the fear and urgency of the plight of the protaganists. Not surprising that it won the Palme d'Or this year.

Against my better judgement, I did see Charlie Wilson's war. The true story of a Congressman who managed to raise the budget for the largest covert CIA operation in history. Charlie Wilson raised money to buy and train the mujahideen against the Soviets. I had mixed feelings about this storyline for as we now know, the defeat of the Soviets and the fall of the Cold War, has brought more problems out from the rise of capitalism in the former soviet republics and of course, the rise of the Taliban. Anyway, the only good reason to see the movie is the fabulous scene stealing Philip Seymour Hoffman as the CIA agent with a name that sounds like a fruit.

I'll skip over Atonement altogether save to comment on the gorgeous performance from James McAvoy. I found, however, the relationship between he and Keira Knightley's character lacking well passion. My favourite pick of movies though is No country for old men. This Coen Brothers film delivers award winning performances from both Javier Bardiem and Josh Brolin. The tense interplay between the two lead characters is the key to this film. Quirky like Fargo but accompanied by a sharper and surprisingly funny dialogue, the film's tense and suspenseful direction leads to its unexpected and unconventional end. However, all this talk of award season but be for nought. Neither the Globe Globes or the Academy Awards may occur....you see these award shows needs writers too and well, you see the screenwriters are on strike.

Strange New Year's Weather

It looks like the weathermen are in for it in 2008. The weather is becoming more unpredictable. First, 10cm of snow fell on New Year's Eve. Now, the deep freeze is upon us....minus 11 degrees celsius and with the wind chill, it feels like minus 20. Next week, rain is predicted with a midweek high of 13 degrees. I won't be surprised if the rocks start showing their cracks.....

Snow Days

Check out the foot high snow drift at my front door which had accumulated before noon!
Thank goodness for our helpful neighbours (and their snow blowers).
Well, it really is starting to look a lot like Christmas. The first winter snow storm makes me very nostaglic. I remember the first time I saw the white stuff (at the age of 10 years) in Vancouver on Grouse Mountain. What a joyful discovery. Today, it was like being back on that mountain. Over 20 cm has fallen since Saturday night. This makes for a lovely snowy Sunday. No where to go and nothing really to do. So Mr. Hippo and I turned on the fireplace and read the weekend paper and then watched some NFL and then a few movies. But it wasn't all play, we did venture out to clear the driveway and sidewalk twice (and throw a few snowballs too!).

Memories of Gozo

It has been about month since I returned from Malta and I finally gotten around to labelling, sorting and organizing my pictures. Even in a digital format, this process is quite time consuming. But with a few days off work during the holiday season, the task is at last at an end.

So what do I recall first of Gozo which is one of the three islands which makes up the nation of Malta. First, the shocking discovery that it is home to some of the oldest Neolithic ruins in the world. The Ggantija Temple is over 5000BC (that's older than the Pyramids of Giza) and some of the coralline limestone used in its construction as large and as heavy as a pick up truck. How these ancient peoples transported and constructed these Neolithic temples is another mystery.




Then in the prisons throughout Malta and Gozo is ths strange and very unique prision graffiti. Gozo was use as a penal colony and many of the settlers were former seafarers. Hence, the unique ship graffiti seen. Each mast on the ship was said to represent a year of imprisonment.

Last but certainly no least is the food of the islands....predominately seafood which is no big surprise. Every kind of fish from lampuki (dolphin fish) to sea bass to swordfish to grouper were consumed on our trip. At Mgarr where the Gozo-Malta ferry docks, we had a splendid dinner of fresh breem grilled to perfection.
Driving in Malta is itself an adventure. Mr. Hippo hadn't driven standard on the left side of the road for nearly a decade. The traffic on Gozo as sedate but on Malta, it was often chock-a-block congestion. It was a good thing that the Fortino Spa Hotel in Sliema was opposite the ferry to Valetta which made sightseeing around Valetta and the Three cities easier.

Back from the land of the Knights

After two weeks away in Malta, I have finally gotten around to getting the Christmas decorations up this weekend. To the tune of Christmas carols, we started with the tree...lights, garlands, ribbons and then the ornaments. Bad luck this year regarding the Christmas lights, three strings were out. Mr. Hippo salvaged a few bulbs but the lights were toast. This of course is just an excuse to buy the newest LED lights which do burn brighter and last longer (as witnessed by the fact that the manufacturers do no provide any spare bulbs). The tree smells great as only a real Christmas tree can. Attracted by the smell and the foliage, the cat has taken to the tree as her new haven.

Next, we proceeded with putting the new blue LED lights on the outside pine tree as well as along the fence of the backyard. A few wreaths on the front, side and backyard doors and some mistletoe over the threshold and voila, the house is dressed for Christmas. I have admit that the sight of the tree does brighten my spirits at this time of the year.

Another Christmas tradition for Mr. Hippo and I is going to hear the reading of an abbreviated version of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". For the second year, we drove to neighbouring Georgetown to hear an animated reading of the story. The story is told in five parts and each segment ends with the local choir singing a Christmas carol. This year's CBC personality was Julie Dempsey who read the "Ghost of Christmas Past" stave. The highlight was Ms. Vera MacDonald's reading of the "Ghost of Christmas Future". To get into character, she was dressed up as a Victorian lady.

In this coming week, another of the season's tradition, the Christmas party. For this year, I am hosting the staff office Christmas party and it is to be a catered affair. However, I am taking of the alcohol which means getting a few bottles of red wine and brewing some warm mulled wine.
I have managed to write a little about my vacation with Mr. Hippo to Malta which will appear in a few posts as there is much of tell of our travels to the land of the Knights.

Halloween Ba hum bug

Okay so I have to tolerate the fake blood, grave stones, skeletons, and kitchy orange and black decorations but I draw the line at the begging for candy from perfect strangers. I guess I find no meaning in this holiday. So this year for Halloween as I do each year to avoid the hoards of ghouls and globins at my door, I head out to a fine dining establishment. This year as my father and Hippo are away, I took my mother to Lai Tah Ween at the Metropolitan Hotel. What a pleasant surprise...shark fin soup with real crabmeat (delicious!), sea cucumber clams on a bed of mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, carrots and sugar snaps and then shredded roast chicken seasoned with rock salt served with jellyfish.

The grimmest of this year was also marked by the sudden and tragic passing of two individuals: my dear Hippo's mother and my brother-in-law's father both in the past week and both had their funerals on the same day on difference sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, across the Pacific, my father celebrated his 68th birthday on the exact same day. Aware of these losses, I am sure that he views life as precious. A realization made more acute when death seems to strike so unexpectedly.

A small world without Facebook

Milton may be a growing town but it never ceases to amaze me how small the world really is. I recently had a new prenatal patient who I felt an immediate connection. She too thought that I looked familiar. She had delivered a previous child in the United States so I knew it could not have been a professional association. After a few minutes, I asked if she had gone to Western which she confirmed. Then I asked if she knew Ms. Foodie which she also confirmed. At last I have figured it out (as did she as well) that she rented a room in our (Ms. Foodie and I) three bedroom flat in Ms. Foodie's and her last year of studies at UWO. She had lived for a few years in the New England region before moving back to Canada and of all places, to Milton. I can't even imagine how many more such connections I would make if I ever signed up for Facebook.

Gaudied out

Gaudi's work is everywhere in Barcelona and no visit is complete without visiting at least one of these buildings. As it was Ms. Foodie's first visit, we started small and worked our way up to the enormous spectacle of the Sagrada Familia. First, the lampposts designed in the Plaza Reial, the Hans and Gretal houses and ceramic lizard at Park Guell, the whimsical roof of the Casa Mila and then the grand church itself.

We took the elevator up one of the towers, taking in spectacular sites of giant fruit topped spires before walking down these 257 steps. Both Ms. Foodie and I had to pause on occasion because of some slight vertigo and to enjoy the views from the windows in the towers.

Another memorable moment was the protest by Spaniards and Buddhist monks in Spain against the Juta regime in Burma. We did not learn that this was part of a co-ordinated world wide action organized by Amnesty International until we watched the news that evening.

The roof of the hypo style hall was studded with ceramic sculptures by Gaudi.


Gaudi's playful nature is apparent in these sentries (disguised chimney stacks) on the roof of the Casa Mila or La Pedrera (the quarry). When Gaudi first unveiled this design, some critics described the apartment as a collection of bland stones. Hence, the nickname of "the quarry" was adopted for this building.
One little know fact about Gaudi was his death. Gaudi was local celebrity in Barcelona at the time he was the architect of the Sagrada Familia. He lived and worked in the neighbour close to his beloved structure. On his way to work one day, he was struck by a tram a block away from the Sagrada Familia. He was taken to a hospital where he eventually died. His body lay unrecognized for three days!

After days of eating Spanish food, I had to make a break for an Asian meal in Barcelona. All that oil, heavy sauce, and deep fried foods can make this Asian girl hungry for a bowl of noodles. So it was off to a Japanese restaurant called Udon for a satisfying bowl of beef ramen.

It is good to be home now. Although the road home was started with a little bumpy ride. Ms. Foodie and I were supposed to take a direct train from our hotel to the airport. The train station was just in front of the Park Hotel. It was very fortunate that we decided to take the earlier train for what was suppose to a 30 minute ride took an hour and twenty minutes.

The train was suppose to proceed through 5 stops before reaching the airport, its terminus. After two stops, the train remained idle at the Barcelona Sants station for nearly 10 minutes. No announcements or train officials came by to tell the riders why. Then the lights were turned off and pretty much everyone alighted.

Through our fellow Spanish speaking riders, we learned that we were get on the next train, ride two stops and then alight at that station. Then a third train came along and took us to the airport. The final moment of frustration came when the lights and power temporarily went off on this third train at the moment of departure. Audible signs of relief were heard when the power came back on and when we finally arrived at the airport.

The gate for our plane changed and so the British Airways flight leg to Heathrow was delayed in its departure by 30 minutes. Thankfully, there was a time change and we had 2 hours layover in London. This we hoped would mean our bags stood a better chance of catching up with us. The irony was our flight from London to Toronto arrived 35 minutes early thanks to some powerful tail winds. By the time we cleared customs and picked up our bags (yes they made it on our flight), Mr. Hippo had just arrived at the terminal and we were off and away home by 6pm (the time the flight was suppose to arrive). Whew! Home safe and sound.

Barcelona and Cal Pep

Ms. Foodie and I had a short hour flight from Bilbao to Barcelona. Still tired from our early more departure, we decided to rest in the afternoon and then head off for a stroll in the old Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. We found many small courtyards such as this one. There were a number of cheese, pork and other food stores too. You have to admire a country where the pig is so venerated. Although this photograph recalls a William Holding novel, the love of the pig cannot be underestimated in Spain. From roast pig to Serrano Ham to Chorizo, the pig is everywhere. Perhaps only the chinese have more pork dishes.
That evening, we had easily the best meal in Spain at Cal Pep. We arrived at 9pm (early by Spanish time) and did not get a seat the bar until 10pm. The usual one hour wait is normal at this restaurant (and we were warned about this at many reviews of the place). However, we were served several glasses of white wine and beer while waiting. It also give us an opportunity to observe the dishes being served. This turned out to be valuable as there was no menu. There is one posted outside of the restaurant but none was given when we were seated. Dishes of baby octopus stewed with chicken peas, whole prawns grilled with heads on, calamari, lightly battered and deep fried artichoke hearts, baked white fish, stewed clams, floated by. Our heavenly meal was washed down with house white wine. To complete this culinary experience, I had Calvados and Ms. Foodie has some pistachio ice cream. Drunk, full and happy, we stumbled home which was thankfully less than 300m away.

Bilbao and green space.

After a 1hour flight midmorning flight we arrived in Bilbao. I still marvel that the internal flights of Spain are cheaper than the rail tickets.

Ms. Foodie was a big fan of Gehry's and so we headed off pretty sooner after our arrival to see the big giant twisted piece of metal.
Sadly, most of the museum's exhibits were under renovation at the time of visit and would open in about 2 weeks. Bad planning on our part. However, we did have fun with the existing installations.

I didn't think I would be impressed by Bilbao's Guggenheim. Very big and frankly industrial in nature, what was the fuss about? In fact, it has been 10 years since Frank Gehry's design was made real here on the banks of the Nervion. This controversial structure has been hailed as the first real wonder of the 21st century and vilified as a cheese factory or giant cauliflower.

Love it or hate it, the Guggenheim has transformed Bilbao itself. In its first year of construction, this city of 450 000 citizens was visited by over 700 000 peoples from around the world. I did think the structure ultimately was quite beautiful. It is very different from the rest of the architecture in Bilbao making it quite a spectacle. However, the industrial products involved in the contruction give a nod to Bilbao's past. As a bonus, Sir Norman Foster designed subway (the most modern in the world) has the trains gliding across rails embedded on a green lawn. Very cool!

Toledo

Who knew that mazapan was so good? Rarely do I enjoy any sweet dessert but the mazapan snacks in Toledo are quite exciting...such that it has reshaped Ms. Foodie's opinion of them.
This photograph is of the remnants of muslim influence in Toledo. Part of the Mezquita de las Tornerias i.e. a modest mosque now part of a house of arts and craft display.

Toledo was once a centre of three cultures. Once because the Jews and Muslims were expelled after the events of the crusade for the latter and by a 1492 decree from Isabella and Ferdinand. However, the city still holds reminders of the influence of both groups as seen by the horseshoe archways of the Synagogue of Santa Marie La Blanca, evidence of classic Almohad architecture.

As Ms. Foodie and I wandered through the wet cobblestone paths of Toledo, we contemplated the demise of this once cosomopolitan city. From the remains of the Mosque (Mesquita) de las Tornerias to the horseshoe arches of the Synagogue de Santa Maria La Blanca, and to the tower of the Church of Santa Tombe, the moorish influence is seen everywhere.
When we returned to Madrid, Ms. Foodie suggested dinner at Casa Minga. Recommended by Frommers, Chow Hound and other foodie website sites, this restaurant had but a few things on the menus: cider, roast chicken and the grilled peppers with tuna. All were quite excellent but as Ms. Foodie rightly pointed out, the cider tasted a bit rustic (or in my words like a barnyard!).