Wednesday Special 11

Congratulations to all the winners of June DMBLGIT! And thanks to Nidhi of Snacksgiving for appointing me to be the judge for the event. I would also like to express my gratitude to all participants who have submitted photos and helped save the contest. My special gratitude to many foodbloggers who have taken the step of submitting photos for the first time on behalf of good intention. Thank you all!

The contest managed to collect 95 submissions. Apparently there were many great photos to assess and it was hard to choose the winners when they were all good. Well, fortunately there were Meeta, Vero, and Tania... The final decision was drawn from the highest total points accumulated from all judges.



Meanwhile, the good news is I just got myself a new laptop that would give me 24 hour access to this blog. So pleased to finally get a full insight into what is going on with my blog and other's. Definitely will say "Hi" more often to everyone and no more reason to skip posting on a weekend. Now my blog update is just a few clicks away :-) Yes!



Just got to learn about the exciting photo contest from Deeba's Passionate About Baking. Check it out, you might be interested to join....





See you for more updates. For now hope you enjoy my non-food photo shoot. Have a great day!

Wednesday Special 08

Thanks to all of you who have sent your concerns regarding my and T’s safety. We are fine, spending a lot of time at home and continuously follow the news. In fact T has been resting at home since his employer felt it was safer for everyone to do so, don’t know until when - assumingly when there is a further notice. I myself have been working (and blogging) as normal.



Yesterday there was a curfew so all of us were allowed to leave the office at 4 pm. My Australian colleague who sat in the same room decided to leave straight away. And as he was walking out from the room I said "See you tomorrow!" as I always do. He replied "No, I will see you when I see you!" That is the true expression of the uncertainty we are facing these days. Curfew might go on until the next couple of days.




Meanwhile, I think both I and T need a little sanctuary to escape to in the midst of daily stress and disruptions. Especially now that we are mostly bound to be spending more time at home. Besides the fact that the political turmoil has further worsened and invaded into our used-to-be free and easy lifestyle and it is not safe to travel to areas that we used to go, we also deeply need a place that is natural, calm and peaceful for our eyes and mind in our own residence.



So we have purchased a rectangular cement receptable and transformed it into a mini artificial pond where fish can swim freely, lotus blooms to its fullest glory and the morning sunlight reflects on the the crystal clear water surface like a mirror. I and T can just sit at our balcony, in front of our pond enjoying the sanctuary and for that particular moment, the peace is back within us.

Wednesday Special 04

Gosh, I just remember it is again another Wednesday. Hope you guys enjoy these photos as much as I am enjoying my holiday. T and I wish you all the best from the tropical capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta.



By the way, I have found so many new background paper (Thanks to T for helping me carry them around under the heat). "So tired but can't refuse to do such chore!", said T who is sitting next to me right now. You will see these great backgrounds very soon in my near-future posts :-)

Wednesday Special 03

Two Fridays away, on the way back home I passed by Seven Eleven and there were 2 little kids – most probably 5-6 years old sitting at the side of the mini mart selling jasmine buds. One whole tray of these fragrant flowers. Despite I didn’t really know what I could do with them, I ordered one bag. They were so happy for successfully making some money. All I could think of was that I had to take photograph of these little cuties the following morning.



Storing them in fridge overnight, they were ready to pose for me the next morning. Snap snap snap…. I had so much fun. Since it was a Saturday and I was totally free (T works on alternate Saturdays) I could indulge myself in exploring shooting angles almost endlessly. No work, no time pressure, no appointment, it was just me and my jasmine buds.

Wednesday Special 02

Thank you all for your condolences. They meant a lot to me and T. Today is the day his dad was cremated. Took place at 5 pm but the whole ceremony started from 11am. For that I took leave from work. It was an opportunity to know everyone in T's family, his colleagues, friends, neighbors, old classmates and even exs. It was also a rare occasion where I could have a conversation with his sisters, aunts, and relatives.

This week has been a very hectic week with a lot of things to deal with. For T it is not over yet - tomorrow he has to wake up early to join his family in the temple to collect his dad's ashes and attend whatever ceremony following that. For me, I will go back to work as usual.



Don't worry I still remember my Wednesday Special. For that, I have kept these few shots I took last week and like to share 2 of them with you. T was too tired to have dinner and has fallen sleep while I was still finding time to send this post. Anyway, here you go.... Hope you all have a great Wednesday and enjoy these photos! Your suggestion and criticism are mostly welcome.

Wednesday Special 01

Today is Wednesday and seems like a perfect day - the middle of the week, to post something special. Something that is out of the routine, featuring photos of my interest, could be food related or something else.

This is all due to my decision to learn and practice more photography in the scope of food, still life and lifestyle. Haven’t done much enough and therefore, I have been restless and constantly triggered to make use of every second that I have to shoot something new. Have accumulated a number of photo shots and thought of sharing them with you.... on every Wednesday.



And that is how the “Wednesday Special” came about. So to all of you, my friends..... I hope you enjoy what you see and your criticism is mostly welcome!

Meanwhile, I like to thank Tanja of Tanja's Cupcakes who recently passed the Sunshine award to me. It has been a great pleasure and really a sunshine of my day. Thanks for considering me, Tanja :-)



And these are the 12 blogger friends I like to share the Sunshine with…
- Fitri of Mommy Nisa
- Sue Sparks of Munchkin Munchies
- Mandy of What The Fruitcake?
- Simone of Junglefrog Cooking
- Vicky of Sweets at Vicky’s
- Deeba of Passionate About Baking
- Anita of Leave Room for Dessert
- Barbara of Movable Feasts
- Valerie of The Chocolate Bunny
- Jennifer of Maple and Cornbread
- Katie of Something Sweet
- Wolf of Wolf’s Den

Boy, I'm Inspired!

Have included Sweet Paul in "My Blog List" for the longest time, but didn't really have the leisure time to familiarize and get deeper into what Paul's blog is all about, until yesterday. And after spending hours and hours reading and clicking through his styling works - chronologically, I should say I was deeply ... deeply.... inspired. Haven't been inspired this much.. in a long long time...

It was like lots of fireworks were shot out into the evening Bangkok sky! **am I exaggerating ha ha? This envigorating inspiration was there like breathing the freshest air into my lungs, like discovering a fulfillment to my utmost desire..... like a long yearning finally found the way out!



In that moment of admiring his blog, I spoke to myself.... “I l…o…v…e all about this and should be doing just this .... photo styling!” Perhaps in the scope of food and lifestyle still-life styling, plus relevant photography. A near future direction or profession. “There I have defined it!”



I didn’t sleep well last night and this morning I started to notice all little details I have forgotten to pay attention to. Yellow brushstrokes on the pavement, wooden plant pots at the bus stop, rustic fences, vegetables at the market, and I stopped by a vintage book stop and chatted with the shop owner. Bought a very old photography book printed in China and collected information of how to go to a vintage furniture market nearby. I was inspired and I wanted to photograph something beautiful, soon.



All I know is I have loved everything that is beautiful like red velvet cupcakes, satin, lace, strawberries, passionfruits, plates, cups, kitchen props, backdrops, old rusty wood panels, glass vases, fancy utensils, embroideries, beads, and this list can go on and on endlessly... Now I want to be able to capture them all!

So an inspiration turns a firm quest? ...If a man really works on his dream, can he make it come true?



"Paul, thanks the inspiration! I like to dedicate this award to your blog!" You should all check out Paul's blog and be inspired :-)

New and Wishful

Happy New Year, Everyone! Wish you all a new year filled with love, joy, great health, and success!

It is Bake in Paris’ first anniversary! My gratitudes to all of you - especially the blogger peers - for leaving constructive comments to my 91 posts and providing mental support to me. Thanks for the opportunity to make friends with you and to learn from you!



Also my gratitudes to Daring Baker, DMBLGIT, and CLICK for pushing me beyond the limit of my capabilities and causing me to realize what my true interests that lied deep down and yearned to express themselves were. I have found baking, cooking, photography, photo styling, and blogging my passion. This blog and T are 2 greatest things I have embraced during 2009 and for them I feel very blessed.



Meanwhile, I have made some resolutions for the new year...
* I would like to see myself getting one step closer to finding what I really want to do with these baking and photography interests. Despite there might be obstacles along the way, I would like to work on it and bring it into a clearer definition.
* I would like to inject more exciting content into this blog. Many new possibilites will be explored.
* I would like to keep myself healthy. Hopefully I will have more time to rest and exercise. Yoga skills should be improved.
* I would like to keep my lover, family, and friends close to my heart.



A close friend of mine has been talking about making a change in his life and relocate to a new country. I won't doubt a second if he again has included that into his new year’s resolution. He remarked that he has been doing mental preparation. However, he still has his doubt about his career in the foreign country and how he could cope leaving his mother behind. I truly wish him the best and hope this new year will give him great spirit to finally take the action. Afterall, I think he deserves to stay in a country of his dream, a place where he feels he belongs.



The exciting 2010 has begun with a new DMBLGIT award. Thanks to Arfi Binsted of Home MadeS for hosting the DMBLGIT December challenge! Arfi's blog is fabulous, packed with beautiful photographs and great recipes.... so give it a click! I am so charged up after the holiday and can't wait to bake more cakes and take more photos! Thanks again, Everyone!

December Gratitude

Strawberry season is back! Love seeing them so abundant in every corner of the town. They are available in mousse cakes, smoothies, pies, and everything that is delicious. It is wonderful even just enjoying the vivid and lovely color of these fruits. The taste is remarkable and refreshing!



It is just as wonderful for receiving a blog award from Sue Sparks of Munchkin Munchies this month. It feels so much Holiday Season already! Let me pass this on to other 10 great blogger friends for acknowledging the inspirations and support they have given to me and other bloggers. Thank you so much, guys! You rock...

- Simone of Junglefrog Cooking
- Fitri of Rumah Manis
- Anula of Anula's Kitchen
- Lauren of Celiac Teen
- Rose of Bite Me Kitchen
- Mimi of Mimi's Kitchen
- Audax of Audax Artifex
- Anncoo of Anncoo's Hobby
- Jenn of Jenn Cuisine
- Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums

Fresh From The Trees

It is wise to get to know someone from getting to know his friends. And I was just doing that when last September T brought me for a weekend trip to Kanchanaburi with his friends. There were 7 of them - young and energetic office workers in their 20s and 30s. The trip was remarkably fun because we were staying in a resort set in a natural environment next to River Kwai, a river flows in western of Thailand infamous for its Bridge over the River Kwai. Such a refreshing weekend getaway with good food, great friends and freshest air!





As it was our first trip together, I was so looking forward to it for the entire week. Located 130 kms west of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi is Thailand's fourth largest province that spans over 19,486 square kilometres, and borders Burma to the West. The comfortable 2 hours drive brought us to this province which is famous for its bridge, waterfalls, caves, national parks and reservoir.



Along the way, we had a chance to visit Rose Apple farm. It was so much fun watching all these beautiful fruits hanging on the branches and gaining knowledge about how this fruits grow and where to market them. The whole experience turned out to be a wonderful one as the farm owner let us pick the fruits right from the trees and eat them fresh. Of course we could only leave in content if we were allowed to buy some for friends and the loved ones at home. We also had the chance to visit a beautiful temple nearby and Amphawa floating market. Well, a trip can never be complete without buying local snacks and tidbits.



While other friends' fresh-from-the-farm rose apples mostly ended up right in the stomach, mine took a longer journey. And I was recalling my get-to-know-each-other trip with T, I left these rose apples as a present for you to enjoy.....

Merci Beaucoup

First of all, I would like to thank Jill of Jillicious Discoveries for passing the One Lovely Blog Award to me. I am flattered and honored. Thanks, Jill... It has been nice getting to know you and learn so much from your beautiful blog!

Haven't been that long in this blogging world, so far it has been fun, exciting, fulfilling, and at times challenging - when it comes to meeting Daring Bakers' posting deadlines and occasionally my own personal ones. And of course making friends and learning from other bloggers. Hope to know food bloggers from Thailand though *wishful thinking



And last, here comes the time for me to dedicate this One Lovely Blog Award to other 13 bloggers out there who have been inspirations for me! Feel free to pass it on to your other 13 favorite blogs.

1. Fitri of Rumah Manis
2. Thip of Bonbini
3. Anula of Anula's Kitchen
4. Gine of I Dolce Fanno Felici
5. Lolo of Vegan Yum Yum
6. Karen of Citrus and Candy
7. Natalie of Patisserie Natalie
8. Jenn of Jenn's Cuisine
9. Angela of Isolated Foodie
10. Vera of "Baking Obsession
11. Simone of Junglefrog Cooking
12. Isa of Eat My Cake Now
13. Melissa of 99% Cacao Dark Chocolate