perspective from my simple life

photo montages of last spring

2013-03-17T18:49:00.000+08:00

Spring is a little delayed this year with extraordinary climate change here - it hasn't snowed here in March since 1888 but it was snowing up to few days back.. Its freeeeeezing cold and its about time we march into spring mood, eh?

Community Plus Idea

2013-02-24T03:59:00.000+08:00

As I was one of the 100 winners in the social awareness competition organised by the Unhate Foundation in October last year, I am awarded with some funds to launch the ideas. However, as I do not wish to imprudently spend the money, I am beginning the phase of the project first through a facebook group set-up in order to gauge if what I have in mind is really in line with the actual current needs in the community.

It is my first phase of the project- termed as the stakeholder engagement- also what I call the 'improvisation' stage.

This is the group on facebook- I am using both English and Dutch as medium of communication in order to obtain as many possible responses for now, and to engage a diverse group of people -mostly targeted in the community where I reside.

Below were the preliminary idea's sent to the Unhate Foundation, (a sister company of the United Colors of Benetton).

Draft Snapshop of Preliminary draft proposal from Lili Chong-Careme

Snapshot of the draft proposal in October 2012

Draft Business proposal for Unhate Foundation 2012 from Lili Chong-Careme

First Survey form
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series of photos shot by husband

2013-02-23T21:39:00.000+08:00

For those who follow my posts, my husband is a photography enthusiast, who self-taught himself on how to work with the DSLR, the equipments, technicalities around the camera, etc- all through videos on youtube.

Having an ISTJ BriggsMyers personality trait, he is quite preserved in nature and likes to have everything in good order. I look up to him as he is always persistent and consistent in what he believes or pursues. Being an ENFP myself, I can be quite the opposite -I am a people-oriented person, and I tend to be abit loud, being an extroverted girl. Hence, being with him really balances my character, and for that, I will never trade with anything else in the world, I am extremely proud of him despite that he may not have the formal qualifications on paper -he is what I need to keep my feet on the ground.

Yesterday, he experimented with a new idea for the first time - we made a 'make-do' temporary 'studio' to try out some effects. Unfortunately as our volunteer model caught on the flu the very last minute, he had to use yours truly as to replace the actual intended model.

Hence, besides the old boring poses, the focus of this post is on his different new trial of shooting, which again I am featuring on this blog, as a sign of my support and pride in what he does.

The last few photos are shot thanks to his bestfriend who dropped in with his beautiful children when they said hello to us while in the action. ;)

SlidesShare what a brilliant site!

2013-02-21T11:00:00.004+08:00

Just set up my account there and uploaded a couple of notes to share with the online community as I have also been benefitting from them.

What goes around comes around! :)

Valentines dinner

2013-02-17T19:52:00.001+08:00

I wish we discovered this restaurant before, de Kleine Garnaal, (literally translated 'little shrimps') is a definite place to go for a meal - such fresh seafood ingredient, husband and I were very contented and satisfied with the meal, and the service as well.

Value for money considering what you get on your plate. Not somewhere we can afford to go everyday, but for those 'levensgenieters' -(people who enjoy life) -definitely somewhere one can look forward to weekly or something?

Check out their finger-licking stuff they serve in the restaurant here.


Entree - shrimp salad -generous portion of 'garnaal'/shrimps at mere 13 euro.

Skrei, potato puree and shrimps - fresh near-adult trout

Simple, yet memorable Valentines.

2013-02-16T05:45:00.000+08:00

One of my hobbies include joining in competitions, due to the idea of wanting to 'win' something, be it for fun, or just to further a cause I believe in. In the spirit of Valentines, I submitted an entry to Moët & Chandon Belgium which we fortunately and happily won!

Unfortunately, we could not attend the grand reception in Brussels, due to him having to work on that day, and that we live quite far from the capital. Anyhow, the good news is, we are expecting a bottle of Moët Rose Imperial on Monday courtesy of the Moët team, which we are certainly looking forward to :)

Maybe we might save it for our upcoming 3rd year wedding anniversary?

On the actual valentines day itself, we didn't do anything so fancy nor grandiose.. We had a simple valentines-theme dinner at home, and bought a bouquet of red roses for ourselves.

For many reasons, it made me realised that the point is to appreciate your loved ones no matter how you do it, nor what you do ain't so important- its the genuine thought from deep within that counts at the end of the day..

Through thick and thin, has he stuck by my side throughout this years, through my worst and best days, I don't want to sound cheesy, but there isn't more that I can ask for in a man. I know we may not have the perfect relationship, but through hardships, challenges and obstacles, we endure through it headstrong together. Huney, here's a toast to a lifetime of endurance, strength and courage to do this together. You are just one guy, but you alone have that power to make me cry, laugh, scream, smile.. You are sometimes my bugger, pain in my ass, my teacher, mentor ,.you are however that one crucial piece that complete me.

Happy Valentines, my dearest sunshine.

winter streetstyle

2013-01-08T04:48:00.002+08:00

This post is just for fun, inspired by my dear friend and fashionista, Aludee Jane. I need to work on my poses as I am quite shy to pose in public places. Husband took this shots on the way home from the yearly after-Christmas 'solden period' - after Christmas sales.

Photo shot by beloved husband

My first and only (for now) Levi jeans, brown leather boots from Kickers, brown bag from last year's Christmas sales, hat from Accesorize, and black coat from Zara.

Both the boots and coat came from parents in law and husband as Christmas gifts. They always 'conspire' together behind my back every Christmas to get me stuff ;) up to the moment of putting those presents under the tree only hours before opening them. Last year, as I used to revise downstairs next to the tree till late at night for my exams in January- they all suspected I went through all the gifts secretly to find out which are mine. Hence, this year, they all pretended to forget my presents -yeps, till the very last moment. Nevertheless, I shudder at the thought of how much my presents cost. :s

the Serenity Prayer for the New Year

2013-01-04T21:56:00.003+08:00

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

2012-12-07T07:27:00.000+08:00

My illustrative style of work

2012-11-15T21:12:00.000+08:00

Though I have always been a law student for both my bachelors and masters and 2 years as an in-house lawyer, my way of seeing things in perspective and clarity is always in the form of illustrations.

This is not a conventional style for typical lawyers, but I have always been drawn to preparing everything in colourful diagrams and process flows. I am not sure what caused me to be so, perhaps its because colours and illustrations make things clearer and I remember the pictures better or perhaps because the nearly 3 years of early childhood education in Japan. We did alot of art work in classes, which I enjoyed very much back then, but now that's only a fuzzy collection of memories.

evolution of ADR in Malaysia

simplified structure of the EU institutions after Treaty of Lisbon- the Diamond structure

Even for my academic master thesis on banking resolution, I also used illustrative method, which the professor too found amusing.

One of the few illustrations from my thesis

Very simplified corporate governance notes

Shareholders and stakeholder relationship

Summarised EU Institutional changes

As an individual, I am always curious, and am always open to learning new things. I like to see how every small things around me connect together to finally form the big picture. There are very little things around me that does not interest me, that's the kind of person I am.

Hence, when I stumbled upon Khan Academy, you can only imagine my joy. He is like a talking encyclopedia who explains everything through concept flows, illustrations, mind maps -all the methods I enjoy very much. He brings me back to my youth years when I used to read encyclopedias as hobby.

Personal development chart

And, my most recent-winning entry for the Social innovation project organised by the United Colors of Benetton with the generous and kind support of my family, friends and everybody else from the online community.

One of the slide presentation page for the Unhate Foundation. 3 days to prepare for.

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-30T20:31:00.000+08:00


Photo Source and credits to adventurous and talented JP, my neighbour :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurajeanpierre/8119144875/sizes/z/in/photostream/


and happy 'herfstvakantie' - autumn break by the professional Mr Dick Van Brenda https://www.facebook.com/dick.vanbreda

Back to the 50s and the retro style

2012-10-30T19:21:00.000+08:00

Just a quick update on a blast to the past party organised by the library of Ostend for the public.

For the first time ever, the library not only opened its door to the public at night, but also offered indulging- complete back to the 50s style, with the right atmosphere, music and dance, free photo shoots and transformation into the ladies from that era!

Radio Modern needs no further introduction in Belgium-its been a new phenomenon amongst people here, partying in the 50s style. The only difference with the library was that, as it was their treat to the public, it was free for us all. Those who'd like to more about this should watch this video by the Fans of Flanders.

Coco Fizz and Christophe Avril

The professional photographer, Jochen Decostere in action

Free professional photoshoot in the library

Before our 'transformation'

With the famous Modernettes

The Modernettes doing their thing!

And voila! the final end result

swing, baby swing!

Swing like your granny!

First weekend of October 2012

2012-10-08T05:14:00.002+08:00

Few things happened on Saturday but I don't really want to go over it, except the part where I got this new t-shirt from 'Youth in Action Europe' which made up a worthwhile day afterall. Although the shirt is oversized, I like the wording behind it. Yes, you may call me cheesy all you want, (and yes I admit it too, husband was chanting 'cliche, cliche' to burst my excitement) but I quite like it. For one, eventhough the woman who gave it to me suggested it to be a pyjama t-shirt, I can use it meanwhile for my weekly runs in the neighbourhood here, while the sun still shines in Oostende.

I won't be able to run anymore in such t-shirts soon, or maybe for that matter, not have the guts to step out in the cold to run soon brrrrr. I noticed few people slowed down their cars to turn their heads to look at me today-which made me wonder if they were curious to see an Asian running or curious to read what was on my back? I don't know -perhaps with all this political campaigns going on in Oostende now, they were probably deciding which party I am trying to publicise or whatever.

Today the 7th is hubby's birthday. Eventhough he doesn't read this blogs, I still want to post it here. He doesn't usually like celebrations etc, but I insisted that we do something different and step out, go to a restaurant. I purchased a voucher from Groupon about 2 weeks back for a 3-course meal at Chez Nous in Bredene, as I was there few months back and I quite liked it. Their speciality is seafood gerechten (dishes) and mosselen en frites (mussels and fries). I had their mosselen La Maison lastime and it was very good- they served fat and juicy mussels with one of the best tasting sauce. The service is also good and yes, you can get quite good Vlaamse gerechten (Flemish food) there. For today, we had garnaal and kaas croquettes as entree (prawn and cheese), kolvis met pomme duchess as main course (fish with potato croquettes) and finally yummy chocolade mousse as dessert. Nice finishing touch, but there goes my jogging effort for today. I think I gained more calories than I lost.

There is a nice ambience at the restaurant/ gezellige restaurant and its nice to not be doing the dishes for a change, and just relax with the people I love most.

At Chez Nous, Bredene.
He strikes as an unhappy birthday boy, but don't worry guys, don't be deceived by his looks, he just doesn't like to smile on photos to look 'cool'. I keep telling him it's sending wrong message to people, but he's been like that all these years. Ah well.

Husband is really a picky man when it comes to food- he hates vegetable, so we had a good arrangement today, I finished all his vege and he finished all my croquettes. Happy birthday sunshine. I love you for all your quirkiness, most of all for being you. No one is as unique as you, and if only people know what a funny person you are deep down.

And lastly, we went for a quick stroll in the city, and didn't stay too long as it was too crowded. So crowded you only see heads and cannot even view what is in front of you. For one, it is the annual 'Oktober Braderij' -whereby stores put out their supposedly heavily-discounted items out in front of their shops and people will be crowding to see what bargains they can bag home. I used to like to go through what good deals I might stumble upon, but since living here, I only check or go through it if I know for sure what I really want and if it is really necessary.

Oktoberfeest, Oostende. Mind the crowd. Mind the heads.

Secondly, it is the annual 'Oktoberfoor Feest' whereby all squares in Oostende are filled with temporary funfare stuff, krampjes (stalls that sells food) -mostly oily Oliebollens and Churos (deep fried small-donut-like snacks). If you want to go, I'd advise going on a weekday night, cos if you go in the weekends, you'd probably won't be able to see much but just heads. Tourists' and locals' heads all-alike, it doesn't matter. Eve n if you might not be claustrophobic, if you are out with people like them, you'd be sure not to see anything but head straight for home. Yes, i.e. yours truly, because hubby hates crowds. So home we went, barely doing anything in the city. But I shall try to be a grateful little angel by not complaining, because we did, afterall, at the very least went to the city.

Proposal inspired by the UNhate Foundation

2012-10-04T01:07:00.003+08:00

Lately I have been occupied with drafting a preliminary draft proposal for a project idea I submitted to the UnHate Foundation, launched by the United Colours of Benetton.

The United Colours of Benetton is well-reputable in the fashion industry for their high-quality and chic designs. Incidentally they are also well-known for another reason -namely their controversial posters and advertisements, which I think are brilliant and thought-provoking, hence it is a positive controversy for me.

Image source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2011/1117/Benetton-ads-draw-criticism-from-White-House-Vatican

sniff sniff do you smell/sense irony here?

While these images among others may have drawn criticisms from several different quarters around the world, we have to give it to the company for catching the world's attention. Whatever message it is trying to send out (depending on what the viewers perceive it to be), the images are certainly memorable and inspiring to many -that it is okay to be different. The perks of being different is that you have the chance to stand out among the many normal ordinaries around you.

I am in full support of any campaigns which forwards the thinking of reducing hate, which implies putting differences aside, embracing diversity and being as inclusive as possible. For me, each time I see a multi-cultural picture or different nationalities together in a photo, I instantly think of the United Colours of Benetton. The brand in itself represents diversity and integration.

Synonymous with what it stands for, it launched the Unhate initiative in order to spread more awareness globally through encouraging people to reduce hate as its slogan stands for itself.

Being in a country like Belgium where foreigners go through language barriers and cultural differences problems, it is necessary that we are still reminded of the hope that this type of companies aim to spread. Everything starts in from mentality -the more we read and see these kind of initiatives around us, hopefully the more differences we may close in and achieve more inclusiveness in the world we live in.

Image Source: http://nadekomma.wordpress.com/tag/gent/ Of course it is exemplary to display such slogans, but the next question ensues - You can certainly easily talk the walk, but, can you walk the talk?

Zonder Haat Straat = No Hatred Street is a sign that you will see ocassionally on windows and walls in the streets of the Flanders region in Belgium. (It is quite funny and weird I see this on the streets but yet I get the impression that many Belgians are 'dikke nek's' = (thick neck, literally translated) which means that quite a ~~huge~~ proportion of them suffer a chronic superiority complex disease. Especially more if i.e. they are from a certain group of profession such as hm, I don't know, lawyers? -they seem to think that they are above all creatures on earth. Then again, I suppose many lawyers suffer from such an obnoxious disease and the disability not to show-off or complain (which inevitably is in fact- their hidden form of bragging). However, this disease is not only widespread in the legal profession (yours truly being an exception) but generally suffered by the class of rich people. Rich people who complains about how much tax they have to pay and who seem to think they work far harder than the rest of the species, and yet ironically they complain about i.e. their 500 € bill don't fit in their wallet or they could not find their favourite colour for their foldable bikes.

Source: http://tweedesekse.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/547913_326258830783404_1857990626_n.jpg

Poor little creatures say you? Hm.

Anyhow, I have am joining the efforts initiated by the UnHate Foundation because I absolutely believe in its cause - Alleviating differences and increasing inclusivity for everyone beginning from the local community stage.

If you share my sentiments, please 'appreciate' my proposal in order to realise the dream.

In conjunction with the initiative, I attach below some very 'United Colours of Benetton'-ish pictures from my varsity years.(seems like a lifetime back -__-)

Picture taken by my friend Jean-Paul

I am currently working on some of the details and hope to send more concrete proposals and ideas to the organisers soon.

"The key to helping build a global culture against hate and for acceptance of diversity lies in the future generations." - The UNhate Foundation

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/DeTweedeSekseBlog?ref=stream

Tandem bicycle

2012-09-30T22:08:00.000+08:00

Cycling is a very popular sport in Belgium and for that it is no wonder many World Cycling Champions hail from this little land in the smack of Europe. People cycle for fun, and some who are more adventurous take it to another level- cycle not only around the neighbourhood, but inter-cities.

From an outsider point of view, Belgium is one of the safest places in the world to cycle just about anywhere. They have special 'fietspad' - cyclists routes to ensure their safety and comfort.

My neighbour, JP who is a full-time entrepreneur from Monday to Friday but turn cycling enthusiast in the weekend is one such example of an avid and keen cyclist. Occasionally I bump into this man outside after his cycling adventure where he's already done about 2-3 hours of cycling. On one fortunate occasion, he showed me all his bicycles in his garage, and among them is a popular type of bicycle called the 'tandem'. I don't usually see this kind of bicycles in Malaysia, so naturally I was quite excited at this concept of cycling.

Tandem is a bicycle with twin sits where two people can go cycling together on one bicycle with 2 wheels. It is quite an interesting idea however, both cyclists should be cycling at the same pace and the cyclist who rides in front will do the manoeuvring. The second cyclist at the back must on the other hand remain in trust of the lead cyclist and try not to move too much at the back-seat.

This is how a tandem looks like

As JP happened to be in his garage when we just arrived home, my husband and I decided to try it out around the block. Quite fun, except husband kept ordering me to 'be still', and contain my excitement, keep myself in control. I giggled so much that towards the end of the short round we saw JP with his camera.

Hence thanks goes to him for taking this impromptu shots.

If you visit Belgium, you will also notice that it is common to see people cycling everywhere. Occasionally you will also see a tandem as shown in the pictures.

Disney-like Princess Alexi

2012-09-27T17:55:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday afternoon, my husband and I had a heart-warming time at our friend's baby Alexi's 1st birthday party. Alexi is one of the most adorable babies that I know.

With mama Snow White and proud Robin Hood daddy

I know it might not seem too obvious, but I was wearing a Goofy T-shirt.

Checking out our gift :D

The many faces of Alexi shot by my husband just a couple months back before she turned 1.

Alexi and Vincent

Alexi with proud mummy Julie :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Princess Alexi! Gelukkig verjaardag. x

Proficiat papa Mardo en mama Julie! <3

#DenimComp

2012-09-27T03:14:00.004+08:00

British fashion retailer New Look and fashionista blogger Asteria Sparkle are currently running a competition to win £200 & a pair of jeans, with 9 pairs of jeans alongside that as runners-up prizes.

To be honest I am not much of a fashionista myself, but as New Look is one of my favourite and one of the most affordable brands, here is my try at this competition. I have 2 skinny jeans from New Look and up to now, have served me well. Another confession is that I only used to know carrot-cut jeans and straight-cut before I knew my husband who was the one who suggested I should try jeggings and skinny jeans. I used to doubt if jeggings in itself is really a recognised-type, but I guess according to the illustration below, it is an official denim-style jeans.

Source of info and image - http://www.newlook.com/campaign/2/campaign.jsp

Hence, below is my humble assemble -

Items are all from New Look

Parisian 32in Black PU Coated Skinny Jeans - £24.99
For a jeanius move, opt for these classic black jeans in an all over skinny fit. Featuring a matt coated finish, these are a timeless design with a twist.
Tan Brogue Lace Up Wedges - £27.99
The sun may have gone away for the season but you can get your tan another way! Get your kicks from these gorgeous leather-look wedge heel brogues. With a platform wedge, these shoes will give you the height of a heel with the comfort and feel of brogues. Featuring lace up fastening.
Dark Brown Leather-Look Fur Lined Jacket - £39.99
Wrap up for winter and stay warm in this gorgeous dark brown leather-look jacket with a delicious dark faux fur lining. In an asymmetric zip, side zip pockets and a hooded design, this is the perfect outerwear for the upcoming months.
Animal Print Peplum Top - £14.99
It's a jungle out there! Make sure you're ready to face it in this on-trend peplum top with an all over animal print. Featuring a rounded neck and cap sleeve design.
Stone Two Tone Double Pocket Bowler Bag - £22.99
For the ultimate accessory to your chic city look, this two tone bowler bag is the one! Featuring contrasting brown leather look trim and bow detail with a double handle and strap design with zip pockets to either side.
Gold and Leopard Print Bow Bracelet Set - £5.99
Add the finishing touch to any look with these stacked bracelets! Features stretchy beaded bracelet, four gold tone bangles and one leopard print plaited chain bangle with bow.
Ribbon Woven Pearl Stud Earrings - £4.99
Gold chain and black ribbon woven earrings with pearl bead stud centre.

*******

Follow this link for your own chance to enter this competition with 3 simple steps - Click on this post.

New interest,. wablieft?? 'Say what?'

2012-09-08T16:04:00.002+08:00

I recently discovered a series of Dutch books written in the simplest/clearest way possible. So simple, I can enjoy reading them. Thanks to my Russian lawyer classmate, I now have a new method to learn extra vocabularies voluntarily and mostly- happily! Though the endings of the books so far don't necessarily end happily, the way the stories are written makes you feel as if you are part of them.

"De Wablieft-boeken zijn vlotte boeken in duidelijke taal voor volwassen beginnende lezers. De Wablieft-boeken zijn boeiend, spannend, ontroerend, interessant, ... Wablieft heeft al 18 boeken uitgegeven. Ontdek ze allemaal" -Wablieft

'Ontdek ze allemaal'-discover them all - 'Lol, you bet I will!' As these books are authored by Belgians themselves, its not just any ordinary stories- but stories with cultural, lifestyle and perspective through a Belgian's lens. Its why it is so interesting for an outsider like me who is still finding her ground in this small, but quirky land.

If I can draw up a graft to show the growth of my relationship with Belgium per se,. it will look like hills and mountains. There are ups and downs, I am still learning the mannerism of the people here and trying to fit in. I have my good days but I also have equally frustrating days.

Thus, its always refreshing to discover another newcomer, and for me -each and every newcomers have their unique, specific stories- it never fails to fascinate me. Though most of them maybe similar in the sense that one of the spouse is a Belgian- they still have interesting stories behind that. Thanks to this website (for newcomers in Gent), I now have a new blog to follow -by ~~Princess~~ Leah . Leah writes her experience very beautifully, just like a verhaaltje (from storybook). Her site offers interesting dutch learning links i.e. Oefen hier Nederlands.

Ok, it's almost 10 am, I am going to one of my favourite spot in Oostende- the Bibliotheek (library). This place is like a playground for me- so many interesting things to dig and discover!

*Btw - I have now Sarah to blame (my Australian friend) for introducing this funny little blog by an Australian in Belgium -his perspectives are cynical, but yet funnily true! Its for those who's looking for a hilarious and humorous perspective of Belgium. LOL with eye-catching headlines like 'Big Nuts- Australians likes your rich velvety feel'. This guy named his blog 'The Ghentlemen' (because his mother tongue is English and he lives in Gent now- which makes him a Gentenaar in Belgium). Apparently, he writes haiku too, just like one of Belgium's former Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy.

I need to make a mental note to myself -if I need a laugh or two, go to his site for a natural antidote for a frustrating day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to console myself from laughing so hard from this video. LOL at his last sentence- 'Belgium is counting on you!' Really! I am curious where he gets all these from!

Our little reunion, and Gent these days.

2012-08-18T04:58:00.001+08:00

While I was still doing my LLM at the University of Gent, me and a couple of classmates decided to also attend an extra class outside our usual scope of study focus i.e. European Law. As this Low Countries Studies is offered every year for free mostly for foreign students, we decided to go every Thursday for this lectures - on the history/background/ economic situation/culture/ media studies, etc all about Belgium. I thought going for the lectures were quite fun- mostly because I always have them around, which made us call ourselves, 'the Low Countries Group' LOL.

Sveta, Jan and me. Rector and director of program giving the final speech.

Crazy Bees flew all the way from Ukraine.. In Sveta's bag

Anyway, this was also where I fell in love with this Ukrainian sweets. We usually exchange stuff to munch quietly in the lectures, and when Sveta passed this unassuming-looking 'crazy bee's, I kid you not, this sweet just melted in my mouth! Ohh the chewy, gooey liquid oozing out of the center of this soft candy, it was so good, Sveta had to give me 5 (or maybe I lost count). She just came back from Ukraine this time round, and brought me an entire packet! Sadly, I have already finished 15 candies in a row at the station, :( so I am going to put the rest away from my usual reach.. It came all the way from Ukraine, and I cannot find this here.

So as she was back, and as I missed Jan's recent BBQ at his place, we decided to hold our little 'Low Countries Reunion' -just the three of us, in good old Gent, where we all met for the first time, about nearly a year ago. Have to say that having not taken the tram in abit, and having usually alighting at Korte Meer, (right in front of the street where my school is), I did not know that the next stop would be all the way in Gravensteen. -__- I was supposed to meet up with them at Korenmarkt, but yes, in the end, my ignorance took me all the way to the part of Gent where I don't usually go to.

Not so sure what is up with the text, but I thought it looks cool. Don't ask why.

the famous Cuberdon or better known as 'noses'

Anyhow, I decided I'd take some photos along the way, not to put my effort to waste. Also saw this new green taxi (Green concept, and literally Green in colour too)

If I am not wrong, I think it cost about 1 or 2 euro for a ride within 2 km. Cheaper than the tram, and you get to see more stuff!

Moochie, another Froyo place in Gent, right in Korenmarkt, in the same street as Delta Lloyd Bank

And as I was walking along the main square in Korenmarkt, (taking pictures like Japanese tourist) yes as if its my first time in Gent! In the hot blazing day, I frozed right in front of this BIG sign. Ever tasted Froyo? Gosh, I really felt so outdated at this sign, I had to go right in front of the place and take a picture. Having written on a blog post just yesterday night that Yogy* is the only froyo place in Belgium, I felt so embarrassed at this big sign. To do justice and correct myself, here it is- there is indeed another Froyo place in Gent. Here, if you have ten stamps from each of the froyo you purchase, you get one free one at the end of the day. Not bad, huh?

The always busy mainstreet, Veldstraat/shopping street

This street is just 5 mins walk from my school, so husband was quite worried in the beginning, if I'd end up shopping everytime I go to school. Luckily for him, I never took that 5 mins walk to get here much, and just stuck to my 3 mins walk to my tram stop each day.

Finally, met Sveta and Jan, and as all three of us were extremely hungry, we hit for a restaurant on the square. I have to say for the location, the price and the quality of food, it wasn't bad at all! We had a good time chatting over my delicious spaghetti, Sveta's smoked salmon broodjes, and Jan's stoverij. ( a typical Belgian meat stew with brown sauce, as in the picture above. )

It was really nice to catch up, and simply have a laid-back, relaxing time. But the grand 'finale' for today's little reunion was what we had on the next agenda - a Froyo dessert yo! :D Jan is abit more updated than me, as he already knew about Moochie, and already had 4 stamps on his card before we were even there. -__- I really need to step out abit more huh.

Jan's hands waiting to dig into his colourful cup of fro yo. With choco toppings.

This froyo place has a nice, warm, gezellige air to it. The staff were nice and friendly, you feel warm and welcomed, she let me take her picture, and voila. In the end, Jan ended up giving us all a treat, so yes, this is my 2nd time at a froyo place here, and its also the 2nd time I am given a treat. We were talking about how Jan's BBQ turned out, about his extremely cute ~~cat~~ tiger at home, also named Hobbes (the tiger in Calvin and Hobbes, lol.) Ah well. Good times.

Our little reunion group photo

Twas a nice Friday afternoon with these two lovely people. They both walked me to class together and bid our farewells, -for now.

Between the spaghetti, limonade, Sveta's half leftover sandwich (hahaha), and froyo, I was actually eager to get home early today. I felt a little sleepy at class, which is quite unusual for me, I look forward to these classes and my classmates. Huh. Turned out that I arrived home later than usual, as I got into a bus at the usual stop, just assuming all these buses head to St Pieter's station. Lo and behold, I ended up nearby UZ Gent instead, and had to run for a tram 10 minutes away.

Oostende in the medieval period. Oostende = West of Belgium

Because of my absent-mindedness, I ended up waiting in the station for nearly 25 minutes. -__- Having had to wait a full 25 minutes there, I decided to take a picture of this, an image in the main hall of the station. Arrived home finally at about 915pm today. Quite a day!

These days,.. Tegenwoordig.

2012-08-17T07:03:00.003+08:00

I have not blogged for awhile now, as I have been a little pre-occupied with daily dutch classes that commenced the week after we came back from our little trip to the Champagne region in France. Little would I realise, eventhough its 3 hours and not even the entire day, I feel like I learn so much after each lessons.. I have never been really good at memorising grammar rules, and tending to translate everything to English everytime is not helping! Ohh boyy Dutch grammar is more than meets the eye. You think you get it, and the next moment, when you have to try yourself, that's when you start rolling your sleeves in nervous sweat (its summer afterall, and really, literally warm in the classroom).

With language learning, I realise that you cannot just rely on writing, reading and trying out in class,. While you might think that there are few similar words in English and dutch, one cannot rely on this basic words here and there if you really want to get to know the people here, its through learning and speaking their language.

I think I am tired mostly from having to travel everyday for almost hour and half to get to school from home. But the blessing in disguise came in 2 weeks back. It was a week into class and I finally gathered my guts to attempt making a conversation with people in the train, beyond my usual one-line question, "Mag ik hier zitten, alstublieft?" - May I sit here please? The conversation was far from perfect, with words that I don't know here and there, and where they can speak back to me in English, its not problematic, but for some older people, I have to quickly use my dictionary which I now make a habit of carrying around in case I need to check something.

I still remember the first man I spoke to, he told me I should let go of my fears and just try talking in it, make mistakes, and then learn from it. Ik moet het probeeren, en niet bang ben van wat ander mensen denken. So he said, if I do not try, and do not make mistakes, how would I even know if I am right or wrong in the first place, but to live in my own bubble?

So, today, after 14 -lessons, I am happy that I can describe my vacation in Epernay to friends and write about it. I also had an interesting conversation with this guy and woman in the train today and had a debate about the best state in Belgium. Ah the beauty of learning another language, it makes you feel more at home..

Of course, truth be told, I have my depressive days when I feel so hapless and lost. In dutch, just like in English, I always feel lost in the class.. Ik voel me altijd verloren. With the sea of grammar.... It makes me want to just cry sometimes and strangle the person who constructed these gazillion of grammar rules.

But then again, someone told me in class that dutch is one of the easiest European language. So, there you go, a slap right in your face. I just have to brace this fact of reality and memorise these rules.

Go go go! One more week to go!

Yogy* frozen yoghurt

2012-08-17T06:38:00.001+08:00

Fro yo is short for Frozen Yoghurt, which looks like ice cream, as its as cold as one, but is in fact yoghurt that is frozen. Lol maybe the name speaks for itself, but I had to explain this way to some people -_- So, does it taste more like yoghurt or ice cream? Personally, I think it taste none like the two, it taste much better than those two! These hybrid concept is quite revolutionary and clever, you basically get to enjoy fat- free/guilt-free dessert in your cup. I think the froyo in Belgium currently have the original flavour, in Malaysia, more varieties i.e. fruity/berry/citrus etc,. Then again one cannot make a one-two-one direct comparisson, as people in Malaysia having lived with so many varieties of flavours/ cultures/ etc, they always expect variety. For me, the original flavour alone is a good kickstart, you can still be creative by choosing the toppings for it. The machines and ingredients used are presumably more expensive than the usual ice-cream maker, hence, one should be prepared to pay i.e. 4 euro per cup, then the usual 2.50 euro for a cup of ice-cream/gelato. But its definitely worth every euro/cents, as you are faced with an array of the most delicious-looking and freshest ingredients of toppings- just a word of caution: you have to make up your mind what to have in your cup, eh! Can't have everything to yourself!

In Malaysia, the concept of frozen yoghurt (or more fondly known as Fro~yo, mind you some people even attach a tune to it out of excitement) has already been around for a little longer than 2 years. The first time my friend in KL sang to her own tune of 'Lets go for FRO~YO!', I wondered what the fuss is all about this so-called healthy guilt-free dessert. Starting out with Tutti Frutti, in the heart of the most hype-teen going spot in Bangsar, it became an instant hit among the younger generation. The first time I finally went there with the strong persuasion of my friend who was addicted to Froyo, the machines seem so harmless and inconspicous, not only that, the CUPS look inviting as well. You see, in Tutti Frutti, (the pioneer Froyo company in Malaysia) applies a 'self-service' style - where customers first pick their cup, and then walk to whichever froyo flavour machines they like, and squeeze as much as they want. Ohhh the feeling of seeing the lush fat-free yoghurt folding into your cup is so soothing, and you might get a little carried away by wanting to fill up your cup as much as possible.

Source of image: http://theurbanrendezvous.blogspot.be/2010/11/tutti-frutti-frozen-yogurt-island-plaza.html

Tut tut tut... that is.. until you reach the counter, where they sweetly ask you which toppings you'd like to have on top of your presumably greedily filled up cups. You see the colourful toppings, fresh juicy fruits screaming out to you and the seductive chocolate sauce all waiting for your order. THAT IS. UNTIL they place that seemingly harmless cup on the weighing scale... that's when you probably wish you had not entered and instead swallowed your own saliva for free outside.. -__- OK I was just kidding on that part. Truth be told, as delicious as it was, the feeling of having to pay nearly RM 20 for my cup of yoghurt overweighted my excitement.

Thus, I learnt from my lesson that I DO NOT WANT TO FILL UP MY CUPS TOO FULL when I am there.. The guilt feeling made me avoid Tutti Frutti for about 2 weeks, until I decided to go back there again, as a treat for my younger sister. This time, I was smarter, I squeezed a little bit of every flavour, which made me feel so good - we tasted it all, and it wasn't so expensive.

Since the success of that particular branch, Tutti Frutti have been growing like mushrooms in Malaysia, and now many brands of Frozen Yoghurt. Eventually, we discovered a better and cheaper alternative somewhere, (but this is of course subjective opinion), and so, going for Fro yo was quite a normal outing that we looked forward to.

THEN, in September last year, I moved to Belgium to live with hubby. Not only there is a lack of variety in their food restaurants here in general, they all scream EXPENSIVE on their menu's etc, ready to reap you off whatever euro you have in your wallet.. I began eating indoors, cook home-made stuff everyday. BUT what is even sadder is that, the hang-out place for youngsters are either the pubs/cafe's/some sad Ice-cream parlours that are mostly opened only in summer. -__- I realised how much fun and goodness Belgians are deprived of. LOL so that was what I thought! I myself wondered ahh the magic of froyo is not here yet.

AND THEN... it was few months back, I came across this advertisement somewhere. What dya guess?


Source of image- can't remember, but I don't take credit for this image!

YES! BELGIAN's VERY OWN, FIRST FRO-YO has arrived! But as usual, as Belgians are a little conservative and when coming to new culture and idea, the reaction was somehow not so impactful in the beginning. I discovered this place, which is just 10 minutes walk from my school, what a lucky bugger I am! Hahahah. So initially, perhaps it was slowly gaining popularity, while I wondered to myself OMG what is wrong with people here, why aren't they soo excited?

Come on, aren't you convinced already by these two happy, excited peeps??? Anyhow, I JUMPED the gun too early by saying that to myself. Cos, few weeks later, that same (one and only) YOGY appeared on national TV news here. To get such a coverage on your dessert will totally shoot your business up many notch and way to go to attract more people there.

Ahhhh sooo delicious, my fruit and macaron-filled yogy... Yogy leaves behind a good after-feeling, you feel like going back for more. So, this days, I am quite happy to see that the place is quite filled up,.. BUT only wished they have a branch in the coast... Where I live in Oostende, it'd be ideal to open such a dessert-place. With skinny little teens flocking around, what are you kidding me? This place will totally take over ice cream parlours man!

Nevertheless, truth remains that in Belgium, you'd have to go to Gent in order to treat yourself to such a *slurpy* yummy dessert. However, no harm 'liking' them on their facebook, who knows you might one day wake up and see on your notification - YOGY IS NOW OPENED IN OOSTENDE.

Ok, that might look like a false alarm at first-hand, so, yes, just to clear this out, the only address you can get your fresh cup of yogy, lies in Walpoortstraat 2, 9000 Gent, on the same street as the famous UFO building and close-by to Vooruit.

Carpe diem, happy summer, happy yogy*ing!

Champagne Trip - Epernay, Ay and Oger

2012-07-23T18:17:00.000+08:00

My parents-in-law were on a trip to the Champagne region in France 3 years ago to get champagne bottles for my marriage, and this time round, it was our turn to go together as a family to the beautiful Champagne areas. We stayed in a small champagne town, Les Mesnil Sur-Oger, or just Oger in short, which is about 18km from the nearest city, Epernay (20 minutes drive) where the famous Avenue du Champagne lies. Avenue du Champagne is a very interesting long stretch of road that dates back to the 17th century, when one of the first champagne cellars were built by the Moet & Chandon family, which is the first champagne house one will encounter at the beginning of the street, across the beautiful Hotel de Ville (City Hall of Epernay).

*Getting there* almost 4 hours on the road, husband behind the wheels

the little town we stayed at

Accommodation - Champagne BARADON-MICHAUDET 58, Grande Rue, 51190 LE MESNIL SUR OGER

the exterior of Baradon-Michaudet

We stayed at a very beautiful cottage-like house, at the Baradon-Michaudet's, in Oger. When my parents-in-law were there 3 years back, they stayed in a 2-persons chamber, which cost around 67 euro, and they remembered getting a huge room for two. However, as we had reserved for a la chambre familiale (family room) for 4 persons to save the cost of our trip, we expected a big room where we'd all be sleeping together

Hence, it was a very pleasant surprise as we received two separate rooms and a shared toilet in the other wing of the house. As the pictures from the website and google image were quite limited, I took alot of photos to do this place justice. It is breath-taking from the first moment we parked our cars and even better when Madame Michaudet brought us to our quarters for the weekend, with living room and kitchen downstairs where we could enjoy the Baradon-Michaudet's bottle of champagne ourselves in the evening. For me, staying in such a place is a much better experience and value-for-money than modern buildings with modern, simplistic decors, which we are so used to. This place gives weekend getaway a very authentic and original touch to complete a very unique experience for us. For what we paid, 104 euro a night, which includes free breakfast for all of us in the morning, its a value-for-money stay.

Living room and dining room

Madame Michaudet's dog breakfast welcome ;)

with the very lovely Madame Michaudet herself

Place to eat - Le Sardaigne, Epernay (5 minutes walking distance from the Parking Charles De Gaulle)

The nearest city to where we stayed is Epernay which is about 15-20 minutes drive. 20 minutes for normal drivers like us and 15 minutes for impatient French drivers, which I find very annoying, they keep wanting to overtake our cars everywhere we are, though we are merely following the speed limits. Anyhow, this point is very important, in case one is completely new to the area, they wouldn't know where to eat as they are not used to the localities. As we were impatient starving monsters on Friday night, we settled for a Brasserie which are the few restaurants you will come across in the city centre. We completely regretted that choice- not only the price was exorbitant, it was the worst food I ate in my life. To be honest, it felt like they just reheated whatever remaining stuff they had in the kitchen, though it took about 25 minutes for them to send our food to the table. The portion for what we paid for is so small, and the taste was just horrible. I have to make a mental note to myself never to step foot in Brasseries anymore, they charged us 3.80 for a pathetic glass of coke there.

my dismayed look at the menu card in the Brasserie

The next day, upon finding out from one of the local vineyard owner himself, we were recommended to go to Le Sardaigne, 1 Place Mendes, 51200, Epernay. Such a pity we only ate there on our last day, as the food is reasonably priced and for what we paid, it was worth every penny. It's almost as good as the real Italian food itself, and service was very fast.

an effing rip-off by a Brasserie on our first day- and a satisfying meal on our last day, see the difference in price. pfffttt

We only ate there on the last day of our trip, as we had made reservations to eat in a very famous restaurant in the middle of nowhere, Nelly Vatel's. Apparently, my parents-in-law had gastronomical experience there 3 years back. This place is indeed not bad for a canard (duck) enthusiasts/lovers. Almost everything on the menu comes from ducks which they have on their farms. So whoever goes to this place must be prepared to eat the specialite of this place- which is duck.

From the foie gras entree to cuisse du canard main,.. it cost about 30 euro on average for one person. Too pricey for me, and as my husband only ate the baguettes (he's picky eater), and I am not crazy for ducks (unless if its chinese peking duck) I am ok to skip this place next time. However, this place is recommended for those who are indeed looking for a real foie gras experience -the only advise is to look for the church (more like a chapel though) in Gionges in GPS as its not easy to find this place on its own. Be prepared to spend about 2 + hours to wait for your food to arrive, drink your champagne, etc.

*beautiful shots are courtesy of husband

Champagne places visited (Ay, Epernay, Reims)

We tried to cover a little bit of everything, and in the end, when we compared our visits, we felt quite contented that we have indeed 'tasted' a little bit of everything. From a very authentic champagne-related collections (Launois Pere et fils) to the longest and most beautiful cellar (Mercier), to the most prestigious well-known Moet & Chandon to the actual factory production (Castellane). All these were located in Epernay, within walking vicinity, except for Launois Pere et fils that is in the town of Oger where we stayed. We also visited an old friend of my dad-in-law in Ay where we tasted more champagne for free..

@Richard Fliniaux Champagne, Ay
Call for appointment before visiting - Richard Fliniaux, 2, Place de la Liberation, 51160, Ay-Champagne. (Tel: 06/08/51/31/05) I loved the champagne here, as its so fruity and tasty, cost only 14.90 a bottle.

In terms of price, we paid for only one tasting where there is a difference in price-depending on how many type of champagne you wish to taste. There is no visitation that ends without a tasting, so its wise to stick to one glass, as you will end up drinking alot of champagne in a day if you go for a few in one visit. We paid 16.50 for Moet & Chandon, 11 for Mercier (45 minutes) (which was quite an interesting experience, as we went 30 m underground, and the cellars are so long, it stretches as far as 18 km underground, and has hosted races too! You will view the long beautiful cellars, adorned with statutes and enjoy this experience from a train ride underground. Castellane cost 10 (less than an hour tour), and there, we saw the actual machines that still makes the champagne today- minus the actual workers who are now away on 3 weeks summer vacation. The cheapest one was 7.50 at Launois Pere et fils, and we tasted 3 different champagnes for that price, including a 2-hour tour.

We wanted to visit Veuve Cliquot in Reims, and already went all the way there, but it was about to close, so we missed that one. I guess, we have to save that for the next trip. We learnt that most of this champagne brands are part of the LVMH group of companies since 1991.

1) Moet & Chandon, Epernay

2) Mercier

with our lovely guide, Christine

3) Launois Pere et fils, Le Mesnil Sur Oger (tours are in French, but if you wish for a guide in English, it is recommended you call and reserve in advance, or else, just pay at the entrance. Only 7.50 euro for a 2 hours tour and 3 glasses of champagne)

4) Castellane, Epernay

5) Richard Fliniaux, Ay

Delicious, rich and fruity Champagne

Scenic shots

view of Epernay

beautiful sunset

...and us, in front of the globe that constantly turns in the town of Ay

One month before it ripens!

Naz and Steven :)

2012-07-23T16:13:00.004+08:00

Dearest Naz (or also fondly known as Ayin) was here in Belgium for 3 weeks, and I saw her briefly on her last few days here.. She came to visit me in Oostende for the first time, and we had a very fun photo-outing together and a brief tour round Oostende for her and her special friend from Aarschot ;)

Anyway, this post is to pen down my brief trip to Aarschot, just 15 minutes from Leuven, but it took me 2.30 hours by train from the coast to get there. I had no idea that this town- was where the very famous video was shot, entitled 'A dramatic surprise on a quiet square- where nothing really happens'.

As I visited on a Thursday, we passed by the weekly-market. Nice, quiet town, and people there speak Nederlands in a much more comprehensible way. In Oostende, it feels like they are speaking in a completely different language because of the dialect they use here. Hence, it was nice to be there abit.

Watermill- the famous river that flows through Aarschot.

..and among the other attractions, this is a very interesting concept, where they put up puzzles on their walls, like a wallpaper. Seriously, the patience and determination to do such a thing is astounding. Thank you to Naz and Steven, my lovely hosts for bringing me around in this cute little 800 years-old town.

and here's to all of us!

Sunny day out at the beach with husband and dogs

2012-06-30T05:41:00.001+08:00

day out at the park- after my run

2012-06-28T01:02:00.001+08:00