Braving Chatuchak

Last Sunday, we got a little braver than usual and decided to take a trip to Chatuchak Market with Spud in tow; our very first trip ever since before Spud’s arrival more than 14 months ago!

For a long time since Spud’s arrival, we have avoided going to Chatuchak market simply because it is not a place for a cranky and unpredictable child, like Spud. Chatuchak can be such a crazy place. It can get quite chaotic and overbearingly hot, and I applaud parents who are willing to brave it out at Chatuchak while totting their barely walking babies without batting an eyelid.

The last time we set foot at Chatuchak, I was heavily pregnant and was having massive craving for the best  chicken rice in town. That really was my last trip there, and you have NO IDEA how much I have missed that chicken rice.

It has been too long.

While it was an impromptu decision to haul our ass all the way to there, it was also more of an overdue errand trip. Within 2 hours, we managed to:

• Buy 4 packets of chicken rice to be tapao-ed home. (We did not want to risk having a sit-down meal.)
• Sauntered over to Montra Sense to stock up on our favourite diffuser
• Shopped for a few pots of orchids for our balcony.

We started early (9 am!) and that worked in our favour since the market tends to be less busy as most shops were still about to set up. Having Spud also prevented us from dilly-dallying, as we both were very conscious of the fact that the little imp could act up any time!

Honestly though, I would not have minded browsing a little bit more on other sections, but the weather was too hot, and the humidity was taking a toll on me. All I wanted to do was just crash somewhere with the air-conditioner on full blast!

It was efficient shopping – we got what we need, and we did it within a reasonable span of time. Spud even fell asleep for half an hour as I was carrying her in the wrap! (Spud woke up just when we got into the cab, and refused to take another nap for the rest of the day!)

As soon as we got home, Silver Bullet promptly hung all the flower pots we bought. As I said before, don't  count on me to nurture it, for I will more likely kill it.

The big orchids are hybrids and I have no idea what kind of species they are. But, I do love the colours, and they do spruce up our balcony a bit.
I LIKE !

Quote of the Day

I came across this little quote as I was researching on something today,

"Toddlers are little persons with big needs"

Indeed, I'd say. Indeed.

Now, why can't I come out with shit like that!

Billion Beef

If you are a meat lover and constantly crave for a good bowl of authentic noodles with marbled beef (yes, those heinous, white slabs of fats in between the meat), but prefer not to get doused in the heat by the roadside stalls, you might find great pleasure at this small eatery.

Called Billion Beef, it is located on the 5th floor of Emporium Shopping mall, serving premium marbled beef noodle as well as selections of famous Thai food.

So far, the service has been nothing but excellent. I really like the funky-looking chairs; cow-print with a tail and all to complete the look!

Be warned though: the prices are a little bit on the steep side as compared to the ones you can find on the roadsides.

Billion Beef does serve-up a good bowl of healthy, yummilicious noodle soup; only a little bit more of a hi-so version than those you would find on the street-sides.

Kids' mimicry

I stumbled upon this ad again recently since I last saw it a couple of years ago. This time, it formed a very profound impression on me...not that it didn't then, but I felt and resonate with it so much more now.

It reminds me how real kids' mimicry can be...and everything, good or bad, starts right here in our own homes.

What we say, act, do certainly make a dent as to how the kids are raised; and I hope we can be a good role model to raise Spud well.

Bergedil mush

It could easily be more than a year ago since I last made some bergedils. So long ago that I cannot even remember when!

I still remember the taste though. And if done well, bergedils can be quite addictive, too.

So, anyhow, I started thinking about bergedils again in the last few days, and decided to make them. This time, I did it over 2 evenings after work instead of all at one go as I used to do because of time constraints:

• First evening: steam the tater, mash them up, and prep up the beef, onions etc. Set aside in the fridge
• Second evening: I actually forgot about them for one night and only mixed them together and roll them up into flat balls the day after. I then set them aside again, freezing some , intending to only fry the rest for only when they needed to be served.

As it turned out, my first batch of deep fried bergedils became a complete mush; saved for just one decent looking and unbroken ball of bergedil. The rest looked so pathetic, and I guess I am out of practice!

Needless to say, I am quite disappointed at how it turned out. I’m not sure what went wrong, but my guess is that I probably should not have steam the taters, and actually, steaming them when making bergedil is something I have not done before. I did it this time out of sheer laziness and wanting to save time.

Oh well. I guess I just have to try making them again.

I have to say that they all looked quite appalling but at least, according to Silver Bullet, they certainly are good enough to be eaten. As he put it, “There is always something about beef, taters, eggs and deep fried, and they usually taste good”.

I am glad he enjoyed the mush, leaving me with the one lone almost perfect bergedil as he ate the pile of moosh around that 1 piece of unbroken bergedil at the end of the meal.

Ahhh….my husband, the sweetheart. He has so much faith in me.

(I'm still annoyed at myself for how it turned out! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....)

Siam Ocean World

The last time we went to Siam Ocean World was the time when my parents came over for a visit just a few months ago in July.

Since then, we thought that visiting Siam Ocean World over the weekend is actually quite a good way to idle away time. Not only do we get to kill time by keeping Spud busy, we also think that it is a good way to spend some quality family time. If anything at all, the visit there is necessary to prevent both Silver Bullet and me going insane cooping ourselves up at home over the weekend to entertain a hyper kid that just will not sit still!

With such sentiments in mind, we decided to purchase an annual pass which allow us unlimited entry to Siam Ocean World. For 1360 baht per adult, it makes the initial investment almost worth it especially if (and when) we do visit the place every other month as compared to just a single entry deal.

So we visited Siam Ocean World again last weekend with our first ever entry using our annual passes. Despite seeing the same exhibits all over again, it was still a fun trip for us; mainly because we get to witness Spud’s development first hand when we compared her milestones from our previous visits.

This time round, she has shown some signs of distressed each time I brought her near to the giant crabs. They were HUGE, and I think she may have felt uneasy watching their big claws going everywhere!

Apart from that, she took to her surroundings like a champ, and mostly intrigued by things she found on the floor. It is actually quite fun to see her running around, and trying to engage the people around her. If there is one type of aquatic creature she seemed to take some form of interest to, I think it has to be the penguins.She spent quite a bit of time at this one exhibit, and for some reason, she can’t seem to be able to peel herself off from the penguins’ exhibits; and by doing so, inevitably pissed off other kids who had wanted to take pictures with the fake penguins.

I love the candid shots of her and the penguins though. Such innocence!

We have begun to feel some affinity to Siam Ocean World, and really, we do see ourselves frequenting the place quite regularly. If not for the exhibits which tend to stay the same each time we are there, then it is just something to keep ourselves occupied to save our sanity.

I swear if Bangkok has a zoo that is anything like Singapore, we will be getting an annual pass for it too!Really not a bad idea to be spending a weekend, I'd say.

Say NO to sharks' fins

Say what you will about sharks' fin being a status symbol, but I have, for years and years boycotted the consumption of sharks' fin soup. I don't care how expensive it is, or how much more status anyone can get by serving sharks' fin soup, and I still will stand by my decision not to ever consume it.

This video here seconds by sentiments about not eating sharks' fin, and I applaud  Ramsey's spearheading this project, even getting buy-ins from Chinese restaurant owners not to serve the dish.



I feel the sickness in my stomach as I watched how brutal those sharks are killed, and being thrown back into the sea to drown, unable to fend for themselves.(Don't give me grief about cows, and chickens suffering the same fate, because, as far as I am concerned, those animals are bred to be consumed, and are not endangered species)Watch this video here if you have 14:48 minutes to spare.

I hope we all can do the right thing - protect the sharks, and stop glorifying sharks' fins as status symbol.