In loving memory of Papa Planel.

Best remembered for his gardening passion and love of order.
He will be greatly missed by his beloved family.

At the rising of the sun and at its going down,
We remember him.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of Winter,
We remember him.

At the opening of buds and in the rebirth of Spring,
We remember him.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of Summer,
We remember him.

At the rustling of leaves and the beauty of Autumn,
We remember him.

At the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We remember him.

As long as we live, he too will live;
for he is now a part of us, as we remember him.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
We remember him.

When we are lost and sick at heart,
We remember him.

When we have joys we yearn to share,
We remember him.

When we have decisions that are difficult to make,
We remember him.

When we have achievements that are based on his,
We remember him.

As long as we live, he too shall live,
for he is a part of us, as we remember him.

Not meant to be on wheels...

Ok, I admit.

I SUCK at rollerblading.

I SUCK at cycling(miraculously,I did survive the harrowing ride down the "Road of Death" in Bolivia)

I SUCK at driving.

Anything that requires me to be balanced on wheels, I'm a BIG MESS.

Today, I flunked my driving AGAIN. Not the fault of the tester but simply it just confirms my suspicion - my two feet and ass are meant to be firmly rooted on the ground. Walking, running, hiking are good activities for me.

Before, if I fall, it's just me, scrapes, cuts, bruises, sprains and all.

BUT now, if I drive badly, my baby son is in danger too. Maybe it's good that I failed. It makes me more aware of the perils of driving and perhaps I will pass in the next millennium after I finally have enough practice.

By then, I hope they invent vehicles that autopilot FLY, BRAKE, CHANGE LANES and PARK by themselves.

Mdm Risette to the rescue!

What can I say? Mdm Risette was really effective cos his fever came down and by the next day, my little boy is bouncing around like a tiny Gummy Bear! Cheers to Mdm Risette!
BTW, any parent with little kids are recommended to buy those thermometers doctors stick in your ear for a quick digital temperature reading- we didn't have one when Theoden had a fever, so, for better accuracy(according to the parenting magazines), we stuck the normal thermometer into his ass. *gulp*

After that, we bought the digital one cos I dunno how long more before the little kiddo realises what his parents are doing to him.

A little funny video to make your day!
Theoden cranking up papa's Harley Davidson! Vroom...vroom...!!!!

Mission "Almost" Impossible: Tour de France!

Bonjour!

We took a little hiatus from blogging ever since the Planel family went on the road for the summer!

We flew into Paris for Theoden's baptism at the same church we were married in, and then hit the autoroutes and went on a "Tour de France" visiting family and friends clockwise around France. Although this is the first time ever that we are traveling with a 7months old baby on a roadtrip, we completed "Mission Almost Impossible" super-courageously!

Of course we were completely exhausted by the end of the trip with the constant flow of good food and wine/champagne till midnight every night with our lovely hosts after a day of driving and touring. I'm still trying to get used to 3-4hours never-ending dinner sessions a la French way. Sometimes I fear my head may defy gravity and just thump on the dinner table and embarrassingly stop dead all conversations...(it almost happened once).

All we wanted to at the end of the day is to collapse into bed but instead of getting a fitful sleep, the baby wakes up in the middle of the night crying for his pacifier(we thought about tying the pacifier to his head with a rubber band before we decided we really do love our baby) and then at 6am sharp, he wakes up to be fed and to play with somebody(mostly Emmanuel ;p). Soon, the whole household awakes and Emmanuel trips off to the boulangerie for fresh croissants and bread and after downing some coffee, goodbye/thank you hugs, we are then "magically" squashed back into the 2-doors only Clio filled with baby stuff and off on the road again. Vrooom...vrooom....!!

Okay, now comes the FUN part! ;p

Cities/Towns/Villages/Hamlets we visited:
1. Lyon
2. St. Etienne
3. Pont du Gard
4. Avignon
5. Isle sur-la-Sorgue
6. Abbey de Senanque
7. Gordes
8. Aix-en-Provence
9. Nice
10.Eze
11.Monaco
12.San Remo (Italy)
13.Corsica
14.Montpellier
15.Carcassonne
16.Castillon en Couseran(Pyrenees)
17.Toulouse
18.Rocamadur
19.Bordeaux
20.Poitiers
21.Saumur
22.Chateau d'Usse
23.Chateaux de Chenonceaux

23 stops in just 14days. Ambitious? Or plain crazy? Or...suicidal?

Initially we had planned even more places to stop by(greedy, greedy, GREEDY!) but after the initial couple of days on the road with babyboo in the heat of the scorching summer heat, we realized we will be on the path to hell if we stuck to it. We discovered the hard way that babies do get cranky if you stick them in a car for too long. So, 23 it is.

On to Beautiful France. Here's a quick glimpse of it...
Visiting the serene Abbey de la Senanque floating in a sea of lavender in bloom is the photography highlight of my trip. It's almost like a dream come true for me...
I know this picture is not exactly what represents France per se BUT I do have to thank Angie for generously sharing her Singapore flown in Bah Zhang(steamed rice dumplings stuffed with meat and chestnuts wrapped in banana leaves) with Emmanuel and I for breakfast while we stayed in Nice with her and Bruno. I have not tasted one since I left Singapore! Next time anyone flying in to visit us from Singapore, Frozen Nonya Bah Zhangs, please! ;p
Summer at Pont du Gard is fun! There is THAT impressive structure of an aquaduct bridge in the background while you swim, waddle or canoe in the river working that tan.

Or, like us, hide in one of the many cabanas eating summer ripe raspberries that are ginormous and actually sweet(for once!), and also feeding a naked baby while enjoying the magnificent backdrop. =)


Saumur is one of the many elaborate chateaus in the Loire Valley and we were lucky to be able to stay with friends from Japan, right in the town's centre and just a stone's throw away from the chateau. From the comfort of their living room, you can actually see the chateau! We had to get the obligatory postcard shot of the chateau behind the Loire river so we drove across the bridge to the other side, BUT, at the worst timing EVER.

There is some cycling event going on in the town and coinciding with our photography plan, we got stuck with 4,000 cyclists dressed up as Vikings, traditional Brittany maidens and even as spotted cows(promoting their own cheese) on the same one-way small road spanning the river as the organizors of the event clearly had the same idea as us.

Getting stuck turned out to be kinda fun cos all the cyclists were very friendly(Bonjour! Wave! Smile! Wave!) and were all sympathetic seeing us stuck(one said encouragingly "Good luck! You might be here till next week!") and I felt like I became part of their event too(Possible post event conversation topic: "Did you see that poor car stuck on the road with cyclists all around it? I hope they emptied their bladder beforehand...).

Corsica & Friends! Headcount: 4 families and 6 boys under one roof!

LOVE this island, LOVE the saucisson and wild boar pate thingee Richard & Mary-Noel made themselves, LOVE the sparkling Calvi Muscat wine, LOVE the hill-perched house with swinging hammock and sunrise view, LOVE all the friends and their silliness/laughter/fun, LOVE the seaside trips you can take on a whim, LOVE the laidback vibe of our stay, LOVE the aquamarine sea and warm waters, love the decadence of our stay there, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

The "boys" aka men in this picture went to school together and fought hard in Dungeons and Dragons together like brothers. We should have more school pal reunions like this more often!

Did I mention hill-perched villages already? Well, seems like France is bursting with them! This is Gordes in Provence and Emmanuel is ready to sacrifice his son to appease the Sun God and spare us the unbearable heat! Oh wait - we are not in Mexico! What in the world is he doing!?

Seeing this t-shirt suddenly reminded us that oh yah! The Olympics has started!

In our whirlwind tour, we barely had time to focus on worldly issues other than slowing down before the radars and stuff like dat. Love this t-shirt! =)

Honorary mention: For the 2nd time in history, tiny Singapore won a Silver medal! Whoohoo!

Rocamadour rocks! This carved-into-the-cliff village and cathedral worshiping the dead body believed to be of a saint was one of the hardest to reach place we visited simply because it is so deep in the heart of France and remote. I'm glad we made the pilgrimage here although we didn't physically climb up the steep 216 steps while saying a prayer each time like the pilgrims did in the past(we took the elevator. Two elevators, in fact. Shhh!!!).
Nice(pronounced as "niece") is NICE! Vieux Nice(Old Nice) totally charmed me off my socks with its colorful pink and orange hued narrow alleys and blue/green wood shuttered windows, ice cream parlors with a smogasbord offering of flavours from lavender, tomato-basil, beer, avocado, rosemary, jasmine, black olive(yucks!), thyme, calisson, etc. I love the Lavender flavour, super-yums!
The view from the old Chateau offers you an eagle's eye view of the beach and the sun-worshippers of the Cote d'zur. We were bowled over by the view here completely and with a pang of regret, we had to leave for our next destination and wished we had more time to spend in Cote d'Zur... Oh well, next time!

Our son is a natural born charmer. In Singapore, we call this "Auntie-Killer", i.e., charm the skirts off all women, especially the older generation. He went around France flashing his killer toothless smile and melted hearts across the country. I learnt that "mignon" as in filet mignon, means "cute" in French and after hearing it being said to my son ever so often, I conclude that the French women love him.

However, I think he is having a hard time trying to convince the younger girls of his charm. His little cousin, Oksana, seems to be ignoring him, perhaps for invading her crib space? Or for his unruly behaviour of flashing his tummy in front of the lady?

We will never know, will we?

I don't know if I can write about all the 23 places we visited and all the friends and relatives we stopped by along the way cos if I do, I might be able to write a Lonely Planet soon! Also, my little King has just fallen ill and perhaps I should thank my lucky stars that he only fell ill AFTER the road trip? Having a sick baby is no fun for the mama especially when he can't tell you what is wrong or where hurts him and you can only guess and hope it is right.

As for the rest of the pics, you folks shall just have to wait till my King Theoden recovers and I finally get my good night's worth of rest(sleep deprivation is the worst kind of torture anyone can hand down to me).

Scared to Death!

I took my FIRST driving lesson today.
For the 1st 5mins, I thought I was gonna DIE.
Or rather, someone else would die under my car.

My heart is palpitating north towards my throat as my knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel a notch too tight for dear life. My instructor seems to find comic relief in my apparent driving distress. He's actually laughing. Hah! He doesn't know yet... I come from Singapore - we drive on the wrong side of the road.

Never been behind the wheels before, I DON'T even know which is the brake or the accelerator. My instructor known as Mr Apple speaks rudimentary English with a Spanish accent. I didn't catch his explanation about 1,2 and 3 driving modes(only when I got home that Emmanuel explained to me it is the various gears). Together, Mr Apple and I understand each other well enough with "Gasoline", meaning "Accelerate" and "Brake". He has an instructor's safety brake on his side of the car. THANK GOD someone thought of that.

After 45mins, I completed a 3-point turn(with Mr Apples' help, of course), cruised up and down Washington Heights, stopped for pedestrians to cross, braked gently behind buses and cars(no vomiting), flicked my signal buttons for left and right turns like a pro and finally managed to exceed 25miles per hour close to the end.

I didn't kill anyone today. Hurray!

Summer = Solid Food + Stinky Ka Ka

Oh yes, it pretty much sums it up!

Petite Boo is now 6months old and it's time to get some solid food into his digestive system, and for me and Emmanuel to suffer the consequences of it. Diaper changing time is like being inside a HUGE STINK BOMB these days!!! *choke choke, sputter, sputter!* How can such a tiny baby produce such foul sh*t????

I fed him peas. He obviously doesn't like it.
However, he likes his spoon so much...he's even sleeping with it! The Sheikh of Dongan - it is he who rules the house.
Water tastes "Yucky!", Mommy!!!
Apart from suffering from constant nasal attacks, we had fun with the baby too! It's summer time and what fashionable baby leaves the house without his sunnies on? Poor little bugger's head is so big, I had difficulty putting the sunnies on him! Finally, he can sit, smile and drool at the same time! ;p What a lil' multi-tasker! He loves to suck his lower lip in, just like me when I was a baby... Awww...He's my son alrite!!! ;)

Finally, I have to share this with everyone. Super good "pick-me-up" therapy! I love this Kung Fu Baby clip...

Getting wet in Puerto Rico!

I've flown across continents countless times and even on questionable airlines(i.e Indian Airways who lost my luggage and they flew it to India and came back with missing jewelry), BUT I've never been frightened of being trapped in the air before.

Not until Theoden came along.

Remember those babies/toddlers who can't stop screaming and crying non-stop on the plane with 400 others passengers trying to sleep? And everyone is throwing dagger looks at the poor mother/father who is desperately trying to placate/bribe the kids with zero luck? Uh-huh...those are the moments I dread most when I had my own baby and we had to fly to Puerto Rico to attend a wedding. I've thrown dagger looks before, I just dun wanna receive them. With careful planning and research, I think I know how to placate my baby on his first plane ride. Now, he really did me proud and emerged as the SuperBaby Champion - not a whimper on board!!! 3.5hours flew past without a hitch or a burp! None of our other friends on the same flight even knew there was a baby on board!

Queens' "We are the champions...my friends..." comes to mind as I rejoice the minute we alighted the plane. Whoohoo!!! We did it unscathed!! (*whew!* actually...)

Another first for Theoden is dipping his petit toes in the water. Well, we bought this supercool baby float and dunked him into it and he completely loved it! He's like chilling out in his new float, waddling a little, kicking a little, but mostly just laying back and simply float around while his parents go bersek with the new underwater casing for the camera. I contemplated throwing him into the pool and see if he will "naturally" swim like what I've seen on BBC, but Emmanuel got protective and objected. Wise man, he is.

The truth is, the more time we spent with our baby, the more deeply we love him and care for him. Our love grows by heaps and bounds by the minute. If SIDS or anything remotely horrible were to happen and he dies(*choy!*), I think a SUPERHUGE chunk of me will die too.

I guess I now understand the true meaning of this Chinese saying, "Children should never die before their parents - it is against the natural order of things."

And so, my experiment with water babies will have to be shelved till our next child. Emmanuel's logic is that if we wanna put the baby into the water to swim naturally, we should do it when he is young and able to associate being in the water as to being in the mother's womb. So, er...like 1 month old, perhaps? (I can hear my mother screaming
"NO!!!" all the way from Singapore...keke...) But after coming back home and doing some research, the UK company Water Babies did teach a 2days old baby how to swim underwater so they do start young! They advocate starting babies on lessons before they turn one. Wish I have such courses where I live...

Till the next child then! Stay tuned!

Tiny crumbs and tummy bumps

There are approximately 20,000 eating establishments in NYC and even if I eat out every day for 2 years, I can't possibly try them all...least of all, afford to pay the bill(plus tips).

Eating out is something I took for granted when I was back home in Singapore. It is cheap, convenient, delicious, and there will always be a coffeeshop open 24hours within 5mins in your neighbourhood. We call them Kopitiam(Kopi=coffee).

Not the kind of "coffeeshop" you find in Amsterdam...oh no..., this Kopitiam literally sells coffee and breakfast in the mornings but come night time, there will always be full-scale dinner worthy meals of fried rice with roast pork, beef hor fun, seafood bee hoon, bak kut teh, teochew porridge, mee goreng, and even spicy frog legs porridge, if you wish.

Back to NYC where Kopitiams are nonexistent(*sobs*), we forged our own food trails in this city(where eating out is a hit-or-miss game) within our wallet's permit. The Insider's Guide to NY Neighbourhoods was an excellent source of information as Eleanor Berman guided food lovers like us through walking, eating and shopping to ethnic enclaves throughout NYC. Oh! How I love the library! =)

First Stop: Katz Deli
Native New Yorkers, 3 generation Jew families and tourists alike all flock to Katz's Deli for their famous hot pastrami sandwiches.

I came here for the orgasm.

Whatever Sally had in this deli(remember the famous scene in When Harry met Sally?), I wanted it too.

Forget about the corned beef s/w, chopped liver or whatever blintzes, matzos or knishes. Just zoom right to the server who is slicing the pastrami upon each order and then just chomp down on that 3" thick of juicy meat like you've been starving for days.
Then...the ooh-ooh-ahhh..."orgasm" will come. Trust me. Trust us. See what happens when u eat at Katz? Even the men luuurve it! Hehe... ;p
Second Stopsss: Arthur Avenue
The guidebook introduced us to the other Little Italy located in the Bronx, more commonly known as Arthur Avenue. I also came across the time-honoured Mike's Deli via Bobby Flay's Throwdown show when he challenged Mike's son, David, to the ultimate throwdown of Eggplant Parmagianno. David made all the Italians within a 10mile radius proud by winning the challenge! I.e. I HAVE to try this famous eggplant parmagianno then! Since Arthur Avenue is within a hop to the Bronx Zoo, we stopped by and took out some freshly made eggplant parmagianno for our lunch picnic in the zoo. Man, oh man...it was some wholesome goodness deep fried with lots of tomato sauce that should only be eaten as a treat on special occasions, or otherwise, your cholesterol level would skyrocket through the roof! Well, my cholesterol level is doing good so I dug in heartily. Oh mamma mia!!! Who can leave Arthur Avenue without stopping for some mean cappuccinos and Italian cannolis and pastries? To refuel ourselves after a day in the zoo, we parked the stroller and our tired asses down in a cafe with trays upon trays of edible sinful treats and Italian ices. I can't believe I didn't take note of the name of this cafe cos it was soooo...GOOD!!! See the look on my face? ;p The Honey Nuts Bar was dangerously addictive and I had to go back for seconds(was even contemplating buying some home!). It was hard to choose what pastries to eat when they all look so tempting... it's a good thing they come in mini sizes so you can get a good selection w/o filling up fast.

Now, Roberto's restaurant has been named as one of the BEST Italian restaurants in the city by Esquire magazine. It's been 2 years since my man popped the question so we went to Roberto's for a little celebration. This place is insane - it opens at 4pm and by 5pm when we arrived, it was already packed with a long queue outside and we had to wait for another hour! Who knew New Yorkers eat dinner so early??? Some reviewers claim that it is best to let Roberto(owner/chef) guide you to eating the freshest and tastiest by ordering off his blackboard specials. Now, that is one fine advice I took cos Emmanuel ordered the grilled rabbit from the menu and it was a BIG mistake. After his first bite, he took a deep breath and proclaimed to me in a stony voice, "Don't be disappointed...BUT this is the worst rabbit I've ever eaten in my life." I've never eaten bad rabbit before so I took a bite and it was indeed rubbery and chewy, quite unlike any rabbits I've ever tasted.
Well, my Veal Osso Buco(braised veal shanks) was world class supertasty and I even picked clean the bone marrow down to the last morsel. Emmanuel loved the fall-off-the-bone tender meat and the flavorful sauce over it. One of the best he's had, he says. It's my first veal osso buco so I can't comment much except to say I LOVE it! Our thumbs up for the whole meal is the antipasto fresh mozarella with roasted peppers, proscuitto and arugula salad. That started the evening off with high expectations for our main course, so, for Roberto's to drop so high up from the pedestal...I can feel Emmanuel's big rabbit disappointment. Next time, we are ordering strictly off the blackboard!
To top off our entire Arthur Avenue's Italian experience, we bagged home some proscuitto bread from Addeo's Bakery for breakfast the next day. OMG...some of the finest bread I have E.V.E.R. tasted in my whole life. Mmm-mmm-mmm....!!! Emmanuel kept asking me if I am sure that I dun wanna buy 2 breads instead of just 1, and I was like..."Ummm, nah...Let's not be gluttons.", and I so regret it now!!! Addeo - open a branch in Manhattan, please!!!!

3rd Stop: Morimoto (Iron Chef America)
Trying Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant by chance, I left feeling light-headed from the earl grey creme brule we had for dessert. I've had my fair share of creme brules(always classic) and this variation took me by storm the minute I put the spoon into my mouth. My lament? That it is such a tiny portion and I simply can't get enough of it!!!

I'm not big on the ambiance(feels like some chi-chi lounge) since I was heavily pregnant at that time and wasn't feeling that sexy in my preggy frocks. BUT...I adore their modern Japanese wash/blow style toilets! Have to get one of those into my own house in the future...

4th Stop: Momofuku
I came here cos Anthony Bourdain frequents this place whenever he's not working. If celebrity chefs come here to EAT, it can't be anything but DAMN GOOD, right?
The steamed pork buns blew me away. Buns like these are commonly served during funerals in Singapore(pork belly stuffed buns) and I used to eagerly look forward to eating them despite the grim occasion it was served at. Up and rising chef/owner, David Chang, brought the simple pork bun into another level from the ones I used to savour, that's for sure! Again, I WANT more of it!!!!
They are known for their ramen tho' I can't say it is my favourite ramen. Packed with ingredients, it is definitely value for the buck but for me, the most important thing in a noodle soup is the SOUP and the NOODLES. This noodle lacks the crunch and the soup is not packed with flavors, the way I like it. Still want the bun...mmm...

5th Stop: Kang Suh (Little Korea)
One word: BIBIM BOB. Sounds like a cartoon character? Tastes like heaven in a bowl.
I came here for the Korean BBQ but since I was the only one ordering BBQ, they did it in the kitchen instead of at the table. :( Emmanuel had the Bibim Bob and since I've never had it before, I tried it although it is with raw beef. It resembled a riot of colors and flavors which exploded in your mouth all at once, leaving you yearning for the next spoonful. Soon, my bbq beef was quietly ignored as I gobbled up Emmanuel's dinner.

Love this place in Little Korea right in mid-town Manhattan where Macy's and Manhattan Mall are. It is open 24/7 and food is served with a dizzying array of tiny kimchi dishes that made us regret ordering appetizers. Of course, there are more restaurants and cafes to trudge towards to with a growling tummy(that's the attitude!) in this city. Our food trail ends here today(for the moment) and The Planels shall continue to blaze on ahead with filling up our tummies! =)

P/S: You may look at photos of me and wonder...
"Hmmm...is that remnants of her pregnancy? Or...is it just a really full tummy?" Heh heh...it's for me to know and for you to guess! ;p