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Time Flies When You're Moving House

9/20/2012

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Right. It's already the third week of September. Feels like it was just yesterday that we moved into our new home, despite sleeping here for exactly one month. The moving-in went smoothly and we are happy to see all our stuff from various countries - finally! - unpacked and forming our home altogether. 

We also said goodbye to some items which did not survive either the two-year storage or moving and shipping. One in particular was the iron we got back in Singapore only a few months before having to pack up. And since office shirts are of immediate urgency, we went to the departmental store looking for a new one. 

Now when it comes to investing in a good iron, apart from its weight (with and without water) and power (no less than 2400W), one should look for a high steam flow rate which is measured in "g/mn" (at least 150g/mn). Otherwise ironing would really be a dreadful chore. 

We spent some time checking out various models on the shelf when the sales staff came over to help. She seemed to have her mind set on Tefal over Philips. Ah! I liked her already. "Both about the same price. But one made in Indonesia. What are you paying for?"  Now I liked her even more!

So we chatted about some of the most mundane things, like why do steam iron plates turn brown too soon. The enthusiastic lady shared her wisdom.

"Oh! That! You tell your maid ar!! When she irons your clothes, she must not set it to the highest setting! You know sometimes maids have so many things to do, they think by ironing at the highest setting they can get the job done faster. This is wrong! Not only your maid risks spoiling your clothes, she burns the iron also! That's why the plate turns brown!"

The husband looked at me and said, "You hear that?". 

Our chirpy "aunty" was slightly embarrassed and apologized. 

That's how common domestic helpers really are in this part of the world. Everyone thinks everyone has one. Or two. 
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Moving Day

6/21/2012

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We saw our container driven away for Marseille yesterday. It was a long day for JL who had been with the movers since morning. Glad we won't be doing this for the next three years at least. I only joined the party after lunch and they sure worked fast! 
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The garage had already been half-emptied before the guys went for their lunch break. As most of the boxes (packed in Singapore two years ago) are still in good condition, the guys only had to redo their inventory list using their own labels. 

Nonetheless our three Bulgarian acquaintances came armed with new boxes in assorted sizes. Not too bad, because they've come all the way from Lyon and they'd better not forget nor run short of anything they need. Otherwise it'd be three hours' drive both ways to get it!


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Boxing 102

6/18/2012

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So the 101 was on respect for all things paper. What else to prepare yourself with before a week of serious packing? Here are some of my favourites through our moves:

Make a list. I love lists! If you don't, at least make one in your head and hope that you'll remember it. I write them down because my memory fails me when my limps are aching. The list should contain the items you want to pack. You don't have to explicitly spell it all out, just categorize them eg. house linens, books (JL's school texts, comics, my French books, cookbooks, and so on), paintings, winter clothes, the likes. The more you can group them, the better organized you will be when you get down to the actual packing. And the better you can imagine packing your stuff, the more you can identify what is required: custom-built wooden crate for paintings, packs of desiccants, bubble wraps, which sizes for your carton boxes, etc. 
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You Know the Cake is Done When...

6/14/2011

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You insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and it comes out clean, maybe with a bit of crumbs.

And when you gently press the cake with your "peace" fingers, it bounces back up lightly. That's when your fingers turn from "peace" to the "victory" sign.

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And finally, look carefully and you'll see that the edges have pulled away from the sides of your pan.

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Childhood Kitchen Memories

2/4/2011

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The picture you see here is not taken with any iPhone photo app. Nor was the woman styled in that pretty frilly dress to match the retro setup. This is my mother in her kitchen back in the late 1970s. And if you're wondering, the scalloped edges on the photo are real.

It's a pity back then that one could only take monochromatic pictures. I was too young to remember but one thing's for sure, that four-panel cabinet is light olive green with white outline. I know because it still sits at the same spot today even though most parts of that area had been upgraded through the years. That cabinet is my mum's arsenal of sauces, spices and seasonings. The door panels can be fan-folded to the right for easy access during cooking.

Growing up with a mum who's capable of cooking anything contributed to a very delicious childhood. Bringing up six kids was not easy when one was a full-time school teacher and had to feed the whole family. Did I mention cleaning and washing after all of us too?


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Before "I Do": French+Malaysian Style

1/17/2011

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Much more than just tying the knot...
Ever since I started this website, the husband has been reminding me to transfer useful information from a previous half-hearted blog over here. This entry contains some of the most valuable stuff we learned the hard way back in 2009 -- getting married with French and Malaysian passports. For me, it was a tonne of paperwork and I remember feeling tired even before anything.

He proposed. You said yes. Congratulations! You've found yourselves right at the tip of the Big Day iceberg. So many things to look forward to in every aspect of your life and yet, one wonders *pun intended* "Where do I begin?..."

For us, we tried not to get sucked into the materialistic bits of wedding planning. So the boss did his homework back at the town hall in France; while I ran my own errands between several Malaysian ministries/departments. So for the benefit of Malaysians who intend to sign up for the same "package" as ours, here's what you have to do:

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Finally, My Own Favicon!

10/18/2010

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This sounds somewhat superficial but, do you like it?

I thought it'll be more professional to have a unique favicon for the website. First I did not even know it is called a "favicon". Ten minutes later I found out just how easy it is to make one, even without Photoshop or MS Paint.

So here's one "designed" using Microsoft Powerpoint! The color palette celebrates the unsung heroes of everyday food: red onions and greens, aubergines and grapes. The typeface brings about memories of my father's old Olivetti typewriter. Hope you guys like it. I certainly do.

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Under Pressure

10/9/2010

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Fagor Splendid 2-in-1 set
Whenever we stay with JL's parents in the south of France, I enjoy following the mother-in-law's kitchen activities. She is amazing - she can whip up a tart, cake, pie, almost anything as effortlessly as we'd make instant coffee. Alright, I exaggerate a little but really, even though every meal is prepared by her, I hardly see her working in the kitchen.

Inspired by this, and since I had an empty kitchen, I decided to get a pressure cooker. I had never used one but I hope it will be for keeps. So far I am having a good time with Fagor's Splendid 2-in-1 pressure cooker set. The set consists of a 4-litre and 6-litre stainless steel pot with good handles, and two different lids - one which looks like most glass lids while the other a pressure cooker lid. One can use these interchangably because they have the same diameter. There is also a steamer basket which I have yet to unwrap.

It would be unfair to compare pressure cookers to good old cast-iron Dutch ovens. The former is used when under time constraint; the latter when you know that something lovely is simmering very slowly in the kitchen, and the waiting makes it even more rewarding.

Sure there are stories about pressure cookers exploding or how unsafe it is but I believe in reading manuals and taking precautions before using a new tool. At the very least, show a little respect for the things you use and take good care of them. And there'll be many meals to come, satisfying one's craving for Japanese curry or a hearty beef stew, especially when the temperature drops.
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    briefly

    JL and S grew up in France and Malaysia respectively. They met while living in Singapore, stayed a year in the USA (Cambridge, MA) then the south of France, Malaysia, and are back again in the USA (New York, NY). 

    frenchinos at home is where we share some of our stories with friends, much like the living room, dine-in kitchen, or the timber-deck balcony which we've always wanted to have, which sounds most impossible where we live now. 

    Welcome and we're happy to have you here :)

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