Scotch egg I love you.

I was introduced to scotch eggs by a Brit hunk named Andy Bates. He was busy in his kitchen when I first saw him, mixing minced meat, herbs and spices and wrapping it around half boiled egg. Then, the baseball sized mixture was dunked in egg wash and bread crumb before he dropped it in the deep fryer. A few minutes later he took out a round golden brown crispy fare in his arm. It was love at first sight. Obsession, to be precise. 

Andy was hosting a deelish-looking show on food network called Street Feast. We first 'met' through the 51" Toshiba in my living room on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A former restaurant chef, Andy travels around UK to feature popular street food around the country and give a twist to traditional British street food recipes in his kitchen. I have never heard of scotch eggs before Andy. It looks super yummy and dreamed about it one night.
 
Andy recently launched his cook book and Street Feast USA where he does the same with American street food.

His food is available in a street stall in London twice a week. So when I was in town, sampling the scotch egg is a priority on my list. Traditionally made with mince pork, Andy created a variety of scotch eggs with fish and a vegetarian version. They tasted way better then I imagined. In the spirit of holiday, I also sampled the spinach pastry and custard pie. LOVE. And I love it even more when Andy (He served the customers himself!) gave me a discount after telling him I watched his show on this part of the world.   

I miss scotch egg so much I could smell it....

Scotch eeeeeegggg :

Andy - the cutest mamang penjaga jajanan pinggir jalan.

To Keep

I cleared quite a bit of old stuff from my room in Jakarta right after the new year.
Old diary books, university brochures, old magazines and plenty other random things that I can live without.

But I also came accross memorable items that I will definitely keep.

1. My penpal.
My former Finnish penpal -now Facebook friend- Anne Kyro first wrote to me when I was 12 yrs old.Throughout the years, we shared stories about our lives over airmails. Schools, holidays, friends, guys, birthday presents, christmas presents, university, moving, our parents' separation, jobs, life commitments..

 I found her first letter sent from Helsinki in 1992 and a series of pictures sent between 1992 and 1998.

We've never met in person to this day. We really need to work on that.

1992-1998

Anne's first letter

2.  My first analog watch.
It a birthday present that Mom bought when I was in 2nd grade. It's a Benetton with brown leather strap bought from a shop in Melawai Plaza. I'm gonna bring this vintage item back to life.

3. My gang.
My high school gang and I spent one Sunday afternoon in the old part of Jakarta, back in Dec 1999.Ayse just joined a photography class and wanted to test her skill by taking our portraits. I found a picture of younger us. 13 years later, we're still a gang. Slightly more wiser and 'slightly' heavier.

I noticed how Kamjet used to have smilar jeans' size as Fanny.

4. Camilla the Torturer.
Most senior students exchange goodbye notes when they graduated from high school. But not many took the notebook home, spent overnight to recount the past 4 years in school and wrote a 10 page memoir. Hasief did. Apparently the thing that he remembered the most about me was my collection of male models' collage. And how I used it to (or what they feel like) torture my guys' friends. It's an entertaining account. He always have better writing skills then interpersonal skills. Maybe he's changed. He..he..pissss Heb!

7% 
Written by a 90 year old



Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

2013

1. Try 

2. Try Again 

3. Try Once More 

4. Try It A Little Differently 

5. Try It Again Tomorrow 

6. Try And Ask For Help 

7. Try To Find Someone Who's Done It 

8. Try To Determine What's Not Working 

9. Try To Determine What Is Working 

10. Just Keep Trying