New Hobby

You know, the ambition to craft every single day before the end of my maternity leave is not happening. The baby is keeping me on my toes and choosing to go back to work at the busiest time means I have to do a lot of legwork to avoid unnecessary all nighters once I am in the office. So what a girl to do to decompress? Well, I am thankful for pumping time because I get to have an uninterrupted 7 x 15 = 105 minutes/day of wandering on the net while pumping. But, there are only so many craft blogs that I can read.

Thank God I have not run out of stuffs to read. I pick up food porn instead, that’s right, I’ve been reading a ton of cooking/baking/eating blogs especially Southeast Asian food blogs. Being far away from home makes me crave my comfort food. Additionally, some of those bloggers are very knowledgeable about the history/story behind the dish. Long story short, I learn a lot. Here are my favorites

Ieat Ishoot Ipost. This is a very funny and informative blogs about eating in Singapore, mostly hawker food plus some fine dining here and there. The author, Dr. Leslie Tay (that’s right, the dude is an MD), not only reviews places to eat in Singapore but also tells the story/history behind each joint. I learn a lot about how immigrants from China in 19th and 20th century shape the Singapore food culture today as we know it

IndoChine Kitchen. I love this blog because the author is based in Medan, the city where I grew up. Each recipe featured in her blog is accompanied by gorgeous step-by-step photos. Every single dish looks yummooo and makes me drool. People often ask me what is Indonesian food and I always have a hard time coming up with an enticing answer. This blog solves my problem. Go check it out if you want to find out more about what is Indonesian and Indonesian Chinese cooking

Rasa Malaysia awesome cooking blog and I have tried many recipes from this blog. Totally kick ass

Ravenous Couple, the blog that makes me appreciate and want to learn more about Vietnamese cooking

Bentolicious, all about Bento making by Lia based in Jakarta. A total eye candy…

Mochachocolata Rita, food blogger based in Hong Kong. She features places to eat in HK and recipe for yummy home cooked meals

Eating Asia Husband and Wife duo writing about eating in Asia. Blog posts have the journalistic flare to it coz these folks write for new york times

David Lebovitz, well this is not Southeast Asian food blog. David is an ex-dessert chef at Chez Panisse who is now based in Paris. His blog feature life in Paris and recipes. I have a soft spot for everything french so I am loving it. Plus, I am in love with his book The sweet life in Paris, so many LOL moments.

 

I also just discover a few more and will slowly go through them as I pump.

Little Teochew Another cooking blog based in Singapore

Indonesia Eats for when I need to brush up on authentic Indonesian dish

My Cooking Hut by a Malaysian food blogger based in London

What’s your favorite foodie blogs?

On a slightly different note, I was checking my pumping log. Holy cow, I have pumped about 1837 oz milk and my baby has almost doubled his birth weight. I shall give myself a pat on the back.

 

 

 

FO: Cosette Wrap

Let see how long I can keep this blogging thing-y going. I have a few weeks left before I have to bring home the bacon. Till then, I plan to squeeze in as many crafty projects as possible in the midst of caring for the bub and crazy pumping schedule, did I mention that I pump exclusively coz baby boy just won’t latch on?

Anyway, I finished this wrap (my first ever, yay) a few weeks before he arrived.

Pattern: Cosette wrap by Alana Dakos

Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Free Range, sadly this yarn is discontinued and I forget the colorway, let’s just call it honey, shall we?

Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse for the picot edge

Needle: size 9

I am not a wrap person and often time can’t find a proper moment to wear it being in California and such. I mostly spend my time at the comfort of my suburb in San Jose, which is hardly freezing cold and this winter is especially warm. So, the jury is still out whether It’ll get a decent flying time or it is just a one hit wonder and I shouldn’t be spending my precious dollar and time in wrap/shawl project. Having said that, it does help perks up my otherwise plain jane wardrobe

The pattern is very simple and shaped by short row. The only thing is to make sure to track the short rows with a bunch of stitch markers. The short row compensates for the tedious stockinette stitch throughout. I love that it is finished with a picot edge, totally elegant.

The Sanguine Gryphon yarn has a lovely color but a bit itchy, not as buttery as merino wool that I am now accustomed to. I like that it pops out when I wear it with a plain old black or white t-shirt.

You see that bump right there in the picture, I finally come to terms with the fact that it’ll take time for it to go back to its former glory. I was distraught when I ran into a co-worker who thought that the bun was still in the oven three weeks after I gave birth. I am still breast-pumping, so dieting is not an option. I try to exercise regularly to burn it off as much as I can, mostly doing zumba and cardio kickboxing, i do see my weight goes down by the week. This bump is another reason why I hesitate on sewing projects at the moment. I now fit right back into my pre-pregnancy low rider jeans but have a few more pounds to shed before I can fit into my dresses and skirts.

Hello World…

Wow, I had been MIA for five months. Thank you readers if you still subscribe to me. First of, there was that demanding job that I took in July. I was so hungry for promotion that I took the new challenge even though I was already in my second trimester. In a hindsight, it was pretty irresponsible of me to do that to my baby. I worked my ass off every night until 10 pm, including weekend. Luckily, I had a very easy pregnancy, only two leg crams, no morning sickness, though I did have a terrible skin rash for a few weeks.

I worked until a day before my labor, my bub chose to show up two and half weeks early. I wasn’t ready of course but ready or not… I can’t believe that I am a mommy now, it’s kind of cool but terrifying, I have to keep the little man alive…talk about the pressure LOL. Anyway, here I present you my two-month old little man, Benjamin Su. Ben was the best christmas present ever. I went to labor on xmas eve and he showed up a day after xmas, 6 lbs 14 oz. Fast forward two months later, he is now 11 lbs, not bad eh?

Here he was, fresh out of my womb

At one week old wearing handknit sweater and beanie

At two months old, pretty cute if I may say so myself, then again all babies are cute

On the crafty side, I have not done much. I finished a few sweaters for him, a cosette wrap for me and am working on Rocky Coast Cardigan. Sewing is pretty much a thing of the past at least for now. My sewing room is now his nursery. I leave my sewing table, sewing machine and serger in the room. I now use the table primarily as a pumping station. My cutting table is now his changing table, it is too heavy to be moved out and I did not want to spend a gazillion dollars for changing table, it’s all good.

FO: Rufus Textured Cardigan

I just finished Rufus Textured Cardi for my baby boy.

Pattern: Rufus Textured Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK  in Chana Dal bought at Bobbins Nest Studio, less than 2 hanks. 50% acrylic, 40% wool and 10% nylon

Needle: US size 5 and 6

Size: 12 months

I knitted most of it while traveling in France, so it is certainly very memorable. The pattern is well-written (or should I say well-adapted from the old vintage pattern) and consists of five pieces (back, front left, front right and two sleeves). I would rather knit in one piece though.  The stitch pattern is easy to memorize and definitely makes the cardigan looks very stylish, my baby boy will look hip in an old man kind of way

The yarn is squishy and soft, I don’t normally knit with acrylic or acrylic blend but I am trying to be practical since I need to throw it into a machine when my baby soils it. The color is so yummy, jewel tone and perfect for next fall when he’s about 9 – 12 months old.

The cardigan is not completely finished, i still need to put on buttons.

Babymoon Part 3 – Normandy

We started our road trip by driving from Paris to Normandy. I am glad renting a car and driving in France is as easy as ABC except for one of the exit that we missed ended up costing us 10 Euro, that’s right my friend, freeway or should I say motorway ain’t cheap. Anyway, we’re happy driving our rental Citroen C5 station wagon, it made sight-seeing less tiring.

A two-hour drive took us to Honfleur, a fishing village full of history. When I said history, I am not talking about 50 year history like how they describe downtown Campbell in my neighborhood. It is way back to the time of William, the conqueror. Honfleur was used as a port to ship supplies during that time

And oh, while I was there I checked out the flea market

It was fun and I got a Noddy picture book for my baby boy for 3 Euro, not bad.

About an hour drive west took us to the WW II beaches. Our first stop is Arromanche, which is a british beach with a very informative D-day museum

 

 

The most amazing of all WW II sites are the American cemetery and Pointe du Hoc (heavily bombed during WW II)

It was somber reading the tombstones, a lot of these men die within a few days of D-day

We stayed overnight in Bayeux after D-day sightseeing so we can check out Bayeux Tapestry. It is an embroidered cloth depicting the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England. It was used as a propaganda tool targeting the illiterate peasants. Nearly 230 ft long, this tapestry is incredible and well-preserved

Since I was not allowed to snap a picture, here is one from this site

At least I got a picture of the museum exterior

We also love the Cathedral, which is bigger than Notre Dame in Paris

Having seen all these, there’s another big site in Normandy that we checked out, the very reason we’re there, Le Mont St-Michel

I was very impressed by that I made it to the top of the Abbey, thanks for all the shops that litter the trail up to the Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Babymoon Part 2 – Craft shopping in Paris

Before I went on the trip, I did some research on craft shopping. Townmouse has a great post on variety of shops in Paris. Due to time constraint, I decided to focus on hitting one cross-stitch shop and one knitting shop, so I can stock up on great French patterns, rarity in the US. I was not going to concentrate on buying supplies (yarn or fabrics) because they are super expensive and about the same as they are in the US.

Anyway, a 15-minute metro ride from Point Maillot to Bastille took me to Le Bonheur des Dames, possibly the greatest cross-stitch shop in the world

Le Bonheur des Dames

Le Viaduc des Arts, 17 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris

(Metro Bastille or Ledru Rollin)

It was very tiring for me to go up and down the metro station with my big belly and I had to stop a lot to catch my breath but as soon as I saw the shop, it was like discovering an oases.

It is a lovely shop selling mostly cross-stitch kits, patterns and supplies plus some Liberty Fabrics. The shop has a very nice atmosphere and the owner speaks a little english. I love every single books and kits that they sell there, very very chic and French. I wish I could clean up the entire store but I only bought four books. I could not afford the kits (which occupy majority of the shop), they are tres tres expensive. Starting price for a kit is 28 Euro and it can go up to $130 Euro depending on size, I was hoping they will sell me just the patterns but they don’t. Great eye candy though and if you are interested, you can shop online. Here are some kits that I like just to give you an idea

Kitchen towel cross-stitch

Growth chart. With a baby in the belly, I gravitate towards baby stuffs.

If you live in the US, you should feel very grateful that craft supplies are a lot more affordable in this side of the pond. For example, a DMC floss is priced starting from 1.50 Euro in France, you can get it for 33 cent at JoAnn. Regardless, here are my hauls

To tease you a bit, here are some of the patterns from those books

Simple cross-stitch for your kitchen

Farm life in France

Cute period costumes

Needlepoint for your atelier

I knew that I have to have this pattern even before I went to France, perfect for my baby

Another cute pattern from Petits Ecoliers

The second shop that I went to was Le Bon Marche at Left Bank (Rive Gauche), which really is an upscale department store

Le Bon Marche

4 Rue de Sèvres
75007 Paris, France
01 44 39 80 00
Metro Sevres- Babylone and as soon as you exit the metro, the department store is right in front of you

The haberdashery section is located on the third floor and  as soon as the elevator door opens, you feel like you just enter a craft heaven. It pretty much occupies a third of the floor, jam-packed with yarn, fabrics, notions, craft books and kits. All of them are laid out beautifully. Here are some photos

Here is Rowan counter. Basically, each yarn brand has its own counter, manned by specific assistants. Other counters include Phildar, Debbie Bliss and some other yarn brands that I have not heard of. No indie yarn and no fondling for sure, which is why it is more fun to yarn shop in the US

Cute doll-patterns, I saw it somewhere online and did not realize it’s from France

Again, cross-stitch kits are big in France

Wall of buttons

Mr. Su snapping a candid shot while I browsed

BTW, taking photos were apparently not allowed, the security guard came and scolded us

I did not have a chance to go to the fabric districts in Montmatre but check out a recent blog post from Fantastic Toys. Yeah, it was too bad that I did not make it there because I really love that neighborhood and Sacre Coeur.

Babymoon Part 1 – Paris

So, we just got back from a 10-day whirlwind tour of France. We call it our last hurrah before the baby arrives and potentially no more vacation or at least stress-free vacation for life? The trip was so awesome and a much-needed vacation despite a little mishap in the beginning when we scrambled looking for a flight out to Paris as the original flight was canceled due to hurricane Irene. A day late, we managed to find two seats on Air France out of LA. Luckily, I’ve been to Paris so I did not miss much

My second time to Paris, I really only had 24 hours and wanted to focus on doing things that I did not get to do last time and revisit my favorite neighborhood. Paris with its elegant building, very chic neighborhood and parisians at the metro are what charm me. I wanted to soak up that ambiance as much as I can, if only I can bottle it….

As soon as we arrived, we hit the seine with our friends, Koen and Angeline, who made a special trip from Rotterdam to meet us (thanks much guys). We immediately got on the boat tour, which I did not do last time. Oh how I love the breeze as we passed all important spots that started Paris a long long time ago. I was charmed by ile de la cite…Louvre, Notre Dame, pont neuf…

This is how it looks like….cruising the Seine. Pardon the scaffolding on the bridge…ugh, why was it there?

Parisians and tourists alike enjoying a nice afternoon

Passing by Eiffel Tower and just like that you got a glimpse of my tummy for the first time That’s right my friend, I’ve gained about 9 lbs when the picture was taken

The boat tour wore us out and we stopped for dinner at Le 6 New York for our first real french meal. I was not disappointed at my Assiette de legume (assortment of veggie) for appetizer and lamb leg for the main course. Just look at the legume presentation, what a work of art.

After dinner, we got to witness the fun thing going on in Paris, Critical Mass on Friday night where people roller-bladed and biked around the city

Such a lively and energetic city

At that point, I was really really tired and jetlag. We decided to stroll pass Champs-Elysees on the way back to our hotel at the Point Maillot. Hmm, I must say, Champs-Elysees is not my cup of tea. It is very touristy and tacky. But, I could not resist snapping a shot by Arc de Triomphe.

We hit the sack after that so that we could have a fresh start the following day. Since, we only had half a day before having to drive to Normandy, I made it a priority to hit a craft store in Bastille and Marais neighborhood (my favorite). I’ll save the craft store trek for another post.

I don’t mind living in this neighborhood

Or in this apartment building

We ended our 24 hours in Paris at the Center Pompidou and got ready to head to Normandy