Manaia's back!

After a couple of frustrating months trying to enjoy a boat that wasn't working properly, today we took Manaia out after an engine overhaul. Credit goes to our partner Brian who organized the necessary work.

We were joined by the Cowley family

Iman's hat flew off and we had to turn back to look for it. Alexander then volunteered to retrieve it.

It was a beautiful day in paradise

In the kitchen

I don't often use our lesung / mortar & pestle  all that often but I took it out a few days ago to crush garlic and ginger to make our favorite gai yang - barbequed chicken Isan style. I was trying to do it as quickly as possible so the kids would not see me and want to have a go but I was found out by Ayden who of course insisted on a go.

The scene brought me back my own childhood being in my paternal grandmother's kitchen. Married into a family that loved their food she was a fantastic cook. Anyway I used to always want to have a go on the lesung when she was busy in the kitchen and in a fret that I would pound my little fingers - just my own fears for Ayden that day.

It also made me remember my grandmother's batu giling. I think the best translation for this is quern stone. These were the days before blenders and my grandmother would grind her spices with fresh tumeric to make various curry pastes. I remember it used to take her a while to grind it down into a fine paste which must have been quite a workout considering the size and weight of the stone rolling pins - and it was no surprise she never let me have a go on it! Sadly I don't know what happened to her slab and pin but I think she eventually threw it our herself and got a blender!

Beautiful jungle

On the hash this week there were a couple of steep hills to climb. On the second one I had to take a breather and took the opportunity to take a shot. I had never been to the site before and the jungle was beautiful. I can't wait to go back there for a walk and enjoy the lush green scenery. But that will have to wait - the fasting month starts next week!

Jack at school

We're very proud this week - Jack's been such a star going to school and loving it. Here are pictures from his first day.

Fairy Tale of Childbirth

A lighter side to childbirth - make sure you watch it with your husband sitting next to you.

He Did It !

Monday mornings are never the easiest but today was special - the start of a new school year for Iman and the start of a new chapter in Jack's life. Negotiations all week would have put the Good Friday agreement to shame - smalls steps forward i.e. 'I'm a big boy now with new shoes for school' but large steps backwards - 'Jack are you looking forward to School?' - a Paisley type reply of 'NO!' was common.

Despite some hostile objections this morning, Jack made it to the school car park (listening to the Dubliner's which for some reason works with our kids !). Iman as usual was straight into class and didn't look backwards. We were told off for not having her stationary pack, which again is nothing unusual! But then came the big moment.... Jack's turn!

Jack's in a small class (no more than 12 kids) and they have a teacher (Iman's old teacher) and two assistants. His initial approach was to explore but with his Dad in tow, fancied painting but didn't want to wear the apron, did some drawing and then settled into playing with 'Play Dough'. Maria headed off to pay for the infamous stationary pack and shortly afterwards, I told Jack I needed to make a call. A kiss and a high five later, I was out the door. A quick check later, all was going well but Maria couldn't resist almost crawling up to the window to have one last look.

So - two down, one to go. Even at before he reaches 2, Ayden was already taking a Jack line to school - 'No' with a shake of his head........ something tells me that he's really going to miss Jack. Ayden will be all alone at home - with only his grandmother to spoil him !

A Healthy Balance

Just in case people are starting to get worried about us stuffing our kids with rare roast beef, we try (!) to give them a healthy balance on the food front, so this lunchtime, we all carted off for Japanese. Japanese food here in Brunei is good quality and very cheap so it's usually a feast with too much ordered - 4 adults, 3 kids and all for 35 Euro !

Ayden is a recent convert and loves tucking into his mother's cold noodles although the kids preference is to sit in front of bowls of edamame beans, popping the beans out and happily crunching their way through.
None have mastered the art of chopsticks as yet but that will surely come shortly. Jack claims that he can but it's more of a stabbing effort followed by lots of hand action.
So today was a table full of food with Jack even attempting to eat the head off one of the pregnant fish, making his Dad very proud. Our biggest challenge no doubt when we next go back to Ireland will be explaining to the kids why we can't go for a Japanese lunch - mortgage's are quite expensive these days in Ireland - I hear that 40 year mortgages are the norm for first time buyers, but that's for another day!

Roast Beef - the only way!

I like to think that I could be a vegetarian but all thoughts are wiped out whenever we have a roast beef dinner. And after five years we think we have figured out our oven to produce a roast the only way we like it - rare. Even our kids who a couple years back disliked the taste of red meat now tuck heartily into the roast. Not only is rare/medium beef easier to chew and digest but the taste is all there compared to a well done roast.

 

Our roast is usually accompanied with steamed vegetables and steamed potatoes. And here's a tip for Bruneian households about potatoes (trust me my husband's Irish!). The only potatoes to have with a roast meal in Brunei are the American Russet variety. Do not go for new potatoes or the clean looking Australian variety - they are good for potato salads but not right for mash. Simply wash the russett potatoes, do NOT peel and steam in their skins. Peel when piping hot at the table and eat immediately. 

Made in Brunei

We are the proud owners of a new tikar (mat) that was made in Brunei using materials from the Brunei jungle and woven by a Bruneian. I acquired the masterpiece from my good friend Margaret who has a contact from the Melilas Longhouse in Ulu Belait. The longhouse is only accessible by boat (I understand they are going to build a road soon) but Margaret's contact lives closer to town only going back to the village to collect materials and baskets & mats to sell.

The mat however did not come cheap but it is afterall a dying trade in Brunei and who wants to buy bamban mats when you can buy synthetic rugs from China for cheaper. But I was happy to pay the price that I did because I never even knew that these mats were still being made in Brunei. One always struggles to find authentic "Made in Brunei" products (and no I don't want to give chilli sauce and prawn crackers as christmas presents). The only place one can think of to buy Bruneian souvenirs are the over-priced government run handicrafts centre and the odd souvenir shop in shopping centres selling key chains and fridge magnets with "I Love Brunei" mottos. So without Margaret I wouldn't have been able to purchase my mat which brings me to the question I am asking myself - why has it taken an expat for me to find out about this?

Thursday evenings

are reserved for prayers at my parents house. Every week the children all mandi / bath early, wear sembahyang clothes and go to Mah's and Pah's house. They eat then play, fight, laugh and cry with the other cousins all evening winding us all up. But we left early last night before any of the fun started cos we are practicing going to bed early in preparation for school. Jack was first to the post going to sleep at 7:45 but failed miserably to get up this morning only getting out of bed at 8am!

Getting ready for school

Less than a week away before school starts. Iman will be going to Year 1 and Jack starts Kindy - he is still in denial that it is going to happen. We got his uniform last week and he refused to put it on until we dressed up Ayden in a set too. No points in guessing who looks the most ready to go.

And when they all go off next Monday it will be just be and my baby at home!

Happy Birthday Jasmine

BIG BIRTHDAY GREETINGS to my sister Jasmine who celebrates her big day today. I wasn't organized enough to dig up pictures from a childhood birthday but somehow I think Jasmine prefers the pictures of the Fatin, Zahra, Iman and Hazim taken at the Empire last week. 

Niah Caves

Here are the pictures of our trip to the Niah Caves. The drive from Miri town took close to one and a half hours. Once there it was an hour's walk through the jungle on an elevated boardwalk to the actual caves. The kids were very keen to walk and did not want to sit in the buggy but it was a totally different story on the way back. Thank god for the Phil&Teds!

This was the first chamber that we walked through. Donncha did a great job carrying the buggy up and down those very steep steps.

This was the second and largest chamber. We left Sitty, Narima and the boys at the bottom and proceeded into the cave with the Cowleys. But the smell of the guano (bat poo to you and me) and the closed dark atmosphere was too much for myself and Iman and we did not proceed in too far. We had torches but could only really see our feet. Further in are more chambers and some cave paintings dating back thousands of years. And the day before our trip an ancient skull was discovered at one of the archaelogical sites.

View from the top. These caves are also renowned for the nests of the swallow birds which are made from their saliva. The abandoned nests are harvested several times a year by very skilled climbers who climb very thin poles to get to the nests.  A delicacy in Chinese cuisine they are sought after and quite expensive.

Ayden was more interested in the cave floor - Ayden nooooooo....I took out the wet wipes and sanitizer immediately!

On the way back through the first cave again and after navigating the steep steps down. 

Iman whacked by then!

And needed a ride.

This was by far the most adventurous trip that we had taken the kids on and they did very well. Against the advice of previous visitors we took our Phil&Ted's and by the end of the day was worth it's weight in gold though a little cumbersome for Donncha at times. For most of the journey back I pushed Iman and Jack and Donncha carried a sleeping Ayden (a heavy sleeping Ayden).

We had to bypass the Iban village on way back but we did stop at their souvenir stalls and bought drinks and Iban bracelets and necklaces. I must mention that unlike most attractions on the tourist trails, the prices were very reasonable and we did not need to take out our US$!

A great day out but boy were we happy to see the Marriott at the end of the day! We hope this is the first of many adventures in Borneo.

A buffet to make grown men cry!

This blog has often emphasized on the economical advantages of living in Asia over Europe and our brunch on Sunday was a perfect example of this. This was also another reason why we chose the Ritz-Carlton as our hotel - Donncha and I, since we met have had a passionate affair with this brunch which in our opinion rivals non other.

The offerings available on Sunday met up to our expectations. There were 10 types of oysters - from France, Australia and New Zealand - and we tried all. We followed that with pan-fried fois gras - yes I had too much! There were amazing salads to graze on and we nibbled. Mains were a mix of European/Asian but we stuck to the rare rib roast - and we went back for more.

Deserts were the only pictures I managed to take and they were very good especially the crepes, souffle and fresh strawberries. And there was cheese - over 50 varieties - where does one start or finish?!!!

So we over indulged and this is not a lunch to have too often but at S$150 a head it's a good deal - that's 50 stg / 75 euro - a standard meal for one in Ireland! Oh and I forgot to mention free flow of vintage champers and cocktails and all in 4 hours!! 

Singapore National Day 08

Maria and I have mixed emotions when it comes to Singapore. We have lived there briefly and didn't enjoy the experience but that was more related to work than the place itself. I spend quite an amount of time passing through Singapore these days and we as a family normally spent at least 4 days here every year (the Zoo is excellent)

However, one thing you have to give Singapore is that they do know how to run up emotion around the Singapore brand and what it means to be Singaporean. What was very interesting about the experience this year was how Malay focused a lot of the coverage was, yet we all know the true story of the average Malay in Singapore. 

By luck, we had booked into the Ritz Carlton for the weekend to get a break away and attend Rini and Ingo's wedding. The National Day Celebrations take place on a floating barge in front of a massive stand in Marina Bay which is overlooked by the Ritz Carlton so Maria had plenty of opportunity to practice her camera skills.

I was most impressed by the Singaporean Air Force display which was excellent over the city - massive noise and skill. I missed the kids who would surely have been as excited as their Dad - Maria was more focused on ensuring that I wasn't knocked over by a Singaporean bus !

A room with a view

Our view for most of the weekend.

Rini & Ingo's Solemnisation

Taking place on the auspicious 8/8/8 Rini and Ingo's solemnisation was a beautiful ceremony in a lovely setting witnessed by the couple's family and friends. 

Ingo is from Germany and Rini from Indonesia. Donncha and I first met Ingo in 2001 when they worked for the same company in Europe. They are colleagues again with a different company. Rini has lived in Singapore for sometime and has a big circle of Bruneian friends thus some fairly familiar Bruneian faces that evening.

The meal was Italian. Starters was scallop carpaccio and it the freshest we've tasted in a while. That was followed by a risotto and the mains was a very nice piece of tenderloin. I was too full for desert but there were two chocolate cakes and a sorbet I think.

The couple's beautiful daughter Tiana celebrated her 2nd birthday on the same day

We can always trust the Bruneian boys to do the customary yam sheng toast to the bride and groom

And you can always trust that there will be a hardcore group staying later than others!