Thebarefootfoodie

Prologue In 1999, our parting words to T after his graduation from MIT was - "We'll be  looking forward to your wedding in Bangkok soon..." As the seasons changed, our toddlers morphed into gangly teenagers, and T moved higher and higher up the corporate rungs, accumulating more lavish toys along the way ( some of which we got to play with and gawk at ) In between , he was navigating a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs. We waited for him to get off the ride and have his feet on more stable ground. T is a big boy with a big heart. He is generous to a fault and endearingly sentimental. What you see is what you get - the real deal, with no pretences. Witty, delightfully charming in a raw appeal that shows up the rough edges that is his true identity. Through the years, he has dabbled in photography, song-writing, soap-making, eco-farming, some of which have fared better than others. I'd say, stick to photography - he has an eye for details and the abstrac...

1 WEDDING and A REUNION. Posted 26 April 2012 " Time is what prevents everything from happening at once" ~John Archibald Wheeler. 21 April 2012 was a happy day for a memorable occasion. A young man I remember as a once chubby, engaging boy, pledged solemnly before God, family and close friends to love, honour and cherish that one speciail woman who would be his soul-mate; his help-meet in the journey of life. He has made that significant transition from son to husband and head of his own household. I still cry at weddings - for good reason. It is the beginning of a family unit, of blessings multiplied, of hopeful expectations of dreams to be fulfilled, parenthood,precious lives to be moulded and shaped for the next generation. I also tend to take a walk back into memory lane, reliving the past 24 years since I said my vows to my best friend seated next to me for the dinner reception. Across at the next table, I spotted two familiar faces, W and A. They were my...

LETTER TO MY FRIEND, T T was G's MBA course-mate at MIT in 1998. He was the youngest in the course and was like a brother to G and I. T is funny, witty, always generous with his treats, and he loves food. As you can guess, T is a big guy, with a big heart. T lives in the "Land of Smiles", where there is recently a clash of colours and idealogy that has not reached closure. In less turbulent times, I have been drawn to the local food, the spas and especially the shopping there. Each time, T would be the perfect host, taking me out, buying me dinners, with a pre-booked massage at to round off the day, a boon to my aching feet. Being the itinerant traveller, I have also ended up taking him to places in his own country which he has not checked out before, like the notorious back-packers' haunt where needles and substances are shared and eating sharks' fins in back alleys. I have even taken the water-bus on the river where you have barely sitting room i...