Thebarefootfoodie

Borders or Not - Musings on 20 Feb 2011 Without Borders...Going Border-less...No, these are not euphemisms for globalism or some pre-electorial hyperbole. It's saying a sad goodbye to the impending demise to my favourite bookstore - the one that made browsing for books as delectable as shopping for a new outfit, or bag, or shoes...Girls - own up. It seemed like Borders had been here forever, but in truth, only one year after my son was born. He spent much of his early childhood ( followed closely by his younger sister ) being lost among the shelves of the children's section, and later on, the history section, while mummy sneaks off to do her own thing. Mummies - time to own up as well. What better way to while away some minutes to browse at the latest fashion magazines or to finish a whole novel, chapter by chapter after a few repeated visits. More guilty hands coming up! Darren is coming to 15 this year, and Andrea, 11. Goodbye Borders - you have been great...

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...

CHRONICLES OF PARIS J une 30th - the day has come. All our bags are packed, we're ready to go. G, the hubby, will be attending a course in Fontainebleau for the month of July; I am tagging along, with the kids, D and A in tow. Both of them, ecstactic, because they won't be attending school for the next 5 weeks. I am filled with anticipation for this opportunity to experience and soak up the guilty pleasures of walking the streets of Paris to eat, shop and pander to the inner culture vulture. Touched down early next morning. Home was to be a cosy house in a quiet suburb called Bois le Roi. 40 minutes of train travel takes us directly to Gare de Lyon in Paris. D-Day Revisited A short weekend getaway to Normandy, before G starts his course. It is a long drive of more than 800 km to revisit history on the sands of the D-day beaches. Littered along this stretch are towns, churches, memorials, museums and cemetries which stand as solemn reminders of the battles foug...

BARCELONA 2010 Only an hour's flight separates Barcelona from Paris, a distance of some 830 km. It was interesting to observe what people carry in their hand luggage. In the queue just ahead of us at Charles de Gaulle Airport, a young lady carried her pet pomeranian  with its furry head and wet tongue peeking out of her handbag. Have doggie will travel. This gives new meaning to the term "doggie-bag" We were headed for Barcelona after G finished his INSEAD course, a well-earned holiday break after all that hard work. Imagine, classes went on as normal on Bastille Day, a public holiday, one would think, for all, but not for INSEAD students. Travelling within the EU is such a breeze - we walked right out of the airport without having to clear immigration or customs requirements of any sort.  Arriving in Barcelona A short but costly 30- minute taxi ride from the airport brought us to our hotel at Abbas Sant. It was to be our one and only cab ride ever. The ...

Preface: The Giving Tree by Shel SilverStein "Once there was a tree... and she loved a little boy. And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree... very much. And the tree was happy. But time went by. And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Thne one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy." "I am too big to climb and play," said the boy. "I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?" " I am sorry,", said the tree, "but I have n...