Thebarefootfoodie

Is It Really Just a Number? When I was young(er ), people in their 20s were the adults, 30s - old, 40s- very old, 50s - ancient. Anything beyond that were the grandparents and great-grandparents. Now that I have newly arrived at the cusp of "ancient", I finally gather enough courage and honesty to look that squarely in the eye and deep into my heart to try to make sense of what that means to the rest of my life. Yes. I do not look or behave or feel any more 50 than anytime in my other decades. Life goes on, as it does, with its usual rhythmic patterns and beats. I continue with life-style choices made in my 30s. ( Skip the teens and 20s because one is allowed some liberty here to be passionate, wild, foolish even, which drag into the latter years if left unchecked or some just die prematurely )I stayed with whole foods, vegetables and fruits, with the occasional toppings of meat and seafood; and regular exercises of 2-3 times a week.   The flab that creeps up in...

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time. Eccl 3:1,11 A year ago, Pastor Kah Leong was approached to consider doing CSM retreat in Davao with Love the Children Foundation ( LTCF ). It did not materialise because God deemed it was not the right time. By divine appointment, August 17, 2013 was set apart for CSM’s foray into Davao for the first time, and it would be the right time. In May 2013, Cindy and Tony, founders of LTCF and Pastors of Blessed Living Church were in Singapore to connect with Pastor Kah Leong. They returned to Davao with CSM materials to pave the way for the retreat and to prepare their intercessors and church staff. Just two days before the retreat, Pastor Charlie, the coordinator of CSM Philippines confirmed that he would join us for the retreat. He had to embark on a road trip of some 12 hours and subsequently catch a flight to Davao to meet with us; and to do the same on hi...

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...

In the Beginning Love The Children Foundation ( LTCF ) had its humble roots in 1999 as a home for abused and abandoned children in the streets of Davao. It started with a dream of Charito Chua ( Cindy ) who gave up her business, savings and, one wonders, sanity, to provide a place of refuge for such as these, educating, training, loving them. As LTCF grew over the years, it also expanded to be a community outreach centre through the giving of food, educational supplies and medical services offered by volunteers partnering with LTCF. Feb 2011 I could never have imagined when I first visited LTCF in Feb 2011 that  it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Cindy and her husband, Tony, and that LTCF would adopt me into their family. At that time, LTCF had launched its fledgling livelihood projects, with the older children embarking on peanut brittle ( our local equivalent of "kong tng", only much nicer and doesn't stick to your teeth ) and...

What's In a Name? The only thing remotely " Peranakan " about me is my Chinese name, Soon Neo.   What's in a name? Plenty. I had the dubious honour of being the elder child of the elder son in a traditional Baba family. All my cousins from my Dad's side had a " Soon" in their Chinese names. My brother had it worse - he was named as a fish - Soon Hock . Ironically, the name is a sure giveaway for my heritage ( or lack of it ). It means "lady". Being anything but ... it seemed like someone is having a private joke at my expense. I've been sorely tempted to deed poll it permanently away, but sentimentality prevailed and I'm glad I retained it, although I substituted the Chinese characters for a less cringe-worthy meaning. One day I asked my mom " How did we get our names?" She said that Grandpa ( Kong Kong ) gave us our Christian names and Grandma ( Mak ) gave the Chinese names. " Don't you have a say in our n...

A Lost Cause Or Is It? When it comes to shedding a few or more kilos , it is a losing battle, thanks to technology and social media. Before the advent of the internet and Facebook, where and what to eat is a matter of hit and miss. In the good old ( skinny ) days, we were dependent on word of mouth recommendations by foodie friends and the occasional review in print or seen in Makansutra publications ( Seetoh - are you still in business? Just asking... ) Nowadays, every time FB is opened, we are inevitably greeted with who went where and ate what, complete with delectable photos of food, glorious food. And it is not limited to Singapore, but pretty much all over the world. There is no escape from the onslaught. Several kilos and some years on, the perennial food critic in the Sunday Times has earned herself a loyal following, a double chin and too many calories to count on her marathon food ventures.  Age has its upsides and downs. You become more affluent,  travel ...

Berlin Marathon I like Marathons. There is something almost superhuman in completing 42 km in anything between two to four hours plus, for the serious runner. This will be my second International Marathon - as a clapper and supporter - for the record. Marathons are getting to be a great excuse for me to visit selected cities with a buddy whose husband is one such serious runner.  Berlin is on the international circuit as one of the "Big Five" . You not only have to qualify with  timing, but also balloted to have your name on the participants' list - so overwhelming is the demand. And so it goes, that KH is one of the 40,000 or so selected, and I bought myself a ticket to Berlin. Catching a connecting flight anywhere in Europe is a trial in fitness and endurance itself. Flights are usually late by a couple of minutes, and by the time one touches down in the international arrival hall and clears security, only to find that the domestic connection is several kilom...