The Particular Happiness of a Birthday Cake

I’m proud to have baked my own birthday cake this year. It feels very grown-up to have done so. I call it the Betty Crockeresque rite of passage to being autonomous. The homemade cake bowled over my family the most. For a hint of variation, I put in chunks of pineapples into the batter alongside the carrots. While I usually enjoy the cake with good old whipped crème, I chose buttersweet frosting instead for a more traditional vibe. The sugar melted deliciously into the warm crevices of the cake. It was rich, tart and slightly nutty from the carrots. Above all, it tasted good. The candles were the only ones missing, really. I didn’t miss those much though. After all, twenty eight candles are a bit too many to blow ;)

Twenty Eighth Year

Salmon Pink

I’ve had a lifelong affair with salmon. I first tasted the fish when I was living in London as a child. It was a smoked salmon sandwich with a thick slice of cheddar to savor with. As I bit into the sandwich, I imagined the salmon as ham. Both share that same intense pinkness. I was the only child in school who practiced eating kosher. The rest brought their ham sandwiches for lunch. So I guess that explains the odd imagining. That was almost twenty years ago. I remember the story perfectly as I prepared dinner on the eve of my birthday. I had fresh salmon chunks with me in the kitchen. I whipped up my very first pan-fried salmon with lemon parsley sauce. Did I mention that I wore my pearls and little black dress as I chop and fry? I succeeded with the apron as my witness. I invited my half over for dinner and our night looked like this. Nothing tastes better than adulthood.

The Art of Persuasion

Make eye contact from afar. Strut modestly. Stand close. Keep paws off for now. Be quiet. Just blink. Persevere for a few minutes. Look up. Make eye contact again. Enlarge pupils (practice makes perfect). Mew gently. Blink blink. Expect to hear “awhh.” There it is. Don't get excited just yet. Remain modest. Wait for it. Look out for that hand. A signal. Now go. Get fur stroked. Raise chin to be scratched. Remember to purr. Enjoy this. Give a friendly bite. Be gentle always. Hear more “awhhs”. Close enough. See that piece of fish now. Stay on the fish. Stray from looking too eager. Eye on the fish. Don't jump. Gravity will pull the fish. There. Savor it. Nothing else tastes better. Leave the bones behind. Lick paws. Walk away.

I learnt a lot from this cat today.

Cloudy with a Chance of Lightness

The clouds appeared grim today and the skies seemed about to open up. But then I noticed light streaming through the vapors. Such beauty was remarkable. I reckon cloud watching as the best “music” to unwind to.

Kitchen Love

At seventy-five, my grandma is still a one fine trouper. Today I caught her scrubbing and arranging in my ma’s kitchen. When I offered help, she testily refused and said she could manage (such a “grandmother” thing to do). I just stood in the kitchen, admiring her labor. The space was spick and span. Every single jar, bottle, plate and shaker was in order. And we all had grandma to thank for, as she did all that out of love (and perhaps, out of a little ennui too).

The Umbrellas of PJ

Today I'm just glad that I reached home in time before the rain fell. The rest of the world held up their colorful umbrellas and marched on.