Saturday 30 June 2012

It's Bath Time With Annie!!!





This is
 Annie Ahman.
Pronounced "O"man.
My PC keyboard does not have that alphabet with
the tiny "o" above the "A".
It's
Swedish.

But she's
 Vietnamese
 by birth.

Confused?
Don't be.
Annie felt shy to have her lovely self
featured.
Strange.
Since she's quite stunning.
Tall.
Good posture.
Her words are 
assured,
confident 
&
endearing.


I'm not easily impressed
but
one day in
Bali,
as we left the
 "W"...

...hotel, we ran into this charming concept store.
"bathe".
As it happens,
this is
Annie Ahman
baby.
It's about 6 months old.
Bringing forth a new attitude towards the
ritual of cleansing.
A return to an age where we
took
 time,
indulging in the
entire process,
literally bathing in
"JOY".

From the moment
 we stepped in,
I immediately knew this was
 special
&
 different.
As I scanned the store
with a well-trained
retailers "eye",
I saw key points that made
this business stood out.
More importantly,
it's a
 Labor of Love!!!
The evidence is everywhere.
Annies brings along, 
amongst many things,
a
 chic elegance
 to her concept store.
A little
touch here,
a few touches there,
makes a 
whole lot of difference!
As usual, here are my
 20 questions
 which provide 
a glimpse into
Annie!
What is your favourite color?
White.
What keeps you awake at night?
Thoughts.

Your hobby?
Food!!!
What pushes your buttons!
Rudeness.
Favorite song right now?
"I crave Paris".
One word to describe yourself?
Loyal.
Bikini or "One-Piece"?
Bikini !!!
What are you reading right now?
Little Bee.
Favorite cuisine?
Japanese.
Salt or Pepper?
Salt.
What's next?
Massage!!!
Favorite city?
Stockholm.
Your greatest achievement?
My business.
Yoga or gym?
Gym.
How many languages do you speak?
Three.
Pool or sea?
Pool.
Leather or canvas?
Leather.
Shower or bath?
Shower.
How many staff  in your employment?
Ten.
Luxury 
can mean many things
 to different people.
Sometimes,
to enjoy a couple of hours,
pampering ourselves
in private,
is akin to
5 Star living.
Annie's says her business...
"...is about getting cleaned 
 having fun at it."
Her inspiration to start this venture came 
from a friend who
 makes soap
 in
 Bali.
She intends to ...
"...get people excited about the old fashion
way of bathing."
And that idea
brought forth her range of 
soap bars.
 "I only use this type of soap myself."
I asked her about her direction...
"...I think we will have a good run & 
have stores everywhere!!!"
Her first outlet is 
located in this neighborhood in
Bali.
A return to a
 gentler time 
may not be a bad idea in this
 nano-second age,
where everything seems to be 
moving faster .
In person,
Annie came across to 
have what it takes to get this 
off the ground
flying!
It takes a special type of character
to be able to 
go into business.
And another type of individual
who may 
make it a success.
Crossing the line between 
mediocrity
&
the fantastic
is no easy feat.
As far as I can see,
that line has been crossed.
Once in a while, comes along something 
 truly unique.
In this case, the fact that almost all the entire
line
 is manufactured in
 Bali,
 is an accomplishment 
that cannot be denied.
"bathe"
 has all the ingredients of a
 world class product.

Annie Ahman
has found her
raison d'etre.
Upfront
out there,
"bathe"
will grow.
There's no doubt about that.

Welcome back to the romance of bathing!

Annie,
go get them!

bathe
jalan petitenget 100x
seminyak,
Bali 80361
tel: +62 361 473 7580
bathestore.com



















Thursday 28 June 2012

Banana Bread...a tropical adventure!

Alright.
This recipe
is just a few steps away from
being in
paradise!
I'm a huge fan of anything
 freshly baked.
And this one comes out of the oven
hot & appetising.
There are a few things in life
I know for sure.
 One of them is
to have anything done right,
you must do it yourself.
Agree?

Donna Summer 
has left us.
So let's dedicate this bread to her.
 And not let it be your
"Last Dance!".

Julia's Banana Bread
(oh...by the way,she's my sister)

Line your baking forms.
Prepare the ingredients.
Mix well.
Don't 
over do it.
Remember, always 
with
 a light hand.
Ready...
do not to over mix.
The Golden Mantra!
When you start thinking if 
you've 
over mixed...
it's already 
too late.
Yummylicious!!!
Can you smell it too?
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 beaten eggs
5 medium bananas - mashed
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
a pinch of nutmeg powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil

Combine all the dry ingredients.
Gently mix the rest.
Pour into the middle of the dry stuff.
With a light hand, 
stir to incorporate.
Toss in walnuts.
Bake for 55 mins
at
170 degrees.
You know...
a little 
goes a long way!
Wow!
Now...
...go make yourself a
 good cup
 of
 tea!
This is not a dessert.
It's simply a
 mouth watering
bread
 that's great anytime of the day.
Food should be
 readily available
 to
anyone & everyone.
Not
 posh
 &
definitely not
 pretentious.

More importantly,
it's should be a joy to make!

Have fun!!!











Friday 15 June 2012

Kathy Rowland...Going Beyond Quirky.

Meet
 Kathy Rowland.

Wife.
Mother.
Friend.
Art Writer
Editor.
Kathy & I have known each other
since the
 early nineties.
Over the years,
our lives took
us
 to different directions,
yet 
we often make time to catch up
wherever
 &
whenever possible.
"That's What Friends Are For!"
On a recent work trip to the
magical island of
 Bali,
I decided to have a long stopover in
Singapore.
Long enough for us to
have 
lunch, 
chat 
laugh.
Kathy & her family just moved 
to the 
garden city/state.
They live in a spacious bungalow
off
Bukit Timah Road.
She greeted me with a
 warm &  friendly hug
 right from the get-go!
I was very eager to see their new home, 
feel the space
&
 above all,
spend time catching up.
What is it about
 stylish people?
They always look complete
&
 put together.
As long as I've known her, she's 
 had her own 
"look".
Style
 extends beyond
dresses, blouses
 &
 trinkets.
Kathy was dressed as if she
was going to lunch in the
 Hamptons.
A printed cotton 
"J Crew"
styled shirt
&
 fitted khaki shorts, 
the color
of
 soft chewy caramel.
On her feet,
plain leather sandals
without embroidery or bead work,
as that would be too gaudy!
Rose cut sapphire 
earrings, set in gold
 of her own design,
hung carelessly on her lobes.
Far from the
 urban congestion 
of
Singapore,
we sat comfortably
under the gentle rotation
of a 
ceiling fan,
 in the back garden
 sipping ice tea.
Very civilised.
Very relaxed.
High bliss.
Though diminutive in size,
Kathy is extremely
competent, eloquent,
quick-minded
above all,
well informed.
In the 
cool & shaded patio,
amidst 
tropical foliage,
I spontaneously proposed 
20 questions 
&
here is her reply.
What tickles your fancy now?
Mad Men.
Where is home?
Where my daughter, husband & dog are.
What were your first thought this morning?
Peter !!!
Silk or Denim?
Silk.
Gin or Vodka?
Gin
Last movie seen?
A Separation.
Is Art a good investment?
Yes.
Favorite author?
Orhan Pamuk.
Rice or bread?
Rice.
City or forest?
City.
One choice ...lipstick or rouge?
Lipstick.
One word to describe the world...?
Contentious.
Favorite holiday destination?
Awan Mulan in Seremban, Malaysia.
What are you reading now?
History of Singapore Theatre.
Tulips or Jasmine?
Jasmine.
Your signature food to prepare?
Roast Pork with Cardamom.
Most memorable moment?
Adopting my daughter, Akhila.
If you had to choose to live in
17th century France or 14th century China,
which would it be?
17th century France.
What challenges you on a daily basis?
Being a good mother.
One thing that is important to you now?
What to serve for dessert.
As the world prepares itself for
 global economic uncertainty,
Kathy assembled a 
mouthwatering lunch of,
Guacamole
Stir fry beans
Prawns, Bacon & Tofu
&
 her signature ( Oh how lucky was I! )
Roast Pork with Cardamom.
Time was tick-tocking away.
I had a flight to catch,
but the 
"now" 
was 
so much fun.
Irresistibly
 charming

 &
 witty,
Kathy continued her discourse on life
across various interesting topics.
I asked her about the importance of
Legacy in Leadership,
and her reply was...
" It's very important as it acts
as a check & balance to greed
&
to people who are power crazy.
 It also acts as an incentive
for a leader to govern in a way that he can be proud of".
Her proudest achievement to date, amongst many, 
was starting
Kaki Seni,
with a good friend
Jenny Daneels.
It ran for a fabulous 9 years.
Kaki Seni
(literally translated..."Art Addict")
was a
 pioneer in it's field.
Started in 2001.
It's
 Mission Statement
was:
 To promote the arts to a wider
audience.
To engage in critical discourse about the arts.
And to encourage funding & sponsorship of the arts.
She's driven by a
sense of fairness
 &
her hospitality skills are equally strong.
With Kathy,
it's not about the cup being
 half empty or full.
For her it's

 getting it filled!
And preferably with all the good stuff.
If one's state of mind is reflected in our
environment,
Kathy's must
be on a serene plateau somewhere
in 
Shangri-La.
Her home is her home.
Not some showy castle.
Evidence of this is clearly strung out everywhere.
Her decorative style could be best described
as
 easy, relaxed & casual,
with a bent towards the 
unconventional.
At a glance,
Art is everywhere,
high & low,
exacting in their positioning.
Great expectations
 are derived from 
visionary anticipation.

Authentic is alien to many.
As I write,
this formidable woman is
 editing a new book,
planning the family's
 Summer Holidays
&
 arranging a year end trip to 
Paris.

Destiny is almost like a cupcake...
you know you're going to have it!
The double story 3 bedroom  house
has a
 serene & peaceful vibe.



The fantastical can also be easy on the eyes.
Her hobbies are
"Reading & Designing Jewelry".
She has lived in
 Italy,
United States of America

&
 China.
As this photo illustrates,
Kathy
is not uptight about
 trivia.
Sweating the small stuff does not
extend 
beyond the frying pan.
The proportion of her life,
as far as I can see,
is
 universally aligned
 to her
bond with family.
Having
"Fun"
 is a big part of her daily ritual.
As we feasted on lunch,
Kathy & I talked veraciously about 
life and all it's pleasures.
The phrase
"Out Of The Ordinary"
comes to mind.
If motherhood is the
defining moment
 when a
 girl becomes a woman becoming a mother,
then Kathy is
The Big Picture.
Kathy is no doubt
 multicultural.
Her views are of one who has 
travelled extensively,
read well,
connected with many
&
gifted with an 
open mind.
Wit & humour is an additional bonus!
"To Know What We Know
&
Know What We Do Not Know
Is Wisdom".

Confucius
You can be sure that
when life throws her some lemons,
she'll make
a lemon pie,
some cocktail
 with lemons,
lemon face mask
an 
Eurasian curry
 with 
lemons in it!!!
Over achievers are almost always like that.
Trust me.
I know.
Her
 fresh take on everything
 is evident
in her conversation.
Our hours together brought forth
a closer bond through
topics as far reaching as 
politics and well...the price of lemons!
The friendly
verbal crossfire
 could be heard miles away.
" I have no single role model.
I admire different qualities from different people".
Kathy Rowland.
Her approach to life comes from
a sense of responsibility 
deep rooted from
an
Asian Heritage.
Their space is one
 that's

 lived-in.
From the moment you enter this home,
you feel the 

mellow energy
that
 flows like a quiet brook
through the
 valleys of Bhutan...
undisturbed by man.
Life's newest simple pleasure?
Departure from complications.
On the flight to Bali later that evening,
I reflected on my afternoon with Kathy.
Yes.
I should have had 
another slice of roast pork.
Yes.
Another Gin & Tonic.
Yes.
Stayed one night.
But hey,
life's lemons doesn't necessarily come by the
kilos!
We had a splendid time together,
talking, photographing and
simply
exchanging ideas a mile a second.
As the plane cruised across
 Java
over romantic volcanoes,
I was excited by the prospect of viewing these
photographs.
Kathy Rowland
is
 poised and gracious.
Yet,
 she has the 
hurricane behind her back.
Her life force that guarantees
she puts 
"Style" 
into 
"Lifestyle".

Small is after all the new
Big.

Keep smiling my dear, 
more lemons are yet to come!

Kathy's Go-To
recipe for
"Silken Tofu with Prawns & Bacon".
Lets' not make the monk jump over the wall!
That would be too much work.


1 packet silken tofu
500 g prawns - cleaned etc
as much bacon as you desire
2 teaspoon minced garlic
scallions
white pepper
sugar
soy sauce
water

Marinade prawns in 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
Add a dash of white pepper
Place tofu in a deep micro-proof dish
Fry bacon
Add garlic
Add prawns 
Toss about in wok till prawns turn just pink
Ladle the whole lot over the tofu
Splash some soy sauce &
5 tablespoons of water 
Cling wrap
Leave a couple of gaps for steam to escape
In 3 minutes,
you can savour this
 East meets West
preparation.
Garnish with scallions.

Enjoy!