Study Group Wednesdays

Our presentation this week was on Edwina Mountbatten. Countess of Burma, Vicereine of India! Portrait by Philip de Laszlo. A did a fabulous job of presenting this very conflicted woman with deep insecurities, in a sympathetic light. An heiress with a privileged childhood, Edwina’s early life was one of hedonistic excesses. An early marriage to …

Study Group Wednesdays

Study Group Wednesdays have started again! Our topic this time is Women. Women in a Man’s World. Women who have been players in the Political arenas of their countries or kingdoms. Women who have made a difference. Women who have swayed history! Our first meeting was at my place and the first presentation was on …

Enchanting Malacca and Port Dickson

Malacca! ; Once the busiest entrepôt in Southeast Asia. A melting pot of cultures….Chinese, Indian, Arab, African, European- all jostling for trade and power. ; Godowns and bazaars, cheek by jowl with bordellos and opium dens. A babel of different tongues- Tamil, Arabic, Gujarati, Hokkien, Bengali, Teochew. Shrines to Mazu and the Guanyin, elaborately carved …

Cranberry-Almond biscotti

We are a family that loves all things sweet. While others experiment with cuisines of other countries, I explore the desserts. I’m endlessly fascinated with the history of food. How ingredients travelled with conquering armies and sea-faring explorers. How sailors carried lemons to ward off scurvy and merchants brought with them nutmeg and mace and …