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A New Phase…

May 4, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

Dear Friends and Followers,
I wanted to take this chance to introduce my newest project, a blog site called The Travel Provocateur (http://thetravelprovocateur.com/). The Travel Provocateur is a guidebook-like travel resource with reviews and feature stories on specific destinations, restaurants, hotels, and unique experiences. It will also aggregate relevant travel news on a regular basis and report on lifestyle redesign for location-independent professionals. At a later date, The Travel Provocateur will be able to provide various travel services. The goal of this site is to be a one-stop travel resource and to get you to pack your bags!

However, this doesn’t mean that I’m neglecting Folie à Deux, because I’m not. While The Travel Provocateur is meant to be a professional site, Folie à Deux will remain as my personal blog about things I enjoy: travel, food, design, and family lifestyle, but with more room to experiment on different writing styles.

Much as it is a pain in the ~~ass~~ neck, I’d love it if you could update your links according to your interests. Or, follow both blogs either via RSS feed / e-mail subscription, Facebook Page, or Google Follower (coming soon!).

I am also in the process of updating my new site’s blogroll, so if you want your blog added, please contact me with the email provided on each site. Thank you very much!

P.S. For the site launch, I am giving away a set of Taschen books to one lucky winner! These fully-coloured picture books about my 2 fave cities in Europe – London and Paris – guide you through the chicest hotels, restaurants, and shops in each area.

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Cities In Europe, Different Writing Styles, E Mail, Family Lifestyle, Feature Stories, Follower, Food Design, Google, Independent Professionals, Lucky Winner, Mail Subscription, Pain In The Ass, Personal Blog, Picture Books, Relevant Travel, Source Article, Stop Travel, Taschen Books, Travel Resource, View Source

Viva La Pasta!

May 3, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

There’s no denying it: I love pasta. White pasta that’s freshly made with eggs or those boxed ones made with 100% high quality durum semolina. None of that whole wheat brown ~~shit~~ stuff. When it comes to rice and bread – the two other important carbs for me – I’ve already switched to brown faster than Benedict Arnold could jump ship. But please leave my pasta alone!

I suppose this is turning out to be a tribute to all the pastas I made last week alone, which could possibly give any die-hard Atkins dieter a heart attack. I’m proud to say, though, that pretty much all the ingredients I used are from my fridge and pantry, except maybe for the clams (they were fresh). Hmmm, it’s kind of weird I made all the sauce either oil-based or cream-based; no tomato sauce that week.

That’s my fettucine alla carbonara with diced pancetta, my very weakness. It’s easily 600 calories and upwards, but my excuse is: I’m breastfeeding. I need that extra 600 calories.

Next, came linguine with clams and chorizo sausage in white wine sauce. Of course that pancetta made an appearance once again. You can tell I like savoury, salty (briny) and smoky in a package, and this dish satiates my umami cravings.

I guess I got tired of salty pancetta for a bit and switched my focus to pesto. This one is a mixture of basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmiggiano, and Pecorino-Romano cheeses. Sometimes I add a bit of green or black olives to my pesto for that meatier texture and for a more rounded flavour, even though I know that this is not traditionally Italian. But hey, I make my pesto in a chopper (I’m a busy mom), so might as well.

I save my homemade pesto in a mason jar, but it’s almost gone instantly. We like pesto pasta – clean, simple, tasty, and healthy.

Sometimes, we get a little fancy and make pasta with pesto cream sauce. Then we add pieces of chicken breast and bacon like we did below. It makes for a hearty meal!

This time around, I steamed a whole broccoli crown, mashed it, and stirred it with ricotta salata to make into a sauce. We had some leftover chicken pieces from the previous meal, so we added them as well. Again, another delicious meal in minutes.

Recipes can be found here:
Pasta alla Carbonara (adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe)
Pasta with Clam and Pancetta Sauce (I added the chorizo myself)
Pesto Pasta
Broccoli Pasta

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Atkins Dieter, Benedict Arnold, Black Olives, Carbonara, Carbs, Chicken Breast, Fettucine, Heart Attack, Hearty Meal, Linguine With Clams, Mason Jar, Pancetta, Parmiggiano, Pastas, Pecorino Romano, Rice And Bread, Romano Cheeses, Toasted Pine Nuts, Tomato Sauce, White Wine Sauce

The Parisian Food Market Jig

April 27, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

One of the best things about visiting or living in Paris is witnessing the city’s obsession with food. Case in point: what city would come up with Le Fooding, a culinary coup d’etat that has swept through Paris since the late 90′s? The term “le fooding” is a marriage of two English words: food and feeling. The goal? To experience dining as an emotional phenomena; to crave it as a total affair involving great physical atmosphere, conviviality, and imagination, as much as high-quality seasonal food. But keep in mind, Paris’ love affair with food began way back when French royalties hired chef-artists in their courts. And at the heart of this food craze? The Parisian market. It is said that French towns and cities grew by way of these markets. Today, there is one in every arrondissement on any given day of the week, including Mondays.

Paris hosts three kinds of markets: the covered, the roving, and the street-based. For me, the best and most interesting are the street-based and roving ones. Come sample with me the myriad of choices in Parisian marchés as listed below. However, you will find a more comprehensive list over here.

Street Markets
Rue Montorgeuil, 2nd arrondissement
Metro: Les Halles (from the south); Sentier (from the north)
Rue Montorgeuil is near the Forum des Halles, the former site of Paris’ greatest market (which is now in Rungis, outside of Paris). The pedestrianized street is awashed with bistros and cafés – some of them kitschy, some charming – and occasionally interspersed with clothing shops. But the real draw is the calibre of the cheese, produce, and meat suppliers found in this short stretch. L’Escargot Montorgeuil restaurant, although had fallen into a tourist trap, can still serve bubbling plates of snails in garlic butter. Stohrer, reputedly the oldest patisserie in Paris, is located on this street as well. And around the corner on Rue Coquillière is the iconic kitchen supply store, E. Dehillerin, which is also down the block from the historical Les Halles brasserie, Au Pied de Cochon. Of course the heyday of Au Pied de Cochon has past, but its French onion soup and pig’s trotters are no.1 tourist attractions.

Rue Mouffetard, 5th arrondissement
Metro: Place Monge
Rue Mouffetard winds its way in the Latin Quarter, so expect to brush shoulders with many tourists who come to ogle its boucheries, poissoneries, and traiteurs. You’ll find homely French bistros alongside cheeky Mediterranean restaurants here (think Greek, Italian, and Lebanese), but don’t be discouraged by the quality of food on “the Mouffe,” as referred to by the locals. Place de la Contraescarpe remains a delightful area to have a meal and engage in that all-time favourite Parisian activity: people-watching.

Rue Cler, 7th arrondissement
Metro: Ecôle Militaire
The charming pedestrianized Rue Cler is the darling of the 7th’s residents. While now quite touristy, the market still gushes high quality charcuteries, cheeses, chocolates, candies, and produce from local and international suppliers. At the heart of Rue Cler, the popular Café du Marché whips out reliable bistro standards such as salade frisson aux lardon, poulet roti, steak frites, pasta avec truffes.

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Roving Markets
The Saxe-Breteuil Market, 7th arrondissement
Metro: Ségur
The lovely Saxe-Breteuil market on Avenue de Saxe, with the Eiffel Tower looming nearby, starts at Place de Breteuil and stretches to Avenue de Segur every Tuesdays and Saturdays. At this open-air emporium, you’ll find the organized chaos of fishmongers selling lobsters, oysters, coquilles St-Jacques, and escargots alongside fruit merchants, flower vendors, and bric-a-brac sellers. Here, you won’t be fighting and clawing your way for a piece of something, as it is not as chaotic as the other markets in the city. Hence, you will find its pace quite comfortable and non-threatening.

The Belleville-Ménilmontant Market, 11th arrondissement
Metro: Ménilmontant
Want something far more exotic than French produce? Try the colourful, cacophonous Belleville-Ménilmontant market on Tuesdays and Fridays, where Chinese bok choys mingle with Tunisian almonds, and Lebanese flatbreads with Indian masalas. At the close of market day, the boulevard de Belleville and boulevard de Ménilmontant, with its empty stands and boxes strewn across, manage to look like it was pillaged. Perhaps, it was. For a good reason.

So when you find yourself in Paris, and the soughs of hunger linger in your belly, try to jig your way into these markets. You will not regret every sight, sound, and bite!

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Bistros, Clothing Shops, Conviviality, Dehillerin, Escargot, Food Case, Food Market, French Towns, Garlic Butter, Kitchen Supply, Living In Paris, Meat Suppliers, Metro Les Halles, Paris Love, Parisian Market, Physical Atmosphere, Rue Montorgeuil, Seasonal Food, Street Markets, Tourist Trap

I Push, You Carry!

April 23, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

In the last three years, we have travelled to the U.S., Italy, France, Greece, Morocco, Cuba, and the Philippines as a family. Some parents would much rather touch a hot grill than go traipsing around a foreign country with their kids. Yes, it is never easy to drag extra weight along, but that’s no reason to fire up the barbie.

So before you fry your hand to pulp, read my take on the various infant and toddler carriers and strollers that we have tested during our vacations. They assist with ease of travel, and are thus life savers for travelling parents with young kids. Please note that this is NOT a sponsored review. All baby accessories are either our own or ~~hijacked~~ borrowed from friends.

The Baby K’Tan is a 100% breathable cotton sling with a cross stretch. While it looks like the knit fabric will fail to support the load, I can attest to you that it will hold your child in place. The material has a little “give” or stretch, so when in doubt, choose the smaller size. The Baby K’Tan is perfect for preemies, newborns and older infants, but I’m not sure what kind of back support it can provide for parents when carrying heavier kids. As well, I’m not completely convinced that this sling is ideal for an active whole day trek, although I am confident that it works more for shorter jaunts.

The Pros: it’s lightweight; easy to pack; perfect for warmer climates; excellent for discreet nursing; can be used for infants; washable

The Cons: no back support for baby compared to structured carriers; no back support for parent; can possibly suffocate baby when not positioned properly

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The Maya Wrap ring sling is made from 100% natural dye cotton, and is inspired by South and Central American mothers who carry their children in similar fashion of brightly coloured hand loomed fabric. I feel that this carrier is better suited for older babies who can hold their head up, although the company says it’s ok for newborns as well. The only reason why I didn’t feel secure using it with a newborn is because of all the extra fabric that could pose as a choking hazard. Other than that, the tough material can hold up to 40 pounds.

The Pros: it’s lightweight; easy to pack; great for warmer climates; washable

The Cons: the fabric slides away from the ring and the sling loosens / shifts positions; no back support for baby or parent compared to structured carriers

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The Baby Bjorn Original carrier is made from breathable material with boning support sewn in to provide structure. It’s a bit stifling to wear in warmer weather, but it’s bearable. If idiots like us could figure out how the semi-complicated parts fall together, then you can, too! The carrier can hold 8 – 25 lbs. A drawback is if you carry an older child on your back, the carrier seat provides no support for a bobbing sleepy head. Thankfully, when we brought the Baby Bjorn to Italy and Greece, our daughter was at a reasonable weight to be carried around everywhere. And to me, reasonable weight is up to 16 pounds. Any heavier than that, I would suggest just the stroller.

The Pros: it’s easy to pack; sewn-in boning provides structured support; adjustable straps; washable

The Cons: no waist support to distribute weight away from parent’s shoulders; shoulder straps can get uncomfortable after extended wear (although Baby Bjorn has come out with a Comfort Carrier with padded straps); a tad complicated to put together

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The Ergo Baby is made of 400 count cotton poplin liner and 100% cotton batting for the carrier body. It is ergonomically designed like a backpack with reinforced shoulder and hip straps to distribute weight evenly on parent. There is an infant insert (sold separately) for the carrier to correctly support baby’s spine with proper head, pelvis, hip joint, and leg positioning while in the carrier. My baby is so comfortable sleeping in the Ergo Baby compared to the other carriers or slings; however, with the addition of the infant insert, it can get hot in warm weather for both baby and parent. I feel that the pillowy insert + carrier combo is more for home use for exasperated moms who want their hands back. Otherwise, it works just like the Baby Bjorn.

The Pros: it’s ergonomic – created with spine support for baby in mind; it distributes weight evenly for parent with the hip belt; infant insert perfect for cooler climates; adjustable straps; washable

The Cons: not as light as fabric slings; not suitable for hot climate if used with infant insert; buyers have to purchase two components (if with infant insert); bulky shoulder straps when used by individuals with petite frames

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The Bugaboo Frog is a life saver at home. The entire system weighs only 19 lbs. and more compact than those old-fashioned American strollers. So we figured that if it works perfectly well at home, why not bring it abroad? Makes perfect sense, no? Not necessarily. That said, we lugged the stroller to Italy and Greece with us. Our daughter was 7 months at the time. Navigating ancient cobblestone streets with the Bugaboo Frog’s multi-terrain big wheels and a well-designed chassis ensured our passenger had a smooth ride. This led us to conclude that this is the consummate outdoor stroller – it is able to negotiate the most challenging terrains: hiking trails, rough roads, gravel paths, etc. The reversible seat / handle gave us an option to have our child face-in or face-out. However, the biggest draw back for us is the stroller width, at 24 inches unfolded. When it comes to the subway, since there were two of us involved and we were too lazy to disassemble the stroller, we simply carried it over turnstiles and over stairs (whenever elevators were not available). When it comes to Italian buses, the Frog is a bit too wide for the door, so we had to remove one of the wheels and carry it over the threshold. Truth be told, if you are travelling solo with your child, it’s going to be a struggle with this stroller; with a partner, not so much.

The Pros: its multi-terrain big wheels are perfect for more outdoorsy activities; great suspension system that can withstand wear and tear; excellent maneuverability; multi-recline capabilities; wheel board available as attachment for second, older child; washable

The Cons: it’s not foldable – you have to disassemble and collapse stroller into two parts; its width is still 24 inches (same as unfolded width); way heavier than umbrella strollers at 19-20 lbs for the Frog; more cumbersome to store, such as in hotel closets or in tight car trunks; very high price point

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Your standard, cheap umbrella stroller such as this Jeep Wrangler is almost a good choice. Although Jeep is one of the pricier ones, coming in at approximately $50 because of all the bells and whistles that come with it, some other umbrella strollers, with pretty much just the frame and a fabric seat, are only in the $15 – $40 range. But of course, remember that you get what you pay for. These more affordable umbrella strollers usually have no recline for the passenger, but my husband always joked that it does have a “manual recline” – just tip the stroller to its hind wheels and voila! you’ve reclined the seat. Joking aside, this stroller is ideal if you need to fly through, such as in the airport, public transportation, or when doing errands or a quick goal-oriented walk somewhere.

The Pros: super lightweight – some weigh only 9 pounds and under; compact umbrella fold for easy storage; affordable price

The Cons: no recline; not a smooth ride for rougher roads; no shopping storage; some brands have no harness; not washable (but wipeable)

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The Maclaren Triumph stroller, to me, is the embodiment of British sensibility and the perfect travel ride for my kids. We brought this stroller to France, Spain, and Morocco and were very pleased with its performance, even in the muddy back roads of the Marrakech souks. Our child was happily and safely sitting on it, through rain (France) or shine (Spain and Morocco). Without further adieu…

The Pros: multi-reclining seat with extendible leg room; light aluminum frame weighing a manageable 11.5 lbs total with seat; adjustable 5-point harness; generous hood for rain or shine; compact umbrella fold for easy storage; carrying strap for portability; well-placed reinforced mesh shopping basket; lockable swivel wheels with above-average maneuverability; washable

The Cons: higher price point at $300 and over

I hope this guide / review can be of help to travelling families. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to share your experiences. And remember, travel with young kids doesn’t have to be a daunting task. There are many expert websites, blogs, and businesses that can help you create a stress-free and seamless travel plan.

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: American Mothers, Babies, Baby Accessories, Barbie, Breathable Cotton, Climates, France Greece, Italy France, Jaunts, Knit Fabric, Life Savers, Maya Wrap, Morocco, Newborns, Philippines, Sling, Strollers, Sure What Kind, Toddler Carriers, Young Kids

MoRoCo: Here, There, More Cocoa Everywhere

April 20, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

With bright sunshine and flowering trees, April in Toronto can hoodwink one into thinking spring has sprung. But that muon of an April chill can creep up out of nowhere, and suddenly, you’re invoking reveries of a fireplace and a cashmere stole with a hot drink in hand.

So, we kumbaya our way down to tony Yorkville for a sip and a chow at MoRoCo. MoRoCo can be succintly described as an aprés-meal chocolate lounge, yet Sunday brunch -the time we were there- is their busiest. It’s a dopamine-induced dream the minute I landed in MoRoCo’s blitz of macarons and truffles adorning its sick white shelves. Will I be rewarded with a Ladurée-like experience of the French kind?

We vacillate between pages of their purple brunch menu. Should we order a Salad Nicoise? French toast and waffles? A savoury crepe? Steak frites? It all seems so French. Why not settle for a classic Eggs Benedict with Smoke Salmon then?

That way, we’ll have room for desserts. Milk chocolate fondue for two comes with bananas, pineapples, strawberries, madeleines, and marshmallows. It’s not a knockout fondue, but the fresh pre-cut fruits and pastries are worth every lazy iota on a Sunday afternoon.

The sipping chocolate, made of 66% dark Valrhona cocoa, is of admirable standard but not assaultingly exciting as what I’ve had in Paris.

The proof is in the ~~pudding~~ icing and in the rich chocolat. Still, we can’t wait to get to the bottom of the cup.

In my desperate dash around Toronto to find the ace of macarons, I conclude that MoRoCo’s little diadems are a damn fine contender.

While their truffles have naughty nomenclatures like Sourpuss, Geisha, Pout, and Thai Me Up, the flavour variety is a bit meek, but not vapid. The same goes for the macarons. Flavours, although run-of-the-mill, are passionately classic: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, salted caramel, pistachio, lemon, passionfruit, lavender cassis, and my new favourite, lime with fleur de sel.

Soon, the nippy air sent most patrons from the patio into the inner salon. The outdoor space is a fantasy of mismatched furniture in fervid white and irradiated green; one wall is shockingly covered with AstroTurf. Meanwhile, the inner dining chambre is reminiscent of quirky, contemporary Parisian sitting rooms: an amalgam of velvet, leather, and glass in a Hollywood Regency setting.

We may return to MoRoCo now and again, but because of its high price point, the “now and again” may just mean next month, not the next day or next week. That’s neither here nor there, though. The fact is, chocolatiers and macaron makers are popping out of Toronto faster than you can whac-a-mole, but only the few good ones remain. MoRoCo being one of them.

A child’s definition of “a mouthful”. Chocolate moustache, anyone?

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Bright Sunshine, Brunch Menu, Chocolate Coffee, Chocolate Fondue, Diadems, Flowering Trees, French Toast, Macarons, Madeleines, Milk Chocolate, Muon, Nomenclatures, Proof Is In The Pudding, Pudding Icing, Salad Nicoise, Sipping Chocolate, Smoke Salmon, Steak Frites, Sunday Brunch, Valrhona Cocoa

Pajama Baby French Cupcake World

April 17, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

Pajama.
We like to wear our pajamas when we’re at home.

Baby.
We welcomed baby Tessa three weeks ago and we like to shower her with kisses.

She likes to make us laugh with her cross-eyed look.

French.
We practice our French, in case we move to France someday.

Cupcake.
That’s Amelie, our French-speaking, cupcake-loving dolly. She has green hair.

We try our hands at baking cupcakes. Made with French chocolate, of course.

World.
And we promised the world to someone. That’s you, Ciki, from Cumi & Ciki blog. You won an atlas!

Pajama Baby French Cupcake World.

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Amelie, Amp, Atlas World, Baby World, Chocolate World, Ciki, Cupcake, Cupcakes, Dolly, France, French Chocolate, French Course, Green Hair, Home Baby, Kisses, Pajama, Pajamas, Source Article, View Source

Musée d’Orsay: On French Impressionists

April 14, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

Considered to be one of Europe’s finest art museums, with a collection of French Impressionist paintings so vast, the Musée d’Orsay ought to be in everyone’s Paris agenda. If you are waxing nostalgic about Paris’ burgeoning mid-19th century Philosophy and Arts scene, then let no salon whatsoever keep you away from this museum’s collection.

L’Etoile ou Danseuse sur scène ( by Edgar Degas, vers 1876-1877

From 1900-1939, Musée d’Orsay was Gare d’Orsay, a train station connecting Paris with Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. But after France’s national rail network, the SNCF, abandoned operations here, the building fell into disrepair and subsequently used for menial purposes, such as a clearing-house for prisoners of war and as a film set for Orson Welles’s 1962 film, “The Trial”. Monsieur Victor Laloux, the original architect of Gare d’Orsay would have rolled over in his grave should he have known that his architectural masterpiece was being condemned to its end.

Le Tub by Edgar Degas, 1886

Luckily in 1973, the Pompidou government took an artsy gamble, much as it had in building the colour-coded pipe building in the 4th arrondissement (you Paris freaks all know which one I’m talking about). In a mere decade, the French government succeeded in transforming the decaying station into the gleaming gallery we know now. The renovations were carried out by the ACT team (Bardon, Colboc, and Philippon) and the Italian designer Gae Aulenti, who preserved much of Laloux’s original building, including his cast-iron pillars and beams, steel arches, and plaster caissons. The Musée d’Orsay was opened by Francois Mitterand in 1986, giving the Louvre a run for its money.

La nuit étoilée by Vincent Van Gogh (Honorary French), 1888

However, this magnificent grand gallery wouldn’t be much of a success without housing such breathtaking art and sculpture collection from 1848-1914 France. One of my favourite galleries is on the upper level, which showcases the French Impressionists movement. Once rejected by art salons of France as being sort of “Mickey Mouse” art, Impressionist paintings are now one of the most popular and highly celebrated works of art. However, most French Impressionist painters, although achieving notoriety during their time, only attained fame posthumously.

Here are some notables: Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Seurat, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec. Brush up on your French!

Dans un café, “L’Absinthe” by Edgar Degas, 1876

Le champ des courses. Jockeys amateurs près d’une voiture by Edgar Degas, 1887

Bal du moulin de la Galette by Auguste Renoir, 1876

Femmes de Tahiti by Paul Gauguin, 1891

Hôtel des Roches Noires à Trouville by Claude Monet, 1870

Le déjeuner sur l’herbe by Edouard Manet, 1863

Le cirque by Georges Seurat, 1891

Pommes et Oranges by Paul Cézanne, 1895

La danse mauresque ou les Almées by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1895

Musée d’Orsay
62, rue de Lille
Tel. 40 49 48 14
Metro: Solferino (Line 12)

Open
Tuesday-Sunday
9:30 am – 6 pm
Thursday
9:30 am – 9:45 pm
Closed on Mondays

Admission
€8
Under 18′s and members free

*scanned using Canon Pixma. all photos are the collection of Jennifer Laceda

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Act Team, Architectural Masterpiece, Art Museums, Aulenti, Breathtaking Art, Edgar Degas, Francois Mitterand, French Impressionist Paintings, French Impressionists, Iron Pillars, Monsieur Victor, MuséE D Orsay, Nuit éToiléE, Orson Welles, Philippon, Prisoners Of War, Sculpture Collection, Sncf, Steel Arches, Vincent Van Gogh

Smashing Spring Giveaway

April 7, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

What’s keeping me busy this spring? My 2-week-old daughter, Tessa. She is only 20 inches long but the pipes on this girl! It seems like her motto in life right now reads like (or sings like) an Eddie Murphy hit song with a touch of Lionel Richie, “My girl likes to party all the time…All night long…” (and sleep all day). Such is the life of a newborn!

So, in honour of spring (and for lack of writing material thereof – I apologize), Folie à Deux is giving away a New Concise World Atlas to one lucky winner, courtesy of Oxford Publishing! This 224-page tome is an indispensable reference for the traveller in all of us. I promise you, once you have this book in your library, you will be dreaming up your next vacation and plotting your route faster than you can say “bon voyage”!

All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post, and the gods of random.org will decide the winner on April 15, 2010! I can ship anywhere in the world.

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Filed Under: Life & Style, Travel Tagged With: Eddie Murphy, Honour, Indispensable Reference, Lionel Richie, Lucky Winner, Motto In Life, New Concise World Atlas, Oxford, Page Tome, Party All The Time, Pipes, Sleep, Source Article, Traveller, View Source

Cobras, Baraka, and the Hand of Fatima – Marrakech Magic

March 25, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

39 weeks later and this baby is still refusing to leave the comforts of my womb. My biggest fear at the moment is that I will go on active labour this Saturday night when my favourite UFC fighter, Georges St-Pierre (Canada), is facing British bad boy Dan Hardy. And so, the waiting game begins…

As I anticipate baby no.2′s arrival, I leave you a copy of the latest article I penned for Town & Country Philippines magazine, published January 2010 by Summit Media. To read full article, please click on through for a larger image.

Here are some photos and excerpts from my article that will leave you wanting more of Marrakech!

“As I traverse the heart of the old city, I inadvertently enter a fantastic world within its ramparts: streets that converge in a perplexed jumble of human, animal, and motor traffic; sun-blasted houses that stand profanely close to one another; minarets, palm trees, and rooftop satellite dishes that pierce menacingly into the dust-blown sky.”

“If Venice has the Piazza San Marco and New York has Times Square, Marrakech has its own iconic nerve centre – the Djemaa el-Fna, commonly translated as the Place of the Dead. Despite the name, life here couldn’t be more extraordinarily vibrant today.”

“If you feel that daytime is an exercise in chaos, evening brings a maelstrom of sorts. The air is charged, like a fierce hurricane, with the heady smoke of aromatic spices and grilled meat from the newly set-up food stalls.”

“But it is an enigmatic storyteller who catches my attention: his skin is like carbon, perfectly setting off a royal blue Berber robe and white turban; he speaks with fiery passion. I don’t understand a word that rolls off his tongue, but I imagine he is narrating a tale from One Thousand and One Nights.”

“Amidst this dizzying Ali-Babaesque bazaar, I find myself a curious spectator of sorts. At least, at first.”

“I forge my way deeper north to Semarine up to Rue Souk El-Kebir, where I run into blindingly coloured fabrics and passementerie, all the while accepting overtures of nuts and dried fruits from cheerful vendors.”

“I follow my nose to the herbalists’, where piquant fragrances emanate from piebald sacks of dried herbs and flowers. Also present are glass jars of frankincense, myrrh, musk, and ambergris perfume blocks flanking vials of two of Morocco’s most precious oils: argan and rose.”

“I cringe at the barbecued sheep heads sitting on terracotta pots, and I cower at the warren of caged pigeons awaiting their fate in a Bstilla pie. But just the same, I ogle the spicy pyramids of pulverized coriander, turmeric, saffron, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper that could sink a ship.”

“…a woman in a gossamer scarf the colour of Maraschino cherry hijacks my arm. She begins an intricate process of applying henna on the back of my hand. The syringe that held the blackish olive-green paste bobs in staccato at the Berber woman’s hand. When she finished, there is a flurry of leaves, dots, and arabesques from my pinky finger down to my wrist.”

“…baraka In Islam, it is a holy blessing bestowed upon a person by a sage or marabout. Most Moroccans believe in baraka, just as they believe in jinns or spirits.”

“As I pull the brim of my woven fedora down low, I close my eyes and bid goodbye to this sand heap desert town. With a heavy heart (and bag), I leave with memories of its baked Persimmon ramparts, frantic agoras, dust-ridden back roads, and snow-capped mountains.”

“What do I take away from this experience? The alchemy that writers, vagabonds, and dreamers search for in a lifetime – paradoxically brilliant moments that measure to a magical journey.”

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The Spider House Rises

March 20, 2010 By lizzie Leave a Comment

I’m a travel blogger and this site is about travel. But for the past 3 years, I’ve also blogged about the heartaches and pitfalls of renovating a house (the proof is in the date of the blog posts), including encounters with crooked contractors . In a way, travelling has taken a backseat because our time and money had been tied up in this project since 2007. However, we are in the home stretch now, and we are looking forward to this new chapter of our lives – the sale of the house AND the birth of another baby girl soon. I’m counting down the days until both events transpire!

Here’s a picture story of how we’ve gone from Hopeless – to Hopeful once again. We have been busily involved in building and rebuilding a house for the last 3 years (I can’t even make myself call it ‘our home’ as it never felt that way for us, having not lived there). And yes, you heard me; and no, it’s not a typo: the project has been ongoing for the last 3 years. Through this process, we have come to liken the experience to a spider’s. You can keep destroying the web he had spun, but a spider never loses hope. He will keep rebuilding because that’s his nature. And, perhaps, these are the most valuable lessons we’ve learned thus far: Hope and Tenacity, with the help of all our spider friends and family!

1) Remember all these? The makeshift scaffolding a crooked contractor left us with, mid-project?

With the help of an honest builder, the house is now shingled in cedar, with new roof, new soffit and fascia, a beautiful custom-made front porch, stone knee walls, and a low maintenance garden with budding Japanese trees.