tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126678472013-04-18T04:36:48.621+02:00cui4 = jade . shi1 = poetry .Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-64154827352142090972012-12-01T09:43:00.001+01:002012-12-01T09:43:36.373+01:00

I really like our neighbourhood. It feels like we're a part of it, if only superficially, because the street vendors and shop owners smile at and acknowledge us (or rather, Max) when we pass by. There's the family with a toddler too that runs the corner coffee shop selling fried noodles, mixed rice, bananas. They find Max's fascination with all their fans (ceiling, exhaust) amusing and encourage

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-51758372919002409622012-09-17T17:51:00.000+02:002012-09-17T17:51:02.532+02:00

It's been 3 weeks since we landed in Bangkok to start a new life. I'm writing this amidst the sounds of a Bangkok morning - intermittent chirps from birds and insects, the sputtering of motorcycle taxis and the hum of air conditioning units covering the drizzle. The area we live in is a hodgepodge of old houses and apartment buildings. From our balcony we have a view over a collection of houses

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-10366212122468230612012-07-23T22:03:00.001+02:002012-07-23T22:03:58.680+02:00

With every departure from a place, I always feel nostalgic about it during my last days there, and Budapest is no different. I've always known I wouldn't live here forever, and though nine years is far longer than I could have anticipated, there are some things I have never taken for granted, like my daily commute on Margit bridge with its view of the Danube, bridges, Parliament and the castle

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-932885172443595842012-02-17T22:55:00.004+01:002012-02-17T23:16:16.841+01:00

Yes, it can be done. We are living proof!When Max was 3 months old we took him to the embassy and filled in lots of paperwork (including thumbprints of a 3 month-old!) to apply for Malaysian citizenship for him. We also declared his other nationality in the forms - i.e. we did it all above board; none of this getting of a Malaysian birth certificate and passport and then sneaking off to get

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-56432997570062728652011-12-31T10:31:00.007+01:002011-12-31T11:03:53.212+01:00

It has been a momentous year, 2011. And literally too. Life with an infant is nothing if not about the moment-to-moment changes of mood, emotional development, mobility, cognitive ability... and for the baby too.I have some friends who are pregnant and who ask me what being a mother is like. I usually respond that it's all-encompassing, with highs and lows. Truth be told, as enriching as it is,

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-4683045113773530072011-08-11T20:31:00.004+02:002011-08-11T20:35:59.652+02:00

Max has just turned 8 months, and clichéd as it is, I can't believe how time has flown. And how my daily life is so different now. Days begin before dawn, when Max makes "I'm hungry" noises and I shuffle my way blindly into his room to feed him. Then back into the cot he goes, and I head back to fitful sleep, not unlike the days when I woke up, glanced at the clock and thought "Ok, one more

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-7047362336237093932011-07-12T20:57:00.006+02:002011-07-12T21:50:02.202+02:00

Naturally, when the phrase 'Hungarian food' comes up, the dish that follows, without fail, is goulash. Which, in fact, is pörkölt (stew), because goulash or gulyás (pronounced gu-yash) is actually soup.So when I got a little restaurant's weekly lunch menu popped into my mailbox, I thought I'd share for anyone who's curious about what typical Hungarian lunches look like.(Side note: Hungarian has

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-55094099916260493402011-06-04T11:14:00.007+02:002011-06-04T20:05:01.840+02:00

I've just discovered that my thumb and index finger can do a neat trick - come together and pinch things in a stranglehold that my silly parents struggle to pry open with yelps, whether it's their hair, glasses or skin. That's for making me take baths all the time!That mysterious cascade of tinkly sounds that used to scare the shit out of me - I get it now - I can actually see the infernal thing

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-47525849375206718362011-04-16T19:08:00.007+02:002011-04-25T20:43:04.874+02:00

Since Max was born, I've been reading a lot of mummy blogs. And that phrase "mothering in the trenches" always amuses me. I relate to its visceral allusion, but can't help but picture helmeted women with bare breasts swinging down a dirt corridor with a baby in one arm and bayonet in the other.So what has life been as a mother? Well, I wasn't expecting some of my less appealing qualities to be

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-19959362119398478142010-12-20T15:58:00.004+01:002011-04-25T20:43:58.423+02:00

Well, my little bun is here! Or piglet, I should say, since his sound effect of choice is snorts of hunger. He was born early, surprising everyone, and I will spare you the details of my ordeal in the maternity ward, except to say it's cruel and unusual punishment to leave a new mother post C-section with a baby and absolutely no help or guidance as to what to do. Oh, if I could do it all again..

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-88118388342439251102010-10-02T10:27:00.007+02:002011-04-25T20:44:32.108+02:00

Life has taken a bit of a turn since the spring. After our trip to Provence, I discovered that I'd come away not only with memories of lovely landscapes and food, but a rather more permanent souvenir of the time - a baby.Well he's not quite a baby yet. A bun in the oven, as it were. I'm about 27 weeks pregnant now, which translates into almost 7 months, though it's not technically 7 months

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-10310127722412058882010-04-11T16:29:00.020+02:002010-04-11T17:39:46.525+02:00

(And some other places)We rented a car at Geneva airport, checked that the buttons were where they were supposed to be, and then set off for L'Ardeche and its gorges.Motion sickness notwithstanding, the view from the next bend on the road was more impressive than the last. Also impressive were the canoeists braving the bracing waters.Then Provence, where we basically stopped when we felt like it,

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-17502116887087180942010-03-27T15:07:00.005+01:002010-03-27T15:24:15.818+01:00

1. Schiffbau is a great venue, not least because they don't care if you waltz in with a can of beer in your hand.2. If you bring your beer bottle back to the bar, you get a franc off your next beer.3. Losing your ticket for the coat check is not a big deal. Just point at the coat you want. I didn't see any Burberry so I settled for mine.4. Never attempt to take public transport without getting a

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-38204550354722888002010-03-21T19:35:00.008+01:002010-03-21T20:40:08.896+01:00

Sundays are sacred here, so apart from at the train station and some restaurants and cafes, everything is closed. I'm staying quite near the funicular that takes you to perhaps the highest point in Zurich and had noticed it before when I went to Migros (now that's what I call a tourist highlight), so I decided to check it out today, in the slight drizzle.On the way up, I shared the little car

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-45260724980694910212010-02-28T19:27:00.002+01:002010-02-28T19:41:59.141+01:00

Yes, it does exist.Today, to celebrate the last day of Chinese New Year, I met a bunch of Malaysians at Wang Étterem, in Zugló (the 14th district) for lunch that consisted of 16 dishes.The pancake for the Peking duck was a bit too doughy, and the Hainanese chicken a bit on the dry side, but overall, this was a Chinese lunch like I've never had before in Budapest. There was fresh steamed fish,

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-79656413375002095222009-12-07T18:44:00.009+01:002009-12-07T22:12:49.372+01:00

It was a bit of a special weekend. Friday I put together a surprise birthday do which went off without a hitch. I was such a nervous wreck about it though (Will someone accidentally let slip? Will I drop the cake? Will the bar give me plates? Will everyone be there on time?) that I don't think I could manage the drama of a bigger production than this simple get-together.Sunday I went to the zoo

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-20902339373413854682009-12-02T15:27:00.006+01:002009-12-02T18:38:15.301+01:00

Because Neil asked.So my list defies a lot of conventions in best-of-decade lists inundating the websphere. First of all, it's not necessarily music released in the last decade. It's also over a period of 11 years rather than 10, because 1999 is the year I finished university and started working and living abroad. My main criteria for picking these albums is either that it was the starting point

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-55417555594048876312009-10-19T16:09:00.010+02:002009-10-19T18:59:11.360+02:00

The Girlfriend Experience - High-class call girl, Steven Soderbergh, New York City - I had to watch this. The art direction was more interesting than the acting and subject matter; the city was all white fall days and dim lighting.Every Little Step - The making of the Chorus Line revival on Broadway in 2006, following the auditions from start to finish. Dancers are a hardy lot, both in terms of

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-61681750979460930162009-09-20T11:55:00.003+02:002009-09-20T12:25:43.674+02:00

Friday was probably one of the last nights at our local since the nights are getting distinctly chillier. It's a little fenced-off park with a pond in the middle, with gravel all round, and cane furniture with plump red pillows. It's one of the few places in which I feel a part of the neighbourhood; I recognise people from my building as well as other residents of the 13th district. Since it's a

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-5751042428065922402009-07-18T16:00:00.014+02:002011-04-25T20:47:19.641+02:00

I had such a whirlwind month of happenings in NYC that I can barely remember all the places I passed or stopped at. So here's a list of highlights:Food:The Stanton Social - Brunch as tapas, the most memorable being doughnuts with a caramelish dip. The service was impeccable; the waitress made every decision we made seem like an achievement to be proud of.Nyonya - Absolutely packed Malaysian place

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-1037132122429736582009-05-30T22:11:00.014+02:002009-05-30T23:22:15.120+02:00

I was in Barcelona this past week for a 30th birthday. It was wonderful for many reasons, not least of which was the company, the food, and the weather.Despite just being up the road from Sagrada Familia, our apartment was in quite a residential area - flanked by sandy parks with ping pong tables, with plenty of Pakistani shopkeepers from Lahore and a fantastic bakery called La Boulangerie and

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-751833883928509552009-05-08T21:36:00.008+02:002009-05-08T22:28:11.875+02:00

I applied for my PR in Hungary in January and was told I'd have to wait 120 days. So when May rolled around I began to wonder - has my application gone missing?Apparently not, because yesterday I found out that I've been summoned for an interview. They don't interview everyone, so I guess I'm just exotic enough to be lucky - not many Malaysians applying for Hungarian PR!The worst case scenario is

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-80595034290027188562009-04-30T22:48:00.003+02:002009-04-30T23:16:30.812+02:00

So often we complain about the sprint from winter to summer, with nary a week of crisp days. Well this year, April has turned out to be exactly as it should be, with a day or two of evening tempests and the rest of it bracing and blazing by turns.Since winter broke, I have drunk nothing but hosszú lépés - one part white wine, 2 parts soda water. Rehydrating while dehydrating is the original quip

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-43236136406370751672009-03-21T10:16:00.003+01:002009-03-21T10:28:43.210+01:00

Nothing like waking up to a blazing blue sky. By an astounding stroke of luck, it also happens to be the official beginning of spring today. If I were more motivated I'd get my hiking boots on and go to the Buda hills for a bit of a skip through the woods.Some questions for you on this beautiful spring day:1. What is the logical reasoning behind having to pay a fee when you're DEPOSITING cash

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12667847.post-31092991117267985662009-03-07T02:06:00.008+01:002009-03-07T03:27:49.199+01:00

I can't believe I complained about construction in Budapest. I have been subject to 24/7 (literally) of pounding from the 20-storey building going up opposite my room. So worst night of sleep: drifting in and out, being woken up by another burst of machinery or explosion of sound from my iPod (which I plugged in to drown out the construction).In the morning, I was taking my usual route when a

Szehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14818470234953819253noreply@blogger.com0