Week in Review

Clothing Exchange at the Immi+

Haunted House to see Candice's Awesome Costumes +

Baking Red Velvet Cupcakes,

 Pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting,

 magic bars & more +

Chrystie Street Ballet all weekend long +

Dinner with my Jameson crew +

Portishead +

Rooftop Gatherings + 

Beautiful Birthdays =

Phew. I'm tired.

Tête à Tête with Tammi: My Brit Boys

I did a day long cooking course in Cambodia and the first group of people were a bunch of duds but, lucky me, the second class had the best duo that I've encountered thus far on my trip.

Stephen & Ciaran had been traveling through Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and were heading to Thailand. They had both just finished "uni" and were great company for my afternoon. Straight away, they made me laugh and we kept razzing one another the whole day. "Go America!" Ciaran would yell at me. They were hoping to score some ladies back home with their new found cooking talents and I think their odds are pretty good.

Our conversations roamed from lady boys (one of them got hit with a rock from a "lady boy" in Vietnam) to getting "crumped", morning glory, and Ciaran telling me I was looking "pretty good" for 32 (he also likes older women! My lucky day...). They had arrived in Siem Reap from Vietnam where they drank snake blood and visited with a local fisherman who liked them so much that he then took them back to his home to eat dinner with his family . They both had a great energy about them and their humor made me laugh hysterically. Oh, to be 21 again! Our chef was called Mr. October (his real name is Tola, which means October, the month he was born) and since Ciaran I are were born in May, we were Mr. and Mrs. May. They were eager to learn ballet and I finished the day teaching them to plie and tendu.  These boys were a delight to spend the afternoon with and I hope they have a wonderful year ahead of them. Their energy and enthusiasm made me realize that's what I've been missing about myself out here...

Subject: Stephen Miller

Male, England

What do you spread on toast? strawberry jam & butter (used to eat 8 pieces of toast each morning!)

What makes you happy? football, sports
What time do you wake up? 10am

 What is your favorite place to be? home at my parents

What is your favorite time of day? 6:45; post dinner ready to go out
What was your favorite age? 19, being at Uni
How many jobs have you had? 5 (started as a paperboy)
What is your favorite quiet spot? underwater
Where do you rendezvous with friends? pub; drink drink drink
How do you get around town? walk
How many countries have you visited? 11 or 12
How many brothers/sisters? 2 brothers; I am the youngest
What is your favorite memory? When Liverpool won the championship league
What is your favorite food? Christmas dinner: turkey, beef, stuffing, roast

Subject: Ciaran Harte

Male, England

What do you spread on toast? marmite

What makes you happy? friends
What time do you wake up? 9am for school, 6am for work
What is your favorite place to be? Kenilworth Road (stadium)

What is your favorite time of day? tea time
What was your favorite age? 19
How many jobs have you had? 3
What is your favorite quiet spot? the park
Where do you rendezvous with friends? pub
How do you get around town? car
How many countries have you visited? 16
How many brothers/sisters? 1; a younger sister
What is your favorite memory? I was about 4 years old and I was being pushed around the yard in a wheelbarrow by my mother. My grandfather was throwing mars bars into the wheelbarrow as I went around the yard. I couldn't see him from where I was and I thought it was raining chocolate! 
What is your favorite food? steak & mash

Tête à Tête with Tammi -Miss. Rithy

In Cambodia I took a wonderful cooking class. Our "guide" for the day was Rithy. She was so wonderful to get to know. She was slow to warm and a bit shy initially, but I quickly discovered she has a wonderful sense of humor and was eager to tell her jokes (What's the difference between an old man and an old car?). During the afternoon session, she began to open up about herself, her family and her job. I discovered she started her current job after her prior boss was forced to fire her because his wife was jealous. She is an honest and kind woman who we finally convinced to not only join us in cooking, but eat our delightful meal with us. She was always smiling, and in turn, warmed my heart and made me have a permagrin the whole afternoon. We finished the afternoon with a ballet lesson and Rithy showed off her skills! She was so appreciative of our company and told us she had never had that much fun with a group. I guess the participants are often very serious and concentrating--not us...well, we were serious. Serious about having fun!

Subject: Rithy Ngoey
Female, Siem Reap Cambodia

What do you spread on toast? jam

What makes you happy? interacting with friendly people

What time do you wake up? work 5am, day off 9am
What is your favorite place to be? in my homeland

What is your favorite time of day? after work
What was your favorite age? 21; I was beginning to become more independent and contributing to my family
How many jobs have you had? 5
What is your favorite quiet spot? being alone
Where do you rendezvous with friends? temple
How do you get around town? walk & now a motorbike
How many countries have you visited? 2: Cambodia and Thailand. Once,  I met this wonderful American woman and I told her my dream was to see another country. So, she invited me to go to Thailand. I spent time in the North of Thailand and it was amazing. A dream come true.
How many brothers/sisters? 7: 3 brothers and 5 sisters. I am seven of eight children
What is your favorite memory? It's not really a good memory. When I was a child, I remember my father. He stole all the money from our family. The only time I remember him being around is after he would lose all his money and then he would come back to our family, only to steal more.
What is your favorite food? stir fried chicken with ginger

Culinary Adventures in Cambodia

While in Cambodia,  I decided to channel my inner Mary and take a cooking class. For me, cooking (more so baking) is always so cathartic and enjoyable. I signed up a course through Beyond Unique Escapes and got picked up in my own tuk tuk and rode to a local village about 20 minutes out of Siem Reap. We arrived at the Sojourn Villas and then toured a local village with our guide for the day, Rithy. We arrived with a gift of rice for the family and met the children (ten in all!). A bunch of cutie bahtooties running around and eager to have their picture taken.

The cooking class took place in a beautiful open air pavillion and we each had our own station. 

The menu was as follows:

Cambodian Curry
Fresh Spring Rolls
Nom Tong Nuyen

Cambodian Mango Salad

Fish Amok

Sticky Rice Flour Balls with Palm Sugar topped with Grated Young Coconut

green mango salad

Glad I didn't have to do the dishes!

my very own curry paste

fresh spring rolls 

Mr. October

Ballet on the Bridge with Rithy and the boys

I loved being outdoors, dining in the middle of a lake in an open air setting and learning something new. It was truly a highlight of my time in Cambodia. We even finished off the afternoon with a ballet lesson on the bridge. I heart you Cambodia. Big time.

The way I do math

Candice+Outside+Dumbo+a great view+a cold drink=Happiness

What more can I ask for?

Through my looking glass

Site Specific dance performance.

Third Rail Productions.

I love the reactions of the people in the park as the dance performance happens all around them...