Nee's Big Birthday Dinner

Ok. I think I owe you the full news coverage of last night's event.

This was Nee at her big birthday bash last night.

I was relieved that everything turned out well, excellent, in fact. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. You kind of know things are going fine when the guests get very loud, & when they are not only eating, but talking with their mouths full & laughing as well. Did I mention loud? It was a very, very warm get-together with close friends & family, & it felt like it had a life of its own.

Look at the expression, & passion of some of the guests, especially the one on the right.

However, I must tell you, the preparation for the event was like a marathon, slow & steady in the earlier part, but then it builds up into a frantic 100-metre dash towards the end. On the final day itself, I was rushing back & forth, returning to the restaurant many times to make sure that things fall into place properly - the tables, the setup, the decor, the candles, the lights, the crystals, the cakes & the flowers.

I didn't have to worry about this though. This light decor thing came with the restaurant.

This I had to worry. It was one of those things that just fell into place.

The lighting guy suggested something like snowflakes. But I said it's my wife's birthday, we're not celebrating Christmas now. Then he said he had some crystals. So I said, bring them on baby. All of them.

This is Nee & Sarah, one of the most creative young & hip chefs around in Kuching.

She was the reason why the bash was held at Magenta. Nee has been learning a lot of Western cooking from her & so it was a pleasure to get her to cook up something new for Nee on her birthday.

Now, planning for a dinner like this is ok lah. I think I can pretty much handle things. But when it came to the menu, I was as lost as a Foochow in Paris. So this was the part that needed professional consultation from the Birthday girl.

For soup, we all had cream of potatos with scallops and prawn fritters. Simple but just EXCELLENT.

Salmom ceviche with lemon dill dressings and camembert cheese. I have just discovered my new true love - Fried Camembert Cheese.

Then for the main course, the guests had the option of rusted codfish with shitake butter (no photos unfortunately) or Charbroiled sirloin stuffed with thymed scented mushrooms,

or Grilled Lamb Cutlets with spicy mocha sauce.

And you know what, every single one of them was EXCELLENT. I am not kidding. I was sitting next to Nee's little brother, who is one of the snobbiest & pickiest, high-class eater in the Foochow world & he looked like this with every dish that came out that night.

See, he looked extremely happy. The only difference between the two photos were the dishes on the table.But seriously, the food was GOOD.

And for dessert, a choice of the best Creme brulee in town,

or double choc cake.

I think Sarah outdid herself that night. We were just so impressed.

But you know, food aside, what really made it a wonderful evening were the presence of the close friends and family that love, support and care about us, all this while. It is truly a joy to be in their midst, warmth & laughter.


And of course, a birthday celebration must have a cake! In Nee's case, it's with one candle that fits all ages. This one came from Sarah.

And because I was worried that there might not be enough cakes to go around, I bought Nee two more.
These two were new creations from Tom's which are not out in the market yet. I couldn't have gotten them without Jackie's help. I'm just so grateful to her for this. Thanks Jackie!


Both Nee & I would like to express our utmost gratitude to all friends & family members who were there to celebrate with us, & especially for their very sincere & generous gifts.

Oh, by the way, I got Nee these flowers. I got very excited over these myself when I picked them up from the florist cos I was really hoping that they understood what I wanted, & they did! 120%!

You should have seen me then. I smiled until my teeth fell out. And when Nee saw them that night, her teeth fell out also.

And I am not gay. I just love my wife okay.

Thank you all from the very bottom of our hearts!