We’re on our way…
House of Annie has hopped over to Kuala Lumpur for a whirlwind trip of visiting with family and friends, all at the tables of various eating establishments around KL.
Category Archives: Reviews
Book Review: A Diary of Private Prayer
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A Diary of Private Prayer John Baillie $9.99 on Amazon.com Annie’s rating: 4/4 |
When I started working, I had to get up early to get ready for the day. My day begins around 5.30am. I get up, jump out of bed into the shower to get my body and brain working, then it’s downstairs to start prepping for breakfast and lunch. Nate does help me after he gets up (an hour later) by getting the kids ready for school and getting them their breakfast while I’m busy putting together last touches for the kids’ lunches and cutting fruit for all of us. Thankfully, most times, our lunches are just leftovers from last night’s dinner so at least I’m not bogged down preparing adult lunches as well.
With all this busyness, I try to spend about 15 mins after my shower doing a quick read before jumping into manic mode. One book that I have found especially helpful to start my day is a devotional classic by John Baillie entitled "A Diary of Private Prayer" It’s a really small book but within it’s covers, I find beautiful, lyrical and rich prayers to start my day.
Ippudo Ramen, Singapore
These aren’t just any old ordinary instant noodles.
After the Peking duck dinner at Imperial Treasure, LK recommended to us a ramen restaurant called Ippudo, right across Orchard Road in the Mandarin Gallery hotel. We made plans to meet another friend there the next day. Annie wanted to go shopping down Orchard Rd, since it was our last full day in Singapore, and the Great Singapore Sale was on (more on that in another post).
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hook up with our friend and so we decided to just eat at Ippudo on our own. We got there past lunch time, so the lunch crowd had thinned out. We were greeted with an enthusiastic “Irasshaimase!”, seated right away and handed our menus.
Maria Elena’s Mexican Restaurant, Alviso
Reading the obituary for Maria Elena Montellano, I am transported back a few years, to the day I visited her namesake restaurant.
It was one of those gloriously crisp, clear Fall Saturdays in the Bay Area, with the bright sun shining down its warm rays upon a chilly South Bay. I had just dropped Annie off at a friend’s house in north San Jose, near 1st St and Hwy 237. (Annie was catering a bridal shower.) So there I was, alone with the kids and nothing to do.
I didn’t want to head back home – too boring. I also didn’t want to drive too far away, since I needed to be back in a few hours to fetch Annie. So I decided to keep heading North on 1st St and cross over Hwy 237 to the little town of Alviso. With no plan in mind, what would I find?