Home, in bed

January 25

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't try to go to three parties in different parts of Manhattan in one night, because now I'm sick. I don't think it's anything serious -- just a bad cold that started with sinus congestion and then settled into my chest.
For almost as long as I can remember my coughs have sounded much worse than they are. I project, from the diaphragm, with great rumbling noises coming out of my lungs. It's the same cough I get any time I have a cold, and it always causes great concern among friends and colleagues.
"You sound like Hellacious," my colleague Elissa Elan said to me the other day, eliciting a confused look from Paul Frumkin. I think he was wondering who Hellacious was.
"She meant, you sound, comma, like, comma, hellacious," I explained.
That must have been on Wednesday the 23rd, because I've been at home in bed ever since. I'm well on the mend, but my cough will still likely scare people.
And my voice is hoarse -- hoarse enough that when I ordered Chinese food from my regular delivery place, Red Hot, they tossed an orange in gratis. It's nice that they care.
Normally I get shredded beef with fresh hot pepper from Red Hot, but in my weakened state I've been feeling a need for more produce, so I've been ordering vegetarian dishes, along with pork fried rice.
I've been drinking fruit smoothies, too, and they have an emotionally therapeutic effect if nothing else.
Oh, I did eat out once this week, on Tuesday. Birdman and I went to T-Bar, a steakhouse on the Upper East Side. Birdman started with the tuna tartare and I had the chopped caesar salad, and we split the porterhouse for two and a bottle of St. Estephe. Then they buried us in dessert -- strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, and a caramelized banana parfait.

Frandy Susatia

Hello there everyone!

I would just like to share the news that The Artist Chef is now reaching the global market. The first to respond to the FILIPINAS magazine article is Frandy Susatia! He booked months in advance to make sure that he got a slot when he visited Manila in November. He contacted me via text and later on we emailed each other for the details. Frandy is an Indonesian based in North Carolina, USA and practices medicine as a Neurologist. He was in the Philippines four years ago and stayed as a resident doctor in Santo Tomas University Hospital (UST) for two years. There he met his fiancee Berna who is also a Doctor of Internal Medicine. No wonder he is very attached to our island.

They talk...

we talk...

A very unforgettable conversation.

The joy in me despite the very tiring preparation for The Artist Chef dinner.

Frandy and Berna are getting married soon.

After the pictorial Frandy gave me a gift and asked me to open it immediately. He said it was his token of thanks for accommodating him. I was surprised by the giraffes he bought from Hobbes and Landes (actually one of my favorite shops).

Another addition to the gifts given to me by my customers. I feel so grateful for the blessings that God is giving me--the success story of The Artist Chef.