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.

CANBERRA-Capital of OZ (AUS post4)

I know not everyone knows that Canberra is Australia's capital. Let me share with you how and why it happened. During the early days, Sydney and Melbourne were both vying to be Australia's capital. To stop the argument, the government decided to develop a small town called Canberra. They placed the Parliament house and all the government's important offices there. Aside from being the capital of OZ, it is also the house of the annual flower festival called "Floriade." I enjoyed all the colorful flowers and the auction of surf board houses. And one thing I will never forget is my experience at the Science Museum. I hurt my head in the vertical slide. It seem easy because small kids were doing it and having fun. I was wrong. But it's my fault because I didn't follow the proper procedure.

These were the surfboard houses auction. Wish I can afford one...

Me and my boyfriend in the Floriade. We came to visit the last day of the flower festival. Tulips and other colorful flowers in Australia were showcased.

One of my bad habits lately... posing like a Japanese with every flower I see.

Outside the Parliament House

Inside the parliament house are the rooms for senate and congress. This one is the senate house.

Doing Tai Chi somewhere in Canberra along with local Chinese residents.

The Feeling Queen meets The Real Queen!

No, it's not Juliana Palermo. She's Dewi who became my good friend in OZ. She's the sister of my cousin's wife. Quite a connection there. We were asked to wear this suit because we were going to try the vertical slide inside The Science Museum. There are a lot of fun stuff inside it but for me this is the most interesting and memorable.

So there goes The Artist Chef who took the risk and hurt her head badly.

Yummy COOK-OFF in DECEMBER issue

Last December issue of YUMMY magazine, the COOK-OFF coverage was published. I would like to thank Melanie Montemayor for the complimentary copy.

Christmas issue.

Photo snippets of the COOK-OFF event.

List of winners and runner ups per categories and the meal that they prepared.

Bek Choi

Thank God Bek is a very patient person! He and his girlfriend were my customers after Ryan's dinner. He was constantly texting me about his dinner, constantly asking what time the other customers will finish. I was rattled and I didn't know what to say. I just kept telling him to hold on. He almost gave up waiting for his slot at that night... The gist--they arrived and ate the Italian set meal. Fortunately, Bek felt that the long wait was worth it. The delicious and generous serving of food compensated for everything. And according to him, my friendly and accommodating personality prevented Bek from getting angry. He almost gave up waiting but it was a learning experience on my part and another story for me to reminisce in the future.

Awhhh...Bek can now say... "finally the floor is all mine" :p

Bek was very shy about having photos but I insisted and he gave in. I will never forget this back-to-back customers I had and made my come back to my kitchen very tiring but super fun and interesting!

Ryan Ty

Ryan and his girlfriend were my first customers after I came back from my Australia trip. Actually I accommodated two couples for that night to catch up from the one-month vacation I had. On that night I had to rush things because my next customers were set to arrive two hours after Ryan's dinner. Too bad Ryan came very late. He arrived around 8pm. Prior his dinner date we both agreed that he should arrive around 6:30 pm. Anyway things turned out well despite the little rush that we had to make so that the next customers did not have to wait for so long. The couple enjoyed the good food and I guess they enjoyed each other. We weren't able to chat that much like the way I do with my other customers because we didn't have enough time. Even though the conversation I had with the couple was short it was nice to know how good these people are. They both offered to help me wash the dishes and prepare for my next customers. I'm so sorry about not accepting their offer. My aim is for them to enjoy and that's the most important thing for me.

We'll have more stories next time... I'll make it up to you, Ryan. Hope you'll dine again...

Museums in Sydney (AUS post3)

Howdy again mate!

Well...slowly but surely I am posting photos from my OZ adventure. I really made every single day of my stay in Sydney worth remembering. We didn't mind going to the city everyday. The city or central station is a one hour train ride from Liverpool station where my boyfriend and I stayed. It's my cousin's place in Goulburn St. near the Liverpool hospital. We did that routine for a month but it was fun because of the different suburbs we saw. Up to now the voice of the girl announcing the next train station stop still echoes in my ears.

This is the Art Gallery of New South Wales located along Dominion and Art Gallery Road. Few meters from St. Mary's Cathedral near Hyde Park and St. James train station. The places seem near to each other, but they're not. Quite a long walk, to be honest. But I didn't mind the exercise because of the different parks, nice streets, and disciplined motorists.

We went to this gallery twice. The first time we came here was around 6pm. We were surprised to see that the museum was closed. It closes at 5pm along with other establishments in the city including malls. So on our second time, we arrived at 2pm and we are able to explore the museum.

Oh my! Broken pieces of the ceramic sculpture! who broke it?

Was it me? Nope!

Part of the design, actually.

Nice statue and architecture of the gallery.

Names of different famous artist were written on the top of the wall.

Another way of exploring the city is by going to the major part of CBD which is the Circular Quay. I enjoyed this part of Sydney because almost all the landmarks of Australia can be found here. The Opera house, Harbour Bridge, Botanical Garden, The Rocks, Ferry Terminal, Train Station and of course the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Before entering the museum I sat on this nice brick wall with nice flora to read the city guide book.

A pose with a photo collage of women in the history of art.

Aerobics?