I finally did it! I had always moved and go about alone but this time, I managed to celebrate an early Valentine with a group of pretty ladies who share similar language and maybe, similar feature,too.
This Asian Ladies Club of Istanbul (members of 30) was initiated sometimes last year but I only knew about it after a friend introduced me to them. They are actually a sub-group of the International Women of Istanbul Group. I had wanted to join that group,too but......frankly, I normally prefer my own company ha ha..so to speak.
So, there I was...with my humble croissant pudding as a 'peace-offering', and my faithful DSLR on my neck. It was a pot-luck affair and I can't do my usual trick...coming with fruits as an offering. He he..these ladies are killer 'cooks and chefs' and I can't let my country down, can I? Ok..sure, croissant pudding aren't exactly my national dish,is it? Shh...they don't know it...I told them that it was, for breakfast. Perhaps now you would understand why I stay away from any group or club!
There were ladies who originated from Indonesia, The Philippines, Korea, Japan, Romania, Vietnam and Turkey. Almost all these ladies share one thing in common. They're mostly married to local (Turkish) men. Others are Asian ladies married to American and other nationalities. There is also another common thing among them. They're all beautiful. Most of them are also of mixed parentage and that explains their exotic beauty. And most of them are mothers with young children. So that explains why this Group do not arrange group outing or tour outside Istanbul, which I was looking forward to. See...I still have to travel alone. How much fun can that be ???
The Turkish government was very generous with their citizenship last time. A lady got her citizenship the day she got married to her Turkish husband. And then, there is another couple who had to get married in Turkey because in Indonesia, the government do not allow the couple to marry if they are not of same religion. So they had to get married in Turkey as the wife did not want to convert to Islam, even though the husband is a muslim.
And then, there's some ladies who are neither an Asian or married to one but joined the group anyway, simply because they love the food, or they had been to Asian countries and love the food and everything Asian. One even love a Malaysian singer (Siti Nurhaliza) even though she was in Kuala Lumpur more than 10 years ago.
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| As they say in the song....It started with a kiss..but this time it started with a Cake. A beautiful cake specially bought by the gracious host, Shakila Stevenson. Everybody was oohhhing over it. I was told that Turkey only just recently went big on cakes and confectioneries. Seems that few years ago, they had difficulties in getting good cakes from a good shop. Very surprisingly as there are cakes shops almost at every corners in Istanbul now. That's how fast Turkey evolves, even in businesses. The business turnover is very fast,too. After every few months, you'll notice that the shops have changed owners. I wonder how serious is 'bad loans' problem here?? |
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| Food, glorious food! Kimchi, rendang, gulai, fried noodles, beef salad, anchovies and 'something', chicken curry etc. etc. I almost 'accidently' ate a bacon sausage rice...where did she get bacon from? It's almost impossible to get pork meat here in Turkey. Phew !!! |
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| The smile before digging in....it was great food, great company and great moment. The food were delicious as they were all home-cooked. What a good way to know of our neighbor's cuisine. Sue..the kimchi's delicious, you must teach me how to do it. I'd always thought that kimchi comes in a bottle?? |
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| The host has decorated the house in a beautiful valentine theme. Err..since I'm the latest edition, I get to hold the roses...I think! Kyoto. to my right, has lived in Istanbul for more than 20 years. A turkish-speaking Japanesse, her husband has had businesses in other part of the world as well.I think she is set to live here forever, though her children are in the US. Hey..everybody loves Istanbul. |
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| Group photo after all the plates are almost empty. That explains the smile on everybody's face. The baby belongs to Neney. The baby is actually a twin. Its a boy and girl twin...how lucky for Neney after waiting for 9 years. See....it was worth the wait. |
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| Audience captivated and mesmerised by Shakila's performance. She sang Whitney Houston's number and another 'lost love' song. It was so beautiful, we even had one lady crying when she heard the translation. Shakila's releasing a new album and will start the promotion soonest. Look out for her, will yer? You won't regret it...she's a great singer and a natural. |
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| Neney, what are you up to? Neney crushed my theory that there is no happy-ending 'holiday romance'. You see...Neney came to Istanbul for a holiday, fell in love with a local guy, married him and lived happily ever after. Ok...Ok...I know that in my previous posting I warned of falling in love in Istanbul. I'm happy for Neney but how many Neney can that be? Its easy to see how they met, feel in love and married since Neney is such a bubbly and fun person to be with. Even with the 4-month old twins, she doesn't look stressed at all, but happy and cheerful. |
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| The beautiful and sultry Kim Cahirkaya is the hardworking President of the Club. Her sultry beauty is the result of an American father and a Vietnamese mom. Do not mistook her petite and soft demure 'cos one can see the toughness and seriousness in her the moment you set eyes on her. Way to go...Kim, keep it up. Don't let these ladies bully you, he he... |
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| A rare moment when you can catch the President (Kim) smiling. She also did the delicious Red..err..Purple Velvet cake which is almost gone by the end of the day. It was really delicious and was the talk of the day. Well done, Kim. Err...can you bake one for my birthday if I told you my birthdate? |
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| With beautiful Eva, Eka and Elif. Eva (to my right) and Eka (to my left) are both Indonesians married to Turkish. They both speak fluent Turkce and have lived here for more than 10 years. Both are also bubbly and charming and cheerful. In the black is Elif, a Turkish married to a Belgic who prefer to live here than his homeland. Ahh...she's the right authority on everything Turkish. So..I asked her the question I've been asking around. Do the ladies cook in Turkey? Yes..at home but special dishes will be cooked by the men. Aha...I knew it.....the men are better cooks here. I rest my case ! |
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| Shakila singing her 'lost love'. I guess there's a Shakila in all of us,huh? Cheer up dearie...it's better to have loved and lost..than not to love at all. What beautiful voice..you could hear a pin-drop in all those silence. This is one talented lady and I know that I'll be one of the first to buy her album. Bravo Shakila....you're born to sing...so keep on singing!!! |
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| She finally smiled....after letting it all out of her chest. See ?? Your life doesn't end just because your love did. Close this door and open another one. Who knows..it could be better !! In fact, I can see that you do have a better life now.... |
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| Shakila with her 1.5 year old BoBo. A Chow Chow who followed her around as if she's the youngest kid to her. BoBo trails Shakila everywhere she goes and sleeps on the same bed with her...but the husband doesn't mind. A very affectionate breed and a beautiful sight to look at. |
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| BoBo the LionWolf..she looks like a lion and does not smell like a dog. With her distinct dark blue/purple tongue, her breed is one of the oldest in the world and originated from Mongolia. Do not be fooled by her gentle demure 'cos her breed is known to be very fierce and protective and have been used to fight off wolves. The Mongolians used them for war, farming and on their cattle farm. If you took her out for a walk, she would out-walk you anytime with her huge paws and big stride. Btw....i had to 'court' her for a few hours before she let me come this closed! and that was before I knew how ferocious they can be...... |
Yes...we love something for our own reasons, don't we? My friend said that, I must go so that I can Blog about it, so why not? And..in the process, I discovered a 'gem'. Among the ladies, is a professional singer from Indonesia. I am not sure if you knew or have heard of her but apparently, she was BIG in year 2000 when she won the Asia Bagus contest and started to collect her trophy in international events and contest thereafter. Unfortunately, she disappeared for a short while when she was based in the US with her American husband.
Shakila Stevenson (nee Meiski Shakila Serhalawan) started her singing career at 4 years old in her local church. Her famous uncle, Bob Tutupoly coached her singing and oh..boy...her tenor is so powerful and wonderful and I wondered no more how she could have won all those contest and awards. She did a rendition of "I will always love you" sans music and ........I think, I can safely say....Whitney Houston is alive...again!!
CLICK HERE To Hear Shakila sing 'Takkan Hilang' and
HERE For Shakila's Katakan
It was a good Valentine Lunch for us and I feel happier now, knowing that I am not Alone in this beautiful city of Istanbul !!
Thank you, Ladies......peace be with you....wherever you are.....
