On the way to a BBQ

Ready to go to my friend's BBQ I am wearing a vintage seersucker dress that is covered with a bandana pattern with rose.

My dad

I took this portrait of my dad in Langkawi as a memory for me of the important time we spent together. I love the Panama hat he is wearing. It is such a classic. I also like the birds on his shirt.

Blitz visit to Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur continued

Here are some things that sparked my curiosity or interest in Kuala Lumpur


I have driven past this building coming from the airport and was fascinated by its sign: Nirvana.
Later on I found out that this building is owned by the largest bereavement care company in south east asia. It's basically a funeral parlour.

This is funny - the Malay people didn't miss a beat and changed the portrait on the 100 $ bill according to our new president


Ready to drink bird's nest seem to be a speciality here. I feel I need more information before trying it. My questions are:
a. is it really a birds nest? b. From what kind of bird? c. how are they harvested and produced? are people rooming the forest and stumble across them or is there a bird's nest farm? why should one eat it?
Well, I got some answers on the internet:

"Why do I need BRAND'S^® Bird's Nest Drink?

To prepare bird's nest drink at home, one is required to spend hours pre-soaking and cleaning the bird's nest, then double-boil the bird's nest with rock sugar. To preserve the precious active amino acids and anti-oxidant which can be easily destroyed by excessive heat, one must exercise great care in temperature control during the cooking process.

That is also why millions of people turned to BRAND'S^® Bird's Nest Drink. BRAND'S^® Bird's Nest Drink uses only top quality White Nest from Southeast Asia. And using modern technology, BRAND'S^® Bird's Nest Drink is prepared in a tightly-controlled environment, preserving all the goodness of the bird's nest. And, you can drink it anywhere, any time.

Disclaimer : Bird's Nest is known to cause allergy in some people, especially young children. For first time user, take a small sip and wait for 24 hours."

"Authentic bird's nest soup is made using the nests of the swiftlet, a tiny bird found throughout southeast Asia. The swiftlet lives in dark caves, using a method of echolocation similar to the bat to get around. Instead of twigs and straw, the swiftlet makes its nest from strands of its own gummy saliva, which hardens when exposed to air. Humans who harvest the swiftlet nests often come from families that have made their living this way for generations. Prying the nests from the cave walls is extremely dangerous, and many harvesters die each year.

Once the nests are harvested, they are cleaned and sold to restaurants, where they are served simmered in chicken broth. While I have never tried authentic bird's nest soup, apparently it is an acquired taste - many westerners think it tastes quite rubbery the first time they try it. However it is quite popular throughout Asia, perhaps because it has the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. It is also costly; many western restaurants serve a less expensive version consisting of soup with noodles shaped to resemble a bird's nest."

After reading these two accounts I am wondering now, if I should try it....

In our hotel room is a strange arrow on the ceiling. Here is why:
In all hotel rooms in Malaysia, it is a requirement to have a directional sign for the kiblat (or qibla)... Qibla is an Arabic word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays... The qibla is oriented towards the Kaaba in Mecca and while praying, Muslims will face the direction of Mecca...

The qibla directional sign in hotel rooms is for the convenience of Muslim guests who will then have no problems in performing their daily prayers... The qibla directional sign is normally located on the ceiling or in one of the drawers of the hotel room...

Blitz visit to Malaysia - Part 1 - Kuala Lumpur

A Chinese lantern glows at the entrance of the hotel in Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur, home to a giant multiplex mall and highrise apartment buildings



The statuesque Petronas Twin Towers at night. They were the tallest buildings in the world 1,480ft tall - 88 floors -from April 1996 to October 2003, until they build in Taipei an even taller building.

Here I am in front of the twin towers and the Malaysian flag. In the groundfloors of the towers is a giant luxury shopping mall, which I inspected. No deals to be had though, unfortunately.



Twin Towers by day. The cross section form of the building is patterend after traditional islamic motif, that forms an eight pointed star. Eight is a lucky number for the Chinese and stands also for prosperity. The towers are of course owned by the most important corporation in Malaysia Petronas, which is the national petroleum company here.



More skyline out of the hotel window


Some old buildings

and graffiti.

A fantastic hat by Jasmin Zorlu

I bought this fabulous cocktail hat from Jasmin Zorlu. She is a very talented milliner. I love her style. Can't wait to wear this giant flower to some fabulous event. Also, I have the feeling that I might have to share this hat with someone else....

My summer adventure

The great dig: cleaning out a storage room filled with things from the past!
This summer I went on a blitz mission to Germany to help my dad clean out a storage room, that was filled with things from our families past. It felt like an archeological dig, working through boxes of old, moldy magazines to unearth some wonderful treasures that are meaningful to our family. We found some old photos from around 1915 of my grandfather posing for my great great grandfather, the painter Johann Friedrich Engel. We were very excited when we realized that these photos were used to paint a picture of my grandfather Hugo as a little Bavarian boy.

Hugo Friedrich modeling for Johann Friedrich

The painting of little Hugo

Another painting by my great great grandfather Johann Friedrich Engel (John Fred Engel)


Enjoying life at the Garda Lake, Italy - lucky me: it was not all work, but also play, spending some days in Italy!

James Hopefully

This is my daughter's cat James "Hopefully", who jumped up into this Dia de los Muertos backdrop that I had stamped with my hand carved stamps. He obviously wanted to be photographed. so I obliged and here is is portrait.