MEETING UP

It was probably like a blind date. I can't say because I had never been on one before. But I imagine that that was how one would feel. Excited, anxious, anticipating, 'imagining', and somewhat unsure. I felt quite silly too. For being excited, anxious, anticipating, 'imagining', and somewhat unsure.

I turned and saw Terri, from Hunger Hunger, an authority on Chinese cooking, stride up to me with a big smile on her face while I had my mobile still glued to my ear. It was all I could do to smile broadly back. I can't quite recall exactly what went through my mind at the time but I knew almost at once what went through Terri's.


"I thought you would be fat!" she beamed and we laughed while I made a mental note to check my blog for possible mis-impressions.

We hugged. She was as lovely as I had imagined her to be because I had seen some photos of her on her blog. Only very much prettier. But as vivacious in person as in writing.


And that was how we met, Terri and I, after almost a year of commenting on each other's blogs as one foodie to another and with some email exchanges in between. And when she arrived in KL, a few calls, some dialing of wrong numbers on my part and some texting we finally met in person. Terri was on transit on her way back to Sabah, The Land Below the Wind, in East Malaysia, after a holiday in Guilin, China.


Without further ado Terri opened up a plastic bag exposing some bright little kumquats, some gingko nuts, a much pined-for-by-me coconut shredder from the Philippines and finally, very unexpectedly, a gorgeous hand-painted miniature glass bottle from China.


We stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, our heads together, leaning over the circumference of a huge marble topped table, Terri giving me instructions on how to cook the gingko nuts and then pointing out the features of the exquisite hand-painted miniature and I, with pleasure, soaking it all in. She felt like an old friend whom I have not met in years.

Then I met her lovely family, a husband, 2 sons and a beautiful daughter and a family friend who was holidaying with them. I felt like I knew them so well because she talks constantly of her family in her blog with a deep and exasperating love that only mothers can understand.


We sat and talked for close to an hour. About our children, our blogging, our photography, our families, our mothers...... woman talk ...... I just wished we had had more time for some coffee and cake. And with each other.

Finally I felt that I couldn't keep her any longer. I knew her family were waiting to have her back. So we parted. Our voices trailing off with blogger chatter until finally I headed towards the towering hotel doors and she towards her family. A final wave and it was over.

For me, it was a great time. I hope we meet again. Thank you Terri for your friendship and warmth. :)