Tag Archives: Inspirations

Failure is Not An Option

Posted on August 4, 2008 | Leave a comment

                                                               — 

On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:09 PM, Culinary Institute Alain & Marie Lenotre <lenotre@culinaryinstitute.edu> wrote: 
Emergency Communications  
In preparation for possible heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Edouard, the Culinary Institute Alain & Marie LeNôtre will be closed all day Tuesday August 5th, 2008…

—

There is an unusual quietness outside, except for the occasional engines of the vehicles at the parking lots next to my apartment.  Aptly put – the calm before the storm.  The tropical storm is expected to hit around noon tomorrow.  I have a day to catch up on my journal input before I share my blog.  No one knew about this blog, not even BK.  I am excited – anticipating the hurricane as well as getting my site ready.

BK was here with me in Houston for a week to settle me in.  We spent a day searching for a suitable apartment, a day touring the school and shopping for furnishing, another day of last minute stock-up before we move into the apartment that evening.  That left us with only one day R&R time together, and for my dear to see an essential part of Houston before he left for Singapore.  We decided on NASA Space Centre Houston.

~Space Centre Houston~

~Space Centre Houston~

What struck us:  “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION“

Excerpts from an article on Creativity in Problem-Solution,

“Houston, we’ve got a problem.” These famous words, spoken by astronaut Jim Lovell from space in April 1970, on Apollo 13 mission to the moon…

“Failure is not an option,” Gene Kranz, lead flight director for Mission Control, announced to the ground crew in Houston as Apollo 13 approached the critical earth-to-moon decision loop. ..

Creativity need not begin with inspiration. It sometimes is a reactive force, triggered when all else fails. It’s a response to a new order of things. We experience our highest creativity not in doing business as usual, but when there is the most at stake and failure is a possibility but not an option. When our fixed assumptions about how things operate won’t do, a new mission must be launched. “Forget the flight plan,” ordered Kranz. “From this moment on we are improvising a new mission. How do we get our men home?”

What stuck us next: “MISSION CONTROL“

…to manage space missions, usually from the point of lift off until the landing or the end of the mission.

These words were very meaningful to me.  I had just arrived in Houston then having just switched out of a career that was my life in the past 13 years, I am a little scared about my future plans too.  I told few friends about my decision - One, I have no certainty to inform them, no wish to explain myself of my uncertainties, no need for more questions that reinforce my fear; Two, I was multi-tasking on adrenaline, I got everything sorted out in under a month from the point I made a decision to go into Pastry & Baking, to applying to the culinary institute, to sorting out my finances, informing my parents & family, to applying & securing my US student visa to the point of my arrival in Houston.  Thinking back, I find it amazing and thankful that I took action to fulfill a passion.  

I am already here, there is certainly no turning back.  I will Earn my Pastry & Baking Diploma, make the best use of my time to acquire knowledge and inspirations, and make concrete plans for my future.  Similar to how I view marriage, Failure is not an Option in my second life!  And I will keep my heart & soul in mission control!

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Posted in A New Beginning, Baking & Pastry Arts, Inspirations, Words

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Taste, Taste, Taste!

Posted on July 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

Taste, Taste, Taste

I was reading “The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry” by Kathleen Flinn, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.  In her book, she wrote … Taste, Taste, Taste, said the chef.

In “My Life in France” by Julia Child, she who popularized French Cooking in America, she wrote … Taste, Taste, Taste, said the chef.

Mr Alain LeNotre, President of Culinary Institute Alain & Marie LeNotre, the culinary institute I am currently attending, during orientation with new students on 14 July, shared his 1st advice of 10 Good Advice he wanted the students to remember … Taste, Taste, Taste.  Taste Constantly, he said.  We have to educate the taste buds to new savours and old cuisine, know what the good taste taste like and memorize the taste.

Lunch is served in school everyday, based on what the students prepared in the cuisine and pastry classes.  Apparently this is the only culinary institute that serves lunch to students.  In CIAML, we do not call it lunch, we call the session “food tasting”.  We do not eat like gluttons, but to appreciate the taste of each dish that we prepared.

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Mise En Place

Posted on July 10, 2008 | Leave a comment
~Pressed Uniform & Apron~

~Pressed Uniform & Apron~

Mise En Place – A word that featured greatly in Culinary School.  It means Preparation in French.

Today, after lunch or “food tasting” as they call it in CIAML, Chef Kris Jakob, Chef of Chefs, spoke to all of us during Chef Topic.  He shared his experience as an apprentice, he didn’t get to even start work for a week till he got his appearance fixed – I don’t mean his look, he is a handsome Texan chef of German Origin – refers to his uniform, his apron, his nails etc, then his tool kit was checked and did not clear either – his knives weren’t sharpened, according to the sous chef.  When he finally got to work in the kitchen, he was sweeping for a month.

A Mindframe which determined the Result we Desire!

His point was:  Setting up a Mindframe which determined the Result we Desire!  An organised mind lead to organised preparation and organised performance.  Likewise, a messy mind leads to messy results.  He advocated Getting all things Ready the night before (such as ironing the uniform etc), and being on time mean Being Early to get things ready.

Simple words which resounded in me – Self-Discipline.  Tonight, my student chef uniform and apron hung ironed before I went to bed.

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A Photo Frame with a Message

Posted on July 7, 2008 | 1 Comment

Transferred from a written journal before my blog was set up, dated 7 July 2008.

***

Today was the first day of school and class finished at about 1pm.  I dropped by Walgreen to check out a photo frame for my hubby’s photo.  I had in mind a simple photo frame.

I found one, the message inspires me:

Live  LIVE WELL     

Love  LOVE MUCH 

Laugh  LAUGH OFTEN     

Ever so often, we do things thinking we are living life, and we do it so that we can live better, in the process shortchanging ourselves and our loved ones in time, words, actions or thoughts.

What an irony! 

How often do we recognise and celebrate our daily life successes?  How often do we reward our loved ones with kind words and simple acts to show we love them?  How often do we laugh together over silly mistakes instead of nick-picking?

I bought the frame, put in a picture of BK with a bright cheerful smile, with Grand Canyon behind him.  The picture was taken last December when he brought me to LA & Las Vegas.  It is now sitting next to my laptop, a daily reminder to myself of his unconditional love through his actions and encouraging words so that I can be in Houston alone to earn a Baking & Pastry Arts Diploma while he continues to live and work in Singapore.

He is my buddy and has been my best friend for the last 13 years.  We talk and laugh a lot, many times silly things too embarassing to share with other friends (yes, now we skype about these too!).  We have a common goal of living our lives to the fullest - Live simply, Step out of our comfort zone, Learn to better ourselves – our heart, our mind, our soul & our lives,  Recognise and Celebrate daily successes with ourselves and our loved ones.

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Posted in Inspirations, My Family, Words

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Pastry & Baking Lesson 1

Posted on July 7, 2008 | Leave a comment

All excited for my first day of lesson at the Culinary Institute Alain & Marie LeNotre!

I left my apartment early at half past 6 to catch the 6.58am bus, and to make sure I was not late for 8am class.  When I reached the school, the gate was already open, a group of students were already congregated at the stone tables outside the building entrance.  Some were just sitting in their vehicles waiting.  Later, I realised that most of the people I met that morning were level 1 students – both morning & evening classes, there for the orientation.

One lady stood out from the crowd, she is Christine, a level 2 Cuisine student, who has completed level 1 Pastry & Baking and will be joining my class in Level 2 Pastry & Baking 10 weeks later.  She was helpful directing us to the locker room, and helping us with what to bring on day 1 to the class.  I do not know what she will graduate with, probably a double diplomas?  A Diploma in Culinary Arts consists of 3 levels of Cuisine/or Pastry & Baking plus 1 level of the other.

We were greeted by Chef Sebastien Bonnet after the 2 hour orientation.  He is French who has worked in London, Spain and Mexico.  Before he joined CIAML, he was a chef instructor with a culinary institute in Mexico.  I understand that all the chefs at CIAML comes with more than 10 years of indutry experience.

“…I was never late.  Never!”

Chef Sebastien told the class that we will start at 8.15am sharp everyday.  “In my 20 year career, I was never late.  Never.  Even if I have to run from the train station, I’d do it”, shared Chef Sebastien.  An example of how serious he took his profession.  And pride too.

“If you do not know anything, you can ask me.”

~Savoie Biscuit~

~Savoie Biscuit~

First day was a short day, we did Savoie Biscuit ~ a light & low fat cake.  The cake goes nicely with vanilla sauce.  My partner is Elizabeth, of hispanic background, she just finished high school.  That makes me 2x her age! 

~w/ Vanilla Sauce~

~w/ Vanilla Sauce~

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Posted in A New Beginning, Baking & Pastry Arts, Chefs, Inspirations, Words

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