Let this be a fresh start

10km? No Sweat!

thatraraavis — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:59:04 +0000

Last Sunday, for the very first time, I ran 10km, non stop. It was fun!

Gotta thank my wonderful girlfriends for their support and encouragement.

Next run will be in Dec

What’s goin on?

thatraraavis — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:38:37 +0000

Wow! It’s been a couple of months since the last update. Same ol’ reason: Was too caught up with so, so many things BUT only this time, something major did happen.

I QUIT MY JOB. after 9 years.

Did some traveling after my resignation. Went to Krabi for a short getaway with S, who badly needed a break from running the cafe. We had so much fun and awesome tan too

4 days after I came back from Krabi, I headed to Sri Lanka with M. It was an amazing 10 days trip. Will put up some pics in the next upcoming posts.

So, as for now, Im jobless but I am still very busy. My schedules are always packed and Im not complaining. (and NO im not a tai tai. I WISH! haha) I’ve yet to think about my next move. This is the current plan tho.

Work part time till Oct. Big trip in Oct. Find a full time job after trip.

Im not gonna be stressed up over things. Im moving with the flow. The decision I made when I decided to tender my resignation. It sure is one of the best feelings!

Liberated!

Now that I may have some time in hand, will try to update as often, tho laziness always wins. hur hur. till then…

Smoky night

thatraraavis — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 03:24:49 +0000

We had BBQ over the weekend to celebrate Rina’s 31st and it was a success! We are delighted to finally materialise the idea and the outdoor space at Still Rd was being put into good use.

Gotta thank Helmi for the preparations & for taking the role of “the BBQ man” while the rest of us chilled, chatted & helped ourselves to the yummy spread.

Great night it was after so long. Should do it again soon.

Mentaiko Pasta

thatraraavis — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:24:44 +0000

I am always excited whenever there’s a Japanese food fair coz it gives me the opportunity to buy the fresh seafood frm Japan. At the recent Kyushu Fair, I bought spicy fish roe & some other stuff.

So for Sunday lunch, I made Mentaiko Pasta. It’s Mag’s fave too so I invited her over. We also had some grilled salmon and mackerel.

Was first introduced to this simple but yummy pasta dish by Is and I fell in love. Can’t have it too often though coz fish roe is expensive

This is Is’ simple recipe. You can also try the one by Chubby Hubby too (which btw looks & prob taste way even better). I tried making the Mollet eggs but they turned out hard. Gotta try it again.

Mentaiko Pasta

2 fish roe (must be Japanese salted cod roe called tarako or karashi mentaiko)
spaghettini noodles (or finer)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (or less)
1/4 sheet nori, cut into tiny tiny strips

* tarako comes in sausage-looking pieces. you can choose either the spicy kind (karashi mentaiko) or just plain tarako

1. cut open the casing on each piece of tarako and gently scrape or squeeze out the roe. discard the casings.
2. start your water to boil for the spaghetti.
3. melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. reduce heat to low and add roe, stirring until the color of the roe changes to a pale orange and then white if cooked longer.
4. stir in about half the heavy cream until well blended and heated through. As necessary, you can add the rest of the heavy cream.
5. turn off the heat and keep the sauce just warm.
6. cook the pasta to al dente.
7. drain pasta and toss with sauce (sprinkle on the nori over the top just before taking the plates to the table) to serve.

Indian Date with My Favourite Indian

thatraraavis — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:33:16 +0000

Weekly date nite. This time around, we headed down to one of my places in SG, Little India. Simply love the smell & sight.

Our date nites, as usual, go hand in hand with food. For dinner, we wanted to try new places other than our usual Indian restaurant. M suggested Kashmir Culinary Paradise. They serve North Indian & Kashmiri dishes. I got pretty excited coz I kinda miss all the yummy food I had in Kashmir 2 month ago.

We had the Mutton RoganJosh (a Kashmiri staple), Murg Tikka Labbabdar, Malai Kofta, Kashmiri Pulao, chilli cheese naan & butter naan. Washed it all down with a glass of thick mango lassi & masala chai.

It is easy for me to straight away decide that the roganjosh I had in Kashmir was way, way better. I thought this one is rather bland. But the meat is so soft & tender. The chicken dish is yummy & flavourful. What took us by surprise & woken up our tastebuds was the Malai Kofta. It is definitely different from the malai kofta we are used to. It does not look appealing but it is super yummy! It really goes well with the warm, soft, fluffy naans. We were too full to have desserts but we are definitely going back to try more dishes (the menu is extensive!)

Kashmir Culinary Paradise
52 Race Course Road S(218563)
Tel: 62936003

Busy weekends

thatraraavis — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 06:16:17 +0000

Most of the time, I love busy weekends (and mine are often!) especially ones which are packed with events.

Last weekend I attended talks by a brilliant teacher & then end it all by letting some hair down at a birthday party. Nvm that it was a 1st birthday party for a pretty gal. Theme: Royal Highness.

No, I didnt dress up as any princesses but took the opportunity to try on a new eye colour combo and loving it! Perfect for a Sunday party!

Dessert Date

thatraraavis — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:00:45 +0000

This week’s date nite was spent over sweet offerings at Awfully Chocolate & JooJoo. Short and sweet.

Chocolatey pancakes

thatraraavis — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 04:28:02 +0000

Have not had pancakes for awhile. Took advantage of my free Sunday and whipped up Joy the Baker’s Milk Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes. It’s so light, fluffy & chocolatey. You can even forget about the maple syrup. Just perfect on its own

That Disgusting Pasta

thatraraavis — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:48:54 +0000

My elder nephew’s 14th birthday was on 13th March and he requested me to make him that “disgusting” pasta. “It looks disgusting but it tastes yummy” he said.

He was referring to Jamie Oliver’s Special Spaghetti Cake. The very first time I made it, I used spinach fettucine. When it’s all mixed up with the rest of the ingredients, lookwise, it’s rather unpleasant hence the given name.

It is a very simple recipe. Mix everything together and stick it into the oven. It’s a vegetarian dish but I added chicken ham and mushrooms.Easy and yummy.

The kind of Saturday that I love

thatraraavis — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:03:24 +0000

19th March 2011 was such a loooong and tiring Saturday for me but I am not complaining coz it was an awesome Saturday, packed with events, great company, yummy food, great fun and laughter.

Im still grinning ear to ear, recalling how successful Fiza’s 31st birthday surprise was. The birthday girl, who hasnt had any clue at all prior to the surprise, was totally shocked and yes, surprised! Her look and reactions the moment she entered her own house were priceless. Everyone played a little part in getting it all together. Special thanks to Han and his mum. Best part, such occasion is always an opportunity for us to gather and catch up. Love it!

The to die for Passionfruit Meringue cake from The Patissier

The fun didnt end there as right after that me and the funfair girls made our way to Esplanade to catch Aphex Twin. Danced the night away to awesome tunes and went home a happy bunny.