Attention all cyclists-to-be…!

For all my friends who are cyclists-to-be, this is a GREAT video guide on buying a bike for commuting. Matt and I can be those friends you can bring around to shop with. Please watch it!

On another note, I am in complete awe of San Francisco’s cycling infrastructure! This should be a primary goal in turning Singapore truly into a first-world city with the right avenues and platforms for urbanites.

Remember when I sang, “Count on me, Singapore”? Now, can I count on you?

The Pavement Issue

I will say it outright: I hate really dislike cycling on pavements. And I have plenty reason to opine so.

After resting at home while waiting for Matt to return from cycling with his mate, I decided we should go out to dinner. Recovering from a recent bout of gastric flu, I was craving for something warm and comforting to eat that didn’t come in the form of clear soup, having had it for 7 straight days. So off we went to one of our regular nearby haunts, the HD40 coffeeshop to eat fish head curry from Ming’s Kitchen (the tze char stall).

On a separate note, we actually nickname this the Ikea coffeeshop because its al-fresco area has the same Ikea Boja lampshade that we have at home!

Coffeeshop glam? Great minds think alike, I say.

[Newsflash: Char Grill, our regular source of cheap, good steak, is GONE! How like that? Where can we get juicy $14 steaks in our vicinity? DIE!]

Anyway, dinner was a little uneventful, considering I had lost my voice and my taste buds couldn’t register the spice-sprinkled Indian-inspired broth, served bubbling hot in a claypot. After it was served, I had a nagging feeling I would regret going against ordering some hot soup. (Thankfully, my throat is feeling alright, haha!)

After dinner, we thought we’d cycle to Sunset Way to grab a serving from my favourite local ice-cream parlour, The Daily Scoop, but it was closed at 9pm so we decided to just go up and down the Park Connector Network instead.

On the way home, Matt decided we’d return via Holland Road instead and I’d expected to ride on the road. However, Matt took to the pavement along the road (against traffic, but a quicker route because home was on the right side of the dual-direction road anyway) instead. Personally, I dislike cycling on the pavement, regardless of the kind of bike I’m riding, for a few reasons.

Firstly, the pavement, especially the one we were on along Holland Road and many others like it, is narrow and riddled with uprooted broken cement. This makes it bumpy and unpredictable to cycle over because your recovery space upon overcoming the uprooted column is tight, leading you to either swerve unsteadily to straighten your steering or end up on the grass and possibly fall, too. This is my number 1 pet peeve when it comes to cycling on pavements and I realised that even with thinner tyres and solid handling on a bike like my new Mercury, it is still treacherous. On top of that, not all pavements are straight – some are built around trees or shrubbery that cannot be “crossed”.

Uneven pavement. Courtesy of Stomp.

Secondly, it inconveniences pedestrians. Many may disagree with me here, but I truly feel that pavements should be left to the use of pedestrians alone and cyclists should not get onto it at all. I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person that feels really awful when I cause trouble towards someone and it’s how I feel when I cycle on the pavement. Plus, no matter how wide a pavement is, I find it still too narrow to navigate past pedestrians, bringing me to my third point.

Cycling on the pavement is really uncomfortable for me because I’m terrible at cycling on narrow paths. It’s a slight paranoia that I have and it applies not only to pavements, but on any narrow path. I’ll admit that sometimes, Matt and I cycle up or down a walkway leading to or from an overhead bridge or coming down from the new Ghim Moh Link. It’s really meant for wheelchair users, perhaps, or anyone with knee problems and can’t go down the stairs.

One of the pathways leading to an overhead bridge. Courtesy of iamnokianseries.

(Yes, I know we’re supposed to “dismount and push”, but tell me you have not done the same sometimes? Okay, two wrongs don’t make a right.)

Courtesy of CNNGo.

Every time I cycle on a narrow path or pavement, I lose my balance easily and my hands and arms stiffen almost immediately, as though gripping the handlebar extra firmly boosts my confidence in negotiating the skinny path or improves the handling of the bike better. WRONG and WRONG AGAIN MISSY. Holding on to your handlebar for dear life is a big mistake on any kind of road or path because it simply distracts your focus and if anything, weakens your judgement more than you had wanted in the first place.

Yes it is absolutely necessary to have a good grip on your bike, but it is equally vital to relax and remain calm while cycling. This is a good tip particularly for cycling on the road as I’ve learned that being too “gan cheong” while cycling on the road stresses you out even more and impairs your judgement.

So back to cycling on pavements… Towards the end of our ride and as we turned in to Pandan Valley, I thought to myself, “You know, if it means I’d have to go one whole round, make a U-turn and travel a longer distance just to avoid cycling on a pavement, I may just do it”.

But it’s easier said than done when you’re cycling with someone else, aye? Perhaps I could compromise, once in awhile. Besides, Matt hates it too and I suppose he only does it when there’s a perfectly sound reason to risk having a fall. After all, falling is part of life, isn’t it? Haha!

Introducing… the beautiful, the sexy, the luscious…

Hello everyone! I’m terribly sorry we’ve been away for awhile. In the last month or so (it has been that long!), I have been undergoing a career switch (but internally) and that has been taking up much of my time and stress.

Also, Matt and I were deliberating over our latest purchases (guilty as charged, but proud like parents of a newborn child!) – we bought new single-speed bikes! Well, Matt went out and got himself a Fuji Feather first in racy red from Monotine at Katong, then poisoned me into getting my beautiful, sexy, luscious ride…

Presenting: the Creme Vinyl Solo in Mercury!

Isn’t she a beauty? When I saw it online, I knew I had to have it, even if it meant that I was a virgin single-speed cyclist. The things I would do for vanity… Ask Matt and even he wouldn’t understand. Nonetheless, he’s awfully psyched that I got myself a single-speed bike so that he can have a go at it too (Background story: He was torn between the Fuji and this one for a month. The deal-breaker? I saw the bike and told him this was MINE, so please get the Fuji. Haha!).

Matt's Fuji Feather during a recent supper run.

I have to say, they’re both awesome-looking bikes. Performance-wise, Matt says the Feather is a little more aggresive in handling with a narrower handlebar profile and lighter frame (though a friend said otherwise; that mine was lighter…). The frame is slightly smaller than mine, measuring in at 49 inches (mine’s 50-51 inches, but the difference is marginal). Matt has since switched it to run as a fixed gear bike and converted into a hipster (pfft, hipster).

The shopfront of Monotine Bike at Katong. Courtesy of hub 'n' ride.

I had a go at his bike a couple of weeks back in a semi-abandoned carpark near home and I had a really nasty fall. Too used to letting the bike coast forward on its own after mounting, I didn’t do the second push off with the other foot and fell over, scraping my knee really badly.

Sorry if this is gross, but this is a fact of life: you fall.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me try to explain: When you mount the bike, your master foot is at its push-off position. Now on normal bikes, you would push off and let the bike roll forwards before your other foot propels the bike further. This is called “coasting” or “free-wheeling”, much like you would do when coming to a stop at a traffic light, for example.

However, the case is slightly different on a fixed gear bike (single-speed bikes like ours can be interchangeable to be on a fixed gear mechanism. I’ll explain this later). When you mount a fixed gear bike and push off with your master foot, your other foot has to be swift to respond and pedal to propel you forward, otherwise the bikes jams to a stop – this is because fixed gear bikes only move when you do. It’s a very intimate relationship between your legs and the bike because it doesn’t wheel forward independently.

It's hard to tell, but this is a fixed gear mechanism. Courtesy of Buy A Fixie.

This brings me to the explanation of the interchangeable mechanism on our bikes. The back wheel has two types of gears: one that is stationary and does not move (hence “fixed gear”) and one that can spin when you move it with your fingers. To switch over from one type to the other, you simply need to dismantle the back wheel and swap to the side you desire, mounting the chain onto the teeth.

Anyway, back to my beautiful Creme (that’s not what I’ve named it, but it’ll do for now). The shipping (and hence, anticipation period) was relatively short and we were really impressed with the speed and efficiency of Chain Reaction Cycles (the site we ordered from) and DHL (the courier service).

Matt was so excited, it was hard to get a sharp picture!

Excitedly, we ordered it last Sunday 11 March and it arrived on Friday evening (or was it Thursday? I forget, sorry!). You should’ve seen Matt, constantly checking his email (the order was placed through his account on CRC) every day till its arrival – HAHA. We paid about S$1.3K in total, including the S$90+ GST we had to pay in cash to the delivery dude.

A view of the bike inside the box.

Fussing with it once it was out of the box.

I’ve ridden it about three times since… the first on Friday night for supper, of course to get the basic adjustments going. However, it was after cycling long-distance yesterday that most of the adjustments were made. Unlike my other bikes, I’ve had to lower my seat to be almost parallel to my handlebar, which I’m actually having some trouble getting used to. My neck is craning a lot more than usual and my shoulders are way too hunched while riding. I’ve yet to solve this, but after raising the handlebar and lowering the seat a little here and there, it has made a difference, albeit slight.

The stock saddle is currently a pain in the before-ass (if you get what I mean) and I now have to point the nose downwards a little bit to minimise abrasion. Looking online, my favourite Brooks saddle didn’t come in white (unless it’s the limited edition, which is no longer in stock and exorbitantly priced) and the Rido in white is just salah (not right).

Brooks White Team Pro CMWC Tokyo saddle - a limited edition piece that will set you back a chunk of cash.

The Selle An-Atomica Titanico was an option, but I’m really not inclined to pay US$200 (although it is white, leather, handsome, waterproof, et al…)!

The Selle An-Atomica Titanico, which had mixed reviews, hence my apprehension to part with US$200!

This may change as I ride it more often. Just this morning as I cycled to brunch at Tiong Bahru and back, I think I may have found my sweet spot on the saddle and perhaps with a little more breaking in, I may just save myself a couple of hundred bucks.

Plus, riding a single-speed bike is a new and very much welcome experience that I’m only just beginning to enjoy. Matt says he finds cycling single-speed more tiring (not sure compared to what…), but I’d argue and say that it is not. If we are comparing to riding on a geared bike (be it the 7-speed Dahon Vitesse, a.k.a. Cake, or the Trek Navigator 2), I will go so far to say that having to think about switching gears and “shocking” your legs into responding to lighter gears as you go up a slope, for instance, is far more exhausting than simply performing consistent, measured strokes on just one ratio.

Single-speed, please. NO FIXED GEAR FOR ME... yet.

I want to say it’s like the automatic VS manual transmission car, but it’s really not very similar. Driving an auto means the car has a sort of “internal hub” where the gears are changed inside for you, whereas on a single-speed bike, everything depends on your legs. It’s a kind of strict discipline and you are one with the bike, you are the engine that propels you – the distance and speed are all determined by a single element: yourself. Trying to think of an analogy to describe it is a challenge, but I’d rather just do it and move along on my swanky ride, hehe!

Day 4, Part 1: Up Wat Tha Ton

Let me start by saying that there is absolutely nothing like cycling up the steepest slopes you’d ever encountered – without any breakfast! And let me add that this was completely optional (but you know how peer pressure can get to you… haha!).

So bright and early, we were told that we’d be paying a visit another Buddha site. My initial thought was, “Oh, just go up one very steep slope and I get to enjoy the beautiful panorama and see a magnificent relic – can lah!”

Boy, was I sorely mistaken. And sore in more ways than one.

At this point, I would like to draw your attention to this photo from the entry of day 3 of our trip:

Observe what's in the distance... that's where we're headed.

See the Buddha surrounded by a golden peacock-like fan, in the distance? Yes, that high up. When we made it up there, I took a few pictures of the surroundings and admired the structure from below, figuring out the architecture and engineering behind it all.

What I thought was a Buddha statue was one of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. I especially love the colour contrast comprising my two favourite colours: white and gold.

Ancient pottery in the vicinity of the Guan Yin statue.

The Bike Friday in the glory of Buddha? No panniers = easy to climb!

After snapping away on my camera, I suddenly realised everyone had gone! I moved towards the exit when I started hearing voices coming from above me… The rest of the gang, Matt included, had ridden up… I thought to myself, “There’s MORE?!”

I was flabbergasted beyond belief and found out that there wasn’t just one more level… the entire Wat Tha Ton was made up of SEVEN (7!!!) levels altogether, leading to the summit, upon which a monastery was nestled!

Again, peer (and spousal) pressure set in – see, I’m not as fierce as you think I am – and I slowly, but surely and with lots of coaxing from speedster Matt, I rode up. Now there’s a technique to this that I learnt from Al. To cycle up very steep slopes, you need to steer your bike along the course, forming an S-shaped route. This is for safety reasons more than showing off your steering skills, to put it quite bluntly, because it prevents you from rolling down backwards. Neat trick that may well save your life (especially your head!).

I tried to snap shots at every level, so let’s see what I managed to capture:

The white Buddha in the distance, after seeing the Guan Yin.

Somewhere along the way. This must be at level 3, where I bumped into Uncle Teo.

A golden and somewhat more effeminate version of the Buddha. This was at level 4.

Not the steepest slope of the Wat Tha Ton, but daunting enough. This must be at level 5, but I stopped counting.

I had undecidedly taken my time climbing up the slopes and taking pictures that Matt got worried and kept going up and down to look for me! HUSBAND FTW.

Probably somewhere at level 5 or 6, where a monk's robe hung to dry. Clean, I presume.

Ancient prayer bells.

FINALLY! The last and most challenging slope at Wat Tha Ton, level 7!

Almost there...

And hello, Wat Tha Ton!

The view from up here... Check out the vast valley, rooftops meandering through the mountainous plain.

After taking a few breathers, I decided to venture inside. Being a sucker for art, architecture, history and culture, it was quite an enjoyable discovery.

Here of some shots of the stellar pieces inside:

A unique form of the Buddha statue, made with pebbled material for a raw, modern look.

Again, another material used for the sculpture, this time speckled with gold paint.

The body of an emerald Buddha. Check out the intricate detail in the gold embellishment.

A tunnel vision shot of this standing Buddha.

I love the rich colour and fabric used to shield these tomes. There were numerous volumes, neatly arranged on the shelves surrounding the statues.

After spending about half an hour at the top (and it felt mighty good!), we decided it was time to head back down and finally treat ourselves to some breakfast at the Sunshine Cafe.

The way down. Think upslopes are tough? Going downhill can be just as scary.

A family living at Wat Tha Ton.

I actually dig this outfit. This old woman looked as strong as a horse despite the weathered look on her face, which I wish I'd captured.

One last shot before breakfast, taken at the entrance to Wat Tha Ton.

The only dog we didn't name. She was a cutie that hung out at Sunshine Cafe. Her pitiful expression led me to feed her half of my French toast breakfast.

With breakfast done to ease the sores of climbing Wat Tha Ton, we headed back to our villas to pack up and get ready for our river cruise towards Chiang Rai.

To be continued...

Chiang Dao to Tha Ton

With cooking a storm over, it’s time to catch up on my journal of our Chiang Mai trip, continuing with day 3 of our journey.

Up and about at 7.30am in the mountains is truly a different experience. One I particularly enjoyed because I woke up to the sounds of cockerels’ crows and crisp air instead of loud, rough Hokkien and the stench of the refuse truck where we live. Guess that’s why they call it a holiday, aye?

Breakfast was at the resort’s hilltop cafe and it was surreal to dine amid a backdrop of majestic mountains in the distance.

Matt walking up the slope to breakfast. I'm obviously slow behind him.

The mountain view in the morning.

Papa Mike, Uncle Teo, Mr Roland and K.C. at the gentlemen's table.

Matt and Steven doing the mock shiver. Or maybe they really were shivering.

Morning cuppa! I don't usually drink coffee, but it was all I drank in Thailand!

With the nightmare portion of the trip mostly over (that massive, never-ending mountainous climb that I will never forget!), today was promised as a leisurely ride with a possible… “pick up”, heh!

After breakfast, we packed up the rest of our damp laundry (yes the air was dry, but it was also cool and we were in the mountains, so drying laundry was a challenge) and headed off. We said our goodbyes to Maggie Friday, who actually followed us for a good 5km before giving up, and stopped by a temple. Perhaps it was to pray for another afternoon of safe climbing or to attain an aura of peace to see us through after such hard work from the day before… It was a pleasant visit, nonetheless.

Quick visit to a small temple just a few kilometres from our mountain cottage.

Matt waiting for me to push off. Matt is a man with lots of patience.

So we rode on from the temple and about an hour or so later, Chris (our guide) decided it’d be best to stop at a nearby stall for a second breakfast. ‘Twas a good call, considering our first breakfast was rather minimal. From experience from the last couple of days, we decided it would be better if we shared a plate of fried rice instead of having individual portions. Plus, we knew that the journey wouldn’t be as hardcore as yesterday’s. While the rest gobbled up their share, we took advantage of the sun and spread out whatever clean laundry that was damp.

Airing our clean, but damp, laundry while we ate!

Refuelling with Thailand's glucose shot while waiting for our food.

What we'd like to call the "jet fuel", which we added to our rice. It was gone in a matter of minutes, so I hadn't the chance to take a picture!

The array of snacks on sale. So tempting, but we forced ourselves not to get any.

Plus, the snacks were guarded by a really grumpy corgi. Hmph.

After our second breakfast, which kinda felt like a brunch, we trudged on. There were a few gentle slopes (what the hell, more slopes?!) and after a really fun downhill ride, we stopped near a stream to wait for the rest and regroup.

We made it up! And down!

KC, Brother Al and Kimi, with whom we were on par in terms of speed.

Once we regrouped, we went forwards and realised we were riding parallel to a large army base. I think this is where the Thai-Burma border is, but I may be wrong. As Matt will attest, I’m not the best when it comes to directions.

At this point, we had to stop to wait and once we regrouped, Chris told us to carry on until we came across a “very big and magnificent white Buddha, it’s all downhill from here”.

The last 5 words became known as Chris’ famous last words because it WAS NOT all downhill from where we were… In fact, there were more slopes than usual (albeit gentle ones) and throughout the journey, Matt and I kept yelling at each other in frustration, “Where on earth is this white Buddha?!” This happened about 4-5 times and as you can imagine, it was a very long journey to warrant us yelling the same question that many times!

We FINALLY arrived at the “big and magnificent white Buddha” and truth be told, it was worth the trouble.

The white Buddha, where we stopped to chill out while waiting to regroup.

These are who I think are statues of former Dalai Lamas, sitting beneath the white Buddha in meditation.

And then, quite unexpectedly, we stumbled upon the most massive and dirtied-up boar we had ever seen. The fella was bordering on obscene when it came to describing his size (or fat) and its grunt was loud, deep and reverberating, Matt and I could truly feel his machismo threaten us… until we broke in laughter.

After I took this shot, I swear I thought he wanted to eat my camera as a snack.

Call me swaku, but it really was a filthy, humongous pig and that’s probably because I’m a city girl and am only used to seeing pathetically skinny cows in Malaysia. Considering this fella was housed in a pen by the temple of the white Buddha, I truly wonder what it was in its past life…

We’d obviously hung out at the white Buddha for too long, ogling at this pig, because we realised no one had ridden past us and we didn’t hear anyone calling for us by the road! So we sprinted on our bikes, only to find that we weren’t very far behind anyway as we crossed into the next town for our proper lunch (at 4pm!).

Seeing how some of us were still pretty worn out from yesterday’s mountain expedition and knowing how the road ahead would be too monotonous to remember, Chris and Al decided to rent two song teauws (a pick-up truck with a roof that’s commonly found in northern Thailand) for the rest of the way.

Matt and I on the back of the first song teauw, which carried all our bikes.

The second song teauw, which carried the humans.

We also decided to go on four wheels instead because we thought there was a storm coming. But alas, it didn’t happen and we stopped just outside Tha Ton.

The bridge to Tha Ton with mountains in the distance.

We arrived at what I feel is the best accommodation throughout our stay in northern Thailand – the Apple River Villa Resort. I highly recommend it because it is situated along the tranquil river, with cosy individual villas and reasonable amenities.

The revered Apple River Villa Resort in Tha Ton.

And as if it became a ritual, we were greeted by yet another dog. This time, it was a beautiful white Labrador that wouldn’t stop barking at Matt. Maybe he knew Matt was born in the year of the dog in the Chinese zodiac and wanted a one-on-one confrontation…

The playful one-year-old Labrador that belongs to the owner of the resort.

Matt relaxing and having a beer by the al-fresco area at the resort, overlooking the river. No more cycling for the day!

The town of Tha Ton is sleepy and peaceful, with dinner options just across the bridge. It was a very lovely stay and pity it was only for a night. The cool, crisp night air was a joy to walk in – a change from what we have in Singapore – and a great, enjoyable way to walk off a home-cooked Thai meal and some dessert and coffee after.

Dinner at the Sunshine Cafe, serving wholesome, home-cooked Thai meals and Western cuisine.

It was an extra pleasant evening when everyone was relaxed and enjoying each other’s company (and sharing body warmth!). Even Uncle Teo and KC, our two veteran cyclists, started singing along to the evergreen oldies that were playing at the dessert parlour we went to after dinner.

Needless to say, the day ended warmly, despite the biting chill. A good night’s rest ensued and yet another day of riding lay ahead.

Nourishing food, calming cup of tea and cool weather to end the night.

When it comes to cooking…

My mum always said: “Wash up whatever’s in the sink and start on a clean slate (counter).” What originally felt like endless nagging (sorry Mum, but that’s what mums do, right? *grin*) is now second nature to me in my own kitchen.

I have to say that my love for food, cooking and feeding and entertaining people came from my parents. Both Mum and Dad are fabulous cooks in their own right and trips to the supermarket were 3-hour long (with 3km long receipts) expeditions.

Mum and Dad at Dad's 52nd birthday last month.

The palette of natural colours, the smells and sights, even the annoying stand-in-the-middle-of-the-aisle shoppers (holy boloney, please don’t do it when I’m around) appeals to me.

Don’t for a second think that I was brought up a supermarket kid – I know where my chickens come from! Mum brought me along to wet markets too, teaching me how to pick a fish, choose the right vegetable and even what kind of oranges to buy. Her secrets are safe with me (ok, and maybe Matt, but chances are he’ll have forgotten them by now) and I will only pass them on to my offspring, if and when I have any.

Ok lah, choose an orange with clear, smooth skin and consistent colour.

I’m actually saddened by the fact that Singapore has less wet markets or have made the wet market too fancy or modern in this day and age. I only hope the one here at Ghim Moh (as exorbitantly priced as it may be) doesn’t get killed.

A very accurate artist's impression of Ghim Moh wet market. Courtest of Urban Sketchers Singapore.

Why am I saying all this now? It just dawned on me that I should credit my kitchen enthusiasm to someone. Of course, having found the perfect partner in crime and marrying him thereafter makes my life more complete (read: messy). Matt comes from a large family with 3 other siblings and a family that also enjoys eating as much as mine does.

To call it a Singaporean thing would be unjustified, because I actually know of some who adopt the “eat to live” mantra instead. Why can’t food and eating be just a simple societal thing? I think Singaporeans are obsessed with eating simply because we have the finest of almost every cuisine known to Man on a tiny island – a melting pot, if you will.

Right… before we get too existential, the purpose of this post is – you guessed it – to document what I am cooking today. A colleague, who is as obsessed with food as he is with his very fat cats, recommended Herbie Likes Spaghetti yesterday afternoon at work (yes, we consider this work during our slogging-away 9-6 hours).

Luqman's cat. Sorry Luq, I stole this from your Facebook account. Haha.

The first page, ie. the latest post, featured a beautiful and hearty pappardelle lamb ragu – and of course, two very cute cats.

Courtesy of Herbie Likes Spaghetti.

When I saw this, I thought it’d make a fantastic weekend dish with hopefully leftovers to spare for my dear colleague to try on Monday. Ever since I started working at Changi, all I want to do during the weekend is rot at home in front of my TV. I thought to myself: “Zees deesh… it maketh so mucha sensssse!”

Don’t ask about the accent.

So, by popular demand from some of my food-following readers, here’s what’s needed to get your weekend bliss. If I have leftovers to feed an army, please come over. Thank you.

First thing’s first: get in the mood. Put on some French chanson, even if you’re really cooking Italian.

Paris Chanson app on my iPhone.

Then juice up – you need the sugar for energy moving around the kitchen.

I am a little addicted to this... HELP.

Find yourself a best mate who will go to London, visit Harrod’s and get you this kitschy apron… because it’s SO you.

Courtesy of my best mate, Charlene.

Allow me to introduce my best friend:

My best friend's illustration of my best friend. (It's called a self-portrait lah, idiot.)

Okay done.

So here’s what you need. According to the recipe, the lamb ragu requires 1 celery rib, 1 carrot, quarter-cup basil (fresh of course – none of that dust in the bottle), cubed lamb, tomato sauce and anchovy paste.

Think I went overboard with the celery and the basil? Don't tell Matt.

You (and Matt) really don’t want to know how much I spent on the lamb. Alright, you do.

YES. But then, it's Cold Storage Jelita lah.

Now it’s time to get cracking. Here’s a safety and clean-as-you-go tip I learned from Matt: place a damp cloth beneath your chopping board so that it doesn’t slip as you are doing any form of cutting work, especially chopping and mincing.

He spent many years working in commercial kitchens and I have found this tip to be really nifty.

Time for prep!

I tackled the celery first. Take the edge of the blade of your knife and run it horizontally along the grooves of the celery stick. My mum is very particular about the way she cleans and preps her veggies.

Doing this helps remove the “epidermis” of the celery, which is tough to chew and takes longer to cook. Plus, it’s just cleaner that way. My mum was a stickler for presentation. THE TRAINING I WENT THROUGH.

Scraping the celery stick is much like scaling a fish.

Don't put too much pressure on the blade while doing this because you'll end up slicing into it. Unless you find it fun to do so... in which case, knock yourself out.

Check out the grime...

Next, slice the celery stick lengthways, then dice them into equal, well, dices. I would also like to recommend Tip No. 3: please buy this scraper instead of scooping your diced celery with the edge of your knife.

Michael Symon is a genius.

Scraping away the unwanted celery leaf with my magic scraper - a cheap-ass piece of plastic available at any bakery or mom-n-pop everything-also-have store.

Next up: carrots! Same thing, slice lengthways, then dice.

Top: unwanted and too annoying to dice parts of the carrot. Bottom: the prettily diced carrot.

Then dice an onion – this is fairly easy, a blind man can do it. The recipe calls for half an onion, but I really dislike keeping half of this and half of that in my fridge, then forgetting about it. So I used ONE WHOLE ONION. Makes it sweeter anyway!

What the Italians call Tri-Coloure. Bellisimma!

Alrighty then, let’s take a quick break so that I can tell you how glorious it is to have prep bowls. It makes you a more efficient and organised cook, plus it just looks more… pleasing to the eye that way.

As chipalang (low-brow) as it may seem, don’t see my metal bowls and plates no up! They come in handy for steamboat dinners too! I cannot tell you how cooking is made easier with these vessels… *sigh*

My trusty metal plate.

My collection of metal bowls for prep. And my pantry in the background.

Anyway, back to work. Get your cubed lamb and season with salt and pepper.

See how the metal bowl is wonderful? Plus, it's lighter to carry around and easier to clean.

That’s it for prep! You’re ready to get cooking, yum yum…

First, we have to saute (ie. stir fry) the tri-colore veggies in olive oil. Don’t waste extra virgin olive oil on regular saute-ing, it’s meant for salads and dipping bread in. Just use normal olive oil and your pockets will feel less of a strain.

Matt and I shop for groceries in bulk. Because we think war is coming. And we're greedy like that. Heads up to Mustafa Centre - whut whut!

So heat up your pan and get frying till the veggies turn soft. Here’s the before toss-in:

The bounty of colour against the starck grey metal.

By this time, I forgot to mince some garlic. So mince 2 cloves of garlic and quickly throw it in! Here’s evidence of my last minute addition of the garlic. I am sorry to have disappointed you.

Garlic stub. Please discard.

And this is when the vegetables don’t look so gangster:

Soft, limpy vegetables.

Once that is done, add the anchovy paste, giving it a stir until a creamy consistency appears. At this stage, add the tomato sauce. Silly me did it the other way around, but everything’s going in eventually…

With the tomato sauce.

Adding the anchovy paste. Looks just like belachan... yum?

And a glass of red wine. I used whatever was in the fridge.

Yes, pour the whole glass!

Stir to incorporate everything, then let it come to a boil so that the alcohol evaporates. In the meantime, I will show you a fancy way of slicing fresh basil leaves to be added to your sauce. It’s called the chiffonnade and you can seek clear instructions via the Pioneer Woman.

Layer the basil leaves as evenly as possible, then roll them up. Like a roll-up cigarette. Not that I would know anything about that.

After chiffonnade-ing.

Add the basil to the sauce and grab some leftover chilli flakes from when you ordered Domino’s pizza the other night with your parents. We love cooking, but sometimes we get lazy. Don’t judge.

Chilli flakes, I love.

Then finally, we add the lamb cubes. After this, bring it to a boil again, then lower the flame. Let it simmer so that the meat is slow-cooked to become fork-tender.

Lamb cubes, meet your end.

Then get your husband to take a picture of you while you are looking disheveled and unglamorous

When your husband takes a picture of you and doesn't tell you how fat your arms are. Then he responds by saying true photographers don't photoshop their shit. No lah, I lie. He's nice.

Then go back to cooking, because it’s been an hour and the sauce has reduced to lovely velvet.

Remove the lamb and use your spatula or fork to shred the meat. Add it back into the sauce and let it boil.

Time to cook your pasta. When the water has boiled, release the bundle of pasta vertically in the centre of the pot so it ends up in a spiral fashion.

(Note: Matt has had his 4th serving – success!)

I learnt this trick from watching Jamie Oliver. This is to ensure all strands of the pasta hits the water evenly.

No guesses why I bought this brand... Haha!

And that’s it folks! When you’re ready to serve, remember to throw in more basil and perhaps some freshly grated Parmesan for some pizzazz.

Now excuse us while we pig out.

We’re home, and we’ll be right back!

Happy Lunar New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai dearest readers!

Yes, we are home and safe, but we miss the mountains of Chiang Mai already.

We’re still busy from the New Year festivities, but we will be telling you the rest of our northern Thailand story in a matter of hours.

In the meantime, indulge in some good old wholesome porridge to ward off any gastro-intestinal troubles caused by too much festive food!

The Tough Get Tested

Greetings everyone! We have arrived safely in Chiang Dao after a long and winding ride from Chiang Mai city.

We embarked on the 107 super highway after meandering through some kampong (village) pathways just outside Chiang Mai. But not before we tucked our faces into some really awesome “chok” (porridge) by the street facing The Plaza Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai porridge, up close and personal.

Homemade you tiao, Chiang Mai style!

The dough pieces, before their fates were sealed.

Check out the you tiao, it’s fluffy, crispy and salty all in one – the perfect partner to our morning feed.

So after breakfast, we did a last minute bike check and set off onto the 107. The “introductory” phase of this journey mainly comprised flat but busy roads. We stopped at Mae Malai for lunch: a simple meal of roasted duck noodles and rice.

It was after lunch that the nightmare began – there was one motherload of a slope waiting to swallow us whole and I confess, I almost gave up! Then, just when I thought all hell was over, a new series of slopes introduced their prowess and soon, it was one hill after another.

Before the REAL winding slopes kicked in. Before I broke down like a failed truck.

Imagine South Buona Vista Road, multiplied by 20! Just when you’ve reached the corner of that slope, a new one introduces itself to you, threatening to throw you down backwards…

I have to confess, it was difficult to keep going with a positive mind when the slopes are messing with your mental strength. Halfway, I stopped for a minute and even shed a few tears before finding the courage to mount my bike again and continue the journey. There is no shame in pushing your bike if you can’t cycle up, so that’s what I did for the last kilometre.

It is truly an experience unlike any other and while these slopes may not be as killer as others out there around the world, this sure was a good introduction for me.

After the slopes, after the tears, after the abrasion on my skin from so much force...

This is the rough road towards Chiang Dao, our third pit stop along the way.

This road is still being paved as a sort of highway to Chiang Dao.

Right after we took this picture, a relentless and determined dog decided to chase after us all the way to our bungalows. It was a good 3-4km to our rooms and after what seemed no longer a threat to us, she galloped alongside all of us.

Maggie Friday!

We named her (or rather Al did) Maggie Friday. She is old and we suspect she’s a type of hound, lest she be chasing us for such a distance!

On the way out to dinner - I think the cow knew I was going to eat some beef.

Afterwards we rode out to dinner and it seemed she was about to trail us too. She went missing along the way, but reappeared at the entrance to our bungalows and followed us in again! We felt it was only right that we fed her, and feed her we did with some homemade fried rice.

Maggie Friday vacuuming her dinner.

We hope her journey henceforth will be smooth now that we’ve fed her. She’s a strong, loyal dog and I hope she stays behind at the resort instead of following us out onto the streets the next day.

Chiang Mai – The Cast of Characters

Day two in Chiang Mai, we ventured (albeit not very far) to Blue House and had perhaps the most delicious Thai beef noodles I’d ever eaten.

Who needs toast when you can have a satisfying Asian breakfast?

We then returned to the hotel to fix up our bikes while the rest of the group were en route to Na Inn.

Matt’s bike took quite a bit of work. A lot of components are dismantled when packing the Dahon.

The Bike Friday that I’m riding is a New World Tourist, which in comparison, took a grand total of 3 minutes to set up – I am most impressed!

I’ll post pictures of this when we return and write something about travelling with a bicycle.

Meanwhile, here are some of the cast of characters on this trip, being set up for this evening’s light ride around town.

A white Bike Friday Llama, next to a rental bike from the hotel.

Mary Ang working her way around her freshly unloaded Bike Friday New World Tourist.

Steven and “Papa Mike” unloading their bikes in the storage room of the hotel. This makes cyclists’ lives much easier!

Roland’s adorable maroon Birdy! I love this bike, it’s cute lah!

Hong’s white Flamingo.

And of course, KC posing rather seductively with his red hot bike, haha…!

We’ll catch up later!

Sawasdee-kha!

Good evening everyone, we’ve touched down in Chiang Mai!

We’re about to turn in now, after pigging out on some light supper (if 2 bowls of street-side noodles is considered “light”!).

We’ll try to check in during our journey wherever there’s wifi access, but in the meantime, take care all!