• Dinner at Dempsey. Spanish food! Yes! http://instagr.am/p/Ccf37/ #
• Paying my sleep debt. Good night! http://instagr.am/p/CcqLM/ #
• Will I turn out to be like this??!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYe1d5_LS0s #
• #nowplaying quantic & nickodemus – mi swing es tropical http://qstat.us/t19t #
• This is 1yr muay Thai hiatus does to my elbow! No pity parties pls. Just a show & tell. http://instagr.am/p/Ce75O/ #
• #nowplaying 17 Te Mando Flores (Dj Gian) – FONSECA te mando flores http://qstat.us/ztut #
• En route – lavender st. http://instagr.am/p/Cfkut/ #
• You know you're tires when you start forming triple eyelids. http://instagr.am/p/CfmdK/ #
• Watching "a walk in the clouds" starring Keanu reeves. Oh yummy. #
• Ahhh turned down free MGMT tix!! #
• Special delivery arriving at office 1pm today. #
• Ass-U-Me™ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybAUM7KoXco #
• OMG! woody the Ben & Jerry's cow just delivered a secret flavor ice-cream sample at the office! http://instagr.am/p/ChCTx/ #
• 1 of the 1st in Asia to try new Ben&Jerry flavour! No idea what its called but it tastes like peanut brittle @BenJerry_SG #
• Peanut brittle? Peanut cocopops? I have no idea what it is. http://instagr.am/p/ChDvp/ #
• cena, el café, cine – weekend is here! #
• Cafe http://instagr.am/p/ChWtd/ #
• My happy shoes http://instagr.am/p/CiTPZ/ #
• "taste the rainbow!" http://instagr.am/p/ClefR/ #

• Golddigger http://instagr.am/p/CN1pO/ #
• I'm not sure if it's motivating or depressing having this as my wallpaper. I miss traveling. http://instagr.am/p/COZag/ #
• Double shot day. http://instagr.am/p/COZjv/ #
• Just a chapter in, I don't want it put it down. http://instagr.am/p/COZxG/ #
• Started 2wks ago,but wasn't finished w/ the design/layout.PLUS i need a new name!But the causes can't wait http://www.everydayinanyway.com/ #
• WTH? Japanese officials are denying rumors of an incoming tsunami; no tsunami warning; no strong earthquake has taken place #
• Seen on a notebook at a stationery shop. @ { prologue } Bookstore @ ION Orchard http://instagr.am/p/COtnu/ #
• I seriously need to stop carrying so many bags! http://instagr.am/p/COzxQ/ #
• Early dinner with @d4nli @ The Marmalade Pantry http://instagr.am/p/CPA_N/ #
• En route – thomson http://instagr.am/p/CPNl_/ #
• En route – Thomson. Windy morning. http://instagr.am/p/CP3IC/ #
• try putting in random japanese names and read the stories. http://bit.ly/hpdRJ3 #
• I'm at Crossfit Singapore (Kallang Industrial Park, Unit 01-147, Kallang Ave, Lavender) http://4sq.com/e3osoO #
• En route – Thomson http://instagr.am/p/CQgMK/ #
• Lunch. @ Loysel's Toy http://instagr.am/p/CSU-H/ #
• I'm at The Brand Union http://4sq.com/edYAly #
• I just ousted Jasmine as the mayor of The Brand Union on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/d7hXww #
• Barely awake. @ Crossfit Singapore http://instagr.am/p/CUGal/ #
• En route – kallang ave @ Crossfit Singapore http://instagr.am/p/CUNs_/ #
• Numb thumb. #
• I'm at International Business Park (Jurong East) http://4sq.com/eVuD2Q #
• En route – Bendemeer road @ Luzerne Building http://instagr.am/p/CUqBJ/ #
• I'm at Crossfit Singapore w/ @lennykong [pic]: http://4sq.com/i3mR8d #
• Post Crossfit bake. http://instagr.am/p/CWQY1/ #

After packing up the van, loading up on snacks and essentials, we were off! It was a 4-hour drive to Kalka via Chandigarth.

We spent much of the time talking, snapping photos of the back of trucks and playing dai di in the car.

The wonderful thing about travelling by road is seeing the gradual transformation of landscape. From Delhi, you leave the bustling, smoggy, rubbish-filled city and hit the highway. When I say highway, I just mean a pretty decent road with no potholes.

You then gradually start to see pockets of green in the distance, which soon expands to fields and fields farmland with the occasional rusty decomposing truck by the side of the road.

Roads get a lil bumpier, and frowned faces loosen up, must be something in the air. People are just friendlier.

Hills start appearing in the distance, not big enough to call them mountains, but enough to get you excited. The air is crisp and temperature starts to fall slightly, which helps cool the sunburnt cheeks as you stick your face out the window like a dog on a car ride.

But all that is short-lived when we reached the town of Kalka, where it was back to being in a semi-urban landscape.

We arrived in the evening at a Himachal Tourism approved guest house, just to rest for the night before heading off bright and early to Shimla. This was probably one of the better places we stayed at in terms of facilities and cleanliness but with the least character. Promise it won’t be like that for the rest of the trip.

• Jules you are such a poser http://instagr.am/p/CEOze/ #
• Don't tell mama I taught you this Jules. http://instagr.am/p/CEO4T/ #
• Do I look the part? Me and baby ben  http://instagr.am/p/CERcb/ #
• The REAL baby momma! http://instagr.am/p/CEUaA/ #
• Yes! On the dot. I'm in bed. Good night!  http://instagr.am/p/CEe9T/ #
• En route – Thomson.   http://instagr.am/p/CE8S6/ #
• My Moon My Man. #
• Just you and me tonight!  http://instagr.am/p/CF6DH/ #
• En route – kallang ave 1 http://instagr.am/p/CGdOh/ #
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QS0q3mGPGg #Winning #onadrugcalledcharliesheen #
• #nowplaying Paolo Nutini – Million Faces http://qstat.us/kwst #
• Lunch! (@ Fou de Fafa) http://4sq.com/hVdu8c #
• Chan chan was playing on the stereo system. Argh Cuba is calling me… #
• OMG the footage is devastating!
  http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/ #
• What can one do in an event like this?? #japan #earthquake #tsunami #feelinghelpless #
• It sickens to read posts of ppl worrying abt themselves & their small problems rather than of others in the Japan tragedy #
• Data and Volunteering info at CrisisCommons Wiki http://bit.ly/g3zRbC Please RT #
• Hopefully this gets updated soon on what ppl outside japan can do –> Data and Volunteering info at CrisisCommons Wiki http://bit.ly/g3zRbC #
• Am. Struggling. This. Morning. T. I. R. E. D. #
• Hello Jules. Loving your lil monster tee! @ Republic of Singapore Yacht Club http://instagr.am/p/CNZjm/ #
• My lil messy cook! http://instagr.am/p/CNjUA/ #

ROADDDTRRRIIPPPPP!

We were going to be travelling for days from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh, and instead of taking turns to drive, we opted for a rented van and driver for the 10days.

Here are the reasons why:
- It really doesn’t cost that much
- We can all relax, rest, chat and enjoy the ride
- Some of the driving requires us to be on mountain roads at night, best to leave it to the expert
- Less likely to get seriously lost
- We still could stop any time we like
- Our driver sometimes gives us little snippets of destination info

It’s officially Day 1 of our trip.

We arrived in the wee hours of the morning, so we only had a few hours kip before we were up and about preparing for the day ahead. We were reunited with Tobs and Sas who flew in from UK at breakfast after 5 1/2 yrs. Nope. Nothing has changed same ol Smellies.

First task of the day was to hit the shops and load up on any last minute essentials for the long drive ahead. Spare batteries, the forgotten toothpaste, water, snacks. So we rickshawed to the nearest Khan Market for a lil walk around.

Tips when packing for your road trip

• Nick the toilet roll from your hotel, trust me it will come in handy at some point
• Keep plastic and paper bags for rubbish, be a responsible traveller and don’t throw things out the window.
• You can save alot of space in the van by putting your backpacks on top of the van, just remember to ask them to prepare rope and a rainsheet to secure and keep your belongings dry.
• ipod FM transmitter so you all can take turns to dominate the airwaves. At the end of the trip, you’d realise there are certain songs which you all can relate to. Perhaps you were all singing to it or it the music went perfectly with the scenery outside the window. Put together a travel CD afterwards for memory sake!

Personally, I’d like to buy a lot of biscuits. Many times when we meet people enroute, it’s nice to share some biscuits with them. Especially the kids, it makes them happy.

Begging should not be encouraged, instead, ask them if they are hungry, you can buy them something to eat. If you’re having lunch, they can join you for a meal.

I’d buy some biscuits for the stray dogs and cats as well. Breaks my heart to see them scavanging in rubbish for scraps, a few biccies will make them your instant best friend.

I think the most important tip when it comes to road trips, is to go with someone you love, or like…ALOT! And also with people who share the same attitude and expectations on travel.

We were lucky. We all kinda liked each other

• En route – Thomson http://instagr.am/p/B5l8s/ #
• #nowplaying Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix) http://qstat.us/poat #
• Need coffee. Ran out of milk! Someone is going to get hurt real bad. http://instagr.am/p/B5rDe/ #
• Looking forward to see Jules and lil Benji tonight, proud-auntie pictures to follow. #
• Off to see Benji and Jules. http://instagr.am/p/B6MZn/ #
• Auntie Angela at Jie jies http://instagr.am/p/B6TCo/ #
• I'm at Kuhio Rise, Ridgewood Condominium (51 mount sinai drive, Singapore) http://4sq.com/eewptg #
• Back at my old place. Emotional. This used to be home!! (@ 3 Jalan Kebaya) [pic]: http://4sq.com/e7zt1L #
• #2 looks more Chinese! Jules looked more Caucasian as a baby. http://instagr.am/p/B6aLw/ #
• Purple locks getting longer now. Finally…not going to cut y hair till the next emotional breakdown!! http://instagr.am/p/B66ar/ #
• After seeing my sister last night w/ 2-week old benjie, i went all emotional seeing how amazing of a mother she is. xoxo #
• roast chicken + Butternut squash + olives + half an avocado + gravy on top. Sounds disgusting combined,but tastes like a million bucks! #
• To go with the hair http://instagr.am/p/B7OqG/ #
• See you BOTH later RT @jlfang: @CookynMervyn see you later!!! #
• En route – to novena cooking w/ Mervyn cooking class http://instagr.am/p/B7Ydj/ #
• First dish – escargots with garlic herb butter http://instagr.am/p/B7fa8/ #
• Jaaaaa and little "O" – nomming for 2! http://instagr.am/p/B7fhY/ #
• Taste test! http://instagr.am/p/B7ikH/ #
• Chocolate tart. One for mummy. One for daddy. http://instagr.am/p/B7qe0/ #
• Dammmiit woke up too early for crossfit. Cld have slept in a bit more #sleepy http://instagr.am/p/B78oF/ #
• I'm so early I'm on the first bus of the day!! :/ http://instagr.am/p/B789C/ #
• I'm at Crossfit Singapore (Kallang Industrial Park, Unit 01-147, Kallang Ave, Lavender) [pic]: http://4sq.com/hBQ0tC #
• Have no idea what i'm doing… #
• I found a Newspaper in Littlecosm! http://littlecosm.com/view/354 #
• What a weird lil game this littlecosm is… #
• Going to watch the Lion King tonight at MBS courtesy of @d4nl1 who is working backstage. #lionking #mbs #
• Year of the rabbit! #photobooth http://instagr.am/p/B9V6M/ #
• I miss being fit. Circa 2007 http://instagr.am/p/B9WDj/ #
• I don't need it, but i want it. #ipad2 But why isn't there puple smart covers! U've got every other colour but purple! #fail #
• Citibank u have again let me down!! Listed 2 ATMs that don't exist anymore!!! Stupid app! DO SOMeTHING abt it! #
• Naphthalene. Poisoning. In. Cab. Oh. My. Gawd. I'm either going to pass out or smell like a giant mothball!! #
• Time to get back on the saddle. http://instagr.am/p/B9nql/ #
• Splash of colour. Flower Friday. http://instagr.am/p/B-nxp/ #
• My oh my! Mummy's infamous sambal petai. Eaten with anything and everything!  http://instagr.am/p/B-_WO/ #
• One of my fav tees. Can't wait for a certain sports store to stock a similar design! http://instagr.am/p/B-_xI/ #
• En route – Thomson http://instagr.am/p/CAEcD/ #
• Having a lil catch up at wine bar http://instagr.am/p/CBRUy/ #
• Oh @d4nl1 look what I found under some papers http://twitpic.com/46oav0 #
• Mums n bubs http://instagr.am/p/CC9kg/ #

Roh swears by it, this place that serves up the best Banoffee Pie in Delhi. Pretty strong call saying it’s the BEST Banoffee Pie in the WHOLE of Delhi!!! OK LET’S GO! Customers were already waiting outside before the doors opened.
.
.
I had to ask innocently… what is a Banoffee Pie? Never had one and was afraid it might turn out to be something gross like durian puff or Cempedek pudding, my best guess was a Banana+Coffee pie.

I was close.

Banoffee pie (also spelled banoffi, or banoffy) is an English pastry based dessert made from bananas, cream, toffee from boiled condensed milk (or dulce de leche), either on a pastry base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter. Some versions of the recipe also include chocolate and/or coffee.

Its name is a portmanteau constructed from the words “banana” and “toffee”
source: wikipedia

While reading the wiki page, there was this interesting fact:

Banoffee and India
Banoffee pie is a popular dessert on the backpacker trail in India, thought possibly to have arrived as early as 1978 or 1979 with the influx of young westerners to the region, who shared their favourite comfort food recipes with the local restaurateurs who catered to them. The banoffee pie is a fixture in most budget and tourist towns from McLeod Ganj in the northern Indian state of Himachel Pradesh to the resorts of Goa.

So the verdict?
Ok…it was pretty darn spectacular, it was a party in my mouth. I had no benchmark, but if I had to just assess it based on ingredients, I think Bananas, toffee and cream are best of friends.

The Big Chill
Address: Khan Market, New Delhi
Opening hours: 12 pm – 11 pm

Here’s a recipe i found online if you’d like to recreate it:

Preparation time: 3hrs (including toffee making time)

Ingredients:

• 140 gm (1 and 1/4 cup) Marie biscuits powdered coarsely
• 4 bananas
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 350 gm sweetened condensed milk
• Whipped cream
• Grated chocolate

Method:

• Mix biscuit crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Press down the crumbs at the bottom of a pie pan and refrigerate it for about 1 hr.
• In a big vessel, bring water to boil. Drop the condensed milk can (unopened) in water.
• Close the lid and let it cook for about 2hrs. (If the can gets exposed to air while cooking, it explodes. So make sure it is immersed in water all the time. So ideally use a very big vessel with water filled up to the top). Cook for more time to get a semi-hard toffee which will be a bit difficult to spread.
• Let the toffee cool
• Meanwhile, take out the pan with crumbs. Spread a thick layer of sliced banana on it.
• When the toffee is cooled, spread it on top of banana layer.
• Top it with whipped cream. Sprinkle chocolate over the top.
• Refrigerate it for 2-3hrs and serve cold

Mummy discovers the Talking Tom app for the first time and is so amused.

Teaching Jules how to call his baby brother’s name…. comes out BENAJIN, dyslexic no?

I never knew how much goes into being a Caddy!

The word caddy comes from the French word for student, cadet, which is pronounced cad-DAY.

Someone told me that the caddys would have to walk the 18-holes prior to the game and examine every hole carefully, because when game day is here, they’d give golfers advice and reassurance on how the ball would run on the greens.

Walking 18-holes is quite alot.
Walking 18-holes twice is tiring.
Walking 18-holes + with a golf bag on your back for the second 18-holes must be freakin exhausting!

Hence why I think it’s great HSBC has the caddie-of-the-year award and appreciation cocktail during the tournament.

Besides reading the greens, here are some other caddy duties:

• Need to be able to coach golfers not just to hit the farthest, but to the best of their ability.
• Carry the golf clubs
• need to understand all proper golf etiquettes and rules
• clean golf balls if asked
• fix ball marks
• attend the flag if asked
• raking the bunkers
• help with club selection
• reading the weather variables
• marking balls on the green if asked
• taking care of any menial tasks like handing golfer water or towel
• and lastly to provide motivation

Dang that’s hard work. But I guess the rewards are worth it. Caddys earn a percentage of their golfer’s winnings, which can be as high as 10%. A common pay scale is 5% for making the cut, 7% for a top 10, and 10% for a win. No wonder Tiger Woods’ caddy is a millionaire!

How lucky were we over the weekend! Fine weather on both days has left me with 2 free brollies, a healthy glow and a new found appreciation for the sport and the caddys.

The free brollies were given for those who signed up at the interactive village, an area set aside for non-tournament fun for the family. With activities like the HSBC putting challenge, golf nets, golf simulator, children’s zone, kart track and photo experience booths.

The actual tournament was pretty exciting for those who follow golf. We walked a few holes with the leading flight and a few holes with another, and made a stop at the HSBC pavillion to cool off in the aircon. How these golfers walk all 18-holes in morning and midday sun is beyond me. Actually I take that back, I pity the CADDYS who have to carry their golf clubs and walk all 18-holes. I think caddys are the unsung heroes behind every great golfer. That deserves a separate post by itself.

It was a close fight between Karrie Webb, Yani Tseng and Chie Arimura (Last year’s champion) till the last hole. I must point out that Karrie wasn’t exactly the crowd favourite. Everyone was rooting for Tseng and Arimura to overtake the lead on the last few holes, or for Webb to screw up.

So how is the prize kitty split? It’s divided among 63 players so everyone goes home with something.

Here’s what the top 5 would get:
1st prize – $210,000
2nd prize – $132,846
3rd prize – $96,370
4th prize – $74550
5th prize – $60,004

Some really random facts about golf I found really interesting

• 22.8% of golfers are women
• Balls travel significantly further on hot days.
• There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.The dimples on the outside of a golf ball help the ball fly farther and more accurately.
• A titanium driver hitting a golf ball can create a sonic boom
• Golf has been played on the moon! (Alan Shepard 1971)
• Don’t feel bad about your high handicap -80% of all golfers will never achieve a handicap of less than 18

Had a great time watching the game, getting a tan and spending time with friends. Was the first time in a long time I had a beer, and it tasted so good! I guarantee the driving ranges would be packed for the next few weeks, until the fad dies off. Think it’s time to find a new set of golf clubs.

So last weekend was all about golf here in Singapore. The Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC) saw record number of spectators this year for the HSBC Women’s Golf Champions 2011. Even if you weren’t into golf, it was still a fantastic afternoon out on the lawn under the sun and ice cold Stella in hand.

The official start of festivities and events was at the opening reception held at the Raffles Hotel Bar & Billiard Room. These events are usually held for VIPs and invited guests, where people mingle, eat, drink and meet the golfers in a casual setting. If you were a fan, I’m sure it would have been an opportunity of a lifetime.

I was there together with Faz, Adrian, Rosemary and later joined by our little Singapore rockstar golfer Christabel. The poor girl was a bit stunned when presented with a gift and asked to say a few words on stage. Crystal looks like you have to start her on some media training

The night turned out to be better than expected even though I was feeling quite frumps, but I really enjoyed the company and especially thought Faz was a très cool chic to hang out with.

So how do you spot a female golfer from the crowd? Just look out for a girl with bad tan lines on their hands, arms and ankles caused by their gloves, golf shirt and socks.

Tournament days post coming right up!