I don’t like using the words “Best Friend” lightly when it comes to describing my friendships.

To date, I’ve only called 3 people my Best friend: My mum, sister and Wayne.

Wayne was and is still my best friend. Though we have broken up, there will always be a special place in my heart for him. I could talk to him days on end about anything and everything under the sun.

Then there are good friends. These are the people in my A-Team, like the Danlis, Nattles, Kimmys (Ma Girlfriends) and Jons (whom I call my best mate just coz he’s aussie).

Speaking of Jon, the last trip down to Perth was extra fabulous because I got to spend a good chunk of quality time with him.

In the past 7 years, we’ve both been through lots of life’s trials and tribulations together, and he has definitely proved his loyalty as a friend. Mate, if you were a girl, you’d definitely be one of my bridesmaids!

He is coming up sometime in April and I just can’t wait to party on up with him.

Do you have a Best friend hierarchy as well?

Friends & Family Clubbing, Friends, Friendship, Jon, Jono, Perth

I’m starting to enjoy these spur of the moment trips I make with friends. And I’m so glad I’m in a job now that allows me to travel more this year.

2 months ago, I get Kimmy msn-ing me in a frenzy about cheap flights to Bali on Air Asia.

www.airasia.com >> Select date & destination>> Personal particular>> Submit>> DONE!

In no time at all, about 10 of us were booked on a flight to Bali at the beginning of November. It was just a couple a months back I was in Bali with 2 other friends for some ‘me time’, but this time round it was the complete opposite. This was a time to socialise, have fun, party and emerge back into society with a more confident, happy and steady head on my shoulders.

We all met up at the airport in the arvo to catch our 7pm flight to Bali, and while buying duty free, someone brought up the idea of having a free shot at the Absolut bar. Oh well why not!

so Zileena, Kim, Marisa and me had a shot to kick start one of the best holidays I’ve had all year.

If you were wondering why we were pouting in the bottom few pictures, Kim swore by this lip gloss she got from Boots UK called ‘Mother Pucker’ which makes your lips tingle and plump up!

First evening there and we decided to head out to some beach club. Wasn’t that great so we ended up coming back to the villa to continue the party. More blog posts to follow on our Bali holiday.

Food & Travel, Friends & Family Bali, Friends, Holiday, Travel

Jono and Naree were in town last month for their yearly fix. Wish I could have spent a bit more time with that bugger.

Here’s John having his favourite beef kway teow/horfun from Geylang. It’s a yearly pilgramage!

Missing you already! Will plan a trip down under soon mate!

Friends & Family Australia, Friends, Jon, Jono, Perth, Singapore

Cancer took away one of my dearest dearest friends yesterday. She was one of those friends who was sent to be my angel.

I will miss you so so much Shanthi. Always in my thoughts and in my heart.

Friends & Family Departure, Friends

Our hungry stomachs led us to a small alley of the shopping district. The dimly lit street stall was packed with locals, I guess that’s a good indicator on how you find the cheap and good eats.

With only a few tables available and limited seating, in Hong Kong it’s very common to share your table with strangers. We sat down with a gentleman slurping away at his noodles. When asked what the speciality was, he said it was the fishball noodles with beef brisket. Sold. Sounds fantastic!

While we were waiting for our noodles, we continued to chat about Hong Kong past and present. He walked us through a tiny bit of Mong Kok history, and pointed out places of great eats. I guess we’re not that different, Hong Kong-ers love their food as much as Singaporeans do.

The steaming hot bowl of noodles was amazing and a great introduction to our culinary journey as we eat our way through Hong Kong. The kway teow noodles were thin and slippery, similar to the kway teow teng （河粉汤) you get in Penang. Fishballs were soft and spongy, and the beef brisket so tender. Soup was a beef stock and incredibly full of flavour, and if you like, a dollop of their chilli sauce would give it that extra kick . The best part of the dish was the beef tendons, which is that light brown piece of meat you see in the top right picture above. Its consistency is like the bottom of a jelly bowl. You know when you make jelly at home, the bottom is slightly harder and chewy than the top? That’s how it tastes like.

Our table friend finished up his meal and proceeded to ask the 老板 lao ban for the table’s bill! We insisted that WE pay for his dinner after giving us such a detailed introduction to Hong Kong. We lost the fight and thanked him for the lovely meal.

He wheeled himself away in such a hurry we didn’t even get his name.

I’m not sure the exact address of that place, but I tried to take a picture of the signboard (scroll up to see the photo). Anyone know what it says? Danli, help me out, was it opposite some bookstore?

Food & Travel Food, Friends, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Diaries, Travel

Awhile back, Janice and Andrew invited Ran, Mel, Jo, Chris and myself over for a Raclette & Ravin Rabbids night at the West Wing.

I’ve seen raclette cheese at the supermarket, but I never knew there was a method to eat it! Raclette is a type of cheese from Switzerland that is prepared with vegetables on a special raclette grill. The word raclette is derived from the French word racler which means to scrape.

So for those who aren’t sure what it is, here’s a short gourmet lesson on raclette.

History
This warm cheese dish originated in the Valais canton of Switzerland where farmers and herdsman would make a meal of cheese melted by camp-fire or hearth, potatoes and pickles. Historians conjecture that at some point the cheese got too close to the fire and the melted cheese dish was born. The cheese and the dish have been documented back as far as the year 1291 and at that time was called Bratchäs.

Today besides the requisite potatoes and pickles any number of foods are eaten with the cheese including fish, poultry, vegetables and sometimes even wild game.

The Cheese
Raclette cheeses are typically round weighing 13 to 17 lbs and are about 11″ in diameter and 3″ thick. The cheeses are all cow’s milk have in common a creamy consistency which easily melts but does not get too runny. The semi-firm cheese is normally aged about 3 or 4 months.

The different cheeses are named after the villages from which they are produced. The three premier villages are Gomser, Conches, Bagnes, and Orsieres on Raclette.

Selecting Cheese
The cheese should have a dark beige rind with no cracks or reddening. The texture should be creamy and dry or granular.

The Swiss Tradition
In the Swiss tradition raclette cheese is melted over an open fire and melted slowly. As the cheese melts it is scraped off the wheel and served with boiled potatoes, bread, cornishons (pickles) and other pickled vegetables.

The Raclette Grill
The raclette grill has overtaken popularity of the traditional raclette equipment. The new grills allow you to melt cheese in individual serving trays while grilling meats, fish, poultry and vegetables on the upper grill level. Some units feature reversible grills with a smooth side with a raised grill on the reverse side. Stone grill tops may be available as well.

Courtesy of Gourmet Sleuth

After filling our tummy’s with loads of diary, we attempted to burn it off with ravin rabbids on the Wii. Another first for me, I thought it was one of the best console games I’ve ever played! Now I’m thinking if it’s a worthwhile investment to buy one for the household, it makes a great party game for young and old. Would be great to see my parents getting into the action.

Thanks Jan and Andrew for hosting the pre-Vday get together!

Food & Travel, Friends & Family, Geek & Gadgets Cheese, Food, Friends, Raclette, Ravin Rabbids