Backdated to 29/7/07 – "Out of Africa"

My friend is going off to Africa today to get his cycling dream team into France so he can prove his theory right – black Africans are potentially great cyclists too besides marathoners. I wish him every success. BTW He said cattle blood and fresh milk mixed together do not taste good. He could also taste the “animal scent” in the fresh milk there when it is not mixed with blood. Culture shock man! He loves the fresh milk here sold in supermarket a lot now after trying it there.

Backdated to 28/7/07 – Thai Beef Noodle and “roadside Chiangmai sausage addict”

I had Thai Beef Noodle at Diandin Leluk in Golden Mile Complex. It tasted pretty good while a friend had tom yum pork ball noodles and liked it too. Their Thai desert – red ruby, chendol and agar agar in thick creamy coconut milk, boiled with pandan leaves is the best I have tried so far in SG for $2.00. Their Changmai sausage is okay. Still can’t beat those that I have had in Chiangmai. Yes, like Anthony Bourdain of “A Cook’s Tour” I am a roadside Chiangmai sausage addict too. I love their crispy pork rind also, and traditional Thai massage at $7.50/hr at Home Massage, Loi Kroa Rd – they don’t have any “special services”. Thank goodness.

Backdated to 23/7/07 – Hi and Lo Fi

My Oz friend and I went to Adelphi to listen to the latest hi-fi components. Rega P7 turntable is very nice – has very good timing or swing which made my feet tap . Equally good was the Audia 100w class A power amps from Italia. The new Rotel 500w class D amp was impressive, they seemed to have gotten it to sound right. The newer Musical Fidelity K550 amps and A1008 CD player sounded thin and bright – perhaps they weren’t broken in yet?

However the choke-regulated MF A5 pre and power amps were very nice. I want I want….

Backdated to 22/7/07 – Dinner with friends at my place

Cooked spaghetti, devil’s chicken and Italian pesto eaten with French loaf for my friends. They loved it and they finished it off with Ben’s and Jerry’s ice cream. Thereafter we chatted till midnight. A friend forgot to bring back the chilli sauce I made specially for her. Her chilli sauce is in a plastic bottle – child safe – because she dropped and broke a glass bottle of chilli sauce, which I gave her sometime ago, while in her hurry to answer a phone call. Dope!

She eats most of all food with my chilli sauce. She might like the original South American chocolate that was eaten with chilli.

Backdated to 21/7/07 - Lagoon Leng Kee Beef Keoy Teow #01-33, East Coast Lagoon Food Village

This elderly gentleman’s, he’s a makansutra living legend, beef noodle is the best I have tried thus far in Singapore. I pay $5 for it and nothing is left in my bowl at the end. I didn’t go to walk on the beach at last light because our green murky seawater looks eeky. Then went to meet up a good friend at Stangee Place, we shot the bull and listened to music from his large collection of LPs (vinyl) on his new speakers, Martin Logans till about midnight. Incidentally we listened to Linda Ronstadt – Round Midnight album before we left. It was lovely.

Backdated to 20/7/07 – http://www.theafricancyclist.com/

My friend, Nick, wants to prove his theory right – black Africans are great marathoners and potentially great cyclists too! Check out his website above for more info. Feel free to spread the word around.

FYI: Zakayo was ahead of Malaysia’s top pro cyclist, Ng Yong Li, by 14’45” (trial run held in July 07) in the Genting Highland climb, which is rated Top 5^th hardest climb in the world. Incidentally the Malaysian top pro cyclist was 7mins behind the Tour-de-Langkawi winner in this same Genting Highland stage.

Pic is courtesy of Nicholas Leong

Backdated to 19/7/07 – Kit Kat from my good friend

My friend returned from Australia, he is glad to be out of the cold but can do without the humidity. He got me Australian kit kat “Chocolate Overload” version – die, die must eat! It is covered generously with chocolate unlike the normal kit kat. They just stick to your fingers and mouth. The worst kit kat I have tried in the past were from Malaysia. Maybe they have improved. Speaking of chocolate – the original consumers of it, the South Americans, ate it with chilli. Imagine, “Eat the original chocolates of the New World, South America - chocolate with chilli filling.” Yummy! Give that to your valentine and it would be a treat she’ll remember you by for the rest of her life.

Backdated to 18/7/07 – An American Haunting

I watched “An American Haunting” DVD – is about a girl, living in Tennessee during the 19^th century, who was raped by her Christian father. Somehow part of her spirit ebbed out of her and manifests her/itself as a poltergeist, so the story goes, which brutalised her physically after she lost her happiness and had to keep silent about it. Next her spirit brutalised her pa and he passes away as a result of it. That is quite a story but it didn’t stop the confederates (not all of them are that way) from inbreeding down south.

Backdated to 17/7/07 – Peace, not war

I watched “Letters from Iwo Jima” DVD by Clint Eastwood. The acting, directing, editing and pace were good. In a war – no one wins really. I met an American, who rented out motorboats in a lake at Grand Teton, Wyoming back in Aug 2001, who fought in the Vietnam War. He told me for 10 years after the war, he slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. War does strange things to people. I hoped never to experience one. Imagine me sleeping with a LAW (light anti-tank weapon), I was a LAW gunner, under my pillow – sore neck; definitely won’t sleep well.

Backdated to 14/7/07 – I missed the greens

After visiting botanical garden, I had salad and soup buffet at Pete’s Place, Hyatt. It was mighty tasty. I like their breads and desserts too. I enjoy eating good freshly baked bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (not the cheap sharp ones) with a dash of salt in it. It tastes heavenly.

Hey you can make your own tasty herbed olive oil – get a bottle of extra virgin olive oil 500ml, add a sprig or two of fresh rosemary, two dried sage leaves, 1 tsp of dried thyme, and a fresh peeled garlic clove. Let them sit in it for about two weeks and walla herbed olive oil for the asking.

Refrigerate it after opening to ensure freshness.

Restating my blog again

I will be restating my blog once again after the last one disappeared. I will put back the more memorable past entries.

Enjoy.