Spaghetti and Steak for Beginners

This recipe came from an Italian who's been cooking the 'authentic' Italian way for
decades. I decided to try it out as it was simple to cook and easy to prepare. Great for
beginner kitchen hands like me. Thanks to Antonio, see you in December.
For 2 persons the recipe :

Ingredients
1. 2 cloves cut garlic
2. 2 small red onions
3. 2 - 3 slices of back bacon
4. Whole Peeled Tomato in a can x2 cans ; (S & W or Del Monte)
5. Olive oil (Bertolli)
6. Spaghetti or Bavette (Barilla)
7. Striploin x2 (marinate with light soy sauce and black pepper ; 1/2 hour - 45 mins)

Procedure (sorry still an engineer at heart !)
Spaghetti sauce
1. Heat non-stick pan with medium fire
2. Pour Olive oil to cover half pan
3. Put in the garlic,onions and stir fry till brown,add bacon thereafter
4. Pour in the tomato sauce and use spatula to stir ; 10 - 12 minutes
5. Taste ; (important) Add Sugar (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) and Salt (1/2 tsp) to lessen the sour taste
6. Pour out into container

Spaghetti or Bavette
1. Put in put appropriate number of sticks
2. Boil in pot or wok for up to 8 minutes
3. Taste (important) to determine the springiness
4. When done, pour into strainer

Steak - Medium Rare
1. Use the same stir fry pan and cook for 5 - 6 minutes,flip over

Drink to pair it with
1. Chianti
2. Any Bordeaux

All this can be done (except marinade) in 30 minutes tops.

Father's Day

Yesterday 15th June Sunday was Father's day. My wife, May bought me a lovely Hugo Boss shirt from um, Hugo Boss. She said it was 'cheap' by her standards , but she earns enough and she spends so for me I get to look stylish for once ! The Boys made
me a simple card - I have alot of simple cards, and a mysterious Portfolio of Happiness (?) from Noel written for me to fill in.
We went to Jumbo Seafood at Clarke Quay and had (of course) Chili Crab, you tiao with sotong, and other sinful favourites.
Here are the 'during' and 'after' photos,guess I have to run a half-marathon to take off what I've just eaten !

My 10 Rules on Running

After almost 25 years of running and 8 as a committed runner taking part in races and marathons, I thought I'd list down my 'Rules' to assist newcomers who want to pick up the sport. These 'rules' or habits have been cultivated after reading running magazines like Runners World,many books on running and just plain trial and error. Here goes :

1. Run against the flow of traffic - If you're running on a road,run against the flow of traffic. This seems logical as you
can see the oncoming vehicles and take evasive action by jumping aside into the drain or
road shoulder.

2. Wear bright or Reflective Clothing - Another no-brainer.Ideally wear running tank tops which are loose and allow for
quick drying. No one likes to run with a soggy sweatshirt especially in our humid
weather.

3. Run Tall - I am guilty of this, but constantly remind myself. The great Emil Zatopek was the epitomy of running with his
body erect. Firstly,good posture is beneficial in minimising stress on your backbones and back
muscles.Secondly,you can see whats out there in front of you !!

4. Pose Running - Dr. Nicholas Romanov has been touting Pose Running in his much acclaimed book, its very effective and
in a nutshell is this. Running well is practising a series of poses just like in martial arts,ballet and yoga
and then making the poses dynamic. So, lean forward like you're going to fall and with the back straight,
move ahead with the legs hitting the ground on the ball of the feet. More of this in another post.

5. Stretch - This has been argued by many people, but stretching loosens all muscles and preconditions your body for the
activity at hand.It also minimises the chances of pulling or cramping your muscles. I strech BEFORE, DURING
and AFTER the run.

6. Tank Up - Drink lots of fluids before and after the run. For me, the ideal is Gatorade Rain or the recovery drink
Powerade by PowerGel sold at the Running Lab in Velocity . Both have electrolytes, some calories and other
minerals very effective in muscle recovery.

7. Time yourself - Why ? To benchmark your pace and possibly improve on your time for the same distance.
My favourite watch is the Timex Ironman 30 Lap with Chronograph and Split Times.

8. Smile - You're enjoying yourself right ?

9. Warm Down - Stretch, Cool Down.Slow your heartbeat.Walk some more,regulate the bloodflow after the
workout.

10. Build up the Distance - Many new runners are not into this; the distance you run especially once you run
beyond 1 hour or longer should be respected as it is taxing on any body. Do
not push yourself over the limit but have a regulated plan and run slow and short
at first before progressing to a longer distance.
Log on your kilometers in a log.

Run - Why do It ?

People have many different hobbies, one of my favourites which has been life- changing is running. To differentiate between a runner and a jogger is this. To jog,
you basically have no fixed agenda,judging your distance by how far you will go and
when you have sweated enough or your legs feel tired, you stop.It can be for 10 minutes to anything up to 1 hour.

Runners on the other hand, have prepared the following :
a) Map out the distance in their minds on how far to run

b) Control their running speeds by benchmarking their stride lengths and pace
on the treadmill - at least I have. My pace is approx. 6 minutes per km
depending on terrain,slope,traffic and running partner

c) Time themselves over a fixed distance and try to improve that time after
several weeks of running that distance. This is what I call the PB or
Personal Best Time.

d) Use the best 'equipment' in the form of proper running shorts and shirt
plus most importantly the shoes. I personally like the ASICS Kayano having
used 5 updates since 2003.

Why ?
----
Its the million dollar question, why ? Do I like to torture myself,
feel that the pain is retribution for the good life I am used to ? The
answer is not that simple but a combination of things :

a) HEALTH IS IMPROVED - Vigorous exercise,particualrly aerobic exercise,
will release certain chemicals in the body called endorphins
with experiences similar to small doses of morphine which
are pleasure producing. This is natural,healthy and helps the
body feel 'good' plus improve its immune system tremendously.

I have found that through running, my appetite has been curbed,
I have experienced weight loss of 3 - 4 kg permanently (last 5 years),
I tend to eat more healthily, as a balanced and light meal is more
easily digested.

b) GOAL SET ; It provides me with a Goal at the beginning or at the end
of a hard day.

c) SOLITUDE - Imagine being by yourself, with no one but the wind in
your hair, the crispness of your footsteps,the controlled breathing.
It is the SOLITUDE (by oneself) when during the day, there are
deadlines to meet,vendors to pay, unhppy customers to attend to,
family,friends,colleages and pesky Salesmen !

d) INDEPENDENT THINKING - When you run, you have time to THINK INDEPENDENTLY
I can map out strategy for my company,solve petty
problems and DREAM BIG free from any distractions.

Geoffrey Abisheganaden - An Uncommon Man of Character

This is my father, Geoffrey Abisheganaden. He will be 89 years old this November. During his heyday he was one of the top barristers in Singapore,having studied at the famous Gray's Inn in London England after the 2nd World War.
After being called to th bar, he practised in Singapore and was the assistant to Mr. David Marshall for several years before starting his own law firm in Collyer Quay called G. Abisheganaden and Partners. He was a very generous person and defended
many people 'pro bono' (free of charge) as his principles were to help those in need. We lived in a huge bungalow at 6 Adis Road (now its a condo called Mt Sophia Apartments) off Sophia Road.

My brother and I saw him come home from work elated when he won his cases and there was hardly a day when he appeared down. He loved being in court and even at night, he would have nightmares of his cases played out in his sleep and we would hear him yelling at the top of his voice while sound asleep ! Over the years, he has
presided in the Board of Governors at St Andrews School, St Andrew's Junior College, the National University of Singapore Guild House President (Club for NUS Alumni), Singapore Swimming Club, St Andrew's Cathedral,Bible House amongst other. His talents were singing - he has an excellent baritone voice worthy of public performance, something which I am ashamed to say that I have no talent in and of course debating, he was instrumental in helping our NTI Debate teams in the years 1984 and 1986 when we took on the giants, NUS and won.

Ever the gracious gentleman, he and my mother were partygoers attending many high society functions practically every weekend and even some weekday nights. I had the one opportunity to meet the then President of Singapore,Mr. Benjamin Sheares during the St Andrew's Old Boys Dinner in the early 70's.He was and still is a very
down to earth and till today,reads a book a day (!)

Indeed, my father is truly an Uncommon Man with the grace of God.

Rave Running Route - Goldhill Estate

Imagine running on the road which is flanked on both sides by large trees. Your run will be taking you to a place
unlike any place in Singapore,with only very little traffic (depends on time of day). In the mornings at 6am or
so there are only 1 to 5 cars driving by during your entire run. You will cover some small hills, a hidden
forest with huge trees and wild cockatoos. No kidding,in urbanised built-up Singapore near the heart
of Orchard Road is this gem of a running route - Goldhill Estate.
Run for as long or as short as you like, my distance is normally 5 km to 10 km depending on time of day and
what available time I have. Most times its either in the early mornings or early evenings. Its better to run in the
mornings as the air is crisp and the trees have some morning dew. You feel great after a morning run.
Now where did I put my alarm clock ?!!

Best Meal at Home 2008 - June 1st

Last Sunday (1st June 2008), we had dinner at home,and we had

a) Otak (Irene Yeo's Peranakan Cookbook -Red) (Rated 8/10)
b) French Loaf with Garlic Spread
c) Roast Pork (Bedok Wet Market) (Rated 9/10)
d) WaterCress Soup
e) Grilled Prawns with Thai Chilli Sauce (Tiong Bahru Market) (Rated 8/10)
f) Red Wine : Jolly Rivage '98 - Bordeaux Superior, Macau en Medoc from
Passionz Wine at Ayer Rajah Crescent, Block 20 Groud Floor.
(Rated 5* by me)

I had just finished 5km run around Goldhill Estate covering the distance in 27mins or so
and after warming down and a cool bath we settled in for this dinner which I rated as the
Best Meal at Home 2008. Jane,our maid had prepared the Otak well (its a great cookbook
on sale at Kinokuniya Bookshop in Takashima). So 3 out of 5 dishes rated 8 upon 10 and
a superb Bordeaux to go with it.

One thing I find, running sure does work up a good appetite !