Take them out, spread them out on the keyboard and bring them for a spin.

Work 5 days a week, sometimes bring work home on weekends. I wake up a little after 6am on Saturdays, I’m out of the house 40mins later and often I’m not home till 12 hours later. Straight up, straight on. And yet Sunday..you would think I’ll be sleeping in like the rest of the world save for my parents but I’m up at 7 plus, 8plus am..all the time. No alarm nothing, tired or untired, I open my eyes and I get up.

Sunday mornings are one of the few times where I have nothing planned, usually no appointments and I decide when my eyes are open what’s next. Half the time I’m out and half the time I idle. Some of you know, I’m not very good at idling..:P. My riding friend A who is a doctor I went to see midweek said that I should be doing yoga or something to work the non-thinking part of my brain. I was kinda amazed, she saw me and she talked to me and well I think we have some common traits on the over-thinking which she said she had much worse when she was 22, and now more than 30 years later, she’s gotten better at relaxing. There’s hope yet! Anyway, we agreed riding is one of the best things for this so our conclusion is I should ride more, now if only I can find the time. Time is an incredibly precious commodity for me.

There’s a little disjoint here but I realised I didn’t blog about the rda ball. Well, this year it was hollywood but like Barbara, I decided to take it easy and just throw on a black dress. I had the dress in my closet, and I’d been sick for 8 days but was out and about and been working already but managing the remaining cough carefully with vapodrops (thanks Ka for the advice which actually came in my last cough which was a major illness). With very little effort, I think I was ready in 30mins including putting on my contact lenses which takes a lion’s share of the time, I was in the lift with my neighbours from upstairs and it was really nice that the wife in the couple (they have the cutest little girl and I don’t mean precious moments cute, I mean she’s simply adorable and such a little person and is always telling me about her new bag or book or whatever! precocious!) was just like Wow, I never see you dressed up and you look wonderful. I just laughed and said yes, I do clean up well. Into the convertible and out the gate, pretty good start.

The cough surfaced quite strongly once I was there, due to the strong cold air piped in. I had decided I wouldn’t drink but it was pretty hard to resist with the bubbly being offered round. It was Pongracz from South Africa which I loved bang for buck, I served it for Christmas. But resist I did and had water the whole night. Probably a good choice seeing the cough was persistent and I felt weak. But it being the rda ball, of course we had to dance. I love how when we’re at the rda ball and a song we like starts up, my friends and I just catch each other’s eye, even when we’re not at the same table and we just KNOW we’re going to dance (coughdrop in my mouth). I was dragging up one of my riding instructors to the floor as well and I met some really nice people at my table, just too bad the cough stopped me talking too much.

Oh, I was called up on stage at the start too. It was a nice gesture, having an award for 10 years of rda volunteering, although technically I’ve only done 9. and at the end of the night for me, I mean I realised I should have gone home early and I compromised with after midnight instead of staying with the regulars till 3am, but I was glad I had a good time and when leaving could hop straight into my car because it was a nice wind-down heading home with the top down and being breezy but also I don’t think I impeded my recovery from illness.

It took awhile but 3 weeks later from the start of horrible fever, cough, throat, cold, stress syndrome, I’m fully recovered, side effects as well.

I’ll add more details later but for now…I’ve just returned from 2 weeks in Spain. Pure holiday with 4 old friends. It was great and a really wide range of experiences, from dodging explosions from fireworks thrown everywhere on the streets in Valencia, to freezing while watching flamenco about 3 metres away in Sevilla, to the museums and fantastic live jazz in madrid, to the excellent restaurants in barcelona from michelin starred to a tiny counter in a fresh food market which all the top chefs and jean paul gaultier frequent. Oh and of course my non-Spanish turned out to be the best Spanish among my friends (which tells you how ill-equipped we were) and actually, surprisingly, we survived the non-English speaking Spain amazing well. We knew we had “nailed” blending in when English people started asking US in their broken Spanish for directions…and we could actually help them!

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Addendum: It’s 18 May and I’m just gonna cover some highlights and the overall feel I was left with. You know how people often go on a holiday have so much fun and then come back totally coming down and it’s quite difficult getting back to real life? Well this holiday was like a flame burning gently warmer and warmer and had a sweet just right feeling at the end for me, I actually went back to work refreshed and feeling good.

I’m terrible with flights usually but this time I slept, on and off but properly. I think it was largely to do with the fact that I was sitting next to Elaine and was just feeling comfortable. It was nice that things went smooth in a way that’s really great!

We landed in Barcelona. Caught our transfer on Spanair to Valencia. We were going to catch Las Fallas, which was the welcome spring festival. BIG event. All shops closed. People everywhere, the Spanish take Las Fallas seriously. So much so that when we landed in Valencia airport, we found out our luggage had not been loaded on because it was a holiday?!!! 2 out of 60 bags made it, and we were not that 2.

To the hotel, where we met Alice at the reception. Blonde, pretty, fair-skinned, excellent English (a rarity in Spain) and busy but very sweet. We talked several times. We got to hear the audio fireworks. I didn’t expect much but it was actually quite impressive, like a 21 gun salute that went much longer. Picked up Jean and we found out first hand that the Spaniards take holiday and siesta very seriously. No restaurant to be found for our late late lunch. In the end we made do. We also got to try some churros, yum!

At night we were off for the Las Fallas. We picked a big effigy to stakeout, I was tired and just wanted to see one. We picked one that was not too big and not the most elaborate to make sure it wasn’t the winner of the best effigy contest, apparently the winner escapes being burnt. But in the cold, standing with my feet aching SO SO much like it hadn’t in eons, we started asking each other, err, is this the winner?!! Were we that “lucky”?!! Finally it got burnt and with the surging crowd trying to avoid the flying ashes and smoke, it was getting a bit panicy and mayhemy. Almost. We had to push through a packed crowd to get back and it was a little scary trying not to lose each other and getting separated and trying hard to keep hold of each other.

And the fireworks people were flinging on the street into the crowd in any available space. They were like gunshots going off suddenly right near you. It felt like war training. On hindsight, we laughed about it and as I was telling the others, no regrets, we really got to see how the Spaniards celebrate..like crazy!

Off to Sevilla. We heard it was pretty and I kept looking out of Seville oranges but didn’t get to taste any. Another cold night. This festival the holy week was so different. Sombre, with hooded (like ku klux klan) processions, devoted adults and little kids with their parents helping to carry the giant candles and giving them water. Children darted amongst the processioners catching falling wax with their bare hands to form a ball, apparently for luck. And they had elaborate glinty gold processions, heavy. Guys were sweating underneath to carry these and apparently this position is so hotly in demand that one year the procession was cancelled and grown men cried as most people only get the chance once and theirs was gone.

We watched Flamenco. Tiny courtyard, improvisional, raw, pure passion and up close. I was so tired I kept nodding off and I was cold but I saw enough. In seville we started eating better and better food so yay. We tried gazpacho, had cafe con leche in local bars/coffeeshops. Tiny, standing at the counter amongst the old men drinking their 50% alcohol anis for breakfast!! Noone spoke English here and the chalk written partial menu on the wall was pure Spanish. We got by with pointing and rapidly increasing Spanish. My Spanish was incredibly limited..and the best in the group.

We bought jam made by nuns from the convent. Marmalada? The nun let us in when I asked that. They had been telling us in Spanish that they were closed due to the holy week. I got some marmalade for mom and lemon cream which she said was MMMMM with cheese. And it is. And fantastic with serrano ham as well although I am out of the ham long gone.

Everywhere in Spain had great coffee. I loved having breakfast at the counters in bars all over. I would talk to locals, ask them what they were eating. Jean thought otra mas meant ham..and I was saying well mas means more…and then in Madrid, at one of the top 10 jazz clubs in Europe, we had such a good jazz performance. Finished and the crowd started yelling “OTRA MAS” and we all looked at each other with this “ohhhhh” look. Another one. That would explain why cafe owners looked so puzzled when we walked in, had not ordered anything and kept asking for otra mas.

We started up with the orange juice somewhere I think. It was so good everywhere. They had these machines that elaborate squeezed the juice fresh..so sweet. We couldn’t believe they served it with packets of sugar on the side. Apparently valencia oranges..not seville.

Madrid..outlet shopping. I’m not a big shopper but I bought some bally for my mom. AND a highlight - Reina Sophia and the Prado. We did the audio guides, had to race through the Reina before it closed. Got to see some really famous art at both. Dali’s great masturbator. Started paying attention to Picasso.

Barca! My favourite. They say a city of lifestyle and it’s easy to fit in with the breezy city. Good food, modern shops, easy street layout like New York but wider roads more open and Gaudi. La Pedrera was a surprise, made you understand the Sagrada Familia and Gaudi’s brilliance, much more than just outlandish designs. We stopped at Loewe again for Elaine to pick up her bag.

We ate at Hofmann, the most affordable michelin starred restaurant in Spain. Fantastic, fixed price lunch for 39 E. We had like 7 different courses including fantastic bread, 2 main courses, garlic cream amuse bouche, brilliant wine - Torres Atrium Merlot 2006. Would you believe..19 E at the restaurant and a steal compared to Singapore. And this wine was like 7.98E in the supermarket! I bought a bottle to bring home. Velvety smooth yet full of ripe dark fruit flavour and intense in the nose, a proper merlot I think, we all commented that we really liked it. I dread to think how much we pay in Singapore for wine not even as good. The starter Torres here is S$31.60 and it was 3.98E at El Cortes (less than S$10!!!! *cries*). I bought a Torres Coronas Temparinillo, 5.90E or so.

Highlight for lunch, well it was all so enjoyable and service was superb. Truly superb. We never get service like this in Singapore. I could cry. We paid about 230E for 5 people including the wine and the waiter even checked out the phone number of another restaurant (Ovic) for us. A highlight was dessert time, even though we’d all been served the same things, dessert was special. Each one of us had a different thing and it all looked like works of art. The one that stuck in my mind was the oval bubble which was on the side of Elaine’s dessert, as thin as a real bubble but made of sugar! And captured inside at the bottom a few sauced berries. For flavour I liked my tiramisu best. With a little pot of masala wine ice cream.

Ovic, whose chef trained at El Bulli for 3 seasons. Small, intimate, only a couple of tables. We arrived at 8pm, the earliest! It was the perfect dinner for the last night. We loved the vichysoisse and I really enjoyed the creme brulee foam. Molecular gastronomy is nothing something I think I would crave so no regrets cancelling on Madrid’s 2 star La Alqueria associated with El Bulli chef Ferran Adria but this touch of molecular was just right.

Picasso museum. More Picasso but it was good. Audioguide time. This is worth doing in Barca, small and cosy, getting personal with Picasso. His Las Meninas was the most interesting thing there I think and it was more significant because we had seen THE Las Meninas in Prado.

And..highlight of Spain for me. At the Boqueria market, Pinotxo! We had xixos (pronounced chee chos) and it made me laugh everytime Cheryl would recall longingly “And what about those xixos!” We squealed for 45mins over EVERYTHING at Pinotxo. The xixos, service and friendliness of Juanito and his nephews and their sons was so memorable. Not cheap but for the fun and enjoyment we had not too expensive. 4 of us paid about 72E. I also had a glass of cava there, perfect to wash down every bite of food.

I also shopped at the market, it was the most shopping I did the whole trip really. Foie gras, truffle oil, serrano ham and a paella pan!

On the way back in Amsterdam airport stopover. I bought this gold in best dutch cheese 2007/ trophy for supreme champion continental cheese - Reypenaere. About 20E for 700g. My most expensive cheese ever lol but a great thing to bring home from a holiday.

I’m gonna stop here as it’s late and I’m tired. Spain. No regrets! i got to use my limited Spanish and got understood. Wandered out on my own once and was able to smoothly ask in Spanish if someone spoke English. No. I shot back straight in Spanish with my question for directions. LOL it was fun talking and trying to to talk to Spaniards. Lots of pictures but if you know me, email me and I can link you up. Otherwise I don’t really post pics much. I realise I’ve written lots though!

I’m drinking more and I’m driving faster, back to basics really. But not at the same time…

I’ve been eating a lot at Robertson Walk/ Quayside. Several times in the last 3 weeks. It’s not cheap but heck. Actually I just realised and said to Elaine “You know how everytime we go somewhere, we keep saying it’s ok, we definitely deserve a treat today, once in awhile is alright..do you notice that we’re saying it practically everyday now?!!”

Details later on food and grog. It’s the lunar new year.

I’m back from Pattaya. I flew in through Bangkok and a driver picked me and Angie up. 2 hours later, we were at Horseshoe Point to watch the SEA Games.

I ate at Nam Sing finally, the Pattaya one. I’ll definitely check it out again when I’m in Bangkok. I also had a great spa time, 2 1/2 hrs for S$52 at Let’s Relax.

I had one night where I had trouble sleeping and then rest of the nights I pretty much crashed but late. I saw some amazing horses but the horses and riding that made the strongest impression on me were at the warm-up jumping course more than the dressage.

Back at work, things are a little painful and I barely have time for myself really although I did manage dinner with Elaine today and a bit of a drive. We both felt we really deserved a treat so we did at Satsuma. We basically kept exclaiming throughout dinner (ok more me but she was agreeing) how “Oooo I’m so glad we decided to do this” and “I REALLY needed this” and “We SO deserve a treat”. For a skewer place, it actually does carbs really well. We had the mentaiko pasta and the garlic fried rice. Regular skewers for me are chicken thigh with leek and prawn and scallop wrapped in pork. We also ordered foie gras, everything comes in 2 skewers ($13) but Elaine only ate a bit and I ate the rest! Talk about treating!

And now, I’m watching a soap opera, I only seem to have time in the middle of the night.

Does anyone else think that Elizabeth Hendrickson looks like Jennifer Garner?!!

It’s been a long time since I found myself up like this. Hmm, I have been ill and I have been busy. That pretty much sums up the last 2 weeks. And then before that I was just plain busy with work and meeting my friends, and having dinners.

This Sunday, the one just passed. As usual I woke up early, the difference is this time I got into our gorgeous new convertible and drove off to Barbara’s to send her some frozen ribeye. We ended up talking for hours. She made me bread with butter, honey and banana, I drank warm water, which is all I’ve been drinking on account of my horrific cough and we talked about lots of things.

One thing that makes me really glad is she told me Surprise has gone to rda on trial. I’m rooting for little Surprise. I miss riding her and I still think she’s such a sweetheart. And her size, being so small for a polo pony, is a really good size I feel for RDA.

I guess I should do a food summary. That night, I had a carbonara cooked by an Italian, friend of Salvo’s. It was genuine Italian style according to Salvo..I think it was quite similar to Barbara’s carbonara except without any milk or cream, and without garlic. I can’t do without the garlic though. There was lots of parmesan in it, and the eggy salty cheesy mix was just so satisfying.

Other than that, we’ve been going to Satsuma a number of times and will continue to go. I really like mentaiko pasta and they have a nice version of it, dryer than the few I’ve had before but tasty. I also like their garlic rice, cha soba, kimchi stew, tofu mentaiko..not to mention the usual grills which I always order with no msg. I tell them to cook it with salt and to serve with a dish of their yakitori/teriyaki sauce.

Ichiban Boshi has reopened at Great World City and that’s where I had lunch on Sun. Really enjoyed it, they’re my favourite chain sashimi/sushi store but they also do main dishes quite well. We enjoyed the chicken katsu curry.

I’ve made my second batch of limoncello and I’ve got my raisins soaking in brandy. I’ve eaten my first Big Sister mince pie this morning of the season. It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas…

My jaw has been aching for days! It aches and aches and I tap it and well I just had a massage where I nearly fell asleep, fair accomplishment I’ll say. But still the jaw aches.

Matt Albie: “Man giveth himself to danger legitimately so that he mayeth be legitimately rescued”

This was an experiment:

But this instead made someone happy I think:

This is a gift from ka, and it makes me smile to drink from it. It’s crooked in case the picture doesn’t show it well:

Lorna’s moved back to England with numerous invites for me to visit, I’m thinking about it on and off. This was her farewell Jumbo East Coast crab:

I’m firmly back with coffee and in fact, drink mostly single espresso shots now. There’s something poetic about a single lonely tiny cup before you, hot and black inside yet looking only creamy brown with crema on top:

Although I’ve only had this once, I think of it often and imagine my surprise to one day see this postcard in Singapore, I think shots are in order soon:

I’ve most certainly been out, about, partying, schmoozing but still have time for:

30 rock: “Love is like an onion..and you peel away layer after stinking layer until you’re just…weeping over the sink.”