Art of doing nutin´

I couldn´t believe I was saying this but I'm getting bored here in Ibiza (ok, shoot me!). It had only been a week and there were 4 more days to go. I told James that we needed to get out of this rut of doing nothing but eat, sleep, laze by the beach, bake under the sun and watch as our waists thickened by the hour! That guy could really sleep like a cat - he napped after breakfast, lunch and dinner (don´t worry I´m not bitching behind his back, he knows it!) I got so bored I dragged myself out of the cool air-conditioned room and plugged into my i-pod browning under the sun for 20mins to the internet cafe near the old town.

Plus I needed the exercise. We had been drinking everyday from barrels of lagertop in London to jugs of Sangria, Cava and beer in Spain. I was seriously sick of the food in Spain - argh. I just wanted to detox with some plain fish congee (none of that pescado soupe) or satiated my craving for my instant noodles with one egg, minced meat, 3 prawns and some freshly chopped coriander. Hmmm... not another pasta, tapa, burger, pizza, pork chop and paella per favore!

Not to sound like I´m whining, I woke up everyday reminding myself how blessed I was to be doing this and I still had 2 whole months ahead of me! The reality of travelling solo was creeping up on me and it was at once thrilling yet daunting. Ok time to repeat my daily mantras by reading ¨The Way Of The Traveler¨. Today I shall leave you with this thought from the book:

¨My journey is mine. The goals I would accomplish on my journey are mine. I will bring back the golden fleece of my own perfected self. The goals I choose direct me to the center of my being. In that secret, sacred place, I dwell serenely full of the understanding that comes with wisdom, faith and courage.¨

Sunset del Mar

This morning, I woke up feeling a tad homesick as I dreamt of my sis, friends and cats. But I got over it soon after our daily breakfast buffet of Iberico jamon and cheese on toast on the lovely open terrace overlooking the harbour against the bluest sky. Our favourite lunch hangout as usual was Cafe Sidney and James had to eat his own words after saying aloud why would we want to hang out at a place called Cafe Sidney in Ibiza?! While I tucked into a mountain of avocado and smoked salmon salad (the tais tais' fav choice), J filled himself with a burger and fizzy coke (the coke somehow tasted the best here!).

In the evening we sped down in a cab to the Sunset Strip at San Antonio and lapped up the amazing sunset. At 9pm the big red glowing sun teased by slowly dipping beyond the horizon and the appreciative mobs went mad with applause and wolf whistles to the backdrop of chillout sets at Cafe Del Mar and Mambo. J loved it.

Evissa Paradiso

After 3 full days in Barcelona, we were quite excited to hop onto Air Iberia to Ibiza, the infamous Balearic isle off Spain. I couldn't help but feel a tad jaded about Ibiza, this been my third time here but James was obviously grinning from ear to ear. Ibiza seemed to have lost some of its magic especially the Evissa old town which looked butchered in the day. Our favourite ole hangout El Chupito was also gone and there was an ugly crane tower looming over the Dalt Vila fortress.

On the flip side, the weather had been really gorgeous and we had perfected our golden brown tan during the first few days at the nearby Cala Talamanca beach, staring at the titties and playing beach tennis in between naps. Our hotel Roca Mar was quite pleasing (freakin expensive too at 150 euros a night!) with its million-dollar view of the Botafoc harbour and sleek boats. Our favourite hangout was Cafe Sidney by the harbour where we were served by nubile waitresses and rubbed shoulders with the rich and beautifully tanned.

On our second evening, we dressed up and coughed up 50 fu%kin' euros to get into the wicked 'Defected In The House' party at Pacha - the best club in my little black book. I still remembered the Eric Morilla's Defected party 5 years ago when I danced like a mad woman possessed in my red bikini top and red pants (what was I thinking of?!) from 2am to 10am. Soon we were being chatted up by Juan, a music producer from Madrid, who embraced us like long lost amigos and took care of us - his Singaporean friends who had come so far! Haha. We lasted till 4.30am and my head was still pounding as the sun came up at 7am.

The next day we did fuck all except woke up for late breakfast at 11am. Then napped till lunchtime at 4pm. Slacked at Cala Tala beach watching titties again and checking tan was not burnt. Isn't it just great doing absolutely nothing?? The only thing we devoted most time to after sleeping (our fav activity) was perfecting our beach tennis game. We played at the beach and in our airconditioned room from across the bed as MTV blared on all day.

On Thurs, we finally rented a Nissan Almera - a small dynamo of a car (at 60euros a day) and pretended we were in the Amazing Race exploring the isle! I got a cheap thrill driving on the left side in my bikini while James navigated with the map on his lap and a cigarette in hand. After a couple of missed turns, we reached our little secluded cove at Cala Mestella up along the north east coast 45mins later. Determined to locate this restaurant El Bigotes - known for their rockfish saffron stew, we risked an arm and leg by climbing a rocky path over the cliff to find it packed to the tilt instead and despite our pathetic begging, they couldn´t take us in as they only served a limited portion for lunch. Why like that one?!

We sulked and trodded back to the beach but luckily advised by the jovial chubby ice cream ah peh (who mistook me for a Peruvian!), we followed a short trail through the woods to this restaurante Sa Seni which served a similar pescado soupa - mixed fish and seafood stew with saffron. It was well worth the one hour waiting time and we gobbled down the rockfish stew and potatoes, thinking that was that. To our amusement, the waiter cleared our table and set it up for the main act - a big steaming steel pot of seafood stew with risotto! Still, we managed to wipe it out! At the end of the day, I was so glad we had this driving adventure which showed us another side to Ibiza.

A Fishy Business

The next day we woke up late with a fuckin hangover (bloody screwdrivers); both all the more grouchy when I found La Boqueria Market closed and J's breakfast doughnut was shitty. Hungry and blurry eyed, we walked around aimlessly like zombies till Mikel Etxea on Ferran St lured us in with its ceiling full of legs of jamon. Despite the stuffiness and din, we decided to go ahead with our orders cos both of us just wanted to get lunch over with.

I ordered the sopa de pescado, fish soup (6 euros), thinking it'd be a light dish but to my amusement the bouilabaisse came in a big round soup bowl complete with riso. James was shocked speechless when his 'Fish of the Day' (13,75 euros) turned out to be a whole roasted snapper atop a potage of seafood in a deep paella pan. We both had such a good laugh though! After some gelato, we crashed and burnt till 10pm and went back to 7 Portes for dinner.

More Rambla-ing

Today marked the first week of my new journey and everyday I kept reminding myself how fortunate and incredible it was to be here. We moved from modern boutique Zenit hotel into the old-fashioned yet quaint 2-star Meson Castilla which was conveniently located in the city centre (5mins from La Rambla). After much thought, we decided to splurge on the spacious 'penthouse suite' (100 euros) with a terrace that overlooked the citta. It was more expensive than the 4-star Zenit (90 euros) but worth the penny for the space and view. Hell, I didn't think we could ever get a room like this again.

One of the highlights of Barcelona was definitely the exciting dining scene and we couldn't get enough of the tapas and Sangria. Heeding the advice of my foodie friend Chris, we took just 10mins to walk to Ferran Adria's renowned Cacao Sampaka easily at Consell de Cent 292 for a slice of chocolate heaven. According to Frommer's, 'if there were such a thing as haute chocolat, this establishment would be the Christian Dior.' www.cacaosampaka.com

Stepping into the shop, we were engulfed in a whiff of cacao and greeted with all varieties and forms of it from the stunning bombones selection. These included fruits, nuts, spices, flowers, herbs, liquers and Adria's innovations comprising mind-blowing sweet and savoury flavours of balsamic vinegar, hazelnut & anchovies (!), black truffle,, black olive, olive oil, parmesan cheese and smoked bombones! We had lunch at the bar at the back where I chomped down on the 'Jamon Iberico y queso havarti' (4,20 euros), easily the best ham & cheese sandwich I had (my weakness is fatty cured matured ham).

What followed was amazing - three small shots of liquid chocolate otherwise known as chocolates liquidos degustacions (2,70 euros), in flavours of jasmine (subtle), amargo (dark) and maraguya (passionfruit was unmistakable). There were more chocolate temptions on the menu such as mousse, truffles, brownies, ice cream, toscada with mermelada (jam with tomato and choc?!) that'd drive all chocoholics mad with ecstasy. (p.s: photos of Cacao was not allowed but I managed to sneak a few here!)

Barcelona was indeed a walking city as we discovered how fast it was to get from point A to B on the map. Which was a good thing as we could save on transport and rely on our legs to carry us everywhere. We walked off lunch by window shopping at Pg de Gracia and explored the old Barri Gothic quarters and historic Ribera part packed with trendy stores, modern galleries, quaint cafes and old churches.

At 8pm which was too early for dinner here (restaurants open only at 10.30pm), we nibbled on some excellent tapas of anchovies, olives, Spanish ham and a thick slab of tortilla. La Rambla was packed at all times (a breeding ground for pickpockets so watch your bag) thus we hurried back for a siesta and caught the red glow of a sunset at our private terrace. I convinced J to check out this club Distrito Diagonal later at 12.30pm but when we arrived, it was too early as the delivery guy was just bringing the ice!

So we killed some time at the nearby Tapa Tapa with its huge selection of 53 items including the tiniest escargots, sauteed mushrooms and pork kebabs. As you probably could tell, we had been eating all day but hey we gotta try everything right? At 2plus, we went back to the club and found the house set reasonably warmed up. With our freakin strong screwdrivers (1/2 glass of vodka!) in hand, we made friends with Tony and his wife Rosa (whose friends were also called Tony and Rosa!). Tony waved at DJ JL Cortes who waved back and we giggled in glee. At 4am, we could not tahan anymore but the party looked set to continue till the next morning!

Anyway here are some of our fav spanish phrases:
- Hola! Como esta? (Hi how are you?)
- Muchas gracias (Thanks a lot)
- No comprendo (I dont understand)
- No se (I dont know)
- La cuenta por favor (The bill please)
- Delicioso! Estupendo! (Delicious, wonderful!)
- Lo siento (Sorry)
- Adios (Bye)

Barcelona Bueno

We left London on separate flights to Barcelona because it turned out I couldn't switch my flight despite being on BA too. Which wasn't much of a problem cos I just got a cab to Zenit Hotel where J had already checked in. Pleased to be in Spain (his first time and my third), we went for a Spanish set dinner (9euros each) at a nearby cafeteria where we tucked into paella, fritada paseodo and huevos. The Chinese waiter Zheng spoke to us in Cantonese, which was quite a hoot!

The next day, we topped up with jamon and egg tortilla at the brekkie table and then headed for the famous Familia Sagrada, 2 metro stops away. Barcelona was really compact and we soon realised we could walk everywhere easily, although the summer heat was no joke. James didn't seem all that impressed with the ugly construction around the Sagrada (imagine it's not completed yet!) and I had seen and climbed it before, so we went to view the facade of Casa Mila La Pedrera (long queue) and stroll down Passeig de Gracia (main shopping boulevard) where you could find all kinds of brands from LV to Zara (the store freakin big man!)

To seek refuge from the sun, we paid 16 euros and popped into Antonio Gaudi's other genius work - Casa Batllo - which was a warped fantasy, like a vision of a child on coke. The organic curves were sensual and playful, and the manipulation of natural materials like glass, wood, iron and stone was utterly stunning. The ceiling cornice was twisted like a torpedo and the oversized windows looked out to different time zone.

A much needed pitstop was found at Sumum, a trendy med-fusion bar & restaurant where J tried to practise his Spanish (he bought a handy dictionary!) with the pretty but cold as an anchovy waitress. We easily finished the big cold jug of Sangria with a plate of our favourite anchoas da l'escala - I kid you not that Spain has the best ever anchovies! As the locals have their dinner really late at past 11pm (I'm serious), we had a siesta first till 10.30pm and got to the crowded La Rambla for a piece of action.

We didn't fancy any of the touristy bars or restaurants there so we trotted hungrily down to the port (no cabs in sight!) and luckily managed to track down 7 Portes @ 14 Pg Isabel II www.7puertas.com among a dodgy quiet row of defunct buildings. At 11pm, the paella specialist and seafood restaurant (since 1836) was packed with diners and fortunately the hostess took us in after giving us a discreet glance-over (heng ah, we are not sloppy).

As we studied the menu, I also surveyed the elegant restaurant, charming in an old-school way but yet modern with its puffy lampshades, black-white tiles and gorgeous collection of framed antique posters in eclectic styles from each decades. The service was polished and immaculate, as we got down to business and ordered the mixed paella (20 euros, I couldn't decide between the seafood or meat lah), Seynor Cortina's oven-baked langostinos (24 euros) and a half bottle of Codorniu semi-sec cava (6,90euros only!!!).

At 62 euros ($130), the meal was five-star and worth every penny as J sucked on his gloriously baked langostinos with garlic and butter, and my gigantic paella brimming with ingredients was presented with a flourish by the server and then promptly served up on a dinner plate. The seafood was perfectly cooked and each grain was al dente and bursting with flavour in a rich brown stock with burnt chao-tah bits. We were both very happy cats... so happy we came back 2 nights later whereby I had the simply grilled monkfish with patate (20euros) and he the langostinos again - loco (mad)!

We also had an excellent appetiser platter (13,50euros) comprising anchovies, fresh boiled seafood, white & black sausage, fritada calamari, salt cod fritter, croquette, sweet piquillo pepper, bread and aioli (garlic mayo). The second night, the service standard slipped as the waiter forgot to give us the special tool for the langostinos which were a tad overcooked and dry too. This goes to show dining experiences are so subjective and different each time. But still, do check it out if you have the chance!

Lazy Ones

As the holiday kicked in, I was beginning to feel really, really lazy and happly realxed of course. A classic sign was when you found yourself humming out loud to some silly made-up tunes stuck in your head. Someone please stop me! *Grin* And I should be updating my blog more often but it's hard when you get back after a long day of sensory overload and a few lagertops (ok I only had one yesterday!).

Today we had spent the whole day walking after a full English breakfast; checking out the fabulous Salvador Dali exhibition (mind-blowing shit) at County Hall, the West Minister Abbey and Big Ben across the River Thames. We then strolled past no. 10 Downing Street and the Queen's House Guards, where we tried to stare the horses and guards down. They were scarily still.

Our tourist trail continued (bear with me) from the bustling Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden where we stopped for our first pint at the White Lion (ok I shared it with James!) and chomped down the Cornish pasty (looked like our curry puffs but damn good - try the pork & apple at St Ives). There were more shops than I recalled at Covent Garden but everything was still expensive despite the sale (so no presents ladies! haha).

We ended up in Soho and Chinatown homeground (where I noted Young Cheung and Wong Kei!) and bought some ridiculously expensive Chinese ingredients for the dinner which I promised Lucius. Imagine a bunch of withered kailan was 2.25pounds = S$6.75, yucky poo! After getting over the shock with a pint at the Tottenham Court pub, we went over to Lucius' new flat at Finsbury Park where I whipped up some Hainanese chicken rice in his tiny kitchen for him, his flatmate, J and I. Everyone gobbled it up which was a good sign!

The next day J and I went to Chinatown again to buy roast meats and vegetables for another fabulous homecooked dinner for our hosts before our departure. After dinner, we went out for drinks with Simon (J's hilariously flirtatious friend from Liverpool) at these 2 bars where we also met Zoe who went to college with the DJ Seb Fontaine! Then there was DJ Tomski, a Canadian who was spinning at Sand who said he could get us a stay at The Hilton Barcelona for 50 euros (but it never happpened!).

Pub-lick Offerings

We spent the whole day as tourists with a mediocre pub lunch followed by a hardcore walking itinerary from the castle, across the grandeur London Tower and Bridge to the other bank for a visit of the modern Tate museum (for the many contemporary collections by Frida, Andy Warhol, Mondian, Picasso etc.) The weather was fantastic and it was rather breezy but as we approached the London Eye where we were supposed to meet Kwok and the rest, it started to drizzle. A good thing we had bought advance tickets (12 pounds) so we got on quickly as the rain cleared to reveal a rainbow across the grey panorama.

Later that evening, Kwok and String brought us to their local pub called The Ship just by the bank in the Battersea area. One of the greatest pleasures about holidays must be the food indulgences. So being here, we made it a point to try the pub grub (and beer!) at every chance we got. While they had the bbq offerings, I salivated over my rather posh plate of smoked bacon-wrapped chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms and boursin with sweet potato mash. Ahh, sounds and looks absolutely mmaaarvelous eh? :)

Off To A Great Start!

We woke up blissfully well-rested and wondering what to do on our only Sunday in London over our morning cigarettes and breakfast. First on our 'itinerary' was the West Minister Abbey not far from Victoria tube but we ended up at the Cathedral (thinking it was the Abbey) and walked into the serene Sunday service. Starving at almost 2pm and in the thick of the mid-day summer heat, we stumbled upon the nearby historic Albert Victorian pub - originally known as Blue Coat Boy. The pub was built in 1845 and apparently frequented by royalty and parliament members.

Wasting no time, we tucked into the kick-arse pub grub and lager-top, gobbling up the chunky 'award-winning' pork, apple and cider sausages with caramalised onions and mash (6.25 pounds) and a generous portion of cottage pie with peas, carrots and slathered with a lipsmacking thick meaty gravy (5.75 pounds)... as you could see, it was really yummmy. The ambience of the pub was also quaint and authentic, with its old polished wood and antique Victorian glass.

Our next stop was Camden, which was how I remembered it, except it was much cleaner and there were more markets. I also didn't recall the dodgy characters whispering "marijuana?" and the public display of 'magic mushrooms' on sale! In comparison, the indoor Old Spitalfields Market and Up Sunday Market were more charming and offered more original stuff by local young designers. But do go early becos we arrived late at 5pm and most stalls are closing up. Dammit!

So we consoled ourselves with our second lagertop of the day at this Ten Bells Pub, which soon escalated into the third, fourth and fifth one (who's counting)! The pub had probably seen better days but still it retained a scruffy run-down charm which was authentic and not replicated. Lucius' Spanish friends had a private do on the 2nd floor and we were soon swigging pints with his English mates Luke (who had a recovering black eye), Martin (who was dreading to go back to Swindon), Rob (a deadringer for a young Ian Brown), Sharon (cool S'porean gal) and plenty of hilarious characters.

Just into my third pint on an empty stomach, I was doing the tango with his Colombian mate Carlos while the sky was still bright outside at 9.30pm! The party moved to this underground bar aptly named 'Public Life' becos it used to be a public toilet and we had to pay 1 quid to get in! Hungry and tired, we left soon to catch our last train back. Needless to say we had a full day!

Smooth Landing in London

I never thought I'd said this but I survived the 12-hour flight from Singapore to London - all on my own! I was so proud of myself! :) gosh. If you had flown with me before (yes fiona and ferne), you'd know I'm the sort that will squeeze your hand dry and squirm in my seat if the pilot make the slightest fart. So it was a feather in my cap to kick off this journey on my 30th birthday and I want to thank all my lovely friends, family and partners who showered me with love, kind words and the coolest gifts!

I still couldn't believe I was here in London at 8am on a chilly Sunday after a restful night of sleep. Yesterday, James and his friend String had picked me up from Heathrow and I stepped outta airport to one of those kind warm days uncharacteristic of London. Even at 25 degree, the air was crisp and chilly especailly in the shade and I felt silly wearing my jacket when half the population were in their bikinis and shorts! J and I stayed with his friends Kwok and String at their charming three-storey apartment along Battersea Church Road in a nice somewhat posh area in south London. The attic study where we slept in had a small balcony that overlooked the long narrow garden at the back where the two dogs Gel-li (the pudgier one) and Q ran amok and drank from the fish pond.

They had a walk and a dip in the fountain at the nearby Battersea Park while we caught two live groups performing and licked at our fast-melting gelato! After a nap, we went to meet Lucius at Ole Street and took longer than expected on the public bus to Victoria station - then missing our stop at Monument and backtracked, then made a costly mistake getting out of the station and paid another 4pounds to switch to the northern line! Argh.

Eventually we met Lucius albeit 30mins late at 9pm and caught up over chunky bbq burgers and cold beers at a crowded alley bar. We joined his Spanish friends at a local bar and asked them to teach us how to say "You're beautiful" and "Do you want to go home with me" which will useful when we're in Barcelona and Ibiza! Then we were supposed to go to this album launch party at Cargo but I was having this pounding headache and made a wise decision to call it a night. So now after 8 hours of sleep, I am up - bright and cheery, and just need a good shit now to get the day cracking!

My horoscope says it all!

As some of you might know, I'm quite the sucker for Horoscopes and my July reading just proves my point! :)

CANCER
June21 - July21

Recently you've made some serious decisions (*no shit!*). Don't mistake problems that arise as an indication you've unbeen unwise (*hmmm...*). On the contrary, you must put certain issues from the past to rest, ideally before the demanding Saturn departs Cancer on 16 July (*my birthday!*). During its two years in your sign, you've faced challenges and learned a lot. You're now tougher and serious. So when changes come and offers appear, you examine them carefully then ask for more (*wow, i just asked M1 for free caller IDD and got it!). This is a new you, standing tall because of all you've accomplished. (*pat on my back - grin*)

Anyway the countdown has started and it's only 5 more days to flying off to Europe wonderland! Stay tuned folks!