Type Delete Retype

Draw Delete Redraw

I started drawing every day when I was completing my thesis in 2004. I enjoyed it immensely. It allowed me to focus on something else besides my thesis and best of all, it was free entertainment - something I appreciated very much as I was a skint PhD student who couldn't afford a lot of things and whose only other activity was my part-time work which I needed to support myself and repay my debts.

I stopped drawing regularly around 2006, some years after I relocated and was working as an analyst in stock broking. The working hours were long and when I had time outside work - I typically chose to run or party. I did take art classes in 2009, in a moment of "I have to reclaim things I enjoy", when I was in HK but that didn't last more than 4 sessions due to late evenings at work. Since then, I would pick up a pen or a set of water colour but it didn't feel right: I felt rushed and uninspired.

I'm not working incredibly long hours now and am often left to my own devices (when I don't have a reflection paper or group projects to submit in school that is). And I'm feeling the change in the air: I.e. I feel like drawing and painting and even want to work on an illustrated story - even if the reader is LE or young D and MZ in Singapore. I've decided to start a blog called Draw Delete Redraw where I can hopefully harness ideas and inspiration. I've started the ball rolling by pasting a few of my old drawings that I like. The aim is to update the blog at least twice a week: for example Mondays and Thursdays. 

 

 

Things that I like

{My companion from Copenhagen which came home with me one November in 2009. He is happy to be finally out of the box}       

{The very solemn couple from Mongolia, living in Vintage crockery land. He might look in control, but in reality, she is the goddess}

What I did yesterday

1. Further de-cluttered my wardrobe. This time, I tried every single item on and put aside the items I just couldn't see myself wearing again. For example, an old favourite black and purple woolen dress that I bought in Toronto in October 2008, a black woolen dress that saw better days in Hong Kong and a never-worn striped skirt I bought last autumn. I don't know what I was thinking about (that I have another body maybe?) when I got the latter as the stripes are so totally wrong for my body shape. See what I mean?

2. Went out and got a hair cut. I pleaded for more shape, so that I can manage my hair better and have a more sophisticated and glamorous look vs. the college-girl style that I despair my hair has transformed into (when, what, how, why?!). Language was a real problem though: the hairdresser, J, spoke only a little bit of English and we communicated slowly and through the help from her translation app. This was, I think (?) better communication than the last time. I wouldn't say that my hair has much more shape now: J tells me it's because of my not wanting shorter layers at the top. Well, at least I feel less neglected now, which is always great when I'm feeling in need of a boost, albeit for the princely sum of 80 CHF (USD89)*.   

3. Took advantage of Thursday's late night shopping and went grocery shopping. I brought home some more brown rice and salad which has been my staple food these past days. I also picked up the ingredients to bake some scones: G, my friend from school will be coming around this afternoon for tea and we will be testing out the oven. Company is something I'm very much looking forward to having been by myself these past few days.   

* Interesting that wash and blow dry count separately and often exceeds the cost of a hair cut. I observed at least two women just having a cut. J asked me twice whether I wanted a wash AND a blow out and reminded me how much they cost when presenting the bill.  

Some pink on a Friday

{Flowers on a street in Bali (2010)- I heart that Island}

{What we needed in Hay-on-Wye in 2008}

         

3 links

Catherine in Orla Kiely 

Closet in Sketches

How to improve photos

Random Blues

 

{still a favourite picture .. taken in Montagu in South Africa}

 {A light house on one of the Black Lizard Islands off Menorca)

{View from a weeing fisherman's boat - Menorca}

{A neighbour's car last summer}

 

I like this city

I went for a walk by the river and passed by the old town. The streets in the latter, close to where we live, appeared somewhat busy and lively. It has been like this these past few days, with the spirit of Fasnacht already in the air. I have been told that the celebration of the festival in Basel is the biggest in Switzerland and that the locals take it very seriously indeed. I've been admiring the size of the various Paper Mache about town: these ugly giants (typically sporting shaggy hair, big nose and long teeth) are currently e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. I've seen them on rooftops, sign posts, terraces, in the display windows of both fancy shops and corner kiosks, bars, restaurants, and roundabouts. I took this picture below to show you what I mean.   

There were a number of joggers by the river. A good sign as I was wondering where one should go running here in the city. I took the pictures below as the sun was setting. The city is beautiful and I'm very happy to find myself here. All I need to do to be happier here is to learn German and relaunch my career. Especially with the recent good news {yay} that my residence with my work permit is apparently in the post.    

 

3 things

Here are 3 things I did today (aside from taking pictures from my iphone, surfing the net, asking for hair advice on FB, going out for a walk by the river and inserting a new banner to this blog).

1. I squeezed the oranges which were languishing in the bowl for some juice. The juice tasted good. I had to stop myself from making a second glass. Why didn't I think about doing this earlier? We have too many oranges to eat and I have been chucking away a lot of the older ones. I will certainly be repeating this practice tomorrow. 

2. I continued to unpack my stuff (from their boxes where they have been hiding since last July) into our apartment. It took me some time (mainly because I was multi-tasking -i.e. also checking emails, FB comments and tweets, taking instagram pictures). I'm done with the kitchen (for now).  Here is an instagram picture of some colourful fridge magnets to make you happy.

3. I found a stack of drawing pens and colour pencils lurking in a box (together with a mountain of other forgotten art supplies). They urged me to do something - anything. So, I hastily drew a teapot which was sitting in front of me: the only teapot I have now, which incidentally is also a very recently acquired one: My mother gave it to me last month (when I visited her), right after I remarked that it was a nice tea pot. Once upon a time, in a distant land (and life), I had many cute teapots. But I gave them all away when I was packing up to come here. I can't believe that I didn't save ANY. I'm still on minimalism etc mode* but come on ...I should have known that a cute teapot to brew tea in is surely a necessity!   

 

* You wouldn't think so, I know, if you were my brother in law helping to carry my check in bag last month in Singapore

I really like this letter

http://www.todaysletters.com/2008/08/small-metal-box.html

It's all about how equipped you are

 

 {The letter from school}

I mentioned before that despite the snow, LE and class mates went out for their weekly morning in the forest. This is consistent with the old letter from school (see picture above)I found while de-cluttering a desk in the other house and also what was often told to me when I was living in England and complaining about the wind and rain.

Actually, I quite like this mentality and think I could benefit from it if I took the trouble to. Yes, I have to confess that I have been happily squirelling indoors for the most part of the last 2 weeks. Mostly to mother LE who has been out of action but also because I preferred to stay snuggly and warm with my cups of tea and be able to feel my toes on the days when LE was not with us.

The temperature is soooo much better now at 0-5c (vs. minus 17c previously) and I'm back in our city apartment. Sufficient inducements to be out and about.

Tasting party for 2 last Saturday

 

So, which Spanish wine to serve in July? After a series of discussions, E has agreed to my proposal of being more imaginative with our selection and foregoing the likes of Ribera del Duero (which E looooves) and serving lesser known wine which *we* have discovered to be outstanding and are excited about.

Red is sorted - but not the white. We are excited about this red which E first discovered while assembling a hamper for his parents at Christmas. Not just to serve but also for our bodega. As for white - well, E is not much of a white wine drinker and I haven't come across a memorable white in recent months. I do however, remember a delicious Albarino from Riax Baixas while wine tasting in HK but cannot recall the producer and have been googling and checking out sites like this for familiar looking labels.

In the meantime, E ordered a few bottles for us to sample: 6 bottles of white and at my behest, 2 bottles of better Cava to compare against Champagne. They arrived from Spain last Friday. We kicked off the tasting session with the 2 bottles of Cava and agreed that they disappointingly tasted like the sparkling wine that they are. Needing to prove our point, we of course had to (very necessarily) crack open a bottle of champagne as soon as the cava were finished. We had a great Saturday evening. 

 

{I like the clean design of this bottle but not so much the cava} 

{I thought I preferred this cava...and then E told me he had swapped the glasses} 

{Not a surprise: we thought this was the best}

Pictures from Bali (2010)

 

 

 

I took these pictures in 1H10 (using my better camera) when I joined 4 others for a girlie holiday: LS was getting married and we took ourselves off to Bali. The bride to be and 2 gal-pals flew in from Malaysia, G came from Singapore while I made my way from HK, arriving a couple of days earlier due the flight schedule and costs.

At the airport in Bali, I was detained by immigration and brought to a room where I was searched t-h-o-r-o-u-g-l-y. My bags and passport were also confiscated; the former sharing my fate. I remember having to persuade the officers not to cut the lining of my then (Orla Kiely) carry on. The authorities were suspicious that I was travelling alone - funny as I'm sure this book had spurred a lot of solo female travellers in search of spiritual fulfilment (and love) to Bali.

Once convinced I was clean, I was given a seat in a the guest room and offered a can of coke and spiced cigarettes by the immigration officers while they completed some paperwork and chatted with me. I had declined both, but was cajoled into taking the drink (I caved in to appear friendly). Below is a picture taken of me, using my camera, by the person who first stopped me and my bag -before I was led into the other room for further questioning and strip searched. It was a strange and funny experience (funny only retrospectively; I was worried when it happened). Looking at this particular picture reminds me of the ridiculous situations I sometimes find myself in (and also the first hair extensions I had - they were not too good).

 

                     {I'm surprised that I don't look more grim}

What we like watching

It would be an understatement to type that E enjoys watching American crime series (his top three favourites are this, this and this). In Spanish. Sometimes he changes the language for my benefit. I watch them either drowsily or spooked. It's one or the other and there is no in between.

I complain about the bad voice acting i.e. Spanish dubbing when I'm awake, in between clutching at E's arm or diving to cover my face with a pillow. E disagrees with me and thinks the Spanish voice overs are so much better than their original ("more authentic and adjusted to the type of person vs. the natural voice which sometimes just don't fit - for example Bruce Willis' more macho I-don't-care-about- anything Spanish voice").    

What do I like? Comedies. Sometimes drama- when I'm not sleep deprived and can sit through long dialogues. I hate anything with horror and violence. They are totally pointless in my opinion. (Yeah - I'm just like my mother). I've mentioned before that I'm really enjoying the fabulously fluffy sitcom D-D-D. Well, E, knowing that I won't be zzz-ing or eeiks-ing while watching this, has acquired more of the episodes for our collective enjoyment.

We have been watching quite a few episodes these past days. We are close to finishing Season 2 and I find myself still cheering yay whenever Stacy is on the screen. 

 

                            {Picture of Stacy sourced from here} 

Post script: We have now watched all the episodes in Season 3 and can't believe Season 4 has not started. Spoiler alert: I stopped cheering for Stacy and indeed went "oh no!" at her during the last few episodes. 

LE and the English language

LE speaks German in school and Spanish with his Papi at home. What about with me? I speak English with him and he speaks Spanish to me. We seem to get by ok - needing E occasionally for translation. How do we communicate with each other when it's just the two of us? I use Spanish words when it's important (e.g. "it's muy peligrosa - entiendo?!") while he mimes whenever I'm confused. So far, his various actions (e.g. "it burns", "it's falling", "the grasshopper") have always prompted a laugh from me.

English is fast becoming his 3rd language: (4th if we consider that he also speaks Swisserdeutsch). Indeed, these past few weeks LE has surprised us by saying out full sentences in English to me. This morning it was "Azuri, switch off the tele..." (of course, "please" appeared shortly after). I am amazed by a four year old's capacity and ease of picking up and using new words. LE is no doubt clever.   

* * * 

I enjoy reading English books to LE. Regardless of the fact that English is(was?) not his spoken language. During the Christmas holidays, we frequently read "Splish Splashy Day". On the aeroplane to-fro, cold day indoors and some times before he went to bed. He especially likes the character "Grover" (known as "Coco" in Spain) because of his big red and round nose. I thought about a book I had bought from a store at HK airport for young D in Singapore called "The Ravenous Beast" which turned out to be roaring success not just with D, but also his older cousin as well as kindergarten mates. But it was not to be found in any of the English bookstores I scouted while travelling. We finally found it on-line. The book arrived in the mail a few days ago and we have been reading it together every night before sleeping. He calls the book (literal translation from Spanish): "the dinosaur who eats everything".   

 

 

Post script: E thinks "The Ravenous Beast" is surprisingly aggressive to be a book I would like and recommend. I agree. At the same time, how I can not? It's so funny and the art work is so pretty!

 

Flowers

 

                            {Orchid garden - Singapore}

                       {On a table, at a restaurant in Little India in Singapore} 

                {vintage tile in the bathroom of our flat in the city}

Solving the "What to wear?" issue

 

               {organising my dangly earings by colour}

               {and clothes by colour & pieces I would wear together}

                      {a useful list of what works} 

I wore dresses most of the times after I arrived in HK. It made dressing a lot easier and I enjoyed the femininity and glamour that dresses offered. Indeed, I could count the number of times I wore trousers (typically denim) in a year: three or four times when I felt like participating in casual fridays.   

Outfits have changed now that I'm in Basel: I don't have many casual winter dresses and my thermal clad legs also prefer the tough fabric of denim against the cold wind encountered while walking or hopping on-off trams. In fact, these days, I'm even wearing jeans almost exclusively. This (and the fact that I no longer spot extended lashes) often makes me thing I've regressed and become unglamourous and I hate to type this... b.o.r.i.n.g.

Looking at the pictures on blogs like this and this have however inspired me. I spent half a day re-organising my wardrobe, grouping separates that can be layered together; matching colours. I'm pleased with the outcome and as usual (after reorganising my wardrobe) feel more in control.  

It's not too cold outside

Let's talk about new paradigms and goals

 

I mentioned before that I was working on my 2012 and that I had come up with a number of points. Well, here they are. 

My top ten goals for 2012 (not in order of importance)

:: Living a happy family life with the two Es and having a lot of super moments

:: Being healthy, fit and fabulous (even during winter)

:: Knowing my new home city well - the culture, language, people, places of interest

:: Selecting and reading 10 good books ("good" to be decided)

:: Drawing/writing a book in collaboration with the G (gulp)

:: Having fun organising and executing our party in July

:: Forming and investing in strong friendships here 

:: Raising significant £ for a cause (charity/activity to be decided)

:: Spending time thinking about my day, goals right after waking up

:: Enjoying and excelling in fantastic work which provides not only career progression but also fun and supportive colleagues

My chosen paradigm:

:: I can have anything I want - yes, indeedy, in fact I empower myself to have what I want

:: I have so much to offer

:: I am healthy and strong

:: Money and opportunities are abundant and flowing into my life

I'm glad to have come up with them as I now feel like I am on a well defined course instead of acting on default.   

 

 

Somethings to look forward to

 

 

We will be picking up LE tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to spending time with him. We won't be able to run around the house pretending to be flying cats: LE broke his leg while skiing down the slope last week. I felt quite sad visiting him last Sunday after the accident: he looked tired, sad and confused about the cast. :-( But I hear he's doing much better and is able to maneuver himself to play with his toy cars etc. 

I received a few positive emails this mornings: One of which relates to my Balinese furniture potentially arriving here at the end of the month from HK. To cut a long story short: events transpired and I arranged to ship them from storage in HK to our new apartment here. It was costly but I was (am) embracing a mantra of "abundance" (money and opportunities are abundant and flowing into my life). Another email was from the shoe company saying they received the boots I posted from Ingolstadt and will provide a credit note as promised. Yay.

 

I sniff a weekend coming

E often spoils me(us) by bringing us breakfast in bed on weekends. I *love* it.

 

My written top 10 goals is prompting me to act

Not much snoozing happening around here: I think I might have slept for 3 or 2 hours last night. And whose fault is it I hear you ask? Mostly mine (I was busy with emails), although the bedroom heater conspired by refusing to work effectively when I finally surrendered on typing and sending. I shivered in bed for at an hour or so wishing fervently for another blanket or electric heater. 

I am Ms. Emails:  I sent out a few which was long overdue and part of my 2012 goals (more of that below). They include emails to: (1) the German company we bought our expensive furniture from, plaintively asking for help - to sort us out once and for all (they brought wrong pieces which couldn't be assembled; our living room remains a forlorn state) and (2) various friends regarding the deets of the party we will be hosting in summer. The deets took some time to prepare and involved a lot of research. It was fun (one of my 2012 aims); I'm so easily amused. 

I haven't caught up on my missed zeds yet: Having to rise early this morning as the handyman was scheduled to appear first thing this morning. Sad to report that he turned out to be a no show - apparently "forgetting" about it. Funny to find these things happening here. First the delayed trains in Germany - now this. I feel somewhat let down somehow, expecting better Swiss/German efficiency (am I stereotyping?).   

Lunch, tea and cake with lovely gal pals: I haven't discussed about my top ten 2012 goals here yet, but they include having fun while planning the summer party, exploring all things Basel and forming strong friendships. What better way to support the last two than to organise lunch followed by tea and cake at places I haven't been with the girls I like and get along with from the course.

I chose a lunch place based on a good internet review; It was located on the side of the river. We got lost, traipsing in the cold for 10-15 minutes before gratefully finding the restaurant. Conversation carried on and on over lunch and then over tea/coffee and cakes as good outings go. We all agreed it was fun; I will plan another one in coming weeks. Ooh, I'm so pleased that my goals for the year is prompting me to act. 

So -why on earth did I choose to travel in the cold?

HM and I have been friends since 1999: HM is one of those old friends I can not only debrief various stuff with but also bare my soul to and expect to receive rationale, honest and non-judgemental feedback (and vice versa). We started off our angst-ridden PhD journey together (not realising that the other was equally angst) and have found out since then that nothing is too insignificant for us to dissect and discuss.

Finally catching up: I had chosen to make the long train journey involving 3 changes despite desperately wanting to stay and settle into everyday life here because HM and I hadn't seen each other since February 2010, mainly due to our conflicting schedules. And we had so much things to catch up on: our respective move to different continents, new additions to our family and changes we were experiencing in our professional lives. 

Of course, I didn't expect to spend long minutes waiting for delayed trains or have the journey time expanded. Still, I suspect this would not have swayed me from making the journey. It was an investment I could afford and wanted to make. Sometimes, one just has to bite the bullet and do tedious things like hopping on and off economy class coaches to maintain special friendships don't you fink? 

 

I took these pictures a few days before I left for Germany

 

 

 

Train journeys take much longer than you and I think

 

Fact: German trains systems are also affected by delays.

Delayed on the way out: My supposed to be nearly six hours journey involving 3 seamless changes to Ingolstadt took an additional hour. The train which was to take me from Stuttgart to Nurnberg arrived c.25 minutes later than expected and caused me to miss my subsequent train from Nurnberg to Ingolstadt. 

The wait on the platform was p.a.i.n.f.u.l. It was bitterly cold with a temperature of -17c. My body was protected by my many layers of thermal but my poor booted feet froze. Yeyse, I am a wimp when it comes to the cold but there, on the platform at Stuttgart, I saw grown men in business suits and thick coats shivering.   

Epic journey back:  More than 8 hours, due to another delay. Like previously this caused me to miss my connecting train and I found myself having to travel up to Frankfurt from Nurnberg just to get the connecting train down to Basel (it reminded me somewhat of my zig-zagging backpacking days). 

This time I was more prepared having worn thicker woolen socks and inserted heating pads into my boots (given to me by the thoughtful HM; they are apparently indispensable in Canada). The delay also happened in Ingolstadt and came with a warning before hand. This meant I could spend some waiting time skulking around in the sheltered station and was only exposed to the harsh conditions that was the windy train platform for a further 10 minutes (when it was announced the train was again delayed). I used this time to take the pictures you see below. 

 

{my feet warmer, I could appreciate my surroundings better}

{late again}

{the wheels of my new carry-on probably in tears}

{what the city is good at producing}

Germany

Hello from Ingolstadt.

Herr Meyer (HM) has just left for the airport to go back to North America; I'm going to the train station shortly to head back home. HM's mum has gave me a lot of jam to bring back, knowing from past years how much I LOVE her home made jam. HM's dad who doesn't speak to me very much (not surprisingly as I don't speak any German...yet) might drive me to the station with his hunting car if HM's mum is not back from the airport in time. Yesterday, I saw a dead bird with nice feathers outside on the driveway.. HM's dad motioned to me to see what's inside the garage like store. I was expecting to see another dead bird - maybe a bigger or more beautiful one .. and screamed when I saw instead a wild boar hanging from the ceiling: a bounty from HM's hunting a few days ago. 

***

I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday - meeting up with old friends from Spain. I had written on fb that I was here and it was spotted by a couple of Spanish friends who had moved here. They had been living outside Barcelona in the same old farm house as F from a few years back and the last time I had seen them was probably over dinner in 2003 or 2004. They exclaimed themselves to be Spanish -ergo having no problems to spontaneously show up at HM's house at 930pm last night. We had a great time catching up. 

Planning for 2012

Ok folks, I know, I'm likely to be 1 or 2 months slower than you all - thinking hard and planning the specifics relating to 2012 only now. The fact is - I need to be myself, with no interruptions, a note book, a nice chosen pen and in a "yeah, I can so totally do this" state of mind to do this.

Indeed, a particularly good session would require a re-read of the book below, which I bought more than 10 years ago in KL and have moved along with me (Leicester, London, KL, HK and now Basel). I've just unearthed it from one of my boxes a few days ago (upon coming back from Sing) and started re-reading it. Still at the early stages of the book (hard to focus when I have a cute 4 year old tugging at my trousers to play) but already I am feeling inspired.

I had forgotten and was reminded when I opened the book that I had scribbled in it. Once in 1998 and then 10 years later: 1999 turned out to be a great year for me. I persevered and changed my lifestyle to lose close to 8 kg, which I had recklessly gained from consuming one too many roti pratha breakfasts and evening cocktails upon returning to KL in 1997. I also got my act together to chase and win a position and grant which allowed me to pursue a PhD in the UK.  2009 was another interesting year. A year of change in HK, with a number of highs and lows; I realise now, retrospectively, that the events in 2009, collectively formed the catalyst for my subsequent epiphany in 2010.

What's in store for 2012? I'm still thinking about it but it's not hard to figure out that I would be aiming for (in no particular order) a good and successful career, happy family and healthy, fashionable and zen self. Now, to work on the deets!     

 

 

Acrylics and canvas in Singapore

G treated us to an art jamming session while I was in Singapore. I focused on animal cartoons. It was a learning experience. Lessons for next time include: (1) regardless, start by sponging the background; (2) use smaller brushes -they are much easier to control and; (3) bring along a black marker to make clear outlines.  

{Realising I'm may be better off with a sponge}

{Work in progress}

{The finished product with a message delivered to a delighted receiver}

 

New apartment

 

 

{our room with a view}

 

 

{my first work of art* - in the living room} 

 

* Car tracks from masking tape - Idea gleaned from a blog somewhere (I can't remember where) on how to amuse little boys while travelling light.   

Settling in

{view from iced window upstairs - old home)

Back home: An uneventful and smooth flight back to Basel but a wonderful welcome at the airport. I was greeted by E and LE - the latter rushing and jumping towards me. I had missed him so very much there was nothing to do but to drop my bag and catch him for a long, big hug. It's so nice to see him again - I really (100x) love him.   

It's snowing: E and I talked about taking LE out for a walk in the forest on Sunday - after I arrived but reconsidered when it started snowing. We subsequently kept warm, playing indoors and watching cartoons on television. It is still snowing but LE's teachers and school mates are made of sterner stuff: this morning LE joined them for his weekly activities in the forest.  

Where am I again? I'm jet lagged. This time I'm not only feeling disoriented but also achy, like I've caught a bug from my fellow passengers. Dangdamnit. I know I'm back in Basel now (and not Singapore or KL or Spain or HK or Copenhagen) but still I'm not feeling entirely settled: we are making trips to and fro our old house and new apartment as the latter is still missing many things including much needed wifi.    

Sniff sniff

I'm sitting at the airport lounge waiting to board the flight back home with a lump in my throat after waving goodbye to G&T. Dangdamit - How I wish G and I live closer to each other.

Sing-sing

It has been a while

It has been some time since I last wrote,  I know.

We had to leave the idyllic Langkawi Island after 2 nights to spend some time with the family in KL. It was a mostly rushed affair in KL, as we had to squeeze in a few things within a short space of time. I was also knackered, working late at night on my term paper which resulted in little-sleep-more-clumsy-and disoriented-me. And then we returned to Sing-Sing to do our respective things like work, meet friends, colleagues and most important of all, spend time with family members including adorable little boys.

Amid all the activities, E and I succeeded in carving out an evening of a 1-1 session to connect and debrief properly. E surprised me with dinner reservations at a restaurant near where we had our first date in 2010; I reciprocated by showing up with extended eyelashes and blow dried hair. The next day we escaped again, where we ended up watching a film (Sherlock Holmes) which we both enjoyed.

E has departed for a few more places around the world. I'm still in Sing-Sing where I've had the pleasure of celebrating the lunar new year with G and family and friends and ran in the morning these past few days with G&T at the nearby park. The next few days will see me flying to KL and back before hopping on the plane to CH.

We are 40

{Birthday party - Langkawi Island}

 

We (G and I) had a lovely party (organised/hosted by T and helped by E) on Langkawi Island. It was magical; a number of old close friends showed up to help us celebrate. 

I panicked about turning 40 a few months back. But that's all over now. I'm older and wiser i.e. calm and happy to be *alive* and to have so much love in my life.

I'm determined to make this year and decade the best one evah!

 

Around me (while I wait for the tram)

 

New discovery

I discovered this blog when I was mooching about in the bedroom in Spain. I love it.

Our new apartment

(The First supper)

I'm loving our new apartment. It's still barely furnished and all the empty space is making me feel calm and good. We are still missing ceiling lights and are making do with table lamps and fairy lights; this makes the living room dark but cozy.

Last night, E and I had our first supper at home, consisting mostly of salad (we are on a diet after the excesses of the last weeks) and accompanied by Drop Dead Diva. Afterwards, I went back to work (writing my term paper on Afghanistan) while E watched a few American dramas in Spanish.

Our new sofa is extremely comfortable; our bed is even better. Truly, I do think we did well with our choice of mattress and pillows considering the improvement in our quality of sleep.

I had brought a few boxes from HK to the new apartment. I found a few items broken (a wine decanter, sake jug and 2 tier cake stand) while unpacking my "kitchen" boxes. Sigh, a little bit sad as they were items I favoured (unsurprisingly having discarded all the things I didn't feel strongly about). Mais, cie la vie -they are only possessions which can be replaced in the grander scheme of things I suppose.

We are leaving for Singapore later today. Business class tickets courtesy of E as an early birthday pressie - Big YAY. I must remember to stock up on Swiss chocolates at the airport.

Basel

Back in Basel but not for long. It's not sunny here, unlike in Zaragoza. The skies are grey and it's dark outside. Not too bad as at least, it's not windy and raining, which was the case everyday in the UK Midlands (yes, yes, I am a broken record). We spent most of yesterday unpacking and packing for our few nights in the new apartment and upcoming trip to Singers (G and I turn 40 this weekend!). I'm really looking forward to celebrating our birthday and being in the heat again.

I can be obsessive and annoying I know, repeating an incident over and over again. The last big episode was about losing a pair of spanking new wolfords tights which I just couldn't find in my bag as I was dressing to say I do. Poor E and G had to hear me go on about it for days afterwards while we were in Denmark and then Asia. We came back home and I still couldn't find it, despite turning our bedroom upside down - cue for E to hear me go on (and on) with greater force...until last night - when I found it while unravelling my wardrobe! Amazing grace. YaY! 

Next obsession nipped in the bud: E reckons that I will not stop going ack over the VAT incident as I do about my tights (and before that, the adapter I left behind on the train to Germany). He mentioned he would compensate me to minimise the obsession but I didn't take him so seriously. Until last night when he actually did it! Rright after I waved the tights to him. Haha. He's convinced that it's best to nip my VAT thing in the bud i.e. before I get worse seeing as I won't have much else to obsess about having found the tights. As if (yes!)

Home sweet home

Hurrah, I mean Yay, for we have arrived back home!

The departure was a bit fraught: waking up before 4am, squeezing all the last few items in our bags (breaking a nail in the process) and then putting all the bags in the car boot for the 2 hour + journey in a tetris like way for our trip to Barcelona airport with the PIL. Passing security check points with so many layers of clothes, boots and lap tops that needed to be deposited in trays and a wandering 4 year old added to the chaos.

Damnation: I realised after we boarded the plane that I had forgotten to get my VAT forms stamped at the customs. The refund amount was substantial enough and even an inducement for the shopping. To think that all that effort of getting the forms and collecting the receipts was for nada de nada.

The picture below was taken yesterday, in the city, while I was walking on the main street on the way to Cortes Ingles to get the VAT forms sorted out. The statues have very long slim legs which I envy.

A delicious bottle of wine

We had this bottle of Spanish wine with dinner. Well, actually E and FIL. I just took a few sips from E's glass (and am still sipping). It's only retailing at Euro 5.95 at the moment. I think it could justify a higher price. It taste rich, fruity and smooth and has a nice finish. Nice smell - similar to its taste. The grapes are Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The producer is Oller del Mas from the region Pla De Bages. It's apparently produced in an ecologically friendly way. We (E and I) will likely finish the bottle as it's bloody good (and I'm not preggers*).

We are departing tomorrow at 4am! I'm sooooooooooooo 100x looking forward to having my own space again. YAY.

 [*I thought I could surprisingly be, just because of my expanding tummy but I've checked and confirmed that I'm not - my tummy is just a fcuking lot bigger because of my multi-course luncheons and 10pm dinners] 

 

A few Yays

An update further to my earlier post re: red + white bikes: I've seen many more people using them around town. I think it's a great effort by the people who thought about it and the city administrators who agreed to go along with it. I'm all for biking vs. driving in the city and saying yay to Zaragoza bikes in the same way the character Stacy does in Drop Dead Diva. Yay! 

We have started packing:  E's brother has given him for Christmas, a wardrobe of new-ish clothes to bring back home to Swizzer. All very well except that E's bag can no longer accomodate my two pair of boots. The boots are too bulky for my medium sized luggage (yes, it is also padded with pressies). Thankfully, we have solved this problem by purchasing the right to check in an additional bag. I am relief. Yay to budget airlines and the flexibility they afford.

I'm continuing to work on my term paper:  Pounding the keyboards in PIL's kitchen trying to tie everything I gleaned from the interviews together with the theoretical background (Yay?) having successfully excused myself from another night out at a tapas bar with E's Spanish speaking friends (Yay!). This morning, E and I had a meeting with another army doctor who served in North Afghanistan to get some colour on the conditions there. She brought along pictures which looked like they were pinched from National Geography. 

 

On identical twins

discovered via http://www.susannahconway.com/

Spellbinding Portraits of Identical Twins - My Modern Metropolis

Talk about uncanny! New York-based photographer Martin Schoeller (who you remember from here) recently took photographs of identical twins for an interesting National Geographic story. The intricate details of the photographs, caught by Schoeller's professional camera, exposes every detail of the subjects' faces. By putting portraits of twins side by side, it's easy to see how remarkably similar the two faces look. In fact, it's sometimes hard to tell one from the other!

via www.mymodernmet.com

 

A few things that keep me busy (sane)

(Kitchen wall, Students House)

I think I've mentioned here before, in my basket ball/cheerleaders related post that although I can now understand some Spanish (when people speak slowly)(usually for my benefit), I can't speak it ('yet', I would add, on the days I'm feeling  more optimistic). Hence, going out meeting people, or even staying in with PIL requires effort.

On some days, making an effort or understanding conversation is not enough. It could be the the cumulative affect, or my feeling of exclusion. The latter could be due to several reasons and include: my inability to speak/participate, being with others who are simply uninterested in me, E not being able to translate because everyone is talking at the same time or just forgetting to do it. Whatever it is - it's totally crap and makes me want to do a few or all of the following depending on how progressive I'm feeling:

(1) Stand up, shake my fist and shout "Enough!" and storm off 

(2) Scratch and prick the sofa (secretly)

(3) Be diligent about learning Spanish so I can speak it fluently (and while I'm at it -German and French too)

Anyhow, today was such a day. What I did do instead was to have a strop, go out for an hours walk by myself which led to a shopping spree at a German home furnishing store where I bought a few pastel coloured table mats and kitchen cloths for our new apartment.

It's not all bad. Sometimes, the conversations are totally in accordance to my interests and wishes. For example, this morning we had a second meeting with a medical doctor who had served in Afghanistan just talking about the ongoing conflict resolution efforts there. This came about after I had mentioned to FIL and E that I planned to do a case-study for my term paper and couldn't decide on Iraq, Afghanistan or the Middle East. FIL got in touch with a medical doctor he knew and I had an appointment with E acting as translator.

It's nice to be distracted or kept sane by my work AND have a furnishing shop nearby selling lovely things.  

 

Capitulating

Yet another Tapas Bar 

 

Ok, I'm admitting defeat ... putting on weight NOW during Christmas, New Year, 3 Kings is inevitable when I'm with my new husband's parents, aunt, cousins, extended family and school friends. Goodbye weight loss; hello Chipmunk Cheeks.

Yeyse folks... I'm really crashing under pressure here and try as I might it's so hard to say no for the umpteenth time when we are out and about seeing or visiting E's cousins, old colleagues, old school friends, LE's uncle, all the people we have been meeting and not eat the food that's served specifically on my plate by Aunt C. 

I'm so relief and happy to have only a few days left here. Spain and Spaniards, I truly love you, but I have to say, I'm severely tested now that I'm married to a Spanish hombre.

Argh to the pressure of eating and drinking!

 

El Parque

I went for a run at the parque again this morning. This time, I brought my iphone so that I can take some pictures to show you how lovely it is. It is still a surprise to me - how unassuming the park sits, just 10 minutes away from here, behind the yellow and grey gates and walls. I've passed by the park at least twice, unknowingly, only seeing the bustling traffic at the roundabout opposite the park instead. 

Around El Tubo

 

Pictures - Red

A bar in the old town: The view from the 1st floor of a Algo Mas, a bar in El Tubo where I was waiting. We ate tapas and drank wine at this bar (amongst others) on the afternoon of New Year's Eve with E's mates and their mates. A couple had brought along their 3 years old twins: one wore a scarf with red stripes and the other, blue stripes. This reminded me of G and I - growing up with our favourite colours: blue (G's) and red (mine). We still like the same colours -although these days I'm more partial to orange vs. red and like pink as much as red. 

 

 

Bicycles for rent: I didn't see as many bicycles (on stands, for rent) around the city last year as I do now (although in the two + weeks here, I've seen only one person inserting coins into the machine and taking a bike. It was a young-ish lady and she had multiple bags of groceries).  There are also more bike lanes, as well as pedestrian lanes next to the new tram lines at the expense of roads for cars. E thinks it's a bad idea to convert roads into pedestrian lanes, making it just impossible to drive around the city; I like pedestrian friendly cities and have counter argued him based on my biases, even though I don't know which side I would really support if I was living here. 

 

 

A random fire truck: E and FIL went into the government office in Huesca to sort out some stuff. I initially stayed in the car fiddling my iphone (deleting contacts I hardly talk to) reluctant to take a step outside as it was cold and windy.  But ended up joining E and FIL when they waved to me. I took this picture on the way into the government office. The latter reminded me of a typical department in the city where I grew up (i.e. only one person serving many people -  many years ago - I suspect it is not the case now). Incidentally, the Bahasa word for "Bomberos" is "Bomba".

Oh - To be fit

I don't know whether you've noticed from my previous postings - Luncheons are BIG affairs here with the E's family. Meals during festive occasions are especially elaborate, involving many (and I mean many, many, many) different courses including pre-appetisers (like in the picture above) and numerous bottles of (Spanish) wine.

Last year, I didn't dare to say "gracias, no"  too many times, especially to E's Tia C and Madre who are zealous cooks, so  I ended up feeling overwhelmed and a good few pounds heavier (90% of them piled on my cheeks). This year, I'm more prepared -saying no to generous portions (having practised saying "no" at least 10x a day before we came here, in front of the miror and accompanied by a picture of E's Tia C).

I've also been much more mindful about marginal enjoyment from consumption, stopping before I feel full (even if it means leaving stuff on my plate) and going out for walks outside in the cold even when everyone else is having a siesta or watching television in the warmth of the casa. Of course - you also know about my new party trick:  to swap a glass of vino or G&T for agua con gas and choose tapas with the least amount of carbs whenever possible (harder to avoid the fried tapas).

I've not been able to do this all the time - and especially not during Christmas/New Years eve and day but this is inevitable I think.  An unexpected and big challenge for me this year is to decline the after lunch-tray of turon which typically comes with coffee. All sorts of yummy flavours - chocolate, almond, pine nuts, caramel. All calling out to be tasted. 

I don't know whether I've avoided putting on weight these past few weeks here. I do know that I'm doing generally well given the many temptations and pressure from the various family and social events. This morning, I went out for an an hour's jog - discovering the nearby park which E's family have mentioned a number of times. It was very pleasant and I plan to repeat the experience in the coming days. I'm turning 40 in two weeks time and one of my goals for 40/2012 is to be as fit as possible.

4th attempt - More tapas from 2011

I've been trying to post here more pictures I took from my iphone relating to the different tapas we had during the last few days of 2011. They have all been unsuccessfully (as you've no doubt noticed). Aside from the usual problem with the app on iphone (which refuses to upload the pictures), LE has also been diligently helping me to  type whenever he sees me here with the lap top. Random "hsdNSGDFhsdikkkkfggg" is fine. Its the "Esc" which creates trouble. 

P.s. Yes, LE is back with us... and we are D.E.L.I.G.H.T.E.D.

2012

Happy new year!

Huesca, Dec 2011

Windy town in España

We spent most of the day at Huesca which is some 75km away from E's hometown of Zaragoza. The town is windy, significantly more than the city of Zaragoza. I was there accompanying the 2 Es to run errands and was subsequently treated to a cortado during a mid-morning break and for lunch, a delicious 3 course meal at a recently refurbished restaurant close to the train station. The bottle of wine we sampled at lunch was mediocre - a rare instance in E´s company and also very typical of the Spanish wine I drank before becoming acquainted with E. Later at home, E and I had a marathon viewing of the sitcome "Drop Dead Diva", finally completing the first series. I couldnt help myself and wanting to know more (and get on with my life) went on to the website to read the episode guides for Season 2 and Season 3. I feel better after knowing about what is going to happen but a tad bit disappointed with the writers for what I suspect is a string of tease and retreat. Still all very entertaining so all´s well I suppose.  

The restaurant where we had lunch  

We sat overlooking the train tracks

This traffic light was swaying because of the wind - I know this picture doesnt show this