This will be a short entry because of time constraints [such is the fate of one trying to rely on complimentary internet from the hotel]...
I'm finally back in Madrid after going around Spain on tour for the past week! Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Seville, Toledo, Segovia, ... Er.. Ok. I'll have a better and more updated list when I can actually type without peering nervously at the ticking clock every 5 seconds. X__X
Anyway, the food has been amazing!!! Well, probably not those meals that were included in the tour [those were awful] but meals we've been going for on our own. We went to what is considered the best [in all of Spain!] roast suckling pig restaurant and paella restaurant. AMAZING. So. Good. Omg! I was like, yayy! Hahaha.
Ahhh. My feet are tired, my cameras are being overused and my stomach is rumbling from everything I've been eating..
Don't you love the power that is called "scheduled posting" on Blogger? =) So I can send you Christmas messages even when I can't use the computer!! xD
Anyway,
As winter comes a-rolling Bells start tolling Merry Christmas! they say Bringing presents and neighs But you look around and see Oh how can it be?! There's no snow! you cry None to meet your eye Never fear Mr Snowman is here Sacks of snow Thrown around with a blow Food aplenty, presents all laid out I hope your Christmas goes without a pout!
Merry Christmas everyone! ^_^ May it go well and may that White Christmas linger wherever you are!
Greetings from Barcelona everyone.=) We got into Madrid yesterday through a connecting flight from Amsterdam which was our transfer point from Detroit.^_^ The weather is lovely [very warm and very very sunny] and the food so far has been quite delicious! =P
I've only eaten one churros so far, but I'm planning to rectify that soon because I am on the hunt for my hot chocolate and churros breakfast!!! ;) Too bad we're on a tour so it's slightly less flexible but o well, if I don't get to stuff myself now, I'll definitely make up for it in the last few days. ;)
One thing I've been very taken with though, is the tortilla - a thick potato omelette that, despite it's simplicity, is very delicious when done well. Eaten with bread, it's an incredibly filling meal but delicious all the same.=) We've only been here 2 days and today's food was ehhh .. But I'm looking forward to the other meals on this trip because I've only heard good things about Spanish food.
I am disappointed though, that we're only staying 2 days in Barcelona.. I actually thought we were staying more days in Barcelona than Madrid but turns out, it's the other way around. (T_T) Please let me weep a few tears because all my delicious bistronomias and gourmet food are located in Barcelona - Madrid is.. ehh not as exciting let's just put it that way. And tomorrow being our free day in Barcelona, I was hoping to go hit the restaurants but it's a Sunday and Sunday's a big family day here so my precious Espai Sucre and Cacao Sampaka might not be open!!! ;_; See why I weep?
Especially Espai Sucre. I REALLY hope it's not closed because I will be very very sad. Not as sad as when I missed out on Pierre Herme in Paris though.. [I still hold that incident with great bitterness.. xP]
So far, the scenery has been pretty amazing.. Not as stunning as the Amalfi Coast in Italy but we'll be going to the coastal areas of Andalucia, a small town called Peniscola which looks amazing in the photos.=D I'm looking forward to that. So far though, Spain has shown quite a variation in the scenery from mountains to plateaus, desert-like areas to agricultural lands.
Right now we're in Barcelona but we'll be heading for Grenada and Seville soon and err.. If there's anywhere else I can't really remember where.=X Ahem. I'm looking forward to oranges in Valencia and lemons in Murcia! I really like the Spanish names for places.. Haha.. Castilla la Mancha [that's where Madrid is], Aragon [drove through], Catalunya [Barcelona's hometown!], Communidad Valenciana [Valencia's place!], Andalucia [Seville and Grenada's playing ground], and so on.
May we be able to eat more delicious meals over the next few days and really get to enjoy Spanish food - tortillas, churros, tapas, paella, etc etc. And the best thing is that, Spain is surrounded by the sea on 3 sides so YAY! SEAFOOD! =D =D =D I am pleased. Haha..
Also the best thing is, because my camera is fixed, I can take photos with peace of mind again! ^_^ Hooray for fast-paced Singapore service!
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : Le Ciel Malice Mizer + Cemetaries of London Coldplay] [mood : peaceful] [food : Noodle Paella - a specialty of Catalunya!]
PS: Do you know that Coldplay makes for a great soundtrack while travelling through the Spanish countryside? =P
YX: You should go travelling during your breaks too!!! Explore America!
It's snowing like CRAZY right now and the whole Ann Arbor is covered in a thick white fluffy cloud of cold!!! =D Hahaha.. Sadly, I wore the most impractical shoes today so I had numb feet for most of the walk home from my friend's home.. X__X
My friend and I went shopping in Briarwood Mall [Sephora! Forever 21! H&M! Victoria's Secret SALE!!! xD] and when we were going to head back, walked straight into a swirl of snow outside the mall! Haha.. It was quite amazing because the snow was really thick so you can probably imagine how it must have been coming down...
It was a pain for our poor drivers though so I felt badly for them for having to come pick us up.. ;_; And before/during/after dinner, we were trying our darndest to fix the windshield wipers for snow and cold wear them out terribly quickly. Never in my life had I seen windshield wipers being sold in a supermarket, and never in my life had I known that you could change them yourself!!!
Oh the amazements you learn while being overseas..
A bit more snow and I can build my snowman!!! ^_^ And have a snowball fight!!! Haha!!
I'm looking forward to Spain a lot though I'll be sad without my precious fluffy snow to accompany me through the long winter nights.. I'm really really looking forward to the scenery which I think should be beautiful [Europe is beautiful in general. Haha..] and the food which I have heard is amazing. xD
楽しみに！
Time to pick up my laundry.. Then it's time to catch up on my anime!! SOUL EATERRR! =D
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : This Love Angela Aki + Papermoon Tommy Heavenly6] [mood : ^_^] [food : I WANT CHURROS!]
PS: Don't you just love the post exam period when you don't have to think about studying anymore for this year? Haha..
I've been meaning to post about this for the longest time so I guess it's time I got around to doing it right? =P
Not many photos though, wanted this to be a quick entry before I resume reading my Japanese notes out loud.=P
We first went to Novi for lunch before heading to Detroit to walk around a bit then watch Avenue Q! ^_^
Novi is really famous for it's Japanese stores and places.. And this place was recommended by my Japanese teacher!
Ajishin Udon! ^_^ あじしんうどん！I replaced the boiled egg with a poached egg. YUMMY. xD
We had meant to take a photo with the food but we were so hungry that ... we had to take a photo after we were done..^_^"
We also went to Pastry House Hippo for Japanese pastries, breads and cakes!! xD Yummy~ =D After Ajishin, we also walked around Twelve Oaks Mall for a bit to check it out..
Then we headed for Detroit!
The view of Detroit AND Windsor [in Canada, Michigan lies on the border between USA and Canada!] in the sunset. ;) I bet you never knew Detroit could be so pretty.. Haha..
In Detroit it was already dark so we just walked around their puny Greektown a little and looked at the casinos before heading for the theatre to see Avenue Q!
In the theatre!! It's a really nice theatre really.. Probably built a long time ago and with loads of glitz and glamour! Haha.. But the theatres in America are really pretty and have a lot of old style glamour.. ;)
Avenue Q was fantastic!!! ^_^ I really enjoyed it! Beams. If you get a chance to see it you should..=) It would totally be censored in Singapore though; they have rather rude [but very funny] bits. Hahaha.=D And I really like how they tied the puppets into the story though honestly, they could have done without them.=P
I'm looking forward to more roadtrips to Detroit and East Lansing next year!! ^_^
May I have time between shopping cooking and eating over the next few days to update. ;) Just made tiramisu and a cheesecake brownie; went for a friend's birthday lunch; and now I'm trying to remember all those dratted grammar forms. RAWR!
cheers *[-witchstone-]*
[music : This Love Angela Aki + Flavor of Life 宇多田 ヒカル] [mood : full!~] [food : Tiramisu + Cheesecake Brownie + Hokkien Mee! =P]
Sam: Omg! I love snow! I hate rainy days like today.. ;_;
Wendaye: Hahaha.. Takuya actually still looks good. =P But gosh. SMAP really can't sing..
When December comes along every year, is seems like we have to take exams. For a student that might be a difficult thing to do, but when graduation comes along, how would we feel about such simple worries?
Everyday, I'm studying and preparing for my projects so it's a busy period. However, with the snow swirling down outside, I think it's really pretty. The snow falls quietly, gently onto the ground. When you look out the window, don't you feel great?
Now I'm working hard for the sake of my examination... It would be great if the week after next could come quickly!
*~*
I was thinking of doing a version of this post in Chinese too but I can't really be bothered. And err I don't really know how to type all that in nice sounding Chinese.. Haha.. X__X
I just made baked chicken for dinner and I realized that I don't actually need to marinate my chicken! All I have to do is chuck pieces of chicken on top of a bed of vegetables [celery, onions, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic] that have been roasting for a while in the oven, then put the whole thing in the oven for an hour! The chicken comes out flavourful [from herbs and the aroma of the vegetables] and so moist and tender [thanks to the power that is chicken thigh]! Ahh I love the oven. It's an amazing invention. I think I'm going to make more baked chicken from now on...
And for my daily fruit fix: canned pineapple in pineapple juice [no added sugar! Yay! Much healthier than the versions you find in Singapore...].X__X Horrendously lazy I know..
It's basically some hit songs performed in a medley fashion by Utada Hikaru and our beloved SMAP on the show SMAPXSMAP!
Sit through the first couple of minutes of them chatting, then enjoy a fit of laughter at their boyband antics that tickle me so much because of their.. how should I say it. Seniority.
Plus it reminds us that SMAP's voices aren't the best in the world, no matter how much you want to believe it.=P And their dancing is... *ニコニコ*
My Emotible!
starry-eyed: filled with such youthful hope and optimism that one's eyes twinkle even when it's dark
Wish List
ie: motivation to save money!
- clothes
- shoes [heels! boots!]
- the perfect tote
- coats/outerwear! [Soïa & Kyo, Burberry...]
- Gackt - nine*nine
- Gackt Photobooks:
1 The Gift The Sixth Day & Seventh Night Tour Document (2004)
2 Crescent Photobook (out of print)
- Cookbooks!
1 Thomas Keller The French Laundry Cookbook
2 The Nobu Cookbook
3 Emily Luchetti A Passion for Desserts
4 Alice Medrich Pure Dessert
- Anime/Manga
1 Rurouni Kenshin
2 xxxHOLiC
3 Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-
- Proficiency at Japanese!
- Learn French for Food!
