Something I totally didn't expect...

My view during lunch. I ate by the counter today... and I got a Euro off my tab.

Today was a good day in the food consumption world! For breakfast I ate leftover paella from yesterday's lunch gathering. I sprinkled some special paella-mix spice over the dish and reheated it til it was smoking hot. That was good.

For lunch, I decided to walk along Calle Miguel Angel just to expand my knowledge of the neighborhood. I saw a bunch of business folks entering this small eatery. It was crowded... and I could only manage to find a seat by the counter (which was perfectly fine... since I just felt like eatin' and runnin' anyway). I ordered their paella-ish looking dish~ and after tasting it I realized that I probably should've added more mushrooms in my vegetarian version (it somehow, strangely reminded me of eating oysters). For the main course, I was given some tomato-based chicken dish with fries. It was pretty good actually~

For dinner... well... that was the surprising part. A few weeks ago I found this place called BUNS that offered awesome burgers. A week later I met a few classmates who also claimed they ate pretty awesome burgers too (and from a different place at that). So anyway, I went to this place near school coz I was exploring the area. They served burgers... so I ordered the waiter's recommendation.

Chipotle Burger with Extra Cheese at Goika Grill

This burger was awesome! And the fries were great too! And this was something I totally didn't expect from Madrid! Like seriously! I mean look at it (and look at the cheese)!

Anyway, just wanted to share this observation I've had re: burgers in Madrid. Someone should mention this on Lonely Planet so that it gets its own "Insider Tip" section.

Ikea Living Room Makeover

Before and After~ There's a lot you can do with lighting, color and lotsa BOXES!

Today was the day I was changing things at home. I woke up at 830am to do some cleaning. I swept the kitchen, corridors and living room. I hand-mopped all the counters til things were clean.

I took the initiative to clean and de-clutter the house because I personally felt it needed some semblance of peace. You know, I had personally chosen to live in this place because it was within a 1-min proximity from school. It had a good kitchen and a decent bathroom. Despite these good things, my room is tiny and the living room is a bit of a mess. And... apparently, stuff from the previous owner was still around, the shelves were dusty and things were all over the place. The day I saw this place I was like, "This is so gonna change!".

And so, earlier this morning I posted a note on our school's FB page and a classmate of mine from Egypt joined me to Ikea. From 3-630pm, Shehab and I would go through every inch of Ikea til we found every item we needed.

Well, actually... we both ended up with more stuff than we needed. In my case, in addition to improvements for the living room, I purchased some essential kitchen equipment. I bought a grill pan as well as the real-deal-Spanish-paella-pan! In the case of Shehab, he bought this heavy drawer and a chair, together with other items for his near-empty 1-bedroom apartment. We hired a mini-van and I later helped him carry his stuff back to his place (Oh my back!!!).

Once I got back to my place, my housemate Anantha helped me clear away non-essential stuff in the house and packed things onto our wooden boxes. After a little bit more arranging here and there, well, you could see the result above!

Now I personally feel this place is suitable to accept guests! Tomorrow I'm hosting a small lunch for Anantha as well as a few others who are also vegetarians. It'll be my first vegetarian paella. I honestly hope it works out!

(Photo courtesy of http://www.newbalancesolde.com)

Side Story (Inspiration for Couch Color Combination)

My living room has this red couch which, in my opinion, should serve some sort of accent to the living room. And, well, since the living room was also small, I needed some items to make it feel cozy.

I remembered a special pair of New Balance shoes I owned back in Singapore (New Balance Special Edition Candy Pack). I figured adding purple to the red tone of the couch would add some vibrancy to the space.

And of course, to counter balance things, we cleared up an entire shelf to dedicate it as a point of focus for our eyes to rest. Adding plants as well helped make things appear more peaceful. Anyway, that was that!

Egg Drop Challenge

Egg Drop Challenge~ one of the more interesting workshops I've had here

This Egg Drop Challenge happened yesterday. Each team was given 21 straws and 1m of tape. We were instructed that we need to protect the egg using the materials given and drop it off from a height of 2.7m. We could reduce the drop by 7cm for every straw we returned. We could also deduct 60cm if we managed to answer a puzzle. After which, we need to present our creations and "sell" it to the entire class. And oh, we have only 1hr to do everything.

This exercise was quite an interesting way to reinforce teamwork in a group. The math-inclined members of the group decided to solve the problem while a few of us agreed to create the most practical design with the least straws. Luckily, a member in our group was an engineer... so he volunteers to help construct things. In my case, I helped cut the tape (haha big help right?) but I offered to also "sell" the idea after.

Different teams came up with very unique designs and structures. Ours? The one on the right!

Well, it turned out that we were the team that used the least straws. In total, we had given up 14 straws while others more or less used it all up. I was amazed with the things they had created.. it looked really structurally stable. However, well... I guess not everything went according to plan. Of the 9 designs that were created, only 2 survived. And yes, ours survived (with that design!!!!)!

The session was quite comedic... not only were the presentations entertaining but watching the contraptions fail / succeed was interesting in itself. I heard that the next week should be equally interesting.. so I'm quite looking forward to that!

Opening Day at IE University in Segovia

This place I always goes to serves this big piece of bread~

Before I start off on what happened last Wednesday, I guess I would like to start off on food here in Madrid. It's been 2 weeks since I arrived and I believe I've mostly eaten a lot of Spanish food. It's great! But now, I think it's time for me to eat some real Asian food too! I told So about it and she's been sweet enough to actually send a box of stuff from Korea. It should reach Madrid by next Monday. Depending on the contents... I may use it as a bargaining chip to my Korean classmates!

Lunch in Madrid is usually from 2-4pm. Honestly, I haven't adjusted well to this new time schedule (same applies for dinner). There have been instances that I've had 30-min breaks at 1030am and I've decided to wolf down food just so that I won't go hungry around noon. They say we'll adjust... might be so. But at this point, I guess not yet for me!

It's not a mass demonstration~ but students who have been waiting for their buses to arrive!

Opening Day began last Wednesday (April 3). We were told to wait outside the IE Library tucked deep into the posh neighborhood of the Salamanca district. Despite living only 1-minute away from school, I was there by 8am. And yes, truth be told I was the first person to arrive at the scene. For a moment I thought I was in the wrong place because nobody was there. Luckily, trickles of people came in... and soon, we were plenty.

At that point in time, I had lived in Madrid for at least a week and a half - and I've also attended some student-initiated gatherings. Then, I thought I had already met a lot of people. Apparently not... I would soon realize that I had only managed to meet about 20% of my classmates in the program. Waiting for the buses to arrive turned into a major outdoor social event of getting to know each other.

The school notice board said to be there at 830am sharp because the buses were leaving for Segovia. Well, guess what~ it arrived way past 9am!! It was extremely cold outside and I was hungry. The nearest Starbucks was 15mins away and none of us wanted to risk getting left behind if the bus suddenly arrived. Anyway, later.. just when my friends and I considered to get coffee, came the buses! Oh well!!

I was in a moving vehicle... so this was the best shot I could take of the scenery! Fail!

The journey from Madrid to Segovia lasted for an hour. I was seated next to Sushant, wbom I had met a few days earlier in a dinner. Sushant is from Delhi who worked in London as a software engineer. We exchanged stories in the bus about our lives and had a fairly good chat about a number of things.

At one point, I asked him about things he enjoyed / hobbies he had. He replied~ "Nothing really. I don't have hobbies in general". But I followed up by mentioning that "Oh, by that I meant things you like. For me, I like looking at landscapes, scenery, long distant views. I also like old, historical things". After that statement, it turns out that we indeed had a lot of hobbies in common.

The entrance to IE University in Segovia

I appreciate looking at peaceful sceneries ~ and apparently so does Sushant. I told him about the paintings my parents gave us during their wedding anniversary~ and how I ended up choosing paintings of landscapes, farms and other images that showed long distances. Later that day, Sushant would grab my attention to direct me to look at the back of the bus. He just said, "Miko, look". I turned around and saw this amazing plateau stretching in the distance. I looked back at Sushant and we both knew what had something in common!

We finally reached Segovia after an hour's worth of traveling. At that point, I was tired (and to think it hasn't even started yet). But I guess the excitement of seeing the famous entrance at IE University did quite change things. The entrance was impressive... and the congregation of business suits in the area was quite awe-inspiring. I personally felt that it could have been a suitable first episode of The Apprentice if we had a camera crew and Donald Trump also in attendance!

The red lights up top actually help heat the area. They said it had to be on for 2 days just to heat the church!

And so, the Opening Ceremony finally kicked off! We listed to each of the speakers and their advise for each of us. I personally enjoyed listening to the Admissions Department on how diverse our class was. 71 nationalities are represented in our class, with backgrounds in Financial Services, Construction, Consulting, Biotech, Marketing, etc. In my case, Media & Entertainment was at 3% of the student population. It was interesting to know that there some people in class who previously worked in the military, was a professional boxer, a national rugby athlete for their country, etc.

Me with Tom Cruise (just kidding! but he says he does get that a lot)!

Lunch break came quite late... around 230pm. So at that point I really made sure to have all my conversations near the food table! Food was really good, might I add! Later I ran into Sushant again and told him to follow me to the other table... apparently there were different items there too (mini burgers, other sandwiches, etc.)! Getting to know other people at this point was fun.

By 430pm the festivities were over. We grabbed a couple of photos outside (photos in my Instagram account) and headed back home. Everyone was exhausted.. and a few people even fell asleep. As much as I wanted to sleep, I wanted to look back once again at the scenery because I knew it would be a while before I would take another road trip. Anyway, that was what Opening Day was like!

Finally Settling In

Photo of my flat from the outside. It's daytime... so it's kinda bloated.

Finally~ I found a flat! Two months of being a nomad & living off a single suitcase is over! It was Jan 31st when I handed over the keys to my 2-bedroom apartment in Singapore - and since then, I've lived a month in an interesting building in Dhoby Ghaut, 10 days in a nice apartment along the East Coast, nearly 2 weeks in a boutique hotel along Joo Chiat, and another 10 days in a hotel here in Madrid.

But I guess more than the sense of stability & peace of mind I got from finally settling in, it's more the stability of the Internet connection that makes me happier (seriously, living in a hotel wasn't bad at all). In the last 10 days, I would need to reconnect to the 'Net every 3 minutes. Not so cool when you're trying to have a conversation on Skype, while the hours away on YouTube or even search for something on Google Maps. Totally not cool~

But anyway, that's history. And I'm now happy to be living here in my new flat! Yay!

The famous Plaza Mayor~ and its fare share of crowds

Yesterday I met up with a friend from Grade (Primary) School. We were never classmates... but we knew each other through the Grade School COMELEC. The COMELEC was a special group composed of 8 students who were, well, recommended by teachers and trusted to count the votes of the entire student body. Our task back then was to stay overnight in school and manually count every vote made.

He moved to Madrid October last year and is currently taking his masters in sports management. In his stint here, he has managed to come up close to the likes of Fernando Alonzo and Zinidine Zidane (with Zidane, he met him at the toilet..). Quite funny actually!

We met for a quick beer and headed off to see some of the sites in Madrid (Interestingly, since I came here I haven't even started doing the touristy things). We took the metro to Gran Via, then walked over to Puerto del Sol, Plaza Mayor then finally to Mercado de San Miguel. Along the way he would share some tips and stories of his life in this Spanish city.

For a moment I thought it was a real person!

In the Philippines, we also have paella - mainly because we were a Spanish colony for 333 years. And since I was in Madrid, I was curious to know how the real paella tasted like! And so, for the past 3 days, I sampled some paella dishes from the small cafes and restaurant chains I saw on the street. My verdict - not as amazing! But to put perspective into the matter, those two places I went to probably wasn't known for their paella. It barely had anything in it. It was salty. It didn't have that OOMPH. Well, that was until I went to Mercado San Miguel with my friend.

Mercado de San Miguel: I should come back here with an empty stomach!

Mercado de San Miguel had a whole lotta stalls. And, well, they sold paella by the bowl / plate. So, I tried a small bowl's worth. Magnificent! I had flavor all the way, and it wasn't AS salty. Not bad! But then, well, unlike our Philippine paellas, this paella I tried didn't have much ingredients. But that said, I was pretty happy to finally sample something good! I'll likely do my research to find the reputed "Best Paella" in all of Madrid. I'll likely make a blog post dedicated solely for that.

Anyway, time to unload my stuff from my suitcase and start doing some shopping (yes, my cabinet can take the load!!).

iPhone 4: Missing in Madrid

(Photo by veneer.com)

Alas, it finally happened to me: my iPhone went missing! But, I wasn't exactly the victim of any particular theft or street gimmick. This time, it was my own doing.

The entire thing happened in less than 5 minutes. I was exhausted from going out so I decided to take a cab home. So, upon boarding the taxi, I put my phone in my jacket pocket. The trip was short... possibly only 6 minutes long. But at some point, quite near my hotel, the driver made a sharp turn that took me off balance. I noticed that my Swiss Army knife flew out.. so I immediately grabbed it and placed it back in. Apparently, my iPhone flew out as well. I totally didn't notice it.

And so, before leaving the cab, I took a look at the seat to see whether I left anything. After that quick scan - nothing. Well, of course I didn't see it coz my phone was also black. So it magically camouflaged itself on the seat. I was on the elevator.. and soon.. well, that's when I noticed my phone was already missing. I went back downstairs... but unfortunately the taxi was already gone.

Actually, I had a similar experience a few months earlier in Singapore. I took a cab... then the phone slipped out of my pocket. The only difference then was that I was able to remember the taxi number, was able to call them back, and got my phone an hour later. How efficient, isn't it? Well, not here.

Well, unfortunately I didn't get to subscribe to the whole "Find My iPhone" service on iCloud and so there's no possible way for me to locate it / erase all data. Luckily though, I did back up my stuff and I also managed to download most of my contacts on this mass-mailing software I had. I also luckily placed a Passcode lock on it to prevent people from easily accessing my data... and well, again, luckily my SG SIM Card wasn't there either. I had placed an Orange SIM that hadn't been activated yet (and every time you turn on the phone, it'll ask you for that PUK code). My biggest regret though, are the countless messages / photos inside. Hopefully the entire phone will be rendered useless to the person who gets hold of it.

But that said, I've proceeded to cancel all  relevant cards and likewise changed all passwords. But still, damn.

Getting a new phone right away would've been ideal... but most shops won't open til this coming Monday due to the Easter holidays. I'm checking out this company called Student Phone to see whether I can get a new line at a cheaper / better rate. So yeah... farewell iPhone, it's been fun.

PS: Interestingly, I was planning to replace my phone a few weeks back because it was quite faulty. The home button wasn't working properly and the power button was jammed. I've had that phone for nearly 3 years... so I guess it was about time to finally switch.

City for Sale (or Rent)

SE ALQUILA... Everywhere! (Photo by www.aluvionpopular.com.ar/)

A week prior to landing in Madrid I was freaking out... mostly because I had not been issued my student visa (and true enough, I only got my visa 5 hours before my flight... but that's another story). The other half bugging me internally was that I have yet to find a flat to live in. But that said, I should be fine~ there should be cheap hotels / hostels nearby I can find myself in regardless.

I had heard stories that due to the recession that Madrid was technically for sale. And true enough, it was something I noticed while walking down the chilly alleys and streets near my school. Every building I saw had this sign. It would've been tempting to actually call each of these numbers in order to secure my flat... but then, my command of Spanish is close to nil. And so, I would resort instead to online searches and offers made by IE students on the Housing & Rentals FB page.

Just by the entrance is where they'll be (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

The other thing that caught my eye here was the abundance of beggars on the street. The Philippines actually has a lot... and I haven't seen any since I had moved to Singapore. In my mind, I was expecting beggars in Spain to be... well, Spanish. Turns out... it's not the case (well, from my observation in the Salamanca area, a week into my stay here). I've noticed that beggars fall into 2 categories: nomad gypsies or African migrants. Amazingly, they all speak the local language. They usually strategically station themselves outside grocery stores. Sooner or later, because I'll likely frequent these stores, they'll likely recognize me as I pass through each time. I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet (it's like seeing a person over and over in school but never talking to them outside school. I dunno, I get that feeling). Well, we'll see~

I wanted to talk about my short-lived incident that happened during lunch earlier today. For some reason, after walking 10 minutes I suddenly felt dizzy (like in a hungry-kinda-way). And so, I went to the nearest cafe in sight to order lunch. My hands shaked as I ate. I wanted to show a Google Maps photo of the place I had my lunch... but I realized it was a different restaurant on Google Maps. The same applied to this cafe at the intersection of Calle Serrano and Calle Lopez de Hoyos I've been frequenting the past few days (I've eaten there 3 times in total). On Google Maps it's a different place altogether. I suppose the economy had to do with it.

Alimentacion (Photo by Roberto Rocco)

But on another note, there is something that I've found amusing. As the Philippines has these sari-sari stores that you'd find in every corner, Madrid has these chinos or alimentacions (mini-thrift / convenience stores) run by... you guessed it, the Chinese! I say amusing because I've always believed in the entrepreneurial & risk-taking nature of the Chinese... no matter where they are in the world. And surely, this seems to be a niche they've managed to create here in Spain. I've bought my Orange SIM card from one of these stores. And likewise, water, snacks and even these recharge cards.

My Chinese is quite limited... but it's way better than my Spanish. I've found using Chinese much more useful here coz they all understand Mandarin (with exception to one store I ran into... where the owners were actually Cantonese-speaking. But as it goes~ they speak Mandarin too).