Where There's No Will, There's No Way

16:00 – sugar craving hits like a bolt of lightning – I happen to be near the supermarket

16:05 – enter supermarket under influence of sugar craving – big mistake, huge!

16:10 – pick up small bag of Natural Confectionery Company mini dinosaurs (yum, my fav) but decide that’s not enough so add Skittles to the basket

16:20 – back at desk, mini dinosaurs are extinct

16:30 – skittles are scuttled

16:45 – nausea slowly descends and sugar-overload depression sinks in

16:47 – why do I never learn?

When good ideas go bad

Fore!

Yesterday I slipped a golf glove on for the first time in a year.


With 30 minutes warm up in the driving range behind me, I teed off on the first hole.  The ball soared through the air, nice and high, straight as an arrow.  Little did I know, as I turned smugly around to pick up my tee, it was all down hill from there.

Luckily for me it was only the five-hole practice course at the Jurong Country Club (and not the usual 18) so the pain was relatively short lived.  The practice course was the clever idea of the "last week I had three pars in a row" BF in preparation for the full monty in Malaysia next weekend.  Very sensible suggestion, given that there have been tears of frustration on the first hole before - surely a record?

I do miss playing golf.  Before moving to Singapore we played most weekends, but New Zealanders are spoilt for choice amongst beautiful, accessible and relatively inexpensive courses.  Over here a round of golf on the weekend could cost you $400 - hence why we are going to play in Malaysia, not Singapore.

I would never say that I am a good golfer - on the contrary.  I'd say that I was an average golfer with moments of brilliance, and that my sand-wedge and I are mortal enemies.  Depending on my form (which fluctuates dramatically, even within a hole), a round of golf is a fabulous way to spend a morning, or four hours of excruciating torture.  I am my own worst enemy on the golf course - I'm competitive, which means I'm constantly comparing myself with Mr Three Pars (usual golfing partner) and usually falling short.  I also expect each shot to be a perfectly executed master stroke - never mind the fact that golf is not a sport in which great skill is obtained overnight.

I'm thinking a second trip to the driving range might be in order before the weekend... perhaps a lesson... or perhaps now it's just too late.

How Far Is 'Until Combined'?

This morning’s planned sleep in failed to eventuate.  At 7.30am I was alive and kicking and knew that I had a quiet morning all to myself (BF got home in the wee hours of the morning so wouldn’t be arising until the pm).  What to do, what to do?  My To Do list is a mile long, but as tackling it would involve me getting out of my PJs, I decided to make muffins instead. 

I searched around for a muffin recipe for which all ingredients were already in the pantry and came across Banana and Coconut Muffins.

My end result

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 ¼ C all-purpose flour

·         1 t baking powder

·         ¼ t salt

·         2 very ripe bananas, mashed

·         ½ C melted butter

·         2/3 C sugar

·         1 large egg

·         ½ t vanilla

·         ¾ C sweetened flaked coconut

METHOD:

1.       Preheat oven to 190°C with the oven rack in the middle

2.       Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl

3.       Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and ½ C coconut in a large bowl and combine well.

4.       Fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened

5.       Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining ¼ C of coconut.

6.       Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes

My Notes: Recipe reviews suggested adding lemon zest and a bit of milk, so I did.  I used one brown and one perfectly ripe banana, and used brown sugar instead of white and halved the amount. 

I only had unsweetened coconut and decided to include all the coconut in the mixture instead of sprinkling it on top because when I make muesli with coconut it usually burns if it’s in the oven for too long.

I also added about ¾ C of plain yoghurt.  I’d read somewhere that adding yoghurt to baking helps it stay moist so thought I’d try it – I hate dry muffins.

Whenever a recipe calls for ‘fold until just combined’ I get a little intimidated – it’s a fine line between too little and too much combination.  I think I got it right though.

Left: Not quite there          Right: Just right?

My muffins started going brown at the 15 minute mark so I reduced the oven temperature to about 150°C for the last 10 minutes.



Before and After (what burnt ones?)

The end result was a very moist, very banana-y muffin – perfect with a coffee on a Saturday morning.   The evidence of any brown muffins was quickly disposed of in the most secure location I could think of – my tummy. 

Next time I think I would go with just one banana (brown/over ripe), keep the yoghurt, maybe add some rolled oats (quick whizz in the blender) instead of some of the flour and perhaps some coconut milk instead of normal milk to make the coconut flavour stronger.   That, plus the Financial Times weekend edition and a coffee on the balcony.  Tough life!

Note to BF: the left over muffins are in the container on top of the rolled oats in case you’re feeling a little worse for wear when you wake up J

Classical Contradiction

I love ballet.  I danced when I was a little girl, and during first year uni I was crazy enough to go back to it with a group of friends.  We were definitely not 'typical ballerinas' by that stage, and a thorough commitment to drinking and partying meant that we were never going to be.  Grown women prancing around in leotards, flesh coloured tights and teetering on pointe shoes made for hilarious lessons.

Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited to the opening of Romeo and Juliet performed by the Singapore Dance Company.

The performance was ok (not the best I have ever seen, but certainly not the worst) but a couple of things non-ballet related struck me as odd.

Firstly let me set the scene.  The ballet is beginning, the red curtain rises and reveals another curtain with a countryside setting and the immortal words of Shakespeare:

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

So far so good, except that curtain remained down for about five minutes.  And that same curtain came back for two or three minute intervals at least six other times during the performance.  Performance momentum was definitely lost and audience attention was clearly indicated by the loud whispers and shuffling of programs.  Unfortunately the curtain became a bit of a joke by the end of the performance - we were all here to watch the ballet but spent a large amount of time watching a curtain.

The second contradiction appeared during the first intermission. I'd read in the program (which was free) that the sponsorship intent was to make ballet more accessible to youth, elderly, underprivileged etc, yet the water available at the bar was Fiji Water priced at $4 per 330ml.  That's $12 per litre - crikey!  It hurts a little when you know you can buy local water from a 7 Eleven for $1, and I'm fairly sure the youth, elderly and underprivileged would not be overly concerned if they were not drinking "natural artisan water".

But I was thirsty, so I paid it willingly.

Don't Judge Him Just Because He's A Lentil

Looking for an excuse to use my new ceramic pot, last night I decided to cook a rather random dish for the tropics - Curried Lentil Soup.

New pot crush - and it's blue!

Puy lentils are tiny green bundles of goodness that everyone should cook with.  They have a slightly nutty taste and don't go all mushy like their red, yellow and brown cousins.  Being a lentil, they're packed full of goodness and are relatively easy to sneak into recipes if you have a somewhat fussy audience.  Luckily for me, my cooking audience of one (BF) isn't intimidated by the words 'lentil' or 'vegetarian', but I know not everyone is as lucky.

Puy lentils are in the rarefied company of Feta, Roquefort and (probably most famous of all) Champagne - they must be certified cultivated in a certain area (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC) to carry the name.  I know it doesn't make the item in question taste better than it's neighbour just over the fence but just outside of the AOC, but I have to admit the food snob in me is tickled... just a little bit.

Back to the lentils at hand.


INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons (or more) curry powder
• 1 cup French green lentils
• 4 1/4 cups (or more) water, divided
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter  
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Condiments and finished result

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.
2. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 4 minutes longer. Add 2 tablespoons curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in processor. Add chickpea puree and butter to lentil soup.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder, if desired.
6. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency.
7. Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced spring onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6, can be made a day ahead

End result - a delicious, just-curry-enough, filling meal.  I added toasted triangles of pita to help mop up the juices as an alternative to licking your plate.  A glass (or two) of red wine and balcony dining are optional.

Leftovers went into the freezer for the 'fend for yourself' evenings - dinner for one.

Hakuna Matata!

It's a really tough call, but I think Phantom of the Opera has just been usurped as my #1 musical by the Lion King.

The Lion King was a hugely significant part of my childhood.  Middle sister and I spent hours (days, light years) singing all the lines, back and forth, alternating who sung Simba/Nala or Timon/Pumba.  Apparently we used to sit at the dinner table singing our way through the movie, line by line -  Mum and Dad must have been nearly catatonic by the third or fourth time.  Even now when I hear snippets of lyrics I break into a solo rendition and sing away with complete disregard for my reputation or the ears of anyone happening to be nearby.

So last year when I saw it for the first time in London (best seats in the house) and Rafiki belted out the opening lines of Circle of Life as giraffe ambled it's way through the theatre seats to the stage, tears were streaming down my cheeks.  I was that overwhelmed.  The songs, the colours, the costumes... the costumes are something else entirely.  They seem to come alive and move independently.  After about ten minutes you completely forget that there is a person there - all attention is focused on the puppet.  But I digress...

When the BF suggested we go again now it's showing in Singapore, I jumped at the chance.  And what do you know, I cried again.

Small injections of local flavour got an enthusiastic response from the audience - the Merlion got a mention, some Singlish ("let it go lah") snuck in.  A few items went over my head - a Chinese phrase and a song I didn't recognise - but the audience loved it.

Behind us was a Japanese family with a gorgeous little girl who clearly loved the Lion King as much as me.  Occasionally she'd burst out with a few lyrics and sing a long.  I was impressed by her rendition of Hakuna Matata. 

Will I go again?  Definitely.

Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!



Meal in a Minute (or Fifteen)

On Monday evenings I have Dutch lessons at 7pm.  Usually this gives me an hour to get home from work and whip up something simple before my lesson.  Lately I have been too lazy to do the food shopping on the weekend which means I have to cram it into the precious hour after work and before Dutch.

So tonight's meal was extremely everything - quick, simple, tasty, healthy and flexible (any combo of ingredients works)

Super Quick Pre-Dutch Salad

Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas.  Chop up some cherry tomatoes, a red pepper, a handful of snow peas, a chunk of feta cheese, two spring onions, and some coriander.  Cut a toasted pita pocket into small triangles (I happened to have one in the freezer left over) and shred some lettuce.

Throw everything in a bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and toss.

I'm obsessed with good balsamic vinegar, so of course that went on at the last minute.

Voilà!

Note to Self: it's so confusing that spring onions are sometimes called green onions!

It's All About the Apron

Yesterday I spent four hours in one of my ideas of heaven - three hours in a cooking class then an extra hour shopping up a storm in the kitchen store.

I love cooking classes, so when my friend suggested Classical Desserts with an Asian Twist I was sold.

On the menu: Lemongrass Crème Brulee and Mango & Ginger Pavlova.  I don't usually make desserts, so I hadn't attempted any version of crème brulee or pavlova/meringue before... I knew it would be fun, but I was still a little intimidated.

Things were on the up when I arrived and saw a coffee machine and our purple aprons (which we got to keep)!

Our chef was brilliant at sharing all sorts of handy tips from his restaurant. 

For example, did you know that the best way to separate egg whites and yolks is with your hands?  If you break your eggs carefully into a bowl you can separate out several yolks with a simple scoop of your hand - brilliant!

  

Scoop and separate - it's that simple

Or, did you know that the easiest way to peel ginger is with the edge of a spoon?  And that older ginger root is much more pungent and spicy than it's younger version?

Or to quickly remove the bubbles on top of your crème brulee before popping it in the oven, just blast it with a blow tourch?  That sounds far more dramatic than it actually is...

Our meringue mixture was a bit wet so didn't quite reach the 'stiff peaks' milestone in the blender, so they wouldn't quite hold their shape on the baking tray, but the raw batter still tasted delicious.

End result: mixed.  My meringues over-cooked I think (they weren't the same pristine white as the chef's) and most of them broke trying to get them off the baking paper.  Probably because they blew up to the size of small houses... oh well, I can't be a domestic goddess every day.

The indentations were for
the mango and ginger...



In the oven, expanding rapidly



The crème brulee was much more successful.  The flavouring comes from infusing the custard, so we infused a hell of a lot of lemongrass and poured the delicious custard mixture into the cutest little ramekins (mine were blue). 

 The blow tourch bit was fun!  The chef's examples were naturally far superior (here's a little something I prepared earlier") but I'm sure mine tasted just as good!

So tasty I wasn't worried about uneven browning

 But the best part?  The best part was not having to clean up!

Before                                   After

Next class - macaroons!

A Truer Word Was Never Spoken

"Rebecca, your only weakness is your stomach"

Infamous words spoken by my boot camp instructor this morning.

She was referring to my core strength, but her words ring true in many other areas of my life!

Basically anything to do with my stomach rules my day:

• I can barely make it five paces if I don't have breakfast in the morning
• I'm like Jekyll & Hyde if I don't eat regularly (scary), not to mention a complete drama queen
• I'm obsessed with recipes and food magazines, and hate to cook the same thing twice
• I think the egg is basically a perfect food item
• I love wine, so much
• Champagne is right for any occasion
• If I'm bored, I find something to eat
• Movies just aren't the same without popcorn
• One of the biggest tragedies of moving to Singapore is the poor quality of coffee (thank god for Nespresso)
• I find it very relaxing to chop vegetables, finely slice shallots and mince garlic
• I'm happiest when sitting down to dinner with a great bunch of friends, great conversation and great wine
• RJ's soft licorice is the perfect sweet treat
• Living in a season-less country makes me miss seasonal goodies - feijoas, asparagus, stone fruit, berries

Ah no... now I'm not only hungry, but also homesick.

Minor Victory & Artichokes

Official weigh-in this morning showed no change vs last week.  Ordinarily this would leave me incredibly frustrated, but this week I consider it a minor victory.  Why?  Because I had such an enormous weekend, I really was petrified that I would go backwards. 

Friday night was book club (lots of nibbly bits - yum) and Saturday night was the Johnnie Walker Jet Black party.  This involved a lot of dancing, music and (you guessed it) Johnnie Walker.  I'm not a big whisky drinker, but the whisky sours were going down a treat.  Wobbling home at 4am, being a complete right-off the next day (and the day after that), I was convinced I would have gone backwards so I resolved to have an extra good week to make up for it... and it paid off.  Whew!



Last night's dinner was a spectacular masterpiece (... if I do say so myself).  In anticipation of the arrival of my Italian bible of cooking (Silver Spoon), I have been practicing my Italian and using my newest piece of kitchen equipment... a small oven-proof pan.


Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast

Note: Small chicken breasts are recommended here - this recipe is very filling!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 roughly chopped marinated artichokes
• 1 cup grated Edam cheese
• 1/2 cup (packed) roughly chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1T dried basil
• 2 chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• 2 finely sliced shallots
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• small amount for spaghetti
• salt & pepper
• grated parmesan for sprinkling

METHOD:

1. Heat oven to 180 deg C
2. Mix artichokes, cheese, basil and tomatoes in a bowl.  Slice a pocket into the chicken breast and fill with mix (there will be heaps left over) and press sides down.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Put remaining mixture to one side.
3. In an oven-proof pan, heat oil on medium heat and lightly fry garlic and shallots.  Remove from heat and add to remaining artichoke etc mixture.
4. In same pan brown the stuffed chicken breasts on both sides.  Add remaining artichoke etc mixture to the pan around the chicken breast.  Add the tinned tomatoes on top and distribute evenly
5. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Cook pasta till al dente, plate and top with torn handfuls of spinach.  Place chicken breast on top and spoon on extra sauce.
7. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve with green salad

Skimping on the Zzzzzz's

I don't think I'm getting enough sleep at the moment. I swear I used to have more energy and bounce around from place to place (potentially very annoying for some people).  If anyone asked me how much sleep I needed each night, I would say a solid eight hours, but I'm probably averaging around seven.

So why am I not sleeping? 

1. Well, for starters my bf is a night owl, often not going to sleep until 11 or 12pm.  This has a two-fold impact - I stay up late hanging out with him, or I go to bed on time, but when he comes to bed I wake up. 
2. Which brings me to my next point - I'm a light sleeper.  I wake up at the drop of a hat at the best of times, but over the past two weeks I've really noticed this.  Reinforcing this is the fact that my bf has some very vivid dreams where he wakes up and either sits bolt upright in bed, or actually gets out of bed, and involves me some how - saving me from a 'snake' in the corner of the room, or thinking I'm a stranger in bed with him... things like this.  Whilst it's endearing that he's protecting me from danger, it means I often wake up with a start.  Over the last two weeks this has occurred at a much higher frequency (almost every second night) - perhaps it has something to do with him starting a new job?
3. I'm addicted to my iPhone and playing scrabble on it.  I'm completely obsessed with an iPhone app called Words with Friends, where you can play scrabble against anyone else with this app.  I have about four games on the go, so it's always my turn.  Often I lie in bed playing scrabble on my iPhone instead of reading a book or going to sleep.  Somehow I think this can't be good for falling asleep.

Note to BF:  I've just re-read my three points - it sounds like I'm blaming you for my lack of sleep... I'm definitely not!  Just feel like I should mention it, since I know you read this  :-)

Being the geek that I am, I thought I would look into this sleep sufficiency lark...

In the short term, lack of sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.  \

GULP!

Apparently, tips for a better night's sleep are:

1. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day - including weekends.  Hmmmm... this is definitely a tough one, not sure I can manage weekdays AND week nights by 10pm... what about a social life?!
2. Establish a regular routine for bedtime (bath, reading etc) and avoid stressful/competitive activities.  Scrabble fits well into the competitive activities (I usually can find a way to make everything competitive)... and I will admit that my iPhone addiction is reducing the time I spend reading... ok I'm going to give this one a go - no iPhone/scrabble before bed and I will read instead
3. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime.  Hmmm... also not very good at this on weekends. 
4. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex.  Hmmm...not bad - except for the iPhones...
5. Have a dark, quiet, comfortable and cool sleeping environment.  Check.
6. Have a comfortable mattress and pillows.  Check
7. Don't eat 2-3 hours before bed - not so good at this...
8. Exercise regularly, but not a few hours before bed.  Check
9. Avoid caffeine.  Check - I can't really drink coffee after lunch time because it keeps me awake!
10. Don't smoke before bed.  Check - don't smoke.

Ok, so the two small things I'm going to try are: (1) iPhone away and read a book before bed, and (2) try to go to bed earlier.  Sounds simple - almost too simple...

An Italian Affair

I'm eating humble pie.  Actually, the treadmill IS quite a useful piece of fitness machinery... at least for training within my heart rate zone.

The reason?  Cranking up the incline allows me to hit my target heart rate whilst walking (incline 7, speed 5.5), and read a magazine!

For the last two sessions I have been devouring my Dish magazine (the best food magazine in the world).

So good I bought the international subscription

I'm a huge fan of Italian cooking, and this issue completely indulges this love.  I am now salivating over the thought of a long Italian lunch... fritto misto, potato, baked pasta with pumpkin and amaretti, braised fennel, agnello alle olive, limoncello and raspberry tiramisu... oh stop it!

I'm dreaming of a summer's afternoon, a white-clothed table in the shade of a giant oak tree, laid with an assortment of crockery and cutlery, a gentle breeze, chilled wine, great conversation and dish after dish of sumptuous home-cooked morsels of goodness.

Clearly I would have biked into the village (I'm staying in an old villa, of course!) on a rickety old bike during the morning and returned with my bicycle basked laden with goodies from the market... ahhhh I love the Slow Food Movement!

One day I'm going to spend three glorious months living, cooking, eating and drinking in Italy... one day...

Ladies, a Plate

Yesterday I was tearing down memory lane at breakneck speed as I sat down to a cup of coffee with a recipe book - Ladies, a Plate by Alexa Johnson.

Ladies, a Plate by Alexa Johnson

Quite possibly this is my new favorite book. It's chock-full of recipes my Mum used to make - oaty ginger crunch, lemon Madeira cake, carrot cake... The afternoon tea tins were always full of delicious goodies when we arrived home after school.

Oaty Ginger Crunch

Lemon Madeira Cake

We know (based on my earlier disastrous birthday cake attempt) that I am not the most confident baker, but I was so inspired to switch on the oven, roll up my sleeves and get up to my elbows in flour.  So I jumped on the Book Depository website and bought it!

Now, I know baking and healthy eating don't habitually keep each other company in the same sentence, but there is something about the smell of fresh baking that is good for the soul. And what else could be more soulful than sharing the sweet labours of your love?

Just as long as I don't eat the whole batch myself!

Frustration

Official weigh in this morning... result: no weight loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRUSTRATION!!

It just doesn't make sense!

I feel better, my skirts are looser, I'm exercising more... aaaaargghhh!!!

Is this as good as it's going to get?  2kg down and then plateau?  Am I actually going to have to sacrifice something?!  Good god, no!

Trying to be objective, I looked back over my food diary for the last week... There was a lot of eating on Sunday night (and wine... and cheese...) and I've been having a lot of frozen grapes recently... but that can't be it right?  Maybe... possibly the Sunday night.

Urgh, I just can't face the possibility that I might have to give something up... this is the whole point of my year - no great sacrifice!  But it's so discouraging to not see any numeric progress on the scales.

I'm going to push on - I'm still on track on my graph (yes, I'm a geek) for the year.  Luckily I made good progress initially.

The Good, the Bad and the Treadmill

In general, I'm not a big fan of the treadmill. 

Oh yes, there are certainly advantages - cooler temperature (air con in Singapore), easy control of heartrate with speed and incline.  But I just get so bored!  Especially last night when I forgot my iPod, but knew that if I went back up to get it Murphy's Law dictates someone would have nabbed the only free machine in the gym.  Staring out the window for 30 minutes just doesn't do it for me (admittedly this is better than staring at a wall for 30 minutes).

So far, my only successful attempt at reducing the boredom levels have involved my Harry Potter audio books.  If I had an iPad I could catch up on some of my favourite shows - Fringe, Gossip Girl, Greys (but not Glee, because Laura would kill me if I watched it without her) - but I don't have an iPad unfortunately.

What my gym needs is one of these:

Then you could upload different scenery programs and synch it with the treadmill program - mountains, forest trails, Champs Elysee... now that would certainly be interesting!

When Old Favourites Go Bad

Vietnamese chicken noodle soup and fresh spring rolls are one of my most loved meals. 

Good examples:

Beautiful, deceptively simple, bursting with flavour, fresh ingredients, lots of lime... I could go on and on

Bad examples:

My lunch today from my local Kopitiam.  Crab meat in the fresh spring rolls and no spicy peanut dip, three enormous chucks of chicken drowning in MSG-loaded broth, not the slightest hint of lime or chilli.

I'm heading to Ho Chi Minh over Easter where I intend to make up for the combined total of my poor pho/spring roll experiences in one long weekend. 

Bring. It. On!