Preparations for New Year´s Eve

My holiday´s finished today. Yes, it´s a pity. Tomorrow´s back at everything: the Hospital, preparations for London, studying and more…

If anyone of you likes these weeks in which the world seems to be finishing 31 st December, please, raise your hand! However, this sensation was even worse in Argentina, where December meant running against time with a hot sticky summer on your back, melting while you tried to leave every business solved in the old year.

Yesterday, I went to the cinema to see New Year´s Eve. I liked it. If you knew me by now, you´d realize I love this kind of movies. I don´t know. There´s  something inspiring about this Holiday movies.  Like they give you the idea that everything´s gonna be fine next year. That sharing, forgiveness and love will surround us and make this world better. That´s why I like them. Of course, there´s always the romantic theme, I´m not gonna deny I also enjoy this subject (I love cheesy things  nowadays). But, all the sudden, watching a movie in which you´d like to be living on, it´s nice.  I went  to the cinema with my mother, and next to us there was a couple of fifteen-year-olds, that spent almost the entire movie talking and kissing. I felt a little old. And a little sad (not having a boyfriend by my side to kiss during the movie…), but it´s OK. Going with my mother has the advantage of talking of how hansom can Josh Duhamel be, and discussing Sarah Jessica Parker´s shoes. So, it wasn´t that bad at all.

I´m on the train to Madrid now, I´m carrying my hugeeeeeee suitcase I bought for the London trip. And I don´t even wanna think how I´m gonna pull it throw the Underground. That makes me also think, of how I´m gonna move with this large suitcase in London. Don´t worry, I´m used to moving big lugagges in public transport.

This New Year´s Eve,  I´m also on duty.  Dinner with the nurses  (the most funny, caring and nice crew!).  I hope this year for a quiet night, and please,  not a very sad one! I have to take the dessert. I´ll make the Smitten Kitchen´s NY cheesecake. And I´m also preparing some chicken and bacon rolls, and homemade flavored bread. This means, Friday´s afternoon I´ll be cooking like crazy.

And what about New Year´s Resolutions?

This year I´m so nervous about the London thing,  that my resolutions are kind of forgotten. Not caring about the ones from 2011, and somehow, not making new resolutions for 2012. Tricky, isn´t it?, and a little disturbing I might say.  But still I don´t forget I have to finish a proyect about Invasive fungal infections (or the Doctor responsible for it would kill me!) before the end of 2011.

To sum up: this year was a good year.

-I presented my Thesis (predoctoral, but still a big effort!)

-I´ve started using my Lomography camera.

-I´ve travelled with friends.

-I´ve met a lot of interesting people.

-I had so much fun.

-I´ve practiced a lot (and I really mean: a lot!) my English.

-I´ve started my Blog (now´s when the guy with the “applause sign” comes in!!!, so clap your hands!)

And I don´t know. I still have to find Prince Charming. I hope 2012 will bring him to me. While waiting, I have new Projects, and that´s the most important. It´s going to be a hard year, I know. I´m finishing the Residency program on June, and my life will change a little. But even if I´m a bit scared, I trust everything will work out fine. I have a feeling.

Enjoy what´s still left of 2011!!!

Vintage Analogue Love

Yes!, it´s here with me again!

My Minolta XG9 is back home.

It´s been in my brother´s storage room for almost 3 years, but at last is with me again.
And, though, I never knew really well how to use it, now I know a little more about Analogue Photography. So I´m already using it. I has an expired film on it, so let´s see how the pictures come in the end.

This camera is bound to me. When I was born, my Grandma Elena bought for me (well, she bought it for taking pictures of me when I was a baby, really, then for me...). It has taken really good pics in every family holiday, and it´s even a good childhood memory. My Dad, carrying the camera, the tripod, the lens, etc through every Patagonian path we walked or taking photos in every birthday party.

And I´ve always said I´d wanted to learn how to use properly. Now, I haven´t taken a course, but at least, I think I know a little more of Photography. And I´ll use it.

I´ll show the results, don´t worry! (I´ll take it round Valladolid this afternoon)

Cooking for friends: Christmas cake (budín Inglés)

Like a little tradition, I baked the Christmas cake for my friends, and some muffins. all properly decorated for this time of the year.

Everyone who wants this recipe (from Sra De Palma´s recipe book) can ask for it.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

Hi!, Merry X-mas to all!

Preparing Christmas this year was hard. And even though Christmas is my favorite Holiday, this year I didn´t have neither the time or the will to enjoy this time of the year properly (I won´t say who´s to blame).

So after wishing merry X-mas to everybody I know in the hospital on Friday, I had lunch with my friends to discuss important business. And of course, at night, we went dancing till morning. There were very few people in Madrid that night. Waking up to take the train at 9.40 was really hard, but I made it.

Even if it sounds tacky, I love listening to X-mas music, so, from the moment I prepared my luggage or wrap the presents, I listen to the typical “Crhistmas movie music” (Winter Wonderland, Jingle bells, Santa baby…).  Michael Buble´s last CD it´s great to get the X-mas feeling.

Great dinner, with lots of homemade food and pastries, and lots of presents. What´s great, it´s that  what I bought for everybody was a success, on the other hand, apart from my parents and auntie gifts, the rest were boring presents. But it´s OK. The most important thing this time of the year, it´s sharing with the love ones. And so, I wish you (like Bill murray in Scrooged):

“Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone”

(video by You Tube) 

Humming...

Ít´s not him coming across the sea to surprise you...

(The Park by Feist)

Yes, I´m sad.

The Julie and Julia project

Have you ever watched a movie that inspires you?

Well, lately I´ve been feeling a little worn out, like nothing could catch my attention, and everything seems too much work. All that I loved is kind of lost in the daily routine and everyday worries. It doesn´t matter, I continue doing things that I like. Somehow, stop painting is one regret I have. But I never find time to do it, and I don´t really know why. And this movie really inspires me to do things I enjoy and paint again!

The other day I watched Julie and Julia. What a great movie!!!, I loved it! Julie is kind in my situation, she´s not entirely pleased with her life, and she´s turning 30.She needs to find some goals and make a change soon. She loves cooking, and when her husband gives her the idea to blog about it (which she loves) and her Idol and roll model Julia Child (an important icon in American cooking) it seems like a perfect task to take charge of her life back .

The plot develops between 2002 in NY and the early 50´s in Paris. Mixing Julie and Julia´s stories.  Julia arrives to live in Paris with her husband. She loves eating and she loves food. So she decides to start taking French cooking lessons. But she wanted the real deal, so she takes a French cooking class for professionals in the Cordon Bleu. With some friends she stars writing a book of French cooking for the servantless American people. And that book and its recipes become her life during 8 years working on it, and then, opening for her the possibility of teaching people how to cook. The couple is really in love (I must admit I felt a little envious about that…), and her husband is adorable. And when on Valentine´s day he says to her: “you´re the butter to my bread and the breath to my life”, even if it sounds cheesy, I found it lovely.

Julie starts writing the blog. At first, not even her mother reads it. But she enjoys the cooking so much that she doesn´t care if she leaves half of the payroll at Dean and Deluca buying ingredients. And the meals she prepares look delicious!

And so the story goes on. Julie´s house is great, I mean, the style is great, I´d decorated my entired house like that if my flatmate let me. And her style, her clothing: so fancy and funny! She wears a lot of brooches like I do, and she has some really good ones. And the food looks  so delicious that I´ve already decided that “Mastering the art of French cooking” by Julia Child is on my X-mas  wishlist!

I recommend it. It´s a fantastic story. And, yes, it´s inspiring for me.

Pics and a lot more

I´ve got a Lomohome!!!, you can visit it at: http://www.lomography.com/homes/merabovetheclouds, see my analogue pictures, and leave a comment.

A Lomohome is my space in the Lomo community, where I can place my pictures, comments, and learn a lot from other more experienced lomographers, earn prices, write my opinions, and share all that at the same time.Hope you like my pictures!

I´ve only taken 5 120 mm films. I love multiple expositions. I still have to try the flash. But for now, I´m really glad with the results.

My next purchase will be the Lomo Fisheye camera (I´m giving it to myself as a Christmas present!).

So..., Welcome!