Weird days

These are weird days, weird weeks, weird...

Well, spending my days reading papers and more papers about platelet refractoriness makes me a little weird, but at least, working hard helps me clear my mind about certain things.

I´m missing London today.
Apart from the fact that Ryan O´Reilly Band played last week to record live a new CD and I couldn´t be there, today I watched some movies shot in London.
*Scoop: I´ve always thought I could get killed in a car accident in England, cos I´ll never get used to look to the other side of the street when I´m there, just like Woody.
*Notting Hill: Just so sweet!!!!!!!!, Have you ever wished to live a romantic movie?, well, I have, and Notting Hill would be a perfect choice. But sadly, the famous quote "I´m just a girl standing infront of a boy asking him to love her" doesn´t work so fine in true life...

But I hope to come back to London pretty soon, visit Maria, listen to Ryan O´Reilly, eat great food at the Borough Market, and finally get to go to Cambridge and Brighton.

Isn´t London one of your favorite places in this world?
(it is one of mine!)

Gift!

María sent me the cutest gift!

Receiving something on the mail box nowadays (except from bills...) is something full of magic. And Maria sent me this little present that made my day.

The pins are perfect and so funny, and the little horse tin is great for my collection.
Thanks!

I´m back!

Hi, everyone!
Sorry for dissapearing for a long time, but working on my PhD, moving (I hate to move!), working on some papers, and everything kept me a litle stressed out.

But I´m back!

Please check out the set of 8 "Keep Calm and Carry Yarn" cards from Ardiana's Etsy shop giveaway on Meredith´s blog, http://onesheepishgirl.blogspot.com.es.

See you, and have a nice weekend!

The move

A friend of my mother´s always says that you can only survive 3-4 moves in your life, I think she´s right...

Lost and found

Today I went to Madrid Lost and Found office (in Legazpi) to pick up Isa´s wallet (stolen from her hangbag a few weeks ago...).

Once there, while the officer went to look for the wallet, I just stared at one woman that worked there and had a big box full of wallets, and she had to classify and put all the information about the lost objects in the computer (I think it could be the most boring job on Earth).

But this place reminded me of Cecilia Ahern´s book "A place called here", where all the lost things and people lived, once they had got lost. And they had to pick up clothes and things from this warehouse, and put up with the fact of never get 2 similar socks.

Lost and found office

Uncharted

Have you ever listened to Sara Bareilles?
Lovely songs.
And inspiring!

                                                                 (video from Youtube)

I discovered her the other day, now I can´t stop listening to her music.

Enjoy!

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Alonso Martinez, Madrid

Cooking for friends: Bacon and mustard rolls

If you like bittersweet flavour you´ll love this rolls.
There are made with Scons dough recipe, bacon, mustard and sparkled with a bit of brown sugar.

A day in Madrid

Holidays. I took my holidays...
And every day I wake up really early, and with my best smile travel around Madrid (Parla, Móstoles, Getafe, Fuenlabrada, Arganda...) taking my curriculum to every hospital!

Now my knowledge of the Metro lines is so much bigger...

Let cross the fingers!

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"Even more smiles", Calle de Génova, Madrid

Farewell dinner!

Now it´s officially the end...

Residency program has come to the end!

For the farewell dinner we gathered 40 persons!, colleagues, nurses, but most important, our friends.
I was really sad, and happy, and proud, and...

Pilar had prepared a wonderful video with photos, messages from everybody at the Department, jokes, and I´ve got to say some tears ran down my cheek...
It was like I remembered all that I went trough these past years..., and we finally made it!

For farewell present we received an Ipad and a beatiful bracelet.

I´m so glad and thankful for everybody that have helped me to get to the end of this stage...!
And for my friends and colleagues!

Thanks to everybody!
I´m already missing you all!

Farewell outfit

My friends

Cooking for friends: Lemon pie

I love lemon pies!, so fresh, sweet but no too sweet, ideal for the summer. I made this one for the nurses at the Day care Unit.
I know that in Argentina, everybody says that his own Lemon pie recipe is the best. But I´m sorry, this is the best recipe ever!

(sorry for the bad quality pic!)

If you want the recipe, just ask for it!

Last day on call!

Last day on call in La Paz..., as a Registrar!
Oh my God!, Am I that old?

And it´s kind of confusing, because I´m gonna miss everything!, patients, nurses, friends, the hospital, the creepy room, even A&E!!!
But on the other hand, I´m so happy to lose all these sleepless nights, all these worries, A&E!!!, and finish this phase of my life.

The nurses prepare a little farewell afternoon, with a delicious triple chocolate cake for the 3 of us (thanks Laura!). Thanks a lot!

(I´m so going to miss everything!!!!!!!!!!!)

Cooking Fever

Some people eat, some others play sports, or drink, or take Yoga lessons...
When I´m under stress, I cook, bake, etc...

I´m very stressed about finishing the Residency and looking for a new job..., but when I cook, I don´t know, I relax, I forget about everything, even it´s only for a while.

(My flatmate is worried about me and all this cooking)

Cooking for friends: pink cupcakes and baby Sunday

This Sunday I´m going to visit Patricia and her baby, Vera. I made some pink cupcakes to share with them.
(vanilla cupcake with cream-cheese frosting)

Cooking for friends: Owl Cupcakes

Last Sunday on call. Bake some cupcakes to have breakfast with my nurses and cheer up the morning...

Cooking for friends: Zucchini and onion pie

Karem and Isa came for dinner the other night.

I prepared my special quiche recipe..., I mean, this is so easy, everyone can make it!

You can use this base, and the use your imagination and fill it up with whatever you want!!!

I bought the pastry dough at the supermarket, and put it on a 24 cm olied tart pan. 

For the filling:

-3 large eggs

-salt-pepper-herbs

-50 cc cream

Mix these ingredients and you´ll have the plain filling that would work for anything you want for your pie.

(My favorites: BBQ cooked chicken in strips, broccoli and cheese/ roasted red peppers and tuna/ zucchini and bacon/etc...)

-1 small onion

-1 zucchini (sliced)

-1/2 red pepper (sliced)

-bacon (in small dice)

Saute the onion with a sprinkle of salt, add the bacon and then the pepper and the zucchini, cover the pan and let it cook until the zucchini is tender. Spread this filling over the dough and then pour the eggs and cream mix on the them. Spread some Parmesan or Emmental cheese on top. Cook in 200ºC oven for 20 minutes.

Like bull fighting?

Even with all the controversy that Bullfighting creates nowadays, you have to admit it´s something deeply associated to Spain.

This month you can see a photograph exhibition about the history of bullfighting in Madrid Underground, in Retiro Station, though 150 advertising spaces throughout the underground also show pictures to the daily "Metro" passengers.
This enterprise is called "Vía Torográfica" and it´s formed by 12 photographers (8 Spanish and 4 French) that selected pictures about bullfighting from the beggining of XIX century to the mid 70s, and also took photographs about this world.
I recommend the old pictures, full of interesting people and vintage clothing. I could stare for hours at the little details!

Free morning

I was in call yesterday, and now I´m coming back home. I´m so tired!, all I want it´s to run in to my bed as soon as possible. 

But sometimes, when you feel this tired, you can appreciate the little details of the daily routine. Like walking out of the Metro Station and smelling the anis from the donuts someone it´s selling outside. Looking at the photo booth machine and expect to see someone collecting the pictures that people have left behind like in Amelie. Or enjoy just the sunlight on your face...

Cooking for friends: Spinach and goat cheese creps

I really wanted to eat some creps lately! So, with the excuse of Isa coming home for lunch, I decided to release some stress and cook.

This is nobady´s recipe, I mean, it´s just mixing some ingredients together that I knew they would matched.

First you have to prepare the creps, and then you can fill them in with whatever you want. In this case, some onion lightly fried with spinach and goat cheese. Then I used an instant peppercorn sauce (a bit of cheating...) and gratined them in the oven. And..., enjoy!

(And for dessert, nothing better than "panqueques con Dulce de leche", typical dessert from my country: just a crep filled with dulce de leche)

Spinach and goat cheese creps

For the creps:

-2 large eggs

-500 cc milk

-1 tablespoon Butter

-150 grs flour

Mix the eggs with the milk and add the flour, stir only for a few seconds, then add the melted butter. Use a pan with a little butter on it and put 1-2 tablespoons of the mix on it, spread it and let it cook until it´s firm, the flip it over and cook it o the other side for a few seconds.

For the filling:

-1/2 small onion

-half zucchini

-200 grms spinach

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-pepper, salt, oregano, nutmeg

-50 cc cream

In a saucepan put the olive oil and cook the onion with a sprinkle of salt till it´s golden, then add the zucchini cut in small cubes. Cook until it´s tender, and added the spinach (it´s really magical the way spinach leaves kind of melt!). Season to taste. And add the cream.

Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the crep, add the goat cheese, roll it, and put it on a tray. You can use whatever sauce like, spread some grilled parmesan cheese on top. Cook it in the oven for 15 minutes. And...bon appetit!

the creps!

the filling!

ready for the oven...

ready to eat!

Cleaning day

Dinner with friends

After a few useless attemps, finally we got together. We´ve just missed  Angela and Clara. But maybe next time we´ll be all together.
It´s nice to meet your friends after so long, specially when we´re all so busy to meet!

With Marta

My favorite team!

Look what I´ve found!

I found this book vending machine in Parla train station the other day. I´ve never seen one in my life. Good idea dor people that have to commute everyday.

Everything changes

I´ve only been abroad for 3 months and everything changes!
Now there´s a Mac cafe infront of the Hospital. It´s very useful for those afternoons you´re on call and you want something sweet.

In blue

Pre-weekend in Barcelona

Last week I was on holidays. I´ve been all over Madrid scattering my curriculums in different hospitals. And then on Thursday I went to Barcelona to the  Baxter Coagulopathies Workshop. The course is really good, besides that, I went with friends, which makes it even better. And it was near Barcelona in the Sant Llorent National Park. A very modern and eco-friendly hotel ind a great landscape.

On Friday afternoon we went to a mountain bike ride. I´ve only biked for 5 minutes, it was really uphill, so I decided to back off for my own health (I know, I´m not very fit, I´m not proud of it).

The view from my hotel room

With Karem preparing for the ride

Before dinner

Cooking for friends: Strawberry Summer Cake

The other day I cooked the perfect Strawberry summer cake (from Smitten Kitchen). The best recipe ever! So simple, but so tasty!
I tried it with strawberry, cherry, peach, banana and caramel...the possibilities are endless. the trick of it it´s to bake it for an hour in a 150º C oven. And the fruit turns to marmalade!
It´s always a great hit. Thanks Smitten Kitchen! (http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/05/strawberry-summer-cake/)

Amelie

Everybody was surprised when I told them I´d never wached Amelie.  And now, I understand!
Thanks again Maria for this present!

It´s so inspiring. I always liked to think I watched the world from another point of view, enjoying the small details I found  on my way like the walk Amelie gave to the blind man or ljust ooking for different figures in the clouds. And lately, I think just being kind to others can change this world.

These days aren´t good. I´m really overwhelmed by finishing the Residency program and sad because I´m alone. So if someone asked me today  if I believe in miracles my answer would be: not today. But it´s true, like the old man says to Amelie, my bones aren´t made of glass, and I can take the hits of life and stand up for myself and think:
-fresh air is healthy
-I have to prepare myself for a surprise
-I have to take a risk

And even if I looked disconnected from the world like the girl in the painting right now, I know everything will be fine in the end. It´s difficult nowadays for a dreamer to find another dreamer. But perhaps soon I´ll find a good man that knows all his proverbs properly.

For now, I enjoy noticing details no one else does and dreaming of travelling as much as the gnome in the garden of Amelie´s father.

Video from YouTube.

Romantic Friday

On Easter I´ve watched the whole 6 episodes of BBC´s Pride and Prejudice.

So beatiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I came to a very important conclusion:

I want a Mr. Darcy for myself!!!

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Art supplies shop, Geneva

Harinezumi Geneva Experience

MAMCO

I love museums.
And I really liked this one. But, people at the museum wasn´t polite and even asking them any questions respresented a problem.

Nevertheless, it´s full of great art and installations.

My favorites:

* Thomas Huber´s Fishtanks.
* Christo´s Corridor Store front
* Cècile Bart, suspense at Geneve
* Claudio Parmiggiani, Crypt: it´s really scary, yo have to enter a dark room, and then, after a few seconds inside there, you start seeing hand prints on the walls.