the collaboration project!

Spanish guy and I are collaborating with Mix MASTER AJ to produce our first ever duet!

The studio was brought to our house and we spent hours sampling music, and jammin to the music vibe before we finally starting recording. More works needs to be done,...

this is only the beginning, I REPEAT, this is only the beginning! (cue loud sirens)

consurso gastronomico in my school

MY Spanish language school organized a food fair where everyone brought in food or a dessert made from scratch that is typical from their country. We represent some 30 different countries, so you can imagine what the results were, the pictures tell all. I brought along one of my best friends that was visiting for the weekend. She prepared chocolate chip cookies, I didnt bring anything, I know, I am horrible!! I didnt have time!!!

Well, I have to say, I have never seen so much food, presented so nicely from so many different countries in the same room IN MY LIFE!! It was a very unique experience, and I stuffed myself silly!!

us, stalking the plates we wanted to try:

All the cultures coming together to share their food and try others, real cool vibe!My favorite plate of the day, typical from Russia, made by one of my good friends from my class:

ME, gettin it poppin!!! Later the only thing that was poppin was my skirt buttons!

All of the food:

At the end of the fair, we left having tried food we never had before from Russia, Nigeria, China, Ukraine, Morocco, and England, to name a few.
YUMMY YUMMY IN MY TUMMY.

IM GOING TO BE A NEW YORKER AGAIN!

SO--- BIG NEWS...

I AM MOVING BACK TO NYC FOREVER!!!!

(okay, thats an exagggeration, but Ill be there at least for a year)

I didnt get the job I applied for in France (too competitive) and I decided to live and work in NYC to save money to buy two properties, an apartment in NYC and a house in a small town on the beach in Spain.

I cant wait to live the NYC life again!!!

Now I just have to find a permanent, high-paying job. ugfff...

FILMS, FOOD and FABULOUSNESS!

I am now living in one of my favorite parts of the year in Malaga. For three weeks (which started last week) there is an intercultural festival where countries from all over the world come and cook food and make drinks to sell to people. There are also traditional products and concerts (salsa, african dance, belly dancing, etc). So Spanish guy and I have gone to Peru to eat yuca, Mexico to eat guacomole, Colombia to eat arepas, every night we go to a different country, cool, no?, eat the food and dance to their music. We still want to go to France, Australia (although Im not too excited about the kangaroo burgers, but Im sure I can find something vegetarian) Greece, Brazil, CUBA (of course!!), Egypt, and Germany. I LOVE IT!! ITS SO FUN AND YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO DO AND SOMEWHERE TO GO THAT IS 5 MINUTES FROM OUR HOUSE!

We passed by Australia but we didnt stop... next time.

Spanish guy in Columbia, HAHA!!
Also, the Malaga Spanish Film Festival started yesterday. This festival completely takes over the city. There is a red carpet on all the major streets, celebrities and the media stay in the city for a week and eat in our resturants and dance in our clubs. There are very unique and well made movies to see for about 5 euros and parties after. A lot of the plazas are turned into outdoor lounges where people just chill and drink and walk around the city looking amazing, I put on my cute dress to walk the red carpet, haha, its such a great vibe! I love it!! I havent seen a film yet, but Im reading the guide to select one.

Besides that, this is the time of the year where you dont have to wear a jacket, you can go to the beach during the day and participate in one of the wonderful cultural activities at night. ITS FABULOUS!

volcano erruption

A huge volcano is errupting in Iceland and causing havoc on all of Europe including Spain, HUGE black clouds are covering the skies! Ive never seen anything like it before. Its quite beautiful I must say.

VEGETARIANS RULE!

I'm planning a HUGE VEGETARIAN BBQ BASH for this Saturday. I'm SO excited!

anniversary run!!!

Yesterday, April 11th 2010, was Spanish guy and I´s one year anniversary. We had both planned on running a half marathon together (neither of us have ever run a half marathon before) but when we signed up many weeks ago some of the application information was wrong, etc and al final, only one of us could sign up... we accepted that and moved on...

On Saturday night, Spanish guy and his mom walk through the door with TWO numbers, TWO tee-shirts, TWO bags of goodies (they went to pick up my number because I was still not feeling too well). He somehow managed to sign himself up and surprise me with it!!! aww...

I was happy!!! So yesterday, April 11th, 2010, we ran our first half marathon together on our one year anniversary. I think it´s the sweetest thing!! Usually couples buy each other flowers or go out to dinner, etc, but NO SPANISH GUY AND I ARE DIFFERENT, WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY!

Despite barfing my brains out for 2 days straight because of the stomach flu, I drank as much water as possible the day before, tried to eat as much as I could, and ran my ass off. Spanish guy stayed with me for the first 3 miles then went off (he is much faster than me, after all he is over 6 feet and I'm barely reaching 5 feet three inches on my tall days).

He finished in 1 hr and 54 mins and me in 2 hrs and 6 mins-- 12 minutes slower than he was, but I rocked it considering that I was sick for so long, I RAN PRETTY HARD AND FAST, 13.1 MILES!!!!





After the race we took a longgggg nap, had lunch then went out for tea in a traditional teteria. It was so relaxing, especially after all the energy of the early morning...



We have another one year anniversary coming in in one month, which will be a bigger one. I know this is confusing, but its too difficult to explain, and I am still weak from the stomach flu, so I have to take a nap now. More soon.

TOUGH DECISIONS.

I´ve had a stomach virus the last few days and have a 13-mile race tomorrow, I wonder if I should still run...

Am I strong enough? OR is Am I stupid enough? a better question? hahaha

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BROTHER AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!!!
I miss you and wish I was back in NYC to celebrate with you!
xo

sux to be so far away.

artichokes, brownies and bread-- HAPPY EASTER!

EASTER 2010 in Malaga, Spain.

Its tough not having family around, but I am hell bent on keeping the traditions alive. I was raised with the Italian side of my family so every holiday I ate Italian food. THIS YEAR despite the Spanish not celebrating Pascua, I whipped up some YUMMY ITALIAN FOOD-- ALL FROM SCRATCH!

• Vegetarian Lasagna with zucchini and spinach mixed in with the fresh sauce
• Peas in a pod with a delicious garlic butter sauce
• a simple salad
• AND MY FAVORITE which I am so proud of, STUFFED ARTICHOKE with garlic, breadcrumbs, lemon, oil and dried oregano.
• Vegetarian lentils (for a bit of protein, I follow the vegetarian food triangle)
  
• ALSO, Spanish bread from a small village and cured cheese
• And of course, to start off Spring on the right food, homemade lemonade

(all of this while listening to Salsa music, 'my other half is Cuban' haha)

I have to say, I am very proud of myself. I just wish that my family could have saw it, I know they would be very proud of me. It was my first time cooking Easter dinner.

Spanish guy made a delicious brownie with walnuts and strawberries with whipped cream.

After a long conversation with all my family in Brooklyn, I am ending Easter happy, proud, and FULL!

prepping the lasagna, grandma would be proud...

the beginning of the hurricane...

I was so full I felt sick, haha...

me not so happy, before I spoke to my family...the gorgeous Easter dinner...

YAY!

YUMMY...

me and my love cooking!!!

ONTO DESSERT:

The next holiday I will be back home in good ole NYC!!! WOW, can't believe it!

Pascua y semana santa

Hoy es Pascua. Estoy empezando mi día con mis deberes de mi clase de español. Después voy a correr 12 millas (22 kilómetros) YYYYYYYY para seguir con la tradición de mi país, voy a cocinar una gran cena Italiana para celebrarlo. Aquí en España, ellos no celebran Pascua, celebran Semana Santa en general con figuras o tronos de Jesucristo y la Virgen María. La gente llevan estos tronos por las calles todo el día y noche durante una semana (y pesan muchísimo) con una banda de música siguiéndolo. The men are dressed with traditional church gowns some of which wear pointy hats. The KKK in the USA got the idea from España, entonces para mí, es un poco "creepy" para ver esta gente caminando libre por la calle, pero bueno, es la tradición aquí.

Aquí hay algunas fotos de Semana Santa de este año.

beach weather is back in Malaga!

So I had my number one girls visiting me this week and we took advantage of the good weather. Last year at this time I went on a Costa del Sol beach tour, (usually in March the beach weather begins) and I feel like we did a bit of that this year too! We went to Nerja, La Malagueta, Torremolinos and los Alamos. We ate, drank, flew kites (or attempted to), made sand art, played paddle ball. It was SWEET!




I am IN LOVE with KITES! I'm going to buy a HUGE rainbow kite this week and fly it every weekend!