Category Archives: My Life

Laferla Cross walk

Another great area for walking, is the surroundings of Laferla Cross in Siggiewi. The walk is uphill and a bit tiring, however, you get to see the best views of Siggiewi and all the countryside which is part of the town I am living in. The photos below are of what you can see once up the hill. In the coming days I will also include other photos of the walk which leads to this cross. I encourage you to go here, as it is very peaceful and relaxing. It’s also really clean, and has just been renovated by the Siggiewi Local Council, thanks to the funds from the European Union.

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (47) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (48) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (58) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (13) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (34) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (38) copy

20150319 - Laferla Cross Siggiewi Walk (41) copy

I wonder…

Sometimes, I wonder why I used to spend time with certain people, even when they gave me so much shit….
Is it perhaps, because I did not love myself enough, or is it because I was in love with the idea of someone?

I wonder…

We love heartbreak, and we love putting it on ourselves. We’re more nostalgic for things that never happened than we are grateful and present in the things that are. We start missing things we never had, that we just created in our minds, in this false, alter-reality.

Brianna Wiest

Solar Eclipse

Have you managed to see the solar eclipse?

Are you stuck at work?

Is it too cloudy where you are?

This is what I managed to capture in the not so sunny Malta:

20150320 - Sun Eclipse (8) copy

20150320 - Sun Eclipse (9) copy

20150320 - Sun Eclipse (12) copy

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My Pimped up Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino

Today, I decided to take a well known recipe and pimp it up to make it more tasty. It turned out divine and thought I will share it with you. Besides… I have not shared one of my recipes with you for a while 🙂

This can be served as either a main dish or as a starter…

Ingredients (for 2)

  • 200g pasta of your choice
  • olive oil
  • garlic, crushed
  • chili oil  (optional)
  • chilies, de-seeded and chopped thinly
  • mushrooms, chopped
  • butter
  • fine herbs
  • parsley, chopped thinly (optional)
  • spring onions
  • salt and pepper
  • cheese (grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, optional)

Method

  1. Start with cooking the pasta of your choice according to the instructions on the packet. Make sure that you leave them al dente. Drizzle some olive oil and fine herbs.
  2. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid in a glass on the side.
  3. In a frying pan I melted the butter and sauteed the crushed garlic and soon after, added the mushrooms.
  4. Once golden and not yet browned, I’ve put in the thinly chopped chilies, and added chili oil for the extra hot spice.
  5. Add the reserved cooking liquid.
  6. I didn’t want the spring onions to be fully cooked which is why I added them at this point. I wanted the bits to remain crunchy-ish.
  7. Once ready, add the pasta and season with parsley, salt and pepper.
  8. Toss to make sure that the pasta is covered in the mixture and everything is combined.
  9. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.

20150319 aglio olio peperoncino pimped upBon Apetit!

Tattoos of Famous Paintings

As part of my on going research to find my next tattoo, I’ve indulged into researching tattoos of famous paintings, starting with my favourite painters/artists of course. Art has been a part of my life for years, and whenever I am on holiday, I do my best to visit art museums to learn more about this subject. My favourite museum to date is of course in Amsterdam since Van Gogh is my number 1 artist 🙂

Here’s some tattoos I come across, in no particular order:

  • Banksy

art_banksy art_banksy2

  • Hokusai

Art_The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” by Hokusai

  • Pablo Picasso

art_“War and Peace,” by Pablo Picasso

  • Salvador Dali

art_“The Elephants,” by Salvador Dalí

  • Michelangelo

art_“The Creation of Adam,” by Michelangelo

  • Van Gogh 

art_“The Scream,” Edvard Munsch  art_van gogh starry night

Of Age and Maturity

(no, I am not talking about aged wine here…)

During the weekend, I always try to find some time to go through the posts written by the bloggers I follow, which I might have missed during the week, when I was too busy to catch up. One of the articles I came across, was the one in relation to age.

I must say, that most often than not, I fool too many people I meet. There’s an assumption that I am still very young, so they wonder how could I have accomplished so much at such a tender and innocent age. It’s almost funny. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like  a compliment. I am 27, and will be 28 in October. That’s why I have purchased a house, that’s why I own a car and that’s why I am so mature. When you are at a certain age in life, you have certain commitments and because of this you need to grow up. You can’t just waste all your money on every little thing you see and want. You have to think it through. Do I actually need this? Will I use it? Will I make it to end of the month? Sooner or later, you accept this and you just deal with it without getting annoyed at yourself and the limitations. To an extend.

To me, being mature is a good thing, as long as you know how to loosen up and have fun when the situations require you to do so. What is life without a bit of an adventure, without drinks with friends and without doing things at the spur of the moment? Sure, I am a bit of a planner and I hate it when things I planned don’t go my way. But when you sometimes go out without making any plans and go with the flow, when you least expect to enjoy yourself… those are the times which you will remember and which you will treasure.. Nothing wrong with being spontaneous, as long as you keep your feet on the ground and not do anything irrational!

Along the lines of age and maturity, I really do not appreciate people who can’t be mature during times of need. They just like taking the piss out of everything, and all they deserve is a slap in the face, or their head smashed into the wall…Point taken, I think? With this in mind, what I am about to say comes with no surprise; This is why I am no longer interested in guys who are my age or younger. They just stress me out, and I feel like I am their mother; having to tell them what to do because they don’t know any better… or teach them how to be mature, and save up some money in case hell breaks lose. You can compare it to a mission impossible. Is it so much to ask to be responsible of your own actions and to be able to deal with your own crap?

Seems like it.

So until then, I shall remain a cat lady……… Maybe one day, one great guy will sweep me off my feet once and for all.

A stroll in the valley

The weather forecast for this weekend is of several rain showers throughout the day, so the moment I saw some sun out and the clouds were apart from each other, I decided to take a risk and go for a walk. After a very stressful and busy week at work, I thought this might do the trick and help me relax for a while.

Some of the scenery I came across:

20150307 - Walk in the Valley (2) copy

20150307 - Walk in the Valley (4) copy

20150307 - Walk in the Valley (1) copy

20150307 - Walk in the Valley (3) copy

20150307 - Walk in the Valley (5) copy

The stroll in the valley close by was successful, and I have a bigger smile on my face now 🙂

Happy weekend folks!

New Zealand dreaming

I have just come across an article claiming that New Zealand will need around 50,000 workers to move there in the next two years. Seeing this is my dream destination not for just a holiday, but for living, because of the fact that nature is at its best and it’s not so over populated, I started thinking what my life would be like there.

Turns out that they are looking for a lot of technology workers, most of which in IT.

Here is me hoping that they would open up their offers outside of Australia, to us Europeans… Who knows what I decide on doing then….

nz

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/expertise/wanted-by-nz-it-workers-to-fill-up-to-50000-jobs-20141127-11vdl8.html

The Importance of Storage Space

So yesterday, I came to another conclusion. Women in general think more than men; they plan, and they think ahead about the future, and what they might need then.

This all came up, while I was doing one of the things I enjoy doing the most at the moment; Thinking about how I will set up my rooms. After I finish up the courtyard this summer (provided that I manage to save up the money required for it), I will get started on my living room.vintage

While wanting it to be appealing and comfortable, I am thinking ahead about how to best handle the lack of storage space in my house (at least, until I renovate the cellar).

I have been looking about possible nice looking, vintage/classic style storage spaces,  and coming up with ideas on sofas with storage spaces as well as an awesome TV cabinet, with book shelves and cupboards.
As soon as I mentioned this to a good friend of mine, he started teasing me about being women, and our ‘things’; the walk-in wardrobe, extra cupboards, racks, wall mounts; you name it… He mentioned, how we all want this, but for him a garage is just enough. He made it sound like something is wrong with us for wanting this. I think, men do not understand that we we are not just thinking about the present, but also about the future. Sure an extra storage space might not be required right about now, but what about in a couple of year’s time? If you don’t plan your furniture right, you might end up having to change your furniture to accommodate more storage space, or add up another piece of unmatching furniture which could have been avoided if thought out properly.

Car Wheels Displeasure

You might already have guessed it, but today’s post is going to be one of those rants….

On Saturday early afternoon, I found one of the rear car wheels punctured… I’ve always wanted to learn how to change the car wheel, but the screws are always so jammed and rusty, that I could never for the life of me unscrew them. Usually my father has a bit of a hard time, but one way or another he manages. Not this time round. Not even my brother who trains attyre the gym on a daily basis could. What the hell is going on? We oiled them.. and nada. We called a garage which fix punctures and it closed at 2pm. Unlucky, I thought. Turns out it was a slow  puncture so at least my weekend was not entirely ruined.

The Saturday night I met a friend in Msida and we walked to KickStart, which is a rock bar in Santa Venera area. We had a great time, but while walking home a bit after midnight, rain started pouring. First slowly and pleasant, then heavily and unbearable. Thankfully it was not windy so we waited it out for roughly 30mins under one of the house balconies. I drove my friend home and was driving in Msida valley. I had no idea that after 30mins of rain the valley is already dangerous for average sized cars. I had to reverse all the way back to take another route. Made it home, end of story.

Sunday I had a guest over so I did not bother with the car.

Early Monday morning, first working day of the month; the busiest day at work… And I find another flat tyre. If I was not busy, I would have started laughing. Who would believe you, two flats in two days? Both of the screws were jammed right in. In order not to waste more of my precious time, I enjoyed an hour and a half trip by bus to work, and another back.

Tomorrow morning I have to find a way to take my car down to a tyre garage. Wish me luck!

PS. Thank you Transport Malta for your excellent service and ensuring the roads are safe for driving with minimal damage possible!

//end rant