Thursday, July 28, 2011

mi don

siempre había querido tener un don. una virtud natural, un talento innato.
así, como ponerme friente a un lienzo, pintura en mano, y crear una obra de arte.
o abrir la boca y entonar una canción con armoniosa melodía.

y que todos dijeran "¡Oh!"


también me hubiera gustado tener el don de la suerte y ganar a la ruleta la primera vez que jugara (lo cual no sucedió, mis 20 euros se fueron en menos de 2 minutos).


o el don de la escucha, o el don de que todo lo que cocinara tuviera un sabor mágico (pregunten a quién haya probado mis pasteles/tartas).

o, ¡uy, qué bien me vendría ahora!, el don de la escritura. que al poner mis manos en el teclado salieran las ideas que justo quiero decir de manera estructurada y poética.



pero no,



resulta que tengo otro don. un don bastante curioso, pero al fin y al cabo, un don: hacer la salsa bechamel.


y así fue, de no saber qué era a quedarme estupenda desde la primera y cada vez que la hago. así sin más, sin esfuerzo, sin concentrarme, sin intentar. simplemente, la hago y ya. y queda estupenda.



he ahí mi don: hacer la salsa bechamel.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

finishing up a PhD thesis

is like last-minute grocery shopping, 5 minutes before the store closes.


the feeling of panic,



the AAAH!! What else could I add??? What else do I need?? Hurry up!!! Ah, perhaps I should include that and get some more of that!!!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

double-geekness

- Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day: 23 April 1616. Oh!!

- In fact, Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 Julian Calendar & Cervantes died on 23 April 1616 Gregorian Calendar. There are 10 days of difference between them (Cervantes died first). Ha!!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

la belleza cuesta









Por una parte, un rímel de casi 18 euros.
















Por otra parte, un desmaquillante de 6 euros.















....Y eso es solamente para las pestañas

Sunday, July 17, 2011

esfuerzo conjunto

terminar la tesis es esfuerzo de más de uno. aunque la que escriba sea yo, hay esfuerzos paralelos:

- mi familia, quien me apoya, me pregunta cómo voy, me anima y comprende que no podré visitarlos (he cancelado ya un viaje en Junio y otro en Agosto) hasta que termine.
- mi novio, quien se ha quedado en casa haciendo cosas en lugar de irnos por ahí el fin de semana.
- mis amigos, quienes tienen que aguantar el hecho que mi único tema de conversación es la tesis. y que no les escribo emails ni les mando fotos ni nada.
- la gente que me conoce poco, pues pensarán que soy una tipa engreída, agobiada, stressosa y de poca conversación.

a todos: ya agradeceré en su momento, por lo pronto tengo que terminar.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

a healthy approach to stress

- Argh. Aahh! I am worried about this and that and that and that as well. Because of that and that, and what if that but if not, what will I do? Why and how? Then, there is also the issue of such and such and of course, that as well. (......) and also, that. Ah, and that! (...) And you, do you have anything that is worrying you at the moment?

- No. I am on weekend mode.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Facundo Cabral



No soy de aquí, ni soy de allá.

No tengo edad, ni porvenir

y ser feliz es mi color de identidad.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

maintaining my sanity

these are some of the ways in which I keep my sanity during the last stretch of my doctorate:

- watering and taking care of my plants (including talking to them).
- cooking (and trying new recipes).
- reading other people´s blogs (and obsessing about the popularity of mine).
- painting (and wondering if it will be a painting worth displaying).
- sleeping, napping, resting (and still feeling tired).
- drinking coffee and herbal teas (and strawberry margaritas).
- talking to my partner about my frustrations (and crying a lot for no reason).
- reminding myself that this is *just* a thesis and not (necessarily) a Nobel Prize.
- thinking of the future & making plans (and panicking about it).
- sighing, sighing, sighing (sigh).

Monday, July 11, 2011

descubrimientos de fin de semana

1. Salmorejo. una delicia para el paladar.

2. La única puesta de sol por el mar.

3. Los monos de Gibraltar.


(por casualidad, las tres terminan en -ar)

Thursday, July 07, 2011

after PhD wishlist

I have a burning desire to start something new, to engage in fresh projects, to create, to develop, to feel the sweet feeling of accomplishment.

By now, I need to concentrate on finishing my PhD. But I have a post-doctorate wishlist:

- to paint my trio of dandelion paintings.
- to do my found-on-the-street-buttons cushion.
- to re-decorate.
- to do something about my books. they are in boxes; I need/want to display them!
- to do something about my hair ? perhaps?
- to join a swimming club or engage in some kind of physical activity.
- to discover a new hobby.

and possibly many more.

Oh, World

What are we doing to you?



What are we doing to ourselves?

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

nebo

this song really makes me happy. It reminds me of a wonderful Summer in Moscow, 2003.


Flying so high! To love each other up in the sky, between stars and clouds. Give me your hand!On another planet, we’ve invented love and a fresh wind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOFkkktE3rM&feature=share

first draft




I will spend 6 weeks preparing the first draft of my thesis.




Tuesday, July 05, 2011

solamente uno sabe



making my blog popular

so, I have been thinking about how to increase the audience for my blog. First of all, my chances are higher if I write in English, I suppose. Although most of the people I care the most speak Spanish. a compromise. Unless I write in both languages. Or in Esperanto, but I forgot it long time ago (If I ever learnt it).

Leaving that aside for a moment, perhaps I should try in vogue issues so that when people search for these words, my blog comes out.
(I really have to think hard about this and to make some searches as I have been out of the real world since I started my PhD/DPhil. Or perhaps I am just getting old and out-of-fashion). There I go:
Justin Bieber.
Lady Gaga.
Royal Wedding. William. Kate. Peppa Middleton. Prince Harry.
(I am in fact struggling)
summer. bikini. lose weight. holidays. cheap flights.
Osama. Obama. elections.
Gaddafi.
Middle East.
iPad. the cloud.
monkeys.
money.
(what else are people searching about?)
football. Copa America.
Chavez.
China.
Greece.
Euro.
Wimbledon.
Pirates of the Caribbean. Kung Fu Panda 2. Harry Potter last movie.
(perhaps some clichés?)
love.
happiness.
friends.

let´s see if that works.

and Hello and Thank You if you are visiting this blog for the first time.

....
A correction after a comment I received from a cybernaut: there is people who speak Esperanto. The problem is that I have forgotten it!! Thanks for the message, and I will try to re-learn it. thanks thanks thanks for visiting.

a manos llenas

No cabe duda que Dios es generoso
y da a manos llenas.

resulta en números

Por primera vez entré a los "Stats" de mi blog. nada más por curiosidad. A pesar de que comencé a escribir en el 2005, los datos de tráfico solamente están disponibles desde Mayo 2009.




Primero: histórico de número de visitas.

Segundo: los post más famosos (al parecer a la gente le interesan los duendes).




Tercero: el lugar de origen de mis visitantes


(o al menos lo que registra su IP).
¿interesante, no?










Monday, July 04, 2011