quiet sundays

ahhh it was one of those days. quiet as a doorknob and the days were long and lazy. i live for those days if only for the silence that i always find myself coming home to. breaded chicken breast and winter leaves salad with champagne or sweet wine :) life is good!

the flat stanley project

i received an email from sneha, a daughter of a friend of mine, a month ago before the holidays asking me to participate in a school project called the Flat Stanley Project. Flat Stanley happens to be a childrens' book character who is completely flat and who goes around the world witnessing how other people (depends on where he is sent to) live or in my case, celebrate their holidays. taking pics of a tiny, cardboard boy wasnt exactly a breeze mainly because, (1) people looking at you think you're weird, (2) Gib is windy and therefore i had to find little pebbles to anchor Stanley with, and (3) he takes precedence over everything since if i forget him then that is wasted time. so here are a few pics of Flat Stanley's adventure here in Gibraltar.

flea market finds:crocheted tablecloth and a basket

why are round tableclothes sooo hard to find here? i havent even come across nice ones online! despite this, i still love round tables. they're so homogenious and organic. earthly.
it is my belief that everything comes full circle. that i am part of the circle of life. that everything is connected. and what goes around comes around, etc.
the other week, the mister and i stopped by the flea on our way to Granada. and ya'll know im happiest when i am in a flea :) i saw lots of things but really didnt buy so much as we are on our way to a holiday. i bought this lovely round white crocheted-by-a-Spanish-granny tablecloth for 6euros (down from 8euros) with little spiral tassels... as well as this lovely waterlily/palm leaves basket with a stitched leather handle for 4euros (down from 5euros). perfect for my craft stuff!happy!

GRANADA: walking with ancient kings

GRANADA!
o, where shall i even begin? truly a dream come true for me to see the alhambra. to walk along the hallowed grounds where kings have ruled for hundreds of years. gardens so beautiful its almost "paradise on earth". structures whose walls and doors and windows are replete with intricate carvings its almost pornographic. *dreamy sigh*federico garcia lorca's summer house turned museumby now i think you know i love owls so how could i possibly have let this one pass? very well-done graffiti in the narrow streets of Granadachris in front of the statue of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella whom we know financed Christopher Columbus' expedition to the New World and along the way discovered the Philippinesimagining how people would have felt when they worshipped and sang hymns inside such a beautiful church

i won! i won!

i wrote a short story just for the heck of it and it came out highly commended :) chris said it was a cheesy story but thats what the competition was asking for. write something with the theme "love". so i did. it was the first Rock Writer's Group Short Story Competition 2010.takes me back to my grade school days *sigh*the guy with the longish hair wrote the winning piece by the way. am curious to read his story. by the way, it was also published in the local paper, The Gibraltar Chronicle.

i'd like mine fried to a crisp please

if you are vegetarian, its best that you dont read this post. you see, this is about the very famous jamon iberico. a type of cured ham very popular in spain and is at least 75% black iberian pig. christmas time is when these babies are in abundance and is in almost every Spanish home.
according to wikipedia, the piglets, immediately after weaning, "are fattened exclusively on barley and maize for several weeks. The pigs are then allowed to roam in pasture and oak groves to feed naturally on grass, herbs, acorns, and roots, until the slaughtering time approaches. At that point the diet may be strictly limited to acorns for the best quality jamón ibérico, or may be a mix of acorns and commercial feed for lesser qualities.

The hams from the slaughtered pigs are salted and left to begin drying for two weeks, after which they are rinsed and left to dry for another four to six weeks. The curing process then takes at least twelve months, although some producers cure their jamones ibéricos for up to 36 months.

In particular, the ibérico hams from the towns of Guijuelo in the Salamanca province and Jabugo in the Huelva province are known for their consistently high quality[citation needed] and both have their own Denominación de origen. Almost the entire town of Jabugo is devoted to the production of jamón ibérico; the biggest producer is 5J Sánchez Romero Carvajal. The town's main square is called La plaza del Jamón."

IMHO, it is an acquired taste and i would like mine fried to a crisp please. it is eaten in very thin slices and is considered an expensive delicacy.

comfort food for cold days

peas, tomatoes and mint frittata

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup peas
1 medium sized tomato, cut into wedges
a handful of chopped fresh mint or 1/4 tsp. dried mint
salt and pepper to taste

procedure:
(1)preheat oven to 200degC and grease a medium-sized baking pan.
(2)combine all ingredients and pour into the pan.
(3)cook for 15-20 mins in the oven or until firm.
(4)serve with lightly-toasted bread

time for fireworks

we had the best view of the concert and fireworks! the calm before the storm is this pic before everything went ka-pow!we are happy and blessed :) thank you 2010! and now whats in store for us this 2011? hhhmmm we dont know what's around the corner Lord but we know that you'll be there :)before the clock struck 12 you're supposed to eat one grape for every strike :) and then a toast! happy new year!