Cinnamon and Coffee

"Oh I could bury you alive, but you might crawl out with a knife and kill me when I'm sleeping"

2012-02-04T14:15:00.001+02:00

Before getting into medical school, I would marathon House M.D. like my life depended on it, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the long words they used and the cases they anguished over before magically solving them in the last 5 minutes but, 5 years later, I can definitely say two things: it's never this magical or interesting (sorry, no penis fish around here) and it is Lupus surprisingly often. That'll teach us to live vicariously through tv shows.

*

Surgery rotation yet again and one too many conversations about jaundice than I could normally stand. But thank the gods for the pancreas to keep one interested and the food, oh yes the hospital food which is so extremely delicious at this particular one that for this striking tastebud delight I would brave the snowy streets and the dark underground tunnels daily. (Old hospitals are great as they're designed like bunkers with tunnels and passageways that are perfect for those days when the snow is mushy and you're wearing nothing but scrubs, flats and your underwear and there is no way you are walking out that door, hell to the no!).

(I also started writing this post last week and then life decided to throw a banana peel on the floor and watch me slip around like in a bad Charlie Chaplin movie rip-off. But after a few days of hell, things are falling back into their rightful place again, I am laying off the emotional eating, everyone is back to being nice and healthy and I can get to wear anything else but scrubs so I guess we all get our victories where we can.)

*

The problem to being pulled at from all directions is that sometimes I give up on certain things, like healthy eating and taking care of my hair. When I've been away for too long from the great invention of our century, shampoo for colored hair, I stick to faking it with the help of a few bobby pins and youtube how-to videos.

The red lips are also a great mode of distraction. More "Fuck yeah, trendy red lipstick!" and less "Umm, I know you're all sorts of busy because you want to be the less whiny Dr. Meredith Gray with an addiction to watching too many movies and tv shows but come on, do something about that hair!"

*

If The Boy is too distracted by Assassin's Creed and on the side of curious, one can get away with things like these. We are fighting gender stereotypes as we breathe :))

*

I was one of the lucky ladies who were invited by the Romanian fashion house Tina R. to model one of their t-shirts from their new collection and when I saw the piece they hand in mind I just could not say no.

I drove The Boy crazy with my random exclamations of "It's so fluffy" and weird excitement as I grabbed him by the collar and walked him out to the garden to have an improvised photoshoot as the first snowflakes turned everything a dainty white.
(Thinking about it now, as the whole country is under mountains of ice and the walk to the corner store feels like fighting the damn Frost Giants on their own turf, our excitement feels annoying in retrospect.)

For the Romanian readers and fashion lovers, Tina R is also holding a cute mother/daughter fashion contest!

Tu şi mama ta sunteţi fane TinaR? Dacă tu ai între 18 şi 30 de ani iar ea, între 38 şi 50, trimite-ne o poză cu voi două la mama-fiica@tinar.ro până în 12 februarie! Intraţi automat în selecţia celor 5 cupluri splendide mamă-fiică pentru shootingul campaniei de primăvară-vară TinaR. Şedinţa foto de grup se va desfăşura în Bucureşti, în a treia săptămână din februarie, iar vizualurile vor ajunge în vitrinele magazinelor noastre, în martie! În 2012, TinaR sărbătoreşte 18 ani de modă românească. Bucură-te şi tu alături de noi, la majorat!

Wearing: Heart T-shirt courtasy of Tina R (get it here!), Zara skirt and cardigan, Mango coat,Accessorize tights, Nine West boots.

More of them here :-)

The next time I walked out in the snow without gloves ended with me sitting with my hands in a sink full of cold water yelling after my mom if we have any vasodilators in the house and wondering how red my hands will get before they get blue and fall off. Winter, you are not as awesome as the Coca Cola commercials make you seem.

*

Highly recommended for your reading pleasure: The Art of Fielding and The Night Circus, two wonderful books that will have you turning pages (or clicking buttons, depending on one's choice of medium) in a frenzy. They go well with a comfy couch, a nice cup of tea and gingerbread.

That photoshoot was also the last time I got to walk out of the house with another purpose than hospital visits or trips to the grocery store. The Boy and I did have a mental breakdown this Sunday and we melted our brains at the cinema and saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was just the perfect dose of corny and vapid with a pinch of kaboom to offer a intellectual respite. (And also: the car, the perfect car!!)

I also tried my brain at watching Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy but I zoned out after the beginning credits and all I could tell you is that Gary Oldman is King and that Benedict Cumberbatchmakes a weird blonde. Will investigate further today, fingers crossed!

(But I am sure that even after a more serious viewing, I will still be in the Gary Oldman is King camp.)

*

Song of the Day: Scissor Sisters - I Can't Decide

"We’re waiting for a superhero intervention."

2012-01-07T17:25:00.002+02:00

I think this Christmas tree will grace us with it's presence for a long time seeing as we are two lazy people in this house who would rather play Xbox and read books and watch the multiple movies that are currently downloaded and waiting to be enjoyed and bake and, and, and. Thank god the next Christmas is just around the corner :))

Some people start a new year doing extraordinary things like climbing Mount Everest or finding the cure for the common cold or figuring out what it is about little itty bitty puppies that makes humans turn into big piles of goo. I am not those people.

I have done nothing productive since the clock ominously struck midnight. I have finished the second Game of Thrones books and have watched so much Sons of Anarchy that I am falling in love with the sound of a chopper, I have seen Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in cinema twice and am ready to sacrifice my newborn on the throne of David Fincher, I have trained my body to survive on nothing but junk food and sugar and have spent so much time in bed that I think I will be forever wedded to it. And even though in my world those things sound impressive and monumental and all kinds of deep... I have been told by normal people that this is neither dynamic or constructive.

Luckily for me I could not here those people over the sound of how splendid and satisfying it is to enjoy what will be my last vacation until July this year. So, to quote Dickens, Bah Humbug! to the critics and hello to two more sweet days before hospital rounds crush my soul and make my brain cry all over again.

*

It was The Boy's and my 2 year and one month anniversary yesterday so we decided to enjoy the beautiful days of sunshine that have been bestowed on us by the gods of winter who are also on a holiday it seems, and have a nice brunch and walk around the city.

But, in the words of the great Terry Pratchett: Gods like a joke as much as anyone else. So of course, it started raining and the whole world turned into a giant wet pile of gray.

Brunch was still great but the walk was damp and the park was cold and we were only saved by our tourist-y umbrella we have left over from our trip to Amsterdam.

You can tell from my face that I was not pleased. Or I was hungry. The face I'm making works in both these situations.

I got new boots and they have been properly baptized in the mushy porridge that is the ground.

Wearing: Mango coat, Lashez dress, Accessorize tights, Nine West boots.

I also looked like poodle who has been licking the electric wall socket. I would take this moment to thank the makers of my anti-frizz hair conditioner and cream. You go, Glenn Coco!

*

After my mother kidnapped me to go buy food and we ended up in approximately 20 stores with a slight hypoglycemia and a headache but with dresses and boots (She has a problem with buying boots, so many boots, because when the end of the world comes you can never have too many boots. And tuna cans.), we felt a tad guilty so we detoured through Zara Men. We had to fight off some hipsters looking for painted on jeans and Lady GaGa t shirts but in the end we got this for my boy.

Because Steve McQueen is cooled than we'd ever be even if you stuck us all in a polar icecap and let us drift slowly in the ocean. True story.

Also: pretty nails.

*

Song of the Day: Johnny Hollow - Superhero

"I wanna be evil, little evil me, just as mean and evil as I can be."

2011-12-31T18:18:00.002+02:00

There's no place like home, thought the ruby red bauble as it sat in the tree. Or, that's what I presume it would think if it could think, because the smell of pine tree and fresh baked muffins, the feeling of cuddles and a belly so full, that's what makes it feel like the holidays. The gifts don't hurt either ;)

I know I am starting to sound like my mother but damn, this year seems to have passed in a blur. I am happy because it was a good year, more or less, but at the same time I am starting to get that nagging feeling in the back of my head because I am this close to finishing medical school and then comes residency and then comes my master's degree and then maybe even a PhD and oh boy, actually growing up? So yeah, 2012 you will either be as amazing as the invention of sliced bread or you will kick my ass from here to Asgard. I'm still excited though :)

Because, even with some downs so down I might have scrapped rock bottom with my heeled boots, 2011 was nice, more than nice.

I finally found the people at my uni whom I love more than a fat kid loves a candy shop (yeah, my med school group rocks, our online chat group is not named Masterminds for nothing!) and that makes even the most tired days on whatever rotation a bit easier and a bit more fun.

I also got to spend sweet lazy days geeing out with Alice and nights chatting with the wonderful Smaranda, and meeting amazing beautiful girls for coffee and fabulous fairs, and even though my love for fashion in the conventional sense has dwindled a bit, I am glad to report my love for all these excellent blogs has just gotten stronger because of the people behind them. (I suck at commenting though so maybe this new year will keep my ADD under control :P)

I read amazing books and became one with the couch in my quest to watch as many movies and tv shows as possibly can (maybe I'll post my top favorites, if I can get my fingers typing and if my brain can narrow it down) and I came to finally accept that I am the kind of person who cannot simply just like something, it's either obsess or nothing - as my Tumblr could probably prove.

And also celebrated our 2 year anniversary with The Boy, so really life couldn't be better right now ♥

So this is me wishing you all a happy new year, and lets make this one kick-ass, okay?

One last photoshoot to end the year. With my perfect new Doctor Who t-shirt (from my boy who knows me so very well) and just out of the cinema after watching The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, so I was all sorts of giddy and all kinds of frozen.

You never forget your first doctor. I am so going to wear this shirt on my first day of residency, mark my words.

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

A bit of Neil Gaiman goes a long way. Happy New Year everyone ♥

Song of the Day: Eartha Kitt - I Want to Be Evil

"We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun."

2011-12-15T16:21:00.003+02:00

When I die and my life flashes before my eyes, I think the only things I'll see will be books and tv shows and movies. And probably this exact end of the couch.

I know this might be just the exhaustion and the cold and the winter-which-is-bad (winter-which-is-good has reindeers and lights and fluffy Charlie Brown snow) and the hypoglycemic crash after the sugar high but: I cannot wait for the Christmas vacation to be here so I can do like a brain burrowing parasite and tunnel my way to the middle of my marshmallow soft duvet and take shelter there until February, only coming out for air or to change the show I am watching.

Yes, normal people's expectations and dreams are skyscrapers, mine are the tiny pebbles that inhabit the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But I heard it's nice down there, all quiet and most importantly a perfect place to sleep. Because I am sure that if I hear the words congenital heart malformation again I will act all PTSD and jump behind the first piece of furniture I see and curl up in a ball.

(For a person who doesn't get it, I sure do talk about sleep a lot, don't I? That would be sad if... no, wait, yeah, it's sad).

The Boy and I spent some time in the kitchen this week, either for cooking scrumptious, complex meals that we could pair up with a nice bottle of wine and a re-watch of The Boondock Saints (how completely amazing, silly with a hint of berserk and deranged is this movie? I love the Boondock Saints and you can roll your eyes at me but I can't help loving perfect movies with the perfect hint of gratuitous violence.) or lazying it out and eating cereal out of the box.

You know what works well when you're just a tiny bit hungover? Improvised photoshoot!

Wore this to my darlings Roxu's birthday party which was a great night of dancing and drinking and of food runs at 4am and saving pigeons. That last part if not a euphemism.

What's the point of having a long, flow-y skirt if you don't get to swish around in it?

The cardigan I bought just because it had sparkly pockets. I guess this is the reason why I am not allowed to have a credit card.

Wearing: Zara skirt, Mango tee and necklace, Kotton cardigan, Musette boots.

The purple hair I mentioned. I feel like the teenager me is proud right now. (Well, proud as she can be when she's not sulking in a corner listening to Linkin Park because no one gets me, god!)

These are the earrings I won in the MySelvagedLife and Pansy Lane giveaway. They are ridiculously gorgeous and I thoroughly recommend visiting both sites :) Thank you so very much again for making my jewelry box a happier place.

(Deep down, my mother regrets buying me this skirt as gift for St. Nick's.)

Speaking of hair, I was so pleased to be invited to test out a new hair care line from Newtone. I got a mail from the lovely Alina asking me if I wanted to try the new line of hair care - shampoo, conditioner, special lotion and vitamins - designed to help nourish and regenerate the hair. All the products contain special ingredients to help with any dry scalp problems or hair loss and make hair a little bit happier.

And the good part? They smell divine ;)

Hand written note. I am a sucker for hand written notes. Want me to do something? Just send me a card and I will be clinging to you like a leech to a warm body part :))

So I tried them out and really enjoyed it. Because I am the perfect example of a faker than fake red-head, my hair has suffered profoundly after two years of dyeing and my scalp is usually very dry and I am scared one day I will wake up with no hair because my hair follicles will just get up and leave instead of suffering through one more bleaching at the salon (my hair is very outspoken, you see.) so these weeks of treatment did it good.

The treatment really did wonders to my scalp, no more dandruff and dryness from the second washing. Though I will be honest with you, I have spent this time mostly inside the house, in my PJs with my hair in a tight bun and forgetting to comb it for days on end so I'm not sure about the hair loss (glamorous med student up in here!!) but I think I did notice less hair on the brush when I did have to leave the house and do my Rapunzel moves :))

The only thing it did not solve were my hair ends, which are usually dry as a mummy at the British Museum. But I do not think it was not for the lack of trying or from a bad product, but because my hair ends are the ones that have suffered the most bleaching and dyeing and are naturally either brittle most days or soft-ish in a good day. I am sure the treatment would be ace for people who don't put their hair through a blow-torching ever 4 weeks :) But I have to admit, my hair did feel a bit more smoother and shinier after a few washes so I do give it a thumbs up for breathing a bit of life in my fake fiery mane.

All in all, it's a very good product and would wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone out there who wants to take care of their hair better than I do. It's nourishing and I think perfect for your hair if it wants to survive the cold weather.

Check out their site here and enjoy: Laboratoarele Newtone.

To quote my mother: "If your hair didn't looks like a transvestite dancer's before, it sure looks like it belongs on stage now." And yes, I am taking that as a compliment because my mother always means well. Mostly(ish).

Song of the Day: Trent Reznor feat. Karen O - Immigrant Song

"I want to drive you through the night, down the hills."

2011-11-27T14:14:00.001+02:00

Those awful mornings when you have to wake up really, really, ridiculously early to study but you end up shoving your phone under the bed and sleeping until half the city is already halfway through their to-do list while you are a groggy, comatose mess. Well, at least coffee tastes great regardless of the hour.

Pediatrics has been kicking my ass, that's all the news on this side of the blogosphere. The kids are adorable and it sometimes takes all I have to not pick one of them up and run away yelling "Mine mine mine mine!" (I'm looking at you, cute ginger kid from a few weeks ago, oh my god your tiny little nose and your cute freckles still make me melt in a pile of goo!) but I suddenly understand why my mother, with 30 years of medicine under her belt, still cringes when she hears the word pediatrics.

But I feel okay about that, because even though I still can't hear anything when listening to their lungs - except for the waaaaaahhhh when they're freaked out from the stethoscope - and even though I am constantly nursing a cold because they always sneeze right in my face, I still love it. I think this is what Stockholm Syndrome is all about :))

Got to drop by the Absolutely Fabulous Fair and managed to not see any of the clothes but spend all the time giggling with Alice about our love for Supernatural. We even caught poor Anaivilo between our fangirling but she proved not just sweet but incredibly stoic and put up with us bravely ;))

Anaivilo's great shoes and tights combo that caught my eye.

Meet Andreea for the first time and ooh-ed and aahh-ed over her purchases. Alice managed to garner my respect again because, unlike my mental hangups when it comes to it, she can wear rings like it's n one's business.

Got to meet Costin M. for the first time and also saw the fabulous The Hearabouts girls and Laura, who all looked amazing - as always. Check out all their blog posts for more photos; trust me they're all worthy of your undivided attention!

A week spent in the house studying of course lead to other things. I read one glorious book (The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - I recommend it!), cleaned my room almost every damn day and found pencils and books I though lost in the cave that I call my room, watched half a season of Firefly and cried when I remembered that's the only season (might have been sleep deprived by then, blah.) and enjoyed food like a medical student can only enjoy when she's sleepless and procrastinating.

Add to this a steady diet of spinach tagliatelle, fresh parmesan cheese and delicious Belgian chocolate my mother got as a gift from some friends who visited this November and you've got... well, to be honest a girl who thanks the lord she got blessed with good genes (thanks mom!).

Okay, so take a bunch of medical students bored out of their wits, add a couple of hours before a class where they learned more than they ever needed to know about schizophrenia (a.n.: dear mother nature, thank you for blessing me with a normal brain chemistry, I owe you one.) and then you just need to tell them they can visit the Antipa Natural History Museum for free and our collective IQ suddenly drops by exactly 43.7%. True story.

Giant giraffe. How could we not play with it? How, I ask you!

Wearing: Mango dress, H&M shirt, Accessorize tights, Musette boots.

It was also the last sunny day of the year. I think that fact will excuse our behavior, don't you agree?

As the weather cooled, I've moved from actually spending time outside to dedicating my winter to a permanent vegetative state. That includes getting snug as a bug in a rug with a good book or my Kindle, watching a lot of movies (Drive! The Boondock Saints! Crazy Stupid Love! The Incredibles! Tron!) or ridiculously bad-but-so-good tv shows (The Walking Dead, how I missed your discussing self!).

And of course Sunday brunch with The Boy :)

I was freezing here. But I had also a) drank a Mimosa at 11am and b) found out Mimosas are alcoholic so I was past the point of giving a tiny rat's ass :))

Wearing: Mango coat, Kotton dress, Musette boots, Zara bag, Alice & Sara headband, vintage bracelet.

(Got purple highlight. Cause that's how I roll. Will hopefully be able to show them off some more next time. If I don't turn into a giant sloth as soon as December knocks - or, more likely, bludgeons down my door in party hat demanding all my body heat and mental capabilities.)

Drool worthy American pancakes. And Mimosas. With alcohol. Before noon. My liver will one day sneakily leave my body while I'm having a food coma nap, I can just feel it.

♥

Song of the Day: Kavinsky feat. Lovefoxx - Nightcall

"Kill your heroes and fly, fly, baby don't cry."

2011-11-01T22:36:00.007+02:00

How to enjoy a day of baking: buy all the ingredients, pop open a bottle of wine, find a good movie that you've already seen a couple of times so you won't feel like you're missing something (my choice was Iron Man, because you can never get too much of Robert Downey Jr.) and then keep your fingers crossed that you don't burn down the kitchen or drop the batch of brownies all over the floor and yourself and get 2nd degree burns (...not that that has ever happened to me, nope, never, I am a good baker, I swear! Ahem).

I have gone through the plague and survived, hear me roar with health!

Okay, might be a bit of a drama queen here, it was not exactly the plague (that is soooo 14th century), it was more like a tiny cold virus but the idea still stands: I kicked its ass and came out victorious with nothing more than the destruction of an entire community of handkerchiefs and probably a renal insufficiency because of the abnormal amounts of paracetamol I've been ingesting. But booyah!

It was a long week that I spent becoming one with the couch, where I acquired a nice shade of pasty white (think asylum white, with a touch of eggshell) and ate my weight in Cheerios. Also watched serious amounts E.R. and spent each episode yelling differential diagnostics at the laptop screen. I don't have issues, I'm just a really nerdy med student.

Also, this week I finally found the perfect subject for my doctorate. I am very excited if by excited you mean hyperventilating with happiness and scared out of my wits. Yay?!

Because I've been having a very close relationship with The Boy's couch, I've also been taking advantage of his things. Those things being wi-fi and his Old Spice. Really, I'm not the one to fall head over heels for products because of their comical and amazing ads, but I adore the smell of this deodorant. Also, he's on a horse :))

Made brownies again, two days in a row, mostly because on the first day I managed to drop the steaming hot batch of brownie batter on myself. I blame my lack of coordination and the wet floor but now that my burns are healed I can laugh about it. It might have also been because of the glass of wine I was savoring while cooking but how can I say no to such a cute wine bottle stopper?

The awkward moment of the week: when we realized that the only thing we had in the fridge, besides beer and mustard, was a giant ostrich egg. That made for some fun, albeit starving, times.

The day I started walking with the living again. The night before these photos were taken I was plagued by the last remains of a fever and high on drugs so I decided to watch Star Trek and, because I forgot J.J. Abrams is a vicious sadistic little twerp, I of course started crying within the first 10 minutes and petting the laptop screen while whispering "You tragic, beautiful human being!"

(I then decided it was all too sad so I changed to movie to The Hurt Locker. Of course, you can imagine how well that went. Not my brightest moment.)

Halloween has passed and I could, yet again, not be bothered to do anything so I took the opportunity to wear my American Psycho t-shirt and act like it was because I was feeling the All Hallow's Eve spirit.

Wearing: H&M trench, no brand tee & scarf, Mango jeans, Nine West boots.

I do love me some crazy Patrick Bateman.

Okay, so I did actually do something for Halloween. I ate delicious Cheerios and watched the best Halloween movie of all times: Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Now, if you're next thought is "Hey, I saw the Glee special episode!" I say Cease and Desist!, leave this page right now and immediately go and watch this fantastic, cheeky, fabulous cult classic movie and never, ever mention the Glee special in front of me ever again. No, really, if you do, I will have to use the dark side of the Force on you.

Because Rocky Horror is the kind of musical that would take Glee behind the school and kick it's cute little pig-tailed head in, using just one perfectly manicured pinky finger. While wearing heels. And with its eyes closed.

Rocky Horror is the cheesiest, kitschiest thing you shall ever see. It has enough glitter to choke a blue whale, enough gay to make Elton John blush and it tip-toes the line between cheap and fantastic like it's the show runner in a drag queen race. It's a like a sugary, vulgar bon-bon with a sparkly soft center.

Just superb 70s awesomeness at its best!

The movie stars Tim Curry who proves that mother nature is not fair because he rocks the high heels and garters better than most women, Susan Sarandon when she was a young fresh thing ready to be debauched and a guy in a pair of really skimpy gold shorts. That's really all you need to know for now, trust me :))

I'd tell you the plot but it's too ridiculous to even write down so I'll just say this: get the movie, get some popcorn and a sparkly top hat and get ready to sing Sweet Transvestite for the next week.

Collages made by me. Photos from Tumblr and WeHeartIt.

It's a memorable ride, witty and all raw, cutting (totally not straight) humor. It's a campy delight and I do hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Just remember to take it with an open mind and not be too jealous of how perfect Tim Curry's legs look in those thigh highs ;)

Song of the Day: Awolnation - Kill Your Heroes

"Something has gone away and we won’t get it back."

2011-10-23T20:21:00.003+03:00

The time of the year when one should hunt for fruit in the modern jungles we call supermarkets and bake, bake, bake perfect scrumptious pies made to be eaten while watching silly, mindless comedies. And because I'm me, of course I am sick to the bone and coughing out a lung and, by the looks of it, even a pancreas, and doing exactly the opposite of yummy pies and tv. You better be running Murphy, cause I'm out to get you as soon as I can breathe through both nostrils!

Fifth year of medical school, you sure took the whole "get them while they're fresh!" thing really personally, didn't you? Because really, I like a little bit of foreplay with my exams, thankyouverymuch.

It's not nice to sneak up on kids like that, because while you might presume that student brains are fresh and crisp and, most importantly, empty after a summer vacation, here's what you're missing: they are in fact filled with so much unnecessary mundane facts and sensations (like sleeping in on Sundays after a night of dancing on bars, and the entire discography of the newest band we heard in that club that one time with the glitter disco ball y'know?, and how to get the perfect french manicure at 2 am, and oh my god can Thor's hair get even more ridiculous) and so, we have no room for any more stuff. Like really big medical words. Or really, new big words in general.

So yes, I did feel like I've been taken from the soft, warm crib of mindlessness and dumped in the bucket of ice water of knowledge and it makes my brain feel like it's been hit with a sledgehammer. (And this might be the cough medicine talking. Don't quote me on that.)

But yes, two weeks of school and BAM! exam time. One moment I was busy fangirling over comic book movies of awesome and the next moment I was trying to remember all the physical signs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

But this brings us to the two most important things that have been occupying my atrophied brain these past couple of weeks:

a) Pediatric Neurology. Oh man, I was so freaked out on my first day. Because adults are okay, you can't break their bones by poking too hard and you can't drop them mostly because you never have to lift them in the first place which is a relief. So yeah, I was scared out of my wits the first time it was just me and a baby in a room, in an odd staring contest with me clutching the file like it was lifeline and him making happy gurgling noises.

But after two weeks I can say this has been my favorite rotation ever. Neurology is fascinating even if overwhelming, there are so many interesting things to know and I cannot believe I was actually completely thrilled by testing reflexes. And the kids. The kids! Teacup humans - like humans, except miniature! But with so much strength in their little bodies and souls to power the world that I am now completely and utterly in love with this specialty.

b) You didn't expect a post without me being a geek, did you? So, here we go: how cool is the new Avengers trailer? I've been waiting for this movie ever since I were a kid! I think my reaction was something along the lines of keyboard smashing and giggling like I inhaled laughing gas the first time I watched it. And then I watched it again. And again.

Because you see, these are most of my favorite superheroes and they will all be on the screen at the same time! Thor who is the superhero equivalent of a football jock who's been hit in the head too many times and with an addiction to hair products, and Loki who just needs a hug (a.n.: I will be yelling this at the screen. Repeatedly.) and Hawkeye the man who shoots arrows for a living and is still cooler than you'll ever.

And of course, Tony Stark. Tony Stark is my favorite because he's like this obnoxious little shit who is actually filled with so many issues to sink the Titanic and has the self-worth of a slug which he hides under a facade of a huge ass ego and don't-give-a-damn-cause-I'm-a-genius eyerolls and he pushes my buttons the right way cause I love my heroes a tad bit broken. (I'm looking at you Batman.) (Also, I feel like Captain America and Iron Man should definitely be married.)

(And yes, I overanalyze things but that's because I care and have all the feelings, guys! I am sure Alice understands my excitement.)

Besides my fangirling over both medical and comic book stuff, this post is a collage of what I've been up to since, well, my last post. Firstly, I was lucky to be invited by the sweet Alina Tanasa to the Il Passo launch of their new fall/winter shoe collection.

And let me tell you, it was a really great night of shoe eye candy. I almost walked out with a few pairs stashed in my bag if it weren't for the damn security systems. I jest, of course ;) I also got to spend some time with some charming bloggers.

Raluca and Sil from Bucharest Style, Gabriela, Denisa, Stella, Alina Ene and yours truly.

It was nice finally getting out of the house and surrounding myself with a drop of glitz and a pinch of glam. Yes, it's true I was dropping dead from sleep deprivation and I could not remember the exact date of the last time I washed my hair (Yes, I know, glamour is my middle name. Or is that lazybones?) but I knew that I could always distract from all these things by pointing to the fabulous shoes and yelling "Oh my god, look at that heel!" as I subtlety exited stage left.

If you like the shoes as much as I do, you can check them out on their spanking brand new website.

Photos via Stella's blog, Il Passo.

The last outfit photos I took before the weather decided it was gonna take cool to a whole new level and bring out a miniature Ice Age on our city. They're a reminder that the sun once shone and I could still leave the house without three sweaters on.

I wore this on an outing with Alice, when we had coffee and talked about our undying love for anything and everything related to Supernatural. Apparently nothing brings two girls together better than a mutual appreciation of demon hunter brothers, Chevy Impalas and nerdy angels ;)

Wearing: Mango dress, Zara shoes & bag, fake wayfarers, Killah skull bracelet, Tissot watch.

I also fell in love with butter again. Not very good for the waist or for the cholesterol, but really good for those nights when the wine is exquisite and the peaches are ready to be cut up, sugared up and snuggled in yummy dough.

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker ♥

Like I've mentioned, because the temperatures have gone from One Does Simply Fry in Mordor to Hello, Welcome to the Arctic, High-Five the Penguins for Us with the speed of the hadron collider, the weirdest thing has happened: I have fully accepted jeans into my life, even if rather cautiously.

As you probably have noted, I'm a skirts and dresses kind of girl and rarely venture away from them. But I have to admit, not only do they keep my butt warm when the winds are threatening to freeze the word, it is also nice to finally not have to sit down all lady like. Sometimes I need less Audrey and more Brando in my life.

New action figure added to The Boy's and my collection: Assassin's Creed's Ezio ♥

Repeat after me: comfy!

And in case you ever though I am a mature kind of person who has her life perfectly together (I don't know where one would get that idea, even if it has occasionally happened, but so rare, like an eclipse or mysterious spotting of Dodo birds) I give you the one and only photo to sum up my time during the Pediatric rotation:

Future doctors! :))

And because we are the Pillars of Maturity™ we even actually gave the toys to the kids. After playing with them ourselves. But only for a little while. Like an hour. Ahem, look, a bunny!

Song of the Day: Northern Lite - Super Black

"Making love with our ego."

2011-09-20T20:20:00.002+03:00

Looks pretty, doesn't it? And it really is until you find yourself taking four lefts and ending up not where you started but somewhere completely different with the realization that everything is curved in Amsterdam but hey, at least they sell pot so you may be lost but at least --- oooh, donuts!

(Actual transcript of my thought process in the week spent in the lovely yet so confusing Amsterdam.)

Hello wonderful people of the blogosphere or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days, I come with messages of peace that revolve around the idea that, contrary to popular belief and whatever this damn cold is trying to prove to my lungs, I am not actually dead but very much alive (...ish).

I know that people who just know me through this blog might think that I went to Holland and got lost into the world of delicious surely-this-is-what-the-gods-eat french fries and hallucinogenic plants and decided that life is better spent canoeing on the scenic canals but alas, no, I had to come back home.

Where I promptly got hit by the terrible, terrifying, hide-yo-kids-and-hide-yo-wife state of being/disease that presents itself as a need to never leave the bed/couch and the craving of junk food and 90s tv shows. Total shutdown. Frozen in space and time as if Medusa's head crawled out of the legends and smacked me over the face.

But the excitement (or fear?! Stockholm syndrome alert!) of the approaching new university year is starting to poke my brain into something resembling "alertness" and here I am.

I wish I cuddle you all, give the single manly tear of emotion, and promise that I will never leave again but we all know this would be a very fat lie. (Med students, never trust us. We looks professional until you turn your back and then we use scalpels as lightsabers and dress up the skeletons in our winter clothes. Seriously.)

My return also brings photos. A lot of photos. I hope you're ready to have your bandwidth killed and mauled, because I was the photographic equivalent of trigger happy this vacation. ( a.k.a. quantity versus quality of shooting!)

Holland!

(Or The Country Where Drugs Are a Plenty, French Fries Are Addictive, Beer Is Better Than Water and Sarcasm Is Not Appreciated.)

Amsterdam is a weird city. Even though it left me with the feeling of being the kind of city that tries to act all cool and hip while being a tiny little dictator in the making, it still was fun. Everything smelled like weed, the food was delicious and it looks like a toy city for humans.

Biggest regret: not visiting the Heineken factory.

But that might have been for the best because I realized that at one point all my liquid intake was beer, beer, more beer and coffee.

Starbucks radar is a-go. The Boy and I trying to look interested in all the memorial houses my mother dragged us to.

Spent seven days trying to pronounce this. The Dutch pronunciation is one part a lot of "oooh"s and one part phlegm. Fun!

Pretty things everywhere you looked.

This is why I am fatter now.

Learned how to make paint like Rembrandt. Gave a silent prayer to being born in the 80s. 1980s, that is.

More pretty.

Realized that 18th century rich people where just as ridiculous as today's rich people. Stuffed peacocks on the mantelpiece, really?

Bunnies! With penises! And a lot of Andy Warhol around the city. But mostly, bunnies with penises!

Hands down, the gay district was the funnest.

The Boy enjoyed the architecture.

One of my worst nightmares: pigeon attack. Shudder.

Whatever age you are, a teacup-cozy made for a penis will still have you giggling like a blonde oh-my-virgin-eyes schoolgirl. True story :))

These people sure knew how to decorate their palaces. Fun story: because of the lack of internet on our phones, we spent about 15 minutes of staring at said statue trying to remember the name of the legendary god who held the dome of Heaven on his shoulders, going through all names from Chiron to Zephyros and that way had our very own Greek Mythology lesson right there and then.

(Hint: It's Atlas and he is one badass S.O.B.)

Opulence was the word of the day back then, methinks.

Dam Square. Where the building were big and the Romanian gypsies begged for money in several languages. "We don't steal, we adapt." :))

Waiting for mother who was visiting yet another church.

The Boy and I being tourists and doing tourist-y things.

Any break was much appreciated. Also bought a Rainbow Flag which I waved around happily after spending a night in a gay bar playing Bingo with drag queens and hiding behind The Boy because the bartender was giving me the stink eye and giving him a wink.

I don't like boat trips. But I have been forced by my mother to take a boat trip in every city we have visited that had a river so of course I was forced into one trip this time too. I made my feelings about that be know.

After walking like our life depended on it every day, we finally took a much needed break in the loveliest park ever. The weather was nice, the ducks were happy, The Boy and I spent the time trying to find good wi-fi.

The shoes, ridiculous but cute.

All in all, it was a good trip. Ate well, had my heart melt at the beautiful art, got enough blisters on my feet to last me a lifetime, and laughed my ass off at how incredibly high every foreigner was after 8pm.

Paris

(Or The City Where Non! Is the Answer to Every Question Posed by a Foreigner, Where Things Disappear From Your Room and Where Wine Is Cheap But Good)

Paris was a 50/50 thing. Half was amazing, because yay! Paris, and half was the vacation from hell because our room was broken into and some of our things were stolen. That wouldn't have been too bad, but the police just shrugged their shoulders and the hotel was as helpful as a hole in the head, so that bummed us out a bit.

But we still tried to make the best of it, even if the weather decided to say bye bye to summer and rain our parade. Paris and I are still not on speaking terms yet, but I think we need some time apart and things will be okay with us again. Hopefully!

Pre-robbery and our first night there was spent in front of the Sacre Coeur, lazying on the ground and watching the sunset over the city. Life was okay.

We were classy bitches and ate McD's while wearing our most ripped jeans. Oh yeah.

We walked around the Louvre, purposefully not going inside because the lines were killer and because we already had our fair share of art and culture while in Holland.

The French sure know how to make a palace.

Obligatory cheesy couple photo in front of the Louvre, check!

Best accessory in Paris: our tourist-y Amsterdam umbrella.

And the Arc de Triomphe was thiiiiiis big.

Paris was très windy, in case you couldn't tell.

Of course we couldn't leave without a visit to Notre Dame, my favorite place.

This was the only hour of sunshine we got all vacation.

Took that opportunity to wear my sparkly sunglasses.

Le Centre Pompidiou skyrocketed to The Boy's number one favorite spot in his heart. It's all the Brancusi love.

To quote Finding Nemo: Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles!

Also, this was already post-robbery. That was my "I'm happy cause I imagines 97 ways to kill you using a spork and a paperclip" face.

Brancusi. Too beautiful for words.

Favorite book shop ever. Unfortunately we were so broke by then that we had to choose between going shopping or buying wine. The wine won.

Comicbook shop. Almost sold my liver for a TARDIS coffee mug, a Harry Potter wand and replica of the One Ring. I'm weak when it comes to things like these.

Airport. We were so tired that we couldn't even stand up straight. And ridiculously happy to hear our own language even if the only things people said around us where swear words directed to the airplane because it was late. But it's the little things that count :))

So, weirdest vacation I've ever had, followed by the numbest September ever. But I'm up and at 'em now, I think. Just need to ingest my weight in coffee and finish my Buffy, the Vampire Slayer marathon (shut up!) and I can be a human being again. A sociable one. Yup.

Song of the Day: David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

(I blame my obsession for Mr. Bowie - the god of rock!! - on reading Cherrie Curie's autobiography who spends a lot of time fangirling over Ziggy Stardust.)

"Oh well, the devil makes us sin, but we like it when we're spinning in his grip"

2011-08-17T23:12:00.001+03:00

You can't put a couple of people in a house with paint surprise and not expect things like this to happen.

Give me a holiday longer than a few days and I get temporally confused, lost like a TARDIS is the space-time continuum and all that, turning good days into Sundays and bad days into Wednesdays because Wednesdays always manage to catch me of my game.

But because of this time coma, this week has taken me totally by surprise. And this week is special because right now I am exactly 12 hours away from boarding a plane to Amsterdam, enjoying all that city has to offer (Vodka Museum FTW!) and then hopping on another plane to Paris where hopefully I will get drunk on good wine next to the Seine and make it to the Rock En Seine festival. Boo-yah!

Summer, you're one cool chick this year.

And, me being me, this is how I spend my last few days in the city: painting a room. The Boy wanted to redo the living room and I wanted to scratch "paint a room (or at least use a paint brush once in my life" off my bucket list.

And apparently, you don't just paint it. There are different paints and wall primers and brushes and it is a far, far more complicated thing that I initially thought. Another career option I need to let go of in case the whole med thing doesn't work. Sigh.

We wanted Bordeaux red. We ended up with purple. Thank god it worked with the room.

Too much dust. At least I got a clear idea of how I'll look with graying hair.

Our lungs still hate us.

Maria, the palest kid I know got even paler.

Because I have a stalker-ish feel of heights - the kind of fear that stays hidden in the corners of my mind until I'm actually at a reasonable height and then, pam!, it pounces - of course I was the one forced to use the ladder. Of course.

My laptop suffered in our need for music.

But not as much as The Boy's hair :))

But, 4 days later, and it was all worth it. It's a really amazing feeling to look around a room and know you did it.

I still can't feel my finger tips and legs. So, I'll be leaving the rest of the house designing to other people. You know, people who actually know what they're doing and who have the physical condition for something more that typing on a computer all day.

Wearing: Mango skirt & top, Nine West wedges, vintage earrings, random bracelets.

You can't even tell I was sleep deprived, right? Right, guys? Um, guys? Pfff, never mind, I can sleep when I am dead.

Also, lesson of the week: cheap, 2 dollar nail polish is the best thing ever invented since bread came sliced and Star Trek phasers were first set to stun.

Will hopefully be back alive and well, with many pretty new things, chocolates and hopefully, not too hungover. Hopefully being the key word here. Behave my sweets and see you all in two weeks, when I will have many photos and fun stories to tell ♥

Song of the Day: Massive Attack - Paradise Circus

"Every nerve and every cell, they gotta fight to stay alive and well, I'm in a world of chronic discontent."

2011-08-12T17:55:00.002+03:00

Note to self: stop googling "when is the appropriate time to drink wine in the day" because that search will, quite surprisingly, take you to Bible sites. Instead, just pop open the bottle and enjoy the fact that it's evening somewhere in the world and all is well and dandy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my liver. It has been very nice to me this summer, giving me as much alcohol dehydrogenase as I need and patiently bearing my newfound love for wine and candle-lit nights in the garden. I fear this summer will leave me without a tan and probably even tired than before but I think it will all be worth it.

In this past month I've realized I enjoy wine more that I thought and respect grapes a bit more for they are fruit of the gods and bring happiness on movie nights. I've also finally succumbed to my love for trite and cheesy reality tv and started watching Project Runway, and I now feel the need to end all conversations with a Heidi blank face and an "Aufedersein".

Oh dear Gods, hold the wheel, cause I am going down that path of intellectual summer inertia. Y'know, when too much food and too much wine and, especially, too much time feels like someone turned down the oxygen flowing to your brain and you're left with creative and cerebral asphyxia? Yeah, just like that. I'm thinking about blaming my SPF40 face-cream for the lack of tan and my obsession with sitting inside and reading comic books all day for everything else.

(But really, the X-Men: Schism and Hellblazer comics are really good!)

This might also be the year I overdosed on superhero & sci-fi movies. I think I've seen almost all of them, with the exception of Cowboys & Aliens which is not actually a superhero movie but a movie about cowboys fighting aliens with Indiana Jones and a naked James Bond but it's not the time to be caught in all the details.

But all of them have been actually really good. Thor proved that if you want to make a good movie about a nordic god who is really compensating for something with his giant hammer (Thor, hun, there's a moment when you reach the whole too obvious line and you walked past it a long time ago!) your best bet is hiring a Shakespearean director.

Green Lantern did not take itself too seriously and that was in its best interest. Because, to paraphrase Sheldon Cooper, you can't be too serious about yourself when you're the kind of superhero who can be killed using a common household No.2 pencil.

Super 8 took everything good about all those Spielberg alien movies from the 80s and 90s, added some better special effects and a very intriguing story and a pinch of J.J. Abrams's lens-flares and made me feel like I was a kid again.

Captain America was as corny as the original comics and, compared to everyone else in the cinema that night, I adored it. Honestly, the guy is a political creation with the subtlety of a freight train, so I didn't expect anything less that cheesy and cornball.

And, last but not least, I saw X-Men: First Class about 5 times this summer. Mainly because I do adore the X-Men in all their manifestations, but if I were to be honest to myself it is really because my reaction to Michael Fassbender's and James McAvoy's on-screen love fest is along the lines of "Your faces! Many hearts and love for your stupid faces!!". Really, the movie's tagline should have been "Heterosexuality was never an option".

But I was glad to find out I am not the only one to think such thoughts. My tv-show twin Alice joined me on one of my X-Men movie days and we spent the entire two and a half hours giggling and making kissy faces whenever Professor X and Magneto where on the screen together.

She also had some wicked rings, as always. She makes me want to buy truckloads of rings and roll around in them, whispering "My preciousssss".

Wearing: Hugo Boss top, Zara pants, Nine West heels = lazy man's outfit.

And then we had an improvised photoshoot. But that isn't a surprise.

And I showed off how proud I am of my crooked tooth. Take that mother, I told you I'd grow into my all-teeth-and-gums smile!

I think most of my posts this summer will have to include other blogger girls as I have met up with them more in the past month than in the past year. And wow, I should have done this earlier, as I always seem to have the best of fun.

Photoshoots, nothing but desert for lunch, wine and awesome outfits from Alice, Denisa, Sandra and Eve. Yup, excellent day was excellent.

Wearing: H&M Men tee, Zara skirt, Nine West shoes.

I am prone to hug attacks, beware.

This is us posing.

And this is us cracking up like schoolchildren when hearing a dirty joke. We're multifaceted like that.

Girls and desert go together so well, methinks.

In this past month I also got to meet Koko (who is ridiculously pretty and has the most amazing makeup skills), Laura and Alina and now I am convinced that this summer is the most fabulous I've had in a long time if I keep up with this meeting-fab-people thing.

Also, big hello to the really nice girl that I met last Thursday at the DoR event. I'm sorry if I came out as awkward but my usual reaction to people telling me they like my blog is to make high-pitched sounds of happiness and pounce on said person with a massive hug, and I've been told that that is both alarming and considered assault in certain cultures. But hello, totally made my night :)

And it can't be summer without the lazy weekends spent picnicking in the back garden.

Swapping dresses for jean shorts and baggy tees, and heels for decade-old flats.

(Gasp and shock, but yes, I do own flats. But they really are mostly decade old and tired and used only when my outfit consists of scrubs.)

Wine and no make-up days, the former to distract from the disinterest (the kind that only creeps up on you on weekends) that led to the latter.

My body so hates me for this summer, but hey, at least my mind is in a happy-go-lucky, stupefied daze.

Song of the Day: Concrete Blonde - Violent

"The thunder of the drums dictates the rhythm of the falls"

2011-07-18T14:06:00.003+03:00

Very close to turning these into breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout all of summer. And a side order of cupcakes just for the hell of it.

Summer vacation. No, no, wait, I need to hear that again. Summer. Vacation. Yup, that's the sound of a choir of angels singing and dancing in circles around my head. After what's been a too long of a school year, summer is here and I am ready to enjoy it to the max.

Which means I give myself a couple of weeks before I'm bored out of my skull and trolling Medscape.com or begging doctors to please, oh please let me lurk around hospital corridors and shadow them like the clingy little creature that I am.

But so far everything is all double rainbows all the way. I've been sleeping like a sloth, finally tackled my To Read bookcase and marathoning tv shows and movies while eating abnormal amounts of junkfood. If there's a Heaven, this is it. (Us med students are too easy to please.)

I also marathoned Harry Potter and I am getting so excited about Deathly Hallows Pt 2. If I had a wizarding hat and a wand I would be wearing those all day while bouncing up and down going oh boy, oh boy, oh boy but I am trying to act all mature. Mature-ish. That's it, until I get to the cinema, then it is buh-bye to maturity cause I've been waiting for this moment even since I were a kid. Woop woop!

One amazing part of having all this free time all of the sudden: I get to meet up with amazing people. And I do mean the sweet and funny Alice. We met up twice and the first time we spent a ridiculous amount of hours talking about our love for Supernatural, Matt Bomer in suits, british tv shows and, really, just tv shows in general.

Don't you just love it when you can just click with someone? :-)

Improvised photoshoots in the middle of one of the busiest city squares are always much more fun when it's all for blogger bonding, don't you think?

Wearing: Zara blazer and pants, H&M bow tee, Nine West heels, Musette bag.

And I'm taking this opportunity to thank Alice for letting me tag along to the way too enjoyable for words Starbucks coffee date with her, Denisa, Anca, Stella and Mina who is currently back in Romania for her own summer break.

I can't even describe how wonderful it was to be sitting at the same table with all those lovely, witty and extremely chic ladies ♥

I am such a fangirl, I know. This was me trying to surreptitiously take photos of Mina and Denisa.

Denisa, Stella and Anca looking fabulous.

It was so hot that day that even my short and backless dress made it insufferable to stay out in the sun. Apparently Romania's seasons are Gloomy & Rainy and Scortching & Sunny, with a few moments of Normal stuck in between.

Alice and Stella.

Anca and yours truly.

Alice always has the best accessories, hands down.

But of course it can't be a blogger meet up without a shoe fest so awesome it will have a fashionista drop dead from too much awesome.

Thank you Alice for this wonderful photo ♥

Wearing: Zara dress & heels, vintage bracelet.

My summer vacation is turning out to be better than I expected.

(I do miss my scrubs though. Just a little. The iced lattes and good books will have to fill that hole, I think.)

*

Song of the Day: Woodkid - Iron

"If they don't put me away it'll be a miracle"

2011-06-23T13:42:00.001+03:00

Reason #256 why I want to have a house with a garden: watching trees blossom and then give delicious fruit perfect for plucking off trees and popping in the cocktails I drink while lazying in the grass. Thank the gods I crash at The Boy's house so often that I can sit in his garden whenever I want.

*

So Cardiology rotation has been an overwhelming mixture of fascinating, intimidating and scary. But the exam was okay, I still like it and all the motivation that I had all year has been drained out of me after all those sleepless nights. Oncology rotation passed by in a blur - fascinating but I don't ever think I could ever do this - and the Orthopedic rotation is proving to be the peak of my laziness.

I can't believe it's the school year and June and I'm not begging for death. In the past four years I've been so used to having exams all through July, to staying indoors and developing a bald spot from the place where I hit my head with the books I should be reading, to living off coffee and sugar, that this clinical year has knocked me over a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I love doing a rotation and then having an exam, and then rinsing it all out and pressing repeat but with a different specialty, but this means that 2 month long exam sessions are a thing of the past. And I am actually walking outside, in the sun, with people, in June.

It's like throwing a very antisocial bat out into the daylight. So excuse my flapping around, all flabbergasted, and asking stupid questions like "You mean I can sleep? I can go to movies? I can read books? Like, literature books that don't have the world dilated cardiomyopathy in them?" and than glaring at you suspiciously when the answer is a resounding Yes!

Medical school, ruining a person's abilities to interact socially since the first people figured out how to splint a leg using two twigs, a palm tree leaf and some spit.

So, all that free time.

I have been using it to read, to watch too much E.R. for my own good and to sleep like the dead during the day and stay up late on Tumblr 'till my fingers hurt.

Saw Thor (might have joined the chorus of girls wolf whistling when he walked on screen with nothing but a pair of jeans on), and X-Men: First Class (I don't care what people say, that was a McAvoy/Fassbender love fest!) and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (Johnny Depp, saving movies he's in since he was born). Consequently, have gotten a bit rounder from all the popcorn :))

Also spent an hour on Sunday at the Femei pe Matasari urban festival. Managed to get a charming crabby red tan on my knees, of all places, and spent all my time either at the Decat o Revista stand or playing with the cute animals who were there to get adopted.

Almost grabbed a kitty and ran with it, mumbling Mine Mine Mine Mine!! Unfortunately for them, I want an English bulldog or an Egyptian hairless cat and The Boy wants an Alaskan malamute, but I lack a garden and we both lack time. Sigh. But I would have so kidnapped that puppy if I knew I could take care of it. Just look at that face.

*

I don't drink Coke. But. When they make the bottles look so very oldschool and pretty and make me think thoughts like "Oh boy, they're gonna make for some wicked vases for flowers or candle holders!" you know I will suddenly want to drink Coke and own the entire collection.

I'm a whore for packaging. I'm sure Coca Cola is making millions just from people like me.

*

Evenings sitting on the balcony, drinking wine or whiskey, and reading really great books. It has never felt like summer, like calm and pleasure, as it does in those moments.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, really amazing book. Now I really can't wait to see what David Fincher does with it.

The Boy's outfit looked especially poised and cool that day.

*

Okay, I admit it, I did not drink it all. I just made everyone else drink the hyperglycemia bomb and I stole the bottles.

I can only pretend I am a natural redhead in the first week after visiting my hairdresser. After that, the brunette comes out and the jinx is up, alas!

Fresh fruit make the days brighter and better.

Wearing: Hugo Boss top, Zara skirt, Adesgo tights, Nine West heels.

*

Song of the Day: Brand New - Jesus

"I was born a charming man with silver tongue."

2011-05-16T11:43:00.002+03:00

What? Even stuffed sheep enjoy a little bit of sun from time to time.

*

This weekend was like the first shot of tequila after a day when you missed your bus, got honked at by the garbage guys but ignored by the cute nerd at the coffee shop after you accidentally poured said coffee on your new white shirt and then spent a day at the job banging your head on your laptop which, by the way, stopped working as soon as you walked in. And like, free tequila. Because the bartender feels pity for you but still, yeah, free tequila!

Because this weekend was my birthday. Even though I realized twenty-three is much closer to twenty-five than to twenty, I decided to take my mom's advice ("You are disgustingly young so shut up, suck it up and eat your damn cake!") and enjoy what was the best weekend ever :D

It was a weekend with sushi, good drinks, a lot of hugs from my too awesome for words friends and rubber duckies :-) It was just the thing I needed during these mean and daunting times of trying to translate my cardiology books into a language I can understand. Thank god for friends ♥

*

I decided to hold on to the tradition and turn Sunday in a day of staring at the ceiling, sitting in the sun and panicking just inside my head and not taking it to the level of actually curling up on the floor in a fetal position and sobbing. That's only reserved for Mondays to Fridays.

And photoshoots in my birthday outfit!

And I did not fall flat on my face once. Take that gravity, ha!

This is Vasilica. I love sheep, they're stupid and fluffy and completely adorable and I collect all sorts of sheep toys so she was the gift bearer of the night :)

We bonded.

Of course a day in the sun cannot be complete without my sparkly, bug-eye, diva sunglasses that even Bowie would be jealous of.

Wearing: Zara dress & shoes, Mango sunglasses, unknown brand tights.

*

And the piece de resistance, my ultimate birthday presents was this MacBook Air. Right now, this tiny little laptop is traveling over seven sees and seven mountains and seven blah-blahs to arrive at my door and be loved forever and a day. And you know what this means? I will be playing World of Warcraft all summer, booyah!!

So many thanks to my mom, Alex, Andy, Maria, Ioana, Irina, Florin, Roxu, Tudor, Florina, Anna and Cristi for the incredible work they did in plotting this. Yeah, yeah, all my friends rock, I know.

♥ ♥ ♥

And when I though my birthday was over, I was surprised with this absolutely perfect necklace from Hilkee and Flo who rock more than 99.9% of the world's population, and that's including The Rolling Stones ♥

*

The last thanks go to the bartender at Saturday night's club for the rubber duckies. My Cosmo tasted surprisingly better all night.

*

Song of the Day: Astronautalis - The Wondersmith and His Sons

"We used to be blinding."

2011-04-26T12:17:00.001+03:00

I love wearing heels especially in days when I can get rid of them fast, snuggle up on the couch and enjoy a day of movies and scrumptious food :))

*

I love Easter. I love it because Easter usually means a whole week of holiday and lazying around and yummy food leftover from the big Easter party. So yeah, one of my favorite times of the year even if it includes me being dragged to church when I'd rather sit at home and watch mindless tv shows. I have a bad relationship with the midnight church service ever since I lit a girl's hair on fire a few years ago and then proceeded to panic and yell and smack her over the head to put the fire out. Ah, good times.

My mother always loathes taking me with her ever since I realized the fun I can have by telling people the reason why I don't pray is because I serve only one dark ruler and master and that is God of Chocolate, Cupcakes and Apathy :))

Alas, my plans have been made for me by my Cardiology rotation. I need to get up to date with all cardiology related biochemistry, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology I've learned and quickly forgotten in the past four years.

And if I can also get a brand new brain too to help me memorize all that, all will be peachy. Any Einstein around here who would like to donate a fully functioning brain to a poor medical student? I'll even take just an hemisphere, I'm not picky, I swear!

Because I came to the conclusion that I've been spending too much time in front of a computer, on the couch or in hospital rooms I decided two things: a) start going to the gym again and b) spend time in the sun more because I'm starting to resemble a pale and flabby cousin of one Mister Edward Cullen.

I came to two conclusions: I hate the sun and am deadly afraid of getting sun spots or skin cancer (I blame you, medical school!) and I am so out of shape that one hour of Tae-Bo means not being able to move for one week. I was this close to yelling at people I'll give them a kidney as long as I get a piggy back ride up any flight of stairs.

But! But I am trying to enjoy this spring. By having photoshoots! Win-Win for all!

Wore a bowtie in preparation for the brand new season of Doctor Who. Because bowties are cool and if you think differently that just means that you're just too uncool for real cool.

This is Fred, he's my skull pendant who unfortunately suffers from severe exophthalmy :))

Bowties, still cool.

In case you still didn't believe I'm a giant nerd: I am the proud owner of a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver, Eleventh Doctor edition. Boo-Yah baby!!

Wearing: Mango dress, sweater & skull pendant, Accessorize sunglasses, unknown tights, Zara shoes & blazer, Gourmandise bowtie.

*

Spent Monday as it were a sublime Sunday: watched Doctor Who and Scrubs, did my nails, ate like the food was about to disappear from my plate in the next second and read anatomy books while The Boy played Starcraft 2.

Can every day be like this please?

Wine and magazines brought especially for me from Italy. Being spoiled from time to time is not so bad ;)

And, last but not least, Eye of Sauron marshmallow candies. Mmmm, I love the taste of fictional evil in the morning.

*

Song of the Day: You Me At Six & Chiddy - Rescue Me

"I'm a runaway son of a nuclear A-bomb."

2011-04-16T19:31:00.000+03:00

Considering I sometimes live on Red Bull, caffeine, cigarettes and sugar, I am trying to score some good points with my future doctor and at least enjoy a healthy breakfast. I might be a hypochondriac but at least I know for sure I will never die of avitaminosis :))

Cardiology is the equivalent of bashing one's brain with a pillow wrapped around a brick and still loving it to bits at the end of the day. Every day is just a way to prove that as much as we think we know we are still as dumb as a sack of potatoes when it comes to a lot of stuff in the grand medical scheme of things. Still loving every minute of it though ♥

I am so tired that I spent yesterday doing nothing but sleeping and eating (seriously, babies should stop crying and complaining, this is the best. life. ever!) but I am enjoying it all so much, to the point that the "Guess the Diagnosis!" game I play with random strangers in the subway in the morning has gotten much more interesting with the added cardiovascular option. High-five! Anyone? Anyone? No? Damn.

Now I just need to get my head on straight and figure out EKGs. Damn them squiggly lines.

This is what my darling Roxana calls our "modelling pose", I call it our "girls will be girls" pose :))

Spent a lovely Friday night at the Next Film Fest. Saw three really good shorts (Six Shooter, West Bank Story and The Mozart of Pickpockets) and loved them all even if we left before the end because the need to eat overpowered our need to watch movies. Let me tell you, midnight drives in search of hummus and wine do make weekends that much better.

*

Sunday was spent eating and watching tv shows. The Boy bought a coconut and then proceeded to bash it into submission while I pranced around the kitchen singing the Monty Python song.

Because some days are made to be lazy.

We also went and saw Sucker Punch. I read so many bad reviews but I personally loved it. I didn't go in expecting a movie about the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything (I'll go read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for that) and it was just what I wanted: a fun, thrilling, kick-ass movie that, even with some of its really glaring mistakes, was very entertaining. I'm all for girl power and honestly, if I could fight dragons and zombie robots while wearing thigh-highs and heels I would love every moment of it :)

And of course one week cannot go by without an improvised photoshoot. Sunny days are still the equivalent of the Holy Grail around here and that means I am milking every ray of sun for what it's worth.

I'm amused by the fact that my posing face looks almost exactly like my I-have-been-sleeping-just-3-hours-a-night-because-I've-been-going-through-all-the-seasons-of-Black-Books-in-one-night face. Hmm.

It was also one of the last days last week when my hair looked okay. I am currently looking like a poodle who has been bathed in a bathtub with a toaster because of the daily rains. It's the kind of sacrifice I make for the chance to wear my favorite wellies :P

Still had that Monty Python song in my head :))

Wearing: Depot 96 dress, Mango sweater, Accessorize tights, Musette boots, vintage belt, Parfois bracelet.

*

Song of the Day: Skunk Anansie - Search and Destroy

"Now hang me up to dry, I'm pearly like the whites of your eyes"

2011-04-06T11:55:00.002+03:00

When buying gifts for medical students follow these rules: a) has to have to do with anatomy/physiology/any other gross-and-weird-ology and b) if it says something like "For kids of ages 3 years and up" on the box then we have a winner!! Because we will screw around with it any way possible and love it.

*

It's a weird day when you come to the bleak conclusion that when you find out you have a free week of nothing to do but lazy around your first thought is "I wonder if I can score some nice night shifts at the hospital?". I think it's some sort of separation anxiety given by the fact that I've finally finished my Pulmonology rotation and am now ready to throw myself (or, as it usually
happens around here: fall blindly while clutching my heart like a Victorian wench) into the new and heart-stopping exciting (ha ha!) Cardiology rotation.

At least the last month has been interesting. Here's to you patient who thought it would be a good idea to cut your central line with a pair of household scissors and then put a band-aid over the hole. Or to you, lady who used her inhaler by spraying it in the air around your head. And even you, the lady who apparently threw her boots at our attending doctor.

What can I say, people tend to get more and more special with each new rotation. I think I should be worried... but man, these are going to make some great stories on future drinking nights :))

*

We proved that birds of a feather stay together when one of our own future M.D.s celebrated her birthday. What! We're not immature, we just stay forever young ;)

*

The weekend brought forth sunny days with freezing cold nights but I decided to focus on the whole vitamin D production thing and lazied around in the sun like a comatose lizard. And took some photos to share with you and prove, once and for all, that I did not fall in a dark pit of despair and dashed hopes, but that I am really just an extremely dallying drama queen at heart. Ha!

This is one of those sunshiny days when the line "My glasses! My glasses! I can't be seen without my glasses!" seems to fit the scene/photo just right.

I was joined by my lovely Florina who sort of unconsciously kicked my ass in lessons of posing. Either that, or she's just preposterously pretty. Hmm, will go with door option number two!

Improvised photoshoots, for the win!

dress & blazer: Zara, scarf: Pull&Bear Men, boots & bag: Musette.

Cute, but it sure gets cuttingly chilly when you are missing half a dress. Sigh, the lengths we will go to and the cold we will get for The Pretty, capitalization required ;)

Now back to my viciously exciting life. And by that I mean back to watching reruns of Scrubs because it's an early tradition to go through an obsession with that show and JD is so my spirit animal. And back to sitting in bed reading about Atherosclerosis and Myocarditis . Why? Just because I'm bored and weird, that's why :))

*

Song of the Day: Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up to Dry

"A thousand throats, a thousand lungs."

2011-03-08T16:00:00.003+02:00

There's nothing I love more than cocktails except cocktails named after some of my favorite movies. Hello hangover, pleasure to meet you.

The weather forecast for this March seems to be sunny with freezing temperatures just so it will confuse the hell out of me and make me become a foster home for common cold germs. I feel as nature is having a hell of a laugh as I sit under a mountain of blankets and drinking my weight in tea. My week of vacation has come and gone, and then another week of boring courses and two exams has come and gone and here we are. Pass me the paracetamol, please.

But lets not forget the freakin' Academy Awards! You might have noticed that I am a bit of a movie freak so when I got the invitation from the nice people at Tabu to join their Oscar themed party I ran out the door as fast as I could! And then checked myself and just walked briskly because I was wearing really high heels and the ground was very frozen and just screamed broken bones! broken bones! at me.

The party was the most fun I've ever had. We found our little gang, commandeered an entire section of the cafe for ourselves (the one with the big tv and the delicious food, of course!) and then started the night long debates on who would win what.

And even though I felt that David Fincher was robbed by not getting the Best Director award (and don't even get me started on the fact that Chris Nolan wasn't even nominated, pffffff!) I will refrain from ranting on here because I don't want this post to end up 100 pages long.

But Jesus!Bale got his Oscar and was hilarious as usual, Jesse Eisenberg looked like he was gonna have a heart attack every time the camera was on him, James Franco dressed up like a very manly and very high woman and Cate Blanchett looked like the elf goddess that she is so in the end I could let go of my list of Things Anna Disapproves Of But Seriously Where Are My Nolan And Fincher Oscars Dammit and just enjoy the show.

(If you do have a death wish and want to hear me rant just call 1-800-CRAZYFANGIRL and sit back because I can talk about my love for Jesse E, David Fincher, Nolan movies, Bale's weird beard, Colin Firth's accent, Blanchett's dress and why I think How To Train Your Dragon was the best thing ever for hours and hours on end. First 60 minutes are free and then you will be charged in lattes and popsicles.)

I am sick as dog right now and been living on a couch for three days, ingesting all sorts of medication and cursing the guy that invented the flu, so you get photos of me when I looked not-dead and happy and wasn't coughing up a lung.

The Boy and I, all dressed up and ready for the cocktails :)

Wearing: Mango dress & sparkly jacket, Guess bag & shoes (courtesy of solestruck.com), Accessorize tights.

Here you get a before photo of the cafe...

...and an After photo. At this point all high heeled shoes were toed off, all the food had been tasted and the cookies were being passed along from chair to chair.

The Inception cocktails (vodka and cranberry juice, yum!) were delicious and many were had that night.

I was being quiet for a moment, surprisingly. If this photo had been taken when Sorkin and Reznor got their awards you would have seen been making high pitched dolphin squeals and bouncing around.

Also, how funny is it that from now on the man who used to sign the most fucked up songs will from now on be referred to as an Academy Award Winner? The 15-year-old me is giving you an, albeit bewildered, standing ovation Trent ♥

Yes, they really were as good as they look.

Photos from: Tabu & Dada@AloModa

And yes, I did go from there to my uni courses and was a walking sleep deprived zombie (times zones, you are not cool!) but it was worth it.

Now, where's my hot tea and blanket?

Songs of the Day:

Nine Inch Nails - Suck

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - In Motion

"Where'd you learn to shoot without restraint?"

2011-02-18T18:33:00.001+02:00

You know you've been spending too much time inside when creepy statues appear in the city center and you don't even notice them until a month later. Need to start walking around more.

This has been one interesting week. Started my oh-so-very interesting courses about tuberculosis and the only good thing I have to say about those is thank god the hospital is close to my house so at least I can walk there. So far all I've learned is that, and I quote, "TB is everywhere. You can get it from trains, planes and taxis and you will surely get at as you are med students doomed to prowl infested hospitals for the rest of your lives!!". Wow, thanks for that dear professor. It wasn't like I wasn't a big enough of a hypochondriac as it is.

I also finally finished my Radiology rounds and can I get a Hallelluja for that? Got to spend a whole day lurking around a hospital and sitting on the floor while getting pitiful looks from doctors. Surprisingly, still not my lowest point as that was that one time when I spent an afternoon sitting on the morgue floor and getting pitiful looks from passing doctors.

But I think it all turned out okay. Still can't read an X-Ray to save my life but the exam is over and done and I am officially on holiday for one blissful week.

My plans? Visit Cluj, sleep, eat, watch Hawaii Five-0 (of show, how can you be so damn ridiculous and amazing at the same time, how?! I blame the fact that your lead characters act like one very old married couple and I love them as they love each other ♥) and go through a long list of films. Yes, for me, this means living it up so judge away young grasshoppers, judge away.

At least the mother was kind enough to buy me theater tickets. Saw one bad play (Tectonica Sentimentelor), one good play (Cui i-e frica de Virginia Woolf?) and one play that had me bawling my eyes out but in that "oh my god you are so amazing an perfect and here have my heart on a silver platter" kind of way (Ingropati-ma pe Dupa Plinta)

If you're in Bucharest and get to see just one play this year, make it this one. It will ruin any other play for you because it is the closest thing to perfection you will find on a stage but go. I promise you, you will not regret it!

Wearing: Mango coat, Zara tee, Furla bag, Musette shoes.

Bits and pieces from the night of the very bad play. At least we got some air.

Theater nights were spent carrying around Radiology books and feeling guilty for going out when I was suppose to be studying but not really, because I'm a procrastinator like that.

Wearing: Mango dress, Zara embellished vest, vintage brooch worn as necklace, Alice & Sara headband.

Song of the Day: 20-20s - Shoot Your Gun

"Hey little prince, you've lost control."

2011-02-07T17:16:00.002+02:00

Sometimes week days blend into each other and that's the perfect time to get oneself out of bed, put on some high heels and a little blush and head for the hills. Whereas by hills I mean the Absolutely Fabulous Fashion & Vintage Fair, of course. And I bet that browsing rows upon rows of beautifully crafted accessories and magazine-perfect clothes will lift even the grumpiest-grump's spirits.

Because, really, what else is a girl to do when even the wordy wide web is doing nothing but buzzing with boring things? Super Bowl, Superb Owl, whatever. Call me when Germany's football team is ready to be ogled at again ;)

Some bits and pieces of importance.

Spiked headband that goes well with my new Trent Reznor soundtracked state of mind. Made by the talented Alice from Dulapul Bunicii.

Because The Mother usually gets it wrong when buying jewelry. But sometimes she just nails it perfectly and then I think my family is not as sartorially challenged as I think it is.

Ioana from Fashezine charmed us with her pretty hair bow and her amazing shoes. Did I mention she's also one of the sweetest girls I've ever met?

I think the debate should finally end and we should all agree that red is the best hair color. Not that I am biased or anything.

There was me with my silly excited smile, Anaivilo from WonderFashion who looked spectacular in leather pants and who is too sweet for words, Alice with one great outfit and so much talent to boot and the too phenomenal for words Ioana. I also spotted Ana from High Street Cardigansrunning around in the most lust-worthy boots and tights.

So yeah, I'm a tiny blogger fangirl. But can you really blame me?

♥

Song of the Day: Robyn - RobotBoy

"Chemically calm."

2011-02-02T09:38:00.000+02:00

Remember this giant ball of fluff. We met again this weekend. I greeted him with delight and pats, he greeted me with one tail wag and a nonchalant look.

I feel like my brain is this bag of cotton-balls just bouncing around the place. I think it's okay to blame my insomnia and the legal amounts of coffee and Coke Zero I've been ingesting for the fact that I am feeling like one of those annoying zombies you see in movies. But not those really fast, energetic ones from Zombieland or Walking Dead. More like the squishy, dumbed down ones from Shaun of the Dead. Bah, humbug!

Not sleeping makes me anxious and I am feeling like I am nothing but pointy angles in what feels like a pillow-soft world. New hospital rounds at a new hospital, new exams, new teachers and no more Coke Zero in the house. So that is why I am going to curl up in bed and watch Adventureland and Gilmore Girls until I can finally sleep.

My blog is a regular house of fun and mental stimulation, innit?

And to top it all off, the weather has been keeping us in a happy-go-lucky arctic shutdown. That is why I am enjoying any day with even a little bit of sun. I still end up freezing to the bone but at least I make some vitamin D. You loose some, you win some.

Any day of sun equals an opportunity to wear my incredibly fake douchebag sunglasses. I bought them in Turkey last year even if they hurt my eyes. But the man selling them was very pushy and he kept talking louder and louder in turkish and I got scared and just yelled "Okay, take the money just don't kill me with that hookah!"

I have succumbed to the jean dress craze. I can't help it, it's just so soft and comfy.

Wearing: Mango coat, Blanco dress, Zara silk shirt & belt, Accessorize tights, Musette boots.

Our love is totally awesome.

Still growing an avocado. Still not sure if it's actually growing or playing dead for the rest of eternity. I will share my totally unhealthy drink with him if he shows any sign of life soon, I swear dear avocado!

Song of the Day: Marina & The Diamonds - Are You Satisfied?

"Frostbite and heartsickness, ain't neither of them so bad"

2011-01-24T12:03:00.000+02:00

It is imperrative I study this week. And of course that means I spend enormous amounts of time doing anything else. You know course work is boring when I prefer spending time with the god-forsaken character from Doctor Faustus. I am planning on doing in victory dance when the guy dies.

How I became an expert procrastinator:

+ I watched 5 seasons of Gilmore Girls with the intensity of a sugar addict in a candy store

+ Made it my life goal to become an expert pencil-on-nose balancer

+ Watched all videos of Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg being adorable in their bromance without the b. I really, really loved The Social Network.

+ Do a lot of P90X yoga and balance all the relaxing "ohhhhmss" with even more relaxing swear words. Still can't feel any muscle in my upper body.

+ Shopping. Sales. Be still my beating heart.

+ Imagined the perfect spring holiday in Paris. Fingers crossed for me? I would love to spend my February roaming the streets of Paris and eating macaroons, yup.

+ Read any book by Oliver Sacks I could get my greedy, manicured hands on. Neurosurgery & good writing = ♥

+ Long rambling phonecalls with other procrastinating medical students. Bless our short attention span.

Okay, it's time to burn some neurons with books. Woop-woop?

Lunch dates with The Boy at the office are a good way to escape the mind-numbing boredom of days spent doing gastroenterology rounds.

It was also the last time I got to wear my heels before the blizzard swept over the city. Snow is not fun once Christmas is over.

Wearing: Kotton dress, Zara Men sweater stolen from the boy, Zara belt, Musette booties.

You can't even tell I've been all buddy-buddy with insomnia all week, can you?

At least the sales are still going on. Nothing like spending money on things you don't need to cheer a girl up.

Especially when one buys sandals and soft jackets when it's snowing like it's the end of the world outside.

Song of the Day: Josh Ritter - Rattling Locks

"Out of the dark and into the light, when the morning comes I will be alright."

2011-01-17T18:30:00.004+02:00

After almost a month of Gastroenterology internship I can safely say that if I ever see one more abdominal X-ray or one more goddamn gastroscopy I will hang myself from the existent ceiling fans with a stethoscope. I am sure some people might find cirrhosis interesting but I only find certain things related to it interesting (ie: recreational wine drinking during recreational movie nights). Bad joke, I know.

In other news, I am not a nice little girl when I am sleepy and I have a tendency to use too much sparkly nail-polish when I haven't had my coffee in adequate amounts shot directly into my jugular. Yes, this is the kind of amazing quality content you will get from this blog until my exam at the end of the month, oh yay!!

So, Bloglovin anyone?

But! But yesterday I was invited to the fun Decat o Revista party and that was the perfect opportunity to relax, meet new people, enjoy the company of old friends and eat the most delicious brownies I have ever tasted.

Made by the talented Jo. So delish. Like I said yesterday, the phrase "I love it so much that I wanna take it behind the school and leave it pregnant" fits just right.

Recipe here. Trying it this weekend :)

The delightful chocolate chip cookies that went perfectly with the savory teas.

Do I have you drooling yet?

I'm trying my best "hope you slip on a banana peel and fall under a guillotine" look.

Dress was a gift from mom. I adore the detail on the one shoulder and I did need a new little black dress. It amazes me how I love dressing up very girly and colorful during the winter but as soon as the first rays of spring sunshine hit the ground I'm all "Weee, Black Widow time!!".

First day in a month when I could say without any sarcasm in my voice: my hair looked good.

It's the little, narcissistic bits that count ;)

Song of the Day: The Coral - In The Morning

"Dark rings around your eyes are fashionable"

2011-01-12T09:54:00.009+02:00

The day after New Year's Eve. Caffeine is the best friend of the hungover boys and girls.

2011 is here, January is breezing along and I still cannot get used to dragging myself out of bed every morning and moving my butt to my fascinating (coughcough) Gastroenterology internship. I think that has to do with the fact that I can never seem to get to bed earlier than 2 am. I blame my obsession with Gilmore Girls and wine glasses.

I blame my lack of posting to my lack of an interesting life. Both The Boy and I and almost everyone I know have been slumping in so hard that you'd think we were training for the Special Lazy Olympics. Oh winter holiday, why did you have to be so fun but only at night, you heartless wench!

Good part: I've been reading a lot. Bad part: Not any of those have been school books. But I'm still not freaking out, still have a few days before the exams start knocking on my door.

Zen, baby, zen.

My camera has been used a bit, so here are a few bits and pieces of my lazy-a-thon life.

Rare sunny mornings and sparkly nails to welcome January. A lot of time has been spent on the couch going through a very, very long list of need to watch movie: Never Let Me Go (so beautiful and so sad!), Black Swan (mindblowing and freaky), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (so very cute but not to be watched on an empty stomach), Jonah Hex (not as bad as I was expecting), The Social Network (I now have the biggest crush on Andrew Garfield), Salt (really enjoyed it!), Dinner for Shmucks (funny-ish but at least is had Paul Rudd).

And now that I've written them all down I suddenly realize why I haven't been very productive this year.

New additions to our action figure collection.

My perfume collection is getting out of hand but no one can say no to Burberry's The Beat. I also plan on wearing too many colors this year.

The Boy got a new tee. I steal it from time to time because I am convinced the Cookie Monster is my Spirit Animal.

Edgar the Fake Skull and Doctor McCoy are still feeling the Christmas mood.

New headphones. Mom thanked me dearly as she is this close to throw herself off a building if she hears the Tron Soundtrack one more time.

I'm growing an avocado. Or, I think I am. Apollo still hasn't shown any signs of being alive or dead. I also got ridiculously excited over my new colored scrubs. Salmon pink and violet, wee!

I'm also feeling Christmas-y.

I'd also like to introduce you to the new member of my family, Jeff the Kindle. The Boy completed all the adoption papers this Christmas and he arrived on January the 8th. He is the most perfect little thing ever and is now filled with tons and tons of books. The only problem is that I have to chose which books to read.

Currently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Next up: either the much talked about Mark Twain biography or the much talked about Cleopatra biography. I really do enjoy biographies.

Song of the Day: The Courteeners - You Overdid It Doll

"I want to break your heart and give you mine"

2010-12-30T18:00:00.019+02:00

Freaky snowman is freaky. Kept expecting him to start a dance with Tim Burton in the middle of the square.

The last week has been a whirlwind. Running between family dinners and between Bucharest and Cluj, killing time with wine bottles all by myself or glasses filled with beer around tables with friends. I think I'm getting old because all I really want to do for New Year's Eve is sleep until the cows come home. Will probably end up next to a glass of vodka and a plate of cookies.

And because this whole "What I've learned in 2010" meme has been going around the interwebz, here are the two things I've aquired these 365 days: Don't mix drinks and a truckload of medical stuff I will forget come January 1st.

Keep on enjoying the hollidays, darlings.

Cluj, darling city, thank you for a couple of really great days. I'll always have those few extra pounds to remind me of you.

9 hours train ride. Once the book got too long and the iPhone games got too boring, we resorted to acting like 5-year-olds.

It was nice and snowy over there. It was also so freezing that even Mr Freeze would buy an electric blanket. But pretty, nontheless.

Thank god for kiddy mittens and grandma style socks.

Look ma', snow!!

Reindeers and sheep. And I do adore sheep ♥

This is what happens when the boy sends me to buy snacks for the train ride home. I go buy giant marshmallow eyes and then run around the train whispering "The Eye of Sauron is going to get youuuuuu". Hey, I didn't watch all the Lord of the Rings extended editions for nothing :)

Florina's birthday party rounded up the holiday party count. Yet hers was the best bash we've had in this house all year. There was drinking, there were muffins, there was dancing to Ke$ha (who we hate to love) and then there was chilling to Red Hot Chili Peppers (who we just love).

All in all, one great party. Love you babe :)

Pre-Party photoshoot, always a must.

Okay, photoshoot over.

Wearing: Mango dress, Kotton sweater, Accessorize tights and headband, Nine West boots, vintage brooch wore as necklace.

Tried to make a snowman.

Failed to make a snowman. Made a snowboob (The Boy's take on our sculpture) or a snow flowerpot (my take on the sculpture).

Decided to give up freezing and watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special which had Dumbledore as a narrator so WIN!!

Always keep in mind: Bowties are cool.

Wearing: Mango dress & coat, Accessorize tights & headband, Musette boots, Zara Men sweater stollen from The Boy.

Song of the Day: Garbage - You Look So Fine

"You're a mean one, Mister Grinch!"

2010-12-24T11:19:00.001+02:00

Nothing says Christmas like a sugar overload. Complete with artificially colored sprinkles to keep the heart pumping.

*

Funny thing, this year it feels like almost everybody is a Grinch in disguise. Maybe it's the school stress or the lack of Christmas snow or maybe everyone's hearts shrank two sizes too small. Even my poor tree looks particularly glum this year.

Not even Tron could lighten the mood and that's saying something. When not even a David Bowie-esque Michael Sheen and a wrapped in shiny leather Olivia Wilde can't crack a smile, you know things are blue in Whoville. I blame too freaky to be cool CGI Jeff Bridges for that.

But! But at least friends are close and gifts are tightly wrapped and cookies are freshly baked so for a night I actually put on my reindeer horns and felt the need to sing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs. Those are the days when even a Grinch feels annoyingly cheerful :-)

*

Gifts galore!!

This will probably lead to conversations like this: "I wanted to make you some vodka pasta but now it's just pasta and I am drunk."

♥

Florina and I. She was dressed very Christmas-y, I was... dressed.

Vodka and peanut butter oreo muffins :)

The first photo will forever be named the I Hate You Photo. Friends know why ;)

Merry Christmas, darlings!
♥

*

Song of the Day: Daft Punk - Derezzed

"We love till the end of the day"

2010-12-17T15:04:00.022+02:00

Repeat after me: sugar crash!

Plans for the winter holiday:

♥ Sleep until I literally evolve into a very close relative of the jungle sloth.

♥ Watch all seasons of the following shows: Gilmore Girls, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Misfits and Life on Mars.

♥ Watch the following Christmas movies: Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Love Actually and Nightmare Before Christmas, all of which are holiday staples in this house.

♥ Bake reindeer shaped cookies and many, many muffins and gain at least a few pounds by the new year.

♥ Finally read Doctor Faustus, re-read Everything is Illuminated and get my hands on any books by Jonathan Franzen or Phillip Roth.

♥ Debate of the week: is wearing my lovely dresses worth freezing my tush off? My heart says yes, but my running nose and cold, clammy hands say no.

♥ Sing the Chipmunks Christmas song at least 6 times a day. Annoying high squealed voice not an option.

♥ Learn how to make Darth Vader paper snowflakes.

♥ Buy glittery things. Lots and lots of glittery things. An annoying, pathological amount of glittery things.

♥ Re- learn to brave the snowy streets in heels. Yell "This is Spartaaaaaa!" when successful.

Happy holidays everyone :-)

The Christmas lights in the city can only be described by the word kitsch. I personally love their craptastic qualities but others do not share my view. At least we can agree the park fairs are cute...ish, right?

Santa was M.I.A. Lots of last minute business at the North Pole.

Fun fact no. 237 about me: I have a slight obsession with sheep and plan on building the biggest collection of sheep toys this side of the Carpathian mountains.

Need to buy fluffy winter hat complete with fuzzy ears and dangling pom-poms. Preferably bright pink.

Outfit post! Can't remember where I wore it or why I wore it, just that I did and that the redheaded doll and I had a very important bonding moment. We are now bffs.

She's like my sister from another mother.

dress & sweater: Kotton, boots: Nine West, bracelet: Asos, watch: Tissot.

New month, new internship. A lot of new moments spent pretending to read books of importance when actually we just search Youtube for funny videos and sleep standing up. Can I get a woop-woop?

Nothing cuter that scrubs matching shoes of choice :-D

Trip to Ikea equals buying too many cheap pie trays and that equals learning how to make not-cheap pies.

Apple-peach-blueberry pie. Recipe adapted from here. Oh yum!

Song of the Day: Blue Foundation - End of the Day

"We’re coming with you. That was decided months ago — years, really"

2010-12-05T21:50:00.001+02:00

Some people collect stamps or coins. The boy and I collect Kinder toys and action figures. Birds of a feather and so on.

Three points for this weekend:

I am one very big Harry Potter fan.

The first time I read the first book I could not let it go until the wee hours of the night. When the last book came out I was in the middle of my exam craze and couldn't read it. Then I finally bought it in London and promptly lost it in the airport. When I finally sat down to read it, it was during a family dinner and all my relatives could get out of me when they interrupted me were glares and low growls.

So of course I got as excited as a tiny teacup human on dextroamphetamines when the 7th movie came out. And of course I dragged the poor unsuspecting Boy to the cinema. And you know what? I loved every minute of this movie. I wish I could come up with a good review but I really am a fan and I really am this in love with the magical, imaginary world that the only thing I could come up with would be some uncontrollable keyboard smashing and excited, high pitched squeals.

Harry Potter, I really really like you :)

I enjoy theater a lot. There was a time when I would see a play at least twice a week. I got to feel the joy of watching a new play last night. Arta at Bulandra Theater and I am glad the Boy and I braved the rain because I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long time. I recommend this to anyone in Bucharest, all the actors are splendid in their roles and it will definitely make anyone walk out of there with a huge smile on their face.

A long walk in the rain. Sleeping in. Chasing mother around IKEA with a giant plush shark. Christmas plans. Sleeping in. Finally cleaning out my closet. Arcade Fire and My Chemical Romance on repeat. And, of course, sleeping in.

All weekends should be like this.

*

My favorite house is Slytherin so I felt the need to show this through my outfit. Because really, they're not evil, they just need a hug!
(P.S: Dork alert.)

Post-movie happy dance, now complete with ridiculous expression.

Still in the middle of an excited happy dance, albeit a weird one.

But in the I felt bad for Harry, so I decided to try out the Gold&Red Gryffindor colors and pretend for a second I'm a fluffy-haired lion.

(And distract you with the pretty bows and gold leaves from my terrible, terrible hair. Is it working? I think it's working.)

Grrr :)

Not even Eggbert, the friendly T-Rex, could choose between the two.

Wearing: Zara dress, Mango cardigan, Accessorize socks, Musette booties, Accessorize bow headband, Asos gold headband.

*

Song of the Day: Clare Maguire - Ain't Nobody

"I want to annoy and I'm going to enjoy it"

2010-11-29T13:32:00.001+02:00

Time passes way too fast. I am almost at the end of my surgery internship and exams are approaching fast with a speed usually only achieved by light and bad news. I am letting myself start the panic dance come tomorrow. I would have started earlier but this weekend brought me and The Boy to a dear friend's mountain house where all the worry that should have been got buried under delicious food, early mornings with home-made waffles and karaoke to bad 80s songs.

My Zen-ness can be bought with food and music. Eh, I can start worrying tomorrow when I see all my books glaring at me as I glare back even if I do know they always win in the end. Until then, anyone else care for another glass of wine?

PS: Thank you Ioana for keeping the panic away for a few more days. Happy birthday ♥

The Boy has been working all week on a housing/office project so I helped by bringing him coffee and newspapers, keeping him busy and making him take my outfit photos. Not my fault the view was amazing.

blazer & skirt: Zara, silk shirt: Mango, boots: Musette.

*

Some other reasons why my Exams Are So Close I Can Taste Them Panic hasn't settled in yet:

1. Cosmopolitans with my Florina and the always delightful Ina. This is the kind of life I can get used to.

2. Speaking of Ina, she also surprised me with an invitation to the Nouvelle Vague concert which was mighty fun. I was happy to find out that she was just as clueless as I was when it came to their music but at least that way we could high-five each other when one of the 3 songs we actually knew was sung. Can I get a woop-woop? :))

3. I was invited to the 1 year anniversary of LaChatterie which was held at the Pixie Shoes Showroom. Unfortunately I couldn't stay too long but at least I got to take some photos and throw some quick hugs around the room. The only thing I regret is the fact that I left too early and didn't get to meet Ioana from Fashezine who modeled their newest collection. Sigh, I guess I'll have to save my fangirling for next time.

One small shop bursting with dazzling clothes and splendid shoes. I think this is what they call Heaven.

Lovely flower decorations made by the even lovelier Adina @ EnRose.

*

Now, where are my books, pens, post-its and ton of coffee?

*

Song of the Day: I Blame Coco feat. Robyn - Caesar

"If we shadows have offended think but this and all is mended: that you have but slumber'd here while these visions did appear."

2010-11-16T21:08:00.004+02:00

One of my philosophies on life is pretty simple and straightforward: I love beautiful things. Be it a superb pair of shoes, a breathtaking photograph or a person so amazing they just shine beauty from their eyes, I really do love beautiful things. This has helped me meet some really great people in my life and also acquire a rather impressive wardrobe so I think this isn't that bad of a personality trait to have.

So when I got an email from the sweet girls at Choronette asking me if I would like one of their fabulous dresses, I am amazed I still had the self control to write a proper response and not just hit the keyboard while caps-locking uncontrollably. I did shimmy around the room for a while, and might even have burst into a choreographed dance routine à la Joseph Gordon Levitt but anyone who knows me knows that's pretty normal around my neck of the woods.

If you don't know Chotronette by now, you should. They make these beautiful graceful dresses that look like they should belong in a Baz Luhrmann adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. And I am convinced that if fairies wore dresses they'd all be lining up to have one because they're superbly made and simply a delight to wear.

And did I mention the girls are two absolute darlings? So how in the world could I have said no in the end? I always did want to be a princess with Lara Croft ass-kicking powers so this dress might just be bringing me closer to my dream in the end ♥

*

The Boy + one camera + gorgeous dresses + two girls (because I finally managed to get my sweetheart Florina in front of the camera!) =
backyard photoshoot yet again.

My favorite photo of Florina and I.

Felt like a fairy princess. All I needed more were an unicorn and pixie dust because I was already this close to reciting Shakespearean lines (a.n: I need this post to thank my English teachers for my love for ol' Billy. I was a tiny teacup human, I could not speak my own language correctly, to the horror of my mother, but at least I knew Shakespeare. And I think that still applies today. Eh, you win some, you lose some).

Yes, my friends are gorgeous. You can go an be jealous right now ;-)

I wore the dress for the first time to a party and this was the only make-up that could ever do it justice. As I'm writing this I am already imagining a million more other way I could wear it and how every time I will always have a moment of pause before spinning around in it like the little girl that I am.

Thank you Chotronette :-)

*

Song of the Day: Arcade Fire - Month of May

"I used to sleep at night before the flashing lights settled deep in my brain"

2010-11-08T13:38:00.035+02:00

Sugar, when combined with food coloring and a delicious looking exterior, is my Heaven.

*

1. TV & Movie recap of my week: How to Train Your Dragon is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. I now really want a dragon of my own who I'd name BooBoo. The Last Airbender is a movie with really awesome visuals and one extraordinary bad script. I have become addicted to Vampire Diaries. Okay, truthfully, I have become addicted to staring at Ian Somerhalder because I sometimes want to bitch-slap everyone in that show but Damon is so worth wasting an hour for.

(Superficial Anna is superficial.)

2. I should not drink wine. It makes me change accents and I end up a walking, talking trivia machine that has the play button stuck and is set on shuffle. Not cool.

3. Confession: I enjoy bad movies. There, I said it. I like to consider my tastes in movies to be above average and close to Annoying Hipster levels but I can go from watching The Shawshank Redemption to You Don't Mess with the Zohan in a blink of an eye and love both of them. The sound you hear is my credibility going down the drain.

(This might even end up as a future blog post: Anna's Questionable Taste in Movies or Movie Snobs R Not Us.)

4. It only took one summer to turn me from an abnormally cheerful early bird into the kind of girl who screams "I will disembowel you with a toothpick and gauge your eyes out with a RUSTY SPOON if you wake me!" if poked before 11am. Thank god The Boy doesn't take me too seriously before my first cup of coffee.

5. I have come to the conclusion that I need more sparkly and glittery clothes in my life. Like Lady Gaga meets Johnny Weir meets Ziggy Stardust except with more scrubs and less insanity. Only then will I be happier.

*

And now onto life as I know it.

Saturday was a brisk walk to the Wonderland Fair where I got to drink some great passion fruit smoothies and enjoy all the beautiful eye-candy. And even though my wallet has been on the Great Depression Era side of the tracks and it was more of a Veni Vidi and less Vici experience, I still enjoyed this little fashion break.

Fabulous dresses by the lovely Alina Ene.

Yes, yes, I know, I wanted to run off with everything as well.

*

The day turned to night and the night ended up being spent in front of wine glasses. Not before one last walk around the city.

I look drunk but I promise I wasn't. Or I don't think I was. Anyway. 75% not drunk!

Wearing: Mango dress, Zara blazer, Accessorize tights, Musette boots & bag.

*

Second time I spent a Sunday in the park. Look mom, I'm learning how to be an outdoorsy person. Feel proud.

Now, if I can also get the act-my-age thing down, I'll be ready for the real world.

I liked this balloon but it did not like me and kept hitting me in the head. Our relationship was short-lived and tempestuous, sigh.

Wearing: Zara dress & blazer, Nine West boots, Musette bag.

*

Sunday night was lazy. Just like I like it.

*

Song of the Day: Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait

"Sip the bottle now don't be slow, keep up with me as we lose control"

2010-10-29T20:18:00.000+03:00

This has been a very interesting week. Not only did a motorcycle run over my foot (I am now sporting the blue and purple outline of a bruise to prove it) but I also did put my not so vast emergency medicine knowledge to good use when a lady fell and banged her head on the bus. Apparently most people run when they see blood. Us med students get an adrenaline rush and start using really long words.

I also found out that if I were stuck with my friends in a jungle and I were limping, they'd leave me there. No biggie, I'd do the same, survival of the fittest and all that. They did say they'd get me at one point. After the book deal of course.

But even through early hospital hours and accidents, I still squeezed my feet into a pair of heels and tippy-toed last night to the AloChic Meet party held by the AloModa team. Be it rain or snow or sleep, I will never pass up the chance to spend a girls' night out with some very stylish ladies.

There were Cosmopolitans. There were great shoes. There were really cute outfits. It was very much fun indeed and I got to meet and reconnect with some wonderful girls.

*

Like I said, not even motorcycles will stop me from wearing heels.

Wearing: Zara dress and blazer, Musette booties, vintage bracelet, unknown brand (yet amazing!) comic book tights, Musette bag.

Pixie Shoes and AloModa collaborated and from those two style powerhouses came two beautiful pairs of shoes. I am convinced I wasn't the only one who wanted to run away with them!

A lot of swooning was happening over Dada's skirt.

I was this close to stealing one of these Paul Smith for Evian water bottles for The Boy because he is crazy over them.

The dress. The dress! My love for the night.

Stylish girls being stylish.

Florina and I doing our best posing for the camera looks ♥

Thank you Edi for these photos!

*

Song of the Day: Katy B - Katy On a Mission

"Shut up and let me see your jazz hands! Remember when you were a madman, thought you was Batman."

2010-10-21T19:15:00.002+03:00

Did I ever mention that when I was a kid I really, really wanted to be a ballerina princess? (In my head, princess and ballerina always came hand in hand. Damn you Disney!). I also wanted to be a veterinarian who only worked with bunnies and a princess warrior who owned a magical unicorn, but ballerina was still in my top 5 career options. It's funny how things change; right now I'm aiming for zombie fighting House M.D.

*

Monday evening I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the photography book Oglinzi/Mirrors by Razvan Mazilu at Odeon Theatre. Now, I think I must start this by saying that Razvan Mazilu is one of the most talented dancers I've ever seen on stage and I have been in love with his work ever since I saw his take on The Picture of Dorian Gray on stage. It was this perfect combination of theater and ballet with so much beauty and emotion that I remember not being able to applaud for a few seconds because I was left awed when the curtains closed.

And thus started my love. I saw Dorian Gray about 7 or 8 times on stage (I need to thank the kind lady at the ticket stand for giving me the opportunity to watch it the last two times for free after seeing me there too often. Thank you for fueling my obsession!) and tried to see every show he put on stage.

So now you understand why I was bouncing like a ferret on pixie dust when Monday came and I found myself on the stage where I had seen some of my favorite plays.

The book features photos from some of his best shows all neatly wrapped up for our enjoyment. A handful of talented photographers worked on this project along with Razvan Mazilu and friends and all the money made from the sales will go as scholarships to young and talented dancers who need financial support to continue doing what they love most: dancing. If anyone is interested, the book can be bought here.

The evening was absolutely delightful. Not only did I bump into Dada (and her practical yet still chic wellies; you can find her post about the night here), Julia and other stylish young girls, we also saw a live show from the young boy who will receive the first scholarship which just made my skin turn into goosebumps. The evening ended with The Boy and I enjoying a walk home in a city that got a nice wash after the pouring rain.

I might never object to spending my Mondays like this.

We got to look up close at some of the costumes from past shows at Odeon theatre.

I wanted to steal anything velvet-y, The Boy wanted to steal the brogue shoes.

Fluffy hair, oh fluffy hair, when it rains you puff up like no other. At least you look nuclear red in the light, just like I like you.

So much talent in such a tiny body. Razvan Mazilu was right to say that talent is talent even when, ahem, height challenged. I mean, have you ever seen Mikhail Baryshnikov on stage?

She was gorgeous ♥

(photos by me)

I wish I could be more coherent, but by the end of the dance my brain went into ecstatic shutdown and even today all I can come up with is an astonished "Wow"!

Now excuse me, I need to have a long conversation with my family as to why oh why did they not sign my up for ballet and instead chose math tutoring instead. Because 15 years later I can't touch my toes and math still leaves me with the glazed, flabbergasted wide-eyed look of a squid faced with theoretical physics. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Song of the Day: My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na

"So do you want to waste some time alone tonight?"

2010-10-13T21:07:00.004+03:00

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

Wonderful video found via Dapper Kid. If you don't know his blog, you should check it out immediately. His writing is incredible, he is - no doubt! - one of the smartest and fashionable guys in this sea of blogs. And he might even run around rooftops wearing a cape at night. If that ain't cool, I don't know what is.

Music post time!

I'll start this by saying I am usually not a fan of electronic disco dance-y music. I grew up on my cousin's Queen and Metallica albums, on Rammstein, Muse and Linkin Park (I had my nobody-understands-me teenage angst period) and then fell prey to pop campy music and even took a long trip down Indie town too. But through all of this, I never felt the love for the electro pop scene because I always felt that if I'd buy that 30 seconds long preview of the song on Amazon and then just stick it on shuffle for 1 hour it would more-or-less be the same thing.

People around me still told me I just didn't find the one yet. The one song that would have me on my knees declaring eternal love and shared mortgage. And from time to time I had some flings with related genres (I'm looking at you Massive Attack, you saucy creepy minx, you.) but not many managed to pull on my heart-strings and temporal lobe.

Saying that, I'm here to present one very interesting, very well-made mini-movie split in 3 parts for what I might call a very catchy and kind of addictive - gasp! - dance-y song.

And that is Russ Chime's Midnight Club EP.

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 1: Never Look Back)

I might have kicked and screamed when The Boy made me watch this at first, but one minute in and I was hooked. The song, it was good and didn't make me want to stick cotton balls in my ears and actually made me bop my head a couple of times. But what won me over was the video. I know, I know, it's not fair to ramble on about a song just because the video is cool. But the video is really, really cool guys!

It's a mini movie that focuses on one couple - who are just hipster-ish enough to own that cool factor but not so hipster-ish to make you wanna shoot a limited edition Spoon album just so you can make them cry - and their kidnapping which results in one amazing detective style story with just enough betrayal and mystery to keep one glued to their seat.

All with a happy ending, of course.

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 2: Tertre Rouge)

I think what makes this video so special and great is the way it's filmed with flashbacks, parallel story-lines and that very engaging reverse narrative in the first video. It does push the cheesy limits a little, but it all turns out quite okay in the end. I was almost clawing at my keyboard waiting for each installment and found myself rooting for the Ray Ban wearing knight in American Apparel armor.

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 3: Targa)

Check it out, it's a visually exciting way to entertain yourselves for 15 minutes.

That said, I need to go and blast some Pink Floyd and (newer obsession) Biffy Clyro at maximum volume for now.

(I'm thinking about starting to try to maybe post a little bit more frequently than I usually do. Like not waiting for a lunar eclipse before actually sitting down and writing something. And I would do that through little posts like this one, branching out and trying other subjects than usual. Hmm. We'll see if this lasts.)

(Also, I'm on BlogLoving all of a sudden. Who would've thunk?)

Song of the Day: Hurts - Silver Lining

(Seeing them live soon. On the count of free can I get a Whoop-Whoop?)

"And suddenly she starts to believe."

2010-10-09T18:14:00.001+03:00

Why yes, I am trying to distract you from my lack of posting by making you drool over photos of an apple galette. Is it working? You feel your salivary glands working in overdrive and suddenly forgiving me for my abandonment? Then my work here is done. And in case you want to try this at home too, head over to Smitten Kitchen and go buy a pound of apples.

So yeah. I've learned to cook. A few burns here, a bag of sugar on the floor there, a smoky kitchen from time to time but now I can whip up a pretty acceptable dinner. Either that, or everyone has been lying to me and spitting their food in napkins when I wasn't looking. Hmm.

I did a photoshoot for Intre Fete, a lovely lifestyle and fashion site written by lovely, smart, stylish girls for other lovely, smart, stylish girls. Thanks to AloModa for inviting me to take part in their campaign. I got my make-up done and had fun with the other girls, especially Hilke who was also my photo buddy as you can see.

All in all, I'll never say no to having fun with such incredible and enjoyable girls.

I was wearing my own outfit: BSB dress, Zara Vest, thrifted belt, Guess shoes via Solestruck.

I also did late night night runs in search of Jagermeister, one of the best things the Germans ever invented. Sadly, it was nowhere to be found. But I did find the cutest little plushies ever (Eeyore was always my favorite Pooh character. Pooh always seemed like an addict to me and Tigger gave me the chills with his psychotic attitude) and there was Absolut Vodka at hand's reach.

Got my ass kicked at Street Fighter. Still rock at Wii Raving Rabbids.

The Boy and I, one awesome Cosmopolitan and one delicious Whiskey (in a Cosmo glass but still a tres manly drink nonetheless.)

Tabu Party this week. Thanks Mihai Terzea for the lovely photos (he even managed to catch me with my glasses on!), thanks Tabu for the invite and thank you Inozza for the company, you charming funny girl you!

Did I mention I started my 4th year of university? I'm doing Pedatrics right now. Planning on stuffing my (comfy, comfy) scrub's pockets with candy in case the kids attack - don't judge me, I get nervous around tiny, tiny teacup humans! - and still trying to find where they keep the toys. If I ever find a Batman action figure I am never giving it back. Never!

*

Song of the Week: Hurts - Wonderful Life

"Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store"

2010-09-16T15:10:00.001+03:00

What better way o start a post than with a photo a dog so fluffy you'd think hiss life is a permanent spin cycle in a dryer? If he were mine I'd carry him around as pillow.

It took me a while o realize September is here and it is not planning on leaving until all the liquor is gone and there are no more clean dishes in the house. Just sitting there on the couch staring at me as I stare at it with my ruffled up feathers and cup of coffee.

Things are feeling disarranged and unhinged and bouncing around like a rubber ball on a frenzied rampage. Sending the blame to weather changes and all the crumpled paper living on every available flat space. Thank god for cuddles, Mad Men marathons and a newly discovered Skittles obsession. And Absolut Vanilla vodka.

A sunny day and a garden usually mean improvised photoshoots with The Boy. Or, when lazy bones are taking their revenge, it means watching Mad Men on the couch. But from time to time it's nice to tell the lazy bone to shut up and just go and enjoy the sun and all that vitamin D.

Nothing brings out the child in you like a swing.

Contrary to popular belief, even if I do have zero balance when just standing around on terra firma, I still did not fall flat on my face. Barely.

I am no longer a redhead. You can call me Faded Carrot Top from now on.

The puppy is the fluffiest thing ever (even fluffier than certain unicorns) but he doesn't show any sort of reaction to anyone's presence, always being far more interested in random twigs or imaginary Chupacabras he thinks are hiding in the back garden.

Not even a nod of recognition when I ended up running after him. He must be the life of the party.

Not even my pouty face could make him stay.

Wearing: Mango dress, Zara blazer, Musette booties, Dior sunglasses.

*

Song of the Day: Tennessee Ernie Ford- Sixteen Tons

"Numberless names with the force of the ninth wave"

2010-08-30T16:10:00.034+03:00

I decided to dye my hair red out of two very important reasons: a) I had always wanted to be a green-eyed, freckled red-head and the hair was the easiest way to get closer to that dream without painful (and alien) surgical procedures and b) I had a sort of quarter life crisis.

I can still remember the look of shock on everyone's face when I ended up with this this bright red carrot-top-on-crack hair. I think I tried every sort of red out there since then (my poor hairdresser hates me already) but I am still not sick of being an - albeit false - redhead and I can't picture my hair back to it's what I fell now to be dull chocolate brown.

Unless I have another existential crisis as that usually leads to my hair being sacrificed on the altar of change and craziness.

I love redheads. And because I'm the kind of person that makes up lists in her head about all her favorite things, I could not pass up a chance to present to you my favorite of the bunch.

My Top 11 (I cheated a little) Favorite Redheads:
(in no particular order)

1. Florence Welch (Singer; Florence & The Machine)

Not only is she an energetic entertainer she also has a voice that will rock your world. The pale skin and the fiery locks combined with a majestic presence on stage makes her one of my favorite singers of the moment. She also makes these fantastic, whimsical videos that you need to watch over and over again.

2. Conan O'Brien (Late Night with Conan O'Brien)

In case you were wondering, I was always on Team Coco. Enough said.

3. Amy Adams (Actress; Enchanted, Doubt)

She's adorable! She played a real-life Cinderella, all wide eyed and innocent and then so effortlessly managed to convey the austere nun in one of my favorite dramas, Doubt, where she also never wavered in front of the force that is Meryl Streep. She's cute with an edge and gives redheads a very good name.

4. Christina Hendricks (Actress; Mad Men)

The term girl crush is an understatement. When she walks on scene in an episode of Mad Men you literally can't take your eyes off her and you suddenly understand why all the men at Sterling-Cooper would kiss her perfectly polished shoes in a heartbeat. This girl looks like a modern age Grecian goddess and I see why the boys at Esquire have such a colossal crush on her. I mean, don't you?

5. Felicia Day (Actress; Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Guild)

Pretty girl who rocks Dungeons and Dragons? Who makes Neil Patrick Harris swoon? Who can look gorgeous and geek out at the same time? And who's incredibly sweet and down to Earth? Felicia Day is every teenage nerd's dream girl. She is cute as a button and can still kick your ass at comic book trivia. If you haven't seen The Guild yet, you should. Or at least their nerdtastic music video. Did I mention she's the writer and producer too?

6. Deborah Ann Woll (Actress; True Blood)

I love True Blood. It's cheesy, it's over-the-top and veers off into tacky territory every episode but man, I love it. But I love it not because of the script but because it has some of the funnest characters out there and I wouldn't mind if they killed everyone else and it just ended up The Eric, Laffayette and Jessica show.
She plays the wide-eyed innocent vampire trying to sort things out and she does it with more poise than most female characters in that ridiculous show. She is also the cutest thing ever, does a great Bill impersonation and her and Pam are hilarious.

7. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Actor; Modern Family)

Are you watching Modern Family? Great, isn't it one of the best comedy shows out there? Oh, you're not? Thehttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=729636068970379043&postID=3790076220712506254n what are you doing here? Leave this blog, lock yourself in your room and don't leave until you've watched all 2 season of the incredibly funny and witty sitcom!
JTF plays one half of the most charming gay couple on television, Mitchell and Cameron. He is a theater alumni and one very funny guy, the perfect mix of talent and charisma and wit. He and Eric Stonestreet do make the most adorable daddy duos ever.

8. Rachel Hurd-Wood (Actress; Peter Pan, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

This girl is looks like a freaking faery! Peter Pan flew her to Wonderland and Ben Wishaw followed her across the map (in a ridiculous stalker-like sort of way, but still!) and I can see why. I'm sad she hasn't been doing any work lately because I thing she's enthralling on screen.

9. Kate Walsh (Actress; Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice)

Grey's Anatomy more-or-less went downhill for me when my favorite fierce female doctor, Addison Sheppard aka Kate Walsh, left the show. She brought much needed spice to the show and I think she is a delightfully captivating woman, spunky and sarcastic and funny. She also rocks a salmon pink pair of scrubs like no one's business!

10. Simon Pegg (Actor; Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek)

My personal king of comedy. He's such a hilarious guy and he took cop movies and zombie movies to a whole new level, much more clever and playful. He's also a huge geek and his tweets are always, always amusing.

11. Karen Gillan (Actress; Doctor Who)

Okay, okay, I loved the David Tennant/Donna Noble season of Doctor Who the most and I was so weary of starting out the new season with the new Doctor but it was love at first viewing. Firstly, because Matt Smith is a great Doctor, clever yet crazy and playful like a baby schizophrenic giraffe; and secondly because Karen Gillan is not only ridiculously pretty but with enough cleverness and just playful enough to keep up with him. The red hair and freckles just made me like her even more. Come on new season of Doctor Who!

Okay, so I cheated on this a little bit and I'm going to be cheating some more only because there are so many talented carrot top people out there that it is impossible to choose!

Honorable mentions:
(a.k.a. the I Liked You More When You Turned to the Red Side list)

12. Scarlett Johansson (Actress; Iron Man 2)

I always thought Miss Scarlett was a beautiful girl but I personally thought the red hair she sported during the Iron Man movie turned her into this kick-ass vixen. The black leather bodysuit and high-kicks might have had something to do with this too, but I stand by my belief that the new color put her on a whole new level. Tony Stark would agree.

13. Nicole Kidman (Actress; Moulin Rouge)

I'll just let you know now that I think this woman looks like she's been carved out of marble is is splendid actress. I was so dsappointed when she went blond forever considering my biggest crush on her started when she was setting the stage on fire in Moulin Rouge. Still hoping she'll turn back to her roots (pun intended) in the near future.

source: photos from Tumblr, collages made by me.

*

Well, this turned out longer than I expected. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed doing writing this and I leave you to stare at the photos and enjoy the view :)

*

Song of the Day: Klaxons - Echoes