Thought I’d blog a bit about last weekend. I never thought stringing a couple of sentences together could be this hard. Anyway, this is what me and my friends wore this weekend for Carnival in Gozo. Aren’t we cute?
Chicken with Ricotta and Spinach
15 FebSince my life is still a complete mess and I have no idea what to blog about, here goes another recipe.
But first let me tell you a bit about its history. A couple of weeks ago I was in Brussels for a meeting and since many people were on a general strike (no buses, trams, some shops were closed and other similar horrors) I couldn’t have lunch at the canteen where the meeting was being held because the employees were of course on strike. So I joined a friend of mine and some of her colleagues and went for lunch at this cute Italian restaurant. I decided to try the penne with spinach and mascarpone sauce. I loved the simplicity of this dish and so I decided to look up the recipe on the internet. Since then I’m trying hard to eliminate pasta from my diet and stick as much as humanely possible (for a born and bred Mediterranean who grew up with pasta and bread with almost every meal) to the Paleo diet. So I looked up the recipe and modified it as to make it more Paleo-ish.
Serves 2
400g chicken breast, chopped in bite size pieces
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
8 mushrooms
1 cup ricotta cheese (or coconut milk)
Black pepper
Salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups spinach
50g chopped walnuts
Grated parmesan
1. Toast the walnuts in a pan for a few minutes and set aside.
2. Using the same pan, sauté the garlic and chicken with a bit of olive oil. Add some salt to taste.
3. When almost done, add the sliced mushrooms.
4. In the meantime, blend the ricotta cheese, nutmeg, pepper and lemon using an electric blender. Add some milk if mixture seems too dry.
5. Add the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Stir the ricotta mixture into the chicken, mushrooms and spinach. Add some milk or water to keep the mixture creamy.
7. Finally stir the walnuts into the mixture.
8. Serve with grated parmesan.
And there you go, another simple healthy recipe for you to enjoy. If you wish, you can use more ricotta cheese and milk as to make it creamier, add pasta and enjoy it as a pasta sauce.
I just can’t do this anymore…
5 FebGood morning Sunday. I’ve been up for the past couple of hours, trying to clear my room which looks like it’s been hit by a hurricane whilst listening to some Pink Floyd. I also can’t help not think about this weekend, and all other weekends for that matter.
I’m 25 and single. Am I happy about it? No. Is there anything I can do about it? No. I spent Saturday night drinking with my old 6th form friends and dancing with strangers, just like I used to do 8 years ago, 7 years ago, 4 years ago and 1 year ago. In other words, like I’ve been doing since forever.
I just can’t do this any more, but there’s nothing I can do. Once you have experienced the alternative, even for a few weeks, it’s hard going back. I never thought it would be this hard to enjoy being back on the dance floor with a drink in one hand and a stranger holding the other.
But that’s the way it is, there’s no going back. Time to wear the old big fake smile and march on whilst pretending you’re having the time of your life.
Tags: civilian life, frustration, weekend, winter
Shrimp and Spinach Curry
1 FebAs to complement my new exercise regime, I promised myself I will go back, at least partially, to the Paleo Diet (aka Caveman diet, Paleolithic diet etc.). I will soon write a complete post about this but in the meantime, here goes a semi-Paleo recipe which is surprisingly easy, healthy and tastes amazing.
Serves 2:
400g shrimps
2 table spoons olive oil
1 onion
a small piece of root ginger
2 tablespoons curry (powder or paste)
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk (or coconut milk)
2 or 3 cups of shredded spinach
50g cashew nuts
100g rice
sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion and the shredded ginger in olive oil until they begin to soften.
2. Add some sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the curry and continue cooking for a minute or so. In the meantime, prepare the rice in a separate recipient, following normal cooking instructions.
3. Place the mixture in a blender, add the tomato paste, milk and chicken stock and blend everything together until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture back in the pan and bring to simmer.
5. Add the shredded spinach, shrimps and cashew nuts and cook for a few minutes.
6. Finally, add the rice and mix thoroughly.
If you want to cut down on the carbs you can also reduce or even omit rice completely. You can also add more curry, depending on your taste. Go easy on the liquids: if after Step 5 the mixture starts drying up you can always add more milk. However don’t forget that spinach and shrimps, especially if frozen, will release a fair amount of water when added.
Enjoy!
From 0 to Crossfit
26 JanOne of my New Year Resolutions for 2012 was to get fit, lose weight and tone up. To be honest, I don’t believe in New Year Resolutions but the beginning of a new year is always a good excuse to try something new. I’ve never been a big fan of sports. I never practised a team sport, except when forced to, back in secondary school during physical education lessons. I tried volleyball once and handball a few years later but for some reason or other I always fail to stick to such commitments.
So every once in a while I used to join a gym for a couple of months and then again, once my membership expired, I rarely used to renew it. Thankfully my dad is an avid jogger so jogging had become part of my routine. HAD become, past tense, because I have been completely idle for the past two months and pretty much idle since August.
Obviously I started piling on the pounds so I realised I have to do something, otherwise I’m going to end up in the overweight band (again), BMI wise. I am travelling abroad pretty often, due to work commitments, so joining a gym is useless. I also have a part time job which takes up most of my free time. So I had to join some form of classes. I could have chosen Zumba or Samba or what not but I need to get fit fast, not just fit, army fit. And since this year we will be focusing on infantry, well, I need to get army fit and fast! So I chose Crossfit.
SO what is Crossfit? In theory, it’s a strength and conditioning system built on constantly varied, if not randomized, functional movements executed at high intensity. In practice, just to give you an example, it is a set of exercises aimed at working out different parts of your body through a number of reps. So every session starts off with a few minutes of warming up, followed by one set of exercises. We did pull ups on day 1 and push ups on day 2, for about 10 minutes and obviously at intervals. Following that you get like 3 different types of exercises which are repeated for a number of times, in sets. For example, 15 squats, 10 burpees, 6 box jumps and repeat, repeat, repeat. The good thing about it is that workouts are always different so it doesn’t get boring and you work out different parts of the body. So far I have experienced pull ups, box jumps, burpees, squats, push ups and more. It might seem easy at first but trust me, it’s not.
So far I only attended two classes and because I’m such a genius I went for two days in a row. At the end of the second session I could barely walk. 24hrs later, I’m still moving around like a robot. Is it worth the effort? Well having read about it on the internet, apparently, with proper nutrition you can get pretty good results, fitness wise and weight loss wise. With my current lifestyle I can only attend one or two classes a week so I’m not expecting miracles. However I’m not giving up as from week one so I will give it a try and see how it goes. In the mean time, I hope to switch back, at least partially, to the Caveman Diet. But more on that some other day…
Now I will slowly drag myself into bed, hoping that tomorrow I’ll be able to walk around like a human being of sorts…
Cheers to the Frikkin Weekend..
26 JunI’m writing this as I’m sitting down comfortably on my reclining armchair. I’m exhausted, my feet hurt and bruises are popping up all over the place. I’m also depressed because the weekend is over and I need to go back to work tomorrow. Sigh.
You might be asking why all the bruising and exhaustion. Well, while most sane people spend their Sunday relaxing at the beach, me and my comrades just spent this lovely Sunday in the scorching Mediterranean sun, wearing full anti-riot gear. Full uniform, shin guards, helmet, bullet proof vest and shield. I’m telling you it wasn’t pretty. Apart from the training bit we also had an exercise and we got veggies, eggs, milk, water and what not thrown at us. Nope not pretty at all. I could practically leave my shield in the sun and bake an omelette over it at the end of the session. Not to mention some stuff ended up all over my uniform. Meh.
You know sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Most people just think I’m an idiot. Also I must admit that I’m not really good at these exercises, even though I do my best. So to all of those who think I’m an idiot, this is why I’m doing this to myself:
1. I love my country, even though it’s far from perfect. Therefore I want to be useful should the need arise, even though the possibility of us being deployed is fairly remote.
2. Pride. Wearing my uniform gives me a sense of belonging, a sense of responsibility and a sense of pride. Not sure how to explain this. Anyone out there who’s in the army will probably know what I’m talking about.
3. Learning. I’m always up for something new and I’ve always been a fan of military stuff so why not learn more about them too?
4. Adventure. I have always been a bit of a tomboy. I grew up playing football in fields and climbing up trees. Why not keep up traditions and seek ways to release the little tomboy that’s still lurking in me somewhere?
5. Because I’m me. I’m a little bit of everything and a living contradiction. And I’m always looking for new stuff to do so that hopefully, when I’m 70 years old and half dead, I’ll be able to look back and think to myself: ‘That was one hell of a ride maaan!’
A Day in Gozo
7 JunHello world. As promised, I’m finally back. I’m still alive though not in the highest of spirits. It’s June already which means that almost half of 2011 has already gone by. I don’t want to talk much about the past few months… All I can say is that I paid a far too high a price for a few days of happiness. And it seems that I still haven’t paid all my dues yet. I miss the good old smiley me, I really do.
Anyway, enough with the whining and let’s get down to some writing. Last Sunday I spent a day in Gozo with a couple of friends of mine who both live abroad. It was a very enjoyable day, even though it was cloudy and my first swim of the year had to be postponed. The sun was nowhere to be seen and so even my first tan had to be postponed. We spent our day visiting different places around the Island since Cecila brought over some friends who work with her in the lab in Dublin. First we went to Rabat for pastizzi (not for me, I’m counting carbs and calories again) and for a walk around Cittadella. The views from Cittadella are awesome and if you walk around, you can practically see the entire island.
Following Rabat we drove to a place whose name I can’t remember. The sun decided to make an appearance for a few minutes during our walk so it got pretty hot. We then made our way to Nadur for lunch. I had chicken (of course) though not with the healthiest of sauces I must admit. I skipped dessert since I had been promised ice cream later on. Following lunch we drove to Dwejra, supposedly for a swim. The weather was not really encouraging as it was still completely cloudy so I just lay down on my towel, soaking up the UV rays which managed to make their way through the clouds. Unfortunately, this didn’t work so I’m still tan-less. We then walked around Dwejra, close to the famous Azure Window where we took some pictures of the beautiful scenery there.
Following Dwejra we drove to Marsalforn where first we visited the salt pans and then got some yummy ice cream (I stopped counting calories then, got lost in the process). I had chocolate fudge and nougat. I loved both but I think I preferred the chocolate fudge one, even though I’m not a big fan of chocolate ice cream in general. It was then time to head back home so we drove to Mgarr Harbour. After numerous diversions which lengthened our trip by at least 150%, we managed to catch the ferry and head back home.
It was a very quiet and enjoyable day. Gozo is a lovely island which I should visit more often and maybe start learning my way around. Big thanks go to Ann and Cecilia for inviting me and making it happen and to Stephen and Bernard, for driving us around. And also to our tourists Zahra, Ali and Ross for their lovely company. Thank you all for a lovely Sunday.
I know that this was not the most stimulating of articles but I’m trying to overcome my writer’s block here and start blogging again. Will be back soon, I hope 
Happy Easter!
23 AprGood afternoon world. A quick update just in case you care. Nothing much has been happening lately: it’s been a boring, very depressing month which I spent wallowing in self pity and hating everything and everyone in general.
But I’ll be back, someday I will. I’ll survive. I always do.
The Flood
29 MarDon’t panic, Malta is not flooding. We’re all alive and well (some of us, including myself, not so well, but I’m not going to whine about that). On the contrary, the weather is looking pretty good: sunny warm days and chilly nights. In other words, typical spring weather. And this lovely weather has now led to the flood I wish to talk about today. Migrants.
In just two days, more than 800 have landed on our shores. Ironically, this sudden surge in arrivals came just a couple of days after a very well known Italian TV presenter, Massimo Giletti, shamelessly stated that the AFM is shooting at these migrants in order to keep them away from Maltese territories. Hell broke lose with the Maltese ambassador to Italy calling live on the programme denying all accusations. No harm done? Hopefully. But surely, someone with Mr Giletti’s experience should have known better.
Most of these migrants who land on our shores only do so by accident and due to unforeseen (or seen but ignored) circumstances. Most of them are on their way to Italy, their gateway to mainland Europe. The recent arrivals consisted mainly of Eritreans and Somalis who have fled their war torn countries into Libya, from where they hope to reach European shores, usually by risking their lives on tiny boats in open seas. As the weather over the Mediterranean improves, more migrants will reach our shores in the very near future. This time, most probably, not just non-Libyans fleeing from Libya, but Libyans themselves, fleeing from their own country.
Unfortunately, the arrival of such migrants elicits a very negative response from a pretty large sector of the local population. Truth be told, they are a burden for us taxpayers: they have to be provided with food, water, shelter and medical care. But how can we forget that these people are just human beings in need? International law (and basic respect towards other human persons) prohibits a state from sending migrants back to their homeland if for example they risk death and persecution. Immigration law is not my forte, I admit. However what hurts me most as a morally sane human being is that so many people have no respect whatsoever towards these people who need our help and assistance.
As a state Malta is legally (and morally) bound to take these vulnerable individals in her care, however, we’re a small overpopulated island with limited resources and with many problems of our own. So please, dear EU take note. Instead of formally thanking us and praising us with very nice words for our help in evacuating their citizens from Libya, other countries should help us out in dealing with this migrant situation. As a Malteser, I’m very proud of what Malta has done in order to help all of those who wanted to get out of Libya. But as a European I’m very disappointed that as yet, no one has offered us any practical help in dealing with this sudden influx.
And to all of you racist b*stards, please think of it this way: How would you like having to leave you own country because the situation has become unbearable? Cliché, I know, but I think some of us could use a reminder every once in a while. I’m just hoping that such racist idiots are not the same holier than thou ones opposing divorce on moral and religious grounds. That would be hilarious.
Libya etc.
12 MarIt’s Saturday again and because I’m a bit bored and because I just happened to listen to a prominent Maltese journalist talking at a seminar which I had to attend due to work commitments, I decided to sit down in bed, listen to some good music and jot down a few words regarding the situation in Libya, which is now unfortunately escalating. I have no problems calling it a downright civil war.
First things first: The Seminar
A few weeks ago I started a new job within an educational institution and as part of my job, I’m required to study the market, see what’s going on and find out ways and means to increase our part-time student intake. So back in my first week I found out about this seminar through Facebook. As a happy newbie, I immediately told my boss about this. To cut a long story short, basically I ended up at this seminar giving a short 5 minute presentation regarding our diploma in journalism. (By the way if you’re interested in this just get back to me.) I did waste a good part of my Friday and Saturday being cranky and anxious: it had been a while since the last time I had given any sort of presentation. Anyway, it was a five minute thing and I think it went well.
Secondly: The Weekend
So far, well, no comment. Again seems like I’m losing my flair for fun. I was set on going out yesterday. A friend who’s studying abroad is visiting for the weekend and I thought it would be fun meeting the gang for a drink or five. I was looking forward to this but someone cancelled at the last minute and I got all depressed. Men. Will I ever get what they think and what’s going on in their lump of grey matter? More importantly, will I ever have enough sense to find someone who gets how my grey matter works? Me thinks not.
Thirdly: Libya
As I had mentioned in a previous post, I have been following the situation pretty closely. I was brought up in a household where at 7am in the morning, the first thing I get to listen to is the news bulletin on the radio. Same story in the evening: one news bulletin after another: from Italia Uno’s Studio Aperto at 1830hrs to Rai Due’s one at 2030hrs. This thing of always wanting to know what is going on around me has now become somewhat part of my normal life. Now since I’m practically online all day I can still follow without bothering to switch on the TV. Man I love the internet.
As a Malteser (that’s what some people call us Maltese by the way and since I’m a big fan of Maltesers, the chocolate thingies, I don’t mind calling myself that), this Libya situation did unsettle me a bit. Also being part of the army, should something happen, I will end up being personaly involved. Not that I don’t want to becuase at the end of the day that’s why I joined the army: not because it’s cool or because I like running around in the mud on Sunday mornings once a month. It’s because I want to be useful should my country and it’s people ever need me. OK enough patriotism now.
Back to Libya, which was meant to be the main issue today by the way. Firstly for all of you thinking that some extraordinary stuff has been happening in Malta, it hasn’t. Our harbour and airport have been much busier than usual, with ships evacuating people from Libya and bringing them over to Malta. Most were then transferred, within a few hours after their arrival, to the airport where planes sent by their governemtns took them back home, safe and sound, away from the horror and confusion back in Libya. So rest assured dear ex-pats: Malta is very much the same, overcrowded, colourful and there when the international community needs it. We did get lots of pretty miltary planes though. Have a look at some pictures here.
We also got to keep (at least temporarily but who knows) two Libyan Mirage F1 planes. The Libyans want them back of course, they even sent pilots to fly them back home. The plane carrying the pilots was not allowed to land mind you. Apparently they even wanted to exchange them for the three Dutch soldiers who were captured in Libya. So far we got to keep the planes and the Dutch soldiers have been freed. So far so good. Malta should not negotiate with a dictator, especially now that he’s killing his own people. The jets have been disarmed and they’re currently having a good rest somewhere along the runway. Who knows, maybe if we get to keep them, the government might decide to train a couple of pilots to keep them running, pardone, flying.
I’m going to stop here today since this is getting pretty long and I bet not many readers will eventually get down to this sentence. But don’t worry, more soon. In the meantime, if you love me that much and would like to know more about me, just have a look at the About M section: it’s been updated. Adios!
