CHRISTMAS TIME

* WISHING EVERY ONE A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS *

May we wake up and open the window on a garden full of snow

(Or may we have enough creativity to imagine it)

May our days be merry, our family and friends happy

May we feel blessed and grateful for all the good things that surrounds us

May we all be mindful to make our world more peaceful.

And as every christmas holiday needs its traditionnal playlist, here's a list of songs to listen to (and drive everyone around you crazy), inspired by the world's best crooners ever:

Marshmallow World - Dean Martin 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Dean Martin

Silver Bells - Dean Martin

Winter Wonderland - Dean Martin 

Jingle Bells - Frank Sinatra

White Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

-

A mix of all these songs on one album

*

Merry Christmas

TO BE(LIEVE) OR NOT TO BE(LIEVE)

One year ago, I've been told to read this book: The Biology of Belief, by Bruce Lipton. I did, and I now count it into my fav' books list. 

Bruce Lipton has a PhD in cell biology, he studied quantum physics and he's one the best in the field. You can learn everything about him HERE.

This book is based on investigations proving that our cells are more influenced by our beliefs than by our genes. 

Thanks to this book, we realize how our environment and our beliefs are extremely powerful, and how they determine our behaviors.

Some parts of the book are a bit "scientific" but believe me, it's worth it to cling to it because what you learn in this book is going to change the vision of your life in a wonderful way !

Bruce Lipton make it very accessible to everyone, explaining the results of his investigations with meaningful detailed diagrams, illustrations and examples.

He explains the power of our beliefs, all the little things we have recorded during years and that are stuck into our minds making us think they are "reality". 

But they are actually just OUR reality so we have to be mindful and open-minded to notice that some of them are confining us in certain categories and roles. They are creating limiting beliefs that prevent us of doing something or being someone we could totally be able to do or to be.

Our brain has a capacity to change everytime we are thinking about something, everytime we are learning something new, everytime we are practising something etc. it's called plasticity. 

Plasticity is the proof that everyone who wants to change, can do it. For good.

No need to blame on our parents, our teachers or any of our relatives for the beliefs they gave us or helped us to build. They gave us one of the thousands visions we can have and in a certain way, we agreeed with it. But if we want to change this vision we have to take it as a starting point to the change. A starting point to reprogram our beliefs and thoughts.

As Bruce constantly posts videos, quotes, news, you can follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.

Have a blast learning more about our cells' functionning !

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

The end of the year is coming...

Soon it'll be Christmas time, and in the twinkling of an eye 2015 will be over.

Copyright LuxuryDesign.com

This time of year is often a time of getting an overview of our entire year, analyzing what we've done, what we haven't, what changed into our lives, what we still have to work on and so on.

For those who'd like to do so, I made out a quick list of what can be done to improve and/or make our daily routines funnier and nicer, and give priceless gifts that bring joy and warm our hearts:

- Be grateful: 

Choose a jar or a box, put colorful post-it notes next to it with a pen 

Write on a note something you are grateful for, everyday, several times a day if you want to (it can be the "smallest" thing like "I'm thankful for the sun shining this morning") and put into the jar

Offer people who come to visit to do so

Read them after a month (for example) and start over

It will help you appreciate the beauty of the world and realize that you have wonderful thing into your life.

- Smile:

Even if you're busy, preoccupied, stressed out or tracked by your daily routine with no time to raise your head, smile to people. When you enter into a store, when you bump into someone in the street, when you catch someone's eye, when a member of your family comes back home after his/her day of work, whenever you can.

We don't smile enough.

Plus, smiling even if we don't really feel like smiling contracts the face muscles that work when we laugh, so it stimulates the same areas in our brain and secretes the hormones of pleasure. We'll therefor feel better and happier.

- Compliment:

Tell people you know sincere compliments (whether they're family, friends or acquaintances). Tell them somthing you really appreciate about them, about their personality, their character. It'll feel good to them and good to you. And it will probably make it easier for them to do so in the future.

I hope you'll have a great time trying these positive things !

CLEAN OCEANS

SEABIN PROJECT

Two sea lovers guys launched an amazing project to clean oceans: a bin that swallows water, catching everything floatting in it. Platic bottles, paper, oils, detergents, ffuel... everything we can find in the sea when we want to go for a swim that has nothing to do here.

It works very simply, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

You can follow them HERE.

They quit their jobs to invest all of their time and money in this project, to make it grow everyday, and develop it worldwide.
To do so, they need our help, and we can invest any amount of money in their project on this page RIGHT HERE and discover more about them and the whole project.

A great opportunity to contribute to change and to start acting for our planet and preserve its wealth !

PARIS MON AMOUR

I am speechless..
I don't know if the date of 11-13-15 means something like "friday 13th is always good/bad luck" and I don't care.
I'm still really shocked but I want to write something... Even if emotions and words to describe them are mixing in my head again and again.
The only thing I know is that we're definitely living in a crazy world, going in the wrong direction.

I was moved to see how many people support France on social networks.
The example of changing Facebook profile pictures sounds like a good one to me. I asked myself that question "am I changing it because it happened in my country and my beloved town Paris ?" - No, I'm doing it because we're all involved. All in the same boat. No matter the country, innocent citizens lose their life everyday. No human being is supposed to be killed. No one, nowhere.

Friday night, my motherland shivered, trembled. The streets and places I used to go to and hang out with friends became horrifying crime scenes.
Friday night, all the reasons why I'm in love with Paris, its freedom, its lifestyle, are the reasons why people died. We cannot accept it.
Yes, our turn is apparently officially up. I want to say "again". Charlie Hebdo's symbol ain't the problem anymore. Being French is the one and we all become potential victims.
Victims of absurd ideologies. So are millions of people in their own country. My French flag on Facebook means "we're living and sharing the horror that people live abroad, and in the name of my homeland I support people living these barbaric acts whenever and wherever they occur".

I wonder how and why we got here... But the thing is: we're living in a world of incomprehension and fear. And it has to stop.
I'm sad and deeply touched and moved. Everyday I wake up hoping for a better world, and even if it really hearts and makes me sad, I will not let this kind of events break my faith.
We are a nation, we are strong, and we will fight for peace on earth. May French people stand up, be proud and never give up. As all the nations fighting for peace on earth.

Today we pray for Paris

Everyday we do for Peace. 

GLUTEN FREE PASTA

Here's a little pasta recipe
Very easy
Very yummy
Gluten-free

Ingredients:

- Eggplants
(that aren't too big so you can cut quite small slices)
- Parmesan
- Eggs
- Pasta (GF)
- Oregano
- Lemon juice
or
- Tomato-basil (organic) sauce
for those who wouldn't like the lemon/parmesan sauce



Instructions:

Slice the eggplants
Put them into the frying pan on a low heat so they can get softer
Then put them all on a plate
Whip an egg in a bowl, and pour Parmesan in another
Dunk eggplant's slices into the egg, then into Parmesan
Put them into the frying pan (medium heat)
Fry til golden on the either sides

Mix oregano, basil and lemon juice in a bowl, then add Parseman and keep mixing until it gets homogeneous.

When your pasta is cooked, add the sauce (whether it's lemon or tomato-basil) and the eggplants on top of it.

Hope you'll enjoy it !

MINDFULNESS TIPS

Results and benefits of mindfulness have been scientifically proved. And even if we still need more researches into this field, it's interesting to know what changes it can bring into our body and our brain.

To name a few: 

- improves memory

- improves concentration

- reduces agressive behaviors

- reduces anxiety

- reduces chronic depression symptoms

...

Summer 2015, Provence, France

To facilitate our mindulness practice, we can get "helped" by a clock on our watch, our computer or whatever to remind us we have to take a break to meditate and recenter on the here and now. It can be during lunch time, or a break during the day, or when we're back home after work.
It helps us get more concentrated and relaxed.

We can also usefully get helped by our smartphone installing an app that offers exercices of mindfulness and meditation, and that shows us our evolution.

I recently bought the app Zenfie and it's a really good one. You take your time, every day, to meditate and be more mindful. They guide you step by step and it makes everything easier. Even if the session only lasts 10 or 12 minutes, you really feel peaceful afterward. And that's what really counts. You can try longer sessions when you feel you need it. 

Only 20 minutes meditation a day have been proved to be very efficient on our brain, so you can take it easy.

Because we'd probably like to be more mindful all day long, we can try mindful eating on each or one of the daily meals.
Take the time to smell, to look at our food, to chew it and really taste it. We can analyze all the flavors of our food, think about how it feels in our stomach, and take time before the next bite.

We can also share this experience with someone, parents, siblings, boy/girlfriend, friends... 

If they are not practising too, we can only tell them what we experience, the changes we noticed, how we feel. Maybe they'll try it too and telling them will not be our only motivation but sharing will too !

And if we feel like we can't handle this daily exercise alone, maybe we can join a meditation group or meditation-based yoga activity.

Remember: it doesn't matter if we miss 1, 2 or 5 days. The most important thing is to keep it in mind and not to be afraid to start over again.

MINDFUL WHAT ?

Today I'm going to introduce you the concept of mindfulness.

I knew it, or at least I know what it was about because some of my mom's personal development books gave me hints.

But I really started getting it when I read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (2001), at a time in my life I needed to simply live presently and enjoy.

Mindfulness is - in its simpler way - moment to moment awareness.

Jon Kabat-Zinn* says “It’s not really about sitting in the full lotus, like pretending you’re a statue in a British museum”.

He defines mindfulness as something that "is cultivated by purposefully paying attention to things we ordinarily never give a moment’s thought to. It is a systematic approach to developing new kinds of control and wisdom in our lives.” 

But why would we be more mindful ? what can we do to be more mindful ?

Well, we probably need to be more mindful because our past experiences have marked our life, our interactions with people and the events we are experiencing - even the simplest of them -  are marking our everyday life. And our future, because of its uncertainty - can scare us or stress us out.
Our mind is caught up by all those things.
We do not always know how to deal with these feelings, and to feel good anyway. Because we are stuck into the past (whether it's far away or pretty close) or anticipating the future. Caught up with our emotions and feelings.
It's like we had a bunch of keys to open a door but we have no idea which one is the right one.
Well we can say Mindfulness is one of them.

January 2015, Sri Lanka

So we can start taking a very deep breath, and then to focus on something.
The aim is to concentrate on the here and now, when our body and mind are here together.

To do so, we can focus on our breath. Be mindful that our breathing in is an in-breath and that our breathing out is an out-breath. It might seem silly, but let's try it.
We'll realize our mental discourse will just stop while we are doing those things. Of course, some thoughts come to our mind, we don't have to chase them or get interested, we just have to let them pass and go, and feel that we're here and now.
That's being mindful.
Plus, breathing is very good for relaxing tensions (in our body and mind) and to think clearly and keep calm in lousy/overwhelming/stressful situations.

I hope you'll give it a try because it's a very easy and funny exercice, and the result is just feeling good so that's pretty cool !
I'll give other tips and practices within the next days/weeks.

Have fun !

DARE TO DREAM

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" -- Gandhi

Yesterday night I attended a conference (lead by Carlos Hue Garcia) on Emotional Intelligence.

I thought it'd be interesting to share it with you.

There are a lot of things to say about emotional intelligence, personal development, but let's make a long story short.

Life is shitty. It's tough. But if we can get the emotional skills to get a better understanding of our emotions, our thoughts, our dreams, if we're capable of empathy and learn to get the best out of people we're related to, life can be a wonderful journey.

Here's a video we wtached during the conference:

Copyright Inknowation -- Youtube

However, to know who we truly are, what we truly want, we have to challenge ourselves and go out of our comfort zone (as shown in the video).

It's essential to think positive for ourselves and for others. We need to constantly remind that whatever happens we are worth 10, our sister is worth 10, our neighbor is worth 10, our doctor's worth 10, everybody is worth 10. Even a serial-killer or a thief. The person is worth 10. Not his behaviour. It's important to distinguish both.

It's easy to compare with others and to say "Look, how lucky he/she is ! Great things happen to him/her !". Well you don't know how hard they've been working for it and/or the path they've taken and the difficulties they've been through.

Instead of this, we should be happy for them but also get kicked to move forward. Nobody's going to do the work for us. If you want something, work for it. If you want to be happy, start smiling. Remember that "if you squeeze lemon, you'll get lemonade." 

Self-knowledge, self-esteem, motivation (innovate, invent, investigate), knowledge of others, empathy, valorization of others and entrepreneur leadership are the key concepts to achieve goals and feel good and happy in life.

If we want to see changes in this world, we have to change ourselves, then we'll obviously change the world.

PERFECT DRESSING ROOM

After a few days in Paris, I wanted to talk to you about this exhibition called "Le Dressing de rêve des Parisiens".

It takes place at the Hôtel de Ville in the very heart of Paris so we can hardly miss it, plus it's free entrance ! (It's better not to go there during weekend to see fewer people and get time).

This exhibition was born from the idea of Régis Pennel (founder of the concept store L'Exception) and Philippe Zorzetto (founder of the eponymous shoes brand) presents 50 young fashion brands and designers from Paris. They went all over Paris, from "Le Marais" to "Saint Germain des Prés" passing by South Pigalle to discover and carefully select those designers and their boutiques.

Copyright Eple & Melk

This small-scale representation of the fashion market offers different styles, identities and inspirations through ready-to-wear, jewellery, shoes and accessories.
It's a real decoding of parisian trends and a great opportunity to know a bit more about those people who work really hard to keep Paris in motion and enrich our inspirations and wardrobes.

Among the designers you can find:
- Melindagloss
- Andrea Crews
- Eple & Melk
- No Youth Control
- Misericordia
...

Copyright No Youth Control

Copyright Valentine Gauthier

Workshops are organized every saturday for those who'd like to create their own accessories.

8th of september - 31st of october 2015

Monday to Saturday

10am - 7pm

Subway station: Hotel de Ville

Free entrance

COLORFUL BREAK

Take a break and meditate...

This is one of my favorite activity to meditate: color mandalas. I guess I had the "mandala fever" when I was a kid, at school. I loved it because it was a way to calm down everyone after recess, all the children were whispering about the one they'd choose and what color they'd start with, getting very concentrated and inspired. 

It may seem like basic coloring but (to me) it is so not ! 

The meaning of Mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning "circle". Mandalas come from India, and are part of Buddhism and Hinduism. Their design absorbs your mind with its balancing visual elements, it symbolizes unity and harmony. 

Coloring mandalas helps being and feeling present. It develops creativity while focusing and opening our mind. It really helps to relax and feel better because while you're coloring you don't think about anything else, and it feels really good. Your thoughts don't remain, they don't set, they're just flying by and you don't even get touched by them. This sensation is very powerful.

Coloring mandalas is a suspended time for fun and harmony.

Carl Jung was the first man to discover the therapeutic virtues finding a link between the midpoint of mandalas and the human psyche. Lots of people suffering depression said they were feeling better after this kind of activities. So I guess it's better and cheaper than pills on a daily basis... !

Plus, meditation is very powerful on our brain (but not only), if you want to know more about it works, click here. I'll post some very interesting facts and studies about this subject at the end of the month ! 

You can easily buy or print some mandalas in bookstores and on the Internet.

Try it and see how you feel !

DRINKS & DESIGN

Place to be in Zaragoza, Spain

My boyfriend made me discover this place. Even though I have to admit I had already noticed its front window that allows us to see an original and trendy decoration with modern light bulbs and flowers.

Now I've been there several times, I can tell you they definitely make the best mojitos ever (with a little preference for the raspberry one) !! Fresh and perfectly dosed.

They also serve wines, beers, other cocktails and softs, and some really tasty "tapas" for those who would feel peckish, and "granizados" during warm days of summer.

The bar has a dual exposure on two streets and its terrace is located on the most peaceful and quiet one of them, with some other bars' terraces a bit further.
You easily feel like home once you're in. The decoration mixes retro with do-it-yourself designs and objects like straw-hats as lampshades, ancient books and old furniture. It's tastefully original and cozy.
Great if you want to enjoy a drink while reading a book when it's quiet during the afternoon,
Perfect if you want a lively typical spanish night around good drinks.

BONUS: boss and waiters are extremely cool !!

Marianela Zgz

Calle de la Manifestacion, 23

50 003 Zaragoza
And also: there

VEGGIE TORTILLAS

In the mood for Tex-Mex Food

Today I'll give you a quick and easy recipe of vegan-vegetarian Tortillas !


Ingredients:
- Wholewheat tortillas
- Corn
- (Button) Mushrooms
- Cherry tomatoes
- Avocado
- Hot salsa sauce
- Seasoning mix "Tex Mex"
- Lemon

Directions:

Cut mushrooms in slices

Put them in a frying pan and add the seasoning mix to spice them up

Meanwhile, put corn in a bowl

Cut cherry tomatoes in squares and avocado in squares and slivers

Moisten avocado with lemon juice

Heat hot salsa sauce in a frying pan and some squares of tomatoes in it

To make different versions of this recipe - in anyway it'll be yummy - you can add/choose:
Red beans and peppers with hot salsa sauce
Tacos for a crispier version
Gluten-free tortillas

Enjoy !!

UNICEF

The new Lego brick

Today I want to introduce you something I recently discovered: the UNICEF bricks.

Apparently, the Psychic Factory agency imagined it: a brick like the ones we had when we were playing Lego® as kids, that would be able to bring water and food in two compartments and that could also be piled up to build houses.

UNICEF and Lego announced their partnership (for 3 years) in March 2015 to promote and help children's rights and development through worldwide countries.

Copyright UNICEF

This inspiring collaboration lead to this brick but this one is going to be helpful not to children but to families.

Once food and water have been consumed, sand and soil can replace them in the two empty compartments, this way it gives them weight and help to pile them up.

The aim is to efficiently help populations victims of poverty and/or provide them temporary shelters from disasters (natural, industrial...). 

Copyright UNICEF

Plus, those bricks are made in a reusable material so they can help some other people, somewhere else.

Our old playing habits are finally paying off !!

Find our more or make a donation HERE !

FREE THE NIPPLE

Let's get undressed for the Free the Nipple Campaign

This movement started with a movie of Lina Esco. And then celebrities fought for it, helped by hashtags and pictures on websites and social networks.

But the "showing breast" problem is a very old one. In the early 1900s, lots of men were arrested for not wearing the right bathing suit... And a few 100 years later, same thing happens to women.

Quick reminder, men's bathing suits looked like this:

But women's breasts have always been more "taboo", always hidden or not much unveiled - even if some women dared topless on the beach - certainly because it's related to breast feeding and because they're bigger than men's... The worldwide religions legacy has probably something to do with it too.

Whatever, the thing is: women's breasts are still perceived as something awkward. 

But only because that's what we - and by "we" I mean society - were told and raised with this perception, so nobody even tried to think about how absurd it could be. (And we also probably should question a certain amount of our "common perceptions", but that's not today's topic...).

Some people might say it is too excessive to ask for a gender equality regarding breasts, but I don't know what you think about that but to me, it goes way beyond equality. It's a matter of rational thinking and logic.

Women's breasts are prohibited, related to breast feeding and if not, to sexuality (look for the hashtag #FreetheNipple on Instagram, for example, you'll understand what I mean). Most of the time, they do are related to something sexual, something desirable, something that excites. 

Although when you're a woman, you just consider it as a part of your body that is indeed practical if you want to feed your own baby. Otherwise you're just like "seriously, it's just breasts, no need to get crazy about it". They are symbols of our feminity, so what ? So are our lashes ! 

Sorry for this comparison but we tend to have longer lashes than men, as we tend to have more "prominent" boobs ! And nobody makes a big deal out of it !

Well, it can be a silly thing to say but maybe we should consider this way of thinking to change perspectives.

The fact that it's taboo to see women's nipples/breasts has become a great opportunity for maketers. The fact that we suggest nudity, by showing part of breast but not the entire breast heighten its mysterious-desirable side. And it attracts people. Because they are symbols of feminity and especially because we are animals and also because when something is forbidden or prohibited it appeals you even more. How twisted are we ?!

The fact that they are taboo supports the sexualization of women. It's a mean to promote goods and to maintain women as objects of desire.

The world goes upside down ! We are able to see and watch violence and terrible scenes in videos of people being killed: Charlie Hebdo's attack in january 2015, people killed in Pakistan, Iran, mistreated people or animals, and the list can go on and on and on.

But breast feeding and pictures of breast are automatically censured ?! And in Desperate Housewives when Susan Mayer gets wet because of the water jets in her yard, the episode becomes scandalous because we can see her nipples through her shirt because she gets cold ? And then the whole scene has to be touched up !!

We should definitely be able to make a difference between pictures where breast nudity is just natural and pictures where breast nudity is used as a sexual tool !

If we could change our vision of women's breast, I guess even the most obscene picture of breasts wouldn't be noticed. As it sounds completely absurd to imagine a picture of a man showing his nipples in an obscene kind of way...

What do you guys think about it ?!

Anyway, it's 2015 and we still have a lot of work regarding evolution ! But let's fight for it and make part of history like our grandmas did with the right to vote: let's Free the Nipple !

Find more about it HERE.

WOMEN VS MEN

We knew Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars...

But if we ever wonder why:
- we don't understand each other
- we do see things differently

It's "only" a matter of language and brain functionning... which can come down to this drawing:

So quick pieces of advice (to save us time) for a better understanding and simpler relationships:

Guys, start thinking twisted and push your imagination/hypothesis way much further.

Girls, start thinking pragmatic: men can't guess or assume, they need a "A + B = C", and "no" can simply, truly mean NO.

:)

HELLO SEPTEMBER

Now the two official months of summer are over, it's time to stop chilling !

Some people only consider July and August as summer, but as I am a summer-optimist (and a sun and beach lover) I'd liek to remind everyone that SUMMER IS STILL ON... At least until the 21st of september !!

Anyway, I wanted to talk about the magic of summer. This period of year that makes everybody feel better, feel happier, feel cooler, and the list can go on and on... 

It's probably not a coincidence. It's the association of the fact that we know we are or we are about to be on holiday, the fact that sun is part of our lives [almost] everyday, days are longer [and warmer]. It definitely gets positive effects on us.

I feel like summer makes us take time for everything.

We take time to go for a walk at sunset after a nice dinner made of fresh and tasty products, we take time to cook, we take time to sit on terraces, have a few drinks, share a few laughs. We take time to read great novels, even if we sometimes glance at magazines. We take time to discover great places, hidden lanes, small gardens, shady squares. We take time to hike, swim, paddle, or whatever makes us feel good. We take time to be with people we love. We take time to disconnect and take a break from [overwhelming] news. 

We take time to breath. We take time for us. We take time to live, and feel alive. Because we tend to forget that we are, the rest of the year. And we promise ourselves not to forget that.

I hope your summer gave you all the energies and good vibes you needed. And that you are ready to start a new season in a couple of weeks !

PROVENCE

Last week I was heading to the south of France, for a long week-end and more particularly in the area of Saint Rémy de Provence. I've always loved this part of France, probably because it's one the sunniest but also because it's a place where my parents took me on holiday when I was a kid, so I got used to it and fell in love with it.

Olive grove in St Rémy

Anyway, even if I know this region - that inspired famous painters such as Van Gogh - it's always a nice and warm place to visit.

Small villages, their little streets, olive trees, olive oils, lavander smell, cicadas' warbling... and of course sun (more than 300 days a year). 

All the ingredients of a great journey, creating inner peace, intense relaxation and enjoying the charming lifestyle of Provence.

Saint Rémy has lots of little streets, with boutiques (fashion, jewels, decoration and furniture, local pieces of pottery...), restaurants with terraces offering dishes cooked with local products, and squares with fountains shaded by big trees. 

Art lovers will also find several art galleries and food lovers will find everything they'll need during the wednesday morning market: goat cheese, olives and tapenades, local fresh fruits and vegetables, local wines, local cookies, artisanal soaps...

The "Arc de Triomphe" representing Caesar's conquest of Gaul

Saint Rémy is a very rich city in terms of culture and history as it's one the oldest towns in France (inhabited 600 years BC) and thank to Romans, it gained its typical monuments we can still admire today, even if a part of them has been destroyed during Barbarian invasions (around 260 AD).

What to do around ?

About 1 hour away from the city of Aix-en-Provence 

and the Natural Park of Camargue

30 minutes away from the cities of Arles and Avignon

SWEET TREATS

I've been having a "cooking morning", preparing two kinds of sweet treats. Hoping you'll like them !
They're perfect to go with coffee, a bowl of fresh fruits or for a quick healthy snack.
The coconut rock cakes are gluten-free and the cookies are dairy-free, I haven't tried a glutenfree recipe yet.

The first recipe is a very easy and quick one: Coconut Rock Cakes.
All you need is [love] but not only:


Ingredients:
for about 25-30 mini-cakes

- 3 egg-whites
- 80g of (brown) sugar (healthier than white sugar)
- 150g of grated coconut

Directions:

Preheat your oven (200°C)
[It's better if you take the eggs out the fridge 1 day before cooking]
Whip egg-whites until it looks foaming
Then add sugar, keep whipping
Then add grated coconut
The whole paste should be a bit thick. Then, make some small piles of paste (like pyramids) on your dish and put it into the oven during 15 minutes. The coconut rocks are ready when they look golden.

Coconut rocks after cooking

The second recipe is Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies:

Ingredients:
for about 35 cookies

- 4 eggs
- 180g of flour
- 180g of oatmeal
- 110g of sugar
- 1/2 sachet of baking powder
- 2 spoons of rice milk
- 1 bar of dark chocolate

Directions:

Preheat your oven (180°-200°C)
Mix flour, oatmeal, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
Then add the pieces of chocolate
Then add the eggs and the milk
Keep mixing until you get something thick
Then make piles on your baking tray
Put it into the oven for about 20-30 minutes

Cookies after baking

Bonus:

You can put the bottom of your coconut rocks into hot chocolate and then put them in the fridge.

You can divide the cookies preparation in two bowls to mix it with different kinds of chocolate (or chocolate bars like KitKat, Twix, or pieces of cookies like Speculoos...)

ENJOY !!

AURA

Dinner over the river

One week ago I was probably the luckiest girlfriend on earth - or at least one of them... I guess... Or let's just say my boyfriend proved me once again I am right to love him [as if we could choose this kinda things]. Anyway, to make a long story short, he invited me to the restaurant for our anniversary dinner to the AURA restaurant in Zaragoza.

It was a tuesday night (there was almost just us in the restaurant), so it was very quiet and cozy; soft lighting and candles, white tableclothes, and a magic view of the Ebro river and the cathedral "Nuestra Señora del Pilar" just next to it, standing out the night with its illuminated roofs and towers.

Copyright Aura

We chose the "Gastro Menu" made by a successful chef and the different wines that came with the Menu. Every dish was delicious and the mix of flavors was very subtle.

I didn't take pictures because I really wanted to enjoy the moment and I thought it was rude to bring out my camera 8 times a meal...

Copyright Aura

We had 8 light dishes (if my memories are good), with original presentations, very tasty products and spanish wines to go with. A good way to discover more about the spanish regions and wine-growing.

Copyright Aura

We had a really great time there, and the waiter took very good care of us, always here if we needed him, and distant enough to let us privacy.

Copyright Aura

The first picture is puff pastry caramelized with foie, the second one tooking on the appearence of a fried egg is actually a fish carpaccio with pumpkin. And the third one is one of the two desserts we had. Very fine and delicious.

To discover more about this great restaurant, find their website here and their Facebook page there.

Direction:

Av. Ranillas, 7

50018 Zaragoza

Spain

BAIN

In the mood for "la bainiade"...

When Unilever is one of the worldwide leaders integrating sustainability into its business strategy, some people are also trying to do something, bringing a small - but nonethless very useful - contribution to the environment, for nature and our lives.

Today, among those "people", I'd like to introduce you a French brand (yes, again !) that's celebrating its 1 year this summer: BAIN.

It's a swimsuit brand created by Cindy and Nicolas, two friends from the oh-so-cool-town of Biarritz, on the west coast of France. Surfers and nature lovers are what describes best the people living there.

Cindy and Nicolas didn't find what they were looking for on the actual market in terms of comfort, style and ethics. That's why they created BAIN.

Copyright Bain

BAIN is for nature lovers: they are locally designed and made with techniques and materials respecting the environment. Materials (from France, Italy and Spain) are made of recycled plastics and fishing nets found in the sea, excluding toxic substances for health or the environment.

Collections are certified by Oeko-Tex® to guarantee the absence of nocive substances in clothes.

Copyright Bain

Bain's swimsuits (for women and men) are colored, mostly with pretty soft colors, plain or printed for a fashionable look, simple but chic, with a pinch of retro style. The definition of "design" : comfort, usefulness and style.

Copyright Bain

However, it's very hard for brand designers to find the right materials and techniques, the right colors, to create a sustainable, eco-friendly and/or organic product. Fewer researches are made into those fields, it's something that takes a lot of time to grow.

That's because we are drowned by worldwide brands with worldwide production techniques, and even though people would like to buy consciously to care more about them and about the environment, they cannot always afford this kind of products. It's once again a matter of quality over quantity. It's the same problem with food.

I guess we should buy less, and learn how to deal with it; buy 1 local and ecofriendly swimsuit instead of 3 of a worldwide brand...

Anyway, brands like BAIN really need our support to last in time and diversify their ranges of products, so feel free to discover them online: here and there.

NATURE

After a pretty long absence, for some [holiday] reasons, I'm back !

I didn't want to write some posts just because I had to. People who sometimes write, do know the complexity of writing... It's sometimes better not to write/talk at all rather than write/talk wildly.

My holiday in France were revitalizing - even if my first saturday night was a big party reunion with friends (and alcohol), dancing in a club, not so revitalizing my organs.

Anyway, the next day, my family and I were ready to go hiking in the valley of Chamonix. It was a very cool way to reconnect with nature, breathe some fresh air and enjoy a stunning view of the Mont Blanc standing proudly in front of us.

I've been there like a million times, and it still amazes me. This is what's so great about nature on this planet, you can be amazed by a place, even if you've been there tons of times. Everytime, it's different, and we don't know how but everytime it just makes us speechless. No matter our age, our gender, our history, it has the power to make us look at it with a child's eyes. I think nature is just wonderful for that. 

We may be able to learn how to be amazed by things like nature, great stories, great people... but to my opinion, it's also a matter of time. We have to give ourselves a break, a teeny, tiny moment in our crazy rides so-called lives. Just to be amazed. 

I also felt this sensation of being blessed and grateful when I practiced stand-up paddle on the lake of Annecy in the Alps, on a quiet morning with some friends. After paddling for a while, we all lied down on our board, looking up to the sky surrounded by water and mountains, the sunrays caressing our skins. Yes, stand-up paddle is a nice activity and a very good one for our bodies and muscles but how lucky were we to be here and to see these landscapes and feel this ? It was awesome.

It's one of the strengths of nature to make each and everyone of us just silently look at it and appreciate it. A small way to mindfulness and meditation... if we're able to take the time...

SHALL WE ?

What now ?

As I've been talking [writing] about single life and wondering about why being single or being in a couple, I'm now going to talk about what to do...

Once we managed to:

- feel good being alone

- clearly know what we want - or at least, what we don't want

- know what we expect of a serious relationship

- feel ready to get involved in one 

We are almost able to forget that:

In a society where a subscription to the gym happens to be a much more long-lasting commitment than a relationship that works, it may be normal to rather spend a monthly amount of 50€ - be in great shape and multiply dates without expecting anything of them - than spend a huge amount of time and energy trying to make a relationship (that may not result positive) work. Because at least at the gym when the subscription ends, we have muscular abs and ass.

But let's take this problem the other way around:

Let's admit it; it's always a nightmare to quit the gym. Actually, it's much more complicated than ending a relationship. There's always something like a two-months notice, a recorded letter, blablabla.

With a shitty relationship, if it doesn't work... well it just doesn't, end of the story - if we disregard the relationships when you see your ex again, after the break-up.

- Copyright Slim Aarons -

So let's try to make it, in a serious relationship (if - of course - we see an opportunity).

Easier said than done - we agree.

But it's funny to see how something that used to scare you or something that used to not to get you interested can suddenly become something very easy to do. If you've met someone that suits you, it's probably normal. I guess.

We would think it's complicated to "settle down", live with someone we ignore his/her way of life, but it's not that complicated. If he/she suits you, I think it's just something natural.compatible.

Well, okay, there are some inevitable stuff we may wonder about once we've moved in with our "dear and beloved half":

I'm thinking of...

"Oh my, we're gonna be like every evening together ? What are we gonna do ?" -- Well, you don't know, the relationship may stop tomorrow.

"Okay so is there something like a schedule or a timetable for cleaning ? cooking ? doing laundry ?" -- Actually, your dear and beloved half is not a roommate. And your couple is not a company either.

"And what about grocery shopping ?" -- It's the exact same thing sweetheart.

"What about my single life's habits ?" -- Well if you're a girl, you probably won't sing Mariah Carey/J-Lo/this-kind-of-diva while cleaning the appartment. And if you're a guy, you'll probably have fewer pizza-beer/Burger King meals a week/month. 

"What about my wax depilation ? I have to wait three weeks before the appointment... That's not cool and absolutely NOT SEXY." -- Yes, you'll have to learn to be loved as you really are. And this includes being (a bit) hairy sometimes (if you refuse to shave). But "being loved as you really are" may also include singing Mariah Carey. Yay.

"Do I have to suffer the all "before/during periods moods" ?" -- Oh-oh yes my friend, and it's just a beginning. You can still try to understand if there is really something going wrong and let it go if it's objectively senseless. You'll learn not to listen, and you'll find peace, I promise.

As well as I think a human being isn't made to live a lifetime on his own, I think he needs his times of loneliness, and he needs these moments of loneliness to do not always occur at set and regular times.

These moments seem vital to preserve intimacy, desire and mystery, and those three "ingredients" will create an interesting relationship where sharing and communication will probably be king.

FLOWERS, TREES, MADRID

Botanical Garden

We wanted to visit the Prado Museum of Madrid but when we arrived at the entrance... well, we couldn't even see the entrance. Too many people were standing in line to visit it. 

It just took us a few steps to realize there was a quiet and lovely place in front of it waiting for us: the Royal Botanical Garden.

It was founded in 1755 by King Ferdinand VI and installed near what is called today "Puerta de Hierro" (next to the Manzanares River).

In 1774, architects Francesco Sabatini and Juan Villanueva were ordered by King Charles III to move the garden to its current location and to organize it into three level terraces.

This garden was made to exhibit plants, promote expeditions for the discovery of new plants species and teach botany.

It now contains more than 30,000 plants and flowers, and about 1,500 trees, through three terraces and two greenhouses. 

Lots of plants had already come into flowers because it's summer but most of the 2,000 species of dahlias were flowered and it was beautiful. But it's probably even more beautiful at springtime when all trees blossom...

We could walk through small paths under the shades of big beautiful trees (oak-trees, palm trees, cedars, bamboos...), some of them lead to little fountains or ponds. 

Once into these gardens, we managed to forget the avenue (and its traffic) that's next to it, we almost can't hear a thing, except cicadas' warbling. It's quiet and refeshing. 

To see more tropical plants, and feel more humidity, the greenhouses are open and shelter amazing species of plants. One of them also shelters fishes in a basin. 

Even if my opinion can't really be unbiased (because I'm crazy about everything when it comes to Nature and trees) it's a real heaven of peace in the middle of a more than 3-million-inhabitants city.

When is it open ?

From November to February: from 10 am to 6 pm.

March and October from 10 am to 7 pm.

April and September from 10 am to 8 pm.

From May to August from 10 am to 9 pm

Entrance:

3€