36 Hours Madrid Non-Stop

I'm flying to Madrid this weekend!

Ok, august isn't precisely the best month to spend it in the capital - it's hot and there's really not much going on. I guess most of the people manage to jump over to Ibiza and Formentera, or at least to drive their way to Costa Brava. But still - I'm excited to finally meet the girls again!

Once more I'll be spending only about 36 hours in the city (including sleeping hours) which makes it very difficult to rest, specially when I have so many plans to do! I have to:

• Meet my friends
• Drink tinto de verano on a terrace in La Latina, Plaza Dos de Mayo or Plaza Olavide
• Drink a cocktail at Areia - It has been far too long since I last stepped into the loungy bar... or as we call it, the make-out bar
• Eat tortilla española - if time gives the change, it shall be at Jose Luis or Juana La Loca
• Eat morcilla (in Lateral, why not?) and don't forget to bring a toothbrush with me. That stuff, although awesome, tends to stick between your teeth - not sexy at all
• Drink pacharán, and, if possible, buy a bottle to take back to Switzerland for summer nights on the balcony
• Eat a tapa de solomillo con brie. Mmmm... smolten cheese....
• Have another cocktail at Del Diego or Bar Cock (the animal, you pervert)

If you think all I want to do in Madrid is eat and drink..... you're probably right. But since this doesn't seem like a very healthy attitude, I'll add two more non-food-or-drink-related-activities to my list.

• Check out the last sales at Benny Room and Yube
• Go to the pool and get a nice tan (without getting burned!)

I don't think I will make it... but I have 36 hours to find out! :)

8 Reason for being a Geek

1. I own 4 BB's. 3 of them are in use being it spanish private, swiss private and swiss work. Usually I "only" carry 2 of them in my handbag - the spanish and the work BB.
2. I'm a fan of Microsoft Excel in Facebook
3. My latest book acquisition is called Mathematics for Financial Engineering
4. I'm planning to take the Certificate in Quantitative Finance, with engineers and mathematicians; where I am really looking forward to learn how to program with VBA.
5. I make word-play related to finance that generally very few of my friends - I can only think of 2 :) - find funny
6. At Uni, I joined a Tolkien fan group to go to the cinema premiere of The Two Towers dressed up as an elf
7. I follow flight ticket prices as if it was part of the stock exchange
8. I check my e-mail before leaving to work and before going to bed - no matter what time this actually is

Wine List - #1

Maybe my recent trip to New Zealand has had some influence on my decision, or maybe today's weather just made me remember - Everytime someone asks me which my favorite wine is, I go back to the time I had the chance to taste the Sauvignon Blanc Babich from Marlborough (New Zealand).

It's smell floral and fruity - with notes of citrus and lime, cut grass and gooseberries - and has an intense taste that goes perfectly with grilled seafood or white fish.

Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region/Wineyard: Marlborough, South Island (New Zealand )

Best years: 2005 and 2007

Production: the grapes are pressed into stainless steel tanks. However, a small portion of the juice is fermented in old oak barriques

Average Price: aprox. 10-15 €

.... Cheers!

Hot (unconscious) Temptation

These last weeks have been unbearable - I've been melting away on my working spot even being surrounded by numerous air fans. We've tried many different highly-professional technics of dropping the temperature inside: we've pulled down all the roller blinds, left the windows open to create current, turned off all lights, and have bottles of cold water next to us. But when it turns 12am, not even this helps!

With such high temperatures, there's nothing I can think of but a fresh cool ice cream (which doesn't really help on summer diets).

While I was searching for some nice and easy receipt for preparing home-made lemon ice cream this sunday, I found a funny article (in german) that reveals people's character and sexual/love desire based on their favorite ice cream flavors. Yeah, sounds like a joke, I know! But I was curious - what would lemon ice cream reveal from me?

So here's the deal: vote for your preferred flavor from the list below - I told you mine, now I want to know yours! Next, you can check below the poll what your ice cream choice brings out about you!

Done? Ok. Then here we go!

• Banana. Banana ice cream lovers know what they want, are independent and don't like to follow the rules. They tend to have a variety of lovers to experiment with, before settling down. They get well together with Lemon, that is... me! - Who's banana? ;)
• Lemon. If, like me, you order a good acid sorbet every time you get the choice, then you are a laid-back, cheerful and talkative. You are looking for someone adventurous and exotic, and always enjoy surprises! We go well together with Chocolate and Bananas.
• Strawberry. You are cheerful, expressive and sometimes act purely on impulse. You're partner has to be able to hold on to your action! Your kind ideally has a good feeling with Vanilla, Coffee and Stracciatella.
• Coffee. Coffee-addicts are bubbly, flexible and social. In love, they tend to put first spiritual connection rather than physical attraction. They go well together with Vanilla and Strawberries.
• Stracciatella. You like variety and change, but like to live this with only a few reliable people. It takes a time to settle down but when you do so, you do it for real. Stracciatella-lovers go well together with Strawberry and Chocolate.
• Chocolate. If you enjoy chocolate most, you tend to be rather reserved, tolerant and trustworthy, and enjoy open air activities (including traveling). You are searching for a faithful, kind and transparent. and therefore go together with Stracciatella and Lemon.
• Vanilla. You have your feet on the ground and come well along with very different characters. Vanillas' are erotic and relatively traditional - they prefer avoiding experiments. The best matches are Strawberries and Banana.

After this, I think I'll get a spoon full of lemon & lime from the freezer...!!

Yes, I'm single

Sometimes, singles are pointlessly hunted. We are considered weird people, following the typical assumption that “if we’re in our 20something and single, there must be something wrong with us”. We are also wicked – how can we just be friends with someone from the other sex? The girlfriend will immediately suspect of a secret malicious plan. We are long-time pitied, since we have been so unlucky to not find the right person yet (unlike them). And, of course, we are put under pressure to find someone on time, because we all know, the clock is ticking and we are not getting any younger!

As if it wasn’t hard enough already to live a singles’ life! I have to run home on lunch breaks each time a technician comes to fix one of the still pending duties in my new apartment. I don’t have anyone to kill the crawling/flying insect that comes towards me with unpredictable harsh moves. I don’t have anyone to go with me to the doctor (even less to translate my diagnosis to non-french) and to take care of me when I’m unable to move in bed.

No, of course it’s not enough. Besides from that, you get all the weird, wicked, pity looks. At the end, you don’t even need others to put pressure on you since you already put it on yourself when you start to think “maybe its time to settle down” (let’s admit it – this mostly starts after having spent time in one of the uncomfortable situations mentioned above). But it’s not only that, but every time you check into facebook, a new match.com type of ad pops up to remember me that even in e-life, I’m single.

Don’t misunderstand this post, I’m not complaining about my singleness – I think that most of the times, its better to be alone than in bad company (although I do miss having someone around sometimes…). I’m herewith complaining how everything around us wants to make us feel sorry for being single and want to change it. I’m happy for those of you who found someone worth it, but for those who (like me) haven’t… why not enjoy and still have our fun while we can?

I feel like having girls night out like I was used to in Madrid, a nice trip with my close friends, chit chatting with a glass of wine or a cocktail watching sundown like in Tenerife, a nice dinner in a new restaurant, and a simple pizza-movie-sleepover. And I can't be more excited about London in two weeks to make this come true!

Can't find the words...

...Can't find the proper words to express my excitement...

but I think the following pictures do a great job...

VIVA ESPAÑA !!!!