impressions

Mac&Cheese recipe

Publié le 22 Décembre 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #Cooking, #food, #impressions, #life lesson, #recipe, #tips

Towards the end of the month of November we decided to have some Mac and Cheese, but like the real deal. And yes, there is a non-real version too. So I asked A to search for the recipe as I never made this and I tend to just whip some dishes up, with no recipe and the result is not always good, as you can imagine.

One of the things I need to improve is my willingness to follow recipes and the presentation. Sometimes I'm also under the impression the taste is not the one I imagine it to be. Since we have no reference point, we just have to think the food tastes good. However, the good news is that I plan on cooking more in 2019, even if I won't share everything I cook.

Enough babbling, on with the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

250 g macaroni;
125 g (real) butter;
150 g cheese - we used a local cheese called "telemea"
some salt
some ground black pepper

METHOD

Boil water with some salt, and add the pasta. Let it boil according the instructions on the package - usually some 10 minutes.

Dice the butter and shred the cheese. This way, the butter will melt faster.
When the time is up, drain the water, add the butter and the cheese and mix.

Let everything in the pot, on the fire for 2 extra minutes, then turn off the fire.

When the time is up, add the black pepper on top. You can eat it right away, but better wait some 5 to 10 minutes so it will cool down a bit, with a lid on top.

Let me tell you that this was the best pasta I had in a very long time. This is why I decided to share this recipe with all of you. Also, if you never tried Mac and Cheese before, this is a great chance to try it out. I know some folks prefer to make recipes that have been cooked by others before, and that were successful.

Earlier I mentioned I used the cheese telemea. It's a Romanian cheese similar to feta, if I'm not mistaken. You're better off learning more about it from its Wiki page. It's usually salty or very salty, though less salty varieties have been made too. Nowadays, most telemea cheese on the market is made of cows milk, probably because it's easier to come by.

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Seaside adventures in August

Publié le 11 Novembre 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #adventures, #impressions, #life experience, #people, #public transportation, #story, #shopping

We wanted to relax for a bit and get out of city. Since we have Ciel we can't go on a vacation like most people: Ciel needs someone at all times and it's not familiar with strangers. He also barely eats by himself.

We decided to leave for the seaside in the morning and return at night. With all the preparations I still had to return to get a scarf I forgot. When we got to the train station we learned the train would be 45 minutes late, but in reality it was an hour late.

While we waited, we got some pretzels for the road, as to avoid spending a lot of money on food.

The train was also over sold so we had to stand because there were no more seats available. Luckily A found a chair in first class and sat for most of the ride. Our tickets were for 2nd class. The train was also fast and had some air conditioning.

When we got to the resort, we found the beach quite fast. We had to find a seat as this was one of the most popular resorts at the seaside, so it was packed!

The first views of the Black Sea. there was a small lake in the resort, by the beach.

The first views of the Black Sea. there was a small lake in the resort, by the beach.

Here, we have too pay for chairs and umbrella, but not if we sit directly on the sand. However, we need umbrella and they're only available next to the chairs. The price was some $6 for a chair and they only take cash. The guy charging for the seats was gypsy and we suspect him off having stolen my phone.

I had the phone on me some 5 minutes before finding the right place, and I noticed it gone after the guy left. I also kinda felt something.. Like something was sliding up at the back of my pants, but I ignored the feeling.

The guy returned to see if we found cash, and in telling him we don't have cash, just the card, he started to be verbally agressive. Then we openly accused him off stealing, and he insulted us. We left and I managed to use A's phone to lock mine. Then I asked a to text my phone and ask for it to be returned. A lifeguard called us and met A and returned the phone. But! The lifeguard had no business to be in the place where it went missing. I literally walked between other chairs and the lifeguard has no reason to do so. Here claimed he found it.

I think the phone was returned because they couldn't use it or resell if it was blocked. I'm glad I have my phone back, but I lost some videos I took in the train, for I also erased it's data.

In the end we managed to find some other chairs and we didn't pay for those. We stayed some 2 hours there I think.

We managed to go in the water and it felt nice as it was warm, despite the rather dangerous waves. Lifeguards were constantly on the lookout for people going too far and calling them back. The limit to the deep water was set pretty close to the shore too.

We found a place to eat and rest and recharge the phone a bit. Then we went on the beach again. This time we went in a different area and were forced to pay for chairs as there was no sand, just smashed seashells that were cutting into our feet. We spend some extra 2 hours there with constant visits to the shore. Of course I collected some seashells too.

Then it was time for us to return. Before leaving, we bought a bag, some sun glasses for A's mom, some sewing needles for me, a rabbit keychain, and some bracelets.

The return train had seats for us, but it was smelly! There was little luggage space too though we only had 2 bags and As purse. The trip was also longer and most of it happened in the night. There was a really beautiful sunset though. Once in the city, some 3 hours later, we managed to catch the last bus home too.

I fell asleep as soon as I got home, after checking on Ciel and seeing he actually ate by himself. He does that when he stays alone for too long.

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

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Cultural events in Bucharest

Publié le 15 Octobre 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #bucharest, #impressions, #life experience, #adventures, #people, #culture, #event

This blog entry is long overdue. At least a part of it. and at this point I'm not even sure I can still write it. but I have pictures i'd like to share ... or at least to keep safe somehow.

So far, I have attended 2 cultural events in Bucharest. Or at least tried to because the first one didn't happen anymore because there was a strike organized by the organizers themselves.

The first event - ballet at the opera

This happened in April of 2016. The weather was really nice at the time -sunny and all. I think we wanted to see Swan Lake but I can't be sure it's been too long back.

We got there, got in, and we were waiting for the show to start. Except, we were waiting, and waiting, and half an hour passed and no ballet started. I took the chance to snap some photos there, as you can see below.

In the end, the leader of the orchestra, or something, took the microphone and he announced there will be no show, that they're in a strike, and that we'll receive our money back.

It was one of the biggest failures we could experience. It surpassed the failed shopping experiences from here and from here. Though, if i compare those 2 experiences with the failed opera, they might reach the same level.

At least I got a few nice shots? And we might go again this year. We'll see.

click on each to make it bigger ;)

The second event - Korean Culture quiz

This is an event that happened in October 2017, and was related mostly to South Korean culture - history, linguistics, and other aspects.

The event happened before noon, and it had free snacks, with croissants and mini cakes. I remember this big guy there, was taking and taking more food. We couldn't really eat at that hour, but we tried to, since the food and refreshments were free, and some of the cookies looked fancy, thus expensive.

Still in the hallway, at the entrance, there was an art exposition. I forgot if they were real paintings or just prints. They were representing various landscapes from across South Korea. Most of them were breathtaking. However i forgot who their authors were - Korean artists or Romanian students who visited Korea. Next are some of the glimpses of the stuff going on before the highlight of the event.

The venue where the contest was held was pretty small, however, we had very good seats with perfect view of the stage. The contestants were sitting on the first row in front of the stage, and there were 2 stages of contest. When the first part of the quiz was done, maybe 6 out of the 8 participants went on the stage, and they kept on being eliminated until first 3 places could be named.

The public could also participate in extra pop quizzes, still related to the Korean culture, and yes, it included questions related to K-pop as well. The winners received CDs or posters with Kpop music or artists, and other goodies, but all related somehow to Korea. The couple on the stage, in the images below were the hosts, and the man in the last picture was the Ambassador of South Korea to Romania.

I wasn't lucky enough to win anything - mostly not fast enough to answer? haha But somehow, the event was pretty fun overall.

click each to make it bigger

I do remember that afterwards, both of us were pretty drained mentally. This was despite having eaten some of the goodies, having drunk and the event not lasting for all that long. But I suppose, the Romanians really are vampires, after all, huh? hehe

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Restrooms in Bucharest - clean? unique?

Publié le 11 Septembre 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #impressions, #advice, #review, #health, #tourist, #bucharest, #toilet

All living creatures have needs, and being able to take care of them is important. We clearly generally know the type of public toilets we can come across in our home-towns. But how about when we're abroad, or in cities we don't know?

I obviously haven't been in all public toilets in Bucharest, but I have been in quite a few, and I can give you a few tips of where to go if nature calls.

First of all, people can find public (and eco-) toilets on the side of the street. They're not the best thing to walk into, as they smell and are quite small, however if nature calls and you can't take it anymore, they'll have to do.

The picture below is the toilet my grandparents used to have, in the countryside, near Bucharest. They recently revamped it, to look a bit better, but I haven't been there yet to see it.

Traveling in the countryside, you might have to use one of this type of toilets. people there don't have running water, nor a sewage system.

Next public toilets in which you can just walk into are the ones in the shopping centers and malls. In my experience, these can be a hit or miss when it comes to cleaness and smells. There are cleaning ladies doing their job on the clock, but sometimes they get overwhelmed as well, or maybe the toilet gets flooded.

Overall, these toilets are cleaner than the ones on the side of the street. Many of them have a pretty standard design. While some have a rather unique design. For instance, one of the malls that opened quite recently, has an upside-down design, if i can call it that. When i walked in it, i thought i went to wonderland.

Retro looking sinks and other elements were attached to the ceiling while the fittings you were supposed to use were modern. I believe there were actual toilet seats inside the stalls, hanging from the ceilings, that were fitted into lamps. I surely got dizzy, and expected to fall at any moment, but luckily it didn't happen. Surely this was on purpose, and the feeling I got was because it's not normal to see on the ceiling stuff that are usually on the floor.

you are seeing things right! the last picture is blurry, sorry :(

you are seeing things right! the last picture is blurry, sorry :(

If you're going to a cafe, restaurant, or bar, toilets are generally even more clean. They can also have a more unique design. For instance, the restroom at Starbucks coffee in Unirii Square has a really nice look. See the pictures below.

The first sink is found before entering, and I like it more than the others inside. The wall decoration is really cool too.

Some locations have more stalls, while others have just one for each gender. There could also be a situation where both genders have to use the same toilet. Well, whoever needs to use it will have to wait for their turn, of course.

Starbucks Unirii

Do's and don'ts in a Romanian public toilet

Do expect privacy: the doors are generally hitting the floor and there is no space between the door and it's frame.

Do expect to be able to lock the door the stall. We don't like to have to hold the door with our hands, though it could be helpful at times.

Do expect to find toilet paper. The Eco toilets might not have it though.

Do check to see there is topper paper in the stall, before you do your business.

Don't throw the used toilet paper in the toilet- there are small trash bins in the stall for it, or whatever other trash you have. The toilet can get flooded if TP it's thrown in it. Some people don't follow this rule and flooding and smells happen as a result.

Don't under any circumstance sit on the toilet, nor climb it. You can sit if you have weak legs, but put some TP on its edge.

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Changing history - remembering May 2016

Publié le 12 Août 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #impressions, #life experience, #life lesson, #advice, #tips, #bucharest, #adventures

2016 was one of the worst years for us. But there have been some nice moments as well.

I need to remember the good parts of that year, as means to help myself heal from its dark periods.

Some people .... especially motivational speakers as well as some spiritual gurus say you have the power to change not only the present and the future, but also the past.

In practice, changing the past is impossible as not even God turned back time when the world was messed up - he just erased and started anew.

The secret to changing the past/present and future, is to change our perspective of events we've been through or we experience. At the same time, any new experience must be compared to the past ones, and imagine the outcome when we take a certain course of action.

For instance, if we know we can't help getting really drunk at parties, and that during a very drunk state we do stuff we regret, it would be wise not to go to parties. When the past is involved, when we have events we don't like, we should try and concentrate on the nice[r] or better events that happened at around the same time - like I'll try and do here.

I had a bad period before May. On the 13th we went out to the mall. I don't remember what we did there but we surely tried to relax a bit.

Seeing the time stamp on the picture's details, i think we wanted to watch a movie. And checking to see what movies were released before then, Allegiant is the only one we could have been interested in at that time. [it takes a while for the new movies to make it to Romania, and i know we saw this series in theaters.]

I remember really liking the decor with these rainbow umbrellas. They were hung at the Starbucks Coffee entrance, in the parking lot. I think it was a sunny day, and the light made them appear more colorful.

How is this not cheerful?

The next day, at about the same hour, we went to eat sushi uptown.

Let's just say i really like sushi, i don't mind the wasabi one bit, despite my stomach, and im not grossed out by raw fish either .. nor the thought of eating it.

The restaurant was pretty expensive in my opinion, but im not the one to like to spend a lot of money on a single item.

Sadly, A didn't really like the sushi there. Somehow we also struggled with the chopsticks despite me having tried using them before.

The restaurant's name is Yoshi. It reminds me of a movie i watched some 5 times already, and i really like - Bunraku.

The same evening I also saw a store with high end decors and other items for the house.

I like animal print, however, seeing it on a bathrobe or towel, i think it's a bit too much. I do like the wall paper though. The plain towels aren't that bad either.

Since they say those are made by Cavalli, i won't even try to imagine the price-tag. Let's not forget the up-town area is pricier than most others. Which is another explanation for the prices at Yoshi.

A few days later we went out again. We had a coffee at McCafe and then we walked along the river. I believe that's a flat white - I used to like it so much. <3 Hmmm, maybe I should try it again.

I also remember that when it opened, McCafe baristas were trying their best to make really pretty designs on the cappuccinos. I don't think they are doing it anymore. Also at the time I was pretty addicted to coffee. These days I still drink coffee, but only in the morning. I'm trying to convince myself to give it up.

I think it was at about that time that I started paying attention or being more interested in the traditional Romanian crafts and decors, as McDonalds had on the menu a limited time type of offer with some specific Romanian street food. It's pretty good, but can make one nauseous if it's not cooked well. And it has garlic, but almost everyone and their mother really likes it. I didn't try the Mcds' version, but I think it's better at the fair vendors where it's a common dish.

You guys have to remind me to make a post about all the coffees I drank over the time and to display all the pictures I took.

"A" remembered there was a pretty nice store somewhere uptown, called The British Galleries, if I'm not mistaken. I have no idea if the store is still open, though.

The place had really cute things to sell, and was set in an old type of building. The merchandise was cute stationery, various items for the many rooms in the house, including kitchen and bathroom, and even souvenirs.

We didn't buy anything, but we took several pictures there. I always wanted to show those pictures to the world, but I somehow never got to.

The store was near Victoria Square, as seen in the first 2 pictures below. The last 2 pictures are from the street on which that shop was.

The next day I was returning home from somewhere. On my way I saw this shop with interior decors. The stuff was rather pricey, but there was a really pretty plate in the window. See it below.

These days. the store closed down for some time. I think it happened sometime in 2017, towards the end of the year. I can't recall anything else opening in its place.

Then I have 2 pictures from 2 places I don't recognize. I also don't remember anything regarding what were we doing there. I think the weather was pretty hot though.

All I can say is that they're taken on 2 separate days. But somehow I didn't take any other pictures between these two, judging by their names which are actually numbers. Enjoy!

Then It seems that at the very end of the month we went to a cafe. I believe I had a lemonade - read here why. The same day I saw a really cute car, I believe you call it a Beetle? Clearly I had to censor its registration plates, but even now I think it's really cute.

I think that revisiting the year through these images and memories, did help a bit in purging the negative memories out.

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Visiting the National Museum of Art -European art-

Publié le 19 Juillet 2018 par Charly C.

Catégories : #museum, #adventures, #impressions, #spoilers

Hello!

If you remember from a past entry, I visited the National Museum of Art of Romania for free. And I promised I'd do a second entry when I visit the other section.

The museum is split in 2 sections: Romanian art an European art, and you need to pay for each section.

I don't have much to say about this visit. This section of the museum is much smaller than the Romanian section - maybe less than half? Exploring it made me think of a maze.

I'll explain a bit more after the video.

There were many rooms, mostly because the museum is hosted at The Royal Palace. Additionally, going from one room to the other was a bit confusing - well I also had a low sugar level in my blood that day, so I was feeling quite weak.

I'm disappointed to say that the European art didn't impress me as much as the Romanian art did. The video is a quick collection of the works I liked the best.

There was a time when I wished I lived in such a big place. Not anymore - all the cleaning... remembering where to go to find the room i need... no thanks.. i barely find the stuff i need in an 1 bedroom apartment, let alone a huge palace like that.

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Coloring for adults

Publié le 1 Mars 2018 par Charly Cross

Catégories : #advice, #book, #impressions, #review

Despite coloring being generally considered a children’s activity, more and more coloring books are printed these days and they target adults.

These books are usually called “Art for Mindfulness” or “Mandalas for Mindfulness” and they’re a perfect way to relax at the end of a stressful day, especially for those who dislike watching TV and prefer a more rewarding activity instead.

Opinions on the book

I got one of these books too, as a Christmas present - I really wanted one. My motive was to have another way to explore my creativity and to express myself, other than writing or cooking.

Please continue reading here!

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