“C’est le temps que tu a perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Puerto Rico On My Mind
Five years ago, making my way to las Tinajas in Puerto Rico.
Trekking up the river to reach a corner of the forest where rocks become natural slides.
Now, just a few days away from landing on this twisted little island of mine.
Wine, Cheese & Friends (Pasta, Shrimp & Hot Dogs too)
What do I love more than wine and cheese? Having wine and cheese with friends, old and new.
As you may or may not know (everyone’s busy, I get it) I have a new camera and of course, I’m eager to explore all the possibilities. It’s not as easy as it looks, I’ve yet to find that perfect light but I’m enjoying the journey.
Back to the wine and cheese.
I love the Holidays. Considering the crappy weather, it’s a season full of color and life that allows us to reconnect with people and gives us an excuse to put pretty things together. Seriously, think of all the things you do in preparation for the Holidays! I love the hustle, from getting the perfect gifts to finding the perfect outfit for your company’s Holiday party (which is tomorrow and I do not have).
I may have a passion for capturing beautiful moments, but my friend and old coworker Citlalic has a passion for creating them. Her house is full of exquisite details that come together to build a lovely home. She has the perfect amount of patience to make sure that everything is perfect, which I love to capture!
I must say I am very proud of my two cheese picks, Nettle Meadow Kunik and Aged Gouda from Murray Cheese Bar. Boy, were they good. My worst nightmare has a name and that is “lactose intolerant”.
We also made pigs in a blanket! Not my best assembly, but that doesn’t affect the taste! Who knew this was so easy? Just cut little hot dogs and roll them with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.
I look at this picture and I am hungry all over again. Citlalic cooked this delicious creamy shrimp Alfredo pasta with homemade sauce, props to her because I’m usually lazy and just buy the sauce at the store. Check out the recipe here.
I look forward to the day that I have the capabilities to set up a table like that. I don’t even own a table cloth at the moment. I miss my mom’s kitchen where I could find napkins of every color and glasses for any occasion. One day, Cristina, one day.
Happy Holidays!
Wordless Wednesday: Hoboken in Contrast
Photo by Cristina Nogueras
Hoboken Sunday Stroll With New Camera!
Christmas came early for me this year thanks to Black Friday, but really thanks to my wonderful parents who got me an awesome new camera! (Pause to reiterate how amazing my parents are) I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS Rebel T5 1200D with two awesome lenses that I am still figuring out how to handle. I clearly have a passion for photography, but I admit I don’t know much about it. My awesome friend photographer Naty Benitez has guided me through this process and I can’t wait to fully understand what she’s talking about.
Whether you’ve seen my previous pictures or not (iPhone 5), I invite you to come with me in this journey of mastering the ability to capture the beautiful moments in life (chaos and all).
Come walk around Hoboken with me…
I love Hoboken, that’s nothing new. I do wish the trees had leaves, but it’s still such a nice view.
View from Pier C park, or how me and my friends call it, the secret park!
I gave my boyfriend the opportunity to play around with the camera, a little nervous I must admit, but I love his sense of humor and the way he inspires me to be my goofy self.
It was cold out, which meant almost no people outside and space for me to jump around like a fool. You can also see the One World Trade Center tower in the background.
Hippies in Hoboken? Who knew?
I really like this place, which is concerning because their service is not the best, but I always keep coming back.
The Lackawanna terminal tower clock as seen from Pier A park.
I have mixed feelings about Carlo’s Bakery. Although I’ve never tried their cakes or pastries myself, I’ve heard they are not that great. There’s always a line of people waiting to go in, which can be annoying when you’re trying to walk past by in a rush (most days). However, I do think that it’s great that people that are not from this area know of Hoboken because of Carlo’s Bakery. Hoboken obviously has so much more to offer, but at least people know where I live.
Thanks for walking with me, so excited to keep sharing more pictures as I sharpen my skills!
What did you think? Any tips for DSLR beginners?
That One Time Lena Dunham Made Me Cry
I love things that make you feel something. Getting people to react is such a beautiful thing, it means you are acknowledged and in one way or another, taken into consideration.
I just finished reading the introduction to Lena Dunham’s new book “Not That Kind of Girl” and I cried. Yes, I got tears in my eyes (and may have even made some type of noise). They were not tears of sadness, but more like those tears you release when you experience an “AHA” moment.
I may not be familiar with all of Lena Dunham’s beliefs and political views (I guess I am about to find out) but she has already moved me by opening up about her struggles and hoping to touch at least one life on the way. She may get a lot of negative comments due to her “over-exposing” or “exceeded” nude scenes in her show, but in just one simple introduction she has exposed herself in a way that we should all learn more about.
I admire people that come forward with their struggles, not for feeding their attention needs, but in a way that it is humble, genuine… and available. We all know we live in a world where appearances matter and the part you play is what you become in the eyes of society. What a beautiful and liberating thing it must be, to be able to comfortably be yourself and strip away from worries and judgment.
I don’t believe we can ever reach that ideal world that is somehow judgment-free, worry-free and happy all together. I do, however, like to believe that we are in a journey of becoming better humans, better souls. I like to believe that we are able to overcome obstacles and pick up little bits of happiness along the way.
Life is not easy and I question everyone who pretends that it is. I am hungry for genuine people and I am happy to say I am blessed to have found plenty throughout my life. I like people who are real, in every sense of the word.
If Lena Dunham’s book is not as good as her introduction sets it up to be, at least I’ve already been moved.
Holiday Wish List, Just Because
I like to eat, drink wine, travel and take pictures. Nowhere in my resume can you find fashion, but I do like pretty things and I like to go shopping.
The inspiration for this post came right after I was able to finish all of my Christmas shopping within 24 hours (Thank you, Cyber Monday). I thought I did this so well I should share some of my great finds! You see, the thing about creating a gift guide is that you may be giving away what you are getting some of your loved ones.
So to avoid any confusion or spoil any surprises, I’m going to be selfish and play around with a list of things I would love for myself. This way, I can still share a little inspiration and my holiday gift plans are not ruined.
Again, fashion is not my thing and I’m just playing around, so there’s that.
1. This lovely bracelet has been on one of my Pinterest boards since forever ago, but I still like it and for some reason I’ve never bought it, go figure. * LINK *
2. I have no need for these Frends headphones, except that they are so cute! I personally would never spend that money on headphones that I can lose, break or God know what else, but they look pretty. * LINK *
3. If it were up to me, I would have a purse in every color possible. Since it’s up to my wallet, I stick to basics. I LOVE this bag and if any of you want to give it to me for Christmas, be my guest! * LINK *
4. I love scarves, can’t have enough (definitely have enough). *LINK*
5. Another high reach item. Here’s my train of thought is that if I pay all that money for boots, I want to use them every day… if I use them every day in New York City, they are going to die… if my boots die, I will be sad. * LINK *
6. Ugly sweater, you say? I think it’s awesome! I really think I can totally rock this sweater at my company’s Holiday party. I can’t think what’s cooler, the neck decor or Rudolph (Rudolph, duh). * LINK *
7. My coworker introduced me to Baublebar and I must say, I am obsessed. I ordered a few things from there during their Cyber Monday sale and I can’t wait to see them and try them on! * LINK *
8. Last but absolutely not least, these skates. How safe are they? I’m not sure, but I would love to rock ’em around and find out. When I first found them I must admit I was a little disappointed that they were from Urban Outfitters, but I can get over that. *LINK *
Enjoy!
Zadar, Croatia
I must admit that the reason why I chose Zadar as one of the cities to visit in Croatia was because that’s where the Ryan Air airport was located, so it made sense. I’m so happy I got to discover this hidden gem.
Last summer I visited Croatia for the first time, you might have read me rambling on about post-vacation depression, but I was really blown away by this beautiful country. I visited Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik and each city had its special charm.
I believe Zadar is really more of a hidden treasure, not your average tourist destination and I loved it for that. We were able to meet great people from all over Europe and we even got to watch the World Cup opening game where Croatia played Brazil.
Let me take you through my days in Zadar, while I once again reminisce, this time wrapped up in a blanket dreaming of sunshine.
This was our view from our room at the hostel. At this point, I still could not believe I made it to Croatia. We are facing the ruins of a Roman forum and although you can’t see in this picture we could also see a section of the St. Donatus church.
First try of Croatian beer, which we never really learned how to pronounce.
We had some time to walk around Zadar and get a glimpse of life in Croatia. Having a boat helps.
Lovely sunset by the water.
I tried this delicious pljukanci pasta at Restaurant Bruschetta, it did not disappoint. This type of hand-rolled pasta is special to Croatia.
In Zadar, you can jump into the sunset. They’ve designed steps that let you walk into the water and take a swim, or you can always just jump right into it. It was a very different ocean experience for me, especially since there was no sand, but it was so refreshing. We decided to wait for the sunset but we were also hungry, so we got pizzas by the water. Super classy dinner for our last night in Croatia, with a killer view.
A Taste of Ireland
Who knew you could have beans for breakfast? Well, I guess the Irish did. I’m Puerto Rican, my beans go with rice and I have them for lunch or dinner (or both). You can imagine my puzzled look when beans were part of my first Irish breakfast in Dublin this past summer.
Let’s go back a little before this moment, just so you can understand where I was coming from. Picture this: it’s about 9am in Dublin, we just arrived from New York (#TeamNoSleep) and I’m feeling like I have not been fed in ages. Food depravation is always dangerous for my temper, but add in no sleep and I become someone you definitely want to stay away from. This said, my first reaction when we finally got to eat was … beans? Seriously?
YES. Beans.
I was too stubborn to admit at the moment, but damn, those Irish know how to make a nice breakfast.
So it began, my short but lovely stay in Dublin, Ireland.
This may not be the most Irish-looking breakfast out there, but it was my first. This place had a buffet and it was 3 items for 4 euros, not too bad if you ask me. Being cranky as I was I decided not to venture too far of my comfort zone, but I still gave the beans a try.
Now THIS was more adventurous, Guinness braised beef pie with vegetables and mashed potatoes at Merchant’s Arch Bar. Was this a tourist trap? Who knows, but it was not crowded, it had live music and it smelled good.
Walking around Dublin, still trying to make sense of where I was.
On day 2, we rented a car and explored a little bit of the countryside. I was both afraid and amused at my new spot by the driver’s seat.
We were not really looking for this waterfall, neither did we get lost, it just happened to be on the way.
Walking around the Glendalough trails, feeling like I was in some medieval movie.
I believe no trip to Ireland is complete without a taste of some good Irish whiskey. A rum drinker myself, I found the classic Jameson and ginger to be my favorite. Yes, I can drink whiskey. No, the pink drink was not mine.
Talk about a #TBT. Established in 1198? That is 816 years ago! Insane, if you ask me. The Brazen Head was everything you hoped a classic Irish pub would be: good food, good drinks, good people and good music.
Ireland left me wanting more, I was only there for a few days, not even a whole week. I was only able to get a taste of this beautiful country. I must say the people were probably the best part, they were nice and seemed to be genuinely interested in befriending you. I can’t wait to go back and experience more of this country, together with off-the-beaten-path adventures.
Slàinte!
Butternut Squash Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Yes, this just happened today. I feel really proud of my solid chef attempt and I wanted to share the magic with all of you. There are leftovers I would love to share as well, but I guess some pictures and the original recipe will suffice.
My best friend Pinterest led me to discover an awesome recipe by Rachel Schultz. I honestly pin more than what I can handle, but today I was feeling adventurous and decided to try something new. After experiencing quite some confusion while cooking my first set of sausages as part of the recipe, I must say it was a success. My boyfriend and guinea pig can attest to it.
Beaches & Brie 