Perfect Characters #1: Samwise Gamgee

Image taken from here

There are certain characters that, for some reason, stick with us. We always carry them in our hearts, and that's one of the wonders of reading that I like best (or of being a movie junkie like me). These type of characters make us feel understood, they always keep you company, even when you're feeling your worst. They're like a constant comfort that will never fade.

Samwise Gamgee has always been one of those characters for me. He's loyal, brave, humble and simply perfect. Overtime I watch some of the Lord of the Rings movies I feel something warm in my chest that makes me completely happy.

The hairs of my arms stood on end the first time I listened to Sam's speech in The Two Towers, and that's a sensation that will never go away. In rough moments, listening to it, or just watching the movie time and time again, makes me feel fetter, because it reminds me that there's always something to hold on to.

I don't know, Lord of the Rings makes me really emotional.

"Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”

When memories keep us afloat

This is being such an stressful month. I have so many things to do at all hours of the day that sometimes I don't even now where to start, and everything becomes a bit overwhelming until I tell myself to calm the fuck down and get down to business. 

I already finished my CAE exams last weekend, so that's another thing ticked out of my list, but I have two more exams this week, classes on Saturday morning, anatomy practices (which are terrifying), lessons to attend, things to clean and, to top it all, my beloved resits of biochemistry next week and the week after that. Isn't life exciting. 

Sometimes I think that the only thing keeping me away from insanity after this wearing year of med school (and beginning of the second) are good memories. 

I took this photo the first night my friends and I spent at our Memorable Week of Laziness Near The Beach (that's what I'm calling it) during that amazing summer. Goodness. I had so much fun. 

We spent almost every waking hour (and when I say every waking hour, I mean almost every hour we spent there, because we didn't sleep) laughing and being silly and lazy together. Mind you, we cleaned and cooked and did all those necessary things, but watching movies, going to the beach, playing board games, jumping on our bed to naff music, eating and singing as if we were rock stars were our biggest preoccupations. 

We would sit on the terrace, with a hoodie on because it was just that deliciously chilly, to see the sunset over the roaring sea, and we would feel at peace with the world during those endless minutes. 

We would wake up after no more than two hours of sleep to have breakfast overlooking the waves and making plans for that day. We would sit out there after lunch to have our cup of tea and devourtaste those tasty blueberry muffins my friend baked for us and that are like having a piece of heaven in your mouth. We would just sit for a bit on the beach, listening to the seagulls over us and the sea in front of us, sunbathing and reading a good book, commenting the funniest or deepest parts, or just being there near each other, in a comfortable silence. 

It was all perfect. It was one of those periods of absolute relaxation that you need to reconnect with the world and with yourself. To step away from the internet and your responsibilities and your mobile phone and dead-lines and schedules during a week feels positively soul-healing. To be able to lay in a bed, surrounded of your dearest friends, covering yourself with a heavy fluffy duvet because the breeze that comes in trough the window is cool enough to freeze your toes while the sea lulls you to sleep (the little sleep we had, anyway) is the definition of happiness.

So when I feel like I'm becoming exhausted from the mad rush of daily life, I will pull out all of these memories, and I will wish and plan for the moment in which my friends and I can go in another of those balsamic trips in which is just you, people you love and nature for a bit. In which you feel like everything's going to be ok eventually. 

Why is our generation so unsettled?

Beautiful Scotland from John Duncan on Vimeo.

The other day I was talking to a lovely lovely follower on tumblr who told me she was from Scotland, and being the sweetheart that she is, she sent me this wonderful video of Scotland for my pleasure when I told her I've been dreaming of going there for as long as I can remember. After that, I showed it to a friend and traveling was the only thing we talked about for a good couple of hours. As if those were big news. 

The thing is, is not the first time we've talked about leaving everything behind and traveling the world. And I know we're not the only ones. Blogs like Brooke's or Angel's are a crystal-clear proof of that fact. 

This generation is not easily satisfied with things that are supposed to be. I talk long hours and plenty of times with my friend Ali about how we want to do so much more, but we feel overwhelmed by the weight of all the things we already have to do. We both want to have a degree and work in a certain field, but at the same time, we're afraid we're not making the right decision. We know that now, it is possible to make a living in so many ways that we didn't even considered before, that we shake with the possibility of being wrong. We're both studying to get a degree in fields that are probably going to allow us to get in a good working position, but we also know the wide range of possibilities that are out there, waiting to be tested, and we both realize that probably we're missing out on wonderful things. 

Going to classes at university, then studying for long hours at home, studying another language (which we are both doing), my creative writing course, her horseback riding lessons, her playing the piano, our working out hours at the gym... And we still feel like we are not doing everything we want to. 

That's why we want to travel so badly. We want to get out of our comfort zone, because it's "easy" to be here, studying and getting everything done for us but we also want to be independent, to make things for ourselves. We want to have hours for leisurely reading and writing, for drawing, for going out, for traveling, for trying new things, for going to museums and concerts and for learning so many many new things. We feel overwhelmed by all of this at the same time that we're feeling disappointed with ourselves for not having the ability to just go with what we want. 

I keep telling myself that one day we'll pack every valuable thing we own and that we'll take a flight to the countries we've always wanted to visit, but then I keep making excuses and I feel like a coward. 

I just hope that one day I'll have the courage to do it, to say "fuck it" and stop being afraid of the consequences and just do the things I want to do. It's true that I want to become a doctor, but it's also true that I want to become a writer as well, and that I want to travel the world and see with my own eyes all those landscapes, to taste all those delicious dishes and to talk to all those wonderful people who live overseas, to know other cultures and get myself lost in streets of which I don't even know the name. 

I'm working on my two first desires, and I'm planning on traveling the world as soon as I finish my degree. I'm planning on going to study abroad, maybe to Germany or Denmark or maybe even Sweden (I'd love that) as my first steps. 

I'm young, I'm afraid, I'm determined and sick of this feeling of not being brave enough. But I know that one day, I'll be with a travel bag in my shoulders, feeling my mind free itself of all the fears of not doing anything, because I'll be doing what my soul most longs for. 

-----------------------------

What about you? What's that thing you keenly want to do

 but keep finding excuses to postpone? Do you think you'll do it someday? 

Why keeping a journal is actually a great thing to do

"He said our curse as humans is that we are trapped in time-our curse is that we are forced to interpret life as sequence of events- a story -and that when we can't figure out what our particular story is we feel lost somehow" Douglas Coupland, Life After God 

 It's been a long time since I last took my journal and just sat with my thoughts and a good cup of tea. Enrolling in a creative writing course has kicked up my love for writing.

   And I do mean love.

  It's so refreshing having your pen running wild on top of the blank pages, just as wildly as your thoughts whirl in your mind. 

   I want to share with you the reasons why I find keeping a journal so wonderful, and why I urge you to buy a beautiful notebook and a fun colored pen and just let your hand turn your day into a tale. 

• You can clean your mind. Sometimes our days are just too much, be it in a good or bad way. And sometime we don't feel like talking with anyone, so the best option is to get comfortable and pour your day, your thoughts and impressions in your journal. It'll feel like taking a huge weight out of your chest. 
• You'll improve your writing skills. Trying to get your thoughts in curves and lines that fill the paper will take effort. You'll have to think in the right way to express just how incredible the lightning was in your room when you woke up, how sweet was the smell of that bakery you passed by, how playful was your dog when you both went for a walk... With time, you'll want to turn your experiences in a narration. In the end, life is nothing but a narration. 
• You will learn to observe. The pace at which we live today is the epitome of madness. We forget the world around us and concentrate just in all the things we need to get done for the next day, the next week... With my writing I've learnt to observe. For example, the other day, my friends and I went to have dinner, and after that we took a walk and saw a couple of guys that were singing in front of the Roman Theatre with just a guitar and paint containers. Paint containers. We stopped in front of them and just listened. We didn't talk with each other, just focused on the guy's voice and their talent. It felt magical. I was there, with my friends in a place surrounded by history listening to my favorite songs sang by a sweet voice. As soon as I arrived home I felt the need to write all those things down. 
• You'll have fond memories to come back to. We think we can remember every single thing we live, but that's not true. Every day we catch glimpses of things that, for some reason, make us stop and think for a bit. When you take your journal and read it after a long time is like watching a movie of your own life, of the things that live like worms in your brain. You may smile because of the silly things you used to say or do, you may cry because of that heartbreak or that difficult time or you may marvel at how much you've changed, matured and strengthened. 
• You'll get to know yourself better. Probably you think that you already know yourself as best as anyone can but we're constantly changing. Writing your thoughts down is a great way of knowing your most deep self. And this knowledge will help you make decisions and cope with the things that come into your life wat more easily. 
• It's fun. That simple. It will allow you to take a bit of time for yourself and have fun with the paper and pen. Words are a playful thing, and learning how to create your world with them is something magical. 

My new Academic Year Resolutions

First year of medicine has probably been one of the hardest years of my life. But I've learned so much along the way, I can't actually regret it. However, this new academic year, which I started two days ago, feels like a brand new opportunity, and therefore I'm going to do something I've never done before: A resolutions list. Here are the things I want to improve this year, the mantras I want to run in my head every single day when I wake up:

• You're not stupid. If you fail, then try again. There are always new chances to improve what you do. 
• Start moving your ass. You need to lose weight and get in shape, for your own physical and mental health. Join the gym, start running early in the mornings. Anything. 
• Work every day, be organized. Buy an agenda and actually use it. Get a binder and keep it organized, so you know what you have to study and when you learnt it. 
• Eat healthier. Your body is what allows you to enjoy your life. If your body is not healthy, neither is your mind. Healthy food can be delicious and you know it. 
• Allow yourself to dream. If you want to become a doctor and a writer, then dream of it. Dreaming is the first step to making your dream come true. Don't be afraid of your desires. 
• Enjoy your days at uni. Go to the cafeteria with your classmates whenever you can, have fun in practices and classes, learn as much as you can, be nice to those who you love and value. Be nice even to those people who you don't like. 
• Read more. If you really want to read, make the time for it. You spend a lot of time every day traveling in the metro. 
• Write more. You've joined a Creative Writing group. Go to every single class every sunday morning, and don't be afraid of reading out loud what you've written. Nobody starts being an expert, you have to learn, and that's a long process. Write just for the sake of it. You love creating worlds. Nothing's stoping you. 
• If you want to go have a drink with your friends, indulge yourself. You can't spend every waking hour studying, you'll go insane. Balance the things you love most in your life, there are 24 hours in your day, make the best of them. An afternoon with your friends won't make you fail a single subject. 
• Be confident. You have many treats you don't realize. The people around you love you because of those treats, they must be true. You're human, and you're a miracle just for that single fact.
• Tell the people you love that you love them. If you wanna kiss them, kiss them. If you wanna hug them, hug them. If you wanna tell them they're fantastic, tell them they're fantastic, because they are. 
• Read all the books you have left. They're overflowing your book-shelves, and you're dying to read them. Do it. 
• Be excited for your niece. You're going to become an aunt come February. You're going to have a new life in your hands, and it's going to be so exciting. You'll show the world to this little girl, you'll read to her, you'll dance and sing with her, you'll make her laugh and she'll make you laugh. 
• Enjoy the rain. You love the rain. Take a book and a hot cup of chocolate and think that life has given you the best gift in the world. Put on a film, on comfy pajamas, make hot chocolate and croutons and have a wonderful afternoon with mom. 
• Be grateful every single day for the things you have. You're so lucky, you have no idea. 

Musical Mondays #1: Soothing Andrew

I discovered Andrew Bird thanks to tumblr. When I first saw his blog I thought "who is this guy?" and being the curious little melomaniac I am the only possible outcome was going to youtube and listening to some of his songs. 

Little I knew this guy was going to become my favorite musician ever. 

There's something very special about Andrew's music. He's a prolific artist, composing and singing his own songs and playing every instrument that lands in his talented hands. As certain organization put it, he's a one-man orchestra of the imagination. 

And that's exactly what you get. Pure imagination. Andrew's not afraid of experimenting. His music is unique, exceptional, moving, touching. Maybe I'm biased but I had never fell so fast in love with a musician jus by listening to a single live performance. When I listen to his songs, I feel like there's something that finally gets me. Every single note plucked out of his violin brings up a story in my mind that I die to write. 

These songs envelope you and bring you back to a train trip that arrives to an old european city, they take you to some magical place in which you can find cozy wood houses in the forest, to lighthouses overlooking the wild sea from the top of a white cliff, to a cold island in which seals play like little kids and to whatever other scenario your mind can make up. 

I always listen to his songs whenever I'm writing, because it gives me the perfect mood for the things I want to capture in the pages of my notebook. His lyrics are wise and cunning, and his music is always tender and playful. At least these are the things I feel with songs like this. 

Besides, there's no better way to start a monday. Even more if it is the monday just before my anatomy exam. 

I'd tell you more about Andrew's music, but you have to discover him bit by bit, unravel every song and make it yours. Maybe he doesn't have the cleanest voice, or the most beautiful one, but he's such a great artist that it doesn't matter. His music makes you feel lots of things, and his whistles... Oh, how he whistles. 

____________________________ 

Have you ever listened to Andrew Bird's music before? 

What did you think about it? 

Inspiring Books for Young Scientists #1 | Letters to a Young Scientist

"Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Edward O. Wilson has distilled sixty years of teaching into a book for students, young and old. Reflecting on his coming-of-age in the South as a Boy Scout and a lover of ants and butterflies, Wilson threads these twenty-one letters, each richly illustrated, with autobiographical anecdotes that illuminate his career--both his successes and his failures--and his motivations for becoming a biologist. At a time in human history when our survival is more than ever linked to our understanding of science, Wilson insists that success in the sciences does not depend on mathematical skill, but rather a passion for finding a problem and solving it. From the collapse of stars to the exploration of rain forests and the oceans' depths, Wilson instills a love of the innate creativity of science and a respect for the human being's modest place in the planet's ecosystem in his readers"

There's something really comforting about science. At least I think so. The fact that we can know the world we live in with depth is something awesome. I've always loved that feeling that comes with looking at the things that surround you and knowing them to the chore. Quite literally. Seeing the world in waves, in heat exchange, in molecules and atoms and stardust has a poetic, novel-like side. That's why I decide to become a doctor. Because I want to know what makes people up, and I want to fix them when they have health problems. 

I got my hands on this books just in the right moment. And I loved it to bits. These 21 letters are written by Edward O. Wilson, one of the most famous entomologist of the scientific world. He started as a child, chasing bugs with a butterfly net in his backyard and filled with child determination. And one day he became really interested in ants. Yep, ants. I wasn't very sure at first, because I didn't know what I was going to find inside this book. It turned out to be surprisingly fascinating. Wilson tells us all about his career, right from the beginning. He uses some of his discoveries as examples, and he doesn't hesitate to talk about his failures too. 

What really stuck with me of all the things he exposes in this book, is the fact that to be successful in your scientific career, you need determination and hard work. That's all. You don't need to be the new Einstein to get where you want to get. If you work with a fierce desire of being good at what you do, you'll be good. No, let me fix that. You'll be great. You can not let yourself be intimidated by the knowledge your peers have, because you have knowledge too. The fact that other people succeed doesn't mean you can't do it too. 

Another valuable advice is to get yourself surrounded by hard-working, passionate people. You'll see how others work, their creativity will enhance yours, and it will always be more fun and it will make the scientific experience 100% wrath it. But now I want to say that I'm not talking just about scientists, this is applicable to any field: art, literature, architecture, law, business... I don't know, name the profession and the only sure thing that I can tell you is that passion gets you anywhere. 

I'm really thankful for this book, because it made me remember that illusion I felt the first time I put on a white coat, the first time I got my hands on a human body (like, a cadaver) (yeah, yeah, this might sound strange for non-medical people but, what can I do, these things interest me!) or that memorable time we dissected a pig's heart in the high school's lab and I was like a child with a new toy while Al was trying not to throw up in the corner. 

This book is obviously directed to young students of biology, but it can be a little conductor of light for those moments in which spending hours glued to your chair doesn't feel worth it. So I urge every young biologist, chemist, physicist, doctor, nurse, geologist, pathologist... to go to the nearest bookshop, buy this book, and read it. And you'll learn incredible things about ants! 

I'm aware this is not a book for everyone. It talks a lot about the biochemistry of ant's organisms, and some people might find that boring. I thought I wouldn't enjoy it very much for this same reason, but in the end I found myself being really amused by the way ant's world works. Trust me, it's more fascinating than it seems. I swear. 

My first steps in the scientific world haven't been easy. But I'm sure they are leading me in the right way, and I'm starting to walk on with more strength every day. 

P.S: 5 points for those who spot the Sherlock reference. 

_________________________

What about you? Have you ever found one of those 

books who just made you see everything under a new light? 

Studying Guide On #1: Anatomy

I'm putting together this Studying Guide Posts because it would have really helped me a lot to know some of these things that I've learned the hard way during my first year of med school. I'm still trying to manage all this information, but I think I'm getting better at it. 

Let's see if you find these little help guides useful. They are for me. And I think that curious people or those one who want to get on the medical field (or even artists!) will think the same: 

1. The first thing is, you need a good book.

 Anatomy is an ancient discipline and there are tons of good books out there that you can use as a reference. In my case, I use Sobotta and Netter quite a lot, there are people who prefer Gray’s anatomy, which is pretty great too. I would recommend you Sobotta, the draws are clear and realistic, so it is really clarifying. I also use “Rouviére’s anatomy”, but I don’t know if that one is available in english, because I only found it in spanish. Anyway, that’s a pretty good book if you want good theory, but not for the illustrations. You’ll find any of these books in your university library. Undoubtedly, the best and quickest resource is Fenei’s anatomy book: 

As you can see, the illustrations are so neat and clear you can look everything up in a second, and everything’s marked with numbers so you can know what you’re looking at. It’s one of my favorites and is so small you can carry it anywhere (I always take it with me to university). ♥︎ You can buy the Feneis pocket atlas of human anatomy here. 

There’s also a book that I only found in spanish, but medical terms are really similar in different languages because they all come form the latin, so I don’t think you’ll have lots of problems, and anyway the best part about this book are the illustrations. It has more than 1000 pages and it only costs 35 euros!! You can look it up here. 

2. Draw: Anatomy is the most visual subject you’ll ever study, so draw, draw and draw everything you can. In my university, we need to buy a book called “Human anatomy in dissection planes”. I talked about this book in one of my tumblr posts but this one is pretty expensive so just draw, because it will help you memorize and understand everything. Draw flow charts of circulation, of muskuloskeletal systems, of the nervous system, of EVERYTHING. You have an example here:  

I drew the nervous apparatus of the heart.

3. Use color-coding: When I have to study the muscles that are innervated by different nerves, I paint all the muscles of the same group with the same color. Use that technique for the different branches of arteries and veins that come from the same main artery or vein too, for the nerve endings that innervate the same structures, etc. 

4. Quiz yourself: When I have to study anatomy, I print out blank images, with no names at all, and after studying I put the names of all the structures I can see in that diagram. That way I make sure I’ve understood everything and that I know what I’m talking about. Using blank diagrams and illustrations with no names is a good way of realizing what you’ve learnt and what you haven’t. Also, there's this book which is absolutely amazing. I can't even. 

5. Observe the bodies: I don’t know if your university offers it, but if you have the possibility of studying in a dissection room with real human bodies, observe everything. Touch the body, realize how differs veins and arteries and nerves feel, how ligaments and tendons are not the same… 

6. Here are some good apps: if you’re an android user, I’d check these ones out: 

Visual Anatomy Free

Anatomy 3D

However, if you’re an apple user like me, I’d recommend 3D 4 Medical apps. They’re so clear and interactive, those are my favorites: 

Essential Anatomy (In this page you can also see images and animations, and the have apps for android users too!!)

Pocket Anatomy (This one is also great) 

To study the skull (which is the hardest thing ever), use this app: 

Skullviewer (ugh I love this one) 

7. Reason as much as you can: Use mnemonic devices. Anatomical names have the advantage of being really obvious, clever and reasonable. If the thyro-epiglotticus is called like that it’s because its origin and insertion points are the thyroid and the epiglottis cartilages. That simple. If you can’t remember which are the vases that arrive to a lymphatic ganglion and the ones which leave, remember the “Afferent vases” are the ones which “Arrive”, and the “Efferent” ones, are the Exit point. See? I just made a simple relation with the initials that helps me memorizing things! 

8. AnatomyZone Youtube Videos: I just... go take a look. Gosh. 

9. OBSERVE: Seriously, I can’t recommend you this enough. Observe the human body. Observe diagrams, illustrations, human cadavers and human bodies in action. Analyze, understand, and then, you can memorize everything you study, but if you just go to the theory without observing and analyzing, you’ll be doomed. Learning anatomy is like learning a new language, so make it fun, live it, and you’ll learn it quicker than you think.

Hm. I think this last piece of advice can be applied to anything. 

_______________________________

Is there a subject you've learned how to study the hard way? 

Which are or were your favorite subjects?

How do you prefer studying?

What I'm planning on doing as soon as I finish my exams

Image source: click here

This summer has been... strange. The most amazing things have happened, and it has also been tiring, boring and stressful. 

I've spent almost every waking hour with my bum glued to my chair and my eyes fixed on my notes, and it's been exhausting, studying the same thing again. But I have certainly learned a lot from this. The good thing is, the news my sister gave me in july were positively  the best news I've ever received. 

I'm going to be an aunt come february-ish. 

We're going to have a little toddler crawling on the floor, bubbling and crying and laughing and giving us all such big smiles on our faces. It's so exciting. 

I finish my exams at last in two weeks, and I'll have ten days completely free of responsibilities to do as I wish. This post is something of a list to remind myself that there are always things to look forward to, and that's incredible: 

☞ Watch some movies with mum. She has a serious need of finishing the Harry Potter saga once and for all. And I'm happy to oblige her. 

☞ Watch the last episode of Sherlock. I can't believe I haven't seen it yet, I'm such a bad sherlockian. I'm so excited at the prospect of watching this last episode of season 3, which I think was even better than the two preceding seasons. This show keeps getting better and better. 

☞ Watch The Talented Mr. Ripley with Cris. We both need our Matt Damon monthly fill. And if the film includes Jude Law and an interesting plot, well... You'll have us bouncing on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. 

☞ The girls need to watch Cloud Atlas. Like, I'll be tormenting them night and day until they humor me. But I know they're going to love it. 

☞  Go shopping. I lost half of my clothes during the moving of houses, and therefore I'm in some serious need of jeans. And winter clothes are my favorites. And the next academic year is starting. It's the perfect excuse. 

☞ Buy a new quilt. There's nothing that feels greater in winter than transforming yourself into a burrito in your comfy bed after a long day filled with activities. My quilt is now almost 5 years old, and I want to buy a lighter one that brightens up the room. 

☞ Speak of the devil, I need to reorganize my room. I have to go to Ikea to see if they finally bring in again the shelves I'm looking for. I want to make my studying area into a more pleasant space, because I have too many pencils and pens lying on the desk. And I need to hang my loved, loved canvases. That little english man and that Atkinson Grimshaw canvas are begging to be hung. 

☞ Gush over baby clothes and baby blankets with mum, and visit the children section of every single library in the city to get some new books for children. You know how much I love them. And the idea of reading them to my future niece/nephew (we still don't know what it will be. Oh God, I can't wait!!) and sharing with him/her the same stories that made me happy when I was a child makes my heart burst with happiness. 

☞ Go back to posting on my tumblr. I miss my followers there, it was so much fun working on that blog. After some improvements, I'll be back at accepting questions form you, guys. Thanks for your patience and your support. 

☞ Start writing again. My creative writing has been achingly non-existent this year. I start a creative writing course in september, and I'm very scared because I'm quite out of practice, but I'm also excited because I really love writing and it's something I miss a lot. This will give me the chance to get back on track. And maybe I'll find my voice once and for all. 

☞ Get excited because winter is coming... Hmmm, that reminds me that I really need to catch up with my reading of A Song of Ice and Fire. But seriously, autumn and winter are my favorite seasons of the year. I can't stand the summer heat and there are just so many things to do during the cold season I get excited all around about it. And the rain, I can't wait for the rain. 

☞ Relax and get some energy back to start a new academic year with a completely new mind-set. I know what I'm facing now. I know my strengths and weak points. I know I can achieve this with passion and dedication. And I'm ready to take everything that comes my way with a smile. No more crying, no more feeling small and useless. No more doubts. 

______________________

And you? 

What are you looking forward to in this new period of the year? 

What gets you motivated to start the new academic year 

or to start working again full of energy? 

The Child in me #1: Ahoy!!

"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me"

There's something really comforting about bringing back what you used to love when you were a child. This is what this series of post is going to go about. 

My life is loaded with studying and responsibilities, but I try to find time to squeeze between hours of work some of those things that make me actually happy. 

When I was a child, I used to read the books I'm going to show you hundreds of times. I knew them by heart, I flipped the pages back and forth and admired the pictures for hours. I was specially fond of this one, since I dreamt of being a Pirate. I remember going to the cinema 5 times (yes friends, five times) to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, and that was the moment in which I fell in love with Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Turner. They were my heroes, I wanted to be pretty and badass as Elizabeth. And if that would grant me Johnny's or Orlando's heart, well then, I can't complain. 

When I first discovered these books, I fell instantly compelled to buy them. Well, my mum did, since I was just 6 or 7 years old. They covered a huge range of topics, such as pirates, Egyptians, magic, fairies and, my favorite one: Dragons. I took a lot of care with them, because they were magical for me, and I wanted them to be perfect. They were a really special part of my childhood, and that's why I want to show them to you. 

Shall we begin? Yes, that was totally a Star Trek reference. 

There are some expandable pages that complete the story with dates and information. 

It instructs you in the different flags, boats, clothes and weapons used by pirates. 

A bag of Gold!!!! And aren't those maps stunning?

There's even a piece of a flag.
And a little booklet of nautical terms to turn you into a full, knowledgeable pirate. 

I remember becoming really frustrated because I couldn't replicate the beauty of the pictures when I tried to draw them, even thought I was pretty good at drawing. 

The book has clues hidden between its pages, maps waiting to be deciphered, ropes to practice your knotting skills, and you can even build your own compass. Pinch me, I'm in heaven. 

Those crystals at the end of the book are so pretty. I love shiny things.
The details are over the top. I'd like to make a huge copy of every single picture so I could hang them on my walls.

It tells the story of Arabella Drummond, who I just discovered, was a real pirate. Hmmm, things get so much more fascinating now. I've become really interested in the history of pirates after revisiting this book, both as a curious person and a writer and maybe I still dream of becoming a pirate myself and now I can't wait to get my hands in these:  

• Raiders and Rebels, A History of the Golden Age of Piracy; by Frank Sherry
• The History of Piracy; by Philip Gosse
• Under the Black Flag, the Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates; by David Cordingly

I think I already know what I want for my birthday. 

Back to Uni with Parfois!

"You can never be overdressed or overeducated" Oscar Wilde

I've been looking for a perfect bag to carry my things to uni since months before I even started my classes. And it's been a hard task. I've tried tote bags that belonged to my sisters, but I could never fit everything perfectly. I bought a computer briefcase but it was too heavy and it made my shoulders hurt even more than they usually do. 

I carry too many things to uni, I know. But I need them: wallet, house keys, books, notebooks, binders, vanity case, white coat, latex gloves, pencil case, mobile phone, umbrellas during winter, my iPad, my computer sometimes... And this knowing that I don't need to bring a stethoscope or go to the hospital yet! 

So I really needed a bag that was both fashionable and practical. And I may have found it. After some weeks studying non-stop, the other day I decided to take a break and I went out to have lunch with mom and one of my sisters. Then, we decided to go shopping, something I hadn't properly done since I started med school. It felt so awesome. 

I was looking at some cute boots for winter when I saw this amazing Winter Computer Briefcase by Parfois. I instantly felt in love. When I picked it up and inspected it, I felt in love even harder. When I saw the price, I knew I was done for. It was perfect. 

Let me show you why I say this: 

It comes with five compartments so you can organize everything perfectly. Knowing where everything is in my bag is something important. It's infuriating wasting your time looking for things you know are there but that you can not see because your purse is always a mess when there are more important things that require you attention. 

A nice little pocket inside one of the compartments for my iPad. Yay! ♡
This is such a thoughtful detail

The quality of the briefcase is really good. The material feels nice and the zips slide smoothly. There's plenty of room for storage in this bag, which is fortunate since I seem to carry most of my belongings with me when I go to uni. Might as well throw a pillow in it and take it out to take some more than needed naps between classes and practices. 

There's a front pocket which is perfect for carrying the things you need more often, as house keys (which have the infuriating fixation of getting lost in a parallel dimension inside my bag), or your bus or metro ticket. 

It's the perfect size and it comes with a strap so you can carry it hanging on your shoulder. This is really useful when I have my hands loaded with heavy volumes and my meal bag. More than once I've found myself gathering up papers that had ended up scattered on the pavement in rainy days, with my umbrella turned inside out and the library books lying there, looking at me with accusing eyes. Or maybe I'm just that clumsy. 

The strap is wide and comes with a padded bit in order to not end up with your shoulder circulation cut because of the heaviness of all the things I carry. 

I'm quite happy with the quality of the materials used to make this briefcase. It seems sturdy enough to storage all the things I'll need in my longest days at uni and face up all the beating it can suffer from going in public transport and being carried from classes to the lab, from the dissection room to the cafeteria, from the patio to the seminary rooms. When I start using it I'll talk to you about how it resists the battle! 

  

Here's a more detailed picture so you can see the color of the briefcase. I chose the navy blue one, but there were some other lovely colors that made deciding which one to buy quite hard. I already owned some black handbags and tote bags, as well a a camel one. I'm not really a pink girl and that color wouldn't fit with most of my clothes, so the navy blue it was! I'm also in need of some serious wardrobe renewal, since I lost half of my clothes during the house moving (if you want something done right, do it yourself, at least with your clothes and your books), and this is a good chance of making some quite serious style changes. 

Images taken form Parfois.com  

I don't know why, but this feels like a fresh start. Last year wasn't exactly easy, and I've learned a lot of things I shouldn't do, and in the hard way, believe me. This is like a symbol of my determination to do things better. And well, improving while looking fabulous is just the icing on the cake. 

__________________________

What about you?

 Are you looking forward to your next academic year?

What are the things that make you motivated to get into a new project?