nostalgia show

a pic of me and my bf at his last art show

today i am grateful for...

1. being in a strangely energetic, optimistic, good mood all day. i was overdue!
2. catching up on sleep and rest this weekend
3. the music on my ipod
4. having a job and living on my own
5. the fact that i will once again be an aunt, my sister is pregnant :)
6. being able to wear a dress to work today since it was warm out
7. that school isn't in session yet so the trains are not crowded
8. my boss's upcoming vacation on the week of sept. 20th
9. the black handbag that was in my drawer at work that i just rediscovered
10. fashion blogs that i can read at work (where the websites are not blocked)
11. my sony e-reader
12. the leather jacket i bought last month, probably the best thing i ever bought to wear
13. my choice to turn the TV off at 7:30pm today and download the book, "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone and Meredith Bryan."

this book so far is really excellent. it's hard to stop reading it. kelly cutrone owns her own PR company called people's revolution, and she's had her own reality show (which i've never seen) and has appeared on shows like the hills (which i haven't seen either), but i really like her story. she came to NYC fresh out of college and with barely any know how and no contacts or connections, she founded her own company and followed her intuition to make her dreams a reality. kind of reminds me of madonna's story, except that kelly came to NYC with something like $2,484 and madonna only had i think $37.

kelly's writing style is very persuasive and entertaining and she asks the tough questions, like how have you been able to hear your own inner voice over that of the media, your family, society, etc.? and are those things you've been told to want, really what your soul is telling you that you want? her story about having it all and then breaking down just to rebuild herself is so inspiring. right now i'm at the chapter titled 'it's not a breakdown, it's a breakthrough' and i can't wait to read the rest and see how she prospers when everything falls apart for her.

i hope this good mood i'm in lasts the rest of the week!

inspiring quote of the day from this site-http://www.deeshan.com/ (the Meditation Tip of the Day)

You are really rich when you accept yourself as you are, when you are contented with what you have

a free evening, plus more cruise pics

its' so funny how walking back to my apartment from the train at night is so peaceful and relaxing and happy because i know the whole evening is ahead and i won't have to deal with taking orders from my boss for a couple of hours. i can just be home and have a quiet, relaxing meal and read whatever i want online and watch any show that i'm interested in, like tonight i am looking forward to the new episode of the rachel zoe project. but i'm practicing turning the tv off when whatever show i'm watching is over, otherwise it just is too easy to get sucked in. i didn't watch any tv last night after i saw my netflix rental (igby goes down), and therefore had the time for a meditation. it was much more peaceful than watching nothing in particular on tv. i decided not to watch the new seasons of project runway or america's next top model, because watching those shows adds nothing to my life or my personal development.

when i'm walking home to my apartment the world seems lovely, everyone seems to be friendlier and smiling and anything in the world is possible. i get a glimpse of another life i could have if work was not a necessity. if i could figure out how to do the one thing i'm meant to be doing, things would be a lot easier. i will keep on meditating on that question, and see what comes up in my subconscious.

couple more pics from the cruise-

life is not a race

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/business/22stream.html?_r=2&ref=health

this link was on the main intranet page of my company and i read it today at work.

very interesting what they say about stress in the American workplace leading to obesity and the end part about Britain making cooking classes mandatory for young teens (to discourage eating
pre-packaged /unhealthy/fast foods). Finally it seems that some people are waking up to these facts! America is the worst for overworking people out of most other countries it seems (especially Europe). And all this stress also leads to prescription medication over use, which also leads to weight gain.. it’s a vicious cycle. and it's pretty sad.

i can't believe how fast fall is coming on, i guess there's no hope for an indian summer.
it was hard to get up and go to work today, but i'm grateful that i have a job.

thanks go to my bf for introducing me to this band. music is the cure all.

go everywhere you've never been

your mind's landscape

some weird wave of manic energy took over me during lunch today while i was out browsing at a jewelry store. i chatted up the sales guy when he commented about my work picture ID that i had hooked onto my shirt. then i realized i didn't have enough cash for my items, so i asked the salesgirl to hold them for me while i ran to the bank for cash, and ran back to the jewelry store for my items. i bought this pretty orange and yellow round pendant (i love it because you can adjust the necklace length by clasping it in different places). click on the pic to see better detail.

and a pair of rose goldish hoop earrings. they are obviously fake costume jewels, but still pretty, and only $2.99 each. the other side of the pendant is an angel carving which i don't have the patience to photograph right now. so it can be worn both ways.

the hoops are that in between size so they are not too big or small. i love them! next friday night my sister is hosting a party for liasophia jewelry which i cannot wait for. they have a website which has really fueled my anticipation for that party- liasophia.com. too bad all the cocktail rings are probably too big to fit me, I’ll probably end up getting a necklace or earrings.

i think i got that surge of manic energy because i spent so much time this week either at home or waiting at a doctor's office. i was so tired and weak on tuesday that I slept all day, I thought i had the flu. but all i had was a regular cold and slight fever. i also had an ear irrigation done which was strange because i was having strong pains by my left ear and jaw so that seems to have taken care of that. all this caused me to miss 3 days of work. so i only worked monday and friday of this week. i felt totally useless and lazy, though in a way i got the vacation from my cruise vacation that i was hoping for. it's a good thing i still had plenty of paid time off accrued to cover all those days. I was still angry though because I like to save my days off for the winter time when the weather sucks and staying in bed is way more appealing than going to work.

It’s so weird that when i actually have spending money, i get more picky about the stuff i buy and am more reluctant to shop. my first instinct is always to hold on to extra money in case i need it later, but i'm trying to get better about giving myself the things that i want. who's to say i will need my savings in case i lose my job, or get a lower paying job? i am careful not to go overboard though and always save more than i spend. but buying one or two nice things for myself every now and then isn't a crime or anything. with every potential purchase i start thinking, is it frivolous? do i already have this type of thing or article of clothing? do i need to add to my clutter? what will i get rid of or donate in order to make room for this thing? yesterday i bought a pair of really cheap blue flats and immediately got rid of 3 articles of clothing (that I never wear) from my closet. have to try to keep a balance..

song of the day. it sounds almost cheerful on a lovely sunny day:

on the deck

this pic was taken shortly after we all arrived onboard the cruise. thought i'd post it since it's rare that i like how i look in pictures. love my white dress with studs, even though it set off all the metal detectors in the airport. that's my sis on the left

pic from my cruise

one of my favorites out of the trip, me and my cousin victor outside the dining room we went to for dinner each night on the boat- the carnival liberty..

back from vacation

just got back from a 7 day cruise with my entire family, and some family friends, 31 people in all. there were cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, sisters, brothers, etc etc. it was fun but also pretty exhausting, and i'm so glad now to be back in the privacy of my apartment. i spent most of today recovering and sleeping and now i finally feel awake. here is my favorite song today, pretty haunting and sad but still so beautiful. it's by the arcade fire.