Fragment: DETOUR

"When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." -Mary Kay Ash from THE 12 SECRETS OF HIGHLY CREATIVE WOMEN book

I believe in this fiercely!

Every time I feel stuck, any kind of movement creates opportunities; adds new things to my life. Something as little as finding a quote in a book that provides insight, a photo in a magazine that brings inspiration, or an article that inspires ideas. Just as in my walk-abouts, movement places you on a path of hidden treasures.

Yesterday, while working on my homework for hours (WHAT? homework?? yes, I know, I still have to blog about it), I came to a roadblock! I didn't feel satisfied with the way it was coming out. My hands were getting tired from coloring tiny squares. My brain was drained, and ideas just stopped flowing.

(Above right: the homework without the finishing touch)

So, I stood up and went out.

This time, instead of a walkabout, I went directly to one of my favorite spots in this town: BARNES AND NOBLE.

Chai tea in hand, a bunch of books and magazines on the table, the smell of coffee in the air, chattering from all kinds of strangers as background noise. *SIGH* What an inspiring place to be!

I found cool quotes and ideas, and relaxed while dreaming of places and things I saw in the magazines.

I wore beautiful dresses and hats. Visited an ice cream parlor in Brooklyn. I met an artist, a writer, a photographer, a home decorator, the owner of a coffee shop and received great advice from all of them. I traveled to Cambodia and Greece. I was walking around each page in high heels, until I finally brought my tea to a beautiful English garden. There I sat surrounded with butterflies and fairies, and read my books all over again. I became the artist, the writer, the photographer, the home decorator, and the owner of the coffee shop ;)

Yup! I forgot about my homework COMPLETELY! When I got home, I felt brand new...and was able to come back to my tiny, colorful squares with a fresh approach.

Taking detours works wonders for me!

NOTE: I do have to give dad and sister some props. They gave my homework the finishing touch that made it work ;) Help is always needed!

"NYC + cozy coffee shops = BLISS"

One of my favorite things to do when visiting NYC is finding cool coffee shops. There are so many!

After walking for hours around this busy city, it's wonderful to find a cute, little place where one can just sit and marvel. Stop for a moment and really take in the day, the city; the thoughts and feelings that NYC provokes.

Looking out the window, I open my journal and liberate my thoughts. The smell of coffee in the air, the indistinct chattering of strangers, my random thoughts finally drawn onto paper. My taste buds jump up and down as the delicate, warm liquid caresses my palate. The familiar flavor brings back memories, ignites ideas and passion...suddenly, all things look prettier and possible. BLISS.

I've written about this before....about how much I LOVE moments like these!

...and to think that there are so many yet to find!

I love coffee shops :)

Fragment: THE Birth DAY!

I don't know why, but for some reason, I've been hesitating to write about my birthday. It's been 6 days already, and I hadn't felt the need or the desire to write about it. The weird thing is that I had such a beautiful day, and at night time, I got EXACTLY what I'd wanted! So why wouldn't I want to share with you guys how my birth DAY went? Now that I think about it, I might have the answer...but that must be kept ;)

Well, in sum, my niece and nephew woke me up at 7:30 am, calling to sing "Happy B-day"! What a wonderful way to start the day :) Then, my sister asked me to get ready so we could go have breakfast! Yes! Had she read my blog? That was exactly what I'd wanted first thing that day: have breakfast at a nice cafe. WISH GRANTED! My sister, my lolos (niece+nephew) and I went to PANAVI; a cute little cafe with country charm and city glamour ;) There were baskets full of different kinds of breads, and the sound of the coffee machines blended in with the chattering of the privilegded guests. So, between the freshly baked bread and the brewing coffee, you could imagine the smell in this place was to die for! We had a wonderful breakfast!

My aunt called me while having breakfast, and I told her we'd go visit her and grandma. We spent a nice couple of hours talking and just spending family time.

At one point, my cousin arrived with a cake, so I got to sing "HAPPY B-DAY" and even blow a candle! I didn't think I'd get to do that this year :) I didn't make a wish, though :-/ My mind went totally blank before blowing the candle...Is that bad?

We left my aunt's house to go have lunch at the mall. Then, sister dropped me and my lolos off at my house. We watched ANNIE! What a great little girl :)

My good friend Smaydin picked me up at 8pm, and we headed towards my "planned" part of the day ;) I looked exactly how I'd wanted to look: a sweet short dress, tall boho sandals, butterfly headband, and a faux-pearl necklace wrapped around as a bracelet for some whimsy ;) I asked Smaydin to also wear a short dress and a headband, and she did! I love her! I gave her a wristlet made out of tulle topped with a white feather butterfly.


We had an exquisite meal, a wonderful bottle of french wine and non-stop CONVERSATION! It was such a girly moment...just what I needed :)

The restaurant closed at 12am, and we still hadn't stopped talking and laughing! So, Smaydin suggested we get more wine...GOOD IDEA! We got another bottle of wine, 2 plastic wine cups, sat at a park and talked 'til there was no more!

It was a fun, relaxing and interesing day, as my brother had wished for me ;)

NOTE: coffee ring

Good day, readers! So, I got excited AND freaked out when I saw that the coffee ring on etsy was sold almost immediately after my posting. DID ONE OF MY READERS BUY ME A B-DAY GIFT?! (excitement) or DID A STRANGER COINCIDENTALLY BUY IT EXACTLY WHEN I WAS WRITING THAT POSTING?! (freaked out).

It's such a cool ring! I'm totally fascinated! Now, I don't know what to do...I'd like to buy it for myself, if nobody else does ;) but how would I know if it was a reader or a stranger that bought it? Anyways, for my tranquility, I logged on to the shop again today, and the seller, "alwaysamy", has listed another ring just like it! Here's the new link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16932528

I love her shop! It's so inspiring for me, especially now that I've been button shopping (so many cool ones!) and thinking about ideas to make my own creations ;) While browsing at her SOLD ITEMS, I saw that she has sold several of the coffee rings, which means that there are much more! So, I'm not as freaked out anymore...if nobody bought it or buys it for me, I'll get it myself ;) Many people have bought it, see how cool this ring is?!

Well, HAPPY PRE-BORN DAY FOR ME!!

???!!! (*#$!#^$!)

Ok, so I'm as DOWN as I could be...

I got a FRAUD done in my bank account...I've lost $$ today, and guess what I'm doing?!?! I'm "window shopping" at ETSY! I'm telling you, it's the only thing keeping me sane right now...can't even talk to Pushy. Hope God isn't minding my 'patheticness' (is that even a word?).

Sooooooooooo, if somebody is interested in purchasing a B-day gift (I guess this goes to my followers, the 5 people that read my blog, jeje) for me, I would soooo LOVE this!! I'm a coffee lover; so, this gift is cheap, meaningful, looks like me, and it's from ETSY! There you go, it CANNOT get better than that ;)

(If interested, go to this link http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_9&listing_id=16888699)

See? Etsy makes me feel better...........

I felt nauseaus before I started writing. It's just that the evil in this world is SO unbelievable. I've witnessed it in such little amounts, and it hurts so much, imagine those who........ok...you get the point. God have mercy of the idiots that stole my earned $$.

P.S. My niece made me a b-day gift today! This definitely lifted my spirit up a bit (and seeing my nephew, too). Kids have this effect on me, or on everybody, I believe. She made a b-day card for me; it had ME drawn on it, with my curly hair and golden streaks :) So funny! And bonus! She wrote me a poem!!!! It's in spanish, so bare with me; I NEEDED to share this. note: not only cuz my brother-in-law said I would ;)

EL MUNDO (The World)

El cielo azul, con las nubes The blue sky, its clouds flying
volando que resplandecen mis ojos, make my eyes sparkle,
los paises son verdes igual que countries are green as are
las plantas. the plants.
El mundo es maravilloso. The world is wonderful.

-Anelia Arias

Ok, so I have a concert in a bit! Better go...I guess, apart from ETSY, this blog is also doing wonders... :)

"Thesaurus"

Another place that has become a refuge, like a second home to me, is the bookstore THESAURUS. It is lodged in a two-floor building, but has a very small feel. Very neat and organized, the store has a magazine stand that I directly go to when I come in. I grab one or two magazines, or how many of them I haven't read, and go directly to the second floor, where the smell of coffee and the indistinctive chattering of intellectuals draw me in like a spell.


The space of the tiny cafe is delimited by floor length windows that give the room fabulous natural lighting. Despite the windows facing one of the busiest avenues of the city, the tranquility inside the cafe is unobstructed. There are about 12 small, round tables that have a shabby french look to them. The iron chairs are black with striped (navy blue, red, green, yellow) cushions. They serve all kinds of coffee, alcohol (yes, in a bookstore!), and exquisite sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. Everything they make tastes so fresh and homemade...and the coffees are delightful! The kitchen area is tiny, integrated with the coffee makers and the cash register, all in the same small place. They have one of those beautiful (and super expensive) copper coffee makers which gives the tiny coffee shop a vintage feel. (ABOVE: My niece and nephew at the cafe area)


Everytime I need to gather my thoughts, whenever I have a book to read or things to write, if I feel sad or nostalgic, if I'm happy about something and feel the need to celebrate within myself, when I need the perfect place to meet a colleague or a friend, I GO TO THESAURUS!

I always order a 'cortadito' (macchiato) with brown sugar...the best in town!

(RIGHT: Pushy browsing through books in the cooking section)

Fragment: CAFE

Smell and taste are both very powerful tools that we own.

Just a sniff and a sip of my coffee, and the new day opens up before me.

It is in this moment that I, once again, become fully aware that I am here--ALIVE--and that there are countless moments about to happen.

I, once again, realize how clueless I am about the things that may come in the hours ahead.

I am, once again, reminded that I have no control whatsoever over things that I cannot decide.

With my coffee in hand, I close my eyes and, once again, believe--by faith--that I am a creature of God. I need Him to guide my steps and take control of all the UNKNOWNS of this new day.

All these thoughts, awareness and realizations happen in milliseconds! It just takes a sniff and a sip ;)

After 7 hours of not really knowing if I'm here or not (what IS sleep, anyways?!?! It's such a surreal thing that we do each day!)...my coffee reminds me, that I am HERE and I am ME.

A FRESH BREWED LIFE...each day!