"NYC + Guevs = UNEXPECTED FUN!"

I am exhausted!

Just got home from a day with Guevs walking around NYC.

Here's how our day went:

*After watching INCEPTION--at crack of dawn (so we could get cheaper tickets)--, we went to Chipotle for lunch. Of course, I couldn't help noticing an Urban Outfitters on our way there, so I begged Guevs we paid a visit. He made me promise it would be a short one (tough!), and I did. So, we went in and hung out at UO for a little bit.

*As we walked 33 blocks downtown (once again, $-saving), we literally found a TREASURE-- as is the case in almost every corner of this city! A cute, small thrift shop; one of those that is organized with very fine taste, therefore, things are a bit on the expensive side. I got my usual rush of being surrounded with vintage and used items *SIGH* Also, as it always happens, I didn't want to leave without a little treasure, and I sure didn't. I spotted a box with a tag that read MYSTERY BAGS, and in it were brown paper bags labelled with a big question mark (?). You can imagine how excited I got! Each bag cost $2 dollars and I can assure you they were the two dollars best spent! The excitement of wondering what could be inside was delicious! As soon as we stepped out of the store, we nervously opened the bag to coincidentally find a treasure that has Guevs' name all over! His favorite toy from childhood: ANIMAL TOYS!

*We finally reached our destination: HELL'S KITCHEN FLEA MARKET! NOTE: Thank you, Guevs for taking part of all my little fantasies on this day ;)

*The heat from the sun burning our skin as we walked around the flea market made us really tired and thirsty. We decided to get some refreshments. I got myself the signature drink of this trip: Thai Iced Tea. Guevs, on the other hand, decided for quantity over quality (jaja): a dollar iced tea from McDonald's! NOTE: sorry, no pictures from this part of the day. I guess I didn't want the evidence of me sitting in such place :p

*We walked to Time Square. The place was packed with tourists, as always! It is so uncomfortable to walk around there :S But oh so worth it. These streets are so full of live, of movement; there's always so much going on. Time Square is certainly the HEART of this city. Guevs and I finished our drinks sitting at the new closed sections for pedestrians. People-watching; taking the city all in...

*Guevs decided we go into the Visitor's Center in Times Square. There, we grabbed magazines, maps and advertisements for touristy attractions. We took a picture next to the New Year's Ball which is dropped every year at Times Square. Then, we spotted a very cool wall filled with confetti! The title above this colorful wall read: HOPES AND DREAMS. We got closer and noticed the confetti all had handwritten messages from tourists that come in here and write down their hopes and dreams for 2011. Guevs and I went ahead and wrote ours. Supposedly, these will be the confetti thrown in the air once the clock hits 12am this upcoming December. WOW! How cool is that!

*Then, another snack at nowhere else but...McDONALD's!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't believe it still, I know :)

*Last stop...goofing around at another of my top places: H&M!

Good times ;)

"...only own things that you love..."

It is officially IMPOSSIBLE to come to NYC and not shop.

Yes, I confess, I've been shopping...despite of the fact that I promised myself I wouldn't--oopsie!

But it is oh!-so-SATISFYING!!!!!!!

Well, I guess I could link this confession with a little goal of mine (which will perhaps help with the guilt trip). About a year ago, I made a decision: I WILL ONLY OWN THINGS THAT I LOVE. Of course, since I didn't have a home of my own, this decision was more based on my closet/wardrobe.

My decision became a goal given that it is a process that requires adaptation, will power, and a bit of work. The goal was to acquire this new mind set and live accordingly.

The hardest part of the process is deciding which things to get rid off, especially, when there are objects that carry an emotional value; a memory. Expect to spend hours and hours trying to decide; debating whether to give something up or not. In some cases, you may have to simply decide to compromise. Hours and more hours trying things on and off...and, on and off again just to make SURE. Piling away the pieces that don't completely convince you, and putting back on the hanger the ones that undoubtedly WORK. Keep in mind that this process will be physically and emotionally draining.

Nevertheless, once the classifying stage is completed, you will look at your bags filled with "unwanted" stuff, and feel......LIBERATED!

With more free space now (NOTE: not necessarily for NEW stuff!) and a closet containing ONLY pieces that fit perfectly and that you LOVE, there's no way to go wrong. The endless hours of outfit searching before an outing are over. Any 2 pieces that you grab from your--hence--LOVELY wardrobe will make you, literally: PRETTY happy ;)

So, now that I have matured a bit in my process *wink, wink* my shopping has been done with this newly acquired mindset. The philosophy QUALITY over QUANTITY helping, as well. The ultimate GOAL being a closet looking somewhat like this...very polished, grown-up and organized:

Good luck to me!!!!!

"My little goals seem so insignificant to the world, when they actually mean a world to ME!" -My FB status for today.

NOTE: My favorite purchase so far...I am so in loooove with these beauties!!!! The color, the material, the leather flower on the top/front area, the big-wooden heels...*sigh* TOTAL BLISS ;)

"Neny wants..."

...round sunglasses...John Lennon style...

I've been wanting them for a while, but must confess that I haven't been fiercely looking.

I've seen them on the Olsen twin...and like them.

Saw them on my friend, Frenchy-Aish...and loved them (she got a hand-down vintage Ray Ban pair! YES, I am hatin' :P).

Now, I've decided to find ME a pair.

I'm thinking of buying these from Rosemud at ETSY. Must decide today before someone else does!

Check them out:

Price $5.00 dollars

NOTE: Someone just did :( WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!?!?!

Fragment: FUTURE HOME

Oh my!! There are SO many things I want to blog about now!!! Is it OK to post more than one entry in one day??? Are you guys OK with that? ;)

Well, today, I might just have to or else, I'm gonna forget! I have to make up for those months of silence, eh?

Ok, so......this one is short and sweet. Basically, I want to share this fragment more so I don't forget about it!

I was looking for a place on craigslit.org for my sister and her kids to stay as they are coming to visit us (YEY!). This is when I bumped into a listing that I REALLY liked, and although I requested information, the person never got back to me (bummer!). Anyways, the picture of the little studio I saved for inspiration :)

I would love a place just like this for myself! I think there's really nothing more that a person needs; as of space, that is. In such a small space, you can have EVERYTHING, and it looks SO cozy and SIMPLE. I look at this little house and I definitely SEE me :)

So, I've decided that I want a place like this one (picture on the left). Whether I move out alone again, or move in with someone (aka get married? WHAT! note: this doesn't specifically mean anything if you're asking yourself why I just mentioned this here :p)...wow, this just made me realize that there are some serious fragments I've left out during my periods of silence (sorry!).

Ok, going on......

I've been wandering around stores in the NYC and Bergen County areas, and I came up with a list of THE stores to buy furniture and home decor for when I do get my little place. This is if I live in the states again. In the DR, the options are more limited--and more expensive--but it's not impossible....I can live ANYWHERE. Nevertheless, shopping here for home stuff would be FAR more exciting *wink, wink*

The list goes something like this:

-IKEA (duh!!!) I think you all would've guessed that one! Affordable, chic furniture and convenient in all aspects imaginable!

-MARSHALLS Great for unique wall art and good prices on brand names in bed sheets and towels; also, you can find unique pieces of furniture, but they are scarce and are often scratched or broken =/

-TJ MAXX Same as Marshalls.

-TARGET You can also find cute things at great prices for home decor and things that you actually really NEED (like bathroom and kitchen stuff)

-URBAN OUTFITTERS Good for weird, unique, colorful stuff (furniture and decor)...a bit overpriced for MY taste tho'

-THE CONTAINER STORE I am an ORGANIZATION freak! So this store relieves my anxieties ;) A MUST for my sanity!

-Various FLEA MARKETS/ANTIQUE SHOPS To satisfy my desire of treasure hunting!

-ETSY.com Same as above ;)

Just as a little example, look at this gorgeous bookend I found at Marshalls the other day:

I'm SO in love!

I don't ask for much, right? ;)

NOTE: I guess, in the end, this post was not as short as I thought it would be...oopsie!

Fragment: CLEANING

"nothing beats the feeling of clean. when everything is bright and sparkly. when the past is washed away and you have a fresh, new start. when your life is spotless and the possibilities are endless. and just for a moment--sigh--everything is perfect. for soon enough, life will go on. and before you know it, it will be time to clean again."

-from a Target's dusting cloth package :P

Really?! I have to clean.... AGAIN?!

These are the moments you start appreciating things you once had jajajaja...it's ok...I'm learning so many things! It's great :)

Must not complain ;)

Fragment: APARTMENT THERAPY

Ok, so sister and I are totally hooked to apartmenttherapy.com! We can spend hours going through all the house tours, jotting down ideas that people share.

So far, this little dining set from Laura's tiny studio inspired me to wake up early today and go to IKEA to get these 2 little mirrors, which gave MY tiny dining set some character (of course, mine is the super teeny-tiny version!)

(Right: Laura's dining set/Left: my teeny-tiny version)

Also, sister sent me the information for a contest that apartmenttherapy.com holds each year. I'm thinking about submitting my apartment in the teeny-tiny category! What do you guys think?! I gotta take really good pictures, though...Aliiiiiiiiii ;)

*Here's the link to the contest info:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/news/get-ready-small-cool-is-coming-soon-112423

I must confess to you guys, my tiny studio is literally working as APARTMENT THERAPY for me; it is my refuge in all senses right now. I love it and feel so happy to be here... :D :D :D

NOTE: You guys should check out my sister's blog TERAPIA DECORATIVA...it's like an apartment therapy for spanish speakers ;) LOVE IT!

Fragment: ANTIQUES

I found another blog that talks about things I love...FLEA MARKETS, VINTAGE and SHABBY findings, ANTIQUES... http://chartreuseandco.com/blog/

I want to live in a place where antique lovers abound...does that say anything about what I should be doing or should do with my life at some point?

There must be a couple of antique stores here in Dominican Republic, which I haven't visited. Hmmmm...maybe I should make a list of these and start visiting them at some point! Why hadn't I thought of this before?!?!

Actually, a couple of months back (I know, I forgot to blog about it, oopsie!), a friend told me about an antique flea market that happens every sunday at the Colonial Zone. I was so excited to hear that!! So, the following sunday, I went...it was tiny, but I felt like I was in heaven! (Pictures below)

I get this thrill when I am surrounded by old stuff! Things that belonged to people I never knew, that hold a history I will never know, but can still have a part in if I purchase it. I love nostalgia, memories, the past...I guess that's why I love ANTIQUES.

Maybe I should get into the antiques business?!?! Hmmmmm!

Maybe, maybe, maybe.......anything can be! I can't believe after all this time, I'm still FINDING me!

By the way, I got this little treasure for $150 pesos (US$4):

Fragment: MINI STUDIO

I am so excited to share this with you guys!

A couple of days ago, I got an IKEA gift that became the answer to the HAMPER dilemma (refer to February 21st post).

An object that's been re-purposed, or perhaps, multi-purposed?

BENCH/HAMPER

So, I have my hamper and it works perfectly for my tiny apartment!

YEY! DONE ;)