Closing Time

A and I have known each other for almost 8 years, dated for almost 6 and lived together for over a year. Now, since exactly about one month, we have also been business partners.

After what seemed like forever, I worked at an office building architectural models, and although I loved it to death, it wasn't loving me back as much. I've said this already, the hours were (extremely) long and the pay wasn't worth all the 'complications', like getting into constant fights with A over not being home at decent hours, having my mom worried all the time that I was leaving the office at 3 in the morning on a regular basis, and many, many more.

So... I quit. 

It wasn't as deliberate as that. I had thought about it for a long time, but because I wasn't certain of my financial situation, I had been postponing it. Just when it seemed like it was all going to work out for the best, I got bad news, and so I postponed it again. And then the greatest thing happened.

A asked me to officially join him in business!!!

I've also mentioned before that A has been working on independent projects for a long time now, alternating his personal work with his other work. And fortunately, it has got to a point where projects are so big (and so many) that he can't continue to do it alone. So here I come.

For the last month, I've been working from home, alternating between my classes at uni and our work. We don't see the point in renting out office space since we have a spare bedroom, and so we have make it comfortable enough so that we both can work there when necessary, or in my case, all the time. It's not much so far, but it is what we need and we are really happy about how it is turning out.

I look forward to transform this space into the studio of my dreams (sorry, our dreams) and to share this process as we go here on the blog.

Quitting my job was the best decision I've made in the longest time. Nothing beats being the owner of my time, creating my schedule and working with my best friend in something we are both passionate about and most importantly is ours and is getting us towards where we want to go. Getting to go out to dinner or coffee dates mid week, doesn't suck either :)

So there it is. I can officially check that goal off my list.

G.

* Image via here.

2016 Goals

I don't know what it is, but every time I'm about to leave for a holiday at my hometown, I think I'm gonna get so much work done, as in, writing for the blog, of course. However, from the time I step in my childhood home, I become useless. Every. Single. Time.

One of the things I wanted to write about was a recap of the past year. But since that didn't happen and it's now 2016, I figured it was more appropriate to focus on the present/future. So here it is, my list of goals for the new year.

Call more / Text less.

I remember the days when I'd talk on the phone for hours. But those were also the days before internet, young adult relationships and full time jobs. Now I'm lucky if I get to actually talk to my friends on the phone twice a year (on birthdays). Since we all have smart phones these days, being apart is made easier by apps like whatsapp, software like Skype or even social networks like Facebook or Instagram, which all allow us to be in constant communication with loved ones. Although nothing compares to actually seeing each other and spending quality time together (like we did on the holidays), talking on the phone allows for a closer kind of interaction, which is why this year I've decided I'm going to try really hard to call my friends and family more, rather than text them.

Go on more adventures.

A and I live in a state which is very popular for being the one Mexican state with the most 'Pueblos Mágicos' (Magic Villages), none of which we have ever visited. This year I hope that, by achieving a couple more goals on this list, we will be able to explore a little more of what this place has to offer.

Travel. Travel. Travel.

Not only do we both live away from our families and friends, but we also have friends and family who live elsewhere. My best friend got married in India and moved to London. My brother lives in Playa del Carmen. And last year two of my best friends moved away to other states as well. This year we plan on going abroad for a very special friend's wedding, but other than that, I'd love it if we could take a few weekends to go visit loved ones.

Take more photos (and actually print them).

Before last year ended, I took to myself to empty the memory card of my DSLR camera. On my computer, I usually save photos by month and then by event. As it turns out, there were months with no photos and moreover, around 20 photos (if not less) of A and me. How did that happen? I have a pretty good idea, which is why this year I'm making it a point to not let that happen again.

Stay healthy.

Since the middle of last year, A and I have been living a healthier lifestyle (a full story I plan to tell at some point), with the exception of the occasional weekend cheat meal as registered in my Instagram accounts. Eating well isn't really that hard and if you take care of yourself during the week, there's no reason why you can't treat yourself once in a while. We took a little break from these habits during the holidays (obvs) but we are now back on track and highly motivated to achieve our goals. 

Update/Decorate our house.

We have lived in this house for almost a year now and it still isn't nowhere near coming to feel like it is completely ours. Sure, walls have been painted and things have been placed where I want them, but still there are many things I want to do around here. Hang art and photos, add plants (maybe even hang them too), add storage, paint some pieces here and there. I hope to complete some of these things at some point this year.

Buy a car.
When I was living in Mexico City I never thought about buying a car. It just wasn't necessary. I lived pretty much walkind distance from everywhere I needed to go, and if I didn't, I could just take the metro or metrobús. But here in Puebla is a different story. Although I've already manage to find all the routes for the places I usually need to go, the truth is public transportation here is not reliable and as A and I enter a new face in our professional lives, it has become more of a necessity than a luxury.

Go on more dates with A.

Before I got my current job, back when I was only teaching twice a week, A and I used to go out at least once a week to either get coffee or dinner. But because I usually  work late, we don't get to do that anymore. Which is why another one of my goals is...

Quit my job.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my job. I love the people I work with, I think we have a great team and the things we do are awesome. But it is a very ungrateful job. The hours are very long and the payment, well, isn't. It sucks that I've never been able to find a job which I love, the pay is good and the people are nice. But I once said I'd rather had a job that made me happy than one to pay the rent, and although this job does make me happy and does help pay the rent, it's messing with the really important things in my life, like my relationship.

I know what you're thinking. How am I suppose to travel, buy a car and go on dates if I quit my job? Well, that's why my last and possibly most important goal of this year is to...

Start our own company.
A and I are both architects. He has been working on projects for a while now and it is just a matter of time before I join him full time. It has been a dream for a long time and it feels like the timing is just right. 

Bonus goal!
Write more.
Also, doing some of the above will allow me to continue to write more regularly, or at least, here's hoping!

Well, there it is. I'll let you all know how things go, but in the mean time, what are your 2016 goals?

G.

Disappearing Act

Back in June I started working at an office that is full time dedicated to build architecture scale models (dream come true), but ever since then, work has completely taken over my life. At first it was great having purpose, as with my previous work situation I had pretty much free time all the time, so coming to an office gave me an excuse to get up early in the morning and well, get out of the house.

But it seems as though as all I do is work ALL THE TIME. It is kind of my fault of course, since I agreed to also teach, not one, but two (which eventually became three) classes this semester, which leaves basically no free time for anything at all. Seriously, a week has gone by without me seeing A except when one of us is half asleep. 

See, the worst part is I actually love my jobs. I love making models and furthermore, I'm learning so much. Last semester I was teaching a class about model making, but after working here I've come to realize I knew nothing. But I'm getting there. I also love teaching. I love it when I'm explaining something and my students nod their heads as it hits them... which may not be reflected on their evaluations, but anyway...

So, yes, I'm tired ALL THE TIME, I get pretty much little to no sleep most nights (even weekends) and truth be told, it's come to a point where I'm so tired I have no sense of ... well, anything. Funny story, I mixed the dates of an event A and I were to go in Mexico City and we ended up traveling a month in advance and finding out nothing was going on... at least not that month. So, there's that. And there's also the fact that I get to see nothing of someone I live with, and it's been hard, of course.

Which brings me to this very post. I've been a-wall from the blogsphere in the past months. It felt ok at first as I wasn't very inspired for a while there, but lately I've been feeling frustrated as I've thought of  many things to write about that I have no time for. I guess there's always next summer, fall, winter, etcetera.

Luckily, the semester is about to end (only three more weeks!) and that will at least give me a few extra hours to procrastinate online, that is if some of our clients don't decide they need three identical models for New Years Eve, which I'm hoping to spend in Playa del Carmen with my family.

Life is what happens while I'm sanding MDF pieces.

Happy Fall!

g.

RPQ: Expectations.

Think for a second in what your life 'should' be. What do you imagine?  Is your life today the same as what you imagined?

As of earlier this month, I'm 30 years old (wow). It feels strange to write it, let alone to say it out loud. And I never thought my life would be what it is. If anyone had asked me 15 years ago what I had pictured, I would have said something different. I figured by the time I turned thirty I'd be married and maybe even had a kid. I thought I'd be living elsewhere, and that I'd be either working at the place of my dreams (wherever that was) or owning my own business. 

And a few years ago, I would have been VERY disapointed to see that my life wasn't going towards what I had imagined so many years before. But why should I be disapointed because those things didn't happen/haven't happened yet? 

Today, I'm thirty, I am not married, nowhere near getting pregnant and as of this month, unemployed, yet again. But despite the fact that my 15 year old self predictions expectations didn't come true, I am very happy. 

The truth is, we never know what is going to happen. We may have an idea of what we want in our career and in our personal lives, but my guess is, most of the time, we don't have (complete) control over it. Life happens, things change, and suddenly we find ourselves living the life we are given, instead of the life we expected when we were younger.  Now, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as we are happy.

But that's the thing with expectations. Sometimes we get caught up in what is expected of us, by our parents, teachers, family, society. And because of them, we become disappointed when we don't achieve those things, which we shouldn't, because the only expectations we should live up to are our own.

So hey, you are free. Your life is not 'supposed to be' anything, but what you want it to be. Don't let anyone's expectations determine how you should live your own life.

G.

30 things

Exactly 2 years ago on my bithday I shared a post on my former blog about 28 things I had learned in the previous year*. Today I'd like to update that list as it is pretty much current and just add a couple more items to it. This is basically a translation from that blog post from 2013. Without further ado, here it goes:

1. People don't change. It doesn't matter how hard we try to make them. It is sad, but sometimes we're better off letting go...

2. Great changes are preceded by chaos.

3. You'll never leave where you are if you don't know where you're going.

4. Start before you're ready and if you don't know where to begin, begin anywhere.

5. Sometimes on the chase of a dream we get lost and find a better one.

6. Other times, the dreams that come true are the ones we didn't know we had.

7. Dreams don't work unless we do.

8. Nothing truly great comes easily.

9. When things seem complicated, look again, always look again.

10. The only expectations we should live up to are our own.

11. Remind yourself that it is ok not to be perfect. No one is.

12. What screws us up most in life is the 'image' of what 'it should be'.

13. It doesn't matter if I'm not out and about every weekend, as long as I am ok with that.

14. Best friends aren't always those you've known the longest or those you get to see more often.

15. Living alone is great, but it is not easy or cheap.

16. It is ok to spend money on things YOU enjoy, whether it is a CH bag or paper goodies for crafting.

17. If you don't feel right on your own skin, you can't expect others to feel right around you.

18. It is totally worth it having a job that makes you happy rather than one that pays the rent but makes you miserable.

19. Even when you don't get the credit you deserve, do not doubt your abilities or your work.

20. Without the support of our loved ones, we would be nothing (ps. call your mom and dad).

21. Distance can make the heart grow fonder, but it can also make people grow apart.

22. Even though we don't always express how we feel, it doesn't mean it is not there.

23. We don't need people's approval.

24. No matter how tired or stressed we feel, we are never to neglect those we love.

25. Professional success isn't measured by how money you make, just as personal success isn't about getting married or having kids. It is about being happy.

26. It is perfectly ok to demand what we think we deserve.

27. When you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life.

28. No matter how hard things are, we'll always be able to go throw them and come back stronger.

29. Go to the dentist regularly.

30. Take care of your body: exercise, eat your veggies, drink more water, get enough sleep.

Notice how those last two are health related? Man, getting older is tough! 

g.

*Gummergal shared her list of 30 things she's learned before turning 30 on her blog. Check it out here.

RPQ: Just Do It

I read a lot of blogging tips before starting my second blog. Many of them recommended to plan ahead, to keep a notebook with you at all times to jot down ideas for blog posts, to have an 'editorial' calendar... and so on. But let's be realistic. That's great advice when you're a full time blogger, which I'm not. I have a job. I know this really shouldn't be an excuse for slacking off and not posting in the longest time, but the truth is, sometimes life just gets in the way.

In any case, I saw this image a while ago, pinned it and then instagrammed it because it made sense to me back then for a reason I now can't remember. When I was plotting to start this blog back in October, I remembered I had pinned it and things clicked: I needed to start worrying about having notebooks full of ideas of what I'd write about, that's just not how I work. 

Chances are, this hasn't shown in what I've written so far, but I feel like I can't just write on schedule. I find it hard to write the days I work as I am well, quite busy, but on days I don't, there's so much to do around the house or errands to run and as much as I'd like to dedicate myself full time to crafting and home decorating, it's not a possibility (right now). I write when things happen to me, when I find something inspiring, when I want to share something I've done or achieved. Occasionally, I'm sure, I'll post about things I love and personal stuff, maybe even recipes or my reviews of some place I visited, and this things are what life is about, and not exactly planned.

So I stopped giving myself a hard time for not coming up with more ideas to fill a journal with or for not coming up with an editorial calendar, and I just started writing some things... I wrote about adapting to a new city, starting traditions and our first Christmas living together. But then, life happened and I didn't start the blog when I wanted to and then it was 2015 already and I hadn't posted about Halloween so it didn't make sense anymore (Do you ever write stuff that doesn't get posted because of timing?).

If I had waited until I had 365 blog post ideas, I'd still be working on that and this blog wouldn't exist. I didn't need to get ready, I just needed to start.

The greatness about this quote is that it applies for many things in life. Do you always stall things because you don't feel ready? Believe me, you don't need to be, just do it! Life is what happens while you're busy making plans (or getting ready) ;)

g.

*Image via here.

Around Here

It's been crazy lately. A took a fall at work last week and ended up in crutches, which means I've been on nurse mode, tending to his every need. He was in a lot of pain for a few days but is feeling better now. Boy really can't complain, he's been getting the royal treatment all week.

Personally, I've enjoyed having him around to hang with. Since he's supposed to be on bed rest, he's been staying home or coming earlier from work.  We've been enjoying meals in bed (can't make the poor bloke come up and down the stairs every time) and movie afternoons with corresponding treats, for which I can't complain.

That about explains why I haven't been posting this last week. This was also the reason why we had to cancel our weekend away in Mexico City. Health comes first. But as I said, he's feeling better and will be back to his normal self next week, and hopefully so will I.

This weekend will be spent pretty much the same, watching movies and eating junk. Have a nice weekend!

g.

RPQ: Jealousy

It was Carrie Bradshaw who once said 'Sometimes there is nothing harder than being happy for somebody else, like extremely successful people who are 27'. And boy, was she right.

I've struggled with this several times. How is it that someone who is just out of school has a better job than I do? I've been out of school for 6 years, I have worked since before that and I've even studied some more, which supposedly is a good thing. 

Then again, I don't have to be happy for them, cause I don't know these people. The problem is when someone I should be happy for gets that job or gets engaged or has just bought a new house/car.

Personal and professional jealousy suck. You really want to be happy for your friends, and  you are, but it still gets to you, it gets to me anyway (please tell me I'm not alone here.) Deep down I can't help but wonder why them and not me. It just feels sometimes like some people have all the luck. My best friend and I have this ongoing thing when every time we hear good news from one of our friends we feel like the universe is playing favoritism.  

And then, I read somewhere that 'It is NOT a competition'. Life, that is. This was hard for me to come to terms with as I am and have always been a competitive person. I've busted my ass all my life to be the best that I can be at whatever it is that I do, and I like to think that I have succeeded. But this statement, could not be truer. We all do things at our own pace. What is good for others might not be good for me... And that is where Amy Poehler's quote comes in. It is one of the best things I have come across lately:

'Good for her! Not for me.' That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her! Not for me.'

Instead of being jealous of what others are doing, buying, achieving, we need to think about what we are doing. We have to be thankful for what we have. We have to focus on ourselves. The only person I should compete with is me. It shouldn't be important to me what others are achieving, but what I am achieving. As long as I am happy with what I have, with what I am doing, that's all that matters. And if I am not, it is in my power to change that.

So next time I hear 'I'm getting married!', 'I got a raise!', 'I just booked a two month trip to Europe!', etcetera, etcetera, I'll be saying 'Congratulations' and being genuinely happy for them while I mentally recite 'Good for her. Not for me.'

g.

* Image from here.

RPQ: On Abundance...

When I was studying in Sheffield I had a class called RAD (Reflections on Architectural Design). It was my favorite by far. In it, our tutor would ask really basic questions about architecture, and we always had trouble answering them, despite the fact that we dealt with many of those things everyday. But we were suppose to reflect... and elaborate... and talk about those things amongst one another.

This post, and hopefully many to follow (from time to time) is meant to pay some kind of homage to that master's class, except, I'm not reflecting on architectural design.

I've always been one to believe in fate and destiny and signs, and as such, it happens to me a lot that whenever I'm going through something, I find an image with a quote that enlightens me and speaks to me in a moment of self doubt and anxiety. So... I thought I'd talk about it in case anyone else was feeling the same way...

Truth be told, the last few months have been very hard. I found myself without a job and spending a lot of money on my move and well, getting necessary stuff for our new home. And now, even though I'm working, I'm still struggling financially. 

I read once that we send our thoughts out to the universe, but I realized that I'm constantly thinking 'I'm broke', 'I have no money' and so on, therefore, sending out negative thoughts. Today when I was browsing Pinterest I came across this quote and saved it onto my 'Words of Wisdom' board and decided it sha'll become my new mantra from now on.

Everyday I'm thankful for what I have and mostly for the people in my life. But it hadn't occured to me, to be grateful in advance for whatever is coming. You can bet that I won't make that mistake ever again. 

Are you grateful for what is on it's way to you?

g.

* I found the image on Pinterest, but it is originally from this site (also, the address is on the image itself)