Aritza, Goddess of sarcasm & unfinished sentences

Goddess of.. Paris Was Just The Beginning!

2011-12-28T14:22:00.000-05:00

I have yet to update you on my AMAZING trip to France & Portugal!

After my 2-day stay in Paris and my reunion with Nick, I headed to Strasbourg to meet with Andrea (of @FranceHappened) for a few days.

She greeted me at the train station, hosted me at her place and dedicated two days to showing me a wonderful time in Strasbourg! We walked all over the place, saw all the major attractions, ate great food and lots of pastries :) I had an amazing time and look forward to showing her a great time in My City when she visits (sooner rather than later, Andy? :D).

My only regret? Not being in Strasbourg right now to see the Christmas Markets :) But at least I ate some of the traditional cookies "bredeles".. and I didn't have to withstand the winter cold!

Holiday smooches, XOXO

Goddess of.. The Most Romantic Moment!

2011-12-06T12:46:00.006-05:00

The ballet finished on time, at 9:45pm. My heart was racing at the thought of seeing Nick for the first time in months. Three months, lots of emails and Skype conversations had led me to this very moment, in Paris.

People were still clapping away when I quietly exited my theater box. I was the first one to leave, that may have been a tad impolite (on premiere night) but I had someone waiting outside for me. Someone I hadn't seen in months. So I walked out of the opera house during the 3rd standing ovation.. my heels clicking on the marble floors. My legs were shaky and the stairs seemed to go on forever.

I finally stepped out of the opera house and.. more stairs. So I focused on not breaking my neck, and when I lifted my head up to see if I could spot Nick anywhere... he came running up the stairs, straight at me!

{What follows may make you sick to your stomach, because it was straight out of a movie.

And even romantic comedies are not THAT good.}

He picked me up, we hugged, we kissed (clumsily at first because of the excitement) and we didn't let go for 10 minutes. I was shaking, I was giggling. We were kissing so incredibly passionately, it was probably too much PDA, even for Paris, ze City of Love. But honestly, when you haven't kissed someone you really want to kiss in 3 months... it comes out a little strong when you do finally get your hands on them.

At that point, other people were starting to exit the Opera house as well.. and 15 minutes later, I realized there may have been a few people looking. "Oh well, too bad", I thought to myself. When we stopped kissing, we hadn't even said "Hi" to each other yet. We couldn't let go of hugging just yet. He asked, still shaking "Sooooo oo how was the ballet?" and I just told him to "Shut up" and proceeded to continue making out with him for 10 more minutes.

We eventually left the opera house and he had borrowed his roommate's car to come to Paris. The car was double-parked in front of the opera house (a very busy spot of the city) for 20-25 minutes before he told me that he came by car. Once again, we thought "Oh well, too bad". We drove around, found an indoor parking and walked back to my apartment for the night.

We shared wine and macarons (from La Durée, so good!) together while watching a bit of tv.. and it was a perfect evening, finally together. The following morning, we had brunch on a little Parisian terrace at Café du Centre, sitting side by side, hugging & holding hands. The food was exceptionally good.. and the company? Even better.

Goddess of.. The Best Vacation Ever!

2011-11-15T16:23:00.003-05:00

Oh bloggies, words will never be enough to describe what a dream come true this vacation was.

Flying to Paris on my own: Short & sweet, and exciting as hell! I was pretty proud to make all these dreams come true for myself.. and knowing I did it without (financial) help from anybody, was priceless. Arriving upon Paris, the view was incredible: The sun was rising, there was fog covering the city and just the tip of the Eiffel tower poking out of the clouds. A true sign of the amazingness to come!

My apartment in Paris

1st day in Paris: I got to my rented apartment and it was wonderful! The host greeted me with an espresso and we chatted for a bit. I grilled him with a few questions about Paris, sights to see, etc. His place was exactly as pictured: modern, clean and well located!

I took a nap and then, went on to visit the Pont des Arts (The bridge where people tie "love locks" and I saw Zac Efron!), the Louvre Museum (incredible!), the Jardin des Tuileries (gardens by the Seine river), walked to La Durée to buy macarons (they were delicious, worth the 30-min wait!) and headed back to my apartment to change before the Ballet (and my reunion with Nick).

The ballet was incredible, about 30 female and 20 male dancers, in gorgeous costumes by Christian Lacroix (indian inspiration, russian inspiration, classic tutus, modern kind of cirque-du-soleil costumes, etc). The Garnier Opera house itself is something to see and the 6-people boxes in the theater are very luxurious (red velvet on the walls, a lounge chaise, make-up mirror, etc.).

Of course, I tried my best to focus on the present but my mind wandered at the thought of being reunited with Nick in about 2 hours. I looked at my watch repeatedly. I had e-mailed him when I arrived in Paris and he said he'd wait for me on the steps of the Opera house at 9:30pm. My heart was racing but I kept a calm exterior.

Goddess of.. Jetting Off to the City of Lights!

2011-10-21T11:57:00.001-04:00

The day has arrived, I'm leaving tonight on a jet plane!
*Cue nervous laughter*

First time flying by myself and I'm going across the pond.. which has left me feeling nervous. Not so much for the flight but for all the possible "unforseens" that go along with travelling to a place you don't really know yet.

I wish my momma was coming with me, she always knows what to do in any given situation. She's my security blanket, you know?

To me, this feels like another step towards become a woman. The kind of woman my mother is.

Free, independent, self-sufficient, well-rounded woman.

It's exciting, it's terrifying and it'll change me -- which is exactly why I'm doing this.

Countdown: Leaving today!

Goddess of.. New Boots, New Dress, New Shoes!

2011-10-17T17:55:00.001-04:00

Preparing for an upcoming trip always makes me want to change my whole wardrobe because nothing ever seems good enough for the TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

However, I love to travel and I wanna do it as often as possible.. which is why I can't change everything every time. This time, I've decided to get a few new pieces and I thought I'd share them with you.

First purchase, a pair of Nine West boots for the France portion of my trip.. where it will probably be a little chilly. I wanted comfortable (for walking) booties with heels and since that's hard to find, I opted for wedges which are about halfway between flats and heels in my opinion. Taa-daaaah!

Nine West Peekaboo Wedge Booties

Second purchase, I wanted a dress for the night that Nick & I will be going to Vila Joya, the 2-Michelin-Star restaurant in Portugal. I wanted something that would take me outside my usual comfort zone, preferably very sexy but still classy. I opted for a black Zara dress, open back and lace. It doesn't look like it in the pictures, but it's pretty va-va-voom on me (you know, because mamma's got curves ;) and all). After booking my ticket for the opening night of the ballet in Paris, I decided I will wear the dress for that event as well (with tights and a black blazer).

Zara Trafaluc Lace dress

I bought these funky tights that have a faux tigh highs with garter belt. They're totally opaque which is great and warm :) for my night on the town in Paris. Couldn't find a better image, sadly.

Sisi black & white garter tights

Last purchase (but not least!), I was hoping to find some sexy heels to go with that dress (and to class up any other dress I might wear to dinner in Portugal). I went in to Steve Madden looking for the UNITYY heels or something similar.. and was surprised to learn that Steve Madden now sells Betsey Johnson shoes! And I decided to go for a pair of peeptoe Betsey Johnsons:

Betsey Johnson Caseyy Peeptoe

Shopping for this trip definitely wasn't cheap (Nine West Booties, $170; Zara Dress, $70; Sisi tights, $10; Betsey Johnson Heels, $115) but I'm glad I got more expensive shoes this time around (as opposed to what I usually spend on shoes). I've been wearing the booties this week and so far, they are extremely comfortable and easy to walk in. And that, ladies, is money well spent in my book.

Countdown: 5 days

Half of my suitcase is already packed.. so exciting!
Nick & I set up our romantic rendez-vous in Paris, after the ballet in front of Opéra Garnier. *sighs*

Ciao bloggies,

Goddess of.. My Parisian Fantasy!

2011-10-12T14:19:00.004-04:00

Your dreams? My dreams? Our reality.

Or something to that effect, I think John Lennon actually said : "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

I've been dreaming of Paris for years. As a child, I went to Paris a few times.. I was very lucky to travel a lot with my parents when I was younger. For years, Paris has been my dream city. I have a (un)healthy obsession with the Eiffel tower, striped clothing (marinières à la J-P. Gauthier), macarons and countless other typically-french or Parisian things.

On my upcoming trip, I have 2 days in Paris upon arrival. Mainly to deal with jet-lag and make sure I'll be top shape when I get to Andrea (of @FranceHappened) in Strasbourg, 2 days later!

Simply three things on my to-do list :

Visit Le Louvre (the only big attraction I haven't visited).
Eat macarons from La Durée or Fauchon (or both).
Attend the opening night of a ballet at Palais Garnier (w/ costumes by Christian Lacroix).

And then, I was talking to Nick last week:

him: "So you're arriving in Paris on the 22nd?"
me: "Yes, around 9am I think.."
him: "Okay, because I'll meet up with you after your ballet :)"
me: "Oh wow, really? You're not gonna be swamped with school?"
him: "I can take saturday night off. I originally wanted to go to the ballet with you but you said you bought the last ticket before it sold out :("
me: "My god, you're so sweet! I didn't think of inviting you since I know you have 4 exams in the following days.. but that's amazing!"

* And then I blushed like a little girl *

me: "I'm looking forward to seeing you :D"
him: "Me too :D and we can go to that bar you wanted to go to afterwards"
me: "Yay!"

So I guess I'll be seeing him sooner than I thought! Did I mention how excited I am?

Countdown: 10 days

Just to clarify, that's a countdown to my trip.. not to the end of my dry-spell. Although... ;)

P.S. If you like Paris too, reading this will be like porn for you:
http://fathomaway.com/postcards/romance/my-parisian-fantasy/

Goddess of.. Pinch me, I'm dreaming!

2011-09-22T15:15:00.005-04:00

Wow.

That one word hardly sums it up. I am one step closer to this incredible trip, exactly one month from today, I will be in Paris. Can you believe it? I sure can't.

Pinch me, for I am surely dreaming.

Monday, I booked my first-class train ticket to visit Andrea (@francehappened) in Strasbourg!

Monday, Nick made reservations for us at the Vila Joya Restaurant, the ONLY two Michelin Star restaurant in Portugal (which offers an exclusive and intimate fine dining experience overlooking the Algarve coast). It was HIS idea.. I die. This deserves a new dress.. possibly new shoes too.

Today, I booked an oceanview room at the Memmo Baleeira in Sagres, Portugal for Nick and I!

Also, I'm trying to set-up a surprise for him when we get to the hotel. I'm trying to coordinate to have them prepare turn-down service and a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room upon arrival.. we'll see if I can make it happen (since we're arrive at the hotel around 1:30am :S).

Cheers,

Goddess of.. I'm Going to Portugal & France! + Giveaway Winner

2011-09-15T17:23:00.001-04:00

It's a done deal, girlfriends. The boy (we'll call him Nick) booked our plane tickets to Portugal yesterday and this morning, I booked my flight to Paris. Such exciting (yet terrifiying) adventures, don't you think?

The Skeptic in me still doubts that this is happening but the Romantic in me is researching the best beaches, romantic hotels, fun bars & gourmet restaurants. I've only taken one vacation with a boy in my lifetime: my ex Miguel and I went to Florida in 2007. It was fun & exciting with a side of bickering. But this time, it's completely different.

Everything is new and exciting. I've spent very little time with this guy, yet we like each other a lot and want to get to know one another. Sure, this could be a disaster (says the Skeptic) but it could also be a vacation I'll never forget & the start of a great story, the kind you only see in the movies (says the Romantic).

It could also be somewhere half-way in the middle, neither mind-blowing nor totally disastrous (says the Realist). We'll see :) only time will tell. But either way, I'll get to visit Portugal & France!

Also, I CANNOT WAIT to meet Andrea of @FranceHappened, it feels like it's gonna be one of those love at first sight stories.. because let's face it, she's incredible!

I leave you with an excerpt of adorableness from the boy:

Nick: Ummmm how light do you usually travel lol? I need to know if you'll need checked bags.
Me: I wanna travel light but I don't know if I can fit absolutely everything in a single carry-on. Maybe, if I put everything in my suitcase and just hold my passport/boarding pass in my hand? Could be doable.

Another e-mail later...

Nick: So we're booked for Portugal! I got us 1 checked bag each (I think I can manage without hehe, the second one is just in case you go a *little* overboard ! :P )

Oh wow, it's cute how he knows me (or all women). The extra luggage will be awesome and I'm glad I didn't have to ask. He's taken initiative with every step of this booking process and I love that!

And now, for the Eden Fantasys Giveaway Draw

*Drum roll*

The lucky winner is:

Send me an e-mail at aritza.goddess@gmail.com and we will contact you to give you your prize!

Goddess of.. Grand Gestures: Romantic or Foolish?

2011-09-09T16:10:00.006-04:00

**Saturday, September 10th is the last day to enter my giveaway : HERE **

Remember a few weeks ago, when I said (see post):

"ROMANTIC -- I met a gentleman through online dating two weeks ago. We really hit it off. There's just one thing.. I met him exactly 2 days before he was moving away to Europe & Asia for the next 10 months. We've been keeping in touch through e-mail but it sucks. I'm thinking of going on vacation to Europe, maybe in October.. and who knows, we may meet up somewhere. Could be über romantic :)"

Well, him and I are still e-mailing back and forth. We also Skype about once a week. Honestly, I'm surprised we're still pen pals.. I was expecting him to get bored of this or to simply lose interest. But he hasn't and I haven't either. The first time we talked on Skype, I was talking about wanting to take a vacation in October at some point.

He mentioned I should go to Paris, meet up with him and we could go somewhere together. I thought that was really nice but wasn't banking too much on it. Wednesday night, we made another appointment to talk on Skype. After chatting for about an hour, he brought it up again: "So you know when we talked about you maybe coming to visit in October?".

I paused, held my breath and braced myself for disappointing news. I figured the following words would probably be something along the lines of "Turns out, I can't get away from school" or "Sorry, I planned something else".. but instead he surprised me: "I was thinking it'd be really nice if we could go to Portugal or the south of Spain".

I breathed out, I was excited, I said: "Wow, that'd be awesome!". Which was probably the understatement of the century but whatever, I was playing it cool. I told him I'd look up flights to Portugal on Thursday.. and report my findings. So Thursday, we discussed travel dates & time. Last night, when I got home, I uncovered a missed message from him on my computer, dated from Wednesday night after our chat: "There's no way to describe how much I would like to kiss you good night right now. Sweet dreams :)".

It was really sweet, because he hasn't mentioned anything about kissing me or missing me.. we talk and we're just kind of pen-pal friends. So I thought it was really cute that he didn't tell me during our chat but rather wrote it afterwards.

Today I asked for vacation days at work.Vacations days were just approved by my boss. I'm good to go. E-mailed the boy to tell him.

I'm excited, I'm terrified. I'm going to France and to Portugal? With a boy? Oh my god.

And the very pretty cherry on top? I might get to meet up with gal-pal Andrea from @France Happened!

Goddess of.. My own enemy?

2011-09-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

I moved out to have more time alone.
I rarely feel like going out of my way to hang with people (friends, family, etc).
If given the choice, I'd work from home, alone.

I'm irritable, I am angry, I am sad.
I want people to care but I give them every reason not to.
I hang out with the same 3-4 people.

I spend Saturday night alone, feeling lonely but not reaching to friends because I know I'm "too lazy" to go out or do anything that doesn't involve sitting on the couch.

So I spend Saturday night on the couch, watching a sad movie and hoping the tears will come so I can get some release.

I tell myself it's because I love my new apartment so much.. That I never wanna leave.
I want to sleep all the time, or do nothing.

But I'm afraid the truth is, I am my own enemy:
"Isolation fuels depression, so reach out to others, even when you feel like being alone."

I'm off to Vermont tomorrow. I wanted to go alone but I felt guilty not taking my mom with me.. So I guess it's a blessing afterall that I invited her along. Now let's just work on being patient and less irritable.

Goddess of.. The Right Thing!

2011-08-29T10:42:00.002-04:00

** Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway : CLICK HERE **

Overachieving on a daily basis
Living at a 100 beats/miles/turns a minute
Life passing you by
Not enough time spent doing nothing

Pleasing others, not yourself
Being used but not loved
Forgetting what it's like
Afraid of never knowing again

Always under, never over
Breathing through a straw
Pressure to do it right
Yet the right thing feels wrong.

Goddess of.. The White Dinner Event!

2011-08-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

** Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway : CLICK HERE **

The Dîner en Blanc (White Dinner) is this incredible event that originally started in Paris and has been going on for many years now (since 1988). It's going to be the 3rd year in The City I believe.. and my first year participating. Another thing I can cross off my 30-before-30 list, yay!

It goes as follows:

Dress in all white, prepare a picnic dinner and await notification at 6:00pm revealing the secret location for this glorious event bringing together a flash mob of 3,000 people all dressed in white.

Dreamy, right?

Okay, I leave you with just one more shot... my outfit-to-be for the big night!

It may look a little grandma-ish like that but the cardigan is optional and the dress is fitted.

I've got my picnic basket :) and cooked up a storm!

It's happening tonight, so excited!

Goddess of.. The Knight-In-Shining-Armour of SEX Giveaway!

2011-08-13T12:18:00.077-04:00

How has the Summer of '11 been treating you? Exciting? Romantic? Horny? Good! Happy to hear :)

EXCITING -- I'm all moved in to my new apartment, enjoy life on my own soooo much. Although I've been back with my mom for a week now since she got hit by a car last week :S Fortunately, she "only" has a fractured ankle but it's still hard for her to be by herself since she has a three-story home.

ROMANTIC -- I met a gentleman through online dating two weeks ago. We really hit it off. There's just one thing.. I met him exactly 2 days before he was moving away to Europe & Asia for the next 10 months. We've been keeping in touch through e-mail but it sucks. I'm thinking of going on vacation to Europe, maybe in October.. and who knows, we may meet up somewhere. Could be über romantic :)

HORNY -- I've hit a dry spell.. kind of by choice but still, not much better. It's like last summer all over again. Since The Aussie, nothing. The hopeless romantic in me wants to fall in love or at least be dating for a bit before hitting the sack, and then... the horny in me says "That's dumb, just do it already". So here's where this giveaway comes in, like a knight-in-shining-armour of SEX.

I've got a Sex Toys Giveaway to help you give this summer a boost! I've teamed up with the lovely peeps at EdenFantasys to offer you an awesome gift certificate to their webstore.

Here's your chance to win a $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE to buy a sex toy of your choice.

......................................................................................

EdenFantasys Giveaway Rules

To enter this giveaway, you must:

1. Follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect)
2. Visit the EdenFantasys website and tell me about your favorite toy!

For additional entries :
- Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)
- Be my friend on Facebook (1 extra entry)
- Blog / Tweet about the Aritza & EdenFantasys giveaway (5 extra entries)

That's a total of 8 possible chances to win, so get on it.. STAT!
The giveaway is opened from Saturday, August 13th, 2011 to Saturday, September 10th, 2011.
The winner will be announced shortly after on this blog.

Good luck, Bloggies !

P.S. Please note that I am not receiving compensation for doing this giveaway. I simply asked EdenFantasys to do a giveaway as a "Thank you" to my loyal followers.

Goddess of.. The Great Yoga Challenge of 2011!

2011-08-01T14:46:00.000-04:00

In a constant effort to get my mind off residual breakup feelings and the lack of P-in-V on this side of the fence, I set up a challenge with my good friend & co-worker, Bunny.

Despite some of our friends' scepticism, Bunny & I started off by doing yoga at a lululemon store on Sunday morning (bright and early at 9:30am) two weeks ago. And then, we had the idea to set up the Great Yoga Challenge of 2011 for ourselves.

A few months back we had purchased a 10-yoga classes Groupon deal at a local yoga studio. Said Groupon deal was expiring at the end of July, so in a panic.. we decided to set up this 5-yoga-classes-in-5-days challenge .. to ensure we wouldn't lose the entire deal we'd paid for.

For 5 days in a row, we were gonna do 1 class of yoga per night (all different types of yoga). Tuesday, we did Hatha Flow yoga. Wednesday, we did the Budokon-Yoga fusion class. Thursday, on the hottest day of the heat wave that was hitting The City, we did Hot Yoga. On Friday, we did Yin Yoga. Sadly, the teacher cancelled the Saturday class so we were unable to complete the 5-in-5 but still managed to do 5-in-6 days if you count the Sunday class we had done at Lululemon.

Yoga helps make the little voices in my head shut up. Yoga makes me feel serene, free, loved, worthy & empowered. I need yoga right now and I think everyone could use more yoga in their life.

This past week, we decided to do a repeat. Yoga on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. Maybe we didn't manage to do the 5-in-5 but we did 4-in-4 .. for 2 weeks in a row. We both feel super empowered, more fit and definitely, more serene.

Cheers to yoga everyone! Try it out sometime :)

XOXO

Goddess of.. Welcome To My New Home!

2011-07-19T12:51:00.000-04:00

Hey bloggies,

As you know, I moved out of my mom's house two weeks ago. Wow, I'm still alive. I haven't starved, I'm clean, my place is clean, my clothes are clean.. all is well.

It's quiet. Most times, I love it.. like right this instant for example. Blogging in peace & quiet because that's what I choose to do on a Monday night, that's nice.

It's lonely. As I expected, but that's okay. I'm keeping busy, there's always something I need to do around the apartment anyway. Plus, this week.. Bunny & I signed ourselves up for 5 classes of yoga, in 5 days. Also, we did yoga yesterday morning. I'm pretty sure the lack of sex has started to affect our brain functions but keeping busy helps. I feel empowered, I feel good, I (try to) feel serene.

Speaking of lack of sex, I saw The Aussie for the first time since we 'broke up' a month and a half ago. Last week, he came back from a two-week trip to NYC and Wisconsin with his brother who's visiting from Australia. We had e-mailed each other when he was away. I said I was disappointed I didn't get to see him before he left. He said he was too and that he missed my biting wit. A few days later, I received an e-mail with the subject line "Miss you". Inside said "That is all".

Anywho, the day after he got back, he texted me asking if I wanted to come over to his workplace for lunch. Something I used to do when we were together. I went, we talked, he flirted, we joked, he touched my knee, my thigh, my necklace, I let him. He wrapped his arms around me, standing behind me. I felt uncomfortable. I met his brother, saw his two coworkers / bestfriends. I left.

Knowing he still likes me / wants me feels good. Knowing I won't let myself have him, because he can't give me everything.. feels bad. Regardless, I'm really glad I saw him.. but this post is about my apartment.

The place is coming together nicely. A few boxes left to unpack, with stuff I don't really know where to put. Kitchen looks good, balcony is awesome, bedroom is great :). I'm happy, really happy. I feel like I am accomplishing something and I feel at home in my new place & neighborhood.

*this is the area that needs the most work..

the tv is not gonna stay there

and the lamp will go on the other table

(because that's just the stool for when I paint).

That's all for now :) talk soon!

Goddess of.. Home Stretch: T Minus 5 Days!

2011-06-27T17:55:00.002-04:00

Less than a week until I move into my new place and begin a brand new phase of my life!

I'm packing boxes.. and uncovering hidden/forgotten things all over my house. Some bring a smile to my face, others make me want to curl up in bed and cry. I text my friends to remind them of forgotten moments.

I guess I'm hopeful though: Starting a new chapter and I have a clean slate in my new place to forge new memories.

Can't believe this is finally happening.
The day is almost here!

Goddess of.. The Not-So-Clean Sweep: Part 2!

2011-06-22T13:30:00.000-04:00

(Part Two, read Part One here)

On Wednesday night, I was exhausted and fell asleep in front of the TV around 9:30pm. I woke up around 10:15pm because my phone was buzzing from notifications & messages. Among other things, I had a message from The Aussie, sent at 9:50pm.

Him: "I'm gonna try this one more time: hi! How are you? :)"

I realized I had been cold with him. I thought he would give up after the Toronto messages, I wasn't encouraging a conversation, I was simply being polite but nothing more. I was surprised he messaged me again, and surprised he 'confronted' me about being distant.

Me: "Hey :) good, you?"
Him: "Great! Wow, you replied! A little surprised, not gonna lie ;)"
Me: "Of course I replied. Why do you say that?"
Him: "I thought you were ignoring me, that's all. Felt kinda bad about it :)"
Me: "Not ignoring you, but I'm sad.. so that's why I've been distant."

Someway, somehow... something compels me to be very honest with him. My emotions are raw and I'm not going to hide it.

Him: "I see :( well if that's what you need then I'll let you have your distance and stop contacting you"

And then, I was a little weak. I could've said "Yes please, that's what I need. Thank you" but I didn't.

Me: "I don't want that.."
Him: "Well hit me up with a message once in a while to say hi then! :p
Goodnight Aritza, feel better and hopefully I'll get to see you soon :) xoxo"
Me: "let me try this again... Hey! How have you been?"
Him: "Hahaha good! :) that's better ;)"
Me: "Goodnight Aussie :) xoxo"
-----

Two days later, on Friday morning, I was waiting at the bus stop in the morning when he messaged me again.

Him: "Was just going through my notebook, and found your little La Vie Boheme doodle. So cute! :)"

I had drawn a little doodle in his notebook with flowers and swirls around the words La Vie Boheme, one weekend when I was working side-by-side with him at his office. He keeps a notebook with things he needs to accomplish everyday for work, he sets his own objectives and keeps a log of his work. I figured, at some point maybe in a year's time.. he would go through it and find the doodle & be reminded of me.

Me: "Hehehe :) it's like a time stamp."
Him: "Yay! :)"

Later in the day, he popped-up on Facebook chat and sent me message & a link to a video.. saying "Watch this!". It was a vid from one of his favorite Aussie comedians, we chitchatted a little bit and then I got back to work.
-----

Saturday morning, I was reading this post by GabbySheWrote.. and I listened to the song she posted. The lyrics "(...) everytime I fell on you" instantly brought back a strong memory of a night I tried to jump on The Aussie/ his bed.. but my wrist hurt and I collapsed. I face planted on him, and hilarity ensued. I felt compelled to share the memory with him. Afterall, the morning before, he had just shared his memory with me. I emailed him:

Me: "Hahaha, just had a flashback of that time I face planted on you / your bed.
That was funny-embarassing-clutsy of me. LOL, good times."

He emailed me back, within 10 minutes:

Him: "hahaha super cute! That was fun :)
Miss our lazy bed days."

I didn't reply to that. Don't know what I could say really. I miss our lazy bed days as well, but that would be a slippery slope to go down. I also knew (through Twitter ~~stalking~~ browsing) that just hours later, he would be leaving to go to the Spartan Race in Toronto. With the girl (and other people).

Later that night, I logged in to my OkCupid account and saw that he had visited my profile the day before. He hadn't visited my profile since July or August 2010.. when we first met up and started dating.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

I thought we were done but maybe I still have something to learn from this guy..

Goddess of.. The Not-So-Clean Sweep: Part 1!

2011-06-21T00:36:00.016-04:00

I took some measures to push The Aussie (somewhat) out of my life, to keep the pain at a minimum. Because there was a lot of it, a lot of post-breakup pain. In some regards, I failed.. I keep checking his (public) Twitter and Facebook. I don't know what I'm looking for really. Some confirmation that he's now hooking up with the other girl? I don't know, probably. Maybe I'm looking for something that will hurt me so much that I'll be able to say "Fuck him" and move on. Not really sure.

The very night of the 'Clean Sweep', I got a text message from him.

Him: "I wish my day wasn't so long - wanted to hang out with you :)"

I was obviously confused by this, it was 9:50pm and I wondered if this was a booty call test? Did he expect me to reply with a "it's not too late, I'm coming over".. ? It wasn't clear. I waited until the next morning to reply.

Me: "Sorry to hear you had a long day yesterday :("
Him: "No worries, had a long sleep :)"

-----

Two days later, I was in Toronto on a business trip (Yay for my 1st business trip ever!) and I was staying an extra night in town to visit some friends (including breakfast with my love nugget, Cheryl on Saturday morning).

On Friday night, I was out with friends, on the very glamorous & exclusive rooftop lounge of the Thompson Hotel, living my very amazing single-self life.. when I got a text message from The Aussie.

I was a little pissed that he was intruding on such a fun night of mingling with friends (aka 'getting over him') but also glad to know he was thinking of me (I know, I know :-S).

Him: "Hey there, miss high-flying executive! ;) how's TO?"
Me: "TO is amazing :) I have amazing friends showing me around the greatest spots in the city!"
Him: "So very happy for you! :)"

I was satisfied with that message exchange. I guess he saw all my tweets and facebook pics/updates about being all fabulous in Toronto.. parties, sushis, room service, wine, fine dining, etc. Also, he couldn't possibly be hoping for a booty call since I wasn't in town.. so he was just thinking about me on a Friday night, and that pleased me.

-----

Beginning of last week, I was starting to feel down. I hadn't received a single text message in a few days, from anyone. I was strong and I didn't text him for attention. I said to myself... "If I was going to get over him, I was gonna have to get used to no attention from anyone for a while. I was used to it before he came along (and showered me with compliments like never before) and I sure as hell would get used to it again."

... to be continued

Goddess of.. Post Break-Up Torture: One Clean Sweep!

2011-06-07T11:06:00.003-04:00

I am usually the kind of girl who dwells in the pain post-breakup. I keep the ex on Facebook, Twitter, all that jazz. I look at the pictures, I cry over the last towel he used, the shirt I wore on our first date, the Reese's cups he left in my fridge, etc.

I had even started making a list of things that were reminding me of The Aussie all around my house, around TheCity, etc. I was planning a really pathetic self-pity kind of post for the blog, I'll admit. I was sad, checking his facebook & twitter updates and getting emotional over stuff he wrote "post-me". Bunny (my colleague/BFF) pointed out how dumb I was being. If it hurts, just remove it.

So I unfriended (defriended?) Rami and all his friends from my facebook. I know, I know.. it only took me a year & a half but eventually, I got there. I unfollowed The Aussie (& his company's account) from twitter, although his twitter is public but at least now it won't show up in my feed. I blocked his updates from my facebook newsfeed (& all of his friends' updates as well). I unliked his company's page from facebook. I removed him from gchat. Oh, and I also defriended Mark from facebook.

In preparation for the BIG MOVE, I've purged about 2/3 of my clothes last night because they don't fit, are not in style anymore or don't make me feel good when I wear them. I felt really liberated after that, to know that I don't have to carry that much stuff (or baggage if you will). Today, I moved on to 'purging' people out of my daily life and it also feels good. One clean sweep, and there's no going back.

A good rule of thumb: If they've (or hearing from them) hurt you in one way or another.. out they go.

Outta sight, outta mind. I move onward, the only direction.

Goddess of.. Impossible Situation: The Break-Up.

2011-06-04T15:23:00.005-04:00

My face is still red and swollen from the conversation I just. just. had on gchat with The Aussie. After crying myself to sleep last night (..and I almost never cry), I still didn't feel much better this morning. I missed him and I needed to talk to clarify things because the 'happy' note we'd left things on this week through short e-mails, didn't reflect how I was feeling on my side.

me: Hey, how are you?
Him: hey!
   its so sunny and pretty, I love it :)
   listening to dance music and coding - feeling good
         you?
me: cool, yeah it's nice out :) that's good!
   are you busy?
Him: little bit
whats up?
me: uhmm I just feel like we should talk..
Him: haha! you're fond of these talks aren't you? :p
me: I'm really not..
but I don't feel good about the situation now.
Him: awww im sorry, I didnt mean to make fun of you being uncomfortable
        do you want to go for a walk during the week?
like take 20 minutes from your lunch break and walk around, maybe get a coffee?
me: sure, we can do that.
Him: awesome :)
   kinda on a roll right now and don't wanna break it
me: Okay. (... pause)
Him: how are you?
   I'm worried about you
me: well.. how do you think I am?
Him: not as well as one would hope?
me: I just thought I would hear from you this week, to clarify things. I thought we agreed you would tell me..
Him: I told you
   I hadn't been seeing anybody different
         but there was a girl I was interested in
   but I didn't know if she likes me or whatever
         so nothing had happened
         and the last thing I want to do is lie to you, so when you asked me if I had a crush on someone else, I didn't know myself, but i figured it was better than saying no and you thinking I was lying to you
me: yeah. I understood that..
Him: the reason you didn't hear from me was because you said that you wouldn't be around
   what was I gonna do?
   i thought you wanted to be left alone
me: I said I wasn't going to be around if you started seeing her. And I asked that you would tell me if you did...
       ..which is why I thought you would talk to me after the weekend.
Him: Aritza, you know I have a really low tolerance for drama
   if shit starts getting awkward, I withdraw
   easiest way to get away from drama
         you know where I stand. You need to decide what you want.
me: I didn't think this was drama.
Him: its dramatic enough :p
me: I don't know how to say what I want to say.
Him: I really wish you could, I want to understand
me: Maybe it's coming out wrong..
   I want to keep seeing you.
Him: but you have to realise that I may be seeing other girls
         just like you could be seeing other guys. Its none of my business, but it would be totally okay (... pause)
me: yeah.. you've been clear and I've been clear, we don't agree on that. It just hurts me, that's all.
Him: I understand that. I want to keep seeing you too but knowing that I'm hurting you makes it really hard
me: I miss you and it's really hard.
Him: :(
   would you like to see me next week?
me: can I ask why you want to see other girls?
Him: haha! Thats like asking me why I like the taste of beer
   because its fun and I enjoy it
         I'm not in a place in which being with one girl suits me right now
         thats not to say that I am going to be on the prowl all the time
   I havent come across any girls I wanted to see besides you in the time we've been seeing each other
   and thats like 5 months now!
   but its likely to happen at some point
me: I guess I've never felt like you're feeling. It's probably not about me.. but I wish I was enough for you.
Him: its absolutely not about you
some of the best times I've spent here in The City were with you (... pause)
me: thanks.. I'm glad you feel this way.
Him: its true! It all started with you and your adorably dorky bicycle helmet
    damn you
I never stood a chance :p
me: :)
       I don't regret anything, even if it hurts now. I really had a lot of fun with you..
Him: awwww lovely
   I had SO much fun with you! :)
(hopefully theres still more fun in our future)
me: Thanks for taking the time to talk today.
Him: you seemed to need it earlier rather than later
         and you deserve my time, of course
         just like im really happy when you make time for me :)
me: Thanks sweets :)
       Good luck with work today..
       ciao ciao xoxo
Him: thanks lovely
         xoxo

I'm used to being mad at people after breakups. It helps me get over it. But I'm really sad right now because I think I like him more for saying all these things, and for being honest.

I could have acted like I was fine, pretended I didn't care but I realize now that being honest and loving is part of growing up. I liked him, there.. I said it. He's going to be really hard to get over..

Goddess of.. Surely, there's an elephant sitting on my chest.

2011-05-31T16:29:00.007-04:00

It's been a heavy couple of days .. since my last post.

Monday night, as I was getting ready to leave work around 6:30pm... I got a text message from The Aussie.

him: "Hello there :) how was your weekend?"

I waited an hour before replying, not really knowing what to say. My weekend was crap, I hardly ate anything and almost had a panic attack several times. I tried to make the best of it by surrounding myself with friends and still managed to have some fun, so I said:

me: "It was great! How was yours?"
him: "Same! Rained all day but it was still a lot of fun :)"

I waited another 30 minutes before saying something. Honestly, I did not really care how his weekend went, I just wanted to skip the small talk and get to the point. But at the same time, I don't want to have to harass him to get a straight answer 'did he or did he not sleep with her? are we or are we not together anymore?'.

me: "Cool, glad it was fun!"
him: "I'm glad we're still talking :)"

After that, I was confused and confused some more. My mom & friend advised me not to add anything to that. After all, they said.. it's wasn't a question, so why would it require an answer. But I can't help but feel totally confused as to what this means. Is it a "I'm glad we're still talking despite the fact that I slept with her? despite our conversation from the other day? despite the fact that we're not together anymore?". I really don't know, it's up for interpretation I guess.

I haven't replied and probably won't. I'll wait for him to come to me, no guarantee he will though.

{I'm just wondering.. was THAT the end?}

In the meantime, I see Twitter @mentions flying back and forth between him and that girl... and pictures of his Spartan Race weekend keep resurfacing everywhere on my Facebook newsfeed, and it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest.

Goddess of.. The beginning of the end?

2011-05-29T18:54:00.009-04:00

It feels like my love story with the Aussie may have hit the beginning of the end. I'm really bummed out about it and I feel so powerless. I had suspicions about him having a crush on a girl he does all these group workouts with.. And after he flaked out on our plans a few times to hang out with his workout friends & asked that I not go to his Spartan race thing.. i confronted him about it.

me: "we need to talk"
him: "okay, what's up?"
me: "i don't wanna be all paranoid & a bitch, but I have to ask... are you seeing someone else?"
him: "No, not currently."
me: "well, I mean.. Do you have a crush on someone?"
him: "hum, that may be the case"
me: "well, are you currently doing anything about it (meaning like kissing, or sex, etc.)"
him: "no"
me: "am I what's stopping you?"
him: "no"
me:"so are you planning on doing something about it?"
him: "I don't know"
me: "well, I just want you to know that I won't be around if you do"
him: "okay (pause) so you want me to tell you if something happens?"
me: "yeah. I don't want to be a psychobitch but I had to ask."
him: "you're not a bitch at all, Aritza. You're the total opposite, you're so chill. (HIMYM reference) You're much hotter than you are crazy.. Haha. (hot vs crazy scale)."
me: "I want to trust you but it's really hard."
him: "You're allowed to be distrustful with me..."
me: "(cut him off) but i dont want to be, i wanna trust you. (pause)
it's just that our status is so vague.. That well it's vague."

I felt really hurt after that. I want to be his number one (and only).. And if it's not about this girl.. It'll still be a recurring issue. It's not like he tried to reassure that I was worried about nothing. He was very sweet afterwards, looked me deep in the eyes, hugged me extra hard and we kissed. He blew me a kiss as I dropped him back home after the convo. I know he wants to keep seeing me, but I can't share. I don't think he's suddenly gonna choose to be exclusive. Although I am wishing so hard he would.

It such a shame too. We had a great evening together on Friday, making plans for next week and this summer.. And had some of our best sex so far. But then, after I confronted him with this convo on Saturday morning, he was leaving to go out of town for the Spartan race for the weekend and staying there on Saturday night. And the girl was going too.. So if anything was gonna happen between them, it probably did last night or today.

My heart is breaking, my appetite is gone and I feel like I should expect a breakup email or text message any moment now :(

Goddess of.. 26 candles for moi!

2011-05-09T14:25:00.001-04:00

Today marks my 26th birthday so I thought I'd do a year in review:

- The biggest change by far has been to go from no job (not even an interview in sight) on my birthday last year to finding a job I love and getting promoted twice since January! I had a change in responsibilities and a (big fat) raise of 12% in January & just last week :)/

- Another significant change that's been years in the making, is going from living at home with my mom to finding my first apartment and signing a lease. I'll be moving in on July 1st and I am terrified/proud/excited/&-terrified-some-more.

- From single to finding "the pockets I want to put my hands in" (credit to ChelseaTalksSmack for that delicious quote). I've found a great guy (The Aussie) who treats me really well, and shows that he cares in everything he does for me / with me. It's not perfect, but he is by far the sweetest guy I've known :)

... 25 years old was a year of low lows and high highs :) Who knows what 26 has in store?!

Cheers to another year, bloggies!

Goddess of.. Found the Apartment, Signed the Lease!

2011-04-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

I am so unbelievably excited!!!

This day has been such a blessing :)

First, I visited an apartment in the coolest part of town last night and I fell in love with it. It's right next to one of the biggest parks in town (kind of like our "central park") and it's just perfect for me!

And today, well I got my bonus at work. I exceeded my objectives for the first quarter this year and got 6 on 5 for most things. Which means I got an even higher bonus than it's generally possible!! Wooot woot!!

That money's gonna come in handy, considering that I also got a call today from my future landlord telling me that I got the apartment :) !!! They had several applicants / offers but I was first and I guess they trust me to be their quiet & adorable new tenant.

I am dying with excitement, I could pee my pants (but I won't). And I'm sorry if this post makes absolutely no sense, but I had to put pen to paper (or rather keyboard to screen) about this.

Goddess of .. Apartment Hunting / the quarter-life crisis continues!

2011-04-26T07:55:00.000-04:00

Hey bloggies,

So I was convinced that my quarter-life crisis was over when I got a job I loved and things got serious with a boy I like. But it seems that I'm always just on the verge. Just a week and a half left before I turn 26 y/o though..

I've started apartment hunting and I can't seem to let go of my idea of the perfect apartment. Well, that's not entirely true. I've let go of a lot of "criteria" but still remains the reality that I'm not the richest person in the world and I'm not willing to have a roommate, so my options (budget) are limited in that sense.

Also, I'm not in a rush.. so I'm allowing myself to be more picky. Which is a good thing, because I wouldn't want to live in a place I felt pressured to rent, for a myriad of reasons. (Yes, I say "myriad" now.. it's my thing.)

Anywowzer, this running around & trying to fit visits into an already busy schedule.. has got me blue. Or is it because I had the "talk" with the Aussie and it didn't turn as great as I wanted. It wasn't entirely bad.. but once again, not up to "what I deserve" (as friends would say).

He's not seeing anyone else (phew), he likes me, cares for me, doesn't want to hang out with anyone (any girl) but me, but he's not closing that door entirely. Which is pissing me off. Because I am exclusive, and not looking. It's like he's enjoying my company but still shopping for something better. He's stuffed with the main dish right now but also thinking, if in the future there's room for dessert & it's chocolate mousse.. he might have a midnight snack at some point.

But aside from that conversation, he treats me so well. He is so attentive, caring and loving. It just doesn't add up, it makes no sense to me that someone could be THAT nice.. all the while, not truely getting attached.

Ugh, and this post was supposed to be about apartment hunting. FAIL.

Goddess of.. Social Media Marketing?!

2011-04-02T14:07:00.001-04:00

As you know, I've disappeared. I haven't really been around the blogosphere since I got my new job (last August, time flies!) and I've missed blogging regularly.

I've been doing terribly well at my new job, not to brag. I just mean that I feel extremely comfortable in my work environment and my ideas are always welcomed with open arms. It's been a growing, learning and super rewarding experience thus far.

I got my first pay rise in January, not too shabby (12%!) and they also acknowledged my work with the company's Facebook fan page. Apparently, I have a gift for handling social media and I managed to grow the company's fanbase on Facebook from .. 2,500 to 25,000 fans in well.. 4 months. I'm super proud of myself because I love the company and I think it deserves to have all this attention from the general public.

In the process, I am learning so much about marketing and social media in general. I've really gained a huge interest in the matter and I am hoping to take more classes, attend conferences, etc. If you hear of anything interesting happening in that area.. please think of me and let me know?! :)

Also, I'm thinking of going more tumblr than blog.. what do you think?

Love you,

Goddess of.. Home is whenever I'm with you!

2011-03-14T10:10:00.001-04:00

-- Home --

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

Can't remember where I first heard this song but it always reminds me that great love is possible.

What's better than feeling at home in someone's arms?

Sure, I love cupcakes as much as the next girl.. but it doesn't compare.

I've been seeing The Aussie more seriously for 3 months now. Let that sink in for a minute. I haven't dated someone for this long since.. uhmmm.. I started dating my ex in 2006 (to 2009). Those two years of being single have taught me so much about myself. It's also brought on a lot of disappointments and jadedness regarding men & dating. I'm almost reluctant to let that learning era go.. but really, this time I realize that I don't have to let it go. I still consider myself single although I'm starting to think that I'm probably technically someone's girlfriend now. I think I heard him say girlfriend twice but I'm not sure.. might have been wishful hearing.

We haven't had the talk. The status of our relationship (or should I be saying interactions?) is still floating in mid-air. He's not in love and I don't think I am either.. yet, but I do miss him while he's away.. like this week while he's in Austin taking over #SXSW.

Obviously, we like each other a lot. Is that enough? I think so. Although the constant questions for the general public regarding our status are still making me question whether it's enough, so I guess there's still a big part of me that believes this 'status' is important.

The most important part to me is the way he treats me. He compliments me, all the time. That should never be understated. This may sound pathetic, but none of my ex-boyfriends or 'conquests' ever complimented me like this. I had never been told that I am "so beautiful" in the morning. Or as a matter of fact, not during sex either. To me.. being "pretty" or "beautiful" or "gorgeous".. means SO much more than "hot" or "sexy". And the Aussie scores major points there.

He also acknowledges the fact that I'm a busy woman and that my time is just as 'precious or important' as his. Compared to others, I can tell that he really does want to see me and spend time with me. I really shouldn't be comparing but this guy works 7 days a week and still manages to see me 2-3 times or more per week. I also work 7 days a week and make time for him, so I appreciate that it's both of us making "efforts" for this.

Last weekend, we spent it together. All of it, from Friday night to Monday morning. And it was not 48 hours in bed. It included getting up early, cooking breakfast & lunch (he did, for us), hanging out with his friends over breakfast, working separately but side-by-side, taking little breaks to watch episodes of Spartacus,having tea, taking a nap, lots of hugs, going to my cousin's housewarming party together, buying ice cream sandwiches at midnight and eating them in the car, kisses on my forehead, waking up early, more cooking, more work, more hugs and a little drinking. Again, that's a first for me.

Goddess of.. Kiss up and make nice!

2011-02-21T15:23:00.004-05:00

A series of events last week brought me to wonder: How do you ask for forgiveness?

It's a topic I generally don't reflect on simply because I'm always right. Hehe, just jokes. As a general rule of thumb, I try not to have anything to be "I'm sorry" about. But occasionally comes a day where you've build up resentment about something or you just have too much "liquid courage in you"... And you end up saying something you shouldn't have or it just comes out wrong.

Now comes the question of: What do you do to be forgiven?

Do you pretend it never happened and hope the person you hurt overlooks that delicate event?

Or do you say I'm sorry, explain your reasons and awkwardly try to justify your behavior?

Perhaps you're unable to admit you were wrong and decide to pick a fight just to prove your point?

Or maybe you beg to be forgiven, buy flowers, chocolates, baseball tickets or offer sexual favors.. In hopes of luring the other person into thinking that it wasn't as bad as it really way.

Some people have more practice in making apologies and obtaining forgiveness from others. I'm not one of those people. Sure, people forgive me all the time for running late but I dong think that counts.

My apology 'technique' is more of the mustering-up-the-most-sincere-"I'm sorry"-possible and hoping for the best. I'd say it has a success rate of about 85% to 90 %.

What's YOUR level of expertise? Best techniques & advice? Do you usually succeed?

Goddess of .. V-Day Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-14T16:45:00.002-05:00

Woah, Valentine's Day has a special way of kicking you right in. the. face. sometimes, right?

Blah, I'm upset over nothing today really. I just came back from a wonderful vacation in Turks & Caicos.. so I should really not be whining about anything right now, especially not boys and their cluelessness when it comes to holidays (namely Valentine's Day). Except that I'm totally whining and I would post about it if I had more time. Haha, oh well, oups.

Anywowzer, Happy-Happy news for you! We've got a winner for the Gotta Have "Faith" Giveaway brought to you in collaboration with TheirToys..

Drumroll...

*trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr prrrrrrrrrrrrrr tadamtam*

(Yes, those are drumroll sounds, okay!)

and the winner is :

Blog you later,

Goddess of.. like homegirl can't catch shit if it drops!

2011-01-23T18:18:00.004-05:00

** Don't forget to enter my Grand Giveaway to win a really FUN TOY ;) **

What do you do when you find something out,
that you weren't meant to know?

Ever snooped around, looking for something, not knowing what exactly
and ended up stumbling on something you didn't quite expect?

Are you technically allowed to be mad at someone
for something you're not even supposed to know?

Also, why does one snoop around other's business in the first place
if one can't handle the truth?

Advice anybody?

*title is from Lady Gaga's Paper Gangsta.

Goddess of .. Top 5 January Obsessions !

2011-01-20T00:20:00.000-05:00

** Don't forget to enter my Grand Giveaway to win a really FUN TOY ;) **

With every new year comes new obsessions, right?

Here's my top 5 for January:

1 - The Fashion File
Book on personal style (how to be your own "leading lady")
with advice, tips & inspiration
by Janie Bryant (costume designer of Mad Men)

I received it as a Christmas present from Lolita and I haven't been able to put it down, I've gotten so many good tips on how to put my best foot forward. The year 2011 is going to be fashionable, or I'll be damned.

2 - Etsy Shopping for Vintage items

If you haven't tried it yet, you should probably give it a shot.

Anything from cat eye glasses, to wiggle dresses,
to 1920s beaded purses, to art deco brooches,
to full-circle party dresses from the 1950s,
to lipstick holders w/ mirror (affectionately nicknamed "coke rings" by my friends who thought cocaine addicts would get a kick out of my fashion accessory).

All kidding aside, get a "Stratton" brand lipstick holder if you're gonna get one :) they're the prettiest!

3 - The Minimalism Movement

This current need for companies to simplify their logos, their brands, their products (click to see what Antrepo did!), & their websites.

I've been getting a kick out of simplicity lately, and it may or may not have anything to do with Starbucks reviewing their green goddess design :) Less IS more.

Afterall, the Internet does start with the simplest website.
P.S. Who wants to play "guess the brand"?

4 - A certain someone

Afraid of jinxing it, but I've been seeing someone (since July). And in the past month, it seems to be getting more serious.. although it may not qualify as an "obsession" because I've managed to keep half of my brain this time (unlike with Rami :S). If you follow my tweets and facebook statuses, you may know him as The Aussie.

He's young, intelligent, active, charming, fun, talkative, friendly and I like him. That is all :)

Oh, but one last thing: I put an end to that 6-month dry spell. Whhaaat!? I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I'm also not one to have sex and shut up.

5 - Turks & Caicos

I'm going! From February 5th to 12th, I've decided to take my Mom to Turks and Caicos for some fun in the sun, as her Christmas present. It was hard to keep the surprise from her but it was definitely worth it :) And now we're counting down the days until departure day. We're going to be staying here, click if you're curious.

6 words my friends: 350 days of sunshine a year!

Take care,

Goddess of .. Gotta Have "Faith" Giveaway !

2011-01-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Dearest bloggies,

On behalf of 2011, I would like to welcome you to this fresh new year. I trust that you had some fun over the holidays? Not too hard on the liver? Haha, who are we kidding.. Holidays are out to get your liver, every. year.

I wish you all a wonderful New Year and don't worry, I come bearing good news :)

I've got a Grand Giveaway to help you to start the new year with a BANG!

I've teamed up with the very nice folks at TheirToys (they sell Vibrators and other fun adult goodies) to offer you the ultimate gift that keeps on giving.

Ladies & (some) Gents, let me introduce you to your new bestfriend:

The lovely, charming and ever-so-penetrating

Faith by Evolved Novelties

{retail value $19.99}

Faith is a waterproof, true multi-speed, battery powered

(get rechargeable batteries, you'll save a fortune ;) *wink wink*)

massager/mini-vibrator and it comes with its own storage case.

Four words, kiddos (but not really children, 'cause that would be inappropriate):

Maximum intensity, minimal noise.

Click here, to see their other Mini Vibrators.

.......................................................................................

TheirToys

Giveaway Rules

To enter this giveaway :

Follow my blog (through Google Friend Connect)

For additional entries :

- Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)

- Be my friend on Facebook (1 extra entry)
- Blog / Twitter about the Aritza & TheirToys giveaway (2 extra entries)

That's a total of 5 possible chances to win, so get on it.. Stat !

The giveaway is opened from Monday, January 10th, 2011 to Friday, February 11th, 2010.

The winner will be announced on Valentine's day!

.......................................................................................

THAT'S NOT ALL:

TheirToys was kind enough to offer all bloggies to
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Goddess of.. Where did November go?

2010-12-04T16:29:00.005-05:00

Seriously, where did the past month go?

I wake up suddenly, one crisp-cold morning and, it's December 1st, a wednesday with yet another newsletter to send out. I read on facebook about my friends who've just shaved off their Movember mustaches.. and those who've completed NaNoWriMo. The latter being the #1 reason why I didn't blog this past month, I must confess: I failed epically at NaNoWriMo.

I was so determined, but it just did not happen. Projects piled on at work, and that meant extra money.. so I wasn't totally willing to give that up (or the 5 hours of sleep a night, that kept me barely functionning). Also, I didn't have an outline and did not think my "rough idea" of the story I wanted to write would suffice to create a full-on 50,000 word novel. However, I did manage to write well over 36,000 words for my extra projects (SEO optimization texts, for those of you who speak nerd) at work. That's gotta count for something, right? I also managed to hand-in my freelance work on time, every week, despite the extra projects. Go, me!

Now, we're here, on the 4th of December.. the eve of my third bellydance show. I am finishing the freelance work I planned on getting done last night but finally had to postpone due to the arrival of some family friends' first grandson last night: Welcome to the world, baby M!

Did I ever mention that I don't really like newborns? All tiny, fresh-out-of-the-womb, fragile newborns.. don't make me go Awww or Ouhhh.. and I don't think they're cute. Give me a chubby/chunky 2 year old and I'll go nuts.. but those still covered in va-jay-jay goo, not so much. Anywowzer, I digress.

My first show, Dec. 2009

Bellydance tomorrow should be fun, got friends coming: Violet, Lolita and Frantz will all be there, along with Mom.

It's a bit of a big deal for me to invite more than 1 friend.. as Violet and Frantz have never seen me dance in person. But they are both great friends so I don't feel too shy to dance in front of them (and 200-300 strangers). Plus, this semester, I am performing with the most advanced bellydancer group at my dance studio so I nervous, but somewhat proud :)

Talk to you soon,

Love XOXO

Goddess of .. Writing a 50,000-word novel !?

2010-10-18T16:36:00.001-04:00

Well, there's a blog post title I never thought I'd write.
Holy moly, I actually just signed up for NaNoWriMo without fully realizing what it entailed.

So, uhmmmmm.. for those of you who, like me, don't know what

National Novel Writing Month

(NaNoWriMo for short) is:

It's a pledge I just took to write a 50,000-word novel, over the course of 30 days.

That's right, the challenge is to write roughly 1,666 words a day, for a whole month .. and it has to amount to something potentially readable. I might as well pledge to give up sleeping and eating, because I don't see how I'll fit that into my schedule.

The busier the bee, the more honey you'll get.. right?

Okay, I just made that up, but you catch my drift.

Help me pick a topic / idea.

Please.

P.S. This is going on my 30 before 30 list. Woah!

Goddess of .. The Girl with the Pink Umbrella!

2010-10-15T14:38:00.001-04:00

Pink umbrella, pink phone, pink ipod.

Black coat, black boots, black mood.

I was a walking contradiction this morning.

You know you're having a bad morning when..

It's raining cats and dogs outside, yet you still have to wake up early to go to work.
You make coffee but it tastes more like dish water than anything.
You're having a bad hair day because of the rain.
You leave the house later than you should because you were trying to fix your bad hair day.
You find a soaking wet parking ticket on your car because you forgot to move it last night.
You move your car, pick up the dripping ticket and drop it back inside the house.
You walk to/from the bus in the rain (blowing wind), fighting an umbrella that keeps flipping.
You get to work late, all wet, with your hair a completely ridiculous mess.

That's a sucky morning.

Fortunately, bad moods have a hard time sticking on me.

I'm over it!

Happy weekend bloggies!

Goddess of .. The little things !

2010-10-09T21:35:00.001-04:00

I have been blessed with a lot of work recently: my new job (I'm over a month in now, YAY!), my freelance work and now, additionnal contractual writing work for my employer !

That makes for some busy weeks.. doing full-time during the week + freelance & contractual work on the weeknights and weekends. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy about it, I love being busy and getting a little more money.. but it doesn't leave much room for other stuff (i.e. sports, friends, dating, sleeping in, etc.).

Thankfully, tonight I ordered in for dinner and took pleasure in the little things (i.e. sushi + heineken).

Sushi in the living room (because I was working on the kitchen table),

with a little Diana Krall jazz music playing in the background

and a cold Heineken..

.. and THIS is how I roll when I'm working from home on a saturday night!

Exciting, uh ?

Alright, I've procrastinated enough for one night :)

Ciao bloggies,

Goddess of .. Zen living: Oh Happy Day !

2010-10-02T12:51:00.000-04:00

Do you ever look up at the sky and just feel happy ?

I've been doing that every day after work for the past three weeks. I love to look up at the beautiful blue sky and feel the light Autumn breeze on my hands and face.

I get out of work, turn on my ipod, plug it into my ears and start walking. I walk to the nearest subway and meanwhile, I marvel at the wonderful neighborhood where I now have the pleasure of working.

And that's just after work.

My work day is just as great. I love what I do, it's challenging, fast-paced and fun. I have a lot of liberty and responsabilities in my work.. and I get to see the results of my efforts every week. The people I work with are awesome, so awesome that I've hung out with a co-worker one night, just because. She's my age, likes the same things as me (the same tv shows, local bars, restaurants, types of people, designs/decorations, etc.), she's also a blogger and she's always fun & happy. That's my new requirement for friends: Must be positive.

What does it take for you to happy? A little or a lot?

I am happy with very little, although I enjoy luxury.. I believe that I'm a positive person from the inside-out and not the other way around.

Since I started working full-time (actually, having two jobs is more like working overtime), I've been looking at condominiums for sale recently and I've realized that I would be happy with just a small efficient pleasant space.

What are some of the things you could live without?

I don't need or want two bedrooms. I don't need a giant kitchen or a large dining area. I don't need a breath-taking view of the city. To me, it's comforting to know that even if there ever comes a time when I am less fortunate or lucky in life (*knock on wood*).. I won't be miserable because I am fundamentaly happy.

When it comes to your living space, what do you really want?

I have been thinking about my first (very own) living space.. for years now.

I am still living with my mother but I feel much better about it than I did a year ago. I know it's only temporary and I am seeing the bigger picture: I am saving up to buy a place of my own rather then renting out.

My basic requirements: About 500 square feet (or more), could be a loft but I want a bedroom with a door or some kind of division (so that I don't hear the fridge when I am in my bed), a bathtub (I am looking forward to long relaxing baths) and a balcony (it doesn't have to be huge).

Optional things I would love: Granite countertops, a U-shaped kitchen (I just prefer that layout), big windows with lots of light and a brick wall in the living room. But really, I don't need any of this to be happy . I'd rather spend less on the place itself and have more money for other projects such as travelling & an overall better quality of life on a daily basis.

What are the small things (or people) that make you smile ?

Goddess of .. Saturday Morning Eye Candy !

2010-08-28T12:04:00.004-04:00

I strive to bring only the VERY BEST to my Bloggies ..

and since you guys were nice enough to cross your fingers for me and got me my new job ..

I have a little treat for you this morning.

Meet Andres, my new boyfriend.

You're welcome.

Goddess of .. My Little Miracle Workers !

2010-08-26T01:41:00.007-04:00

Bloggies, you guys ROCK !

Thanks to everyone who crossed their fingers, toes, hair and eyes..

.. said a little prayer ..

and knocked on wood for me ...

I GOT THE JOB !!!

I start on monday :)

Hahaha, so amazing, I'm actually making a living as a writer now !

Full-time job as a web editor

for a company that publishes a newsletter weekly

featuring the very best travel deals available

online for that week !

It's awesome,

I was basically spending my days

comparing travel deals online anyway :)

So now I get to search & write about the deals I find

& I'll be getting paid for it !

After a year at a crappy job that I really hated &

8 months of (semi)-unemployment, I finally found something that I think will make me happy !

YAY me !

Goddess of .. Cross Your Fingers & Toes !

2010-08-23T12:08:00.001-04:00

Hey Bloggies,

Please send some good thoughts my way,

I have an interview @ 3pm today for a writing job

at a company that publishes a weekly newsletter

with the best travel deals available :)

I'm very excited !

Fingers crossed,

Goddess of .. My Big Fat Indian Wedding !

2010-08-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

Finally, I'm posting about the awesomeness that was the Indian wedding I went to last month :)

The bride is a friend of mine from college and also a long time friend of some of my close friends from High school. The event lasted two days and it was wonderful, colorful, bright, especially full of love and I got to attend it with my close girlfriends ! What more could you ask for ?

The first day was the pre-wedding ceremony where everyone gives the bride and groom their blessing and the women get hennah tattoos (mehndi) on their hands and / or feet.

The 'Mehndi' : Personally, I wanted the full experience and would have wished for tattoos all over my hands and feet !

However, so many girls wanted the mehndi and there just wasn't enough time to have more than a hand done per person.

I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat. The paste they apply is in a tube with a tiny opening, allowing the artist to make some pretty detailed drawings.

And it smelled so good !!! I know a lot of indians hate the smell because they're used to it or are sick of it, but I loved it. It smelled minty fresh to me :)

You leave the paste on your hand for a few hours until it dries completely. They also recommend that you dab on some lemon juice with sugar to help the tattoo set and last longer.

Eventually, the paste dries and falls off .. or you can rinse it off.. and it reveals a dark reddish-brown (in my case) hand tattoo. The tattoo can last anywhere from one week to three weeks. Mine lasted a week, I guess I wash my hands pretty often .. :( Boo !

The bride, of course, had mehndi done on her full arms, both sides and on her feet as well :) She was a trooper because it took forever and then, she had to spend most of the evening without bending her arms because the henna paste was setting in.

The blessing : One by one, every guest gave the bride and groom their blessing. To bless the bride & groom, you dipped a finger in turmeric paste and smudged it on your own forehead. Then, you would smudge some on the bride's forehead and then, the groom's. It was a tricky thing, considering that the bride and I were both wearing bindis (forehead decorations).

Also, I was grateful that one of the bridesmaids had babywipes in her purse because turmeric paste is babypoop green ! Note to self ... always carry wipes.

After the turmeric paste, you had to hand feed the bride and groom some sweets. It was really cute and I thought it was a great way to show your approval of their union and to literally "feed" their love for each other.

The 'saris' : The very generous bride had arranged for all bridesmaids to have matching saris (dresses) which she had bought in Toronto beforehand.

During the afternoon of the pre-wedding, my friend and I went to the bride's parents' house and picked out our saris for the evening.

All saris were made of stiff (cheap) cotton, rather than silk, because according to my Indian friend, the Holud (pre-wedding ceremony) is supposed to be hosted by the village (poor) women. The Holud is a Bengali tradition (Bride's family is from Bengladesh) that takes place before the actual wedding.

The colors were red, dark red, orange and pink .. I was pretty happy to get the pink one ! And especially happy that we got to keep the sari and take it home :)

And now, I have an awesome Halloween costume !

The food : It was delicious ! The bride's family hired a caterer for the pre-wedding and wedding.

.. and I have to hand it to him, wedding food is usually not impressive but he made awesome wedding food :)

On the night of the pre-wedding, we had daal (lentils), another veggie dish, basmati rice (YUM !) and chicken jalfrezi that was just to DIE for.

Actually, it's making me hungry just thinking about it now. The chicken was really well cooked and the whole dish was not too spicy .. it was just perfect !

I could eat it all the time :)

The dance : Towards the end of the night, one of the Bride's Bengali aunties (or cousins..) performed a traditional dance for the Bride & Groom !

She's an amazing dancer, without a doubt, and a very pretty girl .. so I thought I'd post the video for you guys. It gives you a good idea of the overall feel of the pre-wedding celebration night :) and embraces tradition. I loved discovering everything that the Holud entailed and that's part of it .. so I hope you enjoy it !

P.S. I'm really sorry about the poor sound quality, I recorded it with my camera.

*You might want to lower the volume on your speakers before pressing play*

Wedding celebration re-cap.. to be continued !

Goddess of .. What the french did I ever do to you ?

2010-07-21T21:15:00.001-04:00

I have many posts in the works.

So many things have happened since my last post
(mostly great things, no worries)
& I want to share them all with you.

My friend's Indian pre-wedding and wedding celebration
Weekend in the country with friends
Going out at least 7 nights in a row (maybe more, I stopped counting)
Reuniting with old acquaintances (people I hadn't seen in months or years)
Making new friends
And possibly losing / parting ways with a bestfriend in the process :(

However, before I start posting about all this stuff (if I ever find the time),

there's an urgent matter that needs mucho discussing / reflecting / VENTING pronto.

See, I can hablo espanol.

So uhm, you know there's this bar that Violet and I call "home", right ?
The one we often go to on thursdays .. and any other given day, remember ?
The one where I run the chance of bumping into an ex (either Mark or Rami) almost everytime I go ?

Well, I went there on the thursday before last and bumped into Mark. But I looked fabulous, I was with a bunch of friends (including several hot guy friends) and I felt great & confident. I talked to Mark briefly (5 minutes tops) and then, my friends & I headed to a different bar.

It wasn't awkward

and it didn't make me feel bad

and I didn't really care..

So that's not what I want to talk about.

...

I went back to that same bar last thursday. Apparently, as I walked in, I came across Rami in the entrance hallway (who was heading outside for a smoke). Except that I really didn't see him because I don't wear contacts (although I really should) and also, I was focused on walking towards the bar.

Violet and I took a seat at the bar, chatted with the bartender and had our drinks. Eventually, I could see from the corner of my eye, that Rami had come back inside and was chatting with his close group of friends, across the bar from us, right on the other side of the bar. I did my best to look everywhere but in their direction, at this point, I felt it was too late / awkward to go say "Hi".

About 30-40 minutes of pretending-we-can't-see-or-hear-you-although-there's-about-7-of-you-and-you're-really-loud-and-so-obviously-there later, a friend of Rami's (who is also a friend of Violet's and whom I know as well), let's call him Karim, came up to chat with us.

We talked with him for about 30 minutes, maybe more.. all-the-while, Rami was standing about 10 feet away talking with his other friends. Never once did he come say "Hi" or anything.

It didn't strike me as a big deal .. as I have "ignored" him before and he has "ignored" my presence as well.

Violet and I eventually ended our conversation with Karim and left.

.. And we went on to live merry, happy lives !

...

Until last night, Tuesday night, to be precise. I was meeting up with an old friend from highschool that I hadn't seen in 8 years. He's a big guy, very goofy, funny, inspiring and he could very well be a motivational speaker. Violet and I met up with him at a nearby bar. We talked and had a beer .. and had such a great time that we decided to move to our "home" bar.

I walked in first and headed to the bar. I recognized the back of Rami's head .. right as I passed by him. Crap, I thought, this is gonna be awkward. My guy friend, Violet and I, all stood at the bar (a few feet away from Rami but facing the other way) and ordered our drinks. We talked for a while, laughed out loud and just went on about our "business".

Eventually, as I was talking with my friends, I felt a hand in the small of my back and a voice said quietly "Hi, Aritza". I turned around, knowing very well who it was.

I smiled with my best passive agressive I'm-having-such-a-great-time-with-my-friends-and-my-life-is-great-without-you-and-I-don't-miss-you-at-all smile and then, said "Hi" as well.

He blurted out "I haven't seen you in a long time"

(which was a lie, but he probably meant that we hadn't spoken in a long time)

and we exchanged a quick "How are you ?"

but no words beyond "Good, and you ?" were spoken.

He moved over to say "Hi" to Violet as well..

and I spoke with his friend
(a girl he knew from college, who also happens to be dating his brother)
for a few minutes.

I thought he would join the conversation

or wait until I was done talking to her

to talk to me for a little while and catch up.

However, when I was done talking with her,

they grabbed their drinks and went outside on the patio.

That's the last I saw of them.

I stayed for a long time with my friends after that

but I didn't see Rami or his friends come back in.

I suppose they must've still been on the patio when we left.

As we got outside,

I pretended to be texting on my phone

while I walked on the patio to exit,

just in case Rami was looking.

Am I over him ?

Probably not.

Am I pathetic ?

~~Perhaps~~. Totally.

Am I gonna act proud and hide how much he meant to me ?

Definitely.

Afterwards, I went home and all was good. I went on facebook, tortured myself by looking at some of Rami's pictures and then, went to bed & I tried to sleep. You know, the usual.

I thought I was sleepy but it turns out my brain had other deliriously twisted plans for my night. Instead of shutting down, my brain decided it would be fun to review every single detail of every single date or encounter I ever had with Rami. It was painfully pleasurable and lasted about 2 hours.

I woke up this morning, to the sound of my phone buzzing on my nightstand, a missed phone call from Violet. I was in a panic / frenzy with my heart beating a thousand beats per minutes. I had just come out of a horrible nightmare where I was being chased around a building by a crazy person, getting stabbed in the leg, running down a staircase and hiding in a trashcan, only to get stomped on by said crazy person to get me to come out of hiding.

All in all, a great night of restful sleep.

*Insert sarcasm here*

I got up, got coffee, called Violet back and logged in to my facebook account. And then, I noticed something different. I couldn't access Rami's wall or pictures anymore. I thought surely my facebook account was having some kind of issue, so I logged into Lolita's account instead (I have her password). I went on Rami's profile .. and sure enough, there was his usual wall and pictures. So I logged out of hers and back into mine, typed in his name .. and uhmmm, still no wall or pictures.

Yeah, that's right, he restricted my access.

I mean why ? It's not like he knows that I'm slightly stalker-ish with his profile and go on there regularly. It's not like I said anything particular last night that could make him angry. It's not like I did anything either.

What the french did I ever do to piss him off ?

I could've understood if he had been mad after last thursday night when I "ignored" him (by accident) .. but we said "Hi" and were pleasant to each other just last night. What changed ?

I guess maybe I should take this as a compliment ?

If he really didn't give a flying french about me,

he would just ignore me or ignore my presence on facebook, no ?

If he was mad and didn't want to be my facebook friend anymore,

he would just delete me or block me entirely, no ?

Maybe it's a way to try and get my attention ?

Anywho, I'm too proud to admit to him / let him know that it worked

and that it made me want to punch a wall, when I saw this.

So I will just ignore it, until it doesn't bother me anymore.

Definitely, I do not get him.

Anywowzer, I'm out for a jog, Bloggies.
Catch y'all on the flip side.

Goddess of .. Caring, it's what I do !

2010-06-30T17:46:00.001-04:00

I had a talk with Mark this afternoon.

Quite possibly the talk.

Other than the huge blow to my ego, I guess I'm fine.

I don't want to go into the details, I feel embarrassed.

Hopefully, the third time's the charm.

(Rami, Stuart, Mark .. but who's counting ?)

I want to learn from my mistakes.

I was just trying to be

my affectionate, caring, devoted self..

just like I am with my family,

my friends,

my friends's friends,

the people I date,

the people I meet.

It's what I do,

I care.

..but when dating,

3 times out of 10 (maybe more?),

it's too much, too soon.

Goddess of .. Damn you, Dejà-vu !

2010-06-28T17:30:00.003-04:00

Remember when I wrote this post last year, on September 1st.

Well, the exact same thing seems to have happened again.

Rince and repeat.

Sincerely disappointed,

Goddess of .. Slip-ups happen !

2010-06-24T03:05:00.002-04:00

Last night, I went over to Mark's place and we cooked dinner together. We had a great time and most of my previously mentionned insecurities seemed to dissipate. I left early because he was working at 7am today and he needed to be fully rested. However, right before I left, he mentionned that if it wasn't for his early morning the next day.. he would've loved for me to stay over.

Today, Mark had a big office party from 1pm to the wee hours of the night. At some point during the party, I texted him to tease him about how drunk he was and we exchanged a few silly messages. After a while, I asked him if he felt like spending the night together tonight .. since he has the day off tomorrow.

He replied but ignored my question. And then, 2 hours later.. I hadn't heard back from him.

I texted him to try and get a sense of what his answer might be : " Yes ? No ? Maybe ? "

Still nothing. And an hour later, I received : " Wassup ".

At that point, I was pretty upset.

I know he was wasted and everything but I hate when someone avoids answering my question.

It's not that I absolutely wanted him to say Yes.

I just wanted an answer, any answer.

So after I received the very eloquent " Wassup " text, I picked up the phone and called him.. to get the 411 on the situation. He was still at the party and pretty intoxicated .. and when I told him I kinda wanted / needed to know what his answer was because I was thinking of maybe heading to bed ..

He said : " Yeah, well.. go to bed. I'm gonna hang out with the guys here, I don't know what we're gonna do (next). "

And then, I was left disappointed
and feeling like the Annoying Nagging ~~Wife~~ ~~Girlfriend~~ Cockblock.

I loathe that feeling.

I don't know if I was actually that bad,

because I tried to choose my words carefully

but I was pissed and I felt like I could hardly hide it.

I slipped, I shouldn't have suggested that we get together tonight, it was a bad idea.

And I probably shouldn't have called him when I was upset because I'm not sure that I conveyed my message the way I wanted to. All I wanted was an answer but I'm afraid it might have sounded like I wanted him to leave the party .. which I really did not. If he had said Yes, I wanna see you tonight .. I would've happily waited until he was all partied-out.

I bitched about it to my friend Violet and I really bitched to my Mom.

And then, my Mom and I watched Sex and The City (first movie).. and I felt much better.

Anywho, it was a slip-up .. and slip-ups happen.

Goddess of .. Insecurities are a b*tch !

2010-06-21T02:01:00.001-04:00

My insecurities came back.

It was bound to happen.

Because my self-esteem is not what is should be.

Because last summer, Rami kept disappearing on me whenever I thought things were going good between us, without so much as a "I'm sorry, I can't. Don't hate me." kind of post-it.

Because I like Mark and I'm trying to trust him.

Because I'm independant and I don't like to wait around for the phone to ring.

I decided to give Mark some space this weekend and wait for him to contact me next. He returned from China on Wednesday night (well, Thursday morning). I picked him up from the airport around 1am.. He missed his connecting flight in Toronto and then his 10:30pm flight was delayed.

I was super happy to pick him up at the airport, it was a silly little dream of mine.. to pick up a boy from the airport. I find it incredibly romantic. Although there was nothing special to it, no running towards each other, no crazy hugs, no jumping up-and-down, no innappropriate PDA.. it meant the world to me, to be the first one to see him when he got back and to hear about his trip while it was still fresh in his memory.

I drove him home and spent the night at his place, for the first time ever, on Wednesday night.

We woke up late on Thursday, he made us cappuccinos, we hung out in his bed while he showed me the pictures from his trip and later, we went to a Greek restaurant we both like for a late lunch. I went home afterwards, around 6pm. We agreed to see each other the next day.

Then, on Friday morning, we went for breakfast together around 11am and spent the afternoon at a spa. It was an amazing spa and it was a really cool thing to do together. He was quiet and not very affectionate but I think it's because he's repulsed by PDA .. I don't know. It made me feel really insecure but then, when we got back to his place around 6pm, everything seemed fine. We spent a few more hours hanging out at his place, took a nap and then, I left around 8pm.

We didn't make plans for Saturday or Sunday. On Saturday, it was my grandmother's 100th birthday and it was his nephew's 1st birthday.. so I knew we were both going to be busy .. and frankly, I didn't mind some alone time. I know he needed it too, because he just got back from spending 2 weeks in China with co-workers around 24 hours a day. He told me before that his alone time is important to him and that it's nothing personal.

I know that. I respect that. I understand that. I need that too.

But, for the 4 reasons listed above

(and probably the many unlisted ones),

I am insecure.

So I am hanging on to the notion of being "Fun, Flirty and Fabulous" this summer

and I am making the conscious decision to push my insecurities aside.

I don't want to push him away.

And I am aware that 2 days without speaking to one another is really not a big deal.

So I am going to wait for him to contact me

because he does like me, he is not Rami and he will contact me.

I can't let my insecurites get the best of me.

I refuse to be that girl.

...

I watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy this afternoon and

Miranda Bailey said something that was really inspirational to me :

(About life, work, marriage, being scared)

" Well, we're all scared!

I mean, if you're not scared you're not paying attention! "

I'm scared so I guess it means I must be on the right track

and I've been paying attention.

Cheers to toughing it out and hanging in there :)

Goddess of .. Flirty, Fun and Fabulous !

2010-06-12T01:56:00.008-04:00

The three imperative "F"s :

Flirty.
Fun.
F*ckin' Fabulous !

That's my new motto, for the summer. Why you ask ?

Why not, I say. Because I can, Because I want to, Because I will be.

I'm tired of whining about stuff.

I'm tired of being depressed.

I'm tired of being tired.

It's time to be happy now.

I'm 25 years old.

I'm healthy.

I'm happy.

and I'm pretty.

Yay !*

*Fine, maybe I overdid it when I decided to have a coffee at 10pm. Oh well.

I have a new list up on Shoptopia :

Be your best Sunshine Girl !

That means following the three "F"s this summer, Bloggies.

If you're happily married : Flirt with your husband !

If you're self-conscious : Challenge yourself to act confident and have fun with it !

No more excuses, just be happy.

Just do it.

Yes, that means now :)

Goddess of .. If you do just one thing for me ..

2010-06-09T14:16:00.009-04:00

If you do just one thing for me today, Bloggies ..

I hope it is that you watch this video.

Belief in the breeze,
The smoky morning haze.

The sun on her face,
and the touch of lovers' hands.
The pain that comes today,
Is here, then goes away.

And we are homeward bound,
And I,
I want this more than life,
I want this more than life,
I want this more than life.

To touch something real,
Will help your wounds heal,

Like the sun on your face,
The dreams of starry nights.

And we are homeward bound,
And I,
I want this more than life,
I want this more than life,
I want this more than life..

I want this more than life.

...
..............................................

Would you catch me ..

if I fell

.. in love with you ?

Goddess of .. Making Peace with Love !

2010-06-08T02:42:00.007-04:00

Love and I have been at war ever since the end of last year I would say. I probably lost my faith in love sometime in October or November, when I thought Rami and I were giving our romance another chance .. but he freaked out and yadda yadda yadda, you know the story.. we've been over this before.

Slowly, I'm beginning to believe in the possibility of love again.

Things have been very good with Mark. The last "date" I blogged about was when I met up with him and his friends for some drinks ... last thursday.. and that was Date # 4. We chatted and texted on friday .. and on saturday as well, when he was with family and I was playing bowling and eating sushi with my friends for one of my girlfriend's birthday.

Date #5 : Sunday, I chatted with Mark in the morning and he invited to have dinner at his place that night.

I was nervous and excited to see his place, I thought it was really sweet that he invited me over and offered to cook for me.

He gave me a choice of menu and he ended up cooking linguini amatriciana (homemade tomato sauce with onions and pancetta) for me.

He definitely earned a LOT of points that night by cooking for me.

He knows how much I love food and I think that homemade tomato sauce pretty much spells L-O-V-E.

I brought a good bottle of Pinot Noir (that I had bought in the US when I visited Vermont, last October) with me and when I got to his place, it smelled like pancetta heaven (which, for the record, smells a lot like BACON heaven). We had a glass of wine in his living room before dinner and we talked for a little while.

The linguini amatriciana dinner was delicious and his homemade tomato sauce was to die for. He had also gotten us me some If-I-had-a-1,000,000-flavours Ben & Jerry's ice cream .. but I was too full to have some after dinner.

Once dinner was over, we crashed on his living room couch, a little tipsy from our wine, a little stuffed from our pasta .. and just cuddled peacefully, in silence (except for some of his favorite music playing in the background).

He kept it all (the cuddling & kissing) very PG-13 and acted like a total gentleman, which I really appreciated. I eventually kicked myself out of his appartment, around 11pm and headed home, I was giddy.

At that point, I didn't know if that was the last time I would see him before he left on his two-week business trip to China ..

Date #6 : On the following tuesday afternoon, I chatted with Mark on facebook and he started telling me about the rough day he had at work. He said he needed to relax and have a beer.. so we started to make plans .. but it was hard to decide on a restaurant for dinner and I could tell he just needed to relax at home, so I offered to pick up some sushis and bring them over to his place. I got to his appartment with the sushis and some chocolate he really loves (to take on the plane with him) around 7pm.

We sat in his living room and talked for a while, as we sipped on some Bacardi strawberry daiquiri (to drink in moderation btw, that stuff is powerful, lol) before dinner. The sushi was delicious and we shared some weird ginger / soy / rice / whatever beer that was supposed to be "asian" inspired. We laughed a lot and had a great time.

After dinner, we relaxed and kicked our shoes off, while we watched the movie "Into the Wild", one of Mark's favorites apparently.

We cuddled on the couch snuggly, we even spooned. I watched the movie attentively, while he zoned out at times, hiding his head in the crease between my head and shoulders.

After the movie was over, we got into some intense kissing and touching .. which was exhilirating and fun !

The thought of being intimate with him crossed my mind, as something to look forward to in the near future.

He implied that I could stay over but I prefered to kick myself out once again, I didn't want to rush things. Before I left, he gave me one of the most passionate kisses ever, pressing me against the front door and running his hands through my hair. I melted.

Someway, somehow, I managed to resist, wish him a safe/fun trip and drive myself home.

I talked with him on wednesday and even on thursday morning during his layover, while he waited to board his flight to Shanghai.

The business trip : He left for China on thursday morning. I got two e-mails from him on friday morning (around 5am) right when he got in to his hotel. We haven't stopped e-mailing each other since.. about twice a day, and we even Skyped on saturday night, right before I headed out for Violet's birthday dinner/party. Does that count as date #7 ? Hehehe.

He's been really wonderful with this distance thing, all the way from China.

He writes me long detailed e-mails about his days, sends me pictures and chats online whenever possible.

He has clearly exceeded my expectations thus far with this whole being-halfway-around-the-World thing.

Some of his e-mails feel like he's sending me real postcards, it's just so sweet.

He's all like :

"Hey Sunshine, Today, I visited this really awesome place and now, I'm about to go to this amazing restaurant for dinner. Tomorrow, I'm off to see this and that. Hope you're doing well, talk to you later ! xox DB (which is short for the nickname I gave him) "

.. which is literally the sweetest thing ever.

I miss seeing him, of course, but I don't feel out-of-touch with him .. so it's been really good. Better than I anticipated.

On thursday, the day he left, I copped (because I'm nervous when people I care about are flying) by going shopping. While shopping for Lolita and Violet's birthday presents, I stumbled on this amazing Blush lingerie sale that had the best deals in the whole wide world. I simply could not resist going crazy for this.

This sexy little dark grey teddy only cost me 5$ and makes me feel like a million bucks !

via here

if you're willing to pay 38.99$ for it

I also got two bras (3.50$ each), one leopard print & one pink and black..

with matching thongs (2.00$ each) and garter belts (2.00$ each).

via here

if you're willing to pay 17.99$ for it

Now, I just have to find some pretty knee high stockings to attach to those sexy garter belts ..

but I still have time for that, Mark only returns on June 16th.

He has no idea about this little lingerie surprise I have waiting for him ..

I'm keeping this one a secret, until he returns !

Goddess of .. I swear, It's not what you think !

2010-05-28T19:06:00.001-04:00

It's not what you think.

It's not what it looks like.

I really do love you.

I've just been feeling overwhelmed

by everything that's happening in my life

and by everything that I've been meaning to blog about.

First of all : My Work situation

It is not fixed as I am still not working as a lawyer, but (and it's a big BUT) I was hired by a big legal publishing company and I am working as a free lance legal writer. I work from home (or wherever), when I want. This is a great situation except that it doesn't pay much but it's something and I'm happy about it. Also, it's a writing job so, who knows ? It might help me in the future if I pursue journalism or other writing jobs !

I'm still looking for a "real" job as a lawyer, as this freelance legal writing business is not enough to earn a real living .. but it's giving me some breathing room. It's great, that way, I don't have to rush into a job I don't want to do .. just because I need some money. There, that's settled !

Second of all : My Love life

Uhmm, last time I blogged about this.. I was going on dates with "Luis Alessandro", the really nice portuguese-italian guy. However, to make a long story short .. we went on 3 dates but it didn't work out. He was way more into me than I was into him .. and although he was really terrific, attentive, affectionate, caring, I didn't feel the physical attraction or the spark. It was missing the Za-Za-Zoo.

After that, I met another guy via Online Dating. A mexican dude doing his masters in my City. He was also very very nice and I found him cuter than Luis Alessandro but he lacked self-confidence (which really isn't sexy at all). So uhmm, one date with him .. and I didn't really feel like going on a second one, so I ended it there.

Next, I had met a guy at my usual spot for thursday night drinks .. about a month ago. We didn't really talk much that night but I added him on facebook and eventually, I met up with him one night he was out with friends. It ended up being a bit of a triple date, as his other friends, were actually two couples. Anywho, to make a long story short (again) .. the guy had a bit too much wine to drink .. and ended up being totally wasted by the end of the date. I drove him home because I didn't want him to drive his car .. and I liked him. But .. you know how fragile a man's ego is .. right ? He texted me the following morning to apologize for his behavior (he was a really funny drunk though, so I still enjoyed our "date") but I don't think his ego could ever fully recover from that night.

And now, last thursday, at my usual spot for drinks (again) .. I met a really cool guy. We'll call him Mark. Although Mark isn't my usual (tall, dark & exotic) type , we really hit it off.

He's 34 years old, about 5'8, medium built, light brown hair, brown eyes .. works as the manager / director of customer service for a big video game company (he's well-established in his job and loves it) .. and is the drummer of a really cool indie rock band (but he's older so he's not the macho / player / rockstar kinda drummer).

We have a ton of things in common personality-wise, he's super sarcastic (yay!), likes to complain about stuff or pass judgement on weird people (but in a funny way and we always try to one-up each other). He trusts people a lot, maybe too much (he says) and that's very similar to me. It feels like I've known him for years and I'm comfortable around him. I act like a total goof at times and he still seems to think I'm really awesome. He tells me I underestimate myself and seems to think he's not entirely worthy of me (but I disagree).

We met on thursday and had a really good time. For most of the night, I was with him and one of Violet's girlfriends. Violet was there too but left early because she wasn't feeling well. Mark, Violet's gf and myself went to 2-3 different bars and it was a really fun time overall. We talked, (dirty) danced, texted each other (stupid jokes), flirted, etc. I ended up having to drive Violet's gf home (in her car) because she was a little too tipsy to drive .. and Mark drove my car, behind us, all the way across town.. to help me out. I drove him home and we kissed goodnight (it was a wonderful kiss btw). I got home at 4:45am .. it was a loooong fun night.

The next morning, I had to drive Lolita and her boyfriend to the airport at 8am. Ouch. lol. Mark texted me around 11am, to see how tired I was .. it was super sweet of him. And we ended up texting each other all day on friday.

Date #1 : On saturday, we chatted on facebook or texted each other and decided to go on a date at night. We shared a bottle of red wine on a terrace, and talked. I was nervous because I liked him already but I didn't know much about him .. so we talked and talked and talked .. from 7:30 to midnight. We really hit it off and discovered just how many things we had in common. He held my hand and played with my fingers while we talked.

Around midnight, we went to another place to grab a bite to eat. We were kissing and holding hands while we walked, it was really sweet. So sweet in fact that I may have barfed at myself a couple of times... just kidding.

The next day (sunday), we texted and chatted on facebook.

Date #2 : Then, on monday, everyone had a day off because of the Queen's birthday. I didn't have anything planned for the day but, since I had just seen Mark on saturday, I didn't think of asking him if he wanted to go out. However, around 1pm.. he texted me and we made plans to see each other in the afternoon and go for a walk. I met him in his neighborhood (about 20 minutes from my house) at 2:30pm and.. since I still hadn't had my morning coffee or eaten much .. he invited me to lunch. We went to a nice little café and had some delicious sandwiches & cappucinos.

Afterwards, we went walking by the water and it was incredibly beautiful and warm (over 85 degrees / 30 celcius). We eventually found a bench right by the water, but under a tree for shade, sat down and talked for a long time. We discovered many more things we have in common. He mentionned that he might be going to Paris for work in a couple of months, and said I should go with him (if all goes well). WOAH !?!

Around 6pm, we had walked all the way back to his place (my car was parked close by) and decided to each go our separate ways to shower & change .. and meet up again around 7pm, at a bar near my house, to watch the hockey game.

Meeting up with him for the game felt like a whole other date. We were sitting side by side, watching the game, drinking our beers (apparently he was impressed that I drank a stout).. totally relaxed after walking all day in the sun and heat. Violet dropped by for a minute, just to say "hi" .. which was fun because later on she gave me her input on what she saw between me and the boy. She now refers to him as my boyfriend.. to which I say : Meh. Boyfriend, schmoyfriend. Just kidding.. it's pretty fun to think that he may be my boyfriend.

On tuesday, I didn't see him but we spent all day chatting on facebook, while he was at work.

Date #3 : On wednesday, I had plans to go shopping because there's been a massive heat wave here, for the past few days, and I needed more shorts & tank tops. He suggested that we meet up when he was done with work, around 5pm. He took me to the store (Old Navy), browsed clothes with me and waited while I tried them on. He even gave me his opinion on a few pieces ! He kept telling me I was probably just doing this to test him, but I wasn't. I felt really bad dragging him to go shopping and I hurried up as much as I could. However, had I been testing him .. he would've gotten a solid 8 out of 10.

After shopping, we had dinner at a nice little vietnamese restaurant that he loves. We had a good time except that I kind of had a knot in my stomach (from stressing about "forcing" him to go shopping with me) and I couldn't eat much of my delicious seafood & veggies soup. He showed genuine concern that I wasn't feeling well.. he was really sweet.

We spent a little while cuddled up on a bench, ~~judging~~ watching the people walking by. I had left my car near his work, so he drove me back to my car and we made out, in his car, for a long time :) He's a great kisser, we're really passionnate and he keeps telling me what a great kisser I am .. Ego boost, FTW.

I was totally smitten when I got home.. I just wanted to keep on kissing him. I got home pretty early, around 10:30pm, because he had a video-conference call for work, with people in the China office, at 7:30am the next day.

Oh yeah, speaking of China ..
Did I mention he's leaving for China in less than a week ?

What the hell is it with me and men who have to leave right when I meet them ? At the worse possible time, when the "relationship" or whatever it is, hasn't been defined yet .. and I'm just trying to go with the flow. Remember how Rami left on a 3-week vacation (to Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Spain & Italy) .. about 3 weeks after I first met him ?

Mark has admitted that this China thing is kinda bugging him too but he's been very sweet about it. After all, he'll only be gone 2 weeks. He said he'll figure out a way to have access to facebook (through proxy servers because FB is forbidden in China) and he even installed Skype on his laptop so we can chat when he's there. He actually invited me to go to China with him .. but I think that was sort of a fake invite because he knew I wouldn't go. Still, it was sweet.

Date #4 : It wasn't really a date. We had been chatting on and off throughout the day yesterday but made no plans of seeing each other. However, I texted him while he was out with friends / collegues after work yesterday and asked him if he wanted to grab some ice cream after he was done hanging out with the guys (and before I met up with Violet for our usual thursday drink). Instead, he suggested that I go join him and the boys. I felt uncomfortable because I really didn't want to intrude on his guy-time but he kind of insisted so I figured he wanted me there.

He was there with 3 guys, one of whom I had already met (the previous thursday), and I stayed for over an hour. It was pretty fun, I cracked a few jokes, they laughed .. and I didn't put my foot in my mouth too much. Mark held my hand at times and it helped me relax (although I wasn't too nervous).

And that was last night. Eventually, I left and went to have a drink with Violet and some other friends.

And today, well .. you guessed it. Him and I have been texting each other all day and chatted on facebook.

Oh and he's got a nickname for me, he calls me : SunshineGirl .. like a ray of sunshine, he said.

That's that bloggies, you are now up-to-date on my work situation and my love life :o)

Goddess of .. Twenty-five mother f*cking candles !

2010-05-19T15:08:00.025-04:00

On Saturday, May 8th 2010 .. I celebrated my long awaited (and kinda dreaded) 25th birthday.

Well, to be exact, I celebrated my very last day & night being 24 years old because my birthday is May 9th. Seriously, I wasn't going to just slip into my mid-twenties without mourning my early twenties an itsy bit. Except that it wasn't so much a "mourning" as it was a "celebration of life".. but I digress.

I definitely had a wonderful time on saturday and

I hope that my birthday celebrations are a reflection of

how much fun the next year is going to be

because I had a BLAST!

First, there were drinks and appetizers at my place.

Lolita, Violet and the whole bunch of my girl friends from high school were there.. about 10 of us crazy mo-fos in all.

Mandatory rosé wine or sparkling pink lemonade for everyone.. alongside some delicious appetizers (arancinis, veggies & dip, all kinds of cheese, puff pastry hors d'oeuvres, etc.).

I was showered with gifts from my extremely generous friends (gift cards, beauty products, scarf, purse, chocolates, etc.) .

By the way, I'm totally aware that posting pictures with stickers on everyone's face is pretty much pointless but I worry about anonymity.. so here goes.

I hope it still gives you a vague notion of how much fun we had :o)

I was super happy that all the girls from the high school bunch made it .. because 3 of them weren't suppose to come until later

.. but finally, they were able to make it !!!

It made all the difference in the world, I was so glad to have all of them over at my house because we rarely do this and mostly meet up in restaurants or at the movies.

I also got to spend some really fun times with Lolita & Violet.

They hadn't seen each other since .. sometime in February or March

.. when we went out to one of our favorite bars and ended up ~~crashing~~ attending a stranger's birthday party around 3-4 am.

It was fun to see them kind of catch up and mingle.

Afterwards, we headed to my favorite thai restaurant around 9pm, for a late dinner. I ordered one of my usuals .. the sweet & sour chicken (tomatoes, onions, red and green bell peppers & pineapple) with sticky rice. Lolita enjoyed my other favorite, the sauteed chicken with peanut sauce & crispy spinach .. so delicious !

I bought a delicious cake (tasted like Ferrero Rocher or Bacci chocolates) that I brought to the restaurant and they served it to us as dessert.

The staff was so nice and funny .. they were really young and friendly to us, they even switched my candles on the cake when they brought it out and it read : Happy 52nd birthday Aritza !!

They put them back in the right order when they served me my piece of cake thought, thank God.

I'm having a hard enough time dealing with being 25 .. there's no way I want to skip to 52 right away.

Once we were done with dinner, I said goodbye to my highschool friends .. who are not at all the type to go out to bars .. and Violet, Lolita & Myself headed to our home (the bar that Violet & I often go to on thursday nights). We've developped a sort of customer-friendship with the bartenders there .. so they were happy we stopped by for my birthday. I was offered a complimentary glass of bubbly from one bartender and another one offered us a celebratory round of shots (Jack Daniels topped with a slice of orange, the usual). All in all, a very good time !

While I slowly sipped on my bubbly and talked with the girls, I had the pleasure (not) of observing a very peculiar situation taking place right accross from me, on the other side of the bar. There were two guys enjoying their beers, one was cuter than the other.. and anyways .. two seats away from cuteguy, there was a girl sitting with her friend.

At one point, girl #1's girlfriend went to the restroom and that's when, girl #1 and cuteguy started talking. And I swear, by the time her friend came back from her potty break, girl #1 was sitting right next to cuteguy, their eyes connecting and her hand (firmly planted) on his thigh. Five minutes after that, girl #1 leaned over (OVER!!) cuteguy to shake hands with his friend and introduced herself. Anywho, those guys really hit the jackpot that night because girl #1 (and her friend too) was .. eager .. to say the least. A few minutes later, cuteguy (with his ego fully boosted and probably thinking "Imma get lucky tonight") stood next to girl #1 with one hand on her waist and the other one in her hair. During that time, girl #1 gave cuteguy the whole streching-back-while-pushing-my-boobs-all-up-in-your-face move.

In the span of no-more-than 25 minutes, they went from introducing themselves to full-on make out. I guess I shouldn't be shocked by this because I know it happens all the time, but it was the first time that I actually saw the whole thing (from A to B) happen in front of my own eyes. As Violet often says, girls who are that eager to meet-greet-and-sleep-with-strangers are the reason why a lot of men in our City have stopped putting effort into trying to seduce women. Don't go thinking I am jealous or anything .. I was simply astonished at how quickly things progressed right in front of me. But anywho, I digress.

We spent a little while at that bar and then, Ari texted Lolita (!!!), totally out of the blue.

As you know, Lolita has been in a healthy and fulfilling relationship with her lawyer boyfriend for 4-5 months now.

However, Ari is Lolita's (Oh-so-very-hot) jewish ex-FWB.

She last saw him in December 2009, when she went to his friend Frantz's party outside of town one weekend, and she hadn't spoken to him since (Ya know, being in a relationship and all, you try to avoid temptation .. i.e. sexy ex-FWB Ari).

It's such a shame to put stickers on their faces by the way
because they are such great looking people ..

*Le sigh*

.. life is hard. LOL

Anywho, to make a long story short, Ari just moved back in town, after studying in another town (1 hour and a half away) for the past 4 years (where Lolita met him).

He was looking for something fun to do that night and we offered to meet up with him and his friends, Frantz and David, at another bar nearby.

Violet, Lolita, Myself, Ari, Frantz and David had a really really fun time and all of them made it a birthday that I'll never forget. I had met Frantz before (super funny and super friendly guy) and I had heard a little bit about David (funny and sarcastic, self-proclaimed asshole) before through Lolita.

At the bar, David proceeded to yell at the barman to get me free shots for my birthday .. it was super rude and I thought he was a real asshole

.. but it worked and I think he actually knew the barman or became friends with him afterwards .. so no real harm done there.

Dr.Frantz spoon-fed me Jack Daniels & Coke as a cure to aging.. and it was hilarious.

Frantz, David and I talked and joked all night long and it was really cool.

They're both sarcastic, humorous and kinda flirty .. I loved it !

Anywowzer, that's it my lovelies. Oh and Frantz wrote his phone number on a coaster and slipped it in my purse.. lol, I really cracked up when I got home and saw this. I sent him a little text message to thank him for the great evening and I added him on facebook. Such great people, I've really been blessed lately .. I've met such funny people, it's wonderful !

I had such a good time and I managed to chat quickly with this really cute bouncer that I like at that second bar.

Last time I was there, he told Violet that he liked me .. so I've been trying to spark up a conversation with him everytime I go to this bar but it's hard (he's shy and also really busy 'cuz he's always working when I see him).

Anywho, he managed to tell me that he works on thursdays and every other saturday .. but I went back last thursday and he wasn't there .. so better luck next time, I guess.

That was my birthday night, bloggies !

It certainly lived up to my standards of fun :o)

and I hope it lived up to your standards of an interesting blog post !!

Goddess of .. The Mod Market Giveaway Winner !

2010-05-15T21:25:00.003-04:00

I am preparing a long and detailed post about the celebrations that took place last saturday for my 25th birthday .. but before hittin' publish on that one, I want to announce the VERY LUCKY winner of the final (for this year) B'day Giveaway !

One reader will get this beautiful

Cream frayed rosette headband with pearl center

from my wonderfully generous sponsor : The Mod Market

.. in the mail, very very soon !

And that The Mod Market winner is:

Congrats to the adorable

Siovhan @ The Siovhan Show !

Congrats girly ! This cream headband will look great in your gorgeous blond locks :o)
Send me an email with your home address and The Mod Market will send you your lovely prize very soon !

Thank you all for participating in My 25th Birthday giveaways !

I hope you liked the items that I featured here :o)

P.S. To my four lucky winners (Summer, Non Sequitur Chica, Sassy Chica & Siovhan) .. CONGRATS !

Oh ! And I just want to throw it out there, I am NOT receiving ANY kind of compensation for doing these giveaways. I support The Mod Market's etsy store simply and fully because I love every one of their items and I asked them to do a giveaway with me as a "Thank you" to my loyal followers.

Goddess of .. B'day Giveaway #4 - The Mod Market !

2010-05-07T13:01:00.008-04:00

::: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED :::

Hey again bloggies ! The birthday weekend celebrations are about to begin but before I drop off the face of the blogosphere for a few days, I've got one last birthday giveaway for you :o)

Yesterday, I revealed the winner of last week's NuvoNova gift. The winner will receive their choice of the seven necklaces offered , congrats !! Big thanks to Clara of NuvoNova for the wonderful giveaway :o)

**Click here to see who last week's lucky winner is !**

.........................................................................................................

And now on to this week's giveaway :

The Mod Market is a brand-new Oregon based Etsy store, operated by the lovely Becca since April 2010. The Mod Market specializes in making rosette headbands for girls and women. If you remember correctly, I recently wrote a post about "Rosette" fashion for spring 2010, so I thought The Mod Market would make for a very fitting sponsor ! This Etsy store also sells cute crochet hats, sassy necklaces, stylish hairclips & belts .. all Rosette inspired :o) which makes me really really happy !

Let me share some of my favorite items with you :

I'd like my rosettes with a side of pearls, please ..

A gorgeous and trendy way to dress up a simple outfit ..

Flower headbands & little girls go together like peanut butter & jelly ..

The lucky winner will receive this beautiful rosette headband :

I love this headband so so SO much. To the future winner, I say : I am jealous !!

This cream colored headband is very versatile because of its color

and also, it is on a detachable clip, so it can be worn without the headband.

Fits most adults and children :o)

.........................................................................................................

The Mod Market

Giveaway Rules

**Open to followers worldwide**

To enter this giveaway :

Follow my blog (through Google Friend Connect)
Visit The Mod Market's Etsy store and Tell me which item is your favorite !

For additional entries :

- Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)
- Be my friend on Facebook (1 extra entry)
- Blog / Twitter about the Mod Market giveaway (2 extra entries)
- Buy an item from The Mod Market's Etsy store (5 extra entries)

That's a total of 10 possible chances to win, so get on it.. Stat !

The giveaway is opened from Friday, May 7th 2010 to Thursday, May 13th 2010.

The winner will be announced next Friday, May 14th 2010.

Good luck, Bloggies !

P.S. Please note that I am not receiving ANY kind of compensation for doing this giveaway. I support The Mod Market's etsy store simply because I love their items and I asked for them to do a giveaway as a "Thank you" to my loyal followers.

Goddess of .. NuvoNova Giveaway Winner !

2010-05-06T17:59:00.005-04:00

Once again, a little late because of trouble with my laptop .. but I've got a NuvoNova giveaway winner for you :o) There's also another giveaway coming up, the last one of the birthday giveaways .. as my birthday is this sunday. I will return to posting my regular rants & raves sometime next week .. I miss posting about regular stuff. I hope you enjoyed the giveaways and I loved giving back to you .. as you've given so much to me with your constant support !

The lucky winner of the NuvoNova necklace is :

Congrats to the wonderful

Sassy Chica @ Sassy Chica - the blog !

Congrats girl ! The mini-key necklace & pouch you wanted are yours :o)
Send me an email with your home address and NuvoNova will send you your lovely prize very soon !

Thank you all for participating !

Oh ! And I just want to throw it out there, I am NOT receiving ANY kind of compensation for doing these giveaways. I support NuvoNova's etsy store simply and fully because I love every one of her items and I asked her to do a giveaway with me as a "Thank you" to my loyal followers.

Have a great week, bloggies !

I will be posting another wonderful giveaway later..

.. so come back and enter for your chance to win :)

Goddess of .. The Golden Age of Couture !

2010-04-29T12:27:00.004-04:00

** Don't forget to enter the NuvoNova jewelry Giveaway by CLICKING HERE **

I had a wonderful weekend and I want to share a bit of it with you. Actually, I'd share all of it but I think this part is the most interesting :o)

The best day of my weekend was most definitely sunday. My mom and I drove out of town to go see a museum exhibition on The Golden Age of Couture : Paris & London - 1947 to 1957.

The museum had over 215 pieces (most if not all came where shipped in from the Victoria & Albert museum in London) of "Haute Couture" fashion from the late '40s & '50s and they did not disappoint. It's no secret that I have a very profound interest in fashion so this exhibit was really wonderful for me.

The expression "golden age of couture" was coined by Dior and mainly refers to the post-WW2 period when the "new look" was created in reaction to the deprivation & sacrifices brought on by World War 2. The "new look" term came from Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, to describe this figure marked by a very thin waist & round and fleshy shoulders. In other words, the "new look" got rid of clothes that hid the female form.

Allow me to share some of the couture beauties that were on display.

Christian Dior

"Zémire" evening ensemble

fall / winter collection

1954-1955

Christian Dior

"Bar" suit and hat

About 1955

Christian Dior

"Cygne Noir" (Black swan) evening dress

1949

Cristóbal Balenciaga

"Barrel" suit

1951

Cristóbal Balenciaga

Evening dress (The bow is Dior inspired)

About 1955

Balmain

Dress and petticoat

About 1950

Balmain

Evening dress

About 1950

Jean Dessès
Evening dress
About 1953

Jean Dessès
Evening dress
1948

Jean Dessès
Evening dress
1951

There were many more but this is just a looksie for you, bloggies.

Aside from that, I jumped on the Shoptopia band-wagon ! I'm only getting started on there but I think it r.o.c.k.s., you should definitely check out my first list by clicking right here and also, you should join too (I'm just sayin').

Happy thirst-day, bloggies !