It is almost Christmas (!) and I am still up to my neck in work! Besides my taking a break on Thursday and Sunday, I will be typing away at the computer, flipping through textbooks and cramming information into my brain. So my goals for this week are:

• Finish 3 assignments by tonight (without counting one I finished this morning)
• Get the last of my Christmas shopping done — I’m so unprepared! Boo!
• Have an amazing Christmas Eve with family, lots of wine and desserts.
• Finish 4 more assignments by Friday
• Start studying on Saturday

And there you have it! A holiday dictated by numerous cramming sessions. New Year’s shall be a nice break to go all out, then quickly back to it by Jan. 1st! I am a mix of excitement and anxiousness and so, so tired. But I’ll survive, no doubt!

How are you guys preparing for Christmas? Loving the snow this year, nice touch Earth!

I am finally free for the Holidays! Well, semi free, as I have four exams waiting for me in January. BUT that does not mean I am any less excited about 2010 coming! Today I have been daydreaming, making plans and early lists of what I want 2010 to be like. And because you attract what you will, in some measure or other, I am going to make sure I close off 2009 well so that I can start fresh. And no, I don’t mean making a list of resolutions that I will forget about after January 5th; I mean an actual goal plan, what do I want to do and how do I get there?

For today I have been looking at homes with little quirky corners, and have found my favorite places archived away in the murky depths of my hard drive. My plan is to print these out and put them up on my wall; a sort of inspiration wall that will contain all sorts of treasures that I find.

LITTLE CORNERS

Some of these may be repeated in my past posts, but they are favorites! As always, from The Selby.

We are of the universe, a galaxy of thoughts, of happiness and mystery, love, anger. We are a mosaic of eclectic crystals, sometimes an artist, others a bit of a diva, maybe a dreamer. People often feel that being one way automatically cancels out  some other part of their personality, when really there is no clear cut between black and white; there are millions of colors and shades that make us the way we are! (And I am not just saying this because I happen to be a walking contradiction…) This pours through every aspect of our life, our moods, our clothes, the way we decorate our home, those little things we love to do with the people we most cherish.

And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. — Confucius

It isn’t about labeling yourself, because labels confine your identity to one sole mass based on popular stereotypes, and while a few people do feel like they belong to a certain category (i.e. the way music might be in a specific genre), it all comes down to attitude, your tendencies, the part of ‘you’ that remains even as time passes. You might have a tendency to be quiet, yet around friends you are out going and the life of the party. That’s fine. Maybe you love the vintage look but on a Friday night you go all out, Poker Face style. That’s fine too. Your ‘essence’ will remain no matter how your mood/the stage of life you find yourself in determines what you wear or how you act. It is about knowing more about your ‘self’, being comfortable in your own skin (and being comfortable does not mean becoming static; there is always room for experimenting and trying out new things which may or may not work for you).

Of course it is definitely easier said than done. Many of us aren’t even sure of what our ‘self’ comprises entirely. This shouldn’t become an identity struggle, but rather just a reminder to be aware that we do not need to be constant with absolutely everything, that we are changing (the way that you can’t step into a flowing river twice), and to nurture every part of our inward being.

From my own self, I have identified the six parts that make up my essence for now, so to speak. Though they are and will be forever changing there are certain aspects of them that will always remain:

1. The Dreamer: She is looking for change, ways to improve her life and experience. Sets goals and seeks motivation to get them, trying (though very hard sometimes) to keep a positive attitude. May find herself up in the clouds from time to time, but if there is a will there is a way.
2. The Meditator: She is contemplative, keeps her surroundings in mind and always imagines the what ifs. Driven by curiosities, both big and small, she wants to learn and keep learning.
3. They Gypsy: She is spiritual without committing to any one specific religion, instead taking the best of each. Of the Earth, tries to find balance between the materialistic and the spiritual. Importance of mental health and spiritual well-being.
4. The Lover: She loves herself first, including all eccentricities, physical imperfections (though she battles with The Diva at times). A lover of everything that comprises life: the people, the places, the experiences. Forgives herself, finds a way to live with not-so-great decisions so that she may have better judgement next time around.
5. The Diva: Adds that little bit of drama. Everything superficial, indulges in shopping and little greedy wants. She is strong willed, quiet but stubborn. One day on top and the next hoping to blend into the walls, versatile, indecisive, jealous.
6. The Artificer: Loves to create, imagine. She is a perfectionist and very impatient, which is why she needs a little extra push for some projects (driven by The Dreamer)

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Which parts make your ‘self’? Do you tend to be constant in behavior, or are you a bit of a contradiction like me?

Last Friday, right before I became deathly ill (and I say that literally), I went to a few exhibitions with my cousin. Observing art is one of my favorite things in the world, not only for the art itself but because I love to see people looking at art — the silence that consumes everyone into individual bubbles, where thoughts spiral through their faces to produce a reaction. Well that is exactly what happened with us; we had been talking non-stop during lunch and on our way, and the second we went through the exhibition hall entrance, that same silence took over us until we left.

One of the exhibitions was called “Maternity”, which was a collection of photographs from all over the world of a mother and her child. But it wasn’t just the amazing photographs of those moments captured that caused my spiraling thoughts to produce a reaction; one of the walls was dedicated entirely to visitor cards in which people wrote down what maternity and motherhood meant to them. They were so diverse not only in content but in length, the way some people can sum up just about anything in a sentence and others keep adding details.

My favorite two:

(From Portuguese)

Mom, I am very happy here in Madrid these days and everything I see reminds me of you! I wish my eyes would bring everything I see to you. I love you, Alessandra.

(From Spanish)

Mom, you were, are and will always be what I most loved, love and will love in my life. C.E

Ironically, as I fell sick that afternoon and spent the next two days lying around in bed, it was my mother who took care of absolutely every detail. And it usually is, as it happens, my mother who watches out for me, who is blunt and honest with me, who listens to me, who constantly gives without expecting in return. It is inexplicable, but she really does know me better than most; I cannot fool her for a second. She is not without faults, of course, but I have learned to accept those and what is left is someone I admire for her courage and drive, and for her sense of humor. Some of my most intense laughing fits come from laughing with her.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. — Tenneva Jordan

So it isn’t Mother’s Day, but then again you don’t really need one specific day to celebrate your mother, do you?

A list of pickeruppers:

• Get out of the house and get lost in your city. Draw a map of where you went and what you found.
• Have a Disney marathon.
• Get yourself over to Polyvore and make outfits. If the crisis hasn’t affected you, buy them!
• Write a short story/poem/novel. Send it in for a contest or just let it sit for someone to find.
• Chick lit! Nothing like a lighthearted read for when you don’t want to do too much thinking.
• Buy yourself a birthday cake and eat it (or save a slice for every day of the week).
• Re-read a favorite.
• Maybe overdone, but definitely still cute: Maru the Cat. Favorite it.
• Dance around the house.
• Go to a movie/show/exhibition on your own.
• Draw your favorite possessions.
• Collect your favorite pieces of writing in a notebook.
• Write about your dream house/apartment/loft.
• Have a 3 way with friends, reminisce about the 90′s.
• Pick a book by its cover and buy it to read.
• Love your ‘self’ and stop picking up rocks.
• Make a video of a day in your life and adorn it with your favorite song as a soundtrack.
• Clean out your closet.
• Start on Your Piece and complete the 100 Acorns project.
• Watch back to back episodes of your favorite TV shows with some wine and friends.
• Send a letter to someone far away.
• Le Love.
• Sing, even if you think you can’t.
• Get your nails done, then buy a cute ring to match!
• Follow a tutorial and create something.
• Plan a short trip somewhere. Pack accordingly!
• Print off beautiful pictures/pictures of beautiful things and stick them on your wall. We Heart It can help with that.
• Get/make someone a gift just because.
• Write an honest letter to your body.
• Draw your favorite outfit.
• How is your life wheel? Make one and assess what you need to change.
• Dye/cut/curl/straighten your hair.
• Start a challenge (e.g. 50 Books, 101 in 1001)
• For mindless celeb gossip: Oh No They Didn’t
• For inspiration: Hairspiration (but of course!), Foto_Decadent, Lace and Flora, Polariode, Pretty Books, Saucy Dwellings (!!!)
• 100 Ideas from Kerismith.com