Goddess of.. BIG Birthdays!

In exactly 2 months from today, it'll be my 25th birthday !

Two weeks after that, it'll be Lolita's 25th birthday !

And in June, my adorable grandma will celebrate her 100th birthday !

As you can imagine, I am busy brain-storming for the best ideas on how to make these special days even more memorable. Planning, I like to think, is one of my specialities. I'm organized and, quite frankly, one of the most anal-retentive perfectionnist people around. I'm determined to make a big deal out of these birthdays and to get shitfaced celebrate in style !

The first thing that came to mind

when I thought of a way to make a big deal of this : CAKE.

I'm a fanatic of the tv shows Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes. Either you know what I'm talking about or perhaps, you've seen pictures circulating of those amazing cakes. It's no secret, they're really fabulous but also quite expensive. I found a cake shop, here in the city, who seems to make similar (amazing) cakes.

I'm thinking of perhaps combining Lolita and I's birthday celebration .. and get one cake for both of us. That cuts the cost and gathers more friends & family in the same place. Also, we're bestfriends, turning the same age, within 2 weeks of each other .. it DOES NOT get more perfect than that, right ?

Obviously, for my grandma's cake, I would go with something simple, pastel colors, with some beautiful (real or icing/fondant) flowers on it. Both parties would probably involve around 50 people, so I guess it's good that it wouldn't be as big as a wedding cake. Of course, I need to find a job before spending this kind of money on cake, but that's .. well .. a piece of cake ! Uhmmm .. right.

If the budget doesn't allow for the "cake of my dreams", it could be just adding a special touch to some cupcakes and to the drinks.

via @ The TomKat Studio etsy store

via @ The Pink Cherry Mama etsy store

For some reason, I think these silly little party hats would be awesome to wear. However, I think that's the kind of thing that I would never be able to get Lolita on board with.

via @ The Monsoon Bead etsy store

Perhaps I'm leaning towards an Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatters themed party ?

But then again, neither of us are big Wonderland fans.

How about an Old Hollywood Glamour theme ?

Audrey Hepburn meets Marilyn Monroe.

Afterall, Lolita is the Audrey to my Marilyn.

Let me know what you think bloggies ?

P.S. You are ALL formally invited to this birthday bash !!

Goddess of .. Online Dating 2.0 !

Last week, Jenn Bollenbacher @ You'll grow to love me published her first E-Swagger article on the basics of online dating (which I strongly suggest you go read, right after you're done here !!).

Jenn's first tip suggested that each person must find the dating site that's right for them and then, went on to mention that she has chosen OkCupid for herself.

My last venture with online dating, in October 2009, was disappointing at best. Apparently, the dating site I used appealed mainly to construction workers originating from the suburbs of my city. And although, I have no personal beef with construction workers in general.. I have no interest in dating them. Our family & educational background, points of view and interests clash.. it's inevitable. That's a generalization, of course.

I did meet Benji through that specific dating site and although, we're not a good dating match, I respect him and find that we have many things in common. However, that dating site was still a major disappointment. Aside from Benji, I didn't meet anyone else in person. No profile got me thinking "Oh perhaps, him" or "Could he be my next bf ?".

As I read Jenn's article, I realized that perhaps I had underestimated the value of finding the right dating site for me. Sure, every site has losers and plenty of people that you won't get along with but some appeal to different types of people.. or at least, make it easier for you to figure out who would be a good match.

Enter OkCupid.

I had heard of OkC before but never knew it was entirely free (you're not limited to "winks" or sample e-mails) and used by many Canadians (I thought only Americans used OkC). I signed up, wrote a few paragraphs about myself, upload some pictures and started answering Match Questions to help find people who could be compatible matches. In no time, I had e-mails poring into my inbox and started browsing my possible Local Matches.

I found plenty of interesting and good looking guys for me. Young professionnals, who love to travel and learn about different cultures, who love to cook and enjoy great food & wine with friends, who are non-homophobic / non-racist. 

I'm really happy with OkCupid so far, really.

I exchanged several e-mails with one particular guy, Raj. He's really interesting and seems to fit all the above-mentionned "criterias". According to OkC, we're an 80% romantic match and a 70% friendship match.. it can't hurt, right ?

So we chatted on msn for a while yesterday and he's charming. Not pushy, quite funny and laid-back. He suggested we meet this week and I agreed, so we're going ice skating tomorrow night ! I'm probably gonna meet him at the ice skating rink (inside) around 5pm, when he finishes work. I'm really excited and I hope it'll be fun.. I'm sure it'll be funny at least, because apparently we're both kinda sucky at skating. Who knows, if all goes well, we might go for dinner afterwards ?!

He's 30 years old (but looks about 26-28 y/o), his parents are Indian (from India, not native indian) but he was born here I believe, quite funny, confidant, loves to travel, loves to cook & loves to discover new cultures. All of which sounds really good to me :o)

Cheers to my first date of 2010 !!!

Until then, I'm heading to the Alicia Keys concert tonight ! I'm in an Empire State of Mind ;o)

Goddess of .. Trading Spring Flings for Spring Things!

Uhmm, Spring Flings .. well maybe not so much. Any resemblance of a love life I may have had is a thing of the past .. and by past I mean .. 2009. Yup, it is that sad. Can't believe it's February already.

I'm in a great mood though. Single, jobless and happy. Could it be ?

There may not be any Spring Flings anywhere in sight for me but there are still plenty of Spring Things to feast my eyes on :

Like photographs by The Sartorialist

Like a Valentine's Day movie date with my (single) girlfriends

Like my awesome new red carry-on

33.99$ CAD @ Costco .. get yours today ;o)

Like all things nautical for spring-summer 2010

Spring Fling - Nautical by AritzaGoddess using Burberry shoes

How about you, bloggies ? What are some of your Spring Things ?

.. or are you sticking to Spring Flings this year ?

Goddess of .. If You Could Be Anything

I woke up in a really good mood today. I was having a silly dream and Mr. Unreliable was in it. He's kinda short and a little fat .. and he was running to catch up to someone .. and he looked silly. I was laughing at him (I'm a meanie, I know) and I was laughing so hard .. that I woke up. So, that put me in a good mood, lol !

Anywowzer, I've been busy at home. Until yesterday, I was elbow-deep in papers and stupid little nic nacs as I tried to get some order in my "office" and bedroom. My parents split up last year and now they are getting around to dividing their assets, mainly, the houses. Soooo, to make a really long story short, my mom hired an evaluator to establish the value of our home.. and he came yesterday morning. Obviously, we had to do a major clean up and put everything in order. So that's that.. we're just getting out of that. It looks amazing now though, so I'm really happy !

Other than that, I still haven't received a call for an interview. I have applied to a bunch of places that are interesting (in commercial or labour/employment law) but no news.. I've been unemployed for 3 weeks now. Wow, time flies.

Also, I have been questionning myself (for years) about what I really wanna do. Most people know right away, riiiight ??

- I like cooking and baking, I think I could like being a pastry chef.

- I like food and being judgemental, I think I could be a food critic.
But really, the odds of that happening are quite slim.

- I like travelling and sleeping in hotel beds, I think I could be a hotel critic.
Haha, again, odds are slim.

- I like fashion and design, I think I could be an interior designer.

- I like art and museums, I think I could work in a gallery or be a curator in a museum.

- I like volunteering and helping people, I think I could be a volunteer.
But that doesn't really pay the bills now, does it ?

- I like making money and having good social standing, I think I could put up with being a lawyer for 10 years and then, do whatever it is that I really wanna do. That was the original plan.

Gahhhh, this can drive me crazy. The possibilities just keep spinning in my head. None of them seems like the perfect and obvious choice. I think there must be a career I haven't heard of yet that fits my personality perfectly, right ?? Any ideas ?

If I could be anything in the whole wide world, I would be : HAPPY !

Yeah, that's all I got for now.

If you could be anything, what would YOU be ?

Goddess of .. Where In The World Wednesday - Volume 4 !

Public Service Announcement : I want to welcome all new bloggies, there's quite a few newbies around here (now 46 followers, yay!). Make yourselves at home :o), comment whenever possible (wink, wink) and enjoy the ride !

So, without further ado, it's that time again bloggies !

The 4th edition of Where In The World wednesdays !

(Jessica @ Classy in Philadelphia started this feature)

"Basically, each week I will post a new picture of me in some place I've traveled to (or if not me, a photo I took at a place I traveled to).

If a lot of people participate, it will be a fun way to see where some of our favorite bloggers have traveled! It doesn't have to be recent, it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just anywhere you consider traveling!"

Today's feature : As you may know, if you've been reading for a while, I took my mom on a trip to Philadelphia in April 2009. We were celebrating her 60th birthday ! The picture on the left was taken next to the Reading Market Terminal, our first stop in the city.. where we enjoyed some delicious cheesesteak sandwiches .. I'll be baaaaaack ! The second picture was taken in front of the gorgeous Swann Memorial Fountain, in Logan Circle.. right next to the Philly Free Library. I was so exhausted that day, it was Easter day .. we had breakfast at Sabrina's Café & Spencer's too.. later we visited the Rodin Museum and in the afternoon, Eastern State Penitentiary .. ohh and we stopped for a snack.. cinnamo-sugared donuts & locally-brewed chocolate beer at The Belgian Café. It was a loooong day, but totally amazing !

Flowers blossoming near Reading Terminal Market

&

Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan circle

My delicious cheesesteak sandwich @ Spataro's Cheesesteaks

 in Reading Terminal Market

&

Cinnamon-sugared donuts and locally-brewed chocolate beer @ The Belgian Café

located on the corner of 21st street & Green street

Excuse the late post but fotoflexer did NOT cooperate with me today.. Actually, I even tried preparing the photos yesterday .. and even then, fotoflex was being a little witch. Urgh.

Kisses & much love,

Goddess of .. Feel Good Friday - Volume 2 !

Welcome one and all, to the 2nd edition of the

"Feel Good (About Yourself) Friday" !
{read all FGFs here}

Every week (or so) I will post something to feel good about and you can do the same on your blogs. It doesn't have to be anything complicated, maybe just list some things you like about yourself and invite others to do the same :o)

Think of "Feel Good (About Yourself) Fridays" as a day to shamelessly toot your own horn, to cut yourself some slack & to pat yourself on the back and say "good job" ..

Grab the "Feel Good Friday" button
by copying the code in the box below

and pasting it in your own blog post..
Come on, dooooo it, you'll feel goooood !

<center><a href="http://aritza-goddess.blogspot.com/search/label/Feel%20Good%20Fridays"><img border="0" src="http://fotos.fotoflexer.com/f267ddfc80af4f14c2296b3ac47fa054.gif"/></a></center>

...

Today's Feel Good question  :

What's your favorite personality trait about yourselves, bloggies ?

Why ? And how do you exploit it best ?

My answer :

I'd have to say the fact that I'm generous.

I like it because it comes naturally and whenever I give, however way it is, it makes me feel really good and like I should be proud of myself. I think it's a great quality to have and I always appreciate it when I recognize it in others. Even though most generous people don't do it for the recognition, I think it's always nice to feel appreciated.

I use this characteristic best by doing volunteer work I think. Volunteering doesn't require much of an effort for me (except to look for & find the volunteering opportunities but not the work itself) and I love to know that in some little way, I am helping someone who needs it. Everyone needs a helping hand at some point and I think I have been very fortunate, so far in my life, not to need much help .. so I have the strength and energy to help others.

What about you bloggies ?

I'm impatiently awaiting to hear about your best personality traits. Make sure to showcase your personality and true character this weekend, you'll feel goooood !

Ciao,

These awesome people participated in this week's "Feel Good Friday".. Write your own feel good post and come back here after to add your link

Goddess of .. Snail Mail is the Best Kind of Mail !

And Bloggers are the Best Kind of People !

Seriously.

I got some wonderful snail mail yesterday regarding

Suz's Starbucks giftcard giveaway which I won on Dec. 18th.

Mark your calendars people, that was a great day :o)

I can't believe how lucky I am.

I started reading blogs and blogging in March 2009 and already, I've won 2 giveaways.

The first one being my "Cherry Blossom Girl" print

from a giveaway hosted by JKLdesign & Miss Lizzy Marie.

Anywho, just wanted to thank you, Suz !

The card was very sweet and I loved getting snail mail :o)

I'll be heading to Starbucks this weekend to enjoy some lattes.

Everyone head over to Suz's "30 before 30 List" blog .. you will love it :o)

Goddess of .. Where In The World Wednesday - Volume 3 !

The lovely Jessica @ Classy in Philly started a feature called :

the Where In The World wednesdays !
{Click here to view all my WITWW posts}

"Basically, each week I will post a new picture of me in some place I've traveled to (or if not me, a photo I took at a place I traveled to).

If a lot of people participate, it will be a fun way to see where some of our favorite bloggers have traveled! It doesn't have to be recent, it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just anywhere you consider traveling!"

Today's feature : Back in May 2007, Miguel and I took our first (and only) vacation together. I had just finished my bachelor's degree in Law and I had a few days off before my prom. We agreed on a warm / beachy destination.. St. Pete's Beach (just outside Tampa) in Florida. I believe we were there from April 30th to May 4th .. so around 5 days. It was a blast and the weather was perfect, every. single. day. around 85 degrees.

That's me, on the beach at sunset, right in front of our hotel,

the Grand Plaza Beachfront Resort Hotel & Conference Center.

{A couple more pics to show you our dream vacation spot}

1. The Hotel (with a revolving restaurant on top)
2. St. Pete's beach (beautiful and not too crowded in May)
3. View of the beach from our room (on the left side we could see Boca Ciega bay, beautiful as well)

Okay bloggies, enough nostalgia for today, I'm craaaaaaving the beach these days and this is not helping !

Have a great one !



If you participated in today's Where In The World Wednesday, add your name and direct link to your WITWW post to the Mr.Linky below ! ... If you didn't participate, shame on you ;o) !

Jan. 13th 2010 Where In The World Wednesday Participants :

Goddess of .. Feel Good Friday - Volume 1 !

Welcome one and all, to the very first edition of the

"Feel Good (About Yourself) Friday" !

Hi bloggies (You're looking good today!),

I am launching this new feature, and hope that you will all join me, to help us all further develop our self esteem because frankly, we're all REALLY awesome and I think we just don't know it yet ! I don't need to tell you how important it is to know your worth in order to realize your dreams and get what you really want out of life, right ?

Maybe, like myself, you know this perfectly well but you're struggling with it .. no worries, "Feel Good Friday" are here to help. Every week (or so) I will post something to feel good about and you can do the same on your blogs. It doesn't have to be anything complicated, maybe just list some things you like about yourself and invite others to do the same :o)

Think of "Feel Good (About Yourself) Fridays" as a day to shamelessly toot your own horn, to cut yourself some slack & to pat yourself on the back and say "good job" ..

Grab the "Feel Good Friday" button
by copying the code in the box below

and pasting it in your own blog post..
Come on, dooooo it, you'll feel goooood !

<center><a href="http://aritza-goddess.blogspot.com/search/label/Feel%20Good%20Fridays"><img border="0" src="http://fotos.fotoflexer.com/f267ddfc80af4f14c2296b3ac47fa054.gif"/></a></center>

...

Today's Feel Good question  :

What's your favorite physical attribute about yourselves, bloggies?

Why ? And what do you do to feature it ?

Think about it this way ..

If you could only keep one physical attribute from your body in this life,

to transfer to your new body in your next life,

which one would you pick ?

My answer :

I'd have to say my lips.

I like them because I think the shape is perfect. The top lip has just the right curve and shape around the cupid's bow, it's not flat and boring. The bottom lip is just full enough to look delicious (if I do say so myself) without looking fake, hehehe.

I usually just keep my lips bare during the day at work because it feels better that way (and bright or dark lipstick/gloss can be a little too much for the office) but I looove putting some Sephora lip gloss when I go out at night.. right now the pink-o-lada color is my favorite shade !

I usually go for light pink shades because I think it suits my skintone (super pale), eyes (light blue) and hair (blonde) better than dark colors and makes my lips look even plumper (is that a word ??). *smoooch*

What about you bloggies?

I'm impatiently awaiting to hear about your best features and beauty tips / secrets. Make sure to showcase your beauty this weekend, you'll feel goooood !

Ciao,

These awesome people participated in this week's "Feel Good Friday".. Write your own feel good post and come back here after to add your link

Goddess of .. Where in The World Wednesday - Volume 2 !

The lovely Jessica @ Classy in Philly started a feature called :

the Where In The World wednesdays !

(click here to see Jessica's destination for this week)

"Basically, each week I will post a new picture of me in some place I've traveled to (or if not me, a photo I took at a place I traveled to).

If a lot of people participate, it will be a fun way to see where some of our favorite bloggers have traveled! It doesn't have to be recent, it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just anywhere you consider traveling!"

I haven't been posting this feature regularly yet because it seems like all my good travel pictures are not digital. Can you believe it ? I haven't been traveling to very interesting destinations since cameras started using digital formats. HAHA.. not funny, lol. Mama needs a vacation. Anywho, it might be a while before I decide to scan pictures of my trips to France, Italy or Greece .. so until then, it'll mostly be pictures of little trips around the good 'ole U.S. of A.

Today's feature : My parents offered to take me on a roadtrip accross New England when I turned 18.. and aside from the constant bickering between my parents .. I remember I got to live one of my biggest dreams at the time : Surfing !

I remember being sooooo sore the day after .. my abs and arms were ripping apart but it was an amazing experience and I'm so grateful I got to try it.

In fact, I even added "try surfing again" to my 30 before 30 list .. I loved it so much !

Hahaha, good memories .. Wetsuits I look so dorky !

Goddess of .. A fresh start for 2010 !

It's 6:17am.

I pulled an all-nighter but I did it, hehe.

I hope you like the new template for the blog. I originally wanted to make it all pretty by January 1st but the custom header image thingy was difficult a bitch to make (it took me days).. because I am not at all Photoshop-friendly (or Photoshop is not at all Aritza-friendly .. if you will). Anywowzer, I was determined to incorporate that specific image because it. rocks. my. socks. OFF.

...

Here's how the Holidays went down for me

December 23rd : Housewarming party at Lolita's - Major Success, about 15-20 people were there and it was fun. The food that Lolita and I cooked was really good, I was kind of impressed we pulled it off.

{Only halfway done with the clean-up at that point ..}

December 24th : Christmas Eve celebration with Mom and her bestfriend. We had a five-course dinner at a very fancy hotel restaurant .. it was simply delicious. And then, as a gift to all of us, I rented a room in that hotel, where we exchanged gifts and drank some bubbly !

{3 people, 50 presents, sounds about right}

{Make-up station for the Belle of the Bal}

{Have I ever mentionned how much I lurve hotel beds ?}

December 25th : Christmas Night dinner at Lolita's dad's place. It's always a good time when we go there .. espescially because her dad is a wine specialist / expert (the man does that for a living, my hero). So uhmmm, amazing food, amazing wines and a jacuzzi, enough said. I died and went to heaven.

 

{Lolita and her cousin giving me the Bunny Ears}

{One third (!) of Lolita's Dad's wine cellar.. I'll be baaack}

{Fettucini, Linguini, Martini, Bikini}

December 26th : Boxing Day - Shopping bonanza. I bought plenty of work clothes because it was necessary and some pretty pretty boots because I'm worth it, hehe.

{Mama bought some hawt boots}

How 'bout you ? How were your holidays, bloggies ?

 

P.S. It's now 7:53am .. ouch .. no beauty sleep for me. We hip hop and we don't stop.