Goddess of.. The Great Yoga Challenge of 2011!

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.. Home Stretch: T Minus 5 Days!

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.. 26 candles for moi!

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!

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.. Social Media Marketing?!

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.. My Insta-Life This Week!

Sweet treats make time fly by at work

Homemade cupcakes are so good!

Currently reading

Out with coworkers

My new phone is here!!

Tofu and veggies

Goddess of .. Gotta Have "Faith" Giveaway !

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 :

1. 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
"Get 5$ OFF + FREE shipping on all orders over $25".

 Simply use the PROMO CODE: aritza5off (all lower-case) 
Promo code expires on 2/11/11.

Good luck, Bloggies !

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

Goddess of.. Where did November go?

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 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.. Scored Big at Beyond The Rack!

Beyond The Rack was having its first warehouse sample sale in my City this weekend.. and being the bargain whore that I am, I simply had to go! It was a long time of waiting out in the cold, rummaging through messy tables with piles and piles of stuff, and trying on clothes in a shared changing room.. but overall, it was worth it.

I managed to find two items I really liked and scored some great deals.

A nice green silk top by Wish Collection for $10.. 

and a wonderful navy blue maxi dress by linQ for $30 (original price $148).

The dress was apparently, bought and worn by both Eva Longoria and Annalynn McCord.

Although all that really matters is that I think 

it looks even better in navy blue 

and I love the way it fits and feels on me :)

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

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!

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 SO over it!

Happy weekend bloggies!

Goddess of .. The Little Things !

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 !

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 ?