The Whole World and Me

In today's world, we work mainly with emails, right? I have people with whom I've been exchanging emails for years and I don't even know what they look like!! Yes, it's a new day and era, we all know it! And because of it, work relationships have also changed. Some of these people I work with only via email became kind of my friends... Is that weird or are you totally on board with this? 

I've discovered early on that it is possible to have an empathy, immediate or not, with people only through email. I have one particular case, my guapa!!!!, which was particularly different: our empathy was almost immediate and soon we were exchanging personal emails, talking about our lives, without having ever heard each other's voices!! 

Is this a new kind of relationships? Do we need one more relationship status on facebook? ;)

On the other hand, I find myself trying to be friendly on my emails. I'm formal, of course, but after a couple of emails I drop the "Dear" and go straight to the "Hi". Sometimes, even though I'm being all warm, the other person insists on the "Dear" and "Kind regards"... being all formal and making me feel like I'm forcing an email friendship..ahah! Well, not forcing, but there are those who really create walls, separating two worlds, which is fine and some people would argue much more safer and saner! 

But even though I may be crazy, I really like my "work email friends". Some of them have become really good friends and the truth is, the more the merrier, right?

Have a great weekend, enjoy this amazing SUN!!!

As always, my visits to Zara have only one result: Shoes! 

These babies were screaming for me and yes, I don't really need them, but my feet were in desperate need of some glittery and comfy heels :)

The temple of love is not love itself;

True love is the treasure,

Not the walls about it.

Do not admire the decoration,

But involve yourself in the essence,

The perfume that invades and touches you

The beginning and the end.

Discovered, this replace all else,

The apparent and the unknowable.

Time and space are slaves to this presence.

Rumi

After I told you about my first experience in the dating market since I'm single (here), I found myself on the other end of that conversation: how's the dating scene for a 30-something guy.

My new friend (I'm always surprise when I make new friends nowadays... I will have to write a post about this soon!) was telling me how he found my post funny and how he has a similar and yet different experience from me. 

So, what is it like for a 30-something guy?

First, I should clarify a couple of things: he's successful, he's good looking, he is educated and has several interests in music, books, film, art, etc and he's the proud father of three children. These said, he tells me he finds mainly two types of women:

- "I'm thirty and I want to have kids... NOW!!"

- "I've just ended a long relationship and I'm in serious need of some ego nurturing"

Hum... it got me thinking.

For one, I have to say, I don't find myself in any of these categories or profiles. Yes, maybe a little bit on the second one, but my ego is just fine, so no need for nurturing!

But, I see what he means, I really do. This is something that has been going around since women emancipated themselves. It comes a time when pretty much every woman on the planet starts hearing this ticking sound... it starts really low, then it gets stronger and one day your need to mate it's just unbearable! I believe this is why there are so many single/divorced parents nowadays, well... at least one of the reasons why!

As for the second profile, well rebound relationships have been around since... what? Ever? Frankly, I think this profile fits women and men alike. We all need a rebound every now and then, just someone to make us feel good about ourselves. Right?

At the end of the day, maybe the dating scene is filled with profiles and generalizations, that's a fact. And maybe we will stumble upon these profiles and, in turn, fit in some of them as well. 

The bottom line is this: the dating scene is challenging and difficult, more so as we get older. We are more demanding and we know what we want, which makes everything harder, not easier. We have been broken, we have been made whole again... And in this process we've learned to love and be loved, and to be sad, and angry, and desperate, and happy, really happy. 

My only hope is... after as many bad dates as one can get, we are bound to feel those butterflies again, right? Right?... 

Well, now I just hear crickets!!! ;)

One of my favorite websites in the whole world, Though Catalog, published this amazing and eye opening article.

A group of first graders were asked what they think adults need to learn and to draw a picture of it. Here are some of their responses:

Prepare yourself for some insightful advices!

I almost gasped when I listened to this guy... soulful is the word that keeps coming to my mind.

Below a great original by Burial, also a master, and then the cover by Chet Faker. Seriously, it's like it's a whole new world :)

During my trip to Turkey I had several bad moments: rude people, bad hotels, horrible food, last minute changes, rude people and oh! Did I mention rude people?! In a country with so many contrasts and often described as trapped between West and East, I was expecting a little bit more of its people. I only  met nice people in the smallest cities - people are warm, welcoming, they want to know about you, even though they don't understand what you are saying. But with these people I spoke a different language, a language that came from within. In between smiles and gestures, we were able to communicate and I left with the fondest memories of these precious few.

While facing these bad moments, I tried my best to smile thinking "good moments don't always give the best stories!". And so I faced every obstacle, every bad second, with 10 deep breaths and a smile. It was tough, I admit,  but also enlightening. 

I've learned to take a step back, reconsider and mostly, to look at things in the right perspective.

Now, with all this new knowledge, I am facing some bad news and I am trying so hard to take a step back, but my feet just seem like they are weighing a ton! I really want to look at this setback and think that is not a big deal, but it is... let me tell you and maybe you can tell me I'm being childish! ;)

I've never traveled alone. Ever! On the verge of my 29th birthday, I decided it was high time to do it. I mean, when was the last time you did something for the first time? And so it was decided and with deep excitement I started to plan my solo trip. Three days in Madrid, a city I know well, where I have some friends if I don't feel like being alone, with two major exhibits I want to see. Perfect, right? Nicky and I could walk around the whole weekend, discovering Madrid from new perspectives. And I would spend my birthday there, by myself, which doesn't mean I'm sad, depressed, or anything like that. It just means I need some time with myself... That's another thing I discovered in Turkey... I need some "me" time, some time to really reconnect with myself again...

But today, still with that excitement, I checked my credit card bill and all my plans, my dream, came rolling down a big mountain... I won't be able to go. It's true I have a closet full of new things, but I won't be able to go...

I wish I could really look at this from some other perspective, one that is positive, but I'm failing to see the positive side. So, in light of all that I've learned, I find myself back at square one.

So... happy birthday to me, right?

Here I am, back in one piece from Turkey :)