Happy Little Things

Often times we don't appreciate the little things that can make you happy throughout the week. Here is a small list of things that made me week this week:

1. A neighbor offering to let me hitch a ride on her taxi free of charge.
2. Going out to dinner with my family, and having the waiters hand out roses.
3. Realizing a life goal for myself.
4. Volunteering with the lovely NYC Have a Hart Day Crew at a nearby soup kitchen.
5. Making new friends at the event, who were especially sweet.
6. Continuing my bullet journal.
7. Taking a mental health day without feeling horrible about it. 
8. Starting my fitness and being consistent about it.
9. Falling asleep on the sofa and waking up in bed. 
10. Having a first date not go horrible.
11. A promise to receive a letter from my best friend

What are some things that made you happy this week?

                 

Happy Birthday Roomie!

room·mate

 noun \ˈrüm-ˌmāt, ˈru̇m-\

: a person who shares a room, apartment, or house with someone else

We started out as ROOMMATES, we didn't know anything really about each other. But for some reason our admission counselor thought it would be good for us to share a room. We met once for ice cream and after rejecting me as your roommate, weeks later you hit me up and asked me to be yours. We started to plan for our ideal room.

friend·ship

ˈfren(d)SHip/

noun

the emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends.

synonyms:

relationship, close relationship, attachment, mutual attachment,association, bond, tie, link, union; informalbromance "lasting friendships"

• a relationship between friends.

  plural noun: friendships

  "she formed close friendships with women"

  synonyms:

  amity, camaraderie, friendliness, comradeship, companionship,fellowship, fellow feeling, closeness, affinity, rapport, understanding,harmony, unity; More
• a state of mutual trust and support between allied nations.
• 
  

Somehow a FRIENDSHIP started to bloom. I guess it was unavoidable. We didn't really know anyone else and we were stuck with each other for the next year. Hesitance turned into trust. And how could it not, we were with each other 24/7. Same major, same dorm, same music taste. We grew closer than I thought possible, which was weird at first. But it was cool to experience our roommate honey moon phase. Meaning, you waking me up, me making you coffee and us putting in so much effort in our experiences as we trudge through the slipper ice and annoying snow to get to our 8am biology class (which I may or may not have spent it all on tumblr). 

Team mate

Somebody on the same team that, no matter what, won't quit on you, will always defend you in front of non-team members and is there for the team.

Team mates are always there for each other

And when you finally let me drag you into rugby, something we both love and hold dear we became TEAMMATES, not that we weren't already. But at least now we were "official teammates" in a sense, so you weren't just my roommate or a friend, you were a teammate. A prop. Someone who had my back to make sure no big rugby players tackled or destroyed the scrum too easily. Sometimes, my life was literally in your hands. 

plan

plan/

noun

1. 1.

   a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.

   "the UN peace plan"

   synonyms:

   procedure, scheme, strategy, idea, proposal, proposition, suggestion,action point; More
2. 2.

   an intention or decision about what one is going to do.

   "I have no plans to retire"

   synonyms:

   intention, aim, idea, intent, objective, object, goal, target, ambition "her plan was to win a medal"

And then we both made difficult decisions and decided to move on from our initial PLAN, 

change

CHānj/

verb

1. 1.

   make or become different.

   "a proposal to change the law"
2. 2.

   take or use another instead of.

   "she decided to change her name"
3. 
   
4. we literally decided to CHANGE the direction of our lives. 

I'm so thankful to have you in my life. You literally are like a sister to me. We can't see each other every day now, but just know that I support you in everything you do and that you will go far in the world. I love you roomie and happy birthday. May the odds be ever in your favor and cheers to a new beginnings and lasting friendships.

~Cielo

P.S. Roomies who pray together stay together. Roomies who slay together stay together. Roomies who survived the crazyness of eco house will move out to a whole other state :) (inside joke).

P.P.S. I am a sap, but if anyone asks, I never did this :P.

They/Them

​I was trying to explain to my sister about using they/them pronouns...

and I was literally shocked at how much anger and aggressiveness was in her response. She said that it didn't make any logical sense to use they/them in english and they should either choose between he/she or make up their own pronouns (which I know exist). I literally sat with her for an hour trying to explain to her why, if someone prefers it and it makes them comfortable that she should for decency sake just use they/them. But she kept arguing that if they are one person she shouldn't have to use plural pronouns to describe them and she would only do that if they had multiple personalities disorders. And that reading stories about them would be difficult and not worth it.

I just feel like we are in no place to judge how others express their genders. Yes we are assigned sex at birth through our sexual organs but gender and gender expression are completely different things. 

It just turned into this whole thing about other issues that my family has with the lgbt communities and brought in my gender expression. Is it wrong that I felt a tiny bit attacked? Like my heart was beating way hard in my chest and I can literally see the aggressiveness in her eyes ever time I blinked. I just don't understand why she acted in such an angry and fearful way. Like I get that as humans we are scared of things we don't understand, but being non-binary is something that she says she gets. So why is being uncomfortable for a while in conversation while getting use to someone's preferred pronouns so horrible. She got super loud and tried to figure out if I wanted her to refer to me in that "unlogical" way because of the way I want to express myself. I just didn't expect that from her and had no idea how to better explain/handle the situation. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions with how to handle the situation next time? ( I doubt she will let it die)?  

Cielo

Snow Days Fun Days

A day off in college is really rare, so we decided to just do a mini photo shoot instead. 

Snow days are something that I would pray for as a child. In fact my best friend and I had this running joke as high schoolers where we would pray for it on the train as we traveled home during the hotter months of the year. In fact, most of the time...it was summer (we got our fair share during high school), but that just meant we would have to wish a little bit harder for the random blizzard to shut down the school. It never worked, but a girl could dream right? This is why, even though I am no longer a high school student snow days have a huge place in my heart. It's like a little bit of liberation, even though there is nothing to be liberated fun.

Anyway, these are somethings that I love to do on my beloved snow days.

It is easy to sit in bed and sleep in and turn a whole day into a lazy day sometimes it is necessary to just relax and forget about school, work and internships. If I wasn't living at home this would definitely be my top priority, but my parents view any day not doing something productive is a wasted day. As soon as their alarm clocks go off (6am) everyone is expected to be up and doing things. Yes, even on weekends. My Netflix addiction (I will watch it under the covers so my dad will think I'm asleep), doesn't really enjoy the early morning wake up calls , but I can find my way around it. Be productive until around 10 am and then take a well deserved nap!

Today I decided I would tackle some chores, laundry, cooking and attempting to organize my room. It's a little bigger than a dorm room but my sister and I have too many things and none of the room! Regardless, I unpacked and tried to organize my side and I'm pretty happy with it.

Coffee shops are my favorite place to sit down and write or read a book. It is a nice change of environment for me and funny enough it is the closest I get to getting privacy while living at home. (Can't you tell I am missing that dorm life). To emulate that relaxing feeling I use the Coffitivity app. Just plug in some headphones and you can listen to typical coffee shop sounds. I like to mix in some spotitify playlist recommendations on my laptop. I'll also grab my favorite mug (my magical TARDIS mug) and get some tea. I like to step away from coffee when I'm not at college. I can't get addicted to another thing in life, I'm broke enough as a student! Any I planned some future posts for my blog today as well as worked on my future book.  I even got to draw. Which never happens.

I really didn't want to go outside. Any place I would have gone to would have been impossible to get to since the transportation was down and I would probably slip on a piece of black ice and die. But it was nice to stay indoors without having to worry about the busy life of a city girl. Tomorrow is back to the chaos but I wouldn't want it any other way.

~Cielo~

What did you guys do with your snow day?

January 25th is My New Year

As I said yesterday, wanting to change and improve yourself is a wonderful and positive thing to do. Wanting to do it...its just an excuse to put off things that you may ultimately struggle with. I'm tired of it and want to change from now on. So naturally I sat myself down and didn't half ass my resolutions/goals. They might seem really specific but with my mind having clear directions for myself gives me a high chance of succeeding.

Goals for the next 365 days

1. Write something every day. Whether it be working on my story, poetry or completing writing prompts. I will be starting with the Qwiklit Challenge today!
2. Create something artsy at least once a week. Whether it be a drawing, painting or a voice recording. Creativity is something that I have been shoving to the side for the sake of others but it is something that I enjoy and of course, want to get better at.
3. Update my blog 3 times a week (besides the writing challenge), and my Youtube once a week, even if no one reads or watches. Be selfish and do the things you love for yourself...myself. 
4. Read all the books in my house before buying new ones! Or at least read most of them. I have books in every possible corner and most of them remain unread.
5. Be in good academic standing.
6. Put myself out there! Go apply, audition and volunteer. The internet will remain in my comfy bedroom but experiences are out there and I don't want to miss any of it.
7. Remain in contact with my friends from my old college.
8. Learn a new song once a month on my piano/guitar. Learn a dance too maybe? Youtube has so many tutorials so this should go well! Record my progress it will be funny to look back on!
9. Learn how to manage my money.
10. Cook a new healthy meal once a week ( I may blog these). 
11. Get fit and healthier. It doesn't matter if I keep failing as long as I don't give up.

All these things might seem to specific or like I'm trying to hard to reach many goals but 365 days is a long time and I'm pretty sure I can make time to do the things I love and do it well.

My before stats for getting healthier!! (Will update these once a month but I will restart )

• Weight: 230ish? Still afraid to look
• Height: 5 and 3/4
• Bust: 51.2 cm
• Chest: 47.5 cm
• Waist: 50.1 cm
• Hips: 51.6 cm
• Thigh: 34.5 cm
• Calves: 19cm
• Upper arm: 15.5 cm
• Forearm: 12.1 cm
• Neck: 19 cm

I'm excited for these next few weeks, I can't wait for the changes my body will make. And if I fail I swear I will pick myself and keep on trying. 

xoxo

Cielo

Any tips or tricks for a healthier more creative life? Leave me a comment down below! 

The Thing About New Years

Note: I took down the rest of my blogmas post because I felt like they were too personal and depressing to look back on. I'm trying to create positivity and I refuse to have that chilling on my blog! Anyway to today's post!
_________________________________________________________________________________

It's amazing how much we love to limit ourselves. I'm not referring to how we set timelines and guidelines, make lists and announce our plans to the Universe. I find those things to be rather useful and exciting. It's nice to plan ahead and set goals, even if you are unable to reach them because it is at least something to strive for. I'm talking about New Years. And yes, I am well aware that New Years happened a good 25 days ago. BUT 25 days can feel like a lifetime and surprisingly I am still finding #newyearnewme's floating along on my twitter feed.

When I talk about limiting ourselves I am referring to how we always leave things to the next day, the next year. Putting off the things we really should be doing every time we can because it would benefit us in the long run. It can range from being healthier to avoiding making hone calls. I know there have been many times this year where I have sunk my body into a pile of blankets, literally making myself a human burrito and opted to watch Netflix and scroll down tumblr to avoid the reality of my situation.

Fortunately, my year has started off as roller coaster and somehow I still have the motivation to try and unlock the person that I feel that I am capable of becoming; if I could just find a way to control my shyness and replace it with the confident dork I am capable of being.

When New Years came I wasn't mentally ready to sit down and half-ass a few resolutions that I would pretend to fulfill for the first 13 hours of the new year, only to forget and ignore them as soon as it was convenient too. I decided I wanted to be honest and hold myself accountable for things. I'm not the best person when it comes to things like that. In my sophomore year I made a Youtube video blabbing about how I was going to change my ways and lose all this weight and literally staple the mouths of my bullies shut. I shared it with some of my friends not realizing that when there are only 82 kids in your senior class,  a video is bound to get around. Those goals weren't fulfilled for various reasons as I am still an overweight quiet blogger that I use to be. But in many ways I am different. I have taken leaps that required a huge amounts of bravery and have encounter difficult situations with a shaking yet firm stance. I have met people halfway and have learned to give a little more than I take. But it took me 4 years to get to a point where I could process everything I have learned and gone through.

At first glance I may be the same to the people around me yet I like to think that little sophomore Cielo would recognize and be proud of where I am in my life so far.

People like to think life is linear, one event after another and whenever one strays for the path it becomes a commotion. Everyone tells you to be yourself but usually it is the version of you that they feel comfortable with. Sometimes it is good to separate yourself from others. Become a hermit for a week and really understand what you want from life. In the end your life is yours alone and I for one, don't want to look back and have 101 regrets.

I guess the whole point of this post is that everyone waits until a new year or a new week to start making changes to their lives that they feel will make them happy. The hesitation comes from being afraid of change or how others react. Sometimes, they are just afraid that they won't succeed. But I think we shouldn't wait anymore, if there is something you want to change do it now. Even if its 11 pm at night and you are making tea thinking about how you want to be healthier but you will wait until the next day. Decide to do it then and maybe exchange your sugar for honey or better yet nothing at all. It is all about the baby steps. You don't have to change the world to make a change. The tinniest thing can still be more than what you were doing before.

Starting today, this will be the year that I push my limits. I may not get 8 hours of sleep but on the 25 of January 2016 I will look back on my "New Year" and be proud.

ooo
Cielo

Blogmas Day 6 - Standing Your Ground

It's hard to ignore the struggles and injustices that are occurring in the world. In the season of giving, it is easy to understand why people want to ignore the hard conversations that needs to be had. However the more we push conversations back, they run a higher risk of disappearing and taking a back seat to other problems.

I understand that everyone has their demons and struggles in the world, yet Christmas is a time of giving and gifts don't have to be physical things. Time, attention and focus can mean the world to someone when they are speaking of things they are passionate about. When things like systemic racism and prejudice continue to exist, using our privilege becomes essential. Everyone should be given an equal opportunity to succeed, learn and grow. I'm not going to lie, it can hurt to scroll through my Facebook and see ignorant and hurtful comments from those I consider my friends. And yes, I have experienced peers trying to bring down and discredit my knowledge on the topics that I know, understand and hold dear. But it does not mean that I change my morals and beliefs to morph myself into someone they can get along with. If we don't stand our ground nothing is going to change. I encourage those of you struggling to surround yourself with people who support and attempt to understand your struggles, whether they are based on the color of your skin, or the value in your wallet. Time and dedication are important.

“Whatever you are physically...male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” 
― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

xoxo

Cielo
Day 5 Day 7

Blogmas Day 5- Christmas Tag

The Christmas Tag

Hello my beauties, its been a while since I have done a tag, and since I am blogging every day sometimes, it takes me a while to come up with something I want to blog about. I wasn't tagged, but I don't think it matters, so here is the tag. I tagged some lovely people in the bottom below and you should check them out!

Here's the 10 questions and answers.

1. What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

My favorite thing about Christmas is the mood it puts everyone in. Everyone is so excited for the season and wants to be nice to each and welcome others into their lives. Even if it is temporarily. 

2. What is your favourite makeup look for the festive season?

I I love to use warm colors. I tend to stay away from pinks and purples as I feel as if they give me the look of having a black eyes. But I do use a lot of silver and gold. Anything that says its Christmas. 

3. Real or fake tree?

While having one fake tree will be so much cheaper,  I love the smell of a real tree. Real tree forever and ever.

4. Giving or receiving presents?

Giving. Receiving is always nice, but nothing changes the smile off of someones face when you get them something that brings a smile to their face.

5. Do you open your presents in the morning or evening?

Christmas eve at midnight. Every year, I think it is a hispanic thing. 

6. Handmade or bought Christmas cards?

Handmade, the effort you put for someone is the best thing you could ever do for them. But store bought cards are cool as well. As long as the effort is still there in the writing!  

7. What is your favourite Christmas film?

I love the Polar Express and ELF. Those movies are the best ones and I will never get tired of them. They remind me of my childhood and those are definitely movies I will pass down to my children.  

8. What is your favourite Christmas food?

My dad's recipe for Ecuadorian rice pudding taste so yummy. I also love the turkey we make for Christmas, we use different spices from Thanksgiving and I just prefer the one on Christmas eve. 

9. Favourite Christmas gift?

My future gift of going to disney word for new year. I have wanted to go there for years, and now as an adult I get to go and even meet up with some friends.

10. What tops your tree?

A star or an angel it depends on what we find.

Those are my answers, I am tagging the following two people, The Girl in Moonlight, and beautybyholliana. Let me know if you do it guys, and also I tag the rest of my readers. What gets you in the Christmas spirit? Let me know in the comments below! 

xoxo

Cielo
Day 4 Day 6

Blogmas Day 4 - Christmas Magic?

It's not to say its lost its magic, but Christmas is no longer about the "I" but more about the "we". There is less of a focus on all the gifts I want, and more of a focus that these are probably the last years we will all be together before they move away and start families of their own.

The problem with having older parents is that you start dealing with issues of their mortality pretty early in your life. Whether or not they remember things with the amount of detail you do, or if they understand what is happening in the world. Sometimes building that bridge between cultures can be a struggle within itself. But it doesn't mean that they aren't appreciated or a big part of your current life.

I don't expect to wake up on Christmas morning or eve with a stack of presents. One will be too many in my opinion, like I said the focus changes the older you get. Instead of making list of things that I want, I ask my parents and older siblings what they want and need. Taking care of others is really just as satisfying if not more than being taken care of.

So when I go home for the holidays, and see the hustle and bustle and lights of the city. The magic will still be there. But I will be creating it for others. I understand what the season of giving really is. And boy, its wonderful.

xoxo

Cielo

Day 3  Day 5

Blogmas Day 3 - Top 5 Christmas Songs

On the road trip back up to my college a week ago, we only got 3 stations. 1 Christmas station and 2 country stations. With a car full of city girls there was no way that we were going to sit 6 hours plus traffic of country music. With not speaker in sight for our phones, we settled for the old time Christmas music. While my besties never want to hear a Christmas song again this season, the following 5 songs are songs that I will never get tired of. Let's start the count down!

5. Mary, Did you know? -Pentatonix

I have been listening to Pentatonix since day one, I've loved all of their music. There is also something about their music being acapella that makes this song so much more spiritual and relaxing to listen to. Generally, I listen to music while reading or doing work, but this song is really one that I just sit and relax to.

4. Everyday is Christmas -Straight no Chaser

Like I said before,  acapella music get me every time. I think that this song featuring Colbie Callie is perfect, since it is an all man acapella group. Their style joins together in a magical way, and I love how they emphasize that you don't need all that magical Christmas feelings to be in a good relationship/company.

3. El Burrito de Belen-Hugo Blanco

The typical danceable spanish song at Christmas. Just a song talking about the donkeys that carried Mary and Jesus. Really just a song from my childhood. A little different than you guys might be use to but it will always be one of my favorites!

2. The Little Drummer Boy -Any version really.

From strumming this song on my ukelele to covering it every year in choir. I can't go wrong with this song. I also love the Spanish versions. This song is literally magic to me!

1.  Believe - Polar Express

This song makes me so emotional every time I hear it. It brings tears to my eyes, I don't know why. They aren't necessarily tears of sadness or joy. They just sort of happen and I can never control it. They just make me reflect on my childhood and remind me of my father. I can listen to this song any time during the year and it has the same affect. It is also from my favorite movie the Polar Express so that may have something to do with it. 

What are your favorite songs of the season?  Let me know in the comments below, and maybe help me discover something new!

xoxo
Cielito

P.S. I'm attempting to blog every day until Christmas.
Day 1 Day 2

18 Things About Being 18

Last Month I turned 19, and hopefully I have learned at least one good thing per year. So here are 18 things I learned and wish I knew before being 19.

Midlife Crisis Captured through life.

1. Just because you have a problem doesn't mean that it is the end of the world. Life will go on. And while it is totally fine to stay in bed once in a while and wallow in your pity, you shouldn't use it as an excuse to never move around.
2. But seriously. Get up, and go outside. Tumblr and blogger will be there when you get back. And even if you can't get your mind offline, use tumblr outside. The fresh air will do you good.
3. While your parents know what is best for you, they aren't living your life. Making your parents proud is a good thing however draw the line when they start to live through you. Sometimes you need to learn for yourself. 
4. Friends will come and go. Don't try to tie down the people you want in your life. Sometimes, people are only there to teach a lesson for a small point and time and they the will move on. Yes it will hurt. But you can grow from it.
5. Stay up late. Not everything revolves around school. It is okay to skip school or homework one in a while to do something cool. Not only will it be something to tell the grandkids but a different experience can really enrich your life.  
6. But at the same time, get some sleep. Not only will you be in a better mood, but you will also be able to soak in all the experiences that life has to offer better. 
7. You don't always have to go out. Building a fort and watching netflix is just as good as going out and partying with your friends. 
8. Find yourself. Life isn't linear, sexuality isn't always straight. You don't have to go straight to college after high school. There are programs and other options for you. Take up anything you can.
9. Don't go to a college because your s/o is there. Trust me, it might not even last. Go to a college that fits you not them.                    

                            
 10. Value your family. You will hate them. You will love them. But in the end, the probably want what is best for you. Your time with them isn't forever.
11. Never go to sleep angry at someone. Just don't. It isn't good for anyone involved. When you can work it out, so you can leave on a better note.
12. Yes, you do want that side order of fries. Enjoy the yummy things.
13. Its okay to show emotions. Crying can be cleansing. Laughter is the best medicine. You don't need to bottle things up.
14. No, you don't need those designer jeans.
15. People may underestimate how mature you are. Your problems are valid no matter how much they try to belittle it.

16. Try anything twice. The first time you try something, it will probably end up badly because you won't know what you are doing. The second time you try something you will have more an idea of what you have to do and can experience things they way it is suppose to be experienced.
17. Don't upload photos or videos with the intent of hurting someone. Not only does that reflect badly on you. But you will never really know how other people have felt from your actions.
18. Always take time to sit down and reflect on your experiences. Life is equally short as it is long. At the end of the day, as long as you are happy with your life that is all that matters.

xoxo

Cielo