Monday Musings: Slowing down

It was a busy weekend. It was one of those Saturdays I gave up the luxury of sleeping in to meet with some cousins to go around town, but it was definitely worth it. I don’t get to see family in New York often enough, and a cousin from Rome was visiting. I don’t even get to see the cousin here in New York with life being so busy for both of us. But family is family.

I trudged down to the Oculus which, to be honest, was my first time going beyond those picture perfect perches looking down. The last time I was even on that edge was in 2018 when the brother was here. This time, I got to explore some of the stores at Westfield mall, and I was able to stand right smack in the middle of this gigantic architectural wonder of New York. That spot, if you ask me, is where you should take in the entire structure, whether you are a tourist or a native New Yorker. Anywhere else won’t compare to the 360 degree view of the space and the light you will take in from there. You can best appreciate the whole concept of that gigantic space and all that light from outside steaming in.

Trying to jumpstart the art. I know I’ve been saying this for weeks now, but I’m really itching to get on with the jewelry, the art journal and the sewing. One at a time.

I’ve been gathering the pages to be of my journal, but I was really hoping to do a flip through of my two art journals from previous years before featuring the new one. I’m suddenly faced with the dilemma of producing that vid so the new one might get featured first. Things don’t always go as planned.

Meanwhile, I’ve been gathering bits and pieces to add to the new line, specifically the 2022 roundup.

Momentarily back to postcards.. it was the Chinese New Year which was kind of a big deal. So I’m producing a maxi card , a topic for another day. And maybe I’m going back to just collecting instead of trading actively for now.

So here’s wishing us all a good week ahead. Hoping for something better than last week. ( breathe, Dinna.. breathe…)

One of those days

I always start my posts with the title. And top of mind tonight at 8pm is that it’s been one of those days. Indeed.

I just finished a dinner of manchego cheese, grapes and most of the Ste Chateau Michelle Riesling 2022 bottle I got from the ex for Christmas. I think I’m officially buzzed and it’s just 8pm. But it feels good.

It was a long, long day. A day of disappointments in a sense, but it was at work, so the disappointments ended at just before 6pm. Then I shut the computer off and I disappeared into my own moment.

I had started chilling the Riesling around 4pm when things were really bad. I vented. I ranted.. I breathed and I said, I’m okay. I just need to let this go.

You know how sometimes something is said or happens, and you step back and have a totally unrelated realization based on it? I had one of those moments today. When, at the end of the conversation, I realized people thought I didn’t have enough to do. That because some things at work had changed, my load was easier. Forget that there are other things that are part of the job which is totally overwhelming me at this point. So what was all the chasing for?

Realization: everyone thought it was easy as pie because I got it done. I remember someone telling me decades ago I need to slow down. The pace at which I work makes people expect that kind of efficiency at all times. When I end up sliding down to “normal”, they find it “slow” and unacceptable. It looks effortless even when I’m pulling my hair trying to keep my head above water.

I’m upset, I know. Upset enough that I am returning to meditation. I had my half a bottle of Riesling. I am here ranting.

Breathe, Dinna. Breathe…

Monday Musings: Creativity postponed

A note from Pinay New Yorker: The post below contains affiliate links which might cause a commission to be paid to me if you click on it.

I’ve been drafting posts in my head for weeks now. I even had a list written up last week to write about, but I didn’t want to do another Monday Musings on a Tuesday, and then I got swept up with the work week.

The year has started rather busily. I didn’t book anything for the first day of work for the boss and I, thinking I’d keep it light. But it ended up a busy day.. and a busy week, and a busy week after. So here I am.

Back to the jewelry making. Well, I’m trying. I want to get to the natural stones I bought at the start of the pandemic.. repair some older pieces and work on my supplies that have been tucked away in their bins forever. I want to document jewelry making in videos I can post on my channel.

I’m pulling together the supplies and plans to make the video or even a livestream, and hope to create the thumbnail and the intro soon. I’m sketching ideas in my head of new techniques I want to try. I have a list of pieces I want to pull together. I was hoping to get started right after the new year, but things got put on the back burner until I can be better prepared. I am hoping I can get started soon.

I’ve been reading and reading and reading. I finally finished Kenny Loggins’ “Still Alright”and started reading “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. Then I got my copy of “Spare” by Prince Harry and I’ve been focused on that the last couple of days.

I’d be reading more if I had more free time. Next to sleeping in during those days when I can, like this previous weekend, I would love to read and read and read. I’m happy that I managed to read more than my quota of 6 last year.. I want to keep going and do even better than that.

I’m hoping to start the new art journal this week. It’s killing me that I still haven’t even gathered the base pages. I already know I want it to be like my last art journal that was 5×7 per page. I will try and get the cutout year done, at the very least.

I’m looking forward to a creative and productive week ahead, and hoping that I can get even just one of the above done. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed I will be back here writing sooner than another 2 weeks.

Where did 2022 go?

Every year, I begin a list of things I hope to accomplish or do in the the coming year, with periodic updates in between. So today I was looking for “22 for 2022,” and I couldn’t find it. I could’ve sworn I would have a draft at least, but even that eluded me. Wow.

The last year seems to have breezed by not just quickly, but unremarkably. How could I have skipped that altogether! It doesn’t help that I cannot seem to get WordPress to load properly on the laptop, and midweek next week when I return to the city might end up a tad too late.

So here I am tapping away on my phone, in the app. I want to write a post to end the year right, and hopefully begin the next properly.

I don’t have a new year’s eve party to host or go to— my left hand still has 4 fingers elegantly bandaged after I had a cooking mishap last Wednesday. I purposely chose to stay home and just greet 2023 quietly. (The son is with his dad but will be with me tomorrow.). I wasn’t that excited about the new year in the weeks leading up to it, so much so, that I just made my dinner reservation for tomorrow with the son, before I started this post. And I’m still iffy about the steakhouse I chose.

I saw a blanket of fog outside when I picked up two deliveries that came in the afternoon. I was almost tempted to grab the phone and walk around to take some footage, but the prospect of dressing up in the heavy and puffy winter coat and donning the boots was enough to convince me to stay put. I told myself, I had more than enough footage I still need to edit to bother with adding more.

I am too lazy to cook so I ordered some Thai food from a neighborhood reliable. It’s been a while since I ordered out— mealtimes have been simpler since the son went off to college, but I’ve been cooking since he returned for the winter break 2 weeks ago. I thought I’d celebrate the year’s end with a dinner treat to maybe inspire more writing. My planned videos for this weekend were all thwarted by the cooking accident, and the only thing that shows promise is maybe, the podcast.

Yes, I’m finally pushing through with the plan, but kicking off the effort with an audio version of the posts I write here. The idea for the podcast had come together during the pandemic, and I regret how I’ve sat on it for the longest time. The avatar, show title (Conversations with Pinay New Yorker) and the intro and extro soundtrack had long been available and set. And now I’m seriously rethinking the title given what I am planning to do. Shall I shift to “PinayNewYorker says”..? Should I change that to “Just thinking online,” a category that I use here on the blog, or should I stick with the original title?

I’ll give myself the first week to decide. This might yet end up the first episode of the podcast. Meanwhile, I hope that we all have an even better 2023 ahead, whatever our plans and dreams may be.