Monday, October 31, 2016

Week 43: Routine 2.0 | The Future is Bright

Four weeks down the line and having received my first "40% off" pay-check (in case you were worried on my behalf: I can more than comfortably survive) I have adapted to my new routine of working only 24 hours per week and enjoying long weekends every single weekend. With a national holiday or two strewn into the equation, this deal is even sweeter, but even so, I am in a permanently good mood and this is definitely my idea of the perfect work/life balance. It also gave me a bit of an efficiency boost and I have ordered (and already received) all my Christmas cards, edited my Christmas baking list and sorted my presents as well for the most part. I also have quite a few DIY projects lined up and am itching to do some much-needed decluttering of the usual suspects of neglected dark corners in my flat. All of a sudden the "so many insert objects or projects, so little time" saying no longer applies to me: I actually have time now. Bliss! I know that I am in a very privileged position to be able to indulge in "working light" and am all the more grateful for it, but I also feel that having worked full-time for almost 20 years now and started with a meagre salary, I have earned it.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Week 42: Ever After | Testimonial

On Saturday, the Gazelle, one of my best "work friends", got married. I felt a personal "involvement" in this relationship as I still remember when she showed me her now husband's profile at an online dating platform 4 years ago. "This is my dream man" she pronounced and I was surprised at her enthusiasm and decisiveness. He was her second date and it was a hit. After their second or so meeting, they were officially together and it was clear that they were the perfect match. Oh, and they also have two beautiful girls in the meantime. I am so happy for her. Before meeting her hubby, let's call him the Hunter, she suffered a too long relationship with a commitment-phobe and I listened to her (literally) sob-stories in many lunch hours. To claim that I have heard about such types and similar unhappy (non-) relationships would be a lie. Been there, done (or NOT done) that. While I don't think that online dating will be the route to happiness ever after for me, personally, this happy couple is a comforting testimonial that you can find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Week 41: Time | Solo Act

I am still giddy with excitement that my working week is so much shorter now and my overall good mood has the welcome side-effect of not letting the "pubescent" behaviour of certain people get to me, that would have bugged me quite a bit a few weeks earlier. Hallelujah! Ain't got no time for THAT. The only caveat of my new abundance of spare time is that there is a certain scarcity of people to enjoy it with, i.e. who are free the same days and/or have as much playtime pocket money. #firstworldproblems, I know, but it still makes me feel a bit out of synch with everyone else. After all, happiness increases if you share it with someone. Even so, I am SO not complaining and have been very productive in various areas, tackling several domestic projects, taking evening classes, cooking fancy things just for myself, and enjoying every minute of it. As the t-shirt (which I bought in Sydney 5 years ago) says, I choose to be happy, and it's an awfully good choice!

Monday, October 10, 2016

Week 40: Happy | Falling into Place

I came back from my vacation to the best news ever. It might not be a big deal, or in fact a desired scenario for some people, but for me, working part-time - for the same company - has been a dream for a long time. I now have Fridays off, or, to be precise (I have been annoying friends and colleagues with this piece of information all week), my weekend now lasts from Thursday afternoon to Monday 12:00. If you have any ideas for nice weekend-breaks, bring them on! If you are free to travel with me, let me know! I literally jumped with joy and had a smile on my face all week. Suddenly, everything else also seemed to fall into place or happen according to my wishes and I was reminded of the unfairness that rich actors or models get glamorous robes, jewellery and professionally applied make-up for free, whereas mere mortals can not afford any of that and getting things for free would be so much more appreciated by someone who does not "have it all". Be that as it may, richness or happiness seems to attract more of the same (or you could just say, misery loves company) and even people in my life who have been outright rude not to long ago are on their best behaviour. I'm certainly enjoying all of it while it lasts...

Thursday, October 06, 2016

The One that Almost Got Away

Like any bag lover, or in fact any collector of anything whatsoever, will tell you, there are certain things you spot that make your heart beat faster and that you instantly fall in love with and would like to add to your collection immediately, but for some reason you decide to sleep over it. In my case, I had spotted *this* bag (or rather its identical twin) at LV in Dublin on a business trip in April. I was not aware of this particular limited edition cruise collection and immediately knew I wanted it. Badly. I was a bit indecisive since there were 2 other prints of the same collection that were pretty cool as well, but essentially, I was not sure I could justify getting another "Neverfull" style tote (retailing at almost 3 times the price of the one I had at home). Also, I was hoping to be able to find it in the LV flagship store in Vienna, conveniently/dangerously located within spitting distance of my office. Not so, though. Turned out they did not have anything from the limited edition range with the exception of an unexciting cosmetic pouch. Bummer. Summer sale came and went and even though I did not have any particular bags on my wishlist, I ended up buying *caugh* 5+ more items, including my beloved Proenza Shouler bucket bag. It would be a lie to say I had sleepless nights over this bag and could not get it out of my mind. I had not forgotten it, however.
When I was in Dublin again in September and idly strolling through the Brown Thomas department store (the only place to get LV in Dublin) again, I could not believe my eyes when MY bag, the one who almost got away, was still sitting there, obviously having my name in capital letters in fluo writing visible to me only. As I was in the company of a friend and it was only a few minutes before the store closed, I slept over it again and returned the following evening to whip out my credit card. At that time, I was not sure if I would still be gainfully employed in October, but thought "Eff it, I'm worth it and it might be a good consolation prize/mood-lifter if nothing else". In fact, it ended up becoming my "lucky bag" since that same week, a silver lining appeared on the horizon and I am now happier than ever. Well, this might just me trying to justify spending in excess of 1000 EUR on an accessory, so let's just say I am very happy with my purchase ;-)

Monday, October 03, 2016

Week 39: Away from it All | Uplugged

I had SUCH a nice week in/on Ibiza. I enjoyed the last rays of sunshine this summer, saw spectacular sunsets every night, read 2 books by the pool, realised just how long my phone battery lasts when I have WiFi switched off and don't "need" to check social media or e-mails in 2-minute intervals, visited the famous place that provided the soundtrack to my early naughties (did all your friends own all volumes of the Café del Mar lounge music series as well and every time you were at a dinner party the same songs would be playing in the background?) and had a great time people-watching and bitching about badly dressed Brits. PPS and I discovered we were an absolute minority since a) wearing clothes that actually covered more than 15% of our bodies and b) did not have a single (real) tattoo. Hope your week was a good one too.
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