Pocket Full of Random – 27/08/17

August 28, 2017August 28, 2017 Cheila58 Comments

Hello my people,

How are you on this lovely Sunday?

Or Monday, dear Angela. It’s 2 a.m in New Zealand and you have to wake up in about 5 hours. Have a good Monday, my friend. Plenty of coffee!!

I haven’t done a random post in a while and I decided I would do one today, as they’re fun and everyone seems to like them. So there you go, random thoughts.

iPhone Affair:

I’m in love. No, I’m not talking about Rui. I love him too but not as much as my new iPhone. I don’t give a shit about the brand and I’m very far from an apple fan girl but the truth is that the phone actually WORKS.

I no longer have to endure 5 minutes of suffering while my new phone (which should be working fine) is having a seizure and freezing, which it was doing about every 30 minutes. I know I’m cheap but the phone was not that cheap for me. I paid about 160€ for it less than a year ago and it was a mistake.

I was finally convinced by Rui to buy an iPhone, which costs about that 3 times that amount, and it was the best thing that I’ve done in a while. It’s user-friendly and it’s fast and fluid and there are tonnes of apps for it and the camera quality is very, very good.

I’ve been cheap all my life but I’m starting to believe that, sometimes, it is worth spending a little more for a quality product. Lesson learned.

I love my iPhone. I want to write a poet for it and take long walks on the beach while watching the sunset with dear phone.

Historical Accuracy:

When you’re watching a historical (real) period show or movie, do you pause every few minutes to do some research on a character on event? I do. I watch everything with Wikipedia by my side.

While I was watching The White Queen (main characters Edward III, king of England and queen Elizabeth his wife) and The White Princess (Henry VII and his wife, queen Elizabeth, daughter of King Richard and Queen Elizabeth), I would fact check often and everything seemed to be on point. There was drama, obviously, but the historical part of the shows was very accurate and well performed.

Now I have switched to The Tudors (Henry VII, son and successor of Henry VII) and it’s my impression that things are a bit more romanticized and overdone. I’ve only watched about two episodes so I might be judging it too soon, but that has been my first impression. Let’s see if I change my mind. Henry VIII was indeed much more eccentric that his father so, maybe they want to make sure viewers understand the difference.

If I’m being honest, I find the latter a bit more boring that the two previous shows that I have mentioned.

Book Adventures:

Remember my List of books to be read until the end of 2017? I’m taking a little detour and reading After You by Jojo Moyes. I loved Me Before so much and I really wanted to read the book before it becomes a movie (which it is happening), so I bought it in kindle form and am reading it on my phone. I’m enjoying it very much.

Have you read or watched the first book/film? Have you read the sequel?

Do you know the author? Have you read any of her books? I haven’t. Her choice of titles seems to draw my attention but I would like some feedback first.

Also, I must tell you I’m taking advantage of all the free kindle books on Amazon. I intend to buy a kindle or some kind of e-book reader soon but, right now, my phone will have to do.

Problem is: Even if I live to be 120, I will never have enough time to read every book I get my hands on, especially if I think about the 3000 (not exaggerating) I have collected over the years on my laptop. There’s just so much. Physical books, and e-books and audio books. Oh my.

Besides, being a virtual assistant, part of my job is getting reviews for books, which means I’m always getting new books. I love it but with each new book comes the stress of knowing I can’t get to all of them. Such is life, I guess. I’m sure about 99% of you feel just the same.

The Hunger Games:

I don’t really know what has gotten into me because this has never happened since I was about 2 years old and was still being nursed, but I have been eating during the night. Oh yeah, I wake up, go to the bathroom and get hungry. You can find me eating yogurt at 5.30 a.m or munching on corn crackers in the darkness of my room in the middle of the night, waking up Rui who asks in a judging tone “Are you eating”? – “Nope, you’re dreaming.”

Please tell me some of you get hungry at night? My uncle has the habit of waking up in the middle of the night for milk and cookies (something he has always done) and I used to think “What the hell? I can’t even get myself to the bathroom without stumbling on about 2 walls and 3 tables, let alone be alert enough to eat”. I’m doomed. I got fat eating during the day, I don’t know what will become of me if I starting eating 24/7.

YouTube Addiction:

I’ve develop a close relationship with YouTube for the past few weeks. Do you know those types of channels that draw you in and you can never be your free-self again? You know the type. The titles of the videos usually consist of something like “10 celebrities who Hollywood no longer hires” or “The most dangerous serial killers of all time”. I love watching those, I must confess.

Every time I see something that might interest me I click “watch later” and then I end up with a huge list of videos, alongside the usual mom vloggers I stalk. I hope this is temporary. Either that or special YouTube-addiction-rehab.

Sleeping Beauty:

I have to report my change in medication has worked wonders. I fall asleep quickly and am able to sleep for the whole night, despite the occasional bathroom visit or fridge party.

I’ve also been waking up early which is awesome because I can get so much more done. I feel happy about it. When I don’t sleep well I feel miserable for weeks and can’t get shit done, which makes me frustrated. Then I’m frustrated because I can’t sleep and because I have a ton of things to do and can’t. Finally I get frustrated because I’m getting frustrated with all of the above. Do you get the picture?

2000 Followers:

I still don’t know how this is possible. I’ve been writing so little that I thought I would get deserted and wake up with 50 followers some of these days. It hasn’t happened and I’ve kept growing, not sure how.

My stats are no longer as good as they used to be. Probably Karma because I’m not reading anyone’s blog at the moment and they must ignore me back. I totally get it.

I should do something to celebrate. What should I do? Do suggest something, please. I’ll let you pick this time. I’m out of ideas. Another party? Another giveaway? I’ve done it all.

Wellzz, I’m off now. Must do some work and read a few blogs if I can. I miss you guys, that’s true. I’m so behind you can no longer see me, which is very sad. I guess I’ll pick a few of you each day and read your latest 30 posts I have missed. Sounds like a plan.

P.S. Dear WordPress or whatever, can you stop marking Rui’s name as a spelling mistake? It’s my man and I won’t let you treat him like that!!

Bye guys.

Pocket full of random #5 – I’m not back, repeat, I’m not back!!

July 3, 2017 Cheila38 Comments

Hello everyone,

I’m not blogging. Well, technically I am, but I’m not back!

I’ll only be back when I’m:

Up to date with your blog posts.
All of my old comments answered.
A few posts organized.

I want my “blogging life” to be organized and stress free, so I’m not posting for a few days after this update post.

What else?

Oh, this one is going to be bad.

I sadly declare that will not continue to read the Harry Potter series. I was taking to long to read the second one, not liking it and forcing myself to do it just because everyone seems to love it and were expecting my reaction. That was causing some stress, as I wanted to read it to please everyone and was not reading other books I am actually interested in. I’m sorry. It’s just not for me. You probably read this at 11. I’m doing it at 25 and I just can’t get into it. I’ll guess I’ll stay out of the loop.

Anyway,

I’m fine and calm and wearing my phone on my sports bra that I wear at home (not always the same one, I have several lol) to count my steps, which is really nice because I challenge myself to take as many as I can.

I’m being good when it comes to my health and diet.

I’ve been sleeping very, very well.

Please don’t find it strange if I’m answering your comments from a month ago.

Love you and miss you.

Pocket full of random #4 (Sunday night update edition)

June 11, 2017 Cheila8 Comments

Hey guys!!

How was your weekend? Are you ready for a new week? You can do it!!

Let the random begin:

I’ll be out tomorrow, probably for the whole day. I have to go take a blood tests in the morning, then I’ll go to Lisbon to take care a few things at my driving school, take a stroll, go to lunch with one of my friends/student, go to a psychiatrist’s appointment and then go to my mom’s house to meet her new kitty Daisy and for dinner. I think I might be able to take a few pictures around Lisbon.
I bought a pair of cute pair of pink and shiny espadrilles yesterday but they don’t fit. I can’t even get a new pair because they the problem is not even the size, is that they’re too thing and not stretchy and my feet are wide and chubby. I’ll have to return them 😦 They were so cheap, just 6,99€.
Today we met with a couple of friends unexpectedly (One of my best friends, Catarina and her boyfriend) because they were in the area and called us. We met at McDonald’s for ice cream and talked for a few hours. It was fun.
I’ve published my first vlog and everyone has said nice things about it. My readers and friends were very encouraging and full of compliments, which made my heart so happy. Everyone said my voice is cute and that they like my hair haha. Some people said I was pretty too, which was so nice of them to say.
I’m still catching up on posts and comments. Don’t find it weird if I answer to a comment you made about 2 weeks ago lol I don’t want to leave anything unanswered because that’s just rude and I love to talk to my friends who take time to leave comments.
I’ve posted some sort of fashion post, which is basically just 4 outfits for the beach. Nothing is new or special, just things I already have in my closet. Everyone seemed to like that too.
We’ve watched two movies today and they were really nice! Split and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Have you watched any of them?
I haven’t had to cook since what? Wednesday or Thursday? Mr. has been taking care of the cooking for these few days. I’m back on duty tomorrow.

I guess that’s it for now.

Thank you!

Pocket full of random #3 + Random photos

June 6, 2017 Cheila35 Comments

I’ve lost a little weight. Not much, just about 2 kg. Being sick does that to you.
It’s been extremely windy here for so many days. It’s annoying because I want to do some gardening and the wind is very uncomfortable and it doesn’t help at all. I try to water the garden and get soaked, my poor plants just bounce away and I don’t feel like being outside at all.
The fact that I’ve been sick has left our house in such a state. I mean, there isn’t a clean room in the whole house. There are so many dishes, laundry, I need some groceries, there’s dog hair everywhere, I haven’t changed my bed sheets in over 2 weeks, Rosa needs a bath, I need a shower… I mean, nothing is taken care of. I was about to cook dinner yesterday and then I realized I couldn’t be up. I was too sick to stand up so I had to lay down, put everything back in the fridge and send Rui to pick up some roast chicken and plain rice, so we could eat something and so that I could keep something in my stomach. I just called to set up a doctor’s appointment but since I have no doctor, I should have called before 4 p.m. Okay, then. I’ll call tomorrow. It’ll probably take me a month or two to get a random doctor to see me, then he’ll refer me for an endoscopy which will probably take a month or two to be scheduled. And you guys ask me why don’t I just go to the doctor lol
My mother just got a brand new kitten. She’s so beautiful. A blue-eyed, two-month-old little thing called Daisy. Get it? Gatsby and Daisy? I named the first one and suggested the second. I have kitten fever, I wish I could have one.
Is should be ashamed of myself because so many of my pen pals have sent letters and postcards and I have yet to answer a single one. I was the one who started it. Shame on you, girl, shame on you.
It’s funny how people in general just use your ideas and present them as their own. It has been happening so much for the past few months. I get very pissed about it. You work hard for something and then some bright soul decide that they should be doing it too. What the fuck?
I should have started to study by now, but I haven’t. I have all of my notes organized, though. I just need to get a few books from the library. I took a picture of all of the things I have to study (not all but about 3/4) so you could lose your mind and think “there’s no way you’re going to be finished by July 7”, which is probably true. I haven’t lost hope though lol
I’ve been having the craziest dreams. Not nightmares, just the craziest, most farfetched dreams. Such trips, you have no idea. If I would bother to write them down I would have about 10 novels and 300 short stories. Would they be any good? Probably not.
I hated my home office when we first moved. When I first saw the house, the lady who lived here had some sort of sanctuary going on in this room. A table full of sculptures of saints, I don’t know, just so many religious objects. I am sort of catholic but I hate such things because they creep me out. I don’t like crosses or rosaries or saints or any of those things hanging around my house. I can come up with two different reasons for that: 1) My grandmother forced us to have a bunch of those things in our rooms when I was little I was scared of the little figurines and didn’t thing they belonged in kids rooms. 2) Those are the first things they mess with in horror movies. If there’s an exorcism, you bet the demon or whatever will break/bend/destroy/explode how many crosses he can find. Rui and I share a great fear of being in an empty catholic church at night. We both talk about how that would be the scariest scenario ever. Anyway, whatever she had going on here, freaked me out. Apart from that, the room was super small, weirdly shaped with a descending ceiling and only a ceiling window. From the start, I told Rui he could have it as his man cave. Then we moved and I decided I definitely needed the space, for my desk and for storage. He was pissed but he understood. Then we did our remodel and this has become such a nice space for me. I have my bookshelves and my “working” materials, which means school and office supplies, my plants and good lighting. I spend so much time here now. I do feel claustrophobic sometimes but that’s because I’m too short to open the window AND the last time I tried, a small lizard fell down from the outside (almost on top of me).
I have so many pens and pencils. I have a really hard time choosing what to write with. This might be my biggest first world problem.
I moved out of home 2 and a half years ago which means I’ve had my own home for a long time and have only now started to separate our trash to recycle. Rui says his family plants a lot of trees every year so we’re probably forgiven. I say where the scum of humanity. Are you environmentally conscious?
I’ve been… not so happy about blogging. Sometimes I ask myself what is the goal of all this work. I confess I have thought about closing the blog and being free from all of it. It does take a lot of work, a lot of effort and so much time. I get tired, sometimes.