I Hate Everything about Moving (Mainly Because of the Unpacking)

After the moving whirlwind this weekend, Maggie and I are still exhausted, and she's been catching up on sleep for the both of us. The move marks a big momentum shift from my health hiatus to starting my fall internships, which I'm super stoked about. I'm also starting a Social Media Strategies class that I've been looking forward to in my PR sequence. And in two weeks my best friend is getting married so bridesmaid preparations are in full force till then. My iCal is getting full, but in a weird way, I like it... And as much as I'd like to procrastinate unpacking, my main task this week is to eliminate, donate, and organize everything from my 900-square foot apartment to my 13x13 bedroom... one box at a time, of course.

Life transitions are never easy, but I've found a couple of ways that have helped me to channel my energy to be more productive and less stressed:

1. Netflix bingeing Damages as per the recommendation of Abbi from Broad City. The only thing that would make it complete is a cashew stir-fry while I unpack boxes. (In the meantime I'm just eating cashews.)
2. Unpacking the essentials: clothes, bathroom, bedroom. Worry about the little things later, even if they take up space in the garage for the time being.
3. Taking time to read for pleasure--up next on my bookshelf is 20 Something, 20 Everything: A Quarter-life Woman's Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hassler that my ATX Gal Pals got for me as a going away present. I love self-help books and I can't wait to start reading it.

This week my intention is to purge the items that are not necessary to me for the time being so that I can clear my headspace (and physical space) to prepare for my PR coursework, upcoming internships, and continuing to practice writing.

Is there anything taking up space in your life that could use your attention? 

The End of an Eight-year Era: Relocating from ATX to DFW

When I found this plaque at Pecan Creek RV Park
on Barton Springs in Austin when my parents came
 to visit in February, I laughed. Little did I know
it would become my reality a few months later.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we're curious and our curiosity leads us down new paths." - Walt Disney

Is there anything easy about moving? The packing, (and its worse counterpart--the UNpacking) acclimating to a new place, cancelling all ties with the city, saying goodbye to friends, co-workers, colleagues who have become family, closing the chapter on years spent befriending a place where you finally found a great hairstylist, perfect nail salon, best coffeehouse, brunch spot, and place to walk your dog compounds the stress of moving to a new place where all these things are unknowns. Sure, it's easy to dwell on the negative aspect of uprooting from the familiar, but there's beauty in the unknown. I call upon one of my favorite meditations from Melody Beattie's Journey to the Heart: 

There's magic in the unknown

Sometimes we're out of ideas. We think and think but nothing comes. We don't know what's next. It feels like we're at a dead end. But we're not. That void, that dreaded blank spot is a really glorious magical place.
Sometimes we have to run out of ideas before we can open up to any new ones. The reason why we can't see any further is because our ideas are limited by the past, by past experiences, by what life has been like before. Our future doesn't have to be limited by our past. Life knows that. Now we can learn it too. We're not at a dead end. We've reached a new beginning.
Now is a time of magic. Let the universe take your hand and show you things you have never seen before. Now, at last, you're open and vulnerable enough to begin. Celebrate the magic, the mystery of the unknown. Celebrate the miracles that will certainly come.

This weekend I'm packing up my apartment into a U-Haul and moving back in with my parents in DFW. I made the difficult decision to transition from the classroom to pursue industry work in PR because my personal mission no longer aligned with my position as an English teacher. I loved my kids, but I simply couldn't find the break between being the best teacher I could be for them and being the best I could be for myself. While it was a heartbreaking decision, I know that making this transition into PR in the nonprofit sector will provide the means for me to not only connect with like-minded, goal-oriented people but also to make a conscious effort to create the ever-elusive work-life balance. And I find joy in the fact that my curiosity (and courage--though this took me a while to realize) to leave my comfort zone is at the core of this move.

Having been an Austinite for about 8 years now, there's definitely a whole list of things I will miss. (I've included this at the end of this post and will probably continue to add on to it as I remember things that Austin has but DFW has not!) I can remember moving to Austin in 2006 to start undergrad at UT, moving to my first apartment right off Zilker, then on SoLa, then finally Oak Hill. I've lived all over South Austin and I don't mind being granola. Austin has the character and soul of the best friend you've had for years and no matter how much time has passed, welcomes you with open arms when your paths cross to reconnect, picking up right where you left off. Everybody in Austin is happy, even when things might not be going as well as they could be and everything is jam side down. There's no other place in Texas quite like it, and despite the fact that I've spent more time in DFW, I'll always consider myself an Austinite. Which is why I say, see you later, Austin--not goodbye quite yet.

BB's Essential Go-to Austin

• Best Coffeeshop
• Dominican Joe's 
• Caffe Medici
• Mozart's 
• Best Dogpark
• Zilker Park
• Butler Park
• Shoal Creek Trail
• Best Bookstore(s)
• BookPeople
• South Congress Books
• Best Hair Salon
• Maximum FX Salon Escarpment
• Favorite SoCo Spots
• Jo's Coffee (for writing and people watching)
• Snackbox (get the Vermicelli bowl)
• Hopdoddy (best burgers)
• Homeslice (yummy pizza)
• Magnolia Cafe (best for anything, anytime--pancakes the size of your face)
• Best Brunch
• Iron Cactus Sunday Brunch
• Best Workout Spot
• barre3
• black swan yoga
• Best Smoothie
• Juice Land (formerly Daily Juice)
• Best Tex-Mex
• Maudie's
• Best Sushi
• Piranha's

Three on Thursday: Chef, Capsule Wardrobes, and Celebrity Memoirs

Three on Thursday is a weekly post featuring thoughts on three newsworthy items from the week.

ONE: Go see CHEF!

Jon Favreau's latest cinematic delight is worth your time and money. While its ending was abrupt and left me wanting more, Favreau concocts an inspiring story of pursuing risky ventures using one's passion--his just happens to be cooking. A dash of his commentary on social media and its influence in entrepreneurship keeps the momentum of El Jefe's cross-country food adventures moving. Side-kick John Leguizamo boosts the laughs and Sofia Vergara adds subtle flair. Treat yourself to a screening of CHEF; you'll savor every bite!

TWO: Building a budget friendly & stylish capsule work-wear wardrobe just got easier.

Dr. Mindy Lahiri's sexy librarian/fashionista/yuppie clothing style on The Mindy Project is easy to emulate with Tumblr and Pinterest, but actually finding these pieces to style together for stylish office-friendly attire is easy with JCPenney and Kohl's. I rely on Worthington pencil skirts from JCPenney and Elle fit and flair dresses from Kohl's. I stock up on cardigans from Target and the Gap and love the chambray tops from Old Navy. Accessories from Charming Charlie, Francesca's, and Nordstrom Rack are key. 

THREE: My "to-read" list is getting longer: Mindy Kaling is working on her second book and I want to read it, like, NOW.

Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling is a brilliant read, and Mindy's penning her sophomore release as we speak. I've already pre-ordered Lena Dunham and Amy Poehler's first releases due later this fall, and my to-read list keeps growing by the minute. 

Digital Digital Detox: Why I Banned Social Media for a Few Months

My name is Maureen, I'm a 20-something and I quit all social media. I might as well have told you I'm a unicorn, right? How could a millenial voluntarily eliminate her existence? You know it as well as I do, if it isn't on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. then it didn't happen. We validate ourselves through social media, which feeds into this self-generated insecurity to prove to everyone else that our lives are better than theirs. (Layering filters on filters helps, too.)

In March, I started to realize that I came to a point in my life when I stopped doing things for myself and was living my life to please others. I'm an ENFJ (although I lean more toward the Introvert side) so my tendency is to please others, stay organized, create plans, and value feelings. That said, I fell into the trap of making it my mission to make other people happy that I stopped doing things to bring joy to my life. And having social media didn't help, either. But once I reached a point in my life when I found that I wasn't necessarily doing anything to brag about--or better put, actually living my life authentically because getting your Starbucks cup back with your name botched on the side of it is an everyday thing, people--I realized it didn't matter if anyone else knew about it.

Now I know that this blog in and of itself is ironic, because it deems worthy social media presence since I'm putting my energy into good use. 

And this psychological phenomenon is being written about, too. Just type in 'tech detox' or 'digital detox' and you'll find published articles on how to cope without checking your phone every five minutes. Psychology Today suggests the strategy reduce, remove, replace--the latter being a step I particularly like. And honestly, it's the natural transition from removing the objects that create distance between us to spending authentic face-to-face time, cultivating relationships with people we think we know based on the image they've built through their social media presence--wait, now I get FaceTime.

But I digress. When I made it my weekly intention to have more authentic time with friends and family, I took the time to make plans with people and block out time to engage in a real life activity, like happy hour, dinner, brunch--I really like food guys!--barre class, or painting class. And what I found was that I didn't miss knowing irrelevant details about people I didn't care about (and didn't care about me). By electively eliminating the clutter of people I went to high school with or met at a party for five minutes, I realized that people I've known for years and actively developed friendships with were the ones who mattered most. It didn't matter how many "friends" or "followers" or "likes" I had; those who took the time to get to know me were the people who deserved my time most.

I leave Thoreau's musings from Walden as you plan your digital detox:

Our life is frittered away by detail. I say, let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen... Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.

Meet Maggie, Be Happy

I am obsessed with my maltipoo, Maggie May. (Homage to the Rod Stewart song) A bit of backstory about her, Maggie has been my little girl since Mother's Day 2012 when I officially adopted her from my teaching mentor, Tearney. I say little girl but Maggie is a grown woman! She is turning 8 next month, and she'll probably spend her day chasing squirrels in the morning, napping for about 8 hours, enjoying a Sprinkles puppycake, then ending the day with her evening squirrel chase. There are so many things I've learned from Maggie, but she reminds me everyday to find joy in the small things and do what you love to do.

As cliche as this sounds, it's the absolutely true way to ensuring your own happiness. Maggie is happiest when she's a) chasing squirrels b) eating treats c) sleeping. When Maggie doesn't want to do something, she won't! She's stubborn as an ox. When it's time to go to bed, no amount of coaxing or calling will get Maggie up from her recliner (yes, she has her own recliner... more to come on that...) but we actually have to pick her up and cart her to bed. And of course, the entire time she's catatonic, simply deadweight and grunts as though startled with dissatisfaction. But she's happier beside family, so she dozes back into her slumber and chases squirrels in her sleep.

Everyday, Maggie reminds me to do the things that I want to do rather than to please any one else. No, this is not selfish, but rather in your best interest. This summer my goal is to do the things I want to do rather than what I need to do. Yes, I need to find a job--but I want to find a position that will provide me with the experience I need to build up my PR skills. Yes, I need to work out several times a week to maintain optimal health, but I want to find a workout (like barre3 but unfortunately it's not in DFW near me) that is low-impact, fun, and effective. So far that search is a crapshoot since the instructor at Karmany moved to Seattle, but I'm still searching!

This week, think about what you want to do rather than what you need to do. Let go of the obligations you have to others at work or at home and put some thought into doing things you love to do because they simply bring you joy.

Happy Father's Day! Five Lessons My Dad Never Lets Me Forget

Lesson One: Hard work pays off.

My dad is the youngest of seven and had to work for everything he had from a very young age. Though his story has had its difficult moments, he knew that in order to survive, he had to help his family maintain their farm in the Philippines by going to the mountains to collect firewood when he was around 7-8 years old and helping out any way he could. One particular story that comes to mind is about the runt pig. My dad took the runt of the litter and made it his mission to raise it when everyone else figured it was useless and would have left it to die or fend for itself. He tended to this little runt and raised him to be the largest of his litter, which allowed my dad to sell him for a decent amount of money to help sustain his family with money for food. He always reminds me to put in time and energy into work, just as he did raising the runt.

Lesson Two: Don't live outside your means.

One of my dad's favorite quotes from Forrest Gump is, " Now, Momma said there's only so much fortune a man really needs and the rest is just for showing off." We're not Jewish, but when it comes to frugality, my dad can roll with the best of them. He appreciates the finer things in life and splurges every once in a while, but only if he knows he can afford it. He always stresses the importance of living within one's means--pay the bills before spending money on yourself.

Lesson Three: Take care of your car: always check your tires, never run out of gas, put up the parking brake, and don't forget to change the oil.

When I visited home from Austin for the weekend, my dad would always remind me to check my tires and see if I had enough gas before I left. He also told me he never wanted to be on the other end of the line to hear that I was on the side of the road with an empty tank, because "if you have enough money to go out to dinner or the movies, you've enough to fill up the tank!" I learned to put the emergency brake up, regardless of the incline, and my sister and I do this automatically to this day. Car ownership is a like having a pet; it needs a lot of care and attention and it will take care of you in the long run.

Lesson Four: See the world.

My parents met abroad while they were both working in Abu Dhabi. Both of them had the opportunity to make money overseas when they were young, so they left their hometowns and families to start their own lives. They married in Germany and honeymooned across Europe. Then they decided to move from the Philippines to start a new life in America. Both of my parents are living examples of how traveling the world, exposing yourself to new cultures, and getting outside of your comfort zone can bring opportunities and fresh perspectives that you would have had beforehand. During the summer after my second year of teaching, I decided to treat myself to a trip to Europe, Paris and London for two weeks, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I boarded a 9-hr flight to Paris with my best friend and we took in the city, then took the train across the English Channel to be temporary Londoners. I'll never forget that summer, and my world view transformed in that trip alone. Traveling is one of my favorite pastimes--I work to save up money for my next vacay! You don't have to travel far to reap the rewards, just exposing yourself to new experiences is gratifying.

Lesson Five: Always say thank you and I love you--and mean it!

It's probably a cultural thing, but I notice people don't say these things with authenticity or some times at all. My parents raised me to be very gracious and always remember the people who helped you get to where you are today, never forgetting to thank them and express your appreciation. Because without them, you wouldn't have been able to achieve your goals and continue to strive for bigger and better. It's always nice to shout out to your support system, the people who have your back-- just so they know you'll be there for them, too.

So today make sure to let your dad know just how much you love and appreciate everything he's done to help you be the who you are today.

Hope you and your loved ones have a Happy Father's Day!

The Importance of Setting Intentions

In January, I decided 2014 was going to be a year of change. Being OCD, I had to make a list if I was going to start something new. So I sat down and figured out what areas I wanted to focus on for the year. And this wasn't about setting resolutions I knew I would break within two weeks. I needed to find systems to help me change my habits and approach to balancing work and personal life.

For the month of January, I wanted to focus on my health, so I started off with an annual physical checkup, upon which I adopted a Paleo diet and started my first Whole30. Despite its challenges, I was able to assess my relationship with food and adopt healthier habits, which resulted in a 15lb weight loss and an overall better feeling when I woke up in the morning to the time I fell asleep at night. This wasn't attributed to just diet alone; from January through February, I started attending barre3 classes religiously (5-7x/wk) and participated in barre3 Austin's barre-lympics challenge in honor of the 2014 Winter Olympics and won the silver medal, meaning I was the runner up to attend the most amount of classes in four weeks. If you've taken barre, you know how challenging and rewarding it can be! I absolutely love this workout, love my studio owners and instructors and highly recommend anyone who's interested in channelling his/her inner ballerina and athletic yogi for an hour. 

Then in March, I decided to re-evaluate my career goals and intended trajectory to see if what I was doing fell in line with my personal mission to help empower others. I decided to make the terrifying leap of faith to transition out of education and educate myself in the world of Public Relations. I knew that I wanted to connect with people and started to look into work at nonprofit agencies. I also enrolled in a PR Certificate Program through Rutgers University's School of Communication and Information to brush up on the marketing/advertising industry. I love a theme party and planning events in the past was enjoyable, so I wanted to find something that allowed me to connect with and help others in need and manage events at the same time. I am particularly interested in organizations that empower women's health and wellness, especially since I've struggled to find a reasonable work-life-love balance of my own. Since then, I've been working on creating press releases and crisis communications plans for my coursework in PR, and I love being able to apply the concepts in my classes to real-world situations that I will use as a PR professional. I'm looking forward to volunteering and interning with some local organizations to build up my knowledge base and skills set for the remainder of the year. 

That said, doing the research to find what I wanted to do this year served most beneficial to me, and I kept myself motivated by setting a weekly intention every Friday for the week ahead. Sometimes I would find quotes on Pinterest, or in an article from Flipboard, or sometimes they were original thoughts. I found that setting these weekly intentions helped me to channel my energy into these mini-mission statements to keep me focused. I find the Erada quote particularly relevant in my reflection of these past six months because of the changes I worked to implement in my lifestyle, and while the unknown is terrifying, the results can be absolutely amazing and life-changing. 

I challenge you to set a weekly intention--just try it for a month. (I've listed mine below.) Think about how you want to approach your week ahead and you'll find this focused energy will help you achieve your goals for the week. 

2014 Intentions (numbered by week)

1. Find a moment of joy each day.
2. Say YES to opportunity.
3. Take risks. Don't play it safe. 
4. Anything could happen.
5. (In February I instituted WOW (Word of the Week) 
• WOW: clean
• IOW: Make the most of each moment.
6. WOW: inspired; IOW:  Continue to maintain positivity despite adversity in everyday situations.
7. WOW: mindful; IOW: Do something each day that your future self will thank you for.
8. WOW: determination; IOW: Be proud of yourself! You are doing things everyday that surprise the hell outta me! :) 

I set my weekly intentions along with my implementation of my first Whole30, so that's why the example list has 8 weeks. I have a Maybook planner with weekly and monthly agenda pages, so as I would plan the next week's meals, I would write my WOW and IOW. 

Hello Lovely! Welcome to The Bubbly Bibliophile!

Brunch. Beauty. Books.

Three of life's greatest pleasures.

Anything interesting that happens in my life only happens because I'm brunching, deciding what to wear when I'm going to brunch, reading, shopping, and reading about shopping. The Bubbly Bibliophile is a collection of my latest #bookhaul, #beautyhaul, and #mustbrunch spots.