Hobbies

1 July, 2017

Being happy

cre-cre Antwerp, Belgium, Free time, Instagram, photography, vacation Free time, Hobbies, Instagram 0 Comments

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Time flies when you’re having fun. I am tired, but oh so happy. I’ve made some great memories in the past two months, and done things that I wouldn’t have dream of.

It feels liberating. It feels just right. I feel happy.

The best part is that more is to come, and I truly believe that this will be a memorable year for me. I’ve learned new things about me. I have become more confident and the best of them all: I am back! I’ve regained my wild self that takes chances and doesn’t back down when there is something that I want.

I used to be so servantile, wanting to please everyone around me.

Now, I just go and do the things I want without asking for permission or waiting for others to join in.

This feels like the right way to go…

~~~~~~

I have been hiking with two other friends.

I have been in Belgium (and a few other places), for training (for my current job). Tomorrow, I shall leave again for Belgium for another three weeks, for more training.

This was an experience that I will not forget any time soon. It has been wonderful on so many levels.

It was a welcome break from all the things that have made up my life, till now.

Then, in August we shall have a one week vacation to Greece (all paid for with cash up front). One week of just relaxing in the sun and enjoying the sea. To put it in perspective, it has been three years since we last went to the sea side.

My co-workers are planning a hiking trip, then team bonding and team building.

Did I mention that I beat my own personal record at wearing make-up (just because I wanted to): two full months!

I know it might not seem much, but for me it was an eye opener. We’ve been focused so much on work, and trying to make things right with everybody that we’ve put ourselves on second place.

I am not saying that things will carry on like this forever, I’m just saying that it is great to have the chance to experience so many things after a complete lock down on our social lives.

Heck, I even got the chance to fulfill one of my childhood dreams: I got a Goku tattoo! I wanted this for so long, but never dreamed that I would wake up one day and say I want it and then get it done.

Sure, it was painful and I still need another sitting to finish it. But, it is an achievement. It is one of those things on my bucket list that I never dreamed of fulfilling.

When I think about it, it is not like I am working less or being a lazy bum. No. The work is new and demanding, but it is fun and rewarding. I am going to give full credit to this to the awesome team that I am in.

I realized yesterday, that we do have things that piss us off. But, the fact that we talk openly about them and try to find solutions, by ranting and swearing, and even with logic and different opinions, it fills me up with joy.

My old team was awesome. I do miss them. But, the environment we were working was so restrictive and toxic that it made us all bitter.

I can honestly say I am currently happy. Happiness really is a state of mind. Having a balanced life, between work and home really does wonders.

Note: I also got a chance to relax and just be myself!

17 April, 2017

Monday morning

cre-cre Instagram, photography, pictures, Pluto Free time, Hobbies, Instagram, Pluto 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

It is a rainy Monday morning. I am happy to say that we have no plans for today. We don’t even have to go to work. Of course, I am officially unemployed and Johnny is on Easter holiday.

We’ve had a great weekend.

We did nothing out of the ordinary, but it was awesome nonetheless. We went to the park, where Pluto finally conquered his fear of water.

This was possible with the help of a fellow Labrador. We were actually amazed that they got along so well, considering they were both males and not sterilized. In fact, it was the very first time they meet each other.

We went to the country side. We ate to our hearts content, and enjoyed the sunny weather. Considering that today it is raining and gloomy outside, I think we were lucky. I also got a lot of tulips and some common lilac from my mom. Tulips and lilac are my favorite flowers.

Basically, we enjoyed a mellow weekend. It has been a long time since we had a weekend like this one. I cannot blame John, since he always had the weekends off. It was my who was working and couldn’t take the time off.

That shouldn’t be a problem anymore. I am free as a bird, and I do not plan on making any steps in becoming employed again till the end of the month. I have missed being free of any obligation or responsibility. I have some free time and I am going to make the most of it. Even if it feels weird right now, not having to go to work or be stressed about stuff or people.

The only stress I can get now, is from Pluto and his never ending energy.

Even if it is a gloomy Monday morning, it is a beautiful day to stay inside. I can read, clean, play with Pluto and many other things. I am going to enjoy each day at a time.

22 March, 2017

Pluto, Marlanu’ and Stitching

cre-cre Free time, Gobelin, Instagram, Marlanu, needlepoint, pictures, Pluto, stitching Free time, Hobbies, Instagram, Movies, Photography, Pluto, Stitching 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Pluto, Marlanu’ and stitching, make the best days off. I love spending time with my pets! I am pretty certain that they love spending time with me. We love to hang around, play, sleep and even do nothing, if possible.

But mostly we love playing.

It can be at home, when I am trying to browse the Internet for new stitching kits.

#marlanu #playtime #cat #gingercat #petofinstagram #pet #catsofinstagram #catoftheday #cutemoments #cutcat #fatcat
A post shared by Alina Constantin (@creness) on Mar 1, 2017 at 12:15am PST

Or, it can be outside.

#Pluto and his #tongue #boomerang #labrador #lab #dog #dogsofinstagram #petofinstagram #pet #labradorretriever #cutedog #cutemoments #instapet #dogoftheday
A post shared by Alina Constantin (@creness) on Mar 18, 2017 at 2:34am PDT

But my favorite moments is when I stitch and they just lay around. Those are the moments that define our relationship, and strengthen Johnny’s belief that we are all lazy bastards. I just think that he is jealous of us, since he has to work during the day.

Even so, I am happy they allow me to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies: stitching. It has been a long time since I finished something, and I am amazed that I managed to stitch for months at just one project.

It might not look like much, but it is a pretty big stitching project. Truthfully, I was expecting to get bored of it in a couple of months. It seems that was not the case, and I have not worked on anything else. Hopefully, I will finish it till the end of summer.

I am being realistic here, since I know that there might be times when I will not have the chance to touch it.

22 March, 2017

Wednesday Vibes

cre-cre country side, Free time, Photographs, Road Trip, Sohatu Free time, Photography 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

The last few weeks have been wonderful. I cannot believe how amazing it feels to be out and about.

Road trips, movie dates, lunch dates, shopping & grocery trips, going to the country side (to visit my parents), and many more normal things.. I cannot believe how much work can affect a person’s life. What the hell have I’ve been doing with myself for the last year?

No wonder people have avoided me and John for so long, All we did is to talk about work and more work. We didn’t have anything else to talk about.

~~~~~~

One day in February, we woke up, drank our coffee and just went out. When I say out, I mean we got in the car and drove to a different city. We ended up in Pitesti where we had lunch and walked around. The weather was fine, and the city was peaceful. Compared to the crowds that were out and about in Bucharest, it felt like we were on a different planet.

We even found this lil store where they had Italian products. I was happy, cause I ended up buying olive oil, balsamic vinegar and coffee. I know there are a lot of malls and shops in Bucharest, but it was much cheaper and they had stuff you normally you don’t find.

We even ended up at La Tuciuri. It is a small restaurant, very pretty and the food was just amazing. It opened at 12 PM, and we thought that we were early, but in 15 minutes the place was crowded. And for good reasons.

It was rustic, small and the people there were friendly.

The food was amazing! It has been a long time since we found a place that could satisfy both my tastes and Johnny’s.

They even do home delivery, but I doubt that they will deliver to other cities.

This outing really opened my eyes. So, for the next couple of weeks more things happened. We went out to the movies, with colleagues and friends. We saw Split and Logan (it was awesome!). We have plans to go see Ghost in the shell as well, with the same people.

We went out more, even if it was just for coffee. Even our walks with Pluto have become longer. We take him out more often, as well. I know this last part is influenced directly by the weather. But, we were all in need of exercise and fresh air (as fresh as you can get in the city).

This last weekend, we went to the country side. I was supposed to meet up with some friends afterwards, but I didn’t make it. It was hard to leave from there. It was sunny, warm and my mother cooked some of her best dishes. I just stuffed my face with everything she made, and then just soaked in all the sunshine I could get.

Even if I didn’t get the chance to sleep that much (working the night shift + going out during the day), I felt fresh. I have recharged my batteries, and no amount of sleep could’ve had the same effect on me.

I am content with how things are going. Soon to be unemployed, but happy. There is much more to life that working your ass off, and not being able to enjoy anything.

8 March, 2017

Books, books and more books

cre-cre Books, Free time, Instagram, Neil Gaiman, Silvana de Mari, Stardust, The Last Orc Books, Free time, Hobbies, Instagram 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

There is one thing that makes me get through the days at work: my colleagues! I am grateful to be able to meet and befriend such amazing people.

Not only do they keep me grounded, keep my sanity in check, but they surprise me in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

After a long day at work, with just one break for a quick phone call (also work related), I felt like crawling under a rock. It was one of those days, where nothing made sense and things went from bad to worse, with no chance of improvement.

And yet, in an instant the world became a better place.

I still can’t believe that someone took it upon themselves to remember what my favorite book is, and also the fact that I do not own a copy of it. That same someone, decided I should own a copy!

I am now the proud owner of the Romanian version of Stardust, by Neil Gaiman! It is still in its wrapping, since I can’t bring myself to open it yet. Like all good things that happen in my life, I want to enjoy the moment. So, for a lil while it will stay in its wrapping.

Oh, and that’s not all. That same someone, decided I should own a copy of one of their favorite authors. So, I am also the proud owner of a copy of The Last Orc by Silvana de Mari.

I can honestly say it made my day brighter in an instant (even if it was almost midnight when I left from work).

I also can’t wait for this Sunday to come around. It will be the night shift get together. We all decided to go and see Logan at the cinema, before starting our shift. Good things are yet to come, I just need to be patient.

6 March, 2017

Book swap

cre-cre Free time, Instagram, photography, Pluto Books, Free time, Hobbies, Instagram, Pluto 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

One of the things that I have accomplished at work, and which made me real proud, was the book swap.

It might not be related to the actual work that goes around there, but having hobbies and being able to share them with others is fulfilling. And it all started with the “Red Queen” book, by Victoria Aveyard.

I am pretty certain that my book has been circulated to at least 6 people, all of them now owning a copy of their own. Not only that, but I do believe that they own all 3 books, plus the two short stories (Queen Song and Steel Scars).

Even to this day, I haven’t received my book back. I am not sure who has it, nor do I wish to have it back. I am just happy it was the book that started it all.

Of course, I have a few books in my bookshelves that are not my own. I am trying my best to read them, but I think I will go for the Kindle version and just return them to their rightful owners. After all, in a month my contract will come to an end. I only wish to keep in touch with a handful of people. The others.. well, it will be hard to remove them from my mind. I just hope they will soon become just bad memories.

There are a few people I intend on keeping up with the book swap. I just love the books they recommend. They’ve enlarged my horizon a couple of times, and I can only be grateful for that.

I only plan on making good memories from now on.

For the first time in ages, we actually got the chance to make plans. They might not be the biggest and boldest plans, but being able to say “Yes, we will come” to a wedding or to a christening invitation is something. To be able to say for sure that we will be spending Easter together, and that we can go out during the weekends with friends feels like out of this world.

We even got the chance to go out in the park and just waste an hour or two. Pluto proved to us how long it has been since he was out in the park. After a couple of ball runs, he was exhausted.

When being able to do regular things seems like an achievement, you know for sure that things were not right at all. Hopefully, things will only get better this week and I will get that call confirming my hopes for the last two weeks. *fingers crossed*

25 February, 2017

Spring, is that you?

cre-cre Free time, Instagram, Marlanu, needlepoint, photography, Pluto Free time, Hobbies, Instagram, Marlanu', Pluto, Stitching 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Spring is slowly coming. We’ve had lovely weather this past week. It was sunny and warm. It really lifted my spirits.

What really made me happy, was the fact that I got the call that I was waiting for. Next Wednesday, I will have my first face to face interview. I know it might not seem much, but for me that interview is a life line. Considering everything that went on in the last two weeks, a job interview is something to look forward to.

I know I shouldn’t count the days. But, I can’t help it. I just want to break free of that place.

With that said, I am planning on making my days count. I will try my hardest to get out of the rut that was self imposed because of work.

~~~~~~

I do love the new book shelves that we got from Ikea. They changed the room. The fact that I couldn’t fit in all my books in them, doesn’t matter at all. I still had free space in our bedroom.

I’ve also made some decent progress at my Autumn needlepoint. In fact, if I keep it up, I should be able to finish it in a couple of months. It is a very large project that I have undertaken. But, it is worth it.

Of course, whenever I stitch I have company.

They might not help with the actual stitching, but they do provide a good company, even when all they do is sleep.

I missed spending time with my furry friends. I missed wasting time. I hope that soon enough, I will miss having to worry about how each day will turn out.

I should just follow the example from Pluto and Marlanu’, and just enjoy each moment as it passes. It seems to be working out great for them.

11 February, 2017

12.04.2017

cre-cre Marlanu', Photography, Pluto 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

I was finally able to sign my resignation. Last day of work: 12.04.2017.

You might think that my CV is updated, that I am actively applying for jobs. I haven’t done anything of the sort. I just cleaned the house and rested.

It was such a wonderful feeling to have time to waste. It has been such a long time since I felt happy about doing regular things. Listening to music, stitching, watching a Bollywood movie, walking Pluto, resting with Marlanu’ and Pluto. It felt incredible.

I don’t regret anything. If stability means losing your own self, I would rather have instability. I would rather struggle and be happy, then comfortable and miserable.

I want to make happy memories, at work and at home. I don’t one thing to affect the other. I want to feel good about myself, once again. To be honest, I started feeling really old. I started thinking that there is nothing out there for me. That I am not good enough for anything else. It showed on my face, in the way I dressed, the way I acted. I was a sad person.

That is not who I am.

I am a happy person by nature. The smallest things make me the happiest. When I laugh, Pluto laughs with me. He feels my happiness. Yet, I haven’t had a real laugh in ages. Even the blog became depressing.

~~~~~~

In March I will apply again to get my driver’s license. Johnny was right. If I want road trips that we can both enjoy, I should step up as well. I started learning Spanish, as I planned. I don’t know much, but at least I can count to 10 in Spanish. I also understand most things said to me, but I still can’t reply back.

So, my action plan for the next two months: small steps to get back my old happy self.

18 January, 2017

A much needed Bollywood dose

cre-cre Bollywood, Chalo Dilli, Free time, I hate luv storys, Kidnap, Movies Bollywood, Free time, Hobbies, Movies 0 Comments

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Watching a Bollywood movie takes time. Most of them are at least 2 hours long. Imagine watching 3 Bollywood movies, after being on the night shift.

Yep, that’s what I did.

I just didn’t want to waste my day sleeping. Weekends are short enough as they are.

~~~~~~

The movie selection process was done completely random. Usually, I would look up one of my favorite actors and see what new releases they might have. This time, I just went with whatever I found available.

I was not disappointed.

My first choice was “Kidnap” with Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan and Minissha Lamba.

Sure enough, it had drama, action, eye candy (for both sexes) and the most important thing, a happy ending for everyone involved. Yep, a true Bollywood movie. Even the bad guy, Kabir Sharma played by Imran Khan) was off the hook for kidnapping Sonia (played by Minissha Lamba).

The second choice was “I hate luv storys“.

I think I picked this one because I liked Imran Khan in Kidnap. But, I also liked Sonam Kapoor in Saawariya. With this one the selection process was not so random. I must admit, I was just curious and I like pretty faces.

Usually, when looking for Bollywood romance I always go for old movies. All of them will be compared against “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (my all time favorite). With “I hate luv storys” I had moments where I skipped forward. This usually happens when I just don’t have the patience for certain scenes.

It was cute, but not cute enough.

The last one I enjoyed! I really did. I stumbled on it, and I am glad I did. It was “Chalo Dilli“.

It was cute and funny. It was relaxing and it had a train ride! It deserves more than what it has on IMDb. This lil gem actually made my day much better. I considered my time (almost 8 hours, with breaks included) well spent.

What struck me, is that all of these movies are old.

Chalo Dilli was the most recent one. It came out in 2011.

I really need to get my sh*t together. My life is revolved too much around work. It should be the other way around. I should work so I can live, not live to work. That and I really need a new job, something that has nothing to do with Customer Service, Sales or anything related (if possible).

10 January, 2017

Bloody cold

cre-cre Free time, Instagram, Johnny, Marlanu, photography, Pluto, winter Free time, Instagram, Marlanu', Pluto 0 Comments

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

I am just stating the obvious here: It is bloody cold!

Yes, I am aware it is winter. I am also aware, that we are in January and this is the coldest month of the year. I would not have any problem, if I wouldn’t have to take the dog out or go to work.

This is the first year that we had to get Pluto doggy footwear. It wasn’t hard to convince Johnny to buy them. It wasn’t a want, but more of an urgent need for the poor dog. Pluto seemed to love them as soon as he was outside and he was able to run around. I was hoping he wouldn’t drag me along anymore, but that hope was soon lost on me.

Taking Pluto out for short walks is fun, and we do get some exercise in. But, we do have those moments when enough is enough. Those are the moments that we slowly go back home. The moments when something warm is all that we want.

I do love winter, just not at the moment.

Maybe I am a bit grumpy, since I didn’t get enough rest in the last 2 days. All I know is that the bed is the best place to be at the moment. It is warm and comfortable. I also love it when all four of us are cuddling (Marlanu’ and Pluto like spending time with us as well).

Marlanu’ knows best since he seems to be sleeping more.