Cheers to 2014!

So 2014 is here, and everyone's making their own resolutions. I make a lot of resolutions every year, but I'll be honest in saying I always have a hard time following them. This year, I've made more realistic goals and better ways of keeping up with them. Some of these are bigger life changes, others are smaller goals that will make my life easier. I'll be checking in at the end of March, July, October and December with my progress on each of these (mainly, the ones that involve losing weight). 

I have spent most of December reflecting on 2013, and through the support of my family and friends and some professionals, I've come to accept the year's gifts as well as its lessons, and I've decided to spend more time thinking of the future than ruminating on the past.

So, without further ado, here are my goals, in no particular order:

- Lose weight. The ultimate amount of weight I want to lose is somewhere in the ballpark of 70 pounds. This is such a daunting number, that I thought it would be better to divide these up into smaller goals: (1) lose 10 pounds by my trip to Argentina in February, (2) lose 30 pounds by the time I visit Dartmouth again in May for Green Key (3) lose 50 pounds by homecoming 2014 (and the KD Housewarming!) (4) lose 70 pounds by the end of the year (when I go back to Miami for the holidays). I have a fitblr that I use to keep closer track of my progress, as well as a MyFitnessPal account, but I don't think I'll feel comfortable sharing that until I've made more considerable progress.

- Take better care of my hair. I compulsively wash my hair every day, which is so so bad for curly/dry hair. I want to start only washing my hair every other day, using the Living Proof Restore Mask at least once a week, blow-drying my hair before I go to sleep, and generally doing my hair rather than just putting it up in a bun.

- Get my sleeping act together. Aside from the fact that I have sleeping issues in general, I don't have a good sleeping schedule at the moment, which makes it impossible to wake up on time for work. My resolution is to be in bed, lights off, under the covers, at 10 PM, and to actually, physically get out of my bed at 6 AM. I also need a sleep study, but I won't know what I need to do with regards to that until it happens.

 - Organize my spending habits. I don't make a ton of money and living in New York is expensive, so I definitely want to budget my money better. For the sake of privacy, my budget is kept in a private Google Doc, but I'll let you know how well I'm following it throughout the year.

- Organize eating and exercise habits. This is definitely along the lines of the first resolution, but aside from reducing amount of calories consumed, I also want to make sure I'm getting the appropriate nutrients. I also have very specific goals from working out. This resolution will require its own blog post later on.

 - Organize my time after I get home from work. Every work day when I get home, do one hour of daily stuff (eating, dishes, teeth, etc), one hour of something needed (cleaning, going to rite aid, gym, etc) and half an hour organizing work stuff for the next day.

- Plan things to do with other people, and reach out to other people.  I'm going to actively invite other people to do things with me, and I' m going to stop turning down invitations to things. I'm going to reach out to those friends that live far away from me and keep up the friendships that matter to me. Additionally, I'm going to stop getting upset over friends that naturally grow apart. It happens. Life goes on.

- Read more books! At least two a month, for a total of 24.

- Travel. I include this one because I already know it'll be completed. I'm traveling to Buenos Aires in February, and hopefully the rest of the year will bring along many more sights.

- Blog more. I have so many things I want to write about.

Here's to hoping for a fabulous 2014! Cheers!

Random Musings, Pt. 1

New York City is a lonely place. It seems odd to say that, because of the sheer density of people that live here, but it is. Maybe it's because I miss my family in Miami. Maybe it's because I miss living an arm's length away from my friends in Hanover. But I have never felt quite as lonely as I have here, surrounded (or suffocated) by 8 Million other human beings.

New York City is also a hard place to live in. The cost of living is exorbitant to a point of senselessness. Things (re: jobs) are far away and hard to get to. Seasons range from the oppressing humidity of the summer, accompanied by heat and a gross smell that sits like fog on the city during its hottest month, to the frigid months of the winter, when your radiator just isn't quite strong enough.

It's easy to become wrapped up in these things - I've slowly felt myself transforming into the unfriendly New Yorker that is so easy to associate with this city. I've come to realize, however, that it's not quite unfriendliness as it is a constant worry for your own affairs - and we all have a lot of affairs to worry about.

New York City is also a beautiful place. Amongst the difficulties that I've had in moving here, I've been lucky to experience moments so nice that it reminded me why I ever questioned living here in the first place.

- The time Smorgasburg moved to Brooklyn Bridge Park, and we ate our food next to the water with full views of Manhattan

- The time a boy who looked no older than 12 years old was selling chocolates on the 4 train, and no one was buying from him, and as soon as I bought one so many people on the train bought some as well.

- The time I took the J back to Brooklyn at sunset and got to watch the sun set over the Manhattan skyline

- The time I went to a random store in Chinatown with two of my best friends, and we got presents for each others spontaneously

- The time I went on a date where we spent all afternoon at the Met

- The time my boss gave me a candle and wine as a present for making it through August, September and October

- The time the leaves turned beautiful colors in the park next door

- The time my roommate and I finally organized our apartment

- The time I went hiking upstate at Bear Mountain with a group of 5th graders and had the most wonderful time, past anything I ever thought possible

And so so so many other moments. Lesson of the day: New York only sucks if you let it. 

Sweater Weather

Oh man I haven't posted in so so long. I've been working like a maniac, and the last post was from right before the craziness of school started. I hope to start posting more soon - starting with this questionnaire I found while browsing YouTube. 

I love these things (they remind me of surveys on MySpace way back when), and this one in particular caught my eye because it's also the title of my most recent song obsession by The Neighbourhood.

So, here it goes!

1. Favorite candle scent?

I don't know why, but anything that's not clean scented makes me kind of sick. My current favorite is clean linen from Bath and Body Works, also the current scent in my Bath and Body Wallflower. 

2. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

Coffee, obviously. I'm Colombian. 

3. What's the best fall memory you have? 

Homecoming at Dartmouth College. Both during freshman year and as an alum. 

4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged liner? 

Neither, actually. I prefer natural eyeshadow and nude lips. 

5. What do you want to be for Halloween? 

Halloween already passed and I didn't dress up - but probably something punny.

6. Favorite Thanksgiving food? 

Mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing, and cranberries. All together. 

7. Hats or scarves?

Scarves, but more the spring kind than the heavy sweater kind. 

8. Most worn sweater? 

All of my Gap Eversoft sweaters. Completely obsessed. I've been living in them.

9. Favorite nail polish? 

Devil's Advocate and Fishnet Stockings by Essie. Devil's Advocate is a deep purple that I like even better than Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI. Fishnet Stockings is a gorgeous blood red. It is truly the best red nail polish ever. 

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles? 

Neither. Womp.

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?

I exclusively wear skinny jeans year-round.

12. Combat boots or uggs? 

I never got into combat boots, and although I'm obsessed with Uggs my friend (who is far more fashionable than I am) recently forbade me from buying another pair at DSW, reminding me that I am now too old to wear them. 

13. What's your #1 favorite thing about fall?

Coats! I am obsessed with coats. So happy it's coat weather again.

Travel Bucket List

I've always loved to travel, anywhere and everywhere. I love exploring new places and meeting new people and seeing new sights. While I definitely want to check out many different places in general, there's a few very specific sights I want to see during my 20s. This list will definitely be expanded (and hopefully things will get crossed off!)

Disclaimer: as much as I wish they were, none of these are my own pictures.

1. Cranberry Bogs
Where: random places in New England
This is perhaps the easiest one to get to, given that there are a few of these in Massachusetts and other states near me. The most difficult part of this is to find someone who wants to go with me.

2. Salt Flats
Where: Uyuni, Bolivia
Partly for the forced-perspective pictures, partly because holy shit.

3. Chengdu Panda Base
Where: Chengdu, China
Pandas are my favorite animal, and you can actually hold one at the Chengdu Panda Base. Life-long dream.

4. Camping de la Baie-de-Perce
Where: Perce, Canada
Stemming from a long-standing love affair with French Canada (did I mention I'm going to Quebec City Winter Carnival - again?), and with a new love affair with French-Canadian National Parks thanks to the incredible Parc National des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie, this park caught my attention because it's camping on cliffs next to the ocean, things don't get much better than that.

Moving to New York

I officially moved to New York City on Saturday, July 12. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach because I was leaving my family, because I was going to somewhere that wasn't Dartmouth, and because I was nervous about the things that lay ahead - but no matter how nervous I was, I did not expect things to be nearly as difficult and emotional as they were.

Everyone has a horrible "when I first moved to New York story". Here's mine.

I was picked up by my roommate Amanda at LaGuardia and dropped off in Flushing, Queens, where I was staying with an older woman, a friend of my dad's friend from high school (very far removed from my family - this explains what happens later). She wasn't charging me too much money, so I decided to agree. From the beginning, I realized this wasn't a happy living situation. I realized I would be staying on a leather couch with one blanket, and that the walk to the train stop was almost half an hour. On the phone, she said she had wi-fi and air conditioning that she would turn on if the weather got too hot. She avoided all questions regarding the wi-fi, claiming she didn't know the password, forcing me to apartment hunt on my phone and during my lunch break at work. She didn't turn on the air conditioning once, not even during the worst heat wave New York had seen in 10 years. I desperately tried to turn it on once - it wasn't plugged in. I had to sleep on a bare leather couch in 97 degree weather. My commute to work required three trains: the (unairconditioned) 7, the G, and the C. The 7 caught on fire once and stopped running, another time I was delayed for over an hour because a door was broken.

Apartment hunting was no better. Amanda and I knew nothing about Brooklyn and so we started our apartment search blindly, walking into some of the most horrible neighborhoods I have ever been to. The first apartment we saw was on a corner where a prostitute was demanding money from her pimp, and the radiators in the place were broken. We saw broken doors, broken windows, gross toilets, horrible walks from the subway. I was getting home every day at 1:00 AM to attempt to fall asleep on the leather couch. Amanda and I finally broke down on Friday, and we both departed from New York City and spent our weekend getting ourselves back together and not being on the subway. I spent the weekend in Morristown with Damaris, so grateful to be there I nearly cried.

We came back and finally found an apartment, and although it's been a bit of a hassle to get everything set up, I was glad I no longer had to spend my time on Craigslist. Meanwhile, things in Queens got worse, as my landlady started treating me worse and worse until things culminated last Sunday after spending the weekend away with Jing. After a gross bathroom issue, I texted Amanda, who found out her friend Sarah had an extra room where I could stay until her future roommate moved in - a/c, a bed, and wi-fi. I left Sunday night, much to the dismay of my landlady, and things have been looking up ever since.

Amanda and I are moving into our apartment tomorrow, and we're going to Ikea on Saturday to pick out awesome new furniture. In other big news, meet the newest member of the Agredo family, Wall-E:

All in all, the tears and pain were worth it for our new apartment and for all the friends I've made while I've been here. The one thing I haven't mentioned, my job, has been so incredible that I almost feel too lucky to have it. Everything else has been worth it so that I can work with the incredible group of people I'm working with. Uncommon Schools is truly a great organization. This whole thing has taught me that I'm thankful for my friends, the unrelenting support of my parents, and my job. I'm not thankful for the housing market in New York City. 

Tl;dr: Subletting sucks, apartment hunting sucks, my job is awesome, my friends are awesome, my parents are awesome, and I'm adopting a maltese. 

Here's to many new adventures in New York!

xoxoxo

My Love Affair with Clinique Lip Products

Clinique is by far my favorite makeup brand. While I definitely tend to stay within drugstore brands because of the price, but sometimes I'll save up some money and buy Clinique instead. Their products are great for your skin and they make you look great - nothing not to love.

Last year the Dartmouth Bookstore got a Clinique stand (tip for all you ladies going to Dartmouth next year) and I went a bit crazy. The wonderful woman working the stand knew me by name by the end. 

This is a review of my lip stuff alone, because I'm particularly obsessed with their lip products. 

Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel

I am completely obsessed with Chubby Sticks (including the eye ones -  that'll come on a different post), and my goal is to collect all of them (and I probably will). They are moisturizing while still having a great color payoff and in my opinion they are one of the best This color is my absolute favorite out of all of them, and I wear it more than every other lipstick I own. It's a gorgeous nude color, and the best way to explain it is that this is like your lips - but better. 

Chubby Stick Intense in Mightiest Maraschino

This is the most gorgeous pinkish/red color, and it's soft while colorful. I don't usually like pink lips but this one is incredible. 

Chubby Stick in Oversized Orange

This is a color I would have never picked out for myself, but the lady at the Clinique counter recommended it for my coral-colored dress. It comes out so gorgeous on the lips, and it's a great way to jump on the coral trend without going overboard. Definitely one of my favorites.

Chubby Stick in Chunky Cherry

One of my favorite red lip colors of all time, tied with the Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart. This is a gorgeous red color that looks good on most people (I've given this as a present to both my mom, who is Hispanic, and one of my really good friends, who is Asian, and this color looks great on both of them).

Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

This is Clinique's best selling lip product of all time - and for good reason. The only way to describe this color is "sultry". It looks great on everyone - it almost adapts to your lips in a way that looks both natural and glamorous at the same time.

Different Lipstick in Spiced Apple

This is a great nude, every day color. This is the color that I use when I want to look professional (interviews, work, meeting the parents, etc), since it looks good and still adds a little something. 

That's my collection (for now - it'll definitely grow!). 

xoxo. 

Favorite Red and Blue Nail Polishes

In honor of the fourth of July, of course! I'm obsessed with nail polish and I hope this inspire you for some amazing nail polish looks. Note: I used the official "stock" photos of these, but they really don't do the colors justice. Look up swatches online and you'll see how gorgeous these colors actually are. 

Red

Essie Fishnet Stockings

This is my absolute favorite red nail polish (and up there in my all time favorite nail polishes of all colors). It's a gorgeous deep red that flatters every skin tone and gets compliments every time it is used. If you're looking for a good red polish, look no further than this. It is incredible. 

OPI Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It

This is a gorgeous orangey-red that I have owned and repurchased for a couple of years now. It's one of the first nail polishes that I bought, and every time I wear it I receive compliments on it. The formula is great and stays on your nails forever. 

OPI I'm Not Really A Waitress

This looks really pink but it's actually a very shiny deep red with very subtle fuchsia undertones. Another gorgeous flattering color. 

Revlon Brilliant Strength Seduce

This is a gorgeous candy apple red with a bit of shimmer. Fishnet Stockings (above) has very dark undertones, while this one is brighter and more playful. 

Blue 

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Blue My Mind

This is a very playful, multi-dimensional blue that would be perfect for the fourth of July. This color does not flatter all skin tones though, and it can be pretty overwhelming. I love to wear it for occasions that call for it (like a day party or a holiday) but it's not an everyday nail polish. 

Revlon ColorStay Blue Slate 

A very muted, gorgeous, work-appropriate blue color that I have worn to death. I love it so much, and now that I'm going to start my big girl job I'll definitely be wearing it more often. I'll be doing another post on work-appropriate nail polish soon.  

L'Oreal After Hours

I'm obsessed with navy. It's my favorite color in the world and I own more navy clothes than I own in any other color, and I'm planning on decorating my room in my new apartment in mostly navy and white (there'll be a ton of posts about that coming up). Coming from a navy lover, I can tell you that this is the perfect navy color. It's deep, rich, flattering, opaque, everything you could want in a color. I wear this far too often, as I do many other navy things. 

Essie Borrowed and Blue 

This is such a beautiful soft pastel blue, perfect for spring and summer days. 

Happy 4th of July!

xoxo.