Me Encanta Raffel Pagés and Trash Magazines

Joan arrived from London tonight and with him he brought Magazines en Ingles. This time he chose, Star, a wonderfully trashy British gossip magazine and O Magazine. He remembered how addicted I was to tuning into The Oprah Show at 4 p.m. each day in the states, being here I can't watch anymore. What a thoughtful boyfriend.

I'm not to into self-help articles but I came across one in O called, This is Your Brain On Happiness, part of the article listed 5 things happy people do, so let's see how happy you are.

1.They Find Their Most Golden State
"Picture Happiness, eudaimonia well being means striving toward excellence based on one's unique talents and potential-Aristotle considered it to be the noblest goal in life...."

2.They Design Their Lives To Bring In Joy
"If you transfer even an hour of activity from something you hate doing (cleaning the bathroom for example) to one you like, such as reading or spending time with friends,you should see a significant improvement in your life...."

3.They Avoid "If Only" Fantasies
"If only I get a better job, if only I find a boyfriend,if I lost weight..life would be perfect. People are surprisingly bad at predicting what they want, only to find when they get it they want more or they didn't achieve the euphoric happiness they thought they would. Happy people are wise to this and keep their lives full of novelty, even if it is just trying a new activity now and again.

4.They Put Their Best Friends First
"One of the simplest pleasures is just hanging out. Don't dash around wasting time with acquaintances, make sure your best friends surround you and just enjoy time together."

5.They Allow Themselves To Be Happy
"The Dalai Lama believes you should pursue both simultaneously, help others and help yourself. There is clear research proving that happy people want to help others. In one famous study, nuns whose autobiographies expressed positive emotions, such as gratitude and optimism, lived ten and a half years longer than other nuns."

So there you have it, from Oprah's mouth to your eyes, 5 things you can do to achieve happiness. I feel like I am there, it takes work but is well worth it if the end result is sheer unadulterated happiness.

Speaking of which, I had a wonderful day today, again, with Joan's mom. After Joan left for London I walked to the meatshop and we went to Blanes. Judith did an amazing job on my hair once again. I love Raffel Pagés. I also managed to read Hola! en español obviously, very easily! Perhaps I am better than I think.

After, we had coffee and a pastry at a very nice shop by the sea. We went shopping a bit, she bought Joan and I some very chic glass plates and groceries for Sunday lunch. I decided to try and make some more classic American dishes like Coconut Shrimp, Jack Daniel's grill glazed Chicken over pasta and the famous Sonic Cherry Limeade. Hopefully it will all go well.

I managed to get the house cleaned up a bit before Joan arrived so tomorrow all I have to do is get up and go to the beach, I am praying to God that it is sunny and beautiful tomorrow. I despretly want a tan.

All for now, I hope to talk to you all in the states soon-
except those of you who have neglected to comment on my blog. :( jaja

Ciao,
C.M.