Karma, peanuts, puzzles (and toilets)

Translation sent. I look at the time. 11 pm. I've worked for 12 hours without a break (I've decided that lunch, a quick dinner, some loo breaks, a phone call and 10 minutes exercise don't count as breaks. They are just interruptions).

It feels good.

I have the feeling I have changed all of a sudden. You'll say: "No wonder, you've quit your job, you are working from home, you can work as much or as little as you want (it's always the first option, I'm afraid!). You are right. But I am not talking about this kind of change. I am talking about something deeper. 

I feel like all of a sudden I am no longer a child (hard to believe, I know!). Two of my friends lost their dads in the past weeks. Just like this. Paf! and they were gone. Don't ask me why, but I was really shocked. I was reminded once again that life is short (and that therefore we should eat dessert first :). Everything can change in a split second. We all know this, we always have. But at one point in life it hits you so hard that you know you must do something. I have decided to start from the little things: telling people I love them whenever I feel like it, stop expecting them to love me back with the same enthusiasm, ignoring the people who try to hurt me, having more of a routine (and keeping my flat perfectly tidy - for my parents' sake more than anything else), never say "I can't", "it's impossible" "I am not able to do this". And only working if I like what I am doing (I am aware that this is a bit of a utopia but it has worked so far! :).

It feels good.

Because I wasn't even looking for jobs. They just came, which means no waste of time going through websites, sending CVs, calling people, begging... The best part of it is that my main client actually pays almost straight away. A reliable and understanding client (well, most of the time) that lets you set your own deadlines (if the job is not urgent, of course The "Ineeditinanhourorwecannotprinttheleafletsdoitnow" type of job) and trusts you...and YET...

They've had no problems with my rates when all they needed were short translations (3-4 pages), they were happy with my work and willing to pay me. Now I've been asked to do a 13 pages-long translation into French and Spanish. I have decided to have the same rate for all my language combinations. Partly because I can't be bothered doing the maths every time and partly because it's pushing me to improve my languages and work faster into any combination. The client of course knew what my rate was, but... 3 pages are three pages, my dear. When you add up for 13 pages...well, it's a totally different story!

Is it really??? Are you telling me that you'd let the plumber only fix your shower head (and leave the clogged-up toilet and sink alone) because you don't want to spend money on that?!? You wouldn't really, because, excuse my French, but at the end of the day we all need to pee and poo, right?

Translations, on the other hand, are not a need. They are optional. If I don't do it, they'll ask a colleague, a friend, a neighbour, an Erasmus student, their granny who went on holiday to France in 1949. Unlike with a clogged-up toilet, they will manage.

I'll wait and see. Meanwhile my rates will stay the same.#nopeanuts

And, yes, it feels good.

I might be an adult now, but I have recently re-developed a passion for puzzles. Why? It's simple: if I am trying to decide whether a particular nuance of white should end up on a polar bear's belly or on a seal's tail, makes me stop thinking about important things for a wee bit. At the same time, I realise how lucky I am: 

- I have enough puzzles to keep me busy for the next 10 years

- I have time to waste (or rather I make time)

- something trivial and childish makes me really happy  

*Reminder to self: post more regularly so you won't bore people with your verbal diarrhoea  (excuse me, I can't help sticking to the toilet theme). Those of you who made it to the end get a full load of hugs. :)

Do something that scares you every day

People say that to live better you should do something that scares you every day. I always thought it was a silly thing to say, but... guess what? Today I've done it!!! Although the end result wasn't what I was hoping for, let me tell you one thing: it was worth it! Firstly, because I have always been an andrenalin junkie. Secondly, because once you've done it, you realise nothing is as scary as you thought it would be and that you can do pretty much anything you want to - in 99% of cases you will survive! Life is not all black and white, it can be grey too (leaving the shades aside! :).

Although I did not need to be cheered up (the good old adrenalin did its job!), I got home and found this in my letter box. THE perfect Christmas/birthday present, if you ask me! :) :) :)

Life with(out) the net

I am writing this in a Word document. I will then copy paste it and post it. This is what things are like when don't have a proper internet connection in the age of advanced technology and general interconnectedness.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: Happy 2014! I have to say that after the New Year frenzy filled with good food, good friends and good fun I now feel like a heremite. I am one of those people who will always choose socialising over studying or working, but when I do start working and I like what I am doing I can sit still for hours and just work, work and work. Without leaving the house for a whole week (this is what happened to me last week. A combination of bad weather and workaholism. Luckily a friend rescued me and dragged me to the best pizzeria in town. Before we entered she looked at me seriously and said: “Phew! I'm glad you look almost normal now. When I first saw you one of your eyes was looking in one direction and the other one was looking the other way. You really freaked me out!”). Seeing every paragraph grow gives me a sense of satisfaction. Placing one paragraph after another and making the content flow perfectly gives me the feeling that everything is in the right place, everything follows a certain logic and as long as we can hold on to it we are going to lead happy lives.

I have always been a bit like that. I was holpess in Maths, but things had to be logical nonetheless. Of course this is not what happens in reality. Life is neither a dissertation nor a translation. Things are unpredictable and you cannot avoid surprises, be it good ones or bad ones. And this whole thing about being isolated isn't true either. Not only I have people around me who worry about my mental health and force me to take breaks (thank you!). I also have a smartphone. A total disgrace. It is constantly ringing and I never know where to look first: Whatssapp, Facebook, Gmail, text messages, reminders, programme updates...Multiply all that with a group of friends who are so close to each other that they need to know everything about every other member of the group. What you get is total chaos. Information overload is bad for you. Especially if the kind of information you are getting is in clear contrast with the way in which you had imagined your next couple of weeks to be like. Being told the truth is a good thing of course. But I'd rather be told the truth by the person who is playing an active role in the situation and not by his “followers” (yes, this is how friends act sometimes). Because truth is a relative concept. What is true for me might not be true for you. Does this make sense at all? If it doesn't it's ok. You have just had the privilege of getting an insight into my brain. Welcome to my crazy world, pals!

When I am sick of all this confusing stimuli I start writing again. I write, higlight, delete and add pieces of information. Logical ones. No room for rubbish. And then I stop and think. While I am here being all confused about life and holding onto imaginary order on a virtual piece of paper, someone is in hospital fighting for their life. They, too, got a piece of information which was in clear contrast with the way in which they had imagined the next couple of weeks to be like. The difference is that while they have no choice to select the information they want, I am lucky enough to be able to do it. Although feel that I have missed my train, deep in my heart I know that I can always stir things in the right direction. Starting from this very second. Justify paragraph. Post. Done. :)