The Beauty of Nonexistence

Por Estefanía Malpaso
Desde la Tierra del Nunca Jamás 

We met when we were six years old in a galaxy far, far away. We went to kindergarten together, laughed our way thru the preparatory years, faced the awkwardness of high school as a team, and eventually parted our ways when we started college. I never saw him again until last week when he surprised me with an impromptu visit to my work place. I didn't recognize him at first. I still remembered him as the shortest boy in class who suffered from severe acne and acute flat feet that forced him to wear awful orthopedic boots for years. Surprisingly, he turned out to be a hot ass human, an alfa male, a venti-pumpkin-spice-latte with foamy almond milk, a delicious chalupa.

My busy schedule, and the fact that I live in NYC -also known as the loneliest city in the world- limits my possibilities of finding appropriate mates; and by appropriate I mean attractive, heterosexual, and with decent manners. I can't stand the Homo neanderthalensis better known as the dude that burps, farts, and chest bumps his other Neanderthal buddies while watching football in a sports bar on any given Sunday. So if a hot man with an apparent interest in the opposite sex, that exposes a gentle demeanor knocks on your door (or shows up at your work place) you: a. Welcome that trouble-maker with a big grin on your face, b. Tell you friend Tina to shut the hell up with her never-ending "A man is not going to knock on your door, girl!" Well guess what Tina? He just did, he just did! and c. Give thanks to whatever superior force you believe in -or not- for this miracle because the possibilities of the described above scenario are almost none-existent (Hallelujah!)

I followed my very unreliable animal instinct and went out with my newly found hunk that night. After several glasses of wine and given the fact that I had recently ended my long term relationship –uh, three months- with whom I thought was my perfect match (the dude exposed early signs of what I like to refer to as tacañería crónica) I gave myself permission to indulge in the pleasures that only human male testosterone can provide. We danced, we drank wine, we kissed, we bit and sucked each other’s lower lip, we enjoyed each other, and we didn't want it to end. But it did, and at mid-night I turned into a pumpkin. I touched his perfect beard with my lips one more time and sent him -and his blue balls- home alone with the promise of calling him the next day.

Basilides, an early Gnostic religious teacher, believed that the best things are those that don’t happen. Things that remain in the “nothingness” are pure and perfect, away from expectations, degradation, decay, and eventually death. I wanted my "love story" to remain in the beautiful world of nonexistence. I wanted it to be perfect, I wanted it to never end, I wanted it to be magical and in order for that to happen it was better if it never occurred. Next day I woke up to three missed calls from "hunk". I kept my word and called him back but only to wish him safe travels. Shortly after he returned to his hometown he wrote a post on his Facebook page describing his experiences in The Big Apple: "New York City, you are such a delicious tease...you left me wanting more of you". With a huge grin in my face I typed back: "Cheers for the inconclusive cities, relationships, and situations that leave us craving a -hopefully- soon to be released sequel. Cheers for the never ending stories. Cheers for the beauty of nonexistence"

Eternal Summer 2015

Au Revoir Summer!

Thanks for everything you brought us. Good luck in southern latitudes and I hope you miss us so much that you come next year a little earlier full of life and beautiful energy. 

As a South American girl living in New York you know how much I miss you when you are not around. However, I must admit that I have developed a strange love affair with your colleague, Mr. Winter. But don't get jealous, you are still my one and only!

Love you always,

G

Amateur life guards provided to you by Guachafita Productions. 

Infinitas gracias a Guachafita Films & Co. por las fotos, las risas, la compañía, y el inmenso amor que me han brindado por años. Love you guys, let's keep this eternal summer in our hearts for ever. 

We are Love

"If every eight-year-old in the world is thought meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation". Dalai Lama

We might not be eight-year-old any more but we still have time to make the world a better place (and our own minds!) It's not too complicated, start small. Just find five minutes a day (if you want to stay in stillness more time that's even better), sit down quietly and breathe. Pay attention to the air coming in and out. Don't force anything and allow the thoughts to pass by as they please. Don't judge your feelings. Just observe them. Promise me you will do it, and after you are done go out there and smile at a stranger. Go ahead! Make me proud!

The Blog is back!

I decided to create a blog a few years ago out of pure boredom. I'm not going to lie -I was sitting in front of my computer back in 2011 and the only productive things I was doing were using oxygen and warming my chair. So I started blogging. And for many months (maybe years), it was my escape valve. The main idea behind the blog was to write about the things I love. In its early days I wrote about fashion, architecture, art, my cats, my trips, etc. Things were fabulous, I had a writing routine, I had a great photographer -whom decided to quit shortly after I started, but let's leave the details of that story for another entry- and inspiration was flowing freely. Life was a wave, and I was riding it like a pro.

Little did I know my "perfect" routine was about to go bananas and the universe was ready to deal me a hard slap. Now, to be fair, slapping doesn't necessarily need to be a bad thing, depending on your perspective, but the change was still a huge, unexpected turn in my life, and I was not prepared for it.  The things and relationships I thought I would never lose were gone in a very short period of time and I was left with the last precious thing a human being can posses: myself (And also my cats ;)).

But I'm back from my hiatus and like The Phoenix I'm arising from the ashes. I'm going to start writing again -just like before, about the things I love the most. Some of my priorities might have changed a little bit, and in addition to fashion, architecture, art, my cat, and my trips, I'm also going to try and add one more thing: relationships. I'm in no way an expert -but you know what? My heart has been on a wild ride during the past three years, and I think I've graduated with honors from Relationships for Dummies 101: How To Forgive, Be Compassionate, and Let Go. So to all of you out there struggling with a difficult relationship, trust me on something: You are not alone, -This too shall pass. Change your perspective if you can, even if just a little, and trust that this situation is a blessing in disguise. You might just not see it yet.

I'm also becoming my own photographer until I can find someone who can fill Coco's shoes. Those shoes are going to be very difficult to fill, but if you have time to spare, or if you're just as bored as a monkey on a bonsai tree call me, text me, email me, let's have dinner, let's interact!

I'm still not sure where this blog (or life) will take me. I get antsy sometimes and often wish I had a DeLorean time machine like in Back to the Future to be able to see where the wave I call life is sweeping me, but certain things can't be rushed. You need to trust the universe and its divine timing. You can't rush a plant to give you a flower, -it only happens when its ready. But when it happens, it's a miracle. Such is life.

So consider this the un-official re-launching ceremony of The Guayaba Project. Let's agree to inscribe this important event in the record of human history as "The Dawning of the Era of The Guayaba Project 2.0". Let the progeny of my boredom spread its wings and fly. Let the madness continue!

Monday's deep thoughts....

I've been on the lookout for a cool pair of "real life" shoes (i.e. shoes that I can wear without blistering my feet to the point of bleeding) for the past couple of weeks. I love high heels, but those are unrealistic, impractical shoes, at least for those of us with wide feet and without a chauffeur to drive us everywhere instead of having to move at a regular and fairly slow pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once, also known as walking.

So in my quest for the perfect pair of shoes I came along these Marie Antoinette inspired Miu Miu shoes. I like these for three main reasons:

1. They remind me of Courtney Love. Allow me to explain; I was walking by the Miu Miu SoHo store during a lunch break, and since I get attracted to shiny objects just  like a seagull, I decided to take a look inside to see all the different items I can't afford (with the exception of certain on sale shoes that nobody but dorks like me like). All of a sudden the store manager closes the store (with me inside) and I find myself shopping next to Nirvana's first lady Courtney Love. Her bag was laying open next to mine. I thought about slipping one of my blog's card into her purse (shame), but I didn't have the balls (more shame).  

2. They are shiny. Read reason #1.

3. They are wide. As much as I like fashion and clothing, I'm a very basic human being. Along with loving skinny-dipping, honest smiles and laugh-until-your-belly-hurts moments, there's nothing I love more than being barefoot. This has caused my feet to widen up to the point where they look more like a square rather than a rectangle. So finding shoes that don't bother my always-growing bunion is always a challenge.  

I took my soon-to-be everyday shoes out for a test drive. No blisters or purple toe nails for five blocks of non-stop walking! Life is beautiful.

Miu Miu shoes, Dannijo necklace, Mossimo for Target Love sweater, Kirna Zabate for Target plastic skirt and bracelet.
All picture by Alcibiades.