Monday, October 31, 2011

87. Perspective.

Another day at the office is about drone on. Off to calling people and gotten answering machines. Through procrastinating actual work and talking to boyfriend while he finishes night shift, our conversation landed upon the party that a friend of mine had on Friday. Perspective sometimes likes to weasel it's way into my mind, and now is one of those times. I debated how much I'd share here, but it's something I feel like I need to get out into the world.

Most "normal" university students engage in binge drinking and partying at every possible occasion. Some just drink, some just smoke, some do both. I'm not a straight-edge by any means, but this whole scene gets really tiring for me really quickly. I don't see the point in ingesting extra chemicals just to give yourself a temporary high. I don't understand why people would choose to turn themselves into idiots by smoking things. When I just don't want to participate in this behaviour, I get belittled. I've been called an old lady on many occasions because I like to get to bed early, I eat reasonably well, and I don't do anything illegal. Can someone please tell me what is wrong with that? 

I know it's just people poking fun because I'm not the same as they are. Others at parties chooses to participate, but I'm one of few who chooses to sit out. I wonder if it's just that they think I'm weird or if it's something else. Do they think less of me because I choose to take care of myself? Because I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I'm well on my way to doing it? I have never been one of those people who wants to go wild and do whatever I want. I do exactly what I want on a day to day basis, with the exception of work sometimes. I don't really like drinking all that much, because when I drink the expectation is to binge. I don't mind a glass of wine or three, or a yummy cocktail, but that's where my line is drawn. I would much rather waste my money on yoga classes, fresh fruit and veggies, nail polish, chocolate, massages, than spending it on copious amounts of alcohol which just hurt my head and make me feel like an idiot. 


My realization comes, of course, from talking to my mother. Of course she has the answer, she's a mom. When I tell her about how being a "normal" university student tires me, and how I want to make all these plans for my future, she let's me have it: "you're growing up." Well damn. That's right isn't it? I take care of my body, I try to take care of my mind, and I'm learning the importance of treating those around you as you'd like to be treated. I would rather stay in with my boyfriend and watch movies, or go out for an expensive fancy dinner than go downtown and party all night. My plans for how I want my life to go will end up happening, because that's how I want it to go. If they don't go according to plan, that's alright too but at least I know what direction in which I'm heading.

I could include details, but on the possibility that I go public to my friends and family with my blog, I really don't want to. Does anyone have an opinion? Or a comment to add? I would actually really like to hear your thoughts.

Til next time!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Project 52: Week 39, 40 & 41

Week 39: Man vs. Nature. The beautiful weather just shows the irony of this picture. The boat versus the lifesaver, the fishermen versus the sea.



Week 40: Vintage. Even though this picture was taken during the summer, the fog and feel of the picture could be 20 years ago. Fishing is and always will be part of my sleepy small town.



Week 41: Architecture. I didn't see anything I liked, but then I saw this. The staircase at the Ryan Mansion, an absolutely beautiful house. 


Til next time!

86. My true self

PhotobucketAlright, so I'm going on a pretty common theme. Big scarves lately. It's just so cold on this island, and in my building too! And while I usually try to look pretty normal on the blog. I mean, no one wants to see my weird faces right? Well, you're in for a treat today, Halloween comes early this year! :P

Also, I'm linking up to a really great party today! It's the October Followers Fest, where there's so many new blogs to look at! I love link parties like this, since I love finding new blogs and new friends! It's a really great idea for small blogs, like mine, to gain some more exposure! Plus I love seeing how people dress for Fall and really get into the cold-weather feel. To any new readers, please comment and leave me your link! I'd love to check out all the new blogs I can. I'm planning on making my way through that link list too. Excitedddd. :)


seductive? sneaky is more like it.

my true self. scary like a Halloween mask?
Salmon-y shirt  - Zara / yellow tank - Bluenotes / pants - AE (they're actually navy) / scarf - drama room prop / ridiculous grin - c/o my mother.

I decided to use this post, because it shows a lot of what fall is for me, and Halloween too. I love love love this shirt. Once I got in Zara on my T.O. trip, I realized I was completely lacking in this color. It's so pretty and fall-like without being too season-centric. It's like salmon/rust in person, like the new Essie polish I bought (Very Structured, which was darker than I thought it would be), and despite what your monitor and my camera have conspired to tell you that's not right! It's not orange, though that would be very Halloween appropriate wouldn't it? I love the new 50mm lens that these were taken with! Boyfriend bought it for me for our 4 year anniversary. Such a long time!

I was hoping to do some baking once I saw this link-party, but I can't find a can of pumpkin pie filling yet. And my pan is in great need of washing. I'll be posting it next week hopefully! Lots of baking to do this weekend...love me some fall weather!

Til next time!

Friday, October 28, 2011

85. Something to keep you busy

I really like doing link lists. I actually always forget about them what with being kind of sporadic here. Anyways, here's a few things to look at during your weekend!

olive&a has a great post on gallery wall layouts, I'm excited to use this as inspiration for redoing my room! 

I spent too many hours looking through the posts at Such Pretty Things. I tried to pick one of my favourites but all the pastels and flowers and pretty things just made me want it all.

Still don't have pinterest (I fear for the addiction that would surely blossom), but I found this through a stumble. I'm now redoing my room to put those shelves in! Currently looking for a "before" to go with my "after" pictures, I forgot to take one pre-change.

I'm loving this Art-to-Outfit series by Megan at The Fresh Exchange. Such unexpected inspiration from beautiful artwork!

Caitlin of Reverie to Reality has me coveting cozy socks and thick woolen knits from this post. I could never see too many posts like this.

And of course, since I'll be doing some baking this weekend, Baking Bites has a great round-up of 10 Halloween baking ideas! Those Candy Corn Cookies are in my near future.

Have a great weekend!

Til next time!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

84. The Circle Scarf

In the giant scheme of things, I don't particularly like American Apparel. It's fun to laugh at, with some of the ridiculously tacky items like gold bodysuits and disco inspired clothing. Their ads can be very degrading and just rude in their approach. There's many bad things about the company, but there are several items of clothing that make me praise them. This being one of them.


As chunky scarf, wrapped twice

As regular scarf, once around the neck
As shawl type thing, much easier on bare arms and not a cardigan

Scarf - AA / Cardigan - Gap / printed tank - Dynamite / white tank - Bluenotes / pants - Old Navy / boots - Steve Madden / pearls - costume jewelry stolen from Mom

The circle scarf. The almighty scarf with which you can do a million things. I lusted after this for a very long time, while not wanting to purchase it online because I didn't know if I'd like it. The scarf is something I don't wear nearly enough, and I'm not sure why. I want a brighter color I think. It's so versatile but most importantly it's thick and chunky and warm. Layers of fabric are the way to go in my office, and scarves that can surround your entire body. I've shown my three favourite ways to wear it, my personal fav being the first look. I love a good chunky scarf.

Anyone else got a favourite of AA? Or just a love of scarves in general? I'm still putting off going in to look for grey wool socks, I have a tendency to find more than one thing I want to buy.

Til next time!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

83. Do the creep?

Have you ever had that moment where you're taking OOTD pictures, and someone starts creeping on you? Say, when your flash decides to go off, so your roommate creepily looks out the window, assuming it's lightening, but it's actually just you being weird and taking pictures of yourself? No? Okay, me either...*shifty eyes*



 cardigan - samuel & co / dress - H&M / booties - Naturalizer 

Middle picture up there. Yep, camera deciding flash was necessary so now I look like a creeper. Lovely. In other news, I'm quickly realizing my shoe collection is in desperate need of additions. I wear these Naturalizer booties with every single dress or skirt I own. They're the perfect bootie: comfy and slightly dressy but not too much so. I wear them all the time but I fear I'm getting repetitive. I need more shoes. Black pumps, nude pumps, and some invention so I never have to shave my legs again. Big fan of black tights too, in case you didn't know.

To my several new followers, welcome! Look around, stay a while if you like! As always, thank you people for actually reading my blog. It really does mean a lot to me even if I don't mention it sometimes. I like knowing that someone else might care about what I wear, even if it's just a little :) 

Til next time!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

82. You are a cinema, I could watch you forever.

Oh dear Blogger. Why do you insist on making my life difficult when I'm just trying to write a post? Really? Another 15 minutes of fighting with pictures to make sure they're in the right spot. And then when I try to publish as a scheduled post, you fail on me. Never a dull day here, friends. 







cardigan - H&M / sweater - Le Chateau / skinny dress pants - Mexx / boots - Steve Madden / scarf - stolen old Drama costume!

The appearance of a few favourites. Okay, so over half my outfit consists of favourite pieces. That's okay too. This was an excellent day, it was also last week. I don't have many mornings where I'm ridiculously on time, having eaten breakfast and packed my lunch bag, and still having time to take outfit photos. Good day indeed.

I love wearing outfits like this. So comfy (you must be sick of hearing me say that) but office appropriate. This scarf has a fun story, which I'm not sure if I've told before but here's the gist; this was used as a costume for a drama production when I was in high school! It was awkward and strange, and I tried to cover myself up as much as I could (we were belly dancers, blech). I'm sad now cause the shirt I wore was another favourite but it disappeared, or was taken, but either way I haven't been able to find it. Sad, but I still have hope. 

Til next time!

Monday, October 17, 2011

81. Lazy?

Okay so I went comfy again. I can't help it, it's too cold in my office for dressy clothes. A little color blocking keeps it casual but work appropriate.


cardigan - bought by BF's mom, Old Navy / tee - Urban Planet / tank underneath - Bluenotes? / pants - American Eagle circa 2004?

Yes, you read that right. 2004. I'm pretty sure that's when it was anyways. It was mid-2000's. So old that if I tried to find this style ever again I would fail, which kinda sucks cause now that I've actually gotten into wearing them they're kinda nice. Faded navy but not just because they're old.

The cardigan is new and I tried to buy it myself, I did, but pseudo MIL wasn't having it. Boyfriend likes his financial independence and doesn't let his parents buy him stuff, so after helping the MIL pick out a couple of shirts (which I do often) she took this cardigan I'd been eyeing. I learned early it was easier to thank both of BF's parents for things instead of arguing. I still argue with him about getting me stuff though.

In honour of old pants, something I think I've seen somewhere recently. What's the oldest article of clothing you have, and still wear? These are tied with a pair of sneakers I have. The benefit of hitting growth spurts in early teen years was that everything still fits now! I hope this trend continues haha.

Til next time!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Project 52: Week 36, 37 & 38

Still a bit of a failure at life. I left for Toronto and didn't have the Week 36 picture finished because I had a specific image in mind, and then subsequently forgot this project existed! One more set of catch-ups after this.

Week 36: Thirst for Knowledge. I didn't get quite what I wanted for this but this works too! Boyfriend's first time in a big museum, seeing dinosaur bones. He was quite excited :)



Week 37: Momentous Moments. Seeing Keith in concert reminds me how badly I wish I was up there. It's a momentous feeling, for me.


Week 38: It's in the Eyes. Pretty simple. 


Til next time!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

80. You've gotta be comfy.

Some days, you just reach for comfortable pieces. Things you can laze and lounge in, even when you're at the office. These are my comfy work clothes. Fun how they actually make me look put-together!



denim jacket - Mavi / cardi - two sisters via Samuel & Co / striped shirt - Zara / black pants - Espirit / flats - AE / necklace - F21, restrung.

I love that I've managed to learn to shop for nice pieces that are comfy. There really isn't anything better. Okay, well maybe wearing jeans everyday or wearing sweatpants would be better, but comfy work clothes is right up there. I'm obsessed with this shirt, I love the small stripes. This cardigan is a favourite too. It's stretched out a little but nothing that keeps me from wearing it.

It's nice to have weather that cooperates sometimes. It's much easier to stand in the sun, even when it's windy, to take pictures than to manuever myself around a tri-pod and messy house. If I ever find a blank wall I'll do OOTD posts there, but that's unlikely to happen.

No real updates. I was home for the weekend and it was magical. Any of you do anything special, besides binge on turkey? My turkey dinner got postponed then cancelled altogether due to some family stuff. Oh well, I'll just have to get my fix when I'm home again in November...hehehe.

Til next time!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

79. Sometimes you've gotta improvise.

This month's EBEW is DIY. I think this theme is so awesome for so many bloggers. Thrifting and DIY-ing those items is such a popular thing lately. I don't thrift, because I just haven't ever tried it, and I suck at sewing. The only way I DIY is cutting. So, since I'm not so crafty, I decided to do-it-myself in a different way and make something that I really enjoy.

Carrot cake!
Yeah, okay, it's cheating. That's okay, sometimes you need to bend the rules a little. I was planning on posting this earlier during the weekend, in a Thanksgiving themed dessert post. I was also planning on making something to wear. Neither happened due to some family stuff, but the present is as good of a time as ever to post this awesome recipe! Click through to read the instructions, but beware this is photo heavy!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Jumping on the bandwagon!

So, I wasn't going to write another post soon, but I love FBFF's and this is, as usual, another set of interesting questions from Katy! When it comes to following trends and joining in with the group, I like to think I do it at my own pace. Even if I do eventually join on to a trend, I do it in a way that works best for me and not necessarily how everyone else is doing it.

1. Do you ever see a fad hit the stores and immediately dislike it? Has that fad ever began to grow on you? 




whyyyyyyy?
It happens frequently. There are always trends each season that I see that I don't understand at all. Things like harem pants, jumpers/rompers/onesies, Crocs, Ed Hardy anything, and giant pieces of fur just don't make sense to me. For the most part, if something repulses me that much that I shudder when I see it, I don't change my opinion. That said, I have definitely had trends grow on me. I have a tendency to come into trends slowly. I did not like Uggs from their inception but a couple of years ago I got my own SoftMoc version. I only wear them in dry weather, not snow, so they are still in good condition which keeps them from being disgusting lol.


2. Has the popularity of a certain piece of clothing or line ever convinced you to try on something (or purchase something) you dislike? 

I think I can answer quite honestly that no, I don't just like things because they're popular. In my early teenage years and previous to that, I was completely more inclined to try and look like everyone else. I don't remember anything specifically but I definitely did buy things that I didn't like because my friends thought it was a good idea. As I got older, and even now, I'm more concerned with having things that other people don't. The overall look might be similar but I need my own version of a trend. If an item is popular, I might try it but I'd only ever purchase it if I liked it.

3. Have you ever changed your mind about a trend after seeing it around for a while? 
Yep. Uggs, animal print, ballet flats, tall flat boots, colored pants/jeans, and dresses/skirts & pretty clothing have all won my heart. I love my skirts and dresses now, and I could not live without my flats. Lululemon is increasingly attractive to me for it's purpose only; I've just recently gotten into yoga and I could use more insanely stretchy pants! I still kind of want a hoodie even though I feel like I'd be selling out lol.

4. Do you feel a certain pressure to have specific items in your closet because 'everyone' else does? 
That's something I don't feel at all. I stick to a fairly classic style and I wouldn't ever feel a need to have something because someone else had it; if I like the piece I want it because I like it, regardless of how popular it is. Back when skinny jeans were introduced, I wanted them so bad, but the trend was flares and boot-cut jeans. I remember looking in all my magazines and being annoyed at the fact that I couldn't afford designer jeans. It was about a year and a half before I could finally get them, though I would have happily worn them after I saw the runway shows. I haven't felt a need to fit in with my clothing, like I said previously, I try to keep my pieces my own!

5. Be honest, what do you think of the Missoni line? Did you grab any items? Is it worth the eBay prices?
Had I been near a Target, I would have probably picked something up if I found something I liked. There aren't any Targets around here though, so no luck for me. I would not pay what they are asking on eBay, just because it's Missoni.

So there's another week gone! Only about an hour left to work thankfully. Check out everyone else's FBFF!

Til next time!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

78. Enough wind to blow me away.

I've managed to not blow away yet. A giant feat, in fact, as the wind here just keeps blowing!!! If you've ever been to Newfoundland, you will understand this well. There's always a breeze, but now walking is difficult.  Luckily enough, Boyfriend was still here for these pictures last week so I didn't have to endanger my Nikon & tripod. He's gone now, back to the land of the Oil Sands. Alberta sucks. 




sweater - Jacob / pants - Espirit / flats - Clarks.

I only have one new piece left to wear. It's a skirt, but it's cold and the wind won't stop blowing, so I haven't worn it yet. This sweater is quickly becoming another one of my new favourites. I love the bright blue of the sweater. I'm drawn to crew necks but this is slighter wider, a ballet-inspired neck I think it said? Either way, it's cozy and stretchy and awesome. And warm, a very large necessity in this weather. 

I can't believe I've got a whole month of work finished. Things still aren't happening quickly so I spend more time than I want on blogs and surfing the internet. I'm looking forward to starting my report and actually getting to my purpose. It's interesting working in the Community Sector, a much different dynamic even if it's not any faster than public sector work.

Updates for this week are pretty slim since I mentioned the biggest change for me already. I don't like it when the Boyfriend leaves. I get so into a routine when he's here that it's so much of a change when he's gone. It's a 2 weeks on/1 week off rotation so I never get back to a schedule haha. A really great thing about this weekend? I get to finally go home! My parents are back and forth so often I forget that I haven't been home, but I am really looking forward to it. It's nice to be in my own room even though I've gotten really comfortable here at my house in town. My camera needs some use, so hopefully that happens this weekend haha. I still have Project 52 photos to post, they're all taken but I forget to upload them. My mind escapes me sometimes.

Off for a night of Big Bang and Grey's! Yay!

Til next time!

P.S. Any more suggestions on songs? I'm thinking Set Fire to the Rain is probably my winner!

Monday, October 3, 2011

77. This is supposed to be a hurricane?

Thank you to those who read my ramblings! I didn't go on like I could have, which I had to stop myself from doing, and edited about 15 times before I finally published the post. I love writing but I always think I can say things better. I ramble a lot and it never really comes out right.




Jacket - Mavi / Shirt - Le Chateau / Belt - Joe Fresh / Pants - Mexx / Flats - Clarks

Another hurricane (our second in about a month) and an overdue OOTD. This was early last week, when I finally managed to wear my denim jacket, after spending only forever trying to find one. I love it so much. My clothing obsession is a little intense, when trying to find a particular piece. For examples, see polka dots, bright pants, statement necklace, pink shirt that I visited every store in the city to find, just to name a few. I have issues.

I seem to be getting better traffic on the blog when I do less posts, so I'm thinking I may start just doing that. I don't always wear blog-worthy outfits, outfits that have an interesting detail or that I think other people would want to see. Quality wins over quantity, right? Plus no one really wants to see my Hollister tees, or sweatpants, or pjs. Weekends are for comfy, weekdays are for dressing up.

My last order of business: the totally awesome Courtney of  I Can Be Many Things has graciously offered to create a background track to a song that I may sing and post on the blog (little does she know what she's getting herself into...ha!) Thoughts on what it should be? Adele is a popular choice but I'd probably do something that's not as popular, like Turning Tables or Set Fire To The Rain. Or I could go with my standard Sarah McLachlan's Angel (the make-everyone-cry song). I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Til next time!