Anatomical Jewelry

I rarely wear jewelry but there's something about this metacarpals bracelet that speaks to me. It's so creepy and awesome at the same time. Totally impractical, obviously, but I still love it. I guess I have a fascination for anatomy. It's the kinesiology major in me that's calling out for it.

Music Monday: One Direction, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen

It's official. I've turned into a 13 year old girl. The last 3 albums I downloaded were One Direction's Take Me Home, Taylor Swift's Red and Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss and I have no shame. I love all three.

My love for One Direction isn't even a guilty pleasure anymore. I've picked out a favourite (Liam recently ousted Niall for the top spot), I've researched past girlfriends, I follow a One Direction tumblr page - I've become a Directioner. Help!

Taylor Swift has become increasingly irritating with her sickly sweet act but I still love her music (except her single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" ie. the worst song on the album that I still sing along to in the car. The chorus is so damn catchy!). Her music is getting less country and much more pop though.

If I'm ever in the mood for a spontaneous dance party (it's been known to happen when I'm home alone) or on the rare occasion I muster up enough motivation to work out, my first choice in music is Carly Rae's new album. It always puts me in a good mood.

Here's my favourite song from each album:

Hello, Old Friend

The last three years I never visited our cottage, not even once; there was nothing there that appealed to me. The 3 hour car ride, the pesky mosquitoes, the 80+ steps to get down to the lake, the lack of Internet; the cons heavily outweighed the pros of going. Over the summer my friends were unsuccessfully planning a trip to Niagara Falls and since I was too lazy to look up hotels, I offered to spend Labour Day weekend up at the cottage instead.

The second I unlocked the front door and walked in, it was like seeing an old friend again and being reminded of old memories. There was the kitchen table where my family always sat at the same familiar seats. There was the big living room where my cousin Anthony taught me how to throw a football while my aunt yelled at us to play outside. There was the white table we all sat around playing bridge and I always hoped to be the "dummy" so I didn't have to think. There were the bunk beds where I would lie awake looking up at the wood ceiling and see random images in the wood knots.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm older and can now appreciate the tranquility and open air of the cottage or maybe it's just the new cleaner flooring that we put down but the cottage didn't seem so bad anymore. The car ride didn't feel quite so long - I'm sure the 1.5 hour commutes to school that I've gotten used to helped. There was not a single mosquito! And it was nice to take a step back from the computer and relax in the sun. The hike up and down to the lake was still a killer though.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I joined my parents and my aunt and uncle as they headed north to close up the cottage for the year. It was only a short visit but I'm looking forward to returning back next summer.

King of the Rock!

 

My parents are currently on vacation in Portugal and then they're off to Spain, the Canary Islands and Morocco. Have fun you two! Miss you already :) ....and bring me back some gifts!

Delicious Food and Adorable Nephews

I've been a terrible blogger. I have all these blog post ideas but when it comes down to it, I've been too lazy to write. To make up for the lack of updates, here's some pictures of food and babies. Everyone loves food and babies!

Braised Beef Cheek Banh Mi

Nicole and I went downtown to check out Banh Mi Boys and I have to say, it's worth all the hype. We lined up for a quite a while (one line up to pay, another one to get food) but the wait was worth it. The two of us shared the Braised Beef Cheek Banh Mi ($5.99), the Pulled Pork Banh Mi ($5.49), and a Fried Chicken Steamed Bao ($3.49). We were stuffed but it tasted too good to stop eating. My favourite was the braised beef cheek, followed closely by the fried chicken. In a surprise shock, the pulled pork was my least favourite! Still pretty tasty though.

Danette and I celebrated our 23rd birthday with dinner at Mercatto. The York girls bought one of my favourite cakes: Dufflet's Lemon Raspberry Cakelet. I don't think I've ever been dissatisfied with a Dufflet cake. The girls also bought me new Toms for my birthday. Yay! My big toe was starting to peek out from my old ones.

Last Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday with my closest high school buddies at Joey Don Mills. Love those girls! Finally got around to trying the lobster grilled cheese and it was just as good as I was hoping. I also thought it was a nice touch that they offer complimentary wine and appetizers while you're waiting for a table.

Now on to what everyone is waiting for: pictures of my adorable nephew, Nathan! I think I may have visited my sister almost every day last week. Nathan's too cute to resist! He's just over 3 months now and getting so big. His smiles are the best :)

A Girl Can Dream

With no boyfriend, I don't see a wedding in my foreseeable near future but it's still fun to look at dresses. A new TLC show, I Found The Gown, premiered last week and it was crazy to see so many gorgeous dresses at discounted prices. I may have wasted a few hours browsing their website, bridepower.com....

Source: JLM Couture

Lazaro - Style 3108 - Retail price: $4000 (Discounted price: $1950)
I wouldn't say I'm a girly girl but I've always loved this style with the pleated sweetheart neckline, a soft tulle ball gown, and a gorgeous jeweled belt. It looks so pretty and romantic! You can't help but feel like a princess in a dress like this. And it would hide my thunder thighs.

Source: Christos

Christos - Brisa - Retail Price: $4000 (Discounted Price: $1800)
It's similar to the one above but with an A-line cut instead of the giant poof and added silk flowers on the straps. I think this would look so pretty for an outdoor garden or vineyard wedding paired with a headpiece like this crystal one or even a floral headpiece. Hippy chic!

Source: Allure Bridals

Allure Bridals - Style 8965
This is so different from the usual style I like. It's not strapless and it's tight fitting, but when I first saw this dress, I fell in love. The lace detail is so pretty and the back, oh my gosh the back! It's SO gorgeous. I love the keyhole back and the buttons. It's kind of got this French Parisian feel that I'm digging. The only sucky part is that the website didn't have a price listed.

Source: JLM Couture

Tara Keely - Style 2210
I don't love this dress (I think it's the cheap looking bow that's throwing me off) but I thought it was so cool that the gown detaches. It's definitely a lot easier to reuse a white mini dress than a full ball gown.

My iTunes Replacement

Source: alancross.ca

I have found my new favourite music website: Songza!

It started off with procrastination from writing my advertising/digital marketing report (only 1 more day of school, woohoo!). I was lying in bed looking for new apps to download on my iPhone and I came across Songza. I didn't think much of it when I pressed the download button but when I opened it, I thought wow, this is too good to be true. FREE MUSIC! No annoying pop-up ads, no commercials in-between songs, just straight music.

The coolest thing about Songza is the process of picking a playlist. It's called the Music Concierge and it's got a playlist for any mood you're in. Waking up, working out, studying; it's got it all. I've been listening to a lot of new music and it's been great finding songs to add to my iTunes list. It's also been fun listening to old music I forgot all about.

After a few hours of dilly-dallying, I ended up picking the Epic Film Scores playlist under "work/study (no lyrics)" and got to work writing my report. I  felt like I could conquer the world! Or y'know, at least conquer a school project. Same thing. So really, what started off as procrastination ended up motivating me to finish. Win!

Some of the playlists I've enjoyed so far:
- Songs to Raise Your Kids To
- Indie Sellouts 
- 00's Pop Divas
- The World of One Direction (just kidding...or am I?? hehe)

Music Monday: Lennon and Maisy Stella

Whenever I'm in a dance mood, I put on some Robyn. It's impossible not to move when her songs are on! One of my favourites is "Call Your Girlfriend". If you're looking to procrastinate from work or have absolutely nothing to do, check out SNL's Taran Killam re-creating the music video.

I recently found a cover version of "Call Your Girlfriend" by 12-year-old Lennon Stella and 8-year-old Maisy Stella and fell even more in love with the song. Their voice sounds so beautiful and the harmonies are gorgeous. I wish I could sing like that! It doesn't hurt that they're adorable too. And now I'm jealous of girls half my age...haha.