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‘New Things for 2012’ List

Happy New Year! Yes, I am aware that it’s been a month since we rang in the new year and almost over two month since the last time I’ve posted something. However, I guess that’s what I love about having my own personal blog. It’s one of the few things in my life that doesn’t’ require a deadline. 

Where to begin?! I must say 2012 has started off quite well. There’s something about ‘2012’; it just rolls off the tongue better than ‘2011’. Or maybe because I’m quite happy to see 2011 go. It wasn’t a bad year, but it wasn’t a great year. Anyways enough of my rambling. One of the things on my ‘New Things for 2012’ list (I just came up with this name) is home decor. I’ve (somewhat) come to terms with the fact that my plans to work and live anywhere but my hometown (it’s really a great place despite what I may give off) are temporarily put on hold. And by doing so, I’ve decided to revamp my personal haven (ie. bedroom).

For quite some time I didn’t see a point on redecorating, because I was too busy envisioning what my flat in Paris or Hong Kong would look like. But like most things in life, things don’t always go as planned. But I am a believer in that everything happens for a reason. I digress.

Anyways, so far I’ve been enjoying the process of this bedroom makeover. In my hunt to find statement pieces, I discovered one of the greatest finds! Some may not get it, but if you knew me at all you’d understand why I am in love with this ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ sign. It’s historical, vintage, and meaningful. Oh and don’t forget a steal of a deal! It definitely beats the $300 rug version I found from Anthropologie a while back.

There’s a certain sense of class to this phrase, and despite the war context it was initially made for, it makes me think of how refreshing it’d be to spot a sign like this today. Rather than seeing red zone alerts, seeing a sign that says ‘Keep Calm And Carry On’ brings somewhat of a ‘calm’ comfort…

Gingerbread lattes, love actually, and three days of Christmas

Tis the season! Now, you can say all the negative things you want about the Holiday season, but it’s definitely my favorite time of year! I must admit, I love hearing Christmas carols, kicking off the season with watching Love Actually,buying presents, and planning holiday parties; not to mention my guilty pleasure is seeing the excessive amount of decor in the shopping malls and streets. But the thing I love most is my family’s three days of Christmas schedule. On the 23rd us ‘kids’ (I’d hardly call us kids since the youngest out of all of us is 21) have our Secret Santa party. Then on the 24th my mom and her siblings (and their families) have Christmas dinner and open presents. And finally on the 25th ALL family members (family friends, cousins, cousins of cousins) have one huge dinner and open more presents. Call it excessive but what I love most is not the presents (really!) but the amount of family time we get to spend together. And as much as I regret it by day three, the amount of amazing food consumed is pretty great as well.

As much as I love giving presents I wish I could say I was good at it. There are just those people who somehow hit the nail on the head and give the perfect gift. And it isn’t necessarily the most expensive or latest thing. It’s those gifts you get when you think, ‘wow this person knows me so well!’. I must say though I’ve definitely improved and my first attempt at gift shopping, although not for Christmas but rather a birthday gift (during the holiday season), was quite successful! My two rules I go by are:

1. Always think of the person it’s for and don’t just get a gift fo the sake of getting a gift.

2. It’s always fun when there’s a theme.

So, for my friend’s birthday I found the best combination of gifts that I know she would love and appreciate as a gift tailored specifically to her. It stated with an amazing find - a Pendelton iPad case; anyone obsessed with fashion would understand that this a unique find, especially in Edmonton. Then I found a leather clutch. But not just any one, it’s a clutch that has the saying “If the shoe fits buy it” written on it; which if you new my friend you’d understand. It reminded me of the series of clutches Rebecca Minkoff currently has out (sans the $55 dollar price tag). And as a cute addition I picked up a monogram note pad. I’d say the theme of this gift is lifestyle accessories. I may or may not have had this planned out initially but in the end everything fit perfectly together! Try following these two simple rules and you’ll be quite impressed with what you come up with!

Engagements, Babies and…

CAREERS. Those seem to be the trending topics among my social circle. Careers, I get but I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the other two. Take it a) I am not currently in a serious relationship which would mean that b) the thought of kids is nowhere near my radar. Now, don’t get me wrong this isn’t about to be a post of bitter resentment. I am all for those who are starting that next chapter in their lives; I quite enjoy being a bridesmaid and token babysitter at dinner parties. But if you ask me, what’s on my mind is my career and the next opportunity for a traveling adventure.

As promised in my last post today I’ll focus on the career subject. What can I say? I’ve landed the ideal starter job. I’d hardly call it ‘entry-level’. As a project manager (for a marketing communications agency nonetheless) the learning curve is just short of a vertical line but that’s what I love about it. Going to work brings me back to my first year of university, figuring out the lingo, learning processes etc. But this time I get to actually apply everything that is being taught immediately. There aren’t any midterms or finals because everyday is a test. But I almost prefer it that way.

There are times when I am on cloud nine and everything seems to be a perfect fit and there are times when I feel like an idiot. But at the end of the day I can honestly say I am absolutely loving it. I know it’s the right opportunity because everyday there is at least one moment that scares me. And like they say, do one thing a day that scares you.

 I came across this quote today and it struck a chord. Through these past couple of months I was trying to figure out where to go and what steps to take. A major step was realizing my true passions and which path I wanted my career to go. I was successful in completing a mjaor in finance, but the question was did it really make me happy? Well, yes because it was such an achievement but ultimately no because the thought of pursuing this as a career didn’t make me happy. I’m just glad that I realized this now, because now I have an amazing job at an amazing company – where I’ve learned more in the past couple of weeks than I have in my years of school. I’m all inspired and motivated because I am finally experiencing what it’s like to be doing work that I actually enjoy!

Something borrowed, something new…

I know it’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been busy saying goodbye to summer (I know a month later than everyone else) and preparing for my first “big girl” job. Which has definitely been exciting, but I’ll save that for another post. 

I’ve mentioned that I am in love with anything to do with fashion, but I haven’t actually had any specific posts on the subject matter. The reason being is I didn’t really know where to start! And then the business side of me came out and I tried devising a formula for how to go about running my fashion posts. Then, I was reminded, while reading a text book on brand identity, that a blog doesn’t need to have a formula/process.

“My blog is the brain dump. It’s the totally nonlinear, unpredictable thoughts that inform my intuitive decisions.” - Stella Gassaway

I’m still learning the ropes and refining the direction of this blog. And lucky me, for once there is no deadline. So like any other post, my love for fashion will be presented as such - a mere love and fascination for anything designer, stylish, innovative, and inspirational. 

SO, now that I have finished that lengthy preamble (I obviously haven’t quite mastered that whole being concise plan) I introduce you to one of my favorite things - anythingVintage. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I love anything that carries meaning. What I love about vintage pieces is that there’s always room for the imagination; thinking about the era and the individual who once wore the amazing find. I especially love hunting down vintage bags. There’s something that’s just so timeless and classic about them. And I can’t help but be in awe of the craftsmanship of these bags. From the buckles to the interiors and zippers, you can see there is such a high standard of quality. My most recent find is in the above photo. As I perused the bag section my eyes went straight to this bag. It basically showcases everything I love about a great vintage purse. And to top it all off it had a price tag of $6.99! Which was basically the cherry on top!

I had quite the successful trip to the store because I scored two great sweaters. But I’ll save those for future posts. Perhaps I’ll work up the courage to even post a picture of me wearing them. (As much as I love looking at street style photographs I can’t quite get myself to take ones of myself. I don’t feel quite cool enough to showcase my ownsartorialist photos) Basically I just need to get over myself haha  

A Rediscovered Love

Since graduating this summer I rediscovered my love for reading. To be honest, after having to read textbooks, case studies, and financial statements, I wanted to do anything but read in my free time. Which is a bit of a shameful thing to say because growing up, a weekend hangout would be spent going to Chapters with my mom and sifting through all the books with a hot chocolate in hand. So, now that I can spend my time reading books I want to read I’ve signed up for a Chapters rewards card and am consistently racking up those points.

I just finished Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi and I absolutely loved it! In a lot of ways it ended up being this guidebook to navigate the start of this new chapter in my life. And I must say, the guy knows what he’s talking about. It didn’t just focus on fostering meaningful relationships in a business environment. I remember having dinner with my friend who was going to start law school. Although this was always the end goal, she had hesitations because she didn’t think she had the strongest social skills (in her words she described herself as socially awkward). I instantly raved about this book and how she had to read it. Even if you weren’t interested in the business side of what Ferazzi wrote about, he had some really great tips on simple social skills. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I’m making an effort to keep these posts shorter, so I’ll just say this one last time, I highly recommend you read this book! 

Movie Night In The City

The September long weekend has passed which basically marks the end of the summer. To proceed with my plans to travel my city and find that “New York Essence”, I decided to embrace one last summer event. A group of us went to an evening showing of Kung Fu Panda II right in Churchill Square; the equivalent to any of the piazzas in Italy (minus the historic charm). I must say I was quite impressed with the night, mainly because the weather was absolutely perfect.  The only thing I could suggest for the next movie night on the square, is to perhaps play an old time classic; anything with Humphrey Boggart, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck… Now that would be a perfect outdoor movie night in the city!

A Walk In The Rain

Walking along the trail

My failed attempt at a jumping pic

We continued on to the bridge (at this point it started to rain)

A quote on the side of the bridge

Not exactly the best picture, but I loved it too much!

Taking a breather and listening to the music 

Today I spent the latter part of the afternoon going on a walk with two of my really good girlfriends. It started off with a bit of sun and light breeze, but then came the rain. Despite the wet weather it was a pleasant afternoon walk. We walked the trail, crossed the bridge, and climbed the Glenora stairs. When we got back to where we started we were greeted by a group playing some music under the gazebo. The music was small town fair mixed in with a bit of renaissance flare. It was just one of those perfect summer afternoon hangouts. 

Weekend At The Lake

Hanging out for some post boating drinks

Waking up and looking out from the balcony of my room

The drive home in the countryside

So this passed weekend, I decided last minute to go up to my friend’s cabin. His cabin was absolutely beautiful. It had that old school cabin feel but yet was so palatial! I describe it as the mother of all tree houses because it was situated on a bit of a hill and was hidden behind numerous towering trees.

The weekend itself ended up being pretty random. I met some of his friends, ran into people I went to high school with (who I haven’t seen since!), laid out on the lake in a boat, and experienced tubing on a whole other level. Let’s just say I’m glad I went! I told my friend that I wish I had a cabin growing up. But then the more I though about it, I realized I had my own summer getaway. While he was spending his summers at the lake, I was soaking up the sun in California for all of my summers growing up. So I guess I can’t complain! 

Coco Chanel.

All you have to say is Coco Chanel and an infinite amount of thoughts will come to your head. Among many accomplishments she pioneered the path og women’s fashion. This quote pretty much describes the magnitude and impact of her work, which has evidentially made her and her brand a timeless classic - emulating a women’s strength through fashion.

“If a woman is poorly dressed, you notice her dress. If she’s impeccably dressed, you notice the woman.” - Coco Chanel

HRH

Well it has definitely been a while since the last time I posted an update! Life got a little bit busy and even interesting so there’ll be plenty of more posts to come. I’ve decided to jump on the Royal Wedding bandwagon and share with you my fascinators. My mom just got back from a trip and brought me back these two customized beauties. The photo doesn’t do them justice because they are really beautiful and detailed. I’m not going to lie I feel like the fascinator craze has been over played a bit. My Facebook Feed has been flooded with pictures of showers, parties, and weddings with a theme centered around the Royal Wedding, ie. hats and fascinators. But these ones are just so beautiful and delicately made that I can’t help but go against my own opinion. Now, I just need to find an occasion where I can channel my inner Pippa!

And if you’re wondering if I’ve continued on with my photography obsession, well the answer is, not quite. I’m still trying to get my hands on a legit camera so I’ve resulted to experimenting with my iPhone camera and Instagram. I hate to say it but I’ll have to stick to the H&M of photography - fast production, aesthetically pleasing, but not quite the real thing.