26/365: refilling the atomizer

this took forever to do. i was so afraid i was going to break the bottle so i had to carefully spritz the perfume into the atomizer. it took around 30 pumps to get it full.

miss dior cherie is the only perfume i can wear because it doesn't make me dizzy. for years i had gone au naturel, relying on freshly washed hair and laundered clothes. but there was always something so nice about those girls who pass by you and just smell so sweet! thus my search for perfume-that-does-not-give-me-a-headache began. we were united last year and have been using only her ever since.
i would love to know your favorite perfume to wear!

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

24/365: love story

john surprised me with this little music player (?). it is the cutest thing and it plays the theme from love story. the sound is so tiny.
i remember listening and falling asleep to percy faith and henry mancini cassette tapes (theme from love story was one of them) on my walkman (harhar, back in the day). my taste in music was very much influenced by my dad, who loves music so much. if he had a soundtrack for his life it would most definitely include henry mancini, the beatles, paul mccartney (post beatles), elton john, billy joel and queen.
because of this, a lot of my memories have certain songs attached to them:
* "rock the boat" by hues corporation - a family trip to my very first beach (puerto azul - i remember seeing the sky "touch" the water in the horizon and was so amazed by it)
* "twelfth of never" by olivia newton john - driving from my grandfather's funeral
* bobby goldsboro songs and crooners - sunday afternoons
* sheena easton and suzanne cianni songs - going to school and driving home when i was in elementary
my soundtrack will be really similar to my dad's, but would also include mainstream figures like avril lavigne (before she got married), coldplay (before he got married) and lady gaga for good measure. harhar.
have a good day all :)

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

19/365: skating + other things

silhouttes of branches on the ice.

hello all, happy friday!
i had such a great evening!
last night we had a small team building activity and went skating at the harbourfront. for those who live in toronto and haven't skated there yet, you should! it overlooks the lake and at night it is just the most romantic place to be in. but being an outdoor rink there was nothing to hold on to for support and this almost kept me from going on the ice.
i think i am the clumsiest person i know when it comes to all things sporty. i started off very wobbly and very scared, but by the end of the night i was skating by myself and picking up some speed!
and this is all with the help of my boss.
can you imagine your boss teaching you how to skate? following your orders to skate on your right side as opposed to your left so that just in case you trip you can easily grab onto his coat?

afterwards i met up with my best friend in the old mall that we used to hang out in as kids. for those who lived in scarborough, you would know bridlewood mall. this is where we wolfed down onion rings, drank lots of bubble tea and bought bags of salty peas from the bulk store.

i thought about all this and realized that i really shouldn't be so down and blue when there is so much to be thankful for:
* working where i am right now with kickass bosses (all 6 of them!) and co-workers
* my lovely best friend
* my family
* john, who is just so awesome
* go transit so that i can get from markham to downtown easily
* ikea for its cheap and yummy breakfast
* being able to take courses that i really enjoy
* the lake as the backyard
* being able to sit and sleep comfortably every morning on the subway
* sunny days, like today

so if you're feeling blue on this beautiful friday, hug your mom. hug your boyfriend. hug your best friend. or your boss. or whoever. because you're luckier than you think!

have a wonderful weekend everybody.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

16/365: more audrey love

these are my favorite audrey hepburn movies. next on my list is charade. who can resist her clothes, cary grant and the kickass henry mancini score?

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

15/365: i like

i like:
waking up with
raccoon eyes
at 11:51 on a sunday morning
and coming down for breakfast


i hope you are all having a good weekend everyone.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

14/365: i like

i like:
nap times on saturday afternoons
just before a party

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

13/365:

i don't really have a story for this. except that this picture is further proof of my little obsession with audrey hepburn. no, i'm not like that guy who has a huge collection of simpsons' memorabilia, but i do have her everywhere in my room. and two frames in my bathroom. hm.

today i felt a little sluggish, just going through the motions of work. i stood up twice to retrieve documents from the printer only to find out that i haven't printed anything out.
i aspartamed my coffee twice. this is a much needed weekend!

so have a good week all and rest up! take advantage of this freakish (yes, it's freaky) spring weather we're having. no snow in january! can you believe that??? even in markham.
yes, even in markham.

ps: you still have a chance to win some letterpressed goods by me and john!
pps: thank you for all the nice and encouraging comments! we really appreciate it.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

9/365: the other side of the room

this is where:
- i write letters
- write in my journal
- blog
- read blogs
- read even more blogs

my craft space tends to get really, really messy and when i'm in the middle of something i prefer to keep it in an organized mess. so i've decided to keep this side of the room "craft-free". in this way i can enter my room without feeling overwhelmed by craziness. harhar.
do you have an "other side of the room"?

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

5/365: love letters

being in a long-distance relationship has its ups and downs. we've had more ups though since we've found ways to work with it. one of them is letter writing. i have a folder full of emails from john which date back to 2006, but nothing beats good old snail mail and opening your mailbox and finding an envelope addressed to you with that familiar penmanship.

i think he's mastered the art of letter writing. no, he doesn't do things from scratch, but he picks the best cards and writes the best letters - they're not too sappy, but very inspiring, encouraging, funny and random.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

three markets

one very cold wintery day, john and i went on a day date to take pictures. i wanted to share some of them with you. going on this date reminded me how lucky i am to be living in toronto. and how especially lucky i am to have him here for a few months (he's from north carolina).

the day started off with breakfast at the mill street brew pub at the distillery.
i am still in search for the perfect eggs benedict (i know, i won't find it a pub) and i don't like that they used peameal bacon. i think it's a little gross. but i have to tell you, nothing beats ikea for breakfast (in price and even in taste hehehe).

the first market was, you know it, st. lawrence market. we didn't buy anything, but there were so many meat stalls i wanted to buy ground beef. next time i'm going back to get cookie cutters.

next we took the train to chinatown. i love chinatown, with its cool funky clothes, their spread of herbs and vegetables, and their bakeries. i am a hugest fan of egg tarts. i first had them in grade 9 when my friend's grandmother baked some. it was heaven in a tart tin. i also love bubble tea. my favorite is taro with tapioca.
and by the way, if you want inexpensive dishes, servers, kitchen cookware with a restaurant aesthetic, check out tap phong. you'll love it. you'll also find cheap chinese takeout boxes in many colors (never buy at michael's. they are overpriced there!)

of course you can't not go to kensington market, where you're welcomed by the scent of incense and the smell of vintage and old leather.

sometimes i complain that there's really nothing to take pictures of, but he reminds me that a good photographer always finds the perfect opportunity, wherever you are. john is one smart (and adorable) cookie.
our next day date is this sunday. we're taking a letterpress workshop at bookhou and we are so excited. we're hoping to find a nice cafe along dundas street west. if you have any suggestions, let me know!
you may find more pictures here.
have a good day everyone!

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

mail love

i just wanted to show you the package of yummy goodies that my friend virginie (from paris!) sent me. i love the moulin rouge tin- it's full of yummy butter biscuits with a subtle hint of sweetness.
i met virginie while volunteering last summer. sadly she's moved to montreal, but myohmy she is one of the sweetest people i have ever met.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

loveliness

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

yay canada!

it was an awesome night at nathan phillips square, where thousands of people braved the wind chill to welcome the olympic torch! of course i got a little emotional: today it felt especially great to be canadian!

this night almost makes you forget about the exorbitant ttc fare hikes and taxes. hardeehar.

more flags than on canada day!

i had to get a shot with this little guy, miga. it's actually a she but for some reason, miga reminded me of jason schwartzman. it even has a bellybutton. hahaha.

consolation for the -6 C (21.2F) temperature!

and then, unfortunately, this.

ps: of course they had to play that black eyed peas song.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

old school goodies.

meet henry!
{how do you do?}

i found him through craigslist! it's $20 well spent. i met up with caroline at college station and did our exchange there. i've tracked down stores that still sell polaroid film and i will be buying them this weekend.
i am so happy. i've already taken henry for a test drive around the neighborhood and he works wonderfully! my dad also found my box of polaroids from two years ago. i will scan them once i get the chance.

lovely presents from john:

bliss.
bliss.
utter bliss.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

two more weeks.

14 more sleeps and i'll be in an overnight transatlantic flight to paris, probably scribbling away furiously at my journal.

ever since...
cinéma français
before sunrise, paris je t'aime
missing that opportunity to study abroad :(
amélie (as cliché as that sounds)
those grade 9 french textbooks
sabrina, a la julia ormond,
...i have been dreaming to go to paris.

these are not my lovely photos but in a few weeks i'll have my own. :)
i am so excited.

chocolate monster's flickr

from here


simply breakfast

ps: joanna, karyn and casey are going too. and i cannot wait to see their pictures!

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

giveaways+hello weekend

i haven't been signing onto my blogger. and when i did today, i found that two of my favorite reads are doing a giveaway! they all end today, but you still have time! :)
+karyn is giving away a copy of uppercase magazine to two lucky readers.

+ the lovely anabela of fieldguided is giving away a copy of lula!



today should be a lovely day. a whopping 19 degrees! :)

tonight, to celebrate my siblings' birthdays, angela & al-jo&i are staying overnight at the fairmont royal york hotel. not sure what we're going to do tonight yet, but it will definitely involve lots of food.

i hope everyone has a gorgeous weekend!

ps: i found a polaroid one step camera on craigslist...i hope that it still works. i'm going to see it today.

pps: i am thisclose to buying a canon rebel xs, 10.1 mp. i hope hope hope that it all works out. it's secondhand, but i'm sure it was loved.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

when it's too cold to go to the beach...

...let the beach come to you.

it's a sandcastle kit.
tres adorable.

sigh. dreaming of summer weather.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

i love.

i have been feeling a little bummed out. and tired. with lots to do and so little time. i need two of me. i need sleep.

but then there's those little moments in your day that help you bear things and make you lighter inside:
- the lovely way the sun hits the tops of trees as it rises
- strangers that help you with doors
- strangers that give you a little smile as they walk onto the elevator
- the violin guy at the train station playing pachabel canon in d
- an unexpected email from someone you love
- catching the bus to get home
- and videos like this. this makes me so happy. enjoy :) i hope you all have a good day full of little moments.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

there's nothing better than leftover pie and ice cream.
i should really stop wolfing it down.

i finally made a new banner (the last one was from fall! completely forgot to do a winter one).
the banner took forever to do (looks so simple too!) but mac doesn't have a paint program, unlike its windows counterpart. so i downloaded gimp. it's sort of like photoshop. after three hours of google queries and playing around, i have finally gotten it. i'm sure there's more to it than just resizing and cropping images, but i don't think i'll go further than that.

i started working on the mini zipped pouches for TRENDS' makeup event this saturday.
i felt so clumsy with the sewing machine...understandable, after a two-month hiatus. never again! i managed to produce two samples, both of which i can't use for TRENDS. the dimensions of one were too disproportionate. and as for the other pouch, i gave it to my sister who liked the fabric.

harhar. and my altoid tin collection is growing.

i hope everyone had a bearable monday!

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...