Suit my personality

I'm a modern lady but I like the ambience of old things. I'm often referred to as an old soul because I enjoy black and white movies, sixties music and my favourite celebrities have long passed. Quite the stark difference when I should be a social media/pop culture savvy Communications student working in the mobile industry. I'm only kept up to date because of Facebook statuses, and friends who make me watch their favourite television shows and movies. 

The first three pictures are snapshots of a suitcase that I found at a thrift store in Kitchener. It was a must buy not only because of it's astounding price but because of its fine leather exterior. I plan on collecting vintage suitcases and using them as a decoration piece in my (future) home/room. My decorating style will suit my personality - modern infused with classic. My wish list also includes a vintage typewriter and an old school phone. But I best wait until I return to Vancouver. 

ps. it's about 40 degrees in my apartment right now and the AC is broken. I'm sweating as I write this. Also, it doesn't help that I just ran repeatedly up and down a hill for an intense workout session. I would rather be outside but I've barely been home the last little while so I just needed an evening to catch up with all of my 'home' stuff. 

Summer bucket list

As sentient beings, we need to acknowledge that inspiration and creativity live everywhere, amongst all of us. This appreciation alone will help us all on our journeys towards meaningful lives. Our happiness has little to do with the absolute conditions we find ourselves in, but rather it is how we perceive our situations. With this said, I've decided that each week I must do at least one thing that is creative or inspiring. This includes activities such as watch a sunset, learn how to make a paper crane, take pictures at a park, discover new landmarks, DIY projects, learn new recipes, ride bicycles, visit temples etc. The possibilities are endless! So simple right? But true to the old adage, we often take for granted these simple pleasures because we are so caught up in the big things. Let's stop that.

Snapshots of my past week's pleasures via BlackBerry :

Not pictured: park adventures, guitar lessons, BBQ's, TV marathons, macarons, thrift shopping, and unconditional love in the form of new friendships.

Yours,

P. xo.

Since '94

Shiverssssss when Bieksa scored the goal in double OT to advance Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Finals. It's one of those "Where were you when this happened?" moments. To answer: I was in bed, streaming it on my Macbook at about 1am Eastern time, and wishing I was back in my home city experiencing all of this.

Yours,

P. xo.

Falling in Love with Niagara

Photos from my Mom's camera. (I hate the date/time stamp on the photos)

Niagara Falls was the last leg of our Ontario vacation. We boarded the popular Maid of the Mist which took us right to the falls to be kissed by the mist. My favourite moment was at night when I stood by where the water makes its descent over the region. I witnessed the Falls at its greatest splendour. The spray of the mist was so dramatic as was the illuminated spectacle of the water.  

While man can be credited to creating beautiful edifices, it's the natural things in this world which are truly breathtaking. Maybe it's my affinity to nature, but I couldn't help but fall (pun) in love with Niagara. The rest of Niagara lives up to its name "the Las Vegas of Canada" - tacky and touristy but fun nevertheless. We got lucky that we were able to experience the Falls on such a gorgeous day because the next day, the Falls were barely visible because of the pouring rain. Such is life, beautiful and majestic at one moment and ugly the next. Just makes you appreciate those wonderful moments even more. 

Yours,

P. xo.

Patina

I have tales that want to be told but they need to be accompanied with a few pictures. Therefore, I am still impatiently waiting for my media card to be shipped to me. The longer it takes to arrive, the more apprehensive I get that it will be lost in Canada's unreliable postal system. In the meantime, saunter over to my friend's Etsy shop and check out all of her adorable vintage finds :

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74356478/art-deco-gold-teardrop-mesh-dangly?ref=em

I did my own perusal of vintage goods yesterday in Kitchener and was quite marvelled at the assortment of vintage hats and other trinkets. I love looking at the craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty of a vintage item. They are the embodiments of our past and are our passage ways back into the bygone eras. In the Elizabethan era, goods were consumed so they could be owned as heirlooms for future generations whereas now our consumption practices are based more on the focus of individual ownership. Our consumption practices are quite synonymous with our changing of values within the social and cultural transformations of our society in which the present is valued more than the future, and the individual over the collective. I am stopping now before this blog turns into a Communications essay.

ps. This blog was written outside on a beautiful day. Please see picture below.

Yours,

P. xo.

Pending Vacation Stories & Pictures

This is not at all a representation of my travels, but the above image represents the loveliest of vacations. I would love for this to be my next one. 

Soon enough I will be documenting my past week of travelling by dedicating one post to each significant city I have visited. I am so grateful my parents are loving enough to visit me. Unfortunately, my Dad has unintentionally stolen my camera's media card so I will have to wait for it in the mail.

I feel sad that I've had to say goodbye again to my parents but what is life without constant hellos and goodbyes?

Yours,

P. xo.

Au Revoir

I will be in Mississauga, Montreal, Ottawa and Thousand Islands for the next five days with my creators.

Cobblestone. Poutine. The French. Tulips. Castles. 

♥ I already know I will not want to return.

Yours,

P. xo.

Natural Euphoria

Do you find that people are a little more irritable when it's raining? On the other hand, the sun with its natural endorphins puts people in a state of pleasant delirium. On cloudy days such as this, I turn my attention to the memories I have of hiking through the forests of BC. For me, being out in nature when the sun is hitting every facet around me, is when I feel most inspired. I feel a sense of serenity when I see the sun leave kaleidoscope patterns on the water. I feel momentous, and invincible-like when the only thing I can see in front of me are mountains. I'm unreachable.

As much as I am a city girl, I'm also a country girl. Please Mother Nature, co-operate with my wishes and give me sunshine this weekend in Montreal.

Yours,

P. xo.

Self-created Suffering

"All too often we perpetuate our pain, keep it alive, by replaying our hurts over and over again in our minds, magnifying our injustices in the process. We repeat our painful memories with the unconscious perhaps wish that somehow it will change the situation - but it never does. Of course, sometimes this endless recounting of our woes can serve a limited purpose; it can add drama and a certain excitement to our lives, or elicit attention and sympathy from others. But this seems like a poor trade-off for the unhappiness we continue to endure" 


"If you react to this knowledge that someone is speaking badly of you, this negativity, with a feeling of hurt or anger, then you yourself destroy your own peace of mind. Your pain is your own personal creation... So, although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation."

I can pull out hundreds of great lines from The Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler. I am loving this book. I recommend that you all read this book at least once. It's the type of book that I know that I will read over and over again and learn different things from it each time. I'm sending it home with my parents so they can read it. Feel free to borrow it from them when they are done. Hopefully, if you are feeling some sort of anguish, you will give some thought about these above lines and finally allow yourself to stop personalizing your pain.

Meet "Dalai", my new llama friend.

Beautiful flowers found in Waterloo Park

Yours,

P. xo.