Life

Passed Halfway

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Cheers! This is my 184th blog post in a row this year. That means I’ve more than passed blogging every day for the entire year. The most incredible part is my best friend has also achieved this goal.

It hasn’t been easy. The last month and a half or so have been some of the craziest in terms of work and festivals. There were a couple of times where I became super close to forgetting (like seriously I was blogging at 11pm) but I managed to get in a post every day. Having a smartphone really helps when you are in a bind. The WordPress app for iOS isn’t perfect, but it’s sufficient enough to at least upload a photo and type some words.

Though sometimes the quality isn’t the greatest, I am super happy with all my posts. I have become less critical about publishing my work and find it a lot easier to speak my mind. I like to write down ideas (or even entire posts) as soon as they come to mind, so a lot of my writing has been happening on the go on my phone. I contemplate carrying around a notebook (and you know I love Moleskines) but having a digital notebook in my pocket is just so convenient.

The summer business stretch isn’t over yet! But I’m not quitting. Besides the busier I am, the more ideas and photos I have to blog about! It’s a win win.

Life is a continuous adventure and I love sharing it with all you here.

Becoming a Little Less Introverted

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I am an introvert. I read a wonderful post on Lifehacker that properly defined what an introvert is. Introverts aren’t always shy or hate people. The big identifying factor is that social interactions take energy. They can wear me out.

Recently I have been pushing myself a little bit harder to use more of this energy. This can be super hard after work. But I’ve been attending more events, meetups and facing my fears to talk to new people. Call it a second wind, but I never regret it when I am in front of great people. It even starts to energize me.

That being said, I will never not be an introvert, I don’t think that’s a personality trait you can change. I will always appreciate quiet time where I can read, write or create art.

The Internet Is Full of Rainbows

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Today is a historic day! Congratulations to my friends down South who now have the right to marry. Love who you choose.

I’m so happy that my social feeds have been rainbows.

A Lot Can Happen in 5 Years

Categories LifeLeave a Comment on A Lot Can Happen in 5 Years

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The dude and I ❤️😍

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A friend and I recently were lamenting the old days and we realized, some of the memories we were thinking of were over 5 years ago. It’s been a crazy five years. So much has happened and I’m a much different person than I once was. To think that this blog didn’t even exist in this form 5 years ago is totally weird.

I’ve made so many gigantic life decisions in this time. I left an emotionally-abusive ex. I steered myself in a different direction after finishing my Bachelors of Music. These were two of the best choices I have ever made. I became more in charge of my emotions and gained a more stable state of mind.

I faced some fears and met so many great people. I got to chat with Johnny Cupcakes and hang out with Chris Pirillo (and even appeared on his Vlog). Some of my Twitter friends became real life ones and this is still an ongoing thing.

I photographed my first music festivals, and then became a sort of veteran in the pit. I tried so many new restaurants and ate a lot of new food. I grew a social media following that allowed me to do some really random things. I interned and worked at some unexpected things.

I watched my best friend get married and was her maid of honour. I met Nash, the love of my life and partner in shenanigans. He even met my parents.

What these five years have really taught me were to take risks, seek adventure, be positie and to honour who I am. I know that I’ll never stop going on tiny adventures and I’m excited to reflect again in 5 years!

I Went to Bestival

Categories Entertainment, Life, MusicLeave a Comment on I Went to Bestival

A few weeks ago, I went to Bestival. While the music was heavy on DJ sets (which I’m not the biggest fan of), I still had a lot of fun. There were a lot of things that this festival did differently that made the overall experience an interesting one.

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Finally inside @bestivaltoronto

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There were plenty of things to do besides see music, including a tent where you could knit.

People got married in an inflatable church with a rapping pastor.

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Hammock #selfie at @bestivaltoronto #getcurious

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There were hammocks.

Sponsor Perrier brought in a private greenhouse party.

I randomly received a free signed Owen Pallett CD from Fido for tweeting about the festival!

You could drink fruit juice out of the fruit.

and of course the food was delicious! Will talk more on that later.

Off to Play

Categories Pets, Photography, TeddyLeave a Comment on Off to Play

I’m on my third week in a row of non-stop music festivals, work etc. Keeping my blogging every day goal is proving to be quite the challenge but I haven’t broken the pattern yet. Here are some random photos of Teddy.

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How do you wake up? 

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My boyfriend is the type of person who will set an alarm and press snooze half a dozen times before he wakes up or sometimes have multiple alarms. I don’t know how he does it. It would (does) drive me nuts.

I am be opposite. I like my sleep uninterrupted. I set one single alarm so that I have the minimal amount of time between when I have to get up and when I must head out the door. I feel like I get the most optimal sleep this way. As well, my body naturally trains itself to wake up at the exact same time and I feel awake by the time I am at work. 

There’s no real right or wrong way but my way works for me. How do you wake up? 

I Love The City

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I don’t think I will ever stop being a city girl. I love living downtown Toronto. It’s literally impossible to be bored. There’s always something to do, things to eat, places to go.

There’s literally something for every niche. Music photographer get togethers, knitting clubs, video game tournaments and they could get much more specific. It’s a magical place where if you look hard enough you will find a place where you truly belong.

I always hear people complain about having nothing to do in Toronto but then they turn to New York like it’s the best place ever. I find that what you’re searching for in NY, you could find here.

Everybody chooses different places to live, but mine is Toronto. Why do you love your town?

The Currency of Weird 

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Recently I read Anupa Mistry’s piece in The Hairpin called All About Me. In the article she talks a lot about the privilege of beauty.

I never really considered myself beautiful. I have a flat nose, a gigantic head and always look like I am slouching, even when I think I am not.

Growing up, I watched as my adorable little sister got away with things I would never have dreamed of. Beautiful people I observed through life seemed to make more friends and had a powerful natural confidence that I always dreamed I could have.

But in the past few years or so, I noticed the value of something more than beauty. The value of weird. I thank the internet – especially twitter and blogs- for this. I discovered different types of quirky people and soon realized that people appreciated all the strange things about me. It enabled me to organically grow my social media following who occasionally converted over to real life friends. I acquired some out-there freelance gigs and a boyfriend who seems to love all the peculiarities about me.

The insecurities about my looks became a non-priority. I have been sharing more selfies and personal blog entries with the goal of highlighting everything that makes me who I am. The whole idea of selfies, blogging and social media can occasionally seem self-centered but that’s okay. Let it be.

Be confident. Be who you are. Be weird.

Sometimes Being Alive Means Feeling Like You’re Dead

Categories LifeLeave a Comment on Sometimes Being Alive Means Feeling Like You’re Dead

June has been such a rush for me. Between work, festivals, friends and events I have hardly had the chance to sit down and relax but I’m loving every moment of it. I constantly have things to do, places to be, people to meet. It’s amazing.

Even on off days like today, I use it to regather my thoughts, e-mails and blog posts for the coming days. But I’ll still manage to squeeze in some episodes of my favourite Netflix series. I might be partially a living zombie this month but the rush of being busy is making me feel so alive.