Me and my boyfriend didn’t really want to make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day, especially since we’re still both in job hunt mode. I decided to look to Pinterest for some DIY card designs. Here is the front of the card I made:
The paper heart was inspired by this love note pin. The skittles represent a chapter in the beginning of our relationship. Before we dated, when we had just started talking, I was eating a pack of Skittles and told him I hated the green ones. I also blurted out that I would love the boy who would eat my green Skittles. He told me he liked green Skittles. It’s funny because we had not even thought of each other as date-able material at that point but it’s one of our first memories as friends.
Tag: life
No Coffee Challenge: Half-Way Point
February is a short month, therefore I’m already half-way through my challenge of giving up coffee for a month. I can tell you that time didn’t pass by fast at all in the beginning. The first few days were highly dreadful. I would wake up with headaches and quite nauseous. This all happened because I did not drink my usual cup of morning coffee.
I began to find ways to help my body feel awake and refreshed. Some things worked and others didn't. Here is what helped me:
Splashing Face with Cold Water
This sounds almost stupid, but the cold water on your face really does refresh and wake me up.
Walking the Dog
There’s nothing more refreshing than fresh air. Walking the dog became a good way to activate all my joints and muscles as well absorb some sunlight. Sometimes I think my mood is directly related to my weather and seeing the sun really does brighten my mood. I also love it when Teddy meets a new friend along the way!
Tea/Hot Chocolate
It’s really hard to give up caffeine entirely so for those times when I needed a bit of a jolt tea helped. I find green tea makes me sleepy though. Black tea works best. Hot chocolate with a hint of cayenne pepper and cinnamon is also a great way to spice up the morning!
15 minute naps
Sometimes you just need to nap and taking a little 15 minute power nap can be what I need. It’s a great way to rest the eyes and get them away from the a billion screens that make up my life.
I hope I can continue to ignore coffee for the month. However, I have a business meeting on Friday at a coffee shop called the Roastery. Would it be too pretentious to order a tea?
Yes, I Will Eat That Much
I don’t know why but every time I go out to eat I get rather trivial looks and then am asked the question “Are you sure that’s what you want to order?”
One day I was in BQM in Toronto and was faced with a dilemma: Should I get the bacon filled poutine or a delicious burger? The solution? I got both.
Wreck This Journal #9
I avoided the journal for a while because I failed at finishing it all in December. I came to the realization that it’s not something I should necessarily set a deadline for because that isn’t the point in the journal. It’s an escape, a release and at the same time it’s supposed to be fun. It’s not a project that can have a deadline.
So I picked it up again with something easy first:
30 Seconds of Courage Goes A Long Way
Despite being a quite sociable and easily approachable person, I can be very shy at times. However, over the years I have learned there is no reason to be. In addition, I’ve learned the importance of networking and meeting people in furthering a career.
Here’s a tip I live by: Pretend to be brave for 30 seconds.
Nobody knows who you are at these events and they don’t need to know you are probably peeing your pants when you try to talk to them. Just take a breath, introduce yourself and for 30 seconds pretend you can take over the world. The brave you (even if it’s pretend) will suddenly shine through and you’ll ask yourself was it really that bad?
This can extend past networking. Maybe it will help you talk to that beautiful girl/boy in the coffee shop window. Anything you are afraid to do or think you won’t be good at, just give it a shot. It took a lot of courage for me to start Youtube video reviews. but then I realized by doing them how much fun they are.
Take a chance at something.. even for 30 seconds.
30 Day Challenge: February Edition
January’s challenge was an hour of practice every day. In an increasingly busy life, it was unrealistic and fell through at times. However, it taught me that I missed it and still loved it and that I needed to schedule a couple sessions in my future weeks. Now that it’s February, it’s time for a new challenge and I will do the impossible..
I will give up coffee.
I think I’ve become too dependent on coffee in keeping me awake. Keeping away from caffeine altogether is impossible as it is in drinks as well as chocolate and deserts and hey, February has Valentine’s Day.
I have at least 2 cups each day and they are loaded with sugar. It keeps my heart constantly pumping quick and (which I don’t think is that healthy) and feeding me a ton of hyper energy. I picked the shortest month to give it up, but I hope it will lessen my need for it and lower my risk of diabetes from too much sugar. My coffees tend to be 1/3 sugar and if I’m out the most caramel filled.
I chose the shortest month to do this but guess what? It’s a leap year.. damn. As stated in earlier posts, 2012 will be a year for monthly challenges of self-improvement. Join me and challenge yourself at something!
Life After School is a Little Bit Scary
On Saturday, I officially graduated from Metalworks Institute, ending once and for all my life as a student. Now what?
Photoset: Shit At My Grandparents’ House
My grandparents’ moved to Canada 30 something years ago and have lived in the same house ever since. Their home is filled with crazy trinkets. Some even have tags and packaging still attached. There is not a dull spot in their house which is void of colour or some form of craziness. They are the kind of people who have Christmas lights hung up all year round. There’s flowers on lamps (which is probably a fire hazard) and hidden birds everywhere. I decided with this wealth of strange things that I should capture some of it’s beauty in photos.
30 Day Practise Challenge: Half-Way Point
Only half the month has passed and I have already failed. My excuse, I didn’t feel very well. Whether that is true or not I used to be able to go to class with a fever, so not practicing because of a stomach cramp seemed so trivial. There has also been days where I did in fact challenge, but they didn’t last my original guidelines of an hour. The puppy would be too distracting, my iPad ran out of battery etc.
I should have some sort of failing the challenge, but having to blog about it is punishment itself. I failed.
However, I will keep going at it. I was not neccessarily out to just do this for 30 days, but to hopefully build better lifetime habits. I don’t want to forget how to play piano. As I get older and busier, I want to know how to be able to schedule time for the keys. I’ve decided in my lifetime I’m going to learn Chopin’s entire repertoire and Bach’s WTC amongst other pieces.
This has not only been a return to a skill but a return to having an outlet to relax and speak some emotion non-verbally. Not only will this happen this month, but it will be a part of future months to come.
I Think I’m A Recovering Hoarder
I was on a mission to clean my room. I had a gigantic garbage bag ready to throw things away but my mind kept going, I need this. Luckily, I got past that and finally uncluttered my drawers and closets full of things from the past. The majority of the things I threw out fell into one of these categories:
Tiana Feng 