Virgo season already?!
Hey cuties,
I can't believe it's Virgo season already. I seems like I've been so preoccupied with the natural rhythm of life that I always forget that I even have a blog. It was only a couple of days ago that I realized that we've entered Virgo season. I only really care because my boyfriend is a Virgo ;)
So I've done a little shopping this month. I went to Garage and found these items on sale! I only got the crop top and the dress on the right because the middle one didn't fit too well. I also picked up new panties that I won't be showing, hehe.
I went back to see Mike to get my roots done once he got back from his Japan trip. He gifted me with a bunch of Muji pens that I love and adore! They're so fun to use and so cheap over there apparently. This time, we went with a silver toner but it didn't turn out as silver as I'd like only because it's impossible for us to bleach my hair completely white unless we burn my scalp off. In the end, I was left with almost a grey-toned brown which was extremely hard to capture through photos but looked quite amazing in real life.
I picked up a new agenda because sadly, my Andy Warhol one is overdue. I admit, I got extremely lazy with using it during the last 3-4 months but I still adored carrying it around and I just can't bring myself to part with it because it's Andy Warhol themed. I found
this fox one at Chapters and decided to get it because all the pages inside were cute. It's quite hard to find a nicely designed one from the inside out. Most of the ones I've seen had a nice cover but very plain and boring interior pages.
I also picked up two books that were on sale for only $2 each. This is one of the two that I really want to start reading just as soon as I finish Looking For Alaska.
So my boyfriend had a four day weekend so I went and stayed over at his place :) We watched a couple of movies in bed and had sushi brunch, yummm! He doesn't live in Toronto so it's quite far to travel to his town but I like being so far away from home while I'm with him.
Tada, here he is! His name is Zack and he's a Virgo :) Super cute, isn't he? He does Muay Thai so I know he can kick anyone's butt if they're bothering me, hahaha. Him and I are really into comics, that's our thing, I think.
(Check out his cute Super Man shirt). When people ask how we met, we just tell them that he saved me from a bear. That's the version we're going with and that's all you'll get hehe! We're still in our early stages of dating but I adore him a lot and I'm going to be mentioning him a lot more in the future.
Anyway, that's pretty much all for now. I start school in a week and I'm going camping this weekend so I'll be gone again! Hopefully I'll have more pictures and stories to tell when I come back. Although I dislike all the work I'm bombarded with during school months, I'm excited to see everyone and get back into the rhythm of things. Here's the rest of the month through food and selfies.
Labels: books, boyfriend, chapters, clothes, food, garage, hair, life, planner
2013 Gift Idea: Journals
Hey you!
Christmas is right around the corner and if you're still doing some last minute shopping and have no idea what to get, why not try grabbing a journal? I personally love journals and tend to collect too many of them. Since New Years is around the corner, most people need a new agenda or journal to use to keep track of their daily schedules. Perhaps your new years resolution is to be more organized? Maybe you wanted to start a fun, one-a-day journal for the entire year? There's a journal for that :) I've made a list of journals all that can be bought at Chapters or Indigo!
1. 2014 Pocket Agenda - Matte Mint Green | Isn't that such a pretty mint colour? It's mini and pocket size so you can carry it around easily with you. Write all the things you need to do so you'll never forget a single thing.
2. White Medium Soft Cover Notebook with Gold Initial K | There's one for every initial, so don't worry if your name doesn't start with K. I think this is just so classy and simple but yet personal.
3. Look Ahead 2014 Planner- White | Maybe you want a larger planner. This one is really nice because each week gets it's own spread, meaning you have more room to write all your stuff.
4. Embossed Journal Forest Green Nature | Are you a writer? This is a large 9.75x7 lined notebook that will allow you to write until your heart's content. The cover feels like leather, which is really cool. I love the earthy feel the design and colour has on the notebook.
5. Listography Journal | We're getting into the more fun journals now. I think we all know someone that just
loves making lists. This book is filled with pages of ideas for just that. Try starting on January 1 and doing one per day.
6. One Line A Day Memory Book | This is a journal I've personally had my eyes on for a while. It's a mini pocket sized journal that lets you write one sentence a day for
FIVE YEARS. This way, you can look back on how your life was a year, two year, three years before on that exact date. Write a note, a summary of your date, a quote, anything you want to remember for that day!
7. 642 Things To Draw Journal | Love to draw instead? Try this journal that gives you 642 drawing prompts. If you start on new years day and do one year day, it'll last you about a year and a half. This is perfect for practicing your drawing skills because they ask you to draw the most random things you may never even think of drawing. Try adding your own twist to the random mundane things they may suggest you to draw to stretch your creative side.
8. 2014 16 Month Agenda Feathers | Here's an agenda that I thought was really pretty. It's a 16 month agenda so you can document important dates months and months ahead
(or in the past)!
9. Moleskine Sketchbook Small | Moleskine notebooks are very much loved by me. I have this exact one which is a pocket sized sketchbook that you can carry with you everywhere to make sketches. They're a bit pricey but they are definitely high quality, so I think they are worth it. There's a built in pocket at the back so you can store loose papers and a ribbon bookmark. Also, Moleskine carries many different notebooks. Some are themed, and some are just plain blank or lined paper. Definitely a good investment!
Hopefully this has given you some idea of what you'd like to get. Journals are a great way to get your creative juices flowing, whether you're a writer, artist, or even just to get organized so you can get more done. I've linked each journal with a Chapters link so you can buy it right away if you'd like. There's nothing like starting a fresh new journal for the new year :) Happy holidays, everyone and happy journaling!
Labels: books, chapters, gift, idea, journal, planner
Final Days of Summer
This is my last weekend before school starts on Monday. I'm really nervous and dreading the first day, but I shouldn't complain since a lot of schools around me have started school last week. I get an extra week than most people. I'm very thankful for that.
Charming also starts on Monday. He originally was going to move back to school last week but by the best luck in the world, he got to stay an extra week and we spent the last three days together. I wish I took more pictures to remember everything but I was too focused on spending all my time with him and giving him my full attention.
The last two weeks have been filled with seeing my friends and boyfriend as much as I could before we all went back to school. Charming and I went to the library near my house last Wednesday. I finally got my library card! I know that sounds strange that I don't have a library card. I do, but that one is from before I moved "cities". Since I've moved into this house last summer, I never got around to getting this city's library card. It's a little pathetic how long it has taken me to get one... After that, we went to Whole Foods for the first time and bought some ingredients to make pasta! He hasn't cooked for me in so long, so I wanted him to do so before he left. Charming use to cook for me a lot every time he came back to visit from school. I really enjoy his cooking because everything he makes is so yummy :)
Along the way, I spotted a stuffed lion head sticking out of the ground as he was driving out of my street and I made him reverse so I could get it. Lions are my favourite animal, so I couldn't pass this up. It was thrown into the gutter and had a bit of dirt on it but I took it and threw it into the back seat. It was so hilarious to me at the time. My parents later threw it out when I kept it in the house. Oh well, at least it's properly thrown out now, rather than litter in a gutter.
(It's like one of those horse heads that you pretend to ride one, but with a lion instead!)
The next day, we were supposed to meet up with my friends at the CNE. It's the Canadian National Exhibition that happens every year. I haven't been in a while since it never interested me, but I wanted to go this year because I've never been there with my friends nor a boyfriend. They've got carnival games and rides and places to eat.
(This year, a lot of the foods seemed to be getting people sick and places were being shut down left and right.)
Anyway, so the original plan was that Charming and I would go early in the morning and spend some time there alone before meeting up with the gang after 5. Things didn't really go as plan since he didn't manage to wake up. But I did head down to his place and he made me a quick breakfast. I later wandered around a small plaza to wait for him since he was with his mom for a little while. Here are some doodles I did out of pure boredom.
Later, we finally managed to bus down to the CNE, although we did get stuck in traffic. We managed to find my friends and we wandered around, had a snow cone, and even tried kangaroo meat. That was really funny because on the bus ride there, Charming and I were discussing meats that people eat, and I mentioned some people ate kangaroo meat. An hour later, that was us! We were eating kangaroo meat! Haha, what were the odds? By the way, the meat tastes quite nice; it's a lot like pepperoni but a little gamey. Or perhaps that was only because it was prepared like pepperoni... Still, I'd eat it again!
We took the train up to the subway. This is the first time I've ever been on a train even though I've been living in this town all of my life. It was a nice experience and I wish I could take the train more often because it's quite nice inside.
Oh, and we also went for some bubble tea after with my friends to talk and catch up again. I ordered some food because I'm always hungry it seems.
The next night, some friends came over and we drank together and they slept over. We did a lot of girl talk but I really enjoyed having company and being able to spend a lot of time with my friends as much as possible. I was supposed to go out the next night with my friends again but I went to dinner with my cousin instead.
Sunday was supposed to be Charming's last day in town. He came over during the day and we cuddled a lot in bed and went out to dinner early since he had to leave around 8:30. We went back to that Japanese restaurant and tried other dishes. I got udon and he got bibimbap.
Seeing him go was really hard for me and I cried a lot when he left my house. Later that night, I was waiting up for him to finish packing so we could call and talk for a little bit before we went to sleep and he surprised me with the news that he didn't have to leave the next day and that he'd be staying for a couple of extra days! I was really happy to hear that.
Monday was labour day, the day before most kids start school. For most of my friends, they would start school the very next day. Bestie and I start later than most people, and I start even later than she. We didn't want to be stuck at home for the last couple of days before school, so we went out and had more girl talks with our friend. I really like these girl talks, you know? I don't get to see my friends very often; barely once a month when school is happening. The last two weeks of summer was jam packed with a lot of socializing and meetings with my girls which made me quite happy.
The night after that, bestie came to sleep over and we drank soju and vodka until we were piss ass drunk. I've never gotten drunk before so this was the first time for me and while it's fun during the moment, the morning after wasn't so great. I've also noticed that my "hangovers" aren't as bad as other people. My stomach just felt queezy because it was so empty by the time morning rolled around. Anyway, we ended up drunk calling a bunch of people. I'm not quite sure how they think of us now, haha. Oh well, my summer is complete now.
Charming came over a night on Wednesday and he took me to get samgaetang because my tummy wasn't well from the night before. It helped a lot. We shared the soup and headed home to watch The Great Gatsby. It's his favourite book but we didn't get to see the movie yet because during the time it was released, he was in China and we didn't want to watch it without each other. We finally got around to watching it. I could tell he was enjoying himself. We only managed to watch the first half of the movie because he had to get going. But he came back the next night to finish the second half. And he brought Taco Bell because I told him I was craving it. Isn't he the best?!
The next day was the official last day he was going to be in town. We spent it downtown. The morning wasn't that great because my bus ended up coming half an hour late which made me quite annoyed but I felt better when I finally reached him. We took subway downtown and had brunch at Salad King. It's a Thai restaurant that's always packed with people, but their food is quite good. Their seating arrangement isn't what I prefer because instead of getting your own table, you're forced in between other strangers left and right from you, the person in front of you being the only person you knew. As a person who isn't too fond of large crowds and being so close to strangers, this wasn't my ideal, but I tried not to complain. Another note was that it's extremely loud in there because there are so many people, so you really have to shout at each other to talk. Charming and I just texted to each other across the table and made facial expressions. It's quite fun, actually. You're able to talk about the people around you without them knowing, haha. There was a teenaged couple that seat to the right of us and I texted him,
"do you think they're on a date?" I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation. I learned that the girl watches it'sjudy'stime on Youtube, just like me hahaha. I later suspected that these were first year students and today was probably their second or third day of class. Oh, first years ;)
After we ate, we wandered the streets and found a Currys art supply store. Of course I wanted to go in, and I looked all the things I wish I could buy. Being a broke art student isn't exactly the most fun. They were giving away free water containers which was perfect because I've been looking for one for my paint brushes for a while now. Fate!
We wanted to meet up with a couple of friends so we met them at a comic store. It's the first time I've been there and it's pretty cool. I want to go back because they have a cafe area and one of their drinks is called Emma Frost. I'm not a fan of her but the drink sounded delicious. I must try it one day.
Then we wandered the mall before grabbing some Chipotle to go
(I always bring some home because the only one closest to me is downtown and I live all the way up town! Plus it's my brother's favourite.) and some Starbucks. Then it was back home we went. The subway ride back was too short and I didn't want him to leave... Charming waited for my bus to come and we took it together but said goodbye when his stop came. I was super sad :(
I painted my nails today since they were chipping pretty badly at this point. It lasted me for a good week and a half though, I must say. I opt for my gun metal grey and topped it off with black crackle polish. This will be the beginning of my fall nails, yesssssss...
The last couple of weeks has been pretty fun but I'm super bummed that it's all over now. After not being in school for 4 months, it's really hard to go back but I know I have to. Hopefully I don't end up going crazy by mid October. August has been good to me.
Labels: boyfriend, charming, food, life, personal, planner
The illusion of being productive.
So I don't know about you, but I'm a total sucker for cute planners/agendas. You walk into a book store and suddenly you see so many different styles and designs of books and planners that you just can't wait to scribble and write all your important things in. Personally, I've always wanted a planner that was filled and messy and looked like I run a busy, demanding life. In reality, I don't do enough to even fill in a page once a week...
During all of my high school career, we're forced to buy our school's planner and I tell myself that I'll make good use of it but I never do. I'm not quite sure what it is about me, but I can never remember to write down my homework. I'll probably do it religiously for about a week or two and then laziness and forgetfulness kicks in. Most of the time, I'll end up filling the blank pages with doodles, just to make myself feel like it's not going to waste. It clearly is.
Last year, I bought a cute little compacted planner that was small enough so I could carry around and
(hopefully) write down notes and important dates as I go about my day. I did an okay job with writing down some of my projects and assignments, but there are definitely still empty pages. I told myself to get into the habit of using one, since I've failed to do so for so many years now. Clearly I didn't do as good of a job as I'd hoped, but I'm hoping this year will be an improvement on last year, and so on. We all have to start somewhere, right?
Anyway, so the point in all of that is that I got a new planner for the up coming school year! I strolled into Chapters with Charming and found a planner that was totally decked out in everything Andy Warhol. Being the design student I am, I fell in love with it and wanted to take it home so bad. So after a couple of days of wanting and contemplating, I went back to get it. Bonus points: it was on 75% discount. I got it for $5. Score!
This is the front and the back. It has an elastic that wraps around to the front to keep everything together, in case you keep loose papers, notes and what not in there. I love when planners do that because nothing is worse than loose papers falling out everywhere. One thing I love the most about this planner is that it's filled with a lot of his screen prints which are some of my most favourite works from him.
Here's a quick look of what's inside. There are a lot more designs on each page, but it's hard to show them all. It comes with a monthly section which is my favourite sections in planners. I'm not really good with weekly pages, but monthly pages are the best for me. I love writing down important dates so I can see right away what I'll be doing and when. This is especially good for writing down school holidays, due dates of assignments and exam dates. Also, I like to write names of people on their birthdays, so I never forget someone's birthday when it comes! Planners like these are great because it comes completely blank, allowing you to write the numbers yourself so you can start on whatever month first. For me, I started on September since my current planner ends in August. I hate when planners start on January because it's not practical for school purposes. I mean, come on. The school year doesn't start in January.
Another thing that made me fall in love with this planner is the fact that it gives you a checklist page. Check lists are so useful for me. I use them all the time, which is why I tend to use checklist apps on my phone. I haven't seen many planners out there making checklist pages, so this was a nice surprise.
Ah, the weekly pages. These are the pages that are either really full with homework stuff, or completely blank for weeks and weeks. It's usually the latter. I'm not sure what it is about the weekly pages, but I never remember to make use of them. My goal this time is to use these as much as I use my monthly pages.
Contact pages always seemed useless to me because I'm so use to inputting these information into my cellphone. But I guess if I were ever in class and had to get a classmate's information for a group project, this is handy.
Notes section is provided with lined, gridded, and blank pages. I write important information here, like my student number, account and passwords for school computers, etc. I really like that at the back of this planner, they give you completely blank pages for doodling and what not. Clearly they know art students are very inclined to buy this particular planner.
Then on the back cover, they have a built in little pocket for loose paper and junk. I love this part too. At the back of my moleskine, it has something like this as well and I find that so useful.
This is my current planner that I've been using for the past year. It's small, but one thing that annoyed me was how hard it is to open the pages, since it was so thick for such a small size. Holding back pages while trying to write is definitely not convenient.
Here's an example of a typical monthly page for me. I write down dates of exams, quick time and place of an appointment or exam, projects that are due, people's birthdays, and the hearts mark days I got to see Charming since he goes to school out of town and we don't see each other every day :(
Along with the planner, I also bought matching stickies/post-its! Aren't they so cute? I really want to cover my planner with notes and stickies. These come in handy when you're in a middle of critique and you need to write down ideas and changes.
I've been looking online for tips on how to get into the habit of using a planner but nothing ever seems to help. My theory is the cuter the planner, the more inclined you are to use it. I hope this works for me. I'm just horrible at remembering to write things down, which is ironic.
Anyway, I don't know how this post turned into a semi-review of planners and what not but maybe this will motivate you to get one of your own and start organizing your life! I'm definitely terrible at that but hey, I'm trying to work at it.
(I was going to make this post an update about my life but I think I'll make a second post for that...)Labels: personal, planner
Virgo season already?!
Hey cuties,
I can't believe it's Virgo season already. I seems like I've been so preoccupied with the natural rhythm of life that I always forget that I even have a blog. It was only a couple of days ago that I realized that we've entered Virgo season. I only really care because my boyfriend is a Virgo ;)
So I've done a little shopping this month. I went to Garage and found these items on sale! I only got the crop top and the dress on the right because the middle one didn't fit too well. I also picked up new panties that I won't be showing, hehe.
I went back to see Mike to get my roots done once he got back from his Japan trip. He gifted me with a bunch of Muji pens that I love and adore! They're so fun to use and so cheap over there apparently. This time, we went with a silver toner but it didn't turn out as silver as I'd like only because it's impossible for us to bleach my hair completely white unless we burn my scalp off. In the end, I was left with almost a grey-toned brown which was extremely hard to capture through photos but looked quite amazing in real life.
I picked up a new agenda because sadly, my Andy Warhol one is overdue. I admit, I got extremely lazy with using it during the last 3-4 months but I still adored carrying it around and I just can't bring myself to part with it because it's Andy Warhol themed. I found
this fox one at Chapters and decided to get it because all the pages inside were cute. It's quite hard to find a nicely designed one from the inside out. Most of the ones I've seen had a nice cover but very plain and boring interior pages.
I also picked up two books that were on sale for only $2 each. This is one of the two that I really want to start reading just as soon as I finish Looking For Alaska.
So my boyfriend had a four day weekend so I went and stayed over at his place :) We watched a couple of movies in bed and had sushi brunch, yummm! He doesn't live in Toronto so it's quite far to travel to his town but I like being so far away from home while I'm with him.
Tada, here he is! His name is Zack and he's a Virgo :) Super cute, isn't he? He does Muay Thai so I know he can kick anyone's butt if they're bothering me, hahaha. Him and I are really into comics, that's our thing, I think.
(Check out his cute Super Man shirt). When people ask how we met, we just tell them that he saved me from a bear. That's the version we're going with and that's all you'll get hehe! We're still in our early stages of dating but I adore him a lot and I'm going to be mentioning him a lot more in the future.
Anyway, that's pretty much all for now. I start school in a week and I'm going camping this weekend so I'll be gone again! Hopefully I'll have more pictures and stories to tell when I come back. Although I dislike all the work I'm bombarded with during school months, I'm excited to see everyone and get back into the rhythm of things. Here's the rest of the month through food and selfies.
Labels: books, boyfriend, chapters, clothes, food, garage, hair, life, planner
2013 Gift Idea: Journals
Hey you!
Christmas is right around the corner and if you're still doing some last minute shopping and have no idea what to get, why not try grabbing a journal? I personally love journals and tend to collect too many of them. Since New Years is around the corner, most people need a new agenda or journal to use to keep track of their daily schedules. Perhaps your new years resolution is to be more organized? Maybe you wanted to start a fun, one-a-day journal for the entire year? There's a journal for that :) I've made a list of journals all that can be bought at Chapters or Indigo!
1. 2014 Pocket Agenda - Matte Mint Green | Isn't that such a pretty mint colour? It's mini and pocket size so you can carry it around easily with you. Write all the things you need to do so you'll never forget a single thing.
2. White Medium Soft Cover Notebook with Gold Initial K | There's one for every initial, so don't worry if your name doesn't start with K. I think this is just so classy and simple but yet personal.
3. Look Ahead 2014 Planner- White | Maybe you want a larger planner. This one is really nice because each week gets it's own spread, meaning you have more room to write all your stuff.
4. Embossed Journal Forest Green Nature | Are you a writer? This is a large 9.75x7 lined notebook that will allow you to write until your heart's content. The cover feels like leather, which is really cool. I love the earthy feel the design and colour has on the notebook.
5. Listography Journal | We're getting into the more fun journals now. I think we all know someone that just
loves making lists. This book is filled with pages of ideas for just that. Try starting on January 1 and doing one per day.
6. One Line A Day Memory Book | This is a journal I've personally had my eyes on for a while. It's a mini pocket sized journal that lets you write one sentence a day for
FIVE YEARS. This way, you can look back on how your life was a year, two year, three years before on that exact date. Write a note, a summary of your date, a quote, anything you want to remember for that day!
7. 642 Things To Draw Journal | Love to draw instead? Try this journal that gives you 642 drawing prompts. If you start on new years day and do one year day, it'll last you about a year and a half. This is perfect for practicing your drawing skills because they ask you to draw the most random things you may never even think of drawing. Try adding your own twist to the random mundane things they may suggest you to draw to stretch your creative side.
8. 2014 16 Month Agenda Feathers | Here's an agenda that I thought was really pretty. It's a 16 month agenda so you can document important dates months and months ahead
(or in the past)!
9. Moleskine Sketchbook Small | Moleskine notebooks are very much loved by me. I have this exact one which is a pocket sized sketchbook that you can carry with you everywhere to make sketches. They're a bit pricey but they are definitely high quality, so I think they are worth it. There's a built in pocket at the back so you can store loose papers and a ribbon bookmark. Also, Moleskine carries many different notebooks. Some are themed, and some are just plain blank or lined paper. Definitely a good investment!
Hopefully this has given you some idea of what you'd like to get. Journals are a great way to get your creative juices flowing, whether you're a writer, artist, or even just to get organized so you can get more done. I've linked each journal with a Chapters link so you can buy it right away if you'd like. There's nothing like starting a fresh new journal for the new year :) Happy holidays, everyone and happy journaling!
Labels: books, chapters, gift, idea, journal, planner
Final Days of Summer
This is my last weekend before school starts on Monday. I'm really nervous and dreading the first day, but I shouldn't complain since a lot of schools around me have started school last week. I get an extra week than most people. I'm very thankful for that.
Charming also starts on Monday. He originally was going to move back to school last week but by the best luck in the world, he got to stay an extra week and we spent the last three days together. I wish I took more pictures to remember everything but I was too focused on spending all my time with him and giving him my full attention.
The last two weeks have been filled with seeing my friends and boyfriend as much as I could before we all went back to school. Charming and I went to the library near my house last Wednesday. I finally got my library card! I know that sounds strange that I don't have a library card. I do, but that one is from before I moved "cities". Since I've moved into this house last summer, I never got around to getting this city's library card. It's a little pathetic how long it has taken me to get one... After that, we went to Whole Foods for the first time and bought some ingredients to make pasta! He hasn't cooked for me in so long, so I wanted him to do so before he left. Charming use to cook for me a lot every time he came back to visit from school. I really enjoy his cooking because everything he makes is so yummy :)
Along the way, I spotted a stuffed lion head sticking out of the ground as he was driving out of my street and I made him reverse so I could get it. Lions are my favourite animal, so I couldn't pass this up. It was thrown into the gutter and had a bit of dirt on it but I took it and threw it into the back seat. It was so hilarious to me at the time. My parents later threw it out when I kept it in the house. Oh well, at least it's properly thrown out now, rather than litter in a gutter.
(It's like one of those horse heads that you pretend to ride one, but with a lion instead!)
The next day, we were supposed to meet up with my friends at the CNE. It's the Canadian National Exhibition that happens every year. I haven't been in a while since it never interested me, but I wanted to go this year because I've never been there with my friends nor a boyfriend. They've got carnival games and rides and places to eat.
(This year, a lot of the foods seemed to be getting people sick and places were being shut down left and right.)
Anyway, so the original plan was that Charming and I would go early in the morning and spend some time there alone before meeting up with the gang after 5. Things didn't really go as plan since he didn't manage to wake up. But I did head down to his place and he made me a quick breakfast. I later wandered around a small plaza to wait for him since he was with his mom for a little while. Here are some doodles I did out of pure boredom.
Later, we finally managed to bus down to the CNE, although we did get stuck in traffic. We managed to find my friends and we wandered around, had a snow cone, and even tried kangaroo meat. That was really funny because on the bus ride there, Charming and I were discussing meats that people eat, and I mentioned some people ate kangaroo meat. An hour later, that was us! We were eating kangaroo meat! Haha, what were the odds? By the way, the meat tastes quite nice; it's a lot like pepperoni but a little gamey. Or perhaps that was only because it was prepared like pepperoni... Still, I'd eat it again!
We took the train up to the subway. This is the first time I've ever been on a train even though I've been living in this town all of my life. It was a nice experience and I wish I could take the train more often because it's quite nice inside.
Oh, and we also went for some bubble tea after with my friends to talk and catch up again. I ordered some food because I'm always hungry it seems.
The next night, some friends came over and we drank together and they slept over. We did a lot of girl talk but I really enjoyed having company and being able to spend a lot of time with my friends as much as possible. I was supposed to go out the next night with my friends again but I went to dinner with my cousin instead.
Sunday was supposed to be Charming's last day in town. He came over during the day and we cuddled a lot in bed and went out to dinner early since he had to leave around 8:30. We went back to that Japanese restaurant and tried other dishes. I got udon and he got bibimbap.
Seeing him go was really hard for me and I cried a lot when he left my house. Later that night, I was waiting up for him to finish packing so we could call and talk for a little bit before we went to sleep and he surprised me with the news that he didn't have to leave the next day and that he'd be staying for a couple of extra days! I was really happy to hear that.
Monday was labour day, the day before most kids start school. For most of my friends, they would start school the very next day. Bestie and I start later than most people, and I start even later than she. We didn't want to be stuck at home for the last couple of days before school, so we went out and had more girl talks with our friend. I really like these girl talks, you know? I don't get to see my friends very often; barely once a month when school is happening. The last two weeks of summer was jam packed with a lot of socializing and meetings with my girls which made me quite happy.
The night after that, bestie came to sleep over and we drank soju and vodka until we were piss ass drunk. I've never gotten drunk before so this was the first time for me and while it's fun during the moment, the morning after wasn't so great. I've also noticed that my "hangovers" aren't as bad as other people. My stomach just felt queezy because it was so empty by the time morning rolled around. Anyway, we ended up drunk calling a bunch of people. I'm not quite sure how they think of us now, haha. Oh well, my summer is complete now.
Charming came over a night on Wednesday and he took me to get samgaetang because my tummy wasn't well from the night before. It helped a lot. We shared the soup and headed home to watch The Great Gatsby. It's his favourite book but we didn't get to see the movie yet because during the time it was released, he was in China and we didn't want to watch it without each other. We finally got around to watching it. I could tell he was enjoying himself. We only managed to watch the first half of the movie because he had to get going. But he came back the next night to finish the second half. And he brought Taco Bell because I told him I was craving it. Isn't he the best?!
The next day was the official last day he was going to be in town. We spent it downtown. The morning wasn't that great because my bus ended up coming half an hour late which made me quite annoyed but I felt better when I finally reached him. We took subway downtown and had brunch at Salad King. It's a Thai restaurant that's always packed with people, but their food is quite good. Their seating arrangement isn't what I prefer because instead of getting your own table, you're forced in between other strangers left and right from you, the person in front of you being the only person you knew. As a person who isn't too fond of large crowds and being so close to strangers, this wasn't my ideal, but I tried not to complain. Another note was that it's extremely loud in there because there are so many people, so you really have to shout at each other to talk. Charming and I just texted to each other across the table and made facial expressions. It's quite fun, actually. You're able to talk about the people around you without them knowing, haha. There was a teenaged couple that seat to the right of us and I texted him,
"do you think they're on a date?" I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation. I learned that the girl watches it'sjudy'stime on Youtube, just like me hahaha. I later suspected that these were first year students and today was probably their second or third day of class. Oh, first years ;)
After we ate, we wandered the streets and found a Currys art supply store. Of course I wanted to go in, and I looked all the things I wish I could buy. Being a broke art student isn't exactly the most fun. They were giving away free water containers which was perfect because I've been looking for one for my paint brushes for a while now. Fate!
We wanted to meet up with a couple of friends so we met them at a comic store. It's the first time I've been there and it's pretty cool. I want to go back because they have a cafe area and one of their drinks is called Emma Frost. I'm not a fan of her but the drink sounded delicious. I must try it one day.
Then we wandered the mall before grabbing some Chipotle to go
(I always bring some home because the only one closest to me is downtown and I live all the way up town! Plus it's my brother's favourite.) and some Starbucks. Then it was back home we went. The subway ride back was too short and I didn't want him to leave... Charming waited for my bus to come and we took it together but said goodbye when his stop came. I was super sad :(
I painted my nails today since they were chipping pretty badly at this point. It lasted me for a good week and a half though, I must say. I opt for my gun metal grey and topped it off with black crackle polish. This will be the beginning of my fall nails, yesssssss...
The last couple of weeks has been pretty fun but I'm super bummed that it's all over now. After not being in school for 4 months, it's really hard to go back but I know I have to. Hopefully I don't end up going crazy by mid October. August has been good to me.
Labels: boyfriend, charming, food, life, personal, planner
The illusion of being productive.
So I don't know about you, but I'm a total sucker for cute planners/agendas. You walk into a book store and suddenly you see so many different styles and designs of books and planners that you just can't wait to scribble and write all your important things in. Personally, I've always wanted a planner that was filled and messy and looked like I run a busy, demanding life. In reality, I don't do enough to even fill in a page once a week...
During all of my high school career, we're forced to buy our school's planner and I tell myself that I'll make good use of it but I never do. I'm not quite sure what it is about me, but I can never remember to write down my homework. I'll probably do it religiously for about a week or two and then laziness and forgetfulness kicks in. Most of the time, I'll end up filling the blank pages with doodles, just to make myself feel like it's not going to waste. It clearly is.
Last year, I bought a cute little compacted planner that was small enough so I could carry around and
(hopefully) write down notes and important dates as I go about my day. I did an okay job with writing down some of my projects and assignments, but there are definitely still empty pages. I told myself to get into the habit of using one, since I've failed to do so for so many years now. Clearly I didn't do as good of a job as I'd hoped, but I'm hoping this year will be an improvement on last year, and so on. We all have to start somewhere, right?
Anyway, so the point in all of that is that I got a new planner for the up coming school year! I strolled into Chapters with Charming and found a planner that was totally decked out in everything Andy Warhol. Being the design student I am, I fell in love with it and wanted to take it home so bad. So after a couple of days of wanting and contemplating, I went back to get it. Bonus points: it was on 75% discount. I got it for $5. Score!
This is the front and the back. It has an elastic that wraps around to the front to keep everything together, in case you keep loose papers, notes and what not in there. I love when planners do that because nothing is worse than loose papers falling out everywhere. One thing I love the most about this planner is that it's filled with a lot of his screen prints which are some of my most favourite works from him.
Here's a quick look of what's inside. There are a lot more designs on each page, but it's hard to show them all. It comes with a monthly section which is my favourite sections in planners. I'm not really good with weekly pages, but monthly pages are the best for me. I love writing down important dates so I can see right away what I'll be doing and when. This is especially good for writing down school holidays, due dates of assignments and exam dates. Also, I like to write names of people on their birthdays, so I never forget someone's birthday when it comes! Planners like these are great because it comes completely blank, allowing you to write the numbers yourself so you can start on whatever month first. For me, I started on September since my current planner ends in August. I hate when planners start on January because it's not practical for school purposes. I mean, come on. The school year doesn't start in January.
Another thing that made me fall in love with this planner is the fact that it gives you a checklist page. Check lists are so useful for me. I use them all the time, which is why I tend to use checklist apps on my phone. I haven't seen many planners out there making checklist pages, so this was a nice surprise.
Ah, the weekly pages. These are the pages that are either really full with homework stuff, or completely blank for weeks and weeks. It's usually the latter. I'm not sure what it is about the weekly pages, but I never remember to make use of them. My goal this time is to use these as much as I use my monthly pages.
Contact pages always seemed useless to me because I'm so use to inputting these information into my cellphone. But I guess if I were ever in class and had to get a classmate's information for a group project, this is handy.
Notes section is provided with lined, gridded, and blank pages. I write important information here, like my student number, account and passwords for school computers, etc. I really like that at the back of this planner, they give you completely blank pages for doodling and what not. Clearly they know art students are very inclined to buy this particular planner.
Then on the back cover, they have a built in little pocket for loose paper and junk. I love this part too. At the back of my moleskine, it has something like this as well and I find that so useful.
This is my current planner that I've been using for the past year. It's small, but one thing that annoyed me was how hard it is to open the pages, since it was so thick for such a small size. Holding back pages while trying to write is definitely not convenient.
Here's an example of a typical monthly page for me. I write down dates of exams, quick time and place of an appointment or exam, projects that are due, people's birthdays, and the hearts mark days I got to see Charming since he goes to school out of town and we don't see each other every day :(
Along with the planner, I also bought matching stickies/post-its! Aren't they so cute? I really want to cover my planner with notes and stickies. These come in handy when you're in a middle of critique and you need to write down ideas and changes.
I've been looking online for tips on how to get into the habit of using a planner but nothing ever seems to help. My theory is the cuter the planner, the more inclined you are to use it. I hope this works for me. I'm just horrible at remembering to write things down, which is ironic.
Anyway, I don't know how this post turned into a semi-review of planners and what not but maybe this will motivate you to get one of your own and start organizing your life! I'm definitely terrible at that but hey, I'm trying to work at it.
(I was going to make this post an update about my life but I think I'll make a second post for that...)Labels: personal, planner
