Wednesday 31 December 2014

fab 5 - goodbye 2014.

as mentioned in my first ever blog post, my whole reason for starting my blog was to have a sort online scrapbook of what i was up to at a particular time of my life.
even now, i often find myself scrolling through past blog posts and reminiscing.
so, while brainstorming end of the year post ideas, i decided that i would share some of my favorite moments/songs/movies etc. of 2014.
plus it's been actually forever since i've done a fab 5 post and that is a travesty.

so without further ado, i present to you "fab 5 - goodbye 2014" 
*cue crowd applause...

top 5 moments:
*there were countless other moments that could have made this list but these were the first 5 to pop into my brain.
FINALLY obtaining this laminated piece of paper - more on this in the future...maybe lol / 

top 5 purchases
i shopped wayyyy to much this year (something that i vow to stop in 2015, pray for me) but these five things are the ones i truly don't regret purchasing!
afterlight photo app / gelous top coat (seriously, my polish lasts for days!) / live lokai bracelet

malibu - august 2014

a little more about my livelokai bracelet...
as soon as i came across this bracelet on twitter, i was obsessed.
the design and message are quite simple:
the white bead contains water from mount everest - the highest point on earth.
"sometimes you're on top of the world, stay humble."
the black bead contains mud from the dead sea - the lowest point on earth.
"sometimes you've hit a low, stay hopeful."
there are an equal number of clear beads between the black and white ones.
"life is full of cycles, find your balance."
like i said, i'm obsessed and wear it nearly every day.

top 5 songs:
*except that i actually couldn't narrow it down to 5 and selected 12 instead...
9 - willow smith feat. sza / am i wrong - nico and vinz / blank space - taylor swift /
apparently - j. cole / ugly heart - grl (rip simone battle) / thinking out loud - ed sheeran <3<3
i don't f**k with you - big sean / valentine (cover) - pentatonix / papaoutai - stromae / 
nirvana - sam smith / loyal - chris brown / uptown funk - mark ronson feat. bruno mars
edit: oh nooooo, how could i forget about maps by maroon 5!
shameful.

top 5 movies/tv shows:
gone girl / orange is the new black / annie / how to get away with murder / how to make it in america

top 5 beauty products:
original chapstick (sorry eos balm) / sweet almond oil (use it on my hair, skin, face) / 
anastasia dipbrow pomade / kevyn aucoin sensual skin enhancer / too faced chocolate bar

top 5 memes:
i have a strange sense of humor and am always looking up and saving memes on my phone.
here are some of the ones that made me laugh way too hard this year.
(click to enlarge)
re: the first meme - i think it's safe to say that the general population is very much aware that guac comes at an extra charge.
i'm talking to you, chipotle.

top 5 vines:
i don't even have a vine account but have been known to spend way too much time watching these 6 second videos.
here are some of the ones that brought actual tears to my eyes.

i need to party with this news anchor, stat.

so my beloved 2014, though you did not go exactly as i had planned, you were truly good to me.
here's to more growth, development and fun times in the new year.
2015, leh go!

me, dancing into the new year ^^

ps. my sister and i have wayyyy too much time on our hands *insert crying face emoji here*
happy (almost) new year, y'all!

Tuesday 30 December 2014

364 of 365.

i can't believe how quickly this month went by. 
it felt like one day i was stressing over exams and the next, i'm sitting on my bed, eating pineapples while working on my manifesto for 2015. 

i didn't get a chance to really blog this month due to school and work engagements.
as a result, i am going to combine all my photos into one mega-post...

day-trip to casa loma:
casa loma (spanish for house on the hill) is a gothic style house and gardens located in midtown toronto.
despite there being many a field trip to casa loma in elementary school, this was my first time visiting the mansion.
the story of the rise and fall of sir henry mill pellatt, the owner of the landmark, definitely reminded me of the terrible things that can go wrong when you do "the most".

the following photos were taken by my friend, jessie: 



view from the watch tower - if you look really close, you can see the CN tower through the fog


santa called us into a room to take a pic with him.
we obliged.

ex-lancer reunion <3

pre-christmas festivities:

jenn's home!

bah humbug.

toronto christmas market at the distillery district:






christmas day:
impatiently waiting.


very happy with her manicure kit.

budding picasso.


christmas breakfast.

new found love of pancakes. 

tai working on her "darn yarn" christmas gift.

success.

christmas movie marathon.
usies.

our quasi-annual family christmas music video that's missing 85% of our family, lol.

random photos:
trying to take pictures while nico moves about.


room makeover:
i'll be sure to document the finished product in the near future.
end of an era.

littlest helper.


december 29th, 2014 - my parents' 30th wedding anniversary:

i get tired of most people after 30 minutes.
so, 30 years is beyond impressive to me!


my heart.

pinterst fails:


i don't even know why i bother.

hope you all had an amazing december and are enjoying what's left of 2014!
<3
vanessa

Friday 19 December 2014

damn grace and gratitude, where the hell ya been? *kanye voice*

answer: drowning in finals.
i saw this gif the other day which sums up my sentiments post-finals perfectly:

anyways, post-exams i've been busy with work and catching up with friends i've been ignoring the past couple weeks.
i wish i had taken more photos but sometimes you're just too busy having fun to snap pics, ya know?
anyways, here are some random snapshots of the people/things that captured my heart over the past couple of weeks:
getting "turnt" one last time with jamille before she leaves us for the land of cowboy boots and rodeos.

we had our first snowfall of the season and my sister captured this beautiful shot of her son, nico.
it reminds me of "where the wild things are" for some reason.

speaking of nico, he and his rosalina started a youtube channel.
it's called the "nico and roro show" and i think it's the cutest thing!

let these girls be a reminder to us all that racism is taught.
children do not see color, they are taught to see color.

i'm not even a fan of cats but i need this feline in my life.
so pretty.

i love sprinkle donuts and i love christmas.
so naturally, christmas colored sprinkled donuts are my ish right now.

while at the beauty supply store, i stumbled upon this little girl on a conditioner bottle.
for whatever reason, i feel that if i'm ever blessed with a daughter one day, she will look like this girl.
random, i know lol.

my cousin saturne gave me a copy of this photo from her wedding and i'm obsessed.
this is like 15.3% of my family.
we're large in number and we're insane but i love us.

on my "study breaks", i started re-watching buffy and have fallen in love with these two.
i can't remember how their love story ends but as of right now, i'm rooting for them.

and lastly, they sing this every time it snows <3

to any one who wrote finals recently, hope they all went well.
:)
vanessa