1.1.11.

It's 2011! I hope this year will be filled with amazing things. The one thing I'm really looking forward to this year is graduating from university at the end of July/early August. That day cannot come soon enough! I'm soooo ready to be done university and to start something else. I have no idea what my plans are after that, but I'm definitely moving out of Ottawa. It's time to move on to bigger and better things. Speaking of bigger and better things, join me while I dream about moving and living abroad! One day, hopefully. <3

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Just the Way You Are

I've had a fairly low-key weekend so far. I went Christmas shopping today and I am now watching Bridget Jones Diary and Love Actually (as well as studying for German) to get in tune with the holiday season. I now want to watch one of my favourite Christmas films The Holiday. Watching these movies makes me want to take a long vacation across the pond, but in the meantime I can just swoon over these beautiful pictures.

Happy Days Are Here Again

So this week has been a bit of a blur. I've been thinking a lot about my life and where I want myself to be. I've kind of had a change of heart just recently. I guess it all started with my Italian Cinema class. We were watching a really sad movie called Facing Windows. It was a really fantastic film, but it's one of those films where a woman is married with children and is up to her knees in regrets, not having followed her dreams or the things she loved. She's not in love with her husband and ends up having a short affair with her charming neighbour next door. The ending is pretty strange, but it really makes you think about how we're living right now and how we need to do things that make us happy, not settling for a satisfactory job or a satisfactory partner. 

Anyways, after giving it some careful thought, I decided that after school, I'm going to work abroad. I'm not sure where yet, but I need to do it. I'm so tired about hearing adventurous stories from other people about where they've traveled to, and the crazy things that have happened to them on the way. I'm going to a seminar this week about learning how to work abroad, so hopefully I'll get some more information about it. More posts to come, pinky swear.

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Heirloom

Tomorrow is September! Even though the fall season doesn't technically start until September 21st, I'm calling an official change of seasons starting tomorrow :) To jump start the soon arrival of cooler weather, blustery winds, crackling leaves and rainy streets, I decided to throw together a to-do list for the fall season of all the things I want to accomplish in the coming months (with some helpful inspiration from Listmaker Collective, I might add!):

1. Spend an entire day outside: I know it's tempting to cozy up on the couch with blankets and hot chocolate, but spending a whole day outside, even though it doesn't seem difficult, it's actually quite challenging. I can imagine swinging on swings, taking strolls through the park, and grabbing hot cocoa from a coffee shop.

2. Wake up early to go to the local market to stock up on fruits and veggies: Maybe even browse cute boutiques in the area as well.

3. Bake an apple pie: With said fruits that were bought at the local market! I've never made a pie from scratch before, so this season is the perfect time to test out my culinary skills.

4. Carve a pumpkin: need I say more?

5. Open up the windows at night so you can bundle up under the covers: this is one of the ideas from Listmaker Collective. I don't know what it is about the cold, but I can sleep so comfortably when I can bundle underneath my duvet.

Photo: weheartit

I Am Not a Robot

I went to the dentist today to get the remainder of my fillings done, and I've promised myself that those are my last ones I'm going to endure. Which means keeping on top of my flossing so my pearly whites don't have to suffer anymore from being poked and prodded. My mouth was feeling really funny and I couldn't talk properly, so I took a picture with my webcam of what my face looked like. Enjoy me in all my glory!

Like I've mentioned probably a million times before, but I'm so excited for fall to begin. It seems like all of the maple trees are turning red and orange, the weather is starting to dip and it's actually starting to get chilly outside. I can't believe this year is my last year of university. In some ways it's gone so fast, and in others it feels long and drawn out. I think this year is going to fly by, so I'm going to make the most of it and enjoy myself.

Photo: weheartit

Big Jet Plane

I went to the dentist last week to find out that I had a few cavities that needed to be taken care of. I went again this morning to get my fillings done, and right now my mouth is kind of numb and Drew Barrymore-esque (no offense, Drew). I've definitely learned my lesson when it comes to flossing, and from now on, I'll be doing it every day. In other news...

It has been raining the past few days, which means more days spent inside, so to combat boredom and my brain from turning to mush, I downloaded a podcast aimed at learning to speak Dutch. I've only listened to a few podcasts so far, but it's actually a lot of fun. So I have a question for all of you out there reading my little blog: Goede dag, how gaat het met uw?

Photo: weheartit

I Am A Stand Up Artist

On Thursday I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto. I've been itching to go to the ROM this summer and I was pretty excited that I was able to go, even though it was super last minute. When I was in New York City in 2007, I had the opportunity to see the talented Dan Perjovski's Project 85 at the Museum of Modern Art and was wowed by his quirky comic-strip style political commentary. After heading to the exhibits on the 4th floor of the ROM, I discovered that there was another Dan Perjovski exhibit!

Below is a photo I took during Project 85 in New York City.

Even though my trip to Toronto was short, it solidified my future plans to eventually move there after I graduate from university. Ottawa is alright for the time being, but it isn't a city I can identify with (if that makes any sense?). Toronto has more of a sense of character, a vibrancy to it. Ottawa, to me, is kind of a blank canvas. I still have some time over the next year to really think about my options. 

Smile Like You Mean It

I'm home for reading week which means that I get a lot of extra time to relax and think. Even though my time at home means a lot of time relaxing, watching movies and hanging out with friends, I've had a lot of time to think about my life, the future and the types of things I want to accomplish during my lifetime. I guess that I'm in some sort of a transition period, I'm feeling very restless in my last year of university, and I'm trying to come to some sort of conclusion about what I can do now so that I'm completely happy in the long run.

I don't know what sparked these feelings, but I think it has something to do with the 2010 Winter Olympics currently being held in Vancouver, BC. I'm normally not a very sport oriented person, but I can barely peel my eyes off of the screen during any of the events, especially the speed skating events. It's so fascinating to watch these strong individuals pushing their bodies and physical capabilities as far as they can go, conquering their fears and reaching their goals...even if they don't win anything (and most of these athletes are my age or even younger!)! I can't fathom how amazing it would be to be in Vancouver right now! It would really be amazing to witness it at some point in my life.

Anyways, I think this is what sparked my restlessness. Here I am, 21 years old, about to graduate, and there are so many things I want to accomplish right now. I just feel like my life is at a standstill right now, with one more year of school, another 13 months to go until that chapter ends. I love it, but I'm so giddy for the things to come next, when my career starts and I can afford to live on my own salary and just do things that make me happy. I can't wait...I've always thrived off of positive energy and accomplishment. So, in leu of this new beginning, I put together a list of the things I want to accomplish at some point in my life. I guess you could call this my bucket list!

1. After school, move to Toronto.

2. Go skydiving.

3. Live in Europe?

4. Volunteer at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)

5. Go backpacking through Europe (maybe even the winter olympics 2014!?!)

6. Learn to play the piano.

7. Run a 5k (and if I'm really ambitious, run a half or full marathon)

8. Improve my handwriting.

9. Be famous...at something!

I was kind of in a bad mood earlier, but writing this post made me happier!

Currently listening to: Smile Like You Mean it (The Killers cover)- David Gray