"Random Lately" | Playlist 1.

Now if that's not just one of the most practical names for a playlist...
I'm not the best at coming up with creative names on the spot, hence:

"Random Lately" = the playlist I use for random songs I've been playing a lot lately

BRILLIANT!!

I'm also the type of person who finds songs I like,
then plays them over and over and over again until I don't like them anymore,
then, about a month later, I'll play them only if they come up in "Shuffle" mode.
(You too, hey?)

I love finding new songs people suggest on Twitter, blogs, even YouTube,
and I listen to tons of different genres, so I'm up for giving just about
any song a shot to make it onto my trusty little "Random Lately" list!

• • • • • •

Here's what my current "Random Lately" playlist looks like (w/ links):

Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One

Echosmith - Cool Kids

Hedley - Heaven In Our Headlights

The Vamps - Oh Cecilia

MØ ft. Diplo - XXX 88

Dragonette - Let It Go

Lady Gaga - Manicure
Katy McAllister - Weekends

AVICII - You Make Me

Ariana Grande - Break Free

Fall Out Boy - Centuries
Nikki Yanofsky - Necessary Evil

• • • • • •

Here's a version of one of the songs above (The Vamps - Oh Cecilia) that's made in support of The Teenage Cancer Trust:


• • • • • •

What are some of YOUR random favourite songs lately?
Feel free to share any you've been liking and I'll try and give 'em a listen!

Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter

Second Chances in Social Settings | Update

I don't know if anyone else feels the same way, but I feel like August and September just

FLEW. BY.

I kind of felt like just writing up a quick post - No plan. No topic.

Just a quick "Hey, how's it going?"
...It's been a little while...

On one hand, it's crazy that it's already Fall (and October tomorrow!), but, on the other hand, I actually feel like quite a bit's happened in the past few months which is cool. I think it's got quite a bit to do with the fact that I've been able to meet a surprising amount of people in a short amount of time as a result of where I work, but it's been... refreshing and well needed!

Not being a student anymore, I think, like a lot of people, the realization dawned on me that I'd need to make a damn good, deliberate attempt at going out and meeting new people & maintaining the friendships that I've already built. Being out of school for exactly a year now (how did that happen...?!), I've also had a chance to reflect on, not only what I learned curriculum and career-wise, but also on the social aspect of school, and what I took out of it from that perspective.

In University especially, I wasn't usually the first person to raise my hand in class (...let's be honest, there were quite a few classes where I never did...), but I feel like, at the time, looking back on my confidence level and the social setting I was in, surrounded by so many strong personalities and eager students, I think I did alright! Sure I didn't go to every University event that came my way, but the ones I went to, I don't regret one bit.

... Where am I going here... meeting new people... right!

I think in that year since I graduated, somehow not being around so many people my age has made me more eager to meet people my age now... you know how they say, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone", although that's quite dramatic in this situation, there's a grain of truth in that I think in that my social surroundings have changed a bit. Working at a University now though, in the same University I went to myself, it's almost like a second chance at doing that - Not a do-over by any means, just a second opportunity. And it's been pretty awesome, I must say.

There are so, so many different kinds of people out there, and I do think that you can really gain something - big or small, whether you realize it right away or down the road - from each person you meet and really try to get to know. Why not try and make a new friend or two, find out more about the lives of other people, be inquisitive, be compassionate, be empathetic, and be genuine.

You never know if the next person you call a friend will be with you for a few weeks, or for a few years...!

Well, who knew this would whole post would stem from meeting new people at work haha, but hey, writing down what you're thinking about at the moment can be kind of interesting - You don't quite know what you'll end up with!

On a side note, I've been out of the blogging game for a little while it seems, but I Bloglovin', Pinterest & Twitter have been calling my name lately, so let me know if there's a link or two I should check out (a.k.a an open invitation for self promotion haha) - My link share this time 'round I think will be... Humans of New York's Facebook page! Man, that page... it's so, so good... I'd highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already! The way they're able to capture & convey so many peoples' stories & pictures is amazing.

Till next time guys! Take care,

Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter

(MID)Summer Polishes

I can't believe it's already August...

... and even though I just saw HALLOWEEN decorations for sale in Michael's, it's still SUMMER, so what better time to put together a post about Summertime nail polish! (Plus, I love wearing bright colours year-round, so these are definitely still a few of my go-to's!)

Back when I did my Spring post on pastel polishes and I was going through my stash, I noticed so many more good bright colours that I knew I'd be using for the summertime, so it was definitely harder for me to pick just 6 polishes for THIS post in particular...!

The Colours

Clockwise from the top:

1. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails • Mighty Mango | 2. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear • Pacific Blue | 3. China Glaze • Sneakerhead | 4. China Glaze • Pool Boy Toy | 5. Essie • Sittin' Pretty | 6. China Glaze • Shocking Pink

The Superlatives

Most Neon:

China Glaze Shocking Pink

Most Matte:

China Glaze Shocking Pink

Most Opaque after One Coat:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue

Best Gloss without Top Coat:

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Mighty Mango

Most Chip Resistant without Top Coat:

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Mighty Mango

Most Expensive:

Essie Sittin' Pretty

Least Expensive:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue

Going through all your polishes in order to write a blogpost really is a good way of
finding some of the ones you might've pushed to the back or forgot about even,
so if you ever needed a reason to organize your polish-space, that's a good 'un! ;)

To be honest, I don't have many subtle, or even 'nude' office-colour polishes
so I'm not sure if a post on those is in the near future,
BUT I'm feelin' another polish post for sure!
(If you guys wanted to see any in particular, by all, please means let me know below!)

What's been YOUR favourite summer polish this year?



Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter

Street Food, Markets, & The Pier

Don't you love when the weekend feels like more than 2 days?

Some of them feel like they last an afternoon to be honest.
But, I think this past weekend was one of my favourites of the summer!You know how I said in my last post I was going to try and start taking more pictures, well this weekend it seemed like I was just whippin' my camera out whenever I could. My sister also agreed to become the family's other official photographer (if she can use her boyfriend's camera). Not sure how long that will last to be honest haha but hey, it's a promising start!

Because of my picture RAMPAGE over the weekend, I thought I'd do a picture-post this time 'round.
So, without further adieu, let's all go back to the weekend!
I've counted Friday, cause when you work Monday-Friday, you've gotta take what you can get ;)
(amirite?)

FRIDAY

Mmmm street food (Do you ever wish you could have a second stomach for desserts? I was so full after dinner I didn't have dessert, what a travesty!)

A picture of a tree... This is when I said I would make a great fake tourist haha my camera got good use

One of the street shows we saw - a little boy practicing his magician skills
(We watched a fire show as well which I'll try & add a picture of later!)

THIS is Feeny the pomeranian. (Isn't that just one of the best names?! 80s/90s kids?)

SATURDAY

Went out for lunch out with my mom & sister! The chipotle aioli was ah-mazing too btw! Mmmm...

The view was gorgeous, right on the beach... West Coast living for sure...

Mom got some lovely flowers & we took a trip to the health food store for these DELICIOUS drinks

These seriously are SO. GOOD. 2 for $5 too - what a steal, what a steal.

Brushing the little guy ♥

Then we had a little evening volleyball practice! Gotta prep for next weekend's beach volleyball game ;)

SUNDAY

After a lovely farm lunch out with the family, we saw these awesome little signs at the market by the pier...

...and these cute little painted rocks! (Pet rocks maybe?)

There was a show happening that day too apparently...!
(We never found out what it was for but it drew quite the crowd hey?)

Did you see that pig...?! (And the person sitting under it's chin, ha!)

We ended up at the pier...

... and it was a gorgeous view! The weather couldn't have been better that day :)

On our way to get ice cream cones, we passed such a pretty flower shop - I'm allergic to pollen but even I can appreciate!

Sunday was capped of with me doing the last hay feed of the day, and taking a few pictures out in the barn :)

　More and more I'm feeling like these posts are like diary entries haha but that's cool,
it can be like an online-weekend-diary-entry of sorts (catchy)

I think I like these Monday posts! You know how some people do a recap of their WEEK, this can be a recap of my weekEND.
A little shorter but still a handy little post to look back on when people ask:
"So, how was your weekend?"
Plus, maybe I'll pull out my camera a bit more often like I did this weekend :)

Hope everyone else had a good weekend as well!
And hooray for the upcoming long weekend!
*Happy civic holiday(?) next monday if you live in BC!*


Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter

Catching Up!

So... June, hey?

Boy time flies.

Since my blog's been alive and somewhat regularly updated (all of 6 months), I don't
think I've had as long of a hiatus as I have this last time now that I think about it.
You know how people say, "I'm not good with good-byes", well that's true for me as well,
but also, I'm not too good with "re-hellos" either if that makes any sense... what I mean is that,
when I finish something or don't talk with someone for awhile, if I ever do decide I want to change that
and get back in touch, I honestly don't know where or how to start...!
(Maybe it's just me making things more awkward than they need to be, who knows)

So... how's it going with you...?

*shuffling thru the awkward hellos*


One thing I've noticed that I want to try and get better at is: taking pictures.

I'm not usually the one to just whip out my camera when I'm out and about in
social settings, which usually means that either:
a). I don't have pictures, or
b). if I do manage to take some, I don't get to be IN them.

The PHOTOGRAPHER STRUGGLE.

I think I'm gonna work on that! But for now, here's some of the things I've been up to lately,
with a few of the pictures I do have scattered throughout :)

Beach Volleyball

So. Much. Fun. My arms were kind of (really) bruised the next day

after playing for 3 hrs but I'd say it was worth it! It had been about 6 yrs

since I'd played a game so it was cool to do it again - plus on sand! Bonus.

T25

A set of workout DVDs by the oh-so-motivating Shaun T that lasts up to 3 mths.

Reached the 10lbs LOST mark which I'm pretty stoked about!

Pretty much ALL from the different exercise I've been doing lately, woo!

Still not done the T25 discs either, so I'm gonna keep going with 'em :)

25 mins. a few days a week is definitely do-able!

Martial Arts (...again?)
A friend & I just finished our Spring Zumba classes and wanted to try something different,
then stumbled onto a groupon for unlimited classes at a Martial Arts dojo.
Just had 3 classes there so far and it seems to be going really well!
(Shhhh... don't tell anyone I used to do Karate when I was younger ;)
I haven't told the people at that dojo, but maybe I'll tell you guys more about it in a future post!
It was something I was really into when I was younger so it's interesting being back in a dojo...)

New Job
I've officially been at my new job for 8 weeks now which is crazy!
I'm currently on contract at the University I just graduated from actually.
Interesting seeing how everything runs behind the scenes,
as opposed to being in the student's perspective :)

New Hair
Think Brittany Snow at the MTV Movie Awards 2012... except with black hair.
I had just been letting it grow out in no particular style for the past year or so
and it was, just feelin' like ALOT, ya know? There was just no shape or style,

 and it would take almost a half an hour to blow dry! I just don't have that kinda time in the mornin'.

It did make for a good blank slate to try a new haircut on though, and so I took advantage of it ;)

Really liking the shorter angled bob, much easier to look after!

Lots of Dinners – LOTS.
Like, until about a week ago, I feel like I was having dinners out at least 3 times a week...
I think it might've been the whole initial now-I-have-a-paycheck mentality
but I've recognized and budgetized(...?) - plus I was stopping by the mall about once a week,
and you know how that can go. Gotta check yourself somethings, but I got it now guys, no worries ;)

Ontop of that, I'm still volunteering, doing my weekly jobs around the farm,
taking the odd bootcamp class (running up & down stairs for 15 mins straight
really is harder than it sounds), and have gone to many a coffee & frozen yogurt shop.

Throughout the spring everyone always says "Oh, I can’t wait till summer! I’m going to do
'this' and 'that'", but before you know it, it’s here, and you’re right in the middle of it.
I really want to try and do more things this summer, and not just go home everyday after work
and scroll through my computer, eat dinner and go to bed...

Gotta get out there kid!!

Phew, well I'm glad to have gotten that first “What have you been up to?” post up and out!
Lookin’ forward to writing a bit more again!!

How’s your summer been going?!
Anything exciting happening in your life? :)

Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter

7 Things Every Glasses Wearer Knows...

I've been wearing glasses for almost 20 years now, so you could say,
glasses-shopping has been and will be in my foreseeable future.
YA. WOO.

GLASSES.

I don't have the best option for contacts at the moment, but because I've worn
glasses for so long, I've noticed a couple things that have come up time and time again...

1.
Taking off your glasses, and forgetting where you put them.

I'm guilty of this far too much ...

I'll be getting ready in the morning, going from room to room, then all of a sudden,

it'll dawn on me that I have absolutely NO CLUE where I put my glasses ...

Then comes the annoying task of having to look for something I can't find

without having the thing I'm looking for!!

What a vicious cycle.

(My generally poor memory doesn't help any either.)

2.

Walking into a room and being temporarily blinded.

Ahh, the steam...

In the winter especially... you know, you know that as soon as you

walk inside a room any warmer than the place you last came from,

you're going to have to take your glasses off, frantically use your shirt to try

and make a small-fog-free-window, then shove put them back on your face

and try and re-orient yourself.
...

Just drastic temperature changes in general really can do it...



3.

"I don't think, I can quite, see you ... hold on"

Smudges.
All day. Every day.

"You really should clean your glasses more...!"

No no, I clean them throughout the day, it's just the constant finger prints

from pushing them up, rain, dust, dirt, food (what? who said that...), etc. that

makes it look like I'm staring through a car window post-rainstorm.

4.

Phantom Glasses

It doesn't happen often, but when it does, just...pretend you don't notice...

Every so often, someone will ask me to take my glasses off for some reason,

and, without fail, about 30 seconds later, I'll go to push up my glasses and accidentally

smack myself in the face because I've forgotten my glasses weren't there.

...

Am I the only one here? I mean, I must just be so used to

wearing glasses, that my face feels them there no matter WHAT.

I've done this dozens (dozens!) of times, and I'm sure I'll do it a dozen more...

*don't look at me*

5.

Attempting to do simple tasks, glasses-less.

FUN FACT: When I do my hair in the morning, I like to play music from my phone,
and because I already have my phone in my hands, I also think it'd the perfect time
to catch up on my emails and reply to my text messages, still glasses-less of course.
...
Risk taker, I know, but the convenience far outweighs the potentially irreversible mistake that
could arise from incorrectly typing a message or sending it to the wrong person apparently.

YES, I am a multi-tasker...!

6.

The "How many fingers am I holding up?" Test

One of the more common things I would get asked when I was younger was something like:
"So, how bad is your eyesight, really?"

People almost always think it's worse than it actually is, but who can blame them...
* Cut to the moment when you decide whether or not to be honest with them about it ;) *
Then come the impromptu "How many fingers am I holding up" or "Can you see my face?"
questions while they wave their hands and face in the air.
Oh yes, I love a good test.
Bring it.


7.

Glasses on glasses.

Wow, aren't those so practical... and wide... and totally comfortable...

...3D glasses and sunglasses,

amirite?

"Why not try clip-on sunglasses?"

The double-lens look aside, the selection is a strong, STRONG 2 out of 10.

Oh to be able to walk into a department store (or even dollar store!)

and be able to pick out any pair of sunnies for under 20 bucks...!

(If I could, I'd get a pair of blue ones, like these for sure)

Small inconveniences aside, I owe my glasses a lot, so I think I'll stick with 'em ;)
Do YOU wear contacts, or are we glasses twins??
Thanks for reading!


Bloglovin' | Cachoo Joo ♥ | Twitter