Weekday Inspiration | Febraury 8

Doodle by me!

It is a very special someone's birthday today, you know who you are and I hope you know I love you very much!

With the first week of February behind us, I think it's a good time to reflect on 2017 thus far.

Weekday Inspiration | The White Helmets

It's 2017 and there are so many places in our world without peace. It's becoming too easy to take my safety and security for granted.

Weekday Inspiration | Not a Halloween Post

Ola!

Such poor form, yet oddly fitting: October has had just two posts, but at least they were timed on the first and last day of the month.

Life has been a busy blur and I'm so behind on lovely posts for you people. Deep apologies, and a truly confused feeling of how October has already flown by. How was it that a whole month has gone by since my haircut? Or that the weather is still a balmy 17 degrees in London? Or that it's literally Halloween today - something of a big marker for me that the end of the year is coming close.

There are Christmas light festivals starting next weekend. My (completely unoriginal) cat costume is back in it's hiding place. I've officially experienced and survived the mandatory change of seasons cold (despite the weather still being pretty exceptional for London). And loved ones in Canada are experiencing the cold and snow of every Canadian winter. Soon, I'll be on the other side of my first winter away from the homeland, a fact that still surprises me.

Housing changes and life administrative stuff has put me in the position of no wi-fi for another week - and it's already been one week! Surprisingly, I hardly miss the wi-fi. I've been digging into my library books with a vengeance, and am so into the latest book: Kazuo Ishiguro's Hidden Giant. Ok, I'll admit, I haven't read that review I linked to. I'm too paranoid about spoilers or having a reviewer's opinion impact mine or colour my own experience of the book.

I've gone on some trips, and taken hundreds of photos (many of the same thing, in true fashion), and I'm so looking forward to sharing these with you.

I've missed this practice of writing whatever, posting my favourites, and just feeling somewhat connected with the kind strangers who give me their time and attention.

With the end of the year comes a renewed commitment to all the things I love. Work is busy as ever, but there's always a bit more downtime in the winter, largely due to more holidays and poor weather that makes staying indoors even more appealing. And with indoor downtime comes more opportunity for posting and having fun on the Internet.

So please know this: you are cherished, I am grateful, and words can't express my happiness that you're reading this and giving me a little bit of your time.

I'm sorry for the lapse in communication, but so excited for some new things on the way.

Happy Halloween!

Weekday Inspiration | Cool Toilets

Toilets can be cool.

I never liked the wold 'toilet' but have learned to use it quite regularly in my lingo, now that I'm living in London. And, perhaps because of this (not really) I've grown a next level of appreciation for cool toilets (or 'washrooms') since.

Here are some pics of my favourite toilets from these last few weeks. One at the ultra adorable Middle Eastern eatery Baba Boom, and one at the infamous Indian restaurant Dishoom. Delicious food, pretty cute toilets too...

Weekday Inspiration | My Plants

Our living room is quite bare (still!), so I'm doing my best to freshen and brighten it up a little bit. The perfect accessory? Plants! Let's green it up!

Weekday Inspiration | Evening Stroll through City Centre

I was enjoying some extra balmy London summer weather, temperature was mid 20s, sun was shining bright. I wasn't ready to go home right away so there I was, strolling through the street, shades on my face and sick tunes blasting through my ears. So many beautiful sights in London!

Weekday Inspiration | St. Paul's Cathedral

London has no shortage of beauty, history and architectural divinity. At least once a day I have a moment of 'pinch me' while I casually drive by Tower Bridge on a double decker bus, or see a building that's older than Canada. 

With so many beautiful options to choose from, how could one possible choose their favourite London landmark?

I'll admit, I've done it. I've beaten all odds and can isolate my top favourite - though by no means am I saying the other tourist attractions and historical feats of humanity are any less wondrous. 

There's something about St. Paul's Cathedral that's captivated me from day 1. Perhaps because it was the first (and only) tourist hotspot we managed to see on our first day in London? Everything from that day, after our walk to St. Paul's, is a jet-lagged blur - maybe that's why it's my most loved haha?

Here are some shots of St. Paul's from the last few months - I'm sure there will be many more, as I seem to end up near this gem more often than not :)

Weekday Inspiration | Breaks

Breaks. So key. A break from anything is always an interesting experience, and often pretty beneficial.

For the past few months, I've been working at an agency in Clerkenwell and today is my first day of a break from work. I start at my next agency in a couple weeks but, until then, I'm footloose and fancy. In a few days time I'll be in Ontario! That in itself is a break. Today is all about breaks. "Them the breaks" as some people say.

On the topic of breaks, I love filling my day with mini-breaks. Whether it's a break from my computer screen to make a tea, or a break from my work day to take a stroll outside. These breaks have given me many necessary bursts of inspiration, refreshment, and re-calibration so I can get back to my original task in much better shape than when I left.

Here are some snaps from my lunch break / walks over the past few weeks:

Weekday Inspiration | Brighton in Pictures

 Click through for a ton more photos!

Weekday Inspiration | 16 Personalities

Hi there!

It's been a busy week, I'm running up a storm (just hit 7k!) and am having fun exploring, strolling, jogging through new neighbourhoods near my home. London is so blessed with all its green space. Toronto has been beautiful, and I love it to pieces, but the parks there just can not compare to all of London's 'commons'.

A year or so ago, I took the 16 Personalities quiz and was categorised as ENFJ. It's a tool for the Myers Briggs personality assessment/structure theory. More recently, I've been chatting with new friends about personality types and though I would revisit the profile description. A lot of my ENFJ profile 'The Protagonist' rings true, some of it is less relevant to me, but all in all it's a fun/inspiring little exercise. As someone obsessed with personality quizzes, self-enlightenment, learning, and identifying with particular profiles, this one takes the cake for fun, interesting, constructive information. I also love the little people illustrations that exist for each personality type and description.

If you have some minutes in your day, or need a little break from the ho-hum of a rainy Tuesday afternoon at work, visit the site and prepare to be enlightened!

What personality type did you get? Were you surprised by the results?

(P.S. this is not an advertisement for 16 Personalities - I just love the premise so much and think anyone could get a kick out of it)

Weekday Inspiration | Stavanger Street Art

Travelling to Stavanger last weekend was an incredible experience, for a number of reasons.

First, it was the initial trip I've taken since arriving in London 2.5 months ago. The proximity of London to so many diverse countries was a major draw when choosing where to move next. Experiencing the first opportunity to really take advantage of this proximity was exciting, to say the least!

Second, every time I get to explore a new place with my love I feel a lot of gratitude. Being in a new place is fun, and that rush of seeing things for the first time, remarking on what you like, or what surprises you, making memories together is really magical. Okay, sappy part over haha!

Third, Stavanger was drop dead gorgeous. Before going, we knew we would hike up to Preikestolen, but other than that had no expectations or plans. That was good and bad, because we overlooked the little matter of cost/currency conversion and have since learned a few valuable lessons we will apply to future travel :) But, as far as Stavanger's appeal is concerned, it is a phenomenal city. Small, walkable, set on the water, surrounded by hills and forests emerging across the water. And the street art....wow! I did not see that coming.

Here are some of my favourite shots from our strolls around the city.

 Click on for more of my pics!

Weekday Inspiration | Energy

Weekday Inspiration | Travels

Hi friends,

I've been traveling these past few weeks and couldn't stop taking photos of the beautiful space around me. In the absence of time for a long, text-heavy post, I'd like to share some of my photos with you.

Hope you enjoy!

Denver, CO

Weekday Inspiration | Lyst the Style-Savvy Solution Seekers

Shopping cart abandonment is a huge issue for the e-commerce world of fashion. Browsing is fun, pulling together outfits and imagining yourself in that $5000 frock can provide hours of entertainment. But, at the end of the 'window shopping spree' reality hits, you realize dropping thousands, even hundreds, of dollars is not fiscally responsible, and you call it a day. Like I did last Friday on Garmentory.

When Lyst, an online fashion website and app, was redirecting its shoppers to a brand's website to complete the sale, cart abandonment accounted for as much as 10% loss in conversion. The process of shuffling from one site to another was clunky, and customers were getting bored and frustrated. Just two years after launching a $25M business, Lyst CEO Chris Morton found himself pivoting and refocusing his business towards on a new model.

If the chief pain point for Lyst's users was the clunky checkout process, what better place to solution than there?

Read on for Lyst's creative, and very valuable, solution to this problem.

Weekday Inspiration | Innovation at Lululemon Whitespace

I love innovation.

Well, I suppose that's a pretty obvious statement, I mean who doesn't like to improve and radically transform something into a novel and fresh result?

I may be biased, as a former employee of the company, but I appreciate the innovative nature of lululemon. Their fabric technology is inspiring, and the fit and design is always surprising and delightful.

For a company that prides itself on innovation, it only makes sense they should employ a whole team of professionals whose sole pursuit is generating new ideas and revolutionary solutions to all our athletic-wear needs. Enter the lululemon Whitespace Workshop.

Weekday Inspiration | Sunshine Mentality

I am not a morning person. For this reason, getting back to work this week has been especially difficult for me. After two weeks of hedonistic sleep patterns, my internal clock was not prepared for regular bedtimes and wake up calls.

However, when your morning view involves pinks, purples and oranges backdropped against the CN Tower, waking up early certainly seems like a small price.

Click through to see my view (once I stopped hitting snooze):

Weekday Inspiration | Attitude of Gratitude

I write this to you with head hung low and tail between my proverbial tail, the true picture of apologetic. I'm sorry for a lapse in posting. I am visiting family and filling my days with toy cars, pizza, snow and bouncy balls - and avoiding screens at all costs - ahhhhh, bliss!

I promise there is a gift in here somewhere, read on for your reward!

Top 5 | Websites for Interviews

I think I've mentioned before how much I love interviews, especially with random, not-so-famous people. The more relatable the better, in my opinion! The internet has become an amazing place to find tete-a-tete convos on an array of topics and, for your reading pleasure, I've made a first pass at my top five sites to read interviews on. (Disclaimer: this list is ever-evolving and subject to change!)

Click on to read my list ranked from good to great!

Weekday Inspiration | Blue Steel

Rock it, rocket.

Humpday Post | Habits

It feels like a constant struggle to cultivate great habits.

I'm a lover of big, hairy, audacious goals, and tend to set them often. What I frequently overlook is the habit side of it - the 'how', so to speak, of achieving these ambitious goals. And, if there's on thing I've learned about achieving (or failing to achieve) goals it is this: behavior is key!

Take my fitness BHAG: work out for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4 times a week. It is completely achievable, and requires just two hours of my time a week. Easy, right? Wrong!! Instead, my mind has turned the act of hitting the gym, or my yoga mat, or jumping on my bike for a ride into this giant feat. A million excuses are constantly at the door, begging to be let in:

"I can't wake up early, I'm too tired and deserve to sleep in."
"I can't work out tonight, I've already made plans with friends."
"Today has been so stressful, I'm going to skip the gym, curl up with a glass of red and order Wilbur instead."
"It's too cold outside, I'm hibernating for the rest of the day."
"I can't work out Saturday morning, I'll be too hungover."**

The best thing about all of these excuses is how telling they are about my real habits: socializing, staying in, getting take out, drinking. So, before we enter the craziness of the holiday season, I'm taking a step back and evaluating how my existing habits can be tweaked and merged with the habits I need to cultivate in order to achieve my BHAGs.

I love socializing! The question, now, is how can I socialize AND fit a workout in?
Stress sucks! But, by forcing myself to get active, I'm busting any lingering negativity of my stressful day, and tiring myself out for a good night's sleep.
The cold is so demotivating! Lucky for me, there are a million and one amazing Youtube videos of workouts. Oh yeah, and I have an in-building gym - hellloooooooo, earth to Amye!!!!

What trips you up on your path to a better you? How do you combat lack of motivation, or diverging priorities?

**And the hungover excuse is actually a valid one for me. Never again will I hungoverly hit a 10:30am weight lifting class on Sunday, only to be nauseous all hour and drop weights on my toes - ouch!