Weekend Musings** | Thoughts on Fashion

Nope, no photos yet :p we just got our modem ("router?") in the mail and wi-fi soon to follow, keeping my fingers crossed it's today.

I've been binge reading To Universe with Love because it's amazingly epic, full of good insight, delicious writing and dreamy photographs. It's currently instructing my approach to de-cluttering, minimising my closet, and leveraging online for selling clothes that I clear out.

AND, I'll admit, I'm selling clothes online that were never really mine to begin with....

Weekend Musings | Autumn Feels

Hi there!

It's October 1, and starting to officially feel like autumn in London. Leaves are on the ground, evenings and mornings are cool. I have yet to smell that warm, fire-y smoke from chimneys yet, but perhaps Londoners burn less fires than Torontonians? There was that big fire, after all...

I'm back from a bunch of traveling, fun and festivities with friends, and can't wait to share them with you! This season is the start of something wonderful, and the recent new moon has me feeling all sorts of good vibes.On the topic of fresh starts, a haircut last weekend has me feeling brand new. I'll admit, it took me the full week to get used to it, haircuts are so weird like that, huh? But now I love it!

There's also been a lingering cold in my body for the last week (another sure sign that autumn is upon us!) and I'm taking it very easy this weekend. I've recently become addicted to Dinner Date, after hearing about it from our trivia presenter last week where we failed horribly despite our unfailing confidence. That is on my agenda for the evening, the perfect combo of cooking shows vs. blind dates.

Many more posts to come, with lots of photos - I promise!

xx

Weekend Musings | Talking Culture

Happy Sunday!

This has been a topic on my mind since moving here, and I finally have enough thoughts on it to create a 'musings' post. British people speak very differently than Canadian people. I know, duh, right?! Let me expand.

So, both countries speak English. And we already know there are a number of different colloquialisms and accents when comparing Canada and England. But, beyond the different words and the different sounds of same words (e.g. 'tom-a-to' vs. 'to-mah-to'), there is a stark difference in the way people communicate using the English language.

Weekend Musings | Beating Jet Lag

It's been almost a month since I arrived back into London from a brief time in Toronto. I was so paranoid about jet lag coming back, and knowing that I was starting a new job on the Wednesday. I got to my flat from Gatwick around 2pm (1400), and had a really productive few hours of cleaning, laundry, unpacking, showering off the airport grime, etc. Then 6pm (1800 :D) hit and I didn't think I could make it much longer. So, I went out for some fresh air. Re-acquaint myself with my beloved neighbourhood, and also wake myself up STAT!

So, there I was, strolling down Northcote Road, the opposite way I usually go when I head out for a walk. And I stumbled upon a little gallery, closed for the day, but featuring some beautiful pieces in their window. I stood for at least 5 minutes, taking in these works and maybe being a bit of a sleep deprived zombie...

I didn't catch the artist's name, nor the names of their works, but I did snap some photos. I love how well articulated the birds are, and the way such unexpected media was used. Old journal pages - this is such a good idea!!

My favourite part is the little glimpse into the artist's life that these works facilitate. I'm a very curious person, even about peoples' mundane happenings. After all, isn't it the mundane on which a well lived life is truly built? There is magic everywhere. My thought for the day...

Weekend Musings | Selfridge's

Oxford Circus is a mess of mayhem. The combination of tourists, shoppers, noise, lights, action, and oddities can be a little overwhelming. Fun, though, and many exciting, world renowned attractions. Selfridge's flagship store is one such attraction that's earned worldwide notoriety.

I was breezing through this are a little while ago and, despite being in a hurry and feeling anxious to get away from the throngs of people, I was struck still by the window displays in Selfridge's. So. Beautiful. Inspired by Shakespeare, windows were emblazoned with quotes from his greatest works, and the fashion featured was decidedly sumptuous, regal and luxurious.

Truthfully, it reminded me of Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street in Toronto, and the incredible displays they strike up - particularly around Christmas. Which led me to do a little research and discover that, lo and behold, the Weston family owns Selfridge's flagship store. And they own Holt Renfrew. And they own Loblaws. They are retail royalty.

If you're interested in learning more, here's a link to a really interesting interview with Galen and his daughter, Alannah, who lead the Selfridge's team.

In the meantime, here are some shots (albeit blurry) that I managed to snap inbetween the groups of people walking back and forth.

Weekend Musings | Recent Embarrassments

Sometimes you make a fool of yourself. For me, this seems to happen quite a lot. Over the past few months, I’ve had a few moments that made me cringe quite heavily when they happened. And, let’s be honest, cringe for about a week afterwards every time I thought about it. Landing in a new city, finding my way around, connecting and meeting people, putting myself out there - lots of opportunities for acting foolish. But, the beauty of these moments is how fleeting and non-permanent they are. After a week of cringing and post-incident embarrassment, I now find them either hilarious and relish telling the story, or they’re pretty much forgotten until I delved deep into my memory for the purpose of this post.

Read on for a list of my most embarrassing moments since moving to London:

Weekend Musings | Fresh Beginnings

Hi!

My time in Ontario is over, and I've brought home so many wonderful memories and hundreds of photos from my time with friends and family. I've also brought home a considerable tan, some lingering bug bites and a happy contentment that can only come from seeing and catching up with loved ones :)

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about going back to Canada so early on into my time here in London. I was worried I'd feel extra homesick, that all the groundwork of getting settled in UK would have been for nothing. And, while Canada is home and I miss all my family and friends dearly, I found myself looking forward to getting back to London. The buzz of the city, all the new friends I've made, my boyfriend, our flat, these were all the things drawing me back to UK happily.

It feels like a fresh beginning, Part 2 of my stint living here. If Part 1 was all about finding a flat, finding friends, finding work, finding my way around the city, then Part 2 is kicking off from a decidedly more relaxed and comfortable beginning.

I've started a new job (which I already love!), I'm exploring more of the UK (A weekend in Manchester next month!), and I feel wholly confident in my decision to live in London.

And what better time for a Part 2 kick off than the start of back to school season? The summer in London (or what little summer we had in the past few weeks) is starting to wind down, evenings are cooler, the air is fresher and crisp, and I'm getting caught up in the swell of excitement as everyone takes a collective re-calibration around back to school/back to reality.

On this start of a fresh beginning, I'm feeling so excited to get some more adventures under my belt and share them with you over the coming months!

xoxoxo

Weekend Musings | Green Space

One thing that really stands out to me about London is all the dedicated green spaces throughout the city. Coming from Toronto, I really appreciate a giant, tall tree in the leafy neighbourhoods like the Annex. But, here in London, every neighbourhood seems to be leafy and well developed. Maybe it's the rain? Maybe it's the age of the city? Maybe it's because there are so few buildings that stand higher than 6 stories that trees have much more opportunity to shine?

And, beyond the leafy, lovely tree situation, there is the large matter of commons, parks, and vast swaths of nature tucked in and pocketed everywhere throughout London. It is simply the best!

I'm lucky enough to live within 20 minute walking distance of three giant parks. but there are many more I come across in a typical day too.

Here are pictures of my favourites (and these don't even include my local parks!):

Fall Life

Summer, my most favourite season, is drawing to a close. The truth is in the drastic temperature drop that saw me at the beach getting sunburned and dehydrated one day, only to be bundled up in jacket and pants 36 hours later - what is this - Calgary?!

Luckily, the heat has hit back, and the past few days have been a lesson in gratitude. Isn't it wonderful to get one last chance with something you love? Imagine if this was a life thing: an end where you die and then, once you see the gravity of 'hey, no more life', you get one last chance to hit up all the things you missed most on the other side. That is what the last few days have been to me. Oh, and an amazing Songza playlist I discovered simply titled 'Morning Indie Boogie'.

So, to summarize, life is great, tunes are blasting, I'm boogie-ing away in my office chair, and absolutely loving this last chance at summer we've been given. And fall? Well, fall will feel that much sweeter once it arrives, and once we are all confident that we took advantage of every last drop of summer properly.

And, though I'm incredibly infatuated with summer as a season, there is something so fresh, so inspiring and motivating about fall #amiright?! I'm not exactly a PSL-er but even I can recognize the charm of cozy layers and a 'back to school' mentality that pushes you to be the person you've always hoped to be...

....Or at least someone you wouldn't regret being once this beautiful life is behind us :)

Snoozerella

Sleep was never a problem for me. Once night time hit, I was out like a light, sometimes even while in a movie theatre or dark car ride home (when I wasn’t the driver, of course J). I’m sure country air and the silent solemnness of living far from any ‘big’ city also played a part. It was so still at night that, while sitting on the porch while our dog was out for a final Frisbee / bathroom break, you could hear cars hit the ‘ba dum ba dum ba dum’ stop sign indicators on the road that was kilometres away!

But, in recent weeks, my talent for sleeping has slipped a little. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, sometimes falling back asleep easily, other times tossing and turning for hours. Living on a hyper busy road in downtown Toronto certainly plays a large role, with rip roaring motors and streetcar honks punctuating an otherwise peaceful sleep. The effect a poor sleep has on me is astounding! Irritability, grogginess, ravenous hunger, dark circles under my eyes and lackluster skin – all incredibly uninspiring feelings as I get ready for work - when I can finally drag myself out of bed that is! A bad night sleep turns me into a snooze button zombie. 

I’ve tried a few things, albeit haphazardly: Melatonin, meditation, a sleep supplement that combines Catsnip, Tryptophyn, Valerian (among others), deep breathing, turning down the thermostat. The things that seem to have the greatest impact on my sleep are behavioral – and maybe this isn’t so surprising.

The body loves routine, and getting cues on what comes next from our actions and surroundings. Replacing my paper books for digital versions on my iPad haven’t helped my sleep. I’ve read more and more how the light emitted from the iPad can mess up your circadian rhythm and signal to the body that it’s time to be awake. Slipping up on my exercise routine also seems to be a sure fire way to sleep less and get hours of more poor quality snoozing.

Yes, of course I’d like a bit more time to devour my magazines on my iPad before sleep. And finding time for consistent exercise is HARD (and less appealing than scheduling after work drinks – let’s be honest!). But sleep is SO CRITICAL! Getting a good night sleep is linked to all kinds of things good, not to mention fun and zany dreams. 

What do you do to get better sleep?

Weekend Musings: Want vs. Need

"I need to get a pair of platform wedge sandals."
"You need them? Why?"
"Because they're gorgeous, so comfortable, and will make me taller...duh!"
"Those don't sound like needs to me...."

Here is a sample conversation between my impulsive self, and my rational self, that should really happen more often. You can swap 'platform wedge sandals' for almost anything, and the conversation would be the same. So much of my consumer behavior is impulsive, or spurred on by reasons completely unrelated to 'need'.

This is on my mind this week for a couple reasons. First, as some of you may remember from this post, I recently visited the library. Among the pink-hued covers and satisfyingly frivolous reads I took home was a book by consumer behavior consultant Philip Graves. In the very first chapter of Consumer.ology, Graves begins to describe the subconscious emotional desires that trigger spending, which often go undetected by consumers' conscious minds. He goes on to explain how adept our conscious brains are at finding totally reasonable explanations for our behavior, a practice that maintains our own sense of self as autonomous, well-intentioned, sensible humans. Our purchase may be driven by things as complex as social symbolism, or as simple as how a store smells. For many of us, our conscious brain will then identify reasons for the purchase, and justify it as a 'need'.

The topic of want and need is top of mind for another reason. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion organized by the American Marketing Association, titled the The Canadian Chief Marketer. At one point, the panel was discussing 'Want' vs. 'Need' in the context of the Nest Thermostat. One of the panelists was on the side of 'Want', citing that there is no way adjusting your thermostat from the comfort of your home is a 'Need'. Another panelist raised the example of driving to his cottage in the winter, setting the cottage thermostat as they left home so they could arrive to a comfortable cottage climate. In this case Nest was fulfilling a 'Need'.

Convincing consumers their 'Want' is, in fact, a 'Need' is what marketing is all about, but society's role can not be overstated. Perhaps that is why social advertising, brand advocates, and content generation will be so critical for marketing moving forward, though not to such an extent that credibility and transparency is lost.

Weekend Musings: Library Love

I'm not sure about you, but I have multiple wallets for multiple purposes. There is my Everyday wallet, containing a clean and edited* collection of my important cards for day to day stuff. Everything from credit cards to Bowler cards are kept within easy reach, lest I get into a pickle**. Then there is my VIC wallet, full of very important, government-issued cards, that will greatly inconvenience me if I lose any of them - I don't remember the last time this wallet was opened. Finally, there is the beloved, if somewhat irrelevant, Miscellaneous wallet.  Though small, this wallet carries the weight of past and present, infrequently used cards. I like this wallet, but rarely have a reason to engage with it. Until......

Actually, let's back up a moment, I've spent much time over the past few years with a creepy crawly concern for bed bugs. UGH, I hate even typing those two awful words! That topic had dominated many a conversations between random acquaintances at fun parties, between close friends at delicious brunches, and between roommates when all involved parties were (hopefully) out of bed, because such a discussion in the confines of sheets would never end well. In short, a strange sense of the sinister had lived in the back of my mind and, as a result, my library relationships had suffered.

Great news: My hysteria has died down! I've banned those two words from my (spoken) dialogue, and have chosen my love of books over any bug-related fear.

Casual conversations at work about the great new library at Fort York prompted me to dust off my Miscellaneous wallet, dig out my pretty blue and white Toronto Public Library card, and visit my old friend Library.

Here are some pics of the new location (so shiny! so new!).

It's basically inside a giant construction site, and the lines of Margaret Atwood's poetry that wraps around the building gives nod to its current surroundings.

A.

*Well, okay, more like busting at the seams
**Really great news, ramen lovers! Kinton will stamp your receipt and you may then bring said stamped receipt with you on the next visit to transfer stamp to your Bowler card.