Mid Midterm Break

If anyone knows where to buy some motivation, please hook me up! I've been feeling sluggish ever since the beginning of the term. I'm lacking motivation in school and my procrastination levels are off the chart. Especially when the weather is this beautiful! Last week felt like summer so I took out my shorts one last time.

Since it's so pretty outside, I wanted to take a little break from studying. I tried to play with my tripod but it was so awkward... The residence's gardener was mowing the lawn and looking at me like: why is that girl taking pictures of herself? MEEP It's for zi blog!

Finally, I'm going inside *gives up* 

Last time baring legs, it'll be another good 6 months before I hafta shave again hahaha *jokes* :B

On Friday, I went to eat and drink with some friends, it was really fun. Impatiently waiting for our food. We were so hungry that for once, I didn't take pictures of the food ^___^

Monkey's reunion with his high school friends, it's been 10 years since they've known each other.

Funnily enough, I was the only one that got wayyy too "happy". When we left the bar, Monkey and I were talking towards the bus terminus. All of the sudden, I started sprinting. Monkey was carrying both our bags so he wanted me to wait up. Since he wasn't running, I grabbed his arm and screamed: "HURRY! We gotta go make money!!!" 

I'm addicted to spring rolls! I found them tasteless before but now I love it! Every bite is like a bite of freshness : )

On a random note: I could write an entire book about my dad's grocery shopping adventures. This week, I asked him to pick me up some chocolates before picking me up at work. I asked him to buy me buenos and described how the package looked like and where it was located. When he came to pick me up, he gave me a bag of chocolates and said: "I couldn't find what you wanted but I bought you a whole bunch of chocolates of different varieties!" So I open the bag and I see four bars of the same chocolate and a pack of ferrero rocher (he ate one). His definition of variety! It was funnily cute :P

GUESS WHO WON?!&^$#$%

You can probably tell by the caps and the excitement in the title that my friend Phoebe and I won the Montreal M'inspire Photo Contest! We won the Grand prize: a Canon EOS 60D camera body and a 100$ giftcard at a local camera shop! I was barely awake when I saw the congratulatory e-mail this morning, but as I was reading it, I started to shake with excitement! This is my first time entering a competition and I'm still having difficulty believing that WE ACTUALLY WON! I feel as if so many good things are happening at once, it's a true blessing! Thanks to all that supported and voted for us, we are so incredibly happy and it wouldn't be so without your votes!

HAHA I took a screenshot of when we were leading! The competition was a random draw with the most votes gaining the most chances. We ended in second place however I guess Phoebe and I got REALLY lucky and got drawn : - D

Look at that happy smile!

I like the flippy screen! I tested out the Canon EOS 60D with my Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens (my current standard lens) and it doesn't focus well AT ALL : c There's some serious calibration issues going on but I don't want to send my kit to Sigma headquarters again so if they're incompatible, then we're incompatible! 

So far, we've decided that we are going to sell the camera body. My half of the funds will go into my "saving-up-for-a-full-frame" savings account. I've been thinking about upgrading for a few months now and I think I'm ready to step up my game! I'm gonna save up and buy a full frame for my graduation convocation in Spring 2014! 

For now, we'll continue this pictorial adventure with my old pal Canon Rebel XS : - ] 

New Look

My blog has a new layout courtesy to Miss Adri, graphic designer extraordinaire!

It's been some time since I wanted to change the layout because I felt that my blog has evolved since the beginning. It started out as a fashion blog with mostly posts of my outfit of the day and gradually it changed to a more personal/lifestyle  blog where I take my readers on a mini tour of my city : ) Now, I want to showcase my photography. This new layout is much cleaner and will allow my images to speak louder than the pink fluff stuff.  

 Look at that serious face, she's not playing! Watching Adrienne at work is so amusing : D Since she is incredibly detail-oriented, she has no mercy for outta place pixels! I love the new BLUE*favcolor* banner and I'm still hesitating whether I should add a background or not hmm... Any suggestions? : 3

It's already mid-July which means that I am almost done my internship! Prepare for some blogsplosion where I explore some fun places in Montreal : )

On a random note: My boss is watching Beyoncé at work : - p I am so excited for the Beyoncé concert on July 22nd! BWUAAAA!

Busy Bee

This post is a mish-mash of random outings and pictures:

Brit & Chips (I love their logo, it's so cute!)

433 McGill St Montreal, QC H2Y 2H1

Miss Adri recently came back from her awesome Vancouver trip so we met up at Brit & Chips to catch up before heading to the Grace Kelly exhibit at McCord Museum.

We were both disappointed that we couldn't travel this summer so instead I told her to imagine that we were in England eating fish and chips... she did not approve of my suggestion and it made her wanderlust even worse X-D HAHA!

Looking happy in the presence of food! GREASY, TASTE-BUD-EXPLODING FOOD!

Once, my friend said: "With Lena, you have to ask permission before eating 'cause she needs to snap pictures first!" We got some fried sole with garlic sour cream batter(?) Can't remember 'cause I ate it so quickly, I was starving! 

For the first time in my life, I ordered salad on the side whereas Adrienne got scotched eggs. I had a feeling that all that oil needed to be neutralized with some fresh greens. We were happy that my "food wisdom" came to use huehuehue~

Now the pictures switch to black and white because our conversation turned to a down-side. Here is when Adrienne and I discussed about our looming futures and greatest fears!

After eating, Adrienne and I walked around a bit in the old port. We frolicked in an art gallery and this painting caught my eye:

This is probably how every freshly graduated/soon-to-be graduate student will feel like in the real world one time or another: trapped by big guys! This is how I feel right now. Having some experience in a real work place has shown me some really ugly sides of human nature. Everyone is stepping and stabbing on each other when they get the chance. I really don't understand why people don't work together in certain situations that would benefit everyone? Wouldn't our work place function so much better? I actually feel like I'm in a kindergarten due to the way some of these grown ups treat each other...

I've decided to cultivate my photo skills in my free time. I've been dedicating all my time to work the past 2 months and haven't felt any fulfillment : C

I got my Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens back from the repair center. It definitely takes sharper pictures now but the autofocus has a lot of trouble detecting people! I had no problem taking pictures of food or clothes but when I tried taking shots of my friends, half of the pictures turned blurry : I 

 

The other day, I left work a bit earlier to explore the city and take some photographs. I wanted to see a special installation but they removed it *I'M SO SAD* Instead, there is a new installation. It was cool but not nearly as cool as the previous one TT___TT -so sad...-

Pink balls in the gay village : ) 

Adorable flower shop near Berri metro station : )

Here in Quebec, we have 2 consecutive long weekends, so hopefully I'll be able to post more in the next couple of days : ) 

hello summer!

What? I'm blogging without a single feeling of guilt? HECK YA! It's summer baby WOOT WOOT *fist pumps*!! HAHA I think I'm just too excited for being able to prance around in the sun : 3

I wanted to talk about this manga that I read a month ago that I really like called Orange by Takano Ichigo. 

 Synopsis: In the Spring she was 16, Takamiya Naho receives a strange, but detailed letter from herself, ten years in the future. At first she thinks the letter is a prank, but then the things written in the letter actually happen, including the new transfer student that sits next to her in class, Naruse Kakeru. The letter reads just like her diary entries, down to the same characters. It is not till two weeks later, when Kakeru shows back up at school, that Naho finishes the letter. In the letter, her 27-year-old self tells her 16-year-old self that her biggest regret is that Kakeru is no longer with them in the future, and asks her to watch him closely.

Two of the central themes are timing and regret, which are two themes that really speak to me. I tend to have really bad timing with everything and often end up regretful. There are some moments in my past that I wish I could erase or change, but don't we all? I just love how innocent this manga made me feel again : ) I usually don't dig shoujo mangas anymore because I find that a lot of them are similar and too childish but I really enjoyed this one : ) KEKEKEKE FOREVERMANGALOVERATHEART!

      
Today, I met up with my HS friends and I noticed how my french is getting worse! It's been 5 years since I graduated from a french HS, aka: 5 years of not really speaking french. That means I need to hangout with my HS buddies more! Ahhh highschool was an awkward time... but hmmm when is it ever not an awkward time for me? X-D

 Everything: Zipia from 2-3 years ago : P

Belt: Asos

I discovered this dress in my mom's closet. It's actually my dress but she always steals it from me. I had forgotten that I had it : P This dress has the most awkward boobie fit ever but it's so comfortable D-; GAK!  

Credits to Niv for taking my OOTD : P

 Randomly looked down to my feet and this is what I saw :P LOLZ

 My beautiful friend Niv! She got her spring-tastic dress for under 15$ at Walmart! 

She has awesome fashion taste so look forward to the snippets of Niv that I'll be posting on my blog ;-D

 Today I also sold my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens : ) It's weird, the 50mm was my first lens love : P I remember when I bought it during boxing week in 2010, I was SOOOOOO happy! But then as the years went by, I used it less and less. And most of the time, the pictures weren't exactly what I was looking for (too close and not-bokehlicious enough for my liking). Once I graduate, I'm thinking of replacing it with a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 : D For now, all my bokeh-licious pictures will be taken with my new 85mm!

  : ) This summer, I want to take lotsa pictures so that I can become better at using my manual focus-only 85mm lens! 

Hope you guys look forward to my pictures Y^___^Y

And it ended with a BANG!

It's a bit late to wish you guys a HAPPY NEW YEAR, but it's better late than never!

2012 was quite the year, so many things happened for better and for worse (mostly for the better)! It only seemed appropriate to end this memorable year with a dream trip to Japan. I had the best time of my life in Japan and a picture-filled post will follow but before that, I have some pictures from before I left:

Adrienne wanted to hear about my trip planning so we met up at Kahwa Cafe on Mont-Royal. If you're a hipster and you like coffee, this is the place to go X-P It was filled with students when we went because it was exam period. Our chatter and squealing probably got some people ready to throw their erasers at us! Adrienne got a scented hot chocolate and I got a Chai latte. Since I'm not an expert in lattes, I cannot give you a detailed sensory description of the volatile aroma and taste compounds.  I imagine it must've been good since it was packed on a Sunday morning. 

263 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est

Montreal H2T 1P6

I always get excited about interior decor and want to snap a billion pictures but once I take out my camera, I feel as if I'm invading people's privacies. Especially since it was so packed that day. We ended up not taking that many pictures : c

  Adrienne found this totally random children's book called Pipi & Kaka. It talks about how nobody likes Kaka 'cause he's smelly and ugly, in the end he meets Pipi and they live happily ever after together. She said it reminded her of me and Monkey LOL! KAKA ET PIPI POUR LA VIE~

 

I've learned my lesson: never shop before you go on a trip because you're bound to find better things overseas! 

I bought these boots from G-market to replace my old G-market walkers that were breaking down (they are now my work shoes). They are quite heavy but very comfortable. They were PERFECT for Japan because I can slip in and out easily without having to bend down to put my shoes on. I love the slouchy and oversized look of these shoes, they are different from most shoes that I've seen in shops these days.

These are the shoes that will bring me into the new year :D Let's see where they take me for 2013. I have a feeling that this year will be a GREAT year! *totally optimistic* >D<

Material

Recently, I did some mental math of all my clothing purchases from the beginning of this year until the summer (when I started my fashion diet); the number amounted to something equivalent to an airplane ticket. I was blown away, almost wanted to pee my pants! How did all those cheap clothes amount to so much $$$?! And that's exactly the problem: they are cheap, therefore you keep buying more and more.
My closet is overflowing with disposable things that I am almost disgusted by it.  Ever since I got my first part time job at 18, I've been accumulating material at a fast rate and throwing it out at an equally fast rate. I think I even lost a piece of my self identity, perhaps I threw it out along with 7 other garbage bags full of clothes?


   When there are no boundaries, we can get a little bit crazy so now is the time that I set boundaries for myself. Since the middle of summer, I've been sticking to a fashion diet: 5 items per season (excluding accessories and basics). This fall season, I bought 6 items : [ I tend to buy things when I'm stressed out... not the best coping mechanism >___<.  I saw a post on facebook which was a real eye-opener, take a look guys! 

Maybe by having less, we learn to appreciate what we have more? Anyone else thinks that we're wasting too much money on material?  

On a less heavy note: it is almost WINTER BREAK :D WEEEEEHEEEE

  

I hardly go out these days; the end of the semester is always hermit season! These snowflakes lights outside Eaton center are so pretty : ) If only real snow was as big as these flakes, that'd be funny!

Christmas is often associated with gifts but I wonder; how many people actually buy gifts because they want to buy gifts? Are there no other ways to express to your loved ones that you care about them other than giving them cheap goods?  

Anyways, I'd love to sit here and ponder but that nutrition book isn't good read itself, so until next time~

A new direction

Lately, I've stopped blogging because I just don't know what to blog about .___. Most of the time, I'm going to my classes, "studying", eating, running at the gym, studying with my friends or working ~____~. None of those things make for an interesting blog post. Frankly, I don't know where my blog is headed anymore... It started out as a fashion/review type of blog but I always feel too lazy to take OOTD's and I've decided to permanently change my shopping habits so no reviews. It became very tiring for me to keep chasing new trends, discard items after 1-2 wears, beat myself up for spending so much money that I just stopped buying clothes for now. The only things I'm allowing myself to buy are: a pair of boots and a winter jacket and maybe a comfortable backpack for Japan. I still really love fashion but I don't want to want it to dictate my life and wallet *___*. Therefore, if you're here for fashion, SORRY TO DISSAPPOINT. However, if you like to lurk me for whatever lurk-worthy reason, then please stick around! 

 

What is dictating my life: SCHOOL! 17.5 credits is killing me! Plus I have my Thai cooking classes on Thursdays and I have to travel downtown from Mac TT^TT. Midterms, assignments, lab reports, presentations, essays are starting to pile up and I feel too overwhelmed!  

I tried to study at Starbucks yesterday with Niv and Monkey but we just ended up reflecting on the meaning of life and other philosophical questions instead of studying :-P I also had a free coupon for Starbucks which I only realized after I bought my drink *typically lena*. Their iced mochas are yummy : 3 You can taste the cacao!

Starting this week, business is getting serious: STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY! 

It's been a long time

It's been a long time since my last blog post, so long that I'm not even quite sure how to blog anymore HEHE~ I'm sorry for my prolonged absence, there were many times where I wanted to update but this new interface scared me so I put it off X-D. It is already well into the school semester and I'm procrastinating like no tomorrow! I haven't taken many pictures lately but a few weeks ago, Miss Adri and I met up because she thought that I should update my blog! She's SHOOO sweet, she printed me tons of posters to decorate my dorm room and we walked around town trying to find DIY ideas and star shaped lights to decorate my dorm room. Once I find those lights, I promise I'll do a post on my room : 3 But before that, here is an OOTD that Miss Adri forced me to take D; -cries- I started getting used to taking some during summer but after a long time of not taking any, my awkardness kicked up a bajillion notches...

Me: so how do I do this again? Adrienne: you know... the usual... play with your hair...

 Denim shirt: H&M
Skirt: Zipia (3 years ago)
Sandals: Forever21
   This Zipia backpack that survived my Eurotrip without getting too dirty! It is actually one of the most uncomfortable backpacks ever. The straps tug at your skin and it gives you absolutely no support. Plus it will make any sharp shaped object purposely bounce on your back! Buttttt... it's pretty right? HEHE

 Lately, I haven't bought anything new and I don't feel like buying anything. I'm trying to learn to appreciate the *bajillion* things I already have and seek happiness from simple things like: drinking milk tea, biking, running, cooking and watching movies with Niv, things that are priceless.
   I'm really scared of caterpillars and this thingy really feels like one D; I kept on cringing inside of me whenever I touched it >___<


All pictures thanks to Miss Adri : 3

So a lot of things have happened since the last time I posted. First of all, me and Monkey have reunited .___. *runs away* story is like a big misunderstanding, but basically we're both noobcakes. Second of all, I have started to learn how to cook, YESSSS lazy panda that never cooks is taking Thai cooking classes every Thursday : 3 And best for last: I just bought my plane ticket to Japan for this winter break >: ))))))