BDFL

BLOUSE: H&M, SHORTS: Aritzia, SHOES: Aldo, WATCH: Movado, NECKLACE: Forever21

A few weeks back, a friend asked if I would be interested in participating in Coquitlam Centre's "Best Dressed For Less" event. Bloggers and local influencers would be tasked with finding an outfit for under $150 - a challenge involving one of my favourite activities? How could I say no to that! For the weeks leading up to the event, I also contributed weekly posts on various trends and inspirational themes which can be found here, here and here.

Despite my best intentions to prepare with a little pre-shopping online, it's never the same story once you're actually in the heat of it.  From varied product selection to budgetary and time restraints, this was definitely putting a spin on your average shopping experience! Luckily, I managed to put together this top and bottom combo for just under $100 and was happily surprised with the matching lace sections, pastel colour combo, and ethereal details in the peplum and subtle trim on both blouse and shorts. Both items are perfect as a pair and stand well alone as essential pieces that mix nicely with my current wardrobe.

It was great to see what the other participants came up with and I'll be sure to post photos from the event in the days to come.

Gambier Island Photo Diary Pt II

It's been such a surreal transition back to daily life.  Now that summer has set in, it's like the whole city is on vacation - almost as if a collective burden of pressure has been lifted now that the sun is out to play.  Am definitely missing my uninterrupted time on Gambier. The luxury of feeling isolated in a serene, independent kind of way dissolved any fear of failure, anxiety, pressure and the like. 

Gambier Island Photo Diary Pt I

Summer has finally arrived. Regardless of how long you've dwelled in this city for, the sudden heat wave catches you completely off guard in an omg-this-is-amazing-but-I'm-totally-dying, kind of way.  Luckily, I had the pleasure of spending the past few days on Gambier Island - a hidden gem best known for its national park and Camp Fircom, a children's summer camp and retreat. On this particular weekend all the staff were given time off so we had the island all to ourselves.  

Comeback Kid

KIMONO: H&M, PANTS: Wilfred, BELT: Club Monaco, CALF SKIN SHOES: Yosi Samra, NECKLACE: Forever 21, WATCH: Movado

It's been a rough past few months. Expectations and opportunities gone in the blink of an eye. You find yourself dwelling on what went wrong and all the reasons why things didn't work out as expected.  You're in a funk and can't seem to shake it. While part of you knows that this shall pass, you desperately seek the answers or some opportunity to escape the haze surrounding you. We've all been there: the semi-conscious state of mind that allows you to function day to day, but dulls your senses and fizzles your inner fire.  

Now that I'm on vacation, my mind has essentially reset itself. I've been able to better prioritize, spend time with friends, eat clean, exercise and clear my head.  I've also been diving into The Fire Starter Series by Danielle La Porte, which has contributed greatly to my new outlook on life.  Finally, I'm beginning to feel my head emerging above the clouds and inspiration is spreading from head to toe. Admittedly, I still have a ways to go in my pursuit of defining life on my own terms, but my instinct is telling me that things are about to get real good, real soon.

Twenty IV

A quarter of my life, nearly complete.  It's been quite the ride thus far and yet I have so much farther to go.  More dreams to dream and greater achievements to be conquered.

Working For The Weekend

I had the pleasure of spending the past few days modelling for Tonic Lifestyle Apparel's Fall 2013 Catalogue. Complete with blue steel looks - to mask our discomfort from the cold  - and plenty of goofing around, it was a real treat working with the Tonic creative team, and I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

Still Kicking

When my Grandfather was recovering from chemo and radiation therapy following his second run-in with Cancer, a measure of his physical condition and well-being was his readiness to retort, "I'm still kicking!" - a tongue-in-cheek way of showing us that he wasn't quite ready to kick the can just yet.  A third battle won and seven years later, I'm happy to report he's "still kicking" and shows no signs of throwing in the towel anytime soon...a resilience and stubbornness that runs through my family, no doubt. 

While I'm no where near kicking the can, I have certainly fallen off the blogosphere as of late and all due to good reason...