THE CAT'S MIU

Marais ♥

2011-10-23T19:54:00.004-04:00

We got locked out of the apartment and couldn't wait to eat our 5 euro shwarma bun!

Went shopping in Marais, our favourite place. We went there almost every day.

I tried on this distressed leather jacket but it was wayyy to big. Obviously. The lining was cool though.

Got some falafel at this famous falafel place... They pride themselves with the fact that Lenny Kravitz has eaten there. Haha.

We went to Cos.

Jewish bakeries!!! My weakness.... omg. ESPECIALLY poppyseed pastries...

Mir got a vintage skirt for 5 euros... i made her get it hehehe.

And then back to the apartment, walking on Rivoli.

the eiffel tower at night

2011-10-22T00:06:00.004-04:00

Our street.

Perfect French door windows.

Ilana and I decided to walk to Princess Diana's memorial at Pont de l'Alma one night.

Bye-bye Tuileries.

and a video that i took of the tower sparkling... i get excited every time.

CTRL SS12

2011-10-18T19:34:00.004-04:00

Just got a press email about this brand. Usually I delete all press emails I get because they're irrelevant or uninteresting, but I liked how the subject line of this email was simple and to the point so I decided to open it.

And I'm glad I did.

CTRL Clothing.

Reminds me of a little bit of Jeremy Scott and a little bit of Erin Wasson. There's something else that it reminds me of but I can't quite put my finger on it.

I like it a lot.

daniel silver + ACNE

2011-10-15T00:03:00.002-04:00

Totallly digging the concept, visuals, and designs of this collection. Not to mention the styling and art direction.. if you know me, you'd know that I have this weird obsession with paint streaks, paint splatter (sometimes), paint marbling, cool abstract patterns, and pink. Well there you go.

Did you see the gradient leather jackets?! ughhh.

pics via

On another note, let me just dream about the Mapplethorpe jacket...

words of wisdom: present // future

2011-10-12T01:39:00.004-04:00

the dalai lama was asked what surprised him most--

he said,

"man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.

then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

and he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;

the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;

he lives as if he is never going to die,

and then he dies having never really lived."

utility vest

2011-10-08T18:05:00.002-04:00

I have way too much fun on Photobooth.

This vest has become a new staple in my fall wardrobe. I never realized how useful and practical vests were until I got one. And you can dress this utilitarian one up or down. Amazing!

vest - Club Monaco, hoodie - AA

DRIESVANNOTEN SNAKESKIN BOOTS

2011-10-04T08:49:00.002-04:00

HELLERRRRRRR. yeah.

I know that Zara has similar styles...

via Farfetch

Anya Ziourova in Celine

2011-10-02T20:27:00.002-04:00

love that knit !

from thenewminimalism

vintage cheetah find

2011-09-29T22:46:00.004-04:00

While in Montreal, we were walking down St. Laurent and walked past this row of vintage stores. I had to go in, even though we were already walking past it, because I saw a cheetah coat on one of the mannequins at the back of the window. I had been looking for one as soon as I had seen Emanuelle Alt in hers. It wasn't like any other leopard print... it was amazing.

Anyway, I asked the owner about it, who said it was $75, and i tried it on and it ended up fitting well. The inner lining is ripped up but I don't mind cuz the outside is in such good condition. Woo!

MTL (9/23-9/25)

2011-09-28T14:34:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I drove 5 hours east (much less than how long it should've taken...) with my friend to visit our friend who goes to school in Montreal. Last time I went to Montreal was about 3 years ago for Halloween. I only remember the city at night back then so I was happy to have more time walking around the city this time.

The first night, we went to our friend's friend's penthouse apartment for dinner. She made us homemade quiche and spinach salad... so yummy. I loved the decor! Then we went out to a small wine-tasting at their other friend's house.

Our trip was focused around food and all the different foods we had to eat while we were there... so the next day we had brunch at Universel. This is Ilana's eggs benedicte and my western omelette.

After sitting in Parc La Fontaine for a while, we walked back to get poutine and stopped by this cupcake shop, Les Petits Gateaux to see the pretty cupcakes.

They had sea salt caramel... my weakness!

Then famous poutine at Patati Patata... omg, amazing.

The place is tiny, with a little walkway from the back of the diner to the front door as wide as an airplane aisle. I don't like olives (except on pizzas, or ciabatta), so Natalie had those, but the vinegary juice from the olive made the poutine taste so good.

After dinner with my other friend who lives in Montreal (all-you-can-eat sushi), the next day, we only had 2 hours to get Montreal bagels from two famous places to compare, and eat frozen yogurt.

They had such good flavours... Plain, Lychee, Cheesecake, Key Lime Square, Chocolate, Raspberry, Blood Orange, and Pumpkin Pie. I got Plain, Lychee, Key Lime, and Raspberry.

I'll post the rest of the pictures from my Eurotrip soon...

Where I stayed during my trip via Google Streetview

2011-09-20T21:32:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been having a lot of fun on Google Streetview. If you're not familiar, you go to Google Maps, type in an address or landmark, then drag the little yellow man on the side bar to your destination. It's like you're walking down the streets of that city, only you're in the comfort of your own home (for me, in my pajamas on my couch).

So I decided to look up the places I've stayed on my trip and screen capture them. It brought back so many memories "walking down" the streets...

See the green doors directly behind the electrical box? That was where we stayed with our friend in Paris. on Rue de Rivoli, on the Right Bank, down the long street from Bastille, past the Marais, all the way to Concorde, past the Louvre.

Facing in the direction of the Louvre.

This was our hostel in Amsterdam. Above the restaurant. See the small door next to the restaurant that says "HOTEL"? A tiny place, but we couldn't complain, with a room to ourselves, $25 a night, and right beside Leidseplein. Perfect for tourists like us, ha.

A coffeeshop (not coffee shop) we went to in Amsterdam...

Couldn't find our apartment hotel in Venice... instead found these pretty pictures.

In Florence, we stayed on the outskirts of downtown. Beside this store called Brandy Melville which was cool.

Tel Aviv from the beach facing Jaffa.

the beach at night.

I still have to slowly but surely post photos from the rest of my trip!!

outfit: "jeremy scott" dress

2011-09-17T23:31:00.005-04:00

An outfit from sometime in late June, after I came back from my trip. Israel made me sooo tan, so I could pull off crazy colours that I avoid in the fall/winter (when I'm pale, duh).

I bought the dress in Paris (It's H&M, haha, but it reminded me of Jeremy Scott/Wilma Flinstone and at 7 or something Euros, I had to get it), the denim jacket in Paris (vintage Levi's at a store in le Marais), and the classic Vans were brought on the trip... my only pair of shoes in Amsterdam, wore them walking down Champs-Elysees for the first time (included going into Laduree looking like a hobo), and got them so grossly dusty from all of the dusty gravel in Tuileries and Jardins de Luxembourg. I love clothing/accessories that carry so many memories...

And I thought that the gold JC tiki charm complimented my Anthracite Bal very well, especially for summer. My friends make fun of me though for having a Juicy Couture charm on my bag... whateva.

Oh ya, I also bike everywhere I can in the summer and fall... which is why I biked in this dress to have dinner with friends.. don't worry, I'm wearing shorts under this dress.

look at my smug smile, har har har.

Elizabeth Olsen, Hollywood Foreign Press

2011-09-12T22:18:00.002-04:00

shirt - T by Alexander Wang, and a necklace that looks like Marni?

I'm going to recreate this look with what I already own :3

Love this outfit. AND Elizabeth Olsen is gorgeous.

zara fw 2011: in-store favourites

2011-09-09T23:06:00.002-04:00

I always feel weird taking pictures of clothing in a store... some places don't allow it, so I always feel like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to....

But I do it anyway :P

2 & 3: Balenciaga and Alexander Wang influences....

TOBI x FNO $100 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!

2011-09-07T21:47:00.003-04:00

Tobi is participating in tomorrow's annual Fashion's Night Out with a special giveaway of TWO $100 gift cards for you guys!

Entries will be open all day at Tobi.com. All you have to do to enter is "Like" Tobi on Facebook.

At the end of the night, they'll pick 2 winners!

Good luck, and have fun!

Man in suit, in Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze

2011-09-05T14:00:00.002-04:00

Sartorialist-worthy, or what?

ph. by me

Photo Series: Bicycles in Europe

2011-09-04T14:56:00.002-04:00

1 - 2. Amsterdam

3-5. Florence

6. Paris

FIRENZE!

2011-09-01T15:48:00.001-04:00

A little snack for the 1.5-2 hour train ride to Florence from Venice...

My little souvenir from a stand in Venice.

When we arrived in Florence, we walked a long way to our hostel somewhere downtown near the train station. It ended up being overbooked as well so we were sent to this *hotel* outside of the city centre. It sucked having to walk so far with our huge bags under the hot Italian sun but a hotel? It was worth it.

The view from our window...

We started to walk around and started talking about how funny it would be if we saw the cast of Jersey Shore in the 1 day we were there. Lo and behold, we see Deena and Sammi at their "favourite restaurant" (as seen on Jersey Shore), Caffe Duomo. They're really small in person.

Our personal pizzas at a restaurant in the Palazzo Vecchio. I prefer no cheese on my pizzas so I got the marinara pizza :9

Our gelato place in Florence.

View from our window at sunset.

Italy = Living out of our bags.

Miriam's makeshift wine cooler...

Couldn't leave Italy without trying a calzone!

The workers in this cafe gave us dessert on the house. Don't know what it is but it was delicious!

Last gelato in Italy!! Raspberry and Limone for all of us.

Ok, no, this was the last gelato in Italy (had to get seconds...). I got dark chocolate (amazing), kiwi, and something else.

So we walked around the city, trying to make the most of our last night in Florence. We ended up turning a corner down a side street and talked about how our trip would be complete if we saw the boys from Jersey Shore. And well, we did:

They act the exact same as they do on TV. So funny. And the only people that recognize them are American tourists.

Celebrating our last night with drinks!

The next morning, we took the train to Milan, killed time at the McDonald's there across the street from the train station, and then took the bus to the Bergamo airport where we boarded our sketchy $50 flight back to Paris.

Because it was such a tiny airplane, the seats were first-come-first-serve. Everyone kept passing the first row of seats so we asked if we could sit there and the flight attendants (who ended up being the funniest people throughout the flight.. it was like a reality show) said yes, why not. So we got the best seats on the plane!

We ♥ Italia!

VENEZIA Day 2

2011-08-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

Waking up to a nice summer breeze and sunshine through the window.

The view from our window again.

Walking down our street on the canal to explore... we only had one full day to take this city in.

Our first gelato of the day! I got a double scoop of Limone...

Ponte Vecchio in Venice.

It still amazes me how Venice is a city built on water. What would be alleys in most cities are little canals in between buildings.

I'm not a fan of thin crust pizza... I like the doughy, thick crust ones. This is a little snack I got on the way back to our hostel from the Piazza.

My current desktop background... Even the laundry on clothes lines are pretty in Venice. I took a few photos of clothes lines and I think I'm going to print them out and frame them in a set.

Also couldn't get over how there are no cars in Venice. There are no real sidewalks--all of the streets are like this, and there are so many bridges everywhere.

Some streets were so narrow that you could put your arms out and touch the buildings.

This was our hostel, A Venice Fish.

Then we went to the Ghetto Vecchio... the Jewish area in Venice.

VENICE--One of the most beautiful places I've visited to date, and definitely my favourite Italian city out of the ones we visited (Milan, Venice, Florence). The city just exudes a feeling of community and laid-back living. I couldn't stop snapping photos because everything was just too abnormally perfect. The colours are still so vivid in my mind--oranges and reds like bricks and sundried tomatoes; golds and yellows like Italian pasta and the sun; and sea greens and blues like algae, seaweed, and real denim.

It was more than what I had imagined it to be.

outfit: grenadine

2011-08-27T23:39:00.004-04:00

lolll , crappy resolution photo taken by my phone + crappy editing.

I'm gonna get the black skirt too and wear it in the fall with greys and combat boots.

Oh ya, I also got a haircut 8-P

(American Apparel BB301 & single-layer chiffon skirt)

outfit: fall h&m

2011-08-26T00:09:00.004-04:00

This was something I threw on and ended up liking together. A soft, affordable angora-blend sweater in a warm mashed sweet potato pinkish orange (kind of a hard colour to put into words, lol). It comes in an orange, too (and I think it's supposed to come out in an emerald green that I want!). The idea of the orange was nice, but not so much on.

The shorts are these cute little pleated printed shorts that risk showing some butt cheeks when you bend over (umm you know those items that you like too much so you just deal with the obstacles that they present, like not bending over the whole day? ya.) ,but they were too cute to leave behind. AND they go with the sweater so whatever.

Good to go.

(both from H&M)

monochromatic

2011-08-25T23:29:00.004-04:00

When you're too scared to incorporate colour into your wardrobe, why not do it through an accessory like a bag or watch. That way, it's not a huge statement.

1. Swatch (btw I love that Swatch.com has a "Swatch Finder" where you can click back to a year and view every watch design they came out with that year).

2. Casio Baby-G

ITALIA Day 1 - Milano & Venezia

2011-08-23T00:38:00.000-04:00

Landed in Italia, right on the runway. Private jet treatment for just $50 round trip, lollll.

Milano for half a day... I wish we had more time and patience to explore but we couldn;t because we were lugging our huge bags around. We decided to come to Italy with just one bag and it was too tiring to lug it around with us.

Italy is so beautiful...

Milano Centrale, waiting for our train to Venice.

Venice... my favourite Italian city, out of Florence, Venice and Milan.

Our hostel, a Venice Fish, on the water. I recommend it if you need a place to stay in Venice. It's like a hippie residence. Everyone's young and nice and there's always music playing.

Our original hostel ended up being overbooked so we were sent to their little apartment hostel on one of the canals. We didn't mind... we got this room for $25 a night.

The view from our room.

We didn't waste a single minute in Venice so we went for a stroll during our first night there and had our first gelato in Europe. We walked up and down the main street, comparing prices (hello, we are poor), and came back to this one place... They always gave us so much and they had the best limone flavour. It was also the cheapest. We ended up eating gelato 2-3 times a day. This also began my gelato addiction for the rest of the trip.

I got Bacio and Nocciola; Ilana got Cioccolato and Nocciola; and Mir got Pistachio, Bacio, and Limone.

Day 2 in Venice next...

trousers

2011-08-19T22:56:00.003-04:00

I still love the look of high-waisted trousers with a paper bag waist effect and a huge leather belt.

1. Kate Moss

2. Mary-Kate

outfit

2011-08-14T15:04:00.002-04:00

For lack of a better title, this is pretty self-explanatory.

(vintage levi's denim jacket from Paris, oversized chiffon shirt from AA, lace trim cycle shorts from AA, gold Casio watch, vintage Nine West boots, Zara leather bag... best purchase this summer!)

Also, maybe my sister as a photographer isn't the greatest idea... She likes the sound of the shutter on DSLRs and takes 20 pictures in a row without stopping like a paparazzo.

She's nineteen.

bohemian skirt by fly3622

2011-08-14T14:11:00.002-04:00

I love this look. Maxi/floor-length/full skirts have become increasingly trendier (SEE THIS).

I considered buying this skirt and then realized that I probably wouldn't wear it and that there is something so badass about this girl in her pose and black turtleneck sweater that I couldn't pull off.

(via pixiemarket)

sparkly sneakers by miu miu

2011-08-13T17:44:00.002-04:00

Studded Converse are so over.

(via nytimes)

PARIS - the Louvre and Bastille during the day

2011-08-11T23:37:00.000-04:00

My favourite exhibitions in the museum were the ones with artists' sketches and drawings. This one is all done in ink! Check out the detail below! I'm glad I got a photo of it before the security guard told me that I wasn't allowed to take photos in this exhibition. My bad.

Next day... Pere Lachaise:

(We mainly went to this cemetery for Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf's graves :P)

Paris has the coolest graffitis and wall art...

The world's smallest elevator, maybe? This is the tiny elevator in my friend's apartment building. Technically only fits 2 people, but the elevator claims that it can fit max. 3 people OR 220kg. Ummm yeah... that makes a lot of sense.

Alright, so by this post, I kind of lost track of numbering days... but anyway:

We went to the Louvre on a Friday afternoon when it was free (yay). The idea of visiting the Louvre was amazing... the reality was not as amazing. This museum didn't house the kind of art that we really liked or were interested in, so we just walked around looking at paintings here and there, and imitated sculptures. BUT, the architecture was really pretty and the space inside the museum was really nice. Our main goal in the Louvre was to see the Mona Lisa (duh) and as we made our way to the painting (no need to get through huge crowds, surprisingly, on a no admission Friday afternoon), we literally went, "oh."

... The painting is so small!!! Wowww we were not expecting that. Anyway, after taking a few pictures of it, we left. Maybe I'll appreciate this kind of early Christian art when I'm older.

Or not.

The next day, we took the metro to Pere laChaise, the famous cemetery that buries famous artists (I use that term as a general word to describe poets, painters, philosophers, singers, etc). This cemetery is beautiful. I wish I had taken more photos, or that we had gone at around sunset or even later at night. It was nothing like any of the cemeteries I had been to.

Then we walked all the way from the cemetery to Bastille through a sketchy area and then through the Marais and back to the apartment where we packed for our trip to Italy early the next morning!

redORANGE

2011-08-11T00:43:00.004-04:00

I've come to the conclusion that my unofficial summer colours are orange and red-orange.

Compared to my winter wardrobe which only consists of jeans, black jeans, black, grey, peppered grey, heather grey, tri-blend grey, and denim shirts, my summer wardrobe is the complete opposite. I love me some light wash denim, tie dye, neon, pink, turquoise, lime, mint, blue, patterns, dresses, skirts, white denim shorts and skirts (gasp!), you name it. Can you imagine wearing these in the Canadian winter? I would be put into a mental institution.

Or a preschool.

PARIS - Arc de Triomphe, Jardin de Luxembourg, Champs-Elysees and Louvre at night

2011-08-09T20:55:00.003-04:00

On our way to l'arc de Triomphe underground. We couldn't go up to the top though because of some strike... Paris is always having random strikes.

A stop at Laduree on Champs-Elysees. We weren't allowed to take photos inside. It's lame cuz the pastries are cute, but they're not that good. I don't get the hype.

That night, we met up with our friend's friends who were also studying in Paris on exchange, for cocktails. My friend and I made the mistake of ordering this because it was 40 EUROS! And you can't send food back in Europe. So split between two, we each paid 20 euros. Jesus.

The next day, we went to the major department stores like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. We went up to a cafe on the roof of one of them (I forget which one) and took in the amazing view of Paris...

Then we went to Jardin de Luxembourg to tan... such a beautiful park.

(yes, i wore a bikini top, so chic of moi)

At night, we took our usual route (down Rivoli, past the Louvre to Concorde then down Champs-Elysees) for overpriced ice cream at the Haagen-Dazs cafe.

Beautiful Paris.

The first time we walked down Champs-Elysees in daylight, I didn't even know that it was the famous Champs-Elysees. I was so used to seeing those popular photos of it at night that I didn't even realize as we were walking down this regular street!

We found such a building with nice gates and a pretty garden. Then we realized it was the new Abercrombie & Fitch store to open the next week. We could smell the A&F perfumes from outside, no joke.

Champs-Elysees' huge sidewalks were the best. We had fun biking down here.

Cars whizzing by as I took shots imitating the famous photos we see of this street.

Then, we decided to stop by the Louvre to see what it looked like at night. SO WORTH IT. It was also completely empty (except for the asian couple taking wedding photos).

lol.

Love Paris.

leather

2011-08-07T22:35:00.003-04:00

I love leather.

I'm glad I held off on the leather clutches from AA until this summer because the new colours are amazing. I'm gonna admit that the shape is a littttle awkward as a clutch because it's a bit longer than I would have liked, but I couldn't resist these combinations:

Also picked up this cute little heart coin purse from Roots a long time ago... Roots has got to have some of the best leather I've felt, seen, and smelled. All made in Canada, too, which is a plus.

PARIS - DAY 2 & 3

2011-08-07T16:44:00.001-04:00

First time seeing the Louvre pyramids. It was so unreal... tucked away in the centre of a gate-like building (the Louvre). It's a nice breath-taking surprise when you go through the archways, turn the corner, and enter the square.

One of the things we did most in Paris was tan. It seems so wasteful looking back on it now, but while we were there, we were so pooped from all of the traveling behind and ahead of us that we just wanted to relax and soak in the city. This is us having a picnic and tanning in Tuileries (which we did a LOT).

Made our way back on rue St. Honoré that we kind of stumbled upon. It worked out for us because we ended up finding Colette...

We ended up coming back to this store many times...

Oh yeah, so it was my birthday... my friends surprised (/ tried to surprise) me with a cake! Chocolate mousse with chewy chocolate macarons... we ended up eating this for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack for the next few days.

Eating cake and getting ready to go out! We went out to Duplex, a night club beside l'Arc de Triomphe. It was €20 for cover!!! ... which ended up being "normal" in Paris...

DAY 3:

Moulin Rouge

Every time I saw one of these signs (which was a lot), I'd sing Kid Cudi's Day n Nite.

Walking up to Sacré Coeur... Parisian streets and buildings are so pretty.

Space Invaders everywhere! A Parisian tag.

Also managed to spot a LOT of cool graffiti everywhere in Europe.

My first look at European gelato.

Sacré Coeur

The view from the top of the hill.

This soccer tricks entertainer was there almost every Sunday.

The crowd and the Italian singer.

May 6 - the night we got back from Amsterdam (10-11pm), we got locked out of our friend's apartment... we had forgotten the key code to get in! I mentioned that her apartment was on Rivoli... a super long street that takes you from the Bastille all the way to Concorde, passing the le Marais and the Louvre on the way. It had massive Parisian doors--a dark emerald green that had huge brass knobs. You really had to push these doors to get in. It took us to a little foyer with a super narrow winding staircase (that were a pain to climb up and down when drunk in heels), and a tiny tiny TINY elevator in the middle of the staircase.

Anyway, we got back and my friend had to whip out her iPad and we walked up and down this street searching for free wifi to Facebook our friend in the apartment. Eventually we ended up yelling her name on the busy shopping street and embarrassed, our friend came down to open the door for us, haha.

That night, we went to an Australian bar around the block, called The Oz Bar. Then it was my 21st birthday and we spent the day tanning at Tuileries with a Parisian picnic and then went out again that night to Duplex, a club, that was 20 euros for cover. It was a pretty cool club... 3 floors/half floors/caves and 3 dance floors which different music. Apparently Parisians stay out til 5:30am (the clubs that we went to were open til then) so we came home at 5:30am as the sun was beginning to rise.

Since almost everything's closed on Sundays, (it sucked), we went to Sacré Coeur and the Moulin Rouge..

picnic bag by marie turnor

2011-08-07T01:54:00.004-04:00

Check out this clever leather bag! It's like a little doggy bag except it's made of leather!

$175 for the "Picnic Bag", and $115 for the "Snack Bag", and $240 for the "Dinner Clutch".

Available at the Mohawk General Store and Marie Turnor.

iamsterdam

2011-08-05T13:42:00.004-04:00

Aboard the bus to Amsterdam at 11pm from the Eurolines terminal in Paris. Our bus ride was only $50, return trip!

6 hours later, we arrive in Amsterdam... It was FREEZING, probably 5 degrees, and it was also 5:30am. Not a single car on the road. So we take the train from Amsterdam Amstel station to Amsterdam Centraal station, and then the streetcar to Leidesplein (where we were staying).

Our street.

Walking around at 6 in the morning.

Our first real meal since we landed in Europe... a cozy overpriced breakfast.

During our stay, my friend's mom was also in Amsterdam so we hung out with her and her old friend + his wife who live there. This was their beautiful apartment. I would've taken more pictures but I felt kind of creepy.

The famous Dampkring coffeeshop (also seen in Ocean's Twelve)

We basically wore the same thing every day. Not just in Amsterdam, but on this whole trip. I did not need to pack so much because I didn't end up wearing more than half of my stuff.

My friends got famous Vlaamse frites.

Parking for bicycles.

Bye bye Amsterdam :(

Pit stop in Brussels on a brutal 8 hour packed bus ride. We got into Paris at around 10pm and ended up going out that night... til 5:30am. Oh, and that was my birthday. Crazy European life.

We arrived in Paris on the morning of May 3rd and left for Amsterdam the same night. Talk about tired, cranky, and jet-lagged. And, to make things so much better, we arrived in Amsterdam at 5:30am... in freezing temperatures (we were clearly not dressed appropriately, yet we all wore our warmest clothes). Nothing was open, so we had to do a lot of waiting (we did a lot of waiting on this trip) and finally made our way downtown. Thankfully, we each only had a backpack for our two-day stay so it wasn't tiring getting around. Unfortunately, one can only do so much at 6am when it's cold in a pretty small city like Amsterdam. Jesus, we walked so much that I felt like my legs were about to fall off and I also feared getting sick from walking in the cold for 3 hours.

We managed to find an open Starbucks and chilled there for an hour, watching Sex and the City on my friend's iPad (thank the lord for that iPad, swear to god). Then we got breakfast at this cute little place which was super overpriced (we learned-- that's just Europe) and then took a nice 5 hour nap? at our hostel near Leidesplein.

We walked EVERYWHERE. It's so easy to get around in this city, except for the fact that we got lost a few times because every street and bridge look the same. BUT, we felt like we had been in this city for weeks... everything was so familiar and the people are so nice. Plus, the whole vibe of the city is amazing.. it's so chilled out, laid back, and cozy. Especially loved how literally everyone bikes there.

Setting foot in Amsterdam also taught us straight from the beginning that you have to pay to use a public washroom in most European places, as well as washrooms not being available for use in restaurants, AND how it smells like urine everywhere (um, hello Paris and Amsterdam, lord jesus).

2 days in Amsterdam was not enough.

It was one of my favourite cities (we even ended up liking Amsterdam more than Paris for the most part :x ... ) and I wish to go back soon!

One of my biggest regrets on this trip was not spending enough time in Amsterdam. I wish we could have spent just one or two more days there, and I also wish I had taken more pictures.

wooden arty

2011-08-05T00:15:00.001-04:00

I think I like this wooden one better than the turquoise one....

Just feeling a littttttle bit regretful.

Just a little.

(ysl via net-a-porter)

YYZ → CDG

2011-08-04T17:02:00.006-04:00

Trocadero - first look at the Eiffel Tower

La Musee des Invalides

First look at the famous Metro signs

Pont Neuf

Notre Dame

HERE WE GO! Finally showing you all the first set of photos from my trip... Day 1 in Paris!

I'll tell you stories about each set in the post...

May 2nd: left Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport for Charles de Gaulle Aiport in Paris, France. Our flight was delayed (1-2 hours). Let me just tell you -- I left Toronto with a good ol' backpack on my back as my carry-on.. My carry-on later on (to Israel and then back home to Toronto) ended up being a 3ft long VS PINK duffle bag. Take from that what you will.

Landed in Paris, had to Metro all the way to our friend's apartment on Rue de Rivoli (Metro stop: Châtelet. Basically tourist central and on the right bank, which was not nearly as nice as le Rive Gauche) with our huge suitcases that, for most of the time, didn't fit through the automatic sliding doors in the Metro. Note: 99% of the stations do not have escalators. So we each lugged our 50lb suitcases up and down ancient narrow stairs... during rush hour. Tourists for real.

On our first day, we went to Trocadero and saw the Eiffel Tower. My first reaction was... "Oh. Hey." It was surreal seeing it in real life after having seen it everywhere in print or on the internet. I don't know what I was expecting when I saw it in person but it wasn't as exciting as I had built it up to be. Maybe I was expecting it to sparkle and shine and give off magical powers? Don't really know, but it didn't take my breath away like I had expected.

We then walked all the way to Notre Dame. One of the best things about Europe was being able to see everything that we had studied in textbooks in real life.

Then we walked some more (we loved being able to walk everywhere--in Paris, Italy, and Israel--without being bored) and then came back to the apartment to pack and leave again that night for Amsterdam! Arrived in Paris at like 8:30am, and left for Amsterdam at 11pm the same day.

Next set: Amsterdam!

P.S. These aren't the only photos of Paris... There will be more after Amsterdam. I am just going in order of events!

Icy necklaces

2011-08-01T23:05:00.007-04:00

Last year, I was part of one of North America's biggest student-run fashion shows. Mass Exodus is a fashion show solely run by Ryerson University's 3rd year Fashion Communication students. It consumed our lives--another reason why I didn't blog. I was in the PR & Social Media committee and responsible for Mass Exodus 2011's Twitter, Facebook, and blog. Our theme was "ZENITH + NADIR" -- the highest point above and the lowest point below the observer -- and we found a lot of inspiration throughout the year that fit our theme because almost everything has extreme polarities like light/dark, high/low, good/evil, soft/harsh, feminine/masculine, etc. Anyway, I got to style the covers of the Z+N magazine (another first for Mass Ex) and found these necklaces while shopping for the shoot. I knew I wouldn't wear them but bought them anyway knowing that I'd need them in the future to style a shoot...

Untitled

2011-07-31T02:01:00.005-04:00

Walking back to my friend's apartment from the Marais in Paris, May 2011

Why did I decide to stop blogging?

I'd say that 70% of it was because of school, and the other 30% was just laziness. Juggling schoolwork and blogging was so time-consuming and stressful, and I didn't want to feel pressured, overwhelmed, or stressed from blogging. It should be something that you look forward to, not something you push back and delay. I dreaded the thought of posting a new entry and procrastinated taking photos. I didn't even like bringing my camera around when I went out. I guess I just wanted to avoid it all.

But, fast-forward (or rewind?) to May 2-June 15... my amazing Eurotrip with two best friends. I brought my camera EVERYWHERE and found beauty & pleasure in the ordinary and took pictures of simple things like clotheslines in Venice or a blue gated door in an alley in Ne'ev Tzedek. I didn't feel forced to bring my camera around... I'd leave it at the hostel when I felt like I needed a break from looking through a lens and just *be* wherever I was.

I learned a lot from the trip (like what NOT to pack!!!), and my body, mind, and soul (and heart!) became more open and welcoming. I met a lot of people from all over the world, experienced different cultures, and most importantly, grew spiritually and mentally. I became less judgmental, more tolerant and patient, and also have begun living like there's no tomorrow. People always say that but I have a hard time believing now that half those people really live by that saying.

So, from that, I wanted a new beginning. A fresh start. So I'm back, and I'm not here to please... I'm here to just be.

and, side note...

... I'm probably going to delete this post in the very near future.

Think before you speak,

and,

less talking, more action.

So there's my little story behind the blog. I don't think it really makes sense but I'm gonna leave it at that because I had to get that out in a somewhat clear and concise way.

Now to go to bed and wake up at the beach..

xx A