Monday, June 02, 2014

weezer

my friend writes a weekly column for our other friend's blog ~ music monday. (actually, she does a throwback thursday post each week too...) each week has a theme, like today was drinking songs. or sometimes she picks a particular artist to focus on. they are really great, btw. if you haven't seen them, check them out.
so, this upcoming week, she's going to be highlighting my favourite band and asked me to come up with my top 15 songs. ummmmm.... yeah. that is quite the task. i'm still working on it. thankfully i have a week.
so far, here are my 39 most favourites.


Always


Paperface


I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams (feat. Rachel Haden from that.dog)


Perfect Situation


The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)


Say It Ain’t So


Pork and Beans


Undone (The Sweater Song)


Buddy Holly


Hash Pipe


Beverly Hills


Island in the Sun


El Scorcho


Across the Sea


Pink Triangle


Falling for You


Troublemaker


Heart Songs


Susanne


Jamie


Mykel and Carli


Memories

We’re All on Drugs


(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To


Keep Fishin’


In the Garage


Surf Wax America


The Good Life


Trippin’ Down the Freeway


Represent


Kids/Pokerface (MGMT & Lady Gaga covers)


Unbreak My Heart (Toni Braxton cover)


I Don’t Want Your Loving


This Is Such a Pity


My Best Friend



I’m Your Daddy


Can’t Stop Partying (feat. L'il Wayne)


The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World


Paranoid Android (Radiohead cover)

Sunday, June 01, 2014

#100happydays

i love this idea. sometimes all you need to be happy is an attitude adjustment. no one is happy all day every day. but you can find at least one thing to be happy about each day. if you take the time to appreciate the things in life that make you happy, you'll probably be happier in general.

these are all the pictures i posted on instagram/facebook/twitter for the #100happydays challenge.

march 5 - day 1. hubby brought me tea in bed to help me begin my day.
starting out simple. cause, you know, it's the little things...
tea is my favourite thing to (and probably really the only thing i) drink.
it tastes even better when someone else makes it for you.

march 6 - day 2. this happened. gonna be hard to top that for the remaining 98!
did some celebrity stalking and got to witness movie making in person.
(this is a picture of my video camera preview screen, hence the quality.)

march 7 - day 3. this arrived in the mail yesterday!
(and ironically, no, i am not copying brina. just turns out the same things make us happy.)
so excited that one of my favourite fics turned into a published novel

march 8 - day 4. "whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of thor."
my sister and nephew came to visit from manitoba for a few days

march 9 - day 5. drinks and games with sister and hubby.
just hanging out is what i miss out on most living so far away from family

march 10 - day 6. marathoning the twimovies with sister. her first time.
"you've never seen them?" "no, they are too scary." lol'ed so hard.
oh, and i didn't force her. she suggest it.

march 11 - day 7. i love when family comes to visit. great time with sister and nephew.
i was sad to see them leave but had a lovely visit with my little sis and her youngest son. 

march 12 - day 8. snuggles.
typical night on the couch, wrapped up together and watching tv.

march 13 - day 9. people are actually reading and commenting on my blog posts!
very pleasantly surprised

march 14 - day 10. happy pi day.
i felt that i needed some pie to "celebrate".
hubby was kind enough to bring me home some.

march 15 - day 11. catching up with hk kids at kaycelyn's babyshower.
my (super pregnant) hk roomie came back from manitoba for a visit and her baby shower.
it was great to see her, along with the other fellow travellers.

march 16 - day 12. the zone.
where i spend a lot of my time "working" ~ on my computer (sometimes 2 are needed),
ipad for communication, listening to music, sipping on tea. 

march 17 - day 13. tickets purchased.
so looking forward to my trip to san diego/phoenix in june to meet up with my friends
who i talk to every day but only really get to see once a year at these type of events.

march 18 - day 14. new modem that maintains wifi connection when the microwave is on.
not only is it more powerful but also updated our internet usage from 80g/month to 180.
now i don't have to restrict skype calls and movie pirating.

march 19 - day 15. no-reason breakfast in bed.
hubby made me a bacon & egg sandwich without me asking him to.

march 20 - day 16. (also #tbt) i am superlucky to have a hubby who is so supportive and understanding of my crazy obsessions. or, at least, puts up with them.
not once did he complain or ask me not to trek back and forth downtown
or put up a fuss about the crazy hours.

march 21 - day 17. i got mail.
brina knew how much i wanted this, found it (not available in canada),
and sent it to me along with a few other goodies.

march 22 - day 18. done.
spent hours drawing and colouring this. might not look like much but it was fun.

march 23 - day 19. warmth. shelter. food. comfort.
no matter what, if you have the basics, you're a lucky person.
i love my home and am always grateful for all i have that is just given to me.

march 24 - day 20. love, from hubby.
tea, donut, and flowers. nice.

march 25 - day 21. divergent.
movie date with hubby

march 26 - day 22. using my hk sugar. and cookies!
after hoarding the liquid sugar cups i brought home with me almost a year ago,
i decided i would make one of my favourite drinks i get at bubbletea for myself.
and these cookies are only available on holidays.
both are so yummy.

march 27 - day 23. thursday night tvd live chats.
even if we can't hang out in person, every thursday night
(and most tuesdays, for the originals as well),
my friends and i "get together" on group chat to watch our favourite show. 

march 28 - day 24. superproud of nephie for winning the heritage days competition. good luck at regionals, buddy!
he worked so hard on this presentation and did an awesome job

march 29 - day 25. homemade.
this was my first ever attempt at making my own mashed potatoes.
i know... don't laugh.

march 30 - day 26. couch nap.
midday naps on the couch are sometimes even more
comfortable and restful than sleeping in my bed.

march 31 - day 27. good tv.
in direct reaction to the horrible himym finale ~
the following is a great show and emma is my favourite character.

april 1 - day 28. magic bag.
i had really bad pain in my abdomen and the reheatable bean bag
was pretty much my only means of relief.

april 2 - day 29. "feel better, wifey."
i slept through the entire day to escape the pain.
hubby was very sweet, making sure i was okay and checking to see if i needed anything.

april 3 - day 30. even with marshmallows.
hubby brought me hot chocolate in bed

april 4 - day 31. sold my surface pro. now have enough for travel.
kinda bummed i never got to use it, but i'd rather have the cash to see
my friends that yet another piece of technology to hold in my hands.

april 5 - day 32. true friends i can talk to and wifi that allows me to do so.
i love my friends so much. i know i can always count on them.
thank goodness for the social media apps that i use to keep in touch.

april 6 - day 33. snow is almost gone.
i like living in a place with 4 very distinct seasons.
i'd get so bored with the same scenery all year round
(even though i never go outside to enjoy it).

april 7 - day 34. good memories.
MIL passed away a year ago.
we miss her so much but she left us with full hearts.

april 8 - day 35. i did it!
i wanted to get my lip pierced for 2 years.
it's not everyone's cup of tea, but i love it.

april 9 - day 36. this girl. happy birthday, purple brina!!
one of the truest, greatest friends ~ i love her!

april 10 - day 37. siblings.
for national siblings day

april 11 - day 38. tattoo plans.
they will all find a home on me at some point.
white star on my ankle is next, soot sprites behind my ear after that.

april 12 - day 39. hong kong reminiscing for justine.
my friend came over to get travel advice before she left for her placement in hk.
it's fun to relive the memories and to be able to pass along tidbits.

april 13 - day 40. homemade chicken nachos.
used to make them all the time but it had been years. yum!

april 14 - day 41. me and christina perri. #headorhearttour
my friend abbygail and i went to the cp concert in toronto and got to meet her.

april 15 - day 42. frosted sugar cookies.
melt in your mouth goodness

april 16 - day 43. movie binge.
watched a love song for bobby long, gods & monsters, and cloud atlas.
continued the next day with saving mr. banks, once, and never let me go.

april 17 - day 44. happy birthday, nephew! can't believe this kid is 14 already.
it's been so cool watching him grow from a tiny baby into the huge young man he is now.

april 18 - day 45. proud fan.
both his movies he made in the past year and a half are going to the cannes film festival. 

april 19 - day 46. food. 
pizza party for one while hubby was away and i was left all alone ~
2 hawaiian calzones, half moon cheesy bread, potato wedges, caesar salad, and brownies.
lasted me 3 days.

april 20 - day 47. happy easter.
i hadn't been outside for a long time so i was happy that the weather was so nice.
sat in the backyard, painting "easter toes", while skyping with friends.
didn't feel so lonely afterall. lovely evening.

april 21 - day 48. revised travel plans.
changed my plans to head to san diego a few days earlier so i can see bobby long in LA (twice!)
before road tripping down to phoenix with my friends

april 22 - day 49. playing around.
trying out different makeup and hair looks

april 23 - day 50. he’s home!
he was in vegas for 8 day ~ i missed him!

april 24 - day 51. hours of entertainment.
i have years worth of fan fiction stories to catch up on

april 25 - day 52. party.
had a GREAT time at my friends' end of the year party...
maybe a little TOO much

april 26 - day 53. he takes care of me.
hubby was prepared for my hangover with multiple water bottles and pain relief

april 27 - day 54. music.
this has it's very own blog post

april 28 - day 55. toasty toes.
rilakkuma slippers ~ great for those late nights at the kitchen table on the computer

april 29 - day 56. hashbrowns.
stock photo because i was so excited when hubby brought them to me,
i ate them immediately.

april 30 - day 57. canadian chip flavours.
i feel bad for my american friends that they don't have these.
and dill pickle. smh. such a shame.

may 1 - day 58. 1 niece, 8 nephews (and 1 great-niece and 1 angel).
armfelts, gagros, frosts, johnston-minakers, and mahs

may 2 - day 59. early surprise anniversary flowers.
he actually successfully surprised me

may 3 - day 60. sundried tomato parmesan fusilli.
aka: late lunch in bed

may 4 - day 61. anniversary dinner.
tried out hoops for dinner after he was at a raptors game and i did some shopping downtown.
followed up by bubbletea and a walk in the park.

may 5 - day 62. happy anniversary.
7 years

may 6 - day 63. old favourites. #revengeofthe6th
i love star wars ~
but since "may the 4th" was taken up by anniversary pics, i kept the theme going.

may 7 - day 64. sleep.
i count sleeping as one of my hobbies. i've never met anyone who sleeps as much as i do.
and i really appreciate the fact that i'm free to do it whenever i want, for as long as i want.

may 8 - day 65. shopping date.
love getting together with one of my oldest, best friends ~
also one of my favourite people

may 9 - day 66. smell of clean laundry.
i literally shoved my face right in there for a whiff.
one of the best smells in the world.

may 10 - day 67. i bought glasses.
finally

may 11 - day 68. one of my favourite moms ~ my little sister. (and her 3 wee boys... and 1 big boy.) #happymothersday (picture stolen from her)
cannot express how much love i have for my sister ~
she is such a fantastic mother and her boys are amazing.

may 12 - day 69. nostalgia.
a lot of high school is painful for me to think about,
but i can still remember a lot of good times and good people.

may 13 - day 70. happy birthday, rob.
oh, make fun of me if you must. celebrity crushes are a means of happiness. so shove it.
(i was reluctant to post this on instagram and fb. i TRY to keep 'this stuff' off of there as much as possible.
but the fact is, my 'other interests' take up a significant portion of my life. i'm learning to be okay with that.)

may 14 - day 71. came in the mail today.
part 2 was released the day before and it arrived right away.
great story. i love it.

may 15 - day 72. flights booked.
looking forward to visiting with family. it's been too long.

may 16 - day 73. xmen marathon with hubby in preparation for next week.
took us three or four days to get through them all, but we succeeded.
hubby and i have different tastes so it's great when we are both really into something.

may 17 - day 74. these ladies.
this is the group that gets me through every day.
common interest brought us together but the fact that they are wonderful people keeps them in my life.

may 18 - day 75. live streams.
how great is technology?!
so cool to be able to watch live coverage of something going on
all the way in france over the internet.

may 19 - day 76. the MOST important man to me. (just in case you thought otherwise.) love nights chilling on the couch, him watching tv while i read.
no matter how much i may fangirl over 'that guy', never doubt where my love lies.
a typical night ~ i relish those little moments, peeking out from behind my ipad just to see his face.

may 20 - day 77. i can see!
picked up my new glasses.
such a difference they make ~ it's great to be able to see more than 5 feet in front of me.

may 21 - day 78. after 3 years of searching, i finally found it.
bought one box years ago and could never find this flavour again.
i had given up completely ~ then randomly came across it in a grocery store going out of business.

may 22 - day 79. super groovy.
went to watch jay and silent bob's super groovy cartoon movie at friends' house.
didn't end up watching the whole thing, but a good time was had nonetheless.

may 23 - day 80. longest it's ever been. (2009 to now.)
after i cut off the black and had my own colour back,
i decided even if there isn't much that i can give to anyone in need,
i have hair i can give so i started to grow it out with plans to
donate it to make wigs for cancer patients when it was long enough.
5 years later and i almost have 18 usable inches.

may 24 - day 81. found a gem.
i get so excited when there is a "new classic" addition to our fandom.

may 25 - day 82. anime north. with an xmen chaser.
hubby and i hadn't been to the anime convention since 2009.
it's always fun to see the cosplayers. (check my insta feed if you wanna see.)
after a fun day there, we went to see x-men: days of future past. loved it.

may 26 - day 83. best app ever. #authenticweather (note: NOT for children.)
somehow i don't mind unfavourable weather reports when they are given to me full of f-bombs.

may 27 - day 84. studio ghibli movies.
just watched from up on poppy hill (the most recent release).
i love these movies. miyazaki and takahata are both unbelievably talented and i love the worlds they create.
this stack has my top two movies of all time ~ my neighbor totoro and spirited away.

may 28 - day 85. fun day with hubby.
went downtown to change out my lip piercing, had dinner at my favourite sushi restaurant,
and then caught a blue jays game. adventure day!

may 29 - day 86. massage.
it had been WAY overdue.
one of the best massages i've ever had.
crush on my new RMT. definitely going to be going back to her.

may 30 - day 87. sunshine.
woke up of my own accord and went outside to catch some sun before my trip.
just chilling, reading books, listening to music, sipping some sweet tea.
got completely burnt, but that's beside the point...

may 31 - day 88. weezer.
i had to make day 88 special ~
what better way than to highlight my 20 year love affair with my favourite band?
(notice my avitar & facebook and twitter cover pictures and my entire paraphernalia collection)


june 1 - day 89. quiet morning.
i love the quality of light in the morning.
there were birds chirping and cooing and it was nice and warm.
i enjoy the solitude before everyone else is awake and being annoying.


june 2 - day 90. bitstrips.
at first, i was against these cartoons.
but then i made my own and it looks just like me except way cuter. so now i love it.


june 3 - day 91. repaired wire. finally.
the retaining wire on the back of my teeth broke about 2 months ago.
i was biting on it every time i ate and it was cutting up my tongue.
i FINALLY got around to making an appointment with the orthodontist to fix it.


june 4 - day 92. happy birthday, hubby. 
for his birthday, i made him an iron man cake. 


june 5 - day 93. can't wait!
leaving for vacation in a week.
so excited to see my girls ~and bobby long twice.


june 6 - day 94. cute kids.
spent the day shopping and hanging out with my friend and her two adorable children.


june 7 - day 95. cake for dinner.
i'm a grown up, despite what my dubious dietary choices say about me.
i can eat whatever i want.


june 8 - day 96. road trip preparations.
lots of music is a necessity for endless hours on the road.
i prepared one for my bus and flights and my friend jenn made one
for our group since she is unable to join us.
(the 2 songs are "our" songs.)



june 9 - day 97. giftie in the mail.
recieved a present in the mail from my friend jenn. thank you!


june 10 - day 98. cupcakes. 
hubby successfully surprised me again




june 11 - day 99. ♫ all my bags are packed. i'm ready to go. ♫
superexcited for my trip



june 12 - day 100. v.a.c.a.t.i.o.n.
flying out to california to see my friends