I am in Love

...with this house. It is in France (of course) and it is G-orgeous.

"Where fear is, happiness is not.”

- Seneca

via Beyond the Gray

Lately I've been feeling a lot like this:

Maybe not the making out on the edge of an abyss bit, but the pouring rain and the sudden overwhelming urge to scream at the top of my lungs certainly resonates. I've heard people advocate for 'having a good cry' as a means to let it - whatever 'it' is - all out. I'm sure crying until one's eyes run dry can be a good outlet however for me, and especially for me right now, a big loud scream till my lungs are sore seems like it would be much more cathartic. Unfortunately I live in a large city, in an apartment building with shamefully thin walls. Anybody know of any vast chasms in downtown Toronto?

Sooo I haven't been a very good blogger this past week. And so, as per what seems to be the norm when I feel like I'm neglecting my blogger duties I'm going to post a bunch of links that I've collected. Voila:

Really cute wall decor
A lovely post with wise words that I empathize with and would like to adhere to (and a pretty picture toboot!)
The fabulous Brigitte Bardot
Cute cartoon (awww)
If you're in Toronto you should check out some of these exhibits. I'd like to!
Super cute little note

Ummmm not much else to report at the moment. Outside it's dark and raining. Inside a folk band has taken over my apartment. It's been an interesting Tuesday.

Bubbly, Black and White

Thanks to So About What I Said for turning me onto this super fab photo shoot!

Stocism

beautiful photo from National Geographic

Coolest Cafe EVER

This is a cafe in/near Grand Central Station in NYC. It's made to look like a library tilted on it's side. (!!!) I just think this is the coolest thing I've seen all day. Thanks Dezeen!

Envieux

courtesy of Dress Design Decor

In a Jeff Buckley kinda mood.

Today I watched a TV show in which the title character was living the same day over and over. She found it frustrating, and while I'm sure the redundancy would eventually get to anyone I was just thinking of how nice it might be to live the same day a few times over. You would know to pack an umbrella for the un-forecasted rainstorm, or would be able to fit in time with everyone you wanted to spend time with. You could finish everything on your 'to do' list - in some way or another.

Some days I feel like my days are useless - complete wastes of 24hrs - which is a real shame because we only get a limited number of days. If I could go back and start over a few times than I could ensure that I get the most out of every day, or make sure I get at least one really good something out of my day. I suppose the idea is to accomplish this on the first go around. Our silly society sometimes [often] moves too fast for everyone to make the most out of all of our days.

As winter descends, and days literally get shorter I am going to try to get if not everything than a really good something out of my days.

Today's really good something: I had a nice, honest, hour long phone conversation with my dad.

As I type this I am sitting on a Greyhound bus to Ottawa. The bus left ahead of schedule, and now meanders along the highway with hundreds of other cars and trucks as commuters make their way out of the city.

I have been alternating rather regularly between fidgetting, reading and napping...oh and snacking. (A key to surviving any road venture is snacking.)

Awaking from my most recent fitful half-hour nap, it occurs to me that a strange thing about travel - be it on bus, train, or plane - is that as one moves across space/distance, time seems much less relevant.

Being driven along unfamiliar and repetitive roads I have not a clue how far I am from my destination (though the amount of traffic suggests that I've still a ways to go...)

Perhaps I've taken one too many decongestants today, but it seems to me that when travelling the destination is what takes importance. Driving along monotonous highway, or being hurtled along an endless stretch of tracks, or crossing time zones miles above the earth - time slows down, or passes in a way far less noticeable. Irritating kids ask "Are we there yet?!" Not "How much longer until we arrive?" or "How long has it been since we left?" (Then again kids are fortunate enough to live so presently that the passage of time rarely comes into account...)

Anyhow, I know I've still got hours until I get to my destination, but whether I will take note of them passing is an entirely different question.


[Just looked out the window and saw the Whitby GO Station... So that's where I am!]

“Falling in love is not as simple as it seems, but it is very quick," The
Independent reports. “Those intense overpowering feelings of being truly, madly,
deeply in love are the result of complex and rapid brain activity. Being in love
… is a pretty complicated affair. According to new research, it’s not a basic
emotion, as some thought, but a highly complex and businesslike process
involving 12 areas of the brain working together to produce and sustain that
magic moment. And researchers have discovered that the first brain activity
specific to love starts within one-fifth of a second of being smitten."

This is what the Globe and Mail shared with me the other day. I sent the tidbit to myself because I found it kind of nice to know that life and love is complicated, not just in a confusing, "my life is so hard" kind of way, but scientifically, physiologically complicated.

My inner Romantic also warms to the notion that 'Love at First Sight' actually kind of does exist - 1/5 of a second is not a long time folks.

Talk to me

Is there power in words? , a picture is worth a thousand of them.

What about talk? Small talk, all talk, talk is cheap, talk the talk, talk yourself up, talk at, talk with, talk to. We have all of these expressions and sayings but I wonder if any of them really ring true, or if we mistakenly put too much stalk in talk.

What about action?

I don’t know if I’ve expounded before on my theory of ‘talkers vs. doers’ but I am going to bring it up now. It seems to me as though there are people who are talk about their plans, wishes, dreams and people who just go for their wishes and act out their dreams. As a member of the former category, I must say that I envy the doers; for the people who get up off the couch and away from the phone or coffee shop table are the people who live busy, fulfilling, whole lives - it seems to me. I can talk about an idea as much as I want, but until I do something to turn my words into something concrete can I honestly say that I have accomplished anything?

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” said a Beatle who arguably lived a lot of life. But if all one does is worry about making plans, can we call that a life?

As someone who strings words together incessantly on this here page, it may seem counterintuitive to question their value but I’m just saying wouldn’t it be nicer to go to Paris instead of talk about going to Paris, or have your dream job instead of talking about what your dream job might be, or to be with a guy instead of talk about one?

How do you ‘doers’ do it?!

Can it be that we (I) need to abandon my beloved words in favour of actions?

Silhouettes

via Model's Own

via dressdesigndecor

Highly amusing

I'm sorry, but I feel compelled to share all of these videos. Who knew Sesame Street was so clever?!









I found these after Twitter told me about this one. (Again with the Twitter, I know.)

Holy Tweet!

So this past week I was talked into getting a Twitter account.

I have never understood the point of Twitter, which I apparently verbalised to the point where everyone I know is shocked and astounded that I have now become a person who 'Tweets'. To be honest I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I will say that it is a marvelous way to spend some (perhaps too much) time on the internet. Just look at what I discovered through Twitter today:


1) A Super cute website where a daily inspirational post-it is placed in a random location in Singapore.

2) Sartorial simplicity mixed with bold colours and modern silhouettes at Jil Sander's latest show

3) Wicked cool nature photos, like this one

(could you imagine seeing this in real life? Awesome.)

Sumation of a satisfying Saturday

Today I scrubbed my bathroom from top to bottom.

I talked to two of my dearest friends.

I fell in love with this band.

I drank at least 5 cups of tea - all out of my giant Santa Claus mug.

dyed my hair. That's a lie. I applied a 'Shine Treatment'. (Hopefully) there will be no colour change involved.

I read this article, and am thinking seriously about making it my challenge/project for the next month.

I slept in! (9:50 - ahhh bliss).

I impulsively bought a bag of Swedish Berries at the drug store counter and ate them on the way home.

I relished in the feeling of using a freshly laundered still warm from the dryer when I got out of the shower.

I watched this preview twice and got excited for Tuesday.

design is mine : isn't it lovely?: thought of the day : good.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. -Buddha

Song for a Thursday Afternoon...

Off to see Easy A tonight. Hoping for some laughs..