All posts tagged: life

LA MERCERIA & TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCTS

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Last week my friend Vanessa and I went to La Merceria, an Argentinean cafe in Toronto, walkable from my work and a hidden gem on Adelaide St W. We often meet to catch up and indulge ourselves with fancy feasts, coffees and desserts around the city – something we both thoroughly enjoy. At the corner of the cafe, we sat down beside the tall window facing the snowy street and chatted about our day, the projects we had going on, our love/hate with Instagram, etc. The usual. We sipped Nutella lattes and picked at our chicken empanadas, rambling on about “being a young adult” and how it’s been more challenging than rewarding. We are both unaware of what’s considered “normal” and laughed at our personal trials and tribulations, because laughing prevents us from having mental breakdowns in public. I suppose no one has it fully figured out. Not you, not me, not the most perfect person you can think of – nope, zilch, nadda. Vanessa and I agreed that we’d rather be lost and confused (it makes for a better TV …

WHAT I DID ON VALENTINE’S DAY

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I know you curious kittens are wondering what I did on the day of love, and I’m going to tell you in bullet points because, list formats are just how my brain works sometimes. What I did on Valentine’s Day: – Woke up. Freezing. I mean, look at my view right now. Everything is frozen. #ExtremeWeatherWarning #ElsaWasHere – Had breakfast. Frosted Mini-Wheats to be exact. With orange juice. – Went to soccer. Learned “more” and “learn” in sign language. I recently started coaching all-abilities soccer (kids and teens under 15) and before each practice we learn 2-3 signs since some of our athletes are unable to communicate verbally. It’s pretty cool, and the athletes are awesome. After practice the organization handed out VDay themed stamps, stickers and pencils for the kids but, I obviously partook. – Went to Tim’s and grabbed a coffee. Won a FREE coffee from Roll-Up-The-Rim. – Drove home, took a shower. – I don’t know whether it was because I had a busy week, lack of sleep or the weather being miserable (-40C to …

I’m still here!

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Woah nelly, I just realized I haven’t written a post at all in 2015. Checking in to tell you I’m still around! To give you a quick run down of what I’ve been up to – I’ve been super busy at work, I’m freelancing every night when I get home (speaking of which, I have a couple pretty neat articles to share with you soon, one involving almost losing my eye), every Saturday I’ve been up early to coach soccer to cute little kiddies, and any spare moment I have I’m either watching re-runs of Friends (bless Netflix) or attempting to have a social life, which usually entails me going over to a friends house, stealing their food, watching more Friends then passing out. Party. Animal. Despite my full plate, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for what I have and for the supportive people in my life. If I haven’t responded to you, know I read all your comments, emails, tweets, etc – and even if you’re just saying hello, it …

The great shower debacle

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Hey everyone! I haven’t done a rant post in awhile. Gosh, I miss it. I miss writing and going on streams of consciousness. You know what? I’ll do on one now. Not sure where this will go, but we’ll find out together! I’m currently in my bed, listening to John Mayer at 11:26PM debating whether to shower tonight or in the morning. If I shower tonight I have to fully blow-dry my hair which takes a good 25 minutes, or I can shower in the morning but I’ll have to wake up an hour earlier, not to mention it’s FREEZING in the AM. Or, I can shower tonight and go to bed with my hair semi-wet, but if I do that I have to straighten it in the morning or else it will be a disheveled mess. The problem with that is, I usually forget if I unplugged my straightener while on my way to work and have to text my brother to check. It’s an uncomfortable feeling wondering if your house is burning down or not, you …

SIGNS YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE A WRITER

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I read a post on Thought Catalog called, “17 Signs You Were Always Meant To Be A Writer“ and wanted to share five of my favourite points (all are soooooo true): 1. You know the pure ecstasy of filling out the last page in a journal and retiring it to the sacred area you store your other weathered-down journals. (Furthermore, you know the pure ecstasy of, then, opening the first page of a new journal and how it represents a whole new world of possibility.) 2. After a few days of not writing, you start to become irritated, frustrated, and you have this sensation of being emotionally backed-up. Once you start writing—after, presumably, procrastinating the writing for minimum two hours—you suddenly feel freer, lighter, and more at ease. 3. If someone pulls out a quote of your writing to compliment your writing skills, you fall in love with them a little bit in that moment. 4. You have never let your life be easy. You have willingly sludged through your past pain, welcomed in breakdowns, …

I’M OFFICIALLY 24 – HERE’S EVERYTHING I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR

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If you remember, last year I set goals of everything I wanted to achieve at 23. This is how I did: 1. I WILL move to New York City. Williamsburg, Brooklyn preferably. …It’s actually laughable at how impossible this was yet, I still thought it was achievable. First step: Need to marry super handsome and successful American man (flexible on the handsome). 2. I WILL get my first full-time PAID job. …Couldn’t be happier or more proud. 3. I WILL eat healthier. …I started taking vitamins, cut down on alcohol consumption and learned to make delicious, nutritious meals. Pat on the back for me. 4. I WILL admit and apologize when I’m wrong. …I’m getting better. I’ll roll my eyes when apologizing, but I’m apologizing nonetheless. Take what you can get. 5. I WILL (not only) shake-hands with new people I meet, but genuinely try to get to know them. I want to ask as many people who influence me to give me a list of their favourite books, songs and movies so I can introduce myself to new …

Tips to avoid becoming stressed or overwhelmed

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Here’s the latest blog post I wrote for Lotus Leaf Style! 🙂 When deadlines and due dates are prominent in your work schedule, you rarely have time for yourself. The thrill of a busy office can keep you on your toes, but let’s take a moment to look at the state of your chipped nails and how the only new bags you’re carrying, are the ones under your eyes. #HotMess Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or high levels of anxiety when it comes to deadlines or stressing whether you’re even doing a good job. You have high expectations of yourself and your work, but if you want to be more productive, you need to be selfish, take yourself away for a moment and concentrate on you! Here are a few tips that can help you de-stress in times in need: 1) Learn to say “NO!” As I previously mentioned, being selfish can be one of the best things you can do for yourself. Whether your neighbour is asking to help paint their garage this weekend or your demanding boyfriend/girlfriend …

Summer List 2014 – ACCOMPLISHED GOALS

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SUMMER 2014 IS OVER! You know what that means… I GET TO SHARE HOW MANY SUMMER GOALS I ACCOMPLISHED and unaccomplished THIS YEAR! If you’re not caught up, click HERE to read the summer list update I wrote in July. I completed all but one goal this summer (sensitive subject I don’t want to talk about it). Other than that, I crossed off everything else – pretty proud of myself! ACCOMPLISHED SUMMER GOALS OF 2014 1. Go to an Asian grocery store and buy a cart full of unknown food, then haul it. These were my favourite purchase from the day. Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat bars, if you haven’t tried them, what are you doing with your life. 2. Make an ultimate summer playlist. 3. Watch an entire series of a TV show I’ve never seen before. SUITS!!! I’m all caught up. 😉 4. Volunteer. 5. Complete writing my book. Ok, listen. Technically I didn’t finish writing a book but I’m going to tell you why I’m still crossing it off. I’ve learned that a writer …

How to get over self-doubt

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In elementary school I was terrible at math. When it came to fractions, algebra or geometry I was never able to wrap my head around the concept of solving even the simplest of equations. It’s not for a lack of trying, I’d go to school early before the day began and forced my poor grade 8 teacher to sit down with me and explain her lessons one-on-one. When I didn’t understand, I got frustrated and was constantly upset because I was the only one in the class who was applying myself yet, not achieving results. I’ll never forget the moment at my grade 8 graduation when my teacher handed out individual cards to the class with a personalized message. When I opened mine it said, “you can achieve amazing things Jessica, you just need to have a little more faith in yourself.” In more situations than not, I still get self-conscious, nervous and expect the worse in every situation. Why? Because I’m human. We all have moments where we feel overwhelmed and insecure. However, I’ve …