pici of the weeki 3

Hello my prittis.



I can't believe it's already that time again. Here is the pici of the weeki. I just love this picture! It's so much fun. I love the tones of the colours in this picture and just the quirkiness of it all. I really like the pink of the cotton candy and the striped bikini too :)





Thank you to Kim Vandermeer for submitting this picture :) Here is a link to her blog.
Kim is a talented photographer in Ottawa. I have done a photoshoot with her in the past!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

me likey

I like this picture.

There is something about magazines that I love! I just skim through them and look at the pictures. My kind of magazine, is one with few words and loads of pictures... kinda like my blog :S

I told you in the beginning, I am not a writer. I just like expressing myself with pictures.

My life long dream would be to work for a magazine company... I'll keep you posted on my progress :)

What is your favorite magazine or cover?

As it turns out, they are selling this print in a frame at the store FRAMED on Bank street and Sunnyside. I wish I could afford it though :S

me love spending money-4

So yesterday on my lunch break I went antiquing! Read more about my adventures on this post.

But... this post is about spending money!! So here is what I bought for $25!!

You are probably thinking, why would you put a laundry board up as decoration. Because I think it's fabulous! That's why. The blue tones in the glass complement the blue in my shower curtain. Plus that wall was so empty... it was missing an accent piece!

So, do you like it? What's your favorite accent piece in your bathroom.

If you read this post, you will see the copper bucket that I want to get and fill with towels and toilet paper and place it under the hand towel.

Tell me what you think.

I am off to measure the space to see if it fits!

me a foodi 3

Hello my prittis.

I wanted to show you what I have been up to in my garden and food making science project.

Basically we have about 5 hot pepper plants growing; cherry bomb, banana pepper, red chilly pepper, jalapeno... WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THIS HEAT???

I made a hot pepper oil... and I am so proud out it!

Improvisation is my favorite in the kitchen:

• garlic cloves
• hot peppers cut up with seeds
• bay leaves
  
• olive oil
• black pepper corns
• salt

The best part is that this oil serves as a double duty:

1. Deliciously flavored spicy oil, for salads or bread dipping
2. Marinated and flavored hot peppers

I'll let you know how it turns out.

me blog about valley

Hello my prittis,

I just wanted to introduce me so pritti's baby sister blog "theovalley". I will be posting all my "Ottawa" specific blog posts there. This way all my fans around the world can focus on what they are truely intersted in... my PROBLEMS!! haha

I hope you like my new baby :)

me like pastry

On my last voyage to NYC, I went on a quest, a journey. I was, in search, for the best red velvet cake this concrete jungle had to offer!

I will tell this story with pictures- how else can I make you drool?

We got these cupcakes from Magnolia on Bleeker Street it was worth the wait! Although I am not eating the red velvet cupcake in this picture, I sure did have anothet serving later ;P

These cupcakes were made from a store bought package. They were still good, but not the taste I was looking for...

I tried the red velvet cupcake from Crumbs Bake Shop. It was very tasty, but too sweet from what I recall. Also the portions are really too big for a snack.

Alas! I found my one true love! The best cupcake I found was in a small little shed in SOHO. See that little red cabin behind me in the picture? That's the one! Perfect crumb, perfect taste, perfect moisture, perfect frosting. I wish I had the name and the address of this place. Basically he serves coffee, tea and snacks. This a series of pictures of me trying the cupcake...

And last but not least, my wedding cake.... it was half red velvet and half lemon poppyseed! I kept the top layer for our anniversary... it's RED VELVET!!!

I have tried the Starbucks red velvet cupcake too... let me save you $4. It was gross!! Not fresh and had a strange taste to it. Don't be fooled by it's good looks!

Note: Do not try this experiment at home. This may cause useless money being spent, diabetes, obesity and may stain your hands red.

me so broke-ii

Hello again my prittis.

I didn't want to have to go there, but judging by my 1 vote it looks like you want to hear about my problems. Well, I can't blame you. It's great hearing about other people's problems, because it makes your life seem so easy.

You know that saying..."blah, blah, blah, you would never want to switch with someone else problems in the end"... "blah, blah, blah, walking a mile in my shoes for a day.", "blah, blah, the grass is always greener on the other side.". The point is having problems SUCKS, no matter who you are.

Here are some of my problems:

• Dept :$ (Did I mention I bought my house and got married all in the same year?)


• Shopaholic (I shop because I am unhappy, and I am unhappy because I shop.... Ya right!)


• Excessive renovation planning (I want my house to look like Sarah Richardson decorated it)


• Delusional about everything!


• Need to replace my car- something reasonable like a Honda or Toyota


• Need to redo my kitchen- make all I can really afford is a facelift


• Need to repair the bathroom- seriously, the walls are cracking and the tub is ugmo!


• Excessive planner in general = no time to do anything productive!


• Excessive NEED/WANT to travel (Do you realize how many countries are in Europe?... I haven't even scratched the surface!)


• Excessive travel planning


• Excessive streeming of entire seasons in an unhealthy amount of time


• Awe man, I didn't want to go there but... My P.A.D.D ( Physical Activity Deficit Dissorder)

Before I started this list, I'm thinking to myself... "what should I put on this list? I don't really have any problems, do I?". By the end of this list, I am cutting my wrists and now clinically depressed. Just kidding!

Anyways, the conclusion of my list is that I am BROKE! But I am on track to paying off my debts, one post at a time. I promise. You just have to keep reminding me that I don't NEED a $2,000 chair, that my closet is full and I don't need to buy more shoes or purses or clothes for that matter. That I have to save up for my car if I want one.

Admit it though, you wouldn't tune in if my life was perfect!!!

Let's just say hypothetically that my total debt was $ X... I will attempt to give you a monthly financial statement so you can keep track of my progress!! Now I HAVE to be good! No excuses!

Have a great Tuesday everybody.

me want lunchi

So, once again I did not bring a lunch with me.

I was so busy this weekend and didn't have a chance to do the groceries.

I wonder if keeping track of these blogs will be an indirect way of tracking how often I eat out!!! Crap :S

I was not the only one who didn't have a lunch today. I was invited to "Serious Cheese" it's a great cheese, sandwich, soup, etc shop on Bank Street in Ottawa. We took our lunch to go, and sat outside at a pic nic table :) Loves it!

I had a delicious "grilled cheese and ham" sandwich with a small macaroni and cheese with bacon. Basically the same thing served differently! I just realised that I ate a grilled cheese last week too!! What is my problem?!

Anyhow, It was delicious...

This is all that is left of my lunch.

Bon appétit!

This too funni- 2

Hello my pritti people!

I just wanted to share something funny for you to help you get through this rough Monday morning. I just find it hard to work when the weather is so beautiful.


My comment from my first post "This too funni" inspired me to compilate at top 5 "Kid slap videos". I know it's not right to hit poeple, but there is something so hilarious about kids slapping people or getting slapped (do not try this at home!!!).

So, I can't really find only kids getting slapped videos, which is probably a good thing, so I looked for my favorite slapping scenes in general

Enjoy!

1. Doritos- House rules
2. 4 rooms
3. Airplane- calm down
4. Blue Streak- "Why you keep on slapping me mama!" (couldn't find the link!!!)
5. Everybody hates Chris- "I smack you into..."

Please share your favorite slapping scenes with me!!

pici of the weeki-2

I realize that it's a bit early, but I am going away this weekend and I wanted to make sure that I took care of you!

So this week we have Wedding Polaroids provided by a great friend from my childhood! Not sure if she wants to remain anonymous, so for privacy sake, I will omit her name!

Basically, I love these pictures and the raw colours that are captured. Again it's a simplicity thing. No fancy lighting, natural poses, one shot deal, what you see is what you get!

When you get it right the first time, it's priceless!

Thank you for submitting to pici of the weeki!

I hope you all enjoyed these.

Don't forget to share your favorite pics with me! Who knows, you could be next!

Have a great weekend!

me love spending money-3

OMG!!! Guys, girls, anyone reading this.

Today is one of the happiest days! Not only is it Friday, but the chair that I have been eyeing in the window display at my favorite furniture store in Ottawa is, get ready for this, ON SALE!!

I am no mathematician, but 10% off allot of money= a huge savings!

I NEED you to tell me if I should get it. You be the judge!

Mikaza Home

Womb and Ottoman

me like my countri

Every month I check my inbox and patiently wait... what's new this time? will I be featured in this one? what will the next issue of Modern Vintage look like?


Last month, I submitted an article to "Modern Vintage", it's a local newsletter that talks about music, fashion, culture, politics, sports and much more. What I love about it most, is that it's for anyone and talks about anything, the best part is that you don't have to be a journalist to submit your artciles, reviews or opinions. I think this is what inspired me to get back to writing. I may not be great at it, and you may find lots of mistakes... but I warned you in my first post!

I am actually proud of the article I submitted about Canada. Here is a picture of it! If you are having trouble reading the article, here is the direct link to it!

If you want some light reading and diversified entertainment, I strongly suggest.... that you do what you want!

For those of you who are curious (like me! heheh)

You know what this is: http://www.eproductions.tk/


and... If you wish to be added to the mailing list, you know what to do with this: eproductions at live dot com

me know somebodi

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I had a boring day, so it's better this way.

On a positive note, I would like to share with you one of my talents: NETWORKING, NETWORKING, NETWORKING!!!

If you tell me something, I assure you I will tell all the relevant people in my life about it!

So... I will be featuring some local talent and small businesses on my blog.

Please feel free to share some of your favorite talents and local businesses if you want to add them to my NETWORKING list!

I took this picture in Florida. It reminds me of something on Nintendo Mario Bros... but most of all its web reminds me of networking!

Have a great Friday!

This too funni

Many of you may not realize this about me, but I love to laugh! I love making people laugh. I love laughing so hard your crying and your stomach muscles just can't take it anymore. I love it when I laugh so hard I don't have anymore breath or voice left... then you take a big deep breath and start laughing again. I have to say, there are only a few people who can do this to me (you know who you are!).

When you are alone, at night, sitting at your computer, what better way to get your laugh going, then getting caught into a Youtube-athon vortex! My favorite!

Here are my top 10 Youtube faves:

1. Old spice commercial
2. Old spice response
3. No!- Cop Out
4. HNL- MAD TV
5. Glozell- Tic Toc Lyrics
6. Cholla Makeup
7. )izzed in my pants
8. Puked in mouth- response
9. Depressant Drug- Onion News
10. Laser Shield- 30 Rock

Hope this made you laugh!

me so hungri

So I was lazy this morning and focused on my hair instead of making a lunch. I quickly ran out of the house with a container of cut up pineapple, a box of cherry tomatoes, bulkan yogurt with blueberries and rhubarb jam thinking that was going to be enough for the day.

When lunch time approached, I thought to myself, what is aroud my work that I can take out in less than 1 hour (I have a meeting later, so I am in a rush!!!).
Well, I thought "What about the yellow chip wagon right at the corner of Bank and Sunnyside". If you haven't tried this place in Ottawa... it is a must!

B.T.W. It's called M&G!

I quickly hoovered a Bacon, Tomatoe Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It was.... DELICIOUS!!! Fresh tomatoes, salty bacon, buttery and crunchy toast... Mmmmmm.

A 365 day landmark! Rain, snow or shine, he is there feeding the folks of the old Ottawa South!
Rumour has it, he is missing a finger.

French fries anyone?
Bon appétit!

me travel plenti

Since I travel allot for work and for pleasure I thought I would prepare my "Top 10 things to bring when you travel".

1. Sunglasses (picture: Dolce and Gabanna now for sale on kijiji)
2. Passport (not for sale :P)
3. Iphone with headphones
4. Ca$h money
5. Pen
6. Havaiana flip flops (AMAZING and COMFORTABLE! They have been everywhere with me... if shoes can talk!)
7. My Fendi satchel (consignment shop 50% off!) It fits everything!
8. Rosebud salve purchased at Sephora
9. H&M scarf. I call it "my Russian". It's huge! I luv it.
10. Camera (picture: Nikon Coolpix now for sale on kijiji). Remember I bought my Cannon camera which is why my Nikon is for sale :P

P.S. Although I travel so much, did I forget to mention how much I HATE PACKING!!!!! But I am getting good at it :)

What's your top 10?

me love spending money-2

I just want to say one thing here.

If your friends can't support you and your shopping guilt, who will?

All I am saying is be there for one another and support each others bad habits. Don't judge. Just be happy and live vicariously through others. The last thing you need to hear is "Don't you already have that?" from your closest friend.

What you want to hear is "That looks fabulous on you! Can I borrow it?"... "Maybe, if you're nice".

On another note, I cleaned out my closest the other night and I wanted to show you. Slowly, I am getting my life in order... One blog at a time!

Okay, so maybe it's not super organized, but at least I can see where all my stuff is. Note: this is the guest room closet which holds only my "stuff", not

my clothes... and it's possible that the blue bins contain more shoes and purses (I just displayed the nicer ones :) ).

.... see why do I feel guilty showing you this. I should be proud!

Next blog: Let's talk about my finances :S

me dress by city

Typical scenario for me: Get home from a trip, unpacking my suitcase and wondering..."What possessed me to buy this? When am I ever going to wear this again?"

Okay gals, have you noticed that your style changes depending on the city your are staying in? Your taste completely adapts to your surrounding. Suddenly you are inspired to wear different things, you're telling yourself "Man, I'm gonna be so original and fashionable when I get home."

But who is kidding who? Can I really pull it off?

Take for instance my last trip to Florida. I actually bought a colourful bikini. My friends who know me well, know that I don't buy colour. Everything I own is black, white, navy, grey... you get what I mean. In the end, I am SO HAPPY WITH IT!! I LOVE IT!

My last trip to Jamaica, I bought a green t-shirt that has JAMA-on the front and ICA- on the back. Do you think I will ever wear that shirt again? Maybe to bed.

My last trip to Vegas, I bought a crazy pair of heels... I had to wait 2 years to actually wear them here to synchronize with the fashion trends in Ottawa.

I guess the point I am trying to make is... NEVER CHANGE YOUR HABITS!

These clothes bring back memories, stories and create the best conversations.

"Where did you get those shoes?... oh from my trip to Vegas"

me2morph-ii

Some of you may know this, but besides my full time job, I am a Freelance Makeup Artist.


I have been running my own business for about 3 years now, and it's getting pretty busy considering I'm just working by word of mouth. It's the most flattering way to run a business!


My website is still new and I haven't changed it, but I am updating it soon http://www.me2morph.com/

me love spending money

Doesn't this picture just screem "$PEND YOUR MONEY HERE!!!".

What it is with pharmacies? There is nothing like taking an hour and going through each aisle slowly and asking yourslef "Do I need this?", "Maybe I should get two, it's a great sale", "Oh, my friends use this, I should get one... I'm here anyway".

This weekend, I did just that. Spend money on things I probably didn't need. Although some of my purchases were legitimate, at least I think they were. You tell me.

1. Shaving cream- I needed some
2. 3 toothpaste tubes- they were on sale
3. Thin rubber headband- I wanted to see what the hype was all about.
4. Milk- main reason why I went to the store... and to check a loosing lotto ticket
5. Hand cream- was on sale... it's supposed to be very moisturinzing. Do I have a million at home? Yes, but this one is different.
6. Lady stuff- was on sale, you need to buy this stuff when it's on sale.
7. Cards, Cards, Cards- it's always someone's birthday or something, so I always buy cards together for many events. This way I save lots of time!

Total= $74.00!!! (I know, right?)

I think that's about it. The fact of the matter is, this type of slow shopping is very therapeutic. I hate rushing. I also hate running out of stuff at home, this is why I always have backup!

I would love to know where you like to spend your money or where you practice retail therapy?

Aug 10 2010- This blog post was featured in "Modern Vintage" August 2010 issue!

pici of the weeki

This is my picture of the week! I want to start featuring my favorite images and sharing them with you!

This was taken in a photobooth (obviously) in a cute restaurant in Brooklyn. Nat, if you see this... please remind me the name of this place.

The reasons why I like this picture:

- I remember being in elementary school and going to the mall on weekends. Taking pictures was a regular thing to do. Then you would fight over who would get which picture. Natalie and I disputed as to who got the picture. I obviously got the jpeg :P

- I love how much fun you can have in 2 minutes. You can just get crazy and make the funniest faces. The crazier you are the better your pictures get.

- Cramming as many people as possible in the photobooth is always the best challenge.

- Getting all those people to fit in the picture is another challenge.

- Checking yourslef out in the glass as the pictures are being taken.

- Impatiently waiting for the pictures to come out after you are done... and being surprised every time!

I think this is why it's important to hold on to simple things and not dismiss them when a new gadget comes along.

Have a great weekend!

me love family

So, I decided to introduce you to me and my sisters and my niece (which by the way is my new obsession). She is so sweet and growing up so fast. Check out her new little teeth!

We are 5 years apart, but have a close relationship. We get into arguments just as much as we laugh our heads off. I just couldn't imagine my life without them.

Sisters!! Love you xox

me a foodi 2

Guess what I made with the basil from my garden??? Pesto! It was delicious!

Okay, I love taking pictures of food and plants.

Here are a few pictures from my garden and a blueberry pie that I made yesterday!

Enjoy the pics!

me so teari

It's gone. I just sold my wedding dress.

We got married August 15th 2009. Some people thought I was crazy for buying a used wedding dress. What they may not realize is that I bought that dress from a wonderful woman, who had a wonderful wedding, a beautiful house and an amazing new family! The way I looked at it... that dress was my good luck charm. My happily ever after.

My wedding day was perfect! So... I had to pass that god luck on to someone else!

May it bring luck and happiness to the 3rd wedding!!

A Dieu belle robe blanche!

- picture provided by Kaufmann Photography

Music and me

It's Bluesfest in Ottawa. So many bands to see, so little time, so little money. You check the lineup online a few months before, check out who you really want to see. You put your plastic green accountant visor on and start crunching numbers. Your cost analysis- "Week pass V.S. individual ticket purchases".


This year my cost analysis was the same - $200 for the week or City and Colour, Archade Fire, Drake and Weezer for $50 each.


Last night, everything worked out as planned: got cheaper tickets to the show, got home, cleaned my closet (something I was putting off for a while... stay tuned for a post!), had dinner while Skyping with Nat for a few hours. My friends get to my house early, we decide to leave early to catch more shows. Find parking, have a great walk, get to the gates early, pull out the tickets to get them scanned. 1 WRONG TICKET!!!!!

WHAT THE??!! Call my night in shining armour, he goes home, gets the right ticket, drives it downtown, we WAIT!!!!!!!


This is what we watched while we waited... CAN YOU SAY AMAZING?! Who are these kids anyway? Suddently, time stops. We don't care anymore that we will be late for the Arcade Fire concert. To think I would have missed out on the most innocent Kids rocking out to classic rock 'n roll. They must have been 11 years old. The kid on the left was ripping a guitar sollo... like something out of a scene from "School of Rock". Do these kids even know who they are playing? I hope you enjoy a tidbit that I cought on camera for you guys. (Okay... so the video uploader is taking way too long, so here is a picture instead... sorry)

The good news is, we finally get our tickets, get to the concert and we only missed a few songs. Arcade Fire was simply spectacular. You know a concert is good when it makes you shiver and tear up. They basically sounded exactly like their CDs.

Factoid: Arcade Fire will be donating $1 million dollars to Haiti. Click here for more details.
Here are the lyrics to their song "Haiti". Enjoy.

my "to do list" and mii

To do:

- blog about to do list

- take a pictures of my to do lists at work

- take a picture of my to do list on my iphone.

- email it to myslef

- upload pictures on laptop at home

- upload pictures on my post

- publish my post

- wait for comments

- delete item "Blog about to do list" from my to do list

If you look closely, I have 3 regular to do lists (top right corner above screen), one on the paper pad next to me, a white board with restaurant to do lists and I have one on my iphone, which I cannot take a picture of at this point in time. You can't see this but on some items I have "refer to I.T. to do list". Oh, this is my to do list at WORK only, not to mention the way I set up my emails/calendar at work is a form of to do list in itself...My to do list at home, is worse!!

Am I crazy? organized? process driven? am I scared of memory loss? WHAT IS MY PROBLEM?!?

me go to worki

Do you struggle to get dresses every morning? Are you the type of person that prepares their clothes the night before so you can save time in the morning? Are you the person who thinks about what they're going to wear while snoozing in the morning? ...There's no point in waking up now, if I don't know what to wear today. We'll the later is me.

"There's no point in waking up now, if I don't know what to
wear today."

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE clothes and have tones of it. Maybe too much. Maybe that's my problem. I have so much stuff that nothing feels special anymore. Too much competition in the wardrobe. That, and it would help if I lost some weight. This way the outfit I pictured in my head would actually look right on me. Do youknow how much time I could save? Maybe a good 30 minutes a day. That's 2.5 hours a week. That's 10 hours a month!!! Okay you get my point.

My question is how do I solve this problem? Should I reorganize my closet and set up a program to help me get dressed like Cher's closet in Clueless? Should I use the new app that was inspired by the mobie?What's your solution? PLEASE HELP ME!!!

j'aime paris

January 2009, I went to Paris!

It was my first time in Europe and best of all, my little Michael asked me to marry him!
But what better words go together than Paris and Fashion!

As luck would have it, on the coldest winter day in Paris and being New Years Day, nothing was open but the lovely Musée du Petit Palais. To my surprise there was a Free exhibit on Patrick Demarchelier http://www.demarchelier.net/... honestly, what are the ods.

You may recognize his work, he is one of Vogue's most noted fashion photographer. He has photographed almost every A list celebrity in their most natural state.


Here are some of my favorite pictures. Enjoy!