Turning the BIG 2-5 [Recap]

 As you all may or may not know, it was my birthday on June 27 and I turned the BIG 25! (This post is obviously late but I blame that on my previous writer's block)! I just wanted to reminisce about it because my boyfriend spoiled me to no end which is something I'm just, in general, not used to! This year I didn't plan anything with friends or family. I have had many people bail and no show when I made big birthday plans in the past. Anyways I like to think that things seems to turn out for the better when they are not planned and I love spontaneity :)

My birthday fell on a Friday this year and I spent the day sleeping in and relaxing. As I received numerous bday wishes on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and through the phone, I was just treating the day like it was any other day. My boyfriend's brother's girlfriend (that's a mouthful haha) even personally stopped by to give me birthday hugs which was a very pleasant surprise.

When my boyfriend came home from work, he told me that I had to start getting ready and I was wondering, 'ooooo for what?' & 'where are we going?' He said it was a surprise and that I need to dress up nicely. I love getting all dressed up and thankfully I envisioned exactly what I was going to wear for my 25th birthday. So we both got ready and my boyfriend seemed to be blown away by what I was wearing. Let's just say it accentuated my best assets ;)

Crop Lace Top: Winners, Bodycon Skirt: Stiches, Wristlet: Coach, Shoes: Target

We got in a cab and I had really no idea where we were going! We headed towards a part of Toronto I never been to but it looked very chic. The weather was perfectly breezy and sunny too! He courted me to this upscale looking restaurant called, Reds, on a corner of Yonge & Adelaide St (busy intersection) and asked to sit on the patio which ran along the sidewalk. As I looked at the menu, however, it didn't seem as upscale as I thought. The menu was expensive but the items were what I would expect at Jack Astors. Besides that, I was happy that my boyfriend surprised me and we both ordered delicious Bellinis.

Then my boyfriend looked really confused looking at the menu some more and all of a sudden says, "Babe, I think I took you to the wrong restaurant..." hahahah in my mind I was like 'thank god' (because it just seemed way to overpriced for the food options being presented). He actually planned to take me to an Italian restaurant, Scaddabush, but wasn't sure where it was because he never been there before either! Of course his surprise for me was ruined but we slyly asked for the bill, and asked the waiter politely (and embarrassingly) where Scaddabush was situated. He chuckled and said it was right beside Reds and we just had to walk a minute more to reach its location! Of course we explained that it was supposed to be a bday surprise and my boyfriend mistakenly took me to the wrong restaurant!

We shamelessly finished our Bellinis and scurried right over to Scaddabush's patio. Let me tell you...this is now my favourite Italian restaurant! It was a little bit pricy but not over the top AND the food is authentically Italian. I am usually hestitant with Italian restaurants as I am partially Italian and used to homemade Italian food. This restaurant changed my opinion and I highly recommend!! The food was authentic and came in big portions which was very surprising for an upscale restaurant. We ate fried calamari and 'poor man's bread' as our appetizers and for our mains we ordered lemon chicken dinner, and chicken with sundried tomato linguine in alfredo sauce. We also couldn't forget a nice bottle of Italian red wine :) We're alchys sorry hahaha...For dessert, we ordered cheesecake and strawberry tartufo (my favourite!). Mmmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it! ***Also side note*** inside the restaurant was beautiful and they had a girl DJ playing right before you walked up the stairs to the washroom, it was SICKKKK!

 After dinner, we were so stuffed we literally had troubled walking! That could have also been a combination of drunkness and my heels hahaha jk but seriously we were that FULL! We decided to go to our favourite club, El Convento Ricos (where we also met for the first time), in hopes that we could dance off all the food we just ate. Yeahh...sooo the dancing didn't help and I just couldn't move the rest of the night but we enjoyed going and seeing the usual drag queen performances. It was a wonderful night and such a nice surprise for my 25th bday <3 We spent the rest of my 25th bday weekend  hardcore dancing and raving at Digital Dreams (electronic music festival) but I will make another post about that event later. You don't want to miss it!!!

Turning 25 is a big deal, it's a quarter of a century duhhh and everyone should celebrate it in style :) 

Cheers!

Thanks for reading!xo

Applying for a job IS a job!

Let me tell you how frustrating it is to find a job! I have got to the point of discouragement and depression because either I get rejected through an automated email or I don't receive any call backs. I feel like a complete and utter FAILURE. I have had many jobs and lots of experience from customer service to retail to office and I also have a Uni. degree, so why is it I'm not being hired anywhere? Also, my resume has been looked over by a few people (professional & unprofessional) and they have all said it's a great resume...I mean... obviously I have obtained jobs in the past with it in hand!

For the past month I have been applying online and in person and it's become very tiring. It has come to the point where I get physically tired from applying and applying and applying - it's absolutely ridiculous! I just moved to the city for school and thought it was easier to find jobs here. The thing is there are actually LOTS of jobs posted that do not require any experience or extra qualifications and I have not heard from them either. It's tiring because most of these online application processes take over 30 minutes to complete their assessments and questionnaires. Like seriously, they should tell me I'm not the right candidate just by scanning my resume instead of wasting my time further just to reject me in the end.

People tell me not to worry, and that it takes time but I don't have time to just loaf around. I need to pay my school tuition, rent, and other important bills. I cry everyday because I feel depressed and not good enough for anything here. I have even lowered my standards just so I can get any job! :(

How can anyone reject that face above? I'm a very hard working, dedicated, creative and punctual person. Nowadays, everything is done online and it's not as personal anymore. I just wonder how some people successfully get the jobs that I look at...are they lying their way through? Some people just seem to not care about the job when they are on the job. I've seen so many careless employees, I just don't get it...does anyone else feel the same? Does anyone have any tips on actually landing a part time mediocre job in Toronto? Any suggestions or advice for me and others who are having the same problem? I've seriously jokingly mentioned stripping for cash to my bf, in which he responded with a big fat NO hahaha that's how desperate I've become! He was not too pleased with that suggestion..but honestly I need to find something decent soon!! Fingers crossed :)


...or someone could just help me get a job but that would be wishful thinking, wouldn't it?

Thanks for reading! xo

Blog Layout 2014, whew!

I have to say after countless hours, nights and months editing and tweaking, I am finally satisfied with the result of my new blog layout (seen below)!! I'm hoping it will make my old and new readers feel more welcomed when they enter my blog. I just feel that it is more of an open concept now with my own personal touch :)

In case anyone is wondering, I started from the Simple Template provided by Blogger and worked on it all on my own from there. I love the font I chose for the blogpost title because it looks more effortless (I love handwriting by the way). I love that I incorporated the colour blue more because not only is it one of my fave colours, it reminds me of the lakeshore + matches my eye colour! It has more of a nautical feel to it. I also figured out how to make my 'About Me' profile picture round  from searching this blog HERE !!! It was REALLY helpful! Honestly, I thought I had to get a professional graphic designer to achieve this look (I even asked a couple of friends) but I can tell you  if you just look around and use your own creativity the blog will look and feel much better to YOU (and that's what matters the most)! I feel inspired and encouraged to write now that I am pleased with my layout. The only thing I want to approve is the little 'About Me' blurb...I want to make it short & sweet but so far it's been difficult to come up with something that possesses all my qualities AND what this blog will be all about...

If anyone has any ideas for my 'About Me' description, please let me know! I would really appreciate any thoughts on that. 

Updated layout 2014 

I was having problems being able to write in my blog again because I was not satisfied with my previous layout. I thought if I don't like going to my OWN blog, no one else will go to it either. I knew I needed a change. Down below is my old layout and although when I look at it now it doesn't look too bad I just feel it  needed a bit more airiness with better coordination :) It's amazing how something as simple as a new blog layout could create such motivation and inspiration to write again.

Old layout

Please feel free to ask how I achieved certain elements on my new blog layout in the comment section. I would love to hear all your thoughts and inquiries. Whew, now this feels like one great sigh of relief!

Thanks for reading!

Fishtail on the First Try

I love the fishtail braid because it looks so intricate and effortless. Unfortunately, for the longest time my attempted fishtail braids looked more like a bird's nest braid hahaha... until recently when I found out a very easy and helpful tip that I learned from a Youtuber, LoeyLane. I've linked her YT video below! I couldn't believe that this one quick, and SIMPLE (like really simple it blew my mind) trick only involves the use of of ONE hair tye. When I tried her tip, I was able to get the perfect fishtail braid on the first try! Now I can really say that the fishtail braid is very easy to do and ONLY looks complicated!!! In the end, you get a beautiful but effortless hair style :) On the same day that I tried Loey's tip, I did a no makeup to full makeup look because I was just so happy that I actually pulled it off. It's great for days when you're having a bad hair day, or if you just want your hair out of the way! Please check out LoeyLane's "7 Quick and Easy Hairstyles for School" video on YouTube HERE to know how I pulled the fishtail braid on my first try! <3

Ps. I thanked Loey through Twitter and she actually responded (and retweeted my image!!). She seems to be a really sweet girl and I recommend everyone to subscribe to her for tips and tricks on beauty, fashion & style :) 

Thanks for reading!

Saying Goodbye

This is a over due post...sorry.

I've been putting blogging off to the side everyday pretty much since my last post. It's always in the back of my mind. I usually think of great topics and say to myself, "hmmm that's a good idea to write in my blog..." and then I never have the courage to actually write it! Well, here is an attempt to help me get back into the swing of things. This post is going to be dedicated to the topic of "friendship + saying goodbye."

I titled this post "Saying Goodbye" because I recently thought of all the friends I lost after high school. High school really is a different world. When you're in high school, you live in a world (more like a bubble) that makes you believe friendships will be long lasting until you're all old and grey! Yay! I remember I would walk around the block everyday after school with my best friend, and we would talk about such things as being at one another's weddings, spending every girl's night together, growing old, etc. Reality is, I am now 24 yrs old and my high school bestie and I are not in any contact whatsoever! It is sad to lose friends, but I have learned to say goodbye to the past and move on. Why should I be hung up over losing friends? If they really were my true friend, soulmate, best friend FOR LIFE, whatever you want to define it; they would still be part of my life right? Right. In fact, I found myself caring more about what she did after our friendship ended such as if she succeeded through school, her love life and more - all through social media. I bet she does not or did not do the same for me. It just caused more stress in my life from all the regret I was feeling.

*By the way, just in case you think this post is an angst post against an ex-friend - it really isn't. I  have no hard feelings towards this certain individual, and I don't waste my time looking up her life through social media anymore. She was part of a significant time in my life and I hope that maybe she feels the same way about me too...and if not, well that is cool too. We did have a fall out and had made amends, but life gets in the way I guess.

Losing friends is something we need to let go. We can't always be hung up on the "could have beens" of friendships. People change after high school. We all become part of the bigger picture, and sometimes those friends you had just don't fit within the lines of your masterpiece. Besides, what is the point of having so many friends? We're always told that quality is better than quantity. Well, I would say I may have a few close/best friends but they provide me quality friendships. As it is, I find it is difficult (maybe it's just me) to handle the amount of 'friends' I have on Facebook! Most of them are actually high school friends that I don't know on a personal level anymore but I get to see (through social networking) how they have grown since the time I knew them. I keep it simple with the close knit group of friends I have made throughout the years after high school. So far, they have all grown with me personally and we have kept very lovely friendships. I feel as though high school friendships can be a little superficial. It is like you were 'trying' out friends, going through them, and made to believe you needed to settle with them. Were we just friends for the sake having friends to uphold a good social status during high school?

From my personal experience, friendships after high school are so much more serious and long lasting (*no worries, I still have a couple of close friendships that stemmed from high school btw!!). But if you want to continue having friends just  for quantitative reasons then that's cool too. However, just know that it becomes a bit lonely when you don't have true friends to share and trust with all your secrets and are also able to handle all your crazy personal attributes :)

I want to leave off with this image that I retweeted on Twitter about ex-bestfriends:

Thanks for reading!

I'll have more fun and interesting posts very soon :)

I joined Bloglovin' !!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/9666469/?claim=qatypyruqjp">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>


Just a heads up, I just joined Bloglovin' and will be updating this blog shortly! YAY..only took me a year.

My Bloglovin' username is sonniski3z :) same as my blog!

See you soon :)

black & leopard

This is a very due OOTD post.

Come and take a walk on the wild side ~ Lana Del Rey

 I wore this outfit to the mall I think about a month ago and just been too lazy to write about it. Sorry :/
The first part of the video was filmed by me and the mall segment was filmed by my little brother who has no camera experience. I think next time I will tell him to stick with one camera angle!! :) It was fun and kind of awkward being filmed in the mall! Luckily it was very quiet that night. I am brave though, and I hope to do it again soon!!!

I also want to point out that this outfit is very figure flattering for someone who wants to hide their stomach area. I wish I remembered to mention that in the YouTube video but I may do more videos that explain what items will flatter someone with the same body type as me! :)

Enough talk & more PICTURE TIME!

Behold: me and my messy room!!

black & leopard

FOTD

 CLOTHES: 
Black faux jacket with faux fur collar - River Island
Black sweater - Stitches
White&black leopard skirt - H&M
Winter boots - Zellers
Grey leg warmers - Ardenes

Thanks for reading!