these are my confessions~

Confession #1: The pizza from the last blog? All the credit has to go to The Boy ... in order to save a bit of money, we're trying to cook each other meals and last week was his turn, and he made us pizza ... from scratch(!), it's true. But I wish I could take credit for the yummy meal. If you'd like a little recipe, I can ask him ;) 

Confession #2: When I take my dog out for a walk at the park, I get jealous at all the little kids playing all these new games I don't know about (seriously, what is Fruit Salad?!). Makes me wish I could just be carefree and run around ... so me and my dog went exploring and then I came home and ate some ice cream ... oops. 

Confession #3: I have a bit of a weird addiction to The Hills, especially MTV's Aftershow because of the hosts, Dan and Jessi (who are Canadian, whoop whoop)! So when me and my close friend (who is also a fellow Hills-obsesser) found out they were coming to our university for an impromptu talk and Q&A session, we definitely had to go. We piled into a lecture hall and listened, while also getting the chance to ask them some questions.

They are honestly a hoot and told all these funny stories about meeting Tom Cruise (nice - almost too nice), Kristen Stewart (not very positive), Kelly Clarkson (Dan is a big fan), and what they really think about certain cast members of The Hills. It was a random and hilarious night :) And I look like a dork in that photo, hmms.

Confession #4: I now have that GLEE mash-up stuck in my head. 

Confession #5: I feel like my life is at a bit of a standstill. That's not to say that I don't go out and do things, it's just ... I constantly feel like I'm waiting for things to begin, waiting for answers to all these questions I have. And it's not that I'm afraid of the answer -- I'm more than willing to find out what I need to do next in my life. It's just the waiting that gets to me. When you go out and exercise, you're working towards that goal, it's a quote-on-quote "work in progress." But when you write down everything and anything that will take you to the next step in life and all you're counting on is that one day when you find out whether it's a yes or a no and that day can't come soon enough ... it just makes everything feel like a standstill. 

Recently, I found out that I might actually go to Europe this summer in August. It's another question, and I'm hoping the answer is yes, that I'll get to see my family again, that I'll get to meet The Boy's family, that we'll get to see places and experience things different than what I'm used to. But it's another one of those what if moments, one of those well, hopefully it'll happen. All I'm doing lately is making back-up plans for the plans I'm still waiting on answers for. 

I guess that's life, right?

Wow, this post took a sudden 'Debbie Downer' turn. 

I try to look on the bright side of life, try to focus on all that I have, the people in my life, things that I've accomplished. And one of my closest friends told me that no matter what, there will be opportunities in my life - and I appreciate that so much, and I believe her. I just wish they would come a bit sooner.

ask nikolett

Earlier this month, I wrote about having an 'official' Ask Nikolett post for you to ask questions instead of randomly inserting them into another entry. So here goes! 

While I could have a formspring or something, this is more meant to be something along the lines of an 'agony aunt' (which works, since I'm an aunt tee-hee) ... though I'm by no means an expert at life (at. all.) But, if you have questions about life, things you want to throw out there and you might not know who exactly to ask or who to turn to ... I am your lady.

If you have personal questions about me (like say, for instance, what my favourite Skittles flavour is*), you can feel free to ask those, too. If you have questions about how to approach that certain someone, things to do with friendships, about exercise, or jobs, things like that ... I'd love to answer them over a cup of coffee, but I hope having a blog post every once in a while answering your questions will also do! And then, if anyone else has any input, they can throw it out there, too. Okay, I'm starting to rhyme now and that's scary (boo!).

Hopefully this doesn't fail(blog.ORG!)

Without further ado, ask away!

*It's the green ones.

random ways to spend a weekend

I had one of those weeks where you just feel like unplugging from everything ... but with a huge website due for class, I wasn't really allowed to. But I kind of took a breather from the blog world, if only for a bit, and I hope that's ok :) With the exception of changing my blog header to make it more spring-like, yipee! But once I get some caffeine in me and put down the video game controller, I'll be back and ready for action! In the meantime, though, I've joined this amazing group called In It To Gym It! (kudos to LiLu), all about motivating yourself to get yourself to where you want to be body-wise or other-wise. You can read my first post here :)

And now: 

Random Ways to Spend A Weekend

Make a homemade pizza - no, not Delicissio's (or delivery), but something from scratch :)

Our toppings of choice: pineapples, red pepper, bacon, and extra cheese.

Have a sleepover and then wake up to watch Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Where The Boy kept making fun of Legolas (much to my annoyance) and admiring Aragorn.

And where I kept quoting the movie (much to his annoyance).

Eat a lovely lunch of butterscotch pudding cake (recipe of the week!), strawberry toast,
apple pie (yum) and a banana, complete with a tall glass of milk. Fully tummies ahoy!

Then, head off to your local Target-type place (for Canada, it's Zellers).

Find the most outrageously weird pair of sunglasses that you secretly think you look awesome in.

Get side-tracked by a man holding a Da Vinci Gold giveaway for some necklace with a Swarovski crystal, giving out tickets and saying whoever wins with the right number has to shout out, "Whoopee!" Half-expecting one of the ladies in the crowd to shout that out, but when the man announced the winner as "#743" all we heard was this low, "Whooop-eeee" coming from this guy behind us with huge headphones and a long trenchcoat. Too funny. 

Then, go home and take a bunch of pics with said sunglasses on.

Have crazy wind-swept bangs while wearing the weird shades that make me look like a mosquito.

But secretly loving how random the whole weekend turned out :)

I hope you all had an amazing weekend and I promise, severe catch-ups on blogs are in order :)
What made your weekend random?

springtime ... ring ding dong

Note: So sorry that I've been lacking on writing back to your comments & commenting on blogs ... I will soon, because I've noticed a lot of new names on the comments and some of your replies literally make me laugh out loud ... so thank you :) And now we return to your regularly crazy blog. ~

There's been an influx of blog posts lately on the joys of spring, spring cleaning, and how excited people are that spring has finally arrived ... but the weather here hasn't been listening to these amazing posts -- the high for Friday is only supposed to be 0°C (or 32°F). But you can bet your bottom (weird expression) that I'll be busting out the spring clothes as soon as the weather gets warmer. Heck, I'm doing it now, just layering like crazy. 

But I digress. This week's another one of those hectic ones -- big term paper due Thursday, followed by an entire website on Friday (yipee~). Which is why seeing my friends and eating delicious food makes me happy.  Something about connecting with friends after a while just puts this smile on your face. As did the weekend.

It started off with ... my mom chopping off my bangs hehe. My side bangs were going past my eyes so I asked her to trim them and it before you can say snip snip snip! she said, "Oops ... I cut them too short." The result? I now have a full fringe going across my forehead. And I don't mind it, since I was planning on doing that for the late spring anyway :) After that came making dinner for The Boy and heading off to the coffee cafe-type place called William's for our celebration. Piccie time!

I'm very very very excited ... hehe.

A blended iced cappuccino and a pomeberry drink ... delicious. And our straws are kissing (cheesy!).

And caffeine addicted lady with her favourite drink -- besides strawberry kiwi juice :)

The rest of the weekend was spent playing Final Fantasy XIII doing homework, but that day plus connecting with some friends has cheered me up from the dull homework that awaits me. Oh, and one more thing that cheers me up before I go work on my project:

Okay, so this has subtitles so no excuse, you must watch it -- plus the subtitles are what MAKES the video because you realize how ridiculous the lyrics are. I listen to all kinds of music from all over the place, and K-Pop is no exception. But I tend to shy away from the boy bands ... with lyrics like Rocka Rocka Rocka Rocka ... So Fantastic ... Rocka Rocka Rocka Rocka ... So Elastic and I call you butterfly, Nails keep on driving in, I can see I've been missing out haha. My friend shared this with me this afternoon and I've had it stuck in my head since.

On that note, hope your week's been off to a good start!
Ring ding dong ring ding dong ringy ding dingy ding ...

therapeutic thursdays: the past

{found via Tumblr}

I'm sure you've heard all the sayings. Forget about the past, focus on the now and the future. You get reminders: "Don't dwell in the past." or "You'll get stuck in the past if you think about it too long." or "Why can't you let go of the past?" 

But people tend to often forget that looking back at the past might not necessarily be a bad thing. You look back on the past to see how far you've come, see what accomplishments you've achieved. You look back to recall fond memories and, though you know you won't be able to re-create them, hopefully you can make new memories that are just as good, if not better.

I'll admit, The Lion King taught me valuable lessons about the past (and is responsible for one of my favourite movie scenes of all time -- seriously, watch it!). You can either run from it, or learn from it. Don't regret it. And, sometimes you might find that you can even celebrate the past in the present. For instance: birthdays. You're celebrating the day you were born however many years ago by celebrating each year on that day. Memories from previous birthdays will probably come flooding in - some good, some bad - but you can learn from it and smile about them. 

This week, I'm in a looking back mood, in fondness and in celebration. I wrote a post about my MUSE concert that I know I'll come back and re-read time and time again and be happy about that night. I wrote about sugar highs and how good it feels to be a kid again. Even in my Wednesday Wish post, I reminisced about seeing a movie with my sister, who I miss so much, but who I cherish memories with.

Well, today and tomorrow, I'm celebrating two years of knowing The Boy. We met, March 18th, two years ago on the city bus. (Technically, it was the week before but we only smiled at each other then, we didn't actually speak to each other.) March 18th was the day he sat down next to me on the bus (after we realized we were in the same night class) and we said, "Hi", had some easy-going conversation, and then ... he asked me out for coffee the next day. (The magic words?) 

So, while it's still an early 'tradition', we try to revisit the coffee place we went to on our first 'get to know each other' hang out, that led to two months of friendship and then a relationship. It's something that happened in the past, but something that's affected my present state so deeply, that I think it's worthy of looking back on and celebrating.

Of course, live in the now and don't dwell on the past to the point of misery. 

But look back, smile, learn, and carry on. :) 

What memories do you like to look back on?

wednesday wishes #9

When me and my sister saw "P.S. I Love You" in the theatres (and bawled) we said to ourselves, "We need to go to Ireland and find hot, Irish men who know how to play guitar." Then, just a month or so ago I saw "Leap Year", which only furthered my obsession with the place. So, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, my Wednesday wish is to go off and see the luscious lands of Ireland.

Of course, I'd have to venture to Dublin, the largest city on the island. I'd love to explore on foot, taking in all the sights and sounds before enjoying a meal in the Temple Bar area -- a place with many narrow, cobbled streets and full of pubs, nightclubs, and culture like the Irish Photography Centre. 

I'd also love to travel to the midwest city of Limerick -- mostly because of its name, I'm not gonna lie! Running along the Shannon River, one of the main attractions is King John's Castle, although I'd most likely be in search of the exact spot in the picture above, and take in the architecture and the beautiful land. 

A must-see would definitely be Trim Castle in County Meath - the largest castle in Ireland, where part of Braveheart was filmed. Open to the public from Easter Saturday to Halloween with daily tours, it would be amazing to see buildings a century old! (Especially compared to the buildings in Canada.) I might also brave going to Leap Castle - apparently the most haunted castle in Ireland.

At the end of the day, I'd want to reflect on the land itself. Take in the greenery, the flowers, the cliffs, a look out at the water. Taking in that fresh air (again, a heavy contrast to my city) and appreciating every second of it ... before diving into a cozy bed and waking up to reality, haha.

On that note, have a yummy shamrock-St-Patrick's-Day cupcake on me and have an amazing day! I'll be writing a paper, so you all better have plenty of Irish cheer for me, okay? :) 

What places have you been daydreaming about lately? 
{All pictures found via Flickr.com and Weheartit.com, info from here}

sugar high + scarf winner!

After a long day of classes/work/what-have-you, sometimes the best thing you can do is just let loose. So me and The Boy went to a store yesterday that carries bulk - candy, cooking goods, the whole caboodle - and we acted like 12-year olds in a candy store. Which means a craaaazy sugar high :) Sometimes it's fun doing things you wouldn't normally do at "this age" ... sometimes it's fun just being a kid again.

Except, don't be the annoying kids that are on their "March break" here and decided that as a bit of fun, they'd knock over the huge mailbox onto the ground. Yeah, don't be like that.

So on that note (err, nice segway?), wish the lovely Tiara a happy birthday! She's now the legal age of 21, and she's such an amazingly talented and sweet girl who deserves some birthday greets, for sure. It's crazy thinking we first startd talking almost a year ago :) She's such a great person to talk to ... not to mention, she does awesome artwork! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIARA!

And to wrap up this celebratory mood, here's the winner of the Misiu Knits scarf - a homemade scarf that will be part of a little company me & mom are making. The scarf (similar to the photo to the left, but not that exact one hehe) will be going to lucky winner #21 (according to random number generator): 

Adele (:

CONGRATULATIONS LADY! Just send me an e-mail to confirm and give me your address. Oh, and the requirement of the winner is to do a photoshoot with the prize, haha :) 

Hope you have a beautiful day!

And I'll be having another giveaway earlier next month :)

looking forward to looking back.

This past week ... almost feels like it never existed. I still don't know how I accomplished writing five papers in five days. I do know that I have Tiara, Josie(bean!), and Krissy to thank for filling up my blog with their awesomeness while I was  stuck in essay-hell. But the thing that probably feels the most surreal is: I saw MUSE last Monday. ~insert long squeal here~

That day started with such a nonchalant feeling - I still had to finish and hand in a paper before me and my close friend were off to Toronto. Fortunately, my Prof was feeling nice and after we handed in said papers, she cancelled the rest of lecture. It was such a gorgeous day outside and I had a bit of time to spare before meeting my friend at the bus station, so I grabbed myself a blended iced cappuccino. In other words: perfect way for a caffeine-addicted lady to prep for a concert. 

Since we had a few hours to go when we arrived in the city, we headed off to the large mall, eating and browsing around Sephora (oh, how I wish I had the money for make-up ... no wait, must save). We decided to leave and walk to the venue about half an hour before the opening act. Weeelll ... we kind of took the wrong exit and walked for 20 minutes before realizing we had gone completely the wrong way (while enduring many "do you have chaaaange?" questions along the way). We decided to get a taxi, which pulled a U-turn before going down another ten blocks. We would've been walking for quite some time. 

We get there, inside, and through security without a hiccup and I immediately wanted to hit up the merch stand. I was hoping there would be some sort of keychain (I have one from an All-American Rejects concert I went to back in the day) but alas, no go. I was settling on maybe some stickers when my friend decided to treat me to an "early graduation present" -- a beautiful MUSE t-shirt. I am forever grateful. 

Once we found our seats, we realized the opening act (Silversun Pickups) had already started playing their set. They were pretty good even though I only knew a few songs, and their crowd interaction was great: they started a "flash-off" with cameras between the two sides of the seated crowd (which I was a part of). I kept worrying our seats would be crap, but we were pleasantly surprised that it offered an awesome, albeit distant view of the stage. There were three towers covered, and having already spoiled myself, I knew that MUSE would be inside those towers in an hour.

By that time, I was ready to pee my pants with excitement. Once their set ended, I wizzed off to the ladies' room to find it surprisingly empty (when I came out/washed my hands, there was a line-up out the door). After twenty more minutes of waiting, which included lots of people shuffling by us, "We Are The Universe" began. My dear friend kept going to me, "Breaaaaathe. Inhale, then exhale." I haven't been to a real concert like this in forever, let alone it being my first time seeing MUSE, so I was more than stoked.

Finally, the curtains covering the towers fell, revealing lit-up platforms with screens that they used so beautifully, so theatrically, it just drew you in. PICSPAM TIME!

Uprising ... and awesome platforms.

New Born's crazy lightshow!

Probably my fave picture that I took (zoomed in like whoa.)

My friend & I ... rocking the glasses at a concert, yessir!

United States of Eurasia with Matt's amazing piano.

Bouncy confetti eyeballs during Plug In Baby!

Probably the best close-up I could get ... camera fail!

Exogenesis ... so pretty~

I was blown away the entire concert, and was so happy that people around us were, too. There was actually a family sitting directly in front of us: a dad, mom, and two sons wearing the same MUSE shirts we just got, and the mom was rocking out (I suspected she was a Twimon due to her reaction to Supermassive Black Hole). But when the crazy lightshow came on for New Born I saw her turn to her husband and I could hear her yelling, "THIS IS AMAZING!" How right you are. And she kept dancing and throwing her peace sign up, haha.

Oh, and if you really want to get a feel of how awesome it was, I made a video containing snippets of footage that I filmed. Oh, and one of my favourite songs was Starlight but I didn't include it in this video because ... it needs to be seen in full. Since it's friend's fave song (I'm pretty sure) we bust out singing and recorded ourselves singing it while they were playing it ... which means it's zoomed in hardcore on her mouth while she's singing LOL. So if you want to see Starlight, lemme know and I'll upload it :) 

Warnings: there are lots of whoo!'s on my part, lots of attempts at singing, and lots of shaky camera syndromeness when I forgot I was recording and just wanted to daaance.

Annnd, I apologize for a MUSE-filled post. But months from now, if I'm ever feeling nostalgic, I'll come back here and smile knowing what an amazing experience it was :) I'll be looking forward to looking back, and that's my simple smile of today ... until Friday, where me and The Boy are celebrating the day we first met, yipee!

Back to your regular Better Than Coffee blogging schedule tomorrow + the winner of the scarf!
Hope you don't have a case of the Monday blues!
What have you been up to this weekend? :)

of love and latte

Note from Nikolett: Well, this week has been a whirlwind. Not only did I see MUSE this past Monday (pretty much the most amazing concert I've ever been to), but I've had five papers due in five days. Talk about pressure, eh? Buuut, today we have the amazing Krissy to remind us that on Thursdays, it's worth it to be therapeutic (or TMI, whatever suits your fancy!). Please welcome the amazing, stylish and sweet Krissy who shares some thoughts on love ... and lattes :) And while the scarf giveaway is now closed (winner will be announed on Sunday), you can feel free to join my sister's giveaway here!

*****

When Nikolett asked for guest posters in one of her posts, I instantly volunteered to be one. I know how swamped she is with schoolwork (been there, done that) and I am kinda glad I am through all those stuff. Being a friend, it's my pleasure to be of help. I racked my brains for a possible topic to blog (because of course I wanted my first guest post to be awesome) so I thought of something we can all relate to.

Before I go on, let me share with you this essay which is from the chic-lit book "The Break up Diaries" written by Filipina author Maya O. Calica.

"Of Love and Latte"

Could the recipe for true love be as simple as brewing the perfect latte?

One hopelessly romantic barista serves up some answers.

I've been asked to write an article about love. About finding it, losing it, and maybe finding it again. Bet you're wondering what qualifies me to do such. Unfortunately, I am no love doctor with a Ph.D. in Romance Physics nor an M.A. in Relationship Chemistry. I have had my heart broken just once, so technically I do not qualify as an expert by virtue of my vast experiences.

What do I know?

Well, let me tell you that I can mix you a mean cafe latte. I am a barista. In all the summers I've logged in at my aunt's cafe, seriving up cappuccinos and espressos, I have learned a thing or two about that thing called love. Just like coffee, both require a certain amount of care to ensure it is brewed to perfection. You will need the following:

- Water, purified of all fear of "what if he leaves me?" or "what if he's not Mister Right?"
- A certain measure of diversity - be it in the form of coffee beans or unique personalities - combined in an airtight container that will allow pressure to build up

- A man and a woman, preferably hot for each other (or with the potential of warming up to at least the prospect of friendship

Now, bring to a boil. In barista-speak, this is the moment when water and ground coffee first make contact, the former extracting flavors from the latter, in a manner that will drip and percolate for you an aromatic cup of espresso.

In courtship terms, this is when boy-meets-girl, when the first blush of infatuation floats up to the surface. This can take anywhere from 22 seconds to 22 months, depending on the temperature set on your machine. Agitate the coffee further with Saturday night movie dates, text messages embellished with smiley faces and animated teddy bears, cute phone calls at 1am involving favorite colors, move-defining-moments and soul mates, and stolen first kisses. (That last one is my favorite.)

Now, with the velvety-smooth froth of friendship, sweeten with promises kept, and you've got yourself the perfect cafe latte. Right? Well, not exactly.

In my experience, I know that no matter how you faithfully follow a recipe to the letter, you don't always get the perfect cup of joe each time. Love - that other four-letter word I know - is much harder to concoct than coffee.

At some point, you'll learn that no matter how hard you play by the rules, make all the right moves and try to be Ms. Perfect In Every Way, you don't always get the results you hoped for.

Or the guy you pinned for, for that matter. Because when reality rears its disappointing, pink-bubble-bursting head, you'll realize Life doesn't always play out the way you wished it would.

The dude who once adored your lattes can snap out of it and proclaim that you're no longer his cup of cappuccino. Just. Like. That.

Suddenly, you find that all that's left is a mug half-filled with day-old coffee that's cold and stale and depressing. So you cry, you curse, you deny, you blame, you rewind, you wish and pray a novena to every saint you know that things go back to exactly the way they were. And no matter how often you kneel in Baclaran or how many candles you light at morning mass, your instant replay never happens.

So what do you do? You wipe away your tears, take your cup and empty it of all its contents. Rinse it under a running tap, making sure all traces of stains along the rim and down its side as well as leftover grounds at the bottom are washed away.

Then, you start over. First, scoop yourself a generous batch of mountain-grown roasts, finely ground so that every granule is bursting with the prospect of new adventures, experiences and relationships. Pour water purified of all your bitterness, rejection and self-pity.

Now, press 'brew'. As you hear the machine whir, gurgle and sputter to life, close your eyes. Revel in the heady aroma of fresh coffee in the throes of being born. You may not see it yet, but just by inhaling its sweetness, you hold the promise of good things to come in your heart the way you would a silent prayer. You dream of a cup so wonderful, so richly golden brown, encircled by a lush ring of crema so perfect you can already taste it.

And the moment you hear it streaming into your cup, you realize why you had to give up that last brew. Something much better was on its way to you. 

And you'll be thankful you waited. Because you know in your bones, in your heart of hearts, that this one's going to be a keeper. And you wonder why it took so long for you to realize that.

But then again, better latte than never.

What inspired this post? Aside from keeping with the theme of Nikolett's blog name, this goes a little bit more personal. For the uninitiated, I am in a "relationship" with a guy wherein we are kinda like a real couple but then again not really because we haven't agreed on a formal commitment yet. We were a couple before (after being really good friends ever since we met) but then he did something really bad and I did not talk to him for five months (even though we are in the same team at work and we see each other all the time). He apologized last February, we became friends again, and then this "relationship" sorta crept in. 

It suited me just fine as I thought so long as we are happy, then we do not need any labels to define us. Exclusively dating, yes, I think is the most appropriate term. Except there are times I kinda wish for something more, you know? Think of Tom and Summer's "relationship" in 500 Days of Summer. Yep, that is the movie version of our story, except in this case ironically I am Tom and he is Summer. I wrote in my journal before, "I don't know if I am gearing up for a  wonderful love story or whether I should prepare myself for a major heartbreak."

This post has actually been through a major overhaul. I wrote this earlier telling all about how he and I had an awful fight that led to a "break up". We agreed to meet earlier today to talk about it, and guess what, we actually patched things up and decided to see where this takes us. 

So, am I strong enough to stay for the long haul? I don't know. But for now, I think I am. Maybe, just maybe, he is the love story I have been waiting for. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for sharing that bit from that book and your own personal experiences, Krissy *hugs*

Annnd I can't wait to come back to you all (most likely on Saturday or Sunday). I've missed you all & your blogs! Hope you have a great rest of the day and a good start to your weekend!

spring galore!

Note from Nikolett: There's not a cloud in the sky, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining ... all that's missing is the warmer weather to match! But me and fellow guest blogger, Josie(bean)! are agreed -- spring fever is in the air. So while I'm huddled inside writing papers, let Josie tell you what kind of things you might consider putting into your wardrobe this spring. And give her a warm welcome, too :) She's just come back from a lil' break from blogging and I could not be more excited about it! {if you haven't joined the giveaway yet, click here for some last-minute wintery fashion!}

First of all, I would like to thank Nikolett for giving me the wonderful opportunity to do my first ever guest blogging spot! There is no other blog I could see as a better fit to “pop my guest blog cherry” haha (those were Nikolett’s words, isn’t she the best?!).

Second of all, I’M ON SPRING BREAK Y'ALL! It couldn’t have come at a better time, and I’m sure all you girls who live in areas with brutal winters can relate when I say I have major spring fever. You know, longing for the days when the sun is actually out for more than 3 out of 24 hours; feeling those sunrays beaming down on bare shoulders instead of frostbite somehow making it past your 80 layers of wool and thermal; and of course the yummiest event of them all - spring fashion! So yes, even though the calendar gods say spring doesn’t start until another 2 weeks (March 20, you better be bringing the damn heat!) I’m taking things a step ahead and pulling out my best florals and pastels for the rest of this month and so forth. Bye bye dreary blacks and grays, come again some other day.

Here a peek at my springtime lust list (picture heavy, get ya peepers ready), including some essential pieces to brighten up any fab gal’s wardrobe:

 

Forever21 Cocktail Dress

(can be worn with straps or strapless, and there’s probably

nothing I love to wear more than belted dresses)

H&M Cocktail Dress
(another bright & bubbly little number, would go great with the jacket below)

 

Forever21 Woven Jacket in White

(perfect for when your hip leather jacket starts getting too warm.
less weight but still just as badass.)

Bikinis

(which I know are more of a summer essential, but spring break for most people means week long vacations to some tropical beach – not me this year, so instead of remaining jealous I’ll just stock up on my slightly obsessed collection. *see here*  )

 

Aerie Fern Bandeau Bikini in Green
(I love these bikinis because the skinny, removable strap that
helps prevent huge tan lines)

Aerie Ruffle Bandeau Bikini
(same skinny strap, perfect floral pattern)

Sunnies/Accessories
(my other obsession *see here* 
& I’m up like 12 more since that old post hehe)

 

Forever21 Tortoise Sunnies

(I have a serious tortoise print obsession when it comes to sunnies,
I must have about 8 pairs…and I recently bought this exact pair to add to my collection)

 

American Eagle Fortune Sunnies in Black/Tortoise

 

Forever21 Clear Lens Sunnies

(for those of you who like to pretend 4-eyes it up in style,
I really adore the fun print on these shades)

  

Forever21 Whisper To Me Earring Set in Green

(I love feathers to touch up a simple outfit or to go super glam on a night out)

And there you have it, an extensive list of all your sassy spring essentials - ALL at a super affordable price, HAYNOW! :) Now get out there and strut your floral/pastel hotness, and be sure to visit my blog where I’ll be posting some of my own spring wardrobe pieces. Yeah, you know I had to end with a shameless self-promotion bit :P

<3 Lots of Love,
Josie(bean)!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Could I have all of these in my wardrobe - pleeease? Thanks so much for guest blogging Josie, and hopefully this gives you some springtime inspiration, even if these aren't prints/styles you're necessarily into. 


And I hope you have an amazing weekend!
(Mine is going to stink, but I'm seeing MUSE on Monday! YAYYYY!) 

cheese, anyone?

Note from Nikolett: Well, it's been a busy week here, so in between writing papers and a job interview, I'm very very thankful for the special ladies that volunteered to guest blog and fill this place up with their awesome writings. So if you haven't joined the giveaway yet, do that first and then enjoy this lovely bit of cheesiness from my dear, talented girl Tiara!

This is Tiara here, the all too romantic for her own good girl, what’s worse than a romantic girl? Let me tell you the answer, a romantic girl in love guest blogging in her friend’s blog. lol.

So prepare yourself with coffee and maybe turn the player on to romantic songs, please and get some snacks. lol. And oh, don’t pick cheese, this post is cheesy already.

So, to make my post look less like a crime, I’d ask you all to give us (me and Nikolett) your cheesiest most romantic love memory. Something that (hopefully) will make the reader goes “Awww…” in your comment section, agreed? No harm talking about it, I promise you. Lol. So it’s not only me guest blogging here! Yay, it’ll be all of us providing each other a cheesy moment memories ;D

(I hope Nikolett won’t mind me doing this, amen)

Alright, the first is of course my turn.

 

{found via Tumblr} 

♥ It’s just a little crush, not like I faint every time we touch – Crush; Jennifer Paige

Why of course I’m not fainting every single time he and I touch, else I’d fainted gazillion times already by now. But I can’t say that nothing happened either, there was something electricity-like running down through my veins sends shiver down my spine when we do touch.

♥ Tempt me, tease me until I can’t deny this loving feeling, make me long for your kiss. – Breathless; The Corrs

We both love art, and do arts, he draws too, a far different type from mine, though. And have I told you I have this hobby to “body paint” my friends when I found a drawing pen and skin around me? The skin, the empty skin is like an empty canvas for me to draw. lol. No doubt, he’s of course one of my victims too.

So one day, I filled his body with every kind of silly pictures possible. I drew a cat, hippo, elephant, octopus, house, anything I have in mind and he was just, “fine, do whatever you want, just be careful of my revenge,” not like I cared. I just drew and drew and drew until there was no more space possible (well of course I didn’t draw anything on his back/tummy, those parts covered with clothes aren’t my area to explore).

Anyways, he did his revenge after that, guess what he drew?
On my right fourth finger, a ring there.
“Wedding ring,” he said to me.

Zap.

YOUR TURN NOW! :D

Love this cheesefest! Thanks Tiara :) My cheesy lovely memory is just from last night ... after having a hectic/busy week, The Boy promised me yesterday morning that he'd have a surprise at night. I was sitting at home, on the computer, when I hear the doorbell ring (scared my mom so badly). Turns out, it was The Boy, whom I hadn't seen all week, at the door with a cinnamon bun in his hand, wanting to cheer me up and wanting to see me. Warmed my heart right up (The Boy, too, not just the cinnamon bun). Now, your turn :) And it doesn't have to be a romantic relationship, any kind will be awesome.