you are all better than coffee ♥

I've been a little absent for the last week and I blame it on two words: thesis and exams. Both of them have been taking over my life as of late, and it's put me into a tired funk where all I want to do in my spare time is play video games (very productive, non?). 

But I want to thank you all ... every one of you who has stuck by me for the last year and a bit, every single one of you who comments or follows, all of you who have become such dear friends ... all of you who make me feel sane, or who make me feel like my craziness is normal ... this little 'award' is for you:

 You are better than coffee ♥
(I love writing out things with Scrabble pieces.)

I keep re-reading the comments from last week's post and they are definitely a simple smile - you know just what to say to make this lady feel all warm inside. It's been a bit of an odd week (not to mention tragic, with the Polish president and many other people dying in an airplane crash on the weekend), so instead I'm going to look at other things in life.

They may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one ... ♫

I keep daydreaming lately about things I want to accomplish, places I want to see, people I want to meet ...

Love-wise: I just want to keep being happy, keep being supportive, keep being spontaneous :) And I want to keep making up menus of how our dinners would look for the week - so far we've got Pizza Fridays, Pasta Saturdays, and Pork Chop Sundays :)

Career-wise: I'd love to have my own web-design/blog-design site/company (it's starting to come together, yay!), and then become a teacher ... even if that dream has come face-to-face with a few obstacles. And I'd love to own a little cafe/bookstore/music-store with a lovely garden for people to walk through with a gazebo that couples can make memories in. Err yes, farfetched career.

Traveling-wise: Going to Europe this summer would be amazing. I'm trying to scrounge up any extra moola that I can get for it, and hope my parents would mind  helping me out once more (I promise, one day I will pay them and my sister back for helping me with my education). Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, here I come! And maybe some surrounding countries if I can twist The Boy's arm enough ;)

People-wise: And then in the future, I'd want to go and meet up with blog friends - in the States, in the U.K., in Indonesia, in the Philippines, even in Canada ... or somehow win the lottery and fly all of them out to one destination ... yes, that would be sweet. Any suggestions?

What are your dreams, any-category-wise? Feel free to do this ... it's fun to dream :) 

I'd probably add life-wise = happiness, and style-wise = lots of cute summer dresses and outfits that are comfy.

And no matter what happens with these dreams, make sure that you never forget to:

(I kind of want these Scrabbles pieces, they're nice looking.)

Smile for all the dreams that have come true, smile despite the fact that some haven't come true - one day they might, & smile when you remember all that you have, instead of focusing on what you might not have. A little sappy message from moi to ... toi? 

What's your simple smile of the week?

I promise regular updates & catching up on blogs are starting ... now.

{Last two pictures courtesy found at Tumblr via Stacy Magallon.}

things better than coffee #01

I was considering putting today's morning routine in this list -- waking up to my boyfriend calling me, having a scrumptious breakfast with coffee, and then working out for an hour -- before realizing that it contained coffee. Whoopsies!

So here we go! This is the first of a weekly edition of things that are better than coffee to me!

1) Cuddling
For me, there's no better way to feel comforted or relaxed. Whether it's cuddling with the significant other, or having my dog curled up next to me (yes, my pet sleeps with me every night!), it feels so good having someone warming up next to you, completely submitted into each other's arms (or in the case of the pet, their paws?). Either way, I'd take cuddling over coffee any day. It's a sure way to beat the lonely blues!




2) Pleasure Reading
Since I'm an English major, most of the time I read what I'm required to (i.e., Plato and James and the Giant Peach) rather than what I want to read (though I'll admit, Roald Dahl is a nice, quick read). So when I get a moment to pick up a book I'm interested in, I savour it. My week off from school is slowly coming to a close, and I've managed to read three books in that time. Yay! One of my recent faves is Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch, where the protagonist asks the question we all have -- "What if (fill in the blank here)?" I love reading for pleasures' sake.


3) Winners
One of the most underrated stores that I usually forget to put in my 'favourite stores' list is Winners. Brand names at low prices is their motto. My last purchases from them were a long grey cardigan that I've been searching for, and a pair of skinny jeans. Given that all my jeans are dark due to their ~magical slimming powers~, I took a risk and bought a lighter pair. I've gotten a lot of compliments from this outfit and owe it all to Winners. Sometimes it's a hard scramble to find something you truly love there, but it's worth it!


4) Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer & Highlighter
Back when I bought mark. products, I fell in love with their concealer. Liquid concealers just don't do it for me, so the creamy kind is what I crave. I found the answer in this Revlon product, that retails for about $11. I'm in shade light-medium, and it does wonders for covering up my dark undereye circles and has great coverage for my blemishes. Plus, the highlighter is multi-purposeful -- I've used it not only as a highlight for my cheeks, but it's a great base for your eyeshadows! Only complaint is that I wish more product came in each box!


5) Two-Bite Brownies
Given all my ramblings about exercise videos and going to the gym, I might have fooled some of you. But I have to admit -- I absolutely love food. This week, my favourite are those two-bite brownies that you can find practically everywhere. Of course, I try to eat them in more than just two bites that way I'm not tempted to eat more, but it's hard to resist! Their moist, full of chocolate, and yeah ... definitely not part of a well-balanced diet, but I see no shame in eating some every once in a while!


Do you relate to any of these? What kind of things would you put on your list? (And if you don't like coffee, just consider other 'addictions' and find out what's better than them!)