Hungry for Expression

LCpod:

Division by Stars (I am absolutely in love with this track)
Rebellion by Arcade Fire
Apologize by Timbaland (Piano version)

As said before, I've given life to another blog Looking Down With Confidence and I want to make this one as public as possible.  I intend to invest a lot of time towards both these blogs as they hold very different but equally important places within.  Putting my heart onto a virtual sheet of paper in LC and the City satisfies the intellectual side of me and the photography of Looking Down With Confidence satisfies my hunger for creativity.  

When I studied law, I felt very stifled creatively and when I studied fashion, I found I lost alot of my intelligence.  My vocabulary dwindled.  I am now in a great place to feed both my halves and their myriad of expectations.

Follow me on my great adventure.
http://lookingdownwithconfidence.blogspot.com/


LC Cam - Weekend in photos

Snipping all the fabrics I fancy.
 90,000 square foot warehouse of fabric.  I am smitten.
Pre-business meeting. Not the best supper.
I am not into myself.  I need to have my name and face associated with everything I do.  
Remember me.

LCxo


Morning Candy

Lcpod: Please Please Please by Shout Out Louds

My cereal has lost all molecular integrity ( I totally took that from Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) and is now a bowl of mush because I'm terribly preoccupied with online vintage shopping and perusing fashion blogs, particularly:  http://stylebubble.typepad.com/


LC Looks















LCxo

Comfortable Stranger

Lcpod:

Parents' Living Room by Shout Out Louds
A-Punk by Vampire Weekend 
Run my Mouth by Ra Ra Riot (RAC Mix)
 

Heels, check.
Silk top, check.
Skinny jeans, check.
Great perfume, check.
Fringe under control, check.
Date, check.


5 pm strikes and that's my cue to walk south down bay, take a left on adelaide and check in at South of Temperance. I'm set to meet a monsieur who is an inhouse counsel for an insurance company.  What's great about him being a member of the legal profession is that I work for his profession's regulatory body, which then means I have full access to his file, his info, his professional history.  With this kind of investigative power at my fingertips, I had to dig.  I was delighted to know that he was in fact a lawyer, no lying there.  As for the rest, I have to exercise grave discretion.  Confidentiality is key so I shall remain hush hush.

Being able to find out even just the little bit that I did was such a great feeling.  It got me thinking that there should be a national database of men.  Of course, to have a transparent and fair process, there would be one on women.  The beauty in dating is finding out about a person, slowly unraveling them.  But imagine such a database !! It would save us such tremendous wastes of time on those who aren't deserving of us.  I'd be all up in that and I can just imagine what I would find out about the dudes from my past. 




I'm a few minutes early.  He got there 2 minutes passed.  Oooo, bad move. I can't have this.  He's immediately cut.  I shake his hand as I grab my jacket.  I'm leaving. I'm sorry, I don't wait.  I don't care for how short a period of time.  So I left.  His loss.

KIDDING !!!  I didn't leave and two minutes passed is absolutely fine.  I'm not a control freak, but apparently he is.  He jokes he isn't, but as my colleague best put it, all lawyers are control freaks.  Is that a bad thing ?  Not necessarily.  Who doesn't like control ?!

For a good hour and a half, I sat across from a perky, jovial and energetic gentleman.  With a smile spanning from ear to ear, he put me to shame with just how much he had to say.  And it was totally ok.   I thought it was great because 1) he warned me as much, that he likes to talk 2) refer to my previous post, I like the wordy types. What can I say.  I was completely entertained.  Talk away. 

Because he knows about this blog, he asked if I was going to talk about him.  Of course I was going to so I was honest.  I thought perhaps he may be taken back by that but he was the exact opposite.  He chose his own name.  He asked that I refer to him as RBK.  Amazing.  So RBK it is.  Like Reebok, but better.  I appreciate his willingness to be "exposed".  It's on.

Well, there's nothing negative to disclose.  The most I can expose is the fact that he is a great person, born and raised in the east coast, with great familial ties, proudly wears his heart on his sleeve, likely a great big brother, phenomenal friend and loyal partner.  While the above mentioned are all based on my short encounter with him, I can say for certain that he makes me laugh.  

My facebook status before meeting him was "Date night!  Let's see if this one will turn out to be a decent human being".

I am glad to announce that he is.


LCxo

Floating In a Sea of Academia Nuts.

LCpod: 
When we first met by Hellogoodbye
I Never Can Relax by Hellogoodbye 
M79 by Vampire Weekend
Make you Crazy by Brett Dennen

The other night, I was in my oversized pj pants, a comfortable hoodie and hair messily in a clip talking with two of my closest girlfriends.  Dressed in the ideal attire for late night chatter and sitting en indien, we had a mini pow-wow on men.  I love those.  Especially when they are with intellectually mind blowing females.

Hot topic: What's our type of men

We didn't have to think very hard as the answers were blatantly obvious.  Cynth, or Cyntheroo as I like to call her, is wildly into the athletic gentlemen.  Joo Joo as I will call her is into the artsy, philosophy junkies and I, LC, am into the wordy fellows, those lads whose vocabulary is vast, rich and well endowed.  I am a sucker for someone who can speak the English language properly. I get weak in the knees when sentences blow me away.  I see it as an artistic creation unfolding right before my eyes.   It's also because I like a person who can express themselves.  Generally speaking, pardon the corny pun, they always have something to say on any given topic and are willing to talk about anything, be it relevant or silly, like if you adopted a highway, what would you name it, or do you think beavers get bored of chewing on tasteless wood.  But seriously though, it must be boring.  Same goes for dogs.  Okay, I'm falling off topic.  Don't confuse the wordy types as those people who butt into any and every conversation and feel the need to throw their personal comments at everything.  No.  Those people are obnoxious.  I'm talking about those glorious people whose conversations never run dry.  I feel their conversational skills are indicative of how able they are to tap into every area of themselves and put it out there.  That's wonderful.  And rare for a man.  Wordy isn't a bad thing.  Or is it ?!?! According to our pow wow, it can be.  Here's why.

Last year, Joo Joo taught a university course (side note: super proud of her).  With this title, she obviously had to correct papers. After reading each individual paper, the norm is to dissect and analyze it and figure out what it is the paper is all about and if in fact it actually answered anything.  Is the essay good or bad ? Did this student understand the assignment and has it translated into a well written informative paper? Oddly enough, many times, she couldn't figure that out.  So she would read it again. Nothing.  A third time. Still nothing.  She was confused because if something is good or bad, it's usually quite easy to decipher and figure out.  And then it all made sense.  She was able to put her finger on it.  She referred to it as glaze, a thin or mighty layer, depending on the author's ability to gab, of subject enamel.  A beautiful coat of luster lathered onto something lack-luster.  Essentially, it meant they never really touched on the heart of the matter.  Nothing of substance was delivered because when they should have been talking about subject A, they were talking about subject B,C, D,E, F, G all the way to our beloved Z.  Subject A gets lost in the fanciful fluff these wordy types so eloquently put out there.  Or better yet, it's like fluffing a pillow.  You can fluff it all you want, make it seem nice, comfortable and inviting, but if it's a shitty pillow, no amount of fluffing will make it great.  That's the truth.

This is how wordy types are.  Fluff is their middle name and they carry it well.  Now, hear me out:

Bullshit baffles brains.
To baffle a brain, you must bullshit.
To bullshit you have to be wordy.
Wordy baffles brains.
Therefore wordy is bullshit.

I'm sure my Critical Thinking & Argumentation professor would find holes in my analysis but let's pretend for one second that my argument is sound.  Think about it....I AM SCREWED !!!! Literally screwed.   Shit !!! Shit !!! Shit !!!  The men I like are the kings in this realm. They thrive off sounding nice.  Emphasis on the word sounding because they turn out to be the opposite of the person they've created through their magical tool called speech.

I had a mini panic attack when we came to this realization.  Am I someone who talks incessantly as a way of just sounding nice?  As a way of layering myself with a shield of some sort to help prevent people from seeing in?  I knew that I wasn't but I fit the criteria too well that I had to question my intentions. They quickly put me in my place and reminded me that I'm genuine.  Holy mac, thank you !!!!

I hold no shame in telling people that I am one of the many thousands that participates in online dating, plenty of fish to be exact.  I agree that it is an awkward way of meeting someone and at times, it makes me feel slightly inadequate in my ability in approaching people live  But however unconventional, in this day and age, it fits.  And as my dad says "It's not like back in the day when you were able to meet a good Catholic man at the church picnic".  

The whole concept behind these sites is to converse with people, write and receive messages.  I delete alot of them.  They get pretty ridiculous.  But then the odd one will come around and have something of substance to say.  And if it's worded great, even better. So here's me, totally into the wordy types, like fresh bait in a sea of predominantly creepy men smitten over the select few that can put a sentence together, and paragraphs at that.  My way of filtering out the men is via their initial messages.  If it's not intriguing, I'm out. I have no qualms in not responding.  But this filter is not working.  Because I was had, on more than one occasion, and the reason for me falling in like with these characters is because they spoke well and captivated my attention right from the beginning, in their profile, to our conversations, to our dates, so on and so forth.  They set out the right bait.  Dammit ! This has gotta change.  Joo Joo said "Every fish tank needs a filter and right now your filter is dirty, you need to replace it because you're letting in all the dirt" (how clever for plenty of fish). 

So, first order of business, change my filter.  Check.  How have I changed it you ask?  Well, since this talk, every message I received went through 3-4 filters: Cynthia, Julie, Cheryl and Veronika :)  No more wowing just this girl with your great vocabulary.  You need to wow 5 women, 5 very different type of women.  Have fun with that one!  If they make it across, then they can wipe that sweat from their brow knowing darn well they deserved their spot across from me.


LCxo

Draw of the hand

.......because I wanted to.

.......because I can.

.......because I need to.



LCxo

Remain Young.

LCpod: Blue Mind by Alexi Murdoch

As dinner was being made for our guest, I joked that he would need a bib.  He demanded to have one, but we're three single women living in this house, we don't carry bibs.  I had to deliver the bad news that we didn't have any.  Like any man, he was upset.  But once the idea was in his head, he refused to take anything else and demanded he have a lobster on it. I couldn't disappoint him, so off I went, to concoct.  In a flash, I returned with my special gift for him, a custom made bib.  Hand drawn on a napkin, I delivered the goods


It looked smashing on him and it was also very adorable to watch. I couldn't help but visualize him eating at a kids' table, but a grown man he was.  It reminded me of a lunch date I had some time ago with my mom and one of my older sisters.  We were nibbling on our food and either my mother or sister hurried to wipe their face when they had food on it.  I brought up how kids never get the urge to wipe their faces when they eat.  Only once their meal is finished do they wash their face, and even then, they sometimes prefer to gallivant around unwashed.  I wondered how it must feel to go through an entire meal without ever wiping the remnants off your face.  So we did. We ate as if we were children and also went out of our way to spread chocolate ice cream on our faces.  My sister was far more generous.  She put some all over.  Kids are cute when they have messy faces, but adults, looking the same, are not greeted with the same reactions.  She was mortified once she saw just how much ice cream she had on her face.  I, however, laughed my head off.  My mother joined in on the laughter, that is, only after her initial embarrassment over her grown daughters smothering ice cream all over their faces like it was nobody's business subsided.

As we age, there are some things we bring with us and there are others we leave behind.  In this transition, we lose our innocence, our endless faith in the imagined and our unaffected minds and souls.  But all is never lost.  Before it ever gets to a point where you can no longer imagine how it feels to be young, to have your mind run incessantly with only fun and exciting things, to love unconditionally, to laugh without ever holding back and to dance like no one is watching, coat your face with ice cream  Be that kid again, the one that does not give a damn.  Make a conscious effort to always maintain that youthful outlook.  Don't ever be shy or scared to step out from adulthood and back into childhood.  It's good for the soul and a great way to bring back your smile. 

LCxo

Beautifully Fragmented

LCpod:

Mend your heart by William Fitzsimmons
You've got the love by Florence + the Machine 
Perfect Stranger by Magnetic Man ft Katy B (live at Maida Vale)
Symphonies by Dan Black ft Kid Cudi


Every day reveals something to us, be it big or small, be it epiphanies, large revelations, simple daily joys and absolutely random idiosyncrasies.  It is important to always be aware of these things, what you're learning about yourself and about the world you have and keep around you.  Little by little, they're all pieced together to make the end result and that's you, as a whole, in your entirety.

Broken down day:

  • I love shower radios.
  • Listening to the Edge makes me want to run a marathon.
  • Showering is so amazing.
  • I wish I could end all of my sister's suffering.
  • I just got the urge to walk barefoot on gravel.
  • I want so bad to learn how to drive stick but then am secretly so nervous.  Secret's out.
  • I am no longer vehemently against fruit in my salads.  
  • I salivate over the salami/prosciutto/ provolone/ yummy cracker combination.
  • I regret not buying a bottle of wine before heading home.
  • I think I'm partially deaf because of my years with my iPod with me 24/7
  • In seconds, I become so happy when Walking on Sunshine comes on.
  • Solo dance parties are fun.
  • I have a thing for bedroom modeling.
  • I love cooking.
  • I hate Valentines Day.
  • I have Bieber fever.  Don't  judge.
  • I thought of an old friend today.  He passed away years ago.  I miss you Lowell xo
  • I wish my grandparents were still alive today.
  • I can't wait to be a hockey mom.
  • Tim Hortons over Starbucks anyday.
  • Eating carrots and hummus isn't the same anymore.
  • I miss someone.
  • Let me rephrase that, I miss the person I thought they were.
  • They were not up to par.
  • Speaking of par, I can't wait to practice my swing and make my golf game shine.
  • Speaking of golf, I can't wait for my annual family/golf trip to Myrtle Beach
  • Speaking of family, I miss mine so much.
  • The only teddy bears that I have kept are from my father.  He is the one constant male in my life and the best one I can ever ask for.
  • I definitely take more than the recommended 10,000 steps a day as a result of my job alone.
  • I can't believe there was a time when I didn't work out.
  • My sanity is wholly reliant on my workout, designing and photography.
  • I am amazing.
  • I am talented.
  • I wish I had a chef.
  • I am never going for someone younger than me.  They all turn out to be immature.
  • I don't believe anything men tell me now and I don't think that's a bad thing.  It only means that the people who are willing to work at me are worth it, their tenacity will be rewarded.
  • My life has been nothing but lucky.
  • I need to stop drinking baileys in my coffee, or do I ?!?!
  • No facial moisturizer after a shower is super dumb.
  • Lilac nailpolish is the bomb
  • I'm a word hound
  • I love new words.
  • Intelligence is attractive and addictive.
  • I have too many scarves.
  • I am trying to wish people well.
  • I need to get away.
  • I need to talk to my best friend more often.
  • My best friend is the greatest.
  • I will never understand how she knows me more than I know myself.
  • I wish I was able to spend more time with her kids.
  • Unconditional love, that of children, is heart warming, and I only wish that kind of devotion lasted in people.
  • I'm crying as I write this.

Last, but definitely not least, I am part of something beautiful.



LCxo

BAD LUCK LYNDA & GOOD LUCK CHERYL

LCpod:

Boy with a Coin by Iron & Wine 
Something Beautiful by Alexi Murdoch
10ticles by Masterface
Re: Stacks by Bon Iver

I feel like death this sunny, but bitterly cold morning. What started as a night out for the three roommates turned into a posse of people and many shots of vodka consumed.  First on the docket: watching the hockey games.  Plural because there's a split amongst roomies.  In one corner, there's Cynth (or Cyntheroo as I like to call her), the Toronto Maple Leafs biggest fan.  And in the other corner you have the sisters (LC & Cha) who root for the Pens with great enthusiasm.  I'll be honest, I cheer more for one particular individual than the entire team as a whole.  C'est notre canadien francais Max Talbot que j'adore.  Translation: I adore Max Talbot.  Put him, Crosby, Dupuis, Malkin, Staal, Bylsma and Lemieux in one room and what you have is my definition of heaven.

A couple of pints down and my hunger for Max Talbot satisfied, we take to the streets of Toronto and make our way to Brassai on King.  First order of business, shot of vodka.  Really ?!?!  Yes, really.  It's insisted.  Down it goes.  We raise our glasses to our night out as a foursome of northern ontarian sisters: The Castonguay sisters and the Dube sisters.  Cheers to us and the outcome of this ridiculous evening.  Chug.  Ew!

A night isn't perfect until I get to see my cousin Johnny and his best friend Sunny. They're always a highlight to my evenings.  Both so positive, energetic and full of life, I feed off their joie de vivre.  Sunny is a part of our gargantuan family now.  It'll always be weird for me to say that because we've had our fair share of romantic encounters but that's water under the bridge when we meet up because we get along greatly and he brings a genuine smile to my face.  His effects far outweigh anything else.

I finally got to meet the woman that has stolen Johnny's heart.  She is a doll; an intelligent, beautiful, well spoken and caring blond bombshell.  Both pursuing their PhD's in psychology, they make a great pair.  Johnny is my very best friend and he would move mountains for me (I always kid that I'm his idol and vice versa, he kids that he's my master).  I can turn to him at any given time and he would clear his schedule for me if need be.  Now, with a girlfriend, that will change.  But I am happily moving aside for this woman because she compliments his exemplary personality.  He deserves greatness and a successful and truthful relationship with butterfly effects.  I don't want to jinx this courtship but I have a strong feeling she will be around for some time.  Fingers crossed.  No pressure J-bone !

My night ended with a wrestling match with my sister in the cab. Hands down, most hilarious and weak wrestling match. The cab driver was not at all impressed.  I kicked his seat a couple times and that angered him, with reason.  I kept apologizing, but at the same time, I wasn't sorry for how obnoxious we were because I almost peed my pants laughing.  It all started with us swapping our cell phones to prevent drunk texting for me and for her, well, just because.  If she was to have my phone, then I should have hers.  She insisted on having it back.  I refused.  One thing about my sister is that once she has an idea in mind, she's relentless, determined and she's fixated.  We're both heavily inebriated (seriously, how do I still have all my money in my wallet.  Who in the world bought me so many drinks?!?) Anyway, she wants her phone.  I jokingly say that it's in my pants.  She called my bluff.  It was beside my thigh.  I see her lean over to grab it, I act on my statement , make it reality and put her phone in my pants.  I not only put it in my pants, I put it in my underwear and all.  Cheek to phone, and this time it's a different kind of cheek pressed up against her blackberry. And that my friends is how our wrestling match started.  Two drunk sisters fighting over a phone that's in my pants, laughing, gasping for air, choking on our chuckles.  That fun all came to an end when her delayed reaction and her lagging depth perception kicked in and she slapped me across the face.  Hard.  Wrestling is done. The phone is now back in her hands and the cab is quiet, the way the driver wanted it to be.

My saturday, from morning until the wee hours of the sunday morning when I crawled into my house, was amazing.  I met with a pattern drafter at a nearby Starbucks.  Sipping our teas, we fell into amazing conversation.  I showed her my sketches for my first ever womenswear and as it stands, she will now be bringing my designs to life.  I have never been so uplifted by an initial encounter like I did when I met her.  She is terribly business savvy and her connections are endless.  She had many words of wisdom to enlighten me with and much advice to deliver.  I am already indebted to her. The power of positivity I tell you.  It's addictive. We said our farewells and from that point on, the remainder of my day took on a whole different vibe. I spent it tightening up my collection, bringing it down to 6 looks as opposed to my 40 and then did my daily contribution to my blog LDWC (Looking Down With Confidence)
 
There were many highlights to my weekend but  the main highlight was doing the dougie at the bar.  My attempts were par none.  I love letting loose like that, without a care in the world.  That is how I am at home with family and friends so whether I'm in public or not, is not a deciding factor in if I should dance like I was born and raised in a rap video.  We laughed hysterically at our attempts.  One day  we will sharpen our dougie skills.  If you haven't the slightest clue what I am talking about, just youtube Chris Brown - Teach me how to dougie.  Women beware: his dancing is sexy.

I shared many laughs and cheers amongst friends, watched my man on tv and strolled the streets arm in arm with some of the greatest people to walk this earth's surface.  I gave bear hugs to, and was given larger than life hugs from, individuals I genuinely adore.  My night was seasoned with intellectual conversations and non sense topics such as a shared adoration and dislike for low budget tv shows like Heartland and Wild Roses.  But above all else, it was infused with love.  I will cheers to that.

I am now in my little work space translating my dreams onto paper with a sense of hope for the future and more importantly, with a stronger faith in my dreams.  

Just me myself and I.


LC cam - weekend in photos


 "Love me till I'm me again"



Faux fur lovin


end of evening hugs & photo ops


Alcohol is the devil


My workspace - My world


A project that is long overdue to finish + ab roller (it passes the time when hit with a creative block)

LCxo

BLOG LOVIN - SECOND COMING

First of all, hop on youtube or grooveshark and type in Little Secrets by Passion Pit.  Play that while reading this.  There are no subliminal messages in the song, I am not trying to hypnotize you.  I'm only introducing you to an amazing tune.  It's also what I'm listening to as I write this, and sip coffee, and eat dinner, and do the dishes and do laundry; multi tasking at its best. 

Now, onto the issue at hand.  I have started up another blog that I hope you will all follow.  It's a photographic blog titled Looking Down With Confidence.  It spawned from a long enough battle with self-esteem problems as a youth.  Here is its story:

My entire adolescent and teenage life, I was very self conscious about my appearance which lead me to hang my head low, afraid of meeting the eyes of someone who would see my deeply rooted issues. It proved a difficult task to walk with my chin up and face the oncoming world when I had such fierce self esteem issues. With time, that self consciousness faded and my self esteem flourished. But what remained was my nasty habit of looking down. Old habits die hard. After a while, I gave up on trying to figure out how, with all my self progression, I still was not facing the world head on. I realized that, perpendicular or parallel to the floor, a person's head held either way is not indicative of their confidence. It just is what it is. With that, I've created this photo blog rightfully named Looking Down With Confidence. It is a birds' eye view of what I see when I look in a direction I am simply accustomed to looking. It's a tale of someone who is going confidently in the direction of her dreams; someone who is shooting for the stars not by looking up at them but by looking down at the invisible arrows guiding her.

LDWC as I call it holds a very cozy place close to my heart because of everything I've gone through as a result of low self esteem and more importantly because all the things I've learned from it.  I have been able to pass on advice and words of experience, however wise, to other people battling the same.   That in itself is rewarding.  Furthermore, I can finally  say, with great certainty, that I know the reason for my battles and that is to enlighten all those,now,in similar situations and to prove that the glass if half full.


LCxo

Jaded Commuter: Blend of Apathetic & Misunderstood

For the first time since moving to Toronto, I did the most Torontonian thing: cut in line in the subway station.  Mornings in the concrete jungle are a rat race.  It is very much survival of the fittest.  If you let one person ahead, the entire ttc population will follow suit and you’ll get nowhere fast.
The subway was slowing right down and the doors opened a couple steps to my left.  I walked towards the entry way and there stood two ladies.  I had a feeling it was going to be one of those awkward “no you go, no you go ahead, no, please, I insist, you go” moments.  I cannot stand those nor do I have time for the indecisive dance you do when you can’t gauge your opponent’s next step.  In sync you both step to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right and back to the left you go.  So I took it upon myself to avoid that and went first.  Apparently I misread the situation as I got the message loud and clear when she shouted UNBELIEVABLE!!! I had my iPod on, perfect way to pretend I didn't hear her. An even more awkward stare down proceeded in the subway, as if I should be penalized for this monstrosity.  Oh the humanity, how contrary I’ve been, rebelling against proper ttc etiquette.  She actually reminded me of myself when I go shopping and a garment is ridiculously overpriced. You will almost always hear me say, in a tone loud enough for people to hear, exactly how preposterous the price is. 
I wasn’t trying to be cut throat.  I was just going to work.  I don’t feel horrible because I did nothing wrong.  It was a misunderstanding, and surely they’ve gotten over it, if not shortly after then definitely after some venting at the water cooler with their respective work gangs.
The reality is there are people who are inherently rude and they will cut you off without a care in the world. So in the grand scheme of things, there is a lesson to be learned from my morning altercation.  Do not trample over anyone on your way to something, be it to work, a life goal, to love, to a particular project etc...  There are no exceptions to the rule. We live our lives, behave the way we do and see through actions that bring us to wherever and whatever we want.  But we do it in tandem with the rest of the world.  It is as if we work together, but separately, in pursuing our lives. So whenever you crush someone on route to that dream job, dream house, dream vacation, dream girl or guy, you are encroaching on their life story and set them back a tiny bit.  Your aspirations, wants and needs are no more important than those of the person next to you.  Therefore be gentle in your ways.
Day 3 on the Excitement Meter
My sister and I are in serious mode with this quest to make every day exciting.  We're on day 3 now.
Exciting factor #1: I danced like no one was watching.  But I was in the subway station, people were indeed watching.  If anyone saw me this morning, they likely turned away pretending to not know me because I was that person, ipod on, dancing for the crowd. With Cult Logic by Miike Snow on endless repeat, my head was bobbing, my knees were jerking and my feet were stepping.
Exciting factor #2: I am sporting a new hairdo.  With hair so fine and almost reaching my rear end, it's rather difficult to try new things.  But this particular side part is working out perfectly.  It's just jim-dandy.
Exciting factor #3: I am meeting with a textile designer this week to discuss and design my line of scarves.  Those who know me know I adore scarves.  If scarves had feet, I would worship the ground they walked on.  I am thrilled to be going ahead with this.  Wish me luck.
Exciting factor #4: I am contacting pattern drafters and sample makers for my womenswear line.  I love creativity.  It makes my heart flutter.

Cheers to a great day.
LCxo

@MissElle_C

Twitter me up. 


end of message


LCxo

Comfortable Silence. Excitement in Tow. Life as we knew it.

January 17, 2011

Ernest Hemingway once said "write drunk, edit sober".  So that’s what I’m doing.
Today was a great day.  I started it off with baileys in my coffee.  Our little secret okay.  It was just a tad of alcohol, nothing to worry the bosses.  It was such a small amount anyways that I probably secreted it by the time I was done my long enough commute to work.  Then I got some really great news at work, that is meant to be confidential and so it shall remain.  But so it is known, I am over the top excited and feel my work is recognized so with that said, it most definitely calls for a celebration. Since 8:30 am, when I received the news, I’ve been anticipating this moment: favourite sparkling wine in hand. So great.  It’s well deserved on so many levels.  On the career front but also in the physical front because I worked my butt off at the gym tonight that the copious amounts of alcohol I will drink tonight are already worked off.  Ok, so Im exaggerating in the amount of alcohol I will drink. Let’s be real, I have to work tomorrow. Copious is not what I will drink.  More like a few well polished glasses of wine over a span of a few hours.  It’s my treat, Hence why I’m writing sorta kinda maybe drunk.  Is it sorta? Is it kinda? Is it maybe? Well, the only people that can answer that question are the people in my house tonight.  Unless you inquire within, you'll never know just how crazy I will get tonight.  Are you the cat and has curiosity killed you yet?  I’m corny.  Let’s move on.  Had Mr. Hemingway really thought it through when he said we should write things while drunk.  He probably envisioned a more poetic outcome, where when alcohol touched the lips of those well spoken, the words then spoken likely came out more eloquent and more beautiful.  Fast forward to present time and here’s me, plopped in my bed, sporting some seriously hot pink lipstick because I was bedroom modeling, ¾’s done my bottle of wine and just finished watching jersey shore.  Definitely not Hemingway material.  I shall redeem myself.  Composure, where are thou ? There you are.  I am composed.
Yesterday afternoon, my sister and I took to the road to make our way back to Toronto.  Through the grace of God, we did not get any of the unpredictable weather patterns that usually hit northern Ontario, more specifically, that bloody snow belt that we call Parry Sound (note: I use bloody instead of the f word).  I swear I’ve had heart attacks before due the threacherous driving conditions.  Sheer ice and terrifying snow squalls will stop even the healthiest 27 year old heart dead in its beat. 
It began with a heartfelt goodbye to my parents. Never fails, I get into the vehicle after waving goodbye and my eyes are watering so much that I can’t see.  I appreciate my parents so much that I take these goodbyes as if they are my last because as this past weekend has taught me, with the passing of Richy and also with the 8 month mark of the death of my fake little brother, it really can be our last. 
I am in charge of the first half the drive.  Just call me Captain Lynda.  Nothing else.  Not Lynda, or LC, or lyndy, or lindin, or lyndaliscious.  Captain Lynda.  I am one with the road.   We’re 20 minutes into the ride and we’re famished so we opt for Harveys seeing that our options are limited.  I have not eaten fast food since my stint in highschool so you can imagine the discomfort I’m experiencing at the thought of what I am about to order.  Cha is trying to make this as comfortable a process as can be for me.  She kindly tells me that she too will order a grilled chicken burger, like there is comfort in numbers, knowing that someone else will order the healthiest menu choice.  Solidarity sisters.  I laughed like a maniac at this because only I would need someone alongside me in a Harvey's drive thru; a walk-through of how it's done and someone there to let me know that everything, in the end, will be fine. 


As we sat there in comfortable silence, Cha blurted out "I'm going to make every day exciting".  Just like that. A sweeping statement to take every day and make it outstanding, to grab not just life but the days that comprise your hopefully long life by the proverbial balls.  To define exciting is very subjective.  I may think your excitement is utterly boring and vice versa.  So there is no one list of exciting-things-to-do that can help you do the same.  It can be everything from the small things like trying a new restaurant to the very outlandish of going on a trip.  The sky is the limit.  And even at that, I think the limit is further than meets the eye.  It's all about getting that engine running, re-igniting that burning desire to always want to do something and most importantly, keeping your smile, the one you wear on your face and the one inside that keeps you warm and fuzzy.
Side story: Somewhat recently, I had been telling my parents a story about a boy.  I said that I was going to go for it and grab life by the proverbial balls.  My dad immediately freaked because he heard me say I was going to grab this boy by the balls.  No Dad.  Don't worry.  I don't grab balls on the first date, as I joked with my mother :)
Like she was there for me during my horrible experience in the Harvey's drive thru, I too shall be there alongside my sister in this quest to make our every day exciting.  Solidarity sisters in drive thrus and in life adventures.


LCxo
LC Cam

 I'm conducting studies on narcissim.  That's the honest truth. 
 Pj thug
I was here.

RUNAWAY GIRL

Sometimes it's good for me to run away from my thoughts.  Not because they're dark and sadistic or anything.  But just because it can all get too much.  I can't cope.  My mind is always running.  A curse some days and a blessing others I suppose.  One of the ways in which I avoid getting bogged down by my thoughts is music.  I drown out my own noise with more noise.  Seems illogical but that is the method to my madness.  To be easy and breezy tonight since I drive back to Toronto tomorrow, I stayed in, had a relaxing evening with the family and turned to my computer and listened to music to coordinate my ideas and emotions.  Have a listen and feel free to share some of your music.  I'm always searching for more artists to pull on my heart strings.
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





LCxo

There is beauty in death. There has to be.


Nous sommes tous des voyageurs en route vers le Seigneur.

Thursday afternoon, we set sail on the open road, myself and my sister that is, in a familiar vehicle, on a familiar route, on a familiar trek, in familiar traffic, in very familiar driving conditions and sadly, for an all too familiar reason : a funeral.  It is with extreme sorrow that another friend has tragically passed away.  At the ridiculously young age of 28, Richy was next in line.  The circumstances surrounding his death, I will not talk about, nor will I talk about the rumours swirling around about what lead to his passing.  The mere thought that people take it upon themselves to try and conclude and be the first to spread the news, however faulty, is beyond me.  Until I hear it from the mouths of babes (what I mean by this is until I hear it from the mouth of someone honest), the only thing that matters is the fact that he is gone.

I try and try and try to truly believe that our body is just a vessel that carries the really important goods, our heart and soul.  But when hit with a death, I go back to another school of thought; that it’s two for the price of one.  Soul and body are interchangeable.  They make the best team and so one without the other is not enough.  Someone once told me that the reason we fear dead bodies is because its’ missing the life, the soul that made it beautiful from within and on the flipside, most of us fear ghosts because it is missing the vessel, the physical self that made it beautiful from the outside.  Individually, they satisfy different human desires, that of physical interaction and of emotional satiety/ gratification.  For that reason, when the body is stripped from us, so is a part of us.  Richy was a beautiful man.  He had dimples that could make any girl melt and buckle the knees of the strongest willed woman.  His smile was radiant, sincere and so contagious.  While his family and friends have their photographs and memories to remind them of as much, they don’t have to look further than his son because all his beautiful physical attributes including the twinkle in his eyes has thankfully been passed onto him.  A swift reminder that someone can still remain alive and well without the physical vessel that we so gratefully were able to meet, converse, laugh and cry with, and now, celebrate.

I keep saying that he was taken too soon.  But that contradicts my belief in that, however mysterious His ways may be, God only takes those who are ready.  As earth dwellers, we may not think someone is ready, let alone ourselves but life is a lot more complex than our day to day schedules and our life plans.  There is a master bucket list for each of us.  We are not the ones that created this list and we are not the ones that check off the items either.  It is completely and utterly out of our control.  We cannot peek at it or catch a glimpse of it.  Our predetermined to-do list is off limits and when our last item is checked off ,we are called to come forward and begin the next step of our life.  Our life on earth is just a part of the voyage to the final and eternal destination.  Once we reach this place, our bucket list is revealed to us and we are then granted the best seat in the house to watch how our purpose, our reason and our fate shaped people; a birds’ eye view of our life work unfolding.

It’s said that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  While Richy may have been in our lives for, technically, 112 seasons, really, he will remain with us forever.

In death, we don’t take with us the things we do for our ourselves, we take with us the things we do for others. "Every choice we make and every road we take, every interaction starts a chain reaction. We're both affected when we least expected and when we touched then it all connected".  Richy started a chain reaction the moment he was born, one that will trickle for years and lifetimes to come.

Enjoy the show Richy
Rest in peace

LCxo

EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM

An early rise is always accompanied by a large cup of coffee and going over the morning report from Womens Wear Daily.  Normally Roz & Mocha play in the background but today I opted to play some of my own music and who better to get me jump started than Phoenix.  Now done with the fashion news, I've checked twitter.  I'm following @iheartquotes, which is an absolutely great profile on twitter that delivers daily quotes on any topic.  As a result, I wanted to list some of my favourite, not only from this twitter account but some of my own:

  • There's no such thing as an atheist in the trenches.
  • Honest hearts produce honest actions
  • The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere
  • Dwell upon the brightest parts in every prospect, and strive to be pleased with the present circumstances 
  • Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful, if it's bad, it's an experience  
  • We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit
  • A good character is the best tombstone.  Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered.  Carve your name on hearts, not on marble
  • Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer
  • Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see
  • There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life - reciprocity
  • No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar
  • A half truth is a whole lie
  • When you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback
  • Like all valuable commodities, truth is often counterfeited.
  • Honesty pays, but it don't seem to pay enough to suit some people.
  • The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.
  • Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.         
Running late for work.


Happy Day


LCxo

WE TOOK THE NIGHT


I may have joined twitter last night while in an inebriated state.  And by may have I mean I did.  I blame the shots I really was forced to take.  There comes a point in the evening when your girlfriends want to jump deeper into the alcohol and they want to take you with them; hence, a round of shots.  In last night’s case it was fireball, a liquor that tastes just like you chewed 3 packs of powerfully flavoured cinnamon gum.

True to the twitter ways, I tallied up my night in short blurbs, not always being stringent with the 140 character limit:

  • I can always count on my sister to do my hair.
  • Variety is the spice of life does not apply to the consumption of alcohol.  Mixing is bad.
  • Dancing the night way with your girlfriends always proves to be an excellent work out.
  • Oldies music gets my blood flowing.
  • Vodka waters are the way to go.  A buzz and hydration in one glass.  Genius.
  • A slice of bread was the go to “snack-on-the-run “ last night.
  •  When friends want to walk arm in arm on the street, it’s not an intimate friendship moment.  It’s because they want to take someone down with them when they slip on slush in the middle of the street.
  • Eating a healthy rice cake after the bar instead of a dirty shwarma is not satisfying whatsoever. 
  • Arguing about whether or not we should go to the poutinerie with my sister at 3am always makes for a good laugh.
  • Interrogating a taxi driver about his religion is funny to watch.
  • You have the best 15 minute power snoozes in cabs.
  • Watching a live band front row is intoxicating and deafening all at once.
  • We were dead set on singing You Are My Sunshine to the bouncers at the bar.  We didn't but I know they would have loved our angel voices.
  • Without failure, the sight and smell of alcohol the day after a night of drinking makes me queasy.
  • Guys at the bar are douchebags.
  • Women always take far too long to pee.
  • Approaching men and asking them “would you hit this” with my manly, flu stricken voice received warmer reactions than I would have thought.  Uh oh.  That backfired. 
  • Drinking beer on the ride to the pub always makes me feel like a rebel.
  • We always have the most amazing dance parties in the cab.
  • You know you have the most amazing girlfriends when they zone into the hockey game at the bar, when they get kicked out of a cab, when they tell off a man in the street and when they threaten to steal a stranger’s pizza.
LCxo