SUNDAY FUNDAY #5

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!

We've had such a fun weekend celebrating his birthday and I'm even more excited knowing we'll get to continue celebrating birthdays together for a long time. We took a lot of pictures this weekend and made some even greater memories. I hope it's been as wonderful for you as it has for us!

INSPIRATIONAL |   People ask me how I stay inspired to keep taking photos. I'm typically drawn to things because of the vibe they send off so I don't really have an exact method to my madness. I do however try to keep to taking one photo a day. Project 365 is a community where you can do this or just simply make it a part of your daily routine like I do, but taking at least one photo a day keeps your skills sharpened and it really gets your creative juices flowin'.

ANIMAL |   The realization that our entire country will eventually be legalized is exciting, especially for the medical reasoning. I've been a strong advocate for Medical Marijuana, and it's gaining more and more traction when it comes to alternative medicines for pets. Here's the story, here are the deets on the medication itself and lastly, here is PETA's approval.

FOOD |   I eat a lot of rice and it's always better when it's turned into a ball or a shape. Here is a great guide to making Onigiri aka Rice Balls for beginners.

TUTORIAL |  This might freak out some, but since my nails break all the time anyways I'm going to try this nail tutorial.

FASHION |  I rarely wear accessories because to me they just get in the way. Which is why I stretched my ears and why I pretty much only wear fine gold jewelry aside from that. BUT when I do accessorize it's almost ALWAYS with a watch. The watch is the biggest and most important accessory staple I have. FYI studies show that wearing a watch to a job interview will give you an added boost to getting hired, makes you look like you care about time management.

BEAUTY |  Jeffree Star released previews of his new highlighters coming this month or next. I am beyond excited for these babies, with Ice Cold at the top of my to-buy list. It's been increasingly difficult for me to find a highlighter for my pale skin. While I do love Becca's Champagne Pop for the summer, I needed something whiter for the winter and sorry Becca but Pearl doesn't cut it. Jeffree is my hero everything he makes is pure gold, highest quality! As always, cruelty free.

MUSIC |  I'm choosing When The Night Feels My Song by Bedouin Soundclash this week because I picked it for a radio contest and won Dinner for 2 at an expensive restaurant, which is great because his birthday was the same day I won and we were on the phone with eachother when they announced it, so it was very exciting. I have also updated my very first post as I have now officially won 7 radio contests.

BLOG POST |  Because I didn't realize I was saying Ikea wrong.

ANIME |  Since this is one of my more recent favourites I am suggesting Nagi no Asukara (A Lull in the Sea). Great concept, two types of humans, the ones that live on land and the ones that live in the sea. The people of the sea have ENA which allows them on both land and water as long as they stay hydrated. It follows a group of friends on having to go to school on land and the great changes they'll be facing (not a school based anime don't worry). It's a really adorable anime, and the animation itself is beautiful and very colourful which I love. The story takes interesting turns with the added cliches. Definitely worth the watch, it's English subbed and now comes in a dubbed version as well (the voices can't compare imo) and it is available on Crunchy Roll.

DIY | Definitely adding a wind-chime to my balcony this summer! Now it's just a matter of which one.... going to get pretty creative with this one!

Losing a furbaby

FURBABY: 

A beloved pet, can also be fur-less (think reptiles and birds).
Typically used as a term of endearment towards an animal. 

A friend of mine recently lost her furbaby Snickers, she was a majestic and sassy 17-year old apple head Chihuahua, an absolute queen. It hit me pretty hard too because Snickers was a part of my life as well for about 7 years. I got to know her inside and out and she even let me into her very secluded circle of love and trust, the day she smothered me in kisses is a day I'll never forget! I knew what the owner and Snickers had been through together - their bond was stronger than anyone could imagine. They lived for each other and you could tell. They were #bondinggoals

^ RIP PIPPER 1998 - 2016

I'm writing today because I live pretty far away from her. I wanted to comfort her more than anything, to mourn with her, to hug her before she could collapse and cry, and I couldn't. Thankfully she did have support with her.

But what do you do when someone you love loses their furbaby?

It's really simple actually. To be frank, there is absolutely nothing you can do to console that person. Their heart is broken, a part of their soul is furever gone, they've lost someone who meant more then them than words could describe. So there's nothing you can do to really help resolve the heart break, because it's one of those things only time can heal; but you can make the healing process easier on them.

I've learned a few thing after the loss of this furbaby and my own. I worked hand-and-hand with animals most my life and have experienced countless loses, all of which are forever in my heart.

So here is what I think you can do, based on my experiences:

BE THERE
She called me almost immediately after it had happened, I was in shock and clearly so was she. In this moment I learned that my role to play here was the rock. What that person needs is someone to talk to. After she filled me in on what happened, I just stayed on the phone with her. My job wasn't to say anything. It really wasn't the time to say anything. She just needed someone to be there with her.

PROVIDE SUPPORT
After the loss my job now was to make sure she was always aware someone was there for her and thinking about her and her furbaby. I sent her virtual hugs, tagged her in funny things on facebook, and gave her non-invasive responses to her upset messages. It still wasn't the time for me to try and console her. She just needed little moments to breathe and that's what I was providing her with. Just a 2 second time out.

REMINISCE
This will be harder, there is a 99% chance that this will evoke tears. I remember whenever I lost a furbaby the best thing anyone could do for me was tell me funny stories about that pet, or tell me how spoiled they were or the time when... in snickers case one of my favourite moments is anytime I had a freezee, slushie or popsicle she'd be all over me, obsessed with the fruity icy slush!

SEND THEM ALL YOUR PICTURES
If you have pictures of the pet, then send them to them! All they have now are the memories, make sure they have as many of them as possible. The more pictures they have to look at, the better.

"Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long." 

- Unknown

Is there is something someone has done to help ease your pain? Comment below, I'd love to know!

SUNDAY FUNDAY #4

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!
I had yet another very successful weekend, bought myself a new bedframe and built it myself, and I got a lot of content built for the next coming weeks! I apologize for not posting this past week as I was really busy but I promise I will try my best to make sure it doesn't happen again!

^ photography tip: When photographing an ice-cream cone, always remember to have your thumb facing the lens or else your hand ends up looking really whack.

The ice-cream flavour is Raspberry Thunder. Raspberry ripple with white chocolate and it's my all-time favourite.

Each SUNDAY FUNDAY list is 10 items long. The content will change but the categories will remain the same.

INSPIRATIONAL |  My time is money and I'm not going to sit back and waste it. MarieTV is something I've been watching for years. Marie keeps me so motivated and inspired to be my very best and most successful self. Check out this video of her interview with the amazing Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray Love) it has had me on such a high for a really long time now. Note to self: I still need to read Big Magic.

ANIMAL |   Common victims of tragedy, these animals are often killed for trophies and "exotic" cures.

FOOD |  Come springtime I'm always trying to find recipies that match the season and the beautiful weather. I came across this receipt for Cilantro-Lime Cucumber Salad and I am just blown away! So fresh tasting, it really tastes like a crisp spring morning.

TUTORIAL | Because who doesn't want to know how to cut a strawberry to look like a rose!

FASHION |  I'll totally be rocking a Monokini this summer.

BEAUTY |  Once a week I love to give my entire face and body a deep and thorough exfoliation. I got Frank's coffee scrub because of the hype and was happily surprised that the hype was indeed justified. It feels like it would be really rough but it makes my skin feel like silk, helps reduce the redness to my skin and doesn't dry my skin out at all! This is my holy grail exfoliate and I will keep repurchasing.

MUSIC |  Halsey has such a lovely voice, like a raspy Ellie Goulding but a million times more interesting. Check out this amazing remix of one of my favourite songs of hers, Colors.

BLOG POST | I love SMEG fridges too but why is this so intense? and why do I love it so much?

ANIME |  So I just finished Natsuyuki Rendezvous. Let me tell youm that was a very unique one. It's a shorter series but the ending is amazing because the stroy really comes full circle and in my opinion the story neds really well. It only comes dubbed and is available on Crunchyroll.

DIY |  I loved making friendship bracelets growing up and I will braid anytime I get the chance. I cam across this simple Macrame Bracelet it it's very simple and can definitely fit in with my style. I will be making a white one. Shouldn't cost me more than $1!