Monthly Archives: January 2012

Don’t Try to Walk in their Shoes…

Posted in Something A Little Personal by

It’s no use comparing your success to someone else’s. Even if your goals seem similar – they are essentially worlds apart. Where you want to go and how you get there shouldn’t mimic or mirror anyone else.

You’ll get where you’re going when you’re meant to and you’ll get there on your own terms. It’s not a bad idea to follow someone else’s journey if it fills you with hope and inspiration as oppose to self-doubt. And by follow I mean follow their journey by talking to them, reading their blogs, asking for advice. I don’t mean to walk in their shoes, I mean to stand on your own two feet and do it your way.

If you try walking in someone else’s shoes – odds are they ain’t gonna fit ya!

Might as well walk comfortably, even if you get there later than sooner.

Above is a picture of my cousin’s tattoo – it’s on her foot. I love it and I love her.
You can follow her on Twitter.

 

If you’re going to go after your dreams and you’ve decided to do it YOUR WAY, on your OWN TERMS, it’s very important to stand strong. 

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo

“Impossible is Two Letters too Long”

Posted in Something A Little Personal by

The title for this post is from a new American Express commercial I saw while I was running on the treadmill. I like it – the quote, not the treadmill.

These past few weeks my head has been full of negative thoughts and my heart has been full of negative feelings. As such I’ve had Anxiety stop by for a visit, in my thoughts, in my dreams, and in my heart – she’s been residing. She’s been occupying so much space inside me that sometimes I find it hard to breathe. So, to help me cope, I’ve been quite literally leaning on my Mama’s shoulder. When it comes to stuff like this she always knows what to say and how to fix it. She said that the first step in showing Anxiety the door is by talking about what’s bothering me and so I have – to the bf, to my mom, to my sister, to my Diary. And it’s helped.

I had a very mentally and physically relaxing day yesterday (thanks to the bf :) ). It was much-needed and I woke up feeling refreshed this morning. Earlier today, I decided to clean the house, work out, sit down and write. All three things began to push Anxiety towards the door. I guess she left about the time I finished writing a short story. It isn’t anything to brag about – it’s just a story, a story that I hope to turn into a picture book for my future nieces and nephews.

A story with an ending that lifted my spirits, kicked Anxiety out the door, and made my heart feel light again.

There isn’t a point in locking the door because Anxiety will surely visit again but maybe next time she won’t stay as long. Maybe if I stop thinking so negatively she won’t come as often. Maybe if I stop thinking about how impossible my dreams seem, I’ll have the energy to work even harder at achieving them.

Impossible really is two letters too long.

[Delete 'im'] and keep thinking ‘possible’.

–
Love Always
Vanessa Xo

…What you Really Really Want

Posted in Just for Fun by

Ladies,

It’s nearing Valentine’s day and some of you may be celebrating your birthday shortly before or after. Your Man has probably asked you what you want. If you’re like me your usual answer is “Babe, you don’t need to get my anything” or “Surprise me”. If that’s the case, over the years you’ve probably ended up with gifts that you.. well not that you didn’t want but gifts that you wouldn’t have asked for. Or maybe you’ve ended up with gift certificates or a dinner date, when really what you wanted is that necklace or that purse.

NOT that you don’t appreciate the gifts that your wonderful boyfriend has purchased for you, just it wasn’t what you would’ve asked for. Now my question is, how the heck is he supposed to KNOW what you want if you don’t tell him? Some men are great at surprises and remembering things BUT if you’ve never TOLD him that you wanted that certain wallet, how the heck is he supposed to know that you want it? They won’t know if you don’t tell them.

So this year, I sent an email to my boyfriend with a list of three things that I want. I included photos and website links so that he knows exactly what to get and where to get it. You may think, well where is the surprise in that? There isn’t. I’m just making things easier on him, we’ve been together long enough for me to send him an email like that without feeling stupid. He can find other ways to surprise me, which he does. Throughout the year he surprises me all the time – sometimes with gifts, sometimes with dinner dates, and sometimes with that one text message that makes my heart drop down to my toes.

I like surprises but why must we torture our boyfriends when it comes to gifts? They aren’t telepathic and to think they are is just plain silly. So this Valentine’s day or even for your next birthday, tell him what you want. He’ll know what to get and as long as he doesn’t stray from the list, you’ll get what you want.

Then you can cuddle and kiss and blah blah blah.

 It really is that simple ;)

–
Love Always
Vanessa Xo

Hope Burns

Posted in Just for Fun by

“Hope burns eternal in the human heart.” - O.R. Melling

I know that there are many pessimistic and bitter people out there but I truly believe that even they are eternally hopeful (even if only in secret). No matter how many times you fail, you still feel a glimmer of hope that next time you will succeed. Whether or not the boy next door is dating the girl you hate, you believe that one day that boy will be yours. No matter how many job interviews you go to or how many resumes you send out, you know that one day you will get the job you want.

Some people are realists and wouldn’t agree with the statements above. They don’t believe in false hopes or maybes. They put hope and optimism on the back burner to undeniable truth and facts. I don’t know which way is better to spend your life but I do love the idea that human beings are generally hopeful. Hope is a great gift and when paired with determination, there’s no telling how far one person can go.

You may have a chip on your shoulder but don’t let it freeze the flame of hope that burns in your heart.

After all, without hope what’s left?

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo

Use Your Time Wisely

Posted in Just for Fun by

I’ve been reading Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending for the past few weeks and find it comforting, challenging, and depressing. This novel is about time and memories and the toll it takes on a person. It talks about how our memories might not reflect what actually happens in our life.

“How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life.”  
- Julian Barnes 

 

How true that is. How many times do you recollect or retell stories only to realize that you tell them differently each time. Is our life just a long game of broken-telephone? Does it really matter? You remember certain things in certain ways to protect yourself, to learn something, to make yourself feel better – is that so bad? My mom has always told me that there are three sides to every story – your side, their side, and the truth. I’m not sure if there is a way to fix that – everyone is biased no matter what story they are trying to retell. I don’t think embellishment is a bad thing at all. I’m a storyteller and sometimes that makes them all the more interesting. I guess the important thing is that you are as honest with yourself as you can be. No one benefits from white lies or thinking they’re perfect.

As far as time is concerned in The Sense of an Ending it’s mostly about using your time wisely. Not just living an average life because it’s easier. Not giving up the passion and ambitions you had when you were younger. It’s about keeping the fire under your butt aflame. It’s about keeping your spark alive.

It’s about spending your time DOING what you’ve always dreamed you would. 

Time will always be on your side, if you use it wisely.

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo

 

P.s This blog was inspired not only by The Sense of an Ending but also by @CasieStewart. Check out her latest post here.

Almost Fifty, Always Fabulous

Posted in Family Time, Just for Fun by

My mother turns 50 on Tuesday and I promised her that I would take her to get her nose pierced. She’s been wanting to get one for the longest time and you only live once right? No time like the present!

So, today we went to Planet Silver on Islington Avenue and they did a great job! It was clean, sanitary, and the staff was very pleasant… well except this guy…

He was looking at my mother like she’s crazy for getting her nose pierced at “her age”. And I guess it is safe to say that other people might stick their nose up at the idea- so go ahead and stick it up. I’ll give you a moment…

……

Okay, that’s enough. How about we focus on the fact that my mother did something that she’s always wanted to do. How she’s confident enough not to care what people think about her for getting it. How about we focus on how cute she looks with it!

See! Told you :P ! I’m glad I was there to see her get it and I think she’s amazing for finally doing it. I can’t tell you how many years she’s said that she was going to get it. It’s never to late to do something that you’ve always wanted to do. This could pertain to anything, looking for a new job, going back to school, going on vacation, getting a tattoo, or even writing a book.

“No Guts. No Glory.”

–
Love Always
Vanessa Xo

What’s Your Favourite…

Posted in Just for Fun by

Yesterday my cousin asked me if I knew my boyfriend’s ‘favourites’. You know, his favourite colour, band, song, food, movie, how he takes his coffee. I realized as I went down the list that I do, in fact know all of these things about him but I am sure there are a lot of people in relationships that don’t know these things about their partner or even their best friend.

But how important are ‘favourites’ in the big scheme of things?

I always stress about the importance of the little things. In fact yesterday’s blog was all about embracing and remembering all the little things that make you happy. I guess that after three years it would be nice if my boyfriend remembered all of my favourites but the truth is I don’t think he does – mostly because I don’t have any. Even the way I take my coffee changes from time to time so I can’t blame him for not knowing. I do find that he remembers odd little quirks about me. I find that he notices things about me that I don’t notice. I find that he’s good at surprising me. I find that he’s good at remembering things we’ve done and places we’ve gone far better than I do. It’s nice that I have him to remind me about certain little things.

So what if you don’t know that your best friend’s favourite colour is sunset orange. So what if you had no idea that your boyfriend’s favourite film is A Walk to Remember. Does that mean that you love them any less? No. Just because you don’t know all of their little likes and dislikes doesn’t mean that don’t know them at all. You will never know EVERYTHING about a person, it’s impossible. The fact is that people change, so no matter how long you’ve known them you will constantly be learning something new about them.

Isn’t that the fun part anyways?

Learning something new about someone you love?

I think it is :)

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo

Hungry for Words

Posted in Just for Fun by

I’ve been a little quiet on Twitter and Facebook this weekend – as well as here on my blog. Why? Well, I had to finish the last two books of The Hunger Games trilogy of course. I’m not kidding. I literally couldn’t put down the 3rd instalment - thank goodness I don’t work on weekends :P

Apart from the intense headache I got from eating up all of those words, I found myself hungry for more. I still am. I must’ve read the final chapter and epilogue over about three times before I finally put down the book. Suzanne Collins said so much about humanity, politics, life, and love that it’s hard to retell it all in a blog post. However, I’d still like to tell you two very important things that I learned.

1) Life is fragile and it is important to remember all of the tiny and yet wonderful things that people do in order to live a happy life. Sometimes you don’t get what you want. A lot of times you are filled with pain, anger, and sorrow. But if you mentally recount all the little things that make you happy it’ll help get you over that hump.

2) If I ever write a book as gripping, suspenseful, and smart as The Hunger Games – I will be satisfied. Okay so it’s probably not a lesson that all of you can relate to but it’s my blog so tooooo bad ;) .

Check out the trailer for The Hunger Games film! I’m a little obsessed.

 

Oh! I almost forget, my first post for Not A Model Blog is up! It’s a little different from the posts you’ve seen on here! Hope you like it!

Not A Model Contributor Post 

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo

Friday Morning Pep Talk

Posted in Just for Fun by

I just finished reading The Infernals by John Connolly and although it wasn’t my favourite book, I am glad I stuck it out and finished it. Mostly because if I hadn’t I would have missed this important bit of a “pep talk”.

I don’t think I need to expand on that so instead I’ll leave you with a video of my dog licking peanut butter off of a spoon.

Have yourself a silly Friday!

Hope you enjoyed the pep talk!

–
Love Always 
Vanessa Xo