Musical musings for August

The list of music that made it into my iTunes library in August is as short as this month has felt. I don't know if it was the warmer weather or just my perception of time, but I am not exactly sure where this month has gone. Anyway I won't lament what has already past me by as I have lots to look forward to in the coming months including a long weekend in Whistler to mark the beginning of September. Just to get back on topic, my musical musings for August is indeed a cosy list consisting of just four songs:

1. Don't Wake Me Up - Chris Brown
2. Heartbreak Coverup (feat. Alyssa Reid) - Jesse Labelle
3. Nobody Does It Like You - Shawn Desman
4. Lego House - Ed Sheeran

I was drawn to these songs via the music countdown show I watch most mornings as I get ready for work. I have to say I really like the dance moves in Shawn Desman's music video even if I am not capable of replicating them. Also, the music video for Lego House is quite cute and features Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame. Well, hopefully September will churn out a longer list.

August's music can be found on these albums (images courtesy of iTunes)

Bright lights

As I sit in the semi-darkness writing this, I am reminded once more of the random way our apartment is lit throughout. The worst part of our lighting situation is the bedrooms. I am sure we would have noticed if we had inspected the apartment at night, but we didn't. As such, we only realised on our first night here that there are no ceiling lights in the bedrooms. For the most part we each make do with a single bulb lamp, but as we head toward the darkness of the colder months I don't think the current solution will quite cut it. I have been trolling the Internet for some possible inexpensive lighting options that might do the trick. IKEA has this floor lamp (image courtesy of their website) that might be suitable:

Alternatively I could acquire one of these lamps from Walmart (images courtesy of their website):

Either way I think we definitely need to improve the current situation so that I can stop straining my eyes when I read before bedtime. As I think about it some more, it would really just be nice to have better lighting for doing anything when natural light is lacking.

Braid bars

My creative juices have been flowing a lot lately, but I have resisted the urge to blog every time an idea has popped into my head. This is probably for the best, as it would have resulted in several posts on a single day. However, it does mean that for the time being I think I will resume my thrice a week ramblings. So I am not sure where exactly I came across the concept I am about to discuss, but I think it is ingenious, especially to someone like myself. Apparently braid bars have become quite popular across the US as mentioned here. Now that I know this I am surprised that it hasn't happened sooner. I am definitely hairstyle challenged to say the least. I have always wanted to be able to braid my hair in cute and interesting ways, but alas it is not meant to be with my fumbling hands and lack of ability. As such I would be more than happy to shell out the asking price to have someone turn my wish into a reality, which seems to be the case at the mentioned salons. Now my only hope is that I find a salon in Vancouver that offers this service sooner rather than later. If not I am going to New York next July so I might have to wait until then. Below is a collage of inspiration with images courtesy of People magazine:

Shopping on a Saturday

You would think that my need to shop would have been stemmed for a while courtesy of my purchases in Vegas as mentioned here. Alas, this was not the case as this past Saturday saw me indulge in a spot of retail therapy. The sun was in the sky and I was in my element. Firstly, there was window shopping in the South Granville area. I didn't buy anything, but I was pleased to see that a West Elm store will be opening soon. I haven't actually been into a West Elm store, but I have heard lots of good things so I am quite excited to see what is on offer. My wanderings took me downtown and purchases were definitely made. Apparently I still need more coloured jeans, which were acquired along with a cute top from American Eagle, see below images courtesy of the store's website:

The other purchase of the day was a cardigan from Hollister. I do like this store, but don't go into it very often because I find the dark lighting and the general ambience quite off putting. Funnily enough the lighting was an issue with my purchase because when I tried on the cardigan I thought it was orange. However, as I exited the store and took another look, I realised the colour was really coral, which I didn't mind either. All in all a successful and relaxing day of shopping.

Nora Roberts

Reading is a great thing to do during the summer time. Especially down at the beach, as I can't sit still for too long without keeping my mind entertained. I have gone through a few books lately for this reason. As a result, I wandered into Chapters this past weekend looking for my next good read. Although, I do actually have a book by my bedside that I started, but haven't gotten too far into because it requires my attention more that I want to give it at the moment. I have previously mentioned my interest in Nora Roberts here and here. Well I was looking in-store on the computer to see when the last book in the BoonsBoro trilogy was to be released and I stumbled upon a new trilogy of hers. The cover of the first book of the Dream trilogy enticed me because it was in the same style as the other two series I had become attached to. I have since learnt that it is actually a re-release. Clearly I just needed to be wooed by a new cover to purchase it. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading it and at least I won't have to wait too long to read book number two if I am impatient and don't mind the old cover style. One of the things I like about these books is that each one focuses on a different main character yet still interweaves the stories of others into the story line so that there is a smooth transition into the next book. I have no doubt that the Dream trilogy will be the same. Well I am off to find out...happy reading everyone, whatever your current book of choice is.

Daring to Dream (image courtesy of Chapters)

Las Vegas in the summertime

Better late than never I suppose! The long weekend spent in Las Vegas feels like a lifetime ago, but the photos taken stir up memories whenever I look at them. We had an awesome, yet hot time in Vegas. There was lots of wandering around both outside and inside the various themed-hotels. We stayed in Bally's, which was definitely affordable and a great location on the strip. Below are photos showing the view from our hotel room, which I thought was a fantastic one.

We spent a little bit of time by the pool, in the morning of course before the heat really set in. Although on this trip we mainly shopped, with my purchases discussed here. When it comes to shopping in Vegas, I usually shop at The Forum Shops in Caesars Place and the Fashion Show Mall. We probably only had two actual meals whilst we were in Vegas; The Cheesecake Factory at Caesars Palace (sadly without any cheesecake consumption because the portion size of the meal was too big) and the dinner buffet at the Wynn. The buffet was a suggestion from a work colleague and was amazing, I ate so much food and I was quite greedy with the desserts. This once more just highlights that I am no good at buffets, but I keep on trying. We also did a little bit of gambling without success, but it was fun nonetheless. I don't usually post photos of anyone on here, but the two photos below are a couple of my favourites from the trip, so I couldn't resist. I mean, who doesn't want to be dwarfed by a giant ice cream?

We didn't get to a show or anything this time around, however I feel like there will definitely be a next time. I have been to Vegas four times now and I thought after trip number three last year I was done, but I have realised that is not the case. I want to finish by sharing a collage of photos I put together after sifting through the ones that were taken. It was hard to choose which ones because my awesome housemate and co-pilot on this adventure, Hillary, took so many great ones...thank you!

For/Ever New

Whilst I am on the shopping bandwagon I thought I would introduce you all to one of my favourite Australian stores, Forever New. This seems random, but the reason I am is because they just opened a store in Vancouver, which is awesome. The store goes by the name Ever New in this neck of the woods and has set up digs in the Pacific Centre. I went in there this week and it was just like I had stepped into the store back home. I couldn't help making a mental wish list and, later in the week, I found myself on their website scrolling through the fashion and accessories on offer. Below is a collage of the items I would love to make mine:

For/Ever New wish list items (images courtesy of Forever New)

Shopping in Vegas

Last weekend I was in Vegas and boy was it hot...I loved every minute of it. I plan on showing off a few happy snaps and details from the trip, but for now I wanted to share the purchases I made courtesy of Forever 21, Pandora and H&M. I didn't really need any of these items, but that didn't stop me. I also added two more colours to my Essie nail collection.

Colourful dresses and a cute bicycle top (images courtesy of Forever 21)

Pink butterfly Pandora charm

Colourful H&M jeans - I just can't get enough of them

Aruba Blue and Watermelon nail polishes (images courtesy of Essie)

Colour and lots of it seemed to be the driving force behind my purchases with only a pinch of black, grey and white in sight.