About Me
- Ingrid
- Hi, I'm a 22 year old born in '88. I'm loving the symmetry.
I also love a lot of other things, and I hope that you'll get a sense of what those things are after browsing my happiness project. This is a less formalized version of Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project - I'm basically just trying to remind myself of all the things I smile about. I'm forgetful.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Videos
If I'm trying to figure out and seek happiness in this project, then this is a key discovery... I LOVE this video, it makes me feel so squishy and warm inside and I just want to cuddle up when I see it.
It really cheered me up after I watched Spike Jonze's short film, "I'm here": http://www.imheremovie.com. Cool effort, but I felt this horrible crushed and helpless feeling after watching it.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Jason Wu Fall 2011 Collection
Pretty.
I also really love J. Mendel's Spring 2011 collection - more so, actually, but I'm too lazy to paste pictures. Plus I love the whole show.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Lucky
As I've mentioned, I was in the process of applying for my MA...
So a few days ago, I was milling about the house when I noticed a new e-mail: an early acceptance from Laurier with an entrance scholarship!!! I was so excited!! I'm still waiting to hear from Ryerson, but it's such a giant relief.
I do get a bit peeved when people say "See? What were you stressed about?" I understand the sentiment, so I'm not mad, but I kept articulating that I was stressed about the process-- rather than being stressed about the outcome. And even if I was stressed about the outcome, how would my current success have prevented me from being stressed in the time when I had no idea what my chances were?
Anyways, I've been burning out from two jobs... It'll be at least another month of feeling over worked. Today's my first day off in a while, and it was really nice. It's really important to recharge your batteries and to get your down time.
Mario and I went for a Timmie's run-- I got my bagel and we played roll up the rim. I WON A DONUT I was so happy.
Spontaneously I suggested we buy a scratch card, and so we meticulously went through a Bingo card. We could have scratched the whole thing very efficiently, but I liked that we took our time sitting outside of Shoppers, being so careful.
$12!!! Even the gas station attendant was impressed when we went to collect it. Before we scratched it, and before we rolled our rims, I made M hold hands while we thought about all the good things that have been happening to us, and what we're fortunate to have.
I think I should do that more often. When I'm upset, it's easy to let everything sort of cave in. It's natural, but then on the flip side, if I'm happy, I should try to let all the happy moments collect together as well.
In the mean time, I'm struggling with how to treat my finances. On one hand, I'm still paying off my last trip to Vietnam. On the other hand, I'm young and this is my only opportunity to be "irresponsible" with money. And that's one of my new resolutions, to be a little more carefree-- even if it means being a bit irresponsible. I'm only young once.
So a few days ago, I was milling about the house when I noticed a new e-mail: an early acceptance from Laurier with an entrance scholarship!!! I was so excited!! I'm still waiting to hear from Ryerson, but it's such a giant relief.
I do get a bit peeved when people say "See? What were you stressed about?" I understand the sentiment, so I'm not mad, but I kept articulating that I was stressed about the process-- rather than being stressed about the outcome. And even if I was stressed about the outcome, how would my current success have prevented me from being stressed in the time when I had no idea what my chances were?
Anyways, I've been burning out from two jobs... It'll be at least another month of feeling over worked. Today's my first day off in a while, and it was really nice. It's really important to recharge your batteries and to get your down time.
Mario and I went for a Timmie's run-- I got my bagel and we played roll up the rim. I WON A DONUT I was so happy.
Spontaneously I suggested we buy a scratch card, and so we meticulously went through a Bingo card. We could have scratched the whole thing very efficiently, but I liked that we took our time sitting outside of Shoppers, being so careful.
$12!!! Even the gas station attendant was impressed when we went to collect it. Before we scratched it, and before we rolled our rims, I made M hold hands while we thought about all the good things that have been happening to us, and what we're fortunate to have.
I think I should do that more often. When I'm upset, it's easy to let everything sort of cave in. It's natural, but then on the flip side, if I'm happy, I should try to let all the happy moments collect together as well.
In the mean time, I'm struggling with how to treat my finances. On one hand, I'm still paying off my last trip to Vietnam. On the other hand, I'm young and this is my only opportunity to be "irresponsible" with money. And that's one of my new resolutions, to be a little more carefree-- even if it means being a bit irresponsible. I'm only young once.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Spring is coming
There's so much I want to write about! I want to write about my Winterlicious dinner at Auberge de Pommier, I want to write about a lovely breakfast I had with Mario--as well as our Valentine's Day, my thoughts about school and work, myself, and all these little fun incidents I've had over the past few days. It all keeps piling up!
For now though...
I've been spinning with my friend Jen at Quad Spin and it's been really great to take a class again. I still miss my beloved hot yoga at Moksha, but this is a really nice change of pace.
After spinning with Jen today, I met my friend Jennie for dinner at Kit Kat, an Italian restaurant on King West.
They had osso bucco-- a dish my mother had recently made that I really enjoyed. Obviiiiously I couldn't pass up the chance to try it "professionally" made, so I ordered it (despite being really tempted by one of the daily specials: goat cheese agnolotti with roasted corn, tomatoes etc...). Overall I really liked it. The meat was tender, the marrow was a wonderful, the tomato flavor was bright, and they gave me the perfect amount of fettucine to go with everything. My only complaint was that the dish was a quite oily (There were big pools of it by the end), but the atmosphere of the restaurant itself was really lovely. Jennie ordered their fusilli with a cream sauce, and to my surprise it was so nice and light. I usually avoid cream sauces because they're so heavy, but the bite I tried from her plate was pretty good.
Another little thing that makes me happy: sharing food, or sampling food from other people. Breaking bread and all that right?
Speaking of bread (what a convenient segue), I have been craving/enjoying bagels from Tim Horton's for breakfast. It reminds me of my weekend in St. Kitts for some reason.
However, I think the emotional craving has been satisfied. Now I just notice that by starting my morning with white carbs, I feel off for the rest of the day. I think I'm going back to my protein shake tomorrow morning.
And just a final picture before I sign off on this random update:
[Picture of inside the cafe is from Blogto.com]
My friend Amy took me to a cute dessert place a few days ago: Cafe Princess near Yonge and Finch on the second floor of another restaurant. The fondue we shared was alright, but I'd go just for the environment. It's very girly, though. There's rose print couches everywhere and little white Christmas lights everywhere. It made me happy, having a good girl chat in a place like that. Amy and I both mistook random people as servers though-- I don't think they were pleased. Uniforms!!!
For now though...
I've been spinning with my friend Jen at Quad Spin and it's been really great to take a class again. I still miss my beloved hot yoga at Moksha, but this is a really nice change of pace.
After spinning with Jen today, I met my friend Jennie for dinner at Kit Kat, an Italian restaurant on King West.
They had osso bucco-- a dish my mother had recently made that I really enjoyed. Obviiiiously I couldn't pass up the chance to try it "professionally" made, so I ordered it (despite being really tempted by one of the daily specials: goat cheese agnolotti with roasted corn, tomatoes etc...). Overall I really liked it. The meat was tender, the marrow was a wonderful, the tomato flavor was bright, and they gave me the perfect amount of fettucine to go with everything. My only complaint was that the dish was a quite oily (There were big pools of it by the end), but the atmosphere of the restaurant itself was really lovely. Jennie ordered their fusilli with a cream sauce, and to my surprise it was so nice and light. I usually avoid cream sauces because they're so heavy, but the bite I tried from her plate was pretty good.
Another little thing that makes me happy: sharing food, or sampling food from other people. Breaking bread and all that right?
Speaking of bread (what a convenient segue), I have been craving/enjoying bagels from Tim Horton's for breakfast. It reminds me of my weekend in St. Kitts for some reason.
However, I think the emotional craving has been satisfied. Now I just notice that by starting my morning with white carbs, I feel off for the rest of the day. I think I'm going back to my protein shake tomorrow morning.
And just a final picture before I sign off on this random update:
[Picture of inside the cafe is from Blogto.com]
My friend Amy took me to a cute dessert place a few days ago: Cafe Princess near Yonge and Finch on the second floor of another restaurant. The fondue we shared was alright, but I'd go just for the environment. It's very girly, though. There's rose print couches everywhere and little white Christmas lights everywhere. It made me happy, having a good girl chat in a place like that. Amy and I both mistook random people as servers though-- I don't think they were pleased. Uniforms!!!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Superbowl Weekend
I'm behind in updating!
Go Packers! With Antoine and Garrett.
So I visited my friend Justin in St. Catherine's last weekend with our friend Antoine, who flew in from Paris. Truthfully it's exactly what I needed.
I am a champ.
It was definitely a taxing weekend on my body-- a lot of junk food and drinking, no sleep, etc. At many points I remember thinking "I feel soooo rough." But despite that, it was an awesome weekend. It tops my weekend in Montreal from two years ago, which was one of the key moments in my life. When I visited Montreal, I wanted to escape myself but ended up finding myself. With St. Kitts, I was reminded of what made me happiest. Working in the service industry hasn't helped, but recently I found myself catering too much to other people's needs. I always figured that I could handle it, and didn't realize how much it was wearing away at me. This past weekend made me realize what I was missing.
Antoine, Rako, Justin and I at London Arms.
The snow was so high everywhere, so picturesque.
The weekend was full of people who supported me, and did things for me, despite their own schedules or stresses. It was just nice to be so cared for.
--
On a side note:
As I've said, I'm a big fan of Valentine's Day. I've already handed out most of my little drugstore greeting cards. I hope they make other people just as happy!
Go Packers! With Antoine and Garrett.
So I visited my friend Justin in St. Catherine's last weekend with our friend Antoine, who flew in from Paris. Truthfully it's exactly what I needed.
I am a champ.
It was definitely a taxing weekend on my body-- a lot of junk food and drinking, no sleep, etc. At many points I remember thinking "I feel soooo rough." But despite that, it was an awesome weekend. It tops my weekend in Montreal from two years ago, which was one of the key moments in my life. When I visited Montreal, I wanted to escape myself but ended up finding myself. With St. Kitts, I was reminded of what made me happiest. Working in the service industry hasn't helped, but recently I found myself catering too much to other people's needs. I always figured that I could handle it, and didn't realize how much it was wearing away at me. This past weekend made me realize what I was missing.
Antoine, Rako, Justin and I at London Arms.
The snow was so high everywhere, so picturesque.
The weekend was full of people who supported me, and did things for me, despite their own schedules or stresses. It was just nice to be so cared for.
--
On a side note:
As I've said, I'm a big fan of Valentine's Day. I've already handed out most of my little drugstore greeting cards. I hope they make other people just as happy!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Checking In
I'm a silly rabbit sometimes.
I guess it all stems from balancing, like that DailyOm article mentioned. While this blog was created to help me find my inner balance, my... outer balance is pretty steady. What do I mean by outer balance? I guess I mean the version of myself that strangers get to meet-- the smiling face, the friendly chatter, the jokes. What I mean to say is that I'm at peace with how I am perceived in general.
In all sincerity, I love that person. She's bright and thoughtful and loving. So what's missing inside? That's what I've been trying to figure out.
People have always been kind to me (I certainly have conflicts and issues... but I'm talking about my general day to day interactions). People have actually been very giving and complimentary to me. But I was raised not to take those comments to heart-- and I understand why, because yes, talk is easy. And I shouldn't get an ego, etc...
But I think I should start listening to them a bit. Because although I love the external me, I feel like the reason my internal self is lacking because I don't allow myself to absorb any of this abundant positivity that's thrown at me.
In an effort to remain humble, I've let my inner self suffer. I smile and am thankful for kind words, and I share my appreciation, but it never really reaches my heart. I should let them.
I had a lovely Skype date with one of my best friends this morning, and I had rolled out of bed and was wearing a lumpy plaid shirt. But he kept remarking how bright I looked, and so today I tried to take the comment to heart.
Our Starbucks delivery guy, who is Spanish, once thought I was Spanish. Now he smiles and calls me Spanish Girl. I know that's not really a compliment, but I guess in that case, I would normally dismiss the connection entirely. But it's nice that he takes the time to be nice, since they are usually so surly.
I get uncomfortable when a compliment lasts too long, and so I guess another thing I'm adding to my list of things to do is to... absorb the good more, instead of relying on myself. I'm proud that I can always pick myself up-- I've done so from very grave situations, but maybe I don't have to pick myself up from the smaller situations. It'd be nice to have a little reserve of positivity on hand. :)
Looking forward to visiting one of my best friends, Justin, in St. Kitts this weekend!!! Our friend Antoine is flying in from France too, and Justin's girlfriend Natalie is coming too. It's the perfect time to go!!
I guess it all stems from balancing, like that DailyOm article mentioned. While this blog was created to help me find my inner balance, my... outer balance is pretty steady. What do I mean by outer balance? I guess I mean the version of myself that strangers get to meet-- the smiling face, the friendly chatter, the jokes. What I mean to say is that I'm at peace with how I am perceived in general.
In all sincerity, I love that person. She's bright and thoughtful and loving. So what's missing inside? That's what I've been trying to figure out.
People have always been kind to me (I certainly have conflicts and issues... but I'm talking about my general day to day interactions). People have actually been very giving and complimentary to me. But I was raised not to take those comments to heart-- and I understand why, because yes, talk is easy. And I shouldn't get an ego, etc...
But I think I should start listening to them a bit. Because although I love the external me, I feel like the reason my internal self is lacking because I don't allow myself to absorb any of this abundant positivity that's thrown at me.
In an effort to remain humble, I've let my inner self suffer. I smile and am thankful for kind words, and I share my appreciation, but it never really reaches my heart. I should let them.
I had a lovely Skype date with one of my best friends this morning, and I had rolled out of bed and was wearing a lumpy plaid shirt. But he kept remarking how bright I looked, and so today I tried to take the comment to heart.
Old photos of Yuang and I
Our Starbucks delivery guy, who is Spanish, once thought I was Spanish. Now he smiles and calls me Spanish Girl. I know that's not really a compliment, but I guess in that case, I would normally dismiss the connection entirely. But it's nice that he takes the time to be nice, since they are usually so surly.
I get uncomfortable when a compliment lasts too long, and so I guess another thing I'm adding to my list of things to do is to... absorb the good more, instead of relying on myself. I'm proud that I can always pick myself up-- I've done so from very grave situations, but maybe I don't have to pick myself up from the smaller situations. It'd be nice to have a little reserve of positivity on hand. :)
Looking forward to visiting one of my best friends, Justin, in St. Kitts this weekend!!! Our friend Antoine is flying in from France too, and Justin's girlfriend Natalie is coming too. It's the perfect time to go!!
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