1.12.2010




I was waiting for my boss to call me with a start date this month, but when I wasn't hearing from him I e-mailed him. He wrote back saying he hired someone else who could work full-time. I was annoyed that he didn't let me know earlier. WTF? In any case, I'm relieved because I wasn't that excited about this job anyway. Several times I seriously thought about telling him that I changed my mind about working for his company. And I even interviewed for another job (which I didn't get) while waiting for this one to start.

So now I have to look for a job again. Bleh. Not only is job hunting a painful activity, but the prospect of working for someone simply does not appeal to me. Hence, this makes me not want to look for a job even more. I would enjoy working for someone only is if it's a job where I get to be highly independent or I work with people I really enjoy.

But beggars can't be choosers.

1.10.2010



I've been reading Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. It's not just a book about making your home look pretty. It's about creating a home that promotes well-being and doesn't stress you out. What I appreciate most about the book is that the author names the je ne sais quoi factors that make a space work and look beautiful. The author lives (or maybe lived?) in a 265 square foot apartment in New York City. If you're curious as to how he managed to live in such a tiny space with a wife and baby, check it out here. It's very awe-inspiring.

What I find most challenging about decorating our apartment is sticking to just one style. I love so many looks, that it's hard to commit to just one. But I'm going to try. And I'm going to start by sticking to the 80/20 colour rule. Eighty percent neutral colours and 20% strong colours. There's another piece of advice that I'm ambivalent about though and that's not mixing cool and warm colours together. He recommends sticking to either or when choosing strong colours. But I love the combination of red and blue, red and green, orange and gray, yellow and gray, hot pink and gray, which are all warm-cool colour combos. I think I'll follow Dorothy Draper's advice: if it looks good to you, then it's right.

1.05.2010


There are many things I love about Vancouver and living here. However, there is one downfall...it crimps my style, fashion-wise. The constant rain and cool temperatures force me to choose clothes that protect me against the elements rather than wear clothes and shoes that reflect my true style. When I lived in L.A. I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted (which was mostly cute summer and fall clothes) because of the constant sunny weather. And when I had a car I could wear heels all the time. But now I can't wear any of my fun shoes (even flat ones!) because I walk everywhere, and I don't want them to get water-damaged.

I absolutely hate my wardrobe right now. The way I acquire clothes usually involves going on a big shopping spree every few years so that I get to redo my whole wardrobe. And I'm way overdue for a wardrobe makeover. But alas, poverty requires that I continue wearing ugly clothes. Any spare money we have I'd rather spend on beautifying our apartment. We recently bought a couch and an armchair because I got really sick of having an empty living room after 4 months. They're used so they definitely need fixing up. I'll post pictures once their makeover is complete.