Senpai, Please notice me~! *Squeal* Animethon 22

"Senpai, please notice me!" (Followed by a squeal). 
Haha.. that was like the hit line for casual street talk awhile ago~ :P

Talking about anime, have you watched any so far? I know many who are more into TV shows or dramas since they're more realistic, and animes seem childish.. but seriously try watching one- especially if you're bored or if you're feeling stressed out and sad because they will boost your mood- I'm not kidding! C: Some of them are so funny and agh, you could really get addicted to them! I was first hooked onto manga back in eigth grade.. ah, those good ol' days when we didn't have much homework and I'd be spending the nights laughing over the books. ;) Many of the books I were reading were "shojo mangas" which is more on the girly, highschool side (mind me, I was still a growing teenage girl!).

Anyway, here was my last Animethon post, which I gotta say, felt like forever ago.. and I do feel fairly bad about only being able to fit in 5 posts during the 12-months gap!

As you can tell, I did not cosplay this year like I did last year... pout.. cosplaying can get expensive, or costly (time-wise) if you decide to do-it-yourself! I tried to fit in with the whole anime/cosplay spirit with these kitty tights and the hair bow on my head! 

(...a few months later: September)!!
Hi everyone! So I started typing up this post a few weeks ago, and here I am, finishing it up! :P
Boy, did summer go by fast~ I'll definitely be posting up a reflection of my to-do list !!! (Let's see if I actually completed it :P)! 

Cheers to a new school year!!

Inspired by Mint Chocolate- yum!

Morning, all! Typing straight from my sister's laptop in a residence! :) It's the first week of August and you know what that means, right? Probs not, haha, but it's Animethon Season! Don't know if you recall my post from last year about Animethon! A post this year shall be airing! :)

Anyway, this outfit was from a couple of days ago and didn't make it on the blog as quick as I had planned for it to. This outfit reminds of mint chocolate- black, brown, and green- yum!! Haha! Oh, right, and the cherry red on top! :D 

I think crop-tops are best paired with high-waist (or in my case, I suppose, something that looks high-waist)! I don't think patterns clashing are a complicated mess, not if the colours are bold enough to outweigh the patterns! Tidying it up with a brown leather shoulder bag which brings the outfit to a more organized end, haha. 

These shoes are from Aldo- I'm loving the newest trend of sporty sandals- they are so chic and effortless, plus they feel oh-so-comfortable! I also love the glitter on my sandals! The only worry I have is that the straps on the sandals seems similar to sand paper.. ah, but all for the good price of roughly $30. 

Outfit Details: 

Top: H&M

Skirt: American Eagle

Shoes: Aldo

Necklace: vintage

Bag: Marco Polo

Sunnies: Target

Do you have any outfits inspired by any type of food? :P

Let's name some, haha! 

Much love,

Nicole

Spending the summer with books.. as if all those textbooks weren't enough during the school year!

I loove reading. Even textbooks (as long as they're interesting! Psychology? Yes! Economics? Gulp...).

Let's talk books that I've read so far during the summer! Squeezing time in between full-time work, French class, piano theory class (and studying for it), and above all, helping get groceries with my newly received driver's license and spending time with family, I had a chance to read two books! What an achievement, hey? Haha.

As you've heard, it was a hectic summer so far, so no photos for this post (at least, no photos taken by me)! Just reading- how does that sound for a blog post about books? ;)

Book #1: Quiet by Susan Cain

Source

I loved and enjoyed her TEDtalk: The Power of Introverts so I knew I had to get ahold of her book! This book is almost a must-read- whether you are a self-declared introvert or extrovert. After reading this book, I can be more proud and confident about being a half-introvert. This book doesn't just describe the pros (and cons) of being an introvert, it also gives insight to how you can make your whole life easier and fulfilling for yourself just by doing the smallest things: for example, introverts may feel obligated to attend all those parties and accept the party invitations coming in every week. A tip brought up in the book suggests limiting yourself by suggesting a number of parties you will go perhaps every month and stick to it. It will make you feel a lot more comfortable about rejecting the others because you have already achieved your maximum! There are also tips for introverts on networking and other things.
This is not only a great book for extroverts to get to understand introverts- but useful for introverts to get to know themselves and not be ashamed of those occasional tingly feelings of wanting to be by themselves elsewhere during a party. 

Book #2: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Source

Also a must-read for anyone- a similar style to Quiet, this book draws forward to encouraging women to "lean in"- taking action to lead the life they want without being criticized or held back because of their gender, and encouraging men to understanding the gender inequality gap that still exists after years of slowly becoming narrow and also giving tips to how they can lean in.. to the kitchen table. 
She also spoke about the issue of not enough women leaders and the topic of feminism on TedTalk.

I would strongly recommend both of these books to anyone- a real good read to understand and know about the people around us (and/or ourselves), plus understanding and closing the gender gap!   

Another book I am going to start reading before school kicks in in September is by Dale Carnegie. I'll be sharing my thoughts on it after I've finished it or during my read- I've read some online reviews and most of them sound great! Plus, it was recommended by my business teacher. Of course, right when I borrowed it from the library, I expected my sister to be sneaking around and reading my books. She gave me a thumbs-up on this book, so I have a pretty darn good feeling about this upcoming one!

I hope you've got some books on your shelves that you can grab and dive into excitement when you have the need to kill some time or entertain yourself! :) And of course, I don't just love reading books, I can't wait to catch up on some blogs!

Let me know your thoughts on the books in the comments below or share some books that you've been reading or if you have any recommendations for me! 

Cheers! 

-Nikkie

Summer OOTD ! & First-Year University Reflection!

Ello ello! So I said I would be back and here I am, haha (yeah, like 1 month later.. ;_;)! 

Well, anyway, the uni life post that I was promising is here! HERE!  I actually don't have that strong urge anymore to post about this topic in particular because of my poor memory...

But as most cliches have it- the show must go on! *sits up straight*

The outfit for today- a light cotton blue shirt, feeling cool under the blazing sun! Adding some pops of orange to the outfit with my bag and these heels! ;)

Don't forget sun glasses during the summer- they help protect your eyes from the terrible UV rays; too important: if there is something you must take away from today's post, it is to wear sunglasses- even during the winter because of snow (you can get blinded by the sharp white colour if you stare at it too long)! 

What were your thoughts before you went into university? 
To be honest, it didn't quite hit me that I was departing to eastern Canada until 2 nights before my flight to London, Ontario. I was laying in bed, going to sleep, and I was like, oh my... in two more nights I'll lying in a dorm in an unknown place with a roommate. I actually started panicking really hard and tried to do mental preparation, which I suppose did help- my transition was actually not too bad; I was absorbing everything splurging my way! I did break down when I was heading back to school after I went home for Christmas break. Anyway, I didn't give much thought about it, and I think it was mainly because I was avoiding the topic of going somewhere else by myself (well, my Mom came with me to help prepare, but that was it), while everyone else I knew basically stayed in town for their career or life, whatnot.

Expectations:
Truth be told, I suppose I did for maybe some split seconds, think I'd magically transform into this super outgoing person with a million new friends, having a great time, living the college life! 
Reality? I guess not.. haha.. ended up studying some Friday nights while the party music upstairs start booming at roughly 10pm. 
Mostly, I was hoping to continue to be involved within campus and to make sure my life was balanced with school, socializing, and all that, while being happy and healthy. 

Did you meet your expectations for university?
Maybe I could have if I specified my goals and actually aimed at them, coming up with plans and more. I definitely enjoyed the experience, even though there were lots of downs and ups- if I stayed in town, I wouldn't have cultivated this new mindset I have fostered which opened me up. I am so incredibly blessed to have this experience (though not yet excited or ready for school again in September, haha). In the end, just go with the flow! Everything seemingly worked out fine and I have learned a lot.

Tie a knot on the ends of the shirt for an edgier, more nonchalant feel! 

Any tips?

• Get your butt out of your comfort zone! Join a club and go to sessions, even by yourself, if nobody wants to do it with you. You get to meet some great people, have a great time, and you will feel fulfilled/feel that your university experience is at least worthwhile with this activity! 
• Balance your life! University isn't just about studying- as said above, maybe join a club, make a club, get a job for the experience (and extra cash should help with your tuition, no?), and do something different, something you would normally not do! Why not study abroad? Consider things you would normally not think about!
• Prepare... for the unexpected! There are times when a door will close- you were rejected for a position, you don't do as well as you expect in school, or if your relationships are getting weak. Embrace these "down-times"- when a door closes, more doors open: more opportunities and space for improvements. Don't stop.. believing!

I might sound super positive, like I totally nailed all of these, but nope! There were times when I missed an opportunity, I was afraid to take the leap, but I won't regret it, rather I'll embrace the chance for me to reflect and learn!

Until next time! :) I hope you are all enjoying your summer! 
What lessons have you learned from this year? 
Any reflections or thoughts you'd like to share? I got my ears open for you! Leave your blurb below!

Summer To-Do List

Hello everyone! I’ve been itching to blog for the longest time!! I have so much to spill, I don’t think one blog post will suffice, so I’ll be posting more soon! Yahoo. Anyway, this blog post shall be a compilation of my summer to-do list and a quick update on my life thus far and hopefully I’ll get another post up soon about my university experience- what I enjoyed about it, what I didn’t, and tips for people trailing in my footsteps! 

And just in case you all forgot my face.. here it is! Thank lord for being back home and having my awesome brother here to help me take pictures! ;) 

Look at the view of Edmonton's downtown at the background! ;)

So I bought this top at a Chinese mall in Markham, Toronto for my sisters back in February when visiting some relatives, but they declined my offer (sob) and I was actually doubting my fashion taste for awhile.

I thought this would be a perfect outfit for work (or at least my current intern position- more details about it coming soon! :D), especially with some tights!

    So I arrived home roughly three weeks ago and I compiled a huge list of “must-do’s for this summer” during the flight home- it’s really exciting but there's a part of me that's like really? will I get anything done? So allow me to blog about it so I'll feel the pressure to complete it! ;) And without further ado, here’s my list:

•  Get my driver’s license. I was holding up on doing the written exam (learner’s license) for years, until my Mom said to me “let’s go” so we went to the driver’s registry and I passed the test! ;D now to get my driver’s license.. then I can drive my Grandma around and it’ll be so helpful since I have to bus to work and it takes an hour to get to work from home (plus I will no longer have panic attacks about missing the busses)!
• Get braces. It’s scheduled- my appointment is next Wednesday! I feel like I’m the late one to the party. Everyone around me had gotten braces in junior high and high school and their results are already showing. Better late than never, right? I’ll let you guys know about my braces experience if anyone is interested!
• Learn French. Okay, so, Canada is a bilingual country- official language of English and French. Got to know Francais okay?! And it sounds so sophisticated too… fashion/outfit bloggers’ “must learn” in order to fit with our classy selves.. hah.
• Continue playing the piano! Totally need to catch up on piano after not touching it for almost a year! It’s so hard to find a teacher though.. been phoning a lot of people…  most of them are at the other end of town or they don’t teach grade 9 RCM. Anyone teaching piano?! Anyone?!
• Read! And not textbooks.. although some are interesting, specifically my awesome Psychology textbook! Taking Psychology class definitely changed my perspective about Psychology. Love that course- it has so much information on your health, stress, sleep, and much more. Psychology ain’t about reading people’s minds or hypnotizing them apparently...  So, back on track, did anyone read “Quiet” by Susan Caine? Reading it at the moment! :D
• Blog more! Heck yes! One of the main reasons I didn’t blog as much as I'd hoped was because it’s hard to take pictures especially when I didn’t bring my camera over there. 
• Spend more time with family and friends! I’m so happy to be back home to see my family! I missed them bunches when I was 3 provinces away from them! Plus, I have already re-connected with some friends who I thought forgotten about me, haha.. good to know people are still aware of my existence!

So, enough about my fantasies about getting this whole list checked, right? What am I currently doing? Working! I’m currently a summer student intern at an accounting company. I can totally feel the OL (office lady) atmosphere in my workplace, like the dramas or TV shows; I will pull up a post about it soon! ;D

Home Sweet Home! <3

That’s it for now! What’s on your “summer to-do’s” or “must accomplish” list for the summer? Reading? Travelling? Anything!! Just list some below! ;) 

To tell or Not During the Process...

     Hi everyone! So today's topic (or this week, or this month.. or, should I say until the next post, which hopefully shall be soon) is simply about telling people about what you're up to. The title actually takes more than a sentence to explain... hear me out on this! So, ever had that feeling when you are facing a struggle or you're in the process of something and you don't want to let anyone know about it until you're 100% confident about it or until you win? So, I sort of did that during the past few weeks.

     I was in an election for being a Social Science Students' Councillor, a part of the university's student council, and there were only 10 positions available for next year whilst there were 17 people running for it. I knew this was going to be a big part of my university experience if I made it, and I was really wondering if I should let my blogger friends (yes, you, reading this!) and readers (you, again! :P) to know about this! Why wouldn't I? Well, of course, I usually don't like to let people in the nose of what I'm trying to achieve because for one thing, what if I fail? Everyone will laugh at me! Everyone will know that I tried but didn't make it- it'll be embarrassing! Unfortunately, that was part of why I didn't want to spread this news.. not even to my fellow friends back in Edmonton... and guess what? practically everyone in Edmonton knew about it because of Facebook (never doubt Facebook's ability to let everyone in on the gossip...). Anyway, even my Mom knew about it from Facebook and suddenly a bunch of people "Facebook liked" the creation of my event! I felt so embarrassed and panicky because I suddenly had more pressure to win- from family and friends across Canada!

     So a quick run-through: this campaign really taught me a lot and I met a lot of different people and I'm so glad that I ran this campaign- I forced myself to talk to strangers and it was really a great experience. Even though I spent hours running from buildings to buildings by myself, hanging posters at like 8 in the morning, finding those election boards in each building, and even though I came back to my dormitory late at night just so I could pass out some campaign material and inform students of my platform at the library, it was all worth it because it was a great learning experience. I felt so much support from friends and halfway through it (this campaign lasted two weeks, ending just on Monday), my embarrassment and panicky feeling and pressure from family and friends in Edmonton actually became heart-warming to me and became supporting. I was so glad that they got to know about it during the process, because my heart really warmed up when my Mom and Grandma encouraged me- and what really made my heart flutter was when they said it is okay if I don't get the position, because it'll be a great experience. I already knew this "quote" or should I say this "learning experience theory" since forever ago, but when they said it, it really touched the bottom of my heart and I didn't have as much pressure anymore.

     Today was elections' night at 8:30pm, where they had revealed the newly elected representatives for next year. I had a night class from 7-9pm, so I sort of used that excuse to avoid the elections' ceremony, because I was afraid of facing it. You remember my last post about trying not to compare yourself to others? I tried not to. My Facebook event only had 35 people "going" to it while my competitors all had at least 100+. I did feel a bit down, but I tried to look at the bright side of the 35 people who supported me.

Wow, that was a long paragraph... I guess it's true: the process is the most important part, rather than the ending, because the ending would either be a yes, I won the election or a no, I didn't win.. but it was a great experience. 

 Is the ending the most important than the process? Did you guys ever struggled with the idea of telling friends/family/readers of your blog what you're going through?


I'll let you enjoy my campaign posters (the real ones had words over it, of course)!

New Year, New.. Replica? Jealousy?

Happy Friday, everyone!

Okay. So, as much as I always try to remind myself that I am beautiful, smart, unique, blah, blah... there are times when you see someone else and you cannot help but feel envious of their beauty, their personality, or their accomplishments, etc. I would just like to stress that everyone is important to this world and that everyone is born into this world for a purpose. As normal as it may to feel a tingle of jealousy whenever you encounter someone "more successful than yourself", I still feel that an overload of jealousy is quite unhealthy. 

I'll reveal one of the intentions for this post: After coming to university, I felt envious of the many people I encountered- their experience, intelligence, beauty- I met leaders of clubs, founders of clubs, this, that... and the list goes on! How could they be the leader of a society with over a hundred members, be part of the residence council with that position, maintain a GPA of 3.9, have the time to socialize and have great connections built, and be a competitive athlete/musician at the same time? How could...? How...? And the list goes on.

1. Avoid comparing yourself with others. Once you compare yourself with others, you look down on your accomplishments and your value. 

2. Set your own standards and work towards your goal instead of setting a difficult or big goal quickly unless you are capable of achieving it; small steps could build you up to your destination, and you will grow and learn from the experience! The experience might even be the best part next to your achievement!  

3. Instead of comparing yourself to those people, set them as examples or inspirations. Take these 2 situations for example:

• Situation #1: "My goodness, she is soo talented at dancing ballet- she even has her own ballet studio now. Plus, she's also the manager of that clothing retail store, and she's the founder of X Club!" 
• Situation #2: "Wow, I'm amazed at her accomplishments and I'm now even more inspired to pursue my own goals."

We are all humans and we all have the capabilities to do anything if we pursue it. Instead of criticizing yourself and being envious of others, think of it as: "if she/he can do it, so can I!" 

Sometimes whenever I encounter an opportunity, I might become skeptical about my capabilities and doubt myself, but you won't get anywhere if you don't try and push yourself out of your comfort zones. I dare you to take opportunities and be motivated- life is too short to think of all the ways situations can go wrong! If you know you will later regret not doing something or trying it, take action and do it now! 

If you have another tip or a story to share about building confidence and overcoming human's nature to comparing self to others, please comment below- it will definitely help inspire others! :) 

Have a happy new year and I hope you will not regret 2015!! :)  

4-Month Break! Happy 2015!

     Hii everyone!! I honestly can't believe the number of months that have flew by since the last time I touched my blog!! Long story short: I flew to London, Ontario for school and I am now officially an undergraduate student at Western University! Can you believe that? Haha.. Anyway, I hope everyone was doing well since my last trace of presence in the blogging world. I actually missed blogging a lot- I enjoyed reading other people's blogs, typing up blog posts, and more! The blogging world helped make me feel more fulfilled. I'm ever so grateful to be back here! 

     Before university, I was always wondering how it felt to be in university and what was the environment like; I had piles after piles of questions for my fellow friends who were already experiencing the life. Now, I am super psyched to share my own experience (I might just be blogging about it more in the next few weeks, actually) and give tips to people! Anyhow, I can definitely feel a more dynamic change from high school to post-secondary, mostly because of my move to Ontario, I feel much more independent, confident, less worried about what others thought of me, and I have more self-esteem. One tip I have is to push yourself outside your comfort zone: sometimes, that's exactly how the magic happens! :) Expect surprises and rewards for yourself. 

     Anyway, how is school in terms of the course work? It varies for everyone as it depends on each person's study habits and whether they're willing to put in the effort to read, study, review, ask questions, and more importantly, maintain a positive attitude in school. I also learned more new ways and tips for me to study, so I'll be blogging about that in the next blog post! :) And a photo here for you crunch upon: my textbooks for this semester- can you spot some Calculus, MOS (Management and Organizational Studies), Psychology, Business, and Economics? :P 

Anyway, my blog is roughly a year and a half years old now and since it's also a new year, I'd like to celebrate a vague timeline of some of my favourite past outfits since the birth of my blog! 

October 2013- Hello, You met a freak (my first ever post, haha)! 

October 2013- Thanksgiving outfit idea! 

October 2013- Thanksgiving outfit idea! 

December 2013- Christmas Outfit!

Winter Wonderland 

Staying classy with a plaid cloak, a structured bag, and a pair of navy wedges with gold accents. 

Girly and feminine with different patterns and textures! 

Adding some edge with the "shirt-over-the-waist" trend! 

Summer- Orange is the New Black! I totally forgot how long my hair was until I saw this photo, haha. 

And I should end off the blog post with a recent picture of myself, of course! Not sure if you remember, but I chopped off quite a bit of my hair (do the comparison from the above photo and the below)! This was actually a few weeks ago before Christmas but I'm sure it will do for now! More to come, of course! :) 

 

And of course I needed to take an outfit shot!

Frosty the Gingerbread man! 

Well, I hope everyone enjoy their weekend and have a splendid day!! Thanks so much for reading and I can't wait to see what everyone has in store in their own blog!