Yet Another Life Update // {P.O.V + Let's Eat Here!}

It's been 2 years since my last update. Let me let that sink in, 2 years (´⊙o⊙`；)

A lot can change in two years, and I hope that I was able to change during the time that has passed to a better person.

Anyways, let's get to it!

🔽What Courtney Has Been Doing Instead of Blogging🔽

- Started learning how to Ballroom Dance!! Competed in 3 competitions so far!

-Will be doing Graphic Design program this April ೭੧(❛▿❛✿)੭೨

-No longer works as a Barista...but now works as Medical Office Assistant

-Watched Vance Joy twice now. This makes it a total of 3 times 

- Begun doing Barre Fitness!

- Hiked Joffre Lake, The Chief and many more places

- GRADUATED with my Bachelor's!!!

- And now sadly, paying off my loans...

(Please note that the rest of the content below ↓ was written back in 2016...)

|| Places of Vancouver ||

If there's one thing to know about me, one of my hobbies, is hiking. I love exploring new places and looking at the scenery. Sadly, this year, I wasn't able to hike too much, in fact, I think I only hiked twice this year ●︿●

Luckily, I was able to explore a new place in Vancouver. During the last week of August of 2016, my close friend and I went to Rice Lake.

The side view of Rice Lake.

The water looked so clear here...in reality it was mucky and brown :c

Aesthetic picture, haha.

Posing, cause I need one for Instagram.

It was a peaceful hike, quite small, but it was nice and enjoyable. I do have to say that the water was mucky and not clear at all.

However, if you guys fine yourselves in Vancouver and want to hike, I would not recommend Rice Lake, only because there are other places such as Deep Cove, Cypress Falls, etc., that have a much better view.

Let's EaT Here!

If you must know, from the time away I was from blogging, I became interested in trying new food places in Vancouver! In fact, I made another Instagram account to document the places I tried and the dishes of food. 

(Check out my new instagram account)

Shameless promotion

Due to this new hobby of mine, I was able to find new places in Vancouver that I enjoyed eating at. And one of those places was Fanny Bay Oyster Bar. 

A closeup of the menu.

Can you feel the ambiance?

Located on 762 Cambie Street, it's actually quite easy to miss the restaurant, seeing how the entrance is a bit small. However, once you enter in, the place is quite spacious. They had multiple seating for dining, places to sit at the bar and as well, part of the restaurant was a shellfish market, where people can go buy their own seafood.

The time my friend and I went there, it was happy hour. This meant the oysters were $1 a piece!!!  ٩(◕ั ∀◕ั๑٩)

Oysters galore.

Because it was our first time here, we were a bit cautious on how many oysters we wanted to order. However, that thought went away as soon as we ate an oyster each. It was very fresh.

More pictures, because why not?

Given with the oysters was a complimentary bucket of fried potato chips. More so, we were given half a lemon, cilantro and cocktail sauce to give more flavor to the oysters.

Colorful sauces.

If that wasn't enough, at our disposal, we had also 3 more additional sauces. I believe we had apple cinnamon cider, mango and watermelon. From the three, I enjoyed the mango sauce with my oysters the most.

Overview of what we ate.

In addition, my friend and I also got the deep-fried oysters, which was the first time I tried it. I would actually described to be savory and sweet.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the Fanny Bay, I would recommend going there during happy hour! There's a lot to choose from for half the price.

Since I haven't technically posted a really long long post for a long time...I decided to finish this one up with some of the songs I found enjoyable. Hopefully, you guys will like them as well.

The Head and the Heart - All We Ever Knew

Reuben and the Dark - Heart in Two

Meiko - Stuck on You

Thanks for reading,

Courtney ♡

♥ Quick Life Update: Where Have I Been? ♥ // {Food Snaps}

Just a few days ago, I started getting back into reading blog posts from other bloggers. This triggered me to go back and re-read some of mines. When I was re-reading my old blog posts, I realized I had not posted anything in 2016...and honestly, I can't believe time past so quickly ヾ (✿＞﹏ ⊙〃)ノ

That being said...What have I been doing this whole time?

( ⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒ Cause everything is better condensed, I shall write in a list format )

✪ What Courtney Has Been Doing Instead of Blogging ✪

• Was working at a retail company store, but quit and now work as a receptionist
• Currently still working at the same place, but recently got a new job as a barista!
• Learned how to ballroom dance and took classes
• Finishing up my major, only 3 more courses to go!!! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧
• Finally, decided to pursue a career that is unrelated to my major...:c but is now looking into graphic design and advertisement
• Been trying new food places in Vancouver
• Went to FlyOver Canada for the first time
• Took ballet classes again
• Went to Vance Joy's Concert
• Hiked new places in BC 
• Went to DISNEYLAND & SANTA MONICA for a week!!!
• Was obsessed with Pokemon Go ╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯
• Dyed my hair twice and now went lighter 
• My laptop died and now, using my old laptop 

Newly dyed hair and a bowl of poke.

I do want to continue to blog because I genuinely enjoy doing it, and it's a hobby of mines. 

  Food Snaps

(AKA yummies in my tummy ♡~)

Wakwak Burger! It was only $2.80 ♡♡♡

Brunch never tasted so good! Went to Jam Cafe.

Since I didn't go to the Night Market this year, I got my deep fried squid fix at Wei Dao Cafe.

My very first poke bowl at Poke Time!

Assorted sushi dish from Sushi by Yuji, a favorite place of mines.

Thanks for reading,

Courtney ♡

LOVE x HATE Tag

Hey guys! (*^▽^*)

I haven't been updating as frequently as I like, due to much laziness and school. Plus, I couldn't think of ideas for another post, however, I remembered I was recently tagged by Alyss for the Love x Hate tag, in which bloggers:

❤ List 10 things you love
❤ List 10 things you hate
❤ Nominate other bloggers

And since I'm sick, either from a cold or a flu, I have plenty of time to write this blog post, even though I should really be studying for my statistics class...

10 Things I Love

1) Netflix

Before I got netflix, I didn't understand all the hype around it, especially when my friends kept raving about it. However, now that I do have it...I UNDERSTAND (ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞. These days, if I have free time I'm binge-watching shows and movies. The show I'm currently watching right now is F.R.I.E.N.D.S. since when I was younger, I never watched it. Now that I am, I absolutely love it! 

2) Shopping

Also known as retail therapy, haha. I love shopping for clothes especially, it just brightens my day! Although, I would say I'm an odd one, as I prefer shopping by myself, rather than with my friends, it takes less time and it's much easier since you don't need accomodate with others to which stores you want to go to or how long it would take.

3) The Rain

I know, I know, such an odd thing to love, but growing up in Vancouver, Canada, for all my life, the city which is infamously known as "Raincouver", I grew to like the rain. I love the smell, the feel and the sound of it, it's very clear, relaxing and smoothing. ( ◞･౪･)

4) Music

Playing music is my personal source whenever I need to escape from reality or when I feel sad or happy. My favourite genre of music are indie, folk and rock. Currently, I have been jamming (HAHA) to Vance Joy's album "Dream Your Life Away" and I'm excited that I will be seeing him live for his concert in January!!!

My favorite song from Vance Joy

5) Bralettes

Due to the fact that my instagram is mostly a fashion account, the majority of accounts that I follow are fashion instagrammers  as well and because of this, I grew to love the style of bralettes! The best place is buy some are aliexpress or amazon. ❣◕ ‿ ◕❣

6) Cats

I love cats, they're so cute, adventurous and curious creatures with a mind of their own. I was always more of cat person than a dog person...just don't tell my dog that, hahaha. Believe it or not, Vancouver is going to open their very own cat cafe soon!!!

7) Sushi

My favourite type of food easily. Whenever I hangout with friends or go on a date, sushi is always going to be my first suggestion. The type of sushi that I love the most is anything that involves tuna, but my favourite dish would probably be the chirashi don.

8) Reddit

Probably another odd thing to love, given how people on Reddit can be downright rude and nasty (let's not sugarcoat this), but, Reddit is a site that I use daily, and has been a resourceful tool for me! People on reddit are very good at giving advice and insight, as well, I like reading stories on such threads such as AskReddit or Let's Not Meet.

9) Hiking

This probably the most ironic thing that I would love, because first of all, I do not like walking at all. Secondly, I hate when the sun is on my face. Realistically, if you combine the two, you end up with hiking. Anyways, months ago, when my friend dragged me to hike with her, I found myself liking it due to the scenery, the nice exercise and exploring British Columbia.

This was my very first hike, at Minnekhada park.

10) The Feeling of Accomplishment

This is probably the best feeling in the world (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧ knowing that you worked on something for so long and hard, the feeling of accomplishment is something that you cannot get if you don`t work at it. I hope I will get this feeling in the many years to come!

10 Things I Hate

1) Being Sick

I'm sick at the moment and I hate it, I don't like the feeling of being nauseous, dizzy and unenergetic. In relation, I hate any type of medication too, especially cherry cough syrup, it tastes awful and it makes me not want to drink anymore of it.  

2) Insects

Especially spiders, bees and wasps, they freak me out, most likely due to their numerous legs and eyes they have. ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )

3) Rude and Entitled People

I've worked in retail for about 2 years now, and I seen my share of rude and entitled people, and I don't understand why people feel the need to act this way. Yes, I am working in entry level job, but that does not give you the right to treat workers and other people this way. 

Haha, sad, but true.

¸

4) When People Cancel on Plans the Last Minute

This one infuriates me. Seriously, if you and I made plans a week ago, honour it, do not cancel the last minute because something or someone else comes along. I have this one friend who does this, especially, if her boyfriend, becomes free, she'll go ahead and cancel our plans.

5) Smoking

I hate the smell of cigarettes and smelling of it. What's worse is the fact that somehow, second hand smoking, gets people sicker than those who actually smoke...

6) Indecisiveness

This is one huge problem for me. I'm very indecisive, whether it's a place to eat, read, etc. Right now, it's picking what I want to do in life. Sometimes I wonder if I should take a break from university and enter into trades, that way, I would have some skills, when I entered the workforce, instead of just academic studies.

7) Blushing

For me, I absolutely, hate the feeling of blushing, because I feel like everyone is staring at me and it makes me feel more embarrassed than I should be. I've been blushing ever since I was really young, so it's something that I'm still working on. The worse thing a person can do to a blusher is point out that they're blushing, like thanks...I know I am already and my cousin is the worse, he always does that to me. 

8) Being unmotivated

It's not a very good feeling. You know that you want to do things and finish them, but don't have the motivation to do so. I know this feeling quite well, I had this feeling for the last few years when I was at college, I was emotionally drained from school. I do know better that, if I ever should feel this way again, I will take a break, since life is not a marathon or a race.

9) Being on Cash

Cashiering is probably a simple task once you get use to it, however, for me, while I do know, most of the system, I get very anxious and nervous whenever I'm on cash, and I hate the feeling of it. (((( ;°Д°))))

10) Getting Blamed

This is my biggest pet peeve. Do not blame me for something that I did not do. I swear if people do this to me, I get so pissed off that I don't want to deal or talk to them anymore and yes, I had a friend do this to me, to the point, that I really wanted to sock her at one point. 

Nominations

I haven't been keeping track of the blogs I've been following so I apologize if you have already been nominated or already done this post.

I nominate....

Jessie

Joanne

Tokki

Nicole Marie

Taylor

and everybody else who reads this and hasn't done so.

Thanks for reading,

Courtney ♡ 

Salted Nails // {Quick swatch ft. Urban Decay, P.O.V. + Outfit pics}

When it comes to nail designs, I would consider myself a very detailed person. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و I usually tend to go for designs that are more complicated than some, but some days I feel lazy and don't want to put that much effort of my nails. That being said, I'm here to share with you, a simple, yet cute nail design that looks cool and complicated, but in reality, it's easy.

Today, I shall show you how to create a salted manicure, making your nails look cool, without that much effort.

For this design, you can pick any colour(s) you want, you can mix and match or stick with one colour. The last time I did this design, I did a pastel coloured theme, but for this one I'm going to stick with one colour.

The required products.

♢ What I used ♢

-NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in 147 Lexington Lilac

-Island Girl Top/base coat

-Salt

Getting into the TuToRiAl...!

Never skip out on applying base coat!

1) The very first step and for every nail tutorial, is to apply a base coat on your nail plates. By doing so, you can provide protection from the chemicals nail polish have and to keep your nails looking clean and nice, once the polish is taken off.

One coat of the nail polish.

2) After waiting for the base coat to dry, the next step to do is apply one coat of the nail color(s) of your choosing, make sure to wait for the coat to dry, before heading onto the next step.

3) Once the first coat of nail polish is completely dried, this is the time you want to add a second coating.

Cool nail effect by adding salt.

4) Before the second coat dries up, this is when you want to sprinkle salt all over your nails. To ensure the salt particle stays, gently press against it on the nail. You can easily shake off the excess salt if it gets in the way.

5) Finally, after you complete all the steps, finish off by applying a top coat. For me, I had to apply 2 top coats, to get everything covered.

The end ReSuLtS!!!

Let's Get Naked
-Not too long ago, I purchased Urban Decay's Naked Foundation in shade 3 from Sephora.

-What I like about this foundation is that feels absolutely weightless, just as advertised.

-Even with a pump, I was still given enough foundation to cover a large area of my skin.

-Spreading and applying the foundation around, was very smooth-like, which is great!

Overall, when it comes to foundation, I'm the type to spend a little more than other makeup products. I really like the Urban Decay Naked foundation and I have no problem, in the future, buying it again.

Spend the Day with Me!
(AKA Places of Vancouver)

Last week, was the first week of summer school for my college and since I'm not taking any courses, I decided to volunteer as an information guide for new students and tell them where to go and what do if they had questions.

This went on for the first two days of the week and while the first day was pretty busy, on the second day only 2 people came up and that was it.

I really didn't have anything to do after volunteer, so I made plans with one of my old high school friend and we went to the Vancouver Aquarium for fun and nostalgia.

So before heading to the aquarium, I made my friend take a picture of my outfit of the day, since the scenery at Stanley Park is very pretty.

(On a side note: SHOUTOUT to my friends for putting up with my eccentric ways, especially when it comes to dealing with outfit pictures).

The outfit I wore to the aquarium!

{I'm not too of a huge fan of plaid, but when I saw this dress at Forever 21, I thought it was too adorable to pass up, so I bought it. 

Also from Forever 21, are the laced flats. They're very comfortable and can be easily be matched with anything, same goes for the heart necklace (if you want to see a closer picture of the necklace, check out my previous post).

The cardigan at the moment is my favourite piece, I believe I got it from American Eagle and the belt is from Urban Planet.}

○The Aquarium Life○
[So, I realize I suck at taking pictures in my phone some of them are going to be blurry, sorry!]

Hopefully this nail tutorial inspired or helped you create a similar design. If you don't want to use salt, you can definitely use sugar as a substitute, it will still create the same effect. Although, for me, I tend to stay away from sugar, just in case it attracts insects (yuck). 

Also on another completely different topic, I cut my hair shorter! :A: it's been years since I cut it short, since I do like my length and I can style my long hair into more styles.

On a plus side though, the length is perfect, since it's getting a lot warmer, here, in Vancouver. As well, I don't need to wait as long for my hair to dry and even better, my haircut only cost $7 since I got it cut by a student hairdresser. ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ

Anyways, I will stop rambling and I'm hoping to put out more reviews during this month because I know made promises that I would do so, and plus, I have some new products that I've been dying to tryout.

Thanks for reading,

Courtney ♡