the explorer's return

So... hi.

Did you miss me? Did you think I was dead? (Honestly, at some points, I thought I was dead. I have never been so tired as when I got off that plane... but here I go, already getting ahead of myself...) Well, I hope you did, and I'm not.

Things I learnt from Explore

• EDWARD SNOWDEN
• French grammar yo (had to stick it in somewhere) 
• Peanut butter peanut butter peanut butter (aka I am not alone in my obsession)
• There is such a thing as too many wraps
• Also too many sandwiches
• Running twice a day is advised
• It is not possible to sing a song too many times (Elle me dit, anyone?) 

• I'm not as smart as I think I am
• It is possible to be entirely consumed by mosquitoes
• I am not as socially awkward as I had always suspected (whattt)
• You need sweatpants
• No matter how sad you feel, mini doughnuts will help
• Sleep is overrated
• Dancing in the rain is not
• POURQUOI?
• I own way too many clothes
• Being pushed in a shopping cart is the way to travel
• You will never regret taking photos
• How to do the carwash (...our own special dance, too special to be explained)
• Tea is the addiction of our generation
• So is flax (go figure, people just got really excited)
• LOUIS RIEL
• Bowling= bonding
• Cold showers after long runs are the best things of life

And, most importantly: 

• it is totally possible to be in love after five weeks (or even much before)

I have never met a group of people I felt this strong a connection with. At the beginning, I felt so many misgivings... but it has been the best summer of my life. I haven't been blogging as much as I might have liked, but in exchange I've definitely been living! 

welcome, grasshoppers

As I haven't been posting much lately, I thought you might need a re-introduction to me... in the form of a vlog!

Ok, so to be entirely honest... I made this at the beginning of June. But everything still applies!

And to be even more honest... (what's more than entirely? Totally? Totes?) the only reason I decided to make a vlog at that time was because I had just gotten a makeup application done and my eyes looked pretty. (Plus, the makeup artist told me my eyelashes were phenominal. Definitely a compliment to remember!)

I hope your summer is lovely so far, my dearest blog ninjas!

the summer i was sixteen...

I recently read the poem The Summer I Was Sixteen and it made me think back over my own summer. (Can you tell my mother is an English teacher? Maybe just a bit.)

I'm not saying I actually did any of this. I went swimming exactly once with two small girls. I don't like cotton candy. I think sunbathing is rather silly (who wants to look like leather when they're fifty? not me).

It was the feel of it that struck me- that thought that you are free, that you can do absolutely anything. So, before fall officially starts (it's just the second day of September! haha, I am so confused, at first I said it was over and now I've decided it's not... so here we go, I'll just keep writing before I get any more lost) I've decided to share some final summer highlights!

-University decisions. (Again, the whole teacher-as-parent thing... I highly doubt that this is a highlight for many people!) I finally decided that I'm going to major in English. (Because, let's face it... there is no way I could ever be sufficiently passionate about something that doesn't involve reading or writing. Who needs people when there are books around?) Plus, ROAD TRIP, people!

We experienced secret missions behind the Marker aisle. 'Nuff said.

-Reading. Really, one of the principal joys of my life is curling up with a good book, and I definitely managed to do this quite a bit over the summer! (Read: every day for at least an hour. What can I say? It's an addiction.) (Also Goodreads. Does anyone else go on there? I just get sucked in...) 

-Exercise! This one was hard at times... but definitely worth it. I worked out quite a bit this summer and I think it made a bit of a difference. (Maybe. Possibly. Or perhaps it's just wishful thinking. Still!) Here's one of my favourite workout videos- I guarantee you'll feel it after!

-Glasses. Call me crazy, but trying on new pairs of non-prescription glasses (name a shape and size, I probably wore them) filled me with joy.

Admit it, you want these.

-Big Bang Theory. I just started watching it... and it is SO FUNNY. So awkward... but it makes me feel relatively normal! 

-Friends. This is actually such a huge category... but I had to say it because I love them all and they are wonderful! From shopping....

(Yes, see, I'm not the only one obsessing over hats!) To playgrounds...

(There is no such thing as too old for playgrounds.) To art classes...

We did it all, and it was all wonderful. (Oh, and I texted them a lot too. Hahaha, yes, I am totally succumbing to cultural pressure in that respect... ah well, too late now.)

-Hipster princesses! So okay, this photo has nothing to do with anything, I just liked it. (I could totally rock some of those looks!) 

What are some top moments of your summer? 

This is also my contribution to the wonderful Alyx's linkup! 

me myself and i

So this is the last day of August. SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY ENDING, PEOPLE! Yes, a tear is falling as I write this. (A single, glamourous tear, just like a movie heroine. Not at all like how actual people cry, oh no.) I had a pretty wonderful time... brief synopsis to follow, but today duty calls (cashier-ing is pretty important, right?) and I will just post my last photo of PDA.

Myself.

Because who doesn't love giant plastic dinosaurs, right? (All the while I was wishing for it to come to life... that would have been epic!) I will admit that I have not been the best at following this challenge... it was a good way to make myself post more often, except it didn't really work because I prefer to babble randomly rather than have prompts. (Which is a little sad.) Oh well, you have to try everything once, right?

I hope you all had a summer to remember (is that a movie title? no, never mind, I'm thinking of A Walk to Remember and OMG it's sad!) and that fall brings plenty of great memories as well!

(Also, wow. I just reread this post and realised I said 'right' about fifteen times. I apologise but am too lazy to change it.)

the narcissistic view from my window

So... I know I'm still doing the photo challenge... but today I am cheating a little bit. I already took a photo of the view from my window (and it can be seen here) so I decided to, instead, give you all a quick view of what is happening through the window of my mind. (Yay for metaphors!) Follows a (somewhat complete) list of everything I've been thinking about recently... (Also it gave me the opportunity to, as I mentioned last week, use the word narcissistic in a title! because let's face it I can be slightly self-obsessed.)

-why do I keep biting the inside of my lip? it's all swollen and sore, and I don't know why it keeps happening, I think my teeth are in the wrong spot but I used to have braces so that can't be right

-maybe I just eat too much gum, 4 pieces a day is perhaps excessive

-but then I'd just eat more chocolate-covered almonds OMG they are my life why are they so good and why do they have so many calories? it's just sad

-also salted nuts and roasted veggies yay food!

-but also exercise, running is so much fun, I ran to the post office and I am so proud...why does no one ever send me exciting parcels? A MYSTERY

-and why is amazon so slow? My gorgeous phone case probably won't arrive for a month and I want to show you all the amazingness that it is

-it's British and we all know that British things are the coolest

-during the university tour the guide thought I was British because this was my outfit:

-aren't we cute? Yes we are and we look so university-ish, OMG I can't wait to be a university student, I AM SO READY and yet I will probably cry a river when time comes to actually leave but it is so thrilling

-school starts in 5, yes FIVE DAYS, and I work this entire weekend so I can't even enjoy it

-I will be bored, but I will have money (yes I think about this all the time and have even posted about it I think, but whatever you all probably feel the same, amiright?)

-except school doesn't even pay me and yet it is probably more boring (except for english class because I get to write on my blog, hahaha)

-however the thought of fall is exciting, I am sitting on the deck and dying of heatstroke right now

-why does my laptop generate so much heat? Is it going to spontaneously combust? OMG I'M GONNA DIE, you may all share my hat collection

-thank goodness my cellphone is not this warm or I would definitely pass out since it is always in my pocket

-although really, I don't text that much, I swear I'm not that annoying girl with her phone always in her face

-no I'm the annoying girl who's always holding a book

-OMG I just read Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl (go read it now, link to Goodreads provided) and it is literally my favourite book ever, I don't say that a lot so you know I really mean it this time, it is so funny that I CRIED and had to stuff my face in a pillow for fear of waking the children I was babysitting up

-THANK GOD I am an only child because I think I would be tired all the time if I had a sibling

-especially if they decided to spray Febreze in my mouth, that stuff is VILE

And now I'm out of breath and must stop. (Gag. Even the thought of Febreze is revolting.) What are some things that have been on your mind recently?

And, as usual for the Thursday, this is my contribution to Jenny Matlock's wonderful linkup!

zoom zoom zoom

Hello dearest listeners! I'd just like to apologize- I haven't really been keeping up my PDA as well as I should. (You can determine my level of maturity by realising that every time I type 'PDA' I laugh a little bit.) The reason for this is... I'm going on a road trip!

Okay, so it'll only last two days. Major packing was still required. (As in... what if I don't feel like wearing that outfit? What if there's a zombie invasion and all my clothes become covered in brains and I don't want to get eaten? These kinds of considerations are Very Important.)

I'll just be off determining my future (doesn't that sound so much more exciting than plain old 'visiting universities?)... which may basically mean getting lost, being hungry and tired, and crying. (So a little bit like my last wilderness camping trip.) Who knows? After spending so much time thinking 'I can't wait to get out of here' I may realise that I want to stay locked up in my room for all eternity.

I hope you're all having a great weekend, and once again I apologise for such infrequent posting! Regular programming will return on Wednesday... perhaps by then I will have Decided My Future. (I kinda doubt it though. I have a list- of course I have a list, right?- of approximately ten universities and we're only seeing three. Whatever. It'll be fun.)

1 2 3 4, tell me that you love me more

Okay, so that title has nothing to do with my post... except it does, because Feist is fun and I'm posting pictures 5 and 6 today! Why did I not post yesterday, you may ask? Well, the answer is simple: I was too bored.  How is it possible to be too bored to post one little picture? I have no idea, but it was so. Yesterday I couldn't even READ. (You know there's a problem when...)

5- Something fun and exciting

What could be more exciting than... a trampoline??!! Seriously though, I could (and sometimes do) just spend hours bouncing around on the trampoline, thinking or talking with friends... okay most of the time I'm by myself, shush, it's not really that lame is it?

Ok, moving on... plus you may notice that my hair has abnormal protrusions, aka, CHOPSTICKS! I recently discovered how to put up my hair without using an elastic... and if that isn't thrilling, what is?

6- Someone I miss

Can you spot me? This was a picture taken at the French camp I went to in May. (And mentioned here and here.) Okay, so I don't know the names of most of these people... but I did make some friends, and most of all I really miss the atmosphere of freedom and friendliness, something that you see too little of in my tiny little town. I could be crazy there! (You, dearest readers, have already seen this side of me!)

Happy Monday, if that's a possibility, and stay tuned for the latest pics!

liking hiking... not so much biking

The other day, my father and I went hiking up in the hills (what's the height difference between a moutain and a hill? In writing hill, it makes me think of sledding... so not super high) near our house. This sounds like a fairly peaceful activity, right? Well, not so much. 

The day we'd picked was apparently scheduled for Invasion of the Bikers. (Great movie title, right? Is the term still 'biker' if they're on a bicycle and not a motorcycle?) People on bikes are scary, when they're going 100km/hour down a twisty and turvy road. What if they ended up flat against our windshield? Or under our tires? This is just one of the reasons I don't bike.

(Actually, that's a total lie. I don't bike because a) helmets mess up my hair, but I know too well that I am a klutz and so likely to kill myself without one and b) I don't have enough padding on my posterior for it to be comfortable. How do those super-skinny athletes manage?)

To be completely fair, they probably thought we were the scary ones... We were in a large, square, orange car-thing, after all. (Named Bertie. Because that's just what you call a large, square, orange car-thing.) Plus, we kept stalling for no reason. (No, I was not driving.)

However, despite all this, we managed to leave the bike zone and arrive at the hike zone with no fatal injuries... just a few bruises and scrapes. (KIDDING! No one was squashed like a bug against our windshield! You're welcome for that lovely mental image.)

Once we got over that initial trauma, the hike itself was actually lovely. We even managed to see quite a bit of wildlife! (Ok, so most of it was of the insect variety, but still. I fancy that the bugs buzzing around my head gave me quite an angelic halo!) Funny fact: even though we go hiking quite often, this was my first time seeing deer in the woods- and I saw two!

The terror of driving may have taken a few years off my life... but the serenity of the deer restored it. (Thankfully there were no mutant squrrels... although I suspect the insects may have been their evil minions.)

What are your thoughts on hiking? Is it a fun family activity, or something to be actively avoided?

OMGALJKEYMFS...aka, chocolate mug cake

This is literally the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Plus, it takes five minutes. Plus, it is low calorie! (Well, for chocolate cake, so don't get too excited... but still!) GO MAKE THIS. Right now. I swear you won't regret it!


Look, I don't even like chocolate cake. (Chocolate by itself= love, but usually I find it too dry.) This one is moist and soft and delicious... oh my, now I want another one. (This is why I chose to feature it today for my Favourite Tuesday- I may never eat another chocolate cake again. Scratch that, I might never eat anything else again. I'll just live on this.) 

The original recipe can be found here at Chocolate-Covered Katie's (along with TONS of other amazing and healthy desserts). Here's my personal version!

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hot chocolate mix (I used a combination of Godiva and dark... On a side note, why do we have all these fancy kinds? We drink hot chocolate only rarely, yet we have six different kinds of fancy mix...must be for the ghosts) 
• 2 teaspoons cocoa
• 3 tablespoons white flour 
• 1/8 tsp salt (or, if you are like me and hate measuring, several shakes)
• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips (because you can never have too much chocolate!)
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 3 tablespoons milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in your mug, then add wet ingredients. Microwave for approximately 45 seconds, depending on how powerful your microwave is. Then... EAT. 

I would have taken a picture, but I was lost in my chocolate heaven and didn't think of it until I resurfaced. 

And why a mug, you ask? Well, that part isn't necessary. It's just more fun that way!

See, isn't this cute?

Please, tell me you'll make it and let me know what you think!

my eyes are vibrating a little

Out of the following list, I'm not sure which is sadder; the fact that I...

a) read 2736 pages of manga in the past 2 days (152 chapters, around 18 pages each);

b) took the time to calculate that (hey, I miss math!... okay, that's not really helping); or

c) actually wrote 'read manga' on my summer goals list. (Maybe I should add 'Have a summer goal list' to that, too.)

For those of you who don't know, manga is a Japanese story-telling form; a novel told mainly through drawings, which are done in a specific style- big eyes, slightly disproportionate figures... In general, the storylines and characters are also very dramatic and humorous... or very dark. They're nice summer reads because the books are small, quick reads (2 chapters takes me around 15 minutes to read, feel free to calculate the approximate amount of time I spent reading...) and, even if you can't find the book, there are tons of translation sites online.

However, if you decide to read an entire series online like me, beware! You might end up looking like this:

Which series was I reading so avidly, you might ask?

Bakuman!

It's about two boys- a writer and an artist- who decide to create a manga together. (How meta.) As you can maybe guess from the fact that I read most of it in two days, I quite enjoyed it!

Also on my summer reading list are a few I've already read: 

Death Note (...okay, confession, I've already finished it too. Be warned- this one will actually make you think! Done by the same artist-writer combo, funnily enough)

Fruits Basket (my favourite series I've read so far... cute, funny and weepy, what more could I ask for?) 

and Azumanga Daioh (HILARIOUS. Don't read this in public, because the onlookers will think you're a rhino snorting. Okay, maybe that's just me)...

as well as a few I haven't: Bunny Drop, Afterschool Charisma and The Wallflower. 

(Links to Goodreads are provided for all of them, by the way!) 

What about you? Do you have a summer reading list? Do you read manga at all? 

mysteries of the universe

Why is it that, whenever I sleep in, I'm more tired for the rest of the morning? Why is that, in winter, the school's air conditioning is on full blast but in summer we boil in our own sweat? (I bet you got a wonderful mental image there. You're welcome!) Is my laptop about to explode? (Judging from the clouds of smoke it's exuding, it's possible.) Why does 'defenestrated' sound so dirty?

I think my tanning/studying session (okay, mostly tanning... must look gorgeous for prom!) yesterday may have fried a couple of brain cells. (As well as leaving Sharpie all over me. Apparently it bleeds off plastic when hot... Note to self, don't put binders on legs unless you want vaguely obscene marks all over your legs.)  I've been writing  this entry for the better part of  an hour, and this is all I have. I keep getting distracted (MUTANT SQUIRREL!) by deep questions like: how can I work to achieve world peace?

....NO. IT'S ALL LIES! My actual thoughts: do I have split ends?  (Hard to tell with the blue.) Will the teacher notice if I take a nap? (The answer to that is yes and a ruler smacked across my head.) Does that girl have a bird nesting in her hair? (I think I can see a beak poking out...) Should I study bio or just watch Vampire Diaries for the 80935th time? (Priorities, priorities...)  

I apologise for the uselessness of this post... to remedy it slightly, I will post this awesome song for you! (Mystery 18734- how many times can I listen to this song without my brain exploding?)

Happy Monday! How was your weekend?

i promise i won't burn down the house

I think we can all agree that some time alone is essential to avoid going completely insane. In that respect, being home alone is pretty fun. No one to disturb your solitude by complaining about the noise/the mess/the cat/a thousand other unimportant things... heaven. However, in a few short hours, I have also noticed a couple of disadvantages. Here follows a list of my observations...

Pro: ability to sunbathe for several hours without being disturbed/made to feel lazy.

Con: no one to put sunscreen on your back... or to remind you to put on sunscreen at all. (Result? Tomato-face strikes again.)

Pro: no one to complain about the noise of the robotic vacuum.

Con: no one to save you when said vacuum goes berserk and starts chasing you around the room.

Pro: ability to test-drive new and outrageous clothes before deciding if they're appropriate for the outside world.

Con: discovering that the outfit is extremely difficult to remove just when you desperately have to pee.

Pro: ability to blast music and have a wild dance party in the kitchen.

Con: no one to warn you about irate neighbours staring at you through the glass door. (Especially problematic when you remember the crazy outfit.)

Pro: balanced meals? Who needs those when you have chocolate and nuts?

Con: I think we all know the answer to this one. (Hello, treadmill!)

Pro: blessed silence. (A break from screechy guitar music? Yes please.)

Con: the scream when a spider falls on your head seems especially loud.

All things considered, though, I still love being at home alone. Who knows, though- his may change once I actually have to live alone full-time! (In the meantime, if you don't hear anymore from me, assume that I've electrocuted myself with the blender.) What do you think? Does anyone else get this excited about their alone time?

busking is not prostitution

I thought I should make that clear right away, just so that there was no confusion. When I asked how to apply for a licence at City Hall, the woman manning (or should I say womanning?) the desk literally recoiled in her chair, eyes bugging out, and said, "We don't hold with that kind of thing here." I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just left, metaphorical tail tucked between my legs.

(Really, though, what did she think I meant? Does she just really not like live entertainment? Did she somehow hear 'stripping'?)

Whatever her problem was, I eventually managed to find a licence (she was wrong. No one else at City Hall seemed to have a problem- in fact, they seemed excited. Hopefully they weren't confused too...) and began playing with two of my friends at the farmer's market. We made a decent amount of money and had an indecent amount of fun. (For the amount of money we made. Again, don't worry- no hanky-panky!)

This was last year. Fast-forward (...and we're taking on the world together, there's a drawer of my things at your place...one of our best songs) to yesterday... and we're freezing our fingers off playing for no one. Apparently, farmer's markets in 2011 are far more exciting than ones in 2012- maybe people fear that the end of the world is coming, and have decided that they have better things to do now? My only response to that is "NO! There is nothing better for you to do with your life than come give me money!"

I really could do without the random questions, though. Yesterday, one man asked us, "So, are you going to college or going to jail?" (I still haven't figured out if he was serious or not...) Another day, someone asked us if we played in a hole. What does that even mean? Did it look like we were subterranean trolls? Is it a song? (If so, why not say so?) 

I just reread this post and realised it had absolutely no point... so the point is, give money to people busking (especially if they're a group of three blonde girls, cough cough) because even a dollar makes them happy! (There. You may now thank me, buskers of the world.)