I was up late last night, not partying it up with Lady Gaga at her after party (but thanks to twitter for all the reminders that I am seriously lacking in a proper social life), I was thinking. I was fueled by one too many freshly baked cookies – I was cleaning my kitchen, catching up on mountains of laundry, finishing up paperwork, all the while watching the Sex and the City movie – and I was thinking.

The window was open, the night air was cool and I could feel autumn coming. You know that feeling? It’s not quite cold out but there’s this feeling in the breeze and you know that any day now you will wake up to gold, bronze and red leaves, that crunch beneath your feet and thick scarves wrapped around your neck.

I think that my favourite season in Vancouver is fall. In New York City and Toronto I adore the snowy winters, in Montreal I prefer the summer, and I’ll take any season in Paris (except for August, that’s when everyone leaves Paris for vacation anyway). The summer in Vancouver is absolutely gorgeous, the weather is amazing and there’s so much to do.  But I was thinking about autumn last night, and I realised…

I’ve been in Vancouver for almost a year now. I moved here last October. Time passes quickly, more quickly with every year, but it’s been a wonderful year so far, and I’m just looking forward to see what else comes my way!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

1 Year Ago: What Should I Do?

…because there are no words that give justice to the beauty of this dress. Found on Net-A-Porter’s wedding boutique, the successor to Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding dress, Vivienne Westwood’s latest creation definitely leaves mouths a-gaping.  Check it out here.

Growing up I didn’t have quite the minimal lifestyle I have now – as a teenager, who really does? We accumulate junk all through our young lives, things we deem important: old toys, scraps of paper, books, trinkets, cheap jewelry, hair clips, the list is endless – and your room gets overwhelmed by it. I think for myself the ‘minimal-want’ started when I realised I really resented cleaning my room. I hated dusting and everything that came with keeping all my junk tidy. But I still had trouble throwing things out. Why?

I think we hate throwing out things that we buy, that we’ve spent money on. I think that’s where the ‘hoarding’ starts – the guilt of throwing away ‘money’ is too much at first. But what is it costing you by keeping it? If it’s good for nothing, if you haven’t worn it in a year, if you haven’t used it in a year, if looking at the item brings upon a feeling of disgust or turmoil or any negativity – what is the point of keeping it?

If you really have trouble with throwing a bunch of stuff out – trick yourself. Put all the items you think you’d like to get rid of but can’t into a box. Put 30 items in there. Now put the box in a closet, under your bed, or anywhere that is out of the way and you won’t see on a daily basis. How long before you forget about the box? 6, 8, 10 months later, will you even remember what was in it? Probably not.

And then you discover that you can live with out all this junk, it’s so much easier to give it away, donate it, or if it really is useless, just recycle or throw it away.

Today I came across this news article and got a little excited. The idea that getting rid of stuff makes you happier, that’s quite an idea as oposed to that stuff will make you happier: that new purse, a car, shoes, new sheets, glasses…. Tammy Strobel is the author that is featured in the article and she also has her own blog, Rowdy Kittens.

Back to the idea that we’re afraid to throw away things we’ve spent money on… I realised that after getting rid of that guilt, that I purchase things a little more wisely now. I think twice before buying things: do I really need this? Can I live without this? Can I get rid of something else if I want to get this?

I suppose it’s easier to live minimally when half your life is packed up and across the country, but I hardly miss any of those things, and when you don’t have all this junk to mess through, you realise what is actually importantto you. Things I couldn’t live without? My photo albums. My favourite dresses. The bracelet my boyfriend got me. My ipod & speaker. My camera & laptop. But most other stuff? I think if it came down to it, I can do without.

I hate walking into a place where every window sill is filled with junk, cluttered with tchockis and trinkets – I almost feel as though that person is cluttered in his mind as well. What’s important to him? Pick your favourite things and showcase them, value their importance, don’t hide them behind dust and other unimportant things. Don’t hang on to things because they were gifts and mean nothing otherwise.

Without a ton of junk holding me back or bringing me down, I have a clear mind, a clear place in my heart and in my world – and that place is for family. For cuddling. For practicing yoga with my daughter. For learning new things. For cooking. For simply enjoying life without being bogged down by all the stuff we think we need.

I will always love shoes. I will always caress bags in Louis Vuitton. I will finger through brand new copies of Paris Vogue and drink my cappuccinos while imagining a world where Balmain existed in my closet. It’s a guilty pleasure, but it doesn’t consume me. My life would be no happier with more things in it. The stuff we accumulate over the years doesn’t make a life.

Life is journeys we take, friendships and family, foods we eat and the wine we drink. It’s feeling sand between your toes, the cold ocean splashing, seeing a dolphin in the wild or a deer that hops up to you. It’s memories. It’s love. It’s feelings.

And none of those things can be captured in a postcard of a place I’ve been to.

What are five things you couldn’t live without? Imagine everything in your life is about to disappear - what 5 things would you never want to do without?

xoxo

Fab Brunette

ps. All pictures via weheartit.com

For the past few months my interest in healthy eating has grown although my eating habits have not adapted to that of a “healthy” person. I’ve been following blogs that focus on vegan and vegetarian eating, running and yoga, each blog very different but also with one main theme running through all of them – these women and men were happy. Living healthy and excercise has its benefits and these bloggers were definitely to be admired for their efforts.

On a recent post I showcased my 7 Goals to complete before 27, one of them being Green Monsters. The other day I picked up the cheapest blender I could find at my local London Drugs, a white $29 plastic blender. I originally had my sights on a $189 Breville blender, stainless steel, glass, and so sexy! But after a moment of thought I realised that perhaps I should try my efforts out on a cheaper blender to see if I’ll even use it!

I’m not sure where Green Monsters originated, everyone seems to be doing them and now I’m one of them too. Okay I did it once – but hopefully this will be the first of many, many monsters!

The Original Green Monster Angela’s Green Monster Movement

In a blender put the ingredients in this order:

1. 1 – 2 cups of spinach
2. 1 tablespoon flax (optional; can also use protein powders)
3. 1 – 1.5 cups of milk (cow, soy, almond, etc)
4. 1 banana

Blend! Then add some ice and blend everything for about 1 minute or so. Enjoy!

**********************************

What comes out of your blender looks pretty gross, I’m not going to lie. I also started out with only 1 cup of spinach because I’m a chicken like that. I poured this into my ‘fanciest’ glass, as recommended per Angela’s site. My largest fancy glass is a Stella Artois beer glass, the irony is not lost on me.

Drinking.

I was actually on the phone with J when he demanded I drink it and tell him how it tasted. The verdict? Banana-y. Seriously. With some hint of green but not an overpowering spinach-y flavour. Overall: NOT gross. Even Princess had some, declaring that I make the best drinks in the world. So there.

Honestly, I felt healthy drinking this. I will definitely be making it again, but tomorrow I might add a different fruit along with the banana, just to mix things up!

Do you like smoothies? Do you make them at home or buy them when you’re out? Have you ever had a green monster? What’s your favourite??

xoxo

Fab Brunette

ps. My pix of my green monster were terrible! I used my Blackberry cus my camera refused to turn on!

1 Year Ago: Open For Business!

My sister Nikolett just jumped on a train to take her to the airport and back home. The feeling right now? Very bittersweet. Very sad. Very much wishing I could buy her an adjoining apartment so we could share a view and a daily coffee. During the past two weeks I tried not to pester her too much into finding a job down here and moving here permanently, and I don’t think I was too bothersome.

I tried taking her to all my favourite spots: Bowen Island, macarons at La Baguette and still-warm donuts at Lee’s Donuts both on Granville Island, Glowbal, Whistler Blackcomb, Creekbread, Grouse Mountain, English Bay Beach, Caffe Barney’s (for amazing banana french toast & pancakes!), a Chinese Garden, Mill Bistro and played soccer in the park, ate at Finch’s Tea House, drank a ton of Starbucks, saw a spectacular Cirque du Soleil show, and there was still so much more that we did and we still had so much more to do.

There weren’t enough hours in the day or coffees to keep us awake! One day we will hopefully live closer to each other so we could experience more and more things together. It’s amazing how much someone can change in a few years – my little baby sister is now a full-fledged grown-up with a bachelor’s degree in something smart with a minor in something else smart and she’s about to start her life! It’s crazy…

Before she left we watched a late show of Eat Pray Love, and I absolutely adored it. She hadn’t read the book yet and I had – I love the book and she’s going to read it too now, and thankfully she enjoyed the movie too!

Have you seen the movie or read the book yet? How did you like it? I think it’s the perfect movie to see with your sister (but then again, I’m slightly biased in that I had a perfect time with my sister and couldn’t imagine it any other way….!)…

Now, to catch up on some lovely sleep!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

1 Year Ago: Goody Gumdrops

1. Serendipity – Sambatriste

2. Bebel Gilberto – Tanto Tempo

3. Joao Gilberto – Wave

4. Eamilia Jobim – Àguas de Março

5. Grooveprofessor – Orange Blue Nova

6. Lenny Mac Dowell – Ain’t No Sunshine

7. Agua Loca – Marí Te Vi

8. La Tienda - Papua-St. Tropez

9. Maria Toledo – Insensatez

10. Jazzamor – Mar de Paxaio

11. La Caina – Sweet Sunset

12. Bebel Gilberto – Samba da Bençáo

Seriously!? It’s been a million years since I posted – don’t blame me! Blame HER! She’s taking up all my time! It is fabulous though, to have ones’ sister here and re-discover a city that I moved to only 10 months ago.

And I really don’t want to hear about the size of my head in the above picture. I realise I have a huge head. But I’m also holding the camera in this shot. I’m Polish. What more could you ask for?

xoxo

Fab Brunette

ps. I promise to be on more of a regular schedule shortly! This weekend we’re going to see Cirque du Soleil ‘Kooza’ and then jetting off to Whistler for the weekend where Nikolett will be attempting to drive. HA!