Pure Talent

Her name is Meghan Tonjes. 

I've been following her for years!!  I just love this girl. She has an amazing voice and what makes her so awesome are her confidence and positive image. Known in the YouTube community mostly for putting up a weekly series on YouTube, called Request Tuesdays where she does covers upon her viewer's request. She is just amazing!! Check this out!




Like for real, hands down. Check out the following video. I admire her brutal honesty and think we can all learn a little something about self esteem here. Definitely great for a dose of inspiration. 

Bad Boy Lovers

I love bad boys. 

It's no secret that women prefer the bad boy to the nice guy. Whether you love Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl or had a crush on Klaus from Vampire Diaries, they really are irresistible. But, why? What is it about bad boys that even entices the most logical of girls? 

The chase. Yes, the chase! We can't figure them out, but we want to. We don't know what they feel, but we won't stop until we figure it out. And of course, there's also the thrill of taming them. Every woman thinks they can tame a bad boy. He has potential and we can bring it out. So we keep working, trying to tame his wild ways and failing at that. Unfortunately, most bad boys don't want to be caught. 

Okay people, I said I like bad boys, not jerks. There's a subtle differentiation between a bad boy, and some guy who is just a jerk. Women want a bad boy because if he wants something, he goes out and takes it. He is dominant and doesn't back down from anyone. He doesn't get walked on and is often the Alpha Male of his group. The bad boy embodies power, and as a result, makes his woman feel empowered as well. 

Remember in their earlier years of dating, the media often painted The Carters as an odd couple? How can this charming Southern girl fall for this infamous Brooklyn bad boy rapper? "She fell in love with the bad guy/The bad guy/What you doing with them rap guys/Them rap guys/They ain't see potential in me girl/But you see it if it's you and me against the world/Then so be it", Jay-Z raps on Part II (On The Run). I don't know about you guys... but I just want to be Queen Bee and find my Jay-Z. 

It's important to note that a bad boy will not discourage you, talk you down, make you feel badly about yourself, or just generally be unsupportive. If he does... well ladies, that guy is a plain JERK. He can bear a striking resemblance to the bad boy because he doesn't care what people think and does want he want. The difference is, he doesn't care who gets hurt in the process. 

If you feel unappreciated, undervalued, discouraged or just generally not supported in relationship, he is not for you. Girlfriend, you deserve better. Don't make excuses for a guy who's not treating you right. Having your dignity and being alone is better than being in a relationship where you have to sacrifice it. 

None of us have always made the best relationship choices but hey, that's how you learn. 

Les Enfants Terribles

Happy Sunday everyone!

1257 Avenue Bernard, Montreal, QC H2V 3M8

THE PLACE
One of my favorite spot in Montreal is Les Enfants Terribles. Located on trendy Bernard in Outremont, this place is a beautifully designed restaurant. Very stylish - mixing black/white/grey with long wooden tables. 

FOOD

The brunch menu is fairly traditional with a choice of eggs, omelettes, waffles, breakfast poutine, etc. In my opinion, prices are excellent especially for this part of town. I had the traditional breakfast with waffles (La Totale, $14). My friend had the eggs benedict. Really... I have nothing to say. The food itself was good! 

VERDICT

Love it! The atmosphere is friendly and the crowd runs from cute hipster to middle-aged women. There are also many young families. We went there on a Saturday at noon and didn't have to wait. You could also wait at the bar which is great since you can get a coffee, and check out the menu in time to be seated. 

Pro - Decor, crowd, atmosphere, friendly staff. Reservation available for groups over 6 people.

Cons - None really... Maybe some would say that the menu is too simple? As for me I just love my traditional breakfast. 

My Happiness Project

Back in October, I told you I wanted to do my very own Happiness Project (inspired by Gretchen Rubin's book). So here's my list for the whole year and what I've done so far.

October: Health

November: Play

December: Family & Friends

January: 100% Energy 

Back to exercises and health basics

February:  Book Love

Ebook? Novel?

March: Make room 

Clean clutter from my life

April: Money matters

Story of my life.

May: Self-Care

My birthday. All about self love!

June: No comfort

Push myself out out my comfort zones.

July: Creativity

Spark my creativity. 

August: Live Out Of A Backpack

Travel and be uncomfortable

September: Simplicity

Enjoy little things in life. 

October: Thankful 

Focus on all things that I've been grateful for throughout the year. 

November: Attitude

Focus on positive things. 

December: Random Acts of Love 

Do things without telling people about them.

What I'm loving right now

Kiehl's - I'm obsessed with Kiehl's products. Completely obsessed. My nighttime routine for winter: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Ultra Facial Cream, Creamy Eye Treatment with avocado and finally, Kiehl's Lip Balm #1. Result: glowing skin in the morning. :-) 

John Mayer's music - I don't like the man. He is very cocky, arrogant and a completely douche, but his songs make  me believe he is something far different. I can easily listen to his albums all day long. All we do is say goodbye is one of my favorite songs.  There's no way to put it... This song touches my core, gives me goosebumps. "Why you wanna break again... Why am I gonna let you try?" Amen </3

Kristen Ashley's books - My guilty pleasure. So yeah, I admit I love romance novels.  KA is the QUEEN of badass alpha-male romance. Her stories are perfect blend of romance, drama, danger and suspense with a bit of humor thrown in.  It's been a while since I picked up a KA so I had forgotten how much I love her writing. I read the complete Rock Chick series during the holiday break. After reading this, I just want to pack up my boring life here in Montreal, Canada and move all the way to Denver, Colorado to join Indy and the other Rock Chicks. 

Also from her: Dream Man series and Colorado Mountain. 

The B word

B as in Busy. People... what were you all thinking? ;-)

I don't know when I started cringing when I heard the word busy (I admittedly am guilty of saying it and yes, I cringe even when it comes out of my own mouth). 

"He's really busy right now."
"She's got a really important job."
"They travel a lot."
"They're just insanely busy."
"He said he hasn't had five minutes."
Or when you ask someone "How have you been?'' and they say ''Busy" instead of good. 

I'm sick of it. 

Busy gives you a way to ignore parts of your life that are falling apart and need attention. 
Busy gives you an excuse for poor performance. 
Busy is actually the new lazy.
Busy is an excuse for being scared. 

Super-busy = too busy for a relationship?

Like the time when I had a date - and my goodness I use this term loosely - with Mr. Hotshot. Good-looking, successful career but did not have time for anything. He cancelled on me three times (!!!) before our very first date (his reasons? delayed/cancelled flight, business meetings, and god knows what). 

You're a valuable person in your own right deserving love, care, trust, respect as well as time and effort. How can a relationship progress, experience commitment and intimacy if someone is pleading off with "Oh sorry love, I'm busy. Maybe another time"? 

• So they're so busy that they couldn't find two minutes in their day to text or pick up the phone?
• They're so important that you're not important?
• If they're traveling a lot, why bother?
• They're 'sooo busy'. Doing what? Saving the world? Running a country? Helping the hungry and the poor? They haven't had five minutes? Wow. I bet they have found 5 minutes to sleep, use the bathroom, hang around Facebook.

I don't buy busy. I'm not saying that people don't have busy lives. Guess what: we're all busy! Every one of us. Here's another reality check: Because we're all busy, no one cares about how busy someone else is. One way or another, we all make time for what's important to us. But using it as an excuse for why you don't make an effort is bullshit. Behind every excuse is the real reason. 

You love someone? Tell them. You want to see someone? See them. You want to do something? Do it. Stop making excuses. Prioritize. This does not mean making a to-do list. You need to list what you want in life. I guess being an adult means making choices. It means admitting that we cannot do everything and choosing to devote the time we have to what's most important. But please stop saying, "I'm busy". Just stop. Biggest observation: the "busiest" people rarely complain about being busy. They organize time, get a lot done, and take it all in stride...


Will I still have friends after writing this stuff? 

ps: I love you all hi hi

Letting go.

Dear Journal, 

Confession time. While I was writing my post 2013: Looking back, I realized few things... First, I realized that I'm in a constant state of striving. 

I'm not saying that striving is bad. You all know how I always talk about goals, achievements, and stuff. It's crucial to have them and to work for them. What I'm saying is I'm in a constant state of striving... too much. 

So yes, this is my other resolution: Letting go. I realized that I have to make changes to the inner me - gee that's sound spiritual. 

I spend hours wracking my brain for how I can make things in my life better: my relationships, my dreams, my finances, how to attract more readers to my blog, get rich... yeah, this is exhausting!! And naturally all of that striving led to comparing myself to others, and before I knew it I had make-believe competitions going on in my head. That's crazy. I'm crazy. As much as I thought these were positive things that would improve my life, they were all based on fear and worry. Fear of not being perfect enough. Everybody strives to be perfect in one way or another. We strive to have the "perfect" friendships, family, job, hobbies, etc. 

I don't want to be rushing through my life, ticking off achievements and competing. Will anybody give me a gold star at the end? 

Let go of trying to be perfect, and focus on just being the best person you can be. Let go of the past, and don't dwell on mistakes: learn, live, and love (especially yourself). Sometimes, we lose sight of what we have and how truly living feels in this moment. We forget where we have been and how far we have come. 

So yeah, I realize what I need to drop trying to get it all done perfectly. It's okay to strive but strive for progress, not perfection. I have to accept myself and enjoy my days because life is too short. 

So people, enjoy life - including all of its imperfections. 

My New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone!

My New Year's Resolutions: