Last month, my friend Alex and I went on our very first trip to Asia on a Contiki tour. We did their Thai Island Hopper West, which included Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, and Krabi and we had the time of our lives! I am sad that it took me so long to have a Contiki experience, but I am definitely hooked! I wasn’t even home yet and I was already planning and dreaming up my next tour with them. Maybe South America or India. There are so many possibilities!
I’m sure you already know them, but if you aren’t familiar with Contiki, they’re a travel company that does tours all over the world specifically for 18-35 year olds. They have tons of different options based on your travel style and time requirements. I have a complete travel diary from Thailand coming up soon, but for now, I wanted to spread some Contiki love and explain the obsession.
I also recorded our trip and my heart seriously bursts every time I watch the footage. I cannot even tell you how much fun our Thailand Contiki tour was, you just have to see it for yourself!
As I move into more of a monthly capsule wardrobe, I am relying on accessory choices more than ever. And really, updating jewelry can be such a budget friendly way to elevate and/or change up even the most basic ensemble. Here are the bold earrings that I keep gravitating towards, complete with links to similar styles in a variety of price points.
Let’s chat business! This is the first post in celebration of my upcoming 10 year blogging anniversary (and includes a sweet giveaway at the end, so be sure to read on).
This month marks 10 years since I started this blog. Something that I never considered would be a viable career path, and yet here we are! It’s all because the #WayWeWork is drastically changing. I learned a ton about this at workischanging.ca and was shocked to read statistics about the shifts happening within the job market. It’s such an exciting and transformative time in the workplace!
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
I don’t have the magic formula to entrepreneurial success, but I really wanted to share some honest things that I’ve learned over the years with you. Hope you enjoy!
What happens when your wardrobe doesn’t feel like you anymore? I recently went through a bit of a personal style crisis and this is what I learned.
When I was in my 20’s, I would go clubbing and to restaurants for most meals. I valued always wearing something new and was constantly shopping. I worked in an office and stocked up on a lot of business casual pieces. The importance of image outweighed comfort. I cared about trends and having every outfit stand out, and wore heels to my 9-5 and pretty much any time I went out. It was all about dressing up, looking good, and showing off my figure. I was young and working in the fashion industry and then started my own business in my mid-twenties. It was a decade of relatively carefree fun and I’m so glad I went through it, especially while I had all that energy!
Adam and I recently renovated our bedroom and I was switching from an IKEA Pax to a DIY open concept closet system, which meant that I spent months sorting through our belongings. It was quite therapeutic to declutter my wardrobe (you can see my top closet decluttering tips in this post) and I cut my clothing and accessories down to about 40% of what I’d started with. Which is HUGE progress!
As this past winter was winding down, I reevaluated the remaining contents of my closet and noticed that I really only wear a quarter of what was hanging in front of me.
That’s when I realized that I wasn’t dressing for this season of my life. I think I was holding onto who I was in my twenties, even though I didn’t even necessarily want to be that person any more.
Guys, I work from home and have a dog now. I’m here a LOT. I own like 8 pairs of black cotton leggings that I rotate through as loungewear and I flipping love it. I need comfort and practicality over anything else. I wear snow boots in the snow, rain boots in the rain, and a giant warm winter coat on cold days. With our dog having separation anxiety, going out for dinner and/or dressing up is a rare occurrence. And that’s fine with me. It makes going out even more special than it ever used to be and I love playing dress up for it. Plus, the health and dietary benefits of cutting out restaurant meals has been huge for Adam and I. Mini skirts, sexy dresses, and towering platforms have no use to me and I prefer to minimize my cleavage rather than show it off. I’d rather shop smarter and less often. I value classic pieces that are versatile.
For a while, I felt bad about how casual I’ve become, especially as a “fashion blogger”. Once I stopped fighting it and began embracing things, I found a sense of peace getting dressed each day. Wearability and style don’t have to be disconnected and this doesn’t mean I’m any less happy or not dressing for what feels like me. I just think that I’ve changed, in a completely organic way and I’m finally letting go of the idea of old me and embracing this natural lifestyle shift.
I truly didn’t know what I was missing in a phone until I was introduced to the Google Pixel 2. Besides its sleek and minimal design, this phone has it all. If you follow me on Instagram, or read this post, then you’ve likely seen some of what the mighty Google Pixel 2 phone can do. I still can’t believe I can snap such high quality, clear imagery with a PHONE!
I had the perfect chance to test out the Google Pixel 2’s abilities on my recent trip to Europe. My adventures to London, Malta, Amsterdam, and Ireland were noticeably simplified with such a cutting edge piece of technology.
I mentioned it briefly in this post, but read on below to find out just a few of the many reasons why I’m now #TeamPixel!
Back in the fall, I had a short stopover in London. Here is what happened in 24 hours.
My most recent visit to my favourite city was the starting point of a two week European adventure. You might recall that at the end of last year, I impulse purchased very inexpensive roundtrip flights that took me from Vancouver to Dublin via London, and then back home 14 days later. In order to make my budget-friendly Euro trip work, I had to deliberately “miss” my connecting flight to Dublin, which gave me 24 hours in London, before flying out to Malta the next day. This was really tough for me to do, as I’m a huge rule-follower and it really broke my heart to have to lie in any way. I did what I had to do though, and hopefully I never have to cheat the system ever again.
London In November
This was my first time experiencing Autumn in London and my goodness, what a combo. I flew in on a Thursday in the middle of November, and was quickly reminded how much Europe loves Christmas. They go mad for the holidays and I welcomed their enthusiasm with open arms. My biggest regret is that I’d packed my carry-on full and didn’t leave any room for shopping of any kind. Such a rookie mistake. Though, I was trying to be conscious of spending, so I suppose it was all for the best. The weather was chilly and a winter coat and gloves were required, but I was also, as I often am, greeted by a beautifully sunny day in the city.
24 Hours In The City
With such few hours in London, every minute was precious. I had to maximize my time from the very beginning. This started with my flight over. I was able, thanks to my new airplane sleep routine, to get some rest on the 9 hour journey across the pond. This is crucial for a red-eye flight and something I normally cannot achieve. It’s a game changer for these shorter trips, I tell ya! My next hack, was that I made plans with a friend that I had to head to straight from my flight. Having a restaurant reservation kept me accountable and gave me the momentum to push through any sort of jet lag.
My focus of my 24 hours there was to eat delicious food, walk as much as possible, browse the stores, and say hello to some of my favourite iconic London spots. Here is what I managed to accomplish in 24 hours.
My friend Alex and I chose this small island country on a whim. We’d wanted a relatively inexpensive flight out of London in November, to a place with sunshine that we’d both never been. Somehow, we lucked out and ended up in beautiful Malta! We didn’t want to be overly researched beforehand, so we looked up the basics and decided to just explore. There is so much to see and do and learn. Malta is rich in history and fun facts (which, Alex and I love), and parts of it are so preserved that you feel transported back to medieval times. Everywhere you go, it’s a photographer’s dream. I left feeling completely creatively inspired and grateful for the experience.
This tiny European treasure absolutely captured our hearts. I cannot wait to share more about Malta with you, it’s a place that you should absolutely see for yourself! For now, here it is through my lens.
That 5 things about me tag has been going around Instagram Stories and I thought it’d be fun to do an extended version here on the blog today! I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone else’s fun facts and getting to know them a bit better. So, here are a few things that you might not know about me!
I Grew Up At The Dance Studio
Heck yes, I spent my awkward phase in tight spandex! When I wasn’t at school, I was at the dance studio. Ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, I can do it all. Just not hip hop, I was too technical for hip hop. I went on to teach from high school up until just a couple of years ago. Being a dancer is such a large part of my identity, it wasn’t an easy decision to step away. You should check out this post I wrote about the emotion of my last day at the dance school if you relate!
Why I finally went to see a counsellor and you should too!
A few years ago, I was sitting at a long table with a group of my girlfriends at our monthly Fake Book Club hangout. These girls are, to put it simply, the best. The 5 of us became friends as adults and were all on similar enough career paths in terms of skill set (well, except for one, because her level of intelligence is unreachable for the rest of us LOL) without being in a position of competition in the Vancouver job market. Since we didn’t feel as though we had to censor much, we began our hangouts by talking about EVERYTHING. We let it all out. I used to call it “girl church” because I’d leave feeling like I used to after a powerful church sermon. It was beyond therapeutic. We deemed ourselves the Fake Book Club/Real Wine Club because we’d meet monthly like a book club would, except that we’d only drink wine and rarely discuss literature. Anyway, there we were a few years ago, and therapy came up in conversation. Everyone at the table told a story referencing their therapist and I was in SHOCK. “You ALL go to therapy?” I asked in astonishment. It was a unified yes. “It’s really great, Alicia, you should try it.” They told me. I got the names of a few of their counsellors and saved them on my phone.
Regular, everyday people went to therapy? When did this happen? Why did no one tell me?! I was taught that therapy was just those who’d had something big and justifiable happen in life that required professional help. I was struggling, sure, but I’d never thought of therapy as an option for me. The narrative was that you were considered “weak” if you couldn’t just muscle through a rough patch, and/or compartmentalize things and move on. Considering that this happened in the height of an episode of depression (that I was semi in denial about/felt shame for), I sure wish I’d listened to them at the time.
The secret’s out. I’ve been. Therapy isn’t this big outrageous deal that everyone makes it out to be. In fact, I bet it’s something that a lot of people you admire the success of practice regularly. No matter your age, your financial situation or your struggles, I can assure you that help is available and that sitting on a couch across from a counsellor could potentially change your life for the better. You deserve that kind of happiness, you really do.
