Spring has been teasing it's way into Ottawa with nice sunny days or weeks sometimes & then have a freezing cold day right after to remind you winter isn't over quite yet. Nonetheless, stores have started to bring out the spring clothes, bathing suits, shoes and I've been getting some of them.
Bodysuits are my go to tops when I went to make some effort but also be comfortable. These two I got from Sirens who was having a buy 1 get 1 for $10 sale which made me want to get many but I told myself I'd come back. I've been wanting a long sleeve one that was basic so I can dress it up or down as well as white goes with everything. As soon as I picked this grey lion one, it was already a hell yes for me. When I tried it on, it fit so snug & perfectly I could not leave it behind.

I haven't had Bath & Body Works candles in a bit & my room hasn't been filled with such wonderful aromas anymore so I decided to bless my nose & room with the beauties that Bath & Body Works sells. I got the Midnight Blue Citrus & the Black Teakwood & I've been going back and forth between the two scents because they are just too good I don't want to burn them one at a time.

 I have been into bright & bold lip colours lately so another one that I added into my collection is one from NYX called Foul Mouth. It looks like a bright purple from the bottle but its actually a bluish purple colour. I'm wearing it in the picture above with the cat ears.

2017 is going to be a year of adventures & travels to places I haven't been before. At least 5 new places is the goal before end of December Inshu'Allah. Travelling a lot is going to teach me one thing I really need to learn which is how to pack properly & the important things I need to have with me in a carry on & on my trip. I have pulled many weekend missions to Toronto & either over or under pack.

From the two flights & many road trips I've taken, I've realized that you want & need to have your essential items as close to you as possible. I can't tell you the countless times I had to pull over the car to grab something I need from the trunk when I should have just had it in my purse next to me. On flights, you want to minimize your must haves because you don't want to be carrying such a big bag. You also need to realize that you won't need all the things you think you do, that way you can be chilling the whole flight.

I have prepared a flat lay for what I will be having in my carry on for the trip I'll be taking in a few weeks. Not pictured is a sweater & scarf because I know you know how cold those planes are, hundreds of thousands of feet up in the air and the blankets aren't enough.



Portable chargers are an ABSOLUTE necessity for vacations & concerts because as well as you preserve your battery your phone will die & you know it will always happen when you need it the most a.k.a when the main singer is right in front of you singing to your face. I got my Mophie one from Future Shop when it was a thing but you can find it at the apple store. My model is an old one & doesn't exist anymore but they have thinner colourful ones. Get the one with 2 ports & 4 full battery refills so you & your friend can both fully charger your phones at the same time.


I have my Polaroid for any outing I go on because I need some more snaps to add to my scrapbook. I used to have a baby blue one but that stopped working one unfortunate day & then my lovely friends got me a new one as my graduation gift-- I think they knew how obsessed I was with it.


I got the cutest bathing suit from Garage & can I say, finding a swimsuit in stores before the hot season is here is the hardest thing to do because stores barely have some and when they do they might not be styles you like. I happened to be in Toronto & you know that if you search the same stores but in different cities they always happen to have different things. I was originally looking for a bikini but this one piece was looking too nice & it says #beachsquad on it.

I'm sure you guys are wondering where I'm planning to go with all these gear for hot weather but I guess y'all will have to wait for my post on it or check out my insta to see the sneak peaks I'll be posting on there.

This place is a pretty bombtastic place that I haven't been to in a while, so I've come back to see if it was a just fluke the last few times I came or if Datsun really do work up magic in their kitchen.

Datsun is an Asian fusion, small plates type of restaurant that opened up right next to El Camino. So when you've decided you don't want to wait in their ridiculously long line you can go on over to Datsun on the other side.

The first time I came, half the menu wasn't available because they were about to close soon so I got their steamed chicken buns with the most amazing virgin cocktail one has ever had; I can't even tell you what it is because it was just a random concoction that was whipped up then & there, and you're just asked if you want sweet or sour. The steamed chicken buns are life & the cutest things ever! It's just all the right kinds of textures of everything paired together to make perfection.



Second time I came I got a few different things & split them with a friend so we could try bits of different things. We got the cod lettuce wrap, chicken skewers with peanut sauce & I believe we got the shrimp burgers. Yeah, they made burgers out of shrimp. Don't ask me how because I could care less I just want to eat those again. Look at that crispy cod lettuce wrap thou mmmm.



I went back another time & we got a bunch of things again but I don't really remember so I'm back again to try new things & update my brain on what I think of this place so I can recommend to friends looking for places to eat. Also can I say that all of Ottawa is taken for granted when looking for good restaurants because all everyone knows is the Byward Market & that's where you can find Ottawa's pretty shitty restaurants. Don't get me wrong, there are some good spots there but EVEN BETTER spots in Lansdowne, the Glebe, Wellington, Elgin and so many places around the city. Broaden your reach & expand your palette people.

Today I'm here to give you guys some tips on planning events because if you didn't know, I'm an Event Manager; finished the program last summer & graduated in October. There is a lot that we learned but for smaller scale events such as a wedding shower, baby shower or even a birthday party, there are tips that can make planning your event easier. These tips can also make sure you don't get charged those fees in the contract you glanced over before signing.

Planning any type of event is gonna be hard work if you want it to be successful & want to make sure everyone has a good time. You can have an event that you pull off quickly with minimal effort but it won't be as great as the one you planned & put effort into; the difference between a great & average event.

There are a lot of things that I've learned in this program that I would've never known before if I wanted to plan an event. Also, before this program, my extent of planning events was arranging birthday parties for my friends a.k.a dinners of like 8-10 people, maybe more. So now that I've gained quite some knowledge, let me let you in on some of it.



#1. Clean up charge 

If you are trying to throw confetti, glitter or something of the sorts, you will most likely see a $500 charge on your bill & wonder what it was for. I don't know about you but if you've ever tried to clean glitter up off carpet or hard wood floors but it takes a lot of effort & products. In this case, the venue will most likely tell you to not do it & if you do, you're looking at a fat bill.


#2. Picking a venue 

When you're planning a wedding or a baby/bridal shower, you probably will come to your event planner with a place in mind that you want to do it at. You'll be all excited about it & that's great, but don't be rushing into anything too quick. You want to choose your venue after you have the basic questions about your event answered such as: how many people are coming, are people dancing/moving around, what equipment do you need & how much space will that take up? You want to plan your venue around your event, NOT your event around the space because nothing makes your job harder than trying to fit everything you want into a smaller room. However, still tell your event planner about that place you're obsessed with because it could possibly work. They'll also have it on their mind and hopefully will find similar types of places that will fit for your event.


#3. Contracts 

This is where people get too excited & sign everything too quick, eager to move on to the next step. Hold up real quick thou! Do you know whether you just signed your life away or what all those papers actually say? Always stay informed & know what is going on because you don't want to be that person complaining about charges they got, after you've signed everything. Ummm I'm sorry....it was all written in that contract you glanced through & didn't take the time & effort to actually read!

I have so many more tips & tricks such as how you should calculate food & drinks depending on the people who are attending your event. Find these tips and more on my Planning Pinterest board.

1. Starbucks 24oz cold cup   2. Lace up bodysuit from Guess   3. The Face Shop masks   4.  Mint iPhone 6 Case from Artizia   5. Gold hoop earrings from Aldo Accessories  6. Young Attitude from MAC

So Worth Loving is one of my absolute favourite organizations because of what they stand for & if you follow their Instagram page you know they're always preaching self love & worthy messages. I discovered this company a few years ago via Savannah's blog when she was over on Maiedae & promoting this company. I checked them out & loved what they stood for so I followed them on social media. Every time this company appeared on my timeline they put a smile on my face with their post or the message they were passing.

After following them for quite some time, I realized I needed to buy myself something to wear so I could flaunt this message of you are so worth loving. I want to wear it so that other people can notice it & perhaps take the message in for themselves. The shirt I bought has become smaller than I would like it to be on me so I'm on a hunt for something new from them. It also helps that their packaging is pretty awesome (I will try to do a boomerang on my Insta stories opening the package when I get it). Here are the ones I'm looking at purchasing:






SWL is a brand that promotes self worth and believing that no matter what, you are worth loving. Their vision or motto if you will is: No matter my history, past mistakes, relationship status or career choice, I am Worthy of Loving. Which basically means that people shouldn't decide what kind of love you deserve based on anything that isn't a determinant of your character; love me for who I am because thats what I deserve.

Some days when I'm feeling shitty about life or just not feeling like I'm worthy enough, I like to wear my shirt to give me that confidence boost I may need & make me feel like I'm worth more than I think I am. There are so many youth & individuals struggling with so much in life & being unworthy sometimes is one of those things, so it's nice to have that reminder that you are so worth loving & so much more.

Check out their website & social media pages for more information about them & snag yourself some pretty sweet gear that switches up every now & then. Just remember to love you, love people (that's another one of their sayings).