Happy Anniversary Philip.

My one & only. One year today.

Thank you for loving me.
♥09.26.08♥

Shorty...

Acting is fun.

I just wanted to post a quick update to tell you I did some actual acting this past weekend! I was fortunate enough to participate in a short horror film written, produced, and directed by good friends of mine. I am very excited to see the finished product and I'll post info on how to view it as soon as I know. I haven't been doing much acting lately, which does sadden me, but all in good time...all in good time. This project was my first real project and I had such a great experience. I am looking forward to acting more - that is why I came out here isn't it?

In other news, Phil and I have not nailed down a new home yet. We are now focused on getting a car as the one we've been using will be gone by the end of this week and life will be that much tougher without wheels. Moving plans are still lingering but that might also take a very different direction. My brother and his friend Miguel are leaving LA tonight =( They will hopefully be back out here after Christmas to resume their plans. Phil and I will celebrate our one year wedding anniversary this Saturday - hopefully I'll have some pictures to post following.

For those of you who enjoy interior design, I found the best used furniture site. It's called This Is Not Ikea - fun isn't it? Their prices are reasonable and all of their stuff is in great condition. Check them out!

Have a great week peeps!

Toasted coconut...

Almost married a year.

On September 26th 2009, it will be our one year wedding anniversary! As we all know and say repeatedly - time flies. Speaking of time, I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife, and it was fantastic. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote it, she takes you through such a wonderful journey of the power of love over time. I am dying to see the movie, although I'm sure they couldn't fit in every detail that the book has to offer. In honor of our one year anniversary, I, Justine, bought a new dress. Surprised? I didn't think so. However, this dress is very unique and I am excited to share it via blog! I found it on Adore Vintage - a site that sells vintage inspired pieces as well as actual vintage pieces from the 30's to the 80's. The dress I bought is a 1960's party dress and they call it toasted coconut which is probably why it appealed to me so much (big coconut fan) but the dress will be a perfect tribute our vintage glam wedding. Oh, and not to mention, I got it at a steal - $42!!! We are most likely going to dine at Sprazzo (read about Sprazzo below!) and then head to The Edison to listen to live jazz and surround ourselves in an exquisite looking "speak-easy" while sipping The Mistress (a yummy twist on the pomegranate martini but with champagne added)

I will pair this little number with gold strappy shoes from Nine West, minimal jewelery, and red lips. Of course. I love the combination of the cream and sage green sequins, so rare...

Happy...

I just want to be happy.

Thanks to my wonderful father for bringing to my attention Leona Lewis's new single titled, Happy. Enjoy the lyrics, and listen to the song on YouTube.com. I hope all of you are happy =)

HAPPY

Leona Lewis

Someone once told me that you have to choose
What you win or lose
You can't have everything
Don't you take chances
You Might feel the pain
Don't you love in vain
Cause love won't set you free
I could stand by the side
And watch this life pass me by
So unhappy
But safe as could be

Chorus:

So what if it hurts me?
So what if i break down?
So what if this world just throws me off the edge
My feet run out of ground
I gotta find my place
I wanna hear myself
Don't care about all the pain in front of me
Cause i'm just trying to be happy, yeah
Just wanna be happy, yeah

Holding on tightly
Just can't let it go
Just trying to play my role
Slowly disappear, ohh
All these days i feel like they're the same
Just different faces, different names
Get me outta here
I can't stand by the side, ohh no
Watch this life pass me by, pass me byyyyyyy....

I just want to be happy.

Back from the hometown...

Fun was had.

The lack of posting was due to my 8 day trip back to my hometown of Southern Ontario - a place summer decided to skip this year. How lovely. However, I had a superb time visiting with everyone I could fit into 8 days. A new nephew was born - Welcome, Oliver James - and I did decide to cut my hair off. Everyone is responding well, which I hope means it looks great and not the other side of great. It feels great! Greater then great! I was also able to get out to Toronto for a fun night with the girls, that included Thai dinner, yum, and dancing at London Tap House and ended with a thunder storm. Pretty fantastic if you ask me. I miss thunder storms.

I know I said Phil and I would be moving by Sept. 1st but guess what?! We have yet to find a place. LA is expensive and I have high standards = nearly impossible?! HA. We'll find something. It just may not be when I want it too. In the mean time, we'll keep looking and will hopefully find something before we have more visitors (2nd weekend in October). I have decided to try writing - a mockumentary. I might start it as a web series. I haven't gotten that far yet. Not too too much is going on right now in my life so I'll leave you with a restaurant suggestion, or two...

For those in Los Angeles, or visiting Los Angeles - if you're in the mood for Italian, Sprazzo is phenomenal in Westwood Village. They make their own balsamic vingarette that you can even purchase in bottles - it is one of the reasons I go! Bottega Louie is also fantastic, and is located Downtown LA. It is very unique - it feels like you're dining in a mansion! The food is great, and the service is fine dining, but the prices aren't.


Until next time. Tiddles.

Playing"house" is decieving...

Today, I want to be a kid again.

These days happen from time to time. I wake up really missing my mom, my little bro, the smell of home, the security of childhood, and being tucked in at night. It feels like all of a sudden, I've woken up from this big long dream about what my future will be like as an adult...when I "one day" get there. I was one of those kids who couldn't wait to grow up. I couldn't wait to have my own house, to decorate it, to drive a car, to live with my boyfriend, get married, have a career, go out at night, and at one point, to just wear platform shoes (I had a platform shoe thing when I was 10 and my mom wouldn't let me wear them because, well, I was 10) I played "house" all the time. It was my favorite game. The adults around me often said they missed being a kid, and how freeing it was to not have the responsibilities that an adult has. I didn't understand. But "you can drive! you can make money! you can go to dinner parties all dressed up! you can buy a house!" all these things seemed so glamorous to me. OVERRATED.I'm not complaining. I'm just missing.

Phil and I were discussing the beauty of being a child last night. As we all know, the imagination of a child is incredibly unique and powerful. If you don't remember what I'm talking about, take 10 minutes and go watch children play. When they use their mind to imagine that they are different people, living in a different time, the believe it so faithfully. So faithfully that if you try to tell them different, they look at you like you're the crazy one. They have such conviction in what they believe. They have the most optimism of any adult in the world. Anything is possible. This is something we as humans are born with, until something or someone tries to take it away from us. If that something or someone succeeds in taking that optimism from us, then we begin to live in a fearful, limited world. In the book I'm reading Three Magic Words it discusses the power of belief. Look at placebos for example. Deceiving someone into thinking the medication their ingesting will cure the chronic pain in their neck, or help them loose weight just goes to prove that all it takes is belief in something to help manifest it in your life. This says a lot about how to create the life you want. If you have lost that optimism you had as a child, or the imagination to dream up anything, it's not too late! It's still there, hidden away until you decide to call it out again. The burden that society has put on us as adults, that causes us to loose that child-likeness, should be abolished. I want my mom!... and that will never change.

Can you tell I'm really looking forward to my trip home this weekend?

New hair?

IF I was to cut it short...

Well, my hair is boring me to tears lately. I haven't colored it in over a year, which I am very proud of since I was notorious for changing my hair (usually to match that of Christina Aguilera?!) so it is almost 100% natural in color. Who knew I'd ever be a virgin again? However, although it should be as healthy as ever, it isn't and this could be due to my vegetarian diet. I have fine hair to begin with but since becoming a vegetarian nearly two years ago - I've definitely seen a decline in the quality of my hair. It could just be hereditary as well, the cause is a hard one to point a finger at seeing as other vegetarians don't experience a change in hair texture and I feel I have done everything I can to replace missed vitamins and proteins (hair, nail & skin vitamins, lots of tofu, and protein supplements...) I don't like the "thin scraggly" look and I can't afford the quality of extensions I would settle for - not to mention Phil would disapprove of extensions to begin with. I am going back home in a couple weeks and will cut my hair - but how is the question. These are my ideas...

[This has some layers to it]

[My fav thus far...]

[Different angle...]

[A little longer, and no bangs]

OR, I just get a trim and keep it how it is. I haven't cut my hair this short since I was 10. It would be a big change indeed, but I want to make sure it is a good one and not a bad one... Please vote on my poll on the right-hand side bar and please send me your honest input =)

Hope everyone is enjoying the last month of summer!!!

<3