I decided to put a little more effort in today with a new self portrait to make up for my outrageous slacking. Self portraits (taken on your own) require a tripod, a remote control, fresh makeup, and a face that’s feeling camera-friendly enough to produce a decent photo. It’s effort. But I thought it would help put me back on track.

Most importantly, this one’s for my love because we’re making waves together.

Ahhh, I’m one day behind but better late than never. Happy new year, my beloved ones. I’m turning 25 this year and something tells me that it’s going to be a defining year. I’m going to own 2012.

Hot tea, tasty snacks, and the arms of a loved one was all I needed to start the year – the photo is a snapshot of a quiet and cherished moment on New Year’s Day.

Above all things, I wish you LOVE this year. Everything else will fall into place.

I also PROMISE I will come back to this blog hard with a new photo every day, not every couple of days. It’s winter now, which means that it’s tough to catch the sun before it goes down because it is completely dark by the time I get home from work. I can only enjoy sunlight on the weekends (unless the clouds decide to rain on my parade). But that’s also why I shopped for so many indoor photo props this summer through garage sales so that I have a box full of funky things to photograph by the time winter hits. SO, I do have a million photo ideas in mind and in a box in my room, I just haven’t had a chance to execute. The horrible truth is that I haven’t touched my camera since I came back from Vegas in November. And when I actually shot this simple photo yesterday, it felt sooo nice. It felt like HOME. I’m coming back hard, I promise. You haven’t lost me!!!

GET ACTIVE & KEEP ON SAVING. I’m going to buy a house (with a GOOD down payment) before 2014 (or before I turn 26). Wow, 26 sounds scary. Can I be 24 forever? Or 25 could work, too.

I am still inexperienced with life in so many ways but I know this much: set goals and work to attain them. It gives you stability and direction.

Holy cow, that’s a new and shameful record. Rest assured that I feel guilty and I’m beating myself up for it. It is only when I actually come back to my photos and blogging that I realize how much I love and miss it and how I can never be without it. Time is more scarce than ever it seems and I’m struggling with things that need to get done.

Merry belated Christmas to all. I hope that there was overwhelming love.

I’m itching to travel again and there is talk of SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York City are top 3 in my U.S. travel radar. I think, of the three, San Francisco would most be my kind of city. Vegas is too wild and New York City is too hustle and bustle. San Fran may just be the happy medium.

I’m hardly the cheesy type but:
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao Tzu

That quote can only ever be uncheesy if you know what love really is. You need to be damn brave to love with all your heart, truly, without holding back, and to be loved by someone else with all their heart, makes you feel invincible.

I started obsessing over circuses after I watched Water for Elephants. But I do realize that circuses involving animals are cruel and nothing like it is in that magical movie. I’ll do my best not to pay to see the shows and just stand outside and take photos of the tents instead. This is the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas. It was at the very edge of the strip, almost in the outskirts, but we made the trek because it just could not become a missed photo opportunity. I also can’t say that I didn’t climb things to take this photo.

Am I over-killing the Vegas photos yet? :P

From A Photo A Day to A Photo Every Couple of Days? lol! At the rate I’m slacking, it’s not a bad idea. But no, I’d never do that. I will continue to live up to the name – I just need to establish my new rhythm. I’m getting there! :)

I’ve upgraded to a sexy white iPhone 4S and have ditched Rogers for Bell with the most magnificent plan on Earth.

I’m still four orders behind on Etsy. One of those four orders is my first order from Switzerland. Switzerland is easily one of my favourite countries that I’ve traveled, so you can imagine how excited I was to receive an order from there.

Oh man. My arms are going to fall right off tomorrow. Feels GREAT!

I love music.

Saw this in Vegas. Not sure what it was but it looked very cool, so I snapped a photo. Turned out cute!