Saturday 26 October 2013

My old roommate may shudder at the thought, but since Thanksgiving has officially come and gone, we have entered into the "holiday season". I might not be putting up the Christmas tree quite yet, but it's always good to be ahead of the game when it comes to your holiday shopping. I've already had requests from my family for wish lists. They're eager, I know.

Whether you're looking for gift ideas for yourself or for other, the posts in my upcoming "5 Faves" series will give you take a look at some of my favourite products from different categories that I would put my stamp of approval on.


1. Clear mobile case
I love being able to customize my phone's look, but good quality cases can get pretty expensive. All I need is one clear silicone case and I can change out coloured/pattered fabric or papers to get a new look whenever I want. One thing to note: the clear silicone can grab dark colours if you keep them in the pocket of your jeans.

No doubt you can find them at any phone accessory provider, or for cheap on Ebay.

2. Bamboo tablet

For those of you who are into graphic or web design, this one is a gem. While I understand these can seem pretty expensive, it is really a game changer. It makes such a difference when you have precision of a stylus. This would make a great gift to anyone interested in digital media.

3. Camera connection kit
This was one of those things that I bought off eBay on a whim, and it sat for months without being used. Then I went on vacation, and decided to bring it with me. Best idea ever. This baby let me download all my pictures off of my phone and camera without having to have a computer or internet connection. I used the USB and SD card ports to transfer all of my pictures to my iPad. It's small, so great for on the go, and for $4? Yes please.

4. iPad Keyboard
I had been looking for an iPad keyboard for a while, but thought all of the options I saw were pretty expensive for what they were. I found this one on eBay for just under $20 and it has worked out great. It makes the device way more functional for work on the go. 

5. External Hard Drive
This one may seem like a "no duh" type of recommendation, but if you haven't already invested in an external drive do it. Now. Nothing is worse than having any of your devices crash and losing all the work, photos, videos, etc. that you've had for who knows how long. I had my laptop crash the week before final exams in my first year of university, and I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't backed up all of my notes.

My recommendation? Spend a little more and go the wireless route. The one I use automatically connects to my computer and backs up all of my files periodically when I'm at home. Being a forgetful person, this is incredibly handy as I don't have to rely on my own brain to keep me out of trouble.

And there you have it. My recommendations for techy accessories that you may or may not of thought about, and why they really are worth the coin. Look for more in this series coming to you over the next few months!

Enjoy the view!

Wednesday 16 October 2013

After a disappointingly gloomy Sunday, Thanksgiving Monday turned out to be the most glorious of glorious fall days. Perfect for knocking the first item off of my Fall Bucket List. I don't know about the rest of my Canadian friends, but I was full to the brim of turkey and wanted to spend a little time outside getting some fresh air and exercise before going to round 3 of my Thanksgiving dinners this year. I am a champion Thanksgiving feast-er.

So we headed over to Frootogo Orchards in Waterdown, featuring everything a seasonal lover could dream of: apple and pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, corn maze, hay rides and bakery. Perfection. We were there mostly for the apples, but being a crazy animal lover I couldn't resist taking a peak at some of the little buddies.


Just look at the size of these things!
There were so many varieties of apples, and we had to pick a couple from most, so we headed home with a $20 bag of the things. Still so worth it. The orchard itself was just beautiful and smelled heavenly. If you're curious of what one wears apple picking, though I'm sure you are entirely capable of dressing yourself, see below for a breakdown of what I sported on the apple mission. Excuse the lion's mane, it was at the end of our little trip and it was looking a bit disheveled. Note corn maze in the background.

Enjoy the view!

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Sunday 13 October 2013



I know January 1st is technically the start of the new year, but I guess my school days still stick with me because I've always felt like Fall is a time for fresh starts. This Fall's resolution? To finally push myself to do what I have been thinking about starting for months now. Enter The View Is Beautiful, and to put it chees-ily is that a word? thanks for stopping by! I can see us getting along just fine.

Now, let's get on with it shall we?

Even thought I typically mourn the death of warm weather, as much as I complain about it, I know I would miss the seasons if I were ever to live somewhere closer to the equator. To celebrate the start of the season, and to hold myself accountable to getting out and doing fun things, and yes I understand that is a sad concept, I decided to come up with a list of things I would like to do in the next two months.

1. Go Apple Picking
 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2160/2058047853_8d8ba2a736_o.jpg

What could be more "fall" then strolling through an orchard with a significant other? It doesn't hurt to be able to bring home some stuffing for my mother's next pie. I love me some apple anything.


2. See the Salmon
Okay so I may have cheated a little bit. I've done this already. But September was part of fall and it was really on my bucket list, whether I let the internet know or not. Every five years or so the lady Salmon make their to lay their eggs through the rivers and creeks of Ontario. Tyler and I tried to see them last year to no avail, but this year we were in luck. More on that in my update at the end of next month.

3. Make/Carve some remarkably cute pumpkins
http://marigoldmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IMG_58282.jpg 
Pinterest made me do it.

4. Go horseback riding
Because I need more of these magestic creatures in my life.

5. Give my former roommate and bff a fantastic send-off

All my precious friends seem to be abandoning me these days. My bff has lived in Isreal for the past year but was home for the past two months - I will be sad to see her go. My old roommate Sam is also moving away to go up north. Way North. To the Yukon. Time to eat my feelings and send them off with a tummy full of baked goods.

6. Give my room a much needed makeover.
I will admit something: I am naturally a very unorganized, forgetful person. It's dad's fault. I am a huge pack rat that assigns sentimental value to every possession I have ever owned. Lately though I've been on a serious purging trip to rid my life of clutter and make my environment a beautifully organized haven. Time to get crafty and hit up iheartorganizing for motivation and inspiration whenever I get off track. 

7. Go to Halloween Haunt or do something frighteningly festive.
http://assets.sheratonparkway.com/lps/assets/u/Canadas-Wonderland-Halloween-Haunt-and-Attractions.jpg 
original image
I'm a scarcely cat, but Ty loves a good horror experience. I'll give you a visual of what I plan on putting myself through.
Wish me luck.

8. Go to the zoo to see the Panda's, before it gets too cold.
The Toronto Zoo is open 364 days a year, but trust me when I say you want to try and get out while the weather holds. Tyler and I went last Boxing Day since it was half price, thinking that most of the animals would be in their indoor homes. I was wrong. 

9. Come up with an awesome Halloween costume
Halloween is one of my favourite holidays. The crafty side of me doesn't let me get away with buying a costume when I could just as well make it myself. Besides that first year of uni where I had zero time or supplies. Still, for shame.

10. Keep this blog alive.
Going along with the organizational theme, I am trying to better schedule out my days. I'm hoping to come up with a regular posting schedule for the days to come. Expect to see some some changes while I get used to this whole blogging thing. Any feedback or requests are definitely welcomed.

Enjoy the view

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