I never used to consider myself a lucky person – I wasn’t someone who always caught the bus right on time or never had a bad hair day. But, in looking back, I suppose I am a lot luckier than I thought. Here are a few of my big wins… *** $100 Now, $100 might not seem like a ton of money but this prize started off a year of pretty sweet contest wins for me. My friend Andrea and I entered a Halloween contest through Canada’s Luckiest Student. To win this Halloween contest, you had to submit a photo… Read More
Life & Home
Fixed Life or a Big Trip?
Today Colin, my friend Malindi, and I stumbled into a few open houses after grabbing lunch in Olympic Village. Every time we see an “Open House” sign, I always joke with Colin that we should go in but today we actually did it. And even though we are no where close to being able to afford a house, it was interesting to walk through and consider what it might be like a few (or maybe a dozen, given Vancouver’s housing market) years down the road. We ended up looking at three places: two one-bedroom condos in Olympic Village and then a… Read More
9 Things I Learned as a Maid of Honour
Two weekends ago, I had the absolute honour of standing next to my dear friend, Kimberley, as she vowed to spend her life with her best friend, Joe. Kim and Joe have been together for over a decade so it was really no surprise that they would make it to the altar one day. But I didn’t know how special it would be to witness their day up close as a maid of honour. And by special, I mean exciting, tear-inducing and incredibly exhausting! For their wedding, I served as one of Kimberley’s co-maids of honour (co-MOH) along with our… Read More
Blog Update: Guess Who’s Back?
Back again. Riana’s back. Tell a friend. Okay, no more Eminem. But yes, I am posting on this blog again! My last post was way back in September about a trip to Toronto I took in August. It is now April. So I guess it’s time for an update. Whoops! It seems I forgot I had a blog again. I started to write a few times but I would get distracted and then forget about it again. But I’ve realized that writing, whether it be travel-related or not, is really important to me. I love to write. And I love to… Read More
6 Months Worth of Updates for the Blog
So about a year ago, I realized I had been neglecting my blog. It kind of made sense, since this blog was born out of dream to travel and I wasn’t doing too much traveling a year ago. But I found new things to write about: simple pleasures of everyday life, moving to a new home, family vacations and enjoying the on-going adventure that is living in Vancouver. *** And then in March, I forgot I had a blog again. This time, it wasn’t for any lack of travel or adventure. In fact, too much was happening in my life… Read More
On the Move Again
So it seems like since I came back to Canada in August of 2014 with no lingering travel plans, I’ve still managed to move quite a bit! I’ve been back and forth between Toronto and Vancouver, on vacation to the Dominican Republic and down to the States. I’ve moved from my parents’ places in Toronto to a 4-month sublet near UBC to my own mini bachelor pad in northeast Vancouver. And here I go again! That’s right, I’m moving! After just two and a bit months in the Closet, I’m packing it up and heading elsewhere. I have loved living… Read More
Am I Ready for a Dog?
So if you’ve spent any time with me in the last year, you know I’ve spent a majority of that time cooing over adorable puppies on the street, stalking dog shelter websites and longing to bring home a fur-ball of my own. But am I ready? I grew up with a pooch, the beautiful and berserk Yoda. Yoda was a big puppy – over 100lbs! He was a barker and a shedder. But he was also the most lovable goofball and definitely added a lot to our family. It was amazing growing up with a dog. However, I’m the first to… Read More
Resolutions?
Now that we’re halfway through January, I figured it was about time to put some resolutions out there. Or is it? In 2013, I forwent the grandiose resolutions in favour of 8 mini-resolutions. And they actually went pretty well! Now, two full years later, I have made some headway on those goals: 1) Write a novel: Okay, I didn’t do this one. But I have written stuff and definitely want to keep at it. Maybe this year? 2) Actually get in to tea: Success! My time living in Amsterdam with two tea-addicted roommates definitely helped and I now have a… Read More
2014: A Year In Review
Is it 2015 already? How did I miss the new year? *** Actually, it’s been 2015 for a little while. You can tell I’m a bit behind on my blogging – whoops! One reason I keep a blog is so I can look back on all the wonderful things I’m fortunate enough to experience in my life. It’s kind of incredible to sit back and scroll through the year. 2014 took me to a lot of new places, let me meet a lot of new people and accept new opportunities. For the last few years that I’ve had this blog,… Read More
Welcome Home: A Place of My Own
When you’ve moved 20+ times in your life, what’s one more? Well, turns out it’s still a little exciting when that move is to a place all of your own! On Dec 14 I officially moved into my new place, affectionately nicknamed “The Closet” due to it’s incredibly small size. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality! The Closet is conveniently located a ten minute bus ride from Free The Children. I now get to leave the house at 8:05, instead of the ungodly 7:25 departure I was doing at my old place. However, my… Read More
