Vehicles

I'm not a huge car person - I don't drool over car shows, specs, or mods. But I do like cars that are shiny, run smoothly, and hold up to all the abuse I can throw at them.

I have a black 1999 Toyota Corolla and it's been fantastic; accelerates like nobody's business, handles well, and I have 365,700 Km on it. Yes, you heard me right. It is my baby, and I love her so; but it's time to put her down and get a new car. The engine works fine, but as part of this Drive Clean test thing that all cars older than 3 years have to do, she won't cut it. So, my mom decided yesterday to buy a new car! :D She said it was important to her to have me drive a safe(er) car when I go to work. Aww.

This car isn't exclusively mine, but there is an unspoken agreement that I will be driving it most of the time. We got a great deal on a new 2013 Toyota Corolla with a bunch of fun extras in it, so I'm really stoked. It's going to be a magnetic grey metallic colour, so that'll be fun. I'll be getting her (I like how I assume it's a girl) in about a week, so I'm mega excited! My experience with Toyotas have been only amazing, so I am really glad we're getting another Toyota car; it may not be as flashy or sporty looking as Mazda3 or anything, but they certainly are reliable work horses -- take it from me, we have two Toyota vehicles, and they've never protested at the amount of mileage we've put on them!

Randoms

So this "Gangnam Style" song and video is incredibly popular -- I listened to it for the first time like last week and I can't get the song out of my head (I am unsure whether this is a good or bad thing yet). I found this cat-cartoon blog and this made me laugh:

Random cat dancing aside, I've been contemplating how to better spend my time when I start working and am unofficially finished with school. I say "unofficially" finished because when I start work I will actually be enrolled in some courses related to my ER position, so I will still be studying. And eventually I will be doing my masters or some kind of continuing education. BUT outside of that, I have picked up reading again and writing. I bought an Amazon Kindle last summer and have since added a bunch of books to it and really enjoyed being able to carry around a mini-library without the hassle of bulk and ripped pages. Along with reading a really good book, comes my infatuation with characters, which inexplicably leads to fanfiction. 

Alright I said it, the dirty word, fanfiction. I haven't written fanfics in several years -- not since high school. And I only bring it up again now because there are some really well done fanfics out there, depending on what you read. I am really into the Divergent series by Veronica Roth and it kills me that the last installment isn't coming out until Fall 2013 -- that's A WHOLE YEAR AWAY. I do not enjoy waiting, so I figured I'd make my own version of the 3rd book to entertain myself until then. I'm hesitant to post a link to my story in case anyone I know actually reads it and KNOWS that I wrote it, so I'll let you know it's on FanFiction.Net in the Divergent book section; if you can figure out which story is mine, good for you! :) 

I have a terrible weakness for superheroes too. I'm currently indulging in well-written fanfics involving Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow -- my favourite superhero pairing! *sigh* I feel like I'm in grade 9 or 10 all over again. Haha. In all truth though, fanfiction is sort of helping me to write things other than just papers though; yes, yes, papers are all good and lovely, but fanfiction lets me focus on vivid description, setting a mood through written word, and ultimately telling a good story. It physically hurts me when I read stories riddled with grammatical and spelling errors -- don't people proof read these things? 

On to a completely different subject: I need help finding a good cream for fall/winter use. My face is going nuts these days; it's dry and itchy, but continues to break out. I'm using benzoyl peroxide in the evenings for acne and using Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne wash in the AM/PM. It's not too harsh, but my skin does need moisture after. 

I'm currently using Nivea Aqua Sensations Day Cream, but the scent is kind of irritating me. Currently looking at trying Biotherm Skin Ergetic Day Cream-Gel. If anyone is reading, have you tried it? Heard anything about it? Let me know. 

Another simple everyday look

I try not to wear waterproof mascara everyday because I know it's hard on the lashes, so I sometimes just curl them. But, I do still like to make my lash line look thicker so this is what I've been sporting:

*Click to enlarge*

I know it's fall when...

 The weather gets a little cooler, my face gets drier for no particular reason, and my mineral makeup looks like crap on my skin. Time to bring out the Skin79 BB Creams again!

Official

I've now officially accepted my offer of employment. It feels so much more real now!

I have a whack of paperwork to do prior to my start date; submitting signed contracts, health reviews, and application for my temp registration... but it's all good. 

I'm feeling quite fortunate that my start date isn't until Oct 15 -- I know a bunch of friends who have started working already and I can't imagine working AND studying for the CRNE at the same time. Everything happens for a reason! :) I'm kind of loving life right now. 

The only thing I would wish for right now is for my dad to see what I'm doing with my life. I always get wistful when I think about things I've accomplished or things that will eventually happen that he isn't around to see. And it makes me kind of jealous (sad jealousy though) when I look at my friends or other family members that have their immediate family intact. Oh well. At least I've still got my mom ♥

Update: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I wanted to update my opinion on the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder that I bought in August (I have Medium 0-1 Sand). I like it a bit more now and find myself reaching for it more often than my Cover Girl powder (which I still love). My issue was I think I wasn't using enough of the product; I barely swiped any on a brush and thus it wasn't doing anything. I use a fluffy blush brush (Annabelle A-28) and load some product on it by swirling it like 3 times on the powder for each area of my face; forehead, nose, each cheek, and chin. When I do that, the matte effect lasts longer and it really does make my pores look invisible. I also made a point of washing my brushes more frequently, as oil build up or transfer can really affect the wear of your makeup as well.

I don't find the colour match as awful anymore; it might've seemed incredibly pink the first couple times I wore it because I used it with a BB cream, so I guess it made the pink tones more prominent some how, so I will stick to using Cover Girl powder when I wear BB cream. But on top of my Everyday Minerals and bare skin, it looks fine. It sets my Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch eye concealer in Radiant nicely without looking cakey and powdery.

I would probably buy this again!

No longer jobless

Guess who is going to be an RN in the Emergency Department at a prominent downtown hospital? Yours truly.

Hoping

Music: Soundgarden - Live to Rise (The Avengers OST) Mood: hopeful

I had an interview today at a core downtown hospital in the Emergency department; I think it went really well. I never originally thought I would be interested in the Emerg, but it's not like I won't learn new skills there. I want to challenge myself and push myself to do more than I may initially feel comfortable with. Floor nursing is what I am 'comfortable' with; it's all I know so far, and I know that nursing is so multifaceted and diverse that my scope should expand. Sometimes when I think about having to respond to emergency situations my mind goes blank and I freeze; most people would think that means that I am terrified.

Being terrified is partially true. I am terrified at the idea that my actions could potentially save or not save a life. The other part is thinking "What, you crazy? You would get such an adrenaline rush, and you would know what to do, even if you can't verbalize it". It would be exciting. And teamwork is a big thing in the ER, so I hardly think the fate of someone would be resting solely on my shoulders.

I have surprised myself a lot in the last 2 years; if you asked me what I would be doing with my life 7 years ago, I wouldn't have said "nursing". If you asked me 4 years ago, I wouldn't have said "nursing". 3 years ago, I would've said "maybe nursing". And now... I say "nursing". I never thought I would be ok spending hours upon hours in a hospital, with sick people who may or may not live. I never thought that doing some of the hardest (emotional and physical) work I have ever done would be so rewarding to me. What's another surprise? No big deal.

I like to think that my life experiences have shaped me into someone that can take on challenges and bounce back. I can handle things that I never thought I could. I can adapt.

If this ends up working out, I will be happy to embrace my change.

I read somewhere that every 7 years, every cell in your body is different. If that is true, then I am a completely different person from who I was 7 years ago, at 18 years of age.

LOTD: September 2, 2012

This is a look that I wore yesterday: *Click to enlarge*

Look Of The Day (LOTD) from Aug 30

I did this makeup look a few days ago:

I really like this look. It's a subtle, neutral smokey eye. It's wearable and doesn't feel heavy. And, you can't really tell in this photo because of the lighting, but those Wet'n'Wild eyeshadows are gorgeous in the light and just brighten the eyes beautifully.