a blog makeover & stop comparing.

Did you notice? The blog got a little facelift!

I should have taken a "before" screenshot so you could really see the difference.

I hadn't changed much about my blog since I started it back in August 2011, but I've been wanting to for a long time. I had actually bookmarked Summer's shop, Show and Tell, a while ago because she designs blog banners and a new banner was what I really wanted. I just couldn't seem to justify spending $25 (although that's a steal and well worth it!) on a banner because "I don't need it, right?" (That's what I always say when I'm thinking about buying something.)

But then Summer had a sale and was offering custom blog banners for $15! I took it as a sign and I emailed her right away. She was so easy to work with and super sweet; I was so worried that I was going to annoy her with all my requests... "can you please make the yellow brighter? and the font less round? and two examples, one with the tagline and one without?..." If she did get annoyed, she hid it really well. Thank you, Summer!

AND! T-Man made me a new favicon! (That's the little square symbol that shows up in the corner of the tab in your browser. See it up there? Gmail's is an envelope, Facebook's is the letter "F"...) Mine was the same as all Blogger blogs', just a "B," but now it's balloons! Yellow balloons! It only took him maybe 5 minutes and I was over-the-moon-happy about it. I think he said I was "crrrAzy" because I was so excited. Little things, people, little things :)

AND! Speaking of blog facelifts and T-Man, here's a chat conversation we had recently about me thinking of switching to Wordpress*:


Me: ...but I want wordpress because you can customize it even more than blogger

T-Man: thats not the point

Me: and I don't think you need to use a vpn to use it. what's the point?

T-Man: the point is inside your blog

T-Man: people like your blog not because of the beautiful lookings, but just the meaningful things you wanna tell people thru your blog


Hmm... I can't really argue with that. Although appearance does matter to an extent when it comes to blogs, and I do hope you like what you see here, I hope you like what you read even more.

AND! That leads to something else I've been thinking. I need to stop comparing myself to others. Stop comparing my appearance, my blog, my life, everything. I could write so much more about this, but for now, that's what it all boils down to: Just. Stop. Comparing. Do your own thing!

Anyway. Hooray! for the new banner and favicon and white background! And I'm still fiddling around with things here, so don't be surprised if you see a few more changes over the next little while.

P.S. Summer also designed a new banner for my friend Melissa! And Summer sells prints in her shop, too! (My favourite is the apostrophe print, of course.)

*Mostly I want to switch to Wordpress because I want to be able to have blog categories AND tags. Not just labels like here on Blogger. Blogger, can you make this happen?

aha! moments.

Isn't it funny how life can be really really good and also really sucky at the same time? I've thought that a lot lately, because that's exactly what my life is right now. There's some really good stuff and some really sucky stuff.

And I think that's been reflected in my conversations with friends lately. They ask me how I am and sometimes I'm all, Hooray! Life is good! And other times I'm all, Wahh! Horrible! Actually, they usually get both answers in the same conversation.

BUT! The other day, I was talking to Cara on Facebook and I had what I think Oprah would call an "Aha! Moment":


Cara Gallagher
I feel like you right now
I want to throw my hands in the air and say:
Pause!
Can we have a moment for the fact that both of us are so happy where we are right now that we're thinking long term plans?
not like forever
but into the foreseeable future

Amanda Greer

YES!

thank you for saying that!

I was just telling Melissa that I am feeling "meh" about things

but! that's just right this moment

big picture,

it's exactly what you said!

also, i love that you said you felt like me, "pause!"

Cara Gallagher

hahahhaa

I love it that you still do that even in China

sometimes I catch you doing it when we're skyping

Actually, maybe I had two "Aha! Moments."

1. I am content. (Which sounds boring, I guess, but it's not. Not at all.) Sometimes I feel horrible. Sometimes "meh." Sometimes I feel super-fantastic-oh-my-God-life-is-great happy. But big picture: Life is good. I am happy. I am content.

2. I'm still me. Yah, some things have changed. But I still clap my hands together and yell, Pause! And my friends at home recognize that (even over Skype) and my friends here in China recognize that. I'm still me.

So, here's to life! The really really good parts AND the sucky parts!

can't argue with that.

Me: It's beautiful outside today!

G: No.

Me: It's not beautiful outside today?

G: No. It's really, REALLY beautiful!

Me: Well, I can't argue with that, kid.

I ate pig ears.

Li Ning: "Do you have pig ears in Canada?"

Me: "Yah, we have pig ears in Canada."

Li Ning: "You like them?"

Me: "Umm... my dog liked them."

Li Ning: "What? You don't eat?"

Me: "Nooo... in Canada, we give pig ears to our dogs for a treat."

And that's why I ate pig ears last week, because when in China...

They were very cartilage-y. And I think that's the main reason I didn't like them; I'm a textures person. When I took a bite and started chewing and it was smooth and cartilage-y at the same time, I knew I couldn't handle it. But then I put the whole strip in my mouth because I wanted to give it a fair shot. And you know how taste and smell are so closely related? Well, it tasted exactly like the dried pig ears I used to give my dog smelled and... let's just say I was glad I had Sprite (Xue Bi) to wash it down in one big gulp.

P.S. I've also eaten an octopus tentacle and a scorpion!

happy friday!

"I am full of all the happy feelings right now" - Thing I thought this afternoon.

It's been a long time since I've written a happy friday! post but this week seemed perfect for one. Yah, there were some sucky things, but you've got to keep your head up and handle things the best you can. Focusing on happy stuff is one way to do that.

So...

+ I taught G how to make wishes on dandelions.

+ N brought me a "flower" and I wasn't even lying when I told him it was beautiful.

+ I ate outside at "No Pork" for the first time since last Fall. And I said, "Ooh! Fancy chairs!" about the plastic deck chairs. (And I wasn't being sarcastic.)

+ T-Man brought me breakfast Tuesday morning.

+ G gave me two hugs on Tuesday. And then another one every day this week.

+ Joshua Radin released a new album, Wax Wings. I'm in love with the whole thing, but I think the first two tracks might be my favourite.

+ My TA surprised me and G this afternoon with ice cream cones. If a chocolate drumstick and a 3 year old eating ice cream doesn't make you happy, I don't know what will.

+ It's sunny today! And the air quality is good!

+ I'm going to a Trivia Night being hosted by my school tonight. Should be a good time!

What made you happy this week?

momma, you got this.

This is one of my favourite photos because she was laughing SO HARD.

Today is my mom's first chemo treatment. And I wish I could be there so badly. Because I love her and this is a big deal and I want to support her and cheer her on (because everyone needs a cheerleader, right?) and she's been there for so many of my firsts, the good and the bad.

Momma, you got this! And I got you. Always. xoxo

P.S. I can't wait to sit in the food court with you this summer and laugh about nothing and everything.

nyc sunset.

Just saw this photo on a Facebook friend's profile and thought, 'She is so lucky.'

P.S. NYC sunrise.

(Photo by Kris Corey)