Wanna peek into my diary again? It won't be as sweet as last time, I'm sorry. Background: I spent the summer in Toronto working, and did all of my sight-seeing alone. So I had a lot of time to people watch (or eavesdrop, your call). And I heard some pretty funny/ interesting things along the way which I jotted down into my journal. Here are my favourites :)
1. Little boy: "Pa, you smell like a traffic light"
2. One teen guy to another:"I've figured it out though. You can wear like jeans and a t-shirt, and if you wear nice shoes people will be like 'Oh, you look nice!' It's crazy!"
3. One teen girl going up an escalator, the other going down. First girl shouts "Hey, where did you get your skirt? I love it!" Second girl: "Oh! Garage!" and walks away beaming :)
4. Kid looking in a big fish tank:"Are these fish real, or are they dead?"
5. Son: "Daddy, how did he get in here?"
Dad: "It's so hot that even the birds are taking the subway."
6. One rich teen girl to another: "What is grit?" "Oh, it's like bad risotto."
7. Mom to son: "I love you too, kiddo. I love you all the way to Africa and through all the safaris and into another universe."
8. Teen girl: "But I honestly think that I'm a really interesting person and that everyone wants to come talk to me."
9. One woman to another:"So wait, you don't have decent bookstores but you have spas where fish eat your feet??"
10. 2 kids, boy and girl about 12, talking about pigeons. "In pigeon world, I think he's daaaaamn!"...."No, I think he's probably oh heellllll no!"
11. Guy, early 20s: "Yeah I shaved my back and glued it to my face."
Well there you have it, a glimpse into the minds of strangers. Some made me laugh so hard, others made me smile. Also, just as a sort of disclaimer- none of the people in the photos are connected to these quotes.
(My blog is set to Irish time, but it's still Friday here in Canada!)
Dear Zach, painting with you is so much fun, kiddo. We can't tell what the future has in store for you, but I can guarantee you will do something with your wonderful creativity. :)
Dear Mr Caterpillar, little Liam and I had a lot of fun playing with you in the back garden. Liam has been asking for you quite a lot ever since.
Dear Pretty Purple Phone, thanks to you and your wonderful photo-taking abilities, I have become one of those people who takes photos of absolutely everything, including their lunch.
Dear Kina Grannis, I cannot believe you replied to my email!!! Proof that you are one of the sweetest musicians in existence. :)
Dear Ants, Zach was not very impressed at you guys eating his Goldfish crackers. He doesn't like to share food, even if it falls on the ground.
Love always,
Orla
PS~ I would love it if you would check out my newest YouTube video :) And I would love it even more if you could subscribe to me! Thanks :)
PPS~ I just realised I'm wearing the same blazer in the photo with Kina Grannis as I am in the video. Just a random bit of info there for ya.
So, you guys know I love my music, right? I mean, I love it almost as much as I love babies and nursing... Yeah, that much!
So, this past January my friends convinced me to start a YouTube channel. I mostly play covers of songs I like, and I've posted one of my originals too. And a few goofy videos as well, of course- I mean it wouldn't be my YouTube channel if it was free from all dorkiness.
It's just a bit of fun really, and Kate (also known as 'Mildred' in the videos) and I have great fun making the videos! All these pictures are freeze-frames from the videos, by the way. :) And I have to say, I feel pretty weird posting photo after photo of myself... Hmm.
So, why am I posting this here? Well, my lovely friends, I have a favour to ask. Dun dun dun... Feel free to press the esc key now haha :) I would really love it if you could go to my YouTube channel and show your support- I'm feeling pretty lonely over there without you guys. Maybe you could subscribe to my channel, rate my videos, or leave a comment or two? It would make me so happy if you could do that. :) Here's one of my recent videos:
Of course, you can tell me that I'm very cheeky for asking, or you can ignore this post completely! But I know that I can count on a few of you at least to wander over to YouTube and let me know what you think. :) Thank you everyone! And of course if I can do anything for you in return, you know you can always ask!
A while back, I stumbled across a blog post by someone (I really wish I could remember who) who had picked up a book in a shop and found a secret note in the front cover. It was short and sweet, praising her for choosing that book, and I just thought the idea was absolutely wonderful! Imagine. Buying a book, taking it home to read, and finding a handwritten note from a stranger. I think it would make me smile for a month!
So... I decided I would do it too. I picked 3 of my favourite books, and on Wednesday I left a note inside each:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
I had so much fun sneaking into the bookshop and hiding the notes in the books, I felt like a secret agent!
And I wasn't going to tell you this next part... But I'll give you a giggle.
So I had hidden the notes in my diary for safe-keeping, and as I approached the book shop, I stopped to take them out. Just as I opened my diary (on a random page), a bird flew over my head and pooped all over the page, splat! I was so shocked! I was just staring at the page, trying to make sense of it all. And then, while I was still trying to recover, a woman tapped me on the shoulder, "Excuse me dear, but you might want to pull your dress down on the right hand side at the back..." Oh my goodness, Kate and I laughed for about 20 minutes solid. The bird, then the skirt, then the bird again! Such a comical 2 minutes. At least I can laugh. :-P
Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows that I am without a doubt a complete and utter dork. How, you ask?
I am highly talented at tripping over flat ground.
I speak fluently in 'Friends' quotes.
I simply cannot be 'smooth' or 'cool' in any situation.
I much prefer skipping to walking.
I laugh at really bad jokes.
See? Dork.
People often make the mistake of assuming that since I made it to university to study nursing that I must be at least a little bit intelligent. My dear friends, that is simply not the case. I have had the nickname 'Blondie' among friends and family for as long as I can remember because of my famous 'Blonde Moments'.
"I wonder do dentists get bitten often..."
"Imagine being a cow..."
"Oh my God, why is there a giraffe on the side of the road? Oh... That's a car."
"Aww look, those people are all reading the same book, it must be a book club, that's so cool! I've always wanted to join a book club. Oh... Wait.. They're reading a menu."
To name a few. And my best talent is switching sentences up in my head so much that they come out completely incoherent.
Apple crumble = Crapple Umble
Pineapple Swissroll = Swineapple Pissroll
We should so do that! = We sud show do that!
It's a skill that not many people have. My Daddy says that the reason I am so blonde is not because I am stupid- it is because I am sooo smart that I have way too many incredibly intelligent thoughts rushing around in my head that sometimes they just get tangled up in each other and they come out the wrong way, that's all.
This week was endless cups of sweet tea and lovely chats with wonderful friends.
This week was being dorky in public. Practicing our British accents, playing in shopping trolleys, skipping and being pirates. Why ever not?
This week we had flowers on the table. Red carnations. A little pop of energy and fun, one of the simplest of pleasures.
This week was celebrating birthdays. Shout-outs to Mam, David, Eva, Emilia, Niamh and Jane. I hope your birthdays were positively wonderful!
This week was trying very hard to promote my blog and Youtube account, and being over the moon with every new comment, subscription and view! You are wonderful for reading this, and when I see your one extra view in my stats I will instantly want to hug you. :)
Hello there. :) So I have been tagged by this lovely girly to do a post called "11 Odds, 11 Questions, 11Answers". How sweet is that? I'm pretty chuffed, I have to say. It has made me this excited...
And this happy :)
So, what do I have to do? Here are the rules...
1) Post these rules
2) Post 11 random things about yourself
3) Answer the questions the tagger set for you
4) Create 11 new questions
5) Tag new people
Randomness?
~I dunk every kind of biscuit in tea, and I am the master biscuit-dunker, I never drop any of it into the tea.
~I hate photos of me with my hair up, I think I look like a man.
~I can't watch TV without having something else to occupy myself, I am too fidgety. I normally have my laptop (right now I'm watching Ellen).
~Sometimes when I'm stressed or I have too much pent up energy, I like to dance around my kitchen screaming silly songs in a British accent.
~My fingers are double jointed, and constantly look like they are broken.
~I worry that people think I have split personalities because I can either be very mature, sensible and sentimental, or very silly, dorky and weird...
~I can cross my eyes and roll my tongue, but all I really want to do is wiggle my ears.
~I live off praise from others. One nice comment can leave me feeling elated for days. :)
~I have an unexplained obsession with names. For no reason. I just love them.
~I cannot dance. I look like a meerkat mixed with a piglet, both of which are lovely animals, but let's face the fact that they cannot dance.
~I secretly wish that I lived in America, in the South at the time of Gone With The Wind, when boyfriends were called 'beaus' and corsets were all the rage.
11 Questions
One. My favourite celebrity... Well, at the moment I am caught between 2. Taylor Swift and Kina Grannis.
Two. Favourite Android/iPhone app? I don't have either. I think I saw someone with a bubble-popping game, that looked fun! But then maybe that's not an app... I am so bad with technology.
Three. My full name- Orla BrÃd Patricia Harrington. Very Irish. BrÃd is pronounced 'breed'.
Four. My favourite thing to do. This is going to sound incredibly cheesy and fake, but I am being 100% honest. My absolute favourite thing to do in the entire world is to help people, to be loving and caring. That's why I chose nursing as my career. In a way, you could say it's selfish. I do it for the buzz I get from it, I love having people depend on me, and I love the feeling of people appreciating what I do. Well that's my silly answer, I'm kind of embarrassed now.
Five. Savoury or sweet? Sweet, most definitely.
Six. Favourite scent. I love, love, love the smell of vanilla. I love everything vanilla! Hence the blog title Escape to Vanilla.
Seven. What makes me feel beautiful and sexy... When guys actually respect me. I love when I meet guys at clubs that talk to me, get to know me, and don't instantly try to put their hands in places they shouldn't be. When a guy respects me, it makes me feel classy, elegant and sexy.
Eight. Favourite Starbucks drink. I'm a student, I can't afford Starbucks! But... I love mochas.
Nine. AT&T or Verizon? I had to google.. I saw technology, and I clicked 'x' to save my head from hurting, so I have no idea which I would choose.
Ten. What gives me that feeling? What feeling, Hannah? I'm going to go with a feeling of... overwhelming happiness. The feeling that makes your heart flutter, that makes your tummy do flips and you are so happy that you almost can't stand it. How about that for a feeling? I get this feeling when I see babies and children. Thinking about someday having my own children makes me so happy that it hurts. I long for the day when I will be able to love my own babies. :) Yes, I am a weird teenager. You didn't know that?
Eleven. Favourite word. Serendipity. Finding something positively lovely while searching for something else. Doesn't it make you happy? :)
Who to tag, who to tag... Well Hannah already tagged a few I would have tagged, so I will choose different people. :)
And the newest follower of my little blog, Jess Leigh!
Here are your questions.
{1} Describe yourself in 5 words.
{2} Favourite colour combination?
{3} What would be your favourite part of having a relationship?
{4} Do you walk around home in your bare feet?
{5} Biggest pet peeve?
{6} Is there a phase you went through in your younger teen years that you now regret? (Eg. Saying a word too much, txtin lyk dis, wearing neon colours)
{7} What would you name a boy? And a girl?
{8} What is your worst habit?
{9} Soup or salad?
{10} Where are you right now while answering these questions? Describe your surroundings.
{11} What was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you/ done for you?
I do apologize if that was boring to read... Maybe I can make it up to you with this?
During the week, I'm in college in the city, and every weekend I travel back home. It makes for a lot of train journeys. When Kate is with me, we have so much fun. Some days we're exhausted after a long week, so we listen to my iPod and chat away happily. Other days we are bursting with energy, and we do something like this:
And that's very bold, you shouldn't do that.
I love traveling with Kate. But I am also getting used to taking the train on my own. I love climbing onto the train with my suitcase and rucksack. I love sitting down in a seat with a table to myself. I take off my jacket, stick on my iPod, take out my journal, and I retreat into my own little world.
I feel like a fly on the wall when I'm on my own on the train. Nobody ever notices the girl sitting alone. They carry on with their lives, they have normal conversations. And I know this might sound very strange, but there is something quite soothing about observing other human beings living their lives. The old ladies talk proudly about the achievements of their children and grandchildren. The teenage boys laugh about the silliest of things. The mother cuddles her toddler, and points out every tree and bird we pass, before calling her husband to let him know when they'll be home. And the teenage girl with the iPod writes about all of them in her journal, and considers what a joy it is to be alive.
Try it some time. Travel alone. Watch the people around you. You'll learn more about life than you could ever imagine.
Travelling Alone Playlist: 1. Say What You Need To Say- John Mayer 2. Blackbird- The Beatles 3. And The Birds Sing- Tyrone Wells 4. Your Song- Ellie Goulding 5. Long Live- Taylor Swift 6. Drops Of Jupiter- Train 7. Autumn Leaves- Ed Sheeran 8. New Soul- Yael Naim 9. Mountain & The Sea- Ingrid Michaelson 10. Happy- Natasha Bedingfield
I was just doing my regular creeping on other people's lovely blogs, and I found Hannah. I'm going to copy one of her ideas. I will be turning 18 on 16th February. That doesn't leave me a lot of time, and I know it will be a tight squeeze to get all of this done, but I am pledging to complete all of the tasks on this list before my 18th birthday. Wish me luck!
18 Before 18 1. Read 3 books 2. Stick a note to the bottom of someone's shoe 3. Try 5 new foods 4. Have photos taken in a photo booth 5. Complete 18 random acts of kindness 6. Surprise someone with an unexpected gift 7. Write a thank you note for someone who won't expect it 8. Put a video on Youtube 10. Have 20 followers on my blog 11. Write a letter to my future children 12. Complete the '30 Days of Pictures' project (which I will explain in my next post) 13. Learn to wrap the entire Fresh Prince theme tune (I might even provide video evidence) 14. Write a Time Capsule entry in my diary 15. See how many marshmallows I can fit in my mouth 16. Write a letter of support to Kate & Gerry McCann 17. Write a list of what I have learned in 18 years 18. And this one hurts me... Go without chocolate until my birthday. Eeek! I can be strong.
So, there's my list. They're not major goals or anything as I only have a month to complete them all. But I think they could be fun. :)
I've been spending some time thinking of how best to capture all that has happened this year... And well.. I just can't! So I will try this idea to wrap up 2011. I found it over here. One photo for every month this year. :)
Surgery in January
February: Babysitting as usual, one of my favourite past times. :)
Taylor Swift concert in March
April: Lots of walks to relieve exam stress!
May: Goodbye cards & letters from teachers (and their kids!)
June: Little cousins in big shoes (Alice & Eleanor)
July: My best friend Laura's Birthday (but she is too camera shy to allow a photo on the internet...for now!)
August: Graduation & Exam Results
Moving to college in September
October: Dressing as a nerd for Halloween!
November: Lots of new college friends (and please excuse my wet hair, pyjamas and 3D glasses haha)
December:Seeing family at Christmas time (Little cousin, Holly)
So there is my year in photos. :) Anyone wish to join me? Post a link for your blog, and I will check it out. :)
