Exploration of Vegan Eating

Hi friends :)

Recently, I posted my first article on TUGG Mag, so I figured I would share it here too. The monthly topic was 'exploration', so I decided why not explore vegan eating?
I found it kept me feeling energized, light, and overall feeling super healthy. It made me so much more aware of eating, and overall I think it was a great learning experience.

You can read it below, OR here: http://tuggmag.blogspot.ca/2014/05/exploration-of-vegan-eating.html

I also set up a mini-tumblr including some basic vegan recipes I made throughout the week. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it here: www.grapefruit-slices.tumblr.com.

Are you vegan or enjoy eating this way? Let me know!
xx
- ♡ Alex ♡

The 1975 Concert (My experience)

At this exact time last week, I was on my way to pick up my friend to go to one of the best concerts I've ever been to; The 1975. If you haven't heard of them you're missing out; if you do know them, you know how incredible they are. The band consists of four members; Matt Healy, Adam Hann, George Daniel, and Ross MacDonald. Their music style is 'indie/alternative rock' - and they are absolutely AMAZING.

The two of us had tickets to see them. The show was GA, and we didn't arrive until later but still got wicked seats. After seeing 5 Seconds of Summer GA I was wary of going to another show, but the venue for this show was 10x better and waiting in line was so much more organized, the whole event was less chaotic. Or maybe the fans were just more chilled out. 

Doors opened to the Kool Haus at 7, but the one complaint I do have is that I feel that was WAY too early. The band doesn't come on stage until 9:45- and although there are two opening acts, many people inside are extremely obnoxious in that time. Me and my friend had a really awesome spot, definitely within the first ten rows, until two girls decided to shove through EVERYONE and felt the need to constantly push my friend up, leaving us separated the entire show. I mean, honestly; come early if you want a good spot and stop being the obnoxious twats and pushing through everyone who waited longer than you did. A lot of people were rude and pushy and the bands weren't even on stage yet. 

The two opening acts were Sir Sly and the Bad Suns. I've only heard of the Bad Suns, because I'm totally in love with the song 'Cardiac Arrest'. Both bands were good, but there was a lot of wait time between both of them. You can check out their EP's on iTunes- I bought the Bad Suns & it's totally amazing. 

(Left; Sir Sly || Right; Bad Suns)

Finally, around 9:45, the lights started dimming and we all knew that meant The 1975 was coming on. And all I have to say, is they were absolutely INCREDIBLE. One of the best shows I've ever been to by far. I was right in front of Adam, and Matty came over many times right in front of me; it was insanely amazing. Matty is adorable and they sounded sooo good live. Matty was awesome with the crowd. They're the type of band who just don't care; Matty was drinking wine straight from the bottle and smoked a joint on stage. Words cannot express how amazing the show was. All the fans calmed down after they came on and we were all just a giant group enjoying the music.
They played pretty much the whole album, I believe. (There was an encore if you're wondering). The show lasted from around 9:45 - 11:15 (ish). Words cannot explain how amazing the whole experience was. I would see them again in a heartbeat.

After the show, me and my friend tried to get merch. There were shirts, sweaters, and signed cds. The prices were really reasonable- shirts $25, sweaters $50, signed cds $20. However, every single tshirt sold out, which was really disappointing because thats the one thing I wanted a ton. Even the larges/xls sold out- I watched the very last ones go. I ended up with a sweater, and my friend bought the cd. I was really disappointed in everything selling out because I would have thought at this point in the tour they would know how much stuff to buy. I would've boughten the shirt + cd if the shirts weren't gone.

The opening band members all came out and you could meet them, but me and my friend just wanted to leave and they were pretty busy, plus my phone was totally full. I do regret not going to get pictures now though.

Overall, the concert was incredible and I DEFINITELY recommend seeing them if you get the opportunity.
Performance: ★★★★★
Overall experience: ★★★★☆

xx
- ♡ Alex ♡

Participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine

Hello friends,

I'm back- again- but I've got a plan, and I'm determined to stick to it.

Today's post is a more serious topic, and it's my experience in recently participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine.

The famine is hosted each year in support of world hunger. It involves giving up food for 30 hours straight, and only drinking liquids is allowed. This year, the famine ran from April 25-26 (12:30pm Fri-7:30pm Sat). It was a really unique learning experience, something I really took a lot from doing.

The first few hours of Friday weren't too bad. One of the tips on the website was to not do to much, so I finished up a school project and had a Gossip Girl marathon. Around 8:30, though, I really started feeling hungry. It didn't help that my family got takeout from my favourite restaurant- which, I assure you, I skipped. One thing I realized in those few hours, though, is how much I thought about food, especially once it was taken away from me. So many times, I thought about getting up; grabbing a snack; and realized I couldn't. I never realized how much I really did eat/think about eating until I couldn't, and that was something that bothered me a lot. The fact that not eating for only a few hours made me constantly think of food, showed me how privileged I am to always have it just a few meters away. I drank a lot of tea and water, because I needed to stay hydrated.
I stayed up pretty late, so that I could sleep a fair bit into the next day.

Saturday wasn't too bad, which surprised me, because that was a long time. To be fair, I had a bit of a cold, so my appetite wasn't at 100%- so that made fasting a bit easier. Again, I was amazed at how many times I was thinking about getting food.

I finished off the famine with a meal at my Grandma's that evening, since we don't see her often. It amazed me how even though I didn't feel hungry, I ate a lot. I can't imagine how challenging it would be to be constantly living without food, and probably not having as much as I had afterwards. I especially cannot believe this happens daily to people just like us all over the world and is something we have not been able to solve yet. I really learned from this experience and will be doing again for sure next year.
If you are interested in participating, and are unable to give up food, you can also give up other things- technology as an example for 30 hours!

To learn more about the famine, you can visit the World Vision Youth Website here.

xx
- ♡ Alex ♡

Review: BluePrint Organic 'green' Juice

Hello friends,

As some of you probably know, juice cleanses and pressed juices are pretty hip right now. Pressed Juicery and BluePrint seem to be two of the top dogs. Seeing these juices all over my Tumblr dash made me want to try these juices even more. However, lucky me!, they don't seem to be available anywhere I've looked.

Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.

Anyways, when I was recently in a brand new local health food shop, I found some. There were only two kinds; 'green', which as you can imagine has many green veggies, and also the red juice, which contains beets alongside apple, lemon, carrot & ginger.
A frantic attempt of brief research on my phone while following my mom around ensued, and based on what I found, it appeared the green was the more preferred choice of the two.

Wanting to know what the craze was for (and just wanting to be cool) I decided to pick up a bottle. I chose the green.

Unfortunately.

The bottle retailed $2.99 for 475 ml. The juice naturally settles into two parts, but when shaken, turns totally green. I forgot to take photos so I only have two, from when it was almost done.

Okay so I hate to be negative, but this is possibly the worst tasting thing I have ever drank in my life. The taste at the very beginning is nice, slightly refreshing with the apple and cucumber. But as you drink a little longer, and especially the aftertaste, the this drink is terrible. I blame it on the celery and parsley, because that's pretty much all I could taste. The aftertaste lingered, and would not seem to go away. It felt like they had tried to make it taste bad. I had to attempt to drink this in three parts; one the first day, the second the second day, and on the third day, I just couldn't do it and dumped it down the sink. It smelled like pickle juice to be honest, and the smell hung around the kitchen just from me opening the bottle! I had to run steaming water over the sink to make the odour leave when I dumped it. I think taking away the romaine, celery, and parsley would result in a much tastier drink. Perhaps this is just my opinion but I definitely won't be purchasing a green juice anytime soon. No matter how cool it would make me look.

I definitely do NOT recommend this drink.

However, I don't think badly of the brand! They offer other flavours, which weren't available (unfortunately). I would really like to try the pineapple/apple/mint juice or the cashew/cinnamon/vanilla/agave juice. The packing is very simple and clean looking. I kept my bottle to use for something else. There are labels on the bottle certifying all the ingredients are organic, which is awesome. Because of the process, there's natural settlement. Fresh and raw fruits & veggies are used. I know what I'm putting into my body is good; the choice I chose just didn't TASTE good.

I hope to try out this brand again (and have a tastier experience).

Do you recommend trying anything / have tried one yourself?

xx,
- ♡ Alex ♡

Also; I've made a new Instagram, so please check it out! (You can find it here; @aiexstagram) xx

Alexa Chung Eye Inspired Nail Art

Hi guys!

Recently, I decided to paint my nails with some fancy nail art. Typically, I opt for a simple all black or all white style; but I decided to do something fancier.

The nails I did were inspired by the eye design Alexa Chung has rocked.

I didn't do the exact design, but I took some inspiration and only did the design on my ring fingers.
Here's how it turned out;

Cute huh?!
Here's how to do it.

1. Paint your nails with a base coat. (I used: 'All in One Base' by Essie)
2. Paint nails with a base colour ('White On' by Sally Hansen)
3. Using a nail striper & black polish, carefully draw the outline of the eye. Two semi circles. Similar to the shape of a lemon. ('Black Out' by Sally Hansen)
4. Paint all nails EXCEPT ring finger with your top coat. This will allow your nails to dry quicker so you don't have to function with the 'wet nail technique' we all know at the end.
5. Take the colour you want to use for the iris and get a small amount on the end of a dotting tool. Carefully dot into the centre of the eye. (You can also repeat this step using black and a smaller dotting tool to create the pupil. I skipped this.)
6. Taking the black polish and striper again, draw thin lines off the top of the eye for eyelashes. You can also repeat this step along the bottom for bottom lashes.
7. Give this nail a minute to dry, then add your top coat. To preserve the design, I went with two coats.

And it's that simple! Of course you can substitute the iris colour/base coat colours, and do this design on as many or as few nails as you'd like.

I uploaded a tutorial on YouTube, if you'd like to check it out;

Let me know if you try it out!
xx
- ♡ Alex ♡

XOXO,

Okay, so chances are you've heard the phrase at least if you haven't watched the show. And while the topic is fresh (new gossip is ALWAYS right around the corner) I think I'll take the opportunity to rave about it.

If you're a fan of the show, I don't think there's much I can say. But if you haven't watched it; I dare you. I'm currently on Season 2, Episode 10 and I'm not kidding when I say I started watching a few mere days ago.
The show follows some of Manhattan's Elite teens around through the drama, scandal, friendships and relationships; via anonymous tips through 'Gossip Girl' stewing things up. Not a single episode so far has been dull and I've enjoyed pretty much every one. If dreaming of rich New York is in your head, this show gives you the chance by following these teens around in their lives. And I must say, I would love to live there even more so now than before. It's not the least bit boring and you won't want to stop watching. There's 6 seasons so no rationing of episodes for now.

Of all the characters, you'd think I'd have picked a favourite; but I'm not sure I have. I think I'm going to have to opt for Vanessa as for where I am at the moment. But there's something about Nate too..

If you haven't checked out this show, I highly suggest it. And since the cold weather doesn't seem to want to disappear, it's perfect to snuggle up with! I'm currently watching the show via Netflix.

Let me know what you think if you check it out!
XOXO,
Gossip Girl.

(Just kidding. - ♡ Alex ♡)

DIY: Disney's Tangled Inspired Lantern

Hey everyone! Here's my post on the DIY I promised. 

A few weeks ago, I watched the Disney movie Tangled (which is super adorable!). In the movie, every year on Rapuzels birthday, the palace releases hundreds of beautiful floating lanterns in honour of her. These lanterns were too adorable and I decided I just had to go out and DIY one for myself. Unfortunately, these lanterns don't float but are just as cute. The best part is that each one is unique and cost under $10 to make!

Here's how mine turned out:

I'm really happy with it! It's unique and I think looks pretty realistic!

If you'd like to know how to make your own, I've made a tutorial on YouTube. You can check it out here! Also, if you would subscribe that would be lovely :) I have a new video coming soon; I'm importing the clips this very second!

xx
- ♡ Alex ♡