Would you like those chemicals in Chestnut or French Roast?

Huy Guuuuys,

I did a thing.

I dyed my hair.

Eep.

For a while now I've wanted darker hair. My hair is naturally kind of... mousey? It's a brown but kind of a boring brown. So I decided I wanted to die my hair. I kinda balked at the idea of going to an actual salon and paying a bagazillion dollars just to get my hair died so that kind of put it off.

Then recently, I saw Grace Helbig's  videos where she dyed her hair and I thought, "Hey! Why don't I just  buy some hair dye from No Frills and do it myself? It's only like $12 and I can pick out the colour from a selection." So I did just that. I actually went and got the same colour that Grace got because it was pretty much the colour I wanted.

Today I brought it home and got all set up in the bathroom, brushed my hair, mixed the stuff and started to apply it.

O.Mi.Gosh.

I really hope I don't grow an extra hand or develop green skins or something creepy like that because there were SO many chemicals in that mix. My eyes were watering like crazy and I was hacking and coughing. My little brother and sister sat on the bathtub rim holding their noses, determined to watch.

I finished applying it, went through the process of waiting 25 minutes, showering to rinse it all out, conditioning, blow drying etc. etc.

And now, like an hour and a half later, it doesn't look that different. :/ I mean, it's redder than it was before and a bit darker but not reaaalllyy the colour I wanted.

So I think I'm going to go back to No Frills soon and pick up a darker colour, hopefully it will work better than before and it will be darker. Like I said earlier, it's only $12!

On a different note, I finally found the little "Followers" widget! I was really annoyed because, on almost every blog, they have the thingy that's like "Join This Site" or "Join Our Site" so something like that. And I couldn't find it! But I found it. :) And now it's all good.

Ooh! And I added a Bucket List to the sidebar cause I think stuff like that is pretty cool. And it also provides a bit more inspiration to actually do stuff about the stuff there (wow, could you get any more specific Sarah? stuff about the stuff? Brilliant, just brilliant) because it's up on my blog so I'm kind of accountable to it now. I'll add to it as I think of things.

So what's on your bucket list? Have any hair experiences? Good or bad?

Photo of the Day

A litttttle more extreme than my experience,
but still applicable. 

Please

Hey Guys,

I know I just posted earlier today but I had something I really, really, really wanted to say. I asked, "Can it wait 'till friday Sarah?" and then continued to tell myself absolutely not. It absolutely could not wait until friday.

I've been thinking about some pretty deep stuff tonight.

I have a friend right now who is literally going through hell and back. I'm not going to share much 'cause it's pretty personal. I love her so much and I don't know what I would do without her. But she is really not doing well.

I'm really worried about her.

She means so much to me and it hurts me to see her hurting. It is the worst feeling in the world to see someone you love in such agony and know that there is nothing you can do about it except be there for them.

Then I have another friend who has completely lost himself. I care about him. Not to the same extent as my first friend but I've literally known him forever. I've seen him grow up from a little boy to the young man he is today.

I'm worried about him too.

They both are in so much pain, and they are both shutting themselves out from the world. I'm not exaggerating, there are times when I wonder if I'm going to have to talk one of them into putting down the knife, pills or whatever. It makes me sick, not with disgust, but with pain and immense concern.

If there is anyone, anyone, anyone out there reading this, who is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, PLEASE know that a) you are not alone, b) if you need to talk, your friends are there, your parents or family are there are and suicide hotlines are there if you really don't want to talk to anyone you know.

You are worth so much. Like insanely so much. I wish I could communicate this through a blog post. You have an incredible future. You have people who love you and care about you. YOU are incredible. Don't let the pain take you. Speaking from someone who knows what it's like to hurt until you can't stand it, until you think it's going to swallow you whole and you almost wish it does, anything to stop the pain, it does pass. It does get better.

And you will get through it.

Just please, please, please, don't go through this alone. There are people out there, always.

Cause I'm HAPPYYYY

Hello lovely peoples!

How are you today? I hope you're all doing fantastic. :) Because doing fantastic is really nice. Do you ever have one of those days when you're just really smiley for no real reason. You wake up and you're just like, "Today is a good day."

I like good days and I like being happy. Being happy is a nice feeling.

So for no real reason, in no particular order, I've decided to compile a list of some of the little things that make me happy. ^.^

- The smell after it rains.
- Rain itself.
- When someone tells me I look nice today.
- The warmth from the sun on my face.
- Getting together with friends.
- When I give someone something and they really like it.
- Listening to music.
- Being creative.
- Watching a movie with my little sisters.
- Watching Doctor Who as a family.
- Chicken. Barbecued. Roasted. In a stew. Baked.
- Pretty pictures.
- Days at the beach.
- When my makeup actually looks good.
- Finding out that someone has commented on or followed my blog.
- Taking pictures.
- Laughing.
- Birds chirping outside.
- When my favourite song comes on the radio.
- Remembering happy memories.
- Time to think.
- Coke floats.
- A good book.
- Discovering a new band or singer.
- Countdowns to things I'm excited for.
- Plaid shirts with skinny jeans.
- When someone goes out of their way to do something nice for me.
- Skating.
- Singing.
- When people text, call or message me first.
- Getting a good grade on an assignment.
- Chocolate.

What makes you happy? :)

Song of the Day

I felt like this song would be appropriate. :)

BONUS VIDEO

I came across this video as an ad while searching for the "Happy" song and it was way too good not to share. Anyone who's short like me, you'll get this.

One of My Favourite Places

Last saturday, I visited one of my favourite, favourite, favourite places. Allan Gardens! Seriously, it is (in my mind) one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. If you ever visit Toronto, I would definitely recommend going there. It's this really big indoor greenhouse with tons of different kinds of plants and flowers and little waterfalls and it's just.... sigh. Really pretty. They have different kinds of plants from all over the place.

Anyways! Enough talking. I wanted to show you guys some of the pictures I took. I originally took 175 pictures but I've narrowed it down to 20 for you.

For some odd reason, this flower reminds me of a spaceship.

There were these little waterfalls streaming down into
pools. So pretty!

Purple flowers! You will notice I have many pictures of
purple flowers throughout this post. I love purple
flowers. ^.^

Told ya. :)

Heehee.
But specifically, I love crocuses. They're a lovely start
to spring.

A pretty little pool in one of the wings.

And these are definitely one of my all time favourite
flowers: lilacs. 

Isn't this just super cool? I have no idea what it is,
but I love the vibrant colours.

Woahh, again, I have no idea what this flower is,
but it's awesome. It looks like it got stuck in an
electrical socket.

TURTLES! I love how the little turtle is sitting on
the other one's back. I can almost hear it saying
"C'mon mom, let's gooo!". Y'know, if turtles could
talk.

This house was really pretty. I would definitely live there.
I could become famous for being the little hermit(ess?) who
lived in Allan Gardens.

I think this is come sort of carnivorous plant, kind of like
a Venus Flytrap.

I actually really like this picture. :)

Yet another sign of spring that I'm looking forward to!
Tulips!

Oh my wow. I have absolutely no clue what these
were, but they were the weirdest things ever.
They had the texture of those plastic rubber toys
you find at the dollar store and they were the colour of
toothpaste. They were hanging in columns on vines.
Willy Wonka anyone? The next picture is a close up.

They just... I just...they look so FAKE!

Another picture I really like. :)

I definitely would NOT want to sit on one of these. My
brother has a tiny one and I got one of the needle, spike,
things stuck in my finger once. These were bigger
than pumpkins.

This plant was actually so cool. It grew little threads up
either side of the leaf and then the threads would come
undone at the top and pop off into little swirls.
Kinda reminds me of my hair in the morning. :P

Quote of the Day

Earth laughs in flowers. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living the Dream

Heyo Lovely Peoples!

Today I want to introduce you to a band I've recently grown to appreciate and then like and now love: 5 Seconds Of Summer. Now I'm pretty sure there are a few people out there groaning and saying, "Uggh, Sarah, please don't." That's okay. I'm not going to try and "convert" you or anything crazy like that. I just want to introduce them to you and maybe help you see them in a bit of a different light if you're thinking they're a talentless boy band.

I first discovered 5SOS about.... two years ago I think, whilst I was scrolling through youtube looking at different covers by different people one night. I saw them on the side bar and thought, "Hey, why not?"  They started off really small, just a few teen guys jamming with their guitars and tappity drum (What's that called? The box that you sit on and it's wooden and it's a drum? Anyone?) in their basement. I remember thinking at the time, "Wow, these guys are actually pretty good. It's too bad that they'll probably never actually get anywhere." I know, I'm such the optimist.

This is the first cover I saw them do for anyone who actually wants to watch.

I watched all of the videos they put out at the time and then kinda forgot about them.

Fast forward two years.

My cousin and I are going to the WWA tour in Toronto this summer and I saw that the opening act was 5 Seconds of Summer. I was thinking the name sounded familiar but didn't think much of it. I figured sine I was going to see them live, I should probably know some of their songs. So I went on the tube of you and looked them up and then realized...

O.MI.GOODNESS.GRACIOUS.

It's the same guys.

I had a happy giggling, smiling fit. I watched through a bunch of their videos and saw they went from their covers to this...

To this...

To this!

I just... I'm just..... I have no words.

Ever since I was really young, I've always loved music and creating music. I've learned violin, a little piano, guitar and vocal. I started writing songs when I was eight. Ask anyone, I am almost always singing. Music is my life. What these guys have managed to accomplish is literally my dream. It's really inspiring to see that someone who doesn't have the X Factor or American Idol to audition on, can actually make it out there. That someone can actually make it through working hard, practicing and not giving up. I mean, going from playing covers in your bedroom in Australia to touring the world with One Direction?!? Talk about flippin' incredible.

I'm not asking you to join the "family" or string their posters up on your wall. Heck, you don't even have to like them. But don't not like them because you think they don't have talent, or didn't work hard or don't have a future. This was their dream Even if you can't find anything to like about them, at least respect them for that. They're out there living their dream (three different 'theres' in one sentence *mental high five*). How many of us can say that? I know I certainly can't (yet).

This was their dream.

This is my dream.

It's nice to see that there is hope for people who don't have shooting stars to wish on.

Book Shopping!

Heyo!

Recently, I had one of those glorious Saturdays when I had no school to do. I know, practically unheard of, but I did. The sun was shining, I got to sleep in, my grandparents were over and I decided I would visit one of my favourite places in the world, Chapters!

So I did a little, mini book haul... I'm not really sure how many books count as a haul. Is it different with clothing? Like you have to buy five items of clothing for it to be considered a haul but at least seven make-up items when you do a haul then? I dunno, I'm calling my book shopping trip a mini haul.

Here are the awesome books I bought! Apologizes for the quality of the photos, I had to take them quickly before I ran out the door.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh 
This is probably one of the funniest books I've EVER read. I actually can't read it in public because I laugh out loud and people give me weird looks. "Hyperbole and a Half" is a blog written by Allie Brosh and she has compiled a whole bunch of her posts into this book! Her blog posts have a whole bunch of cartoons throughout them and they are hilarious. She talks about everything from geese getting into her kitchen to her struggle with depression and she is really relatable. I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes to laugh. The only thing is, for anyone who's a bit squeemish about swearing, there is a moderate amount of it.

 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
This is one of my many, many favourite books and I didn't own it and it was on sale, so I decided to buy it. I honestly love Nicholas Sparks' writing style, it's really emotional and relatable. I'm not a big sob story reader but I love his books. This one is about a girl and her younger brother who are sent to their dad's for the summer. The girl, Ronnie, really hates it there and is mad at her dad for leaving them. She has shut out anything to do with him, including her love of music. While there, she meets this guy Will. Throughout the book, she learns how to forgive and grow close to her dad again and learns to love someone else. It is a Nicholas Sparks book, so you can probably predict the type of ending it will have but it's a truly beautiful book. Anyone who enjoys sob, love, family stories, I would DEFINITELY recommend it. And for those of you who have seen the movie, the book is better.




A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly 
This book grew on me. I first read it and wasn't sure what I thought of it. Then I read it again and decided I liked it. Then read it again and decided that I really liked it and wanted to buy it. It's a murder mystery set in 1906. I'm not usually really into mysteries but I liked this one. It's based on the murder of Grace Mae Brown. The main character, Mattie, goes to work at a hotel for the summer. Grace gives her the infamous love letters to dispose of and Mattie has to try and figure out how and why she was killed. The book switches between her at the hotel and her in her hometown with her friends. I recommend this book but there is some sexual and violent content that could be disturbing for some people.

Kay! So there is my mini book haul for you all to see! How about you guys? Any books you've been enjoying lately or would recommend?

Song of the Day

I love this classical song so much! Yiruma is an amazing piano composer and this is definitely one of my favourites. Yes, this is from Twilight but the song was written WAY before that. It's a little melancholic but beautiful. Gahh, love it.

Cakes, Friends and Hole-y Polos

Hello lovely people!

I hope that those of you that had a spring break had a wonderful one! And to those of you that didn’t, I hope you had a wonderful week. I know I had a great break even if I’m seeing triple and can barely keep my eyes open. Oh the joy of having friends over one night, then having to get up at 6 the next morning to go to a chiropractor.

My cousins came over and hung out for a few days. We attempted to bake a cake. In my defense, I am usually very good at baking and (almost) everything I bake is edible. Maybe it was the fact we didn’t know how to “sift” something, maybe it was that my cousins decided that beating the eggs for two minutes when the recipe said ten, was long enough or maybe it was the fact that we were all singing very loudly and off key to the music on the ipod dock. But whatever the reason, our cake came out like a chocolate brick. It was dry and dense and thick. So we tried to rescue it by putting cool whip in between the two layers. We didn’t wait for the cake to cool so the cool whip melted. Then we figured that we could do that fancy smancy thing they do in restaurants and sprinkle icing sugar over the cake but we accidentally dumped it and it went all over the cake. Eventually we just gave up and accepted that our cake was not meant to be and now we’re eating it with ice cream.

Then on Friday, my friend and I got together for a mini jam session and hangout, which was really nice because I hadn’t seen her in a very long time.

Do you ever find that you have different friends that have different relationships with you? Like one friend you can talk to about the big questions like “what’s the point of life?” and actually discuss it thoroughly? And then you have those friends that you can really let go and have fun with? They don’t care if you do well in school or if you believe this theory or that, you can just have a laugh with them. Nothing is ever serious. And then, if you’re really lucky, you have one or two friends who are like family to you? There are times when you talk and talk and talk and it’s wonderful but you also just enjoy doing nothing and saying nothing with them.

Ooh! Ooh! Question time! Does anyone know what the heck a polo is? Cause there’s a lyric in this song I heard and it’s “hole in the middle of my heart like a polo”. As far as I know, polos don’t have holes. I’m thinking like polo t-shirts and polo, the game but it just doesn’t make sense. I think One Direction sings it so maybe it’s a British thing? Someone please help! It’s driving me mental! Why would you have a polo with a hole in it!?

 Picture of the Day

Is it just me or would this not be like the coolest band ever?! :D I mean, Pippin can sing right? In the third movie he sings his awesome "all shall fade" song. And then the dude who plays Merry can sing. Oh what's his name. Dominic I think? 'Cause he sung in Lost. And I can see Frodo being the pianist and Sam could be the drummer! This could definitely work. Their first single would be "Precious". Heehee, oh I'm having too much fun with this. >:)

How are you? NOT

     Kay, so I was thinking about the question "How are you?" today and I got kinda frustrated. It seems like when people ask me how I am, or anyone how they are, they don't actually want to know. They're just making polite conversation. And if you actually tell someone how you are when you're really crappy, they back away slowly. Or even if you're really happy and you're telling them why you're really happy, they back away.

     Why ask the question if you don't want to know the answer? Like seriously, you're asking me what the state of my wellbeing is and expect me to answer with "good" or "tired". My state of wellbeing can almost never be summed up with "tired" or "good". And if I tell you that I've actually had a really bad day and am feeling down and hate life and just want to curl up with my Salt and Vinegar potato chips and watch Dr. Who or The Holiday, you don't know what to say and we have this super awkward pause in the conversation.

     I noticed this particularly with a friend of mine. She had been crying and going through a really rough time and I was listening to everything that was going crappy in her life. We got up to leave where we were sitting, she washed her face and we left. Then, right outside, we ran into someone who greeted her and asked her how she was doing. She smiled and responded that she was doing good. Then the lady smiled, told her that she was happy she was doing well and kept walking.

Seriously? You could tell that she had just been crying! And you're just going to keep walking?!

Are we truly that self centred that we don't even want to know how others are doing because we don't want to listen to their problems or comfort that?

And this whole issue with that question leads to two problems.

One, people act "good" because they feel like they can't be anything else. If they want people to like them, they must be happy and good and convinced that the world is wonderful. So they put on a smile when they're going through hell and try and make us all believe that they're fine. They desperately want to be liked and are convinced that if they actually acted how they were feeling, no one would.

Two, people truly don't care. They don't want to know how you're doing. They are selfishly focused on their own problems and are stuck feeling sorry for themselves. Sometimes people are so messed up and broken that they have a really hard time comforting others. I get that; there have been times when I haven't really wanted to listen to someone else's problem because my problems felt so huge that if someone else handed me their problems, I would crash. But if you "just don't care" or "don't have the time", something is wrong.

I'm fed up with this.

So today, I am deciding to do two things.

First, to stop acting. If people ask me how I am, I am going to tell them how I really am. If I am over the moon and so happy, I'll tell them. If I'm having a crappy day, I'll tell them. Not necessarily dump all my life problems on them, but at least inform them that no, I am not good. And if they back away slowly, so be it.

Second, to actually care. I want to listen to other's problems and have them feel like I'm a safe place to let go. When I ask people how they're doing and they tell me they're good, I want to be able to say, "No, really, how are you?" and actually listen to the answer.

Okay, I think I'm done my rant. It's safe to come out now. :)

Word of the Day

lollapalooza \lol-uh-puh-LOO-zuh\, noun:

An extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

I miss Summer!!

I don't know about you guys, but I am tired of winter. Enough already!! I mean, spring is supposed to start in like two weeks and we still have about two feet of snow in the backyard. This past week has been -13 to -26 degrees (9 to -15 for 'mericans).

That's not cool... or should I say warm *ba dum tish*.

I miss summer. Days when I could go outside without a coat zipped up to my chin and my hood pulled up. Days when I could wear flip-flops without getting frostbite. 

This is when it would be perfect to have a Tardis! Then I could just, y'know, travel someplace warm and sunny. I wonder if there's a planet that is like always summer! Not just warm weather, but constantly in a state of summer. Beach parties, concerts, sleepovers, barbecues etc. If anyone knows of any planets like this, please let me know! Oh, and if you happen to have a slightly used Tardis that I could acquire, that would be most helpful.

So! In memory/anticipation of the summer, here are some summery photos. You can mourn last summer with me or desperately pray that the warmer weather will arrive soon. And if you live somewhere warm and tropical that doesn't get freezing cold weather, I'm incredibly jealous.

All the pictures were taken by me and are SOOC.

Beautiful summer sunsets!

This forest is called the 'Enchanted Forest'. It's really pretty, a whole bunch of the trees
have grown together and are all intertwined.

Flippity flops!! :D

Beach sunsets.

And more beach sunsets. How I miss them!

Summer Sandals. Loved these sandals last summer. I swear, I wore them
everywhere!

Seaweed on the rocks.

I love this picture. I actually took it out of a moving car so I think
I should win something for the clarity of this photo.

While camping, the waves crashing against the rocks was such a soothing
sound to fall asleep to.

And the last summer picture for today. This one was a late summer picture.
Taken in August.

I now have One Direction's song "Summer Love" stuck in my head. Great.

AND YOU WERE MYYYYYY SUMMER LOOOOOVE.

Anyways! What are your favourite things about summer? Do you miss it as much as I do?

Quote of the Day

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. - Bertrand Russell

The 5 Best Things About Disney

Okay, I don't know about you, but I think Disney is the most incredible producer of animated movies. Ever. I am a fan of almost every single movie and I can sing loudly (and most likely off key) to pretty much any song from the soundtracks. But I got to thinking today. I know right? Me? Thinking? *Gasp!*
Anyways! I was thinking, asking myself, "What is it about Disney that I like so much? Why do I think it is so awesome? What makes it so much better than other animation studio?" And I think I have efficiently narrowed it down to five things that truly make Disney magical for me. So here they are in no particular order!

1. The Soundtracks

From "Hakuna Matata", to "Let It Go" to "Make A Man Out Of You", Disney music has always been so great.  Emotion filled power ballads to funny, comedic tunes, I love the diversity of the music! And it can be very relatable. I mean, I can't even count the number of times I must have sang "I Won't Say I'm In Love" when I was 12, refusing to admit that I liked the guy. The songs are super catchy. They get stuck in your head for days.

2. The Comedic Relief

C'mon, admit it, the comedic relief character is one of the best, if not the best, character in the whole movie. So, for your reading pleasure, here are two of my favourite funny scenes from Disney movies.

Timon: Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey? 
Nala: Simba's gone back to challenge Scar. 
Timon: Who? 
Nala: Scar. 
Pumbaa: Who's got a scar? 
Nala: No, no, no. It's his uncle. 
Timon: The monkey's his uncle? 
Nala: *No!* Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king. 
Timon, Pumbaa: Ohhh. - Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)

Dory: [about the humpback whale] Maybe he only speaks whale.
[slowly and deeply, imitating the whale] Mooo... Weeee neeeed...
Marlin: Dory?
Dory: ...tooo fiiind hiiis sooon.
Marlin: What are you doing? Are you sure you speak whale?
Dory: Caaaan yoooou giive uuuus direeeeectioooons?
Marlin: Dory! Heaven knows what you're saying! See, he's swimming away.
Dory: Cooome baaaaack.
Marlin: He's not coming back. You offended him.
Dory: Maybe a different dialect. Mmmmoooooowaaaaah...
Marlin: Dory! This is not whale. You're speaking like, upset stomach.
Dory: Maybe I should try humpback.
Marlin: No, don't try humpback.
Dory: Woooooo! Woooooo!
Marlin: Okay, now you really do sound sick.
Dory: Maybe louder. Rah! Rah!
Marlin: Don't do that!
Dory: Too much orca. Did it sound a little orca-ish to you?
Marlin: It doesn't sound orca. It sounds like nothing I've ever heard! - Dory (Finding Nemo)

3. The Attractive Princes

Okay, I'll admit it, I had crushes on Robin Hood and Aladdin growing up. What? I couldn't help it. :) They are attractive! Robin Hood was just so cool! He was noble and a bit of a scoundrel what with being an outlaw and all. And he had a british accent. And he was...foxy.*Ba dum tish!* 


And then there was Aladdin. *Sigh*. His cheeky grin. His desire to be seen as more than street trash. His mischievous nature. His dreamer side. His selflessness. His lovely... physique. :)

And then there was tons more like Flynn Rider and Kristoff and Shang and Tarzan but Aladdin and Robin Hood were my favourites. 

4. The Emotion Filled Scenes

In every movie, there is at least one emotion filled scene in which the main character finally reaches the end or changes for the better. Or the scene where a character "dies" and everyone is sad, but then the character comes back to life! Disney has perfected this emotional scene to a beautiful... beautifulness. I have so many that I love but my favourite one is below. :)

Other honourable mentions 
Baloo "dying" in The Jungle Book
Elsa singing "Let It Go" in Frozen
The Lantern Scene in Tangled
Andy giving his toys away in Toy Story 3

5. The Relationships

When I say "relationships" I mean the relationships between the family and the friends. Not the romantic relationships, because, admittedly, Disney doesn't have a great track record for creating even semi-realistic romantic relationships. So here are my "relationship awards" for Disney movies!



Mother-Child Relationship

Elastigirl and Dash and Violet from The Incredibles

Father-Child Relationship

There were so many to choose from here but the winner is Mufasa and Simba from The Lion King

Brother-Sister Relationship

Dash and Violet from The Incredibles 

Sister-Sister Relationship

Elsa and Anna from Frozen

Mentor-Mentoree

I wasn't sure whether or not to add this category but I love the winners so I decided I would. :)
Baloo and Mowgli from The Jungle Book

Friends

There were so, so, so, so many to choose from! I had such a hard time with this one but I finally decided on Copper and Todd from Fox and the Hound.

Alright! That is it for my Disney appreciation post!! I hope you enjoyed it. :)

What are your favourite Disney songs, characters, movies etc.? 

Photo of the Day