flamingo.

"So stop waiting for Fridays,

and stop waiting for summers,

and stop waiting for someone to fall in love with you,

because those things will happen.

But in the meantime, enjoy right now"

- Lucy Sutcliffe

top5.

Getting back into the swing of things...it's time for Top 5 post.

There's no shortage of fun things happening at this time of the year (amist the busy schedules we all have) but these are a few things that caught my eye or have been on my mind lately. 

Vogue's Shoot. 

One of the most beautiful and raw editorials I've seen in awhile. 

How To Be Parisian. 

My next read AND the best Instagram account I've followed in a while. 

Tove Lo. 

Can't stop listening to Tove Lo. My favourite track of the moment, "Talking Body".

Flash Tattoos. 

Temporary tattoos for grown-ups. I can't resist covering my arms and pretending I have a sleeve of tattoos. That's what they're for...right? 

ORU Vancouver. 

I stumbled into ORU by accident with a friend a couple months ago, and it's become one of my go-to cocktail bars. Josh makes a mean pumpkin spice sour and will customize cocktails based on your taste palate. Go, I tell you. 

daiquiri.

I have been loving the recipe videoes on Bon Appetit's website - they have everything from baking to dinners to cocktails, and show the step by step process of creating the bit or bite.

This one caught my eye the other day, and has left me longing for those sweet summer rays. I know it's only January, but I'm definitely done with winter and ready for some warmth.

Nothing quite says spring and summer to me like a good lime drink, and daiquiris happen to be my favourite. Not the kind that comes in a huge glass and basically tastes like a strawberry slushie. I'm talking about the simple, non-blended version.

Here's Bon Appetit's video recipe for the classic cocktail below. I'm already on the hunt for some retro glasses to serve it up in when the heat rises...

top5.

It's almost the end of the month, but the beginning of the Olympics!

I hope you have been watching and enjoying some of the incredible success Team Canada has had so far. I'm definitely looking forward to watching the Women's Gymnastics team compete tomorrow in the final.

For now, here's this month's Top 5...

The Great Gatsby.

I read the book years ago, but I'm rereading and reliving the magic yet again.

Plus, with the movie coming out this December, I'm more than excited to see how Baz Luhrmann tells this story.

Mrs. Lilien

This is one of my little secrets.

I've been following her blog for awhile, and tried a few of her cocktail recipes at parties I've hosted.

A definite bookmark for the hostess with the mostess.

Mixing prints.

I've been really embracing this as of late. Love this combo.

Tacos.

This looking like the latest food trend in the city. However, instead of the class beef kind of taco, we're seeing fish, veggies and sweet dessert ingredients all being used.

Nom.

Mr. Bean's appearance in the Opening Ceremony.

Enough said.

Although, it's superbly awesome to see people (and your friends) retweeting things your posting.

extraordinary.

Most Mondays are pretty mundane. Wake up, survive, work and head back to bed. I'm a strong believer in enjoying the weekend, which means staying up too late, lots of fun and having a glass of wine (or two!)

This past Monday was something totally out of the ordinary.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Stay Extraordinary after party hosted by Diet Coke at the Hoxton. At first, I thought it was a scam. "I'm just some girl from B.C." I thought, not giving it another glance seriously.

When I realized that this was real, I was over the moon. A little invitation showed up at my door a week later, fittingly inside a movie reel-like box. The invite said listed Estelle, famous for her song "American Boy" with Kanye West as the performer of the evening and told us to dress to impress.

Le sigh. What shall I wear?

The answer? My trusty LBD - little brown dress that is.

Emma, my darling friend who is in the marking and business program at Ryerson University was my plus one for the evening, and we decided to dress to the nines. Once inside the party, we found that the theme was Old Hollywood 40's glamour, with complimentary pearl necklaces and bow ties, black and white Audrey Hepburn films projected on a wall and an open oyster bar.

Sticking with the theme, cocktails named after famous belles of the ball (I'll have one Elizabeth Taylor and one Grace Kelly s'il vous plait), all with a touch of Diet Coke.

After a few glasses of wine, a trip though a photo booth section and a simulated red carpet walk, Emma and I somehow found our way into the VIP section...shhhh, by accident. Across bar was a live feed of Twitter messages mentioning the party, and I realized that I was invited as a Toronto blogger to come to this event. Literally everyone from the area that I follow on the social networking website was there, and also tweeting about it.