Habits I Got From My Parents

I get home, take off my shoes, go straight into my room and change out of my “outdoor clothes” RIGHT AWAY. I come out with a baggy t-shirt and shorts. I’m not even talking about lounge wear…I’m straight up wearing my PJs.

I used to think that this is what everyone does when they got home but I came to realise that some people stay in their normal clothes for hours after they get home…or even until bedtime!

That’s when I realised that we all have different living habits and daily habits we’ve sub consciously inherited from our parents unknowingly after living with them for such a long period of time. So, I’ve decided to share a few of mine with you guys!

Changing as soon as I get home. My parents have always changed right when they got home, especially my Dad who is a very very clean person and likes to keep work clothes clean and unwrinkled. I have friends who can stay in their jeans until they have to go to sleep but if it were me…I’d be peeling off those pants the minute I walk in the door.

I never put my backpack/bag on the bed. My Mom was always very strict about keeping bags off the bed. I used to come home and sling my backpack onto my bed and get yelled at because she would tell me that I’m putting all the dirt from outside onto my sheets and that I would have to sleep there later. I used to roll my eyes at her dumb rule but now even though I live away from home most of the time, I find myself always keeping bags off the bed. I once accidentally placed my purse on my bed and instantaneously felt grossed out by the fact that I would have to sleep there later…guess habits really grow on you.

No shoes in the house. I never really thought that anyone wore shoes in their homes until I got older and realized that it’s quite common for some households! My good friend Phil who’s originally from New York actually told me that it’s super common among some families to not take their shoes off and it blew my mind. It was like having something that you’ve believed to be a set rule for your whole life suddenly change. I really want to hear all your thought on this habit in particular because I am so curious!! I’m definitely not saying there’s a superior option here but I want to know! Did you guys have a no shoe policy at home? Did you know someone who didn’t?

Coffee. The addiction had to have originated from somewhere right? My family used to sit together and drink coffee together all the time and over time it just became a habit and a routine. When we all woke up, my Mom would brew up a massive pot of black coffee and she’d always claim that she couldn’t function without any coffee. Over time, that became my mantra too! ALTHOUGH GOOD NEWS EVERYONE, if you haven’t read my post on how I quit drinking coffee , be sure to go check it out! Old habits do die hard but it’s not impossible.

I rarely remember to use the dishwasher. Growing up, we didn’t really use the dishwasher a whole lot. It was always just quicker to throw the dishes in the sink and have everything be quickly washed, dried and put away. Now, while I do like to use the dishwasher…because I’m lazy and hate dishes, sometimes I find myself mindlessly handwashing all my dishes!

That’s it for today but please I want to hear your thoughts! Do you have have any habits or weird things you got from your parents that are different? I also really want to hear about the shoes policy so leave your thoughts below!

xoxo,
Sindy Spencer

 

Follow:

7 Ways to Survive Your Summer Internship

 

I am the type of person that hates change. It takes me a little longer to really warm up to people so the thought of meeting a whole new group is terrifying. However, over the years I’ve mastered the art of faking it. It has taken me years to figure out how to channel my inner extrovert and break out of my quiet tendencies.

So, when I realized that I would be interning overseas this summer…I was hit with my first wave of anxiousness. Then the second wave came right before my first day when I started worrying about how I would interact with my new coworkers. Would they like me, would they be mean? What would I be asked to do exactly? Would I know what to do? What if I messed up?

The thing is, when I get nervous, you might never be able to tell. It’s more of an internal dialogue for me while I talk myself down and give myself a pep talk. GET IT TOGETHER SINDY.

So, I want to give you all some of my tips on how to survive your internship- told from the view of someone who walked in half a nervous wreck but hey, look at me now! I’ve survived!

 

IMG_6755

  1. Try to remember names. It gets overwhelming when you’re first meeting people and names can easily slip. You’re going to meet a lot of new people all at once and while it’s hard to remember all of them, make an effort to try! I know sometimes I find myself focusing on trying to remember one name and then I end up forgetting all the others- or I try to remember all of their names and I end up not remembering anyone’s…oh the struggle. However, it shows people that you remember them and leaves a good impression!  It’s also great if you have questions later to be able to address someone by their name.
  2. Bring pen and paper. You’re going to need to take notes at some point and plus it looks a lot better to be prepared. Better safe than sorry. My first day, I went straight into a department meeting I forgot to bring my notebook and pen with me inside- and a very nice co-worker of mine told me that next time I should always carry it with me. Also, remember to write down important information like your email password, login information, your phone extension number, which department you’re in, your office room number, your bosses name, the extension numbers of other departments …all these little things you might not think to remember right away actually is very important.
  3. Dress the part. It’s better to be over-dressed and look very unprofessional than under-dressed. Some offices aren’t very strict on the office dress code and you could easily go to work in clothes that would be considered very business casual. However, without knowing exactly what the underlying dress code is, you should always aim higher, especially on your first day.
  4. Don’t be scared to ask questions. It might seem nerve-wracking to go up to your boss and ask all your questions, but don’t be nervous!! Your boss is probably hoping that you’ll ask questions because this is a learning experience for you and they want you to be able to learn! Also, if you don’t ask questions, there’s a greater chance that you might make a mistake- which is a lot worse than just asking in the first place.
  5. Make friends. For me, it’s easy to reject other people’s invitations to go to lunch or hang out, especially when I don’t know them very well. I was asked to get lunch by two other co-workers during my first week. However, I found out that they were bringing friends from other departments and that got me rethinking my decision. I was so tired of meeting new people and just when I got comfortable with my co-workers- there I was, meeting MORE new people.  I could easily be by myself and sit through my three-month internship alone in my cubicle every day- but that wouldn’t be ideal. Turns out it was such a great decision and I met some great people! Here I am two months later and they’re like friends I’ve known for ages!
  6. Be efficient. Show that you’re eager to work because that’s what you’re there for! If you’re given something to do, don’t take your sweet time and do it! Also, remember to always double check your work before you submit anything because making reckless mistakes also shows that you’re not detail-oriented and not professional enough to double check your work! So keep that in mind!
  7.  Have a good time. This one might be the most important one but try to have a good fun! You might not have the opportunity to be an intern again once you really enter the working world – and interning is really for you to explore the different types of jobs out there to see if a field is really for you! So get out there and explore!

 

Until next time!!!

xoxo,

Sindy Spencer

 

 

 

Follow:

Marilyn Moment // Summer Stripes

Happy Friday everyone!! I’ve been feeling abnormally tired this week and I’m not entirely sure why! Maybe my body is catching up on all the sleep I missed last week- guess I’ll never know. I’ve been sleeping at 10:30pm the latest every night which is a pretty good time for waking up at 6am every morning but boy has it been hard to get myself out of bed.

Anyways, I decided to go for a walk in the park the other day after running a few errands so I wasn’t exactly dressed for exercise. However, I do have to admit it was a gorgeous location to take pictures at! I will definitely have to go back another day…for nature of course.

IMG_0137

I’ve been loving this zara dress because it’s so lightweight! I also have an unhealthy with any sort of blue stripes so obviously, I just HAD to get it! One day I’m going to look into my closet and everything is just going to be a sea of blue stripes…or to be honest, it’s already kind of like that.

IMG_6850

One dilemma I had with this dress is that the leg slit was actually just a tad higher than I’m comfortable with so I ended up using my very limited sewing skills -a big thank you to my middle school home economics teacher who taught me how to sew a pillow, it ended up being very handy. I closed off the slit right above my knee which I thought was a very good place to stop- not too conservative, but still a little bit adventurous.

IMG_3779

AND BOY was I glad! I was hit with a massive gust of wind just as I was posing for a few pictures and in my moment I thanked myself for thinking ahead. Needless to say, I think I had a very…”Marilyn moment” right there, thank God I didn’t flash anyone.

What I love about this dress is the sash! I think it gives me more control over how tight I tie it around my waist! If you think about it, it’s incredibly convenient because if you gain weight, just loosen it and vice versa! I purchased one size bigger for the sole purpose of achieving the effortless baggy look and anything that feels too tight on my body during the summer gets me extra irritated. I also paired this look with a cute white lace bandeau to add a little feminine flare to the whole look!

 

XOXO, SINDY SPENCER

SHOP MY LOOK

 

Follow:

Things I Used To Believe In When I Was Little

I was with some co-workers recently having lunch and it just so happened that there was watermelon for lunch that day.

I was having trouble getting all the seeds out and I was reminded of the fact that when I was little, my mom used to tell me that if I swallowed the watermelon seeds, a watermelon would start to grow in my stomach.

If that doesn’t scare a child, then I don’t know what does. I used to think that I could potentially be pregnant with a watermelon baby. Now, yes that would be pretty cool but it’s not ideal. I mean, people would be concerned.. who is the father?!! Then I would have to tell them that I’m really not sure, I’ve had my fair share of watermelons in my life. Who knows which seed got me pregnant.

So to start off this list, I used to believe that swallowing fruit seeds would get be pregnant with a fruit baby. It makes me laugh that even though this is absolutely absurd, I firmly believed in this for YEARS. You bet that I never ever swallowed any fruit seeds when I was younger.

I used to believe that if I crossed my eyes too much, they would stay like that forever. In fact, whenever my friends used to jokingly cross their eyes for fun, I would hold my breath waiting to see if their eyes would get stuck like it. Yes, I also did warn them but it’s a lot harder for one kid to convince another kid – I didn’t have the same authority.

I used to believe that relationships/love is all happy and nothing ever goes wrong. This one isn’t as funny but boy was I wrong about this one. I still am a firm believer that there is one person for everyone and that everyone has a soul mate somewhere out there BUT…that doesn’t mean that the journey to get there is a smooth one.  It’s very bittersweet actually and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it except wait and if two people are meant to be together, they will somehow end up together.

I used to believe that if I didn’t clear my plate when I ate, I would grow pimples. This was especially true for rice dishes or anything like peas etc that resembled the shape of pimples.  SADLY, I got pimples anyways and that’s when I realized finishing all my food for all those years didn’t stop puberty from blessing me with acne.

I used to believe that I could fight police officers if I ate spicy food. This one is particularly odd and I very vaguely remember being told this but I do remember stocking up on spicy food. As a child, I was so scared of police officers. There was something about their uniform and ability to arrest me that freaked me out. I guess my mom utilized that very real fear to get me to eat more spicy food! Good thing is, I can handle my spice now!

What were some things you believed in as a child?!!

xoxo,
Sindy Spencer

 

Follow:

Anticafe Montreal

IMG_7777

I am in love with the Anticafe in Montreal, Canada. My friend Isabelle discovered it first so she does get all credits because she introduced me to this beautiful, MAJESTIC cafe that can only be described as some sort of heaven on earth. Yes, I am getting a little carried away but seriously…I love it. Located right in downtown Montreal in Place Des Arts, the location is perfect for students, locals and tourists alike. The entrance isn’t super easy find and if you blink you might miss the door that leads to your second home so keep your eyeballs wide opened!

IMG_7780

The concept surrounding the cafe is what makes it so interesting in the first place. It is less of a cafe and more of a home. With two levels, each floor has an open space with couches, chairs, stools and also a few private rooms each equipped with a table and chairs.

The kitchen is a buffet of coffee, teas and cookies for unlimited consumption while you’re there. You can sit anywhere in the house while chatting with friends, playing chess, enjoying the entertainment or in my case, study for a final (fantastic right?).

For the first hour that you’re there you pay $3 and for each consequent hour you stay there for, you pay $2. However, once you stay there for 9 hours, you no longer have to keep paying. I can tell you that I once stayed there for a solid 12 hours. Dedication people! But really, I had to study for my calc final and the anxiety was real.

IMG_7786

I have spent time in the private rooms as well as the open spaces and while both are great, they differ in the type of experience it provides you. If you’re going for a more quiet alone time in order to really concentrate, I would definitely suggest getting there early and snatching a private room. Not only is it a little hidden away so that you get pretty much absolute silence, you don’t get distracted by the people around you. I’m no people hater BUT sometimes I find myself looking up at every single person that comes into the space I’m sitting in and it’s definitely harder to concentrate on solving those related rates problems you know?

IMG_8053

However, spending time in the open space is more of a coffee shop feel where you have more traffic coming and going. It is never super loud but sometimes towards the end of the night when there are activities going on and more people, it can get a little chatty which I love. It’s the perfect place to come with friends and chill while getting an amazing view of Place Des Arts. Let me tell you , during the Jazz Festival, second floor is the bomb. As you can see from the picture above, not only do you get a full view of the festival, you can hear the music as well. Best seats in the house I swear.

IMG_8092

IMG_8079

I’m a little sad because I never actually took a picture of the kitchen and all the beautiful cookies, crackers and candies that look so good I probably gained 10 pounds by just looking at it.It doesn’t help that in reality I probably did gain 10 pounds because I couldn’t stop eating those damn pretzel hoops they have. However, not only do they have amazing snacks, they have a great selection of teas and plus they make amazing coffee (with love)! If you’re not feeling a hot drink there’s always iced tea and sometimes maybe iced coffee (if you’re lucky)!

IMG_8052

The last thing I want to talk about is the people who work here. Once you start coming here more, you start to recognize faces and start conversations while grabbing your next mountain of cookies. They are so genuine and it really completes the experience. Not only do you feel like you’re spending time at home, the people start to feel like family.

If given the option, I would totally sleep there at night. I’m coming back the next morning anyways, why even go home?

Here is the link to their website if you want to know more! This is a must visit if you’re in need of a good time, study session or you just need a space to relax.

Until next time!

Arriverdverci,

Sindy Spencer

Follow: