NYE .

Friends, readers, family, whether I know you personally or not, whether we've chatted, corresponded via mail, or simply commented on each others' posts, I wish you the absolute best New Years you can have. Start the year off on a good note, be joyful and may you be in good company find you to bring it in with you. May success and happiness come your way in the New Year, and while you may not get everything you want in 2013, I sincerely hope that you receive everything that you need.

Happy New Year! Goodbye 2012, welcome 2013.

Bose QC-15 Headphones .

Today I just want to talk a little bit about the Bose QC-15 around-ear noise-canceling headphones. I'm not normally one for product reviews, but I just got these for Christmas (I've been asking for them forever and a day, because they have always been way out of my poor college-kid budget) and they are truly incredible. Please note: As much as I wish Bose was paying me to endorse their product, I'm not getting anything out of gushing over their headphones. (haha)

Meshing Lives .

For those couples who are often future-looking and have a tendency to think about what things might be like in five, ten and fifteen years, it's often hard to think about how you will make all of both of your dreams come true. When you sit down as a single person, you have tons of personal dreams and goals, and naturally you want the ability to meet all of them. But when someone who eventually means a lot to you enters your life, things change and you truly have to take into account another set of dreams and goals. Somehow, the goal is to make all of these things come to fruition and still end up as happy campers on both ends. My question to the world and those who have conquered that, how did you do it?

Hallmark Hogwash .

One of my favorite movies is 500 Days of Summer and I love the parts where Tom talks about how stupid writing cards is. The best thing you can take away from those scenes is when he says that cards are there so that we don't have to express ourselves. They can put words into our mouths, conveying to people a feeling that may not be there. Now, I can't say that this is entirely true, because I have found some truly amazing cards and I've underlined those sections that really hit me and ring true with my being. But I think that a lot of people, while looking for cards for people, get something they think just sounds nice, that says something along the lines of what they are "supposed" to say.

Unexpected Happiness .

It's late and I don't want to write too much here because I'm trying my best to get back onto a good schedule... But I just wanted to take a moment to say that it's often the little unexpected things that give the most joy. Whether it's calling someone up and inviting them over on a moment's notice or sending some snail mail you didn't tell the recipient about, the happiness it brings them well outweighs anything you could have planned. And it's pretty cool, because you can really see it in a person, how they smile bigger, hug tighter, they just really appreciate it. Always seems to boil down to those little things... but they're always worth it. And seeing other people happy, makes me happy too.

Generosity .

It's no secret that some people in more life are just more blessed. Whether it's through luck, perseverance, inheritance, or hard work, there will always be someone better off than you. On the other end of the spectrum there will always be someone worse off too. It's important to remember both: Aspire to reach towards those who are better off, and remember and be thankful for those that are worse off. The cliché saying "could be worse" could apply.

Merry Christmas .

Christmas went swimmingly. Gave some cool stuff, got some cool stuff, drank some 'nog, drank some Bailey's, ate desserts and had a wonderful dinner. Had the girlfriend over, enjoyed the tree, relaxed all day and watched movies. Here's to hoping all of your days went great as well! Happy Christmas!

The Eve of Christmas .

It's the night before Christmas (though as I write this it's actually, technically Christmas, but that's okay) and some traditions that go on in this household will never change. I figured it might be nice to share a little bit with you all of what we do here in this little ranch in New Jersey. Mom woke up early and made us a special breakfast (french toast, as per the norm) and made sure that we all had a nice start to their morning.

Introduction .

When you first start dating someone whose company you truly enjoy and with whom you really enjoy spending time with, one of the largest worries is often what your parents will think. At the base level, will they approve? Will they support you in your decisions? Will they open your hearts as wide and as often as you have to this person? Will they welcome them into your family and your home as another soul to enjoy and spend time with? Will they see them in the same light that you do, in all their wonder, sparkling against the night sky? Or will they be cold, unaccepting and distant?

What It's All About .

In this day and age, with so many hateful and hurtful and painful things in life, the holiday season is a great way to bring some joy into your life. A smile, happiness, love, joy. It's not often that word joy is used. The first thing that comes to mind for me upon hearing it? The song "Joy to the World" -- often sung at the Christmas Eve mass that we go to each year. But that's what it's really all about right? As the song goes: "Joy the world, the Lord is come".

The Unexpected .

Today in the post I received a parcel from a dear friend of mine, Angie, author of The Best Part of My Day. Though we've never met, over the two years or so I've been writing this blog Angie has become a dear friend of mine and I really enjoy the time she takes out of her life to just be a friend. It really is a testament to the fact that we don't just read the stories from each others' lives here on Blogspot, but we become involved in it, a part of it. Angie and I have exchanged snail mail before and to receive a gift and a Christmas card from her this year was truly awesome.

I've decided to the save the gift for Christmas Day, as I feel that's most appropriate.. but Angie, know that my appreciation runs deep, and I can't wait for the day when I get a tour of Toronto from my favourite (note the spelling!) local!

May your holiday season progress wonderfully and create some amazing memories. This one goes out to you!

The Comforts of Home .

Well, the semester is over, the exams all taken, and I did quite well for the semester; we already got all our grades back. I'm happy, and though the drive home took us longer than anticipated (we wanted to take some time on the drive up to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway) we made it all the way in one day. We, meaning my brother and I, because he is now in college, going to Virginia Tech, and thus the exit off of I-81 for his school is literally on my way home. It's not a short drive, 750 miles if you take all highways. Since we meandered around a bit, probably was more like 8 or 900.

I'm Back !

Hey everyone, I'd like to welcome you back to "Simply, Life." I was forced to take a hiatus because, well, life, is 'simply, life' (ha ha) and sometimes you just have too much on your plate to handle. I've been gone over the past month or two to finish up a trying semester of schoolwork combined with my portfolio and lots of work to be done for graduate school applications. I even stopped my almost daily workouts due to the amount of work -- but in the end, it paid off. My first application is due Saturday, and I'm almost done with it. I created a portfolio I'm relatively happy with, and the semester has ended with hopefully a rather promising GPA. I also was chosen as 1 of 3 students in my studio to be financially backed by my university in an international skyscraper competition! Pretty exciting; we've been working on the project all semester, so that really validates all the hours I put in. (Competition website can be found here). For those of you interested in my portfolio as it currently stands, here it is:

Open publication - Free publishing - More adobe

Needless to say, there is more work to be done and it can always be edited to be made better and more clear. If you know of any architects, feel free to send the link their way!