SIXTY-ONE/ key pieces for survival

We all have items that we simply cannot live without. For some people its their favourite sweater, their favourite brand of shampoo or their signature scent. For me, it's a whole mess of things. I'm so seriously brand loyal and once I find a product that I love - I stick to it. Under the cut here is a list of some of my favourite products (from fashion, to beauty, to food, to other) that make my life a little bit easier and make me a bit more happy. Although none of what I listed is crucial for survival, some days it feels like they are.

I decided to leave out some of the more obvious ones, like my iPod Classic, iPhone or my wallet - those are just no brainers. Please feel free to share some of your favourite items in the comments!

THIRTY-TWO/ random facts

Everyone has been doing 'random facts' lists and you better believe I'm jumping on that as well. I love reading them because you get to know a little bit about the person behind the blog. I did twenty-one facts simply because that's how old I am. It took me forever to think of all of these.

21 Random Facts About Me

1) I'm overly excited about returning to college in September.

2) I spend a lot of my money, time and energy acquiring concert tickets and travelling to and from shows. The city I live in doesn't get a lot of concerts so my friends and I usually have to go to Montreal, Kingston or Toronto. Seeing live music is probably my favourite thing to do.

3) My best friends, Laura and Lisa, are a set of fraternal twins. Their family is my second family.

4) I currently have two tattoos, and an endless list of future tattoo ideas.

My first tattoo "let it be" with an AIDS ribbon as the "l", my second tattoo - a semicolon

5) I'm ridiculous. There's really no other way to put that.

6) My favourite bands are Alexisonfire, The Beatles and blink-182. The only thing the three of those bands have in common is that they became ~famous~ after they replaced their original drummers.

7)  Don't take my shyness as a lack of confidence.

8) I am in LOVE with Harry Potter. When I was growing up, I hated it. I just started getting into it in like 2011 but I am full blown obsessed now. The books are perfection. It's probably in your best interest to avoid mentioning HP around me, I could go on for hours about how amazing it is. I'm also really wrapped up in The Hunger Games right now. 

9) I. Love. Skulls. I don't know why, but if it has a skull I need to own it. I'm the same way with leopard print as well.

10) I need to read / watch / listen to something several times. I do this to pick up on things I missed the first time around. 

11) As much as I love couture shows, I love ready to wear lines. Marc Jacobs is the king of my world, and I love his sub-brand, Marc by Marc Jacobs, more than anything.

12) I have a really weird relationship with music. There are some albums that I depend on. I've listened to The Five Ghosts by Stars over 400 times in less than a year. The way I look at some albums is probably not healthy. (The other albums are Transatlanticism by Death Cab, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside of Me by Brand New and Bring Me Your Love by City and Colour)

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

13) I have no idea what I want to be when I "grow up". I have so many interests it's overwhelming.

14)  I'm the youngest member of my family. I have two older brothers and one sister in law, I love them all dearly.

15) I shower a minimum of once a day. Sometimes, especially in the summer, I will shower up to three times a day. Save your lectures of how that's not good for my hair. My hair is extremely soft, healthy and full. I do it because I hate being greasy or sweaty and I have a huge phobia of smelling bad and having greasy hair. Call me superficial, I don't care. I also wash my hands almost obsessively. I'm not a germaphobe, I mostly do it out of habit. 

16) My biggest "celeb" crush has always been George Strombolopolous. If you're Canadian, you know who I mean. I met him this year and I stepped on his foot by accident.

Laura and me with George. Picture via Algonquin College's SA Facebook page

17) I bite my nails an insane amount. One time I got blood poisoning as a result of it and had to spend nine hours in the emergency room. If that didn't make me quit, nothing will.

18) My friends and I used to go to the same bar every week (sometimes more than once a week). We even went on Christmas Day one year. Although I still like to go out from time to time, I am not about that life anymore.

19) I went to Catholic school from kindergarten all the way through to grade 12. My parents are Catholic but I consider myself agnostic. I do strongly believe in fate and karma and I also like learning about other religions and customs.

20) I want to travel the world and soak up as much knowledge as humanly possible. The world is so big and full of new experiences, it doesn't make any sense to me to just stay in one place. I would like to eventually "settle down" in Toronto or St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

21) I don't have many friends, but in my eyes it's about quality over quantity. I can count the number of friends I have on both hands but I love them all dearly and I would do anything for them. They are some of the most amazing people on this planet and I don't tell them that often enough. I'm very, very lucky to have them in my life. I don't know what I'd do without them.

From left to right: Lisa, Jessie, Me, Michael and Laura - taken on my 21st birthday. (pre Zaphods)