Day 251: Halloween!

Friday: October 31, 2014 - Halloween

Today's picture isn't remotely Halloween related, but it's honest. I went to my brother's football practice today and sat out, and watched the ants. I sat with my mom and another player's mom, and listened to them talk. We also gave out candy to the kids after practice, which was fun. As for my crazy Halloween plans, they involved hanging out with other families, eating tons of candy, being a flapper girl [again] and meeting my long-lost twin, really. I have a new friend named Sophia, and we are so similar it's creepy!

Day 250: Partayyy

Thursday: October 30, 2014

Today I went to my best friend Cheyenne's birthday/ Halloween party, and I went as a flapper girl. It was a lot of fun! There was music and creepy food and amazing Halloween decorations. I met a lot of her friends too, which was nice.

Day 249: Little Pink Tongues

Wednesday: October 29, 2014

The puppy and I have found an activity we can bond over. He doesn't like tug-o-war, and tries to bite me whenever I initiate it. He hasn't quite mastered fetch, either. Instead, By-Tor and I run back and forth in the house. He likes to follow me and try to lunge for my ankles, but I'm always too quick. He's a fast little animal. Eventually though, he wears out and gets tired. Then, he'll pant and stick his tongue out and I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Day 248: Down on Diwali

Tuesday: October 28, 2014

A few of my neighbors celebrate Diwali. It's pretty cool, and I enjoy seeing their lights strung up. One house has been absolutely covered in sheets of light, and I cringe to think of their light bill. Anyway. My neighbors were outside popping fireworks, which I think is illegal here. It was going great, and I was watching from my balcony when a community security guard [pictured below] rolled up in his tiny moped. A few words were exchanged, nods were made, and my neighbors went back to popping fireworks as soon as the guard left.

Day 247: Making Johnny Appleseed Proud

Monday: October 27, 2014

I found this great recipe online on slow-cooker applesauce. It only requires a few ingredients, and minimal preparation. It's also incredibly delicious! If you want more photos and in-depth instructions, I have that all on my main blog.

Day 246: Bad Halloween Ideas

Sunday: October 26, 2014

So for my blog and SparkLife video, I compiled a set of really bad, punny Halloween costumes. My favorite, of course, was not the most politically correct: Edgar Allan Hoe. It involved mess hair, dark circles, a raven, and dark + skimpy clothing. Yep.

Day 245: ACT Smart

Saturday: October 25, 2014

Today I had to go in to the American School of Dubai to do my second round of ACT testing. The first time went well, but I honestly didn't expect it. As such, I opted out of the Writing section, which I'll need if I want to use this score for college applications. So, I had to re-take it with Writing. The school I went to is huge and extremely expensive. What kind of school has actual fountains and green grass, in the middle of the desert, no less?

Day 244: More Puppy Love

Friday: October 24, 2014

Our dog, By-Tor likes to watch me do things sometimes. If I'm in the kitchen making food, he'll plop right down and patiently wait for me to finish. He's already trained himself to roll over whenever one of us is near, so he can get a belly rub. It works every time!

Day 243: Ruff -n- Tuff

Thursday: October 23, 2014

So I'm still doing Blogtober over on my main blog, and this is a recent outfit I posted. It's pretty dark and almost grunge-y. I just need a flannel. It's also still far too warm for such an ensemble, and I really am kidding myself by trying to wear a sweater in this weather.

Day 242: Hey There, Mr. President

Wednesday: October 22, 2014

I was digging around in one of my old travel boxes. It's this old IKEA box that's filled with souvenirs from my travels, age 11-13. I found these commemorative coins my grandma sent me after I attended President Obama's Inauguration. The first one that is, where everybody loved him. I'm not big on politics and I know not everybody particularly likes him now, but I will say I'm very glad that I was able to go to Washington DC then and witness history.

Day 241: Precarious Clouds

Tuesday: October 21, 2014

Today I went on a run [surprise, surprise] and I saw this ominous cloud of smoke. It looked more imposing in person, trust me. I still don't know what was on fire, but I also didn't particularly want to find out.

Day 240: Pots and Rocks

Monday: October 20, 2014

Yes, I couldn't think of a clever title. Whatever. I saw these pots in my neighborhood and I thought they looked rad. They're taller than I am [and I'm 5'2] so I didn't try to look inside, in case I knocked one over. I don't know if they're hollow or filled up. I don't even know what they're doing here. This is only one set, but there are several sets scattered throughout the neighborhood. Are they supposed to add to the ambiance?

Day 239: Precious Purple Flower

Sunday: October 19, 2014

Today I went on an early morning run and I found these flowers and they made me really happy, so happy in fact, that I can only talk about them in run-on sentences. No but seriously, I was very excited to find them and I was so distracted I almost walked into a spider web. I accidentally knocked off one of the strands with my ankle, and the rest of the web just kind of collapsed. The spider was there too, and I think s/he was pissed that I ruined his/her house. If I had strong enough eyes to see it, I'm sure I would have noticed all four pairs of its eyeballs glaring at me. I'm sorry, spider.

Day 238: She Sells Seashells by the Seashore

Saturday: October 18, 2014

Today I went through my old "travel box." It's a small IKEA box that holds some of my most recent souvenirs. I say "most recent" but I really haven't traveled a whole lot for about five years. Don't get me wrong, I've still gone back and forth between Dubai and Texas, as well as places in the Gulf, and even Boston, but we haven't taken a vacation as an entire family in about half a decade now. These shells are from the beach in Dubai, back when the city still felt new and shiny.

Day 237: Laterns and Sunsets

Friday: October 17, 2014
 
 I took this picture outside on my balcony. I always feel like photographs never do nature things, like sunsets and night skies justice. I feel that way today too. The sky was so bright, and red! Here, it's so muted. But I tried. Maybe next time, I'll use different settings.

Day 236: Dust in the Wind

Thursday: October 16, 2014

I like to run around sunset time, because it's not too hot but there's still light. The weather is finally cooling down a tiny bit, and the plants are beginning to bloom again. I have no idea what these things are, but they're fuzzy and tickle whenever I run past any.

Day 235: Celebration Dinner

Wednesday: October 15, 2014

Today we had a celebration dinner with the German players and family, and our players and family. It was really lovely seeing everybody together and also bittersweet because the Germans leave in just a few hours. I finally got a photo of our German boys and my brother! From left to right are Romeo, Isaiah [my brother], Aaron, and Ilias. They are all wonderful kids and I hope to see them soon!

Day 234: Düsseldorf Panther vs EAFL Falcons

Tuesday: October 14, 2014

So I've completely forgotten to mention this, but we've been hosting three German kids for the past couple of days and it's been pretty good. They're come over for the week along with the rest of their American football team to play our elite UAE team. Today was the second of two games they've played against each other and we lost for the second time. But either way, it's been a good effort and the kids are all amazing. Our German boys are very polite, funny, and efficient [I used to think the German efficiency thing was a stereotype - it's not, they were always ready to go.] Featured here is my brother's jersey when they were in their post-game huddle.

Day 233: Palmy Fronds

Monday: October 13, 2014

It's been a while since I've take a picture of palm trees. I guess I forget to, since they're everywhere. I went on a run today and I found a new trail to run on [it's not new, I'm just scared to get lost and so I don't venture out very far when I run, despite the fact I always have my phone and GPS with me but whatever] and it had palm trees and flowers and lots of people walking their dogs or toddlers. It was really nice to see. I liked it.

Day 232: Urban Paths

Sunday: October 12, 2014

 Today I had my internship, and I take the metro to get there. To be honest, I take the metro a lot. I like it, though. In the morning, there's hardly any people on it, especially since I get on towards the beginning of the line. Whenever I'm alone, I take lots of pictures, like this.

Day 231: Dubai Skylines

Saturday: October 11, 2014

I took this photograph outside of my favorite bookstore/cafe in the Dubai Mall. The sunset colors were really pretty, and I wanted to stay outside forever. To the right is actually the base of the Burj Khalifa. I really liked how the crane framed the right side of the photograph. I think I read somewhere that Dubai has like, 20% of the world's cranes. That might just be an urban myth, but there certainly are a lot of cranes here!

Day 230: Lens Flare

Friday: October 10, 2014

I've been finding new spots to take pictures in for my fashion blog [as in, not inside my room with bad fluorescent lighting] and I've really liked being on my balcony instead. I've found that the sun sets at a angle to my room. which is why my room never gets too hot. But it also makes for great lens flares! I'm so excited, I really love the effect it gives. Featured here is a film camera I have yet to use. It's from the 1960s and I'd love to use it, but I still don't know what all the dials mean.

Day 229: Super-Blood-Moon

Thursday: October 9, 2014

Last night, I went outside for a run and noticed that the moon was looking super big and red. By the time I got home, it wasn't as impressive but I tried to photograph it anyway. This photo does absolutely no justice to the beautiful moon, but I did my best.

Day 228: YSL? Nah, man. I want PSL.

Wednesday: October 8, 2014

Okay so Dubai has finally gotten the pumpkin spice latte, and I'm not afraid to talk about how overzealous I am about this development. Hey, if boys can throw bacon on anything and call it a culinary feat, I'm allowed to enjoy the pumpkin spice latte. It's a lot sweeter than I remember, since it's been close to two years since I last had one. I prefer them iced here, because Dubai is still reaching three digit weather. Also, nobody ever spells my name right but that's okay because a PSL by any other name would taste as sweet.

 

Day 227: Puppy Love

Tuesday: October 7, 2014

We got a puppy!!!! Today, our family added a member to the Herrera clan. His name is By-Tor, and he’s a three month old Maltese. He’s come all the way from Hungary to live with us in Dubai. We all love him very much already. By-Tor is energetic, playful, and fluffy. He’s still a little shy around us, but he’s adjusting well. In fact, he’s fallen asleep next to me, as I write! I’m so happy to finally have a furry friend, and I’m looking forward to spending time with little By-Tor.

Day 226: Chill Corners

Monday: October 6, 2014

Today I hung out with one of my best friends, and she's perpetually re-doing her room. Right now, she created a cool little corner where we can just chill and talk. She's super creative and has great decor ideas. I love the heart photo arrangement, and the fairy lights.

Day 225: Sea Stars

Sunday: October 5, 2014

I spent the night with a new friend, and it was a lot of fun. She has a younger brother like me, so they entertained each other. They live on the beach, so we took the opportunity to go walk on it and chit chat. I only waded my feet, but the water was so warm! In the summer months, it actually gets too warm to swim in. It's pretty crazy. While walking, we spotted the little sea star and I took a picture of it. I'd never really seen one up close before. It's neat.

Day 224: The Burj Khalifa

Saturday: October 4, 2014

I finally got a good picture of the Burj Khalifa. It's difficult to photograph, because the building is so tall that when you're up close to it, it's near impossible to get it all in frame. It's fun to watch people try and get it all in on picture by contorting themselves on the ground. The best way to get it is on the road, where you're far away enough to get it all in one shot. However, you're also moving. So there's that. I can't tell you how many times I've attempted and failed to get a good shot, so this is really satisfying.

Day 223: Geometric

Friday: October 3, 2014

On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. I've actually started Blogtober over on my main blog, so I'll be posting everyday here and there! It's a lot of fun, and this is my fourth year doing Blogtober, though the first one was on a different blog. Today, I posted about nail trends for this season. I attempted geometric nails, but I have such small nail beds that designs can be really tricky.

Day 222: Nol Card

Thursday: October 2, 2014

Today is numerically super cool. It's the 2nd day of October, as well as the 222nd day of my photo a day project. It's pretty neat. Anyway, I was on the metro again today to head to youth group. I keep my nol card in a Hello Kitty card case, and I have for four years now. "Nol" means "fare" in Arabic, or so I'm told.

Day 221: Little Friend

Wednesday: October 1, 2014

I found this little guy chilling on my window. I'm actually a little concerned, because my balcony door seems to attract a lot of insects and things. Just the other day, a bird flew straight into the glass door. This week, I opened the door, and there were two brown house spiders living in the threshold. How does that even work? Are there also ants and things living in the threshold? I don't know if I want to know. So far, they haven't bugged me much.