This is another throwback post of my time in Europe last year. Paris was obviously a dream, and a while ago I already did a short little post of the Eiffel Tower. There were so many places that we got to visit in Paris so this time, I decided to do a post on the lovely Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées.

I absolutely adore Arc de Triomphe. I don't know if it's just because my name happens to be Joanne and my mind kind of associates it with the Joan of Arc (my mind works in mysterious, complex ways sometimes) but I've always really loved the architecture of this great tourist attraction. Sometimes I like to imagine what it's like to just live in Paris where you could just casually drive past the Eiffel and the Arc de Triomphe everyday or something (although I highly doubt it since they are quite distant from each other.)



We were incredibly lucky because just like our day at the Eiffel, our day at the Champs-Élysées was beautiful as well. Blue skies, sunny day, making the whole thing quite picturesque! For a little while, we enjoyed catching a late lunch at one of the restaurants by the street (which was fairly crowded too), and we actually spent most of our time there shopping!

There were huge clearance sales happening in places like H&M, etc, that I felt like it was so heavenly. (We even managed to purchase two pairs of H&M pants for only 5 euros each!) Aside from spending a lot of time inside the stores, we also walked a bit more before finally heading back to the hotel. The whole romanticisation and idea of "shopping in Paris" kind of just made me love it even more.




Champs-Élysées was beautiful. It felt very Paris to me, although I do wish it wasn't so packed with tons of people while we were there, although obviously you can't expect anything much different while you're in Paris. And so, if you ever find yourself in Paris, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to "stop by" this area because I'm sure you'll visit it nonetheless, but it would be a lot more glorious during sales season. I'm just saying.



The pictures I took really convinced me about how I felt about Paris: How I wish it never changes at all. The trees, the buildings, the streets, the people. As the lovely Audrey Hepburn once said, the city is always a good idea.

Many things to love about Paris, and many more to come on my blog, so be sure to stay tuned!

• I entered high school and realised that there are a lot of things to love, but also a lot of things not to love about it, and soon after realised that it was okay.
• I went to Europe and traveled to 4 different cities, all of which I loved.
• I created quite a lot of things, and made a few good stuff for my portfolio. Like this painting  that I'm quite proud of (which I actually finished the night before my birthday):

• I moved into my own personal bedroom (finally not having to share one with my sister.)
• I changed glasses (which made a huge transformation, actually, and changed my look entirely.)
• I actually also bought contacts and learned how to use them without feeling so vulnerable.
• I became a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding.
• I welcomed into the world an adorable baby nephew.
• I gained weight, then lost weight.
• I started wearing makeup (and I actually enjoy it, ha!)
• I learned that life is greater than relationships and your ambitions should revolve around greater things than just a boy who can make you laugh.
• I gained a lot of confidence, learned a lot about how important it is to love and respect yourself. I also developed a much thicker skin, and I think became a lot better in interacting with people (despite my little social anxiety.)
• I kind of figured out that I was a total, hardcore feminist?
• I cried a lot, and laughed a lot too.
• And now, I do not regret a single moment.

• Learning how to drive (the drivers' license is coming in next year, after all)
• Planning out what to do on my 17th birthday (so here, the tradition is that we celebrate a sweet 17 instead of a sweet 16, so there are a lot of things we do differently. Although, I'm  still considering between celebrating a sweet 17 with a simple garden party, or just making travel plans to a nice destination with my friends.)
• Getting better at my cello and piano, and at my art. Definitely my art.
• Starting sewing lessons! Which is crucial for me to complete my portfolio for university.
• Doing plenty of traveling.
• Do a lot better in school. I don't do bad, but let's just say that it's been quite a tough semester.

• Philadelphia by Parachute - I've had this song for a while, and if you're one of those people who sometimes get very desperate-romantic-ish and sentimental with a soft spot for slow, sweet, lovely songs, this is for you.
• Dear No One by Tori Kelly - I'd just discovered Tori Kelly through YouTube because of my love for Pentatonix whose members hang out with her from time to time, and I actually really love her personality. I'm not entirely fond of her high-pitched voice, but this song is actually an accurate representation of my entire life ever and it's great.
• Night Changes by One Direction - A good friend of mine is a fantastic singer and a while ago, she sang this song on one of our school's events, acoustically, and she posted a cover on Soundcloud, and sure enough, I fell in love with the song. I also adore the music video for this because it's so heartwarming and beautiful and just a dream.
• No Other Name by Hillsong Worship - Hillsong Worship's album, No Other Name, is basically an amazing album in itself. But recently, I'd just started listening to the actual song titled "No Other Name" from the album, and I completely became awestruck. It's just that incredible.
• Embers by Hillsong Young & Free - This is also a very empowering, beautiful worship song by Hillsong. The thing that makes me love it so much would be the lyrics, because they're so amazingly written. I've been listening to it non-stop every day.
• Anna Sun by Walk The Moon - I mentioned Walk The Moon in my previous favourites post because I only discovered them last month and they, indeed, rock. Lately, I've been stuck, however, with this song from their album. It's absolutely brilliant, and revolutionary. I feel like this song should get a lot more recognition.
• Pop Danthology 2014 by Daniel Kim - This is a mash-up that I found out about a while ago on YouTube, and only last week, I kind of found my way back to it, and yep, it stuck. It's absolutely amazing in my opinion. This 2014 hits mash-up is just, a sick beat. So much so, that I ended up downloading its MP3 version and now, I've memorised it.
• Kanye by Chainsmokers ft. Siren - I discovered this song from Pop Danthology because it was one of the songs used, and I'm absolutely thrilled that I did. This song is so so so fun to listen to, and I also adore the music video. It's pretty old, I know, but I love it to death.

• A new Bershka sweater - I am very much in love with the print on this sweater and also its really lovely colours. My mom got it for me on her trip out of town, and it was delightful. It has tassels at the bottom part as well, which I think makes the piece a bit more fun.
• Black leggings - Obviously, you can never go wrong with a pair of good black leggings. And let me just inform you that I've been wearing my pair of black leggings non-stop this month. I'm confident that this will continue on until the end of time. Most definitely.
• My aztec print leggings - If you saw my Christmas post last year, you'll see that I mentioned how my aunt got me these pair of leggings from The Executive. I gotta tell you, I've been admiring it so much lately. The fabric really is like no other, and the pattern on it suits me quite nicely. I totally enjoy wearing it out and about.

• Post-its - Strangely, I have slowly developed an obsession for post-its. They're brilliant, of course, and lately, I've been using them for important and non-important matters. I've been sticking them literally everywhere. My wardrobe, my walls, my Moleskine journal, they're just up for my world domination or something.
• Fitbars - Okay, so I obviously won't miss out the good stuff, and this month's good stuff? Fitbars. They sell these in my country, basically granola bars with bits of white chocolate and fruit inside them. I love them to death and have bought so many this month. And people might assume it's because of an "extreme diet", but I'm not on any extreme diet. Some healthy foods just have very appealing taste.
• Estee Lauder mascara - This is actually just your basic, simple mascara from Estee Lauder. My mom received it as a gift pack for her purchase, and she didn't want it so she gave it to me. I actually have another mascara aside from this one, but I've kind of been shifting to this one constantly. I really like how subtle it is compared to my other one from Maybelline. It's very nice for when you're not trying to overdo it, you know?
• My new phone! - And yes! As an early birthday gift, my mom came into my room presenting me with a new iPhone this month. It's only an iPhone 5S, but it's been a total life-saver because my old phone is very close to useless. I'm so glad about this now, especially with the really good camera, useful for better Instagram pictures (because that's obviously the only thing I care about.)
• Grace Helbig - Lastly, in the month of May, I have been watching Grace Helbig on YouTube for way too many times. I've been so stuck with just going through nearly every video she has. I really love how witty and hilarious she is, and how she keeps it real. I don't usually have my fair share of Youtubers to root for, but Grace has officially won my heart. She's brilliant.

I figured that I don't write that much on my blog about my own personal thoughts for something that's called "Thoughts in Tiffany Blue". I think it's because I know now that a lot of things can go wrong when you're being completely honest, and having this very open place to vent to is something I'm not entirely familiar with. But then I realised that my blog is made for many things, and it being a safe space for me to open up about my thoughts is one of those things.

So the thing is, I think I talk too much. I say too much. I think too much. There are a lot of "too much"s when it comes to my life, but in particular, lately, I think I talk too much.

They say that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. I don't know why, but lately, all I've been doing is the exact opposite. Okay, I don't talk trash, or diss other people behind their backs, but I've felt that my behaviour and speech make other people feel inconvenient with my presence.

I'm not saying I've turned into a bad person. I'm not saying my friends hate me. I'm saying there's a difference between someone who cares about you, and someone who simply tolerates you.

Previously in my life, I've never been the type of person to talk so much. I talk a lot to people I'm close with, or I talk to my relatives pretty well, but other than that, I never speak my mind. I never could get around to actually being completely honest in front of everyone. As I entered high school, I slowly started to gain the courage to do so. I became very honest with everyone and with myself. I opened up a little bit more, and let loose a lot more than before (and I think this my friends can see too.)

Little did I know that the thing about honesty that people don't always tell you is the effect of the brutality that comes with truthfulness. I speak up when it's actually not a very nice thing to say. I talk a lot even when it's not that important. I offend people without even knowing it. I say and don't think.

I try to conceal whatever guilt or shame I have about this drastic change in myself with laughter and sarcastic remarks, but hiding it can only do so much. It's painful to think that maybe your friends don't like you so much because of this, but it's a lot more painful once you realize how you think of yourself as a horrible friend, which you kind of believe you are.

Scan through my social media and you'll see quotes on living a good life, positivity, and happiness, but how come none of it actually applies to my actual life outside the digital cloud? What does that make me? A hypocrite. That's what it makes me.

I don't find this inspiring, but I also don't find 80% of the stuff I say inspiring at all.

I've come to a conclusion that I must take action upon it. I have made a decision to directly cut back on what I say. To hold my tongue before it proceeds to get to anything I'm going to regret. I can carry a notepad, I can carry a pen, a whiteboard, anything to stop me from being like this.

A lot of you might think that this is because I don't like how I am. No, I love myself. I respect myself. It's just that when you love yourself, there are also parts of yourself that you couldn't love, no matter how hard you try.

I wish I could enjoy being brutally honest. I wish I could enjoy not caring about what other people think. But that's not who I am. I don't want to offend or hurt people anymore. I don't want to be the egotistical girl on the lunch table anymore. I don't want to see my friends force a smile when I talk because it's clear that they don't think I'm all that.

That's probably why I have no one I call a shelter. That's probably why no one offers a hand. It's because talking too much kind of creates the illusion that you're doing perfectly fine on your own.

So I can speak my mind when I want to. But I think, that's enough talking for a while.