(H)angry

My two favorite words, or is it word? That people from Italy/Spain can't seem to say are Hungry or Angry.

They always end up sounding the same which provides me with endless amusement.

It always sounds like this (H)an-gree.

So I never know if someone is mad at me or they want to get lunch. It's a delightful puzzle to try and figure out. Though I suppose in the modeling world it works from both ends, they're always angry because they're hungry.

Just something

I'm a really blessed person and I have a lot of wonderful people in my life to thank for that.

Yesterday I had a really hard day. I had to get up at 5 am to make it to my job on time after a night I didn't sleep at all, I was super sick, dealing with lady issues and I had to spend the first 2 hours of my day transporting to the job plus I was out of coffee.

I was in a bad mood, not that I let it show (because I am always professional on the job) but I knew I wasn't being my usual self. That's something that I really hate, because I like being happy and in a good mood, I like being cheerful, friendly and making people laugh. Sometimes though you just have one of those days. And that day felt like the world was out to get me.

I have never been to a job where they didn't serve food. Maybe I'm just really blessed or my agents put in a note about a certain model that gets crabby when hungry... but either way it's a general expectation I don't really think about. So on top of this crappy day I was having they didn't have food at the job, in fact they asked me if I brought my own lunch. So fast-forward to 3 o'clock when I'm searching in my wallet looking for anything worth value to barter for lunch I came across a fortune stuck in the bottom of my wallet.

I collect fortunes cookie fortunes FYI.

                      It said "Happiness comes when you overcome the most impossible challenge."

And I used that with my day. Happiness is a choice, and honestly it's the harder of the two. You have to put effort, time and be really mindful of everything that's going on around you. Sure I could use the excuse that everything has felt like it's been going wrong for me today, or I could stop and start being mindful of what's around me. Here I am in Barcelona, modeling and I have everything in the world I could ask for. Life is amazing. Sure I could compare to other people and think about the things I don't have or I could realize all the stuff I have going for me. Even if I'm a little sick I'm still alive.

Even though I don't have a clever anecdote for this blog I just wanted to share something special that happened.

XO
Arielle

"There's a Toenail in my Soup" MY PSA

This is a Public Service Announcement brought to you by Arielle:

If there is one thing in this world I absolutely cannot stand it's personal hygiene in public.

I mean for realz yo. No one wants to see you doing this.

Truthfully I find it shocking that people seem to think it's an okay thing to do. I mean I know everyone (hopefully) partakes in personal hygiene but what happened to keeping things a mystery?
Or even the fact that it's unsanitary.

So here's my rant of things I have seen people doing that I find bizarre and disgusting and hopefully will help me vent out these pent up emotions. Maybe I'm weird but tell me what you think.

Brushing your hair in public - This is what put me over the edge yesterday, and I don't really find hair gross but who carries around a brush in the first place? I mean I like to keep a well stocked purse myself but a hair brush just seems like a whole new level.

Why did this bother me? First of all, it's not like it looks appealing. No one keeps a tranquil look on their face while brushing their hair. It's like putting on mascara with the guppy mouth.
Secondly, I could see, SEE all the hair that she was brushing out while walking around the clothing store, she was shedding everywhere, and it's not like it doesn't happen naturally, believe me I explode hair, but she was doing an act that was spreading it all over on the clothes and on me (walking behind her)
It was like that scene from the ring, people screaming as it started pouring from every orifice on their body. Not really but that's how I saw it in my head.

Flossing of teeth - I've had food stuck in my teeth, we all have. But there is something about a person sitting down for a nice meal and pulling out floss at the end to clean their teeth. AT THE TABLE. No one wants to see it, no one wants to smell it, no one wants to touch your spittle covered hand that's been freeing food from the bowels of your mouth. Ew.

Cleaning Ears - I remember when I was little I ate an earwax flavored jelly bean. Guess what? It was disgusting. Ear wax and food don't mix - Stop doing it in restaurants.

Blowing your nose at the dinner table - Why would you expel a bodily fluid next to someone who is eating. WHY? I get having a cold or when you just have to blow your nose, but when you do it at the dinner table it drives me up the wall.

Putting on nail polish - it stinks, do it at home.

Filing nails - Your nail isn't vanishing, it's being broken down into a smaller thing that's now swirling through the air and into my lungs.

Picking your nose - I honestly shouldn't have to cover this one, we learned it in preschool.

Clipping nails - This is the WORST OFFENSE. YOU HEAR ME? STOP IT. It has happened to me so many times I can't stand it. Clipping your dirty nails while they fly every which way is not okay. It will never be okay and you should get a fine. This has happened on the metro, in a restaurant, next to me on the plane, in a restaurant.... Who the f@&$ thinks this is okay.

I shouldn't have saved the toenail clipping last, now I'm all worked up.

I guess my point is to just be mindful of other people, and just be considerate of those around you.

XO Arielle

Airport Adventures

As per usual my favorite thing about any trip begins with the airport.

You'll have to use your imagination kiddos because I wasn't able to take photos of these wonderful and colorful specimens that we call humans acting in this manner but hopefully I'll be able to give you enough description so you can see these vividly.

This trip I saw a woman using an ipad as a phone. Brilliant on so many levels, particularly because she was short and it made her look like a tiny little person. But seriously, why do people use ipads in public, and not as a computer but to take pictures or talk on. Ipads take terrible pictures, and they're just as expensive to buy not even mentioning the fact that they are a burden to carry around. Every time I see someone taking a picture I just want to bat it out of their hands. I refrain for the most part because such action was costing me a pretty penny, but just stop. Please.

I ran into the national Slovakian youth basketball team, and Lord, I have never seen such gangly awkwardly tall kids as I did that day. I swear not one of them was under 7 feet tall. They were standing in line behind me and being a valley of normalcy surrounded by mountains of sweaty hormones was a new experience to say the least.



The smoking chambers inside the airport were hilarious. They didn't smell, I read that they use some sort of ozone air cleaning technology which was nice for passerby's but the fact that you saw them packed full of people all gulping down nicotine was disgusting. They were so small I thought that they were phone booths at first, which lead me to wonder why so many people needed to make phone calls at the same time.

Lastly was after I had disembarked from the airplane on the way to get a taxi. Visual treats over with right? Wrong.

The Barcelona airport has these long ramps that function like a moving walk way/escalator.  I myself had had troubles with a heavy bag with 4 wheels and keeping it up.

I have to admire this woman, most people would have let go of the bag, allowing the 2 50 pound vessels to go careening into the unsuspecting people below. This woman was carrying two large suitcases with 4 wheels each, I saw this scene playing out way before it happened because she didn't quite stabilize everything correctly. As we started nearing the first quarter of the walkway her bags started to roll, attempting to stop it she somehow slid down to the floor and rolled with the bags creating a snowball of suitcases and a fairly large woman. Brilliant.

I tried to stop it, when it started to happen I made a sound, no words because there didn't seem to be time for words, but I made a noise along the lines of "Ennngggghhhh" Which if I was to interpret my feelings sounded more like "Be careful people below! This woman's bags are about to tackle you! I'm trying to assist you".

Having landed in a giant heap at the bottom of this ramp I did find out if the woman was okay. She was one of those people however that if they had mistakenly cut off their arm would try and pretend everything was alright. She was walking without a limp when I left her.

I know a lot of people hate traveling, but the people watching has only be rivaled by Jury Duty thus far in my life. People are so weird, I am too so it's not like I'm judging. I do wonder where these people reside in everyday life. It's like they live in a cave and only surface to travel or to serve on Jury Duty.

Also I don't know why I capitalized Jury Duty, it seems like the proper thing to do, but who am I to say?

xo Love from BCN

Everything is HUNKy-dory.

After about 31 hours of traveling, I made it to Barcelona. It was a long day, I'll say that but on the plus side I had internet the entire 10 hours and 45 minute flight from Toronto to Istanbul which is incredible, I also had an exit row so I didn't have to worry about anyone leaning back into my space... do not underestimate how vital that is. The food (all turkish as I was flying Turkish airlines) was surprisingly yummy and they included for every seat a little 'take care of yourself' package that consisted of slippers, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, ear plugs & lip balm.

I could have done without the sock/slipper part because 374 people (and by people I mean mostly turkish men) taking off their shoes and socks simultaneously after a day of traveling was NOT the sensory overload this gal was looking for. Donor Kebab sweat. Ugh. 

Since arriving here, everything has been amazing yet really deja-vuey (new word, deal with it) from last year. It's a strange feeling to think that nothing has changed and know that so many things have. 

I'm lucky enough to get to workout at the W Hotel, here's what's great about it:

The view - not the TV show

SUPER nice/modern equipment - all of which I don't know how/or don't use

Champagne in the changing room - because you get drunk quicker after working out for an hour or two PLUS why WOULDN'T I want to gain back all the calories I've busted my butt over losing. 

Barcelona soccer team works out there - THE BARCELONA SOCCER TEAM WORKS OUT THERE, gotta stay hydrated with all the drool I lose. 

Spa amenities - for the post workout moans and groans

DID YOU READ?! THE MUTHER F-ING BARCELONA SOCCER TEAM WORKS OUT WITH ME. 

Well technically not with me, and not the WHOLE team but a handful of em but that's enough for me. 

I do that girly thing (or a just me thing) when we're working out at the same time where I can't stop smiling and laughing at all the witty things I WOULD say if we were to ever talk. So I look like the idiot who's enjoying their elliptical a little too much. OR the drunk who's indulged in a little too much champagne pre-workout. 

On that awkward note - I gotta go workout. 

That's all she wrote folks. 

Picture 1: All of us together and a big thanks to photographer Sara Kiesling for the photo of me. 

Picture 2: Looking out on the elliptical yesterday, even when cloudy it's still incredible.