For this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I decided to focus on the topic of tattoos. (Haha, and I wanted an excuse to post a photo of David Beckham on my blog.) 😉

While I can appreciate the artistry of tattoos on other people, I can never see myself getting one. (Yup, I’m a clean canvas.)

It’s not the pain or the fear of needles that deters me. It’s mainly because I can’t settle on one design. And when you get a tattoo, it should be permanent. (Removal is apparently more painful than getting a tattoo, I’ve heard. Is this true?)

The other day, I was talking with my friend, and she said that she likes tattoos on guys, but not if it covers the whole arm like a sleeve.

But with me, it’s reversed. I like tattoos on men, but when a guy has a full arm covered with tattoos, it makes my heart race. I just love admiring the creativity. (Of course, cheesy tattoos like “I <3 Mom” don’t impress me. The tattoos have to hold more meaning and not be clichés.)

In this post, I’m going to show some photos of tattoos. Some are good, and some are terrible!

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Learning more about the person behind a blog is always really interesting to me.

It’s the blogs with a personal element that keep me coming back for more. It’s what reminds me that there’s a human behind the content, and that the content isn’t just churned out by an opinion-free computer.

For this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I decided to share a few random things about myself that you probably didn’t know because I thought it might be fun.

I encourage you to leave a comment and let me know some random things about you, too!

New blog post: Smorgasbord Sundays: Some Things About Me You Probably Didn’t Know! ow.ly/1O7TjE

— Mary (@SwatchAndLearn) June 24, 2012

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Today I’m going to visit my dad at the cemetery.

This isn’t something that I talk about a lot, but Father’s Day brings me a lot of emotional pain.

My father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly just a few days after I celebrated my 28th birthday a couple of years ago. It turned my life upside down.

New post: Smorgasbord Sundays – #FathersDay and why it’s a very tough day to get through for me. bit.ly/KMgx1G

— Mary (@SwatchAndLearn) June 17, 2012

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Photo Credit

Unfortunately, there are quite a number of homeless people in Canada. I see them on the street and on the subway.

There are lots of misconceptions about the homeless. I read that many of those who use homeless shelters are also employed, but because of the skyrocketing private housing markets, they just can’t afford it. And, in 2005, approximately 26% (3.2 million) Canadian households earned less than what was needed to afford a basic home.

Another myth is that most of the homeless die during the frigid Canadian winters. In actuality, more die because of the extreme heat in the summer!

Helping the homeless provides them with hope. And I firmly believe in the pay-it-forward philosophy that if you help someone, it motivates them to help another person. A lot of people suffer, but not everyone helps. You can make a difference, even if it’s small.

New blog post: Smorgasbord Sundays: Helping the Homeless! ow.ly/1NuD0u

— Mary (@SwatchAndLearn) June 10, 2012

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As some of you already know, I’m an aunt for a second time! 🙂 My niece was just born on May 31st at 10 in the morning.

Of course I’m really excited because when she’s old enough, I’m going to spoil her with lots of nail polish. And I’m already getting giddy thinking about all the cute nail art I could do on little nails. 😉

Today I’ll be enjoying quality time with the newest member of the family!

Are you an aunt or uncle? Do you have children? What’s something that kids have taught you? (For me, it’s to appreciate the small things.)

(Image Credit)

We all have foods that are our favourites – like lasagne, a hearty chili, or freshly made ravioli! And there may be some dishes that make us crinkle our noses at the mere mention of them.

I’m pretty easy-going because even if something sounds nasty, I’m usually willing to give it a shot (within reason! No munching on eyeballs, okay?) because, hey, you never know if it could be delicious! (And the more yummy dishes my taste buds can discover, the better.) 😉

Whenever I go to restaurants, I tend to order dishes that I know I’ll love based just on the description. But there have been times when I’ve seen things that turn me into Curious George.

When I was a child, I was the opposite of the girl in the above photo. Haha, I loved fruits and vegetables. Even to this day, I enjoy them very much!

For this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I’d like to share my thoughts with you about two new dishes that I tried within the past week. (Haha, I’m pretty sure that one of them is going to disgust the majority of my readers! And the other one might, too.)

Read on to find out what the heck I ate!

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