Grand Opening: Neo Coffee Bar - FREE Small Coffee

Short post (#sorrynotsorry) but today's the grand opening of Neo Coffee Bar and to celebrate their opening, they're giving customers free coffee!

Neo Coffee Bar is a Japanese-esque cafe that has all the kinds of espresso and latte you need (AND coffee) with Japanese desserts like cream puffs and cake rolls!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the food, but I ordered a pistachio and raspberry cake roll and had a black coffee to complement the sweet dessert.

For starters, it wasn't as sweet as expected. As a lover for raspberries and pistachios, I found it light but sweet. They serve many kinds of cake rolls, including their classic which is matcha and cream.

The coffee was great too! If I was a George Brown or just living/working around King and Sherbourne, I would frequent here a lot more! They also have a stamp card!

Be sure to stop by before 5 pm today to get four complimentary free coffee!

A Letter to Miranda July, and my overall issue regarding casting minorities in Hollywood

Dear Miranda July,

I recently read your most recent and debut novel The First Bad Man. I finished it within a week, which took longer than expected due to my hectic schedule at that time. I never bought it. I never buy books, especially novels (the only exceptions are some graphic novels, literary classics and some used novels/novels on sale). Instead, I placed it on hold and waited as the 455-something-th person in line. I was fine. In fact, it built my anticipation for reading this more.

Before I get on to the issues regarding this novel, let me go back in time to when I first discovered Miranda July. A very close friend of mine was reading No one Belongs Here More Than You when we were in high school. The stark yellow of the slim book intrigued me and the your deer-caught-in-headlights look on the back cover. So much so that when I was sixteen, I accumulated enough money of my own to purchase one out of the two copies sold at my local Chapters (at that time).

At the time, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Truly. Some scenes still stick with me, which in the case of other books I've read,  have been long since forgotten about.

From there, you were (kind of?) on my radar. I remembered your limited edition of No one Belongs Here More Than You with the variation of book colour choices. I remembered your art installation [specifically Eleven Heavy Things], which I wrote a whole critique on in my art class.

I later watched Me And You And Everyone We Know when spotting it at my public library (for context: I volunteered at my local public library and one of the duties was shelving DVDs. Scored some pretty rad ones as I had first grabs at a lot of them!). I didn't finish it (not in the hating-it way but I-honestly-can't-remember-why way) but one scene in particular (the two girls watching the guy looking at the girls from his window scene) was one was brought laughter from both my dad and myself. 

Another project that popped up on my radar was We Think Alone. I subscribed, read some, forgot all about it. At the time, I didn't mind Dunham so I wasn't surprised that she was one of the correspondence.
Now, I'm not surprised they're friends, and not in a good way.

Another project she did with some fashion designer was a bag that represented a women's "going out for the night/club/bar/event" bag.
It's a clutch called "The Miranda". It retails for $1500 (still on sale by the way. Gee, I wonder why). It showed me personally of a too good for you air and attitude and exuding this bougie-ness which I never thought she had prior to this project.

Then, and I don't know how I discovered this (by myself anyways) on my newsfeed, but Miranda July was coming to Toronto to talk about her book (mentioned first paragraph), her life and other artworks, etc. I was estatic. So much so, I was extremely disappointed when I found out that tickets were sold out (it was a free event) but hopeful when I read that I might have a chance if I come 15 min before the show started (in case of no-shows).

I show up to the event with this glimmer of hope and luckily for myself if worked out. I sat down, listened attentively, had a question (but didn't have a chance to ask it) and even re-purchased the damn yellow book so I could get it signed (in all fairness, the first one I bought as a ripe teenager got warped in a rainstorm). They were selling The First Bad Man there too, don't get me wrong, but to me it's not worth $25.00.

And boy am I glad I did not spend that amount.

As I read the book, something was rubbing me the wrong way about it. At first I couldn't place my finger on it, but soon I came to the conclusion: race.
Yes, race. Yes, I understand that most people in the United States are white. Yes, books are allowed to describe race. No, they should not be done (anymore anyways) in the manner July used. Ever.
It's a little subtle at first, but then becomes a pattern. Consistent.

Here's an example.
Any character that's described and is white is described by their expression, hair, eyes, lips, face-shape, clothes, everything to the air they produce.

Then, there's "The Indian mother", and "The Asian chubby girl" and "The Hispanic women"

....
Seriously.
Seriously????

COME ON!

Besides this being the worst book of your, and goddamn Lena Dunham praising it, pushing this book into hypedome (didn't know that until recently but not surprised), this irked me to no end. I'm comparing this to the first Hunger Games novel, to which the author described people of colour by their features and not just race. It brings the issue of your perception of people that aren't white like you and encourages society of how other races should be described, which is entirely wrong.

It bothered me to a point where I was trying to re-collect the memories of your short stories, and I couldn't for the life of me remember such atrociousness about race. However, I'm doubting that at the moment and will go back to that book to confirm.

I hope one fine day (but in reality never)  read this and acknowledge my problem with the book. It it a serious issue amongst the numerous issues minorities deal with that while may seem slight, has a much bigger impact than you can imagine.

Yours truly,

Me

 PS. Somebody? More like Nobody (seriously, no one bothers being the messenger).

Which brings me to Hollywood and media with minorities.
It is a huge issue still to see other races case in titular roles, or have any speaking role in a film (when it is not a film based on colour as the main theme). This is such a huge issue still because at this point in the century, any goddamn fucking character played in a film (minus a biopic) can and should be played by anyone.

Race. Does. Not. Matter. When. Casting. Roles.

And yet, it does.
Don't bullshit me about "not enough minorities want to be in Hollywood". That is bullshit and you are fed lies from other people or are in serious denial.

Yes, there's The Mindy Project. But that' one, one. And after the black nurse on the show, it's all white people.

And don't get me started on the "token black guy/girl" which nowadays just is "token minority" in media.

I am riled up about this because it's 2015 and unless we start altering things, it's never going to be altered. So many people of colour are struggling in Hollywood and while casting directors are to blame, so are so many more people out there, July included.

With all this in mind, please check out Buzzfeed's article (aka my inspiration for this additional rant as this sums up my issue with Hollywood so beautifully) on Dylan Merron's work.

Free Lush Cleanser! (For a Limited Time)

I'd go on about their whole campaign about microbeads OR project my laziness and direct you to their website.

I heard about their deal of trading any cleanser you have that contains microbeads for their Angels on Bare Skin cleanser by a friend (who heard it from here).
Unfortunately, I posted this a little too late (as this deal ended June 8) but I've never tried this cleanser before from Lush (usually using Herbalism, although I'm sick of it now and Fresh Farmacy, my favourite).
Would be beat Fresh Farmacy? Well..
Scent-wise, you immediately get a whiff of lavender, and something else, but I can't put my tongue nose on it..
Like Herbalism, it's very dry, kind of like dry soil. AKA very...nature..ous.

To use this properly, you take a chunk (a "dime-sized amount" according to the Lush corporation), and mix it with a bit of water to form a paste. Then you massage it on your face, wash it off, and beepity-boppity-boop, you're done!
It's a little time consuming, but it's au-natural & free, so why not?

ETA Here's the video on the whole microbead/plastic issue. I cannot for the life of me embed youtube videos without it looking like $##$% so I thought best to leave it as link unfortunately.

yet another year rolls on by.

It's 2014! Or as I'd call this year, the year I may survive two whole decades (and the apocalypse).

Amidst myself cuddled up in my Pepto Bismol Snuggie, and starting the new year with sickness (more specifically the night/early hours of festivity and health brought the sickness..besides my parentals), and watching the new season of Sherlock to call it a night, I decided to jot down the insanity that is my yearly goals.

In reality it is best to have short-term, medium and long-term goals. I merely write whatever I want to achieve as a mental (and I guess not physical) checklist.

I decided to treat myself to an HD digital camcorder (that also takes photo) to take better photos of myself in outfits.

Sure looked a lot different when I initially took the photo.. Sweater/Jumper from Topshop/Hudson's Bay

Some photos I tested out. Stabilization is finnicky but the fact that is shoots in 1080 p and only costed 45 dollars is a steal for me.

||GOALS OF 2014||

1. Eat Clean (That means no SIMPLE CARBS AND PROCESSED/REFINED SUGAR ANYTHING)
2. Drink 1 8 oz glass every hour (start my day with a glass of water + lemon if around)
3. Exercise more! (run, train, or Blogilates workouts)
4. Time manage. Use an agenda. Always follow a daily to-do list to get shit done. Prioritize! 
5. Learn the following skill-sets: HTML/CSS, Javascript, Python, Blender, Premier/After Effects, Unity (more of it), Maya (much more of it), Drawing skills, etc.
6. Knit more things
7. Read more books/novels/textbooks especially before going to bed
8. Start a YouTube channel and post on YouTube and Blogger consistently
1. With camera, post more photos!!!!!!!! (maybe invest in tripod and SD card)
9. Lose 10-20 pounds (ideally 15 as a middle range is good too)
10. Score/achieve high in all my courses next semester (80%! or at least as best as I possibly can)
11. Forgive myself of everything that's happened that burdens me. Know that nothing can bring me down and to focus and always look forward instead of dwelling in the past and over-thinking things and jumping to conclusions

temp

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Rants & Raves v12.0 (and counting)

As I wrote the title I immediately recalled the amount of posts I have probably made that involved ranting and raving and realized how many different versions have existed since I formed this blog at the start of the teenage years (ogahd).

Usually I would file this under "tumblr" but this time it pertains to work ethic, working with people (well not really in this case) and most of all people's goddamn perception of you in the work force (or university force? Both I guess).

As much as this should not irk me, it really does. People's perceptions, whether it is based on whatever past life experiences they've had, blindly ignorant of the entire universe and its surroundings or is completely insecure about themselves have the galls to bring it upon themselves to automatically determine the incompetence of a person especially ESPECIALLY if you have never even worked with this person in any particular project.

Just...NOPE.

Even when working on a project (in fact I kind of wish a course was more involved in collaboration this year as apparently isn't enough for some people) is trying gain perspectives of all sides of the situations and work things out before hand before dividing and conquering to no avail. This has not occurred many times but when it has I feel the ending result is no one being very satisfied.
To be fair, I could speak up more, but when it comes to myself and groups, everything feels lost in translation or there are very few times any sort of compromise occurs.

Or in this case, I'm the wheeler side-eyeing Ash. 

Now, forget about group projects for a second and let's focus on that person. This person who as I have mentioned before has never worked in a group project but already dismisses or chooses to ignore your skill sets and believes--yeah without even working with you on a project--that you do jack shit in the past projects you have worked on.

Really? really. I pity the fool, I pity ....it! 

When trick asses like this show up, and when you actually know that sooner or later you are enevitably going to work with them, it's just best to focus on your goals and basically prove them the fuck wrong.


All I can say, and end off this post, is this:

After all this time?

It's crazy.
To think it all started with a girl on my bus.
A girl whom I still follow on Twitter these days anyway.
Mentioned Teen Vogue, and how she was going to their Fashion U conference.
Back then, the minimum age was 13.
Back then, things seemed a lot different.
The conference sounded interesting and I've always wanted to attend..and still do (where's the money though hahaha).
However, this led me to purchasing an issue of Teen Vogue (unfortunate that it had Taylor fucking Momsen on the cover...fortunate enough to lead me to Aimée Han and her blog).
Thereon, I got sucked in the blogging community, particularly the fashion blogs and bloggers.
I still recall from the blog, cavaan (more specifically an ezine), I discovered Tavi Gevinson and prior to that Tommy Ton and Sea of Shoes (I fucking hate her though...sorry). The Sartorialist, Susie Bubble..the list is endless.
Though upon realization that blogging my way to fame is useless, and the industry itself is not only competitive (which industry isn't nowadays?) but wasn't something I was outrageously talented in.
However, it is still my hobby.
Though not exactly skinny enough, or even have the money to purchase a Birkin, let alone a Hermès scarf, I'm still stuck on style.

It's kind of funny how this has also transformed into a gaming blog of sorts. I describe my process here anyways. It would be nice to submit some portfolio work here too, but I may just stick to beauty/OOTDs/Hauls/Food and actually try to keep my deviantart as active and alive as possible.

And to answer the question: Always, always.

Quick Quip

The fact that I'm already having nightmares, already visualizing the result and corruption that is tomorrow's judgement, the fact that I want to speak aloud in front of everyone how fucked up this is and how I wish we were marked more fairly on a rubric than on coins, and many many many other factors that seem to fuck me over every single fucking week causing me to have a drink, a ciggie and just implode inside...

I hate this. Sosososososososo much. I think I'm slowly into the fuck this...i get 70..I get a fucking 70. The 90s and 80s days are long, long gone.

Media....and it's culture(ness)(noscity?) depiction of South Asians

Let me first start by going off topic.

I've recently started hearing from all the fandoms  about Hannibal. I knew at first (to my dismay then) that this was a TV show as the fangirls  people talking about it were mostly only into TV shows. The only Hannibal I knew of was from Silence of the Lambs and that was a brilliant film with some brilliant acting and script writing and plot as a whole.

However, I decided to give the show a chance and whaddya know? I really like it! It is very reminiscent of Criminal Minds (which I've stopped watching...it's getting far too repetitive) but Madds Mikkelsen depicts Hannibal so well and his chemistry with Will Graham is great. FYI, this revolves around the first novel of the Hannibal series, The Red Dragon (I have yet to read those. I'll add them to my long list of must-reads).

*****

Now where  was I? Oh yes.

Throughout the past couple years or so...probably more but it seems more apparent nowadays, is the rise of South Asian actors/actresses in TV/Movies. (FINALLY!!)

Remember how there was always the token black kid? Then later you'd spot that one Asian kid? And finally, there's the "brown" kid! 

Okay this might not be the BEST example.

What brought me to this discussion was seeing Mindy Kahling from The Office, who not only was one of the main writers for the show (besides being a producer and directing a few episodes), she also starred in the show and is currently producing/directing/writing AND starring her own show called The Mindy Show starring none other than herself. 

Wikipedia states how she is the first South Asian American to be the main star of a North American TV Show (or just American?). This makes me feel how this wouldn't occur otherwise if someone else was in control of the show (and production house..) but other than that, it's taken a huge leap from South Asians just being simple secondary cast members (with the exception of Kal Penn)!! I think it also helps that she's not supermodel skinny and quirky and in my opinion, hilarious.

I've talked to other friends who are South Asian but many said they disliked it (not their style..understandable) or they don't know why they watch it :/ I found that whoever from my high school watching this may have a bit of a shocker as she has sex with other guys (gasp) and is not über cultural. -_-
Let's not forget some who are main cast members!

Yet sometimes, I feel that we're taking a few steps backward here...especially in the movie industry.

Today, I saw Star Trek: Into Darkness with a friend of mine. She mentioned how some people were saying that Benedict Cumberbatch was portraying Khan. 

Me reaction: 

Benedict is awesome and a God for all I know but WHAT or more importantly WHY. Wrath of Khan was a white guy back then, but considering it's 2013, you'd think they'd change that... sigh. Especially considering the starship of the fleet...maybe change Khan's name...I dunno! 

Personally, one the bigger reasons I liked this film was due to Cumberbatch's performance so I'm glad he was in this but him as Khan? Maybe it's just me...

Update: this article sums it up better than I can. 

Artsy Fartsy: Episode One

Here's some works I've done. Mainly Sketches that I completed last year and [somewhat] this year. 
It's funny, because ever since I was six years old, I had always wanted to be an artist. That idea was shot down a bajillion times of course, especially since I'm "brown". 
Funny enough, after many explorations of possible things to study and pursue as a career, I come back to art. Of course, this art is in the form of graphic design/advertising/technology/innovation etc. Thus, I have desperately trying to finish my portfolio for two art schools that I'm trying out for. I hope and pray to God I make it to at least one of them, especially OCAD U.
Wish me luck in my endeavors tout le monde!

xo marishka

A New Dawn. A New Day. A New Life.

SO...


Whilst all my homework/assignment nonsense that I dost hath complete within an allotted time {as well as clean my bedroom...deuce} I am going to update my blog in the best way possible.


Some things of "concern"


--> It's been a while. I have changed since I've started this blog. I have neglected it, which I regret deeply as I loved blogging and following blogs. With tumblr, I hope Blogger itself hasn't faded. I'll cross my fingers on that one x)


--> My wardrobe has been {semi} updated. I'll post some outfits now {yippee?} And {maybe} get a lookbook? that one may wait BUT I'll deffs get a polyvore account finalement!


--> I wear makeup now. Heh x)


--> Still love chocolate fashion, art, etc. In FACT, I'll be posting some artworks now. Lemme know what you think ;P

Sad.

The title of the post says it all really.
I miss this. I miss blogging, following photographers' artists' and fashionista's blogs. 
I miss posting. 
I always say I'll post more as a new year's resolution.. sigh
This year has literally been a hell of a year. So has last year.
After this, I am definitely staying committed to this. 
I Promise.


{As well as following. Yikes! So many blogs I followed religiously...sorry to say Tumblr kinda replaced that ;O}


So many things have happened. Stay tuned [to those few followers..LOL x) ]

Turning a New Leaf

It has been a while since I have last written here. PHWOAR.

ANYwho..loads has happened! Besides my french exchange of course ;P

First was school (ick.)

and then...yeah..

Alright so nothing much has happened exactly BUT today and last week (Halloween weekend) was awesomely awesome!

I have probably never mentioned this before here but I am a verrh big Lush fan. It all started way back in 2007 when I was on vacay with my fam-jam in California. I was strolling on Ocean Ave. (Oh, Yellowcard..) and came across this store (particularly because of smell, and it's post-boxing day sale :P). I strolled right on through though the store was pretty crowded and all the sales assistants were preoccupied. I was really keen on purchasing something from this store (though I don't remember what exactly) but my mother unfortunately said no but said that Lush is in Canada and we could go there when we got back.

Since that time I have never stepped into that store until a year later. Funnily enough, I was shopping with my mom and my sis and a lady working at a hair salon came up to me and asked me if I could be her sort of guinea pig and cut my hair as part of her exam. I agreed to it, and my mom and sis continued shopping and left me there as her sort of, well, guinea pig.

Once she was done (which looked amazing and the only time I've had it as a pixie-ish cut) I saw that my mom and my sister weren't finished their shopping trip. So I walked about the mall until I came across Lush after what seemed like a while since I stepped into that store.

I strolled in, not quite sure what to expect here. It was a lot smaller than the one I went to in California, and extremely bare. The scents were overwhelming I guess though this store seemed very unique and nothing like other stores (i.e. Body Shop, Fruits and Passion, etc.)

Once I walked inside, the sales assistant immediately came up to me and asked questions etc. (the famous one: "Is this your first time at Lush?") In the end, I bought a cleanser called Herbalism which is for oily skin and nothing else since I was short on money (costed quite a bit for me, around $14.00, though like a deli shop you can purchase it by the amount you want based on grams (or even Kg...though that's going a little ahead of yourself I think :P). I left the store and right as I walked out, I spotted my sister and my mom.

Since then, I have been going back to the store, especially recently this year. But right before the more frequent visits, I discovered their other numerous products that they sell from their catalogues and online store.

Being me, (cheap) I like to go for the great (and cheap-ish) deal. Earlier in May, they had a deal called "Naked" which was a package where you got a soap (Sexy Peel), a toner tab, a cleanser (I chose Coal Face), a body butter (Buffy), a massage bar (Therapy) and a solid shampoo (Squeaky Green) bar for $20.00 (plus tax >_>) They're good but felt that this was not long lasting (only two months and with the shampoo and the body butter...less than that)

In August, I went with my sister and a family friend back at the Lush in my nearby mall (Mississauga--Square One). This is one of my favourite visits because this is where I (we) really got to chat with the sales assisstant and literally spent an hour in that store conversing with her. She described the store's objectives etc. (organic, handmade, local, environmental, 99% vegan) aka stuff I already knew :P (but my sister and my family friend didn't...in fact they always though I was going crazy for this store but boy they were wrong!) but then she started talking about their whole haircare line. This intrigued us all because I'll admit even though I did use Squeaky Green it was just a sample and the only shampoo product I knew they had.

Some smelled wonderful (Godiva, which I purchased) and one smelled like Bacon (she told me how appealing it was for some guys LOL) ANYwho...what actually convinced me to buy the Godvia shampoo (besides the smell) was how long-lasting it was compared to bottled shampoos and their return policy!

Apparently, if you don't like it (or want to be cheap) you can return it within a month or so and there should at least be 25% of that product left after what you have already used of it and get a full refund with your receipt.

I bought Godiva in August (I think the 20th). It is now November and I have 50% of it left. The price was $9.95 which is around the same price as the huge Costco shampoo bottles I'm guessing but this lasts just as long as those ones, if not longer. Of course, I shampoo my hair every alternate day so it depends how many times you wash your hair of course.

Besides showing us the shampoos and conditioners (loved American Cream!) she was the first sales assistant to give us "demos" on things (actually when I went in May the sales lady gave a demo with the Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar and the Vanilla Dusting Powder--Wonderful Combo!) but specifically gave a demo with the bath bombs and bubble bars. My sister and I were impressed with SunnySide; the water looked like liquid gold! and the bubbles looked fantastic! Made me nostalgic for a bit I'll admit. The sales assistant also showed us some massage bars that sparkle and mentioned how it's perfect for being Edward for Halloween.

I thought about her suggestion and found it to be an excellent idea this Halloween; all I would need is that massage bar (called Shimmy Shimmy) and a set of fangs.

After the Lush trip in August I went again in October with my dad to purchase the Shimmy Shimmy bar. But as I looked around I saw that Sunny Side has tons of sparkle and would be a better purchase since it was cheaper than Shimmy but more sparkly. Thing is, just as I was about to buy a Sunny Side bath melt, the sales assistant asked me what this was for and my dad mentioned how I was being Edward (AS A JOKE) durh, and she strongly recommended using Shimmy Shimmy.

So my dad thankfully purchased it and even my dad bought a massage bar and a bath bomb. Anywho, when halloween time came I discovered (and dreaded) that shimmy shimmy would not work over makeup whatsoever. I brought it to school instead and made other people sparkle for fun (esp. for guys) and for other people's costumes as well (one girl dressed up as a fairy so I massaged some of it onto her skin and she looked spectacular!)

Last weekend, (Halloween day actually) I exchanged the shimmy Shimmy for Sunnyside and because I still had extra money I bought a Tea Tree Toner Tab (1.95 each). In addition, I decided to purchase their face masks, which was called Love Lettuce.

In addition, you got to make some "sugar skulls" which was pretty fun though they didn't really advertise it so no one really knew about it :S (then again....their advertising it through word of mouth, online websites, and catalogues) Here are some picks of my sugar skull! I threw it out today...I've had it over a week and even when I made it it smelled like wet dog XP

I mainly decorated it with icing. The eyes are two rockets :P.

Now, when I purchased the Shimmy Shimmy bar with my papa, the cashier lady told me to come for their re-opening party (as they re-did their store...looks classy though I preferred their old logo) which was on November 7 @ 12-6. If I RSVPed now I would get a free limited edition Comforter shower gel (100 mL). I RSVPed (obviously) and today when I went I could not believe how crowded that store was! They even had ropes and all at the entrance to the store!

I was astounded to say the least. I told her I was on the list and got the shower gel (yay!) They even had a draw to win their Lush Legends Gift Pack (most expensive thing in the store...199.99) I put my name and info in there and I am assuming by now that I have unfortunately lost :( but that's okay!

Once I got inside, a sales assistant showed a demo to me and were being very friendly despite the ridiculous crowd! There was a DJ, cupcakes, and some great refreshments (sparkling apple pomegranate juice--simply delicious!) I went around 12:30...the party itself started at 12 and the fact that they had so many people is pretty great!

Anyway, I bought some things (being like Becky Bloomwood..sigh) but got a free package of some their holiday goodies and a free spin at a wheel for an extra prize!

Overall, that was an amazing party, though it was impossible to stay for so long.

Here are some of things I bought and got free(ish):

Bag of Goodies :3

I bought the Comforter Bubble Bar alongside the showergel. Especially during the wintertime, bubble baths will definitely keep be warm and relaxed (and less tense due to exams/homework) In the catalogue, they nickname it Blackcurrant Bliss.

This is their cheapest "Gifts" called Buttercup. It contains Honey I Washed the Kids soap and a Butterball bath bomb. costs 9.95

This is the prize a got from spinning the wheel. It's called The Olive Branch and it is a shower gel. Smells like madarins with a hint of vine leaves.

Ahh, Herbalism. It's always been a classic staple for me (Coal Face is another one that works for oily skin). A lot of people retract from it due its mossy look, but I quite like the smell (much better than turmeric paste if you ask me) It really works with my skin.

Wait...you bought another Comforter?! Actually..no. It was part of the gift deal. It looks like comforter, but it is not. It is called Candy Cane, and it smells like Vanilla (natural of course)

Slightly blurry (sorry bout that) but that is Winter Bath Bath Bomb. It's very strong and somewhat spicy actually but in a good way. It's got ginger, clove, lemongrass and even some soya milk.

Snowcake Star Soap. Another free deal thingy.

This one's called Sugar Plum Fairy. The pink stuff is actually free trade sugar. This is a "body buffer" used for showers.

Some things I forgot to show that I bought today are: cupcake face mask and Aromaco--a solid deodorant bar.

WELL...it's getting late and I have gone off one quite a story/rant about Lush. But really, if you have come to the end of this post, check out Lush. It is totally worth it.

*Edit: a little bit after boxing day (2009) I went to Lush since they were having a sale (buy 3 bars for the price of 1) And I bought Porridge, Alkmaar, and Rock Star. Honey I washed the kids and Porridge were very popular and all of them were out (except for Porridge considering I got the last bar lolz) ANYwho...I liked the porridge the least since I found it too rough when lathering my body. I fell in love with Rock Star which is vanilla flavoured and Alkmaar which smells like jasmine.

*Edit x2: I also purchased Charity Pot last year. Their body lotions are a bit pricey (especilly Creme Anglaise!!) but Charity Pot is definitely worth your buck. All of the money goes to charities (mentioned in their catalogues) except for the taxes (obvs) and it smells amazing! Perfect for wintertime, i literally carried it everywhere!

So.

So.

So?

So;

So...

I Haven't posted in a while.

But, i heff an excuse.

In fact, I have 2.

1. Exams. Duh.

2. French exchange. duh.

Numero duo was six weeks, thus, no time to blog. Just enough time to skype, facebook and hotmail.

And might I say how amazing and awesome and verrh interesting it was! Six weeks was long but at the same time flew by pretty quickly. Like school. ;P

My exchange program worked in a way where I exchanged with this girl who lived in Québec. So, so six weeks I lived with her family and she lived with mine.

La-di-dah.

I worked at a daycare. ZOmG. And could only speak french. O_o. But it was amazing. I forgot how kids acted. {answer is same as usual >_>}

I'll POST PICS. Of what I got. And Saw.

That includes a couple of outdoor (et gratuit) fashion spectacles ;)

That day, wonderful me forgot the camera, so I'll just show some friends my friend Megh took that day.

SO.

Have the good summer to all!

And to the rest of world..have a good season? :)

I went with my friend to see Alice in Wonderland the day it came out. I was taken aback and a bit wary of the movie during the

beginning but as it progressed I became completely engrossed by it. I loved Alice and her wardrobe changes due to her fluctuation

of her size throughout the film.

Seen Avatar? Don't compare its visuals to the film. Not that it's impossible to compare, though I think that this new Alice in Wonderland

is for some reason like a cross between the 1951 movie and Huxley's Brave New World. A "Post-War World" really.

Which also leads to this, don't compare it to the book or the animated Disney version. My friend kept doing that a lot :P. I also did that

a bit in the beginning but started enjoying it when I saw [heard?] the references from the old versions of the '51 movie so it was fine.

I was also shocked by how fast the movie seemed to me. It did not feel like two hours and some whatsoever!

In terms of acting, Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp were amazing. {no surprise} I loved Depp's "break-in-down" dance victory...thing

near the end of the movie. ;P

As for yesterday, my it was a day filled with pandemonium since I woke up.

The highlight of that day was shopping with my sister and mumzeh. Particularly at this store called Dynamite. My mom and I were at

the checkoot counter and I decided to my SPC card [Canuck term -> A card you purchase for $8.50 to earn discounts for numerous

stores. Acronym for "Student Price Card"] Recently, the company forced some rules when they discovered that parentals were using

their son/daughters SPC cards and rather not ask for their Health Card of some form of ID to prove their age, they ask cashiers to

get students to show their Student School IDs.

Personally, I find this ridiculous. I would never carry around my Student ID card because of it is attached to a thick black chain

[RAWr].

ANYwho, so the cashier gal inquired for my Student ID and just like the last store we visited, my mumzeh just decided to give

my health card and they were nice [and logical enough] to give me their discount.

Though in Dynamite, they were super anal [ugh] zombie tards who wouldn't let this go. My mumzeh got upset with this nonsensical

issue and called for the manager. The manager came [mind you, she's preggers] And then the manager and my mumzeh started

to argue.

{Where was my sister in all of this? She ran to the car..}

So on and on this argument went until this:

Manager: DO. YOU. KNOW. WHAT. S. P. C. MEANS? [talks like she's talking to an immigrant/child/old person. I.NEED.A.STUDENT.

I.D.NOT. SOME. HEALTH. CARD.

[Mind you encore..my mother said that me being 15, it's obvious that I'm in highschool and that all I would really need to do it show some

thing that would say "This is me. This is my age. The info corresponds with the card. The school that I go to doesn't really matter. Also,

{and I agree with my mumzeh on this} They most likely started this because most students do not know this rule and the customer could

not use the discount (cheap-o stores.)]

Mumzeh: [reaaaallly pissed now] ARE YOUR HORMONES RAGING OR SOMETHING?

Manager: THAT'S IT. GET OUT.

{Argument soars skyward.}

The Cashier [being smarter than her manager] broke the argument and guided the manager away...somewhere? We paid for out stuff

but came out of there knowing that we will never to there again.

My mumzeh afterwards [in the car] became furious with my sister for not supporting her there since my mumzeh was buying clothes

for us [and one top for her je pense..].

Looking back on that episode, I think my mumzeh and that stupid-ass manager both acted wrongly towards each other. Sucks

for the manager though, since my mom can easily explain this to the corporates of that company.

PHEW. What a tale. I have math tutoring to go to, and Oscars to watch @ 8:00 PM. Avatar...well I hope it doesn't win best

Picture but I really hope the Precious star gets the award for Best Actress [since I know Mo'nique with definitely get it for Best

Supporting Actress :D]. Good luck to all at the Oscars!

VTGF.

Valentines.

Tiger.

Gold.

Fashion Week.

So many events in just a few days.

Valentine's today. Most blah one ever.

I recall purchasing Valentine cards to handing them out to people. The holiday had a true meaning to it.

Now... HA.

Though my parents didn't do any lovey-dovey nonsense either. Nonetheless, my friendlies who were in relationshipville were. ;]

And no, not Tiger Woods for Pete's sake. I meant the actual animal...aka Chinese New Year! I kept singing Eye of the Tiger thinking the title of the song was Year of the Tiger.

Whoops.

So, kun hei fat choi les personnes Chinoises.

Gold. Well, in Olympic {¡Canuck!} terms I mean the gold won today from Men's Luge!!!!! Congrats! I'm especially happy mainly because he beat the Aussie douchebag [no offense, but he is really is a douche..and yes the Canadian media propaganda convinced me, though their facts on him were convincing enough to make him seem roioiruwier.]

Ah, Fashion week. New York, London, Milan, and Paris. I haven't kept as much of a keen eye as I would, though I definitely will be watching Rodarte's show on the tv network online on Tuesday I presume [?].

Well, there's my 5 kg of math work to catch up on...an english essay due this week...and french...and semi-careers nonsense..

Thank God for a holiday. An extra day to procrastinate an extra day longer.

Shell Shock.

Aritzia. Spring/Summer Lookbook.

Can't Get a Yeah Yeah Yeahs outta me head. >.>

And I absolutely love Karen O's outfit in Heads Will Roll. Clear cellophane over her outfit is definitely an awesome image.

I also managed to check out An Education. For once, I am impressed with a movie that is nominated for an Oscar. Besides Avatar

And Up in The Air, and Precious, of course.

I absolutely loved the screenplay and direction of the film. Carey Mulligan's performance was stellar. The "Audrey Hepburn" look really suited her,

though there was no mention of her having the Hepburn-esque look about her, but rather being a "Minnie Mouse". Huh.

In addition to movies, I had witnessed the worst foreshadowing yet. Choosing my courses for IB. Yes, it's scary. Only because choosing your IB courses

pretty much decides what the hell you want to do when you've grown old and blah. From wanted to be an artist, a writer, and an architect,

I decided to go ahead with Anthropology. McGill's requirements is just getting a 90 + in English. Fair enough.

I can't start doing my work for some reason. Sigh, the computer is truly a beautiful and evil God.