Whether it is because we’re all a bit socially awkward together or because we can spontaneously start an interpretive dance party (as seen above), my best friends are always people that I wouldn’t classify as normal. I love people that are passionate about the most random things, whether it’s fish or Roman History or beating all the levels in Golden Eye. I love that they don’t let anybody else dictate what they should be or what they should like. It’s these weirdos I feel most comfortable around because I know they won’t judge me for being a weirdo also. Hey, I’m practically a boy stuck in a cute asian girl body, loves video games, Spike TV, food and watch my fair share of Jays games. I spent way too much time listening to music. I also am a little bit addicted (at least that’s all I’ll admit), to social networking and blogging. Hell, I’m blogging to you guys on a Saturday night.
Skittles Addiction: A Review of the Other Flavours
This post is in no way endorsed by Skittles. I wish it was, and I could have an unlimited supply of them.
I don’t exactly remember if it was out of boredom or if it was all the fault of @vseanv but I have been reunited with my favourite hard candies, and rather addicted. The school vending machine had the Sour, Blenders and Crazy Core Skittles so I had all of these this week. Today I had a giant pack of the original. I love the predictable flavours of cherry, orange and grape. Lemon and lime I’m not really a fan of, so I gave them away.
As I learned this week, everyone has different tastes and different preferences for flavours, but I’m going to review some of the other packs.
Continue reading ➞ Skittles Addiction: A Review of the Other Flavours
Could You Give Up the Internet for $50 million?
Yesterday @ErikSchenn, @vseanv and @DonVandenheuve1 approached me with the question:
“How much money would it take you to give up the internet forever?”
I answered almost instantly, I couldn’t do it, not for all the money in the world. The internet has become something so ingrained in my life that it feels more than just a mere comparison to a cigarette addiction.
It is pretty amazing to think that if you asked me the question 10 years ago, I might have considered it. With the rapid growing technology of the world around us, you just can’t escape the internet, unless you buy yourself a huge mansion in the forest and cut yourself off from the rest of the world. But then, how would I discover new music? Communicate with people? Sure there are phones, but (aside from the fact I’m in a forest), I actually have friends that won’t answer their phones/texts but will reply almost instantly to a Facebook message or Twitter direct message.
Giving up just the social networks is hard let alone the internet itself. I’ve become attached to my twitter and made some great friends. Some of whom hundreds of miles away but have supported me and helped me obtain opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise such as concert tickets and press passes. Sure with a billion dollars I could visit these people, but then how would I contact them? Even with all this money to travel the world, what would happen after I’ve been everywhere?
Continue reading ➞ Could You Give Up the Internet for $50 million?
Be Your Own Fashion
Yesterday I was raiding my closet and I found a bag of clothes that I had put away. They were shut away not because I didn’t like them or that they looked bad. It was because my ex hated frilly things and would always make fun of me if I wore anything slightly non-fitted or too “cute” or out-of-the-box. Basically, if I wasn’t some cookie cutter hot girl then he hated it and I dressed different around him than I did anybody else.
Now with my new found freedom, I was left there thinking. What is my fashion? My answer, my own.
I’m not the type of girl who buys things for the brand. I love it when someone asks me where I got something, and sometimes my answer is literally “I have no idea” or “I don’t remember”. It’s wonderful having something that nobody else does. I don’t go through sales racks and buy things for the sole reason that they are on sale. Most of my buys have been emotional compulsive buys of things I’ve fallen in love with on first sight. I have a habit of buying pieces rather than full outfits. I adore things that are unique.
What is your fashion? I am anything but one thing. Not exactly normal either. I have constantly changing hair colour, which is currently blonde. I have blue, turquoise, purple contacts which I wear in rotation. Sometimes I wear socks that don’t match, heels that are much too high. I have t-shirts with pictures of food on them, dresses that are a little strange and recycled pieces I made from projects on Cut Out and Keep. One day I’ll be a complete dork, the next make boys heads turn. My wardrobe pretty much reflects my ADD all-over-the-place personality.
I love looking at people and trying to guess what they’re like from their clothes. It’s even more fascinating when you actually talk to them and are blown away by the fact you were completely wrong. They weren’t the cookie-cutter person their clothes made them out to be. They weren’t the person their clothes defined them out to be. They weren’t the goth, ghetto or as superficial as the appeared. This goes both ways, girls and guys.
I have a little sister who’s probably everything that I’m not. I never understood the falling in love with a brand or a certain style. Buying the Ed Hardy T-shirt everyone else has? Wearing the same dress as a celebrity? Dressing up as a skater, punk, hipster? Be your own trend. It doesn’t mean you can’t be one of those some days, just don’t stick a label on yourself. I’m sure you are much more interesting. Try owning something that you haven’t had before but was too afraid to try on because you thought someone wouldn’t like it. Just make sure it fits right, that’s the only rule. I guarantee you will get compliments, get noticed. Why blend into the background? Be your own fashion.
Kicking the Notebook Buying Addiction
Hi, my name is Tiana and I have a notebook addiction.
I was at the bookstore the other day with my sister because she needed to buy a notebook. She was there to buy one for a real reason, so she can keep record of some of her personal info and passwords. I stood in the notebook section itching to buy something. As I stood there, I realized why I’m so fascinated with buying notebooks. I’m consumed with trying to catalog the various aspects of my life. In the fast pace world we live in today, I always feel like I should write down my thoughts so that maybe I could come back to them later. It never happens though, so often I’m left with tons of empty notebooks. Sometimes I’ll begrudgingly use them for school, knowing that I’ll only buy more.
My ADD personality has made me buy almost all of the “Passions” lines of Moleskines, each one covering a different topic: food, books, music. I have ones for doodles, poems, stories. The majority of which are completely empty. When I walk into the bookstore, I’m so tempted the ones to grab the topics such as the ones that you can write about your dreams and anger in; or something to hold ticket stubs. I have to admit, the store is a bit evil for placing everything so in-your-face and noticeable. That’s how they make money right?
Reluctantly, the other day, I came out not buying a new notebook. I decided that if I really have the need to categorize my thoughts, than I can just blog about them here. It’s quick and easy and free, and someone’s actually reading it. So dear readers, of which there is probably like 5 of you, the near future will have articles of every topic. There also may a variety of randoms such as recipes, reviews, stories, poems and other personal projects. For once, I’ll actually start to write things down, just digitally.
Sometimes You Need Time Apart From Something to Miss It
If you were some how misled here and think this is some relationship article look away now. I’m far over my breakup that happened 3 months ago.
Since I was around 5 or 6, I played the piano. I know I’m Asian but it was never something I felt like I was forced to do. I had thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning. Me and my sister both played but she wasn’t nearly as patient enough to continue and after grade 8 we were allowed to quit if we felt like it. I continued. Hell, I had to fight my parents to let me pursue it as a degree in grade 12 when everyone else was applying to be on their way to be a businessman, doctor or scientist. I just wanted to make music. I practiced 3-4 hours a day to make the auditions. I got into Laurier and skipped my Western audition when I was accepted into my first first pick of schools, University of Toronto.
Continue reading ➞ Sometimes You Need Time Apart From Something to Miss It
The Meaning Behind a Tattoo
Whenever I see people with a tattoo, I always ask about the meaning behind in. If you don’t really know why you are getting a tattoo, I suggest you stop yourself before you regret it when you are older. You’ll sit there wondering what in Gods name made you get a butterfly tattoo.
As for me, I may seem like I have some arbitrary little angel wings, but they are more than just a fashion statement. I decided to get my first tattoo right after i turned 20. 20 for me marked the realization that I was growing up into an adult. It was also by far my favourite year of university, when I met some of my best friends.
The idea of the angel wings came from a quote I heard somewhere (don’t really remember exactly where) when I was a kid. “Even if you have small wings you can fly” To me it was always just a motivating sentence that taught me I could do everything I set my mind to. It has taught me to be an adventurous person, who loves to explore and try everything. I guess that explains my sort of ADD personality that wants to do everything, the sole reason why this blog exists in the first place.
The little wings have always symbolized motivation. Everybody who knows me, knows that when I want to do something, I will do it. It drives my parents crazy, but if I wasn’t this way I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get a degree in music, or be on my way towards the Entertainment industry. The wings are little because it only takes a little spark to want me to start something. Take my music blog Ride the Tempo for example. It started out as an idea and a way for me to share music I liked with the world. A year later, the blog has grown to have a focused Canadian perspective and a pretty decent niche following. I still love it, and all the music I receive on a daily basis because of it. It’s still something I’m quite passionate about and work very hard to maintain and I”ll always be thinking about how to make it bigger and better. The little wings symbolize that I’m always growing as a person and trying to be the best for myself.
And hey, my tattoo just happens to be in a convenient enough size and place that I can buy clothes that just happen to have a hole in the back right there.
I’m curious, what does your tattoo mean to you? I hope it does mean something, and you don’t just have an dragon or some really arbitrary asian word. If you’re thinking of getting one make it have a meaning, or it’s probably not worth it later on.
WTF Is A Social Media Expert?
The answer to the question above is, there is no such thing. I always get the random people on Twitter who add me claiming to be social media experts but when you click on their profiles they have less followers than me and just look like spam. Then there is the random person in your life that claims to be one just because they know how to connect to Facebook and Twitter.
Really, there is no such thing as a “Social Media Expert”. The trends on what networks we will use change so fast. Remember the Chatroulette fad last summer? That faded fast. The truth is Social Media works differently for everybody. What you should be focused on is how to optimize its use for yourself rather than claiming to be an “expert” at something. I feel like having to claim to be a Social Media Expert is like those guys who have to post photos of their abs on Facebook to feel good about themselves.
Extreme Couponing… in Moderation
If you haven’t heard of TLC’s smash hit Extreme Couponing, it is pretty much what it sounds like. The show features some of US’s crazy couponers. People who go through websites, garbage dumps and stealing neighbours newspapers in order to buy $600 worth of items for a penny. Most of these people seem like hoarders because they have stock piles of things in their homes that consist of 100 of each item. Those people are overdoing it a little bit, but there’s no reason why you can’t save money by using similar strategies.
Ever since watching the show, me and my sister have been finding ways to save money. We’re pretty well off family, but there’s quite a thrill from paying almost nothing for things. It’s probably the same sort of thrill thieves get from stealing, but in a legal sort of way. And hey, things add up, so maybe you can justify spending $500 on that purse you really want if you can save $500 worth in goods. We live in Canada so some of the rules in couponing are a little bit different, more strict, than in that of the show, but that doesn’t make it impossible. You just can’t do things like stack 2 coupons for 1 item (ex two 50cent coupons to equal a dollar off). Here are some Canadian tips to couponing.
Advertising Asparagus
Here’s another post on a random Business Ethics assignment. It was about creating advertisements that tell the truth. In class our definition of advertising is
“placing a message in a medium to influence an idea, product or service”
We’re blasted with ads everywhere we go day to day on billboards, TV, radio but almost all of them have some sort of exaggerated truth. Often the ads we remember the most are those with some kind of emotional appeal. As an assignment this week we were sent home with the task of making kids eat asparagus, without lying. The healthy side-effects of asparagus however aren’t very appealing (except maybe that it makes your pee smell). Otherwise, the normal kid don’t really care about heart disease, PMS symptoms or being fertile. I decided to avoid the use of any facts in general and came up with this:
I made a flash game where kids create their own “Asparagus Dinner”. No matter what you do, the asparagus will always be on the top. It’s full of smiling food and except for the little bit about a healthy heart, avoids any other facts to avoid lying.
How would you advertise asparagus to kids?
Tiana Feng 