TGIF! #3

Credit goes to the original poster of the image.

Hey everyone! :)

You know those moments in life when you're feeling like nothing is ever going to happen to you, or that everything happens to other people? That your entire life is just a number of dreams that are never going to happen because you're "not that kind of person"? Stop thinking like that and push forward, starting today. Don't let anyone tell you that those dreams aren't ever going to be a reality, that is so far from the truth, don't believe them. Your dreams are yours, and no one can tell you if they are ever going to be true or not. That is completely and totally up to you. You're the one who controls your fate, you can make the decisions that you want.

Dreams are things that are meant to shape your life, they are like aspirations that seem so far away that you'll never get to them, but they are always there. They are the things that you want more then anything else, that you are dying to do. That helps you to push yourself toward it, even if you didn't intend it. Think about all those people in your life around you; they had dreams, they still have dreams, they accomplished dreams. Just like you, they know what it is like to want something so much, to do anything in order to fulfill those dreams and wishes.

Makes the most of your dreams and make them into a reality.

Cheers! x

-A

Items in Reveiw! #4

Hey everyone! :)

Last weekend I went with a group of my friends to go and see a movie. I figured that while it was still fresh and new in my mind I will go ahead and give you my review and opinion of the film! However, I will put this warning again THERE ARE SPOILERS! I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good movie plot for you, and I really do recommend going to see the movie. Which movie am I talking about? Elysium. The movie is a future thriller/action flick that stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.

Credit for image to: First Showing Net.

The beginning of the movie gives us a look at the childhood of the main character Max and his devious habits of thieving from the over-populated, poverty stricken, community around him. The part of the community that is startling for most people is the fact that all the characters are of Spanish speaking descent (my friends and I believe that it was supposed to represent the movement of Mexicans from the impoverished side of the border into what should be a prosperous America). Elysium is, in fact, a giant space station in which all the ‘white’ English and French speaking people live. They hold all the money and power for the space station, as well as the earth.

Credit for image to: Dawn.com. An image of Elysium from space.

Originally, I thought that the movie was going to be much the same as all the other “end of the world” kind of movies, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. The movie follows the character of Max, who grew up on the bad side of town so to speak and his constant quest to get to Elysium. That new world is completely perfect, no one ever gets hurt or sick simply because they heal themselves in seconds with medical beds and barcodes of their DNA. All of his life Max has been saving up to get to Elysium, and it seems to be one of those childish wishes that will never be accomplished due to the poverty that ravages the citizens of the earth. Yet, it takes a major emergency to finally push Max to do whatever it takes.

Credit for image to: Ign.com. Frey and her daughter with one of the rouge agents.

After being contaminated with radiation and knowing that he is going to die within the next week, Max agrees to do anything that can get him to Elysium and heal him. Being a “lone ranger” it doesn’t appear that it would be hurting anyone for him to try and kidnap a man and steal all of the important information in his mind. However, when he comes across a friend he grew up with—Frey and her daughter—he finds out that he may not be able to do exactly what he planned. In fact, Frey risks the life of her daughter and herself in order to help him after a brutal shootout that almost killed Max. This results in the three of them eventually being kidnapped by special agents sent to capture them by Jodie Foster’s character—the defense secretary of Elysium.

I grew up with the idea of the Jetsons as a future, where a robot would become your maid and that everything would be made easier by the advancement of  technology. In Elysium, yes that does happen, but only for those who afford it. As someone who has taken a few classes on social justice issues and the overwhelming differences in economic wealth, I found Elysium to clearly show the way that the world is excelling toward a terrible fate. When the richest in the world horde everything for themselves then there will be almost nothing left for all those others who need it the most. I also found that the movie ended on an unexpected note; the death of a main character in order to save the world. Yes, that sounds cliché and as though it is predictable, but it came as a shock to most people and ended in tears for a few of my close friends. It shows that no matter where you are coming from you can still make a change in the world; one person can change everything.

Credit for image to: Film Social

All in all, I found myself on the edge of my seat and enjoying every single minute of Elysium! I may have looked a far too deep into the social justice aspects of the movie while I was watching it, but I truly did find the movie a worthwhile view. Would I go and see it again? Yes, probably, but I don’t know if it would be as good a second time around because the biggest plot twists that kept you guessing would be completely and totally ruined.

That’s it for now everyone! If you’ve seen the movie, let me know what you thought about it! If you have anything you’d like to see me review let me know in the comments as well!

Cheers! x

-A

My First Time.

Hey everyone! :)

So I have been watching a lot of Youtube videos and of course a number of people have been making video responses to an idea that Louise had done; my first time. Now before you start jumping to conclusions, this is not what you are thinking so get your head out of the gutter silly people. The tag is one that talks about the first experiences about a lot of different life events. Since the majority of you liked the 25 facts about me post that I did a while back I decided to give this one a try! I’ve collected a number of questions from the various videos out there so the questions might seem familiar.

Who is your first love?

Well this is a great place to jump in isn’t it? I’ll be perfectly honest and say that I have probably never been in love with another person as of this point and time. Will that change in the future, most probably. For now I am going to take this as a WHAT instead of a WHO and say that theatre or teaching is my first love. Those are both things that I have been doing since I was young and have always had a passion for. Without my acting I don’t know how I would have met a lot of my friends or gotten through high school. I guess it runs in my blood because my father is an avid actor and both my parents were teachers once upon a time. Oh no, does that mean I am turning into my parents?!

What was your first kiss like?

Confession time, I’ve never been kissed before. I could lie and make something up but I honestly don’t see the point of holding that kind of information back from all of you, it isn’t right. I’ve never had a first kiss before and it isn’t something that I am ashamed of or that I regret. I was never the kind of girl who was boy crazy or who went on dates with a lot of guys, I was far more concerned about school and getting good grades. Yes, I was one of those kids. I am of the mindset that if it is going to happen, it will happen with time. I’m not going to rush it, I’m just going to enjoy my life.

What was your first pet?

The first and only pet(s) that I had were a pair of Chinese Fighting fish. My younger brother and I each got two, one blue and one pink one. Now, the saddest part of this story has to be the fact that my little brother murdered my fish. Yup my first pet was murdered when I wasn’t even home. He wanted to see if they could swim back up the pipes so he FLUSHED my fish down the toilet and waited to see what would happen. Those poor little fish didn’t have a chance, and I never even got to say good-bye. Needless to say they never did swim back up the pipes so maybe they liked it down in the sewers? I doubt it but I would like to think they were happy for a little while before they were killed by a maniac.

What was you first meeting with a friend like?

So I don’t remember meeting my first friend because I knew her as far back as I can remember, so I am going to talk about the first time I met my friend Jessica. Way back in the seventh grade I changed schools to attend an all girl’s school and left the majority of my friends at another school. So I was basically starting from scratch and ended up trying to figure out who I was going to make friends with. One of the girls I went to school with prior to grade seven, Kaitlin, and I stood in the gym where all the new grade sevens were gathered and surveyed our homeroom/class. There was one girl standing off by herself, leaning against the wall all quiet and we thought she looked quite sad (turned out she wasn’t but was just tired, but whatever, it worked out for the best). So the two of us, being quite loud and obnoxious people looking back on it now walked up to her and said, “Hey there! Do you want to be friends!?!” Yup, that is right, we forced a friendship onto her and I couldn’t be happier that we did. Jessica and I are still really good friends and I think I’ve had some of the best times of my life with her and a solid group we’ve collected over the years.

What is the first music you bought?

So way back when there were these things called discmen. They came after walkmen and were used to play CDs when on the go.  For one of my birthdays I was given a discman of my own and decided that I was going to pick up two CDs. The two that I saved up for were; Holiday in the Sun from the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie and Avril Lavigne’s Let Go. Yes, 2002 was a very strange time for many people and their musical tastes, let’s not judge them based on that. However, before that I had a tape player that I used to listen to Spice Girls on a lot until the tape broke in half from being used way too often.

What was the first concert that you attended?

I think it would have been the fifth or sixth grade when I went to my first concert. Back then I loved, loved, loved Hillary Duff in all of her movies and owned all her CDs. So when I found out that she was going to come to my small town, I begged my parents to get me tickets. So when my mother got them for my birthday, I was thrilled! I found out my friend got floor tickets and figured that the two of us would sit on the floor and our parents would sit in the stands like a bunch of other kids parents were doing. However, that didn’t happen. My “best friend” asked another girl to sit on the floor with her and I got stuck sitting with my grandfather and her mother in the stands. They refused to let me stand up, sing or do anything fun at all. So I wasn’t very happy through the concert and I kind of wish that I hadn’t just acted like a brat at the time.

What was the first “gadget” you owned?

Well, technically it was an alarm clock that I wanted desperately because in all the TV shows that I watched the kids always woke up to that dreaded alarm. So I desperately wanted to act grown up and just like them so my family bought me one…that never really got used because I hated the sound of the alarm and found it wasn’t as magical as it appeared! I think one of the ones that I used the most would have to be this Barbie Lantern that I got when I was younger because I was scared of the dark. I would use it to walk from my room to the bathroom when I got up and man did it throw a lot of light! It was shaped like a flower and could be used for just a few seconds or to stay on for a longer time. I loved using that and I think I must have it hidden someplace or another.

What was your first word?

No. Simple as that, it was the word no. I didn’t want to go someplace or do something according to my grandparents so I just said no flat out. Of course, I still got dragged out on this outing but it was delayed because everyone had to make a big deal about the first word. Well soon enough everyone got annoyed with the fact that everything I said was No this and NO that, because I didn’t know another word yet.  Imagine how annoying that would have been for everyone involved. I shudder at the thought of something so negative.

What was your first teddy?

I have had this bear since I was born I believe? Once upon a time if you pressed on the two hands it would talk and say various things. You could record your name into it and it would say your name, but that has long since broke and we took the voice box out of it. To this day I still sleep with it on my bed because I use it to block out noise (because I am a weird person who can’t sleep if my ears are open to the room).  Of course it is really worn down but the clothes that it used to wear completely disintegrated in the wash when we were trying to get them clean. I don’t think we could even get all the pieces out of the washer and dryer.

What was your first job like?

So I am going to say that babysitting doesn’t count because almost everyone has done that at some point in their life. At least, most girls that I know have done some kind of babysitting as a first job. The first “official” job I got was the one I currently work at. Yes, it seems funny to still just have a first job but my grandparents didn’t want me to work during high school because it would be too much stress. So in March of 2012 I got my first job at Winners! Woo hoo exciting right?! I love the place that I work and I’ve been lucky enough to stay there for a year and a half at this point. It honestly feels like a family and I’ve been super lucky to make the friends that I have through work. It is an amazing experience and I am glad to be able to keep learning on a regular basis.

What was the first Disney Movie you saw?

I am going to age myself a little bit and say that this movie I saw in theatres when it first came out; Mulan. I was four years old and my parents took my little brother and I to go and see the movie at our local movie theatre. I can still remember how much fun I had while I was there but how terrified I was from the Huns and the bit of violence there was in it. However, I couldn’t imagine my life if I hadn’t seen it because it is honestly one of my favourite movies on the planet when it comes to Disney.

Alright guys that wraps up my list of firsts! I think it is a good note to end it on, don’t you; a love of Disney that has grown into a passion for the amazing company. If there are any other firsts that you would like me to talk about leave me a comment and I’ll try and give you some bonus round questions down there!

Cheers! x

-A

HIATUS EXPLAINED!?

Hey everyone! :)

So, I feel like I have some kind of explaining to do for all of you. About two months or so ago I dropped off the face of the earth, oh no! I didn’t really anticipate that length of hiatus but once I stopped writing it was like the world around me decided to explode into a million pieces. So June 13^th seems like forever ago so let me try and fill some of the events in that drove me to stay off writing for such a long time.

The biggest thing that has taken up a lot of my time recently has been work! Goodness for someone who is only working part-time I have been spending more hours in the store then I have at home. So as you can imagine I am constantly tired and trying to prepare for the next day. This week alone I have been in at work every single day for at least six hours, sometimes more. Okay so more likely then not six hours because we’ve been getting in a ton of stock and they desperately need people to process and put it out. That aside, I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress from a new position at work and the last thing I need is to start falling asleep while trying to do that. So it has been a lot of early nights, which severely cuts back my ability to keep a working muse and motivation going to write a blog post. Now that things are settling down a tad with stuff I should be able to keep up a more regular schedule.

The second major thing that has kept me away from the blog has been my great aunt visiting Canada for the first time in a long time and probably for the last time. She was here from the beginning of July until the end of the month to spend some time with my grandmother and their sisters. This meant that I was dragged to a lot of events and outings as a driver and because “it is the right thing to do”. So on top of working like a mad-man I was being taken all over the town to try and show my family a good time. Again, now that she has gone back home I have a lot more time on my hands to write and brainstorm ideas with people. Having said that, if you have anything you want to see on the blog then please let me know in the comments below and I’ll add it to the ever growing list!

Now as some of you might remember, I was blogging almost every other day, every single week. That pace, while it was a good idea initially, I won’t be able to keep with since I will have both work and school (in September) competing for my attention as well. What does this mean for the blog? I am going to try and stick to a more concrete and easy to follow layout. I’ve decided that I am going to keep my Review Monday (insert link to the last review) and TGIF (insert link to last TGIF) planned days going as normal. The following week I will be posting on Thursday and Saturday (for the time being those days seem like the most viable, they may change if I find they are too conflicting) on whatever topics you want to talk about or if I have something that has taken my interest in the week.

Don’t fret everyone, I am not planning on going anywhere for a long period of time like that again! I hated leaving everyone and loosing contact with some of the amazing people that I have met on the blog. I will be going back to responding to comments and checking out your blogs right away! If you have followed me on Twitter or Tumblr, you can expect more coming from those outlets as well.

That’s all for today, you can expect the new schedule to get going a week after this post, so keep an eye out for that! If you wish to keep up with my updates feel free to follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter or Tumblr, if you wish. If not then that is perfectly fine as well!

Cheers! x

-A

Day 13 | 30 Day Snap Challenge

Hey everyone! :)

So today I was out to appointments almost all day with my family so I didn't do a lot of things. When I wasn't out, I was sleeping soundly so I didn't think that was too interesting. I did however read and listen to some music to try and relax later in the day. I was actually given the recommendation by one of you guys to read The Messenger and I am loving it! So thank you so much! :)

Cheers! x

-A 

If you want more information just click on the image here!

Body Shop Madness

Hey everyone! :)

I was cleaning my room the other day to try and sort some things out for university next year when I came across all the bags from the Body Shop that I've been keeping. So I decided to set it all up and write up a little bit about all of them! I know that it is a crazy amount but I have a friend who worked there for about six months and would manage to talk me into buying things all the time. To save all of you the trouble of searching through a lot of pictures for an item that you would like I've separated it out into three different sections; sprays, creams (split into two parts), and hand sanitizers. Hopefully it will keep it a little bit more organized and make it easier to find some things.

Body Mists

From left to right; Brazil Nut Body Mist, Jasmine & White Frangipani Body, Room, & Linen Spritz, and Moringa Body Mist

I think my favourite thing about the body shop would have to be the amazing scents that they have all the time! I'm not a big fan of strong perfumes that linger in the air when you walk by, but something softer to just refresh yourself throughout the day. So these kind of smells are amazing.

Brazil Nut Body Mist

This is my newest body mist and is already one of my favourite ones! I find it difficult to smell the nutty fragrance that they promise, but I do think it smells sweet and devine. When I first put on the mist, my grandfather swore that we were baking cookies and that is the scent that it reminds me of as well. It gives off a freshly baked cookies smell, which might just be the smell of the nut and I'm just not used to it. I've found myself using this on almost a daily basis (for about two weeks now) and it has hardly gone down at all. I won't lie, I am generous when I spray on body mist so I love a product that lasts for quite some time.

Jasmine & White Frangipani Body, Room, & Linen Spritz

I actually picked up this by mistake when I was shopping at Homesense. I didn't realize that the store stocked some of the Body Shop products and I happened to love the smell of it when I was looking for a room spray to get rid of cooking smells and for a light body spray. So when I found out where it was from, I knew that I was going to get my money's worth. I got this around Christmas time and it is still about three-quarters full, which is pretty good. I am not the kind of person to like that floral smell, but it isn't over-powering but does a good job of covering bad odours for the long run. I've never used this on any kind of linen so I couldn't tell you how long it would stay on fabrics for or how it applies to that, I'm sorry! I do love the sweet and soft smell of it though, especially because the smell of Jasmine is one of my favourite scents.

 Moringa Body Mist

This was a recommendation from my aunt who loved the smell of it and convinced my grandmother to buy it as a part of my birthday gift. I am so glad that she did because the smell is amazing! It is soft, sweet, and subtly floral which appears to be turning into one of my most common smells. As you can see, the bottle is almost empty (even though I've only had it since February)  but that is because my grandmother is constantly using it as well and spraying it into the room whenever she wants the smell. So I guess it has held up for quite some time with the amount it has been used. I find it the perfect summer scent, though any of the three would be amazing, as well as being girly and sweet enough for a variety of ages.

Creams

From left to right; Aloe Soothing Day Cream (Sensitive Skin), Jolly Orange Body Butter, and Aloe Soothing Night Cream (Sensitive Skin)

These are the creams that I use on a regular/semi-regular basis. Without them you have no idea how dry and horrible my skin would be. Of course it isn't perfectly smooth since it has always been dry but too sensitive to use deep moisturizing creams without getting some kind of reaction. My hands are probably worse then my face because of the retail work that I do and the amount of money and hangers I handle on a regular basis. It just helps to keep them from peeling and encouraging me to tug on the dry skin (which is a bad habit of mine).

Aloe Soothing Day Cream

This is one of the products that my friend convinced me to try out after seeing how badly my other creams had been treating my face. She has always had amazing skin and always knows what she is talking about, so I decided that it was worth a shot. Trust me, I've never been so happy in my life. The cream is not very thick since they expect it to be worn throughout the day on a regular basis so it is more of a product that you could leave all day long or reapply when you felt like you needed to. I personally wear it and go simply because it is easier. I find that it absorbes rather quickly, which means that you don't feel really greasy after you put it on. The only downside I find is that it is really difficult to build with, putting make up on overtop, because it doesn't create the greatest grip for any other products.

Aloe Soothing Night Cream

This product works together with the day cream to try and restore as much moisture back into your skin as possible. So of course, my friend sold me on the package so I've been using this on every time I use the day one. This cream is a lot thicker, but a little goes a long way. It isn't greasy feeling, but you can feel it on your skin when you are getting ready for bed. I tend to put it on right before bed so that by the time I'm actually falling asleep (as well as tossing and turning) the cream has almost fully absorbed into my skin. Though the packaging appears small, it honestly lasts for a long time because of the minimal amount that has to be applied. I find my skin is softer and not as flakey in my very dry spots when I use this cream at night in a good quantity (I mean actually taking time to apply it rather then just putting it on very lightly because I am lazy or too tired) so it truly holds its value.

Jolly Orange Body Butter

So as you might be able to tell, I haven't been able to find the link to this on the Body Shop website! This leads me to believe that it is no longer available, as I've had this for about two years and I've just begun to use it. I use a lot of body butters form various places so it has taken me some time to get to this one. Truth be told, it isn't one of my favourite. I don't know if it is because I've waited for so long to use it but I find that the texture to it is rather hard and not very creamy. I've been putting it on while doing my nails and I find that this strange waxy feeling settles onto my hands for a little while after using it. Plus, I don't really smell any kind of orange to it at all, but something else entirely. It is made with orange seed oil yet it isn't overly oily when you apply it which is both good and bad. Maybe if the oil came through a bit more it wouldn't feel as waxy after using it.

Creams (pt 2.)

Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

First, I apologize heavily for the blurry photograph! My camera that I was using started to go crazy on me and then completely died. I didn't have the time to get a better photograph, so I am very sorry. However, the Body Shop website has a more clear image for you to take a look at. 

The reason that I left this image separate from the others is because I don't use it on a regular basis. The only time I've been using it is when I want to try and get rid of a blemish or a red mark left from a pimple, bug bite, etc. I've noticed that it really does help with it! I tend to get minimal scaring from pimples for a short period of time and I find that it rapidly goes away with the help of this cream. A little bit goes a long way and one or two pumps is usually enough to cover the spots. I love the smell of it as well! It isn't overly fragrant  that it becomes annoying, but a light scent that just makes you feel like your skin is getting all the good oils from the cream. I love the feel of it as well due to the medium thickness of it; thick enough to put on all night but light enough to put on during the day if you need to. I have to thank my friend again for this one, I truly owe her one!

Hand Sanitizers

From left to right; Grapefruit, Mango, Strawberry, Aloe, Satsuma, Coconut

 The final one comes from me being crazy about wanting to keep my hands clean all the time. When I went into the store to pick up the Brazil Nut Body Mist I decided to pick up a few of the hand sanitizers  as well to keep in my purse, at work, etc. Well I found out that it was buy two get one free so I bought...six. I love the feel of them, as strange as that sounds, simply because they almost feel like they have a type of lotion in them that spreads along your hands well but doesn't dry them out like a lot of types. The only downside I've found with them is that the smell is so over powering! Even if you use one drop it it, the smell is enough to knock you over. So I would advise being careful about using these in public because some people cannot take the powerful smell. They are made small, so they are perfect for travelling places and also tuck into a purse for when you're handling money or credit/debit cards. I am not 100% sure if all the kinds that I've shown above are sold worldwide, I'm buying in Canada mind you, so I would keep an eye out!

Overall, you can see I spend way too much time in the Body Shop. I really shouldn't be allowed to go in there anymore. I love the all nature, Fair Trade products that they sell because it makes me feel a lot better about spending so much money. I know for a fact that the money is going to the people who actually sell the products at a proper exchange rate.

Cheers! x

-A

PS. I am so sorry that this is a date late! I spent a lot of time trying to get the last two images over again and I just couldn't do it in time to post it up! I'm still going to try and post tomorrow (depending on work) so keep an eye out for that!