Week 12: How to Prepare for Christmas Break

With Christmas time being only a month away, now is the time to get yourself prepped for the holiday and into the spirit. Heres how:

Step 1:
Listen to Christmas music! I know a lot of people may think it is way to early to break out the Christmas tunes, but for me, Christmas music puts me into such a great mood! Also listening to festive music lately is motivating me to get through this semester and look forward to being able to enjoy the holiday stress free.

Step 2:
Start thinking about what to get your loved ones. Again it may seem early, but once finals hit, you will have no time to come up with great gift ideas and will be stuck in the crazy hustle and bustle as the many other last minute Christmas shoppers (don't be one of them!).

Step 3:
Keep yourself motivated! I know it can easy to lose focus on school work when all you can think about is the approaching holiday season, but try to keep on track (and pass all of your finals). Who wants to spend their Christmas break worrying about if they passed a course or not? If you work hard now, your break will be a lot more rewarding and stress free.

Good luck to everyone on the last run of the semester and I hope you enjoy the upcoming break (if we all make it there).

Week 11: Meme

I don't know about you, but ever since starting university I feel like I barely have any free time. So on the odd chance that I do, I usually ask myself this.

Week 10: My favourite quotes

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today" - Will Rogers

Will rogers was a comedian actor in the late 1800's. Though I don't know much about him, I believe this quote to be a great motto to live by and is something I am trying to get more into the habit of. It is so easy to let your worries and anxieties follow you from one day to the next, but it is important to try and start everyday as a blank canvas and leave the past in the past. If you let yesterdays vices continue into today, you could find yourself stuck in a vicious cycle.

"Do your thing and don't care if they like it" - Tina Fey

You all probably already know who Tina Fey is, but incase you don't, she is an American actress/comedian who is well known for her skits on the popular night show "Saturday Night Live". This quote is really short and self explanatory however I think it is really important and relevant. If you are passionate about something, don't feel like you have to hide it away from the world just because you are worried about what others might think. People will judge you no matter what you do, so at the end of the day you might as well do what makes you the most happy and if people don't like it then who really cares?

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”  -Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was an actress, model and singer in who became popular in the 1950's and died in 1962. I like this quote because she describes two polar opposites as being the same.The pairs of imperfection and beauty and madness and genius are meant to basically be antonyms, however I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. The little quirks about a person is what makes them unique and beautiful, not conformities. And nobody ever made a huge discovery or invention by thinking inside the box. The last point being made is also very true, life is a lot more fun and exciting if you take risks and step outside of your comfort zone rather than stick to the norm and not try new things.     

Week 8: Open Letter

Dear Aeropostale shoppers,

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you all on some frequently asked questions and concerns that are presented to myself, and probably every other associate at least once a shift. First of all, no the fitting rooms are NOT see through when you enter them. This question baffles me because why would we allow you to change clothing behind a clear glass door? We wouldn't. They work by motion sense, therefore as long as you are moving in any sort of fashion, I promise you will not be seen. Secondly, yes that really is the price! Aero is fairly well known for having pretty insane clearance prices. For example, in stores right now you are able to buy T-Shirts for as low as two dollars and underwear for only ninety-nine cents.. No I am not kidding. Though, I must say seeing customers get super excited upon telling them their total is pretty funny.. Keep it up! Another question I am often asked is "Who is this Bethany Mota chick? What's so special about her?" Well, Bethany Mota started off being a YouTube "beauty guru" making videos about makeup, fashion, DIY projects, ect. Bethany's online fan base grew substantially and now has over 7 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. Bethany started her clothing line with Aeropostale in 2013 and is currently a competitor on Dancing With the Stars and also released her first song. All in all, she has become extremely popular among young teenage girls and is definitely making her way up in the entertainment world (her clothing line is also pretty cute, you should check it out). Anyway, I hope I covered some key points and answered some of your FAQ's about the store. Happy shopping and keep it real.

Sincerely, Aeropostale sales associate.

Week 5: The Four Seasons

Winter 

Spring

Summer

Fall

Week 4: Material Girl

This week I will be reviewing the Sherri Hill Spring 2015 collection. Ever since I was young, I loved going shopping with my mom and admiring formal and elaborate dresses, and even to this day I will find myself browsing the internet for couture gowns (even though I would never have the opportunity to where them.. but a girl can dream). Of course with recently graduating high school, I have some experience with hunting for the perfect dress for prom, during that time I discovered that Sherri Hill was definitely my favourite out of the designers who made similar dresses and I ended up purchasing one for my prom.

This month, Sherri Hill revealed her new Spring 2015 collection during the annual Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week at the Plaza Hotel. Sherri Hill mainly focuses on prom dress designs, however this collection also features some shorter cocktail dresses as well. The elements that stood out the most to me from this collection was high necklines, tons of beading and also bohemian inspired designs. The entire collection is exquisite and very original, there are numerous different styles, silhouettes, colours and patterns to satisfy every girls dreams.

Personally, I really like how Sherri Hill incorporates current trends from day to day clothing items, this collection features many two-piece dresses that resemble the trend of crop tops, which have been huge for the past couple of years. I think these cropped designs add a little bit of edge to the classic full length silhouette and are perfect for all of the risk taking fashion girls out there. Below is one of my favourites of the two-piece style dresses from the collection.

                                                         (http://instagram.com/sherrihill)

My favourite trend to hit the runway was the bohemian inspired dresses. These gowns are very unique and unexpected, incorporating laid back cream coloured crochet lace designs while also adding embellishment achieved a beautiful mash up of a free spirited but yet upscale feel... Amazing! Here is my favourite dress from the collection that exhibits this style:

(http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/model-walks-the-runway-during-the-sherri-hill-runway-show-news-photo/455279972)

Overall, I don't have any negative comments about this collection. In fact I greatly admire Sherri Hill on her ability to experiment with unique and daring concepts and ultimately never fails to impress me her creativity. The only downfall is that the prices are rather steep, usually ranging from $400 up to more than $1000, However if by change if any of you girls out there are looking for a dress for a formal occasion, I would recommend checking out this collection. From owning one of Sherri Hills products myself, I can confirm that the quality is excellent and I am sure that same quality will carry over to her new 2015 collection as well. 

Click here to view a sneak preview of the 2015 Spring collection runway show!

Also visit the Sherri Hill website, www.sherrihill.com 

Week 3: Step into my life

This week I will be sharing a couple of my favourite photos to give you some more insight on my life.. Thanks for viewing! 

(Taken by Farrel Cahill)

This is a photo taken of my friends and I on our graduation day, May 24th 2014. This picture means a lot to me because I think that it captures our friendship very well. All throughout high school the four of us have basically been inseparable and we would travel as a pack almost everywhere we went, always laughing and having a good time a long the way. Now being in university, things are assumedly quite different than they were in high school, being that we are all off doing our own thing and no longer have the safety net of being surrounded by each other all of the time, but all in all, we still will always be there for each other. This photo brings me a lot of joy when I look at it because I am reminded of the great memories that we have formed over the past few years and I am sure that there are also many more to be made as well. 

This is a photo I took while vacationing in Treasure Island, Florida this past May. This was taken during one of my daily walks along the beach in the evening. This photo is significant to me because it gives me a calming feeling similar to how I felt while I was there. The beach is one of my favourite places to be, I just love the sound of the crashing waves and birds flying over head.. I would definitely consider it to be my happy place. Since I am not able to visit beautiful, sandy beaches as often as I would like, when given the opportunity I love to take in all of my surroundings and appreciate every second that I spend there. As you can see, this photo also features the silhouette of a blue heron. These birds fascinate me with their elegant strides and posture, When walking past them they would stand still and tall like a statue, as if they are letting you admire them instead of fleeing which makes them pretty unique contrasted to other birds. 

Week 2: Analyzing "The Scientist"

This week on my blog, I will be analyzing one of my favourite songs "The Scientist" by Coldplay.

                                                            "The Scientist"

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I'll set you apart

Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles, coming in tails
Heads on a science apart

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start.

I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard

                                                     I'm going back to the start

                                           (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/coldplay/thescientist.html)

The form of the lyrics of this song seem to follow a meter of 10,7,10,7 (In the first, second and fifth stanzas) with the exception of the first line in the second stanza which contains 8 syllables. Where as the chorus or "refrain" has a less uniform meter of 8,8,8,10,7. The stanzas are set up in a very uniform manner, consisting of four lines each, excluding the chorus which includes an extra line.

As for who is being addressed in the song, It is made pretty obvious right away that the speaker,which could easily be Chris Martin himself or simply anybody who is exhibiting similar hardship, is addressing a significant other. This is made apparent by the constant use of the word "you" in the first stanza. The tone that is projected to me in this song is apologetic and regretful. These tones come to light in conjunction with the slow melody of the song and my gathering of the sense that the speaker seems to regret and have guilt towards past decisions that lead to the conclusion of a relationship. Selections from the song which prove the tone include "Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry" This line is fairly self explanatory, the speaker is blunt in their purpose of gaining a resolution. Another example would be "I was just guessing at numbers and figures Pulling your puzzles apart" I believe this to be a metaphor by way of analyzing the relationship to find the root of the problem, the speaker is desperate to figure out where they went astray (comparing it to being a science) in condition to restore how things were in the past. Along with this metaphorical references to science, this song contains a number of different poetic devices, including "Do not speak as loud as my heart" being an example of personification. Repetition is also used to created emphasis, as I said earlier, the word "you" is repeated for the purpose of getting the point across that the song is directed to a particular individual.  

For me, I can listen to this song many times over and never get tired of it. Though I cannot personally relate to the content, I am still able to have an appreciation of the art work. As I previously mentioned, I believe the content of the song to be describing a terminated relationship leaving the speaker of the song distraught and wanting to return to "the start" of this relationship. After watching the music video for the song, it opened my eyes to the other possibilities of how the relationship being described could have ended other than a break up, such as death, which is what is documented in the video. No matter the reason, the speaker is desperate mend the situation and revert to the beginning of the relationship. This song has been covered by many people ranging from Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and the cast of "Glee". Within these covers, the message seems to remain the same, all following the same mellow tune and exhibiting the same tone. 

Week 1: Introduction

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Hayley and I was born in Halifax, however raised in St.John's. I am currently in my first year at Memorial University (forever lost in the "Munnels") and I am enrolled in the business program, hoping to continue my studies with the Commerce program in the coming years. I am as well considering studying abroad for a semester or applying for a work term in another country. Though I am not entirely sure about which career path I want to pursue in the future, my dream job would involve something in the fashion industry, where as I have always had a strong interest and passion towards it. I also aspire to travel as often as possible and experience as much as the world as I can and hope to someday live in a large and fast paced city.  

As for my hobbies, I have been dancing since the age of 2 and it has remained to be my favourite activity to date. In saying this, it is one of the sole physical activities that I enjoy because I have always been undoubtably terrible at every team sport I have attempted... I'm not quite the competitive type. I also enjoy spending a lot of time with my family and friends, and I see them as the most important aspect in my life. I would also consider myself to be a decently outgoing and social person, therefore I am always open to meeting new people and making new friends. Nevertheless, I also do enjoy having time to myself to simply lay in bed with my cat and watch Netflix... But i'm pretty sure i'm not the only one, am I right?

Anyhow that's all I really have to say... I'm not the greatest at talking about myself. But I am really looking forward to the rest of this year and I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity possible in order to make the most of my university experience. 


Hayley.