Monday 29 June 2015

Year Two


And yet another year has gone by. I always love to do these blog birthday posts. They allow me to take a step back from my life in the present and look back on everything I've accomplished in the past year. I find that a lot of us are too caught up in the stress and tasks in front of us to realize how far we've come and how much we've grown. So to continue the tradition I started last year for the first birthday of this blog, I will be sharing my year's story with you!

First off, I would definitely like to acknowledge all the readers and subscribers of this blog. This year has been the busiest year I've ever experienced so far, and I was definitely far from being consistently active on this blog. Nevertheless, when I finally published my first post of the year last week, I realized that I didn't lose any subscribers, and for that, I should definitely thank you all! Starting from now, I'm really hoping to get back into the blogging groove. So let's begin with the list of things I did this year which kept me away from this blog!

June 2014 - June 2015

Student Council

Leadership Camp

By far one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life. Student Council was quite literally a dream I never knew I could achieve when I first entered high school in grade 9. In fact, I even lost my first elections in grade 9, further proving to myself that perhaps I wasn't cut out for the role of being a leader in student government. My dream was to become the Co-President, but in grade 9, I couldn't even become a simple grade representative. However, in grade 10, I succeeded in being elected as the next grade representative. This led to becoming the Student Senator and representing the school on a board level in grade 11. And much to my astonishment and absolute awe, I found myself as the next Co-President of the Student Council in grade 12.

This year on Council has definitely lived up to what my grade 9 self dreamed of and more. I found myself working alongside an amazing group of people. They had actually made student government become more of a family to me than a group of elected kids from all around the school. This position came with a series of firsts and lasts. My first time working with certain council members, my first time dealing with so many adults and students in a professional atmosphere... and of course, my last dance, spirit week, leadership camp, snowsuit drive and Christmas assembly. All things that had been such an active part in my high school experience. So if anyone from my school, and especially from my council happens to be reading this, thank you for the best senior year I could have asked for.

So to those still experiencing the school life, I encourage you all to get involved in the community around you. Pretty much everyone I've met through campaigning, Student Council work, at our planned events or even just becoming friends has made a giant difference in my life. And I can only hope that I was able to make a small difference in their's as well.

Key Club

Key Club District Convention in Toronto
  
I've always loved being a part of Key Club since grade 10, but I don't think I've ever appreciated it as much as this year, being our school club's President. Key Club introduced me to so many people from around the city and around the country that I would have not met otherwise. The District Convention in Toronto alone was a new experience within itself. Along with being the first business formal event I attended, I was also educated on global issues and had the opportunity to listen to many influential speakers. One of my proudest accomplishments as the head of this club is raising $1000 USD for the Eliminate Project in one school year. If one thing is for sure, I am proud to call myself a Key Club alumni,

Washington D.C.


Another highlight of my year is the short vacation my family and I took in the spring time to Washington D.C. It was so interesting to fly from one nation's capital to another. Though all the American monuments and landmarks were definitely amazing, I think the thing that captivated me the most about this city was the art and scenery. Seeing all the modern and contemporary art at the museums made me find a new appreciation for that style of art. Not to mention the beautiful streets. With the greenery, wide space and trend of white marble buildings, it truly felt like I was in a different world. We also went during cherry blossom season, and though it was slightly early, some trees had already blossomed and it was a beautiful sight. I hope I'll be able to visit again soon!

Graduation


And of course, the biggest event of the year was graduation and prom. After 12 years in school, all my hard work felt like it had payed off. I also noticed that as I approached graduation time, I finally took the time to appreciate everything around me. I never considered how incredible it was to graduate with so many amazing friends, teachers and family around me. Prom itself was a great way to end high school. Being able to dress up and spend a night with friends essentially living our childhood princess dreams was amazing. One of the best parts was definitely heading to my friend's cottage after prom. Starting with a cozy camp fire to a game of Truth to just chatting and staring at the dying fire until sunrise, I couldn't have asked for a better end to my high school life. Here's to the Class of 2015.

And now, a new milestone approaches. I am off to university and a new adventure. Along with the changes my life is undergoing, I don't know if you've noticed the changes to my blog as well. Yep, I changed the banner and the title. I'm hoping to revamp this blog and suit my interests more. I essentially hit that classic blogger's block and realized that I wasn't passionate about some of the posts I've been coming out with. So my resolution for the year is to come out with quality posts on topics that I'm truly interested in. I'm super excited to see where this will take the blog and I hope you are too!

So once again, thank you so much for another amazing year in the blogging community and I can't wait for what's to come! xx

P.S. I'm rushing off to work now, so if there are any mistakes, they will be fixed when I get back!!

Year One | Year Two


Tuesday 16 June 2015

Closet Collections | Kensington Market


Growing up in Ottawa, Canada's capital, I have a special place in my heart for the quirky North American yet European styled city. However, one thing you'll notice if you ever visit is that Ottawans are not particularly concerned about fashion. This means that it can be pretty easy to feel a little overdressed.

That's why taking a trip to Toronto always excites me. I can plan out an outfit that really reflects my style without feeling like I'm standing out too much in the crowd. Of course, standing out is definitely not a bad thing, but it takes a while for us to get used to that... I'm working on it.

In the outfit I prepped for Saturday, I used my love for solid monochrome clothing while adding a little colour and print. 
I especially love the dress from Forever XXI since the dress itself is relatively casual and flowy, while the print and colour remind me of delicate porcelain china dishes. 
I also find myself grabbing the Aldo shoes quite a lot since they're extremely comfortable to walk in, and can clean up a casual outfit. 
Saturday was a debut for my Target hat, since I never really had the courage to rock it on the streets of Ottawa, but after wearing it for a day in Toronto, I've fallen in love with how it easily completes an outfit while offering some sun protection and I think I'll definitely be wearing it out again soon. 
It's actually pretty interesting that I have so many Target things in this outfit, since I've only bought three items from there before, and Target is sadly now closed in Canada. The bag I have is perfect for me... but kind of bad, I guess, because it encourages my need of bringing unnecessary things around everywhere with its largeness. I especially love the gold pegs on the bottom of the bag which add a little elegance. 
Finally, the sunglasses I had were a necessity since I didn't feel like wearing contacts that day and they are my only prescription sunglasses. I picked them out since I've always loved it when pictures of celebrities would come out and I'd notice that a simple black frame was classy and worked with every outfit.

Even after visiting Toronto multiple times every year pretty much since I was old enough for road trips, I've never found myself in Kensington Market before. After hearing about it a billion times, I was determined to explore the market during this trip. And I fell in love. Each store had its unique design, products and concept. The walls on the street were free canvases for all artist and we even had a little chat with a man who was working on some graffiti art in the side alley where my outfit picture was taken. The quirky street has captured my heart and with so many unexplored shops, I will definitely be going for a longer visit during my next road trip to Toronto.











So those are a few of the pictures I managed to capture. I'm not exceptionally proud of them, I'll admit, since I was so overwhelmed by experiencing the visit that I only took a couple of snaps in a rush. If you ever find yourselves in Toronto, I highly recommend a visit there!

What are your thoughts on my new Closet Collections series?