ANZAC Day Reminds Me I’m Proud to Be Kiwi

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand (like Nov. 11 in North America). If you’re just tuning in, my parents immigrated to Canada and I have dual citizenship (Canadian/Kiwi). All my family except Mum, Dad, & sister live there. I’m thankful for Facebook because I see so much more of them now! In spirit of Anzac Day and my love for New Zealand, some of my fav NZ people and blog moments below. Fav kiwi jewellery designer, Nick Von K NZ with Gala Gonzalez, Am Lul & Rumi Neely from Fashion Toast Front row at NZ Fashion Week 2010 w/ Derek Fabulous With Derek Fabulous & Nicole Miller A great Kiwi, the wonderful Isaac Likes MY FAV Kiwi Sweets Driving with my Cuzzy Arriving at Auckland airport, awesome! Auckland is totally online.  

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You Never Know What The Day Will Bring

I don’t really know what has me so angry today. On this day last year I was in Boston and we stayed at the Lenox Hotel right by the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I stared at the ceiling in bed last night thinking about how I always stay in Boston till Monday when I go. Last year I missed the race and would have probably been there at the finish line. I think that’s the closest I’ve ever been to a terror attack. Except the time there was a bomb on my plane in New Zealand and I was 12. Friends I knew who were in the race are ok. I’m a pretty positive person and always remind people to look at the bright side but man, I’m really thankful today. More than usual. The saddest thing for me yesterday was a text from Dad asking if I was in Canada. It brought a tear to my eye, imagine his thought hearing the news and not knowing where I was? Heartbreaking. The whole thing is so crazy. I saw that there was a suspicious package at JFK today too. Freaks me out. I love travelling. You can’t be scared but it’s hard not to let it get in your thoughts. I got myself some daffodils for my desk and took me out for a nice pasta lunch at One of a Kind. I think I just needed a moment to give my brain a break. The rain doesn’t help but I love this yellow jacket from Gap Kids. I’ll call Mum in a minute, she always makes me smile. Tell your friends and family you love them. You never know what the day will bring. <3 CASIE

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I Love You in 3D and underneath the moon.

Shannon and I shot in the snow on Monday at lunch for Coral TV. After work I went to Untitled & Co. on Queen Street for the media preview of Hot Pop Factory‘s 3D kissing booth. I was so cool. I love 3D printing, I’ve told you about 8K times. When they aren’t making 3D statues, people pendants or rings with faces on them  for Valentine’s, they make jewellery. I have this white 3D ring below and a matching necklace.   And I really want to wear this. Untitled & Co is where I got the Thug Mansion Barbie sweater. They also carry Stolen Girlfriends Club one of my fav designers from New Zealand. Remember when I went to  New Zealand Fashion Week? One of the funniest things I’ve done ever.  The SGF show was in a theatre and it was a fashion wedding at the end.  My dream basically.            This is me getting scanned and that on screen is me in 3D. This stuff below goes into the 3D printer to make objects that have been scanned (with Kinect) into files on  computer. I really want one of these rings. You can order for around $40.  I am getting the photobooth print tomorrow and giving it to my valentine. &hearts; Wait till this technology gets better and faster.  I can’t wait.

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The Commenting Game

My sister and I used to play The Quiet Game. Be quiet for as long as you can and first person to talk loses. I lost all the time. DOH! That’s not what this post is ab out THOUGH… One of the things I have ALWAYS loved about my blog is when you leave comments. Starting now, like right NOW, I’m going to reward one commenter each week with a prize. It’s going to be a cool prize and I am going to send it to you, in the mail, with my own money.  All you have to do is leave a comment on ANY post from Sunday – Friday. Winner will be picked on Saturday and mail sent out Monday. Comments will be shown in the sidebar so you can see who else is hanging around, who you are up against, or make friends. After all, you already have a common one here. (I mean ME!) You have been getting to know me for god knows how long and when you comment, I get to know you. It makes me feel more human, this is not just a dot com or a magical blog-thing that updates itself, there is a real live person here typing on keys and smiling at the camera. Also, you commenting makes me feel like I am talking to myself less. Not that i mind talking to myself or that there is anything wrong with that. So there, The Comment Game starts NOW and everyone who comments today on any post is entered to win a prize. This contest has no end date. It will hopefully go on forever (just like my blog). Don’t be shy. Have fun! It’s just you and me here on the internet. BTW this is my fav song right now.…

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Holidazed

After being sick for the last 10 days I am finally feeling better. I’ve had cough, cold, sore throat, stomach flu, and more sleep than perhaps ever. My batteries are recharged to start the year. I’m back in Toronto and it’s nice to be home. Holidays home with family and friends were so much fun. Hung out w/ Dad and Skyped our family in New Zealand. Jenie and I wore the same thing on Christmas. We are becoming more twinsey. Mum has some reading to do. Mega snow came but it didn’t bother anyone! Made some robot puppets and had sushi the other night.

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving last year all the kids were home. Boys. Girls. It was so fun.  I love thanksgiving because it’s just about hanging out and hangout out is my favourite.  I miss my family in New Zealand. I can’t wait to see Mum. Taking Dad to Canada Rugby final this weekend, VIP. This is my first actual “long weeeknd” in two years. I have worked every day no matter what day it was. I’m not gonna change much about what I do on the holiday but it changes how I feel. Thanksgiving Day is a holiday to give thanks for the blessings in one’s life, particularly the harvest. It is a day off work for many Canadians. Happy Friday & BON WEEKEND! <3 CASIE

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A Hard Days Night

It’s Tuesday and you are back to work. Hold your head high and put on a smile. I hope you had an awesome weekend. Lucky for us the weather is warm and the sun is gonna be out all week. I relaxed a lot this weekend. Spent time alone, got good sleeps. I wrote, I read, I cooked, I cleaned. I laid on the couch with the tv on playing with my iPhone. It was magical. One of the best things about ‘double Sunday’ as Raymi calls it is one extra day to do things you have not been doing. I even sewed something with Zoey my sewing machine. I feel new again! Quote below is by Steve Jobs from the blog of Jack Dorsey who created Twitter. Mashable posted 15 Steve Jobs quotes over the weekend and if you are looking for some Monday Tuesday Motivation, you’ll find it here. “My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” Steve Jobs Photo by Hawaii at the CNE over the weekend. My hair is in Beatles mode. We listened to heaps of Beatles growing up. I love when Mum tells the story of them first getting a TV in New Zealand to watch the Beatles arrive.  I can only imagine how exciting that would have been. Do something exciting today.  CASIE P.S. In other interesting and nerdy news you can now analyze your Facebook data by going to Wolfram Alpha’s site and typing “Facebook report” into the search box. Have fun!

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Media Dinner at Church Aperitivo Bar

I wasn’t sure what Italiam sashimi was but I love Italian food so I was in. The meal at Church was excellent and I tried a few things I’d never had before.  My notes are not nearly as neat near the end as I’m sure I drank a bottle of wine to myself. Italian sashimi is cut thinner than traditional sashimi and comes served with toppings. I appreciated this because although I enjoy eating raw fish, sometimes it’s cut too thick at Japanese places and I struggle to get it down my throat then spit it out in a napkin. I know that’s gross but it’s true ok! I can’t be alone here? I felt pretty great because they had a section ready and a personalized menu. Thanks guys!

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Media Preview: X-Men: Gordon Smith Exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox

[insert Jaws music]  It’s coming! TIFF is a super exciting time of year for the city of Toronto. So many international people, celebrities, films, events, and business deals. I’ve got a few things in my calendar already as it’s less than 25 days away. Today I went to the media preview of the X-Men: Gordon Smith Exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox. It was so cool! I’m a big X-Men fan despite not talking about comics that much. Tried to get a good 360 for y’all to see the exhibit but it was dark and there are restrictions on what you can photograph. Looks like this but bigger. If you click on the photo it will take you to 360 website for an interactive view. Gordon Smith is an Ontario native and thirty-year veteran in the film industry who has worked on some MAYJAH films (X-Men, Platoon, Natural Born Killers) . His Imdb is stacked. Mine will get crazy one day I hope! The contact lenses, so much variety. Skin of Mystique uses silicone prosthetics that could be applied directly to the skin. Has a life-like texture. It took 12 hours for each shooting day and four makeup artists to glue them onto Rebecca Romijn’s skin, then apply paint, powder, and makeup. This is the pattern. Nightcrawler had plaster moulds and they used computer graphics paired with real actors wearing 3D silicone prosthetics to make the characters life-like. The scarification on his skin, which represents his sins used Maori moko tattoo as inspiration. I always knew I had a special connection to this movie. Maori are native New Zealanders and Gordon Smith is Canadian. Anna Paquin who plays Rogue is  Kiwi/Canadian like me too! I love Wolverine. Such a babe. They used plastic blades for most the movie but these are actual metal and…

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Step into Spring Style with @Sherway_Gardens

Spring is my fav time of year, there’s nothing like flowers, fresh cut grass, and  fashion. I love digging out the box of summer dresses, rompers, and shorts that hide under my bed most the year. I’ve partnered with Sherway Gardens to share my favourite spring trends and help style up a lucky person like you. Here’s three of my favourite trends this season. Contest entry details below! SPRING STYLE: Sheer – I’ve been picking up sheer items since my last trip to New Zealand for fashion week. Long skirts, drapey blouses, sleeveless shirts and anything that flows nicely in the wind. I love the way something sheer has a certain innocence while being slightly sexy. Look for lots of bright colours & prints and have at least one skirt in rotation. You’ll find a great selection of sheer tops & bottoms at American Apparel. They have the maxi skirt in a selection of shades. Short Shorts – I’m a big fan of short shorts because they’re fun to wear and make your legs look long when you throw on some heels.  My tip is to make sure you don’t buy them too small, try the next size up when you’re shopping. You want to be cool & comfortable not stuffed in! I got a great pair of denim cutoffs from Victoria Secret. When you’re at Sherway Gadens try VS and American Eagle. AE has a ton of styles including drawstring and white denim. White Lace/Chrochet – Did you notice this trend at Coachella or SXSW?  I’ve got my eye out for a cutesie white crochet number. I’ve seen this on Pinterest in  collars, bathers, blazers, tank tops and platforms. Chill out, it’s the 70’s! You’ll find this look at Guess or Costa Blanca. All photos can be found at Pinterest.com/CasieStewart/Style…

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