Day 198: Love Yourself First

Spent the morning with calls and meetings then went to the 1188 office to work for a bit. I cleaned out my desk there a few weeks ago to de-personalize it, the desks work more like co-working now. People aren’t really coming into the office much these days but if someone needs to for production or a meeting, there’s space. It was so nice and warm out once 3pm hit I had to get outside. I think it’s the last summer0like day we’re gonna have…for a while. Stopped into Visit Zane for a little hangout, Zane is one of my oldest friends in the city. We’re both from Cambridge and used to hang out in high school! Next, I had a margarita in the sun on the Squirly”s patio, read my book a bit, and caught up with an old friend in New Zealand over DM. Forgot I had this great shirt from LX Factory in Lisbon, it says “The love of my life is myself.” You gotta LOVE YOURSELF before you can truly love anyone else. Y’know?! The weather was perfect so I decided to walk back to the house in the Junction Triangle. It was lovely but my feet were not a fan, walking 7km in platform Converse is not recommended. Spotted some Briony street art along the way!

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Day 115: Kia Ora

Today we made our way back up to the cottage with Emily for a few days. In the afternoon I went to town and pick up supplies. This is one of my fav masks by Evan Biddell. Crazy how masks are a fashion statement now eh?! I chatted with mum and I feel like each day she has a new excitement about being retired. Yesterday she said she was looking into learning Maori again as she spoke it when she was in New Zealand. Reckon it might be a bit harder for me to learn but there are always a few things I remember from learning when I was little or talking with family. ‘Kia Ora‘ is the most commonly used Maori saying in New Zealand, a way to say ‘hello’.

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South Western Ontario Road Trip!

This week I’m making my way from Toronto to Cambridge, then to Leamington, Ontario visiting my family along the way. I’m really excited to visit my dad’s new house. He’s lived there for 2 years and I’ve never been! Leamington is the most southern point in Ontario, on the same latitude as Northern California, with a slightly warmer climate than Toronto. The last time I saw dad was in the summer when he came to the city in his hot rod. I’m looking forward to hanging out tomorrow and exploring the area. Ford Canada lent me a 2020 Ford Edge for the week. This vehicle is a great compact SUV, it’s good on gas, has a great system, and I’m in love with the heated steering wheel. I’ll share a more thorough review of the car after my trip this week. I drove around the city quite a bit this past weekend visiting my sister, hanging with friends, and helping a friend move some new furniture. Today I’m going to my hometown (Cambridge, ON) to spend some time with mum. I can’t wait to see the house renovations and spend the night in my childhood home. It’s always an adventure at home, especially going through my old stuff in the basement. It takes about 4 hours to get to dad’s from Toronto so I’ve downloaded Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book‘ on Audible and I can’t wait to listen. I’ll also catch up on The Papaya Podcast and listen to my favs on Spotify. I love road trips and being in the car by myself. The last time I took a long solo drive was in New Zealand two years ago. It’s a great way to clear your head and get some perspective. I’m hoping to come back with a few new…

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Found on Film: Memories from Bondi Beach, Australia

Last week I took a couple mystery disposable cameras to be developed and one was from Australia in 2004 while I was at university. It’s crazy to think how many apartments and places this camera has been. My life has changes to much but this year was such an important time of my life. Let’s go back in time, this is pre-blog and social media, I was 21. I decided to go to Australia because it was the furthest place away from Canada. I’d always felt a down under connection my family is from NZ and I am New Zealand citizen. My BFF Cheryl and I both had no idea wtf we wanted to do after college so this was a really great option. We could drag out school for another year, spent it in Australia (hello beaches & babes!), and turn our marketing diploma into a degree. Australia is just full of amazing beaches and the best way to experience them is to hire a campervan from somewhere like campervan hire Brisbane, so that you can park up metres away from the sand and sea. That way, you’ve always got everything you need and you save so much money on accommodation, as well as having some amazing views. I think this exact day was the first time we went to Bondi Beach. These were taken at the top of the hill before you go around the bend and see the water. It’s so beautiful, if you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. One of the most beautiful and magical places. Cheryl and I ended up making friends with some people who lived in the white building overlooking Bondi Icebergs. There were so many internationals living there, it was like nothing I’d ever seen. So many people in their 20’s,…

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Interview: Vocab Comm Influencer Tuesdays

I recently did an interview w/ Chrissy, longtime friend, OG PR, and founder of Vocab Comm. I talk about the social media landscape, influencers, and my career. I included part of the interview below, read the whole thing here. Chrissy used to host MMVA and celebrity gifting lounges at the beginning of social media, we worked together on a few. This was a fun one. Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Cambridge, Ontario. My parents immigrated here from New Zealand and my dad had a custom Hot Rod shop growing up. I created my first business in grade 2 and at 14 I wrote a book and started a publishing company. I went to Conestoga College and last year was given an Alumni Award for my work from the President of the college. I went to university in Australia and have a B. Com in International Business. I have lived in Toronto since 2005 when I started my blog. Through my blog, I’ve built some amazing brand partnerships (Pepsi, Telus, Aeroplan, Sassoon) and traveled to incredible amazing places in the world (Thailand, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Disneyland). How do you define an influencer? I think the word ‘influencer’ has really taken on a whole new (kinda negative) meaning with the rise of Instagram influencers. To me, influence is a product of something someone does. It’s not something you get by having a lot of followers. My influence has grown from being a pioneer in a new industry and constantly innovating. I share my life with the world and love discovering new things, my influence comes from building trust with my audience. What advice do you have for other people looking to become an online influencer? Don’t do it. Find something you love and do that! Don’t…

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