Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth.
YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them.
Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.
Any views or opinions expressed on this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people or organizations that the blog may be associated with, unless explicitly stated. All content is for informational purposes only.
We’re slowly getting more and more snow, and the weather is hinting at a cozy day inside with a hot cup of cocoa and a good movie. Though often times, it’s hard to decide on a movie that you haven’t seen. So below I’ve listed my top 10 movie recommendations.
10. The Martian
I think I’ve seen this movie at least three times. It’s about an astronaut (Matt Damon) trying to survive on Mars alone after his whole team assumes him to be dead. It’s a really intriguing movie, with a lore more humour than you’d expect.
Rated: PG-13
9. The Aristocats
This movie is most certainly one of my favourite Disney movies. It’s a cute story about a family of cats trying to find their way home. If you’re looking for a wholesome animated movie, look no further than this movie.
Rated: G
8. Pitch Perfect
This movie came out years ago (they’ve made three movies in the series but nothing tops the first one) It’s about an acapella singing group and their journey in an acapella competition. Personally, I think it’s one of the best movies ever. There’s so much good music and it’s hilarious.
Rated: PG-13
7. The Sound of Music
I’m sure that nearly every person ever has seen this movie, but if you haven’t, please go watch it. It’s lovely musical about a woman going to be a governess for a quite rich family and it’s just so good. And Julie Andrews is in it, so it’s definitely worth seeing it for her.
Rated: G
6. Kill your Darlings
I’ve only seen this movie once, but dear god it was so good. It’s set in 1944 and it’s about the poet Allen Ginsburg (I’ve read some of his poetry, which is really good) and a murder that him and a few other poets are involved in. It’s a pretty intense movie but I liked it a lot.
Rated: R
5. Christopher Robin
This came out pretty recently and it’s an adorable movie about the characters of Winnie the Pooh, and the now grown up Christopher Robin. I cried so hard. I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh and this live action movie exceeded all my expectations.
Rated: PG
4. The Notebook
I hate to admit that this movie is on my top ten list, but it’s my guilty pleasure. It’s a cliché love story between a poor boy and a rich girl (I can’t really go into much without spoiling anything) and I remember sobbing by the end. It’s a lovely movie, featuring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams might I add.
Rated PG-13
3. The Imitation Game
I haven’t seen this movie in a good few years, but it’s actually spectacular. It’s about an english mathematician in WW2 trying to crack the German Enigma code. Now, this movie is definitely not light hearted, but it’s very good. The acting as well, is just spot on.
Rated: PG-13
2. Call Me By Your Name
Okay, so I read the book that this movie is based on (it’s such lovely writing I definitely suggest it) last year, and then this summer I watched the movie. And it was so beautiful. For one, the actors are fantastic and then the actual camera work was amazing as well. I loved it. The story is about a boy in Italy falling for a man staying with him and his family. I cannot stress enough how beautiful this movie is.
Rated: R
Before I do my #1 movie, I’d like to mention a few runners up. They’re all wonderful movies, just not my top ones.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Breakfast Club
A Single Man
Ocean’s 11
Heathers
The Princess Bride
Deadpool
and Holding the Man
Last but not least,
1. La La Land
I know for some this was probably anticlimactic, but this movie is honestly a work of art. I’m probably exaggerating just a little but I’ve seen this movie four times and every time I cry so hard. It’s about a young woman trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood, all whilst falling in love with a jazz obsessed pianist. I don’t know how to put into words just how much I love this movie. It’s also a musical, which really made it for me. I just love it so much, it’s gorgeous and whimsical and definitely deserves to be top of my list.
I love trying new restaurants and discovering new food. I do however also have some time-honored restaurants that I consistently come back to, and, they consistently serve up great food with great flavour!
Viet Hai
Viet Hai is a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant in southwest Calgary. I have been going to this restaurant for a few years now and I can say that it has some great food. I recommend the rare beef noodle Pho, as it is a great meal to warm up to on a cold winter’s day.
Earls
Earls is a very classic restaurant which serves a large variety of dishes. It offers numerous locations throughout Calgary so it is quite easy to access. I recommend the Penne Alfredo as it is one of my favourite dishes of all time!
I love pizza and it is one of my favourite foods- all the styles of pizza as well, ranging from Neopolitan to Greek to American Style. Here are a few of my favourite places to get pizza:
Famoso
Famoso is a very popular restaurant. Like Earls, Famoso offers a variety of locations around Calgary making it easily accessible. I recommend the classic margarita pizza, however, all the items on the menu are great and you cannot go wrong with any dish!
Without Papers Pizzeria
Without Papers is another great pizzeria in Inglewood. It is easily identifiable by its trademark red door. Without Papers is a great spot to pick up inventive takes on Neopolitan Pizza in a laid back and warm environment!
Bella Roma
This is probably one of my favourite places to get Greek style pizzas. The crust is fluffy, the pizza is topped with a plethora of ingredients and the sauce is amazing. I recommend the Hawaiian pizza, as it is one of the best pizzas I ever had. Bella Roma also delivers within a certain radius so if you want pizza but do not feel like leaving your house this should be your go-to spot.
To be honest, all of these 6 kinds of people can be labelled as ‘Haters’, even though they aren’t totally mean. They just try really hard to be mean. Anyway, this post is about the top ten people I always see in the comment sections on YouTube. Let’s get right into the list:
The ‘Hater’: This group of people are in all YouTube comment sections. They’re everywhere! We just can’t escape them. I can click on a cooking video and I’ll see the following comments: “Do you see how her hands are!? They are so ugly, I just lost my appetite! #SorryNotSorry” Then when you reply to them with ” Says the person with a waffle popping out of a toaster as a profile picture.” They get butt-hurt and start swearing at you! But the thing is, they’re so coward that they put asterisk’s and hashtags. I just ignore these type of people, they’re just a complete waste of time.
The “Trolls”: These are the people that do these: ” What did the librarian say to the boy? Read More” Then you click ‘read more’ thinking that it’s actually the ‘read more’ sign. The other one is: ” 1. There is a hig bole, 2. You that read wrong, 4. You read that wrong too, You didn’t realise that I skipped the no. 3, You went to check and now you are laughing’ No, No I’m not laughing, I’m upset that I have been fooled by so many of these comments.
The “Percentage”: If you don’t know what I mean, here is an example: ” 75% about the video. 20% random. 5% these things.” I don’t get upset by these people, I just find these oddly satisfying. Well of course, unless they don’t add up the percentages correctly. Then I’m just angry.
The “Funny Lists”: These are the comments that make me laugh sometimes and like them. The comments that go like this: ” 1. I hate lists. 2. I hate people who asks for likes. 3. Like if you agree.” These are unoriginal comments. But YouTube is full of unoriginal comments, so what can I say?
The “Up-Suck”: This person is always sticking up for this creator. That’s not a bad thing, but when they are doing something wrong you just can’t say ” I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU DO! YOU DO YOU! NO THAT’S NOT WRONG THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST HATERS! <3″ No…just stop.
The “Supporter”: I am this person. I’m pretty sure many people are, when someone needs someone to be there for them. Many people will be. These aren’t the only supporters though, there is the aggressive supporter. You can say ” My favorite color is pink” and they would respond with ” You noob. We all know that mature people don’t HAVE a favorite color.” I’m just shocked when I see this type of people.
A school is a place where kids make great memories but also learn many important lessons about life, many of which aren’t taught in classrooms but are learned through interactions with our teachers and our peers. One of the biggest lessons you will learn while being in school is that you will fail sometimes. Even then, the fear of failure still remains and for many kids at school, it can be a brutal experience. I myself remember failing a very important Social Studies Test in my IB class, the second time, and I quickly went into the washroom and started crying. I was there for an hour. I only went back to class when there were twenty minutes left for that class to end. But the feeling that I was never bound to succeed in Social Studies class was still there consuming my thoughts. It made me more anxious for upcoming tests than I already was. That is what failure does; it makes our goals seem less attainable.
We all want to be the best version of ourselves. We want to succeed. And sometimes, a lot of us do that to prove to people that we are capable of being smart, strong, talented. Sometimes for kids, it’s to do it out of parental/family pressures. We then push ourselves to be near-perfect in everything we do, telling ourselves that failure is not an option. But failure is right around the corner, and as it arrives, it can be ever so disheartening. This begs the question, how can we encourage today’s youth to get back up when they get knocked down?
A school in Northampton, Massachusetts, called Smith College has opened up a program as part of an initiative called “Failing Well.” In the program, students and staff share stories of their biggest academic failures, from failing their first college writing exam to having a poem rejected by 21 journals. The program also includes workshops on perfectionism, Imposter Syndrome, Overthinking and Self-promotion. According to an article from the Washington Post, Rachel Simmons, a leadership development specialist in Smith’s Wurtele Center for Work and Life, said that the program is designed to teach that “failure is not a bug of learning, it’s the feature.”
Upon entering the program, students are given a “Certificate of Failure” that certifies them to “screw up, bomb, or otherwise fail at one or more relationships, hookups, friendships, email or texts, papers, exams, class, extracurricular activities, or any other choices and decisions associated with college herein, wherefore, and forevermore… and still be a totally worthy, utterly excellent human being.”
Similar programs and projects have been opened up in Harvard, Stanford, and Penn-State University, all to achieve the same goal: to open up a conversation about personal academic and social failures during school in order to create resilience among students after experiencing a setback.
The same kind of approach should be taken in Canadian high schools, and colleges. It is a fact that the anxiety and depression levels in students today are higher than ever before, and bringing this approach into our education system will play a part in the solution of this problem, and letting Canadian youth know, that it is okay to fail, and that they’re never the only ones.
I know I shouldn’t encourage this, but if you’re amidst procrastination season and are searching for a new show to start watching, take a look at these gems! They’re fairly short shows (only 1-3 seasons, but some aren’t finished yet) so you’ll still have some time left over to do your work after you’ve binge-watched.
The Man in the High Castle
3 seasons so far
Found on: Amazon Prime
Rate: PG-13
Very interesting (and kind of freaky) show set in an alternate universe in the 1960s where the allies didn’t win World War 2. It presents a chilling and somewhat realistic world that could’ve been our present if history didn’t go as it was written. In this new extremely conformative, dystopian-like society, Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan each control half of the United States with a “neutral zone” in between. The main character, Juliana Crain, lives on the Japanese controlled west coast in San Francisco, keeping her head down and being as low key as everybody is meant to be in this post-war era. Things seem to continue this way until Juliana begins to discover these strange films, depicting an alternate history where the allies did, in fact, win WW2. Curious, Juliana starts on a journey to find the man behind these seemingly realistic films–the man in the high castle. From there on, she becomes tangled more and more into this complex web of dark secrets, mysteries, and betrayal.
This show really gets you hooked since the beginning. It always leaves you wanting to know more since this is practically a completely different reality. Fair warning, it does get a little confusing at times with the films, you’re not too sure what’s real or what’s not. Also, for some watchers, it is slightly controversial because of the idea it’s based on–the axis winning–so if that is in any way uncomfortable or displeasing to you, by all means, don’t watch it, but if the story sparks some interest, please try a couple of episodes and see how it goes.
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23
2 seasons, finished
Found on: Netflix
Rate: PG-13
A small town girl named June moves to New York City with many dreams and aspirations for herself only to have them break and has to live with a con artist, Chloe, as a result. Despite the rather sad sounding plot, this short sitcom is actually pretty funny. Chloe and June have polar opposite personalities, which makes their dynamic hilarious. June is quiet, respectable and kind, while Chloe is wild, cunning and, well, a b—-. Every episode is basically them and James Van Der Beek (who plays himself) in different situations–like all sitcoms are.
I really enjoyed this show and was bummed it was cancelled after two seasons. I thought the story and humour were great as well as the characters. If you’re into more lighthearted/funny stuff, this show would be a better choice for you compared to other selections on this list.
Babylon Berlin
1 season so far
Found on: Netflix
Rate: R
Although it’s in German, this historical drama is very intense and attention-grabbing, based in Berlin during the interwar period. Germany, between WW1 and WW2, was a conflicted country. Other than the disastrous aftermath of the Great War for Germany (the immense casualties of soldiers, the debt, the humiliation, etc.), it was also a time of lots of political and social change/protest. The show focuses on Gereon Rath, a young police commissioner and war veteran (played by the one and only Volker Bruch–we love him) who is recently transferred to Berlin. Amidst the cases he is trying to solve, there is a darker conspiracy that lingers in Berlin that he’s swept into. Soviets, trains of gold, German generals, moles, gangs and murder are just the beginning. You don’t need any knowledge of history to watch this show, just a love for good cinematography!
I got this show recommended to me by a friend, although I’d seen it a couple times on Netflix before. I think this is the type of show you wouldn’t initially want to watch by yourself but rather have to be recommended to watch, which is exactly what I’m doing. Trust me when I say that it is worth a watch. Not a single second of it is boring, plus it always leaves you a little puzzled, wondering how everything connects together. And, really, the acting is very well done.
Written and starred in by Rebel Wilson, this short sitcom is based around three best friends in New York, Kimmie, Helen-Alice, and Marika. They’re the type of people who you’d regularly find having a night in instead of going out, but when Kimmie gets a promotion at her job, she is swept into a new lifestyle that expands her comfort zone. Instead of piano bars, Kimmie and her friends are introduced to the iconic NY nightlife. And having influence from her love-hate relationship with her confident/cocky co-worker, Kendall, and her workplace crush, Richard, Kimmie has to find a way to incorporate her past life and new life together. And knowing Rebel Wilson, you already know this show is filled with humour and creativity.
It’s super hilarious and genuine, I think it’s a good laugh. In my opinion, this story was fantastic and definitely deserved many more seasons! Super Fun Night is truly a feel-good type show, exactly what you need during times of stress!
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
1 season so far
Found on: Netflix
Rate: PG
This is actually a pretty good show, although it does suit more of a Halloween atmosphere, you can watch it anytime! The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows the story of a half-witch half-mortal 16-year-old girl named Sabrina Spellman, who is faced with a big question: join the witch-world like her family or stay in the mortal world with her friends. She is met with numerous obstacles on her way ranging from bullies to principals to actual Satan. Always the justice-seeking, down-to-earth person she is, Sabrina is an easy character to like, making this show worth a watch.
This show will grab your attention and hold it for 10 episodes straight. It’s funny and romantic and scary and suspenseful! The development of each character will literally make you overly attached to all of them, but mark my words, Ambrose and Aunt Hilda are the best characters.
I hope you take a look at these options and watch a couple of these great underrated shows!
November is almost over, and in honour of Canadian writer and inventor Margaret Atwood, who was born on November 18, 1939, I have compiled a list of Atwood’s best poems with a blurb on my interpretation of the meaning she was trying to convey.
“Eventual Proteus”
Relationships are short-lived because the problem that arrives when people cease to change because all the other person’s layers are revealed, there’s nothing left to attract you anymore. Once you see something you cannot ‘unsee’, and the more you see it, the less interesting it is.
“Cyclops”
Humans have cut themselves off from the natural world because of fear, and have thus become both disconnected from it and utterly dangerous to everything in it.
“Rat Song”
We, as humans, tend to think of ourselves as superior because we are not bestial, but in reality, we exhibit parasitic qualities which we hide and attempt to stifle. Human nature is unlike what we perceive it as, which results in barbarism and hypocrisy. There is a vast difference between appearance and reality, and what we perceive ourselves to be versus what the world sees us as.
“Spelling”
Women must battle the conflict between external pressure and internal passion by learning to give birth to their own ideas and empower their voice.
“Postcards”
There is a discrepancy between objective and subjective states state of the world because of the emotional state of the viewer.
“A Sad Child”
You think you are the only one who experiences sadness, but it is a necessary part of everyone’s life at one point or another. You have to accept and work towards overcoming this sadness or you will face the detrimental effects.
“Cressida to Troilus: A Gift”
Men and women’s relationships in consuming carnal desires create gluttony and disconnection and resentment towards oneself.
“A Fire Place”
Human tendency to assign emotional values to things that inherently have no emotional value.
“Up”
Nothing is stopping you from acting but yourself, so forgive yourself and let go in order to move on. Work towards change before it is too late.
“White Cotton T-Shirt”
Individuals experience moral confusion when ignorance is replaced with knowledge. Individuals will try to remain ignorant in an attempt to stay innocent and hold on to a past life, but innocence can never be truly maintained.
Did you know that 52% of Canadians have needed or know someone who has needed blood? Did you know that 50 blood donors are needed to save one person who has been in a car accident? Did you know that every minute, someone in Canada needs blood?
There is an ongoing need for blood. Blood and blood products are used in surgeries, in cancer treatments, and in managing diseases. There are four components that make up whole blood: red and white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body and remove carbon dioxide from the lungs. White blood cells defend against infections. After blood donation, white blood cells are removed from the blood because they carry viruses and bacteria. Plasma carries nutrients throughout the body and brings waste out. It makes up about 55% of blood. Platelets create clots to control bleeding.
There are eight different blood types that determine what blood can be donated to whom. These eight blood types are categorized by ABO blood types (A, B, O, and AB) and Rh types (positive and negative). People can receive blood from donors with the same ABO and Rh type as them. Recipients with a positive Rh can receive blood from either positive or negative Rh donors. Recipients with a negative Rh can only receive blood from donors with a negative Rh. People with AB blood can receive from any ABO type, while people with O blood can donate to any ABO type. This makes O negative blood the universal donor, as they can donate to recipients of their own blood type and of all the other ones. O- blood is used in emergencies when medical professionals do not have the time to test a person’s blood type. AB positive blood is the universal recipient. AB+ can receive blood from a donor of any blood type. In Canada, the most common blood type is O+ followed by A+, while the least common is AB-.
To donate blood, you need to be at least 17 years old and in good general health. Between the ages of 17 and 23 years old, you also need to meet certain height and weight requirements. There are also other factors that may affect your eligibility to donate blood, detailed on the Canadian Blood Services website. A standard blood donation is about 450 mL. The day of the blood donation appointment, the donor needs to complete a confidential questionnaire to determine their eligibility. Every donor is also tested for their hemoglobin level to make sure that the donor does not become ill and for the quality of the red blood cells, along with their temperature and blood pressure. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the actual blood collection, and the needles used are disposable and sterile. After the donation is finished, donors can rest for a few minutes, then go get a complimentary drink and a snack. The whole process takes just over an hour, but it can save the life of someone in need.
Frida Kahlo is recognized as Mexico’s, if not the world’s, greatest painter. She is a Marxist, reconstructionist, disabled, bisexual painter and activist. Kahlo completely revolutionized the way we view art, gender, and society. Her art, particularly her self-portraits share a personal story of pain and suffering, but also a profound resilience. Kahlo explained,
I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best.
A perfect representation of her pain and resilience is the 1944 painting “The Broken Column.” The painting depicts the struggle Kahlo faced when dealing with spinal surgery needed to solve on-going pain from a serious traffic accident when she was eighteen years old. Although the painting depicts the physical pain that Kahlo faced, the fact that Kahlo is looking straight forward conveys a message of spiritual triumph and calls on the audience and herself to face her situation, a common theme in Kahlo’s work.
The Broken Column, 1944 by Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyocoan, Mexico City, Mexico. She grew up in her family home, which was later referred to as Casa Azul of the Blue House. Although being born on July 6, 1907, Kahlo insisted on listing July 7, 1910 as her birth date. That date is the start of the Mexico revolution, and Kahlo intended for her life to parallel the birth of modern Mexico. Kahlo was in poor health during her childhood. At age 6, she contracted polio and was bedridden for nine months. Her disease caused her right leg to grow smaller than her left leg. She wore long skirts to cover this the rest of her life. As she limped through her recovery, her dad, a German descendant and photographer, encouraged her to play sports. She played soccer, swam, and did wrestling, which was unusual for a girl at the time.
Kahlo attended the National Preparatory School in Mexico; here, she became popular for her outspokenness, and she met the famous Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera for the first time. Kahlo knew she would marry him one day. In 1922, Kahlo joined a group of students sharing similar ideological perspectives. She fell in love with the leader, Alejandro Gomez Arias. Unfortunately, in September, she was travelling with Gomez Arias and got in a tragic accident. The bus they were on collided with a streetcar, a steel handrail impaling Kahlo in the hip. Her spine and pelvis are fractured and this accident left her in a great deal of pain, both physically and physiologically. She was injured so badly that she stayed at the Red Cross Hospital in Mexico City for several weeks. She returned home for further recovery, wearing a full body cast for 3 months.
To alleviate the pain during her recovery, Kahlo began to paint. Her parents supported her painting, building a special easel so she could paint in bed and buying paint and a box of brushes. During her recovery, she painted her first self-portrait, “Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress.”
Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress, 1926 by Frida Kahlo
This portrait was sent Gomez Arias after their relationship turned sour when Alejandro began to believe that Kahlo was too liberal. It worked, and they got back together, until he left for Europe in 1927 because his parents didn’t want him to be together with Kahlo.
In 1928, Kahlo reunited with Diego Rivera. Her art was further encouraged by Rivera. A year later, despite her mother’s objections, they got married.
Frida and Diego Rivera, 1931 by Frida Kahlo
The couple moved a lot in the first few years of marriage based on Rivera’s work. In 1930, they lived in San Francisco, California. Then they moved to New York City for Rivera’s artwork show at Museum of Modern Art. They later moved to Detroit while Diego Rivera worked for Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1933, Kahlo was living with Rivera in New York. Rivera was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to create a mural named as Man at the Crossroads at Rockefeller Center. Rivera attempted to include a portrait of Vladimir Lenin, a communist leader in the mural. Rockefeller stopped the work and painted over it. The couple was forced to move back to Mexico, where they lived in San Angel, Mexico.
Kahlo and Rivera’s marriage was extremely unusual. They had been living separate for many years. Both Diego and Kahlo had many affairs. Diego even cheated with Kahlo’s sister Crisitina. In Kahlo’s sadness, she cut off her long hair to express her betrayal and independence. Shortly after their divorce, Kahlo painted, “Self Portrait with Cropped Hair.”
Self Portrait with Cropped Hair, 1940 by Frida Kahlo
This painting expressed her desire to be independent, as she rid the feminine qualities that Rivera held dear. She wore a black suit and only kept earrings as a symbol of her femininity. The lyrics state,
See, if I loved you, it was for your hair, now you’re bald, I don’t love you any more.
Kahlo and Rivera separated many times, but they always got back together, even with the affairs by Rivera, and Kahlo’s affairs in retaliation. Their relationship was also stressed by the fact that Kahlo was unable to bear children due to her bus accident and resulting injuries. In 1932, Kahlo painted, “Henry Ford Hospital.”
Henry Ford Hospital (The Flying Bed), 1932 by Frida Kahlo
On July 4, 1932, Kahlo had a miscarriage in Detroit. Kahlo was heartbroken when she experienced her second miscarriage in 1934. The painting shows her helpless body bleeding on a huge bed. Surrounding her is a snail, a symbol of the slowness of the abortion, a male fetus, a pink cast of the pelvic zone, alluding to the fractures in Kahlo’s spine. As well, there is a machine, an orchid given to her by Rivera, and a pelvic bone.
I aborted in the blinking of an eye,
Kahlo wrote Dr. Leo Eloesser.
in 1934, Kahlo experienced a second miscarriage. She didn’t paint in 1934, only to return in 1935 with an expression of her sadness with her relationship with Rivera. She painted “A Few Small Nips.”
A Few Small Nips, 1935 by Frida Kahlo
The scene is based on a daily paper report that recounted a murder of a women by her boyfriend. He stabbed her again and again, but exclaimed,
But I just give her a couple of little nips!
Her sadness was too extraordinary to be painted, so Kahlo used another story to express her pain. In the painting a bloodied lady lies on a bed underneath her killer. Like Kahlo’s body in “Henry Ford Hospital,” her wretchedness is increased by the way her upper and lower body turn in inverse directions. Kahlo later explains that in this moment, she was on the verge of being
killed by life.
Andre Breton is known as one of the head figures of the Surrealism movement, and in 1938, Kahlo and him became friends. Kahlo explained that she never considered herself a surrealist
until André Breton came to Mexico and told me I was one.
Kahlo also wrote,
Really I do not know whether my paintings are surrealist or not, but I do know that they are the frankest expression of myself.
Since my subjects have always been my sensations, my states of mind and the profound reactions that life has been producing in me, I have frequently objectified all this in figures of myself, which were the most sincere and real thing that I could do in order to express what I felt inside and outside of myself.
Within the same year, Kahlo had an exhibition at the New York City gallery. She sold some painting and got two commissions; one of which was Clare Boothe Luce who requested a painting of her friend Dorothy Hale who committed suicide. Kahlo depicted her tragic leap in “The Suicide of Dorothy Hale.”
The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, 1938 by Frida Kahlo
On October 21, 1938, Hale jumped off from the top window of her luxury apartment suite in New York in her favourite black dress with a corsage of yellow roses. Clare Boothe Luce, the publisher of the fashion magazine “Vanity Fair”, commissioned Kahlo to paint a “recuerdo” portrait. When the painting arrived in August 1939, Clare seriously thought of destroying it. This painting is one of Frida’s most shocking and controversial painting, which depicted the details of every step of Hale’s suicide. Frida painted it in the style of an “ex-voto (retablo)”. At the bottom, blood red lettering details the tragic event:
In New York City on the 21st of October 1938, at 6:00 in the morning, Dorothy Hale committed suicide by throwing herself from a very high window in the Hampshire House. In her memory […], this retablo was executed by Frida Kahlo.
At Clare’s request, sculptor Isamu Noguchi painted out
painted at the request of Clare Boothe Luce, for the mother of Dorothy.
She also had an angel that once appeared at the top was removed. At the time of this painting, Frida was separating from Diego and having serious thoughts of suicide. This dark painting may be an expression of her compassion for women driven to despair, particularly by mean as Hale committed suicide shortly after the death of her husband.
In 1939, Kahlo was invited to Paris by Andre Breton, where she befriended artists such as Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso. That year, Kahlo and Rivera got divorced, and she painted one of her most famous paintings, “The Two Fridas.”
The Two Fridas, 1939 by Frida Kahlo
This portrait shows Kahlo’s two polar personalities. The traditional Kahlo in Tehuana costume, with a broken heart, sitting next to an independent, modern dressed Kahlo. The traditional Tehuana costume was something Rivera admired, a sit displayed Kahlo’s femininity. Later, she admitted the painting expressed her desperation and loneliness with the separation from Diego. The stormy sky filled may be a physical expression of Frida’s inner turmoil. In 1947, this painting was acquired by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The purchase price was 4,000 Pesos (about $1,000) and an additional 36 Pesos for the frame. That was the highest price that Frida was ever paid for a painting during her lifetime.
Soon, Kahlo and Diego Rivera remarried in 1940. The second marriage was the same as the first: living separately and having affairs. In 1941, the Mexico government commissioned her to paint five portraits of important Mexican women, but she was unable to finish the project, as she lost her father that year and suffered from chronic pain. Kahlo continued to grow in popularity however.
In 1944, Kahlo painted, “The Broken Column,” one of her most famous paintings. A naked Kahlo is split in this painting, with a literal shattered column replacing her spine. With tears on her face, nails are placed throughout her body, carefully avoiding the surgical brace. Kahlo expressed her physical challenges through her art. During this time, she sought a lot of medical treatment for her chronic pain, but nothing really worked. After a few surgeries, Kahlo wore special corsets to protect her spine.
Kahlo’s condition worsened in 1950, and she was diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot. She was bedridden for nine months, receiving several surgeries. Despite her pain, she continued to paint, and in 1953, she had a solo exhibition in Mexico. Arriving by ambulance, Kahlo with limited mobility welcomed the attendees and celebrated at the opening ceremony. A few months later, part of her right leg was amputated to stop the gangrene. During her pain, Kahlo was deeply depressed. Despite being in and out of the hospital, Kahlo was still politically active, as she has been all her life. She appeared at the U.S. backed overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala on July 2. This was her final pubic appearance.
Roughly one week after her 47th birthday, Frida Kahlo died in her beloved Blue House. She was reported to die of a pulmonary embolism, but there is speculation she died of suicide.
Kahlo’s fame continued to grow after her death. Her Blue House was opened as a museum in 1958. In the 1970s, her life was renewed as the feminist movement gained popularity. Kahlo served as an image of iconic female creativity and expression. In 1983, “A Biography of Frida Kahlo,” was published by Hayden Herrera, drawing more attention from the public. In 2002, the film “Frida” was released, staring Alma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning Best Makeup and Original Score.
Frida Kahlo’s Work-
The Wounded Deer, 1946 by Frida Kahlo
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940 by Frida Kahlo
Without Hope, 1945 by Frida Kahlo
My Birth, 1932 by Frida Kahlo
What I Saw in the Water, 1938 by Frida Kahlo
The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, Diego and Senor Xolotl, 1949 by Frida Kahlo
My Grandparents My Parents and Me, 1936 by Frida Kahlo
Girl with Death Mask, 1938 by Frida Kahlo
Four Inhabitants of Mexico, 1938 by Frida Kahlo
Self-Portrait with the Portrait of Doctor Farill, 1951 by Frida Kahlo
Frida and the Miscarriage (El Aborto), 1932 by Frida Kahlo
Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick, 1954 by Frida Kahlo
Self Portrait, Dedicated to Dr Eloesser, 1940 by Frida Kahlo
Self Portrait Along the Boarder Line Between Mexico and the United States, 1932 by Frida Kahlo
In this extremely short biography, I decided to only use Kahlo’s own paintings as images. One thing I deeply appreciate about Kahlo’s paintings are the intimacy they express. Through her art, she shared her struggles and her profound resilience, and I believe no one can tell her story better than she can. What I truly appreciate about Frida Kahlo however, is her political activism and what her art represents for marginalized communities. Rivera and Kahlo’s association with Marxism was often problematic for them, particularly when they lived in the United States. Yet, Kahlo’s experience as a Mexican immigrant shaped her ideology, which essentially, looked for absolute equality. Not only as a woman and a Mexican immigrant, but also as a disabled bisexual, Kahlo’s success and her story serves as hope for marginalized representation. Her artwork and its success brings the struggles of immigration, love, and being disabled to the forefront of society. I think the success of her art is rooted in the fact that she is able to represent the struggles of so many diverse individuals. The fact that she was able to reach such popularity is extremely important for these disenfranchised individuals who’s experiences were able to be analyzed and talked about by everyone. Outside of her classical skill for painting, what I find most interesting about Kahlo is her personality and how it shines through her artwork. Frida Kahlo is definitely my favourite artist because not only are her painting beautiful and unique, but she stands for acceptance, absolute equality, and representation of everyone, which is why she has cemented herself has a feminist icon.
A lot of people who want to eat healthy start with salads. Salads are healthy, however, most commercial dressings are high in calories and fat.
A single serving of salad dressing is only two tablespoons and has anywhere from 100 to 200 calories, and most people put much more than that. Adding too much dressing can ruin your healthy salad. You can simply use a little bit of olive oil and add some salt and pepper, but I’m here to show you a more fun, delicious, and most importantly; healthy dressing. This recipe is light, a little sour, and super healthy. Here’s how you make it:
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
2 Teaspoons of honey
1 ½ Teaspoons of whole grain mustard
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of pepper
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
Procedure:
Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon and enjoy! If you have a jar, you can put all the ingredients in there and shake the jar. Be sure to dress your salad right before eating or else your salad could get soggy.
The final product should look a little something like this!
Stan Lee is a hero, a legend, a symbol. When we think of Stan Lee, we think of an inspiration, at the age of retirement, still believed that he could reach his dream and so he did. He shows that it doesn’t matter how old you are, there is always a way to reach your goals. The death of Stan Lee is neither a sad moment in history nor a happy one, Stan Lee died at the age of 95. But what is encouraging about the life of Stan Lee is how he overcome his challenges. Every character Stan Lee creates has vulnerability and humanity. This causes millions of people to relate with each comic book he writes, from the first, “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge” to the last “Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir”. This idol appearing in most of the Marvel movies from 1989-2018, has allowed humor, inspirational, cameos in each film. So What Are The Top 7 Cameos By Stan the Man Lee?
7. The Fantastic Four (2005)
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The Fantastic Four one of the greatest creation of Marvel. Stan Lee appearing in a little part of this movie allows a little Easter egg showing that Stan Lee was the creator of this iconic superhero group. Additionally, this cameo in the movie, adds a bit of humor from the appearance of the co-creator of Marvel Comics.
6. Captain America – The First Avenger (2011)
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This was a funny part in the movie because of his line “I thought he’d be taller”, though that man was not close to Captain America. This added a little humorous effect into a segment in the story, making the story ten times funnier.
5. X-Men – Apocalypse (2016)
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This part in the story had a different effect from the nonprofessional acting of Stan Lee. As well as the appearance of his real wife, Joan Lee starring with him in the cameo.
4. Captain America – Civil War (2016)
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This cameo from Stan Lee allows a little bit of humor at the end of the movie. This aspect of the story brightens the dark and gloomy ending from having a hilarious ending. The mispronouncing of Tony Stark makes the ending more friendly to viewers and a nice touch to the movie.
3. Avengers -Age of Ultron (2015)
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This segment in the story makes Stan Lee part of the story, he may not play an important role but this cameo is different from the rest because he interacts with the main characters, Thor and Captain America. This is an important element in the story as it creates the humor that forms the story.
2. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013)
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This cameo is long but interesting, having a serious part in the story to turn into a funny part. Additionally, the show gets humor from Stan Lee’s advice on life.
1. The Defenders (2017)
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This cameo shows the inspirational man that Stan Lee is, this script was written mainly by Stan Lee. Having the intro from the co-creator of Marvel allows the viewers to be hooked to this mini-series on Netflix. Usually, Stan Lee is humorous in movies but this time he changed it up, this adds a unique touch to this one show. Having Stan Lee looking out the window makes the scene more natural when other times he comes out of nowhere. This is the number one cameo of Stan Lee because it shows a new side of Stan Lee to the viewers.
The year’s busiest shopping day has just come to an end, and it seems as if this weekend was packed with great deals, busy malls and excited customers looking to grab some great deals ahead of the holiday season. It seems as Black Friday has become a synonymous term with North American Shopping culture. However, Black Friday wasn’t always a term in the lingo arsenal of excited customers looking to pick up some deals following American Thanksgiving. Here is how Black Friday got its name…
So in order to understand the reason behind Black Friday’s elusive name you need to understand the economics behind it. From an economics perspective being in “the black” means a business is turning a profit whereas being in “the red” means a business is losing profit or is accumulating debt. Inc. noted that in 2017 over “164 million Americans” planned to shop during Black Friday and that it was one of “the busiest shopping days of the year.” This means that Black Friday is an incredibly lucrative shopping period, thus helping companies turn their reports from red to black, hence the name Black Friday. So next year when you head out for the busiest shopping day of the year take a second to recognize where the name associated with all that craze originated from.
If you have watched the youtuber nigahiga, you may have witnessed him and his friends playing Fakin’ It. This is a game mode that can be found on the Jackbox 3. If you are unaware of what Jackbox Games is, to sum up, it is a series of video games designed to be played at parties or group events. Typically, the game modes consist of trivia style questions, fill-in-the-blank questions similar to Cards Against Humanity, truth or dare, or would you rather options. I have recently had the opportunity to experience playing Jackbox with my friends. Let me say, I had a blast and would recommend every individual should have a chance to play Jack box. I’d say that playing this game literally made me and my friends laugh for hours while also getting us to be more comfortable with how weird each other is. Unfortunately, if you thought this was a free online game it is not. However, it is available on platforms like Steam, xBox 1, Playstation 4 and many more. You also have the ability to choose from five different game packages. Additionally, mobile devices, laptops, tablets or controllers can be used to participate in playing Jackbox. If you do buy purchase this game you will discover that most of the game modes have a maximum capacity of 8 players. People are still able to join as they will become members of the audience. Depending on the mode, the audience becomes one large team making it harder for indiviudal players to win.More information can be found here
The following are the available Jackbox Packages and their contents:
You Don’t Know Jack (2015) (1-4 players)
Comedy trivia game
Drawful (3-8 players)
A whacky and bizarre drawing game
Word Spud (2-8 players)
Fill-in-the-blank word game
Lie Swatter (1-100)
Whacky and fact-filled mode
Fibbage XL (2-8 players)
A hilarious bluffing game
Quiplash Xl (3-8 players)
Fill-in-the-blanks with gut-busting prompts
Fibbage 2 (2-8 players)
A bluffing game with 500 new questions that are different from the ones found in Fibbage 1
Earwax (3-8 players)
Creating or matching sounds to convey an odd phrase or experience
Bidiots (3-6 players)
Auction game where players vote on each other’s drawings
Bomb corp. (1-4 players)
Players must defuse random bombs in order to remain in the game
Quiplash (3-8 players)
A sequel Quiplash with new questions
Trivia Murder Party (1-8 players)
A deadly trivia game show
Guesspinoage (2-8 players)
Brain – battering guessing game
Tee K.O. (3-8 players)
Players create hilarious t-shirts and vote on the best creation
Fakin’ It (3-6 players)
One player must fake it till they make it (win)
Fibbage 3 (2-8 players)
A sequel with a new mode where you guess weird facts about your friends
Survive the Internet (3-8 players)
Twisting your friend’s fake online comments in hysterical ways
Monster Seeking Monster (3-7 players)
Messaging and dating monsters with special powers (date-a-thon)
Bracketeering (3-16 players)
An odd debate where players place smart bets on stupid arguments
Civic Doodle (3-8 players)
Competing with other players to improve a town mural
You Don’t Know Jack 2 (1-8 players)
Sequel; pop-culture trivia mash-up with some new surprises
Split the Room (3-8 players)
Split the opinions of players by creating odd and divisive hypothetical situations
Mad Verse City (3-8 players)
Roast your opponent in a robot rap battle
Patently Stupid (3-8 players)
Drawing game where individuals draw odd inventions in order to solve the bizarre problem prompt
Zeeple Dome (1-6 players)
A deadly game show where players try to win the most money
A wise man once said “Start-stop saying I wish and start saying I will” this quote shows how a dream without a goal is just a wish. In a world where failure is inevitable, there is always a way to reach your aims. The future takes many steps to create success, from doing your homework, to running a marathon. The world doesn’t last forever, live every day as it is your last.
– 7 Ways to Reach Your Goals –
1. Be Passionate
One of the most important attributes to reach your goal is being passionate. If you’re passionate about your goals or dreams, you will have the determination to do more. Passion leads to success, from working hard to being resolute. Albert Einstein once stated, “You only fail when you stop trying” where he ultimately revealed how by having the passion, the drive, you will be able to overcome your failures and losses. This is a fundamental skill; it enables you to conquer your challenges. In a world where one will always fail before they succeed, there is always a way to reach your aims. The future takes many steps to create success, from doing your homework, to running a marathon. The world doesn’t last forever, live every day as it is your last. Be passionate in your actions and you are bound to accomplish any goal.
2. Embrace Failure
Everyone has losses, but one thing is certain you can always come back from your defeats. Many people give up after failing an exam but by embracing failure you let yourself strive for success. You will never reach your goals, without failure, you discover more from your failures than your success. Failure helps you take the necessary steps to your goal. Everyone makes errors, even Einstein made mistakes, but the most important thing is to learn from them. In your life, you will make mistakes, but failures don’t have to be fatal, by learning and working harder you can learn from your mistakes.
3. Get Assistance
You may believe that you are on your own, but a little bit of aid can get you closer to your goals. Have you heard the saying, two heads are better than one? This demonstrates how by getting support on your journey you can achieve objectives that would have been impossible alone. Many goals require assistance, one of the most common pieces of assistance is teachers. Many of your professors or teachers will be a great asset in achieving your goals. The first step in coming closer to your aims is getting a tiny bit of guidance, it could be your educator or it could even be electronic. One of the greatest assets that most people don’t see is the internet, the internet is packed with knowledge. Many of the inventions we have today wouldn’t be possible without assistance, even Galileo had help to create the theories we have today. Don’t be afraid of asking for help, no great task could ever have been accomplished if people were afraid to get some guidance.
4. Be Proactive
A key step in reaching your goals is being proactive. Many people have heard of the word proactive, but don’t entirely comprehend the full meaning. Being proactive is facing the obstacle before it happens, or causing something to occur rather than responding to it after it has occurred. Many people don’t understand this, though it happens everywhere. Being proactive will assist you to attain your aims, and overcome the steps to the objective. Having this attribute is not easy to obtain, but you can take the required actions to get to be proactive.
Steps to Becoming Proactive –
Problem Solve – An valuable skill in being proactive, is obtaining the skill of overcoming your challenges.
Participate – Proactive people are not observers, but are engaged participants. In order to be proactive, you must take initiative and get involved.
Prioritize – Planning your objectives, can easily lead you to obtain the attribute.
5. Balance Time
Often people are overwhelmed my their goals and contribute too much time trying to achieve them. This is a common misconception on how to reach your goals. Getting to your objective doesn’t just happen overnight it will take time but putting other elements at risk for your goal is not worth it. For instance, maybe you want to pursue medicine, that doesn’t imply you don’t try in Language Arts. A significant amount of people don’t see the worth of planning and ultimately can’t time manage. Time management is an essential skill to learn, to attain your goals.
6. Visualize the End Result
The benefits of seeing the result are endless if you can see the possibilities and your potential for greatness. Audrey Hepburn once said “Nothing is impossible, the word itself is I’m Possible”, this woman believed in visualization. Numerous objectives may seem impossible at first, winning the Nobel prize, running a marathon but once you see the result, your goal is in your reach. Visualization enables your creative strategies to obtain your objective, and it provokes your brain to analyze the resources required to reach your objective. Lastly, looking at the result, it creates a feeling in yourself to achieve it. The only thing stopping you from reaching your goals is yourself, your future is in your hands.
7. Set Short Term Goals
Long-term goals may seem impossible at first. But by breaking the long-term goals into multiple short-term goals, the things that appeared impossible start looking easy. An important step in reaching your goals is creating more goals. Instead of taking an impossible jump, walk to your goal. Steven Hawkins didn’t become one of the worlds greatest theorist by thinking about the future, he focused on the present. He built his way up to success, as you should. The world may seem impossible but that a closer look!
With Black Friday around the corner, most of us are probably thinking of one of life’s greatest joys: shopping. However, as students, we’re often limited to our allowances from our parents. This makes shopping difficult when we’re alone: we’re not really capable of affording good quality clothing. So, many of us turn to fast-fashion: it’s cute, and cheap. Such brands, like H&M, Urban Planet, Bluenotes, Garage, Forever 21 etc. have extremely low prices, and trendy, appealing styles. However, they also lack something that I really value: quality. After a couple washes, most of these $5 shirts end up pilled and wrinkled.
Finding clothes that are both cute, cheap and good quality is difficult: many times, it’s a stroke of luck. Usually, they’re hugely discounted items leftover at the back of the shop. When you’re seeking these hidden gems, strategy is key: you have to know where, and when to look.
When to Shop
1. Shop at the end of the season
End of season clearouts are the best times to score deals at any clothing stores. This is when the leftovers from the previous season are put on discount to “clear out,” in order to make room for the new stuff from the new season. Just make sure to arrive early, especially if its a largely-advertised sale.
These end-of-season clear outs typically occur around the same times each year: mid-March for the winter season, early June for the spring season, early September for the summer season, and the end-of-year Boxing Day/New Year’s period for the fall season. Although many items discounted will be clothes that may not perfectly suit the weather of the moment, if you find a piece that you love, you can find time to wear it, even if it means next year.
2. Take advantage of shopping holidays such as Boxing Day, Black Friday
Although sales like these are hugely advertised, and the discounts do usually run pretty low, this is not always the best time to shop because a) there are way too many people at the malls, which makes the shopping stressful, and b) the discounts advertised are usually available year-round. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great time to score some good deals. Just make sure to arrive at the mall early on that day. Or, consider shopping online to skip the crowds.
3. Take a peek at the clearance rack
Typically, stores will have a clearance rack at the back of the shop. Here, even at the most high-end stores, you can count on finding some pretty steep discounts on last season’s styles. This is where you’ll find obscure, outdated, unpopular, or unusual sized pieces from the store. However, these are also the best places to browse: these messier racks often hide unique (and cheaper) items that others just happened to miss.
Next: Places to Shop
One piece of advice I’ve found to be extremely useful: shop where you would’t normally think to shop. Most times, you’ll end up finding a piece that you like. Reason is, other people with similar tastes wouldn’t think to shop there either, so the good stuff is left there all for you.
The Bay is a Canadian department store, selling everything from clothes, to furniture, to household appliances. Although it’s not the first place you’d think of for shopping for people our age, The Bay has got an amazing range of styles from high-end to low-end designer, and many of the brands there carry trendier, more modern styles. It also has some pretty decent deals most of the time, especially around their clearance section. Among the (usually messy) racks, typically located in the middle of the walkways, you can find clearance items from any price range. Most of the time the racks are labelled “up to 70% off,” but the highest discounts I’ve seen is 90% off. Despite the higher original prices at this store, with such steep discounts, you can easily find shirts, pants, dresses, and skirts for $10-$20.
One sale to watch for: Bay Days – these sales are advertised as “the lowest price of the season.” Although the magnitude of the discounts themselves are similar to those year-round, during Bay Days, you can get an additional 15%-20% off your purchase. As well, the clearance racks will be pretty loaded around this time, so you have lots more variety pick through. However, make sure to arrive early; coming on the last day of the sale usually means you’re picking through the leftovers of other people’s hauls.
As well, discounts are available year round! You just have to have the patience to pick through the racks. However, shopping at the end of each fashion season (and not during an advertised sale, like Bay Days) is most likely to land you with an easy, no stress super-steal.
Simon’s is another Canadian department store, organized much like the Bay. They too carry a variety of items, and a variety of designer brands. Similarly to the Bay, they carry lots of different styles, so although they have the appearance of a store for middle-aged people, they also do carry trendier, more youthful styles. As well, they also offer some pretty steep discounts in some corners of the store. Look for clearance signs at each brand’s section, especially at the end of the season; I’ve found clothes up to 85% off (final cost of $10-$20).
Winner’s is a Canadian off-price department store, already known for their low prices, that functions a bit like an outlet. They offer many designer brands, but at discounted costs. Again, it may seems like a shop for middle-aged people, but upon closer inspection you’ll find many, many trendy pieces. As well, much of the time, these styles get discounted, because the middle-aged people who do shop at Winner’s don’t think to buy them. Although the prices at Winner’s are never high, during end of season, they too have clearance events where you can score discounts on the already-discounted items. Fair warning, the racks during these times are messy, and if you want to find the best items possible, you likely need to go through racks that aren’t meant to have your size.
Website (they do not offer online shopping, but have a list of stores): https://www.winners.ca/
4. Thrift stores/Consignment stores
As the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Thrift and consignment stores are the classic way to get cheap clothes. And, with “vintage” being a trend right now, they are becoming an increasingly popular place to shop, even for those who can afford to shop at boutiques. Again, at these second-hand shops, you have to go through the racks (which will take a while) individually, but if you’ve got a bit of spare time, you can easily find vintage, designer brand items for fast-fashion prices. As an added bonus, wearing second-hand clothing is not only easy on the wallet, but also good for the environment, since you’re keeping clothing that would otherwise be thrown out out of the landfill.
Some thrift/consignment stores in Calgary include: Value Village (3 locations), SalvEdge Boutique (2 locations), but many more exist.
5. Online Shops
Online shopping is by far the easiest way to score discounted clothing. Although there are many, many cheap and trendy online shops (ie. FashionNova, YesStyle), if you’re looking for quality, it’s best to stick with reputable brands. Online shops often have lower price points and greater variety than physical stores, because they a) do not have to invest money on furniture, decor, or displays, and b) are not limited by store space. Therefore, even with the same brand, the online version of the store will probably have better deals, and more options. Take advantage of end-of-season clearouts, and check for sales often (you can subscribe to a brand’s email newsletter if you especially love their styles). With due diligence online, you’ll likely find some obscure, heavily discounted item that fits you perfectly.
There are also many brands that operate online only, and many times, these brands will offer steep discounts on your first purchase (to draw you in). However, before you buy anything online, check the legitimacy and reputability of the website. Some good-quality but affordable online-only clothing shops that I’ve had good experiences with include Missguided and Fabletics.
As well, don’t forget to look up any coupon codes that may be available! They can sometimes add an extra 15-20% off your purchase without any effort at all. Honey is a useful Chrome extension that automatically finds and applies coupon codes at checkout for you, just in case there may be a code you don’t know of.
All in all, if you’re looking for quality clothes on a budget, you have to shop smart: get on those clearance events/seasons, keep an eye out for sales (especially on the brands you love), and shop at stores you wouldn’t normally think to shop. Shopping is one of life’s greatest joys! Making the most of your money, shopping smart, and finding what you’re looking for while having fun makes it a satisfying and wholly positive experience every time.
A city I’ve never been to feels like home to me It’s the best feeling ever known to me I can hear the trumpets calling me As I lay at 3 am falling asleep Street musicians under warm lampposts Seem like cheerful welcoming hosts Oh how the blues Awaken my soul in different hues In the French Quarter, My life now in pleasant order Colours of yellow and orange and red swirl in my mind Leaving the despair of winter greys behind Let the jazz clubs revive the childhood dreams of life as a Broadway musical None of this I’ve actually seen,
Only things I’ve dreamed of One day I’ll wake up to these dreams In the City of New Orleans