Your Freddy Bear

By posting this, I will probably insight hours of laughter for some of my close friends but I thought it would be fun to share some of my tips for taking care of your hair, especially if it's damaged. It's the damaged part that I am an expert on. I've done SO much to my hair I'm surprised I still have any. For example, from last September to now (October 15th, 2015) the below array of pictures is what I did to my hair. In order....





Jumping back and forth with colours, bleach, heat styling, you name it, I did it. Now that I've calmed down (Let's hope. Life Goal = have the same hair colour 3 months from now*), I'm trying to get my hair as healthy as it can possibly be. Though it may not seem like it, I did work hard to take care of my hair while simultaneously destroying it. As a result, even though I had all those colour changes, my hair is not nearly as damaged as it could be and I have little to no split ends. Since some of these tips worked so well for me, I thought I'd share the knowledge.

#1) Coconut Oil!

I know this is a common one, but I cannot recommend it enough. It is super inexpensive and works wonders. It comes as a solid and all you have to do is rub it between your hands to get the oil. Rub it throughout your hair and let it sit. I leave it in overnight but if you are in a rush, 20 minutes should do. A few friends have told me they need to shampoo twice to get it out of their hair, but I personally only need to wash once. And as a bonus, if you deal with a dry scalp, Coconut oil fixes this better than any product I've ever encountered.

#2) Don't Wash Your Hair!

This one a lot of people have trouble with but ideally, you should only wash your hair every four to five days. I definitely cannot go that long but I wash my hair every three (working towards four!) days. This gives your hair time to naturally moisturize and keeps your shampoo/conditioner from drying it out. It doesn't matter if you have the most expensive moisturizing shampoo, excessive washing will dry out your hair, while at the same time making it more greasy! The worst kind of catch-22. Over-washing your hair gets rid of the natural oils your scalp creates. If your hair is really greasy after a day or two it may be because your scalp has been trained by daily washing to produce more oil than necessary. This excessive washing can leave you with greasy roots, and super parched ends. Yuck! A couple months of washing less regularly will cause the oil production to go down and your hair will be less greasy and a lot less dry.

#3) No Heat!

I am aware this one is impossible for those who love styling. For those of you who can't live without straightening or curling, here is a tip; pick your poison carefully and only use one hot tool. If you regularly blow-dry your hair then do only that and put away the rest of your hot tools. If you absolutely must straighten your hair with a straightener, then let your hair air dry. And so on. Try to go a week with no hot tools at all. You will notice a difference.

I've been lucky enough to have these tips work miracles with my hair but I do have others stored away. Let me know in the comments below if you'd like any more hair tips or to know of an products that worked wonders for me.

- OJ

I finished University two years ago this October and was very excited to get out of the studying mindset. Unfortunately, I was not yet completely free from the grind. I've had to start a course for my job and even though it's only been two years, I found myself a little rusty in the studying department. The tips listed below are how I got myself back into exam-ready shape and hopefully they can help you get back into the studying mindset, no matter how long or little it's been.

Tip #1: Do NOT make your highlighter your bestie.

- This may seem counter productive. Of course you should use a highlighter to focus on useful information. It is deeming what is useful that is the issue. A lot of the time when we haven't studied in a while, we forget how to narrow down the important facts and in haste or worry highlight everything. My advice is to put down the highlighter until after you've read the entire chapter through. Only use the highlighter when you go back through to focus on topics you think will definitely be on the exam or topics you are still fuzzy on.

Tip #2: Reread the text!

- I know this is the worst thing to do, especially if what you are studying is not a particular subject of interest for you. Rereading the same boring thing might want to drive you to drink but it will also help your brain soak up the information a lot easier. Repetition is one of the best ways people learn.

Tip #3: Use any and all extra study guides and materials provided to you, even if they aren't mandatory.

- Sometimes courses will offer online activities or module quizzes or other learning tools to help with your cramming. These activities can seem pointless or overly-simplified, or even a waste of time to some. I agree that time could be better spent reading the actual material but don't discount these activities, especially the easy ones. These learning tools, like repetition, help to cement the ideas in your brain. The easy ones are great because the help you to remember the material and also give you a boost to your ego. That boost can help keep you from becoming discouraged which can be poison to studying.

Tip #4: Try not to study TOO much (or at all if possible) the day of the exam.

- Cramming hardcore for a big test is understandable. However, it has been my experience with myself and with friends at school that if you try to cram too much the day of the exam, you will forget a lot of what you've studied. The only thing that will stick in your head is the stuff you just over-reviewed. Let you mind have time to relax and breathe before your test. Play a mind-stimulating game like Sudoku or do a crossword puzzle. They will keep your mind awake and firing without pushing out all the information you worked so hard to learn.

I hope these tips help anyone who is trying to get back into the swing of studying, especially since we are in the middle of midterm season and exams are just around the corner! Let me know if you have any great studying advice. I still have one exam to go so I can use all the help!

- OJ

"Selfie" has by now undoubtedly been added to the Oxford English dictionary. It is a prevalent activity in our society. Everyone and their great aunt knows what a selfie is and everyone has taken one at least once. And yet, there is a huge stigma/judgement towards people who regularly take selfies. I, being a self proclaimed "Selfie-Aficionado", am constantly at the butt of jokes about selfies, selfie sticks, vanity, etc. That's probably why I chose to write this. With a society that has so much social media and has had so many advances with cameras, why is the selfie such a bad thing?

Some say it's vain. Well, so what if it is? Women today are bombarded by advertisements and songs and movements all about learning to love yourself and the way you look and to not let society shame you. So why then do those same people make fun of girls (and guys) for taking pictures of their faces? Being a little vain sometimes and taking selfies can be a great confidence booster, whether the selfies get posted to social media or not. Isn't confidence what we are trying to promote women having? So why begrudge someone a little time in front of the camera. It's not hurting you and if you really don't like their face then just scroll past the post. It's not hard.

I'm very big into documenting my life. I have scrapbooks, keep a memories box, put photos up on my walls. I want to be able to look back on my life and enjoy it. I want to be able to share my life with my children. Taking selfies is a way to do that. Taking them while you travel can document all the places you've seen. Pictures of just you and your face at different ages can be a fun thing for your kids or grand kids to flip through years from now. They can laugh at your hair choices and see how much they might look like you. A picture is a moment in time saved forever. What's wrong with that picture being of your face?      

I like my face. I think it's a good one. It's worked for me for twenty-three years. I also enjoy putting on a little make up, finding the right clothes and lighting, and taking some shots with my iphone. I'm going to keep doing it whether people make fun of me or not. One of my main reasons? Who knows if I'm going to like my face or like getting my photo taken a few years from now? My mom hates getting her photo taken and often has to be convinced to selfie with me. What if I become the same way? I'd rather take an obnoxious amount of pictures now while it's something I have fun with than not and maybe regret it later. It's not like taking a photo uses hours of your time. It only takes a second and a click of a button.

I get that "selfies" are not everyone's cup of tea. My only wish is that people would just let go of the hang-ups and judgement. My message to those who love a good selfie; don't let the disapproval of others keep you from doing something you love. Raise those selfie-sticks high with pride and let out the call of our people without fear!

"CHEESE!"

Playsuits are all the rage this spring/summer season and since this is one trend that works with my figure, I made the absolute most of it. All three of the playsuits/jumpsuits here are from Forever21 and none of them broke the bank so far as cost goes.

This purple floral number is probably my favourite out of the three. It is super easy to wear casually but if you throw on a pair of heels, it is dressed up enough for a night out on the town. The arms are super billowy and stop around the elbow, giving you easy movement.


My favourite part about this playsuit is the colours. They are very soft and flattering. My one issue with the suit is the neckline. It can be very low, especially on those not so well endowed.

The next one is a green jumpsuit that I desperately need to hem as it is a little long in the leg. For a summer night out it is perfect. It looks classy and despite the long pants it is very cool. It also gave me a chance to try going without a bra. Woo! The jumpsuit is as comfortable as if you were wearing pajamas and it moves with you. It is not constricting whatsoever. Plus it definitely makes your legs look longer, especially with heels.


The third and last outfit is a nice blue floral (seeing a pattern?) playsuit. It is definitely the most casual of all three suits. It is super comfy, though not the easiest to get in and out of. It has cute little buttons down the front that are super adorable but also a b*tch to do up. It moves and breathes really well like the other two.

I love fashion. It's fun, creative, exciting, and most of all, it's pwetty. Unfortunately, I happen to be extremely unfashionably-coordinated. I'll buy all the right clothes, have the right fit, be on trend, and yet somehow it comes out looking awkward, out of place, and completely out of style. When I was in high school, I embraced this and went as far out of my way as possible to look insane and awkward. Now that I'm older and have dialed my crazy back a bit, I'm more interested in finding a style that works for me. I won't say I've 100% found it yet, but I am getting closer. On the way to getting closer, I of course hit some bumps. I thought I'd share them to maybe help someone know what to avoid.