[Ellie's Story] Remembering...

October 2004

Fallen leaves lined the concrete path that led from the main road to one of the old residence buildings at the university. My feet kicked them away as I walked briskly down the pathway. Panting as I rushed, my breath created smoky billows into the crisp autumn air. Looking up, I could see that the trees had already begun changing colours to a wide spectrum of red, orange and brown.

I entered the lobby and into the activity room that was directly adjacent to it. There was no way I could have missed it – the music and conversation blasted out of that room like an uncontrolled children’s birthday party, breaking the silence of the lobby. Walking tentatively into the cacophony, I searched for a familiar face, finally finding Madison after a quick circle around the room.

“Hey Ellie,” Madison greeted me, all smiles. “Meet Dean – we have Biology together.” Madison’s cheeks were red, and her breath smelled like the beer that she held in her hand. Looking at Dean, it seemed like he was as tipsy as Madison.

“Hi Dean,” I quickly said before turning back to Madison. “Sorry I’m late, Mad – I was held up at the Chem lab. I had to put in an extra hour because the stupid experiment didn’t work….” My voice trailed off. I realized Madison wasn’t even listening. Her attention was focused on Dean and whatever he was saying to her. I placed my hand on her arm to get her attention. “I’m going to get something to eat. I’ll be right back.”

“Mmm hmm,” she replied with a distracted smile.

I walked to the food table and analyzed the scraps that were left – nothing looked particularly appealing. I reached for the last can of Coke that was left on the table.

Another hand got to it first, and I pulled mine back.

“Sorry,” he said. He offered me the can. “Do you want it?”

“It’s okay. I guess I can just find something else…” I said, looking at the table to see what else there was.

“Here, you can have it,” he said, handing me the Coke can. “There’s not much else left that’s…edible.” He was eyeing the empty table too.

“I guess that’s what I get for being late,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” he said slowly, nodding and studying me. “You must be a first year student. Otherwise you’d know that food goes fast around here.”

I smiled and shook my head melodramatically. “Busted. So much for pretending to know what I'm doing.”

He smiled at me. “Looks like you missed the BYOB memo too.” 

[Ellie's Blog] Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascaras

Occasionally, I foray into Asian beauty brands, and after hearing good things from a girlfriend and online, I ordered a couple of Kiss Me mascaras from Sasa.com to try them for myself. The ones I picked were Impact Frame & Curl Mascara and Volume & Curl Mascara.

Impact Frame & Curl Mascara:  This was priced at ~$16 CAD (before shipping) and is marketed as the brand's blackest and glossiest mascara. In that respect I totally agree, as it is indeed a very glossy black...think tar. The brush only has bristles on about 1/4 of the wand, and it is a sparse, course, bristly kind of brush. It reminds me of those shoe brushes you see on people's doorsteps. You would think that such a brush would result in excellent definition, but in actuality the tar-like consistency of the mascara itself is too thick for even the bristly power of the brush. As a result, I wasn't a fan of this mascara because of the clumping...to the point where there were large globs of product at my lash line. While I'm pretty sure this could be remedied by a nice comb-through with a mascara comb, I really can't be bothered to add an extra step to my morning routine, nor do I think it's wise that said step, performed when I'm at my groggiest, involves sharp prongs held close to my eye. In conclusion, would not repurchase, and truthfully, don't think I will use it up.

[Ellie's Story] Fears

Hi Ellie,

Technically, we haven’t met yet, but I’m glad that we are chatting now and I hope that we’ll have an opportunity meet in person soon!

To answer some of your burning questions: I work for a law firm downtown that specializes in environmental law, but perhaps I’ll wait until I get to know you better before I bore you with the mundane details. :)

I did grow up in Vancouver, after my family moved here when I was four. As for hobbies, I like to play racquetball in the winter and a bit of ultimate Frisbee in the summer. I listen to all sorts of music, ranging from contemporary pop to classical. Sometimes I might even indulge in a little country. Hope that doesn’t scare you ;)

And now I somehow feel like we’ve just played 20 questions, so as the game requires, what about you? What are your hobbies and what do you do for work?

Regards,
Simon

And that is how the email exchanges had begun with Simon.

[Ellie's Story] Unfamiliar Territories

 I sat down at my desk with a hot cup of matcha tea and turned on my computer. As I waited for it to boot up, I turned in my swivel chair and looked at my apartment, which recently has taken on a new ambience.

Jung, my new roommate, an English student from Korea, was all moved in as of three days ago. The whole process went a lot quicker than I had anticipated once I had decided to accept him, especially considering how long the phone screening process took with the other candidates. I had shown Jung around the apartment, asked him a few more questions about his background and his plans for the upcoming year. Five days later, he moved in from his relative’s house, where he had been temporarily staying since his initial arrival to Vancouver. Jung was from Incheon, which is Korea’s third largest metropolitan area, as I have come to learn, amongst other tidbits of information about Korea.

Jung’s English was quite proficient. I found it easy enough communicate with him, and he had a mild-mannered way of speaking. His accent was noticeable, but not detracting in any huge way. He told me that he came to Vancouver to make sure that his English was fluent, so that he could return home and strive for a job in an internationally-based business. (And no, he didn’t have three eyes, as I gleefully told Kyle later.) 

[Ellie's Blog] Bio Sculpture Gel #2025 Vibrant Violet

Last week, I tried soak-off gel nail colour for the first time, because I am a victim of expiring Groupons. But that’s a different rant.

The salon used Bio Sculpture Gel, which was first-to-market, but other brands have emerged since then such as CalGel and OPI’s Axxium. The entire manicure took 75 minutes, and features a small jar of gel polish (kind of like really thick nail polish) applied with a brush. There was a base coat, two layers of polish, and a top coat, each layer of which stayed wet until cured under a UV light. A more detailed breakdown of what I liked and didn’t like after the jump.

[Ellie's Story] Compatibility

Monday, 8:20 pm – Candidate 1:

Me:            “What do you do for work?”

Him:          “I’m uh…between jobs right now. But I’m hoping to find something soon.”

Me:            “Okay. So what was your previous job?”

Him:          “I was a dancer.”

Me:            “Oh, like a ballroom dancer?”

Him:          <Pause> “Uh...like an exotic dancer.”

Tuesday, 12:35 pm – Candidate 2:

Me:            “So, you’re not opposed to living with a cat?”

Her:           “Not at all. I actually have a pet too. I’d like to bring it with me.”

Me:            “Oh cool. I’m fine with that as long as it gets along with my cat. What kind of pet  is it?”

Her:           “A scorpion.”

[Ellie's Blog] Gucci Envy Me Eau de Toilette

In addition to nail polish, something else I wear almost daily is perfume. I am by no means loyal to a single perfume; I have maybe 6 that I alternate between depending on mood. But I am not entirely fickle either, because there is a particular one I return to time and time again, and is the only perfume I own in a large bottle. Hands down my favourite perfume, today I'd like to share with you Gucci's Envy Me.

According to Sephora, Envy Me has notes of peony, jasmine, pink pepper, litchi, pomegranate, pineapple, pink musk, seringa, white tea, sandalwood, teakwood and sensual musk. Even if I were reincarnated as a German Shepherd, I doubt I'd be able to differentiate between all those scents, and my personal description is simply "a light and fresh floral". I don't like my perfume too heavy or too musky, but I enjoy a hint of floral, and this one fits the bill perfectly. It was the first perfume I ever fell in love with and purchased, so I guess it's true what they say about first loves.


Even though I'm sure you've all read or heard many tips for wearing cologne/perfume, the following are the ones that come to mind as I'm perfume shopping or spritzing myself in the morning:

• Always try a perfume on your skin before buying. The oils on your skin will react with the perfume oils, so the perfume will not necessarily smell the same on your skin vs. my skin vs. a piece of paper. 
• I don't want my perfume to knock people out like an ocean wave as I walk by; I want it to be so subtle that it doesn't register on my audience's consciousness. If a scent straight from the bottle is too strong, spray a cloud in front of you and walk through it.
• Hair holds scent longer than skin.
• Some people are highly allergic to scents; be sensitive to those around you.

What is your favourite scent? 

The smallest size (1oz) retails for $52 USD and is available from Sephora and most major department stores.