Things that make you go ..

So I was stumped into silence this weekend after picking up an email from my very talented friend Ben who asked:

“What's this nerdygirl link .. Is that you? Or a group of cool woman all contributing?”

My answer... I created the blog as a platform for myself and 3 other girlfriends to communicate our vision to save the world through the delivery of personal finance and investment education seminars targeted at teenage and young adult females throughout the GTA. While the essence of the Nerdy Girl Network has remained intact, our mission was put on hold indefinitely due to conflicting schedules, priorities and personalities.

I have since developed an affinity for this blog and it has progressively morphed into an effective outlet for my rants, introspections, many quirky thoughts and (most importantly) a retrospective account of the paths taken to create the Nerdy Girl Network.

So I guess this blog will be taking a more personal route from here on in..

Stay tuned!
xx

Old Navy Flip-flops 1 day x $1 sale

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend - it's setting up to be a gorgeous summer which I'm uber excited for!

.

Enjoy!

To get you in the mood.. ;D

R Kelly - Thank God it's Friday
Uploaded by Brownsugar18.

P.S.

I hope this video doesn't offend anyone. IMO, R Kelly's reputation doesn't change the fact that the man is a musical GENIOUS. End of Story.

xx

Dear Michelle,

When I grow up, I want to be just. like. you.

FCUK you...PAY me.

I just stumbled upon this interesting snippet online.........

When asked about her "massive wardrobe", Miss Beyonce Knowles provides the following insight into her life away from the public eye:

“Put it this way, I’ve turned my old apartment into a closet. I probably get about 15 bags sent to me a month. Armani gave me this croc bag, which was huge - I could only imagine how much that thing cost. It would be so expensive that even I wouldn’t buy it.”

I dunno about you, but it makes me smile with my heart to read this and to see how grounded Beyonce remains considering the mega millions she's earned through sold-out concerts and multi-year sponsorship deals.
(For the record, Forbes reported that Miss Bey grossed an estimated $80 M USD btw June 2007 - 2008).

Again, you can call me cheap, frugal, spendthrift (whatever you'd like, really), but I am NOT the one to shell out upwards of $1G to rock the newest clutch or designer accessory. Perhaps it's because I'm not fazed by all the glitter and sparkle, but mainly because --and, this is exactly what Beyonce alludes to above -- the art of product placement and promotion was covered in Marketing 101.

Morale of this Story: Artist's get their swag for FREE due to their partnerships and collaborations with designers and events.

Marinate in this thought the next time you see Rihanna rocking those cute Gucci shoes, or Cassie in her Fendi shades...

As a matter of fact, Jay-Z's best friend and business partner, Steve Stoute founded their company, Translation Advertising, to "bridge the gap between Madison Ave and Urban America. When companies want to get their message to the youth they know Steve Stoute will translate that message in a way that appeals to the culture and that translates into big money."

Translation: Jay is getting dividends whenever the urban demographic runs out to purchase the high-priced swag that any of his darling Rihanna/Beyonce/Mary J Blige happen to step out on the town in. (Yes, you better believe Jay's getting paid when the designer's stock price shoots up!)

Only thing is, neither Jay nor Stoute have to worry about breaking the bank to keep up with the newest trends because the cost of their extravagant closets is nil, zilch, zip, NADA!

My thoughts on this topic are straight black-and-white:
My body is not a bill board and I don't advertise for free, so FCUK you .. PAY ME!
xx

Are you an impulse shopper?

Take this quiz over at the Globe & Mail to find out!

PSA: Canadian Tire + Home Renovation Tax Credit = SAVINGS!!

Big news for the Do-It-Yourself’r and Proud Homeowner:

Canadian Tire tops up federal Home Renovation Tax Credit with the introduction of its 'Small Jobs Big Returns' program which allows customers to save money on hundreds of eligible home improvement activities – i.e. landscaping, painting, electrical or plumbing, etc.

• Here are some examples of eligible and ineligible expenditures (source: Canada Revenue Agency website www.cra-arc.gc.ca ).
  
  

Details and Dates:

From May 9th to June 5th, 2009, customers who buy eligible home improvement products can receive $25, $75 or $150 back in Canadian Tire Gift Cards.

• Here is an example of potential savings under Canadian Tire's 'Small Jobs Big Returns' Savings Program:

The Pitch:

“Canadian Tire's savings program is a top-up to the federal government's home renovation tax credit and the weekly savings we're already offering customers through our flyer. The added bonus is that both smaller and larger purchases are eligible in our program and customers won't have to wait until tax time next year to reap the rewards," says Duncan Reith (Canadian Tire Retail).

For more information on the federal Home Renovation Tax Credit, you can visit the CRA website here!

Or, feel free to shoot me a line if you have any questions on the above tables.
xx

When did we become robots?

Ermmmm. Just asking because I can.............................. :)

BTW, I think this is the first time I’ve truly appreciated the power of free speech..........Groovy !!

xx

Tips + Tricks: Chiselled cheek bones .. ^_^

Just saw this feature on contoured cheeks over at InStyle.com!

Follow the above link to learn how you can fake Rihanna’s ultra-sexy feline look if you weren’t blessed with amazing bone structure.

I personally love this look because it is so subtle but carries such high impact! What do you think?

My tips + tricks:

• Try not to go overboard with the contouring under the cheeks .. zebra strips aren’t cute!!
• Blend, blend, BLEND the darker shade into your blush/bronzer because nobody likes to look like Raggedy Ann’s sister :I
• Part and parcel with the above point, keep the contour-shade within 2/3 hues of your own colour to avoid the ‘paint by numbers’ look. Again, not so cute.

For a night out, I like to apply bronzer on top w/ a bit of red lipstick to get the old-school ‘Hollywood glam’ look à la Kate Bosworth..


Or, if I’m staying in (or just bumming around town) I often skip the foundation altogether and go straight to the contour/blush/mascara route for a look similar to Leighton’s in the following pic.


Always remember that make-up is, and should always be, 'just for fun' -- so, no matter how you decide to work it, I highly recommend you play around with this technique and, most importantly....... OWN IT!!
xx

Quotables: Oscar Wilde

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

...celebrate Mother's Day with the Queen in your life...

x's and oh's :)

Happy Friday!!

I'm out :):):) !!

xx

Canada nets 36,000 new jobs in April 2009!

It looks like Canadian entrepreneurs are picking up where the big banks and corporations left off! The latest economic indicators issued by Statscan shows 36,000 jobs (net) were created in April 2009! The crazy part -- all of these new positions appear to have been created in the “self-employed” category.

This boost helped to stabilize our unemployment stats, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 8 per cent - albeit the highest in almost a decade

The Toronto Star further quotes research performed by Toronto Dominion Bank economist Diana Petramala who analyzes the data while cautioning against a wave of premature optimism:

"It's probably safe to say that a large portion of this was likely those who were laid off and forced into self-employment, a trend that was also noticeable during the 1990s recession…”

"We expect the economy to continue to shed jobs over the rest of 2009, but not to the same degree as we saw over the last five months..”

I don't know about you, but it certainly looks like our cup is half-full to me .. this is certainly MUCH better news than our American counterparts received!

xx