Reflections On My J250 Class

This post is going to be more a reflection so feel free to just skip on by or read, whatever suits your fancy.

As the year comes to a close and my time in my multimedia comes to an end, I can't help but think where it all started. I remember walking into the classroom not knowing what to expect. I was afraid of messing up but more determined to succeed.

The first assignment I loved. Going to that old junkyard and taking pictures of cars was the highlight of my week. I don't think I have ever felt more proud of a project.

But then harder assignments came and I started to doubt myself. Audacity was no fun at all and I swear to this day final cut hates me. Like it literally hates my guts but what can I do you know? Well I actually I do know don't hit your computer. It doesn't help trust me. Final cut still hates me and now so does my computer (I have a dent right by the power button to prove it).

Then after other assignments came the 30 second video and by golly I thought I was going to rip my hair out. Filming for that was no fun and getting a somewhat useable response from my interviewee was a nightmare. Let's just say I could have interviewed a slug and gotten the same sort of footage. Yeah it was that bad....

And then somehow it was the final project and I was standing at the front of the classroom presenting the labour of my groups hard work and it hit me. I had mastered J2150. I did it. Me.

So as the year winds down and finals week begins I must say that I couldn't be prouder of the way it turned out. Sure I wasn't all that great at cutting audio and final cut wanted to see my grade go up in flames but I mastered the class and with an A at that.

If you read this Kyle thanks for being a great lab teacher. You made it fun and I am happy that I got the chance to learn from one of the best!

Namaste,
Lisette

100 Reasons To Get Rid Of It

In an effort to continue my crusade to only buy things when I need them and give things away when I don't I decided to share a few of Martha Stewart's reasons to get rid of things. Here are a few of my favourite! Enjoy!

1. 1.5 million Americans suffer from chronic hoarding & clutter (didn't know that did you?)
2. People burn 55 minutes a day looking for things (and as we just learned in The Tao of Pooh time is non refundable)
3. 80 percent of what we own we never use
4. That suitcase you never use? Some kid in foster care could use it (suitcasesforkids.org)
5.Getting rid of clutter will reduce housework by 40 percent (I read that as less dishes and more time to play outside Yippeee!)
6. If you return six MAC Cosmetics containers to any MAC store you get a free lipstick (not that we need that lipstick anyways but it is a nice incentive)

And so many more! Pop over to MarthaStewart.com and find 84 more ways to get rid of your clutter. You know you want to!

Namaste,
Lisette

3 Things I Am Loving!

For today's post I decided to show you guys some products that I am L-O-V-I-N-G! I used to be a product junkie but I am trying to cut down and only have one of each product. My goal, for example, is to only buy lotion when I run out of the bottle. Such a weird goal right? It's not like normal people do that or anything.....I am a recovering shopaholic please try and understand! But ignore me, let's get on to the 3 products that I am obsessed with!

1) A Fresh Bouquet: A fresh bouquet of flowers does wonders for my mood. I know you might not have been expecting that as one of my three things but I recently just discovered how wonderful it can be to have a fresh set it your room. It really brightens up the whole space and as an added bonus works as a natural air freshener. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!

2) Hugo Naturals Orange & Vanilla Body wash: This stuff is mmm mmm mmm good! It smells edible I swear and it makes my whole morning routine that much more pleasant and trust me I am NOT a morning person so any help I can get is much appreciated.

3) Sunshine Spa Brown Sugar (Vanilla Orange): Okay this stuff is great! I am a sugar scrub addict and this was just the thing to satiate my addiction. It is also orange and vanilla scented which was total coincidence I swear (scout's honour).

So there you have it my 3 things I am loving so far! What are you guys loving? Let me know!

Namaste,
Lisette

Have You Read The Tao Of Pooh?

Today I just wanted to leave you with a quote The Tao of Pooh. It is such a cute little book and maybe it's something about Pooh but it is comforting. It has the most gentle way of reminding you what life is all about.

“The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can't save time. You can only spend it. But you can spend it wisely or foolishly.” ~ The Tao of Pooh


Have you guys ever read this book? Did you like it?

Namaste,
Lisette 

John Masters Organics

It's review time guys and for today's post it is all about the luxurious John Masters Organics line (phew what a mouthful!)

I was in need of a new face wash and after seeing his name on several blog sites with rave reviews and quite a few magazines (Marie Claire wrote about him recently) I decided to give his line a go! First up was the Bearberry face wash, it was given the opportunity to dazzle me and trust me it did.

Aside from the plastic packaging (boo) ,nothing I can do about that besides reuse it in my household for something else, it is amazing. I am officially hooked. First of all it comes out in a foam which I love. It makes me feel like I am at a spa or something and it smells so yummy and clean! Not only that but every time I wash my face with it I swear it glows. This stuff is worth the 18 dollars!

The other thing I tried was the Moroccan clay mask. This was slightly pricer at around 30 dollars a jar BUT before you freak you this will last you at least 6 months if you use it wisely which means that it comes down to under 6 dollars a month if you spread it out. Or maybe that is just the way I justify it, either way this stuff is amazing and if you don't believe me ask Jessica Alba she raves about the stuff. It works wonders! I am telling you this will be a staple from now on all other face masks be damned!

Also if you are thinking about buying it online go ahead and do it! There is no tax or shipping costs if I remember correctly and if I am wrong I swear it was really small. I am pretty sure I paid a flat rate of 30 dollars but don't quote me on that!

So that's my review I am in love with both products! What products are you guys loving?

Namaste,
Lisette

Ew You Said What Was In My Nail Polish Again?

You might be wondering why that's the title of this post. Well folks get ready for a bumpy ride because by the time I am done with you the only thing you will be saying is "ew you said what was in my nail polish again?"

So as you know I am on a quest to live a better lifestyle. For me that means better food, better cosmetics and better consumption habits. In the area of better cosmetics that means cleaner products and that encompasses things like my nail polish. Why you ask? Because it contains a lovely blend of these three items:

• Toluene
• Formaldehyde
• Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

These my friends are known as "The Toxic Trio" and for good reason too! These chemicals have been banned all over the world for being extremely dangerous to humans (and probably animals too!) They are known for causing everything from asthma and cancer to developmental problems and birth defects. Yuck right? These chemicals are no joke and what's worse is the industry doesn't put this information  on the back of those pretty bottles that us girly girls have come to love. 

It stinks. There is no way around it and if you don't believe me do your own research! Look up articles, search for the ingredients in your favourite brands and find out about each ingredient. Being informed is important!

  

I understand why you might be saying Lisette it's no big deal, chill out I am not putting those chemicals on my skin and I'm sure as heck not eating. Well pretty girl think again. Your nails are extremely porous and every time you swipe a coat on you are exposing your body to that deadly trio. Oh and as for not eating them if you are like me sometimes your fingers have a way of getting into your mouth. So case closed on that one. Oh man oh man right? And while the industry says that those chemicals are safe in small doses think about how many times your hands go into your mouth and how long you wear that nail polish for. Im thinking longer than a day, probably more like two weeks and coupled with the other chemicals you are exposed to you are one coat away from disaster!

Picture from Blog Honest

But never fear, after doing some research and getting some recommendations from other clean product junkies I found loads of other brands that make your nails look pretty without all of the nasty stuff! Some great options are:

• Zoya
• Suncoat
• Piggy Paint (more for little kids) 
• and so many more! Just type in organic or non toxic nail lacquer into google and search until your heart's desire! Easy right?

I think the biggest lesson I have learned is making cleaner choices isn't so hard! You just need to do a little research (or read blogs hehe)

Namaste,

Lisette

10 Rules for Being Human

I ran across these the other day and they really spoke to me. I thought I would share because I think that we all forget what it means to be human sometimes.

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life but I think that author Cherie Carter does a great job of breaking things down. So without further ado, here they are:

Rule One - You will receive a body. Whether you love it or hate it, it's yours for life, so accept it. What counts is what's inside.

Rule Two - You will be presented with lessons. Life is a constant learning experience, which every day provides opportunities for you to learn more. These lessons specific to you, and learning them 'is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life'.

Rule Three - There are no mistakes, only lessons. Your development towards wisdom is a process of experimentation, trial and error, so it's inevitable things will not always go to plan or turn out how you'd want. Compassion is the remedy for harsh judgement - of ourselves and others. Forgiveness is not only divine - it's also 'the act of erasing an emotional debt'. Behaving ethically, with integrity, and with humour - especially the ability to laugh at yourself and your own mishaps - are central to the perspective that 'mistakes' are simply lessons we must learn.

Rule Four - The lesson is repeated until learned. Lessons repeat until learned. What manifest as problems and challenges, irritations and frustrations are more lessons - they will repeat until you see them as such and learn from them. Your own awareness and your ability to change are requisites of executing this rule. Also fundamental is the acceptance that you are not a victim of fate or circumstance - 'causality' must be acknowledged; that is to say: things happen to you because of how you are and what you do. To blame anyone or anything else for your misfortunes is an escape and a denial; you yourself are responsible for you, and what happens to you. Patience is required - change doesn't happen overnight, so give change time to happen.

Rule Five - Learning does not end. While you are alive there are always lessons to be learned. Surrender to the 'rhythm of life', don't struggle against it. Commit to the process of constant learning and change - be humble enough to always acknowledge your own weaknesses, and be flexible enough to adapt from what you may be accustomed to, because rigidity will deny you the freedom of new possibilities.

Rule Six - "There" is no better than "here". The other side of the hill may be greener than your own, but being there is not the key to endless happiness. Be grateful for and enjoy what you have, and where you are on your journey. Appreciate the abundance of what's good in your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not actually lead to happiness. Living in the present helps you attain peace.

Rule Seven - Others are only mirrors of you. You love or hate something about another person according to what love or hate about yourself. Be tolerant; accept others as they are, and strive for clarity of self-awareness; strive to truly understand and have an objective perception of your own self, your thoughts and feelings. Negative experiences are opportunities to heal the wounds that you carry. Support others, and by doing so you support yourself. Where you are unable to support others it is a sign that you are not adequately attending to your own needs.

Rule Eight - What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. Take responsibility for yourself. Learn to let go when you cannot change things. Don't get angry about things - bitter memories clutter your mind. Courage resides in all of us - use it when you need to do what's right for you. We all possess a strong natural power and adventurous spirit, which you should draw on to embrace what lies ahead.

Rule Nine - Your answers lie inside of you. Trust your instincts and your innermost feelings, whether you hear them as a little voice or a flash of inspiration. Listen to feelings as well as sounds. Look, listen, and trust. Draw on your natural inspiration.

Rule Ten - You will forget all this at birth. We are all born with all of these capabilities - our early experiences lead us into a physical world, away from our spiritual selves, so that we become doubtful, cynical and lacking belief and confidence. The ten Rules are not commandments, they are universal truths that apply to us all. When you lose your way, call upon them. Have faith in the strength of your spirit. Aspire to be wise - wisdom the ultimate path of your life, and it knows no limits other than those you impose on yourself.

What do you think? Let me know!

Namaste,

Lisette

Crazy, Sexy, Cancer Say What?

So a couple of months ago I came across a documentary called "Crazy, Sexy, Cancer" weird name right? Yeah I thought so too, but it isn't I swear.

Here she is in all of her glory. I am loving the hat!

It is about this lady right here and her crazy journey. Kris Carr's journey began after being diagnosed with stage IV incurable cancer. After getting no further help from the modern medicine world she basically decided to try some more natural solutions and a good old fashioned lifestyle overhaul. This meant a diet turnaround aka no more fast food and late night chinese takeout and many other life changes like quitting smoking, that HAD to go.

So that's is what she did! The documentary was pretty good I thought and after watching it I was inspired to go out and pick up her book Crazy Sexy Diet and let me say I was not disappointed.

Let's get one thing clear though this book really isn't a diet. It isn't eat this and shun that. Or eat that and workout for 5 hours after. Kris simply gives you information that she has learned about food, shows you how to apply it and let's you make the decisions from there. She even tells you why she eats the things she does and why she tries to save certain foods (like McDonald's french fries) for special occasions. Really this book is a win win.

Not only that but I simply can't get enough of the way she speaks/writes. I say speaks/writes because anytime I read something I imagine that person speaking it to me. Is that weird? I hope not. Anyways what I love best is that she is frank. She is simply a funny woman trying to share her knowledge with the world, and boy does she have a lot.

If you can't tell the book is going to be a staple on my shelf for years to come and I am so grateful that she decided to write it! So if you are interested go out to your local Barnes and Noble and pick yourself up a copy.

Namaste,
Lisette Rossman

Review Of Zum Clean

While thinking about what to write it kind of hit me that I had been trying all sorts of clean new products! I thought why not share some great and not so great finds. So here goes! For this first review I decided to talk about Zum Clean Natural laundry Soap. I tried it in the sweet orange scent and my review on a scale of 1-5 is *drum roll*.....3 stars! Okay let's get into the nitty gritty of why!

Here is a little background on the soap from the company itself:

"Tired of the chemical detergent spin cycle? Clean up the way you clean your skivvies with a handmade laundry soap. We're talking a nudist colony of coconut oil soap for cleaning and 100% pure essential oils for an all-natural scent. Plus baking soda to remove stains and smells. You won't find these dirty words: detergents, optical brighteners, chlorine, parabens, phosphates, petrochemicals or sulfates."

What a cool product right? Alright let's get on with the things I liked:

1. The Smell: I must say one of my favourite things about the soap is the way it smells, it's divine! It is clean, it's light and it's not at all overpowering! And what's better is there are no nasty headaches like I would get from chemically composed scents like garden fresh or tropical breeze. Rock on!

2. It's great for sensitive skin: It is so so gentle! A big plus is that since it has essential oils you don't have to use fabric softener! Your clothes come out of the dryer (or off the drying rack) very cuddly.

3. It's HE approved: It was made with HE washers in mind! So feel free to run out and get some ASAP.

4. The price: At 21 dollars a pop this stuff was not expensive at all! When you consider the fact that you get 64 loads that is pretty hard to beat. And tide is around the same price so that kind of puts things into perspective.

Here are some things I didn't love so much:

1. The need for warm water: I try and make my washing sessions as eco friendly as possible which means washing with cold water. But I found that my clothes were not nearly clean enough for my liking when I did this and sadly had to resort to using warm warm to get them clean.

2. Gym Clothes Oh No: This stuff was not great for gym clothes or clothes that you do any sort of dirty or sweaty activity in. Let's put it this way my equestrian clothes would never get clean with this stuff and if they did it would be after multiple washes and some help from shout :(

So overall I think this soap was a good try. I am still looking for something with a little more cleaning power and good fragrance (Biokleen I hear is a good option). As soon as this bottle runs out I am off to try that one! I'll let you know!

Namaste,

Lisette

Bag it: Is Your Life Too Plastic?

Have you ever stopped to think about how much plastic you are using in a day? Or where it goes when you are done? Or what recycling really means? I hadn't either until I watched the documentary Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?

Would you like to know my first reaction? Well I literally felt like I had been punched in the gut. I felt so disgusted at the way I had been looking at plastic and how easy it had been for me to dispose of it without thinking of the consequences.

Let me preface this by saying that I try to be a good person. I am a vegan whenever possible. I don't ever eat meat. I buy organic body products and use natural laundry detergent. I air dry my clothes and read books on the environment etc etc (you get the picture). But not once in my quest had I ever thought about my plastic consumption. And to be honest as much as I hate myself for it, I didn't really  know.

The industry has done a great job of selling plastic and leaving the consumer unaware of what is really going on. In my head I thought since I recycled I was fine, but that just isn't the case and not only is plastic is in  absolutely EVERYTHING, it is harming our environment and killing species.

So you might be saying to yourself well so what, it's not so bad we can just keep making more. But that is the problem. We can't. Plastic is a non renewable resource and if we don't start making changes soon we are going to have some serious problems in the future.

I think it really hit me when I ACTUALLY thought about how much plastic I use in just a day. If you really think about it you will realize that it is absolutely insane. Here let me give you an example of part of my daily high school routine (back in the day when I wasn't vegan and didn't know anything about the environment).

545: Wake up and pack a lunch. What did this entail?
1) I would get my bread to make my sandwich! Which came out of plastic wrapping. So there is that.
2) I would put my meat on it which of course I had taken out of plastic wrapping. (Oh dear!)
3) All of that would go into a plastic Ziploc bag.
4) I would then cut up some strawberries which surprise surprise I had gotten out of a plastic container, which also went into a Ziploc bag and so on and so forth.

By the end of it I had taken every item out of some sort of plastic encasing and then put them back into another one. Once I had done that I would pack all of those Ziploc bags into a plastic grocery bag to take to school where I would promptly throw it away after eating my food. YIKES!

This folks was just my preparation for lunch, I didn't even factor in the plastic forks and knives I used at school, the plastic bottle my diet coke came in and the plastic liners that coated our trashcans that held the plastic bags I threw away. That is mind boggling right? And it isn't even a full days worth.

I won't spoil the movie and give away tons of facts but I will say that it opened my eyes to a lot of the ways in which we use plastic, and once at that. A ton of energy and fossil fuels go into making that plastic and for me to use it once just isn't good enough. It doesn't add up, and so my challenge for myself and you is to cut down on plastic for good!

The documentary was great and I encourage everyone to watch it! Together we really can conquer our plastic addiction!

Namaste,
Lisette

My Great Gatsby Review

Last night I went to see The Great Gatsby and *drumroll please* my review is....let the haters be damned! I loved it!

But first let me start off with a little history. The Great Gatsby was a book that I had to read in high school and like most of you I am sure I wasn't particularly fond of it. I hated looking for symbolism, e.g.; what does the green light mean, what do the glasses overlooking the city of ashes symbolize blah blah blah, I hated it! But then something really weird happened. I went to college, I had life experiences and somewhere along the way a book that once made absolutely no sense to me suddenly became a masterpiece. I understood why Gatsby loved Daisy so much, I understood why love just wasn't enough for Daisy. Basically love isn't easy. 

So when people say they didn't like the dancing in the movie because it wasn't authentic, I say so what?  Most of us have seen Moulin Rouge or Romeo + Juliet, we all know that director is just a little bit quirky. If you didn't like his style pick another movie. People also said they thought the storyline was boring. Okay well my answer for you is pick that up with Fitzgerald. Also if you understood the beauty in the book it wouldn't be boring to you trust me. 

Maybe I am biased or maybe I'm just a romantic but the movie was great and the storyline melted my heart just like I knew it would.  So with that in mind and summer right around the corner I leave you with a thought.

In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “and so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 

Namaste, 
Lisette