Of course, there were tons of gorgeous outfits all over the Blue & Gold Ball. Here’s a few more I spotted:

The Lovely Ladies

Madiha’s purse & accessories topped my list as well! They were just so glam.

The Handsome Gents

The Couples

Not only did Yestine & Brandon have a wonderful wardrobe, but I loved their fabulous footwear as well!

The Fab Friends

I adored Sam’s frames, bow tie & TRSM pin! The simple additions pulled his whole look together.

The Alumni

The handsome Jason & Shane of Vitaly Design. How perfect are their tie clips?

Their company gave away gorgeous pieces to a few lucky students at the ball. Their jewellery is unique & exceptionally stunning. Give their website a look @ www.vitalydesign.com

The gorgeous Shakera & Shayma of Carnival Spice and Everything Nice. They rocked these beautiful outfits all night. Check out their website @ www.carnivalspice.com

–

Thank you for letting me take pictures of your put together pieces. I hope you all had a wonderful evening that you’ll never forget! Best of luck with the final weeks of school Ryerson, we’re almost done!!

Don’t Forget To:

Dress up—This may not be prom, but it’s not a regular school night either. Semi-formal is the dress code. Collared shirts, dresses, clean shoes & jewelry are all encouraged! In other words, dress to impress!

Wear comfortable shoes—Heels are hot. But when you’re on your feet for more than 10 minutes, they’re not that glam. Pop over to Shoppers & invest in a pair of Dr. Scholl’s fold up flats to throw in your purse.

Apply deodorant—Please & thank you. The night will be filled with dancing & we don’t want anyone passing out when you lift your arm up to wave a friend over.

Pack mints—No one likes bad breath. Tonight you’ll be socializing, dancing and maybe getting a bit closer than usual to your peers. Pop some mints in your pockets, or throw a pack of gum in your purse.

Plan a way home—Subways stop running around 1:30am, but make sure to get there a little earlier so you don’t miss it. Taking the taxi route? Add this number to your phone: Beck Taxi – 416 751 5555

Bring your bankcard— If you’re looking to hit up the bar, or cab home, I’d suggest bringing your debit or credit along with cash. It’s always good to have back up just in case.

Tweet—If you’re Twitter obsessed like I am, make sure you’re tweeting @VitalyDesign all night. I hear you have a chance to win great designer jewelry at the ball if ya do so.  Also! The hashtag for the event itself is #BGBall if you wanna include that.

Don’t Forget To Bring:

Your IDs—When have you ever been able to drink at a school event before? 19+ is the legal drinking age; please leave the fakes at home!

Cash—For the drinks you intend to buy that cutie in your morning lecture.

Your Camera—This will be a night you’ll want to share all over social media! If you’re like me, you might even want to have them printed & stored in a photo album. You can show them to your kids one day!

Other Stuff You Should Know:

Location — If you haven’t actually been in The Mattamy Athletic Center before (don’t worry, neither have I) and are clueless about where it is, don’t fret! The address is 50 Carlton St. Pop that into Google maps & you’re good to go! * It is a 5-minute walk from College Station & about 10 minutes from campus.

Doors are at 6:30pm & the show begins at 8pm

Coat check will be offered—Yes it’s spring, but it’s still bloody cold out – especially at night. Don’t hesitate to bring a coat, you won’t have to lug it around all night.

Food will be served—Om nom, food is always a bonus!

Other than that, I think y’all are ready! The Blue & Gold Ball is back & ready to hit Ryerson with a boom. Dress to impress & make sure to dance the night away. I’ll be walking around with a camera & if I love your look you have the chance to be featured in my blog post! I can’t wait to see what you all have on!

I’ll see you & all your lovely smiles tomorrow night, Ryerson!

Don’t let her size fool you. This fourth-year Graphic Communications Management student can kickbox you into oblivion, her schedule seems larger than her, and you’ll wonder how such loud cheers can emit from such a petite person. She’s tiny and dangerous, and she’s bringing back Ryerson’s biggest event of the year.

Why did you want to be a part of planning the Blue and Gold Ball this year?

A formal event at Ryerson? We don’t have many of these. I love formals, I love dressing up. I was involved in my first year too, just doing a bit of marketing here and there because I didn’t know who to talk to, or what a risk management form was! Last year, I was one of two social representatives on the GCM unions, so that’s helped give me knowledge who to talk to.

We were waiting for the Mattamy Athletic Centre to open up, we wanted to hold it last year as well, but unfortunately it was delayed until this year, and that’s the bright opening, it’ll be exciting.

What else are you involved in?

I was elected for the FCAD board of directors for the RSU. I was proud of that because it involved Ryerson-wide voting, not my close friends or GCM. I hold that position until May 1st.

The GCM yearbook, the grad book, the Cabin Fever fashion show, anything I’ve ever done, I’m always learning from it. No matter what you do, as long as you’re willing to learn from it, you can go so much farther, you can learn from anything.

I thought it was a great opportunity, I know what I’m capable of doing, FCAD’s a wonderful faculty, there’s so much talent, it’s probably the most creative one.

GCM has yearbooks?

Yeah! It was inspired by talking with my course union, we’re a print program and it’s all about experiential learning. We kept saying more and more, and then it sounded like a good idea. We went from ‘maybe we could make a yearbook’ to ‘we SHOULD have a yearbook!’ We put it together within two months. Students did everything from gathering the content to design.

Believe it or not, Ryerson used to have yearbooks. When we were looking at the Ryerson Archives (researching for Blue and Gold), back when it was a polytechnic institute with, like, 200 students, we did actually have yearbooks for all of Ryerson it was really neat. It was about the 1950s and 1960s. It wasn’t separated into Arts, Business, and FCAD students you have their mugshot, their program, their interests.

When I first came here four years ago, my program, we were using scanners and cameras, we’re still using cameras, but now we’re using photography. you would have older years talking about film stripping, and things have changed so much. We want to celebrate how Ryerson has changed so much since it was a polytechnic institute.

How are you doing, organizing the Blue and Gold Ball?

It’s so much fun, it drives me crazy. The past few months have been planning and meetings. Meeting with production, with decor. I don’t know what am I going to do with my life when this is all over.

Why get involved and drive yourself crazy with all these commitments?

I think it’s just because I’m so proud to be a Ryerson student! Because of all it’s accomplished, we got the Black Star Gallery, we got Maple Leaf Gardens! It’s now the new home for Ryerson Athletics. So much has happened, there’s so much for Ryerson students to be proud of.

I don’t think students realize the opportunities, and that makes me sad. You see all these things when you’re involved and you meet so many people that allow you and enrich your life and provide you with opportunities.

Were you always this involved?

I wasn’t involved in high school at all. The cheerleading team was the extent of my extracurriculars. I did a complete 180 went from not being involved to barely having time to sleep. After Blue and Gold in my first year, my time management skills improved. I was trying to handle working on an event, and because it was the end of the school year, midterms, finals, projects, and it was my second semester of uni. I didn’t know what I got myself into, just threw myself into it, jumped in full force, I didn’t prepare. I learned a lot, in everything, no matter what I do.

How do you stay organized?

I live by a calendar. I have everything is scheduled, from going to the gym to job fair events, fashion show tomorrow, meetings. I almost feel like I can never do anything spontaneously and I have to plan out my personal life. But I don’t find it’s bad, this is my life.

If first-year Marijana could see you now, what would she say?

‘Who ARE you?’ I realize how much I’ve changed over the past four years, not in a bad way, my time management skills have definitely improved, and my communication skills have improved.

—

Join Marijana and the rest of Ryerson, and make history at the Blue & Gold Ball on March 28! You can get your ticket at the Student Centre for $10. See you in your spiffest at the MAC on Thursday night!

The nights you dressed up & hoped to score a dance with the cutie in your math class. The night you awkwardly slow danced to a song, wondering where to put your hands!! The night you spent some extra time with the hair straightener or makeup bag. The night you learned to tie a tie. There was always a circle started for a dance battle and a song you sang your heart out too. School dances were an adventure!

Now just cause you’re in university doesn’t mean you need to put that part of your life away for good. Next Thursday, you’re cordially invited to Ryerson’s biggest social event of the year!

When: March 28^th, 2013 (Doors @ 6:30pm—Show starts at 8:00pm)

Where: The Mattamy Athletic Center

Dress: Semi Formal

Price: Only 10 bucks!

* Food & drink will be served (Bring your ID & cash for the bar)

Don’t forget to dress to impress—I’ll be walking around all night with a camera by my side. If I love what you have on you’ll be featured in my blog post the following day. This is your night to let loose before exams and enjoy Ryerson’s new home!

The event sounds amazing & I hope to see all your lovely faces there! If you want to bring a friend with you that isn’t from Ryerson, feel free to! But make sure they have a printed ticket to walk in with! On that note, tickets can be purchased online @ http://blueandgoldball13.eventbrite.com/ or in the Member Services Office, located in the Student Campus Centre (SCC).

See you on the dance floor, Ryerson!

For those of you who survived St. Patrick’s Day, I hope you enjoyed it safely. We can only pray your boss doesn’t see those photos of you dressed as a drunken leprechaun that are circulating around Facebook and Instagram. As you might remember last week I offered up some advice to enjoying your St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so with the first official day of spring arriving just three days later (what’s with the cold weather? It was 22 degrees this time last year), I can only lend my feelings as to why the end of winter is even more splendid than St. Paddy’s Day.

For starters, this week we all seem to be buried in a giant pile of research papers and brutal assignments as we quickly approach the end school semester.

Student anxiety is at an all-time high and we’re all hyped up on coffee and energy drinks, doubting we will survive this agonizing stretch to The End.

It’s becoming obvious if you’re about to graduate that y’all are adults now. Your parents are cutting you off from a steady cash flow as they gleefully smile and say “Welcome to the Real World Kid.”  Fear not children of tomorrow, just like the winter turns to spring, it’s time to take pleasure in this change of scenery and embrace anew!

So I will tell you why, despite the lack of sleep and ‘round the clock homework, that this time of year is so awesome.

1. This is the time of year when I get to bust out all the clothes taking a winter vacation in the back of my closet. Goodbye heavy sweaters and toques, hello sunglasses and tank tops…my spring wardrobe is so colourful and I miss it during the winter! Plus I will shamelessly admit that I’m excited to finally show a little skin. It’s a beautiful thing.

2. Daylight savings time earlier this month means it’s still light outside at the end of the day when I’m Go Training it back to Hamilton. Catching rays can definitely affect your mood so it’s nice to have those extra hours of sunlight.

3. Blue Jays Home Opener!!!!!!!! #LetsGoBlueJays #LoveThisTeam

The Jays did quite a shopping spree during the off-season  acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buerhle, Josh Johnson, R.A. Dickey, Emilio Bonifacio , Melky Cabrera, the return of manager John Gibbons…and so forth (hope I didn’t miss anyone). The optimism for those who were here before is indisputable-  ask any long-time Toronto Blue Jays fan if they’re excited about the upcoming season and the answer is an obvious YES! JUST IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES! So if you were lucky enough to get your hands on tickets for the sold out home opener, which is now less than two weeks away, congratulations because those tickets are a hot item. I’m just thankful that Paul Molitor came to me in a dream and told me to buy a flex pack two days before “The Trade.” Check out who arrived in the mail yesterday:

Jose Bautista Bobblehead!!!

4. Outdoor exercise – Being stuck in a crowded gym sucks! With warm weather just around the corner (it’s coming, I can feel it) we can finally dodge the gym and go for a run or bike ride in the outdoors. Not to mention taking in all the scenery of budding cherry blossoms and sprouting flowers is so much nicer than running on a treadmill indoors.

5. Patio beers. I am definitely a fan. Goodbye dingy dive bar hello Coronas under the umbrella.

6. There’s no better way to shake off the winter blues than taking in the sweet smell of flowers and hearing birds-a-chirping. These signs of life are a wonderful reminder that it’s good to be alive.

7. Summer concert tours are approaching – Musicians must hate the cold too. I feel like all the good concerts only come to Canada during the spring/summer season. Whatever type of music, there’s a much better concert selection during the warm weather and it should be a good year for music. Going to concerts is probably my favourite reason why I love to say goodbye to winter.

8. Bike season is back – I have a ton of friends who ride motorcycles and while I’m too broke to afford that luxury, I occasionally get to ride on the back of theirs. Something about cruising on a bike is completely exhilarating and awesome. When you’re looking out the window in a car you’re merely taking in the scenery, but riding on a motorcycle feels like you’re part of it. Yu can bet that when the first signs of warm weather hit Toronto, the bikes are out in full force.

Well fellow students, despite the massive workload we’re currently buried in there are still a zillion reasons why this time of year is awesome.

Perhaps the best reason is that spring is an early promise that the best is yet to come. Warm weather puts us all in a good mood. With temperatures hovering around the zero mark today it might not feel like spring is here quite yet, after all the first day of spring was only yesterday, but just knowing that I won’t have to worry about winter for the next seven months…that makes me cheerful. (And very Canadian don’t you think?)

Before I spin off my tips for a great St. Patrick’s Day weekend, we must first begin with a little history lesson.

So according to a mythical legend, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland for over 1,00 years, and on this day, our friend St. Patrick flew over Ireland on a green sled, which was led by leprechauns, dropping kegs of beer down all the Irish chimneys. Just kidding.

Saint Patrick, the patron saint is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland., and many people throughout the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the anniversary of his death, with a food, drink and all things green. Nowadays hardly anyone knows who St. Patrick was or that he actually is associated with the colour blue, not green. Somewhere along the celebrations it got changed to green and we were all too busy drinking to care.  Right.

The point is, everybody gets to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. So let’s get to it! Follow these solid steps for St. Patrick’s day prep!

Step One – Wear green.

Trust me, unless you want to get the shit pinched out of you by a bunch of annoying drunks, follow my advice and wear something green. Check out the local thrift shops or Dollarama for green St. Patrick’s Day accessories. I love any chance to dress up in costume and I like to go all out on St. Patrick’s Day. I plan on looking extremely awesome like this guy:

Step Two – Pace Yourself

It’s easy to get carried away on St. Paddy’s Day with all that green beer flowing, but it’s harder than it looks! Whatever colour liquid you consome, remember to do it safely! First of all nobody likes feeling like death the next day so be smart about your alcohol consumption. Secondly, pacing yourself means more green in your wallet. Keep that in mind. Also important: An Irish Car Bomb is a shot of Irish whiskey and a shot of Irish cream dropped into a glass of Guinness. People will be calling these “breakfast.” Do not fall for it. Finally, remember to take breaks with plenty o’water and load up on plenty o’grub at the pub. Or if you like to cook, try out these St. Patrick’s Day recipes. 

Step Three – Plan your night accordingly

There are lots of parties and pubs to choose from. The Psychology Students’ Association is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day pub night at the Ram on Friday night. That could be a good start. Don’t forget to plan a safe and sober ride home!

Step Four – Music

Get your ipod playlist ready now. Not solely Irish but try some of this celtic flavoured music: The Dropkick Murphy’s. Flogging Molly. The Pogues. The Dubliners. Great Big Sea. The Mahones. The Oysterband.

Sidenote: You will probably be sick of these bands by the end of the weekend considering every pub in Toronto will have them on repeat.

 Step Five – Get Crafty

If you are hosting a party or having friends over why not cover your home in Origami Shamrocks or these other St. Patrick’s Day decorations?

Step Six – Go to the Toronto St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Lucky for Ryerson students, the parade route goes right past our school so no excuses not to attend! The parade is on Sunday March 17th and starts at 12 noon. Here’s a map of the route:

Step Seven – Abstain

If you really want to avoid feeling like crap the next day, then follow my advice and don’t drink before you head to the bar. Or, don’t drink at all. This might sound difficult, but it’s really quite simple. Avoid the pub for 100% success.

Step Eight – Paint The Town green!

As you venture into this weekend with a bright green clover tattooed across your face, stumbling slowly back to your home, do your best to remember these rules and you will have a disaster-free weekend.

Good Luck o the Irish to ya!

Dear First Year Char,

Remember back in 2007 when you applied for that program called J’Explore and went away for the summer to experience two months in Montreal? Well, I guess where you are now, in 2010, that really wasn’t too long ago. That summer changed your life. You had never been to the east side of Canada: It was 6-oh-4, 2-five-oh, West Coast, Fresh Coast, baby! All day, err’day!  Vancity, to your unexplored traveling palette, was the be-all end-all. Why see the world? When you’ve got the beach? (And the mountains?)

But something was beckoning you. It was kind of a rough year, the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. You went to a community college after not getting into university, taking classes that led to a non-conclusive future, which ultimately left you unmotivated and depressed. 18 years old and you just had no frickin’ clue what to do with your life. It didn’t help either to have two immigrant parents who put the pressure on you that you better figure out a career path or else everything they sacrificed for you had been in vain.

J’Explore was the perfect ticket to independence and a new adventure. Go and learn french for the summer? Have the government pay for all your living and studying and eating expenses? Meet new friends from all over Canada? Hells yeah! I reiterate – that summer changed your life. Why? Because being on your own for the first time taught you that you needed more of it. It taught you to think for yourself, to question everything you’ve been domesticated into believing, and that people live different realities in other places – even if that place is still in the same country.

Those two months spent in Montreal only brought you back to Vancouver to realize that you didn’t want to live there anymore. Return to MTL? You tried, but your french wasn’t strong enough for a job transfer with the company you worked for at the time - Lululemon Athletica. And then… Toronto happened. Never stepped foot in the concrete jungle but you thought, “What the hay? I think I can hack it.”

*Shakes head* Gridlocked in buildings and skyscrapers, you got hit with four snow storms in a month (which, prior to, you had never experienced snow passed your knees! And manz be lookin’ at you like you’re a fool for trekking through it with an umbrella! It’s still precipitation! Hellooo!)

Despite all the transition-year challenges, you did hack it. Better yet, you adapted to the point where Toronto embraced you as their very own. You learned to speak Torontonian (“Yo guyy, still, whatchu sayin? Bredren, sistren, wha gwan,” and the best one of them all, you learned to point your index and middle finger in the air like a gat and let out a “Brrrappp! Brraapp! BAM! BAM! BAM!”)

Toronto’s hustle and grind mentality showed you how to WERK, and work hard for where you want to go. Everyone is doing something, and the density of creativity that exists with artists and like-minded people allowed for you to flourish in your craft. I guess with me saying all of this… you’re only two years in of doing that. You found out what you wanted to go back to school for, got into the most prestigious program for broadcasting and media, and now here you are, the whole world is your oyster.

Toronto is Home. People always ask you, “Which city do you like more? Vancouver or Toronto?” You love both… but right now, your vibe, it’s Toronto. You want to werk, you want to meet people, you want to get yourself out there, jump on every opportunity, you don’t want to sleep because if you’re sleeping someone else is working harder than you. In the next few years to come, you’re going to create unbreakable bonds, film in places like New York City and Jamaica, be exposed to legendary artists you never thought you’d ever meet, successfully work for yourself as a freelance videographer, event photographer, and social media specialist…

I’m writing to you from the year 2013, looking back on all of this, and realizing how funny it is that everything has come full circle. Today, I received a phone call from the love of my life (Yes, wonderful men do exist but it won’t be for another two years until you meet him, so, relax, lol). He called to tell you that you both have been approved for the apartment you’re applying for in Montreal for May, and that he’d be going to check it on Saturday to see if it is where you can build the next chapter of your lives together.

Now, I know you’re probably wondering – what the heck?! You just told me all this awesome stuff about what happens to us in Toronto, and now we’re going to pick up and leave again?

The answer is Yes. That is exactly what we’re going to do. We are ever evolving and nomadic at the core. In a few year’s time, your vibe will change again and you will be seeking something new that vibrates at your same frequency. You’ll be ready for a new change of pace, a new mentality and environment to challenge you. I’m not gunning for that salary paid job in the industry post-graduation. I’m pursuing happiness by prioritizing what makes me happy… because, as you’ll eventually realize, all that werking and twerking gets tiring and it’s important to take the time to slow down, reflect, and just Be.

You are on a journey, young Char. “Real life in the real world” doesn’t just begin after you graduate. You are living real life right now, and as much as you are here to “pursue your career” in the media industry, you are here learning what you need to learn before you are ready for the next chapter ahead of you… Montreal. For some reason… for some unexplainable reason, you just weren’t ready for it yet, five years ago. It took being in Toronto for five years to now lead you towards that path, and it’s going to be very interesting to see why and what happens next…

Write to you soon,

- Fourth Year Char

PS. Thought I’d send you a few pics

Haha, remember this? On the boat on the way to Quebec City. July of 2007.

The day you learned what REAL poutine is. (Pronounced pooh-tin, not pooh-teeen!) Summer of 2007.

Winter is the TRUTH outchea. Your second day in Toronto – February 2008

I guess this picture isn’t that old to you, but seems like centuries to me. Gettin coin to film parties… while you party. Sweet life.

Ali Shaheed Muhammed from A Tribe Called Quest will DJ at your 22nd birthday party. I repeat. This will happen in your future.

You will meet this dope artist named Masia One who will fly you to Jamaica to film her and have an epic experience. October 2010

This is J Dilla’s Mom. Aka Ma Dukes. One of the most beautiful energies you will ever meet. February 2011.

With its length, you might mistake it for a movie. Probably a made for TV movie you’ll never watch twice, but one you have to admit brings a smile to you face! And whatever, if you don’t agree with me, I’m not going to fight you on it, but all you Bachelor fans get what I’m saying—It’s addictive and I don’t mind.

Last night the handsome Sean Lowe graced our screens equipped with some burned skin, barely there eyebrows, and laughable b-roll for the last time. Well not actually one final time, since his wedding will be televised, but you know what I mean. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sean during Emily’s season of The Bachelorette (1 F Jef had my heart), I learned to love him when he became this seasons Bachelor.  And with my favourite lady of the season, Catherine on his arm, I can’t help but adore him a tad bit more.

This season brought the crazies, the drama and the cringe-worthy cuteness.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments:

50 Shades of Drunk

The first night of the Bachelor is always interesting. It’s the night the crazies come out to play and are often not handed a rose. While that wasn’t the case for Ms.Lindsay, showing up in a wedding dress and forcing Sean to kiss her (how did she get to the end again?), it was the case for Ashley P. Although Ashley spelled her name the common way, nothing was common about her. Within minutes of her exiting the limo, the hashtag #smashley was trending. In her intro video she said she had NO idea why she was still single, but if you watched the episode, you may have some formed your own opinion. If you didn’t watch the season premiere, click here for a quick reminder of the re-occurring tie—note Sean’s reaction, it’s epic.

Oh & for those of you that thought this was set up:

The Tierraist
  

There’s always someone you hate. This time around it was Tierra, and for good reason. I think this chick would have faked her own death if it meant Sean would be at the wake. She played every kind of sympathy card she could, just to get Seans attention. And I do not know how he fell for it, but for a hell of a long time, he did. Many believe that Tierra’s trip down the stairs was one she bought her own ticket too & that the hypothermia in Canada was a scam too. She loved to talk about how she was going to beat everyone up and how Sean was her husband. Too bad he sent her uncontrollable eyebrow and special ‘sparkle’ home. But don’t cry yourself to sleep on this one, the girl that had an extremely dramatic exit was suddenly engaged in January—barely two months after The Bachelor finished taping. WTF!

The Brother

Did hometown dates seem rather boring this season, or was it only me? Anyways, my least favourite date was Desirees. She happened to run into Sean while out for a jog—did you see her outfit? Continued to pull a ‘hysterical prank’ on him…then brought him home to her ADORABLE parents (no sarcasm there, they were so cute!) and brother, Nate. This is where things took a downhill drop—behemoth style. Nate takes Sean aside to what we expect to be a brotherly loving, man bonding session, but nope! Nate instead calls Sean a playboy and suggests he doesn’t really have any feelings for Dez. For a second I thought Dez might be pulling another great prank on Sean…but it turns out her brother was just being arrogant. Although she wasn’t my favourite, I felt bad for her after this. Nate entirely ruined Dez’ chances with Sean. But don’t fret; her audition tape in the backseat, driving away from Sean landed her as the next seasons Bachlorette.

I wonder how her brother reacted to the news.

The Break-ups

Sean is sweet, extremely polite and wanted to make sure that the girls were respected. However, he was not the best with his words. If you tuned in for more than one episode you saw the multiple times he mentioned he was “crazy” about someone. Not only that, but he said the most unnecessary things when it came to the final weeks, especially with Lindsay. When Lindsay first told Sean that she loved him, instead of replying with thank you or something similar, he replied with “I love………hearing you say that” WAY TO THROW THE GIRL OFF SEAN!!! She totally thought you were going to say it back. Then when he did decide to tell her that he loved her, it was IMMEDIATELY AFTER he broke up with her. If this wasn’t bad enough, when he saw Lindsay again after the final rose, he told her that he still lights up when he thinks about her. You don’t tell someone you broke up with, to go propose to another girl, things like that!

 The Proposal

Although Sean sucked at breaking up, when it all came down to it, he knew exactly how to propose. He got down on one knee, tears in his eyes & had Catherine shaking. YES CATHERINE! Have I mentioned how much I adore her? She’s genuine, quirky, intelligent, stunning and not at all cookie cutter. If you can’t tell, she was my favourite girl & I am beyond thrilled that Sean picked her! Anywho, not only was the proposal amazing but then they left ON AN ELEPHANT. Yes, they literally got up onto an elephant and rode away.  Hello fairy tale proposal! This is the part of the season that has you near tears and reminds you why you watch this seemingly ridiculous show.  The two people with giddy smiles and full hearts seals the deal!

* And if you couldn’t get enough of Sean on The Bachelor, you’re in luck! Earlier today it was CONFIRMED that Sean will be back on TV in no time—This time on another reality show, Dancing With The Stars.

It was early November when I received the email about applying for graduation. Needing to pay a $40 fee, I lazily opted to save the application for the next day. It slipped my mind at the time, but I was to shoot a formal conference downtown that weekend. Morning rolled around and I suited up. After a surprisingly smooth commute, I arrived downtown earlier than I had planned so I decided to drop by the RU Student Life office. Remembering that I still had to fill out the graduation application, I did it right then and there. However, just before I clicked “Submit”, I was kindled with a startling realization…

There I sat. In an office. A 21-year old wearing a suit. Pulling out his credit card to apply for graduation. Everything about that situation screamed, “Holy shit, you’re an adult now.”

An epiphany like that is not to be taken lightly – being an adult is supposed to be a big deal, right? It’s what we’ve been looking forward to ever since we were kids. It’s what we spent the last two decades of our life preparing for. So why is it that once I was there, it was such a bitter-sweet feeling? Sure, I’m old enough to legally drink everywhere… but when I think about how many responsibilities I’m going to be laboured with in the coming years, I start to freak out just a bit. I mean like, what the heck is income tax?!

The first thing people always do when they find out I’m in 4th year is bombard me with questions. One of the most popular ones is, “What are your plans after you graduate?” Sometimes I tell them I’m going to travel for a bit, sometimes I tell them I’m just going to work. Being a filmmaker, I’m going to have to grab at every opportunity that comes my way lest I become a starving artist. But at the same time, I’ve spent the last 16+ years of my life going to school and having people tell me what to do – I think I need a little me time, you know?

And me time might be just what I need in order to clear my head and sort through all these conflicting feels. Another question I’m commonly asked is, “How does it feel to be graduating?” The answer to this question was to serve as the basis of this blog post but to be honest, I don’t really know.

While writing this, the attempt to articulate my words resulted in an attempt to articulate my thoughts as well. Initially I had stared at an empty page with not a clue what to write, but as the stream of consciousness slowly began to flow, my thoughts became clearer. Perhaps I’m not ready to face “the real world” yet. Perhaps I’m not quite prepared to face the responsibilities of being an adult. Maybe I still want to cling on to the vestiges of my innocent and carefree youth, but so what? Society constantly tells us to be mature as early as possible but when push comes to shove, we’re never going to feel completely ready. When life decides to smack us in the face with a deluge of obligations, all we can do is tackle them the best we can given the resources and knowledge we have obtained.

As Peter Pan to my Lost Children, let me tell you: keep learning and keep growing, but don’t grow up too fast. There’s no going back, so enjoy the ride. Get involved: I mean, when I had first joined RU Student Life I had no idea what to expect, but now I find myself practically writing my life story to the entire student body. So dive in and don’t be afraid of where life takes you because you never know how much a detour can change your life. And as one wise mouse once said to another, “If growing up were easy… would it take so long?” (An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, random reference right?)

Here’s four stress free ways to stay fashionable in this transitional weather:

Leggings

In this annoying weather, leggings are always a safe call. They’re lighter than jeans, but warmer than tights. You can wear them with boots, running shoes and even dressy shoes. I honestly have a love affair with leggings. I used to be obsessed with jeans in high school, but that changed when the legging world grew. A good pair of leggings used to mean dropping 80 bucks at lululemon, but now all sorts of places sell them for reasonable prices and are a lot more exciting patterns.

If you’re an in-store shopper I’d recommend checking out Forever21, I have a floral pair from there that cost the perfect student amount of ten bucks—and they’re actually cute & comfy! Totally worth it. I’ve also found a ton of websites online that sell crazy patterned leggings. Pair a crazy print legging with a simple, solid shirt & you’re good to go—These are the next two styles on my shopping list:

Pink “Explosion Font” Leggings (romwe.com)

Leggings in Stripe Print (asos.com)

*Fashion tidbit. The 60s are making a comeback & bold black and white lines, Beetlejuice stlye, are in. Add this simple pattern to a coat, pant or purse & you’ll be right on point! To see more click here.

Cut Outs

I find myself getting hot then cold then singing Katy Perry songs in this weather. To fashionably solve this problem I’ve become a fan of cut out shirts & open backs. Both these styles are not only super trendy, but they leave room for air. I know that some lecture halls can get pretty hot, but at the same time you sometimes need a long sleeve to get you through cold walks to the subway. With cut outs & open backs you have the warmth you need, with a little extra breathing room.

Here are my two favourite looks:

Sheer High-Low Shirt (Forever21)

Cotton Spandex Jersey Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Bodysuit (American Apparel)

Tights & Knee Socks

Dying to pull out your favourite summer dress? Favourite pair of shorts? Don’t be afraid! I’m a big advocate of the short. In fact I wish I could wear shorts every single day of the year. And since it will start to get warmer, you shouldn’t be afraid of pulling these summer staples out from your wardrobe. But instead of rocking them bare legged, remember the city your living in is a tad bit freezing and add this simple, but fashionable addition: A pair of black sheer tights, knee high socks & any pair of boots. Pair the look with a cardigan; knit sweater & scarf so you’re bundled warm for the colder days of this transitional weather.

When it gets warm enough, ditch the knee socks & rock tights and shorts. I love this look!

via: Emilio Estevez (Flickr)

The Maxi Skirt

The Maxi has been making an appearance these last couple seasons and there is no reason it should be left out now! Pick a warmer material maxi, throw a pair of tights underneath, some layers on top & you’re set. Although the maxi seems intimidating and hard to pull off, it’s actually super comfy and easy!

If you’re new to the whole long skirt thing (like I am), try it on around your house before throwing some boots on and rocking it outside.

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As an overall fact just remember to wear removable layers (cardigans, jean jackets, scarves, hats, vests) so that you can beat that hot/cold mix up. This transitional weather can be a pain in the neck, but don’t let it defeat your fashion drive!

Is there something else you swear by in this tricky weather? Don’t hesitate to comment or tweet us at @RUStudentLife, I’d love to know what it is! And if you have any specific questions about anything in this post, feel free to tweet me @evesharabi.

Stay fashionable!