Wednesday 27 November 2013

2013 Christmas List

I'm making this list* public simply to give you some ideas if you're having a hard time thinking of what you want for Christmas, to give you ideas of what to buy others for Christmas, and to make it easier for my family and/or friends to shop for me (I know how difficult it can be to find presents for people, so let's get started).

* Ordered from least expensive item/gift to most expensive.

Disclaimer: By no means do I expect to receive, nor do I care to receive all of the items on this list. I made this list for people to get gift ideas for themselves, or for what to buy others who fit my demographic. 

Loose Leaf Tea (Or regular tea/coffee)
Price: $17.50 - $27.50

If you are, or if you know, a tea connoisseur like myself, you can never go wrong with loose leaf tea as a Christmas gift. Now personally, I do not drink anything with caffeine in it, so only caffeine free herbal teas for me please. (Some of my favourites are peppermint, chamomile, bengal spice, and rooibos teas). The best store to buy loose leaf teas from is definitely David's Tea. You can order online as well, and I truly think this will make the perfect Christmas present for anyone, but especially for tea lovers. 



Movies
- Love in the Afternoon (Audrey Hepburn)
- We're the Millers (Jason Sudekis) 









Books
Price: $15.00 - $30.00

Books are the perfect gift! I absolutely love receiving books as gifts and hope to one day have a library in my house.

Books I Would Like for Christmas:




Rice Cooker/Steamer
Price: $27.95 - $79.95

"You know you're a grown up when... You ask for cookware for Christmas." Wahhh. But anyway, I don't really eat rice regularly right now, but I swear I would if I had a rice cooker like this one. If I'm not mistaken you can put the rice in at night and set a timer and have it ready for you in the morning when you wake up. How cool is that! 





Crock Pot/Slow Cooker
Price: $45.00 - $60.00

So many healthy recipes call for the use of a crock pot, and I don't have one. I'm surprised they're not more expensive, but I can't wait to start using it to make healthy Chili and soup recipes :) 







Fleece Sweater
Price: $59.95

This is the perfect gift for those outdoorsy types. This fleece pullover will keep you or your friends warm during those chilly winter nights (if you live in a cold region). I've already got one, but the lady at the Eddie Bauer store said she got one for all of her friends and family last Christmas and it was a huge hit!!!  














iPhone Accessories 



If you know what type of phone your friend has, it's always fun to get them cases or accessories for that phone. For instance, this Michael Kors iPhone Wristlet is beautiful and would be a great gift to get or receive. Other ideas for phone accessories are dashboard holders, external speakers, etc. 






Apple TV
Price: $109.00

This is an amazing device. I use it mostly to watch Netflix, but there's also radio stations, you can buy or rent movies from the Apple Store, and do so much more with this itty bitty package of convenience.





Bedding/New Comforter 
Price: $100.00 - $300.00

Who doesn't love to get a new comforter or sheet set? Sometimes they can get really pricey but if you search around or wait for them to go on sale, you can actually find some really awesome bedding. So comfy and cozy, this gift will leave the recipient feeling like they're sleeping on cloud 9. 









Professional Blender  
Price: $454.95 - $579.00

Ouch. I know this is a pricey item, but honestly a good blender goes a long, looooooongg way. If you know a friend or family member who is into health, a high quality blender is essential. I've been using a cheap (crappy) blender to blend my smoothies and it's just not working out so great. That's why I would love to receive a Blendtec blender or Vitamix Blender for Christmas this year. 

There's also the more affordable option, the Ninja Ultima blender which is comparable to a Vitamix. The only thing that concerns me is that there is lead used in the production of this machine, and it is not entirely clear as to whether or not the lead comes in contact with your food. 


Thanks for reading and let me know what you're asking from Santa for Christmas!








Sunday 24 November 2013

What is a bully?

What is a bully?

noun
1. a person who uses strength or influence to harm or intimidate those who are weaker.

verb
1. use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force them to do something.

I'm sure everyone has come across a bully at least once in their lives. I really do not deal with bullies well. You could actually say I have a zero tolerance policy. Something about someone trying to intimidate, oppress or dictate how I live my life really bothers me, right down to the very core of who I am (perhaps a trickled down side effect of colonization? But that's a different blog post).

The very first bully I ever encountered was in kindergarten… To protect the (not so) innocent, let's call her Rachel. Everyday I would go to school and Rachel would pull my hair and force me to do things I didn't want to do (like go into the bathroom alone with her, or play games I didn't want to play). I told my mom that Rachel kept making me do stuff and would always pull my hair or hurt me if I didn't do exactly what she said. My mom, being the great person that she is, decided the first step would be for me to try to avoid her.

So I did. But it was kindergarten and kind of difficult to avoid someone in such a small classroom. So the next step that my mother took was to alert the teacher to the situation. The teacher told the class that bullying was wrong and that we should keep our hands to ourselves without addressing Rachel and myself directly. That would have been great if it had worked, and the bullying had stopped there, but it didn't.

Rachel continued to harm me by pulling my hair and forcing me to do things I didn't want to do. I told my mom that Rachel still wouldn't stop, and finally she told me this:

"The only way you can get Rachel to stop bullying you and pulling your hair for good, is by pulling hers back even harder than she's ever pulled yours before."

What!!! I was shocked. Did my mom really give me permission to pull another girl's hair at school?

Yes. She did. And it was the greatest piece of advice I think she's ever given me.

So I went back to school. The next day our class was in the gym and Rachel was wearing a long, beautiful braid down her back. Rachel told me to do something and I said no.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Do it!" She said.

"NO." I said firmly.

So Rachel pulled my hair and told me to do it again... There it was... My chance. I looked around the room making sure the teacher wasn't watching… wound up… and pulled on Rachel's braid as hard as I possibly could (for a 6 year old girl). In fact, I pulled her hair so hard that Rachel actually fell to the ground.

She cried, and I can't remember if I got in trouble or not, but I'm sure it was worth it because Rachel never bothered me again from that day on. In fact we became pretty close friends until she moved away. I have no idea where or what she's up to now.

But I learned an important lesson that day. Bullies are actually cowards. They don't like themselves or who they are, or maybe they are bullied at home by parents, so they try to control other people's lives. But if you stand up to a bully and show them they shouldn't mess with you, typically you will gain their respect and the bullying will cease.

So here's my advice to you, should you ever encounter a bully in the near future.

Step 1. Avoid the bully if possible. Never resort to bullying back right away, or else you become one yourself.

Step 2. If avoidance is out of the question, or if they just don't leave you alone, tell someone. If you're younger tell your parents, or if you're an adult like me, talk to the bully directly and tell them you don't like the way they're treating you.

Step 3. If Step 1 and Step 2 haven't helped in any way, you may finally have to give the bully a taste of their own medicine.

And if that doesn't work… you're screwed! (lol)

I'm really curious to know how you deal with bullies. If you haven any advice please leave it. I'd also love to hear your bully story.

Thanks for reading, and go show those bullies who's boss!

xo,

Chelsey

Sunday 17 November 2013

Day One Patch - Episode 40

My younger brother and his friends have this amazing video game podcast called "Day One Patch." They really know what they're talking about and are truly deserving of more views and subs. So if you consider yourself a gamer or even a game lover, check out their latest episode for some laughs, and insightful comments about the latest video games.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Fifteen Classic Christmas Albums to Start Your Collection!

Well, it's that wonderful time of the year again. My favourite time... Christmastime! I woke up this morning and there was SNOW ON THE GROUND. The stores are decked out in red, green, and gold. Couples are snuggled close together sipping hot chocolate in the coffee shop, and snow flakes occasionally find their way down to land on my nose. It's absolutely perfect!

If you'd like to listen to a pre made playlist of Christmas songs, you can check out three of my playlists, That Christmas Feeling, Christmas Dreaming, and finally, Christmas Morning.   

Because I believe that the season is not complete without an amazing soundtrack to accompany and create that Christmas feeling, here's a list of my top 15 favourite albums to listen to during the holiday season.

The top 5 are absolute essentials. Let me know what your top 5 Christmas Albums are in the comments down below. 

1. Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song

What can I say about this album, except that it is absolute perfection! Every single song sounds like Christmas Morning. A must have!

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here. 

2.  Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Another essential Christmas album. The Vince Guaraldi Trio masters that holiday feeling on this phenomenal album. I suggest you watch the movie as well because it's so cute and the music doesn't sound the same without watching the film.

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

3. Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas

Can't have Christmas without a little Mariah Carey. The most popular song on this album is "All I Want for Christmas is You," but all of the songs are immensely enjoyable. Some of my favourites are "O Holy Night," "Silent Night," and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Again, you can't go wrong with this album in your Christmas repertoire.

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

4. Harry Connick Jr.: When My Heart Finds Christmas
I grew up listening to this album, so I always get that warm fuzzy nostalgic feeling every time I hear one of the songs. But it's honestly one of the best and I always go back to it year after year to create a sense of holiday warmth, love, and joy.

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

5. Bing Crosby: Christmas Classics 
Bing Crosby perfected one of the most well known Christmas Songs of all time: White Christmas (written by Irving Berlin). Bing sang the song in the 1942 film Holiday Inn and it soon became a classic. This album just feels like Christmas. I love me some Bing for Christmas sing alongs.

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

Now, the rest of the albums on this list aren't in any particular order, like the top 5 were, but are equally as excellent as any of the above records.

6. Andy Williams: The Andy Williams Christmas Album

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

7. Dean Martin: Dean Martin's Greatest Christmas Hits

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here. 


8. Diana Krall: Christmas Songs

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

9. Jackson 5: Ultimate Christmas Collection

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

10. James Taylor: At Christmas

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

11. Johnny Mathis: Merry Christmas 


Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

12. Michael Bublé: Christmas


Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

13. Tony Bennett: A Swingin' Christmas


Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

14. Barbra Streisand: Christmas Memories 


Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

15. Ella Fitzgerald: Swinging Christmas 

Listen to my favourite song from this album by clicking here.

Well that's all I have in terms of recommendations for some great classic Christmas albums. I hope this list is enough to get you started and gets you to feel that spirit of Christmas running through your veins. Enjoy! And make sure to spread that Christmas cheer!