Honesty is the best policy.

I'll admit that I am not SUPER big on fashion blogging because I find a lot of it vapid and just another way to make me feel poor for not having "nice" clothing.

But when the Man Repeller  started to get popular a little over a year ago, I became an avid reader because Leandra Medine has a humourous outlook on fashion, dresses for herself and didn't give a damn about being single if she could dress the way she wanted with harem pants and furry shoes included.  

But when she announced earlier this week that she was engaged in a (now deleted but good thing there's CACHE) post, many readers were supportive.  But others blew up and were angry.  A part of me doesn't know how to feel.  I'll keep reading her blog because I find it entertaining a lot of times, but like many, I feel a bit cheated.  

I believe honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing even if it is just a blog.  But for the past 18 months or so, Leandra has been pulling off this whole schtick about being perpetually single because she dresses weirdly.  I understand the whole point of her blog being solely a fashion blog with the perspective of attracting females who appreciate "fashion that men hate".  But to suddenly drop a bomb and reveal something personal like being ENGAGED after 18 or so months of coming off as a single girl who couldn't score a date because of your odd outfits is kind of wrong to me.  

Reading this thread, I gathered a lot of opinions from readers and  GOMI, the poster.  I agree. 

All writers (whether you blog or not), need to be honest with their readers and by doing so, they must pick one specific lane and stick with it.  If you're going to be a fashion blogger talking about weird fashions men dislike, then stick to that and be subtle about your personal life or not mention it at all!!    You can't pretend to be single for a year and a half while acting like you're best friends with devoted readers and fans when you say you want  "your private life private".  If you want to go with the whole "man-repelling" theme, then be consistent with it.  If the whole purpose of your blog is to show women that being single is okay and to dress the way you want, then there shouldn't be a need to be too personal and get attached.  Because then, people will feel betrayed and lied to.

I'll still continue to read her blog.  But this definitely changes my perspective on her.  Don't be personal if you're going to not share something with your readers.  Pick one theme and stick with it.  

Even though my blog doesn't have a specific theme, I know for a fact that this blog is a way to express issues that matter to me.  

REVAMP

By the end of this horrendous week of video editing and essay writing, I will be attempting to revamp this blog.

It will be edgier, a bit more colourful...and contain more pictures!!

Be excited.

Because I demand you to.

Honestly, just see how excited I am!!!

Taking the streets of Downtown Toronto.

 These photos are a couple weeks late, but I finally got a hold of them from my good friend Nicole Caguiat, a budding marketing student who wants to start her own blog!! (By the way you better get on that because I need to add you to my blog roll!!)

We toured around Yorkville and various locations downtown for a few nice photos...mainly because Nicole wanted to take some photos for her blog.  And knowing me and my dream of becoming famous (HAHAHA...), I couldn't help but model for a few pics as well! 

But to say the least, I am unfortunately not the most photogenic person on the planet.  If I don't smile, I end up having this "chronic bitchface" look that makes me want to bite everyone's head off!!

But I am nothing like that!! I am a kind-hearted human being with lots of love to share!!

Exhibit A...on the right --------->

 I guess a smile really is a girl's best accessory!!

 

And here is Nicole in a lovely dress! 

 Nicole looking modeltastic!! Do you think she could pass off as a model??! I mean, a guy did hit on her while we were walking out of Starbucks!!! 

And here is me...with my Chronic bitchface

  AND here is me...Without the Chronic bitchface!!

Okay but seriously, here is a pic I am proud to say is a good one.

But what is this really all about?

I often wonder how people can gain so many followers so quickly on their blogs.

This isn't particularly important to me, but I have realized that posting frequently (and more than just once or twice a week) is the way to go.

Personally, I have a problem with this.  My blog lacks a purpose/category.  

People tend to have a set focus as to what their blogs entail. The majority that I read deal with fashion, photography, and are often very-light hearted and fluffy in terms of what went on during their day.

This isn't particularly a bad thing...but sometimes, I wish people could go beyond and share something else worth reading.  I browse a lot of blogs during my spare time, but only leave comments on those that peak my interest.  To say the least, I guess you could say that blog posts with just a picture of yourself in a cute outfit and where you got your clothes from really doesn't mean anything.  It's fine to have a fashion blog, but wouldn't it at least make the reader more interested if you wrote what inspired your outfit, or the story of how you made it??...OR SOMETHING ELSE MEANINGFUL?

Because otherwise, the comments and reception you're going to receive will probably go along the lines of..."Great photos!", "You look gorgeous!", "I love your outfit", etc.

While it is nice to receive such praise from your internet supporters, wouldn't it be nice to actually get a few comments that actually show that people read your blog? 

Eh, but maybe that's me.

I've had this blog for almost a year now and I have about 16 known followers (or so they say...) who read what I have to say.  That is not a lot compared to someone like Tavi, who gained over a hundred followers in a year. But she's a child genius, so what can I say?

I guess the reason why I lack followers is the fact that I don't have a set focus on this blog.  And, I'm fine with that. This blog is about whatever I want it to be and I'm happy it ranges from journalism, quirky tidbits, experiences, rants and opinions. I like things sporadic...because personally, those are my favourite types of blogs.

But to say the least, I don't think there are many blogs like this one. Well, maybe there are, but I guess I'm just not looking in the right places.  But whenever I find a blog that is somewhat representative to mine (personal, full of tidbits, etc), I feel like I'm intruding into someone's privacy. 

So people, I have a question.

  Does anyone actually read what I have to say?  And why do you like (or hate) it? 

And for a picture's sake...here is a llama worm.

Tumblr's down= OMG MY LIFE IS RUINED.

For those of you on Tumblr, the following image must be quite familiar to you. 

 For the past 24 hours, Tumblr was unavailable due to a maintenance issue that took down a critical database cluster (whatever that means...), thus bringing down the entire network.

Now as a Tumblr user, this posed as a small irritant when I wanted to procrastinate from studying. To others, the effect of Tumblr's "black-out" was much more dramatic.

All over my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I saw status updates complaining about the site's downfall.

"TUMBLR, Y U NO WORK?"
"TUMBLR'S down.  Means life is down."
"I've been refreshing Tumblr for three hours now!!!"
"R.I.P. TUMBLR....."

I think you get the point.

But the bigger question I have is:  Why is Tumblr being down such a big inconvenience?

To me, Tumblr is just a place to reblog and re-post pictures, quotes, and funny memes. It becomes excessive spamming and nobody cares at all what original content you decide to put onto your blog  To me, Tumblr's just a bit of a distraction (although it is fun at times!) 

From observing everyone's frustrations to Tumblr's service fail to the happiness and "Hurrahs!" of the site being back up again, it really makes me wonder what kind of impact Tumblr has had in all of our lives.  Barely anything posted is original, you see things that have been posted five times already, and things are reblogged so often that it's gotten to the point where you don't know what the hell you've put onto your blog.

I realize I sound like some bitter fool over here, but I just want to ask if all this was really necessary.

Not to rain on anyone's parade...but there IS a world (GASP) that exists outside of Tumblr (YES, a world with life that is more than looking at memes, pretty pictures, GIFS, and blogs).

Perhaps, we might need to reevaluate the ways we spend our time.

Though enough with the ranting. The resurrection of Tumblr has brought many humourous memes and quotes that I would like to share with all of y'all.  

"I survived the Tumblr blackout of 2010." 

Your life is sad. I'm sorry.

LOVE the Spongebob reference.

And my absolute personal favourite...

I honestly have no words to describe this.