Early last month when I was in North Vancouver, I stumbled upon this women’s consignment store along the Lonsdale Quay area. Their items were adorable and I loved the aesthetic of the store in general. Although I didn’t purchase anything, I hope to come back again in the near future.
Check out the Reel I made about my visit!
http://keptcollexion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_8278.mov
First time visiting the Trek studio located in Downtown Vancouver.
Richmond, a coastal city in British Columbia, is known for its rich cultural diversity. Richmond gather a large number of immigrants from China, including Hong Kong. Therefore, the city has a nickname: “Hongcouver”.
When you walking around Richmond, you’ll immediately feel the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of Hong Kong. From the busy streets lined with shops selling everything from traditional Chinese medicine to designer handbags to the bustling night markets that come alive after dark, Richmond truly feels like a slice of Hong Kong in Canada.
We have visited to Richmond for serval times.
1. Karaoke – K-fever lounge where we sang our hearts out to our favorite tunes.
2. Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf – a charming fishing village with a picturesque waterfront. The pier is a great place to enjoy the scenic views of the marina, watch the boats come in and out, and indulge in some fresh seafood at one of the many restaurants nearby.
3. Garry Point Park – beautiful park with stunning views of the Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands. During our visit, we were lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoms in full bloom, which made for some truly breathtaking photos.
4. Aberdeen Centre – a shopping mall with a mix of Asian and Western shops and restaurants. We spent hours exploring the many stores and indulging in some delicious food, including dim sum and bubble tea.
Overall, our visit to Richmond was a memorable Hong Kong experience. Home sweet home 
A little infographic about KeptCollexion… aka my online self 
Reflecting on my site, my purpose is to create a safe and welcoming community. Therefore, to keep that statement I have come up with reasonable guidelines for users on my site to follow.
The list is as follows:
– Refrain from hateful/negative comments
– Consider appropriateness (my site is for all ages)
– To respect and support others
– Plagiarize of any work is not accepted
– If you want to borrow any content from KeptCollexion, you must ask for permission and acknowledge the original author.
– Don’t forget to share this space with your friends and grow the KeptCollexion community.
I think that the guidelines mentioned above are necessary as it moves the direction in where I want my site to go and how I want users to interact with each other.
We all know that the internet can be a dark place. In “The Psychology of Online Comments,” it stated that many users on the internet post anonymously and freely (Konnikova, M. 2013). This gives freedom to anyone to say anything online which can cause harm in some cases like online bullying. But it also stated that removing comments doesn’t really create a solution towards anything as it affects the way how people can connect, and takes away the motivation to build a community (Konnikova, M. 2013). Like how the article mentioned removing comments, I still want my audience to speak freely and share their thoughts as it drives engagement. Although, with that privilege comes limitations. I want KeptCollexion to provide a safe and positive space for users to share things they love, and I plan to keep it that way.
I plan to implement such actions by adding a small section on my site displaying the guidelines or publishing the text beneath my “about me” paragraph.
– Eliza (aka Peanut)
Reference:
Konnikova, M. (2013, October 23). The psychology of online comments. The New Yorker. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-psychology-of-online-comments
This week we discussed the concept of transmedia. It is a way to describe a story which can be told across different platforms like writing, films, toys, games, etc. For example, in the reading written by Blogroll, they used pokemon as an example. It is seen across many mediums of platforms like card games, on-screen, on consoles, and books, and it contributes to the growth of the fanbase (blogroll, 2013). It explains the goal of transmedia storytelling to keep the experience and community alive and to continually grow an audience. This keeps the community interested and engaged in the whole platform experience.
With that said, knowing that I can use transmedia as an advantage to my site to engage my audience, to take a small step I can expand my branding of KeptCollexion onto other media platforms. I plan to take action by creating an Instagram page to start, then maybe a YoutTube channel to expand my creativity. With new platforms in mind, the content shared would be in the forms of Instagram posts and stories, and short edited video montages on Youtube. I’ll still be putting more emphasis on social media platform channels as it is the easiest and quickest medium to attract users since it is what most of us use. It is also the platform I am most comfortable using, and it can contribute to sharing a glimpse of what KeptCollexion has to offer.
– Eliza (aka Peanut)
Reference:
Whippersnappers, B. is for. (2013, November 21). Pokemon as transmedia storytelling. kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/pokemon-as-transmedia-storytelling/
From last week’s process post discussing analytics, this week’s readings proposed a visual of Data.ai. The content used analytic reports to show which apps and websites are frequently used/downloaded. It is a useful tool that helps navigate businesses and users to improve their projects and increase engagement. It is ideal for decision-making processes and delivers overall insight into the performance of the gaming market for instance (Data.ai., 2022).
The reading even acknowledges the age of technology we’re in. Linking to my last process post, technology has evolved into a new age and is advancing as we speak, it has brought Gen Z to what it is today (Data.ai., 2022). With Gen Z, comes new trending sites and apps. Data.ai. has reported that TikTok has ranked “Top Apps” in the 2021 market.
As a social media user, I agree with this report. TikTok has grown a huge community of creators and overall is an entertaining app. I think that TikTok has become very successful because it offers short collections of entertaining content that keep the audience engaged and active since videos are around 15-30 seconds. Compared to an hour-long youtube video, TikTok has an advantage as it caters to short attention spans. I do find myself scrolling for hours in my free time which is probably me contributing to levelling up TikTok’s ranking.
Speaking of technology, SEO is introduced as “Search Engine Optimization.” The Search Engine Journal states that SEO is the most viable and cost-effective tool to understand and reach customers (Hollingsworth, 2021). The article elaborates on reasons why SEO is crucial for businesses. From this reading, 2 reasons stood out to me the most. 1: Organic search is often the primary source of website traffic (Hollingsworth, 2021). This is a true statement, considering where we all start online is with a browser, an organic search engine. 2: SEO is a strategy used for the long term (Hollingsworth, 2021). This is a factor to consider because technology and the internet have impacted society, and are constantly changing.
I’ve known about search engines beforehand since it is a daily tool I use, although this is my first time digging deeper into the topic and hearing about SEO.
– Eliza (aka Peanut)
Reference:
data.ai. 2022. State of Mobile 2022
Hollingsworth, S. (2021, August 9). 15 reasons why your business absolutely needs SEO. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-seo-is-important-for-business/248101/#close
Analytics are tools used across different social media platforms. I am most familiar with Instagram’s analytics, and it also helps track my screen time use on the app itself. I keep track of the reports on Instagram since I hold a public account. I like to see insights on how my posts are doing and the rundown of how many users interact with my account. I mainly post dance content on Instagram (some are published on my movement page) and analyze how my audience on Instagram grows which helps build a bigger dance community. Insights like these do help guide you in knowing the progress of your business/accounts, although as discussed an invasion of privacy is at risk.
For tools like these to collect data, they need to also collect personal information from your phone (number, location, etc.) and about the environment, the user is in, (Digital Breadcrumbs: The data trail we leave behind us 2016). A conversation from the Pod Academy states that a phone comes with a series of sensors that run background information which transfers from the phone to cell towers, which can also be communicated to the internet where others and sites can gain information about you (Digital Breadcrumbs: The data trail we leave behind us 2016).
Tieing into KeptCollexion, I have Google Analytics plugged into my site. It gives me tips on how to improve my site and reports the overall health of my site. Currently, my site’s status reports as “Good” and suggests that I improve my site’s performance and security factors. It’s good to know what steps to take to upgrade my website, but a risk I am taking is the exposure of personal data collected.
Reflecting today, I think it’s challenging to keep everything private once you own a mobile device or some computer since these devices run a constant background cache of data and personal information. It’s something that can’t be avoided unless you decide to go deviceless. Think of it now, TVs and smart homes do the same. It is just the way technology runs today, but it also reflects our responsibility to how we use these devices and what we choose to share and install.
Reference:
Pod Academy. (2016, May 3). Digital Breadcrumbs: The data trail we leave behind us. Pod Academy. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from http://podacademy.org/podcasts/digital-breadcrumbs-our-data-trail/
Report Analytics. (2017). PNG Tree. photograph. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://pngtree.com/freepng/report-analytics-audit-business-data-marketing-paper-blue_4772977.html.
In general, shopping is a struggle.
Whether it’s grocery shopping, clothing shopping, furniture shopping, or anything else, it’s a struggle. Running from store to store for the greatest deal can be exhausting. Some stores are so far from one another, they are not in the same vicinity. It can be so time-consuming!
For me, shopping and running around used to be the worst.
Until I started going to Costco.
Costco has seriously been a lifesaver.
When I moved out, I thought I couldn’t possibly shop at Costco. At Costco, you buy in bulk. I thought it would be WAY too much for myself and my partner. But wow, I was wrong.
Costco has not only saved me money but time!
I sometimes laugh at myself thinking about my newly found passion for Costco. I used to say to myself, I will never get excited about grocery shopping or buying furniture. But, here I am.
I am now that person who will buy clothes at the same store I buy my groceries.
Food-wise, my partner and I eat a ridiculous amount of food. I used to find it a real challenge to keep the fridge and cupboards stocked. Shopping for food at Costco has made a world of a difference. We buy fruit and vegetables, meats, crackers, cheese, and bread!
I know, you may think, wow food must spoil. But surprisingly enough, we have yet to let food go bad. Keeping in mind, we do cook a lot of food that involves throwing everything in the fridge into a pot and calling that dinner, but still, we eat it.
Shopping at Costco has allowed us to save money on food and allow us to buy more luxurious items with our savings. Sometimes we even buy organic!
Grocery shopping at Costco also equals free samples, so that’s always a win.
Clothing-wise, Costco has some great deals. I have found great clothes for everything. I have bought a layering jackets for hiking, everyday walking socks, and blouses for work. Who cares about the name brand, if it’s quality, I’d say it’s perfect!
Furniture and fun items are something else. For instance, I went to Costco this weekend and I found the cutest Christmas snowman to add to my décor. The snowman is so cute, he is holding a little lantern. The funny part about buying my little snowman is I originally went in for groceries… Oh well, it was a deal.
Honestly, Costco is an adventure. I used to think I was too cool for Costco, but now I’m thinking Costco is too cool for me.
The ONLY struggle with Costco is that you may come out with more than you bargained for. But honestly, that’s part of the fun. If you are struggling with shopping, I recommend trying a store like Costco. Make grocery shopping fun!
Costco? UnderRated.
It is so important to stay active and keep your heart healthy especially during such tough times living in a pandemic. Exercise boosts your mood and overall health! Here is a quick workout routine to get your body moving and feeling strong!
You’ll need:
The Routine:
Repeat 3 Times
Some of you may know from my Instagram but I was just in Paris with some of my friends. I was super stressed out before I went because I wanted to make sure I had the perfect Paris outfits. I didn’t want to look like a slob while everyone else looked like they could walk in Paris Fashion Week if they needed to. I was there for 10 days but I didn’t get a picture in every outfit, so I will be showing you a few that I managed to capture!
These were some of the outfits that I wore in Paris! Keep an eye out for a “What to do in Paris” post. I had so much fun on this trip and am so grateful to experience this with my friends!
xx
sofia
Brunch is a very popular weekend tradition and there are plenty of options in Vancouver. Many Vancouverites love having brunch right before they go hiking and enjoying outdoors.
1.Cafe Medina
This place is famous for its Belgian waffles. They also have many savory Mediterranean dishes. It’s always very lively and busy there. Anyone can find something they like!
2. Boulevard
A fancy, fine-dining style brunch that tastes as good as it looks. Stuffed Nutella French toast is a must-try!
3. Jam Cafe
Jam Cafe is famous for its pancakes. They also offer various bowls and gravy coops, that taste amazing. The lineup to get in might be crazy, but it’s worth it!
4. Earls Ambleside Beach
Earls Ambleside Beach, located in West Vancouver at Ambleside Beach. Designed in a ‘West Coast meets California Beach’ style-a perfect location to enjoy the brunch while enjoying an ocean view. They also offer a brunch happy hour!
5. Catch 122
It’s designed with brick interiors and located in Gastown. Has so many great brunch options. If you need a filling brunch but still want it to be classy, then this is a great place to brunch with your friends.
In the warm season, accessories are the key part of any outfit. There are no girls who would not like accessories. They easily complement any look and make it more catchy and stylish. An accessory can be minimalistic and modest, and sometimes you can choose something that is bright and emphasizes attention. When selecting accessories, you need to rely only on your own taste and style.
Large and expressive earrings are the most practical accessory for the warm season. The most popular are earrings in geometric shapes and earrings with pearls, large beads, and other details.
Beads, chains, and necklaces are other essentials for summer and spring. They fit perfectly into any style- classic, office, ethnic, as well as
Headbands and straw hats are also the perfect accessory for the warm season. There are so many different options of hats in a market that anyone can find the one the one that perfectly fits them. Headbands are the most elegant and sophisticated accessories. They can be richly decorated with stones and glass beads or more practical options for every day will be voluminous printed nylon rims.
Do you ever wake up feeling some type of way, wanting to look good but have no clue where to start?
Well, if that’s ever the case, I’ve got you covered! These are my top 3 influencers to turn to whenever I’m feeling fashionably uninspired.
#1. Kicki Yang Zhang
This Berlin-based Chinese girl is changing the game of fashion and style. She is fearless, fun, colourful, and doesn’t take herself too seriously. On top of that, her Instagram feed is so on point. Everything is so visually pleasing, and colour coordinated. So if you ever feel like you don’t have enough colour or art in your life, just check out Kicki’s Insta!
#2. Yourgirlneens
Yourgirlneens’ full name is Nina Huynh. She was raised in San Francisco, and now li
ves in Vancouver, BC. The first unforgettable thing about her is her beautiful pink hair. On top of that, her style is ON POINT! Puffy jacket, bucket hat, thrift items, she could pull of anything! Nina’s instagram includes mostly her styles and things that she is working on. But if you want to really get to know Nina, you got to check out her youtube channel. It has lots of different content, from lookbooks, to Q&As, to Vl
ogs, to challenges, and more! Her video editing skills is amazing, and so is her boyfriend!
#3. Song of Style
Aimee Song is one of the most elegant ladies out there. She is classy, flawless, and living her best life. Whether you are going on a date, or attending a gala, or even packing for Europe, whatever it is that you are planing on doing for the day, you could find some inspirations from scrolling through her Insta feed. Aimee was actually one of the first fashion influencers that I’ve ever followed. I remember how proud I was about her Asian heritage, and how I felt i finally had someone more relatable to myself to be inspired from. She also has a fashion lifestyle blog if you are looking for more of her and her style!
Who are your favourite fashion influencers? Comment below and share with me!!
The post My Top 3 Influencers For Style Inspo appeared first on Heyy, Jessie.
They say fashion comes full circle and it’s entirely correct about Dr. Martens boots. Dr. Martens shoes allow perfectly to adopt to every individual’s style. Their outstanding durability and comfort make them ideal for street fashion.
Dr. Martens began life in the 1960s originally as a modest work-wear boot that was even sold as a gardening shoe at one stage. Going from a workwear item to a fashion staple, the practical shoes have become a regular sight during fashion week. These iconic boots have been a wardrobe staple for decades, and I don’t think it will change anytime soon.
They are perfect for any weather- you can wear them when it’s snowing, raining, or sunny. They perfectly complete any outfit. There are so many different styles of Dr. Martens you can get- platforms, chelsea, oxfords, ankle boots, and many others. You can wear them with jeans, leather pants, skirts, dresses- they complete every outfit and make everything look so much more interesting and unique. I am sure that the popularity of Dr. Martens will never fade.
The post 15 Things that I am grateful for appeared first on Heyy, Jessie.
If you’re interested in skincare or new to skincare and wish to get honest product reviews and recommendations, tobi’s routine is the place for you.
Design and content
Tobi uses the Savona Theme which has a minimalistic and chic design. I like that she uses a simple design where there aren’t many distractions, my focus goes directly to her content when I clicked onto her website. There are plenty of white spaces to balance out the heavier focus. It’s comfortable to browse through her website, not only because her content is interesting, but there’s also a unity of design present on her website. The colours she used on her website is mainly black and white, even for the photos she picked, they are all in white backgrounds. This makes the whole blog looks harmonic and clean due to the consistency of colour. The only colours that appeared on the website are the photos of the beauty products. This allows the content to stand out and it’s the first thing that catches my attention when I read through her blog.
Tobi’s blog is user-friendly. She clearly listed out the categories in her main menu, which is very accessible for users. There are search, recent posts, recent comments, archives and categories on the sidebar. I could easily navigate and search for a particular post.
Content
Tobi always includes an excerpt, so readers will know what the post is mainly about before clicking into it. Reading through her posts, she always includes some skincare tips and her experiences, it makes readers feel relatable. I like that there are three related posts on the bottom of each post which I think can make the website more engaging and attract readers to stay longer on the website.
Audience
Tobi’s blog is a place for people who are interested in skin care and are looking for honest reviews. She shares good recommendations for products that are suitable for young girls and don’t have specific skin concerns. There are plenty of beauty bloggers out there but I think what Tobi did to stand out from the crowd is that she includes her first-hand experiences and reviews for her audiences.
Many of the beauty reviews on YouTube are usually sponsored content, viewers thus don’t know whether the products are really that worthy or are that just for the sake of earning money, as many influences nowadays rely on ad revenue to keep their blogs/channels going. In one of the weekly readings – The Toast Is Toast: Literary Humor Site Shuts Down Over Ad Revenue Woes by Shelby Carpenter, she mentioned that online revenues have a huge impact on both big and small sites. Using ads is one of the common ways for websites to reach their target audiences. Reading the ad-free tobi’s routine, I know that all her content are truthful and reliable. When influencers nowadays rely on ad revenue for a living, they do not enjoy the autonomy that Tobi enjoys, where she can write about anything she likes.
Last week, we had Monique Sherrett from Boxcar Media TBC sharing about marketing, monetisation, audience and analytics. She talks about the SMART objectives and the customer journey. I will share about my customer journey as a visitor to Tobi’s blog.
Overall, it is a website worth visiting and I look forward to seeing more beauty tips from Tobi!
The post Peer Review 3 – The Honest Skincare Guide appeared first on lily in stripes.
VSCO is one of the best editing apps which also allows photo sharing like Instagram. There is no public criticism, you are still able to follow and be followed other users to see can’t see that. You can also share other people’s photos.
You can use so many different presets and standard editing tools to create perfect images. It has a huge range of editing tools which are very easy to use. Exposure, color, sharpening adjustments, and adjustable filter strength. It’s a free app but with an annual subscription, you can get more than 100 filters. VSCO also provides a built-in camera app with advanced manual controls. I recommend this app to everyone who doesn’t want to spend a long time editing photos but wants to achieve a perfect outcome!
Music is one of my favourite ways to past time. I feel like many people are in the same boat as me as well. I think people really connect with music because songs are very easy to relate to no matter what you are dealing with in life at the time. There is always a song to express the way you are feeling no matter what and that is why I love it. I have so many songs that I love so I have decided I am going to do a few posts that have to do with my favourite songs. Hence the title, this playlist is going to be my ‘feel good playlist.’
Here are all my feel-good songs that I love to jam out to in the car. All of these songs can be found on Apple music. There are so many more songs that I have on my playlist but I thought that my top 9 picks would be enough for now.
TOP 9 “FEEL GOOD” PICKS
Girls need love (Remix) (ft. Drake) – Summer Walker
Pretending – The Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
From Time (ft. Jhene Aiko) – Drake
Lost In The Fire – The Weeknd & Gesaffelstien
Hope you guys enjoyed reading!
xx
