I got this lovely Versace sweater that is 100% me, hot pink, I mean really.  I was tempted to sell it on the eBay store where The Anthology sells her stuff, but then I panicked and realized that would be a huge mistake.  I am thrilled to report we are very happy together.

I also got this fantastic Givenchy y Ysatis beach bag that is perfect for summer. All in all the fair was a very successful event.

But I was never worried that it wouldn’t be.

See the resemblance?

But after some chopping, it is lovely day-to-day wear. Let’s hope I score big at the fair again this year!

I have to say I really respect their love of bright colours.

In January Phoenix came to town and played as part of the Cultural Olympiad.  They are so incredible and talented.  The stage was rushed by about 200 people, when it was clear that they weren’t going to stop playing because of it, well I rushed the stage too.  I snapped some pretty epic pics, 1901 will never be the same for me again:

After learning about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we decided we had to do something and within 2 hours –  Hope in Haiti was born.  With REALLY tight timelines (2 weeks), Kelsey, Kim and I (with the help of many, many others) organized a very successful fundraiser at Barcelona Club – where we raised over $17,000! All of the money was donated to the Canadian Red Cross, but the most amazing part was all the support. Everyone wanted to help in any way that they could. Those who couldn’t donate money, donated their time, or items for the live and silent auction or simply came out and partied for a good cause.

Rachel, me and Kim prepping the silent auction:

Lovely volunteers and friends (and more ugly people):

Some of the WZRDZ without wands (join their facebook group!) :

I love this candid shot of the crowd hanging out and having a great time:

Beautiful People:

After the most crazy busy 2 weeks of our lives, we got to slow down and breathe, for oh, 2 minutes before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games started!

Those were probably the most insanely awesome 2.3 weeks of our lives.  Seriously it was a non-stop party.  I got to go see curling which I never thought I would enjoy.

Team Norway broke all fashion norms and rocked some pretty legendary pants, they do say the best trends come out of Europe, so we can expect to see these pants on fashion blogs everywhere soon.

I went to the Czech vs. Russia hockey game and really couldn’t decide who to cheer for.

On the one hand Russia conquered Ukraine which is a really sore spot for me still, but on the other hand they were just so much fun to watch.

In the end I decided to support Czech,  but it was an odd feeling being at a game where you are not 100% backing a team.

On lunch I got to stalk my favourite mascot Quatchi, here he is performing at the Robson Square ice rink, isn’t he handsome?!

Danced a few Irish jigs at the Irish House:

And read some Irish literature:

And who can forget the hockey game? You know the one, where TEAM CANADA CONQUERED TEAM USA.  I mean really, it changed life in Vancouver as we know it.   It also ruined regular league NHL hockey for at least a week following.

Drinking out of a boot was deemed ALMOST socially acceptable…

The only disappointment of the day;  watching this guy pour out his beer (hey! At least it wasn’t Canadian):

Bandwagoners became Die-hard fans:

And our Golden boy Sidney Crosby was forever solidified as a hero in our hearts

image

amazing, find more of these here.

After the Olympics, I got to detox in Mexico

Which was an epic #fail

Oh and somewhere in the first quarter of 2010 my soccer team won our league

So what’s up next? Summer, which means patios/cabins and parties.  Well that’s something to look forward to!

Take me back!

I love this photo – it’s everything I need and want in life;  Sun, Beach, Sand, Shade and all the colours of the rainbow.   This is on the beach at Playa Del Carmen. So lovely.

Here I am Chichen Itza – a pre Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatan Peninsula. It was about 40 degrees out that day, I’ve never been so hot in my life!

When we needed to cool off we swam in the Ik-Kil Cenote (sinkhole) which was probably one of the highlights of the whole trip. It was so nice and refreshing and the vines hanging into the water were so amazing, there were also tons of fish swimming around with us. 

Here’s my little bro enjoying the view of the Cenote.

And of course, what would a trip be without a little shopping?  Here we are checking out some of the beautiful handmade jewelry.

I may have splurged on this tourquoise and silver ring, but seriously, how amazing is it?! Wow my hand looks really awkward here,  I didn’t think that was possible…

I can’t wait for my next Mexican trip – just try to stop me!

So what exactly is FOMO? FOMO is defined as the extreme “Fear Of Missing Out”. Many people feel FOMO at any time of the year; however FOMO can be exaggerated during prime party time. Examples include; festivals (Calgary Stampede, Pemberton Music Festival, Coachella etc), New Years Eve, when even those that don’t like to party, do, and larger scale events like the ‘2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games’.  FOMO is often amplified during larger events when an individual feels like they are desperately missing out on events and extreme hopelessness that they cannot change this.

FOMO can start from a very young age, and those who fall under the extrovert category often suffer the most. According to the FOMOSC (Fear Of Missing Out Society of Canada) “Symptoms of FOMO can present themselves from as young as 3-years old, when children do not want to go to bed when they are told for fear of missing out on exciting TV shows, parties, events etc.”  The FOMOSC has long believed that FOMO is “not taught, but innate in human behaviour” therefore; parents should not blame themselves.

While you may feel you are the only one who feels this way, it’s important to know that you are not alone in your suffering. Celebrity examples of those who suffer from FOMO:

• Paris Hilton – although Paris has been able to overcome her FOMO in recent years, she still feels the need to participate in any and every party she can, especially if shameless self-promotion is involved.
• Kim Kardashian – This pro-ho cannot stay away from any party in the greater Miami area, and often attempts to invoke FOMO on those that do not attend with her.  
• Lindsay Lohan – Lindsay suffers from an extreme case of FOMO and has sunk so low into her FOMO-ism that there is worry she may not recover. Her FOMO is so bad, that others experience opposite FOMO in her presence.

Do you suffer from FOMO? Take this test to find out:

• While sitting at work do you find your hands getting clammy and your stomach doing flips when you hear your friends have left work early to participate in fun and exciting events? Does this get even worse when you find out your friends don’t have to work at all and can participate in any event they like?
• Do you find yourself experiencing extreme jealousy while viewing photos on Facebook or twitter of events your friends attended, even though you yourself were at a different party/ event that very same night?
• Do you find your bank account dwindling and your credit card bills nearly at max? Have you thrown any chance at debt repayment or savings completely out the window?
• Do you find yourself saying ‘yes’ to everything – even on those days when you are praying to the porcelain gods? Do you find yourself attending events that you previously had no interest in attending, ie. Waiting in line for 6 hours to spend 30 seconds ziplining over Robson Square.  
• Do you find yourself so exhausted and falling asleep at an event, but you are of the mentality that I am “just happy to be here”.

If you answered yes to three of more of the above questions, then you may indeed suffer from FOMO.

So what can you do? Extreme cases of FOMO call for even more extreme measures, these may include:

• Turning off your computer “Without being able to view photos and status updates on such social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, extreme FOMO victims will not know what they are missing thus confirming the age old phrase; out of sight out of mind” – Spokeswoman for FOMOSC
• Turn off your cell phone, BBM, etc.  The less contact you have with those attending every event, the better you will feel.  
• Tell your friends and family you have “gone on vacation and will be away indefinitely”. By appearing unreachable, you will not be informed of events you are missing out on.

In the end, it’s really up to you and how you decide to heal yourself, many people battle FOMO for most of their lives.  If I can leave you with one thing, let it be an inspiring quote from the critically acclaimed rapper and recovering FOMO addict, Lil’ Wayne –  “No FOMO”.

*please note this statistic was completely made up, by me.

So here we have a Larissa special! I bought a lot of the items from Dressew, but I also had some beads lying around from the days when I was heavily into making jewelry.

I already owned the turquoise beads, so I bought the velvet strip for the head band, the clear beads, some glue and some stretchy material to keep it nice and snug on my head (without pulling or pinching too tightly), sewed it up, glued on the beads and voila!

I can already tell that this obsession will not be short-lived, and how can it be? My office is 2 short blocks from Dressew!

100% of ticket sales go to the Red Cross.

So get your party hat on and come raise money for a very good cause!

I think it makes a great skirt to rock out in…

But then sometimes I get distracted by shiny objects or colourful purses

But nobody is purrrrfect!

Anyway, here I am on the PEAK season After Show, calling in via webcam. To my left is my friend Kellyann, behind her is Lib, to my right is Philip and behind him is James. Watch it on the MTV website here. We are on in the first 3 minutes or so, it’s pretty funny and embarassing all in one go!

Larissa