Picture Post: What's in my bag?

A friend of mine emailed me yesterday and prompted a "What's in your bag?" post.

I thought I would comply since:

1) My objects are aesthetically adorable
2) I'm running out of ideas but enjoy blogging

Only after I finished taking the pictures did I realize that all my things look like cartoon caricatures and that I had forgotten to take a picture of my actual bag.

Oops.

In my defense, it is a "What's in your bag meme"



1) My iphone

Known to many of my friends as my most beloved object and my heart and soul. Back off, get your own sammich.

2) My "loose" objects

I usually dump these in the front of my pocket so I can easily reapply or smell when I'm freaking out. This is Korres' Pommegranate lip glaze (such a pretty color, it's like the color of your lips after you've been kissed) and Clean's Shower Fresh rollerball (because I'm too cheap to spent $100 on the actual bottle), which I roll on every morning on the Go train because it's some kind of a cathartic experience.



3) My stack of keychains with one key on it

I'm a hoarder of cute keychains. I collect them like a crazy cat lady. I have two Coach ones that I've collected through the years (and the reason why I get those annoying emails), a little crystal dude and a stack of silver bunnies purchased by my mom in Beijing. The emblems of London were given to me from my lovely Nida when she visited there last year.

My dad and the boy are missing from my memoirs. I suggest they get on it.

:p



4) My cupcake "coin purse" and my Hello Kitty wallet

I don't use it the coin purse for coins. I use it for stuff like ID card, debits cards and Go Transit passes (I have a 10 ride for McMaster and a monthly for Union). My big Hello Kitty envelope wallet is heavy with unused pennies so I leave it in the office and venture out with the coin purse for lunch.

4) My make-up bag

I have a love for all things "bear like". In my past life, I was probably a Carebear.




5) My make-up

Face: No foundation lately because I'm too lazy and have good skin. I usually just blend Benefit's Boi-ing #1 (light) and #2 (medium) and swipe it over any uneven areas.

Eyes: I don't wear eye make-up but if I look tired, I use Benefit's Eye Bright. Works like a light-diffusing charm!

Cheeks: I've been favoring Tarte's Amazonian Clay blush in Tipsy lately. If you're a make-up aficionado, you can click on the last picture and see how pretty the color is. It's a beautiful coral color that brightens up your face.

I swipe it on with a Mac travel sized angle brush. Usually there's no need for reapplication but I bring it along anyway.

Moisturizer: Clarin's Beauty Flash. I've been using this for years because it's awesome and makes me look like I've actually slept well.

After reading over this list, I've deduced that I need to stop wasting my life in Sephora.

Anatomy of your Facebook Account

Say you've met someone new. The setting is somewhere socially acceptable (or if it isn't, lie): a dinner party, on campus or waiting in line at Starbucks (mutual bitching creates a bond like no other).

Now, they appear to be fairly normal but you size them up anyway (please, like you're some chump that's going to end up on 60 minutes?), searching for signs of Creeper Eyes and Predator Breath. As the conversation continues, you squint at their jacket, assuring yourself that the pockets are far too small to contain weapons with sharp edges or towels soaked with chloroform.

After you have conducted your extensive Mean World Syndrome search, you can only conclude that the person you are speaking to Seems Like a Nice Person.

Okay cool. So, add me on Facebook? ^_^

I can usually gain an accurate insight into someone's personality by browsing through the anatomy of their Facebook account. I've deducted through the years that our accounts either represent who we are or who we want to be. I will never base you on the actual contents of your account but your decision to release them.

As much as we can bitch and moan about Facebook's privacy issues and selling our data for the GDP of a third world country, they do offer you the opportunity to place your account on virtual lock down. We just don't take it.

There are five integral elements to a Facebook account:

1) Profile picture
2) Photo albums
3) Status Update
4) General information
5) Wall posts

Everyone should know this unless you've lived under a rock circa Zuckerberg Invasion. In fact, if it's a particularly funny-shaped rock, I'm sure it has its own fan page.

The ideology behind Facebook is sharing. We're a network. We see a fat bird, people must know. Some idiot is peeing in an alleyway, people must know. I've reached a life-changing epiphany, people must know. Some lunatic smashed into a fire hydrant and water is now spewing everywhere like a Coca Cola ad: PEOPLE. MUST. KNOW.

Facebook is successful because it capitalizes on our innate need to share what we see, what we know, what we've done and what we're going to do.

The ultimate irony is that a system utilized for the purpose of sharing, connecting and networking is so frequently slaughtered over privacy issues. Facebook is not without its flaws (many. many. flaws) but over the years, they have definitely upped their game by allowing us to customize our privacy options.

I'm not saying it's your fault if some crazed maniac has hacked into your account and is now informing everyone that you about to undergo a sex change and would appreciate donations. It's also not your fault if some creeper has your profile tabbed under their bookmarks and checks it every hour on the hour for updates.

However, when you've placed information on your account that is viewable to the general public, you have little right to complain about ~ privacy issues ~ if someone brings it up later.

If there are unflattering pictures of you pole-dancing in a boa after 10 shots of tequila, you can untag it or ask your friends to delete the images. If you've kept it under your images, then I presume you want people to see it.

If you have willingly uploaded pictures under general viewing, then do so at full discretion that people might look at it later.

Don't complain to your friend about "_______ knew I went to Hawaii a month ago. What a stalker" when you've bombarded our mini feed with status updates, day-to-day photo albums and a profile picture of you in a hula skirt eating pig on a stick at a Luau.

It's human nature to crave attention and it is a ridiculous notion to deny it. If you have selected a profile picture of you posing in a loincloth bikini, that is what you want people to see. If you have selected a profile shot of you airbrushed to inhuman perfection, that is what you want people to see. Don't pander with false modesty by replying to positive comments with "Oh, I don't look fabulous/plucked to perfection/toned within an inch of my life. I just like the setting".

A picture is a thousand words and within it, speaks a million more about who you are as a person. The information that you allow on your account are indications of who you are. The words you use and the content within it are indications of who you are.

If you don't want certain people to see your images, cut them out. If you don't want certain people reading your status, make a group, deny them access. If you don't want your messages to show up on a mutual friend's mini feed, take it to private messaging.

It's not Facebook responsibility to protect you. There are always going to be pitfalls to every system. If you're not willing to take the time to ensure your own privacy, then don't blame others for perceiving you in a manner that you have chosen to portray.