Peace out 2014, it's been rad.

At the start of 2014, I had no idea what to expect for the year ahead. Little did I know that I was in for a ton of amazing adventures and surprises that would take me to where I am today. I was open to new things and was ready to challenge myself in ways that I never would've imagined. Here's a look into this year's highlights:

THE PEOPLE
I've always known about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, but I think this year it really stuck with me. The people who I've had the pleasure of knowing and meeting this year have brought experiences, opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime. My family and friends have always been there for me and their positivity and encouragement really keeps me going. Sorry for being a cheese ball, but I had to say it at some point. I'm honestly surrounded by the most talented and passionate people who inspire me on a daily basis.

 

MY LIFE | NYC Week 17

Image via Tumblr

So I've been documenting each week since my big move to my favourite city, and I gotta say it's been such an amazing experience. I've finished up one semester and 2015 is just around the corner—crazy how fast time flies. Here's what I got up to Dec.15-21:

LEFT: Greenwich village strolls | RIGHT: Tried the super cute restaurant Prune (54 E. 1st St)

EVENT | Côte&Ciel Pop-Up Launch

Image via Facebook

This month, I swung by the debut US location of French accessory brand Côte&Ciel—a cool pop-up space at 355 Bowery in NYC. If you're in need of a great travel bag that is a perfect combination of modern, stylish and functional, you'll find it here. Check out the pop-up shop now through January 23rd, 2015.

Take a peek:

MY LIFE | NYC Week 16

Last week of classes for the semester -- getting that much closer to the holidays!
Here's December 8-14:

 This week it got incredibly cold. My friends were all impressed by my ability to bundle up. #thecanadian

COMING UP | Charli XCX @ Urban Outfitters NYC [FREE]

FYI NYC!

Seriously, this girl is killin' it. I interviewed her back in Montreal at Osheaga and she's just as cool in person. Let me know what you think of her new album! #SUCKER

NYU | Fashion Technology in NYC

It's crazy how fast this first semester at NYU flew by. My grad program is only three semesters in total and I can't believe I'm basically 1/3 of the way there. Weird. Anyway, I just submitted my final project for my reporting class—we could choose any topic and any medium. I chose to do a video looking into New York's fashion technology scene.

EVENT | Rebecca Minkoff x PS- I Made This

Earlier this week, I checked out a fun Girls Night Out event at the newly opened Rebecca Minkoff store in Soho. Guests were invited to take part in a fun DIY project with ultimate craftster Erica Domesek (aka the genius behind PS- I Made This): adding your own personal style to a simple baseball cap. You could add pompoms, feathers and/or jewels. And of course there were drinks and cute treats involved. Rebecca Minkoff herself even joined the party! Take a look:

MY LIFE | NYC Week 15

December sure came quick. Here's Dec. 1 - 7:

 Holiday market at Union Square!

GIVEAWAY | Holiday Prize Pack [CLOSED]

Here's what's up for grabs this month - happy holidays!!

Prize includes:
- 1 boohoo t-shirt
- 1 pair of Secret tights
- 1 adidas NEO Label notebook
- 1 Shopbop 'December' notebook
- 1 set of sticky notes
- 1 Me To We Style 'Rafiki Friend Chain'
- 1 set of 'Real Life' Broadway Nails
- 1 imPRESS Press-On Manicure set
- 1 liplicious 'Marshmallow Creme' lip gloss
- Seventh Generation Lavender Cleansing Bar Soap

TWO WAYS TO ENTER:

EVENT | Teen Vogue x Man Repeller x Phillip Lim

As a longtime fan of Teen Vogue, I always love checking out the cool and fun events they have whenever I'm in New York. And now that I live here, it's nice to be able to get out to a lot more of them. I recently sat in the audience of a panel discussion and book signing for The Teen Vogue Handbook, featuring Editor in Chief Amy Astley and Editors Elaine Welteroth & Drew Elovitz, along with the Man Repeller herself Leandra Medine and fashion designer Phillip Lim. This is the second edition of the handbook, which has a lot of new information for anyone hoping to get into the fashion industry.

 Such a rock star panel:

L-R: Drew Elovitz, Elaine Welteroth, Phillip Lim, Leandra Medine, Amy Astley

MY LIFE | NYC Week 14

Image via We Heart It

This week I didn't take that many pics, oops. Here's Nov. 24-30:

Stumbled upon a couple massive snakes...nbd.

COMING UP | The Teen Vogue Handbook in NYC

FYI NYC!

Hope to see y'all there :)

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

MY LIFE | NYC Week 13

Image via Tumblr

Well this was an exciting week! I went from firing rifles to having a Dun fam jam in NYC. 

Here's Nov.17-23:

 My visit to West Point Military Academy - full post HERE

 This week's food attempt: a pretty kick-ass pizza (current obsession: mozzarella & pesto)

NYU | West Point Military Academy

Never would I have thought I'd see the day that I'd get to shoot a rifle. It happened last Monday, on a field trip to West Point Military Academy with my class. My initial thoughts:

MY LIFE | NYC Week 12

Here's what I got up to during November 10-16:

EVENT | VH1 You Oughta Know Concert

I'm pretty sure Nicole Richie is my celebrity spirit animal. This concept was solidified on Thursday, November 13th at VH1's You Oughta Know concert in NYC at the Hammerstein Ballroom. She hosted the show and was her usual cool self, as seen on Candidly Nicole. She also did a surprise rap performance. I'm a bit obsessed. I mean, she did get THIS close to me:

MY LIFE | NYC Week 11

This was such a busy week. From crazy light shows to reporting on the midterm elections, I was running around out and about. Here's November 3-9!

A fall #ootd

EVENT | Cosmo's Fun Fearless Life Day 2

Day 2 started off with a quick power work-out to get everyone up and moving in their seats. Fitness guru Adam Rosante brought the energy to the stage and it was pretty great. I felt so refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

EVENT | Cosmo's Fun Fearless Life Day 1

Image via Facebook

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Cosmopolitan magazine's first-ever Fun Fearless Life weekend in NYC, which was jam-packed with inspirational speakers who got everyone excited and pumped to get their own lives started. Taking place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, the event brought young women from around the world together to network, collaborate and get to know each other!

EVENT | Fries of New York

Image via Facebook

I take food very seriously. I've been to multiple food fests, had photo shoots with hamburgers and visited a doughnut museum. So obviously when I heard about a French fries exhibit, I had to go. Located at 168 Bowery (a popular pop-up spot, remember that time I was there in a slo-mo video throwing confetti? Yeah, good times), condiment brand Sir Kensington's set up a special two-day exhibit of the extensive amount of fries found throughout New York City. It was actually so cool to see them all side-by-side. It also made me very hungry (the only downside to the exhibit: no taste-testing). I took note of the ones I've already tried (including Shake Shack, Baregurger, brgr) and realized that I have so many more to go....

Take a look into the awesomeness:

NYU | Midterm Election 2014

On Tuesday, November 4th, I found myself on the news desk covering midterm election night in New York City. As part of an NYU journalism class, I took part in reporting the event and what went down (aka the Republican takeover). It was particularly interesting for me, as a Canadian — I had a lot of learning to do, but it turned out pretty well! I even got to hit the streets and talk to New Yorkers about their thoughts before election day. It was actually hilarious. Check it out below:

What New Yorkers are thinking on the eve of Election Day from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

GIVEAWAY | November Prize Pack [CLOSED]

Here's what's up for grabs :)

Prize includes:
- 1 copy of the November issue of Teen Vogue
- 1 set of Teen Vogue x Make Up For Ever false eyelashes
- 1 imPRESS Press-On Manicure
- 1 Revlon Nail Art Expressionist

IN PHOTOS | TCS New York City Marathon

Image via Facebook

For a class project at NYU, we were all assigned a spot along the TCS NewYork City Marathon course to report on November 2nd. I trekked out to the Bronx on the chilly Sunday and got to know the community and its supporters. It was a really fun atmosphere, with music blasting at every block and people cheering each other on. It was fantastic.

Check out some of my photos from the scene:

MY LIFE | NYC Week 10

This week was a busy one. School was cray, but by the end of the week I got to have some fun with Halloween! Here's a look into what went down Oct. 27-Nov.2:

Kicked off the week in a fit-for-fall ensemble.