Being Friendly vs. Being a Tease

Ah, there it is. A debate as old as history's first platonic male-female relationship... which I'm going to assume is very old. Nowadays, you'll hear people say that males and females can't be just friends. Movies like Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached do a great job of reinforcing the idea that at some point in a friendship, someone will develop feelings for the other person, shifting the "friendship" dynamic completely. Now, this is just through personal experience, but if the guy starts catching feelings for his gal pal, and the girl doesn't feel the same, the female is usually held responsible for leading him on. I try to be as friendly as I can to people in general, so believe I have the credentials to go in on this issue.

As human beings, it's natural to be drawn to others with similar interests. Video games, music, movies, these are all things that can lead to an easy friendship. But, again as human beings, the confusion over whether these similarities are the starting point for a romantic relationship or just the foundation of a nice friendship begins. I'm just going to be talking from a female perspective because, hey, I'm a female. There are a few reasons why I think guys get confused:

1) They aren't used to having girls as friends. 
2) They haven't been in a romantic relationship before, and really don't understand the difference  between that and friendship. 
3) The female's interest in maintaining a friendship seems like an invitation to make the move in creating a relationship. 


With that being said, though, do these reasons discount the possibility that a girl is flirting, teasing or leading her male friend on? No, of course not. The real question for both males and females, then, is how do you tell the difference? Admittedly it's tough to tell. My "technique" you could say for letting a guy know I'm interested in him romantically can seem somewhat similar to the way I treat my male friends. The key differences though are in the way I touch someone I'm into romantically vs. a friend. Touching his arm, holding his wrists, a gentle hand on the thigh, a certain gaze, these are all physical cues. Where the water gets murky is in the banter, because I talk to all guys in the same way. There isn't a particular voice I use or a certain laugh I set aside for flirting. It's all the same.

Here's why setting boundaries and establishing a clear understanding of what type of relationship you want is so important (and something I've been forgetting to do). I know it sounds very technical but it's important. So often a guy gets hurt because his expectations are drastically different than the girl's and both people end up losing a good friendship. Talk it out. It doesn't have to be an elaborate sit down conversation, it can just be a brief comment about how you value the friendship- major emphasis on friendship.

It's not always going to be easy, but creating mutual understanding is a simple way of avoiding hurt feelings. Until next time ladies and gentlemen, take care!

Smoking Cessation & Social Media

Here's a little reporter package I wrote and edited in awareness of National Non Smoking Week. Okay, it's clearly rough lol. It was for our news show for Eye On Sheridan, time was very limited, and I got this into the show server a minute to when it was aired! Talk about cutting it close, huh?

2012: The Year of New Beginnings

For the past several months I've had this burning desire to move. To where? Well, at first I didn't really know. For years I'd said that when I finally moved out, I was headed to Toronto. My birthplace. The city is truly magical; it's loaded with personality and movement and life. It's a familiar setting and I know people who live there, so it would be a relatively easy transition from the small town of Milton. I'd even considered Niagara for a complete change of scenery and the opportunity to explore a different side of Ontario.

I mulled it over, and decided that I wanted my move to be something of an adventure. I soon discovered that what I really wanted was to move abroad, specifically to another province. Canada is nearly 10 million kilometres of land overflowing with beauty, diversity and character. There is so much to explore and it would be a shame to limit myself to Ontario. Plus, I'm single, I'm 19, and I'm about to graduate from college. If there was ever a time to travel, it's now!

It wasn't until a month ago that Alberta became an alluring option. I'd read that there are 10,000 new jobs available, with their economy doing very well and seniors retiring from their jobs. Additionally, Toronto is a competitive market to crack for an aspiring journalist, because virtually every grad wants to land a glossy, sexy job in one of the world's hippest cities. At least in Alberta, I'd be able to gain a more hands on experience at a television or radio station than I would in Toronto.

Career isn't the only driving force in my move to Alberta, however. Take a looks at this video:

It's stunning. Did you see those landscapes? It takes my breath away just watching the video so can you imagine what it would be like to be there and experience it? I couldn't be more excited. It seems like a lifestyle that places a huge emphasis on doing things. On being outdoors and connecting with nature. I can't wait for that. I figure I'll finally learn how to snowboard with all that powder lying around!

Am I nervous? Of course. I'll be on my own for the first time in my life, surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place. But that's what makes it an adventure! I will get to know people, become familiar with the area and make something for myself. My family will miss me desperately (especially my Mom), but that's where airplanes save the day. Skype will make things easier, I'll phone and email regularly, all that.

The lyric from my favourite John Mayer song says it best: "Everybody is just a stranger, but that's the danger in going my own way, I guess it's the price I have to pay". I'm looking forward to opening the next chapter of my life, & I'll be keeping you guys posted every step of the way :)

Painting All Journalists with the Same Brush

Stereotypes are peculiar. They use the attitudes, opinions and actions of a select few individuals as a general analysis of the entire group. Generally speaking, society views stereotypes as a skewed representation of people, yet admit that there's truth in said stereotypes. I bring this up because I read an online article called "5 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Journalist" that was written by Tom Chambers in 2007, which has resurfaced and created a second round of buzz. It acts as a word of caution to potential partners that dating a journalist is completely different than dating someone in any other profession.

Like I prefaced, stereotypes are peculiar. When you tell someone you're a journalist, you'll either be met with polite interest or obvious disapproval. Society has the idea that journalists are self-righteous human beings who believe their intelligence and worldly knowledge makes them vastly superior to that of anyone else. When I've told people I meet that I'm an aspiring journalist, there are two types of "Oh!"'s I receive in response. The first "Oh!" means "Wow, that's interesting!" The second "Oh!" says "Ah, you're one of them, eh?"

With respect to the article I read, the tone for me was extremely off-putting. Take this sentence for example: 

"Guaranteed, when you say “towards,” we will automatically say “toward” — “towards” is not a word. We’re not trying to call you dumb (even though you don’t understand the English language), it’s habit."

It's irritatingly pretentious. The rest of the article continues in a similar air of arrogance. In the comments section (comprised of more than 350 polarized responses) working journalists in print and broadcast disagree with the contents of the article. In no way am I disparaging the opinions of Tom Chambers. It's his journalistic right to write about truth as best it relates to him. I do believe, though, that articles like these perpetuate these types of stereotypes.

Journalists are not mystical creatures with brains two times the size of  the average person. Journalists are, or should be, regular people with extraordinary curiosity. What I do does not make me any more superior to a passionate elementary school teacher, or more important that an accountant who specializes in taxes.

Simply put- you can't paint all journalists with the same brush.

Here's the link to the article: 5 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Journalist

Demo Reel

I put together a demo reel! Check it out :)

Kimbra: The New Girl In Town

Life Lessons

Here’s the bottom line. The underline, the denominator. Not everyone is going to like you. No matter how charming you think you are, or how polite you attempt to be, other people aren’t necessarily going to respond to it the way you want them to. Does that mean you raise your hands in the air and give up? “Oh, he/she doesn’t like me? Fine, I give up on being a nice person.” No! If a single person can completely change your personal resolutions, then you need to re-evaluate who you’re living for. Shake off the shackles, already. Be your own person. Really, all you can do is try. Because you know what? For every 1 person out there who doesn’t like you, I bet there are 10 who think you’re pretty rad. So remember: not everyone is going to like you- but hey, life goes on. Just remember that for others to like you, you just have to like yourself first.