Mar. 17, 2017 "From dumpster dives to a biz that thrives": I found this article by Andrea Park in the Metro on May 5, 2014:
Just 10 years ago, Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amoruso was dumpster diving, shoplifting, hitchhiking and drifting from job to job. It’s safe to say that no one could have guessed Amoruso would become the CEO of a $100-million retail business with more than 350 employees working for her, but in 2006, Amoruso started an eBay store that quickly blossomed into a retail empire.
In addition to Subway sandwich artist, ID checker and CEO, Amoruso can now add author to her resumé: Her memoir and professional advice book, #GIRLBOSS, will be available for purchase tomorrow.
Your book couldn’t be more different from Lean In. In fact, you barely talk about male dominance in the workforce. Why is that?
If it’s a man’s world, who cares? It’s kind of like, “Yes, lean in, but you don’t need to talk about it.” The energy you use talking about it, you could use to actually lean in. I come from a position of being a little bit privileged in that I started my business and worked my way to the top — but not in an organization run by men.
I’m not going to deny that’s something that exists for many women, and I’m not going to deny that I’ve been looked at as the only girl in the room, but I don’t acknowledge it. As soon as you acknowledge it, it almost takes power away from you.
Just rising to the occasion and thinking, “I’m going to be who I am and be the smart girl I am and talk like I know what I’m talking about, because I do,” and gaining respect — that’s leaning in.
You don’t give steps or a plan to readers on how to be successful. Why is that?
I can just share my experience and I want people to learn from that. You can learn from other people’s success and failure. A lot of people are going to tell you how things are in the world and most of them are going to be wrong for you and right for someone else.
It’s more important that you play to your strengths and put yourself in places that challenge you. If you fail, then you make the choice on whether or not you’ll try again.
What do you want to accomplish with your book?
The things I want to manifest are not things I’m acutely thinking about. If my book plants something inside people that’s dormant, I hope there’s something, some day that benefits them.
I don’t care if I’m recognized for it or if they even recognize that they learned something because they read my book.
Why did you want to write #GIRLBOSS?
There had been a fair amount of press telling my story from the day I started Nasty Gal on eBay, but there was a lot missing and I was not comfortable telling the whole story in anyone else’s words. There’s a lot I learned in the years before Nasty Gal and the years after that I wanted to share and put into my own words.
Do you have any tips for young women who feel directionless and don’t know what they want to do yet?
You just have to keep trying things. I knew I wanted to be good at something. I thought I was going to be a photographer. Had I tried to control that too much and said, “Screw this eBay thing,” I don’t know if I would have fulfilled any level of a dream.
I don’t know if I would have been a successful photographer or done what I did with Nasty Gal. I was open to seeing where life took me.
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/metro-canada-toronto/20140505/281814281877163
Apr. 20, 2017
"Netflix’s Girlboss is just millennial bait about a business badass": Today I found this article by John Doyle in the
Globe and Mail:
Netflix’s ambition and drive to fill the streaming service with a constant torrent of original content has helped make this era an extraordinary time for television. There are so many series, documentaries and one-off specials, the choices are bewildering.
Mind you, Netflix is really in the business of keeping subscribers, not making masterpieces. It’s become clear that for every Master of None (it returns in May), there is a Santa Clarita Diet, a misfire with brilliant flashes of absurd humour and a lot of juvenile grossness.
Girlboss (streaming on Netflix starting Friday) is in the misfire category, but Netflix won’t care about critical reviews. A lot of its content is aimed at twentysomethings who want to see their lives and their generation glowingly portrayed in new and original content, all the time.
The 13-episode series was inspired by #Girlboss, Sophia Amoruso’s bestselling autobiography about how she created Nasty Gal, a multimillion-dollar clothing brand – from scratch – and did it more with gusto than business savvy. Amoruso’s story is now legendary – she began selling vintage clothes on eBay and then, sensing the heft of e-commerce, created her own fashion empire.
It’s a fascinating, uncomplicated business success story. Amoruso was 23 years old and drifting through life in San Francisco. She had no job and crashed in friends’ apartments. One thing she had a gift for was spotting valuable clothing in vintage stores. She could spot a rare or beautiful item. After she found one jacket for $9 that sold on eBay for hundreds more, she saw her path in life and followed it.
A great feel-good story then, and a rare example of a self-made woman going literally from rags to riches. But the real story is actually a cautionary tale.
In 2015, Nasty Gal had $300-million (U.S.) in revenue and Amoruso was being hailed as a young go-getter genius. A year later, Nasty Gal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a period of turmoil in management. It was recently acquired by a British fashion website for $20-million.
Girlboss is not about what happened in the last two years. It’s about being a girl, being the boss of your own destiny and telling older people to get lost. It’s millennial bait.
When we meet Sophia Amoruso (played by Britt Robertson), she’s 23, pushing her stalled, junky car down a street in San Francisco and swearing. She swears a lot. A lot. And her every move seems to be accompanied by a very loud faux-punk music soundtrack. She’s abrasive, rude and self-absorbed. She gets fired from her job at a shoe store, she walks out of a dinner with her dad, she goes dumpster-diving.
Every scene is carefully set up to emphasize that Sophia is young, angry and ready at any moment to tell anyone older than her that they’re dumb, boring and stupid. Dramatically, this amounts to a series of repetitive speeches.
Everybody goes quiet while Sophia says something like “society would just like to put everyone in a box. Well, guess what – there’s no box for me!” When Sophia finally gets a grip on how she can support herself selling clothes on eBay – she steals a book about e-commerce from a bookstore to get some tips – she declares, “It’s a lifestyle, not a business.”
And she means it too. She doesn’t want to go to an office or work regular hours. She wants to make money from hanging around vintage stores and selling stuff from her laptop in her apartment. That’s it, that’s the entire entrepreneurship model being sold here. It will be enormously appealing to twentysomethings.
The series offers a sunny hipster heaven of bars, bands and vintage clothes, and at the same time it’s a Cinderella story.
As such, Girlboss is pretty much review-proof. While it’s based on a true story, it is so stylized and outrageously preachy and indulgent that it could not possibly be anything but exaggeration and embellishment.
The marketing message behind Girlboss will tell you it’s an important show. It’s made by women (Charlize Theron is a producer) about a young woman’s success story and, yes, it’s about a woman who is flawed. This, the marketing message says, makes it special and daring.
In truth, it’s a mess. The half-hour episodes fly by without much happening apart from Sophia being rude to someone and asserting her independence. There is almost no character development because the point is to have the viewer adore the main character as she is – immature, reckless, selfish, arrogant and incapable of empathy. But a business success story.
In the context of Netflix, none of this matters. Some millennials will take the bait and watch admiringly as Sophia rides her rudeness and arrogance to success. Netflix isn’t in the business of making masterpieces. It’s in the business of keeping subscribers with more new content every month. Sometimes the content is great and sometimes it’s just bait.
This week's theme is about women in the workplace:
"How one company balanced the gender books"/ "Stress hits fever pitch"/ The Canadian Prosperity Project
"Women, minorities see greatest gains from entrepreneur training"/ "Stop telling women they must change themselves to become leaders"
My week:
Nov. 14, 2020 Departure: I finished watching the 1st season (6 eps). I thought this was average. This wasn't an action drama. The mystery wasn't really that interesting. I wasn't that curious. There is a 2nd season and I may watch it.
"A high-octane conspiracy series that follows the mystery of Flight 716 - a passenger plane that vanishes over the Atlantic Ocean."
West Edmonton Mall: I went there in Jun. 2020 for a job interview. I decided to write about my shopping trip to relive it.
1. Oomomo- the Japanese store closed down.
2. Mrs. Fields/ Pretzel maker- closed down.
3. The Aldo outlet- closed down. The only Aldo will be by Bourbon Street.
4. Gong Cha- this bubble tea place opened.
5. Hallmark.
6. Fairweather- closed down. I just looked this up, and the only Fairweather is in Londonderry mall.
7. Explore India- the restaurant opened end of last year.
8. Basil Box- this Asian fast food restaurant opened.
9. Paramount Fine Foods- closed down. I looked this up and it seems it's not at WEM now.
10. The Skinny- this store for women and children replaced the clothing store B3.
11. Wetzel's Pretzels- this fast food place closed down. However, I went there in Sept. 2020 with my friend and her friend, and the place is open again.
This is by the west end:
Flamingo restaurant- closed down.
The Balloon Gang- this store closed down and replaced with a cafe.
Jasper Ave:
Doppio Zero Pizza replaced the Monument restaurant. Now Doppio is closed.
"'They thought it was a joke!': Group of four hospital workers in B.C. claim $6 million lottery win":
COVID-19 may have made Halloween celebrations a little different this year but it was a great day for a group of four B.C. hospital workers who won $6 million in the Oct. 31 draw.
Coquitlam, B.C., resident Heewon (Theresa) Choi, Melanie Nolan and their two other co-workers work at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster. Choi is team “captain” of the group of lottery players, who have been playing together for about a year.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Choi said in a statement. “I immediately showed it to Melanie who sits right next to me.”
The group usually use birth dates and anniversaries to select their numbers. Choi purchased this particular ticket at a local Shoppers Drug Mart and she scanned in on her BCLC Lotto! App to see if the four co-workers won any money.
“I thought it was $6,000 when she showed it to me,” Nolan revealed.
“When the other two group members started their shift, Melanie and I told them,” Choi said. “They thought it was a joke!”
Once the players realized they were $6 million lottery winners they told their families the good news. Nolan’s partner was in disbelief and responded with a text message saying, “It’s not April Fools!”
In terms of how they plan to spend their winnings, the group wants to share a nice meal together and Nolan plans to donate some of her money to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.
“I’ve always dreamed about being a millionaire, I feel like I’m in a dream,” Choi said.
In 2020 alone, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $91 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.
Nov. 15, 2020 The Epoch Times: Today was good because my family went to T&T to grocery shop. I came along for the ride went shopping at West Ed mall for 1 hr and 20 min. This is good to go out once a week and leave the house.
I came home and there was a free sample edition the Epoch Times. I read the 3 sections and liked the "Mind and Body" section the most.
"A Loving Nudge Toward Healthier Habits": This article by Joshua Becker. Here is an excerpt:
In the same way, trending toward healthy habits can be encouraged by applying the 3-item to-do list approach. What are the three actions (or non-actions) you most want to incorporate into your day?
For example: 1) Read 30 minutes; 2) Call one friend; 3) Eat two servings of vegetables. Three items, three habits, to incorporate each day to keep your life trending toward healthy habits.
I recommend a daily routine that includes a physical habit (exercise), a mental habit (reading, mind puzzles), and a social habit.
My opinion: I have been watching 1 or 2 TV shows a day like prior to the pandemic.
My sleep is fine.
I haven't done any online shopping.
Nov. 17, 2020 Next cancelled: Today I was watching the 4th ep. I checked and two weeks ago, Fox cancelled Next and Filthy Rich. They will air the rest of the season. I thought Next was just average. I never saw Filthy Rich because I wasn't interested in the storyline.
Nov. 18, 2020 "Man convicted of killing Vancouver woman 27 years after her death": This is bittersweet. At least they found the man who was behind the murder due to DNA:
Master Chef Jr. dies:
Ben Watkins, a fan-favorite from MasterChef Junior, died on Monday after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 14.
Watkins was diagnosed with angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, an extremely rare form of cancer. The soft tissue tumor most commonly occurs in children and young adults. His family previously shared he was one of six people in the world to receive such a diagnosis.
“After losing both of his parents in September 2017, we have marveled at Ben’s strength, courage and love for life,” the family shared in a statement after his passing. Watkins lost both of his parents to domestic violence.
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/masterchef-junior-ben-watkins-dead-rare-cancer-001251631.html
Warehouse job search: I looked for some jobs at warehouses. Most of them are far away like in the outskirts of town. Unless someone says there's a warehouse in downtown I can apply to.
Nov. 19, 2020 Gifts that give back: Here are some gifts you can buy, and profits will go to charities:
https://thekit.ca/style/shopping/gifts-that-give-back/
Big Sky: This new TV show came out. I thought the pilot was good. I was surprised at the ending. I will record the series and watch this all in one week. They also talk a bit about the pandemic.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11794642/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
FBI: I saw the season 3 premiere. This was good as usual. There are a couple of new characters and one character left. The characters are dealing with the pandemic.
FBI: Most Wanted: I saw the season 2 premiere. I find this spin-off show to be a distant second to the original. When I watched all the episodes in 2 weeks, I found the show to be average. They also are dealing with the pandemic.
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