Author Archives: Kamryn Hamagami-Postill

Girl Math Culture

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If you’ve ever found yourself justifying a purchase with some questionable yet oddly convincing logic, congratulations—you’ve participated in girl math. The thought process that goes through your brain when buying a plane ticket for a trip in the summer “welllll I guess I’ll make it back by the time the trip rolls around” or maybe even if you’re making a return you might think “wow I just made $20! This is free money now” cause once it’s already left your bank account it’s a mute point right…? 

Math

Girl math operates on one fundamental principle: if you can explain a purchase in a way that makes it seem like you didn’t really spend money, it doesn’t count. Simple. And it applies to everyone and anyone, unless you’re logical and think normally, then maybe you just don’t get the fun that is girl math. 

I live by some main girl math philosophies that definitely don’t help my financial state, but I think they do. 

  • If you pay for something in cash, it’s free. It never hit your bank account, so it was never yours.
  • If you buy something on sale, the difference between the original price and the discounted price is actually money you earned.
  • If you return an item and get a refund, that’s new money—not just getting your own money back.
  • If you buy an expensive pair of shoes for say $100 and wear them 100 times at a dollar per wear, they are free. 
  • If you buy concert tickets months in advance, by the time the event happens, it feels like you’re going for free.

Makes sense right? I know, I know, it does sound a tad bit silly, but hey I’m sure you’ve been in a position once or twice where you feel guilty after making a purchase but girl math just justifies that a bit more! 

Munich - "pep"

While girl math is all fun and games, I do know it’s obviously not the most financially sound strategy. It’s easy to get carried away when every purchase can be justified with enough creative reasoning. Suddenly, a $300 designer bag becomes “free” because you skipped your morning latte three times last week. I just can’t help it! Maybe I have a spending problem! 

So what do you think? Is girl math super justifiable? Or just a bad logically thinking? 

“Clean Girl” Aesthetic

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If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram in the past couple of years and have an algorithm that does lean a little more girly and feminine, you’ve probably come across the Clean Girl Aesthetic. Kinda like the girls that got it all together. It’s a whole internet culture now. It’s a look, a vibe, and, to some, an entire lifestyle. Think clean make-up looks, slicked-back buns, cute outfits, gold jewelry, and an oat milk latte in hand. It’s effortless—but also meticulously curated.

The clean girl aesthetic is all about having (or looking) like you have your life put together. From early morning gym sessions, to reading that self help book, Mel Robbins podcasts, to eating clean, it’s about looking like you put a lot of effort in but having the minimal effort vibe (weird right). It’s almost unattainable, just another unrealistic standard that sets up girls for failure. I mean really what college student gets up at 5am for a pilates class, goes to school, and finishes up their homework by 9 and is in bed ready to sleep? Nobody I know, but I sure see a lot of it all over my social media. 

There’s a reason the clean girl aesthetic has taken over social media. It’s aspirational yet unattainable for most. Who wouldn’t want to have flawless skin, a trendy wardrobe, and the discipline to wake up at 5 AM for pilates? It feeds into this idea that if you just try hard enough, you too can become that girl—the one who never looks stressed, always has time to romanticize her morning routine, and somehow makes drinking lemon water look glamorous. It’s also an extension of the health and wellness movement, which has been huge in the past few years. Taking care of yourself is in, and looking like you effortlessly take care of yourself? Even better.

I used to try so hard to be one of these girls over all of my social media. The ones who spend their weekends journaling, walking, or reading and are in bed by 9 stress free but I realized I’m nowhere near that and that is perfectly fine. 

You don’t have to be cookie cutter perfect and have your life together every single day, I mean if you do good on you but if your like me and up to midnight catching up on homework and sleeping in through all your alarms, that’s perfectly fine too. 

Online Dating Culture

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Online dating: a place where love stories begin, but so do unmatched texts, ghosting sagas, and profile pictures that are way too good to be true. While I certainly don’t have much (or any experience for that matter) with online dating, all of my friends do. And I’ve been the one to give out the countless no’s, and a few yes to the matches in the online dating world. 

Dating Fun

What started as a way to broaden your social circle and find some possible dates has turned into its own internet culture. one filled with endless swipes, weird bios, and conversations that either die out immediately or drag on for weeks without a single plan to meet in real life. You can find just about every type of person on the apps. From the people looking for quick one night stands to people convinced they are just “seeing what’s out there,” online dating has it all. But it definitely is entertaining, especially for an outsider like me who isn’t on the apps and gets to watch the madness unfold in front of my friends. 

Let’s be real—dating apps have turned romance into a game. Swiping has become second nature, a mindless habit people do while waiting in line for coffee or while just chilling at the end of the day. It’s like TikTok or Instagram now, just another social media people use to get their media fix. 

If there’s one thing I’m sure about with online dating, it’s the ghosting. Ghosting is inevitable. Maybe you thought the conversation was going great, and then—poof! They vanish into thin air, never to be heard from again. No explanation, no closure, just silence. It can be pretty sad to see my friends get so invested in someone just to have them disappear the next day. 

Ghost.

For all the frustrations I do know some people who have had some pretty great success stories. My best friend’s cousin is happily married to her match and my cousin has been dating her match for 3 years, so that’s pretty cool. It’s always nice to hear a wholesome success story in a world of horror stories. 

Online dating culture can be a mix of highs and lows and a hit or miss. For some, it’s a fun way to pass the time, for others, it’s a frustrating cycle of ghosting and unmatched messages. But as much as it can feel like a never-ending game, it does work for some people. What do you think of online dating culture? 

Dry January Recap

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Have you ever gone into something completely blind? Well I did with dry January but  I successfully completed it so here’s everything you need to know. 

Beer

Going into it, I wasn’t really sure what I should expect. All over my social media I saw a bunch of posts saying how 31 days alcohol free can be life changing. Better sleep, less inflamed face, brighter skin, better brain function, these were all things I kinda expected to see throughout the month but honestly, I didn’t notice much of these…

To break it down from the beginning, I didn’t find it thattttt hard to not drink, I mean sure sometimes it was harder than others but my main goal was to take it day by day and filling up my days definitely helped. Near the start I was mainly craving the taste of drinks but not really the buzz. But near the end I was definitely ready to throw some back with my friends. During my sober streak, I put myself into a couple social settings where there was drinking and my main tip for that was keep something in your hand – my go to was Diet Coke, I drank a gross amount of Diet Coke over January.

Refreshing

So what did I notice? I think my sleep was better? I mean I’ve never been the best sleeper so maybe I was just making myself believe I was sleeping better. I was really looking forward to notice my face getting less puffy and inflamed cause I saw that a lot over social media but I saw no difference, actually no physical changes whatsoever. Maybe I’d have to get a bit longer to notice those. Who knows.

What I did notice was my days were 10000% more productive and my mood was a lot better. Waking up on a Saturday morning without a headache was a huge game changer for me. Getting up and going without feeling gross was the best part and I did not miss the hangovers at all. My weekends were filled with walking the dog, Diet Coke, and more walks. 

I drank for the first time Sunday night and I woke up with a hangover that honestly made me want to go back to my sober days. I felt disgusting and gross and dirty. I don’t think drinking is worth it anymore and that is a huge statement coming from me. Prior to January I’d never in a million years thought I’d say that at the young age of 21 but here we are. I used to liveeee for drinks on the weekends but dare I say I’m entering my grandma era? Yikes. 

So the million dollar question? Should you do it? Kinda depends. Do you want to be pleasantly surprised with how after you suddenly just don’t care to drink as much? Or do you want to keep the party lifestyle up? I mean in the end you only live once right? 

 

Deep Dives On Marketplace

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The site that quite literally has it all. From trucks, to fridges, to phones, heck you might be able to come across a brand new TV. Yup, I’m talking about Facebook Marketplace. The place where you can go on an endless deep dive to find just about anything. 

facebook_logo

 To be honest, if you asked me a couple months ago, I’d probably not have much to say about Marketplace. “Ya, it’s cool I guess” , is the response you would’ve gotten out of me, but now I have to say, I could be their number one fan. I scroll through that thing for hours on end with no particular item in mind I want to purchase.. The other day I caught myself messaging a guy about horse trailers. I wish I was kidding, it’s embarrassing just saying it cause 1 I don’t own a horse, and 2 I don’t own a horse. So why was I asking Ron from the Fraser Valley if his horse trailer was available? Only God knows. I mean I guess my thought process was storage, maybe a camping trailer flip, the possibilities are endless and it was a STEAL, but I passed on the horse trailer (sorry Ron.) 

Moving Day for Jazzy

I became really addicted to Marketplace in December when I was convinced a pickup truck would be my next big life move. This obsession with trucks lasted a week, asking everyone if their truck was still available even if there was no “serious inquiries only” notice, I mean hey, at the time I thought I was serious… until I realized this is just another one of my Marketplace fixations.

And yes I do feel bad for all the people I ghost and I know it’s rude and I have to stop and I’m getting better I swear. But when the price is right you have to strike fast on Marketplace, people snatch things up quick, not my fault I want to beat you to the punch.

I dabbled into the selling side of things for a bit, selling old clothes, shoes, honestly whatever I didn’t want at the time, it was kinda exhilarating. Until I was looking for my green sweater and remembered I sold it to Jen. I hope you’re enjoying my sweater Jen… so I took a hiatus from selling and I’m back to just the buying (well looking) side of things for now until my adrenaline from the selling madness wears down. Is this Marketplace addiction totally normal or am I just crazy? I can’t be the only one who loves a bargain! It’s like thrifting from the comfort of your own home! 

Valentine’s: Thumbs Down From Me

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If you’re anything like me, then you’ll hate Valentine’s day. I hate it so much I even wrote an article on it. Which you can find below. 

Let’s Boycott Valentine’s

But nonetheless it’s still a holiday and if you got a special someone then I guess the right thing to do is to do something so here are some ideas I came up with as a certified Valentine’s day hater that don’t involve going out to eat at restaurants. 

  1. Cook dinner at home

I hate going out on Valentines. The atmosphere always sucks cause it’s boring couples and it is always just unnecessary money being spent. Opt to cook a nice dinner at home and you can skip the expensive bill, and enjoy your dinner in a sweat suit – no need to dress up in uncomfortable clothes.

Cooking

  1. Try new drinks 

Make some cocktails, dry different wines, or maybe some beers from a local brewery. Celebrate at home or go out and make it casual. 

  1. Game night

Invite some of your other friends and make it a game night. Valentine’s doesn’t have to be a one on one thing – get together with a group, play charades, or heads up and skip the whole date thing. 

Uno

  1. Get takeout and head to the beach

Or it doesn’t even have to be the beach, just some place nice like a viewpoint or your favourite spot is just as nice. My go to is also sushi and the beach and by then February isn’t too rainy so you might be able to catch a nice sunset too.

  1. Skip it all together 

In all honesty, Valentine’s is just another day to spend money. It’s just unnecessary, maybe you want to skip it all together and treat it like just another day and that’s totally fine too.

At the end of the day, Valentine’s Day is just another day on the calendar. Whether you go all out, do something low-key, or ignore it completely, the most important thing is to do what makes you happy. So, if you’re like me and can’t stand the holiday, don’t feel pressured to celebrate it the traditional way. Do your own thing, make it fun (or don’t), and most importantly—don’t let Hallmark tell you how to spend your time.

 

9-5 Grind VS Side Gigs

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Throughout my journey through school I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the whole work culture. I was even chatting with my friends about this a couple days ago. In high school we’re mainly taught about the 9-5 grind but something that I’ve noticed is way more common than I expected is the gig and freelance culture little side jobs here and there adding up for your income or even with today’s economy side gigs on top of your 9-5 grind are becoming the norm.

My office

Not thinking of the finance sides of things for a second, it could just be based on what you like. Some people prefer a more structured routine based lifestyle. Thriving with the routine of starting your day off at 9 and clocking out at 5 p.m. and enjoying a clear work-life balance. You do your work in the office and get to leave work behind for the evening, that part sounds nice to me. But some people enjoy the freedom with their days, no real schedule, picking up gigs here and there, side projects, big projects, whatever they can get their hands on for some cash.

Stamps Office clerks at work, Brisbane, April 1955

In this crazy economy the culture lines of work are getting more messy and straight forward. Nowadays more people are becoming their own boss. Honing into this digital age and capitalizing off social media by posting more and getting paid through brand deals and ads or even just starting your own business from the ground up. 

I work as a part time server at a restaurant and a lot of my co workers have 9-5 day jobs and then come to serve for extra cash as their side gig. This is something I see coming in as my future once I graduate. I mean especially in Vancouver, the cost of living is insane so I totally see how I’d have to work a day job and come serve at night. And to be honest it’s also kinda fun and walking away with some cash at the end of the night is worth it to deal with all the Karens. 

I used to think I’d always love the structure and routine and the idea of leaving your work at work but now if I ever got the choice, I think I’d be leaning more to the side hustles and gigs. I mean it sounds awesome, but I guess it can also get tricky if there’s no work coming in. 

The world you live in is definitely changing and the way you make your money is to? If you could pick if the money was off the table, what would you pick? The 9-5 grind or the side hustle life. 

 

Vancouver’s Food Culture

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One thing I love about Vancouver is the diverse culture we have. And one thing that comes with that is the amazing food culture. Seriously, you can find anything and everything in Vancouver from fresh sushi to authentic Italian, flavourful Indian to Hot Pot, you name it we got it and it is the best. Just being able to eat anything your craving is a blessing and thank god Vancouver has that. 

Vancouver

One of the biggest influences on Vancouver’s food scene is its diverse immigrant population. With large communities from China, Japan, India, and the Philippines, the city has embraced a wide variety of global flavours. The cool part is different areas are kinda known for their food. Head to Richmond and you’ll find some of the best Chinese food in North America, from dim sum to hand-pulled noodles. Head over to Commercial Drive in Vancouver and you’ll step across some amazing Italian restaurants. 

I love seafood. I cannot get enough of it. And lucky for me, being a coastal city, Vancouver has got some seriously amazing and fresh seafood.  The waters of British Columbia are home to some of the best salmon, halibut, and spot prawns in the world. And Vancouver definitely doesn’t lack any places to go enjoy this delicious seafood. From upscale choices to more casual restaurants it is so easy to stumble on delicious joints. 

sushi

Vancouver’s street food is also a highlight for the city in my opinion. The city’s famous Japadog food trucks serve up Japanese-style hot dogs topped with ingredients like teriyaki sauce, seaweed, and wasabi mayo. Japadog has become an absolute sensation and hotspot to locals and tourists and I have to say I was pretty reluctant to try it but holy was I mistaken, they are so good. Meanwhile, food trucks like Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Tacofino bring comfort food and West Coast flavours to the streets. In the summer you can head down the Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver and find a huge variety of food trucks to choose from as well as live music and it’s for sure my favourite way to spend my Friday’s in the summer. 

Vancouver is a food lover’s paradise (like me). Whether you’re in the mood for a gourmet seafood feast, craving late-night street food, there’s always something new and delicious to discover.

Art VS Artist

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It’s a long time debate and the answer is a pretty tricky one. Or is there even an answer? I guess it’s all opinion based and subjective. I’m talking about separating an artist from their art. Can you do it? Or is it just not possible under some circumstances. This question becomes relevant when an artist is wrong and has done something wrong. From musicians, filmmakers, influencers, authors, and more, the discussion forces you to consider where to draw the line between appreciating the talent and works, or boycotting it all together. In today’s day in age where we live in an online digital culture and cancel culture is everywhere this is something I’m sure you’ve come across once or twice. 

People argue that art should be judged separately from the artist, no matter the circumstance. The piece still remains the piece regardless of the creator’s actions. Which does make sense, it’s not like the movie or painting can talk and do what they did that’s wrong right? But then on the other hand the other side of the argument is, do you really want to support the creator of that piece, watching their movie, listening to their song, whatever it may be, enjoying their art is still supporting the creator. 

In a world and culture where you want to always be making the right choice and standing up for everyone this is kinda a grey area and I find myself often conflicted on what to do. For example, I’ve always loved the Harry Potter series, but is supporting J.K Rowling wrong? Should I be boycotting the series entirely? When I enjoy the movies it’s not like I’m enjoying the creators beliefs but I think for a lot of people they would rather people just avoid the Harry Potter series entirely, however I’m not trying to endorse her and not trying to support her, I’m just trying to watch Harry Potter and Ron. 

Harry Potter Books

I guess the reality is there is not really a right answer, this is difficult. It’s up to you to decide where to stand. And although it’s confusing and can be a grey area it’s all subjective and up to you to decide at the end of the day.

Does The Early Bird Get The Worm?

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Are you a morning or a night person? I used to think I was a night person but now I can confidently say I’m 100% a morning person. Some people wake up at the crack of dawn, ready to take on the world. Others hit snooze seven times, stumble out of bed at noon, and wonder how anyone can function before coffee. I mean there’s no “better” one to be, but in my opinion it is good to figure out which side of the day you’re more productive on. 

Let’s talk about the night owls. The ones who get their best ideas at 2 AM, thrive in dim lighting, and consider breakfast food a late-night snack. They don’t understand how anyone can willingly go to bed before midnight. This sound like you? Well it could certainly never be me. Even if I have any homework or studying to do at night I’ll be doing it in my bed. Once 5pm rolls around I’m basically ready for bed. I just personally don’t understand the night owls. How do you guys function without any sleep?!

sunset in da hood

On the other hand, there’s the morning birds. The ones who voluntarily wake up before the sun, go for a run, make a smoothie, and answer emails—all before you’ve even opened your eyes. They thrive in the AM, getting things done while the rest of the world is still debating whether we have time for breakfast. Yup this is me. And to be honest, I know morning birds sound annoying and kinda “pick me” and trust me, I don’t have it all figured out I’m just wayyy more motivated to try to figure it out in the morning. And it’s a good feeling to wake up with a workout shower and have that all done by 10am. Then by the time you get home from a day of school or work I’ll have to do is finish up anything extra and then just relax for the night. 

And again, I don’t think anyone has life figured out more than the other, it really just depends on  what works for you. And look at it this way, while I’m yawning and getting ready for bed at 7pm you might be just getting ready and heading out for your dinner reso! So, whether you’re greeting the sunrise with enthusiasm or crawling into bed as the birds start chirping, one thing’s for sure—no one actually enjoys waking up to an alarm.