My Little Corner of the Internet

I just finished watching the first episode of All Stars 2 and I am dying. This season is such a step up from the first All Stars season and I love it.To me, All Stars 1 was really just there so we could see Chad Michaels win. I didn't really like the team thing and wasn't a huge fan of some of the queens that season. I just felt like it was kind of all over the place with challenges etc.
So when All Stars 2 was announced I was excited to see what would happen. Especially since this round, there isn't a clear queen that stands out above the rest. Not to mention RuPaul has gotten rid of the teams and is now adding more plot twists than I can handle.
First of all, the top 2 girls will lip sync for their legacy rather than having the bottom 2 lip sync to stay in the competition. And not only that but if they win the lip sync they will win $10,000 and the chance to eliminate one of the other queens in the bottom 3.
Like...are you serious?
$10,000 for winning a lip sync? No one is messing around this season. And on top of that, eliminating one of your friends from the competition? That's tough and very emotional. These girls are sisters and to pit them against each other is pure evil. And makes for great television.
Not to mention they decided to bring back the most dramatic queens from previous seasons. Didn't we all get a little bit excited when we heard Coco Montrese and Alyssa Edwards were coming back for round 2? And who doesn't love a Rol-aska-tox reunion?
So maybe this season of All Stars should have really been called the season 5 reunion. I feel like the other seasons aren't as fairly represented because of all the season 5 queens but that's okay. I hope this means in All Stars 3 some more past queens will have their time to shine. Especially if Tatianna from season 2 can make her way in with all the newer queens.
Anyway, time to talk about the contestants of this season of All Stars. I think I will list them in order of what season they were in. It seems like the most logical way to do this thing.

Tatianna. Girl. Season 2. I was not expecting that. My whole thought process for them choosing contestants for All Stars 2 is that they would pick queens from season 4-8. Mainly because the last All Stars was just after season four, so if All Stars is every 4 seasons then shouldn't the contestants be from the last 4 seasons? If that makes sense...
Either way, it doesn't seem to be the case with Tatianna on the scene.
I honestly am not a big fan of her. She doesn't seem to stand out among the other queens in my opinion. She doesn't have as big of a personality as the queens around her so to me she'll just fade into the background.
That being said, she did make an impression on me when she was one of the top 2 in the first episode. I liked her spoken word piece at the talent show. It was something new for me that I have never seen before, and never expected from Tatianna. So I applaud her for being out of the box with her style.
One thing I really want to know is who she would have eliminated if she had won the lip sync. She wasn't having as hard a time as Roxy was when it came to deciding which queen to send home. So I am interested to know who she thought wasn't worthy of the competition. Especially since everyone underestimated her, being the girl from season 2.

It has been a while since my last book review. I have been really bad at reading lately but I want to get back to it.
So Grace & Style. I was really happy to find out Grace was writing a second book. I really enjoyed her first one. And after she gave us such great advice on how to be an adult I was super excited to see what style tips Grace would have for us.

Truth be told I did not buy this for the style advice. Although that being said Grace does give some great advice within the book. She shares helpful tips about what to do on bad hair days, how to cover up fashion faux pas and how to make plain t shirts more fashionable. And if that wasn't enough there are also some great DIYs on her YouTube channel.
But anyway, I bought this book to see how it would compare with her first book. And also because I knew I was going to get some great stories in this book. It helped me learn more about Grace and how her own personal style came to be.
I thought it was really interesting for her to open up with something super personal from the get go. I had no idea Grace went through such a hard time growing up. Although I really admire YouTubers who are able to share their stories like that in order to help others. I also think it allows people to connect to YouTubers on a more personal level. Especially since some of them are not very open and personal online.
Aside from her personal introduction to the book the rest of it is a lot of light and fun. I enjoyed reading about Grace's take on style advice. She definitely took her advice to the next level in this book. Even creating some very interesting scenarios for her Miss Mess column. She even gives us a flowchart to help us decide if we should really buy an item of clothing. The book came with everything.


One thing I didn't expect in this book were the Sweatpants diaries. I honestly didn't enjoy this part of the book as much as the rest of it. At the beginning I found it hard to follow and was just confused. As I read more throughout the book I began to understand a bit more. Long story short it is about a pair of sweatpants who attends school in the Mall of America and is about to bring back the Black Friday revolution. It's insane. But very Grace.
If anything I think if Grace really wanted to, she really could release a fictional book series called the Sweatpants diaries. I feel like that could be something a lot of people could be into. I unfortunately am not a big fan. Although it definitely added something different to the book.


While I didn't enjoy this part of the book I did like the rest of it. As I said before I really enjoyed learning about how Grace's own style came to be through her stories and past experiences. I also enjoyed how she took famous quotes about style and made them her own. I feel like I related a lot more to Grace's quotes than the others. I think celebrities/designers/models have a different view of fashion because they can 1. afford couture and 2. are around it all the time. The rest of us are trying to afford cute everyday fashion.
Another thing I enjoyed in Grace's book were the photos. Just like her previous book this book was beautifully illustrated with photos of Grace rocking some interesting styles. Here are some of my favourites:





Overall I think this book was a really fun read. Although I think I preferred Grace's first book over this one. Especially on the advice front. I feel like I need advice on how to be an adult more than I need style advice haha. I don't regret buying this book though as it did allow me to learn more things about Grace. It also gave me a really helpful flowchart on how to decide how to clean out my closet. I wish I had seen that a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out my room.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this book review. I don't even know if these book reviews are that helpful or useful haha. I just like sharing my thoughts on some YouTuber books. I promise I will have some reviews of some non-YouTuber books sometime soon but for right now, this is what I'm into. I have some more YouTuber books preordered for later in the year so I am excited to get them. But for right now, the next book on my list is It Gets Worse by Shane Dawson and I can't wait to get into that. Look out for that book review (hopefully) coming soon!
~ Courtney x

I know I should have posted about this last month but I honestly had no idea just how addicting that it would be.
Pokemon Go.

Everyone's playing it, everyone is talking about it and well, everyone is going outside because of it. I can't believe it either. Although if you really want to be the very best like no one ever was you're gonna have to go out there and do something about it. Because you can't catch 'em all from your bedroom - I have tried.
I was so excited for the game to be released that it broke my heart to find out the release of the game had been delayed due to the servers not being able to handle the capacity of players. I still don't understand how they could have underestimated the popularity of this game. I guess they didn't account for people who haven't played Pokemon before and that are just jumping on the bandwagon because everyone is talking about it.


Still, it bothered me that I had to wait. Even though I only had to wait about a week. But it wasn't fun seeing everyone else online play when you couldn't. I knew there were ways for me to get illegally but I didn't want to do that because I heard that they could ban you from the real game if they found out. Better to be safe than sorry.
But as soon as I found out the game was released I had to get it. I had to fulfill my destiny as a Pokemon player, because after all, isn't that what everyone wanted to be at some point in their life? A Pokemon master?
I had to admit it was slow starting for me. Especially when you don't live near any Pokestops or Gyms. On the first/second day it was released I actually decided to go outside and explore the Pokestops and Gyms that my town had to offer. Although it was clear that the side of town I lived on did not have a lot.
But it was okay, I only wanted to go on a walk to explore and see what was out there. I knew as I progressed and travelled more that I would find more things and more interesting Pokemon. Because I've figured out that the only thing you are actually capable of catching from your bedroom are Pidgeys, Weedles and Rattattas. I have caught the occasional other Pokemon but if you really want to catch more Pokemon then you have to be willing to go outside.
Which I know isn't for everyone. Including myself. I was surprised that Pokemon had me willingly leaving the house. But that only lasted for the first week. Mainly so that I could level up and join my team.


You can join three teams in Pokemon Go and this team allows you to fight/take over/defend gyms. Gyms can be found anywhere just like Pokestops. What I have noticed is that Pokemon Go seemed to really like making churches Gyms and Pokestops. I'm not sure what the reason is behind that but okay.
Anyway other than willingly going out the first week of Pokemon Go being released I only really play Pokemon when I am leaving the house and doing other things. It's a lot easier to do it that way because you're going to be out and about anyway, so why not see what Pokemon are out and about while you are?
I have to admit I did enjoy one night that I went out with my friend Jasmine to go Pokemon hunting. This was the first time that I got to see just how many people were out playing Pokemon. And it was a lot. We walked into this area in town and found about 20 people standing in a circle around a Lure placed at a Pokestop. I was not expecting that at all. But you get a real sense of community playing Pokemon Go in big groups, especially if you are all the same team and work together to take over a gym.
I haven't been out in big groups since that night but I know people still do it. I think it's a lot more fun when you play with people and not just yourself. Although at the same time it can feel much more satisfying when you manage to take over a gym on your own.


That being said, I haven't really taken that many gyms by myself. Anytime I have taken a gym I have been with my brother and we have worked together. The way gyms work is that you fight the Pokemon in the gym and once you defeat them all the gym turns neutral. Once the gym goes neutral, anyone from any team can place their Pokemon in the gym to take it over. So it's better to have another person from your team standing by to take the gym once you defeat it and heal your Pokemon. Otherwise, anyone passing by could take over the gym instead.
I think that's what causes there to be some rivalry in Pokemon however I haven't gotten into any real fights about it. If anything it's just a bit of fun. Plus, a lot of gyms in common areas such as train stations and restaurants/bars are constantly changing as people come and go. So no gym belongs to the same team for long.
Apart from the Gyms, another part of the game is obviously working to catch all the Pokemon. So far the Pokemon only extend to the original first generation of Pokemon but hopefully the game updates to include more. As far as I know there are a few Pokemon that are region locked which means you will literally have to travel far if you want to catch them all. I don't know if I ever will get to catch them all but you know I'll try haha.
I'm actually pretty proud of the amount of Pokemon I have been able to catch just by playing when I leave the house. My friends at this point think I'm crazy because I play it so much. I have the app open almost constantly so that I can hatch Pokemon eggs. This isn't always great for your phone battery or your 3G allowance but I can tell you it is worth it for the possibility of hatching a rare Pokemon. Although most of the time you could hatch a Pokemon you have already caught before. But still, it's nice to have the hope you could get a new Pokemon from those eggs.
Another thing I tend to do is play the game while on public transport. I know that's technically cheating but the game does register when you are going too fast. But sometimes when you are on a train and the train slows down at each stop, there is a chance for Pokemon to spawn. One day I was on the train and as we were coming into a train station I was able to catch two new Pokemon and so it is worth it to have the app open on the train. It might not help you catch eggs, but a lot of train stations are Pokestops and so if you need some more Pokeballs it's worth the trip.


I think that pretty much covers my experience with Pokemon Go so far. There is the case of the Pokemon tracker which a lot of people don't like because it doesn't work but that doesn't bother me. Mainly because I only play the game when I am already out of the house. I can see how it can be annoying if you are actively searching for Pokemon but usually I just catch the Pokemon that spawn around me. I like to be surprised when a rare Pokemon appears haha.
But yes, that is everything I wanted to say on the topic of Pokemon Go, at least for now. The last thing I will do is leave you with my current Pokemon level and strongest Pokemon. (And yes, I did nickname some of them after KPop band Seventeen).


~ Courtney x

Hey Upper East Siders,
I just finished watching Gossip Girl...again. I discovered the TV show back at the end of 2012 and since then I have been in love.
The show has everything I love, drama, scandal, fashion, cute boys, and most of all New York.
I think another reason why I liked the show is because it reminded me of Pretty Little Liars. I discovered PLL first and so the idea of an anonymous person exposing the main characters' secrets was something I was already familiar with. However, on Gossip Girl, the anonymous character was not out to hurt any of the characters.
But yes, the Upper East Side always seemed like the place to be. Everyone there is super rich and attend fancy parties where they get to dress up all the time and be fabulous. Who wouldn't want that?
I fell in love with the characters almost instantly and the whole story just had me obsessed. Who was Serena van der Woodsen? Why did she go away to boarding school? Why is she back?
I was just so fascinated.

Spotted: Serena at Grand Central Station

Not to mention: I live for high school teen drama on TV shows. It's something I have always enjoyed. As long as it was happening on TV and not in my actual life, I could just not get enough.
I actually think Gossip Girl also resparked my love of blogging. And I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to run a blog about all the people I went to school with. It would be so scary if people even came close to finding out who you were.
Speaking of, this is something I still don't think I will ever get over: DAN HUMPHREY IS GOSSIP GIRL?

Oh Dan...

I loved watching the show and everyone thinking it was Dorota. Because I would have loved if it had been Dorota. I think we would have all loved if it had been Dorota haha.

Dorota, killing it, as usual

But Dan? I don't know. While it did make sense and I did think it suited the show to have Dan as Gossip Girl I also think some things didn't add up. I mean was Dan Humphrey really so tech savvy that he could send blasts while being in the same room as his fellow Upper East Siders and no one would notice? Did he have a secret second phone where he got the blasts sent to him?
I mean obviously once I found out it was Dan I had to rewatch the entire series and see if I could tell if it was him or not. And there are some major hints as to why it would be him. Including the very first episode when he is literally sitting looking at the Gossip Girl website.
But yeah. Dan Humphrey. Gossip Girl. I have to say I didn't see it coming. I guess because I was always imagining Gossip Girl as someone else. Who that person was, I have no idea. Sometimes it's better not to make guesses and get your hopes up in case the reveal isn't what you want. That's definitely something I have learnt from watching Pretty Little Liars.
Another thing I was not in love with was Serena and Dan getting together in the end. Part of me felt like after everything they had been through it would just not happen for them. Especially since Dan had that whole thing where he was in love with Blair. So I mean I was just hoping for something else to happen there. I'm not sure what I expected but it definitely wasn't that.
I also wish that season six had been a full season and not just ten episodes. Ten episodes in the final season was not enough. Although I think I will always wish for more Gossip Girl.
At least I can always rewatch the show to relive its fabulousness. One of the reasons why I was rewatching it recently is because I was preparing to go to New York and I wanted to get excited. And I thought it was really cool that Gossip Girl was actually filmed on location in New York and so I had to go and see the Upper East Side when I was visiting NYC.
And I got my wish.
I got to sit on the steps of the MET like Blair Waldorf and it felt amazing. I also got to see the Empire hotel and the Museum of the city of New York where they shot the exteriors of the high school the Gossip Girl cast attended. It was so surreal. Like the actors were there filming at one point. It was crazy.
I actually wanted to go on the Gossip Girl tour when I was in New York but due to timing I wasn't able to. I hope to go back to New York one day to experience it fully.

Spotted: Me, on the steps of the MET. I hope I didn't sit higher than Blair...

But yeah, I just wanted to make a little blog post talking about Gossip Girl. I actually did write blog posts about the show when I was watching it for the first time, like I said, Gossip Girl got me back into blogging. And so at the end of every season I would write a little blog post about what I thought of the characters that season. I haven't looked back at these posts since I made them but if you would like to check them out they are on my Tumblr blog.
I imagine they are pretty cringey as I wrote them 4 years ago but I think it's interesting to see my initial thoughts on the whole story.
As you can see I really immersed myself in this TV show at the time haha. Plus I think I got into it at just the right time because by the time I had made my way through the entire series, the last episode had only aired a week or two before I got to it. So when I made those posts the show was still relevant.
But right now, I'm not sure how relevant it is. To me it will always have a place in my heart though. It goes under the category of shows I can watch over and over again, it's right up there next to Friends.
Anyway, I think that's everything I wanted to say. I don't even know if there is any real flow to this blog post haha I just sat started writing and wanted to see what happened. Plus I wanted to make a post since I haven't blogged in a while.
I hope you enjoyed reading some thoughts I had on Gossip Girl. Like I said to find out more about what I thought you can check out my Tumblr and if you want to watch Gossip Girl they currently have the whole thing on Netflix. I would definitely recommend it.
~ Courtney x