February 28, 2015

Q&A a Day: 3 Years and Counting...

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This week marked the beginning of year four of my Q&A a Day journal. I'm sure many of you have seen them as they've become very popular recently but for those of you haven't, it's a journal that asks you a question every single day with space to write an answer for five years.


I bought mine way back in February 2012 when I was 19 and in my first year of University. Now I'm 22 and studying abroad in Canada and will be graduating in the Summer! It's crazy to think how much I've changed and it's a lot of fun to flick through my journal occasionally to see how my answers have evolved.

It's also interesting to see which answers have stood the test of time and which ones have changed. For example my idea of what "home" has become much broader since travelling to Canada and my answer to "Are you seeking security or adventure" has always been both but my motivation for that answer has differed every year.

A photo posted by Megan Shaelyn (@meganshaelyn) on

I'm not going to lie, it takes some high levels of dedication to do this and I'm by no means perfect. I definitely miss days and have to go back and fill them in but I think the longest I've gone is about 4 days. I've also had a few occasions where I've messed up the dates. Most notably when I came back from America in 2013 and lost a day because of the time difference. I didn't notice for almost two weeks which resulted in the birth of my cousin being mentioned a day early. I try not to stress about it too much although it did irritate me for a while when I first realised.

I love these kinds of things as I'm a big fan of memories and nostalgia and I'm glad I chose to do it when I did as your early twenties are definitely a period of self discovery. I've done a lot of growing up in the past three years and I can't wait to see where I'll be when I'm 24 and writing my last entry. 

I don't know what, if anything, I'll do after I've finished this journal but I'm sure I'll find something to take it's place but for now I've still got another two years of answering questions. Have any of you started a project like this and managed to persevere? Let me know in the comments!
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February 23, 2015

Red Carpet Review: Oscars 2015

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Last night was the big one, The Academy Awards. For once, I actually got to watch it live what with being in Canada and all and I have to say, Neil Patrick Harris was not as good as I was hoping. Sad face. Anyway, let's talk fashion. This year's offerings were of a very high calibre. Whittling the best dressed down to just five was a task and a half and then finding five not so great outfits was pretty difficult too. It wasn't necessarily the most memorable red carpet but everyone looked great with no real standout winner or loser. Even Lady Gaga was relatively sedate. Let's start as we always do, with the best dressed of the night.

THE BEST
Anna Kendrick, Keira Knightley, Zoe Saldana, Emma Stone, Rosamund Pike
I want Anna Kendrick to be my best friend. Primarily because she is awesome but also I could then borrow her clothes. I like this dress a lot a lot. I especially love the colour, not one you see grace the red carpet very often is coral but one I feel should. The added touch of sparkle is just enough to bring it up a notch and then the hair and make-up which is on point just finishes this perfection off.

If ever there was someone who embodied the aura of a woodland fairy, it's Keira Knightley. And I mean that in a good way, I swear. There are few people that could pull this off. It could easily be one of those dresses that makes even the most sophisticated woman look like a six year old but Keira manages to keep it towards the more ethereal end. And all while dressing a baby bump too. I applaud you, Keira.

Zoe Saldana apparently gave birth three months ago...to twins! I don't believe it. Nope. That is pure witchcraft. How? What? No one who has three month old twins at home should look like that. Life is just not fair. She looks stunning! The colour looks amazing on her and the dress hugs her in all of the right places. Flawless.

Ah Emma Stone how I love thee. This girl can basically do no wrong in my eyes and this is oh so right. The fact that she's given me the green dress/red hair combo that I adore just adds to my feelings which would be positive even if this dress had been in a different colour. I also love a high neckline with long sleeves so really this is just win win win. Can I also say how much I love the enthusiasm Emma had on receiving a lego Oscar? I would have definitely been the same and am wondering why a set is not available to purchase cause if it was I'd be on that like a rash!

And the winner for most improved goes to *drum roll* Rosamund Pike! Just like I'd hoped, she saved the best till last. To be honest, her track record for this years award season probably makes me see this in a better light than I would otherwise but compared to her Golden Globes look this is pretty much perfection.

THE NOT SO BEST
Chloë Grace Moretz, Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, Solange Knowles, Zendaya
Just because a dress has pockets does not mean one has to permanently put one's hands in said pockets. Seriously, though this is why red carpet gowns should never have pockets. It looked particularly strange when she was walking on stage to present. That aside, I'm still not a fan of the dress. The bottom half reminds me a lot of this portrait of Queen Elizabeth I but also a more curtain-esque version of the dress Princess Mia wears at the end of Princess Diaries. So apparently it's got a regal feel to it but yet, I'm not a fan.

Normally on this here review, my focus is on the dresses but when I look at Laura Dern, I do not see her dress as I am too focussed on wondering how she can see where she's going. That is a lot of fringe. How was not spending the entire night pushing it out of her eyes? Even now, I'm looking at the photo and want to tuck it behind her ear. Either that or take some scissors to it but I feel that may be deemed as somewhat socially unacceptable...

Another case of where it's not the dress that is the problem. In fact Scarlett's emerald number is pretty fabulous but even she doesn't seem too convinced by what's going on around her neck. I feel like this may have been a little more successful if the colour wasn't the same as the dress. It's just all a bit much and veers very close to neck brace territory. A very snazzy neck brace but a neck brace nonetheless.

That's a lot of fabric right there. Like I've said, high neckline plus long sleeves? Often a win for me but it is a look that I feel suits a sleeker style than Solange has gone for here. Adding a fuller skirt and then colouring the whole thing in bright red is just a lot to take it. It's just a sea of red with a head bobbing on the top. Also, pocket. Ugh.

I was trying to find the right word to describe this dress and I for me it just feels a bit, well, limp. Like someone just took some satin, draped it over her and thought "bugger it, that'll do". I fear that if she were to move it would just fall. This is also a very mature look for someone who is only 18. Maybe she's doing the classic "Just because I'm on the Disney Channel doesn't mean you shouldn't take me seriously" thing and if it's between this and the Miley route then keep doing what you're doing. I still feel though that 18 is an age where you can totally have fun with your clothes and come on, how many 18 year olds get to attend the Oscars. Not that I have any idea why she's there but that's besides the point.

Well there we have it. Award Season is done and dusted for another year. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees and I can't wait to see what incredible films, music and fashion 2015 is going to bring our way. See you next year (probably)!
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February 11, 2015

Eurovision Goes Global

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It was announced today that, for some strange reason that I still can't quite get my head around, Australia are going to be joining us for the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Now I know my geography isn't great but I'm pretty sure they're not in Europe. To be fair, they've been relaxing the definition of what classifies as 'Europe' for quite a while. I'm looking at you Azerbaijan. 


Apparently, Eurovision is really popular over on the other side of the world and I mean, who can blame them, it's amazing but it's still gonna be really weird to see them there. They'll be like that strange foreign exchange student that everyone's kind of intrigued by but don't really know what to make of. 

To give them credit, they do seem like a country that could embrace the Eurovision spirit. Let's not forget the glorious Olympic opening ceremony in Sydney which involved Kylie Minogue riding in on a giant flip-flop. They've got potential! I'll be interested to see how 'Australian' their entry will be. Will they go all out kangaroos and didgeridoos or will they just go for regular non-Australian themed classic campness that has become the signature of Eurovision. As much as I'd love to see them enter a song called "Shrimp on the barbie", I feel the second option my be better. Don't want to come off as trying too hard, you know?


The fabulous Conchita Wurst, winner of last year's competition.

I also wonder whether this really is a one-off or whether the Aussies will return. Is this just a way of testing the waters? Maybe the wild card thing will stick and every year we'll have a different country trying desperately to join in the European glory. We're just too cool for these kids. They wouldn't be able to handle it even if we did let them in. Seriously, I've tried explaining Eurovision to Canadians. It doesn't work. They just don't get it.

You never know this could be the start of some ultimate Worldvision Song Contest. I hope not, do you realise how long the voting would take?! We'd be watching for days and everyone would be paralytic from all the "douze points" shots! I'm sure it's just another crazy Eurovision thing that we will remember in years to come like that guy from Albania with the ultrasonic voice and the legendary Russian grannies. You know, sometimes I wonder why we don't take this thing seriously and then I say sentences like that... I love you Eurovision. Don't ever change.
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February 09, 2015

Red Carpet Review: Grammy's 2015

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As expected, The Grammy Red Carpet brought many weird and wonderful concoctions so let's get straight into with as always with what I felt were some of the more successful looks of the night.

THE BEST
Taylor Swift, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Osbourne
My best dressed of the night won the title before I'd even seen the rest and that is Miss Taylor Swift. I just love everything about it. I'm a sucker for anything turquoise and then add in some ombré and I'm yours. The shorter skirt keeps it interesting and shows of the killers shoes. This dress may not be to everyone's taste but I need this in my wardrobe more than I need air. Slight exaggeration. Possibly...

Anna and Gwen decided to rock trousers with Anna going all out androgynous with some added sex factor. I personally feel she nailed it. Gwen went the slightly less conventional route bit with just as much success but honestly that woman could wear a paper bag and make it look stylish!

Some may be surprised to see Miley on the best dressed list but given her track record I was pleasantly surprised. It's the closest we've seen her to demure in a very long time and I appreciate it muchly. While I would not be one to ever be brave enough to wear such a gown, I like it. It's very Miley yet I like it. I'm as shocked as you are.

Another unconventional choice is Kelly Osbourne as this look has some definite haters over on Twitter. When I first saw this I was none too fussed by it but as I looked again, it grew on me. I also think the whole outfit has actually been improved by the purple hair. It adds interest and stops the sheer amount of black from being too overwhelming. Also, she is carrying and fish clutch and for some reason, I don't hate it. What is wrong with me?

 THE WORST
Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Madonna
While Claudia Winklemen decided to dress up as a Hershey's Kiss over at the BAFTAs, Rihanna decided to go more for the loo roll cover look. Interesting choice. Seriously, that is a lot of dress, it doesn't even fit in the frame! 

This is what I imagine Kim wears when she's just chillin' around the house with Kanye and North. You know, all comfy in a gold, bedazzled dressing gown which she was obviously wearing while having her hair done then she ran out of time and thought, "bugger it, I'll just keep this on". 

It turns out, there is such a thing as too much sparkle. This look from Rita Ora (totally nearly wrote Rita Skeeter #Potterhead) is very reminiscent of Emily Mortimer's Tin Man tragedy from the Golden Globes back in 2013. While Rita has a little more attitude to pull this off it's still not working for me.

Oh wow. Just. Wow. Anna Kendrick showed us how to successfully achieve the androgynous look and Charli XCX shows us here how so not to. To be honest I could probably get on board with the suit, and hey the pink bow tie is quirky, but what is with all that fur? Although I have to say, I was slightly relieved when I realised it was indeed a shawl and not insane cuffs on her jacket. Phew! 

Here we have Madonna just being Madonna. It's hard to compare her to anyone else purely becasue she's, well, Madonna. That aside, I'm not a fan. Sure, the Grammys is a chance to push the boat out but this boat went a little too far. At least the others went for OTT versions of what you'd normally see on the red carpet, whereas Madonna went for a strange burlesque/matador hybrid. Eh. You do you Madonna.

There you have it. It was definitely a more exciting red carpet than the BAFTAs but then the Grammy's aren't held at the Royal Opera House and are generally a little mental so it's to be expected really. The Grammy's do look like a hell of a lot of fun though! 

What were your thoughts of some of the looks? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments!

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Red Carpet Review: Bafta's 2015

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This weekend saw two major award ceremonies but I'll start with the more refined of the two and the big British event that is the EE Bafta's. This always seems to be a rather restrained red carpet but there was nonetheless some interesting outfits, some good, some...not so good. Let's start with the highs.

THE BEST
Amy Adams, Angela Scanlon, Phoebe Fox, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jenna Coleman
Amy, Angela and Gugu all went for relatively simple looks but all three managed to steer clear of being boring. The more I look at Gugu's dress though the more I like it which is why I would give her the overall best dressed of the night. I literally can see not a single flaw. If Amy lost the tassels and Angela changed out the shoes then it may have been a much more closely run race. but alas, it was not.

Phoebe and Jenna decided to go down the patterned route and I fully appreciate the injection of colour from Phoebe. There was a surprising amount of colour this year but it was generally all block colour whereas Phoebe just went, nah, let's chuck 'em all in. A girl after my own heart. Jenna on the other hand is walking a fine line towards wearing curtains but somehow she manages to make it work. Maybe it's the cut out or maybe it's just the adorableness of Jenna herself. Who knows?

THE WORST
Claudia Winkleman, Mica Levi, Rachel Riley, Douglas Booth, Hofit Golan
So, Claudia decided to dress up as a strange gothic hershey's kiss while Mica seems to have slid through an oil slick on her way to the awards. As weird as Mica's concoction is though, I have to give worst dressed to Rachel Riley. I don't really know who Mica is but she seems the kind of person that has an IDGAF attitude that rocks looks like this on a regular basis. Rachel on the other hand is normally well turned out so why then did she choose to accessorise with a dead ferret? I'm presuming it was nippy in London but there are more stylish ways to add some warmth to one's outfit.

*Gasp* What is this? A man? On a red carpet review? Ok, so he doesn't look that bad but given that men have it pretty easy when it comes to dressing for the red carpet it seemed wrong of me not to question why Douglas would choose to wear a jacket that looks covered in some sort of mould. I appreciate the effort to go for something a little different but maybe avoid anything that looks green and furry next time? It's just a suggestion.

I have no idea who Hofit Golan is or why she was there. I mean, she doesn't even have a wikipedia page so she can't be that famous, right? Whoever she is, I'm not getting this look. The stars look like a kid has taken his effort stickers from school and stuck them all over the dress while the top seems to defy the laws of physics. Very strange indeed.

Tomorrow I'll be back reviewing the looks from the Grammy red carpet. Music awards are always more bizarre than the film awards so I'm sure there were some interesting looks. But for now, let me know what you thought of some of the Bafta red carpet looks in the comments below!
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February 04, 2015

January Playlist: 2015

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The monthly playlists have returned! Most of the music is not really new this month as January always seems to be slow month for new releases but without further ado, here are my favourite tunes from this past month.

As soon as I saw Mockingjay: Part 1 I knew I had to download Jennifer Lawrence's rendition of The Hanging Tree. I just love that she sang it herself. At first I was distraught to find it was not on the official soundtrack but a few days later I found that it was hiding on separate movie score soundtrack. Phew!

I'm six months late to the party but this month I finally got around to downloading George Ezra's amazing debut album Wanted On Voyage. A particular favourite is Blind Man in Amsterdam. Mainly I just like the bum bum bum bum badabadum bit.

One song that you may not have come across is This is Home by Bryan Lanning. Bryan, along with his wife Missy and their adorable little boy Ollie, are known on YouTube as DailyBumps and this month Bryan released his debut single. The song is about his family and it's adorable, as is the music video. You should definitely check it out!

Glee is back! There has a been a gaping hole in my iTunes due to the lack of new Glee songs but finally they have returned. Now, Season 6 is not looking to be the best, both in terms of the story and the music but there's still a few good'uns in there. 

Up - Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato
The Hanging Tree - Jennifer Lawrence
Wings - Birdy
Blame it on Me - George Ezra
Blind Man in Amsterdam - George Ezra
This is Home - Bryan Lanning
Bitch - Jane Lynch
Home - Glee Cast
Out of the Woods - Taylor Swift
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January 27, 2015

Emma Watson is Belle!

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Yesterday Emma Watson confirmed that she is to play Belle in a live action version of Beauty of the Beast. Now, when I heard this news I wasn't quite as jump up and down excited as everyone else seemed to be but that was simply because this news has been rumoured for like a year. Sure it's nice to have confirmation but it wasn't exactly a surprise.


That aside, I still think it's great news. I think Emma will make a great Belle and I'm particularly excited to hear her sing more than just the hint of Hoggy Warty Hogwarts we were treated to in Goblet of Fire.

Another more nerdy reason I love that Emma has been chosen is because of the popular tumblr AU where Belle's favourite book is actually Harry Potter. Magic spells, a daring prince in disguise! Seriously, it works. I know Emma would probably be less thrilled with the association but...sorry, not sorry.

Post by Emma Watson.
The full announcement from Emma's official Facebook page.

I'm definitely intrigued to see the final movie, not just for Emma, but to also see how they do all the secondary characters like Lumière and Chip and of course, what will the beast look like? It also makes a change from the endless versions of Cinderella. Sure there was Beastly back in 2007 but there's so many versions of Cinderella I've lost count!

What are your thoughts on the upcoming movie and the choice of Emma as Belle?
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Red Carpet Review: SAG Awards 2015

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The red carpet review has returned! Unfortunately I missed the Golden Globes but yesterday we saw the second big event of the 2015 award season, The Screen Actors Guild Awards. So lets take a look at some of the noteworthy looks that graced the carpet last night.

Lupita Nyong'o



Last year Lupita rocked mostly solid colours but this year she's gone all out patterns and it turns out she can rock those too. Stripes & florals? It shouldn't work but it does. Love it.

Natalie Dormer
I absolutely love this dress but I feel it's very un-Natalie who seems more edgy. I mean seriously that look could turn you to stone. Very pretty though.

Maisie Williams
I feel like I just want to go up to her and yank the dress up an inch or two then I think I could be on board with this look a little more. Also, jewellery. This needs jewellery.

Julianne Moore
All red heads should wear emerald green. Like all the time. They no longer have any choice in the matter.

Rosamund Pike
MAJOR improvement from the Golden Globes but still not her best look. Hopefully she's just waiting to knock the ball out of the park at the Oscars.

Emma Stone
This is a very confused outfit. I saw this first when she was sat down during the awards. I was expecting trousers...still if anyone could pull it off it it's this girl.

Keira Knightly
Looooove the colour! And I get that she wants to wear a looser dress what with the baba and toasty LA weather but this look just isn't working for me. Lose the overly flouncy peplum, then we can talk.

Laverne Cox
Go hard or go home, eh girl? This is all a bit much. Big hair, heavy make-up, shinyness and strappyness. I'd say bring it down a notch but this is Laverne Cox so that's like telling a peacock to take it easy on the feathers. You do you, Laverne.

Anna Chumsky
It looks like Anna wanted to go for a simple strapless gown but then thought, "hmmm there's something missing. I know! I'll add an off the shoulder waistcoat wannabe. That'll do the trick!" No it won't Anna. No it won't.

Ariel Winter
You work those curves girl cause DANG! The added vampyness of the black hair and nails just makes it all even better.

Lorelai Linklater
Quick someone help! Lorelei's been eater alive by her dress. Otherwise known as a perfect example of the dress wearing her rather than the other way round.

Alyssa Reiner
This just looks so awkward to wear. Not only would it be impossible to walk in but she also has the constant threat of the whole thing slipping down and having a major nips crisis.

Overall I'd say it was a top notch red carpet but I have to give best dressed of the night to Lupita Nyong'o. That girl knows how to rock a gown! Who was your best dressed of the SAG awards?
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January 23, 2015

Movie Review: Interstellar

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I know Interstellar has been out for a while but I couldn't not talk about it. Never in all my life have I seen a movie this intense! I went home that night and didn't even know what to think. My brain was on overdrive and would not stop.

I'm not sure I even know how to articulate how I felt after having seen this movie. The fact that you could hear a pin drop as the credits started shows just how much of an impact this movie has. It's not a favourite movie in the sense that I'm itching to buy the DVD and watch it on repeat but rather it was simply a film that moved me in a way a film never really has before. 

To put it simply, Christopher Nolan nailed it. The story is gripping throughout despite it's 169 minute running time. While in some ways elements of the story are predictable such as the repercussions the team face when dealing with time and relativity, it manages to throw enough unexpected revelations to keep you on the edge of your seat and grabbing for the tissues throughout.

The cast as a whole are incredible. For me though, it's Matthew McConaughey that's the stand out performance. Despite the very futuristic feel of the film, he manages to bring a huge amount of humanity to both his character and the story in general. He shows the true love a father can have for his daughter and how the thought of seeing her again is enough to keep him going through anything.

If I have anything negative to say about the film it would be that, at times it is quite confusing especially if you're not particularly well read on all things astronomical. The pivotal scene during the climax of the film took me a little while to get my head around and to be honest, I'm not 100% sure I really understand it now but I think in some ways, you just have to accept what the characters are saying. You can worry about the technical details about how it all works afterwards. Either that, or I'm just a bit slow on the uptake.

I went in to the film with little expectation, in fact I thought I might even find it a little boring. Space movies aren't normally my kind of thing but how wrong I could have been. It's a film that makes you think. It makes you see the world in a different way. It makes you feel small and yet at the same time makes you realise how important you are as a member of the human race. 

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts on Interstellar? Let me know in the comments.

Photo: Paramount Pictures
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October 01, 2014

Apple Picking

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The incredible weather here in Halifax continued over the weekend which was lucky for me as I went on a beautifully quaint little apple picking trip with the other international students. We were picked up by a classic yellow school bus and drove for about an hour before arriving at Elderkin's Bakery and Farm Market.


First we decided which size bag we wanted to go for, 10lb or 20lb, before heading out to the many rows of apple trees. I can't remember which varieties we ended up going for, we kind of went for the "that looks like a nice apple" approach and slowly filled up our bags while chomping on a cheeky extra one while we worked. Hey, it was hard work in the heat. That's my excuse anyway.

After we paid for our freshly picked apples, we sat down for a picnic in the sun. We ended up sitting and chatting for the next few hours as there wasn't a whole lot to do once you'd done the actual apple picking. The organisers of the trip had anticipated us being able to go on a wagon ride but it turns out that they were only for primary school children. Yet more reasons why bring old sucks!

Somewhat annoyingly, we were told about a corn maze that was a short walk down the road. Annoying because they told us only 20 minutes before we had to leave so we didn't have time to actually complete the maze. I did get to meet some hay-bail minions though so swings and roundabouts!

Despite waking up the next day with a rather tomato-ed nose, it was a really fun day. I especially enjoyed getting out of Halifax and being able to see some of the surrounding area as well as all the trees that are now slowly turning all autumnal. Unfortunately, the weather seems to have now decided to turn cold but at least I managed to enjoy the sun while it was here! 





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September 29, 2014

Fun in the Sun

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The weather over the past few days has been absolutely amazing here in Halifax, literally not a single could in the sky. My weather app has been saying that it's been about 24 degrees Celcius but I don't believe it. It feels much hotter! I thought I was going to die because of the cold not the heat, turns out I was wrong.


To make the most of the sun, Carolin and I went for a wander to the waterfront where we sat for a while before making our way further down to meet up with Liam and Lisa and eventually, Jack. We concluded our little dander by the sea with some ice-cream from Cow's, supposedly the best ice-cream in Canada. I mean, it's nice but it's not that nice.

As promised I have started to take some more pictures while I'm out and about so here are some from Friday. Enjoy!






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September 19, 2014

Still United!

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As I'm sure anyone who has not spent the last few weeks and months in a hole will know, yesterday was an extremely important day in British history. Yesterday, the people of Scotland came together to decide whether or not they should go it alone and leave the United Kingdom. This morning I was pleased to wake up to the news that, in the end, they had decided against it.

Image credit: www.europeworld.com
In all honesty, it felt a bit anti-climatic. Even though I wanted the Union to remain intact it still felt a little strange to have had these long campaigns and constant talk about 300 years of history coming to an end and then, it didn't. And surprisingly, the margin was bigger than I expected. Most of the polls up to the vote had as little as 1% between the Yes and No voters but in the end the No vote won by a margin of 10%. Still not huge, but more substantial that I'd predicted.

Of course, even though the Scots have decided to remain with us, at least for the foreseeable future, it does not mean things aren't going to change. English politicians made many promises during the run-up to the vote in a bid to sway the votes and if they don't keep those promises you can basically guarantee that the Scots will vote for independence next time. And I'm almost certain there will be a next time. Yes, 60% said no, but that means 40% of the country want to go their own way. There will always be the threat of Scotland wanting independence and the same can be said for Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Whether that happens in 10 years time or 100 years time though, will depend heavily on how the government responds over the coming weeks and years.

I don't pretend to know everything about politics, in fact, I know very little but this has been an interesting road and has been made even more interesting by the fact that I'm currently studying about the original Union between our two countries over three centuries ago. It's also been very strange being in Canada while all of this has been going on. Being English, I feel very involved with the debate yet my current location has placed me outside of it although I'm sure it's even stranger for some of the Scottish students that are over here as well.

Either way, the vote has been cast, and Scotland are sticking with us so there's no worrying about border control or changing flags or more importantly whether Scotland would still have access to the Bake Off. It would be naive however to say that things will return to normal and everyone can go back to what they were doing. The United Kingdom is going to change and I for one am intrigued to see what happens next.
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September 17, 2014

What's With All The Homework?

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This is the first of a new style of post I want to incorporate into my blog. I want to look at some specific differences between life in Canada and that back in the UK. Don't worry, I'm still going to keep you up to date with the exciting goings on here, or at least I'll try to but the cultural differences fascinate me and so I wanted to write down my thoughts.

The first major difference I'm going to talk about, as I'm sure you can tell by the title is homework. The fact that I'm even saying that word is weird because homework is not something I have had to worry about since my days in Upper Sixth over 4 years ago (!) I even have a homework diary again! The system here is a weird mix between school and University and feels for me like taking a step back in terms of my academic independence. In Bangor, if I didn't do my required reading or my assignments, it was all on me and it would be my grade that suffered. While you're not about to get detention if you don't hand in homework here, there's still professors checking in and there's someone you have to explain yourself to. It's definitely been an adjustment.

Ooo arty photo of homework sitting at a jaunty angle on my desk with pen "casually" thrown on top ;)
There are, of course, advantages to the system, not that having someone to answer to is inherently a bad thing. Due to homework, class participation, mid-terms, assignments and finals, you're graded a little and often. This means that if you completely screw up your final, you have a load of other work to fall back on where as at home everything was resting on two or three assignments/exams. In fact, one of my modules in second year was entirely waited on a single exam. The system both increases and decreases the pressure. Lucky for me all of this is pretty irrelevant as I don't actually have to pass but I certainly do not envy the students here for having this kind of work load for four years.

I've only had two weeks of classes but already I'm having to organise my time far more carefully than I ever did in Bangor. It's easy with all the little homeworks to forget about the larger assignments and then of course there's the 40 pages of required reading for every class not to mention when you're supposed fit in life stuff like laundry, meals and socialising. How they have any time for extra curricular's I do not know. Granted I probably had a bit too much time to spare in Bangor, as my friends like to frequently remind me about, but surely there's a middle ground somewhere? I mean, is it too much to ask to be able to binge watch Orange is the New Black without permanently feeling guilty that I should be doing some homework or other?
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September 04, 2014

Freshers Week 2.0

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Tomorrow is the day that lectures begin and with that Orientation Week is officially over and what a week it's been. I've already met an amazing group of people and have been able to finally have the Fresher's Week I never had three years ago. From some cheeky cocktails at The Split Crow, to an obligatory round of Ring of Fire to intellectual discussions in Your Father's Moustache. Seriously, the bars here have the weirdest names! It's been a pretty awesome week.

The daytime has been somewhat more tame with me mainly focusing on sorting out bank accounts, registering for classes and of course, catching up on The Great British Bake-off. It's definitely been a little weird being surrounded by all the Freshmen. They are, of course, away from home for the first time, at the very beginning of their University adventure whereas I am three years in and am nearing the end. While I'm excited to be here in Canada, it's a very different excitement to what the Freshmen are experiencing. Besides, even if it was the same, there is no way I would be able to retain the levels of energy, excitement and enthusiasm that the Canadians can without at least a few shots before hand.

I also feel like I've learnt so much already. Most, if not all, of the friends I have made so far are from Europe and for the first time in my entire life I actually feel European. Us Brits have far more in common with the mainland than we think we do. I feel like the shared language with North America helps to disguise what are some fairly significant differences in culture while the language barriers across Europe disguise our similarities. When I found out about all the insanely strict rules about alcohol consumption here, it was my fellow Europeans who empathised. It's also made me want to really try harder at learning German because everyone's English is so impressive even if they themselves try to say it isn't. Hopefully, my Advanced German class should point me in the right direction and maybe not before too long I'll be brave enough to speak German with two of my fellow exchangers, Carolin and Daniel.

As I've already mentioned, tomorrow I start lectures and I shall have to be up bright and early at the crack of 9am. Got to get back into the swing of things for the first time since about May but in actual fact I can't wait to get started. Knowing me, I'll probably end up doing more this year than I did the entire three years in Bangor but either way it doesn't really matter. After a year focussed on my dissertation, the pressure's off. I can just relax and enjoy learning something purely for the sake of learning.

By the way, I will put my hands up and admit that I am really bad for forgetting to take photos but I do promise to try and improve in the future. For my own sake as much as for this blog. For now though, here are a few pictures from my favourite night from the past week.




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