Real, Not Ideal

I have been so good about keeping track of my favourites this month. I received a little notebook for Christmas, and it is my official “favourites” notebook. This month has been pretty relaxing. I had one exam earlier in the month, and then I spent the rest of the month just hanging out. I took the free time as an opportunity to organize my life before school starts again and get some blogging ready to go (as you can see by my actual posting on time). It’s all been a part of my New Year’s goal that I spoke of in my last monthly favourites . I’ll probably write something about that at some point in February. I do think my favourites here are an accurate representation of what I’ve been up to. 1.        Room  [source]    This movie is based off of my favourite book, so I was so excited when I heard it was going to be in theatres. I went to see this movie last week, and there were only seven people in the theatre. It’s a hipster-type...

Disclaimer: I am not an expert by any means. I’ve been in a relationship (for the first time) for two and a half months. But the one good thing about being single for so long is that I have gained knowledge from seeing others go through their issues. I also have the most amazing role models as parents who will be married for 23 years this May. Perhaps this opinion of mine has come from being single for so long and being surrounded by friends in happy relationships. Nevertheless, I believe the secret to the most successful relationships is to have your own life outside of the relationship. I know there is some kind of sociological theory that supports my theory. I remember my professor saying last year that everyone is looking for someone to complete them, when, in reality, you should be looking for something who is a part of you.   [source] The truth is, YOU are in a relationship. Without you, there’s no relationship at all. I will stand firm in the belief that you cannot cha...

With all the New Year inspirational kicks pretty much over (which comes with already failed resolutions), I want to put a little positivity and inspiration out there brought to you by some wonderful women of the world. Every year, Glamour magazine prints an issue dedicated to women. There is an awards night to celebrate the achievements and pride we have in the female leaders of our generation. Let’s face it, most of the entertainment business is dominated by men. But this celebration is full of the most uplifting women. Rarely do women in real life or media choose to celebrate each other. I’ve pulled some quotes that I found particularly inspirational to me, and I’ll explain why I find it so uplifting. 1.        “ I don’t think anyone should underestimate the power of their own voice… You are the women we’ve been waiting for.” –Barbra Streisand (Glamour, January 2014, p. 14) I feel like everyone has heard some version of the first part of this quot...

            It has been a while since I’ve last posted a book review. To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve actually read a book other than for school. With all the newness of being in Leeds, I simply – and unfortunately – let reading slip. I finished this book in the summer, but I’ve kept the notes. I did read another since then, but it’s not suitable for review. I plan to be a lot better about reading this year. It’s a huge part of who I am, and I’m sad that I’ve lost a bit of that. This is my formal acknowledgement of that which comes with the promise to be better to myself. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum is classified as historical fiction which is my favourite category. It is set up with two separate stories of mother Anna and her struggles in WWII and her daughter Trudy who is completing a project about German women in WWII. In the story of Anna, we see right from the beginning how brainwashing is a part of a war so...

I feel like closure is one of the most relatable forces in the world. I say force because it’s one of those things that tends to weigh on your mind and can eat at you until you drive yourself crazy. Closure is more important than people make it out to be. I have never been broken up with, but I understand how crucial it is to get closure when a relationship ends whether it’s romantic or as simple as a friendship. Ending a relationship with someone is incredibly cruel if they don’t give you a reason.   I’ve been there. I’ve been in the situation where I’m lying in bed going in circles so many times figuring out what I did wrong. Let me share a story with you. [source] The first guy that I liked that actually liked me back was six years ago. A.C. and I really connected when we met and spent an hour and a half talking behind a couch. It didn’t end up working out (young love, go figure), but we became best friends and talked about everything. He was a good friend to me for ...

Happy New Year! I know people are typically coming out with their reflections and resolutions at this time, and as soppy as I am as a person, I just don't believe in that stuff. That whole "1 of 365 pages" post that has been floating around makes me feel like I'm at the beginning of an essay that I haven't prepared for. So I'm going to continue on with what I would normally do- a favourites post. 1. Parker Pen The only thing I wanted for Christmas this year was a pen. I was blessed (yes, blessed) with a Parker pen . I am a complete nerd when it comes to things like this, and this pen is the best pen I have ever written with. It makes my writing look better, and it glides across the page with ease. I have used it only to write in my journal, but I can't wait to write a full letter or postcard. I am certainly nerding out over it. 2. Paperchase I love stationary. I collect stationary. Therefore, stationary stores are my weakness. I first found...