Real, Not Ideal

First of all, I can’t believe it’s the end of April. This time has really flown by here. I have only five weeks left of my placement (whoop whoop), and I’ll be home before I know it! This month has been . . . tough. I hit a bit of a breaking point on Friday, cried a lot, spent hours talking to my sister, and I’ve been pulling myself back up. The end is so close, but day to day is so difficult. I miss having good people in life. I miss having people who really understand me. I miss laughing with my family.   I’m homesick. It happens. The good thing is that everything has flown by so quickly so far, so all I need to do is blink and it will be over. Anyway, here are the things that really  got my through this April: 1.        Cake Decorating Instagrams [source] I don’t know why this has happened to me, but I am now following 30 different cake decorating hashtags on Instagram and a solid handful of cake accounts. ...

It seems like only a short while ago that I was posting the review of the first book of this series . When I start thinking about this, I feel like it has been a while since I read an actual series. As I am sitting down to write this post, I still have the last book left. I’m quite far behind in my review posts. Nevertheless, here it is: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante picks up right where My Brilliant Friend left off. The series is meant to take place over a lifetime, so this is not a surprise. It is actually quite nice to know where the storyline will pick up. This novel focuses more on Lenu’s character as she starts to mature. However, the violence, jealousy, and betrayal that tore through the pages of the last novel are still prevalent in this one. Lila and Lenu’s lives are mirrored through a series of violence and control that ultimately leads to some kind of unravelling of the character’s state. Their lives cannot be torn away from each other. We see Lila become...

Hello friends! I’m coming to you from an interesting place. I have decided to change my life. I have decided that I want to make my life more of what I imagine it to be. Hear me out. For so long, I’ve known that there are certain parts of my life that need to be changed. I’m tired of looking in the mirror and knowing I can fix something but choosing not to. It’s getting frustrating. I’m the one who needs to be accountable for me. I’m entering a really cool phase of my life, and if I keep going down the same path, I’m going to burn out.   I refuse to let myself be that way. I want to be better.  I’ve said that in the past, but this time, I made an actual plan. I cleansed. I didn’t set out to follow this plan, but this is how it has taken shape so far. 1.        I deleted the 14,000 emails sitting in my Gmail account. Yup, you read that right. I am subscribed to so many blogs that I’m genuinely interested in...

New rule for myself: If the only thing in my “recents” bar in Microsoft Word is lesson plans, I’m in trouble. Exercise patience with me, friends; I’m still trying to get a grip on this “adult” thing – balance and all that. But never mind – it is the end of the month, and what a month it has been! I’ve been teaching my buns off (and learning a lot in the process), discovering new things, and celebrating myself turning 23 (woop woop!). Here is a glimpse into the past month: 1.        My Birthday Anyone who really knows me knows that birthdays aren’t my thing. I’m not into celebrating, I don’t comment on Facebook for birthdays, and I don’t really tell people. However, I managed to celebrate in the most low-key way. I accidentally told my mentor at work, so they did buy me treats and sing to me (my least favourite part), but I actually liked it because it was simple. That night, I went out for dinner with a few friends where I got a free cocktail and ...