This Is The Way Of The Mandalorian – Season 3 March 24, 2023 The road for Star Wars and Lucasfilm has been a rocky one since being bought out by Walt Disney Studios, but there is one property that is almost universally praised for its quality and storytelling – The Mandalorian. Streaming since November 2019 and now having entered its third season, this Disney+ series has drawn in old and new fans alike with its unique western sci-fi style and adorable “Baby Yoda” press. Today I’ll be taking a look at everything that’s been released this year at the time […]

Staying on Track at the End of a Semester March 24, 2023 As we’re nearing the end of the winter semester, I can see a few things on my horizon; nicer weather, Spring cleaning, and absolutely drowning in deadlines and exams. Seeing as this is my last year of university, I decided that it’s only right for me to pass on my tried and true tips for how to stay organized during the busiest months of the year. I would recommend Canva to anyone looking to submit nice-looking assignments without knowing too much about graphic design. Canva is a fantastic […]

How to Throw an Oscars Party March 7, 2023 I don’t know about you, but I take advantage of literally any opportunity to have a party. The 95th Academy Awards, AKA the Oscars, will be presented on March 12, 2023, and you’d better believe I plan on hosting an old Hollywood-style party in celebration.  As always, we begin with decorations. For a theme such as this, we need a lot of gold, black, and red. Party stores usually have a great selection of these colours, and they even have really cool decorations for this exact theme. I found a lot […]

A Guide To Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania March 7, 2023 The fifth phase of movies in the MCU has just begun with director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and there’s a lot to talk about! In this guide to the film, I will briefly describe the plot, share my own thoughts along with the reception from critics and everyday moviegoers, and discuss what the film could mean for the future of the franchise. Let’s get started! (Warning: spoilers ahead)   In the third installment of the Ant-Man series, Scott Lang has become well respected by the citizens […]

Quick and Easy Gifts for Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, or Just One of Those Days! February 20, 2023 Is it just me or does the year seem to be flying by? How can it be Valentine’s Day already? I feel like just yesterday I was stressing over what courses to take and now I’m already stressing over how many gifts I’ll have to think of for the various holidays and birthdays I’ll be celebrating this year.  It can be so frustrating to come up with clever gift ideas. But I’m here to help! Here are 3 of my go-to gift ideas […]

New Year’s Resolutions January 29, 2023 So it’s been 2023 for almost a month now, and I can proudly say I didn’t give up on any of my new year’s resolutions! That’s because… You guessed it, I didn’t make any.   I know, I know, you’re probably thinking “Don’t you want to improve yourself?” And obviously, I do, but being in university is stressful enough as it is, why do I need to add on all the weight of ‘becoming the best version of myself’ within a certain time frame? The end of the year is meant to be a […]

How to Throw a Great Party on a Student Budget Posted on November 28, 2022 As the year ends, we often think of everything we’ve done throughout the year and what we plan to do next year. For me, that’s parties. I’m obsessed with throwing parties. I plan them months in advance. Parties for my parents, my grandparents, my dog… Anyone. But it can be hard to throw parties that look like the ones in movies and shows, especially as a university student on a budget. So, here are some tips and tricks for throwing a Pinterest-Worthy Party with a […]

Things I Wished I Knew at the Beginning of my Degree Posted on April 13, 2022 I moved to Toronto nearly 5 years ago. I was 17, had only left my province a couple of times, and was absolutely terrified. Not only was I nervous to start university, but I was overwhelmed by the big city of Toronto and all of its beautiful chaos.  I’m now 22, and only a couple of months away from graduating. It’s been a long and difficult journey: after two years at X, I took some time off from my degree to travel and work […]

How to Smile: In Different Media Posted on April 13, 2022 A few weeks ago I wrote a blog all about how to cry in different media for some much-needed mid-term catharsis. Seeing as we’re at the end of the semester now, it seems fitting to do the opposite so I thought it would be a good time for some light-hearted happy recommendations to take you into the summer.  Songs I Touch Myself Lime Cordiale Cover It’s impossible not to bop along to this song whenever you hear it. The original song is already quite fun but this cover just […]

Making the Most of Every Moment Posted on April 11, 2022 If anything, the pandemic showed us that we shouldn’t take things for granted because everything can change in an instant without warning. Over the last two years, I think a lot of young people feel like they lost valuable time while they were in lockdown – I feel the same way. But this feeling of lost time has made me more appreciative of every moment and has inspired me to make the most of these moments, even the little ones.  Take Pictures/Videos of Everything Recently, I have started taking […]

Upcoming Book to Screen Adaptations. Posted on April 11, 2022 These past few years in film and television we have seen an abundance of adaptations hit movie theaters and streaming sites alike. From video game adaptations such as Uncharted, to novel adaptations such as Normal People or Dune. There seems to have been a rise in interest for adapted stories. While I would argue that not all adaptations are for the stories’ best interest, it is hard to deny the intrigue surrounding how filmmakers take the words of others and turn them into a visual medium. Taking a story that […]

More than Meets the Eye: Why You Should Watch Children’s Animation Posted on April 9, 2022 Let’s get straight to the point: you should watch children’s animation. I know that for many, content geared towards kids isn’t totally appealing as they can often feel too thematically simple, too slapstick, and just not enough to keep your interest. Though this can be the case, I would argue that it is not often so. Recently, I’ve been watching an excess of children’s content, and though I’ve always loved some of these shows from a nostalgic perspective, I was surprised to find how […]

Embrace Your Inner Child Through Crafting! Posted on April 6, 2022 Image Credit: Unsplash I admit it – I’m a crafter. My obsession began as a kid, when I went through an intense origami phase. Although I was totally unable to follow the intricate origami instructions and could only make a paper crane, all I asked for for Christmas and my birthday that year was beautiful origami paper. Lets just say I made a lot of paper cranes. Next, it was card making. Birthday cards, thank you cards, anniversary cards – I made them all, carefully cutting strips of paper […]

A Conversation With Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project Posted on April 5, 2022 Image Credit: Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project In my last blog post for SpiritLive, I wrote about a very educational conversation I had with a former inmate of Joyceville Institution in Kingston Ontario, Kevin Belanger. While incarcerated, Belanger had served as the Inmate Committee Chairman and had a lot to say about how the incarceration system was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. When I had initially reached out to Belanger, I had been referred to him by the Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project. This is a volunteer organization that is […]

Book-to-Screen Adaptations: The Good, the Bad, and the Anticipated Posted on April 4, 2022 I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “the book is always better than the movie,” and in most cases, I tend to agree. I often get frustrated at movies or TV shows because they have a tendency to leave out important details or events that happened in the book. On the other hand, sometimes the visual adaptations surprise me and actually do the book justice. Here is a list of my favourite book-to-screen adaptations, ones that missed the mark, and some that I am extremely excited about. […]