Are the rumours and conspiracy theories really true, deau? Last month I stumbled upon an article discussing the theory that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the illegitimate son of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The article is a fascinating look into how the written word can be used to twist facts for the purposes of clickbait. I guess I’ve played my hand a bit early with that last sentence, because when you take a step back from it’s narrative of political romance, this conspiracy theory sounds more and more like, well…a conspiracy theory.  Image Credit: Karen Leibowitcz The article sets the

Cover image – @FreeStocks via UnSplash It’s the start of a new semester and if you’re like me, that means you need to readjust your sleeping schedule to work with all your early classes – you need to become a morning person! I hate being tired during my lectures, which tends to happen when I wake up ten minutes before they start and log into zoom.  To prevent that early morning fatigue, here are 5 tips that I use, to help make getting up a little bit easier: 1. Don’t Hit Snooze I know, it’s tempting. Would an extra five minutes

Alright, so we all are stuck with another online semester which many are not so fond of, but do not fret for I have some solutions that may (or may not) help you with this new semester. Bare in mind that these tips are what I personally used to get me through my first semester online, which I found useful.  Tips: 1. Try your best to go to your classes at the assigned time whether it’s asynchronous or not. I know because we have the option of watching the recorded version of the lecture, we decide to sleep in and

There are two types of winter-breakers; the ones who use the time off responsibly by catching up on much needed rest, and the ones who, like me, completely ruin their sleep schedule by spending all night on Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, phone calls or whatever their release of choice is.  Oh look, 4:37am already??? Where’d the time go?  Despite what category you fall into, the brewing of a new semester means new priorities; as such, authentic rest should also be prioritized as a means of carrying out this semester with optimal focus and confidence.  I was always someone who struggled with

Image Credit, Top-left clockwise: Variety, Variety, WonderlandMagazine, RogerEbert 2020 was a year full of new challenges, many of which most of us probably never expected to be facing. COVID-19 has changed the way our day to day society functions, from masks to online schooling. The climate of the workforce has also changed alongside society, most industries have been forced to adapt to this new normal. With the film industry as no exception. Most movie and television productions were forced to shut down until it was safe to reopen. And while it may seem like the pandemic paused the film industry,

With second semester rolling in, the idea of productivity is a lot more exciting than actually being productive. Luckily for us, there is an app out there that makes getting work done a much easier feat. An Introduction to Notion For me, Notion is the holy grail of productivity apps. I’ve tried GoodNotes, I’ve tried Evernote, and I’ve tried having a million unnamed Google documents, but I found with all of them that it took too much effort to keep organized and stay committed to using it on a busy schedule.  Notion is an incredibly intuitive app with many different

In 2021, I sought to bring new topics to SpiritLive. Thus, I’m happy to begin a series on Toronto filmmakers in the industry today. To begin, I was extremely lucky to chat with Evan Morgan.  Mr. Morgan, a York University film graduate who has lived in Toronto his whole life, wrote and directed one of my favourite films of 2020, The Kid Detective. He also co-wrote, edited and produced The Dirties, another all-time favourite of mine.  As of January, The Kid Detective is available for rent in Canada, along with The Dirties. *Minor Spoiler Warning for Below (please watch the

The situation we are all in is really tough for many different reasons. We have been limited in so many ways due to the pandemic. However, consistently staying motivated, focused, and enthusiastic while remotely attending classes has taken a toll on all of us… and most of us are looking for a way out of that funk. One of the most important things to make sure to do is write down all of your due dates somewhere you will not forget to look. I personally like writing my dates on monthly calendars and using an agenda to draw my focus

Wong Kar Wai. A director who is a pivotal figure in filmmaking and Hong Kong Cinema. He’s known for beautiful bold cinematography, mixed in with thematic atmospheric music in a non-linear narrative. He’s one of the most influential directors domestically and internationally in the golden age of New Wave cinema in Hong Kong. Now you’re probably wondering Wong Kar Wai am I talking about him? (get the pun?) As a big fan I have been waiting for him to make a new film just as I have been waiting for David Fincher to make a new film. Then my dreams

Endlessly scrolling on TikTok for hours resulted in my head being a radio where I just had a bunch of songs stuck in my head on rotation. Personally, there are a lot of songs that were too cringey or too much for me on TikTok but there are a few songs that blew up on TikTok that I have found myself to be listening to regularly and outside of TikTok. The first song that I absolutely love even if it has been overplayed is… #1 Mariposa by Peach Tree Rascals Image Credit: Spotify You cannot listen to this song and

Image credit: Allegra Smith-Herriott As a 22 year old university student living alone, in the midst of a pandemic, life was increasingly getting harder and harder as time went on. So to cope, I decided to get my very own puppy.  For the majority of my life I’ve had a family dog. As an only child, these dogs would instantly become my best friend and sibling. Since moving away from home and not having a constant furry companion by my side, I have been contemplating getting my own dog for a couple of years. Even more so living in isolation

Image Credit: “Canadian Tire Center” by caribb is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The 2020-2021 season is almost here, yet there is still much we don’t know. One of the most highly anticipated decisions is one regarding Canada. With the Covid-19 pandemic limiting travel, there has been plenty of talk surrounding the NHL implementing an all-Canadian division for the 2020-2021 season. This has been met with plenty of excitement and rightfully so.  An all-Canadian division will be one of the most exciting things to occur in the NHL for quite some time. Some of the biggest rivalries in the sport

Left to right: Taskmaster Greg Davies, Alex Horne (Image credit: Avalon) About a year ago while drowning in the pressures of school, I fell down a very deep hole of watching British comedy panel shows on YouTube. Yes, that is a hyper-specific genre to get into, but believe me when I say there is plenty to appreciate about it. British humour is generally witty and clever, snappy, and sarcastic — it’s a bit like watching old grandmothers bickering at each other, and how can you not love that? The thing is, Canadian and American humour traditionally tend to lean more

Asymptomatic carriers, the Ministry of Labour, and some poor poor employees walk into an outlet mall…  You know what COVID-19 is. It tanked the economy, was responsible for 1.5 million deaths, and it ruined the phrase “to avoid something like the plague” because that’s not a thing people do anymore. Still, I venture out, because I don’t intend on living in my parents’ basement forever. I work at Vaughan Mills, specifically the Oakley store, and I can safely say that working during a pandemic is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. I started working again in August, when Ontario’s cases

We are literally days away from winter break. Some of us will be going home to celebrate the holidays, whereas others will be staying put in their dorms. Whatever your plans are, you’ll need some entertainment, which is why I decided to compile a list of some of the best holiday-themed films to watch during your winter break! 1. The New Release: Happiest Season Image credit: TomandLorenzo.com This brand new release looks actually amazing and the cast is stacked! Dan Levy? Check. Alison Brie? Check. Kristen Stewart? Check. Aubrey Plaza? Gang’s all here. Happiest Season is about a gay woman