NYC vs Toronto food December 05, 2022 It’s no secret that NYC is one of the most famous cities in the world, gathering millions of tourists per year to experience the culture through sightseeing. Many people come to NYC expecting the food to be amazing, since that’s kinda where people go to live out their chef dreams. I can’t deny that some of NYC’s food isn’t absolutely incredible, but it’s not what you would expect.   After living in Toronto for about 5 years of my life, and NYC for 10, I can confidently say Toronto is where I’ve had

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

Children’s Animation that is Making a Difference Posted on November 28, 2022 Over the past few years, children’s programming has seen an increase in storylines that celebrate their target audience: children. These shows, at their core, stress the importance of imagination and play, and tell stories that children can relate to. The medium of animation allows these narratives to cater to the imagination of children by achieving feats that would either be impossible or too expensive in a live action production. Below I have compiled a list of some of my favourite animated children’s television series. The unique prosocial messaging

A Gay Couple on TV Isn’t Gonna Turn Your Kids Gay Posted on November 28, 2022 Steven Universe (2013), created by Rebecca Sugar, is a show that’s personally touched me in strengthening my sexuality. It’s a children’s show that ran on Cartoon Network from 2013-2019, which cultivated a strong fanbase that primarily consists of the LGBT community and its allies. Throughout the show there were intense loving and hateful relationships illustrated in its 6 years of running. Rebecca Sugar made sure to include LGBT representation within the relationships portrayed, with gay couples shown giving verbal affection, kissing, and even getting

Karlie’s International Thriller Recommendations Posted on April 14, 2022 I love the thriller genre. From action, psychological dramas, horror, and even romance, thriller is a transformative genre that can be difficult to define, but definitely easy to enjoy. Below I have compiled a very brief list of a few of my favourite international thriller movies that I would definitely recommend to others who are interested in watching movies from around the world. The list below is European/East-Asian centric, and I hope to continue to expand my catalogue over the summer.  Similarly to horror, thriller movies can contain topics and imagery

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

What Pixar’s Tuning Red Means to Me, a Chinese-Canadian Animation Fan Posted on April 9, 2022 What is more fun than having someone or something tell you about yourself? If you’re like me, you also enjoy taking personality tests and quizzes in your free time. And if you’re also like me, you have definitely been told that you are “such a Sagittarius”. In this blog I will be discussing Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicators versus astrology through their ability to provide us insight about an individual’s personality.  Are you an introvert? An extrovert? Maybe even an ambivert? Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator

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

Henry’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft Posted on April 10, 2022 Image Credit: Getty Images With the NFL Draft coming at the end of April, I thought I’d put together my first official mock draft. I’ll be going through every pick in the first round, giving notes for each pick along the way. This mock draft will feature trades, but nothing too big. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan After improving the o-line in free agency, the Jags get a potentially elite player at a position of need in Hutchinson.    Detroit Lions: Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame While they could

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

What Pixar’s Tuning Red Means to Me, a Chinese-Canadian Animation Fan Posted on April 9, 2022 Attention animation fans! Pixar Animations Studios has just released their newest feature-film Turning Red on the streaming platform Disney+ on March 11th, 2022. Set in 2002, this film follows 13 year-old Chinese Canadian Meilin “Mei” Lee, who is caught in a rift between being the perfect daughter her mother expects her to be and being a fun loving, carefree teenager. On top of that, Mei also has the good fortune of turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited! Starring Rosalie

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