How To Use Your Intuition To Make Decisions March 24, 2023 Have you ever been faced with a difficult decision? Maybe you need to decide whether you should move to a new house or stay where you are. Maybe you have to decide between two different jobs that are being offered to you. Or maybe, you need to choose a course to fill your schedule but you’re stuck between two different options. Well, I have a solution! I’m sure you’ve heard of how important it is to “follow your gut” or “follow your intuition”. As someone who has spent many years

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 website

5 Coffee Shops Near Campus That You Need to Try! March 24, 2023 Am I the only one who did nothing during reading week? Personally, I was extremely drained before reading week, so I did the bare minimum that week (I had a lot to do, but I had zero motivation). I took that week for myself, but now everything is catching up to me. Something that boosts my mood is coffee. Our campus is located in the heart of Toronto. There are a variety of restaurants with different cuisines and the cutest and most unique cafés. Since my time

How to Log Your Media Like a Pro March 21, 2023 If you’ve read any of my past SpiritLive articles, this introduction might sound familiar: If you’re like me, you too are someone who loves tracking down the media you consume, whether it be books, music, movies, and more. This fact about me definitely still stands;  in this blog I will be discussing the different websites/apps that allow users to keep track of/rate/review/log their different hobbies, such as concerts they’ve attended, TV and movies they’ve seen, books read, and their favourite music. These websites not only allows you to keep

3 Ancient Beauty Practices That Actually Work March 21, 2023 There is a reason why ancient beauty secrets like gua sha, rice water and mud baths are coming back in style. It’s because they actually work! I love to read about the ingredients ancient societies used in their cosmetic and skin products and make my own concoctions based on their wisdom.  Here are my favourite ancient beauty practices and how to bring them into the modern world: 1. Fermented Rice Water 2. Gua Sha If you haven’t used a gua sha tool on your face, you are missing out! I recently

An Extensive Guide to Smoothie Making March 10, 2023 Life as a university student has definitely proven to be very different to that of a highschooler. Everything is more intense: you have less time, money and freedom due to a heavier workload and increased number of responsibilities, so saving time and money where you can is a must. One way I’ve found I can make more efficient use of both is by switching a meal for a smoothie. I’ve been a big smoothie fan since a young age, but when my parents got me a nutribullet for christmas one year,

How To Be 10% Happier March 10, 2023 Moving to a new country can be very stressful, overwhelming, uncomfortable, unusual and many other indescribable feelings. It may even be one of the most daunting experiences you may come across in your life.   I will be sharing some of the feelings I face and how I deal with them. Please note that I am not a medical or trained professional whatsoever, and mental health and other support resources with TMU can be found at https://www.torontomu.ca/student-wellbeing/. With that in mind, these are some tips and tricks that have helped me feel at

Black Women Writers You Should Know About March 10, 2023 There are four Black women writers that I believe play an important role in the world of writing.  My introduction to these writers mostly began in school and influenced my drive and passion not just for writing and storytelling, but Black writing and storytelling.  These writers are Octavia E. Butler, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison. Octavia E. Butler Octavia E. Butler was one of the first African American female science fiction writers.  I read and studied Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower last semester in my Popular

How the Canadian Women’s Soccer Gold Impacted Me March 10, 2023 On August 6, 2021, Canadian Women’s soccer team took gold over Sweden. This was my favourite memory of any Canadian National team win. It was a historic moment, the first gold medal the Canadian women’s team won in soccer. It was also a very emotional moment for me. Growing up, I only really watched soccer unless it was a big game. I was always bored, but my coach wanted us to watch the game to learn from the players. Soccer is a slow-paced game (most of the time) and can

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 of

Marcus Rashford: The Player Born to Inspire March 7, 2023                  The Premier League this season has been incredible with many stories to be be told. The rise of Arsenal, the downfall of Chelsea and the intense three-way title race between Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United,… all have made for an unforgettable season for fans. Among those stories, there is one that perhaps deserves more attention and cherish in the soccer fandom and that is the resurgence of Marcus Rashford, Man United’s current leading goalscorer with 14 goals in the league.     

Solo Traveling March 7, 2023 This reading week I solo traveled (with my friend…). I traveled between Amsterdam and Paris with her, although we spent most of our time off on our own journeys. This experience was the first thing I’ve done truly for myself since discovering what true self care was. Before, doing something like this would’ve been too intimidating and scary. I would have self doubts, fears, and an overall pessimistic attitude. However, learning the capabilities of my 20 year old self has taught me that I can accomplish anything, even things that seem scary. So I booked

Movie-Like Jewelry Heist Nets Thieves $500,000 March 7, 2023 Who doesn’t love a good heist movie? I personally love them. Everything from getting the gang together, scoping out the victims, making the plan, seeing it almost fall apart but then watching the thieves make their escape. What can I say, crime is one of my favourite forms of entertainment… wait let me clarify. FICTIONAL crime is one of my favourite forms of entertainment, the real stuff however, not so much, but every once in a while there will be a story in the news that scratches the same itch as

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 of his

The Best On Campus Eats February 27, 2023 Discovering the different on campus food spots where I was able to use my One Card to make purchases was such a fun experience.  I realized I had so many options to choose from and the convenience of these spots being right on campus was just the icing on the cake. Oakham Café Oakham Café is located in the Student Campus Centre and is open from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I found Oakham to be such a cute spot and their menu items are especially good as