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Music

World Mental Health Day Playlist

Today is World Mental Health day. In light of this, we’re putting up a playlist consisting of songs that candidly centre around various artists’ mental health and mental illnesses. It is by no means easy to discuss one’s mental health, especially if dealing with mental illness, unfortunately due to the stigma surrounding it for many years. Days like today remind us that there is still a lot of work to do in the way of mental illness visibility, and providing resources for those of us who suffer. Music, particularly artists who are brave enough to express their most vulnerable thoughts…

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Books

Thoughts on the Man Booker Shortlist 2018

We are officially 10 days away from the announcement of the Man Booker Prize Winner 2018! At the end of September, the shortlist of six books for the prize was announced. And while the longlist saw potentially for the prize to expand its sights on to less conventional novels in the history of the prize, including the first ever graphic novel to be longlisted and the possibility for the first crime novel to be the prize winner, the shortlist seems to demonstrate the temporality of that diversity. The prize has long been considered one of the most reputable recognitions a…

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Reflections

The Family Complex: “This Is Us”

If you know anything about the NBC show This Is Us, you’ll know that it’s an acclaimed tearjerker. I’m slightly embarrassed that even I, who rarely cries during a movie or show, cry constantly when I watch this show. Somehow, it surpasses the level of corniness often associated with emotional dramas and actually touches something real, coming from a genuine place no matter how far-fetched the premise might be. Because ultimately, yes, it is about a specific family (hence the title) – exceedingly unique, and yet, surprisingly relatable. The fact of the matter is that all families are flawed, and…

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Books

September 2018 Reads

September marks exactly a year since I ended my Masters programme. To say it’s been a busy year would be an understatement. But interestingly enough, it’s also been my most personally productive. And by that I mean that while being in university forced me to be academically on the ball, being away from it has made me realise how much of my personal ambitions I had put to the side to focus on school. This blog, for example, has been a desire of mine and Z’s for years, but it only came to fruition after ending school, and having the…

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Music

2000s Alt + Punk Playlist

If you’re a child of the 90s like me, and grew up with your angsty preteen years landing smack dab in the midst of the early 2000s, then you’ll understand how necessary it is to periodically listen to some of those goodies. The 2000s were a time when the alternative, punky style rock (I won’t go so far to say any of these being in the actual “Punk Rock” genre; if anything, more Pop Rock). Keep in mind, this was the era of the emo/scene/MySpace crazes, and what fittingly accompanied this time was an onslaught of head bopping, punk influenced,…

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5 Best Series

5 Best Books to Take on Vacation

While it’s coming to the end of summer and most people are probably headed back to work or school now, I am getting my first (and last) proper vacation for this summer and gearing off for a road trip to the South of France tomorrow and you best believe that I am so excited to be getting some much deserved R&R. And while that will definitely include my favourite road trip tunes, part of that for me definitely includes time to delve into a good book. The art of choosing a book for vacation is just a important and special…

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