You've got to see the artistry in tearing the place apart with me, baby!

Picture: Hanging out on the Lisgar bridge! I miss my Britt & Tillsonburg summers.


So after much persuasion by a certain coworker, I have returned to you after a long break from my new-found fondness of the blog universe.
The holidays ended, and I returned 'home' to my university town. By Monday the 5th, I was back into my regular routine of a ridiculous amount of class amidst a full day of production at the press.
However, this was fated not to be such an ordinary day, and my 10 o'clock when I arrived at the press, my editor had pulled me aside and asked if I would accept the honour of accompanying my fellow coworkers to the Canadian University Press conference in Saskatoon.
Of course I responded with a professional, 'Hell yea' adorned with casual fist pump.
And my excitement never let up. I had an amazing five days with the editors I so look up to at this new job.
I got to know all of them so well that I am sure, not only of my interests in journalism, but that I want to pursue future endevours within the press.
I acquired many opinions while at this conference, and learned a lot.
Two such things I would like to share with you.
Firstly, journalists, unfortunately, do have a stereotype and it happens to be one I would like to avoid! haha I'm not sure I feel strongly enough about this, now being away from such people for a few days, to rant any further on the subject.
Secondly, I learned that I definitely do not wish to venture into the world of new media, as it was a topic of much discussion at the conference, which annoyed me to no extent.
Funny I should be saying such things while blogging, but it is so true. I do not wish to enter in to new media. I think blogging can be fun, but for me it is purely for enjoyment.
And as much of the focus was centered around new media, I found it kind of annoying as we are all newspaper journalists for our school newspapers. Anyway, it was of course relevant to the material, so I can't complain too much.
There was many seminars I pulled extremely interesting material out of though, such as court reporting, investigative and activist journalism, political blogging... etc.
All-in-all it was an amazing experience that I hope to be a part of next year.
Saskatoon on the other hand, not the most enjoyable weather!
haha I'm still recovering.

Alright, I better get back to work.
I will be sure to write more often from now on though!

Until then, ta-ta!

I tried to do handstands for you.

And so I reside... in my beautiful little home town, awaiting the arrival of a certain holiday and ever-preparing for it's celebrations.
I am definitely less cynical about the holidays once I am at home, with my tree set up and with a thick layer of snow on the ground.
Last night was the first of many shenanigans with my long lost home-town pals. It was fun, and nice to see all my love's, but hard to enjoy as I am still exhausted from the last four months of my life.
It's funny how your priorities change. Throughout high school I was hopelessly independent and denied any support (not financially, obviously) from my parents.
I was completely ignorant to the fact that they are, indeed, my family and that will never change. I realize now that I am so lucky to have such amazing parents and such a caring brother.
Even the first couple years I was living up at school, every time I would come home and spend absolutely no time with my family, constantly running in and out of the house with various dates with my friends.
I suppose that is the point of growing up, learning from your mistakes and growing and maturing, but when it comes to family, it took me way too long to gain the respect and love for my family that they deserve.
Every family has their problems. My family is absolutely no exception, but the fact that I have a family to have problems with is something in itself to cherish, especially this time of year.
I am constantly coming across people who display the same attributes as me in this respect: constantly taking the issues with their family members over the love they should have, unconditionally, for them.
(Just as an aside, I can only discuss this in the examples of families I have encountered. I am well aware that some family members can wrong you in such a way where there is no repair. And whether you love them unconditionally after they have wronged you so is completely your own business. I have been wronged by a family member I have loved and looked up to my entire life, but I have forgiven her, because throughout her most difficult times her love for me remained unwavering, and for that I will love continue to love her with all my ability.)

I've been receiving some responses that indicate my blogs as depressing. This is probably true, even within the blog you are currently reading.
But in the case of family, you must realize, as I have, that amongst the love you feel for any human being, it is inevitable to encounter sadness.
We are all inherently different, in personality and character. So it is inevitable that these attributes come in conflict when you love someone.
The import thing is that you remember you love them, and you show them you love them in every way possible, and you are honest with the ones you love so that the conflicts that arise are dealt with in the best way possible so you can go back to loving eachother.
All of this is obviously easier said than done, but that is life.
So skip all the saying and just do.

Love*

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone...

Hello friends!

So tonight is my last night in the beautiful St. Catharines, and tomorrow I will be making the journey back to my home-town for Christmas.
Oh, Christmas. It's a time of year where I become hopelessly emotional, and for good reason.
Nothing ever seems to go right for me this time of year. And don't even, cause I know you're just going to say "it's a time of year to cherish what you do have, not to dwell on what you don't" or something of that sort.
But I can cherish those things and still dwell on everything that sucks right now right?
I think I can, and I don't really care what you think! haha (that is to everyone reading this but Nel & Den... so no one.)
Seriously though, people are so fucking selfish this time of year.
They hog their family, their friends, the good food at the grocery store, the last gift at the mall... everything!
And, they take it for granted! I realize this isn't exactly news for everyone, and is probably the reason most people hate Christmas, but then why does it never change?
Because it's human nature! Sorry Rousseau! I think Hobbes on human nature is better proved by humanity... in my opinion anyway.
I think Rousseau's opinion could have been right, but selectively. Because I have met inherently good human beings, but they are definitely the exception in my account of human exposure.

Wow, this is a positive blog!
I'm not feeling very positive though. I'm more stressed now then I was during the whole semester. My marks are going to be brutal when I get them back, which means I won't get into my fourth year- honour's year- of my program, meaning I can't get into the program I wanted to apply to after my undergraduate.

Not only that, but I have no chance at actually getting the internship jobs I'm applying for... because all of my superiors at the paper are applying for them too.

And house-shopping as well as everything else that comes with it. EEEEK

Also, what the fuck is with Harper appointing 18 Conservative Senators? Taking the count from 58 Liberals and 20 Conservatives to 40 Liberals and 38 Conservatives. I thought Harper's plan was to reform the Senate so that it is strictly elected? Not only did he break yet ANOTHER promise, but he is obviously desperate for power.

What a slimy, slimy guy.

Anyway, I think no one is ever going to take interest in this blog because it's so depressing! haha
It makes me feel better though!

Thanks for that blog-a-roo!

Peace out *

At last, upon the threshold of freedom.

My last exam of the semester has come and go, and though my academics aren't exactly going as planned at the moment, I can't help but feel some sense of relief for the free time I have acquired.

The question is, what will I do with my time now?
I have some internships to apply for, houses to scope out for next year, and I suppose, some Christmas shopping.
What do I want to do? I want to find out how our government is going to emerge out of its current state, when parliament reopens in January.
I was in complete and utter awe when I heard about the plan for the establishment of a coalition between the Liberal, NDP and Bloc federal parties. Literally, my jaw dropped. Mostly because I know this Canadian history in the making and I am incredibly stoked to be around to witness it.
What are my opinions on the matter? Well, I find it hard to form one!
Personally, I think it's all a load of rubbish. Canada prides itself on the focus in puts on democracy within our nation. However, both options are looking less-than-democratic.
It is clear the Stephen Harper is a sleazy politician. He made promises that he did not keep, and I definitely don't think thats a new character trait he recently acquired. I think it is something he has been doing for years from within the party, and it is only showing now because of obvious increased media attention.
But even last night in an interview with Peter Mansbridge, he seemed like the least approachable man on earth! He snapped at Peter for probing, which is quite rediculous because anyone interviewing the Prime Minister should be probing as hard as they can for explanasions. I don't care how much it hurts your feelings, you dope, you are the fucking Prime Minister and you should be able to explain any god damn question that any citizen of this beautiful country has for you!
See what Mr. Harper does to me? Anyway, he's a proven liar, and an obvious snake - trying to pass a bill that severly stunts financial support to all political parties but his own... sounds cheap right? And undemocratic? Absolutely!
But how democratic is fusing political parties and then saying that the majority of Canadians support you? Obviously things change when you start to allign yourself with completely different ideologically based political parties. The NDP and Bloc are at least slightly close in terms of their status on the political spectrum, but the Liberals are taking a huge risk with this collaboration.
Not only this, but isn't it weird enough that one of our largest four parties is a seperatist party with its main initiative making its home province a sovereign entity? Do we really need a governing force with their influence in there too?
How good can their guaranteed right to veto (by the coalition) be in the long run? Especailly when they only represent one province?
Talk about complexity. I don't claim to know even the half of it... but I can be dissapointed in the whole thing, can't I?
Not only is this whole situation, including its two options for solutions, completely undemocratic, but the entire system in which we entrust to choose our governing party is less-than-alligned with democracy.
First-past-the-past? This fucking pisses me off, because Canada is supposed to be better than this. So many countries are better than this. Even, New Zealand! (Nothing wrong with New Zealand, though.)
We need a new electoral system, which - get this - represents the population?!?!
Unfathomable.

Now I'm pissed off! Hahahaha
Hope I didn't piss off my reader(s) as well.
If only my professor asked a question on that material this morning... I obviously would have been more successful.

I'll end with a happy note: I'm done! I'm done! lalalalalalalala (first semester that is...)

Good 'eve fellow bloggers.

Until next time-

Oh, woe is me/mine.

So, I do realize this is a little soon, but in my efforts to cram for my final of three exams I am finally giving up on the fight.

I shall use this one last method to procrastinate the very last moments of my studying time, then I will sleep, wake and write an exam with absolutely no preparation.

Hense the woe. That among other things, of course.

I need simplicity, which I'm sure I could find if I seek hard enough. But the complexity of all aspects of live seem to consume my brain lately, and I find it hard to enjoy any sort of simplicity.
Whats with the holidays for always making me feel so low? And is it even really the holidays or am I constantly blaming my surroundings for my bad moods?

I am in a rut of epic proportions. But, knowing is half the battle and I'll just have to put this knowledge to good use.

Briefly being exposed to the awful show, 'The Hills', today, I discovered the reason for my hatred of the show.

It reflects my life, HA!

I'm serious though. I realize that I have (hopefully) a more attentive and informed grasp on life and the world than most of those girls. (Though, I in no way assume I am better.) But, the drama that enfolds (and has enfolded) within the pathetically orchestrated attempt at a reality show so relfects the drama that I have, and continue to, let consume me throughout my life.
I'm not sure how this makes me feel, and once again, I long for simplicity.

I think this is something we all need to focus on. There are a lot of things that we mere humans can't control in this life, which fucking sucks of course because we obviously long to control the happenings within our life.

But, this quest for control isn't healthy. Especially for my mental health lately.
I am preparing a New Years resolution to trump all New Years resolutions in my past:

-To take all I come across for what it is.

I only hope I can accomplish this, because it would make everything else run so smoothly.

Anyway, it is officially late, according to my biological clock. And I write an exam early tomorrow morning. 'Canadian Political Parties and Electoral Behaviour', a topic of which I am currently extremely cynical.

Goodnight my reader(s) ;)


-Amanda-lama-ding-dong.

Anfangsseite! (or Welcome! in a language I don't speak)

Hello fellow bloggers!
I'm excited to delve into the blogging world, though I have always been a skeptic. I do not love the idea of someone else reading my thoughts, but this is clearly something I will have to overcome in my pursuits of being a writer.

Don't take that too seriously though. I have yet to choose a specific career path. I'm only three years through my first degree in a Canadian university, studying Political Science.

This semester I acquired a job at my schools newspapers, which has been the highlight of my year, academically, thus far. Not only do I write, but I also am an editor and assist with production. My enjoyment of this has furthered my interests in pursuing such a career, though it is not exactly a sound career path to look towards.

Outside of school and work, I love to read. Yet, I've been finding less and less time to do so, which is extremely unfortunate. I love to read almost anything and everything. I happily absorb political and historical texts, whether school-related or not. But my heart beats for deep, profound, emotional, witty and conversational texts. Though I admit to be in now-way an expert on such materials, I refuse to discriminate books by their genre.

A quote from one of my favourite novels:

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be. - Perks of Being a Wallflower

I also love music. That really sets me apart from the masses, eh? (hehe)
I love all music, though. I have my favourites, just like anyone else, but I love it all.
I love live music. I love to play music, though the only thing I would label myself slightly successful at is vocals.
I have three beautiful puppies: Tucker, Farley, and Beazley, but they live with my parents.
Our beautiful chocolate holland lop bunny named Money lives with myself and my five roommates.

Well, I'm not sure how else to properly introduce myself.

I have complicated thoughts in regards to the world in which we live.

There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.... -Martin Luther

And this is where I'll end.
G'day friends!

Lebe wohl meine Freunde!