I'll let you in on a little secret that I don't think I've told anyone before. Well, until now that is. Every year on my birthday, I take some time out of my day to reflect. I reflect on the achievements I've accomplished over the past year, mourn the loses that change brings and prepare for the year ahead. It's almost like a tradition - pre new year. So in celebration of my birthday this past weekend, I wanted to just take some time and reflect.
Let me take you back in time to last year. I was fresh out of university with my newly qualified degree, ready to take on my next new adventure. I had just taken up a new full-time position to support my future endeavours, and was actively pursuing my personal and career ambitions. But like many who leave university, I was still figuring out all the pieces of the missing puzzle. I felt so overwhelmed by the culture shock of no longer holding the title of student, and the life that came with it. I had no clue how things would be in the next couple of months, let alone a year. But despite all that, this past year - no matter how puzzling it seemed to be - has been one of the most enriching experiences I've had in my life. Though nothing went according to plan, everything worked out for the best. Life gave me what I needed - nothing more and nothing less. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that ...
Growing up, Digimon was my favourite animated series - ever. After a long day spent at school, I vividly remember running out of the passenger seat of my dad's silver Nissan into the living room and switching on television at 3:30 sharp! Back then in the late 90s and 00s, when an episode aired you saw live then and there, and that was that. No catching up online. No second chances - zilch. How times have changed, eh?
I clung to each episode with such curiosity, eager to know what would happen next. And even after all this time, I still love this show with all my being. Now that's not to say that the cheesy pre-teen dialogue doesn't make me cringe - I mean seriously guys? Some of those one liners ... Nope. But this was one of the first shows I fell in love with, where I was genuinely captivated by dynamic characters and meaningful storylines. I was hooked. I'm so excited for the upcoming Digimon Adventure Tri episodes coming our way. I can hardly wait! So on this segment of Life Lessons, I'm proud to present the lessons I learnt from Digimon Adventure.
Since I can remember, I have found myself absolutely fascinated by North Korea. In a world where we have unlimited access to information at our fingertips, it baffles me that a nation like North Korea still exists. Kept under the tight-knit reign of the most hated man in the world, Kim Jong Un, civilians are sheltered from outside influence leaving them at the mercy of their nation. It was once a land filled with mystery and complete secrecy, completely isolated from civilisation. But as more and more North Koreans escape the clutches of their nation, the horror that they faced during their time there, is now being shared amongst the general public. North Korea is a living breathing dystopian nightmare novel come to life, where the tightly wound government continues to spread propaganda in full force. It is a place where critical thought is shunned, and the key to survival is obedience and witful tact. After all, the best way to keep it's people loyal is through fear and lack of knowledge. So much more easier to control.
Halloween - it's the time to celebrate all things scary and spooky, and the season of horror. Over the years, I've made my dislike for horror very clear. I can not watch horror films. Why? Because I imagine myself in the victims positions', being hunted down by a nameless creature with no moral compass. Gosh if that isn't terrifying enough, horror films make you feel like you're on the verge of the end of your life, which you can't help but remember before you go to sleep. Every ... single ... detail. Yup - I'm not having nightmares for weeks on end thank you very much.
But thanks to my lovely wonderful friends over the years, I have been forced to endure the terror of these movies year after year. During that time, I couldn't help but notice so many amateur mistakes. Seriously, are these characters trying to kill themselves on purpose? So in celebration of all things spooky, here are a few tips of what not to do in a horror film. A survival guide if you will.
It's that time of year. November is coming, and NaNoWriMo is upon us. After taking part in NaNoWriMo last year, I learnt a lot from the experience and decided to offer some advice to the newcomers taking on the task this year. Writing is such an intricate task, and everyone's writing process differs significantly. There's no set way of writing a novel. Some prefer to create outlines of everything they've ever written. Others prefer to write the whole story in chronological order. And the rest? Well, we tend to write the whole thing out of order and pray to God is comes together - sooner rather than later!
I truly encourage every single one of you to take part in this - weather you write 50,000 words or even 5000. There's a real spirit and dedication that comes from taking part in this event, and it's so worth the pain and tears. I encourage you to make this time your own, and use it to your advantage. So my fellow writers, without further ado, here a few ways you can prepare for this year's NaNoWriMo!
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