I’ve been reading Thought Catalog for a long time and I’ve sent a few posts their way before – to no avail. A few days ago, I sent this one in expecting the same silence I received in the past. Within a few hours, I received an email from one of the editors: Hi Alyssa,…
One month ’til Christmas, people! As much as I don’t like the cold I could never imagine the festive period without snow before moving to Martinique. I’ll be honest and say that I did hope for a tiny sprinkling in London last year. Alas, no such luck. What I did come to appreciate is that Brits…
It bugs me just a little that in the UK there are no buffer holidays between Easter and Christmas. There are bank holidays but there isn’t anything like Thanksgiving for Canadians or Americans. I suppose there is Halloween or Bonfire Night, and if you’re in London Carnival is a pretty big deal, but it’s still not the…
In Flanders fields the poppies blow. . . Yesterday I took the time to visit the Tower of London to see the poppy installation, entitled Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red. Since the 5th of August volunteers have been planting ceramic poppies created by artist Paul Cummins to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of…
“Does that give you any insight on the unifying theme?” asked Nate, a writer for Rooms Magazine. He asked me because I’m Canadian and thought I might have a bit more of an understanding of the pieces Creative Saskatchewan and curator Adrian Stimson brought to London. The cradleboard, Residential School Baby by Marcia Chikeness, caught my…
A couple months ago, I told my partner that he “needs to be more romantic.” I believe I said, “Whisk me away.” I know, I’m a demanding broad. But I’m a firm believer that you need to continue ‘dating’ regardless of how long you’ve been together. And that means planning fun things to do together…
Notting Hill Carnival in London is believed to be the biggest street festival in Europe and the second largest carnival in the world, behind Rio de Janeiro. This year, I feted my first London Carnival and it was certainly a day of learning for me. I’ll be honest and say I was skeptical about the…
I lay down and it felt like my heart was in my ears. I used its tempo to even my breathing. I closed my eyes and relaxed under the blue sheet. I finally made it to the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park to see Montenegrin performance artist Marina Abramovic. I heard about it from two co-workers…
In April, I became the first person to take advantage of the company’s Cycle to Work scheme. Biking has truly improved my quality of life. It sounds trite, but I’m serious. Here’s the story and how you can make use of your Cycle to Work scheme: Why I Decided to Cycle to Work The thought…
There is so much more to the Southbank than the (overrated) London Eye. The Southbank Centre is a often just a place that people just pass through in order to get to the more “interesting” tourist places (I give special dispensation for the Tate Modern!). For those in the know, the Southbank actually has a…