Final Week Recap!! [Pt 1]

Oh my goodness I'm already back in Canada. It feels really surreal. Feels like I never left at all and at the same time...England in still in my heart. It feels like the entire adventure was a dream. One of the best dreams of my life.

I remember back to January and debating if, because of finances and such, if I should even go on exchange at all. I'm glad I did. Despite every stressful occurrence it was the best experience of my life. I don't even care about my eventual grades. I made friendships that will last forever.

Buuuut~ I should recap my last busy week in Oxford and around.

Sooo~ Here's a post about my trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Day 115
Mood: Thrilled
Weather: gorgeous ~
Quote of the Day: "The train leaves at 5:40." [Sorry...if you're not one of the 4 you'll never get this]

I did do a post on the same day I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon but I never recounted the trip. Southern Belle and I waited for a train and then went to the sleepy little village where Shakespeare was born. SB has got to be one of the coolest people in the world. She knows she's nuts and isn't afraid to show it. See the thing is, everyone is crazy. Everyone is weird and if you try and hide that you're not fooling anyone but yourself. SB, like myself, recognizes the craziness in herself and isn't afraid to be totally nuts in public. It's awesome and really makes you feel good.

So we caught the train, arrived in SUA and went to the place of Shakespeare's birth.


Well, it's assumed to be his place of birth. No one is really sure so we didn't pay the ridiculous money to go in. Instead we had lunch and went to speak with ghosts at a haunted house [a real one btw].


It was quite the scenic area to be honest.

We then went to a definite place where Shakespeare was actually located, his grave. There were the parish records of his birth and death to view as well as family graves. It was amazing. To think I had been within arm's length of Shakespeare's actual body!

His grave is the one on the right, the one on his left is that of his wife.

Mind blowing!!

There were some weird sayings on the ground like: 'watch that pidgeon' and such but there was one that seemed very well placed.


We were indeed. The last 5 days of my time in England had begun!!

Coming up next:

EASTBOURNE!!

May 17/2010 :: Romeo & Juliet are Not in Love

Day 115
Mood: Thrilled
Weather: gorgeous ~
Quote of the Day: "Alas poor Yorick!"

Today I visited Stratford-upon-Avon. It was the birth place of William Shakespeare and it is also his final resting place. It was a beautiful and quiet little city. My camera doesn't want to download pictures to my computer fast enough so instead of posting pictures and just breezing things over...I'm going to talk about something I think is important.

Shakespeare's most famous play, "Romeo and Juliet", is not a story about the passions of true love.

And the fact that most people see it as thus makes a mockery of the story itself. It is not a story about true love, it is the story of the stupidity of teenagers.

Let me start off by giving everyone a brief history lesson of the Tudor period. William Shakespeare was born into common life. He was not a noble, he was a common man. And common people had a very distinctive way of behaving and thinking. The marriage age of the Tudor couple was approximately 25 for women and 29 for men. This is because it was seen as beneficial to patiently wait until the man had a stable job and enough money for a house to properly support a family before marrying. The only people who married as remarkably young ages were the nobles. How foolish they must have looked to the commoners, marrying off mere children simply because they had the money to do so.

Marrying at the age of 14 and 21 was not seen to be 'true love'. It was seen to be irrational and far too quick. Real love was patient.

The other hints are in the story itself.

The setting is Italy, the period is the summertime. Italians were stereotyped as being 'hot-blooded'...that is, full of unnatural lust because of the heat. The English viewed their dreary weather as the perfect weather to keep the soul pure and clean. The hotness of Italy, in their opinion, created orgies and sexual wanderings.

Then we have our characters: Romeo, a man who (at the beginning of the play) pines for a girl named Rosaline...but as soon as he meets Juliet the other girl is forgotten. This is not true love. This is the fickleness of the young heart that cannot focus on one being for long. Juliet is a girl of 14 who is impatient with her family, not at all what a good Christian child would be. All children were taught to respect their elders. It was not a time when 'being yourself' was seen as a good thing. Respecting your parents was much more desirable to audiences.

Romeo and Juliet are not in love. They are in lust with one another. They are impatient children who cannot wait for sex. The reason for their hasty marriage is because Juliet refuses to have sex with Romeo without being married. Romeo is in lust with Juliet enough to agree to this sort of thing and Juliet is so clouded with feelings of 'puppy-love' to go along with things. She has a crush, he wants to do her.

Certainly doesn't look like a true love story to me. It doesn't fit the mood of the times and it certainly gives enough hints.

Problem is that current day feelings are almost the opposite of those of the Tudor period. Children are encouraged to be rebellious against controlling parents, passionate romance is desired and people rarely wait years for marriage.

But the point of the matter is that Romeo and Juliet is not a story about true love. It's a story about stupid teenagers who fell into lust so quickly they got themselves killed.


I think the lessons still stand.

:: Julianne ::

[sorry for a rather 'thoughtful' posting today...I'll be back to brainless picture posting soon enough~]

May 16/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x7

Day 114
Mood: content
Weather: drizzling~
Quote of the Episode: "Let's go poke it with a stick."

In all honesty...I was not looking forward to this episode. I saw the preview and perceived it to be a case of 'memory loss'. I hate things that play with the concept of memory loss. I simply do not like them. I did not like the 'Family of Blood' arc in Season 3 simply because of this reason.

But overall the episode was better than expected. Really nervewracking.

And funny.

[the Doctor sees that Amy is pregnant]

The Doctor: You've swallowed a planet!

Amy: I'm pregnant!

The Doctor: Look at you, you're huge!

Amy: Yeah, I'm pregnant.

The Doctor: Look at you! Oh, when worlds collide!

Amy: Doctor, I'm pregnant.

The Doctor: Oh, look at you both, five years later, you haven't changed a bit! Apart from age, and... size.

Amy: It's good to see you, Doctor.

The Doctor: [pause] Are you pregnant?

I enjoyed the throwback to the ending lines of the previous episode where Amy refers to the men as 'her boys'.

Though the silly girl thinks she's the only one the Doctor trusts. The one he'll tell everything too. Sorry sweetie but there have been great gals in his life. I love Amy to death, she's the companion I would want to be. But she's not the only one.

I know this probably won't happen because RTD isn't head writer anymore...but I'd like Martha to come in and set things straight. He won't love you. He can't love you. Even the Doctor knows this and brings Rory along so the two can reconnect.

But Amy needs the reminder that, in actuality, she's not special.

But overall, amusing episode but not something I'll be keen on rewatching frequently.

Rory: Oh, a poncho. The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen.

Amy: Ah, here we go. Oh, my boys, my poncho boys, if we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band.

And the ending was brilliant~

The darkness in the Doctor and everything.

:: Julianne ::

[no images, sorry. Not a visually stunning episode. Pretty normal. Either in a quiet town or a frozen TARDIS]

May 15/2010 :: Exams Finito!!

Day 113
Mood: Elated
Weather: the most gorgeous day ever
Quote of the Day: "Boo yeah x2"

So I was waiting for my last exam...

It was so close and yet so far.

Just like how this dog wants the cupcakes...so bad!

But finally this morning it came time to write my exam!

I aced that suckah so bad~~!!

Like this girl, totally acing at parking

And now I feel...

As happy as this wee little octopus baby thing.

Yeah, that great!

May 13/2010 :: 3 Classes Done

Day 111
Mood: pleased
Weather: not too amazing, which makes studying easier
Quote of the Day: "Boo yeah"

One exam done!!

Boo yeah!!




...

That is all!

:: Julianne ::

May 11/2010 :: Exams

Day 109
Mood: my stomach hurts...owie
Weather: mild~
Quote of the Day: "Owie"

I wish more people were like me. It would keep me from feeling so horrid the night before an exam.

Here's my problem:

I don't procrastinate. I start an assignment two weeks before it's due (unless the topic is given to us closer to the due date) and I start studying for an exam at the most two weeks before the exam. I write study notes, I do practice essays, I write and re-write notes to myself. Every day I study a little bit and then more on to something else. I'm not a fan of cramming and I have only pulled on all-nighter in my life (on my trip to Dublin) and it left me so horribly tired and grumpy that I'm going to avoid more of those.

But the thing is...no one else seems to do it this way. Everyone else I know procrastinates. So I see them cramming the night before an exam, just breathing and eating their material for the next morning.

And I get a guilty feeling in my gut. (That could just be the horrible stomach ache I have this afternoon but I'm going to say guilt is contributing.)

My body feels guilty is isn't studying. Does it remember all the studying we've already done that my friends haven't? No. It just thinks we should be cramming.

One of my friends just bought the textbook for her exam on the 13th yesterday! That gives her two days to read it, write notes and absorb the material. I don't have that problem. My exam tomorrow has all the notes I need to briefly scan right before the exam. Most of the material is in my head.

My class even went over the essay question (or as much of the question as possible without our teacher actually revealing the question itself...which was weird). I know what to do! I've read all my notes, I've done everything.

I need more people like me to hang out with the night before the exam. Who are just as confident and happy with the amount they've studied. But I think that's wishful thinking. Because in the world of students it is those who procrastinate that are normal...the ones like me are weird.

=_=

And why does my tummy hurt so bad?

:: Julianne ::

May 10/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x06

Day 108
Mood: pleased
Weather: sunny~
Quote of the Episode: "Funny how you say something in your head and it soun fine..."

So another Doctor Who episode under my belt and this one had Vampires in Venice. Or rather...aliens that appeared to be vampires but were actually aquatic lizard-fish things. XD


The plot was all together pretty well structured and had some pretty amusing exchanges of dialogue between Amy, Rory and the Doctor.

The Doctor: Can't see a thing.

Rory: Well, its a good thing I brought this then. [He produces a tiny torch.]

The Doctor: [Produces a rather larger light] Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight.

Rory: [Stares at the item] Yours is bigger than mine.

The Doctor: Let's not go there.

Rory: [sarcastically] Funny.

I enjoyed the Doctor bringing Rory around for some bonding. Usually the previous two Doctors were not too thrilled with having a boyfriend around to ruin the mood. While 10 did accept Mickey as part of the gang he wasn't too thrilled at the beginning. I think male companions have grown on him again~ I wonder if this has anything to do with the companion death of Adric back with Doctor 5... *ponders*

The villains were decent but not really scary. There was the whole creepy factor when all the girls spoke together but that's about it. I also found it very sad when Guido's daughter (whose name escapes me) was murdered for helping Amy and the Doctor out. Very sad.


The designs of the aliens were interesting and I like the gross looking fangs. That's what a vampire's fangs should look like! Really creepy!!

The Doctor was electrocuted and knocked out at one point and that was hawt~ Other than that there was a real flair for his dialogue. I enjoyed it immensely! Plus, he was the one to save the day and crawl up to the top of the tower. Bravo~

Amy: Hey, look at this. I got my spaceship, I got my boys... my work here is done. [struts into the TARDIS, head held high]

Rory: [scoffs] We are not her "boys."

The Doctor: Yeah we are.

Rory: Yeah, we are.

Very amusing episode overall. But I couldn't help but be reminded that some of the stuff had already been done. The whole 'climbing to the top of a tower to save the world' had been done before with Ten and done better! 11 just had to flip a switch and the problem was solved. Both times Ten had to climb up high he was in a race against the clock and got injured both times! Come on!!

I enjoyed Rory's character as well. I feel sorry for the guy though, you can really tell he loves Amy and she's absolutely cruel to him with disregard for his feelings. Geez girl, give him a break! I know the Doctor is fantastic but you're engaged! Respect your fiancee a little! Plus, Rory is hilarious!!

[It is Rory's first time in the TARDIS]

The Doctor: It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside; what's that about? Let me explain...

Rory: It's another dimension.

The Doctor: It's basically another dimensi... what?

Rory: After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes.

The Doctor: I like the bit when someone says "It's bigger on the inside!" I always look forward to that. [The Doctor looks annoyed, then smiles]

And the bit with the Doctor's library card...flipping hilarious!!

In all it's glory!!

Lolz!!

Pretty good episode in my opinion but I'm not looking forward to the next one. I hate memory-loss themed episodes. Hate them.

:: Julianne ::

May 8/2010 :: English Sweets Pt. 2

Day 106

Mood: Relieved!
Weather: chilly
Quote of the Day: n/a

So, this week has marked the end of my classes. I couldn't be happier!! In other news I went with Southern Bell and California Girl to a very famous pub. It's called the Eagle & Child and was the hangout spot of famous writers like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It was a quaint little place, very nice and old. The taps for lots of the beers were old fashioned where you had to continually pump it to keep the beer flowing. They had a green beer on tap, that was neat. I finally had my first try of English fish and chips with mushy peas.

I must say it tasted just as good as the fish and chips I get down the road back at home. They must be doing something right in Canada! And the mushy peas were...interesting. Not delicious but...interesting.

And now, on to my little candy review.


Treat? Star Bar
Rating? 9/10
In One Word? heaven !!
In a Few Words? This thing is amazing. I've only had one but it is absolutely amazing!! It's got peanuts, caramel and something like the inside of a Reese peanut butter cup all mashed together and covered with chocolate. Heaven!


Treat? Milky Bar
Rating? 7/10
In One Word? mediocre
In a Few Words? I bought a little snack pack of these, 6 little tiny bars. It was milk chocolate. Nothing special or amazing.

[no image]

Treat? Rolo pudding
Rating? 8/10
In One Word? favourite
In a Few Words? This was a little personal favourite of mine, rolo pudding. You could buy it all over the place and it came with 4 cups of pudding with the perfect rolo swirl. Yummy! One of my favourites.


Treat? Dairy Milk turkish delight
Rating? 3/10
In One Word? eww
In a Few Words? I only had this in milkshake form but I think it needs discussion. The rose flavour with the chocolate was an interesting but not too palatable combination. Wouldn't actually buy it.


Treat? Dairy Milk Caramel
Rating? 6/10
In One Word? faker!
In a Few Words? I love Caramilk chocolate bars back home and I hoped that a Dairy Milk Caramel might fit the bill. They looked very similar but the inside caramel was too stiff. It didn't run properly and it just didn't taste right. It was a fake Caramilk and I was disappointed.

:: Julianne ::

May 2/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x05

Day 100!!
Mood: n_n
Weather: mediocre
Quote of the Episode: The Doctor: Anyway, that's not the plan. River Song: There's a plan? The Doctor: I don't know, I haven't finished talking yet.

Here we have a conclusion to the awesome two-part story of the Weeping Angels. I was very impressed!! Moffat sure knows how to weave a story into a series with expert precision.

So let's dive into what I liked about the story, and spoilers be aplenty!


So we have the angels coming after our heroes in the ship. It's terrifying when you realize that Amy has been counting down without realizing it. Turns out the image of the angel in her mind is becoming a real angel and coming out of her. And the solution is this: close your eyes. When fighting against an enemy that you must look at in order to keep yourself alive...closing your eyes seems like a terrifying thing!! And it is!!


And we also have the return of the crack from her bedroom wall. We've seen it in every episode but here the Doctor really sees it and recognizes it. We now know what caused it, an event so big that it cracked the fabric of time and space! And the Stone Angels are scared of it because once you enter the light...you never existed.

Ever.

People forget you existed completely. You were never around. Ever.

Terrifying!!

The Doctor took much more charge in this episode and he was the hero I've been looking for. Amy couldn't solve the problems this time, he did. He solved all of them. Even when Amy had to walk to find him with her eyes closed he was the one in charge. He was guiding her. It was brilliant.


There was a scene that confused me. It was when Amy was returning to find the Doctor and she came across angels...frozen. And the Doctor told her to pretend she could see and they'd leave her alone. What? I thought angels ceased to exist when you saw them and came to life when you closed your eyes. I didn't know this was a game of 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?'. But I can forgive this because you finally get to see the angels move for real and it was freaky as hell!!

We save the day and there's something else I don't like. River Song admits to killing a man, the greatest man she's ever known. Wouldn't that be the Doctor? I swear to god Moffat, if this is the case you will have pissed off every Doctor Who fan in existence, including me! Let's hope it's not the case. You already angered me with the Tardis noise thing.

Now we finish off my plot synopsis with the best thing. I've finally fallen for the 11th Doctor. I am in love with him!!

They return to Amy's time, the night before her wedding. The Doctor realizes that there must be something significant about her wedding. The cracks follow her around through time and space. There's something going on. Why did she know the pond was a duck pond when there weren't any ducks? Why couldn't she remember the Daleks?

But THEN Amy makes a move on the Doctor. Not just a kiss, she's trying to get in his pants. It's the most hilarious scene ever! He's so flustered, trying to resist her. He can defeat Daleks and Stone Angels but when a girl wants into your pants...he's miffed on what to do.

Overall, great development!!

One of the best ones!! I love how Moffat has weaved the story line of the series throughout every episode. While I loved many episodes from the old series and they're near and dear to my heart...this series seems to have a much better flow.

Btw...a neat little note...the 'base code of the universe' is seen to be Amy's time. But it's a specific date: 26/06/2010. The air date for the finale for Season 5.

Also the episode ends with River Song commenting: "You, me, handcuffs... must it always end this way?", unknowingly referencing her own death in Forest of the Dead when she handcuffs David Tennant's Doctor.

:: Julianne ::

May 1/2010 :: English Sweets Pt. 1

Day 99
Mood: Pleased with how much work I've done, feeling productive
Weather: chilly
Quote of the Day: "You jumped off the bridge?!"

So I thought, seeing as there are different sweets and snacks here, that I should do some mini reviews. I've got some candies, some chocolate bars and some crisps collected over my stay here. If there's something someone back home wants to try give me a quick shout out and I'll see if I can get them in my luggage to take home.

Treat? Double Decker chocolate bar
Rating? 9/10
In One Word? combo-tastetastic
In a Few Words? Described on the packing as 'milk chocolate with a soft, chewy nougat top and crunchy cereal bottom'. Basically it's chocolate with almost a rice-crispie bottom. There's nougat on top that's firm and tough to bite into. But goodness what a mix! Super Delicious!!

Treat? Millions
Rating? 7/10
In One Word? jaw-locking
In a Few Words? These little suckers are addictive! Not the greatest taste but goodness you need more after you've started. There's strawberry and blackcurrant and mint flavours. (I haven't tried the mint). They're chewy and resemble nerds...really chewy nerds.


Treat? Curly Wurly
Rating? 9/10
In One Word? quick-fix
In a Few Words? These are cheap at about 20p a bar. They're tiny strands of a hard caramel that's covered with chocolate. Neat shape, really inexpensive and nummy.


Treat? Jelly Babies
Rating? 6/10
In One Word? eeeehhh
In a Few Words? I know these from the 4th Doctor, who always offered them to friends and foes. "Would you like a jelly baby?" Now I can say I'd probably respond with, "All right but only because it's you offering them." Let's just say that they're 'interesting'. They have a dusting of what seems to be corn starch because it's not sweet. The exterior of the jelly baby is firm, so much so that it seems like it's gone off. It's crumbly but the inside is really smooth and soft. An odd mix. The flavours are okay but nothing spectacular.


Treat? Prawn Cocktail Crisps
Rating? 8/10
In One Word? better
In a Few Words? First time I had a bag of these I was expecting shrimp flavour. That's not what I got. I got the flavour of the sauce that goes with shrimp rings. At first I was repulsed but as I continued eating...they got better. They got to be quite delicious. They're official my second favourite UK flavour of Walker's Crisps. (Walker's and Lay's are the same thing)


Treat? Steak and Onion
Rating? 1/10
In One Word? repulsive
In a Few Words? These crisps are disgusting. I'm not kidding. Really salty, almost like trying to eat a bullion cube. They just coated some crisps with beef stock. It's disgusting.


Treat? Roast Chicken Crisps
Rating? 2/10
In One Word? ugh
In a Few Words? These don't fare much better than the Steak and Onion crisps but I could at least eat one bag of these before I felt sick. I think it's because chicken stock is often a milder flavour than beef stock. But it's basically the same premise.


Treat? Smokey Bacon Crisps
Rating? 10/10
In One Word? orgasmic
In a Few Words? I thought for sure these would be gross. They weren't. You know those little bacon bits you put on a salad? Think about that...but in crisp form. Simply amazing. I tried them and I was absolutely in love with them! It's a pity I've only been able to have 3 of the little individual bags cause I could eat these all day! But if you don't like bacon-flavour...I wouldn't advise them.