Month: March 2017

Leiden Book Club Book 1- Great Expectations

Genevieve Chan Leave a Comment

  Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, has been on my ‘classics to-read list’ for quite some time. It is a bildungsroman that depicts the psychological, emotional and moral growth of the narrator and protagonist, Philip Pirrip, nicknamed Pip. Be warned, this is a classic on the more voluminous side – and much more so than this writer expected (that is, I nearly missed the deadline for turning in this review). As an adolescent, I had read Oliver Twist and thoroughly enjoyed it for its satirical humour. I had expected to experience a similar enjoyment with Great Expectations; yet, I find… Continue Reading →

Ladies in Black – A Fashionable Musical

Emma Batchelor Leave a Comment

  I have to get something off my chest before we start. I don’t really like musicals. Yep, I said it. Well, that might be a teeny bit of an overstatement; what I actually cannot abide is sing-talking. Give me a musical that is essentially a play interspersed with songs and I will be happy. But if it is non-stop singing from start to finish, those inane sentences sung as though they are the most important statements on earth rather than the banal things that they are, fill me with such an irrational rage that I just want to run… Continue Reading →

A Fabulous Book Launch – Anecdotes of a Disabled Gay

Emma Batchelor Leave a Comment

  A little while ago we came across a very special book. One of our contributors, Lexi Keelan (you will recognise her artwork all over our site), was approached to illustrate a biography. It wasn’t your typical biography however; it was a collection of stories and experiences liberally peppered with fun illustrations. This book, Anecdotes of a Disabled Gay by Wayne Herbert, as Wayne himself describes it, is ‘a collection of shit people say’. ‘I wanted to write a book that re-framed the way people perceive others’, Wayne explained. ‘That looked at the things that people say to me as… Continue Reading →

Living With Endometriosis Part 2

Emma Batchelor 1 Comment

The month of March marks Endometriosis Awareness Month, a movement dedicated to raising worldwide awareness of this often debilitating disease affecting 1 in 10 women. Endometriosis effects a woman’s reproductive organs when cells similar to those that line the uterus are found in other parts of the body such as the bowel or bladder.  We have reached out to four women with endometriosis to share their stories with us.   Keely   I was 22 and being rushed to hospital in the back of my dad’s Subaru. I kept thinking over what had happened that day, what could’ve made this… Continue Reading →

Living with Endometriosis Part 1

Emma Batchelor 2 Comments

The month of March marks Endometriosis Awareness Month, a movement dedicated to raising worldwide awareness of this often debilitating disease affecting 1 in 10 women. Endometriosis effects a woman’s reproductive organs when cells similar to those that line the uterus are found in other parts of the body such as the bowel or bladder.  We have reached out to four women with endometriosis to share their stories with us.   Tamar   It took me 7 years to be given the diagnosis of endometriosis. 7 years of unexplained pain, fatigue and bloating. Being diagnosed with endometriosis was life changing. At… Continue Reading →

A Few Outfits

Emma Batchelor Leave a Comment

The Buxom Cow Top: Topshop Skirt: Alexa Chung for AG Jeans Shoes: Charlotte Olympia The Look: I wear this A-line skirt to death. My mother will tell you it’s too short but I feel I may as well show off my legs while I am still youthful. I bought this shirt years ago because it reminded me of my grandfather who used to be a diary farmer.   Tom Boy Shirt: Country Road Shorts: Country Road Sneakers: Chanel The Look: The terrible truth about this shirt is that I bought it a couple years ago, wore it once, washed it,… Continue Reading →

Anouk Gania – A Luxury Lifestyle Brand

Emma Batchelor Leave a Comment

  Who doesn’t love a good candle? A rich, beautiful scent enveloping the room, a flickering flame dancing in a tantalizing fashion. Combined with a comfy chair, a cup of tea and a good book, a candle is your gateway to relaxation heaven. I’ll tell you a secret, I am a little afraid of candles. Well, unsupervised flame specifically. It all started when I was young and heard a story about a girl who burned her house down after leaving a candle unattended in her bedroom. For some reason this tale had a huge impact on me and although I… Continue Reading →