My Favourite Binge-Watch Worthy TV Shows (that are still on the air!)

Hello fellow binge-watchers and TV show fanatics!

Since it is winter, I'm sure that many of you, like me, are stuck inside most of the time. That is, unless you live in a warmer climate, in which case, enjoy your time outside because you guys are lucky. If you are camping inside, however, I thought that I would share my favourite TV shows for you guys to, you know, binge-watch until Spring arrives. I put the list in alphabetical order and included links to the shows' websites. Enjoy!

Agent Carter: By Marvel, this show is about Peggy Carter's adventures with the SSR after WWII and Captain America's "death." Definitely watch the first Captain America movie before watching this show.

American Horror Story: A crazy show where each season is a different horror story in a new location with new characters. It can get pretty gory but the stories are so good!

Bates Motel: The life of Norman Bates (from Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho) as a teenager. The story therefore takes place before the story in the film but it takes place in the modern day rather then during the actual period before the film.

Doctor Who: It's Doctor Who! Seriously, I shouldn't even have to tell you about this one. You should know about it already. If you need a "reminder" about what it's about, then it follows the life of an alien called the Doctor and everyone he meets as he travels through all of time and space in his TARDIS, a time and space machine from his home planet of Gallifrey. Now do you remember?

Jessica Jones: This show is a Netflix series and it is by Marvel. Jessica Jones is incredibly strong, gaining this ability after being in a car accident with her family that died. In the past, she was controlled by Kilgrave, a man with mind control abilities. She escaped but now he is back and he wants her again. Kilgrave is played by David Tennant (who played my favourite Doctor: the 10th Doctor!) so I was excited about this show and enjoyed binge-watching it just to see Tennant's amazing performance as the villain.

Murdoch Mysteries: A great Canadian fiction show about the mysteries that are solved by Detective Murdoch and the Toronto constabulary in the late 1800s and now early 1900s.

Once Upon A Time: Fairy tale characters are alive in the real world, brought there by a curse, and the Saviour (Emma) must save them all!

Outlander: Based on Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels, this show is about a woman in the 1940s who time travels to the 1740s by touching one of the stones in a special stone circle in Scotland. She then tries to survive in order to somehow try to get back to her own time.

Sherlock: Sherlock Holmes in the modern day. What more can I say? It's awesome.

The Big Bang Theory: A fun comedy centered around scientific geniuses and the experiences that they have in their lives. A good show to watch if you need a break from watching darker and crazier shows.

The Librarians: Following the three movies under the title of The Librarian (Quest for the Spear, Return to King Solomon's Mines, The Curse of the Judas Chalice), the Librarian finds a Guardian as well as several other people who each could have become the Librarian. Together, they must find and protect artifacts from literature and legends. Magic is real, and they know it.

The Muppets: Basically a grown-up reality show version of the Muppets. I see it as their way of making fun of reality shows. The episodes are short and the story is light and comedic so this is another nice show to watch when you need a break from binge-watching all of those deeper, darker series.

Let the binge-watching marathons begin!

Cheers,
Kay

My Favourite Avatar Builders!

Hello hello!

Isn't it fun when you come across awesome things on the internet? I found an avatar builder that was made for the Peanuts movie that came out in November. I thought that it was a lot of fun and decided to play around with other avatar builders and share my favourites with all of you! I also included links to all of the avatar builders. You're welcome!

The Peanuts Movie Get Peanutized Character Creator by Twentieth Century Fox

First up is the Peanuts character builder! I love this one because I feel like that is what I would definitely look like if I was a Peanuts character!

Chanrio Maker by Sanrio

This character maker only has a bit of English here and there but it isn't too hard to figure out how to use it. I think my little chanrio looks super cute!

The Great Gatsby Avatar Creator by Warner Bros.

I love The Great Gatsby (both the book and the movie) and my favourite decade just happens to be the 1920s so this avatar creator is perfect for me!

The Lego Movie SigFig Creator by Warner Bros.

A lego version of me? Yes, please!

Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator by Universal Studios

I had a lot of fun with this one! I decided to make it look like me but with some awesome differences, like green hair and knives which I think are possibly throwing knives.

BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF Avatar Creator by the New York Zoos and Aquarium

This one is my favourite avatar creator! You basically make your human self first and then you get to add animal parts! So fun! This is the avatar that ended up looking the most like me too, other than the animal parts, of course. I wish I had butterfly wings!

I hope you guys check them out and have fun!

Cheers,

Kay

90s/Early 2000s Canadian Childhood Nostalgia

I was born in 1993 meaning I was 4 years old in 1997 so I got to experience some of the kiddy goodness from the 90s and also the kiddy goodness from the early 2000s. I am also a Canadian, therefore I didn't just get to experience the kiddy goodness from the 90s and early 2000s, I got to experience Canadian kiddy goodness. Without further ado, let me take you back on a trip down memory lane with some of the things that I remember from my Canadian 90s/early 2000s childhood.

Sugar from YTV's The Zone

Sugar (real name: Stephanie) was a host on YTV's The Zone from 2001-2007. The Zone is an afternoon programming block on YTV where the hosts entertain viewers and also introduce the TV shows that are on the YTV station at that time. 

I remember watching The Zone when I came home from school. I will never forget her high voice! Just watch some old videos of her hosting The Zone on youtube and you will know what I mean. I remember when Sugar hosted The Zone with Pat and then when she hosted it with Carlos once Pat left. I also remember when Sugar left for Hollywood. Apparently Carlos is still the current host.

Concerned Children's Advertisers: "The North American House Hippo" and "Don't You Put It In Your Mouth"

The North American House Hippo:

Don't You Put It In Your Mouth:

These two advertisements, "The North American House Hippo" and "Don't You Put It In Your Mouth," are the ones that I remember most from Concerned Children's Advertisers (now known as Companies Committed to Kids). "The North American House Hippo" was part of their media literacy advertisements and it encouraged kids not to believe everything they see on TV. "Don't You Put It In Your Mouth" was part of their child safety advertisements and it encouraged kids to ask someone they love before putting anything in their mouth. Concerned Children's Advertisers/Companies Committed to Kids also made and still makes other advertisements about various children's issues. 

"The North American House Hippo" is such a neat advertisement because 1) it seems so real and 2) it mentions Canada as the home of the house hippo. It's so funny and cute! I always remember the part about how the house hippo eats "the crumbs from peanut butter on toast." This is such a cool Canadian advertisement that so many people remember! In my opinion, it's one of the best Canadian advertisements ever made. I'm really excited about how you can actually buy house hippo shirts and bags now!

"Don't You Put It In Your Mouth" is a really goofy and kind of creepy advertisement but that's one of the reasons why I remember it so well. The song was so catchy that I can still recite some of the lyrics.

Crosscountry Canada

Crosscountry Canada is a geographical and educational computer game made in 1991 which you can now play online for free! Basically, you drive around Canada in a truck and you have a sort of mission where you have to pick up certain items and bring them back to certain certain cities. To do this, however, you have to type in the commands (for example: drive north, look at map, go to gas station, etc.).

We had this game on the computers at my elementary school. I remember how annoying it was to have to type in the commands. After playing it recently, I got so frustrated because I couldn't remember the commands that you have to type in and the game kept telling me that it didn't understand or when wanting to go in a certain direction, it kept telling me that I couldn't go that way. Seeing a hitchhiker was always exciting, however, and it's cool how the game would give you a little safety warning before picking up the hitchhiker.

Sharon, Lois, & Bram

Skinnamarink:

Sharon, Lois, & Bram formed in Toronto in 1978 and they have been entertaining kids ever since! Their singing is unforgettable, especially "Skinnamarink." Apparently Sharon and Bram still perform together but Lois left the group in 2000.

Well, thanks for strolling down memory lane with me! If you're a Canadian 90s/early 2000s child, I hope this brought back memories!

-Kaylie

My Thoughts on the Twelfth Doctor

Since the last episode of the 8th season of Doctor Who aired on Saturday and we now have to wait for the Christmas special (I'm so excited!), I thought that I'd take this time to give my thoughts on the Twelfth Doctor. It was hard to get used to him at first. My favourite doctor is and always will be the Tenth Doctor played by David Tennant and I also loved Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor (My brother and I even got our picture taken with him at Fan Expo Canada 2014!) so it was hard for me to let go of those two, especially after seeing them together in the 50th anniversary special. 

The first episode of the 8th season was all about getting used to the new Doctor which was really interesting and it was actually smart to do that because I know that many people would have had trouble getting used to the new Doctor so it showed that the characters were going through the same problem. The new Doctor is much more angry and bossy. It wasn't until the third episode (the Robin Hood episode) that I became used to the new Doctor and actually started really liking him. 

Here are 3 reasons why I like the Twelfth Doctor:

-Humour: He's funny. He doesn't have the same humour as the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors but he has a humour of his own. My grandma (who also watches Doctor Who! Yes, my grandma is awesome!) describes his humour as dry humour.

-The Doctor makes mistakes too: I find that the Twelfth Doctor shows that the Doctor makes mistakes too, just like everyone else. He's not perfect, in fact, he's kind of human in that way. I found that the other Doctors were images of a more "perfect" Doctor but the Twelfth Doctor shows that really, the Doctor is a lot more like us than we think.

-His companion has a big role and the Doctor knows it: The companions usually follow the Doctor around on adventures and, although they do play big roles, Clara seems to have done more than any of the other companions, especially with the Twelfth Doctor. The Twelfth Doctor is very different and Clara has to remind him of who he was and who he really is deep down inside. There's even a part in the episode "Into the Dalek" where the Doctor says that Clara is not her assistant and she states that she's his carer. I find that this shows an evolution in the companion characters. They are not just assistants anymore, they are much more than that.

DOCTOR: This is Clara, not my assistant. She's, er, some other word. 
CLARA: I'm his carer. 
DOCTOR: Yeah, my carer. She cares so I don't have to. 

(Doctor Who, Season 8, Episode 2, "Into the Dalek") 

Each regeneration of the Doctor brings about change and I think that the writers are doing a great job with the changes in the Twelfth Doctor! He's a regeneration that was never supposed to happen and only happened because he got help from Gallifrey so of course he will not be like the other Doctors.

What do you think of the Twelfth Doctor?
-Kaylie


P.S. Can't wait for the Christmas special? Check out all the Doctor Who stuff on these websites (these are the TV stations through which Doctor Who is aired in three parts of the world):
-Doctor Who on SPACE (Canada)
-Doctor Who on BBC One (UK)
-Doctor Who on BBC America (U.S.)

Outlander... My Newest TV Show Obsession!

Opening to Outlander. So beautiful!

I have recently become obsessed with a new TV show called Outlander (on Showcase in Canada and Starz in the U.S.) which premiered on August 9th. It's based on a series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. My Mom saw the show advertised in our booklet from Fan Expo Canada 2014 and she decided to start watching it and I later started watching it too because it is so good!

It's about a woman who was a nurse in WWII and, after the war ends, she goes to Scotland with her husband on a second honeymoon. She ends up touching a special large rock and gets transported back in time to 1743 where she is found by a Scottish clan that won't let her go. All she wants is to escape and try to get back home to her own time.

Want to know a wee bit more about the show? Check out this video:

I love this show because it has sci-fi, adventure, romance, and history all mixed in. You never know what's going to happen next and the music, sets, and costumes are amazing! You become so attached to the characters that you feel like you know them. It is definitely a very good quality TV show and I look forward to continuing to watch it!

-Kaylie

Fan Expo Canada 2014 + Tips for Attending Conventions

On August 29th, 30th, and 31st, my brother and I attended Fan Expo Canada in Toronto! It was so much fun! We did photo ops (meaning we got our picture taken) with Matt Smith and also Stan Lee! For our Matt Smith photo, I wore a TARDIS dress that I made last October for Halloween and the 50th anniversary special and my brother dressed up as the 10th doctor. My brother also brought along his 11th doctor's sonic screwdriver for Matt Smith to hold in the photo so now he can say that Matt Smith actually held it! For our Stan Lee photo, we wore our Fan Expo t-shirts that we received as part of the ticket package that we purchased. We also went to the free autograph session with some of the cast of Murdoch Mysteries (and we took pictures with them at the autograph table just as many other people did) and went to their free panel afterwards. Other free panels that we went to were Arthur Darvill's panel and Stan Lee's panel and we went to the special Doctor Who panel which had both Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill. This was our first time going to Fan Expo and it was definitely a very interesting experience!

Throughout Fan Expo, there were a few things that I noticed and thought that I should share so here are 5 tips for attending conventions:

-Bring a bag: I brought my pack sack (backpack) and I was so glad that I did because we used it to hold things that we bought, free stuff that we received, snacks, water bottles, etc. I also brought a small book bag and used that to carry our photos after we did photo ops (which we payed to have framed) so that they would stay safe.

-Saturday is crazy: Saturday was the busiest day out of the three days that we were there. Saturday is probably a busy day at all conventions seeing as it's a day that is the most convenient day, for scheduling, that people are able to attend. We went to panels on Saturday and tried to do some shopping but we could hardly move through the crowds so I would definitely recommend sticking to panels and other similar activities on Saturday.

-Use the Help Desk and ask the staff questions: The staff are there to help so if you have any questions or don't know where to go, just ask them! Sometimes, the staff don't give enough information or they might give confusing information but when that happened, I either asked them to clarify or I asked another staff member.

-Be prepared for large crowds: Conventions are huge and busy! It can get very overwhelming (I was super overwhelmed until I got used to it) so be prepared for this. Understand that it might take you a long time just to get to another part of the building and be prepared to stand in long lines. When my brother and I got too overwhelmed, we left the building for a little while (usually to get lunch and get some air).

-Most importantly, have fun!: Conventions are meant to be exciting and fun so don't forget to enjoy yourself!

Just to give you an idea of what a panel is like (if you've never been to one), here's the awesome Murdoch Mysteries panel that we attended:

-Kaylie

Doctor Who Laughing Break

Doctor Who is already so funny but here are some funny Doctor Who related videos to make you laugh even more! Enjoy!

Lauren Cooper and Doctor Who clash in class - Classic Comic Relief

Daleks Love Cats

Doctor Who Series 3 *Hilarious Deleted Scene*

The beginning and the ending of this video were included in the episode but the parts in between where he says that he has to just talk for a minute straight was just filler for video that was seen but where the audio was not heard. Funny stuff!

Can you tell that David Tennant is my favourite doctor?

-Kaylie

Who is Red John on The Mentalist?

The Mentalist is one of my favourite tv shows! Patrick Jane is just such a comical and fascinating character and the show has had several great twists. In the last episode of season 5, we saw that Patrick Jane has come up with a list of seven suspects who he thinks might be Red John. When talking about Red John, Lorelei Martins, who worked for Red John, once told Jane, "I only wonder why the two of you didn't become life-long friends the moment you shook hands." Jane then made a list of every person that he has ever shook hands with and he then narrowed it down until he had the seven most probable suspects. The CBS website has a 'Who is Red John' page with information on the characters who are the seven suspects. 

Personally, I think that Red John is Robert Kirkland. Here are my reasons why:

-When Patrick Jane and Robert Kirkland first met, Jane did not know Kirkland but Kirkland said that he knew Jane.

Here's their first meeting:

-Robert Kirkland had some men sneak into Patrick Jane's locked room in the CBI and take photos of all of Jane's information about Red John.

Here are all of the scenes involved with the break in event:

-Robert Kirkland killed Jason Lennon, a man who worked for Red John, before Patrick Jane could get any information from him.

Here's the scene where Kirkland kills Jason Lennon:

-Robert Kirkland is a Homeland Security Agent and can therefore get any information and he must also have lots of friends in all sorts of fields, positions, etc.

-Robert Kirkland is very mysterious, secretive, and sneaky in all of his scenes.

It seems too obvious to be Robert Kirkland but, out of the seven suspects, he seems to be the most capable of being Red John and all of his scenes definitely depict him that way. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

-Kaylie

DIY: TARDIS Bookmark

Here's a Doctor Who craft that is good for school or just for those who love reading... a TARDIS bookmark!

This TARDIS design is very simple. I drew the TARDIS (with the squares and rectangle and everything) on blue card stock and cut it out. I glued it to black card stock (so that the bookmark would be thicker and tougher and it would have a black back). I cut three squares out of white paper for the top three squares and glued those onto where I had drawn those squares. I also cut out a small white rectangle for the light at the top of the TARDIS. I then drew the criss cross lines on the light and the two top squares and I also traced the outlines of the remaining squares. Next, I cut a rectangle out of black paper for the sign at the top and wrote 'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX' on it with a white coloured pencil and glued the sign to where I had drawn it. Lastly, I carefully erased any remaining pencil marks and trimmed any sides that needed some extra trimming.

I hope you enjoy making your own TARDIS bookmark!

-Kaylie

Positive Life: Inspirational Quotations

Here are some of my favourite quotations from movies, tv shows, and books! This collection of quotations is kind of like my own personal survival kit for life. There are quotations that help me through tough times, quotations that teach me, and quotations that just really make me think. If you like my little collection, you should try making your own! Write down your favourite quotations or type and print them out onto a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket, purse, wallet, suitcase, or backpack and carry it with you everywhere or put the page beside your mirror, on your bedside table, or somewhere you will see it! Use it during those tough times or when you just need a reminder of the quotations' messages! Enjoy!


Quotations that help me when I'm going through tough times in life or I just feel stuck:

"When you’re a kid, they tell you it’s all… Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid, and that’s it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better."
-Elton Pope 
Doctor Who, Season 2, Episode 10

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."
-John Keating
Dead Poets Society

"At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough, and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey."
-Letter from the parents of the Baudelaire orphans
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Movie)

"One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel."
-Reinette
Doctor Who, Season 2, Episode 4


Quotations that describe who I am and what I think:

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."
-Anne Shirley
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

"I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."
-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."
-Helena
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."
-Anne Shirley
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montegomery


Quotations that help me see all sides of situations and help me understand:

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” 
-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

"It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."
-Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

"...understanding as had the ancients that angels and demons were identical - interchangeable archetypes - all a matter of polarity: the guardian angel who conquered your enemy in battle was perceived by your enemy as a demon destroyer."
-The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown


Thinking of the right words to change the world,
-Kaylie

DIY: TARDIS Hair Bow

Continuing with my obsession with Doctor Who, here is how you can turn a dark blue hair bow into a TARDIS hair bow!

I had a dark blue faux leather hair bow clip and I thought that it would look neat if it had a white outline of the TARDIS on it. I used white duct tape and cut a strip. With a pencil, I drew the outline of the TARDIS onto the strip of duct tape (I used a very basic outline of the TARDIS, you can just copy the outline that I used). Once I had my outline drawn, I cut out the whole thing and then proceeded to cut out the rectangle and the squares. Since duct tape is incredibly sticky, it can be difficult to cut everything out, especially the rectangle and squares so make sure that you cut everything out slowly and carefully. This requires patience. Once everything was cut, I stuck the image onto the hair bow, being careful to stick it along the folds.

There you go! Now you can make your own TARDIS hair bow!

-Kaylie

DIY: TARDIS Themed iPod Touch

It's official! Doctor Who is now one of my favourite TV shows! I have become obsessed with it! The characters and the story are amazing! I'm in the fourth season right now. Out of the three doctors (9, 10, and 11) that they have had, I have only seen the first two so far. Out of all of them though, I must say that I prefer the 10th doctor who was played by David Tennant. His appearance just fits the doctor's personality so perfectly and he is so funny!

As with any obsession of mine, I've been wanting to make some DIYs that are Doctor Who themed. Since my iPod touch case is dark blue, I decided to decorate it like the TARDIS! I used white multi-use label stickers and with a pencil, I drew the shapes of the squares and the rectangle that you see on the TARDIS. In the rectangle, I wrote 'POLICE BOX' and I left the letters white, colouring around them with a black sharpie so that the rest of the rectangle was black. For the two top squares, I drew the lines in blue sharpie and I left the third white square that is on the left side blank. The rest of the squares needed to be blue so I just cut them so that the iPod case would show through the center of them and they would look like white outlines of squares. Once everything was cut out, I carefully erased any pencil marks that were still showing, arranged the shapes on the iPod case and, once happy with the arrangement, I removed the paper backing of the labels and stuck them on. This is obviously a more simple version of the TARDIS. It was a quick and easy DIY and I am happy with the results. You can make your iPhone or other type of cell phone into a TARDIS too as long as you have the right coloured case.

To really make my iPod into a TARDIS, I decided to add some TARDIS wallpapers to the screens. For the lock screen, I have a picture of the outside of the TARDIS and for the home screen, I have a picture of the inside of the TARDIS.

I also wanted the alerts on my iPod to be the sounds of the TARDIS so I downloaded this free TARDIS ringtone. I use the TARDIS sounds as the alarms that I set for various reasons. You can also download other free Doctor Who ringtones on the same website so look around and find other ones that you like. 

Have fun making your own iPod or cell phone into a TARDIS!
Oh, and have you taken a look around the TARDIS yet? You can do so right here! The TARDIS is amazing!

-Kaylie