I’m Emily, a 26-year-old British expat currently living in chilly Winnipeg, Canada. I have an enormous, insatiable passion for lots of things in life, including being a proud indie kid, keeping up with UK music, TV and listening to BBC radio, graphic design, art, theatre, and creativity in general – though my heart forever belongs to the written word, and nothing makes me happier than writing. I have an enormous interest in psychology and the human mind, personality types (INFJ) and understanding how and why we interact with each other the way we do, as well as the intricacies of the human heart, and the ways in which we perceive ourselves. I’m an eternal optimist – no matter how hard things may seem, I believe there’s a choice of reaction with anything that life may throw at us, and a learning experience in the toughest of challenges.
I spent a big chunk of my life living a life I didn’t want to live; being around the wrong people, and most notably allowing myself to be controlled by fear and an anxiety disorder, not being my true self, and being afraid to push myself out of my comfort zone. In the past couple of years, I made the decision to get out there and do everything I was ever afraid of, and now I feel like I’ve really found who I want to be, and the people I want to be that person with. I’ll continually push myself to grow, even if it is hard – I want to gain experience and confidence. That means there’ll be goal lists floating around here every so often. It’s not an easy thing to be able to look back and say I allowed myself to be controlled by things over which I have no control – but when you realise that where (or who) you are doesn’t align with what you want that to be, it can be an incredible catalyst for change. Something I’ve implemented into life as of late is the idea of not wasting time. It may seem a little morbid, but at the end of one’s life, people tend to wish they’d spent their time more wisely, more on love, less on hate, more on risk and leaps of faith and less on fear and worry. I don’t want to get to the end of my life, look back on my map and see that the ship never left the harbour. Someone once said that ships are safe in a harbour, but that that wasn’t what ships were for. I want to look back and see trails across stormy seas through torrential rainstorms and bands of pirates, up to new countries and through new sights and civilizations, stopping for treasure and beautiful sunsets and meeting a plethora of all sorts of fascinating people with whom I’ll share stories and build memories and from whom I’ll learn great lessons. I want to see it full of adventure and culture and colour, and I want to be left with battle scars that tell the story of a life well lived. And if someone stumbles across my blog, and feels inspired to challenge themselves, push their boundaries and see how life can change… it’ll probably be the most rewarding thing in the world.
Right now I’m continuing this journey through life and falling more in love with the wonderful things the world has to offer, and fighting to change the things it doesn’t. I’m exploring this crazy world we find ourselves planted on, this enormous galaxy we call home, and immersing myself in soaking up everything life has to offer. I’m discovering all sorts of amazing new music, diving into incredible books and continuing my love affair with the arts. I’m a huge music lover, education advocate, and animal enthusiast… the list goes on. I’ll take love over hate any day, and work towards a better future rather than dwell on problems of the past.
For work, I’ve just made the move from several years in the non-profit world to the corporate one. I loved being able to work at a job that helped me in some way to help others, and I’m incredibly grateful for everything I learned there. When I first started, I was petrified at the thought of public speaking in staff meetings, let alone standing in front of a class, teaching and training, but I gradually learned that the desire to help outweighs fear every time. Now I work at a place I absolutely adore doing admin/financial stuff (who knew?), acting as “Office Magician”, and playing pranks with a team that make me laugh every single day. You know you have a great job when your nerdiness is actually encouraged, and you’re allowed to have Shakespeare action figures and models of the starship Enterprise adorning your desk 
I adore my brilliant friends, my family, my sweet kitty and The Professor, the most wonderful, intelligent, hilarious, genuine and inspiring man I’ve ever met. I adore them more than words can fully say.
There isn’t a great deal I dislike, but people who kick the back of your chair in cinemas and/or on planes, being stuck behind slow walkers, the cold, willful ignorance, animal cruelty, closed mindedness, and people who take pleasure from hurting others are all surefire ways to make me one very sad panda.
There will always be a soft spot in my heart for William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake and any other master of the English language that leaves me feeling lucky to have been alive to see such beauty in words. I ramble on here about lots of things, but I secretly love to write fiction. I’m definitely a HUGE nerd. I love to curl up with a good book, spend Saturday nights stargazing, watch TNG marathons, and on occasion, break out my life-size TARDIS. I’m a devout Trekkie, Whovian and sci-fi geek extraordinaire, and proud of it – I have a home-made WoW Night Elf costume, various starships in my office, and I may or may not have travelled all the way to America solely to go to a Star Trek convention.
One thing you should know is I’m NOT a niche blogger. Read why here. And one of my biggest beliefs is that every single person can make the choice to live the life they want to – happiness isn’t about the right circumstance, it’s about the right attitude.
Phew! High five if you’re still reading!
Not sure where to start?
On identity, and living in the void - learning to live without labels in a society fuelled by them
On choosing to recognize our ever-dwindling supply of time, and making the right choices now while we still have the chance
On what I know for sure in a world of uncertainty
Unmasked: On personality types, who I am, and who I refuse to be
The Hazards of Cyberlife: On cyber-bullying, the loss of social conscience, and living in the age of trolls
The 26 Before 26: On why I’m trying to tackle everything I was ever afraid of – the year-long project that changed my life
An uncharacteristic Blogging Rant: On staying true to yourself in the blogosphere even if it costs readership
Shelving the Past: On choosing to let go of baggage, and allow the past to remain where it belongs
Spread Your Love Like a Fever: On the idea of becoming best friends with everyone in the world
The Tattoo Diaries: Journeying through transforming a mistake into something beautiful… with chronic back pain
Let’s do business!
I’ve been in graphic design for the last five years and would love to help you create a logo, ad, or stationery (invitations, letterhead – all that snazzy stuff). I have extensive experience in writing, for blogs, online publications and print magazines. I’ve also got a tonne of experience working in the pre-employment field, and would love to work with you to help create a professional, modern résumé that’ll promote you as well on paper as if you were there in person. You can view my online portfolio here.
Stop thief!
I’ve written everything on this blog personally, meaning it’s copyrighted to me and not for use anywhere else on the internet. Please don’t steal!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
