I’ve included music videos with each song – I tried to find official music videos, and managed to do so with all of them except for Sia, since I wanted to use a video that included the song, “Breathe Me”, since it’s my one of my absolute favorite songs.

7. Sia

6. Fiona Apple

5. Lily Allen

4. Kate Nash

3. Florence + the Machine

2. A Fine Frenzy

1. The Hush Sound

7. Wasteland by Francesca Lia Block

Wasteland is an extremely small novel, but it still leaves an impression on you. You are dragged into the world of Lex and Marina, a brother and sister who have always been aware that their relationship differs from the average sibling relationship. This book forces you to think beyond your current comfort zone, and read about an issue that has always been taboo in modern society. The incredibly sad ending has provides a very haunting set of “what-ifs”.

6. Atonement

Along with Romeo&Juliet, Atonement is my favorite tragic love story. When I first read the ending of the book, I was extremely sleepy and groggy, so I didn’t get the ending of the book at first. I thought that there was happy ending, and it wasn’t until the next day that I realized Robbie and Cecilia’s actual fate. This book made me really think about the consequences of people’s decisions, and the extent to which we make can make ourselves believe anything if it suits our purposes.

5. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Both the book and the film by the same name are completely amazing and will always remain some of my favorites pieces of cinema and literature. The Reader is the story of Michael Berg, who, at the age of 16, begins an affair with a woman in her 30′s. The woman, Hanna, disappears completely one day, and Michael does not see her again until he is a law student, and he is witnessing a trial against a group of people who took part in the Holocaust. Hanna’s story, told through Michael’s eyes, is really an amazing one, and makes you think twice about what you might know.

4. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The story of the ill-fated Lisbon sisters will always be one of my favorites. The book begins with the youngest sister’s suicide attempt, which sparks a series of events that will haunt the family forever. What I find the most fascinating about this book is that it is the story of five teenage girls which is told through the eyes of a group of teenage boys, who years after the book’s ending are still unable to understand what really happened when they were teenagers. The movie version is also excellent, and features Kirsten Dunst and A.J. Cook, two actresses that I really love, which is always a plus!

3. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I read this only a couple of months ago, but the characters and storyline are still stuck in mind. This novel details the aftermath of a school shooting where the shooter is caught before he gets a chance to commit suicide. Through a series of flashbacks, it takes you back through the characters’ lives, which makes you realize (as most of Jodi’s books do) that nothing in life is completely black and white.

2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

As someone who’s struggled with mental illness, this book has resonated with me ever since I first picked it up. Sylvia Plath manages to draw us into the world of Esther Greenwood – which was, ultimately, her own – to the point where we can practically feel the dark abyss that she is experiencing ourselves. This book is probably the closest depiction of depression that I’ve read.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I’d be lying if I didn’t put these books at the very top of my list, since it is the series that has altered my world the most. Aside from a few chlidren’s books here and there, Harry Potter was the first book I ever read. I started reading the series when I was eight years old, and am still completely enthralled with the series a decade later. What amazes me about the series is how it manages to tackle nearly every issue that our world faces (such as  the pure blood debates, which parallel racism), while managing to lessen the severity with a layer of magic and awe. This series will always remain my favorite, and I owe so much to it as it is what inspired me to begin reading as well as writing.

And some honorable mentions: White Oleander by Janet Fitch, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, 1984 by George Orwell, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, and The Shape of Things by Neil Labute.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I just turned eighteen yesterday. My family is planning on traveling to New York City on our way to Virgina Beach this July, and as my gift my parents decided that they would buy me a ticket to any Broadway show of my choosing. I was nearly speechless when they told me, since seeing a show on Broadway has been one of my dreams for a long time (I almost got to see Rent before it closed, but I sadly wasn’t able to go). I have never been to New York before, so just the news that I was going to be walking the streets of Manhattan made me giddy, so this gift has me nearly over the moon. My parents hate musicals, so I thought that there was no way they would ever make time for me to be able to go see a show. I am going to be seeing the show with my sister (whose birthday is in a week, and who is also receiving a ticket to the show as a gift), and am really looking forward to it. The hardest part of this whole process is going to be picking a show to go see! So I’ve included a list of my top 7 shows that I’ve listened to and am familiar with.

7. Hairspray

6. Les Miserables

5. Avenue Q

4. In the Heights

3. Spring Awakening

2. Wicked

1. Rent

As of right now, Rent, Spring Awakening, Les Miserables and Hairspray are no longer playing on Broadway. Avenue Q is currently playing off-Broadway, meaning that I have a choice between that, Wicked and In the Heights. I would absolutely love to see Wicked, but I might be going to London next January, and I was definitely planning to see it if I go there. Then I would prefer to see In the Heights, since I don’t know when I’m going to be in New York again. Well, I still have a couple of weeks to make a decision!

How about you guys? What’s your favorite musical, and which one would you choose if you were in my place?

]]> http://nothing-better.org/top-7-musicals-to-see/feed/ 17 http://nothing-better.org/top-7-countries-to-visit/ http://nothing-better.org/top-7-countries-to-visit/#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:04:28 +0000 Marie http://nothing-better.org/?p=327 After reading Krissy‘s post about wanderlust last week, it got me thinking about the places that I would like to visit. I’m a huge fan of traveling, and although I haven’t been given that many opportunities to do so, I’m hoping that in the future I’ll be able to visit and do sightseeing in as many countries as possible.

Funnily enough, the most that I have seen of any country is the United States. I’ve visited at least five states (including Washington D.C.) but I’ve only seen Ontario and my own Quebec in Canada. Before this year I had never been any more south than Virginia, but I was lucky enough to visit Mexico this January during my Christmas vacation. The only other continent I’ve been to is Europe – I’ve visited Greece three times since I have family there, as well as Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary during a school field trip.

Although there are at least a couple dozen countries that I would like to visit, here are the top seven that I am hoping to see in my lifetime.

7. Russia

There’s something so very striking of this beautiful country and its rich history. I would love to visit Russia, especially after having seen their preview for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  I would most likely like to see Moscow.

6. China

The only Asian country on my list, although I would also love to visit Japan, Singapore and Vietnam as well. I know I would never be able to even begin to learn the language, but I would absolutely love to visit the country. A friend of mine was born there and has returned many times in the past to visit, and I can’t help but feel so very jealous of her!

5. Italy

I took an art history class this semester, so I got to learn quite a bit about Italy’s history in terms of art and culture. I would love to see Venice, Rome, Milan and Florence, and also Vatican City (although it’s technically its own country). Rome especially has such an ancient history to it – it would be amazing to see some of the sights there.

4. Spain

Spanish is a language that has fascinated me for a very long time, just as its mother country has. I was just talking to my friend last week about how much I would love to visit Madrid and Spain. Such a gorgeous country with such a rich culture to it. I am going to be taking a Spanish class this semester, which will only make me want to visit the country even more!

3. France

I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a French speaking environment, but I’ve always had a fascination with everything that had to do with France, especially French music. One of my dreams is to visit Paris and all its mesmerizing sights. It doesn’t hurt that I also know how to speak the language, which will make it easier to enjoy the environment. I’m super excited because I might be going to see Paris next January with my school.

2. England

Oh, England! Aside from New York, London is the place that I would like to live the most in the world. The closest I have ever been to London is Heathrow Airport on a school trip to Eastern Europe, but unfortunately we were not allowed out of the airport. I may also be going to London in January, and I am super excited if my teacher goes through with this trip.

1. Australia

Australia…it’s on the other side of the world, but it’s the place that I want to visit the most in the world. If I were given the opportunity to go anywhere, it would be Sydney. Too bad it’s so expensive to get there.  If I ever get to go, I would also love to visit New Zealand and Fiji, since I don’t see myself being able to visit that part of the world very often!

Some other countries that I would have loved to add to this list are Egypt, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Venezuela, Brazil and Portugal. Anywhere in Europe or South America would be amazing!

]]> http://nothing-better.org/top-7-countries-to-visit/feed/ 9 http://nothing-better.org/top-7-shows-that-should-still-be-on-the-air/ http://nothing-better.org/top-7-shows-that-should-still-be-on-the-air/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:57:10 +0000 Marie http://nothing-better.org/?p=215 As an avid watcher of primetime television, there have been many shows over the course of the years that I have fallen in love with and that have been pulled off the air despite their positive reviews and popularity. Unfortunately, it all comes down to ratings in the end, which usually means that quality television is usually tossed aside in favor of shows that pull in more viewers, but which are ultimately garbage. These shows are usually canceled at the last minute, which means that most of them lack any sort of closure, and some even end on quasi-cliffhangers because the writers believed that they were going to be going into another season .

The following list is “my” list of shows that I wish had stayed on the air longer. Out of the seven shows, I’ve seen all episodes of Moonlight, Freaks&Geeks, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars. I’ve seen a few episodes here and there of the others, and have heard mostly positive reviews from many other television viewers. Obviously, there are some great shows that I didn’t include on this list, since I have never seen them (such as Firefly), although I’m sure that they were fantastic as well while they were running.

7. Moonlight

Although I’ll admit that it ‘t have one of the most amazing scripts in the world when compared to other really great shows, it was definitely my Friday-night guilty pleasure! Yes, it’s a show about vampires, but I never felt as if it was at all silly while I was watching it. One of my favorite parts of this show was Mick, but also his friend Josef (played Jason Dohring, who I absolutely adored as Logan on Veronica Mars!). The relationship between Beth and Mick was also developing when the show ended. This show was originally renewed for a second season, but CBS cut it just before they were supposed to film the second season, which unfortunately kept the writers from creating any sort of ending to the show. I would have really have loved this show to have at least one more season.

6. My So-Called  Life

This is a show that I haven’t seen much of, but the couple of episodes that I have seen have struck me by just how accurately reflected teenage life, just like I’ll further mention with Freaks&Geeks. There are a lot of moments on this show that have personally happened to me or to one of my friends, which makes the show speak to me on so many different levels, which I believe is what other fans of this felt as well. It’s sad when such a good show gets pulled after one season.

5. Arrested Development

Arrested Development is unfortunately a show which I haven’t really had much of a chance to see. I’ve only seen several episodes here and there, but from those which I have seen it is definitely on my list of top-see shows. It’s quirky and sometimes dry humor had me laughing at my seat. I know that they’re apparently making a movie version, which I plan to see once I make it through the three seasons that were put on the air.

4. Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me was a show about life after death. Out of this list, this was a show that got at least two good seasons worth of episodes, but it was still sad to see it get pulled off the air, since it really didn’t have any sort of conclusion to it (although it wasn’t really a show that ended on any sort of cliffhanger). What I miss the most about this show is George’s sassy attitude, as well as the characters of Mason and Daisy. This show was temporarily revived in a movie version, which I have yet to see, but which I doubt can live up to the brilliance of the television show, especially since two of the main characters are actually not features in the movie (well, technically one, since Daisy is just played by a different actress. Still, there’s no way this new actress can live up to the original performance).

3. Freaks&Geeks

This is another one of those shows that never got past its first season, and which merited a much longer run. It’s a shame sometimes how some of the most realistic high school shows get pulled off the air while shows like Gossip Girl (which I love, don’t get me wrong! – but it definitely does not accurately portray high school life) and 90210 stay on. it’s almost as if people don’t want to see characters go through what high school is really like. Like Veronica Mars (below), this show had absolutely no conclusion to it whatsover, and actually ended on a quasi-cliffhanger. Although it would have been nice to see this show run for a few more seasons, maybe it’s better that it ended quickly because many of the stars (John Francis Daley(Bones), Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Seth Rogen and James Franco) went on to have extremely successful careers.

2. Pushing Daisies

I think the best way to describe this show is colorful! This show was pure eye candy – from the sets, to the costumes, to the contrast and cinematography that just made everything pop. That’s not to say that the show itself wasn’t absolutely fantastic. Lee Pace and Anna Friel were absolutely fantastic as forever-estranged Ned and Chuck, long-time childhood sweethearts. Just the plot itself tips you off that this show is unique and fantastically written. I started watching this show from the very first episode, by accident to a certain extent. I had seen many previews, but had not been planning to see it – the only reason I saw it was because it was led in by another one of my favorite shows. I watched almost every single episode after that, and was disgusted at the way it was treated by the network. Pushing Daisies definitely did not run its course, with only around 22 episodes. I don’t feel as if I got enough of this fantastic show, which could have easily gone on for at least a couple of more season! You’re greatly missed, Pushing Daisies!

1. Veronica Mars

Out of all of my favorite shows that have been canceled over the years, Veronica Mars is definitely the one that I miss the most. I didn’t start watching this show until a couple of years after it ended, and I got so hooked on it after the first few episodes that I was upset to hear that there were only three seasons. I agree that the quality of the writing was weaker in the third season, but it was definitely still a good show. I also hate how it ended so open-ended – Logan and Veronica’s relationship is one of my favorites, and even though the writers have confirmed that they did indeed “end up together”, I hate how we LoVe fans were cheated out of so many possible Logan/Veronica moments. Out of all three seasons, they were only together for a few episodes at the end of the first season, and the first 10 or so episodes of the third season. It would have been nice to have at least one more solid season where they were together. Piz was cute and all, but he was no match for Logan!

7. Ashleigh McIvor – Women’s Ski-Cross

This is one gold medal that I didn’t watch personally, but I’ve been hearing some great things about Ashleigh ever since she won. There were also many shots of her during the closing ceremony, although I think she wasn’t actually wearing her medal, which was strange.

6. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir – Pairs Figure Skating

Virtue and Moir are an excellent pair both on and off the ice, and it was definitely a pleasure to watch them win gold! Their performance was absolutely breathtaking!

5. Women’s Hockey

Almost as great as seeing the men win the gold! Thanks to these girls, we’ve definitely shown the world that we are the masters of this winter sport. It’s nice to that our women are golden! (:

4. Jon Montgomery – Skeleton

Montgomery’s skill and win made him one of the most beloved Canadian athletes of these games, as did his antics before he stepped up onto the podium with one beer in his hand – truly a Canadian.

3. Alexandre Bilodeau – Men’s Freestyle Skiing

Bilodeau became a national hero when he became the first Canadian to win a gold medal on home soil. He is now a legend anywhere you go in this country, and is highly revered by everyone.

2. Joannie Rochette – Women’s Single Figure Skating

Technically Joannie won the Bronze medal for women’s singles figure skating, but her win impacted all Canadians in an amazing way. Joannie’s mother died two years before she went on the ice, and her story added an emotional touch to her performance and win. She also had the honor of carrying the Canadian flag during the closing ceremony.

1. Men’s Hockey

Definitely the most defining moment of the whole Olympics for us Canadians. I’m personally not a huge sports or hockey fan, but I got very involved in this match! The Americans came extremely close to beating us – they tied the game and led us into overtime with 24 seconds left in the third period, but Sidney Crosby scored around 7 minutes into sudden death overtime, leading the whole country into a huge celebration. There was nowhere in Canada up to an hour after this gold medal win that there wasn’t some extreme partying going on. This is a game that everyone is going to be talking about and celebrating for weeks. Congrats, Canada! This gold medal was definitely the best conclusion to these amazingly patriotic and enthusiastic winter games.