Dear Reader,
This is the “first time in forever” that I’ve been so ecstatic to attend classes. Just like Anna from Frozen, I didn’t know if I was elated or gassy, but I was somewhere in that zone! As of right now I’m thoroughly enjoying each and every one of my classes; they all provide a different insight into the media industry. One of the coolest things is that some of my lectures are inside the Cineplex movie theatre in Dundas Square – how cool is that?!
On the flipside, one of my classes (Digital Media) requires me to create a blog and make weekly posts about my experience with the class and the program itself. At this point I feel like I have a decent enough grasp on this whole blogging thing, or at least I hope… Regardless, if you enjoyed reading my blog entries up until this point, feel free to continue to follow my experience on my new blog here (only if ya wanna) 🙂
mikaelmmelo.wordpress.com
Even with the commotion of classes, meeting new people, being assigned a lot of projects and homework, and trying to get a decent amount of rest; I still found time to go to some really cool events around the city. On Tuesday night, I attended the advanced screening of The Maze Runner with my floor mates. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie. The story follows a boy named Thomas as he wakes up in a futuristic dystopian world that a group of boys have been mysteriously sent to. Their only method of escape is to find a way out of the colossal maze that surrounds them.
Even with school work pilling up, I couldn’t resist going to the club fair and signing up for some of the outstanding clubs this school has to offer. I mean there is a poetry exchange club, vegan/yoga club, an adventure club, Ryeflix, a Quidditch team, RU Student Life, a video game design club, CURTAS, theatre club, Residence Council, and so much more! I love how diverse and interesting this school is, – there’s always something going on, new things to experience, and a new face to befriend. It’s as though everyday I’m here I become more and more certain that I made the correct decision coming to Ryerson. I feel more myself here than I ever have before and that’s something I’m extremely proud to say.
I had a lovely surprise visit from my parents this week (all I can say is thank gosh my room was clean, haha). It feels like no time has passed since I left, but I was so glad to see them again. You never realize how much someone means to you until they’re not around anymore. It’s funny though, because the first thing my Mom said to me wasn’t “Hey Mikael, I missed you”, it was “You’re so skinny! Have you been eating?!” Typical Momma Maria, God bless <3
Speaking of my room, I finally finished all the final touches! I wanted to make my room something that represented me and the program I am currently in. I added touches of social media, film, music, photography, and famous locations, all with a classic James Bond “black and white” theme. I decided to make a joke parody of show, “MTV: Cribs” and do my own spinoff called, “Youtube: Dorms!” Be sure to check it out, but be warned, however, – you might not recognize me anymore… The university life sure has changed me, haha 😉 I’ll also be featured in the RU Student Life’s version of “MTV: Cribs”, stay tuned for that as well!
[Waiting to see if we can post this video, but for now, enjoy Mikael’s parody here.]
Being a media student, of course I had to visit the Toronto International Film Festival! Unfortunately I couldn’t go to any red carpet events due to classes and other scheduled events. However, I did attend a premiere for the movie Laggies. I really enjoyed Keira Knightley’s performance and felt I related to the character in some sense. The movie follows Megan (Keira), who is feeling overwhelmed with what’s going on in her life and needs a break. In order to continue feeling like an adolescent, she befriends 16 year old, Annika, (Chole Grace Moretz) and finds herself getting into mischief. The movie was fun, uplifting, and thoroughly inspiring. It might have also been the whole “TIFF hype” in the room, but man, two movie premieres in one week has inspired me to work to the bone to eventually make a place for myself in the industry as well.
Although the past two weeks have probably been two of the best weeks of my life, the highlights of it all are the next two things I’m about to talk about. First would be winning tickets to see Ellie Goulding and HAIM at Massey Hall. If you know me well enough, then you know I know every word to every single Ellie Goulding song memorized. I’ve already decided that I want my wedding song to be Ellie’s “How Long Will I Love You”, but I have to run that past my fiancée; that is of course, once I find one… Anyways, wining these tickets honestly blew me away and it was amazing to see one of my all time favourite artist perform live. It was pure bliss.
The second highlight was meeting up with the Road to Ryerson, RU Student Life, and LG Canada gang for lunch. It has truly been an extreme blessing to have been chosen to blog about my experience upon arrival to Ryerson. This experience has opened so many wonderful opportunities, helped me document my first year memories, and has allowed me to meet several of the incredibly diverse, loving, positive, and fantastic Ryerson community members.
As I mentioned before, if you ever see me walking around on campus be sure to pull me aside and say hello! I know if I’m heading to a morning class I probably look like a sleep deprived monster, but I promise I don’t bite and I sincerely do love meeting new people. I can’t continue to express how awesome writing this blog has been; it really helped make my first year that much better. I’m so excited for what the future has in store for me and now that I made it onto the “Road to Ryerson” it’s time to kick it into high gear, and get on the “Road to Reality”! (EDITOR’S NOTE: Coming Soon) Thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog posts for the past couple of weeks, it really means a lot.
I’d like to end this final blog entry with a quote.
[blockquote source=”The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky”]Because I know there are people who say all these things don’t happen. And there are people who forget what it’s like to be sixteen when they turn seventeen. I know these will all be stories some day, and our pictures will become old photographs. We all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here… You are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you’re listening to that song, on that drive with the people who you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.[/blockquote]
For the final time,
I’m Mikael M. Melo,
See Ya Later!
Mikael, it looks like we’re not in Cambridge anymore…
[dropcap background=”yes” color=”#2261F5″ size=”40px”]Part 1: Who Is Mikael?[/dropcap]
[dropcap background=”yes” color=”#2261F5″ size=”40px”]Part 2: Packing My Life in a Box[/dropcap]
[dropcap background=”yes” color=”#2261F5″ size=”40px”]Part 4: My Orientation Experience[/dropcap]
See what the other #RoadToRyerson folks are up to!
[show-team category=’road-to-ryerson-2′ layout=’hover’ style=’img-rounded,text-center,6-columns’ display=’photo,freehtml,name’]
