Alas, it is time to say goodbye to my summer blog—and to all of you who read my rants and commented consistently.

As you can probably guess from my long hiatus from writing, I have been incredibly busy. I am finishing up credits at high school, filming Degrassi and trying to enjoy myself as much as possible. I went to Colorado in August, my uncles visited in early September, and I just came back from a trip to New York to promote our upcoming season (which is going to be FULL of surprises).

Hello again to all you fabulous FASHION18ers!

Summer vacation is (sadly) coming to an end and that means blogging time is up for me.

Fall is always a busy time for me, as I'm sure it is for all of you—but it’s exciting, too.

I’ll be working and travelling and doing all the other things that go along with being an actress and making sure I keep as busy as possible! To those of you who are going to school this September, I wish you all the best!

And to those of you who aren't really looking forward to it—the same way I dreaded September when I was in high school—I'll leave you some words of advice that might make things a bit easier:

So I know it’s only August, and we are technically kind of in the middle of summer, but all the stores are fooling us.

Walking through a mall you'd swear it is already mid-September with all the sweaters and jackets and woolly things! It kind of irks me, to be honest, because as you well know by now I am a summer gal. This whole early ushering in of autumn freaks me out!

Whatever will I do without my flip flops?! Solution: ankle boots with skinny jeans!

The Rant

Do you ever sit and think about the good ol’ days? In my old age of 18, I’ve been thinking about my life so far and about what childhood means today versus when I was growing up. It’s funny because I’m not that much older than the kids I babysit. (Yes, I still babysit. It’s like the best job in the world—minus the diaper changing and temper tantrums.) Yet I don’t remember ever watching TV except for the occasional Disney movie, and my favourite toy was my imagination. I never took an interest in Barbie or computer games or Game Boy or anything. I just remember having fun playing dress-up and make-believe with my friends. It seems like so much has changed in 13 years. Nowadays, parents plop their kids in front of the TV instead of sending them outside to play. I think it’s really robbing the children of developing their imagination, because all they do is passively watch television. Whatever happened to a good ol’ game of hide-and-seek or dress-up in mommy and daddy’s clothes? Are those days gone? Will the adults of tomorrow only have Xbox, Game Boy and Nintendo to show for their childhood?

July is a big month for birthdays in my world. Several of my closest friends were born in July, as well as myself.

I was born July 26, so I'm a Leo, and that astrological sign fits me to a T. I am loyal, passionate and confident, but like a lion I can get impatient and I can roar! Ha ha. Do you feel like you fit your astrological sign?

It’s official—I am 18! (Thanks for all your birthday greetings!) Bring on the ballots and permission forms, because isn’t voting and signing your own school field-trip forms pretty much the only things you can do? Not that I’m down on being 18, but the whole legal system is structured in the weirdest way. You can drive and get married at 16, get your full licence at 17, vote and enter “adulthood” at 18, and drink and buy cigarettes at 19. I say, why not just hand us the official key to life at one neat and easy-to-remember age? Perhaps 19 is the number, but either way it seems to me everyone matures differently. I mean, getting married when you are 16? I think I was just getting over my “boys have cooties” phase at 16.

On July 6 I didn’t feel more of an adult than July 5. And how can you be labelled an adult if restrictions are put on you when trying to see your fave bands? I missed a concert a few weeks ago that would’ve been awesome except that it was 19+. What’s up with that? I’m all up for making sure teens don’t go wild, but how can you let me vote for the future of my country but not let me make my own decisions concerning alcohol and, above all, LET A GIRL HAVE HER MUSIC! I guess it comes down to the government (and society in general) always perceiving teens as troublemakers. I can’t count the number of times I have been given dirty looks by my elders for no particular reason.

Let me start by saying how much fun HAIR can be!

I got my highlights touched up this week and got a trim and I just love how fresh it made me feel. I am DEFINITELY the type of person who would have a great time experimenting with my look, but as an actress that is not realistic.

If it were for a role, I would change my hairstyle in a second. It's such a huge part of personal image and I think it would help me get into character—my hair sort of reflects my mood the same way that how I dress reflects me.

I am in hour 11 of the 16-hour plane journey to Hong Kong. My internal clock is going haywire since we are travelling east and thus following the sun. This means it will be daytime for the 16-hour flight, with nine hours left of daylight once we arrive. So far I have eaten a lunch of chicken and rice, a cup of noodle soup, a bag of chips, two chocolate bars and dim sum—and yet I’m still hungry! This long-haul travelling really takes it out of you. I have been listening to the beeps and bops of some kid’s Game Boy for 11 hours and I have an angry urge to throw it out the window! The only soothing part of this cramped journey is the knowledge of adventures that lay ahead, some reality TV I have downloaded onto my laptop for the journey and the soothing sounds of my favourite bands lulling me into a melodic coma.

So this week has been a fun and busy one so far.

At Degrassi, we did our “gallery shoot” where we take all the photos we will be using for season six publicity. It is so fun to do shoots like that. It is totally different from a day of filming though, and it is a great way to change things up.

Also in the world of work, I shot an interview that Stefan Brogren (who plays my stepdad, Snake) headed up. It really brought back some memories. I cannot believe that I have been playing Emma for six YEARS! Time flies...

Yesterday was a momentous day. As of 11 a.m., I was finished school for a whole TWO months. It’s funny how the landmark you have been working toward since September has a habit of not setting in for a few days. As I sit watching Live with Regis and Kelly (which I never get to watch because I am always at school), it begins to set in that I have an amazing summer ahead of me.

Last night was quite busy, if I do say so myself (guess I’m living up to my FASHION18 nickname, “The Princess of Parties”). After my exam, I went out for lunch with a good friend and talked to my guidance counsellor about universities.

Okay, first off I am going to just take a second to say how awesome the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new single "Dani California" is.... I am listening to it right now. LOVE IT! Do you love it, too?

Second, I have a new “signature” nail polish. It’s called California Coral. I actually feel happy just looking at my nails. Haha, okay, I'll admit that sounds kinda insanely silly, but it's the truth. Do you have a signature nail polish or perfume or hairstyle?

Hey, notice a theme? California!

I love the whole idea of a laid-back, beachy California lifestyle—it’s so appealing!

Well, first off, I must say that prom was a success! ….however not without a few fashion hiccups. As I mentioned before, I was feeling major stress about “the dress.” So, I decided to take your advice and buy a special one for the occasion—easier said than done! Since most stores have been cleaned out of my size (apparently many girls wear a size 8!) and I didn’t want to end up with the same dress as another student, I headed to a cool little vintage store called Stella Luna. The owner has a basement filled with dresses and despite the fact that my mom and I spent an hour perusing through racks of gowns, nothing was quite right. I was disappointed but at the same time it made me realize the one I had was perfect. So, I decided to go on a shoe hunt. (Now let me tell you, size 10 feet are a PAIN! You look at the display shoes in a dainty size 6 and when you get them on they look like BOATS!) Off I went to Nine West (which, by the way, has the most awesome shoes right now) and bought a pair of patent leather, sky-high heels. When I got home I realized the following equation:

            Long legs + high heels + short poufy dress = fashion disaster!

Hi everybody!

So, this is my first EVER official blog.

I really don’t even know what exactly a blog is—or if there is even a definition for such a random word!

But anyway, I am going to fill you in on my week, my life, myself!

First thing’s first, I should let you know that I am kind of tired today because I was filming Degrassi all week and we had a lot of night shoots. I just found out that the crew didn't wrap until 5 a.m. last night (or morning, or whatever)! Thankfully, I wasn't in that scene. I am the kind of person who functions best on a non-nocturnal schedule.

…or at least the sounds of summer have. Sitting on my deck, I hear birds chirping, lawn mowers purring and the distinct sizzle of meat on the grill. It seems to be a trend of cold-weather climates that as soon as the temperature rises above 15 degrees, it’s officially summer and suddenly T-shirts, shorts and bikinis are the apparel of choice. I must admit, I have fallen victim to this trend; pairing leggings with my jean skirt just to have the feeling of a warm (well, tepid at least) breeze against my ankles.

Hello everybody!

As you know, I am Miriam McDonald and this summer I am going to give you an inside look at what I do. But don't get me wrong, I do NOT mean I will tell you all about my work as an actress. I mean I will treat this blog as a friend, and give you updates on what’s going on!