(soft music) - Hello there, welcome
back to my YouTube channel. My name is Jack Edwards. How are ya? How's work? How are the kids? Hope you're doing good. Today, I am coming to you
with a big fat life update, because things have
changed a bit around here. And so I headed to my Instagram story and I asked you guys
what you wanted to know. And based on the sheer
number of responses, I felt like perhaps this is a tad overdue. So I'm gonna get through as many of these as I possibly can. And let's get started. Oh, this is a nice one to start on. Someone said, "what does the
ring on your finger represent?" This is actually quite sweet
because I bought this ring when I hit 500,000 subscribers. I don't know how well you can see it, but it basically is covered in numbers, but the number 11 is in brackets 'cause that's my lucky number. And I wanted something that
would be visible in every piece of content that I make. Basically, just to remind
me, and to remind you guys that none of this exists
without your incredible support. And I appreciate it so, so much. And although on the surface,
it's just a bunch of numbers. You guys are very, very special to me. So yeah, that's the kind
of reason behind that. And now onto the juicy stuff,
"did you quit your job?" No, actually. So I've been working as a
research assistant in publishing for the last eight months and I love it. It's such a great job.
It's so interesting. It really keeps me on my toes. Like I'll spend a whole
day just researching what the Korean Paralympic
team's training regime was, in London, 2012. And it's so random, but so fascinating at the same time. I work on non-fiction books, which is quite nice because my personal reading preference is fiction. And so having that separation between work and what I do for fun is nice. And on top of that, having a job means like
separate work and content, which is perfect because
then I really look forward to making YouTube videos
and I've been so productive since starting a job. So definitely sticking with that. And I'm very fortunate that
this job allows me to work anywhere 'cause it's remote, and you'll see why that
is useful in a minute. But I have no intention in quitting. I have been a little quiet
on the job front recently because the book that I'm
working on at the moment is with the editors. So I haven't had to do very much recently. Next question is "where
have you moved to?" And the answer is Paris. When I applied to university, most of the courses that
I applied to were English with a year abroad, and I fully intended for one of my years at
university to not be in the UK. However, once I got to Durham, I was so comfortable and happy
and I loved all the friends that I've made and I just
wanted to stay in Durham. And so I promised myself
that if I wasn't taking a year abroad at university, then the year after I graduated, I would travel. However, as you know, COVID
then did the world tour, but I wanted to beyond. And so instead I moved
to London for 14 months. The middle chunk of that time, I found really, really tough. But by the end of my time in London, when everything started
reopening, life was sweet. I was having the best
time, and this summer will always be so special to me. However, I still felt like
I owe it to myself to go and travel and enjoy the world, that we're so lucky to live in. And so I decided to move to Paris and see what Paris has to offer. It's really perfect for me right now, because the time difference
is only one hour. If I do need to get back
to London at any point, if like YouTube conventions
like social in the city, for example, I can, it's really easy. And it is such a privilege
to get, to come to France and see everything that
Paris has to offer. And I feel so lucky every single day, I just feel grateful and count my lucky stars
that this is my life. Yeah, I'm really, really happy here. So I've only been here for nine days and I really like it. I've got a lovely apartment. I am vlogging over my second channel, if you wanna go check those out. But yeah, surprise. I live in Paris now. Okay, next question is
"have you been watching anything good recently?" And yes, before I left the UK, I was binge watching
"Pose" on a BBC iPlayer, who very kindly sponsored today's video. "Pose" is this absolutely brilliant and groundbreaking series from across the pond over in the US. And it's all about the
underground dragon ball culture of the 1980s to 1990s, right at the height of the AIDs epidemic. It's all about New York and the Black and Latino LGBTQ+ community. And that subculture, it really
puts a microscope on this really incredible and
inspiring community of people. It is so vibrant. It's classic Ryan Murphy, high production values all about glamor, but also shines a light on trends and black queer resistance, which is such a huge
part of that movement. Also, fun fact, "Pose"
has the largest trans cast in scripted television history. How cool is that? So yeah, I'd highly recommend "Pose". All three seasons are
available over on BBC iPlayer alongside literally hundreds
of other fantastic TV shows. So I'll leave the link down
below to check out BBC iPlayer. And thank you so, so much BBC iPlayer for working with me on this video. What an honor. "Are you planning on
writing another book?" Now, this is a question
I have answered before and previously the answer
has been no, not yet. The answer now has
changed ever so slightly. In fact, it's changed quite significantly because the answer is actually yes. I've always dreamed of
writing my own novel, writing fiction, but I
didn't want to force it. I didn't want to put pressure
on myself to create something and put it out into the world. I've obviously been writing creatively, but I was waiting until
the perfect idea came to me to sort of begin to flash out and explore. And I think that I have it. I had this light bulb
moment, where I was like, this is one thing I've been
obsessed with that for years. And I just think it would
make a cracking book and it's something that
I would love to read. And so instead I'm gonna write it, and that's part of the reason as well for wanting to move
away and put myself out of my comfort zone because
I was so comfortable and climatized to London and the lifestyle and the routine. And I felt like, you know, even getting on the Tube was
just second nature to me. So I wanted to basically airlift myself out of that situation and
throw myself in at the deep end in somewhere where I'm
not used to the culture and the city and the lifestyle, because I think that's the perfect thing to stimulate creativity. So yeah, that's very,
arty-farty pretentious way of saying yes, yes I am. But I'm in absolutely no rush. And I want it to be something that I'm really proud of at the end. So I'm sure it will be a labor of love, but don't expect it any time soon, it's just something I'm sort of, there's brewing away up in here right now. "Who is your favorite band?" Ooh, probably The Cheetah Girls. Super important question. "Do you cut your sandwiches
in triangles or rectangles?" I actually like to make mine in a sphere. Occasionally in like a
pyramid sort of shape. Yeah, sandwich arts is
actually my specialty. Oh, this one says, "hi Alex,
have you moved to Paris?" I don't know who Alex is, but yeah, yeah I have. "How long are you living there for?" Okay, so I've spoken about
this a bit in the past, but I'm really fascinated by
the concept of slow travel, where you move around to a
different place every few months. And so originally I booked
to be here for two months, but I already love it. And so I have extended the trip. Obviously nothing is as straightforward since the pandemilovato, but we'll see. I'm double jabs. I'm a member of the Pfizer chiefs, which obviously does
make things a lot easier and the world is a bit
more accessible again. But yeah, just taking it
as it comes, pretty much. "What song is the theme tune
of your life right now?" Ooh, probably Can't Speak
French by Girls Aloud. That has a surprising amount of relevance to my life right now. "Are you worried, you might get lonely?" This is a good question. I think that I'm very
comfortable in my own company. Having said that the last year
has definitely proved to me that I am a massive extrovert
and I do really thrive in the company of other people. And I do sort of need that to stay sane. So it's a balancing act, not gonna lie. A lot of my hobbies are
things that I do alone, for example, creating content, reading. But I also do, really
like the social sites. So I've got a lot of
friends coming to visit and I've met a few people here in Paris. I would say though, that speaking to the camera is basically
what's preventing me feeling loneliness. 'Cause like I felt like
I am speaking to someone, and one of the biggest parts is that I am never really truly alone
'cause I always have you guys. So yeah, feel very lucky about that. "Are you going to do your masters?" The evergreen question. Am I gonna do my masters? Am I ever gonna get in
to a master's program? Who knows? It's a big goal of mine in my
life to get a master's degree and get PhD in English literature. But again, I'm just in no rush
it'll happen when it happens. I always plan to do the PhD
as like a part-time thing, which I think means that
instead of taking four years, it will take eight, but I like that that's
kind of a long-term goal and it will mean that
I'm constantly learning and constantly sort of challenging myself and researching things. But the masters is something that I would love to do next year. I mean, touch woods. Thankfully I've got this
massive beam next to me. Thank you my glamorous assistant. Genuinely, I am just really
passionate about the subjects. I would love to study it further
and have the opportunity. So it's something, is a big
bucket list life goal for me. So I've got a list of
places I'd love to apply to. I kind of see myself doing
my masters in Scotland, but we'll see, who knows, hopefully this time next year we'll have an answer to that question. "When are we getting not safe
for work stuff from you?" That is a cracking question. And the answer is never, I think the closest you'll
ever get to not safe for work for me is me reading
Hillary Clinton fanfiction, 'cause that was scaring. I'm actually still recovering from that. "Since you've moved to France,
what is your favorite piece of French literature?" Oh, I really love The
Stranger by Albert Camus. "Do you always want your
career to involve books or could you see yourself
doing something else?" Now the reason I love books so much is that it's like, this goal
that you can never conquer. It's just completely insurmountable. You will never be able to read every book even written in one year. So put this into context, every year about 300 films are released and it would be impressive
if one person watch every single one. Now take into consideration
the fact that 188,000 books on average are published
every year in the UK alone. You could never even dream
about reading 'em all. And I think that's what,
so appealing about it, that there's always something
more to unlock and discover. And so I love the publishing industry. There were so many fascinating jobs that you don't even realize exist. So many amazing creative people. So many brilliant books are
being written right now. Not including my own because I have idea and I haven't started writing it yet. So I think that whatever I do in my life, it will involve books in some way. I think it's just woven
into my internal tapestry. I think it's a big part of my life and something that I've
massive passion for. So if you can find something
where you can find a career in your passion then that's
the best case scenario, right. Someone just said, "what's
with the mustache?" To be totally honest with you. I just needed to make sure
I look slightly different to when I was 14 years old. And I think that it was part of my, like post university identity crisis where growing a beard and mustache has made me look slightly
different to my fresher self. So yeah, this person really
said, I must ask you a question. "What happened to the
mouse in your apartment?" While I moved to France, it's the mouse's apartment now. It's the Mickey Mouse club house. In all seriousness, if you didn't know, I had a mouse infestation in my flat because I lived above a pizza shop and they got in through the pizza shop, which is so gross. We were trying to deal with
the situation as calmly and as peacefully as possible. But these mice were terrorizing us. And so unfortunately we did
have to get pest control in it. Do you know what broke the camel's back? You know what the final straw was? I'm sure he won't mind
me telling you this, but this is horrendous by the way. So basically my housemate came downstairs and I felt like everyone in
that house has that bag pile, you know, your bag of bags. So we had our bag full
of reusable carrier bags, and he was going off
to do his weekly shop. So he grabs a bag chucks in his pocket. He goes out for like an hour and a half. And when he pulls the
bag out of his pocket, a mouse comes with it. This mouse had been in his pocket for like an hour and a half. This mouse had a tour of Camden and I'll never recover from that. It didn't even happen
to me and I'm scared. But that is one of my favorite stories, or the housemate, Adam. We love him. "Who's the most famous person you've met?" Probably Judy Walters. "Are French people really mean IRL?" No, everyone's been
really lovely to me so far and very patient with my broken French. So, no, is the answer to your question. Someone said, "what book
are you reading currently?" I am reading Self-Help by Lori Moore. That's the main book
I'm focusing on today. It's a short story collection, all about modern womanhood
and it's really experimental and I'm enjoying it, but I always have a few books on the go. So I'm also working my way through The Outsider by Stephen King. "Have you been recognized
in Paris by subscribers?" Do you know what I hadn't been
until I went to a bookshop and then I found my people and it was like a meet and greet. It was so much fun. And I spoke to loads
of you guys about books and it's just the best
whenever I meet you in public, it's a wonderful experience. So please always say hi,
even if I'm looking lost or dazed or confused or hung over, I'm always keen for a chat. "What is the one thing you're gonna miss about living in Camden?" I'm gonna miss all my friends in London, being able to go and sit by
the canal and read my book, living so close to Primrose
Hill and Regents Park. It's a really lovely part of London. I love North London, Camden itself is so vibrant, there's always so much going on. Everyone is so nice there. I used to go jogging a lot and all my running route was London Zoo. And so just on a casual
Wednesday in London, I would run past giraffes
and camels and zebras. And that's something I don't
think everyone could say. And the vibes were
immaculate, so I will miss it. Okay, here is the big one. I've had this, asked a lot. "How is your girlfriend,
are you doing long distance? How is your relationship?" And the answer is that we
actually broke up in June. So that's obviously been difficult. I felt we're both healing
and navigating being a part. We definitely have remained friends, that was really important to both of us, to salvage a friendship, regardless. That was always our priority. We speak all the time. We've met up since, there's absolutely no hard feelings at all. The truth of the matter, I think is just that we met at university and situations change, people grow, and we were trying to fit a square into a triangle shaped hole. Obviously the circumstances
have been so bizarre because it's been a pandemic and that puts strain and
pressure on any long-term or long distance relationship. I suppose, it's just a fact of
life that people's priorities and plans change. And sometimes they are
no longer compatible and that doesn't make
either party a bad person. And I think the whole point
is to make each other happy. And sometimes the ways to achieve that is actually to be a part. She is a phenomenal,
compassionate kind person whose heart is just busting with care and consideration and
love for other people. She's brilliant with everyone she meets. And I will always look
back on that relationship as a really happy special thing. It's obviously something
that's really tough and difficult to share and talk about. But all I ask is that you
please respect our privacy at this time, especially her because she isn't a content creator. She's not an influencer, her life isn't public
property like mine is. And honestly there's no time to speculate because you would just
be wasting your time. It was a very amicable split, but that relationship is something that I always kept offline. And so I would really
appreciate it if we could, just keep it that way, but I appreciate that
it's important to share. So there we go. Moving on. What is your favorite YouTube channel? Probably One Direction VEVO. I love my BookTube gang,
Uncarley, Fictional Fates, Noel Gallagher, Ariel Bissett. Oh, you know who I have
been loving recently, who is also got into
books, Emma Chamberlain. I will always be such a fan of her. I love the way that she sort
of reinvented her content. She kind of edits like
she's the sole survivor of the apocalypse and I'm here for it. I have noticed a definite
trend in the type of content and the type of fiction
that I'm really enjoying. And it's stuff that really
focuses on ordinary life and the small pleasures of our existences and how you can find
beauty in ordinary things. And even when you can't find
beauty, that's fine too. Someone says, "how are you really doing?" I'm really good. I'm really happy. I'm in a really positive place. Both physically and mentally. I think I've really spent the last year and especially the last six months, cultivating a healthy
relationship with social media and my online presence,
to a point where I feel, yeah, really positive about it. So life is sweet. Thank you for asking. And on that note, I think that's a very nice
point to end the video. So thank you so much for watching. You can subscribe for
more from me if you want. I'm also vlogging over
on my second channel. So if you want more of an
insight into my Parisian life, that's where you'll find it. All the best, stay in touch. Have a wonderful day and I'll catch you next time. Bye-bye.
