tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406313115080341752024-03-04T21:12:03.473-08:00Thought ConstellationsMy second blog; for food, books, life, etc...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-37539500029357970102018-03-02T17:40:00.000-08:002018-03-06T13:28:44.494-08:00Coconut Curry Chicken (Recipe)Apparently this blog is just going to be about food now...<br />
<br />
Anyways....<br />
<br />
This was based on a whim David had a while back, and just happened to turn out well. We've made it several times since, and are starting to experiment with it, but the original, which I'll write out below, is a simple and mild, creamy curry dish that isn't spicy-hot... Unless you want it to be! The amount below makes about 2 servings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnVF5pZxb2VtgQwGfs7hsWk6_cYHDkkusS6QOqLviUMabJZGF30a71524tIgLhicmqbxO3Bi3_EJRvHrS1GshmgZsF0gyQ8KDZgJ5rjc2jE4MbGk1FuWNRltVCE1VXAOyRMMByRN0H5Y/s1600/%255BUNSET%255" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="" data-original-width="" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnVF5pZxb2VtgQwGfs7hsWk6_cYHDkkusS6QOqLviUMabJZGF30a71524tIgLhicmqbxO3Bi3_EJRvHrS1GshmgZsF0gyQ8KDZgJ5rjc2jE4MbGk1FuWNRltVCE1VXAOyRMMByRN0H5Y/" width="300" /></a></div>
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1 tbsp vegetable oil<br />
1 sm or med onion<br />
2 chicken breasts, sliced or cubed<br />
1 red bell pepper<br />
1 can (about 12 oz) of coconut milk<br />
2 or 3 (ish) tbsp curry powder, adjust to taste<br />
3 cloves chopped garlic (or a tbsp or so garlic powder)<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
Fresh cilantro<br />
<br />
<u>Optional, to adjust the curry flavour to your preference, if you're feeling adventurous:</u><br />
Cumin, ginger powder, tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, hot pepper flakes (basically curry powder ingredients)<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Method</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1. Start by frying thinly sliced onions with vegetable oil until floppy and translucent. Next, add the cut up chicken breasts, and fresh garlic, if you're using any. Cook until no longer pink. You can also season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some curry powder now, if you like.<br />
<br />
2. Add sliced pepper and continue to cook, cooking longer if you want softer peppers, or just for a minute or two if you prefer a little more texture in your cooked peppers, like I do.<br />
<br />
3. Next, pour in your can of coconut milk and make sure everything is coated. Once it starts to simmer, it's a good time to take a taste and add more curry powder or any other seasons you think it needs to be exactly how you want it. This is also where you can add some chilli flakes if you want some more spice. I added about a teaspoon last time I made it, and the heat was gentle and delicious. Add more or less depending on your tolerance.<br />
<br />
4. Once the sauce has thickened to a consistency you're happy with and the flavours are just right, serve over rice and garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro. I garnish rather heavily because I love cilantro, but you can leave it out entirely if you're so inclined.<br />
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Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-83727609915253905232018-02-27T15:27:00.001-08:002018-02-27T15:31:29.525-08:00Restaurant Reviews || Sho Bu Ramen, CoquitlamA while back, David was planning to start a foodie blog, where he/we would photograph and review restaurants we tried. We took photos for a while of new places we went, but neither of us ever ended up using them or writing anything. Which is unfortunate, because that was years ago, and if we had kept it up, we'd have an impressive array of reviews because we have tried tons of new places over the past couple of years.<br />
<br />
But, since I'm trying something new here, and not bothering about making this too regular or even promoting it, at least for now, I thought I'd give that another go. I decided this on a whim last night, after we/I decided we should try out a new ramen place.<br />
<br />
Let me preface the rest of this review by saying that I had tried ramen before last night, but I had never enjoyed it. I've enjoyed various instant ramens, but fresh, proper ramen.... yeah not for me. I'd tried two places downtown that David had been suggested, but neither one worked for me. David really likes ramen, though, and since it's also just <i>such a thing</i>, I've still wanted to find a ramen that I enjoyed. So for my third adventure with ramen, I picked a place a little closer to home, which had some pretty good reviews on Google Maps and Zomato.<br />
<br />
Sho Bu Ramen is in Henderson Place Mall in Coquitlam. An asian mall that has survived a surprisingly long time considering how dead and largely empty it has remained for many of those years. The ramen place is a fairly new edition, though, and is one of the many restaurants that now have storefronts on the outside of the mall, as well as enterances inside.<br />
<br />
It's just a little place, done in a fairly average (but still cute) japanese restaurant style. There are very few tables, and it was pretty full when we got there around 6/6:30. All things considered, though, ramen is basically japanese fast food, and the wait wasn't long.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFwiHGBBjG-p3FTyqOekslXMtlElU_WCMeinGWyYoGqSvlGSkLRAs1Nv0wZAJOqnUcHJP5FwEQbAd6OPs1zrU6a59QXwwfIlPgywWOw5kIykVUIxxsGnxQkdwfq_Sq7pJBEOYdpBr4JQ/s1600/IMG_20180226_181139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Onigiri" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFwiHGBBjG-p3FTyqOekslXMtlElU_WCMeinGWyYoGqSvlGSkLRAs1Nv0wZAJOqnUcHJP5FwEQbAd6OPs1zrU6a59QXwwfIlPgywWOw5kIykVUIxxsGnxQkdwfq_Sq7pJBEOYdpBr4JQ/s320/IMG_20180226_181139.jpg" title="" width="240" /></a>We decided to get a couple of appetisers alongside our ramen, as well. David picked <b>takoyaki</b>, I got an order of <b>onigiri</b>, and we split an order of <b>pork gyoza</b> (a personal favourite we share).<br />
<br />
The onigiri I've had in the past were from T&T, were always cold, and were basically triangular rice balls with a little bit of meat or fish in the centre wrapped in a crispy seaweed wrapper. These, however (pictured to the left), were warm, soft balls of slightly sticky rice seasoned with bits of seaweed, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and some kind of lovely salty seasoning. They were not what I expected, but I would definitely order them again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VosAB5483mbx-WGUU2aTs4txTMC9_yOjWQsyRsa_izkWVVdICn6ynWnfn3G81sU-X9rOfs2BS_SutIAieBcOnm2qJ5g7HXReeqVdvAgGtIh7HQ-QU6dd90Cq5f5izh7lN9dIIfAsOQ0/s1600/IMG_20180226_181510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VosAB5483mbx-WGUU2aTs4txTMC9_yOjWQsyRsa_izkWVVdICn6ynWnfn3G81sU-X9rOfs2BS_SutIAieBcOnm2qJ5g7HXReeqVdvAgGtIh7HQ-QU6dd90Cq5f5izh7lN9dIIfAsOQ0/s320/IMG_20180226_181510.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
The <b>gyoza</b> (to the right) came with 5 pieces (I devoured one before I remembered to take a picture). This doesn't make them perfect for sharing between two people, but that is the only thing bad I'll say about them! They were excellent. Tender, lightly pan-fried, neither oily or soggy, and they tasted really really fresh. Again, something I would definitely order again.<br />
<br />
I forgot to take a picture of David's <b>takoyaki</b>, but he didn't seem to have any complaints and they disappeared quickly, so I'm guessing they were pretty good, if you're into that kind of thing. Which I am not. (I'm realising now that there is a picture of the takoyaki below, behind my bowl of ramen!)<br />
<br />
For ramen, I decided to go outside of the classic pork ramens, which I haven't loved, and got a <b>BBQ Chicken ramen</b> which came with a soy based broth, instead of the classic tonkotsu base I've disliked in the past. David, on the other hand went totally classic, and got the <b>Cha-shu ramen</b> with the tonkotsu base.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtB9pQ83MM_Hu-Xx8pjppAk3PHnypifRQ9YuoWIOvBCgSFL0m5cLqFXk4cDE5DDzq6U8_tUJgd2JjDyJHHeWTy-xSIvBjst6XgCFXy_BdZ0-Y6aakBIJhUjuk2fdbwAQLUjEgvfzhV3t0/s1600/IMG_20180226_181554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtB9pQ83MM_Hu-Xx8pjppAk3PHnypifRQ9YuoWIOvBCgSFL0m5cLqFXk4cDE5DDzq6U8_tUJgd2JjDyJHHeWTy-xSIvBjst6XgCFXy_BdZ0-Y6aakBIJhUjuk2fdbwAQLUjEgvfzhV3t0/s320/IMG_20180226_181554.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The <b>BBQ Chicken Ramen</b>, aside from being pretty to look at, was also delicious! I was actually surprised, at this point, that I could enjoy a ramen, but I am glad, as well. In the past, I've found ramen too salty, too greasy, too mleh (that's a technical word...), etc. But this was lovely. The soy base was lovely, not weirdly creamy like tonkotsu bases seem to be. Instead, it basically tasted like a mild miso soup, which I guess is probably what it is, in essence. Aside from the crispy breaded chicken cutlet with a teriyaki-esque bbq sauce and the obvious ramen noodles, my ramen came with a big pile of sliced white onions, bean sprouts, a half an egg, corn, and green onion. I don't love white onion, but David reminded me the soup was really hot, so I just pushed them down into the broth to cook and soften, and they really didn't bug me, and I didn't feel any need to pick them out. The noodles were tender but also chewy; basically they were perfect. The corn added a nice sweet zing to some bites, and the bean sprouts and green onion flavours just made sense. I'm not sure I <i>needed</i> the egg, but it didn't offend me at all. All in all, I would definitely order this again, but I would also like to try some of their other flavours, now that I've found a place where the ramen doesn't offend me! Maybe I'll get more adventurous!<br />
<br />
I didn't get a picture of David's <b>Cha-Shu Ramen</b>, but he said it was pretty standard and he really liked it. I tried a bit of the broth, and it didn't seem as greasy and rich to me as others I had tried, which to me is a compliment, but obviously he had a lot more of his own ramen than I did! The cha-shu ramen contained corn, green onions, bean sprouts, and half an egg (just like the BBQ Chicken), but instead of onions, it had bamboo pieces. I really dislike bamboo, myself, but David wasn't offended, and said that there was very little in his bowl.<br />
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Oh! I almost forgot to mention the tea! I'm pretty sure it was the free tea that most japanese places will just give you if you ask for it, but I really enjoyed their tea here! It was that lovely sweet, toasty grain tea, if you've ever had that. Sometimes made with rice, barely, or a mix of the two, I'm pretty sure this one was a barley tea. And I have to say, I'm a huge fan of the light, toasty sweetness that is barley tea!<br />
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So if you're in the Coquitlam area and looking for some good ramen, personally I would highly recommend Sho Bu Ramen in Henderson Place mall. If you've been, let me know what you thought in the comments, as well as if you have any ramen restaurant suggestions in the tri-city area, or anywhere in the GVRD, really.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/vancouver/sho-bu-japanese-noodle-ramen-coquitlam-coquitlam" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Sho Bu Japanese Noodle Ramen, Coquitlam and other Restaurants in Metro Vancouver"><img alt="Sho Bu Japanese Noodle Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/18227694/biglink" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0; width: 200px;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-11919839377678226682018-02-19T13:22:00.001-08:002018-03-02T17:52:23.212-08:00Easy Vegetable Soup (Recipe)Canned soup is surprisingly expensive, and since paying rent and stuff is also expensive, David wanted to try making soup to take to work for his lunch every day. We decided to start with a very simple vegetable soup, and it was delicious and filling! So here's what we put together:<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TXO7hwBSDUNwDk7RInd6DKY-400lJtT79HqLE80MwGM-iTp1rscLh6G8_fCovJ6Kpyg79jSbDalWWtuDVDADt7FCFvIYv1mJoJQZFVvHueJuS36L2CfpEtlafMwJKQqKtLqfRNKq870/s1600/IMG_20180212_044650_257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TXO7hwBSDUNwDk7RInd6DKY-400lJtT79HqLE80MwGM-iTp1rscLh6G8_fCovJ6Kpyg79jSbDalWWtuDVDADt7FCFvIYv1mJoJQZFVvHueJuS36L2CfpEtlafMwJKQqKtLqfRNKq870/s400/IMG_20180212_044650_257.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ingredients</b>:<br />
<br />
1 medium onion<br />
3 celery stalks<br />
2 large carrots<br />
1 red pepper<br />
2-4 medium potatoes<br />
1 carton of vegetable stock (~1 litre)<br />
0.5 carton of chicken stock (~2 cups)<br />
2 cups water<br />
whatever herbs you want your soup to taste like. (I used thyme mostly, with some rosemary and sage)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b>:<br />
<u><br /></u>
1. Chop onion into small pieces and fry in large soup pot with some vegetable oil until translucent and soft.<br />
<br />
2. Add chopped celery to soften before adding other ingredients, adding a good sprinkling of salt now can help.<br />
<br />
3. Add all the other chopped up vegetables now: carrots, pepper, and potatoes. Feel free to add in anything else you think will be nice. This is also the time to add your stocks and water. You can also add your seasonings now. I probably used a tablespoon or so total, but use more or less to your taste.<br />
<br />
4. Simmer until the flavours are blended, and you have soup!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-9816350709009146292018-02-12T17:12:00.000-08:002018-03-02T17:42:40.736-08:00Homemade oven fries (Recipe)So the other day I wanted fries but only had potatoes. I didn't wanna fry anything or do too much work, and these fries turned out perfectly!<br />
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It's not scientific, the numbers or amounts below are estimations or my experiences. Your results may vary. Also, feel free to play around with different oils and seasoning for different flavours.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1 medium to large potato per person/serving<br />
A splash of vegetable oil<br />
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Pre-heat oven to 420 degrees. Wash potatoes, peel if desired (I left my skins on and really liked them that way).<br />
<br />
2. Cut into fry-shaped rectangles. Make sure they're evenly sized, or they won't all cook the same.<br />
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3. Pile fries onto a foil-lined pan, and pour a bit of oil over top. Use less oil than you think you need, you can always add more if you need it. If you really need measures, start with a tablespoon or two. Use your hands to mix the fries so they're evenly coated in the oil. Arrange in a single layer on pan.<br />
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4. Season with a good sprinkle of salt. All other seasonings are optional, but I also used some black pepper, garlic, and dried parsley. The parsley just looks nice, to be honest, and it came with my spice rack.<br />
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5. Bake fries for about 20-30 minutes, or until they look how crispy or soft you like your fries to look.<br />
Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-90768905233707581472018-02-01T07:21:00.001-08:002018-02-01T07:21:20.803-08:00So, I've been thinking...I know no one actually reads this blog right now, but that's alright, at least for now. I've been thinking of doing some kind of life blog for who I am now. I miss blogging, but I don't feel much like taking my beauty blog back up. I'm more interested in talking about living on our own (me, David, and Brit), witchcraft, work, reading, tarot, and other things in my life.<p>I thought about making a separate blog for this, something new, but I still love the name of this blog, the reference to <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i>, and also how it kinda works for witchy things as well. I dunno how regular this will be, I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to do it daily or weekly or anything, but I'm going to try to do it sometimes.</p><p>I hope to post life updates, witchy things I've learned or am learning, tarot spreads, book reviews, recipes, rants, house things, etc. Basically, whatever the fuck I feel like. I guess that makes this a lifestyle blog? But it isn't going to be aesthetic. It's going to be mine, and I'm not going to worry about readership or views or courting brands to send me things to review. I did that. It's exhausting. I'm over it.</p><p>Hopefully, I can also use this as a place to post photos taken with my bigass expensive Canon DSLR, because that baby is beautiful and expensive, and I need to use him more, even if I'm not filming.</p><p>If you read all this, thanks for reading.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-48541011105755103882015-03-14T19:43:00.000-07:002015-03-14T19:43:31.327-07:00Ambiverts... Who knew?!<p>Sorry I've been neglecting this blog, but honestly, it's mostly for me anyways, so I'm only a little sorry...</p>
<p>Also, did you know there was a setting between Introvert and Extrovert? Because I didn't...! Ambivert discribes me soooo much better than either of those ever has!</p>
<p><div id="blogthings_result">
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<font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'>
<strong><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/areyouanambivertquiz/results/?result=70">You Are 70% Ambivert</a></strong>
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<center><img src="https://images.blogthings.com/areyouanambivertquiz/ambivert.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center>
<font color="#000000">You are a full on ambivert. You probably have never felt like extrovert or introvert both describe you.<br>
At times, you like to look inward and appreciate the quiet things in life... but you also like to get out there into the mix!
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<a href="http://www.blogthings.com/areyouanambivertquiz/">Are You An Ambivert?</a>
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<a href="http://www.blogthings.com">Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes!</a>
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</div></p>
<p>There's also a BuzzFeed article which is equal parts annoying and amusing which you can look up describing some ways to know you're actually an ambivert... but I can't find it within myself to link to BuzzFeed... so I'll let you google it if you want!</p>
<p align="center"><b>Are you also an ambivert? Did you know this was a thing? When did you hear about it? Why did no one ever tell me, not even my psychology classes?!</b></p>
<p align="right"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrav0VShlxwpd5mkzQoMVcyJEPH_pNksonKtGvbxs5Dq7r4Sxr97MTdvXuzmg7qk6MH0DPxYiYQsl_RKqWgKebDx3RWLzu6xlL35SW80qaMWxyv3dCKzALmAifNaldAG4-7v2BlColzYkz/s1600/siggy.png" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-88677199105400555382014-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:002014-10-16T12:00:01.441-07:00Book Chat #1 (Previously would have been titled: Read and To-Read -> October 2014) { + video}<p>It's that time again! Time to catch up on what I have been reading, and what I want to read next! Only this time, I've started a video series, which also went up today. If you would like to hear me talk about the 12 books I've read over the last 3 months, then feel free to head over to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQlq7iSiFZ0">my video, which I will also embed at the bottom of this post</a>, or else, let's get started!</p><p>I'm not going to talk too much about the books I've finished here, since I talked for a long time in my video, but I will of course do a little blurb about whether I liked it and what it's about.</p>
<p><b><u>Books I've read:</u></b></p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635016-the-one">
1. <i>The One</i> by Kiera Cass</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395612906l/18635016.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>For those who don't know, this is the last book in the Selection trilogy, so I clearly wouldn't recommend starting here, but I would recommend this series! This series is a teen post-apocalyptic dystopian romance... kind of. I mean, you have the post-apocalyptic world, and you have conflicts, and you have the obvious teen-romance love triangles... but it's a cool mix of dystopian world and The Bachelor! It sounds really cheesy, but it's really well executed, and a cool break from the teen dystopians which are frankly starting to become pretty formulaic. Hunger Games was fantastic, and Divergent was excellent. Delirium was pretty good. But I love that this series is a little something different!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17286849-fangirl">
2. <i>Fangirl</i> by Rainbow Rowell</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377579834l/17286849.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>For those who are a little nerdy and/or a little awkward and like teen fiction, I would totally recommend this book. It is disappointingly a one-off novel (I'd love so much more of this story!), but really cute and a really quick read. I love the characters in this one so much. Cath isn't your normal teen novel protagonist, she's socially awkward, nerdy, and an extremely talented fanfiction author with a big online following, and this story starts when she and her twin sister Wren go to college, but Wren refuses to room with her sister, since she wants to meet new people. Yeah. Read it.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43509.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire">
3. <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i> by J.K. Rowling</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374678990l/43509.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I'm sure you've all already read Harry Potter, but yes. I'm on my millionth read through, basically. Oddly, because of library books, and class readings and assignments, I stopped about halfway through this book about 2 years ago, and only got around to finishing sometime this summer. I mean, I've read it so many times that I just jumped right back in where I left off, but I can't believe it took me so long to get back to it!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/444327.Harry_Potter_and_the_Order_of_the_Phoenix">
4. <i>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i> by J.K. Rowling</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408537481l/444327.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>Quickly following #4, I moved onto #5, and read it quickly like a crazy person. Much better.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15707124-an-abundance-of-katherines">
5. <i>An Abundance of Katherines</i> by John Green</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340545578l/15707124.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>This was my final John Green book to read (if we only count his solo-authored ones), and it was really good! Nothing may ever beat TFiOS, but this one definitely ties for second with Looking for Alaska! Also, it has footnotes. Heh...</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18126198-four">
6. <i>Four: A Divergent Collection</i> by Veronica Roth</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393687572l/18126198.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>If you read and loved Divergent, and especially if Four/Tobias was your favourite character, I recommend reading this books, assuming you haven't already. It has some really great backstory on Four before we meet him, and before he becomes Dauntless, as well as a couple scenes from the first book from his perspective. Love! I want to own this one so badly to complete my collection!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8479792-666-park-avenue">
7-9. <i>666 Park Avenue</i>, <i>The Dark Glamour</i>, and <i>The Lost Soul</i> by Gabriella Pierce</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412510198l/8479792.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I meant for this to be a quick, interesting book, but it ended up being a trilogy... which I didn't find out until the end of the first book, which totally doesn't end in an okay place! This one is about witches and magic on the Upper East Side of New York City, which was a pretty appealing premise to me, even though it looks like a cheap, cheesy little chick-lit novel. Which is kinda is, but all the same, throughout the trilogy, I think Pierce manages to do a really good job developing her world's magic system and rules and history, and it ends up being a good story!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13522285-the-beginning-of-everything">
10. <i>The Beginning of Everything</i> by Robyn Schneider</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366395005l/13522285.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I first heard of this book from Ingrid (MissGlamourazzi), and it sounded fun and cute, as YA fiction tends to be, so I decided to give it a go. And it was really good, as expected. It's a pretty simple premise that fits in really well with the likes of John Green's first 3 books, but if you want more information on the story, you can find the blurb on GoodReads with the above link or watch my video.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10798416-the-statistical-probability-of-love-at-first-sight">
11. <i>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight</i> by Jennifer E. Smith</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337187623l/10798416.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I also found this book through YouTube, this time from the Vlogbrothers, who I think mentioned it on a couple different occasions, which intrigued me. It wasn't as good in my opinion as the Beginning of Everything, which I read right before this one, but it was still a really good teen fiction novel, and I really enjoyed it.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10572.A_Clash_of_Kings">
12. <i>A Clash Of Kings</i> by George R.R. Martin</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358254974l/10572.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>If you know and love Game of Thrones as a tv series, I would loudly suggest that you read the books, though the show is only up to book three, so don't read any further if you don't want to spoil it. This is the second book in the series, and I'm in looooooove! It's got some plot differences and wayyyyy more backstory and history and characters, and IT. IS. JUST. SO. GOOD!</p>
<p><b><u>Currently Reading: (I'm actually reading shockingly few books right now!)</u></b></p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62291.A_Storm_of_Swords">
1. <i>A Storm of Swords</i> by George R. R. Martin</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406378909l/62291.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/797113.The_Silmarillion">
2. <i>The Silmarrilion</i> by J. R. R. Tolkien</a></b></p>
<p><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344884594l/797113.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p><b><u>To-Read:</u></b></p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18172471-the-selection-stories">
1. <i>The Selection Stories</i> by Kiera Cass</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380214609l/18172471.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I mentioned this one in my video, when I was reviewing <i>The One</i>, but my boyfriend bought it for me since I filmed that video, so I'm really looking forward to getting to this book next!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93124.Harry_Potter_and_the_Half_Blood_Prince">
2. <i>Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince</i> by J. K. Rowling</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361297007l/93124.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>Here follows a bunch of re-reading, because sometimes you just need to! I've already worked my way through 1-5, so it's time to finish up the series with #6 and:</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/818056.Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows">
3. <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i> by J. K. Rowling</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351958236l/818056.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>...#7! I'll be really glad to finally finish this series all over again, since it's been years, and these last two books are my favourites!</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41865.Twilight?from_search=true">
4-7. The <i>Twilight</i> Series by Stephanie Meyer</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361039443l/41865.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I make no apologies for this one. I've read this series once before (I don't think I've ever re-read any of the books), but not for years, and not since I bought my own copies. I think i started reading these in highschool, when the first three were out, but the last one wasn't yet, because I'm pretty sure I remember waiting for the last book. Also, I read them before the movie. I think... Anyways, yes, I really want to read these books again now that I know that so many people hate them, because I always really liked them, and even defended them in my university classes. And I'll point out I rarely speak in class. So yes, looking forward to experiencing this series a second time.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9151181-onward?from_search=true">
8. <i>Onward</i> by Howard Schultz</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390950547l/9151181.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I love Starbucks, and have a weird curiousity about this book and if it's any good... what else can I say?</p>
<p"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1297275.The_Intimate_Adventures_Of_A_London_Call_Girl?from_search=true">
9. <i>The Intimate Adventures of A London Call Girl</i> by Belle du Jour</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1182573222l/1297275.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I loooooved <i>Secret Diary of a Call Girl</i>, the show inspired by this book, with Billie Piper as the protagonist, so of course I want to read the book too! I believe this is meant to be a true story/diary of real woman's life as a call girl in London, which is pretty cool. If I like it, I'll also look for the second book.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24770.Uglies?from_search=true">
10. <i>Uglies</i> by Scott Westerfield</a></b></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358962036l/24770.jpg" height="550" /></p>
<p>I've had this book for ages! Probably since middle school? Yeah... and I've never read it..! I know this became a pretty big series, so I want to finally give this one another go. I own it, so I should read it!</p>
<p align="center"><i>All images are from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com">GoodReads.com</a> and can be found on the pages linked for each book.</i></p>
<p>I'd love to know what you've been reading lately, or if you've read any of the books I mentioned, so be sure to leave me a comment, either here, or on my video!</p>
<p>Video time!:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="yes" frameborder="0" height="309" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zQlq7iSiFZ0" width="550"></iframe></p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>
<p align="right"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrav0VShlxwpd5mkzQoMVcyJEPH_pNksonKtGvbxs5Dq7r4Sxr97MTdvXuzmg7qk6MH0DPxYiYQsl_RKqWgKebDx3RWLzu6xlL35SW80qaMWxyv3dCKzALmAifNaldAG4-7v2BlColzYkz/s1600/siggy.png" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-71819328203415661482014-07-29T02:48:00.002-07:002014-07-29T02:48:36.160-07:00Update!Sorry it's been so long since my last post here... I even have some stuff I want to post, like a J!NX haul, another book update, and a tv/anime update post, but I just haven't got there yet.<br />
<br />
Soon...<br />
<br />
Anyways, I have had tons of up on my channel lately, so if you want some more from me, you should definitely check those out, as well as the contests I have up on my blog right now!<br />
<br />
I swear I'll return soon!<br />
<br />
<3<br />
<br />
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<div align="right">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrav0VShlxwpd5mkzQoMVcyJEPH_pNksonKtGvbxs5Dq7r4Sxr97MTdvXuzmg7qk6MH0DPxYiYQsl_RKqWgKebDx3RWLzu6xlL35SW80qaMWxyv3dCKzALmAifNaldAG4-7v2BlColzYkz/s1600/siggy.png" /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-9233731939190224642014-05-22T12:00:00.000-07:002014-05-22T12:00:00.637-07:00Read and To-Read –> May 2014<p>It is that time once again; time for me to go over the books that I’ve read (somewhat) recently, give you a quick review, and show you the books that I am currently reading, and looking forward to reading soon. </p> <p>As always, I’ll link to the GoodReads page for each book, so you can find out more about it or add it to your own to-read list if you have a GoodReads account. Let’s get on with it, shall we?</p> <p><strong>Read:</strong></p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262400-maddaddam">MaddAddam</a> by Margaret Atwood</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366394772l/17262400.jpg" width="274" height="400"></p> <p>This was listed as reading in my <a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2014/01/read-and-to-read-january-2014.html">last book post</a>, so of course it makes sense that I finished it. This was the final book in the MaddAddam trilogy, the first two books being <em>Oryx and Crake</em> and <em>Year of the Flood</em>. This is a dystopian trilogy, and it’s beautifully, chillingly written. Atwood’s style is fantastic, and disturbingly truthful and plausible. I would definitely recommend it if you’ve loved the teen dystopian craze recently and are looking for a step up in maturity and style.</p> <p>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3426175-the-complete-odes-and-epodes">The Complete Odes and Epodes</a> by Horace</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348323899l/3426175.jpg"></p> <p>This was terrible, but I inished it because it was for class, and it was the first one of the semester, so my persistence was high. Yeah… just don’t unless you like torture in the form of poetry.</p> <p>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/692236.The_History_of_Mary_Prince">The History of Mary Prince</a> by Mary Prince</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309286017l/692236.jpg" width="259" height="400"></p> <p>This is a true story, or at least a mostly true story. It was told by Mary Prince—a slave from the West Indies who found freedom in England—to someone else who wrote it down for her, so the legitimacy is somewhat questionable, but at worse, this is still a short, quick to read, moving, and disturbing story of what life was like for one slave woman. I actually quite liked it, as I mentioned, it was extremely easy to read, and it is always fascinating to read accounts of lives very different from your own.</p> <p>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32816.The_Canterbury_Tales">The Canterbury Tales</a> by Geoffrey Chaucer</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388177331l/32816.jpg" width="243" height="400"></p> <p>I only read parts of this recently, for class, but I’ve read other parts before as well. Chaucer is difficult for most people, as the spelling was not yet standardized in his day, and each story is written to suit the dialect and status of the character telling it. It is much easier to read out loud and understand it than it is to look at the words and hope to figure out what they’re saying to you. Still, if you can manage, many of the stories are extremely well-written, fascinating, and hilarious, so I think it’s worth a shot for any English major, or anyone else up to the challenge. Besides, there are always translations online if you just can’t figure something out!</p> <p>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15926760-every-day">Everyday</a> by David Levithan</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378709440l/15926760.jpg"></p> <p>The concept of this book is just so original and astonishing, and it was executed beautifully. And I would have expected no less from the insanely talented David Levithan. Can you tell he’s one of my all-time favourite authors? If you haven’t heard of it before, the concept for this novel is that A, the main character, wakes up every morning in the body of a new person, and must adapt to his or her life for one day. A is not a boy or a girl, and does not feel any more comfortable in one type of life than another. A does not know why this happens, how it began, or when it began, but in one life, A falls for Rhiannon—who is the girlfriend of the guy whose body he woke up in that morning. The story follows the battle to be with Rhiannon and deal with this weird life.</p> <p>It is beautiful, stunning, eye-opening, and extremely quick-paced. I couldn’t put it down, and I would recommend anyone even remotely interested should read this one! A quick favourite, and I can only hope there will be a sequel! </p> <p>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2338386.The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray">The Picture of Dorian Gray</a> by Oscar Wilde</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348435910l/2338386.jpg"></p> <p>I’d been excited to try this one out for a while, because my best friend Brit (starlessbooks on YouTube) made it sound so fascinating after she read it, so I was glad it was part of one of my class lists for last semester. And it was phenomenal! Wilde’s writing style is just amazing, he’s so witty and sharp, and so so beautiful. I hated the main character so so so much, but I couldn’t have cared less, because the words that Wilde chooses are some of the best I’ve read. I look forward to reading more Wilde, though this is the only novel he ever produced, so I’m not sure how well I’ll do with his plays.</p> <p>(Also, if you are interested in seeing the incredible amount of work I put into my final project on this book—of which I am quite proud of myself—then you can go to <a href="http://ThePictureOfDGray.blogspot.ca">ThePictureOfDGray.blogspot.ca</a>))</p> <p>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15808302-zeus-grants-stupid-wishes">Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology</a> by Cory O’Brien</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356120567l/15808302.jpg"></p> <p>My boyfriend bought me this book for my birthday (I think it was my birthday), and it was really cool. I love mythology—and stuff that doesn’t take itself too seriously—so this was a great find on his part, as it wasn’t one I’d ever heard of before. O’Brien takes a bunch of myths from a bunch of different cultures, including Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Japanese, etc, and retells them with his own personal, loud, obnoxious, and extremely hilarious spin on them. It really made me want to read more of these myths in a more serious version as well, as the ones I found the funniest were often ones I already knew in their purer forms!</p> <p>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13582742-teleny-or-the-reverse-of-the-medal">Teleny, or The Reverse of the Medal</a> by Oscar Wilde (probably)</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333821845l/13582742.jpg" width="257" height="400"></p> <p align="left">Let me start off by warning you that this book is . . . fairly graphic, to put it gently. To put it a little less gently, this is pretty much straight-up gay porn. But the fascinating thing about it is its origin! Though the cover I’ve put above says that this novel is by Anonymous, it is argued by some Wilde scholars that this was written by Oscar Wilde himself, though he never published it. That might sound ridiculous, but reading it, the style is just like his, and his descriptions are so beautiful, and the banter between the main characters is so Wildean that it is hard to deny that he was the author. But yes, if that intrigues you, do be prepared for explicitly described male-on-male sex scenes. Though to be honest, the idea of 1890’s homosexual porn is at least half of what enticed me to get this book out in the first place!</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p><strong>Reading:</strong> (I am not actively reading all of these, but they are all somewhat on-the-go or not yet completed)</p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13496.A_Game_of_Thrones">A Game of Thrones</a> by George R. R. Martin</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369520317l/13496.jpg" width="264" height="400"></p> <p>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15707124-an-abundance-of-katherines">An Abundance of Katherines</a> by John Green</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340545578l/15707124.jpg" width="265" height="400"></p> <p>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43509.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a> by J.K. Rowling</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374678990l/43509.jpg" width="253" height="400"></p> <p>Yep, that’s right, I still haven’t finished rereading this one…</p> <p>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/747213.The_God_Delusion">The God Delusion</a> by Richard Dawkins</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348814336l/747213.jpg"></p> <p>To-Read:</p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15777407-emma">Emma</a> by Jane Austen</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343644652l/15777407.jpg"></p> <p>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4708.The_Beautiful_and_Damned?from_search=true">The Beautiful and the Damned</a> by F. Scott Fitzgerald</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347567298l/4708.jpg"></p> <p>3.<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?from_search=true">The Book Thief</a> by Markus Zusak</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390053681l/19063.jpg" width="264" height="400"></p> <p>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23231.Wide_Awake?from_search=true">Wide Awake</a> by David Levithan</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320498352l/23231.jpg" width="265" height="400"></p> <p>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18126198-four">Four: A Divergent Story Collection</a> by Veronica Roth</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393687572l/18126198.jpg" width="264" height="400"></p> <p>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17565845-panic">Panic</a> by Lauren Oliver</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374066076l/17565845.jpg" width="266" height="400"></p> <p>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068905-fangirl">Fangirl</a> by Rainbow Rowell</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270l/16068905.jpg" width="269" height="400"></p> <p>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328.Neuromancer">Neuromancer</a> by William Gibson</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285017005l/22328.jpg" width="233" height="400"></p> <p>9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46170.For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls">For Whom the Bell Tolls</a> by Ernest Hemingway</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399986248l/46170.jpg" width="259" height="400"></p> <p>10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13326677-ocd-love-story">OCD Love Story</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340476357l/13326677.jpg" width="271" height="400"></p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="center">All images from goodreads.com</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">And that’s all for now. Of course, there are hundreds more books on my to-read list on GoodReads, so if you’d like to follow me there, check out my books, and follow what I’m reading, then feel free. My GR username is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/angelsins">angelsins</a>.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-10182636835969341682014-05-01T12:00:00.000-07:002014-05-01T12:00:01.235-07:00My Spring 2014 Anime Line-up<p>So I mentioned in my last post that I’m currently following several anime right now, which is shocking, since I shunned anime for years and years. But I’ve been broken now, so shush. I’ll do what I want. </p> <p>Anyways, I thought it would be cool to let you know what anime I’m currently watching. I’m obviously by no means an expert on anime, and some of these may be absolute shit in comparison to more established and well-known shows… Though good and shitty are pretty subjective according to each person’s likes and preferences…</p> <p>I watch my anime translated and subtitled by fan groups, with the original Japanese voices, not dubbed over in English, which it takes forever to do, and which just sounds cheesy every single time. I will, however, post both the Japanese and Anglicized titles for each anime that I’m watching this season, and give you a brief intro to the concept and story.</p> <p>All images found on <a href="http://myanimelist.net/">MyAnimeList</a>. I will try very hard not to be spoiler-y in my introductions/descriptions…. So let’s get on with it:</p> <p><strong><u>1. Isshuukan Friends (One Week Friends)</u></strong></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/6/61891l.jpg" width="320" height="450"></p> <p>This one was basically sold to me by Random Curiosity (<a href="http://randomc.net">randomc.net</a>)—the site where I read with my boyfriend about all the anime coming up in the next season, which I originally started reading through with him because some of the concepts for anime are <em>completely</em> and utterly ridiculous and thus hilarious to read out lout—because it’s supposed to be a slice-of-life type anime that is also just incredibly sad. And I love anything that can effectively make me love and care for the characters, so I thought I would give it a go. Plus, the soft art style, as seen in the picture above, is super appealing to me.</p> <p>For those that don’t know, slice-of-life anime are basically that the name suggests: a look into random days in these characters lives. Nothing really extraordinary really happens, and I don’t think there’s supposed to be anything magicky, sci-fi, supernatural, etc. The concept for this anime, which is based on a manga, is that the girl—Fujimiya—doesn’t make friends because at the end of every week she forgets everyone that is special to her, aside from her family. She wakes up every Monday morning with all memories of these people that she loved just the night before completely erased. The guy—Hase—however, decides that he wants to be her friend and determines to start each week asking Fujimiya if he can be her friend if that’s what it takes.</p> <p>So far, I’ve really been liking this show. It hasn’t yet made me cry, but with less than half an hour per episode, I only have about an hour of plot anyways, so I’ll give it some time before declaring that it failed to be emotional. I definitely feel for the characters, though, and Fujimiya in particular.</p> <p><strong><u>2. Kamigami No Asobi (Mischief of the Gods)</u></strong></p> <p><strong><u><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/12/60703l.jpg"></u></strong></p> <p>This one is by far my favourite thing that I’m watching this season, at least so far. I decided to give it a go partly because it’s the type of show my boyfriend would never bother watching. It’s a shojo harem anime, for starters; shojo means that it’s for girls (~7-18 yrs. old), and harem means what one might suspect. . . to put it delicately, there’s one girl, and a ton of guys.</p> <p>Just being a shojo anime would not have been enough to entice me to give this show a try, though, although I might try more now just because I kinda like the feeling and setup of the show. The concept, though, is what actually intrigued me. The girl, Yui, is a human schoolgirl, while the guys are various gods from the Greek, Norse, and Japanese pantheons. Honestly, who doesn’t want to see an odd Japanese take on forcing several different pantheons to intermingle? The driving element of this story is that Zeus has brought all these gods to this academy to learn about humans and human love, in an attempt to help the gods remain relevant in an increasingly secular society.</p> <p>This show is a cool mix of funny, goofy, ridiculous, pretty, and fun. As you might be able to tell, I’m thoroughly enjoying it. My favourite character is Apollo (though he is called Apollon in the show), though Hades is also pretty interesting/funny and Balder is pretty endearing as well. This is certainly not a serious or probably even ground-breaking anime, but I would suggest it if you think it sounds interesting.</p> <p><strong><u>3. Seikoku no Dragonar (Dragonar Academy)</u></strong></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/13/56419l.jpg"></p> <p>This anime is actually completely <em>not</em> geared at me. As you might be able to guess from the picture above, this is what David likes to term a “boob anime.” Well, kinda. I mean, there are certainly some ridiculously busty characters, a little too much bounce action, and some moments that could be termed “creepy.” This anime is obviously geared at boys. But I love dragons, and for the most part, after I managed to accept the first 5 minutes of the first episode, I was able to accept and enjoy this anime. It has a cutesy, goofy humour for the most part, but also a darker element that is currently mostly just threatening to rear its head.</p> <p>The premise for this anime is that the characters are dragon riders/breeders/masters, and they are at a school for dragonars—what they call these dragon rider people. The main character, though termed a “problem child” throughout his school career hasn’t found his dragon yet at the beginning of the anime, and when he does, it is in the form of a young girl (pictured in the middle of the image above). She is feisty and stubborn, and not about to let Ash—the main character—call himself her master. No, <em>she</em> is <em>his</em> master! </p> <p>For the most part I’ve been quite enjoying this anime. It does have the creepy, look-at-her-boobs factor, but there is also what I feel to be a fairly strong and interesting story and driving plot behind that. I’m interested to see where this one goes. As for favourite character thus far, aside from the dragons themselves (have I ever mentioned I love dragons?), my favourite character is Eco, the protagonist’s dragon-in-human-form. So technically still a dragon.</p> <p><strong><u>4. Gokukoku no Brynhildr (Brynhildr in the Darkness)</u></strong></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/4/56657l.jpg"></p> <p align="left">This one is a bit hard to classify. I don’t think it’s particularly geared towards either gender, maybe slightly towards guys more then girls, but I think it’s good for everyone. I guess that it’s a sci-fi mystery/drama type anime? And dark. Only 4 episodes in and the darkness is already quickly creeping into this show’s plot. Like dragons and sad shows, I also love me some darkness. Admittedly, though, although this was one anime that interested me a bit when I first read about it on Random Curiosity, I’m mostly watching it because my boyfriend decided to pick it up. I’m not sure I would have gone for it on my own.</p> <p align="left">The main character—Ryouta—when he was young, had a friend who insisted on proving the existence of aliens, but died in an accident. Feeling responsible, he is the sole remaining member of the astronomy club in high school years later, trying to prove aliens for Kuroneko, his dead friend. One day, a transfer student who looks identical to his long-dead friend comes to his school, and he kinda freaks out, but she insists that they have never met in their lives. She later saves his life using her magical powers, however, and admits to being a witch. It’s a pretty complicated premise, and I can’t explain better or more thoroughly without spoiling the first couple of episodes, so I’ll leave that there.</p> <p align="left">I was not expecting to like this anime as much as I have been. As I mentioned above, I do really like the darkness that hasn’t been present in many of the anime that I’ve watched thus far. It’s a bit morbid and gory, and more adult than a lot of anime, which is usually geared to kids, teens, and young adults. This is probably more of an older show, and lacks a lot of the goofiness of a lot of anime. Which is not always a bad thing. I’ll definitely be continuing to watch to figure out what the fuck is going on!</p> <p align="left"><strong><em><u>Dropped</u></em></strong></p> <p><strong><u>Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi (Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky)</u></strong> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/2/61733l.jpg"></p> <p align="left">I won’t give this one as thorough an introduction as the others, but I did want to touch on it because I did give it a try.</p> <p align="left">I didn’t know going in, but this is linked to an existing and successful game franchise, which complicates and confuses somethings. There were a few times when stuff happened or was said that just seemed to be taken for granted that I felt needed some explanation, but no explanation was ever given. That might be because anyone who has played the games would understand without explanation, but I don’t know. I also felt that character development was lacking.</p> <p align="left">I did find the art style very appealing, and the alchemy element seemed interesting on first read through of the introduction, but about halfway through the third episode I just couldn’t care anymore, so I decided to drop it. I have other things that I can do with the 20 minutes a week I would have spent not caring about this anime. However, if you’ve played the games, maybe this would be fun to watch?</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">So that’s everything. I will also mention briefly that I’m super excited for next season, because that is when the reboot of Sailor Moon airs! I’m pretty excited to watch a proper, Japanese version of the show. </p> <p align="left">So yeah, I hope you found this interesting or useful in some way. Thanks so much for reading. Have an awesome day! =)</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-91447517675064307262014-04-25T22:11:00.001-07:002014-04-25T22:34:56.668-07:00I’m still not dead…<p>I can’t believe that it’s been almost 2 months since I’ve posted here, but I have been really busy with this past semester, though I did enjoy a fair bit of it more than I usually do! </p> <p>In fact, only a couple days ago I finished up my last assignment, which was to create an “edition” of one of the texts we were reading for class. What that means, for those who aren’t familiar with the idea, is basically like we were making a mini book, and so we had to do the various things involved in that process. Luckily, we just did a couple of chapters instead of a whole book, as it was a ton of work as it was already!</p> <p>I chose to do my project on <em>The Picture of Dorian Gray</em> by Oscar Wilde, because I absolutely loved it. I chose to do my project as a website, so you can <a href="http://thepictureofdgray.blogspot.ca">click here to go take a look at it</a> if you want; it’d be cool if some people looked at it considering all the work I put into it! We had to write an introduction to the edition (with historical context, rationale, etc.), a note on the text (explaining decisions and edits we made, and to which copy-texts), a works cited, and the text itself, as well as any extras we wanted to include.</p> <p>For my edition, I chose to compare the 1890 and 1891 publishings of <em>Dorian Gray</em> since there are some pretty substantial changes made which harshly affect the reading and meaning of Wilde’s story, so I presented two different chapters with the 1890 and 1891 side by side for easy comparison. I also linked to some reviews of each text on Project Gutenberg.</p> <p>So yeah… that was literally hours of work. And my hands were so sore after all the necessary transcription and coding! >____<</p> <p>But I’m done now, hoping to get a job soon. I just had what I hope was a promisiing interview at Old Navy. At very least, I had some fun meeting the hiring manager person and some other prospective employees. *Shrugs*</p> <p>Anyway… I hope to do another book round-up type post in the next little while, as I have read tons for class, as well as on my own over the last little while. I know that’s pretty much the only thing I post here, but I’m okay with that. I could also do a post about the anime I’m watching this season, though, since there are five. Which is just bizarre. I think I’m broken!</p> <p>However, if anyone wants to see anything else, do leave me a comment down below, and I shall see if I can accommodate your wishes =P</p> <p>Thanks so much for reading. Have an awesome day/night/afternoon/etc. <3</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-9028096594228756742014-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-15T00:31:54.386-08:00TAG: Book Clock<p>I found this tag on my friend Brit’s blog—<a href="http://starlessfashion.blogspot.ca/">starlessfashion.blogspot.ca</a>—and I thought it looked like fun. I’m not going to tag anyone, so do it if you think it looks interesting, and let me know in the comments so I can check out your answers! <p>1) How fast do you read?<br>It takes me about 2 or 3 minutes to read a page in your average book, so about 20-30 pages an hour.</p> <p><br>2) How many books do you read in a year?<br>Somewhere in the 40-50 range, if we’re only talking novels.</p> <p>3) How many books are on your TBR pile/list?<br>Hundreds, if we look at my GoodReads list instead of an actual pile: 358, at the moment, to be precise. </p> <p><br>4) Based on how many books you have to read, and how many book you read in a year, how long will it take you to get to the end of your TBR pile/list?<br>Assuming I read 50 books a year steadily, and never learn about or acquire any new books to add to the pile, it would take me more than 7 years.<br></p> <p>5) How many years have you been reading?<br>Probably since I was 4 or 5, sooo… ~19 years…</p> <p><br>6) Based on how many books you read in a year and how many years you've been reading, how many books have you read in your lifetime?<br>That’s really hard to figure out, considering that I didn’t really start reading novels until I was around 7, so that’s 2-3 years where I’m reading picture books, and I’m sure in that period I read more than 50 books a year. Then again, I probably read a bit less than 50 a year through the rest of elementary school… Maybe it evens out. </p> <p>Alright, let’s assume 50/year again… 50*19=950 books. That’s a lot of books… </p> <p><br>7) How many hours do you spend reading in a week?<br>That’s hard for me to calculate, since I don’t read with much regularity, but when I do read, I usually read in huge doses (like several hours in one day). There are probably some weeks that I read for maybe 3 hours (mostly class readings), and others where I’m into a book and read closer to 10-15 hours.</p> <p><br>8) How many hours do you spend in book-related activities other than reading in a week? (Booktubing, bookblogging, book shopping, etc)<br>I hang out with my best friend about once a week, and somehow we almost always find ourselves in a bookstore for at least part of that time, so that’s probably a good hour or so right there shopping for books. Other than that, I don’t do too much else regarding books. So let’s say about 2 hours a week.</p> <p><br>9) Would you like to change that ratio? (Would you rather spend more time reading and less time on book-related things?)<br>I don’t care much about the ratio, but I would ideally like to find more time to read for pleasure every week. The trouble tends to be finding the time between school work, my blogs, friends, family, the gym, and marathoning tv shows…</p> <p>10) Anything else you'd like to add? And who do you want to tag?<br>I don’t think I have anything to add. And no tags; as I mentioned at the top, I tag anyone and everyone who wants to. And make sure to post the link!</p> <p>Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-16519746782283353862014-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-10T12:00:05.095-08:00Spring 2014 Semester (Text)book Haul<p>I know it’s a little after the start of the semester, but I thought it would be cool to show you the books that I bought for my classes this semester—and also the books that I didn’t buy, but will be reading for my classes. It took me a while to figure out the best way to organize these, but I think the best way to do it is by course. I’ll also quickly tell you a little about the point/purpose of each class is before getting into the books, in case you’re intersted. So let’s get into it, shall we?</p> <p align="center"><strong><u>English 435W – Editing the Nineteenth Century Classics</u></strong></p> <p align="center">I thought this course sounded really interesting, but also kinda scary when I was picking my classes, considering it isn’t your average English class where you read the books, talk about the books, and write a few essays. Instead, along with looking at the actual works that these books contain, we are looking at the specific editions, the ways that they are put together, and the decisions that go into producing an individual edition of a text. Also, instead of a final essay, the ending project for this class is to make our own editions of a chapter of section of one of the books we’re reading.</p> <p align="left">1. <em>The Annotated Frankenstein</em> by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FDL3BtDmqQk/Uu2KiIaLmeI/AAAAAAAAXHk/5HYGw8-nbxQ/s1600-h/IMG_0333%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0333" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0333" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9ZyV_AOE984/Uu2KobfCRGI/AAAAAAAAXHs/P6t61RMRUXM/IMG_0333_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="466"></a></p> <p align="left">This book is massive, and pretty expensive, considering that you could get a paperback pocketbook version for maybe $10 new. However, considering the idea of the class, the edition was very specific and important. I wish I liked Frankenstein—which i don’t—but it’s really cool all the extra stuff that’s in here, including a lot of information in the side annotations, as well as tons of pictures of things like first editions, portraits, and other relevant images. It’s really pretty, as you can see in the two images below:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y7YgDIjcIEE/Uu2K9is3riI/AAAAAAAAXH0/lj-leSjC6FA/s1600-h/IMG_0339%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0339" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0339" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OGwWdg-7_x8/Uu2LEYCo7-I/AAAAAAAAXH8/A_OPBbF4Mvo/IMG_0339_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="367"></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0b03NIX4LVM/Uu2LK-OJDOI/AAAAAAAAXIE/9IwDBTTKyso/s1600-h/IMG_0340%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0340" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0340" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uSE5_vpG8_w/Uu2LQV56fTI/AAAAAAAAXIM/lQKC-I-qjTA/IMG_0340_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="353"></a></p> <p align="left">So yeah, while I hate <em>Frankenstein</em> as a novel, this book is gorgeous, and I doubt I’d sell it or get rid of it.</p> <p align="left">2. <em>Moths</em> by Ouida:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1ZZEUcp4WlE/Uu2LeC1PycI/AAAAAAAAXIU/HnSxl86aJFo/s1600-h/IMG_0347%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0347" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0347" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3E3q0wjJYYc/Uu2Llu_TEhI/AAAAAAAAXIc/U2mpGcTeKLM/IMG_0347_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="469" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1YnVSsOWU-M/Uu2LryaZWaI/AAAAAAAAXIk/BVKcjuLugRA/s1600-h/IMG_0349%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0349" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0349" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-z79AWJgf03k/Uu2LwhL8-6I/AAAAAAAAXIs/1SBGt1tDodo/IMG_0349_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="168"></a></p> <p align="left">I know little to nothing about this novel, aside from what the blurb on the back says, and that it is a Victorian novel, which is published in three volumes. It sounds a bit like <em>Vanity Fair</em>, which I haven’t read, but I have seen the movie adaptation with Reese Witherspoon. I hope it’s easy to read, because it’s really long, and the general concept sounds pretty interesting and promising.</p> <p align="left">Also, as you can see from the library barcode, I did not buy this book, because it was available in the university library, which allows semester-long loans, and also as a free e-book through the library. So I have no reason to buy this ugly edition of this book.</p> <p align="left">3. <em>Heart of Darkness</em> by Joseph Conrad:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9gdIVHwA2CA/Uu2L3EBeGII/AAAAAAAAXI0/qG5Eyhxl6p8/s1600-h/IMG_0353%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0353" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0353" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AUEIVnE5hN0/Uu2L-DVYC2I/AAAAAAAAXI8/zqyge3CTDb0/IMG_0353_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I know almost as little about this novel as I do about <em>Moths</em>, except that I know lots of people don’t like it. So I’m not really excited to read it, but it has been on my GoodReads to-read list for a long time. Also, I hate that it has that ugly circle of sticker left on it, but it’s better than the giant ugly sticker that the University bookstore put on the front! Ugh! *stickers on books is a bit of a pet peeve of mine…*</p> <p align="left">4. <em>The History of Mary Prince</em> by Mary Prince:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BSI38_svo6c/Uu2MIyQgZGI/AAAAAAAAXJE/isNI_FvJXCM/s1600-h/IMG_0356%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0356" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0356" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EeMtoyq2Ka0/Uu2MPaTkIoI/AAAAAAAAXJM/L0pGckaSl6Y/IMG_0356_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="547"></a></p> <p align="left">This is probably the book from this class that I am looking forward to the least. From what I can tell, this is a slave narrative, more like a memoir than a novel. But at least it will be really short, and maybe the history around this book’s publication has been really interesting.</p> <p align="left">5. <em>The Picture of Dorian Grey</em> by Oscar Wilde:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sAJR0c9vnLI/Uu2MUS1ndjI/AAAAAAAAXJU/41P2KrVWql4/s1600-h/IMG_0357%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0357" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0357" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-a5ojiofHqNo/Uu2MZZ_5trI/AAAAAAAAXJc/IkBJOI2FSh0/IMG_0357_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="524" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I’m actually really excited to read this book, and I’ve already started it, because I’ve pretty much already decided that it’s the book that I’m going to do my presentation and final project on. My best friend read this ages ago, and it sounded really interesting, but I hadn’t got around to reading it yet, but I have now! Also, less than 30 pages in, and I’m already in love with Wilde’s writing style, so that’s a plus. Oh, and can I just mention how much I like the style of the Oxford World's Classics book collection? Yeah.</p> <p align="center"><strong><u>English 404W – Constructing Urban Identity in Late Medieval Literature and Art</u></strong></p> <p align="center">This was another course that seemed scary when I was doing my selecting, but unlike the editing one, this one still does scare me a little, because analyzing art is just not my forte… At any rate, the material is still pretty interesting, partly just because I really like Medieval literature, though my favourite stuff is a bit older than Chaucer, and this is <em>late</em> middle ages, but that’s alright. I do like Chaucer, and I’ve read a lot, and I get it. But yes the idea of the course is to get a better understanding of how Medieval art and literature interact with each other and what they can tell us about the period. It almost sounds more like a Humanities class than an English class, but it’s still interesting.</p> <p align="left">1. <em>York Mystery Plays: A Selection in Modern Spelling</em></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--2x1bau7ziQ/Uu2Me-H4M_I/AAAAAAAAXJk/Rh203eEeNCY/s1600-h/IMG_0361%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0361" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0361" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BmcWjMzjL_s/Uu2MmDapAfI/AAAAAAAAXJs/ea1360pUdpg/IMG_0361_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">These are a mix of boring and interesting, though the historical info in the introduction has been pretty interesting. The York Mystery Plays are not actually mysteries, but they are called that because the Guilds that put on the plays—which enact different scenes/stories out of the Bible and other apocryphal Christian texts—were sometimes called Mysteries. I don’t know why, just roll with it. But some of the plays are quite interesting, specifically when they deal with apocryphal material which would not be accepted today as Biblical, since it kinda lets you look at how the people of the time understood and questioned their religion.</p> <p align="left">2. <em>Picture Theory</em> by W. J. T. Mitchell:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zc2C1gbgNkQ/Uu2MtUO4XrI/AAAAAAAAXJ0/csY3ZCtkLiI/s1600-h/IMG_0365%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0365" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCm1t_DBR9sg3kmy6IHcbhSsKSiQa1Srs3mL52RWJiPc-BlwA6ey3fWhu1cl0OjoSNlff66R_pi2Wqkfpf9snLdK1t_5Ke3EqtEgG7-VTQnHEoYaz2rUaFMdTxFq-Rk4Nuawm7VGufVA/?imgmax=800" width="436" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">This might be literally the most boring book I had to buy for this semester. I don’t even want to talk about it; each of the chapters is like reading a long, boring academic journal article. At least I didn’t buy it.</p> <p align="left">3. <em>Painting & Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy</em> by Michael Baxandall</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ljeLdrkcw5A/Uu2eVBkM59I/AAAAAAAAXKM/sAbNoU7G7Qg/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0366" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0366" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_wJTNNw5648/Uu2M3-MTF8I/AAAAAAAAXKU/wgbkWDxoiMk/IMG_0366_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="539" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">This one isn’t enjoyable for me, but it is fairly readable. Also, much shorter, and it has tons of (black and white) pictures.</p> <p align="left">4. <em>The Canterbury Tales: Fifteen Tales and the General Prologue</em> by Geoffrey Chaucer</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SIxY0IpqfHc/Uu2M71VuiJI/AAAAAAAAXKc/E8hF6hxhUjk/s1600-h/IMG_0370%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0370" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0370" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TA9e8G_83ZI/Uu2M-rqL_5I/AAAAAAAAXKk/MGn7lplyJV4/IMG_0370_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I didn’t have to buy this one, because my mom owns it. Also, if you don’t know what the Canterbury Tales are, you should probably look it up, because it’s pretty important. It’s tough to read, because it’s written in a very old, non-standardized version of English, so the spellings change, but everything is spelled how it sounds, and if you read it out loud it can make a lot more sense if you just can’t figure it out.</p> <p align="center"><strong><u>Humanities 303 – Rome: Cyberspace 1.0</u></strong></p> <p align="center">This class is looking at Rome starting around the time of Augustus Caesar and analyzing the various networks that were in place from previous empires, and those that were put in place as Rome expanded to rule so much of Europe. The prof is connecting those trade/government/communication/transportation/etc. networks to cyberspace because their main function is to connect people and facilitate the spread of information and goods, much like the internet in some ways. So far the title doesn’t seem to have too much to do with the course, but Rome is interesting all the same.</p> <p align="left">1. <em>The Sixteen Satires</em> by Juvenal:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AC5AERsGKcE/Uu2NDBkJFRI/AAAAAAAAXKs/CyaTFBO42R8/s1600-h/IMG_0375%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0375" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0375" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-h8Q7kr1Ao6k/Uu2NFNSlVSI/AAAAAAAAXK0/6CA3F2sCVsw/IMG_0375_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="547" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">If you ignore the slightly questionable painting pictured here, I also really like the cover design of these Penguin Classics. Anyways, I don’t know what this one is about, or who Juvenal is, though I’m guessing there’s something satirical about this book… Just a guess.</p> <p align="left">2. <em>The Poems of Exile</em> by Ovid:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9M293Lxv_w0/Uu2NJ2OhkwI/AAAAAAAAXK8/XynlWK1D-Cw/s1600-h/IMG_0378%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0378" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0378" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yXveMWo53wY/Uu2NMvxzChI/AAAAAAAAXLE/mXdyF9UmxVY/IMG_0378_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="512"></a></p> <p align="left">This is basically a book of poems in which Ovid whines about being exiled from Rome by Augustus for writing a book he didn’t like. Though technically it’s a satire, and he basically calls Augustus a hypocrite and stuff like that. I’m honestly bored out of my mind about it, but luckily this is another book I got out of the library, but just from the actual public library, so it’ll be due soon, which isn’t great.</p> <p align="left">3. <em>The Annals of Imperial Rome</em> by Tacitus:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WOidDNDwYVQ/Uu2NReC2t4I/AAAAAAAAXLM/Fihhv6HX5jE/s1600-h/IMG_0380%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0380" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0380" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hlAcyqOWTGI/Uu2NTyeOxPI/AAAAAAAAXLU/Ur-cBfcpRyE/IMG_0380_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="484" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">Yet another book that I got out of the SFU library. I almost wish this copy was mine, not because I like the book, but because it looks so old and wrecked, and I love books that look like this. Anyways, this book is basically a history book written in Rome about Rome, which is kinda cool. The translation actually isn’t that bad, and it’s fairly readable, except that the prof assigned an insane number of pages for our first go at it, so it’s a little daunting picking up the book knowing you need to get through 200 pages before class.</p> <p align="left">4. <em>The Aeneid</em> by Virgil:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zl6QTlGnFIY/Uu2NYRXjHFI/AAAAAAAAXLc/c_QFohjRVqc/s1600-h/IMG_0382%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0382" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0382" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lupOS-m4bqg/Uu2Na-ireWI/AAAAAAAAXLk/-5s5r6KrpFA/IMG_0382_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">Oh my god, a book I actually paid for?! I’m actually a bit interested to read this one, since it’s an ancient classic, and also a massive piece of Roman propaganda. I just hope that I don’t go into it hoping for too much so that it just feels boring.</p> <p align="left">5. <em>Fasti</em> by Ovid:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2rlDZv0_0mg/Uu2NfedVCnI/AAAAAAAAXLs/YeIgitlXQy4/s1600-h/IMG_0386%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0386" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0386" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WajCu8l-2I4/Uu2NjNUYl5I/AAAAAAAAXL0/sHweG7gtAuo/IMG_0386_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I’ve heard that it’s less whiney than the <em>Poems of Exile</em>, which should be a bit of a nice change. If I remember correctly, this is the book about Roman religious and the gods and such that Ovid wrote, so that could actually be fairly interesting, since I love Greek mythology. Though I have much less experience with Roman mythology, so I don’t know if I like it as much, since I know that some of the characters/gods end up coming off a bit differently in the Roman context.</p> <p align="left">6. <em>The Complete Odes and Epodes</em> by Horace:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dUlXJPPixSk/Uu2NnjgirqI/AAAAAAAAXMA/sNZJpYo9EDU/s1600-h/IMG_0388%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0388" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0388" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pgzOQ1iQOjI/Uu2NqY9BguI/AAAAAAAAXMI/SUZ0CRs6BSI/IMG_0388_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">And finally, the first textbook that I no longer need. If I’d been thinkging a little faster, I could have been really nice to this bok and then returned it to the bookstore for my refund, because we only used it for the first week of the semester, and then we were done. It was really boring, in my opinion; it’s a collection of long and short poems by Horace that really have nothing to do with each other. Also, Horace has some weird love of referencing/name-dropping tons of mythological characters, famous people, places, and stuff like that. It was quite weird.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">So that’s all the books I bought/borrowed for the semester! Unlike last semester, I didn’t buy myself a new notebook or any cool pens or anything, since I have tons of good pens, and last semester’s notebook has more than enough empty pages to work for the three classes I’m in this semester. So that will be good. </p> <p align="left">But yes, you might be able to tell that I’m looking forward most to the books in my English classes, and specifically my editing class, but at least this semester doesn’t seem to have turned out as badly as I was expecting.</p> <p align="left">Anyways, I hope you found this post interesting in some way. Thanks for reading! <3</p> <p align="left">Let me know in comments if you’ve read any of these books, and what you thought of them!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-78799621136199123702014-01-30T00:31:00.001-08:002014-01-30T22:12:39.219-08:00My Tea Collection (Jan 2014)<p>Hello! I honestly don’t know if you’re interested in seeing how much teas I own, and which teas, but I thought it would be interesting, and I would be interested to read other people’s collections, so I thought I’d share. I love tea, and I have a <em>lot</em>. So here it is. </p> <p>I figure I’ll separate it into two sections: bagged tea and loose leaf tea to make it a little tidier. So let’s get to it…!</p> <p align="center"><u><strong>Bagged Teas:</strong></u></p> <p>1. Stash Jasmine Blossom green tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Nu3le2IIrq0/UunyBbHxKKI/AAAAAAAAWz8/KMj9l73HZ-s/s1600-h/100_3310%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3310" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3310" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-x0Dnmf_-r_s/UunyDuMz7fI/AAAAAAAAW0E/q0lznwH_jfM/100_3310_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="359" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is definitely one of my favourite kinds of tea, and this particular one is delicious. It just smells and tastes fantastic, floraly, and sweet even without sugar. So good and warming, but also great made cold in the summer! I’m running low on this tea, and only have a few bags left. I should really pick some more up!</p> <p>2. Stash Cinnamon Vanilla rooibos tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KcRS0aIO5J0/UunyQzsI8TI/AAAAAAAAW0M/TkfBOQfZm38/s1600-h/100_3318%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3318" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3318" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dqZiI8VZxxI/UunyTAzZcmI/AAAAAAAAW0U/U4q5hVY5QUU/100_3318_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="397" height="550"></a></p> <p>I got this tea for Christmas not this last Christmas but the year before. I think I drank maybe 2 or 3 cups of it, but I don’t really like it. I’ve pretty much decided that I don’t like rooibos teas, which is unfortunate, since vanilla and cinnamon are two flavours I greatly appreciate, so this tea <em>should</em> be perfect. Disappointing. I’ll probably try to pawn this stuff off on my sister or something.</p> <p>3. Stash Pumpkin Spice decaf tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V3K0sb4Axcc/UunyX1q0doI/AAAAAAAAW0c/KpVeLVs1Apw/s1600-h/100_3321%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3321" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3321" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8zCXwq2Ul3o/UunyZ-2E4nI/AAAAAAAAW0k/bcI3C7DILz8/100_3321_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="550"></a></p> <p>This and the next tea has been a favourite for years, since my mom bought them one year as Christmas gifts. Each year I ration these slowly throughout the year so I never have to do without, since they are only available during the holiday season. This is your basic cinnamon-y pumpkin spice flavours. The decaf tea makes it a great before-bed drink, though it also seems to have a weaker tea flavour than regular black tea. Still good, though!</p> <p>4. Stash Holiday Chai black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qpM5d1AtPYk/Uunyd7mD-8I/AAAAAAAAW0s/Vnl8WISZTgk/s1600-h/100_3324%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3324" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3324" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7KdGRObQyIQ/UunyhuD2pBI/AAAAAAAAW00/esr6jEY3cXg/100_3324_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="376" height="550"></a></p> <p>I love this one even more than the Pumpkin Spice one. This one isn’t decaf, so it’s more of a morning/during the day tea. But it is sooo good, and a really interesting take on regular chai tea. Along with the regular flavours you expect from a chai tea, this has the added flavours of rum and eggnog. So warming and delicious!</p> <p>5. Stash Chamomile herbal tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1fdihRr4NPM/Uunyk5Ui9JI/AAAAAAAAW08/wN0fFjhMIos/s1600-h/100_3326%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3326" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3326" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1xt_7vh60BM/Uunym4AWr4I/AAAAAAAAW1E/j1qz5yxjLdA/100_3326_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="371" height="550"></a></p> <p>Classic bedtime tea! I personally feel like chamomile tea can help me go to sleep if I’m just not feeling tired, or feeling a bit restless before bed. However, I don’t like the flavour as much as I used to when I was younger, so I like to add a little milk and just a touch of sugar. I know it’s terrible for my teeth to have sugar right before falling asleep, but I swear it’s just a little to bring out the flavours in the tea. Plus hot milk is also good for sleeping, right? I’m not too attached to this particular brand of chamomile, but I do like Stash, so that’s probably why I chose this one.</p> <p>6. Twinings Lady Grey tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dx7jhqWz0UE/Uunz4At0HvI/AAAAAAAAW1M/Wqh8G7Oep1k/s1600-h/100_3338%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3338" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3338" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TgNVpLZR5b0/Uunz8AvR1gI/AAAAAAAAW1U/xL1Z_ARMTFg/100_3338_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="375" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is absolutely one of my favourite teas. As you may have guessed from the name, this is a bit of a take on regular Earl Grey tea, which is usually just a black tea scented with bergamot (and sometimes lavender?). This is a bergamot black tea as well, with the addition of lemon and orange flavours as well. It’s really fruity and delicious, and with cream and sugar it is almost like dessert, but it’s also bloody delicious black! Also, as a fun fact, the reason I was first drawn to this tea was when my mom got it one time years ago, and it just smelled strongly of Fruit Loops; I don’t know why it smells so much like Fruit Loops, but I love it… and I assure you, it <em>does not </em>taste like Fruit Loops!</p> <p>7. Yama Moto Yama Genmai Cha (green tea with roasted brown rice):</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jt7On3Ytoao/Uun0DrFqMuI/AAAAAAAAW1c/84A_wfXSMZ4/s1600-h/100_3340%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3340" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3340" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pE1YFd3_4z4/Uun0K2ywsMI/AAAAAAAAW1k/kdFfDUA2v8Q/100_3340_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="405"></a></p> <p>I got this tea after slowly learning to love this odd flavour by drinking it at tons of different Japanese restaurants. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, I think, but it is really unique and tasty! It has a sweet, roasted flavour, and tastes great with all kinds of Asian food, or on its own.</p> <p>8. Four O’Clock Peppermint organic herbal tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Dv3cMyoxiVs/Uun0TNzpsmI/AAAAAAAAW1s/q-6ByY8WOnA/s1600-h/100_3343%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3343" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3343" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D19aCNzHgG0/Uun0Zu-aT3I/AAAAAAAAW10/26D2t2DZkHc/100_3343_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="550"></a></p> <p>I love peppermint tea, and I have several reasons. First, it’s really good for your stomach and digestion. Peppermint is also great for headaches, to which I am sometimes prone. Peppermint is also a nice, cooling, refreshing drink both hot and iced, especially when it’s hot outside, but it’s also comforting and warming when it’s cold. And finally, it’s a good caffeine-free drink for before bed. Nom.</p> <p>9. Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane decaf green tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rhWVTSVqbAc/UuoK4RamPTI/AAAAAAAAW18/_lBmEmjb17o/s1600-h/100_3375%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3375" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3375" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-582zpumJJmM/UuoK6y_5eAI/AAAAAAAAW2E/7pfHqJ519j8/100_3375_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="346"></a></p> <p>This and the next tea I got just this past holiday season after seeing a display in a store. I am clearly susceptible to good marketing… and tea. Anways, this one is a delicious, naturally slightly sweet peppermint green tea blend, but without green tea’s usually caffine, which seems to be a bit of a thing for this brand. Still warming, comforting, and very Christmassy. Nom!</p> <p>10. Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice herbal tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZjwyKbttHGc/UuoK-WvfuVI/AAAAAAAAW2M/wCeMwFipqJ8/s1600-h/100_3376%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3376" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3376" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8v9WI6JkVjQ/UuoLAbw3OyI/AAAAAAAAW2U/H2B3MW1NaWE/100_3376_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="356"></a></p> <p>The Candy Cane Lane tea I actually got just because these were on a two-for-some-sale price, and this was the one that really intrigued me. And thus, it was also the one that disappointed me. It sounds great, right? Especially if you like Gingerbread Lattes, but the overarching flavour, at least in my opinion, is the odd chicory root in it. And it doesn’t have any tea flavour at all, which makes sense, considering it doesn’t <em>contain</em> tea. Even once I got over the shock, though, I find this tea hard to make taste really good. Plain, with sugar, with milk, with milk and sugar. I’m just not into it; someone else with probably end up drinking it.</p> <p>11. Tetley Chai tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qYoSn6OZifQ/UuoLD6QKp_I/AAAAAAAAW2c/mdfxBmTFs7w/s1600-h/100_3379%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3379" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3379" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FunYxAVHHJg/UuoLGgmk8iI/AAAAAAAAW2k/jiT7rYf3gL4/100_3379_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="455" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">Your regular every day chai; something I was craving this past Christmas, with all the holiday chai I was drinking. Nothing special, except that it’s super delicious without being anything more than the classic chai tea. Nom.</p> <p align="center"><strong><u>Loose Leaf Teas:</u></strong></p> <p>1. Soko Tea House Coconut Oolong tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4gAPR7kkTnY/UunyGQSEDnI/AAAAAAAAW2s/1wU452xHvok/s1600-h/100_3313%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3313" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3313" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-31SGDVjCj94/UunyIJ7JXXI/AAAAAAAAW20/mMthZgJDGyk/100_3313_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="368" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-q-LKrGKkSyo/UunyLDMD5dI/AAAAAAAAW28/y_goX9p5Coo/s1600-h/100_3315%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3315" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3315" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wJtiSoej31c/UunyNLiNzMI/AAAAAAAAW3E/q3k-wEZTgA4/100_3315_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is a delicious (have I said that word enough times in this post yet?), simple tea. It’s a green oolong tea flavoured with coconut, and it’s really comforting and light. It can be good with cream and/or sugar, but I prefer to drink it black, and these leaves are great even for multiple steepings, which is great! Also, this tea is so good that the leaves aren’t even bitter, so sometimes I put these loose right into my cup, and just keep pouring fresh hot water in! Yum!</p> <p>2. DavidsTea The Earl’s Garden black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eabuRZC7fYI/UunypyvRNqI/AAAAAAAAW3M/cy6w4zh4GKM/s1600-h/100_3329%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3329" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3329" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yZdlBktfw9c/Uunyr-5-1qI/AAAAAAAAW3U/c2LUukGD8-Q/100_3329_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="375" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dkQ1ybOYXJM/Uunyvlq28uI/AAAAAAAAW3c/8vS8pKH46Rk/s1600-h/100_3330%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3330" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3330" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x06s2J4ATjU/Uunyxy0YuEI/AAAAAAAAW3k/roxnYnwcY2Q/100_3330_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="546" height="550"></a></p> <p>I believe this is the only loose leaf tea that I have so far repurchased. This was one of the first ones I tried when DavidsTea showed up in my mall, and I loooooove it! Its just like your basic Earl Grey, with black tea and bergamot, with cornflowers for colour (the blue pieces) and also strawberry bits, which gives this tea a sweet, fruity, delicious flavour, that tastes awesome any way you want to drink it! (Hot, iced, black, sweetned, with milk/cream, etc.) I definitely recommend it!</p> <p>3. DavidsTea North African Mint green tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Fu-pUfV_8l8/Uuny1doS1YI/AAAAAAAAW3s/0umdnFWW1M0/s1600-h/100_3331%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3331" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3331" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-O_urLdkSUKg/Uuny3UTp2yI/AAAAAAAAW30/AVEiYXJJF4M/100_3331_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fhwFjlHWtoY/Uuny52KhY9I/AAAAAAAAW38/uqqELJKtTvA/s1600-h/100_3333%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3333" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3333" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-15A1CVN18Zg/Uuny8TrSb0I/AAAAAAAAW4E/VduYCg-PxjY/100_3333_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="443" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is a bit of an odd one, definitely not your average mint green tea, as it contains some regular ingredients of chai (cardamom, ginger, and cloves) as well as black pepper and liquorice root. The outcome is a spicy, unique mint tea. Addictive and warming, but I can get too much of this tea as well.</p> <p>4. DavidsTea Forever Nuts “herbal” tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eGuznsUinho/UunzCgU4EgI/AAAAAAAAW4M/2bZtTDCZDTM/s1600-h/100_3334%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3334" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3334" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Gzdi0gn-m_U/UunzIzWnO8I/AAAAAAAAW4U/ZZYOU1VNriA/100_3334_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WEQxHWxtQTk/Uunzqh0J6DI/AAAAAAAAW4c/O4F1UIwuQB4/s1600-h/100_3336%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3336" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3336" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TGxFNyEvhSU/UunzwQ19S4I/AAAAAAAAW4k/ilLag8pHY3Q/100_3336_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="411" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is a bit of a weird one. I first got it because it smelled fantastic, and the concept of making tea from pieces of nuts was intriguing. Also, the promise of pink tea was a big seller, to be honest. I only drink this tea with milk and sugar, it’s too fruity and herbal any other way, in my opinion. I’m also pretty sick of this tea, so I haven’t had it in a while. If I eventually finish it, I probably won’t bother repurchasing.</p> <p>5. DavidsTea Salted Caramel black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JNpJxWrCKJk/Uun0hBMqDkI/AAAAAAAAW4s/JVBI9iZLwMs/s1600-h/100_3344%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3344" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3344" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NuSKMeCdN4M/Uun0n8noPdI/AAAAAAAAW40/Mq6M4M-CY3Y/100_3344_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="369" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ct0LV6S-9T4/Uun0r5tSLMI/AAAAAAAAW48/84QzGlvAzi0/s1600-h/100_3347%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3347" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3347" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BQseiErIuF0/Uun0xYkDYzI/AAAAAAAAW5E/zA2uzFcOuyk/100_3347_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="550"></a></p> <p>I <em>love</em> salted caramel mochas and hot chocolate from Starbucks in the winter, so I was excited to find this at DavidsTea, and a tiny bit scared of the tea tasting too salty. But it isn’t overpowering at all. It’s just very satisfying; you probably couldn’t tell there was salt if you didn’t know, it just add something special to the flavour. It’s also not too sweet, but this is another tea that I prefer with milk and a bit of sugar.</p> <p>6. Dragon Pearl Jasmine green tea (don’t remember where it’s from!):</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5s--q84DEKY/Uun049CyEhI/AAAAAAAAW5M/2LRpO_yGyfo/s1600-h/100_3352%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3352" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3352" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NPYSE8F8Q5Q/Uun1B_0-jMI/AAAAAAAAW5U/E_F_i9fnBic/100_3352_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="371" height="550"></a></p> <p>This is a delicious and <em>expensive</em> jasmine green tea that I got in Chinatown in Vancouver, but I can’t remember the name of the store. I really love the flavour, and that the leaves allow for at least two good steepings, but aside from that, I don’t think it’s worth the price. I love jasmine tea, but DavidsTea and Stash, among many others, sell perfectly good, and much more affordable options.</p> <p>7. DavidsTea Matcha “Matsu” green tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-57qpboU1Dw4/Uun1ImLoaHI/AAAAAAAAW5c/9XZU3Mf0Rv8/s1600-h/100_3353%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3353" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3353" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rrFl3V8_ZQQ/Uun1NS8o9nI/AAAAAAAAW5k/7MbiOIMoG1U/100_3353_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="365" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vh-oFAZcoVM/UuoMxNUBIvI/AAAAAAAAW5s/gK695DdNc3s/s1600-h/100_3355%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3355" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3355" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iG5qbXt1GOA/UuoMzMUu7VI/AAAAAAAAW50/VaUJQe3oXQ4/100_3355_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="550"></a></p> <p>For the longest time I was resistant to stuff like green tea lattes and green tea frappucinos, but after trying Matcha KitKats (Japanese, hard to find in Vancouver, and expensive when you find them) I had to try matcha! It’s a little tricky mixing this finely milled powdered tea into water at first, but once you get the hang of it, this is fantastic! Just on its own in hot water, it gives a rich green tea flavour (and full of antioxidants, since you’re drinking the whole leaf!), but my favourite way to drink it is mixed into milk or made very strong in hot water and then mixing it with vanilla steamed milk for a latte. My Vanilla Matcha latte also tastes almost exactly like a green tea KitKat! Mmm…</p> <p>8. DavidsTea Green & Fruity rooibos tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7ZcwkRciJp0/UuoM2NbntWI/AAAAAAAAW58/2eQxyBDqU-M/s1600-h/100_3356%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3356" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3356" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h0KIksAsovY/UuoM4TjG67I/AAAAAAAAW6E/OdEoJnOz5_k/100_3356_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="408" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-r_9c_0Takjs/UuoM70oQkmI/AAAAAAAAW6M/PVtDGj4WPkU/s1600-h/100_3357%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3357" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3357" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SnEmvgEYs3k/UuoM9xVERLI/AAAAAAAAW6U/E70-eMQ9b2M/100_3357_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="409" height="550"></a></p> <p>This tea was part of the DavidsTea starter kit my boyfriend bought me when the store had first opened, and this is probably my least favourite thing from the kit. I don’t really like the flavour of rooibos teas, and since it’s a grass and not technically a tea, the tiny stick-like leaves always escape the tea ball and find their way into your mouth. Gross. </p> <p>9. DavidsTea Red Velvet Cake black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kTKa8J-7HTM/UuoNAtPbGdI/AAAAAAAAW6c/NBuxfKD6b1M/s1600-h/100_3358%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3358" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3358" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wPUdIBl827A/UuoNC8evS8I/AAAAAAAAW6k/EqGbUq4T0t0/100_3358_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="444" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZtW7BocKNN8/UuoNF-l8LcI/AAAAAAAAW6s/7OUt3OL80UE/s1600-h/100_3359%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3359" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3359" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bodRGx2EJ04/UuoNIcTFbhI/AAAAAAAAW60/_MtCpRQbVgg/100_3359_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="430" height="550"></a></p> <p>Since taking these pictures, I actually gave the rest of this tea to my sister, but I thought I’d review it anyways, since I have the pictures ready. You might notice that this tea has sprinkles and bits of chocolate and white chocolate in it. It’s not a bad tea, but I don’t love my tea this sweet, and I don’t like the texture that the melted chocolate and sprinkles gave the tea. It almost feels rough to me. Weird. I won’t be repurchasing.</p> <p>10. DavidsTea Buttered Rum organic black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-G_NXPQtNeG8/UuoNK5BTOJI/AAAAAAAAW68/taLZlDW-wWs/s1600-h/100_3360%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3360" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3360" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eHWBv9FFSEk/UuoNN1STrmI/AAAAAAAAW7E/fCZYWmC-cxc/100_3360_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="443" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pZzfzA68fyA/UuoNQ6niHRI/AAAAAAAAW7M/LDpzaNSFYpc/s1600-h/100_3361%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3361" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3361" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RlfyJKmWOYE/UuoNTPB2ZgI/AAAAAAAAW7U/JjBSK_5-fTY/100_3361_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="420" height="550"></a></p> <p>I really loved this tea when I first bought it, but I’m kinda over it now, so I’ve been working through the rest of it slowly. It smells very rum-y, but the actual flavour seems to me to just be sweet and a little weird. I have found, however, that if you make this milky and sugary, and add just a little real rum it can be quite good.</p> <p>11. Teavana Strawberry Lemonade herbal tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NpW1x-O0QYA/UuoNWDkySKI/AAAAAAAAW7c/J02JRnNNWgU/s1600-h/100_3365%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3365" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3365" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QfZLIaTUnMY/UuoNYQyuPGI/AAAAAAAAW7k/IOgY-QJz_yE/100_3365_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="384" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_m7S-LiDKpY/UuoNbKYf7AI/AAAAAAAAW7s/7GEMTaKK80g/s1600-h/100_3366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3366" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3366" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ld6cujj17TQ/UuoNdbgSWUI/AAAAAAAAW70/o48uuFY3j7Y/100_3366_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="529" height="550"></a></p> <p>The people at Teavana are pretty pushy, so I won’t buy from them any more, but I do really love this and the next tea together. I bought them at the same time, as it was one of the combinations they had to sample in store one day I went in. After trying really hard to sell me on tins for these which I had to say no to several times, as well as trying to sell me way more of each tea than I wanted (which I also declined), I was not impressed with the service. That said, these two teas mixed into cold water with some plain syrup (I make my own with hot water and sugar) and left to sit overnight make a fantastic, sweet, almost juice flavoured tea which is fantastic in the summer! This one on it’s own is exactly what the name suggests.</p> <p>12. Teavana Blueberry Bliss rooibos tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eHoqdtXzTDE/UuoNgoB2JFI/AAAAAAAAW78/NhElEDxGxV0/s1600-h/100_3362%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3362" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3362" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-95ET79KA-l4/UuoNjEsedJI/AAAAAAAAW8E/sFohmtQ-QMM/100_3362_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="429" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-C-2dblhew3g/UuoNmXxVeRI/AAAAAAAAW8M/4Btu5iq5bmA/s1600-h/100_3364%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3364" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3364" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fiYooVywECY/UuoNo80o9zI/AAAAAAAAW8U/Es9aEcFxjJc/100_3364_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="550"></a></p> <p>This one is another rooibos, so I don’t love it much on it’s own, but the blueberries add a yummy sweetness to the strawberry lemonade when the two are mixed together.</p> <p>13. DavidsTea Glitter & Gold black tea:</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-A59C1zXCvz8/UuoNrFq962I/AAAAAAAAW8c/91kUw0n9mdA/s1600-h/100_3369%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3369" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3369" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-h2sx741Mi7U/UuoNtGJSr5I/AAAAAAAAW8k/0HueP-VhNpc/100_3369_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="331" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--jWJpmftmAc/UuoN1bjaMqI/AAAAAAAAW8s/AEGrcFg-LDY/s1600-h/100_3372%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3372" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3372" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Omtp3MHJBJM/UuoN4ygEYLI/AAAAAAAAW80/DL8vw72wswc/100_3372_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="452"></a></p> <p>This is probably my most recent addition to my collection, and it was actually my best friend who tried it first, and it was because of her that I fell in love with it. Not only does this have a yummy, sweet vanilla-y cinnamon flavour (somewhat like a vanilla chai), but the gold sugar balls actually melt in the hot water to make your tea SHIMMER! And who doesn’t want their tea to be beautiful and glittery? I know I do. Even using milk in this tea doesn’t cover up the shimmeriness, which is great, because this makes a delicious, comforting tea latte!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-63551279078464342702014-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:002014-01-14T10:00:03.574-08:00Read and To-Read–> January 2014<p>Hello again! August was the last time I posted about what I’ve read and plan to read next, so I figured it was time for an update. Also, before I get into it, I could also post a review of my 5 favourite books of 2013, if anyone would be interested in reading that!</p> <p>(I’ll link all the books to GoodReads so you can check them out by clicking on the titles if you’d like more information about any of the books I mention! All pictures were taken from GoodReads.)</p> <p><strong><u>Finished:</u></strong></p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2880.Bleach_Vol_01?from_search=true"><em>Bleach </em>by Kubo Tite</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388508611l/2880.jpg" width="266" height="400"></p> <p>This was on my last book post as well, and will be on my next one as well, as I slowly work my way through this extremely long manga.</p> <p>2. <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11614718-delirium?from_search=true">Delirium</a></em> / <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9593911-pandemonium">Pandemonium</a></em> / <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9593913-requiem">Requiem</a></em> by Lauren Oliver</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327890411l/11614718.jpg" width="275" height="400"></p> <p>I believe the first of this trilogy was mentioned in my to-read list last time, and, shockingly, I did, as well as the two following parts. This series was very good, but is still my least favourite of the teen dystopian trilogies I’ve read. That said, I still recommend it, especially if the concept of a world controlled by the extermination of the feeling of love interests you in the least. (If you do read it, though, I would suggest reading the side stories as well, as they really add something to the overall world, in my opinion, at least. They are available in both ebook and physical form.)</p> <p>3. <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10843755-triangles?from_search=true">Triangles</a></em> / <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11133791-tilt?from_search=true">Tilt</a></em> by Ellen Hopkins</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346263814l/11133791.jpg" width="281" height="400"></p> <p>These two books aren’t so much sequels as simultaneous plotlines (the technical word is: “paraquel”). Ellen Hopkins, if you don’t know, is mainly a YA author who writes in verse (not prose), stories from the point of view of a few important characters in each novel. All of which are about tough issues like drugs, depression, mental illness, and sex (etc.). In these paraquels, one novel—Tilt—is from the POV of the teen characters, and the other—Triangles—is from the POV of those teens’ parents. I loved this duo, and it’s really interesting reading one book, and then going in and seeing where other characters were (physically and mentally) at the same time. I definitely recommend!</p> <p>4. <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection?from_search=true">The Selection</a></em> / <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16248068-the-elite?from_search=true">The Elite</a> </em>by Kiera Cass</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" width="264" height="400"></p> <p>These two books are part of a trilogy that hasn’t all been published yet, so I’m still waiting on the third book. Thus far, I’m in love with this story! It’s another teen dystopian, but it comes from a different angle, and it is so far much less about revolutions and changing the system, and much more focussed on the relationships and characters interactions. I can’t wait for book 3, which will be called <em>The One</em>, and I definitely recommend checking out this series if you like dystopians and don’t mind plenty of romance!</p> <p>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17383918-allegiant"><em>Allegiant </em>by Veronica Roth</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1368111284l/17383918.jpg" width="265" height="400"></p> <p>The final book in the <em>Divergent</em> series! I absolutely loved this series, it’s a super quick read considering the page count, because it is so hard to put down! I personally really liked the ending, as well, though I hear that tons of people hated it. What a bunch of whiners; it was fantastic! Anyways, I can’t wait for the <em>Divergent</em> movie to come out in March!</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p>As you might have noticed, I didn’t scratch much off my <a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/08/read-and-to-read.html">first to-read list</a> over the past few months, and that list continues to grow much faster than I can read! However, here are the books that I’m currently reading, as well as the ones I plan to get to next:</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p><strong><u>Currently Reading:</u></strong></p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43509.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire"><em>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire </em>by J.K. Rowling</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389671261l/20529596.jpg" width="248" height="400"></p> <p>2. <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262203-maddaddam?from_search=true">Madd Addam by Margaret Atwood</a></em></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366394020l/17262203.jpg" width="274" height="400"></p> <p align="center">***</p> <p>I’m also working through a few books for school, since I’m in three new classes this semester. Instead of spamming this post with those books, however, I’ll do another School Book Haul <a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/09/b2s-3-back-to-school-book-haul.html">like I have in the past</a>.</p> <p>Finally, here are the next books on my own personal to-read list:</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p><strong><u>To Read:</u></strong></p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4708.The_Beautiful_and_Damned?from_search=true"><em>The Beautiful and the Damned </em>by F. Scott Fitzgerald</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347567298l/4708.jpg"></p> <p>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/320.One_Hundred_Years_of_Solitude?from_search=true"><em>100 Years of Solitude </em>by Gabriel García Márquez</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354829590l/7597.jpg" width="265" height="400"></p> <p>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159424.The_Tale_of_the_Body_Thief"><em>The Tale of the Body Thief </em>by Anne Rice</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1314497141l/159424.jpg" width="237" height="400"></p> <p>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/797113.The_Silmarillion"><em>The Silmarillion </em>by J.R.R. Tolkien</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344884594l/797113.jpg"></p> <p>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10210.Jane_Eyre?from_search=true"><em>Jane Eyre </em>by Charlotte Bronte</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327542765l/3102516.jpg" width="234" height="400"></p> <p>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6867.Atonement?from_search=true"><em>Atonement </em>by Ian McEwan</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388200314l/1601100.jpg" width="244" height="400"></p> <p>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46165.This_Side_of_Paradise?from_search=true"><em>This Side of Paradise </em>by F. Scott Fitzgerald</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1215360526l/339347.jpg" width="288" height="400"></p> <p>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18133.Lolita"><em>Lolita </em>by Vladimir Nabokov</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372767118l/18133.jpg"></p> <p>9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/295117.Vegan_Virgin_Valentine?from_search=true"><em>Vegan, Virgin, Valentine </em>by Carolyn Mackler</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388635518l/295117.jpg" width="275" height="400"></p> <p>10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/515619.Thief_of_Time"><em>Thief of Time </em>by Terry Pratchett</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327961432l/338723.jpg" width="265" height="400"></p> <p>And just to be clear, the above books are in addition to anything I haven’t yet read from the August 2013 version of this post. They pile up quickly..!</p> <p>If you want to follow me on GoodReads, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1684117-kristy">click here</a>. I’d love to hear from you in the comments what you’ve been reading lately! Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-58804328314831173022014-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:002014-01-04T12:00:02.959-08:002014 Resolutions/Goals<p>Hello again! I swear I haven’t forgotten about this blog. I honestly don’t even have a good excuse for why I haven’t posted in ages… It’s not like I’ve been that busy. But anyways, I hope you had an excellent New Years, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and whatever other holidays have passed since I last posted. </p> <p>Anyways, to get to the point, historically I have excluded myself from the resolution-making tradition for New Years, partly because of the possibility of making goals that I then ignore or forget about, and partly because doing just that almost seems to be the point of New Year’s resolutions. Even now you might have noticed that that is not what I have titled this post. Instead, I’m thinking of this as a list of goals for the immediate future, and the changing of the calendar year is only a convenient reason for making said list.</p> <p>And now, so that I stop rambling, let’s get into my 2014 goals, starting with a very relevant one:</p> <p>1) <strong><u>Post more often:</u></strong> whether to this blog, my makeup blog, or to the new YouTube channel that I’m working myself towards now that I have a new camera. I like blogging, and so I need to allocate more time for myself in which to do it, while spending less time idly redditing or marathoning movies and TV shows. Especially ones I’ve already watched once before.</p> <p>2) ***<strong><u>Find a job:</u> </strong>the stars are because this is probably the most important thing on this list, and would likely end up being helpful for several other of the goals I will mention. Maybe it should have been first on the list, but it seemed too perfect to not do it the way I have. Anyways, it’s been over a year since I had a job, and while I don’t miss working by any stretch of the imagination, I do miss the financial freedom that comes with a bi-weekly paycheck!</p> <p>3) <strong><u>Graduate University:</u></strong> this one shouldn’t be too hard, considering I’m only 3 classes away from completion, and I’m enrolled in three classes that satisfy those requirements for the upcoming semester. All that remains is to stay focused through what is sure to be the longest and most boring semester I’ve had thus far. I haven’t had a semester off in over a year, with at least one class on the go each semester, and on top of that, all three of my classes sound incredibly boring to me. It will be quite the adventure.</p> <p>4) <strong><u>Start saving money:</u></strong> this requires the job that I mentioned earlier, but my student loans are gonna suck to repay, so I’d love to have a savings piling up to pay it back as quickly as possible with as little pain to me as possible! Also, it would be nice to have a pool of money to dip into in case of emergency (whether than emergency be something legitimately bad, or a new shiny palette or bag that I just have to have).</p> <p>5) <strong><u>Be more faithful about my workouts:</u></strong> I’ve been pretty bad the past year about working out, and, while I almost always go each week, I often skip at least once a week as well. (Aka, I go once a week on a good week, and not at all on a bad week. Twice a week is what I should be doing, but it’s impressive if I do it.) As you might imagine, working out for an hour a week is almost as unhelpful as not working out at all. As such, I’d like to raise that to at least twice a week, if not more. Or possibly twice a week with longer workouts?</p> <p>6) <strong><u>Read more:</u></strong> as with my “Post more” goal, I also very much enjoy reading, and so you’d think I would do it a lot, but procrastination and the internet (read: Reddit) make it so that a lot of the time, I sit around mindlessly poking through pictures and tweets and videos, rather than opening up a good book and escaping into it’s fictional world. </p> <p>7) <strong><u>Get tidy:</u></strong> my room is a disaster. I’d like to eventually get it (at least somewhat) organized, since the mess only spawns more mess and laziness. Maybe start with one area at a time, disposing of garbage, recyclables, and old clothes accordingly, and finding places to put the things that I use/need/want. This is probably the hardest goal on this list for me, as I have a hard time getting started. And even if I get started, once I stop for a break, the battle to get back into it is just as difficult sometimes as the original battle to start! We shall see.</p> <p>8) <strong><u>Take better care of my skin:</u></strong> taking off makeup, acne treatments, moisturizing… maybe a facial or two? I’ve never taken very good care of my skin. I’m lazy, and I forget. I’m much better on nights that I’ve worn lots of makeup, especially if it’s bright or dark, since I don’t want it all over my bed. But especially because I love makeup so much, I should take care of the skin that I put that makeup on. Good skin makes makeup look that much better. And on top of that, taking care of my skin now, and keeping it hydrated and healthy will help to slow down wrinkles and other aging-type stuff.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p>Eight might be a bit of an odd number to stop my list at (even though it is an even number), but that was everything I could think of, and I didn’t want to force myself out to ten, or cut my goals back to 5, since I think they are all important.</p> <p>Also, even though I won’t make it its own post, one of my more overarching goals for 2014 is time management. Time management would help me find time for reading, posting, working out, and maybe even keeping tidy. Though that last one is probably more of a laziness thing than a time-management thing.</p> <p>Anyways, that’s all for now. Let me know in the comments some of your goals or New Year’s resolutions if you make them. Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-29273596106343704382013-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:002013-09-30T01:15:57.447-07:00What I’m Watching (Early Fall 2013)<p>Hey there! Since I spend a lot of time watching TV shows—even if I don’t watch them on TV when they air, but rather later on my computer—I thought it would be cool to update you on the shows that I’m currently working through, some of which are new, and some that aired a while ago.</p> <p>1. <strong>The Big Bang Theory</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://images8.alphacoders.com/431/431311.jpg" width="550" height="309"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://wall.alphacoders.com/by_sub_category.php?id=176680"><font size="1">Wall.alphacoders.com</font></a></p> <p>I’m all caught up on this one, including the two new episodes that just aired this Thursday. This show sometimes gets made fun of for portraying geeks poorly, but as a fairly nerdy girl with nerdy friends, its astonishing the number of times I can see my friends in the characters in this show. And I love the geeky references. And Penny/Kaley Cuoco is so pretty! I’m definitely glad to see this show back for another season.</p> <p>2. <strong>Arrow</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://helivideopros.com/home/images/videothumbsblog/arrow2.jpg"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://helivideopros.com/home/index.php/rc-aerial-photo-demo-canada-mining-oil-gas-real-estate-tourism-tv-film-golf-photography-video/142-arrow-tv-series-warner-bros-rc-aerial-filming-tv-show-arrow"><font size="1">Helivideopros.com</font></a></p> <p>I’m slowly working through the first season of this one, and I’ve only seen the first three episodes. I think this show is on it’s 3rd or 4th season now? Not sure. I’m not in love with it, and I honestly started watching because John Barrowman is supposed to be in it. I’ll give it a few more episodes (or until Barrowman appears) before deciding to give it up.</p> <p>3. <strong>Genei wo Kakeru Taiyo</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://www.emptyblue.it/data/wallpaper/GeneiWoKakeruTaiyo/genei_wo_kakeru_tayou_thumb.jpg" width="550" height="440"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.emptyblue.it/image.aspx?alt=Genei%20Wo%20Kakeru%20Taiyo&url=http://www.emptyblue.it/data/wallpaper/GeneiWoKakeruTaiyo/genei_wo_kakeru_tayou.jpg&dummy=1"><font size="1">Emptyblue.it</font></a></p> <p>Yep, this one’s an anime. It’s pretty odd. It’s basically these little girls with tarot card magical powers who fight evil demon things and save people… Yeah, that’s a touch of Japanese culture for you! Anyways, the art style is really cute, the voices oddly don’t bug me as much as girl characters sometimes do in anime, and the content and concept of the show is <strong><em>really dark</em></strong>. So far, I’m really enjoying it. I’ve watched the first 5 episodes, and I think there are either 12 or 13. Not sure if there will be another season after this one.</p> <p>4. <strong>Doctor Who</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120902232838/tardis/images/f/f1/Doctor-who-logo-nine.jpg" width="550" height="316"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Series_1_%28Doctor_Who%29"><font size="1">Tardis.wikia.com</font></a></p> <p>I’ve already watched all the old episodes since they rebooted in 2005—twice actually, once alone and once with my little sister—but I missed the 9th Doctor—Christopher Eccleston—so I started again. I recently finished the first season, which is pretty devastating, and am working myself to move on once again. If you’ve never seen Doctor Who, you really should!</p> <p>5. <strong>Agents of SHIELD</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://i1.cdnds.net/13/32/618x407/marvels-agents-of-shield.jpg" width="550" height="362"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/s227/agents-of-shield/news/a513457/marvels-agents-of-shield-uk-premiere-date-announced-watch-trailer.html"><font size="1">Digitalspy.ca</font></a></p> <p>I’m not sure I’ve even been so excited for a new show. Ever. And my god, this one did not disappoint. The first episode just aired this past Tuesday, and it was perfect! Funny, intense, dramatic, and action-filled… What’s not to love?! So excited for more superheroes and more Agent Coulson.</p> <p>6. <strong>Genshiken</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://animeaura.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Genshiken-Nidaime-OP-2-1.jpg" width="550" height="309"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://animeaura.com/2013/07/14/genshiken-nidaime-02/"><font size="1">Animeaura.com</font></a></p> <p>Another anime? Yep. I actually started watching this show from the most recent season that’s been airing this past season with my boyfriend. However, it really grew on me, so I’ve also gone back to the beginning of the series to watch it all, and I think I’m about half-way through the first season. The old stuff is also helping me to appreciate the more recent episodes a lot more. The last episode of season three just aired, but I have yet to watch it.</p> <p><strong><u>And just recently finished:</u></strong></p> <p>1. <strong>Merlin</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://serialeonlinegratis.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Merlin.jpg" width="550" height="344"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://serialeonlinegratis.org/serial/merlin/"><font size="1">Serialeonlinegratis.org</font></a></p> <p>I love history. I love the Middle Ages. I love Arthurian legends. I love British television and actors. I love dragons. There is nothing at all I disliked about this show. It had lots of Arthurian legend stuff—sometimes twisted or tweaked to fit the show’s purposes, but the Arthurian legends never have been stable, so who cares?—lots of magic, action, and it’s really funny. Especially the relationship between Merlin and Arthur. And Colin Morgan is just a fantastic actor.</p> <p>My only problem is: where will I get my historical fiction fix now?</p> <p><strong><u>Returning or Beginning soon:</u></strong></p> <p>1. <strong>Doctor Who </strong>(again)</p> <p>Still almost two months to wait for this one, and even then it’s only a special… November 23rd will be the 50th Anniversary special for Doctor Who, and I’m pretty excited, though it hasn’t been the same for me since <strong>***Spoilers!!!***</strong> <font size="2">Amy and Rory left… honestly, I mean, I was watching the first episode of the new season of Glee with my sister and the shots of Central Park alone were enough to make me sad all over again, and a shot of that bridge almost made me start crying… That episode messed me up pretty bad.</font> <strong>***Spoilers over***</strong></p> <p>2. <strong>Reign</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/Series_Logo_for_Reign.jpg" width="550" height="299"></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_%282013_TV_series%29"><font size="1">En.wikipedia.org</font></a></p> <p>Not sure if this will be any good, since it’s going to be a CW show, but it’s basically about a young Mary Queen of Scots, so its around my favourite time period: Tudor England… Should be interesting, or at least that’s my hope. I’ll definitely be tuning in at least to give it a shot. The show premieres October 17.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">Lemme know if there are any shows that you think I’d like based on the above list, as well as whatever you’re watching right now. Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-46242735915483157972013-09-04T19:37:00.001-07:002013-09-08T01:44:45.999-07:00B2S #3: Back to School Book Haul!<p>Hello everyone! I thought it would be a fitting addition to this series to show you the stack of books I’ve recently acquired, mostly for school, but a few also just for fun.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lGoApUAD9kA/UiwqzRe9g6I/AAAAAAAAUhA/DIz-iOc2g8U/s1600-h/100_3236%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3236" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3236" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-C_H625nvSU8/Uiwq_bjxx5I/AAAAAAAAUhI/jsaRy1wxZYU/100_3236_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="444" height="550"></a></p> <p><strong><u>School Books:</u></strong></p> <p><em>Crime and Punishment</em> by Fyodor Dostoyevsky</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Wpz8Xj6NBZw/UiwrKV8FszI/AAAAAAAAUhQ/1VLLAQyUofE/s1600-h/100_3244%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3244" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3244" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9rjhPoF-u-8/UiwzPcybzZI/AAAAAAAAUhg/0h7RDWhQNA4/100_3244_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="445" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I’m honestly pretty scared about this book. I mean, it’s more than 700 pages! That said, everyone I’ve talked to so far who has read it said that they enjoyed it, so I guess there’s that! Also, it’s a lot less scary now that I know that we’re only going to be covering the first half of the book for this class, though that’s kinda disappointing, since it means I’ll have assistance half-way, and then I’ll have to finish it on my own. Oh well. I hope it’s good!</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181309.Crime_and_Punishment">Find <em>Crime and Punishment</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p><em>Authority and the Individual</em> by Bertrand Russell</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1uFIGfAQfzE/UiwzeKA3Z1I/AAAAAAAAUho/POefGI11bDM/s1600-h/100_32506.jpg"><img title="100_3250" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3250" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EFgTjke35mU/UiwzoAGLO3I/AAAAAAAAUhw/0gRTjdZze_0/100_3250_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="447" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">This book is so tiny (like 90 pages), that even if I hate it, it shouldn’t be too painful. It sounds from the description like it’s a transcript of a lecture, so I’m not sure what to make of that. Guess I’ll see!</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/934021.Authority_and_the_Individual">Find <em>Authority and the Individual</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p><em>Identity: Sociological Perspectives</em> by Steph Lawler </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UqqdeIyWT-M/Uiwz0zVDMcI/AAAAAAAAUh4/qUveC36VVzg/s1600-h/100_32437.jpg"><img title="100_3243" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3243" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kY9u4VZcgSs/Uiwz8EmAnDI/AAAAAAAAUiA/Z_fxdfsRMew/100_3243_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="427" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I’m not particularly interested in this book, but at least it’ll be short, and we aren’t reading quite the whole thing for class, so I guess that’s good. It’s written to be a textbook, which is probably why there are only 6 ratings on GoodReads, since usually there are tons of reviews for books, especially books not written or published in Canada! </p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6033426-identity">Find <em>Identity </em>on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p>And two books I already had, but will be using for class this semester also:</p> <p><em>The God Delusion</em> by Richard Dawkins</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gqVB_E3oJ2c/Uiw0GOw6VjI/AAAAAAAAUiI/7DklVt2RLc4/s1600-h/100_32469.jpg"><img title="100_3246" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3246" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tjHo_TwCURc/Uiw0M-Kw30I/AAAAAAAAUiQ/22cKduraieQ/100_3246_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">This is a book that I’ve been wanting to read for a while, and it was also in my last book post (“<a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/08/read-and-to-read.html">Read and To-Read</a>”). Conveniently, this class will be covering bits and pieces of it. I have a feeling that I’ll do an essay on it and end up reading the entire thing, because it sounds really interesting to me. Also, that shiny silver cover is really hard to photograph!</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/747213.The_God_Delusion">Find <em>The God Delusion</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p><em>Nineteen Eighty-Four</em> by George Orwell</p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1336289745l/936221.jpg" width="331" height="550"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/936221.Nineteen_Eighty_Four"><font size="1">Image from Goodreads.com</font></a></p> <p align="left">My boyfriend borrowed this book from me and I still have to get it back, hence my not having my own picture of the cover. I’ve read this book before at least once for class in high school, and probably at last once again since. It’s probably my favourite dystopian novel, not because I think it’s the most accurate, just because I really like it. Though the fact that it was basically the first dystopian I ever read may have had some impact on my favouritism! I’m excited to get to read it again.</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/936221.Nineteen_Eighty_Four">Find <em>Nineteen Eighty-Four</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p align="left">And finally, my colourful new notebook</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XU1w5xNgCb0/Uiw0j_340PI/AAAAAAAAUiY/Fp4Jl4O6PVs/s1600-h/100_3237-fixed11.jpg"><img title="100_3237 fixed" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3237 fixed" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JpD6vJugQMQ/Uiw0wuDoWNI/AAAAAAAAUig/hvTXXGxxRHQ/100_3237-fixed_thumb14.jpg?imgmax=800" width="536" height="550"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7cs0nh5wiB8/Uiw06GD-buI/AAAAAAAAUio/uqDUvb2_9DM/s1600-h/100_32389.jpg"><img title="100_3238" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3238" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mbbDebDJNcU/Uiw0-izJWFI/AAAAAAAAUiw/gqXTg3shMoY/100_3238_thumb10.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="550"></a></p> <p>Since I only have one class this semester, and since I always look at notebooks like this before deciding they’re too expensive, I finally got myself one! This one isn’t as expensive as some, as it was only $7 at Chapters. I didn’t like the orange fill-in timetable on the inside cover, though, so, as you can see from the second picture, I personalised it with a few quotes!</p> <p><strong><u>Books just for Me:</u></strong></p> <p><em>The Selection</em> by Kiera Cass</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uw7gVyjg9jc/Uiw1DJKTrCI/AAAAAAAAUi4/TCiO4l7nEOk/s1600-h/100_32406.jpg"><img title="100_3240" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3240" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hgyUyZcA5lA/Uiw1JTXF5bI/AAAAAAAAUjA/ZlGikqGeIdQ/100_3240_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">This was in my last book post as well, so if you read that then you already know I have this book, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to add it to this post, since I know it will be one of the books that I make an effort to get around to before the end of this semester! You gotta have some fluff in between classics, lectures, essays, and textbooks!</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection">Find <em>The Selection</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p><em>This Side of Paradise</em> <em>& The Beautiful and the Damned</em> by F. Scott Fitzgerald</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EEz8QiQpcR0/Uiw1kA3UPQI/AAAAAAAAUjI/dC5cqGRXZng/s1600-h/100_32399.jpg"><u><font color="#0053ff"></font></u><img title="100_3239" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3239" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KI6yr6oo_Go/Uiw1qjtLZBI/AAAAAAAAUjQ/hcUHhhmU00E/100_3239_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="441" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left"><em>The Beautiful and the Damned</em> is the book that I picked out after finishing the <em>Great Gatsby</em> that I wanted to read next by Fitzgerald, I think it was because I found a couple of really pretty quotes from the book. This just happens to be two books in one for about the same price, so why wouldn’t I choose this one?</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11150356-this-side-of-paradise-the-beautiful-and-damned?ac=1">Find this edition on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p><em>The Great Gatsby</em> by F. Scott Fitzgerald</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3sGM5Y4DsZ8/Uiw1uYhqH-I/AAAAAAAAUjY/ZMnnB2eBK9M/s1600-h/100_32419.jpg"><img title="100_3241" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3241" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OkAIDWm5c-M/Uiw1y3sIyiI/AAAAAAAAUjg/IEsmabxp2Rg/100_3241_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="550"></a></p> <p align="left">I basically fell in love with this book when I was reading it and, aside from wanting to read more Fitzgerald, I also knew I had to own this book. So now I do. It’s not my favourite cover, but it was cheap. I’ll probably acquire the good cover sometime down the line.</p> <p align="center">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4672.The_Great_Gatsby">Find <em>The Great Gatsby</em> on GoodReads</a>)</p> <p>And finally, because I’ve already bought and paid for it, but am still waiting for it to exist as a real thing, I’m going to include:</p> <p>The <em>Divergent </em>Trilogy Boxed Set</p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://dynamic.indigoimages.ca/books/0062278789.jpg?altimages=true&width=310&quality=85&maxheight=310&lang=en&z=110532532" width="310" height="268"></p> <p>This doesn’t come out until October 22, but I’m really excited to get it! I bought the boxed set because it’s cheaper than buying them individually, and also it’ll come right to my door when it’s available!</p> <p align="center">(Find <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent?from_search=true">Divergent</a> / <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12643928-insurgent">Insurgent</a> / <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10616322-allegiant?from_search=true">Allegiant</a> on GoodReads)</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">And that’s everything book-related that I got recently! I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know what books you’re reading or leave me your comments about any of the things I posted about. Thanks for reading!</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="center"><strong>Other posts in this series:</strong></p> <p align="center"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" width="552" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="281"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/08/b2s-1-back-to-school-food-and-snacks.html">B2S 1: Back to School Food and Snacks</a></div></li></ul></td> <td valign="top" width="269"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://myglitteryobsessions.blogspot.ca/2013/08/b2s-2-back-to-school-makeupfresh-and.html">B2S 2: Back to School Makeup—Fresh and Natural</a></div></li></ul></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="281"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/09/b2s-3-back-to-school-book-haul.html">B2S 3: Back to School Book Haul</a></div></li></ul></td> <td valign="top" width="269"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-4516459196204496872013-08-24T14:57:00.001-07:002013-09-08T01:43:40.426-07:00B2S 1: Back to School Food and Snacks<p align="left">Hello again! <p align="left">I meant to start posting these about a week ago, when school was a little further away, but at least here in Canada, school has still yet to start, so I think I have some more time. (I know from YouTube that it seems that in some places schools restart a bit earlier, but here in BC school starts again after Labour Day.) The posts are going to be going up on both this blog and my beauty blog—<a href="http://www.myglitteryobsessions.blogspot.ca">My Glittery Obsessions</a>—since some of the content won’t make sense here, and vice versa. So make sure you check both blogs to get this whole series! <p align="center">*** <p align="left">That said, I want to share with you some of my favourite lunch and snack foods/tips for school, especially some that may help keep you from reaching for the expensive, unhealthy alternatives that are readily available at many schools. It’s easy to find pre-packaged, portable snack food at the grocery store, but it might not be quite as easy to decide which ones are actually kinda good for you. And often it’s worth it to do a little more work yourself for a more nutritious, but still healthy, snack. <p align="left"><strong><u>1. A water bottle</u></strong> is essential, and may keep you from heading to the overpriced pop machines when you get thirsty! In all technicality, any water bottle will do, but I suggest spending a little money to make sure that you’re getting a nice one that won’t hurt either you or the environment: you want to stay away from disposables and BPAs! My two suggestions are: <p align="left">-A Water Bobble</p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://www.waterbobble.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/o/bobble_lg_blue_385x650.jpg" width="296" height="500"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="www.waterbobble.com/bobble.html?___SID=U?c=9&p=23"><font size="1">WaterBobble.com</font></a></p> <p align="left">Not only are Bobbles cute, but they filter your water for you. This is great if you’re a little picky about drinking tap water like me, if your city’s water has lots of additives and doesn’t taste very good, or if you just like to make sure your water is clean.</p> <p align="left">As you can see in the picture, the cap is also the filter. Bobble suggests that you replace the filter after two months or 150 litres, but you probably aren’t going to drink a 150 litres in 2 months, so I would say you can probably change it every six months or so depending on your usage. If you’re worried about sanitation, or if your filter tastes a little funny, boiling it for a couple minutes fixes the issue, in my experience.</p> <p align="left">One con to this option is that the bottle itself is a fairly thin plastic, and if you’re rough on your waterbottles, it isn’t hard to dent or maybe break this one, so that’s something to keep in mind. They can also make a fair bit of noise letting air in through the filter after you take a sip, which can be embarrassing in class. If you want to see size and colour options, you can go to <a href="http://www.waterbobble.com/">WaterBobble.com</a>.</p> <p align="left">Metal bottle</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p8G62wssF44/UhlSugLRvuI/AAAAAAAATn8/f_Fo-n9jVhA/s1600-h/100_3148%25255B1%25255D%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="100_3148" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_3148" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FYL4-l0XvfE/UhlS16B2W2I/AAAAAAAAToE/_XBhZ_XOEaE/100_3148%25255B1%25255D_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="500"></a><br>Considering how fragile the Bobble can be, my other suggestion is to get a metal water bottle. These can be a little more expensive, but the pricier ones keep your water from tasting metallic.</p> <p align="left">Though they won’t filter your water, the great thing about these bottles is that they are super durable. If you’re the type of person who can be a little clumsy, a metal waterbottle might get a little beat up looking, and it may dent if you’re throwing it on the concrete, but ultimately they’re pretty hard to damage. </p> <p align="left">They also last for ages. I’ve had mine for years, though it doesn’t look as good as it did at the beginning, and I don’t worry about it as much as I might worry about my Bobble. If you want to look for a metal water bottle, mine is from Sigg (<a href="http://www.mysigg.com">MySigg.com</a>), though there are other good brands that make similar products, such as KleanKanteen and One Green Bottle. (After a little research for this post, I’m now considering getting <a href="http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/insulated/klean-kanteen-insulated.php">one of these bottles from Klean Kanteen</a>, which also doubles as a Thermos or coffee mug!).</p> <p><u><strong>2. </strong></u><u><strong>Single serve size</strong></u> <u><strong>yogurt:</strong></u></p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://static.caloriecount.about.com/images/medium/liberte-mediterranee-yogurt-nonfat-72688.jpg"><font size="1">Image from <a href="http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-liberte-mediterranee-yogurt-i264551">CalorieCount.about.com</a></font></p> <p>Yogurt can be an easy, healthy, and delicious on-the-go snack, and if you bring along a small baggie of granola or trail mix as well, then you have a DIY yogurt parfait! My favourite is honey or vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt, but obviously choose whichever you prefer, just try not to get one that has too much fat or sugar.</p> <p><strong><u>3. Starbucks Via:</u></strong></p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod13/dw/image/v2/AAFV_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Starbucks-Site/Sites-starbucks-master-catalog/default/v1377251463851/images/beauty/coffee/italian_roast_starbucks_via_ready_brew_coffee_50_count_0.jpg?sw=465&sh=465" width="500" height="500"><font size="1">Image from <a href="http://www.starbucksstore.com/instant-coffee/50-count-starbucks-via-ready-brew-italian-roast/011008130,default,pd.html?&srule=Featured&start=0&sz=16&cgid=starbucks-via-ready-brew">StarbucksStore.com</a></font></p> <p>This product is a great option for coffee on the go, without paying cafe prices on or near campus or settling for crappy coffee. Also, though this is technically instant coffee, it certainly doesn’t taste like it. Instead it tastes almost exactly like a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee. There are also, at least during the summer months, flavoured iced Via and Refreshers options, though I don’t recommend the Refreshers, since they use fake sugar, while the In-store version is made with actual sugar! These are especially great if your school has a coffee shop or cafeteria that won’t mind you using their cream and sugar (or if you like your coffee black).</p> <p><strong><u>4. Fruits and veggies:</u></strong> </p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://www.stmarysmaineblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/platter-of-fruits.jpg" width="500" height="500"><font size="1">Image from </font><a title="http://www.stmarysmaineblog.com/news/eat-a-rainbow-of-fruits-and-vegetables-for-better-health" href="http://www.stmarysmaineblog.com/news/eat-a-rainbow-of-fruits-and-vegetables-for-better-health"><font size="1">StMarysMaineBlog.com</font></a></p> <p>These also make good healthy snacks for if you just need something to nibble on; cucumber, carrot sticks, celery, cherry or grape tomatoes, or whatever your favourite veggies are… toss them in a plastic bag or plastic container, and you’re good to go. Also fruit or fruit salad; fruit salad great because you can cut up a bunch of fruit, toss it together, and portion it so you have snacks for the whole week. </p> <p><strong><u>5. Leftovers/Soup/Pasta:</u></strong> </p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://media.nbcwashington.com/images/654*436/leftovers-tupperware.jpg" width="500" height="333"><font size="1">Image from </font><a title="http://www.nbcwashington.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Ask-Liz-Microwaving-Plastics-122238519.html" href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Ask-Liz-Microwaving-Plastics-122238519.html"><font size="1">NBCWashington.com</font></a></p> <p>If you have access to a microwave, get yourself a good airtight container and you can bring soup, pasta, or leftovers with you to school, instead of boring sandwiches every day, or expensive restaurant food at school, which can really add up both in money out of your wallet and calories into your body! Make sure the containers you get are BPA free and microwave safe!</p> <p><strong><u>6. Popcorn:</u></strong></p> <p align="center"><strong><u><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/29/32E4C1773A9424FF49D61B1CF9BB64.jpg" width="374" height="500"></u></strong><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/diet/which-is-worse-how-to-avoid-unhealthy-snacks-1?page=2"><font size="1">Lifestyle.ca.msn.com</font></a></p> <p>If you are like me and like salty snacks, a great alternative to chips is popcorn, which is full of fibre, salty, but much lower in fat than chips, unless you drown it in butter! My favourite is smartfood, but you could pop your own and season it with whatever you like, such as salt, parmesan cheese, seasoning salt, basil and oregano, garlic... play around with it! </p> <p><strong><u>7. Plan and Pre-make:</u></strong></p> <p>If you’re anything like me, then maybe figuring out what to eat isn’t the problem so much as having the time to make sure you’re eating it. In my own case, I know that if I want to make sure to bring my own snacks and meals to school, then I need to make and package them the night before. If you’re rushing to get to class on time, you may not have time to put together some good food, and will opt to grab something unhealthy and/or expensive during your break on campus. Pre-packaging your food the night before will help you avoid this, since you’ll only have to grab it out of the fridge in the morning.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">Obviously these are just very general suggestions. There are tons of other tips for eating healthy and cheap away from home, but I hope these ones give you some ideas for the upcoming semester/school year!</p> <p align="left">Let me know your tips for healthy, affordable eating in the comments! Thanks for reading!</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="center"><strong>Other posts in this series</strong></p> <p align="center"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" width="552" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="281"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/08/b2s-1-back-to-school-food-and-snacks.html">B2S 1: Back to School Food and Snacks</a></div></li></ul></td> <td valign="top" width="269"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://myglitteryobsessions.blogspot.ca/2013/08/b2s-2-back-to-school-makeupfresh-and.html">B2S 2: Back to School Makeup—Fresh and Natural</a></div></li></ul></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="281"> <ul> <li> <div align="left"><a href="http://thought-constellations.blogspot.ca/2013/09/b2s-3-back-to-school-book-haul.html">B2S 3: Back to School Book Haul</a></div></li></ul></td> <td valign="top" width="269"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-87119871594253164102013-08-07T20:36:00.000-07:002013-08-07T20:36:00.357-07:00Read and To-Read<p>As promised, I’m back again with a book post! I think this is the first time I’ve posted about books here, which is a little odd, since it was supposed to be one of the main reasons I made this blog… Oh well, here it is now!</p> <p>I want to let you know about some of the most important books in my very long To-Read list, but first, I thought it would be cool to show and tell you a little bit about the last few books I read (not for class). I was going to give you blurbs about the plot of each, but that would take up a lot of space. Instead, I’m going to link you to the Good Reads page, and if you’re interested you can find the blurbs there:</p> <p>1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2880.Bleach_Vol_01">“Bleach” by Kubo Tite</a></p> <p align="center"><img src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348191936l/2880.jpg" width="260" height="391"></p> <p>I’m going to count these all under one, since I’ve read tons of them, there are tons more to go, and they are very quick to read through. Bleach is a Manga, which, for those who don’t know, is essentially a Japanese comic book. They have a very distinctive style, which, to be honest, I used to hate to death, and am still not all that thrilled with. However, if you can get past the style, or if you like it, the story to Bleach is pretty interesting. </p> <p>Stereotypically, this is probably a “boy book”—there’s lots of action and fighting, and the majority of the main characters are male. But I love tons of stereotypically boy-things, so that wasn’t going to stop me, and it really shouldn’t stop anyone. It’s got action and fighting, as I said, as well as pretty good characterization, plot, drama, magic, and humor.</p> <p>I’m not finished yet, and as I said, there’s a lot to this manga, so it’s difficult to review. It’s definitely interesting, though, and worth a try. If you don’t have access to manga in stores near you, you can read translations online. Bleach is massive, so it’s not hard to find. One good place to read it, though, is Manga Panda.</p> <p>2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76120.A_Study_in_Scarlet_and_The_Sign_of_Four">“A Study In Scarlet” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</a></p> <p><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328865697l/76120.jpg" width="260" height="413"></p> <p align="left">I read this one for free on my tablet, so it doesn’t technically have a cover, but it looks prettier this way =P</p> <p align="left">Anyways, I started reading this because of Sherlock, which is a show you must have heard of if you live on the internet, but if you haven’t its wonderful, look it up. (By Steven Moffat, starting Benedict Cumberbatch). It is actually surprisingly close to the show, so it was really easy to read and interesting. My only problem with this story in particular, which includes a narrative of how Sherlock and Watson meet, is that, in the second half, it deviates from the original story for a very long time, without any promise of returning to the original point, until it suddenly does very close to the end. Other than that though, this was a fun read!</p> <p align="left">3. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/727798.The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring">“Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 30px" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1307111070l/727798.jpg" width="150" height="240"><img style="margin: 0px 15px" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1306427354l/727800.jpg" width="150" height="240"><img style="margin: 0px 20px 0px 15px" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1306539821l/727810.jpg" width="150" height="240"></p> <p align="left">Without a doubt, one of my very favourite books and stories. I’ve read it a couple times before when I was a kid, but I hadn’t read it since middle school. After years of only experiencing the movies, which are also fantastic, it was really cool to re-read these books and be reminded of all the extra awesomeness that was never in the movies. Tolkien is just such a wonderful author. His descriptions are just insanely beautiful, his word choice is perfect. Maybe it’s because I did read them as a kid (with my mom. I’m cool, okay? Don’t judge), but for some reason, re-reading this book (and yes, technically it’s one novel, not a trilogy, but that’s a bit of a technicality) is just comforting. I literally forget everything else and feel so immersed in its world. If you’ve never read The Lord of the Rings, I definitely suggest you give them a go. Especially if you love fantasy and/or descriptive fiction. Tolkien is practically the father of modern fantasy novels!</p> <p align="left">4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16669567-the-silver-linings-playbook">“Silver Linings Playbook” by Matthew Quick</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356279023l/16669567.jpg" width="260" height="385"></p> <p align="left">I meant to read this before seeing the movie, but, because of school, I ended up going to see the movie first. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? It’s fantastic! And it would be fantastic even without Jennifer Lawrence, but of course it’s better for her being in it! =P</p> <p align="left">Anyways, when I finally did get around to reading this book, I was a little surprised to find out how differently the story is presented. The point of view in the movie is much more objective, whereas the book is narrated by Pat, the protagonist, himself. That’s Bradley Cooper’s character, if you were wondering. However, despite that and numerous other small differences between this book and the movie, I loved it. It was fantastic. I definitely suggest experiencing both the movie and the book for what they are, because they are both great individually. </p> <p align="left">5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent">“Divergent” and “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="margin: 0px 7px 0px 15px" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328559506l/13335037.jpg" width="260" height="392"><img style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 7px" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348096941l/12643928.jpg" width="260" height="394"></p> <p align="left">These are the first two books in a trilogy and I love them. The next book comes out in October, and I’ve already pre-ordered it so it will come straight to my door when it’s available! This trilogy is a teen/young adult dystopian story, somewhat similar to the Hunger Games, but with very important differences. The biggest similarity, in my opinion, is that they are both dystopian novels aimed at teenagers, probably teenage girls, since the protagonists are female.</p> <p align="left">Either way, though, these books are emotional, intense, exciting, and a great read. Also, they were surprisingly quick reads for me, despite their page count. I’m super excited for the final instalment, as well as for the Divergent movie that is supposed to be coming out soon. Don’t be discouraged because these are teen books, I think there’s a lot in them for everyone to enjoy.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">To-Read:</p> <p align="left">1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection">“The Selection” by Kiera Cass</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" width="260" height="393"></p> <p align="left">Another young adult dystopian-style novel/series. I read the first three chapters of this from a sampler ebook from the Google Play store and fell in love. My friend bought me the book and I can’t wait to get back into it after my assignments are all handed in!</p> <p align="left">2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11264999-a-game-of-thrones">“A Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366247749l/11264999.jpg" width="260" height="391"></p> <p align="left">I’m sure you already know about these if you don’t live under a rock. These are the books that spawned the intense, heartbreaking, funny, dramatic, exciting, and bloody fantastic show by the same name. These books are huge, and often compared to the Lord of the Rings, which I told you my love of earlier, so I’m super excited to try reading them, especially since I love the show so much! I do suspect that this series will be much more character driven than LotR, though, which is more focused on plot, but I’m sure I’ll love it just the same!</p> <p align="left">3. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11614718-delirium">“Delirium” by Lauren Oliver</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327890411l/11614718.jpg" width="260" height="379"></p> <p align="left">You may notice a trend in some of my choices by now; this is another teen dystopian series. I found this one through the same sampler, I believe, as The Selection above. If you’re interested in either of these books but unsure of them, you could definitely get the same sampler and try out the first couple chapters.</p> <p align="left">4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248704.It_s_Kind_of_a_Funny_Story">"It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347649705l/248704.jpg" width="260" height="403"></p> <p align="left">This is a book I’ve wanted to read for a few years now. I think I first heard about it in a magazine, randomly. Its about this kid who has some mental issues, at least partly from school and social stress, but it sounds like its more than that. I’m looking forward to it, so I hope I finally get to it soon.</p> <p align="left">5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/747213.The_God_Delusion">“The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348814336l/747213.jpg" width="260" height="390"></p> <p align="left">Sometimes I hate Richard Dawkins for being a little rude and arrogant, and sometimes he is hilarious and kinda my hero. Considering this is one of the biggest books about atheism, I thought it would be interesting to read, and I bought it from Value Village a while back, but haven’t had a chance to read it. However, it’s one of the textbooks for my one class this next semester, so that’s a great opportunity to finally read it!</p> <p align="left">6. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6105769-troilus-and-cressida">“Troilus and Cressida” by Geoffrey Chaucer</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1278028497l/6105769.jpg" width="150" height="254"></p> <p align="left">I think I picked up this old book from my favourite used bookstore in Downtown Vancouver. If I remember correctly, its an Arthurian story, though that might be a guess. It is definitely, however, a story that Shakespeare later re-wrote in one of his lesser known plays. I know from the Canterbury Tales that I kinda like Chaucer’s style, so I wanted to read this story through him, not Shakespeare. Also, old books smell good…</p> <p align="left">7. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7619057-warm-bodies">“Warm Bodies” by Isaac Marion</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1323400027l/7619057.jpg" width="260" height="400"></p> <p align="left">I picked this book up when I first heard about the movie, because the concept interested me. The movie doesn’t really interest me, because it looks like a weird comedy, but what I’ve heard about the book is that it’s a bit more serious and drama/romancy, whereas the movie is funny. I think I’m much more likely to enjoy the more serious version, espeically because zombies aren’t usually my thing.</p> <p align="left">8. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15707124-an-abundance-of-katherines">“An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340545578l/15707124.jpg" width="260" height="392"></p> <p align="left">I love John Green to death. If you haven’t read any of his books, or checked him and his brother out on YouTube (they are the vlogbrothers), you’re missing out on life. John’s books are hilarious, heart-warming, and heartbreaking. . . sometimes all at the same time. This is my best friend’s second favourite after The Fault In Our Stars (Also my favourite), and the only one that he didn’t collaborate with another author on that I haven’t read, so I’ve bought this one and it’s waiting on my shelves for me.</p> <p align="left">9. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6740246-sacred-hearts">“Sacred Hearts” by Sarah Dunant</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334251358l/6740246.jpg" width="260" height="412"></p> <p align="left">I read “The Birth of Venus” in highschool, by the same author, and I loved it. This is one of the few adult books on my list. It’s set in the Renaissance, which is one of the most fascinating periods of history in my opinion, and I know I love Dunant’s writing style, so I’m looking forward to this book.</p> <p align="left">10. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11756263-the-lucky-one">“The Lucky One” by Nicholas Sparks</a></p> <p align="left"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348951836l/11756263.jpg" width="260" height="419"></p> <p align="left">Finally, because I think 10 is probably more than enough, I have this one. I bought this ages ago to read as fluff during a semester break, but never got around to it. Since then, I’ve seen the movie, which was beautiful, so I’m looking forward to reading the book even more. I love Nicholas Spark’s books; they’re very romantic, fluffy, sometimes sad, and always well-written. Or at least, I’ve never had reason to complain about one. They may be predictable, but I see no problem with that.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p>If this interested you, and you want to stalk my reading more often and more efficiently, you can add me on GoodReads here: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/angelsins">Goodreads.com/Angelsins</a>.</p> <p>Thanks for reading!</p> <p align="center"><img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-redheart" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Red heart" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--xo4oEuJH4o/Uf3SDX5dL5I/AAAAAAAATEQ/LVPzn6Q4rqg/wlEmoticon-redheart%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800"></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-41851112020707998452013-08-03T20:26:00.001-07:002013-08-03T20:26:01.540-07:00End of Semester-ish Update<p>Hello again. It’s been a while since I posted here, but I guess that’s alright.</p> <p>I’m finally nearing the end of this semester, and my brain is so ready for a break! I have two assignments left, which are due on Wednesday (8 pages) and Thursday (2000 words). No, of course I haven’t started either one yet, but I really should.</p> <p>Overall, this hasn’t been a bad semester, and I liked two of my classes (out of three) a lot, even if I hate writing the essays, I do like reading the books and going to the classes. And the learning stuff. That said, I would love some time for myself, with only books that I want to read, and none that I have to read by a deadline. I have a stack of books that I want to read, that I’ve either been slowly acquiring through the library or by actually buying them, though most that I haven’t bought aren’t physically with me at the moment, but they’re all written in a list somewhere. (Because I really like lists.) I was going to post that for you, but I actually think I’m going to do a separate post about books that I’ll put up a couple days after this one with a bunch I want to read, and mini-reviews on some of the books I’ve read/been reading recently.</p> <p>Anyways, back to school stuff… I was looking over my class stuff, and it looks like I only have about 4 classes left to do before I can finish with a major in English and a minor in Humanities. Which, yes, I know, sounds like the most useless degree you’ve ever heard of, and what the hell am I going to do with it, right? Well, shut up, I enjoyed getting it, and I’ll figure it out, okay? (You might be able to tell that this has become a bit of a <em>thing</em> over the past couple years.)</p> <p>I’m planning to take one class next semester, since I hate fall semester anyways, but one class will keep me my UPass (BC bus passes for students), and since I can’t take more than three classes in a semester without basically bombing them, that’ll leave only three classes for my last semester. HOWEVER, because I’ll only be in one class, I’ll have to make sure I get a job, and do it fast, since you have to have a minimum of three classes in order to get a student loan, and third-year classes cost more than a thousand dollars a pop, plus books.</p> <p>I’m hoping to get a job at my local library, which is super close to my house, and I think would be a great job for me, since it’s usually fairly quiet, I love books, and it wouldn’t be too hard. And I wouldn’t have to work with food again, which would be a first in a job for me, since my last two jobs were a fast food place and a diner x_X! If that doesn’t work, though, I may also look into Sephora, Chapters, or other libraries a little farther from my house. Sephora would be pretty amazing, considering my interests, and since you don’t need to be a makeup artist to work the cash registers. Still, I think a library would be a much better job for me, since it wouldn’t be retail, and I wouldn’t have to push sales. Also, if I felt like wearing little-to-no makeup, a library wouldn’t look at me funny, whereas there’d be a lot more pressure to look great every day at Sephora! Still, both would be good ideas.</p> <p>What else? I covered the end of this semester, needing a job, next semester, and that I’m almost done my degree (which is super-scary to me! I’ve never <em>not</em> been in school, so it will be weird not to have classes to go to!)</p> <p>I think that’s everything. If you made it through that wall of text (close to 700 words), then congratulations! You deserve a treat, so go get one! =P Thanks so much for reading, and check back soon for my read and to-read lists!</p> <p align="center"><img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-redheart" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Red heart" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6nvSwqTCC5g/Uf3Jx1bxpzI/AAAAAAAATEA/p6nLJ_veNHI/wlEmoticon-redheart%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800"></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-14879906393806253592013-07-10T01:30:00.001-07:002013-07-10T01:30:55.984-07:00“Canadian Born”–Pauline Johnson<p>All semester I’ve been hating everything I’ve read for my Canadian Literature class, and this poem is the first thing I’ve liked, so I thought I’d share:</p> <p align="center">We first saw light in Canada, the land beloved of God;<br>We are the pulse of Canada, its marrow and its blood;<br>And we, the men of Canada, can face the world and brag<br>That we were born in Cananda beneath the British flag.</p> <p align="center">Few of us have the blood of kings, few are of courtly birth,<br>But few are vagabonds or rogues of doubtful name and worth;<br>And all have one credential that entitles us to brag—<br>That we were born in Canada beneath the British flag.</p> <p align="center">We've yet to make our money, we've yet to make our fame<br>But we have gold and glory in our clean colonial name;<br>And every man's a millionaire if only he can brag<br>That he was born in Canada beneath the British flag.</p> <p align="center">No title and no coronet is half so proudly worn<br>As that which we inherited as men Canadian born.<br>We count no man so noble as the one who makes the brag<br>That he was born in Canada beneath the British flag.</p> <p align="center">The Dutch may have their Holland, the Spaniard have his Spain<br>The Yankee to the south of us must south of us remain;<br>For not a man dare lift a hand against the men who brag<br>That they were born in Canada beneath the British flag.</p> <p align="center">***</p> <p align="left">It kinda reminds me both of the Molson Canadian “I Am Canadian” ad, as well as “Canada’s Really Big” by the Arrogant Worms. If you aren’t Canadian and/or haven’t heard either of those, I suggest looking them up on YouTube =)</p> <p align="left">Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-59775267705832893172013-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:002014-05-01T03:01:45.385-07:00Collective Non-Cosmetic Haul!Everything:<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WcYtrlrOsgE/UcWLeHIF_qI/AAAAAAAASQc/LneUR896MZs/s1600-h/100_271818.jpg"><img alt="100_2718" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZoT3Vdp05eY/UcWLfc6bi4I/AAAAAAAASQk/aZLiFTIr8wY/100_2718_thumb17.jpg?imgmax=800" height="531" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2718" width="500" /></a><br />
Well, almost everything… I have a couple more things I’ve bought since taking these original pictures… so I’ll stick those down at the end.<br />
Bleach Keychain:<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qejSnxwcnfo/UcWLg2TgcnI/AAAAAAAASQs/9_ulOW6el6w/s1600-h/100_272011.jpg"><img alt="100_2720" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lADm9p4Q7Kw/UcWLiYt9VtI/AAAAAAAASQ0/xLZbN-WgA_E/100_2720_thumb10.jpg?imgmax=800" height="794" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2720" width="500" /></a><br />
I believe I mentioned in my Anime post a little while ago that I had started reading Bleach. I’m maybe one-third to one-half of the way through it now, and I’m kinda getting into it. This keychain happens to be one of the coolest things ever, basically because I really really love how this hollow mask looks! It was a but pricy, I think almost $8, for a keychain, but I really liked it, so now I have it! <br />
<i>Cafe Au Lait Candle (Bath and Body Works):</i><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iFLcVneuuw0/UcWLj0hsMHI/AAAAAAAASQ8/CKFL8LI-9sA/s1600-h/100_27289.jpg"><img alt="100_2728" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-epjcR_bAUBU/UcWLk9BfB4I/AAAAAAAASRE/kplPXbJWKgY/100_2728_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" height="476" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2728" width="500" /></a><br />
Some of the three wick candles were 75% off at B&BW during their sale, and I’ve loved this scent for a while (coffee, duh!) so I had to pick one up. For less than $, as opposed to almost $23, this was a great deal!<br />
<i>Cotton Blossom body splash (Bath and Body Works):</i><br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TnWKB7A5kWc/UcWLl5PTQrI/AAAAAAAASRM/6FKWaekva4g/s1600-h/100_273213.jpg"><img alt="100_2732" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NANYilV-Vg4/UcWLnYq87-I/AAAAAAAASRU/0P-TRYt2nY4/100_2732_thumb15.jpg?imgmax=800" height="858" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2732" width="500" /></a><br />
During the B&BW sale, this body spray was $4, and at first, it smelled like the Clean Cotton perfume that Sephora sells, which literally smells like a fresh load of laundry. This one does have a fairly nice scent, but its much stronger and a little harsh if you use more than a single spritz. The orange flower might be what does it, but it’s hard to say. I’ll still use it up, but it might take a bit longer.<br />
<i>An Abundance of Katherines</i> by John Green:<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bHfGpit_ABc/UcWLop8Xl8I/AAAAAAAASRc/xoOfklb0oI4/s1600-h/100_273310.jpg"><img alt="100_2733" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-icdVPNZoauw/UcWLpth1DII/AAAAAAAASRk/hycbXNUl3xE/100_2733_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" height="668" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2733" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UhdTvdXoxhw/UcWLrW9Rl9I/AAAAAAAASRs/1zSNV_TbHps/s1600-h/100_27359.jpg"><img alt="100_2735" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oqKdfrkRfGA/UcWLsObe2PI/AAAAAAAASR0/bE1AhJ2EejI/100_2735_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" height="328" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2735" width="500" /></a><br />
I almost got a book by Elle and Blair Fowler, two YouTubers that I follow, but I know I love John Green, and I don’t i know how well they can write! Books were on 4-for-3 at Chapters a couple weeks ago, so my BFF, BF, and I all got a book (or two mangas, in my BF’s case) for a bit of a discount. I’ve already read The Fault in Our Stars, and Looking for Alaska, but I haven’t got around to this one yet, so now I have it whenever I want to start!<br />
<i>Targaryen House Touque:</i><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HaeJSIXQzWM/UcWLt9aqsjI/AAAAAAAASR8/7_a8e7mAWsU/s1600-h/100_27369.jpg"><img alt="100_2736" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Twt3B8xsB5Y/UcWLu6clHeI/AAAAAAAASSE/KePlZMaDjiM/100_2736_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" height="435" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2736" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OSQXHmdw12g/UcWLw9EKrtI/AAAAAAAASSM/Wcc0_H2b570/s1600-h/100_27379.jpg"><img alt="100_2737" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VrZnLc9GjQk/UcWLx7snH3I/AAAAAAAASSU/6U-96fAlT7Q/100_2737_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" height="395" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2737" width="500" /></a><br />
Some of the Game of Thrones stuff was on a pretty hardcore sale at Chapters, with this hat being 75% off… so less than $4! I love the Targaryen’s and Game of Thrones in general. I hope I will wear the hat, but for $4, it really won’t be the end of the world if I never do!<br />
<i>Bandalettes (two pairs):</i><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--__bEeAJjdk/UcWLz96E4WI/AAAAAAAASSc/nJgPp84acoI/s1600-h/100_27389.jpg"><img alt="100_2738" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Zm9B3LJ3cxI/UcWL00CAdAI/AAAAAAAASSk/XWXVlyxNPsk/100_2738_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" height="361" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2738" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tmNox64Khpw/UcWL2pbI5sI/AAAAAAAASSs/RKqHo1rA9T0/s1600-h/100_27399.jpg"><img alt="100_2739" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gopgakaPiFA/UcWL3-L3uAI/AAAAAAAASS0/XUGW98qWFK8/100_2739_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" height="302" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2739" width="500" /></a><br />
Alright, these are pretty brilliant. I’ve worn them once on Father’s Day, when my family took a walk instead of driving to the restaurant for dinner. These stop chaffing, or when your thighs rub together. Not everyone gets this, but I do, and the internet has lead me to believe that lots of other girls do too. Instead of trying to smear yourself with deodorant or baby powder, or where a pair of shorts under your skirts, these thin, cute bands of lace sit around your upper thigh and protect them without adding bulk. Plus, if they show, its just a cute bit of lace. I spent just over $30 for two pairs including shipping to Canada. If you suffer from the same issues, I would strongly suggest trying these out: <a href="http://www.bandelettes.com/">Bandelettes.com</a><br />
<i>Lots of tea:</i><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-z2X3xJO30Bc/UcWL598Yu5I/AAAAAAAASS8/K0Ed-KNJAUg/s1600-h/100_27439.jpg"><img alt="100_2743" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JI9ZwjNqu2M/UcWL7HzQNBI/AAAAAAAASTE/Q8UVpw15288/100_2743_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" height="377" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2743" width="500" /></a><br />
As you can see from the picture, I did indeed buy a lot of different teas. <br />
I got the Matcha from DavidsTea, because I have been obsessed with matcha flavoured candies lately, and I thought I should try the actual sourse. This was pretty expensive, but since matcha is a powdered tea, not a steeped tea, its super versatile. You can make it hot, cold, straight in milk. The next thing I want to try is matcha in chocolate milk, though I’m guessing the colour would be horrible!<br />
I bought the Stash Chamomile tea because a) I love chamomile tea, b) there wasn’t any in my house, and c) sometimes I just can’t sleep, and this has worked for me in the past, whereas warm milk never really has. Tis very tasty!<br />
Four O’Cloc Peppermint tea: basically, I just love peppermint tea, and it’s fantastic for hotter weather, since it’s cooling whether you brew it normally and drink it hot or make it strong and drink it over ice.<br />
Yama Moto Yama Genmai-cha: there are some Japanese and Chinese restaurants that serve this really weird green tea for free in their restaurants, and I’ve become so accustomed to it that I actually really like it and even get cravings for it sometimes. I finally asked what it was one day, and it was basically this, which is a green tea which is mixed with roasted brown rice. (Interesting fact: thjs tea came about because some Japanese people were too poor for pure tea, so they mixed it with rice to make it last longer. Later, this became very popular for it’s odd and yummy flavour!)<br />
<i>The Book of Me: A Do-It-Yourself Memoir</i>:<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-deiPGsDbPb0/UcWL8YJRXMI/AAAAAAAASTM/R7Mwqil_xoM/s1600-h/100_274410.jpg"><img alt="100_2744" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GlaGIKB1g8Q/UcWL9MKsXXI/AAAAAAAASTU/Ovp6W9qdBnQ/100_2744_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" height="533" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2744" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BlNsK2qaemM/UcWL-JErouI/AAAAAAAASTc/kduntp9BKhw/s1600-h/100_274910.jpg"><img alt="100_2749" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZOhEiLmXOVY/UcWL_I1b0iI/AAAAAAAASTk/sLMSNRYpSeg/100_2749_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" height="663" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2749" width="500" /></a><br />
I’ve pretty much always loved stuff like surveys and tags where you fill in information about yourself, and so this book is such a cool idea to me. Basically, it tries to cover your whole life and gets your to write about everything from facts like when and where you were born, to random information you can find about your earliest childhood, through to your adult life, love, and marriage, and stuff I haven’t got anywhere near yet. It should be fun to fill out for a long time. Because I’m kinda a dork like that.<br />
<i>Bright Pink and Black platform Sandals:</i><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pBLz9qVR_yc/UcWMBHbJWKI/AAAAAAAASTs/QR3Ru8-jRBM/s1600-h/100_2772%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="100_2772" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-e8oX46zQJ6I/UcWMCVGv8pI/AAAAAAAAST0/PmzikuwferE/100_2772_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="376" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_2772" width="500" /></a><br />
You might recognize these as the platforms from my last post. Obviously, I chose these ones! I went back a couple days later to try them on, and they seemed comfy and cute, and my boyfriend offered to pay about 2/3 of the price, so I was pretty sold… And they’re so cute!! I’ve word them once since just to the library and around the mall for an hour or so. In the first 15 min, I almost fell off the platform twice, but after that, I was perfectly fine. My feet slide forward a little too much, but the heel is practically not there, and the chunky platform wasn’t noticeably heavy. One of the straps bit into my big toes a bit, but beyond that I’m still pretty happy with them!<br />
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Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow and leave me your comments! =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-41613052912838789412013-06-16T12:00:00.000-07:002013-06-16T16:42:03.960-07:00Wishlist // Non-Cosmetic Edition<p>· <strong>Flat Sandals:</strong></p> <p>I really dislike the Gladiator sandal style, and I also hate those sandals that have a strap down the middle of the foot, but none across to keep your foot on the sole of the shoe... and those are also, coincidentally, the only types of sandals that are available in most stores, with the exception of regular flip-flops. However, what I want is something flat, strappy (but not too strappy), cute, and comfortable. Ugh!</p> <p>I have found a few options, though. Including these simple brown ones from Asos: </p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://images.asos-media.com/inv/media/8/5/1/9/2649158/tan/image1xl.jpg" width="290" height="370"><font size="1">Image from </font><a title="http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-FACTOR-Flat-Sandals/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2649158&cid=4172&Rf947=4105&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=3&clr=Tan" href="http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-FACTOR-Flat-Sandals/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2649158&cid=4172&Rf947=4105&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=3&clr=Tan"><font size="1">Asos.com</font></a></p> <p align="left">As well as these crazy cool ones from Forever 21: </p> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://www.forever21.com/images/large/31651201-04.jpg" width="328" height="400"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://canada.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=F21&Category=shoes_sandalsflipflops&ProductID=2031651201&VariantID"><font size="1">Canada.Forever21.com</font></a></p> <p>I’m leaning towards the Forever 21 ones. And yes, I count those as flat, even though they’re 4 inches off the ground at their highest point, because they have almost no difference between heel and toe height, and should be nice and comfy.</p> <p>· <strong>New Shorts:</strong> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://pics.ae.com/is/image/aeo/1332_3588_532_f" width="358" height="400"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.ae.com"><font size="1">AE.com</font></a> <p>I have a couple good pairs of shorts, but only 2 that I really like on, both, of course, from American Eagle. I was really sad lately, because they were (are?) having a sale where all their shorts are $25, as opposed to the usual $40. However, most of the midi shorts, which is the length I need for my legs, either look exactly like what I already have, or only went up to a size 12 (I, unfortunately, am s size 14). There were two pairs I really liked. One was like my other pairs, but had a leather braiding detail up the side seams, and the other had studs down the fronts (pictured), but alas, these didn’t fit, so I’m still on the hunt for another pair or two. <p>· <strong>New Jeans:</strong> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://pics.ae.com/is/image/aeo/1438_7669_830_f" width="358" height="400"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.ae.com"><font size="1">AE.com</font></a> <p>For the same reason that I need to wear midi-length shorts, I also go through jeans faster than the average girl, and so I’m in need of a new pair or two, despite the fact that the temperature is currently rising. This isn’t hard to find, I just need to get over it and spend the money on a couple of good pairs, since my favourite jeans are all American Eagle. I have a hard time finding other brands, especially cheaper brands, that look good, fit, and aren’t exorbitantly expensive! <p>· <strong>Great Gatsby (the book):</strong> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9780/7432/9780743273565.jpg" width="400" height="430"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Great-Gatsby-%3B-Us-Import-Ed-Scott-Fitzgerald/9780743273565"><font size="1">BookDepository.com</font></a> <p>Pictured is my favourite cover, but I’m much more likely to get a cheap cover, since I have a hard time spending $11 on a book I can get in a different cover for less than $3. I really loved this book when I read it, and I can’t wait to see the movie, and I would very much like to have a copy of the book for myself. <p>· <strong>The Beautiful and the Damned:</strong> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/8402/9781840226621.jpg" width="400" height="430"><font size="1">Image from </font><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/This-Side-Paradise-Beautiful-Damned-Scott-Fitzgerald/9781840226621"><font size="1">BookDepository.com</font></a> <p>The book in the picture is the one I’m most likely to buy, since it has two different Fitzgerald stories in it for less than $5. Because I loved Gatsby so much, and Fitzgerald’s writing style, I would love to get this to try out some more of his stuff. <p>· <strong>A new tea ball and/or a takeout cup with a tea strainer right inside:</strong> <p>I have no idea why I’m having such a hard time finding a tea ball that is larger than the one I have at home. I even went to David’s Tea, and all the ones they had in stock didn’t close properly, so tea would have leaked out everywhere, especially a rooibos tea! Ugh… <p>Anyways, I would also love a travel mug with a tea infuser inside of some sort, since at the moment, I’m pretty much limited to using my loose leaf teas when I’m at home, and stuck to store bought or bagged teas when I’m out. However, I haven’t found one yet at a good price and size. Maybe soon. <p>· <strong>Great Gatsby tickets:</strong> <p align="center"> <img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://www.ocoos.com/images/product/51a8a8c9a23ce_the_great_gatsby3.jpg" width="500" height="230"><font size="1">Image from </font><a title="https://www.ocoos.com/services/events/great-gatsby-movie-premier-1788.html" href="https://www.ocoos.com/services/events/great-gatsby-movie-premier-1788.html"><font size="1">Ocoos.com</font></a> <p>· <strong>Star Trek: Into Darkness tickets:</strong> <p align="center"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_Yb2rtHZUojk76EFxAXH7vjBvWbOSaGAXqiy-qelHWiAzgJ_Ly0YaiMCOzkvA3CbilSA5e-0dmNTdF-1lI3CWbTDA15pXgm-UrKeotpjlPebgJt1kxG0RiK5CiWxdWoiAC_50KtB4ZBA/s640/star+trek+into+darkness+poster.jpg" width="500" height="250"><font size="1">Image from </font><a title="http://snymed.blogspot.ca/2013/05/star-trek-into-darkness-movie-review.html" href="http://snymed.blogspot.ca/2013/05/star-trek-into-darkness-movie-review.html"><font size="1">Snymed.blogspot.ca</font></a> <p>Ok, not sure if the last two here count, but I really would love to see both of these movies in theatres. The only problem is that it’s hard to find a time when everyone who wants to see the movie is available... we might have to just suck it up and go at different times... Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640631311508034175.post-24466340479083835332013-05-23T03:06:00.001-07:002013-05-23T03:06:13.289-07:00Eyes are delicate, yo!<p>Do you know what isn’t fun? Having a corneal abrasion. <p>If you have never had the misfortune to have that, you are lucky, and I advise you to be very careful with anything vaguely sharp around your eyeballs, including mascara wands, which was the object of my own misfortune. Also, before I get into this, I promise I won’t post any creepy pictures of how my eyes looked all red, irritated, or puffy, and I won’t show you pictures of corneal abrasions... If you want to know, I leave that to you to look up. I’m just going to rant a little bit for my own amusement, and maybe so you can laugh at or sympathize with my pain and discomfort. (In case you don’t know it yet, by the way, there’s a great term from German to describe the enjoyment that we receive from witnessing or hearing/reading about another person’s pain, and that term is “Schadenfreude.”) <p>Anyway, the other day, I was doing my makeup as usual, and as I was doing my mascara, I was attempting to use the wand to separate a clump in the outside corner of my lashes, when, next thing I know, I’ve poked myself in the eye, and squeezed my eyes shut tight in defence. Thus, promptly and efficiently smearing wet mascara all over my top and bottom lashes. This seemed to be my biggest problem, once I got over the shock of the poke, I didn’t think I’d really damaged anything, just hurt myself a little and messed up my makeup a lot. I had to take it all off and try again, and I went on with the rest of my day. <p>About halfway through the day however, my eye started to hurt again, like there was something in it, but there was nothing to be seen, and my eyes were just tearing over and over again, until I didn’t know what was going on, my eye was getting red, and later my lids began getting puffed up. I tried washing out my eye with water, and I managed to bring down some of the swelling with a cold washcloth over my lids, but I ended up going to bed really late, with my eye still hurting, and feeling very worried. <p>I slept very little all night, and when I did, I woke up in the morning with my eye puffed up even more than before I fell asleep, and I was pretty much freaking out. My mom didn’t seem as worried, which was helpful, and she gave me a cotton pad with some witch hazel (pro tip: witch hazel is bloody amazing for taking down puffiness or inflammation, and it lasts forever!) on it to take down the swelling and began looking online for a walk-in clinic around us that was open on Sunday. There should have been one, but it was closed, so I was forced to go to the hospital. As we sat there, my eye slowly began getting better. After an hour and a half, I was in their “eye exam” room, where I sat for another 3 (Yes, three goddamn hours), while my eye continued to feel better, though it still hurt a fair bit, and I was starting to get a headache. <p>When a doctor finally appeared, he checked my eye, put a numbing drop in it, then a yellow/orange dye that fills in a corneal abrasion if there is one, and he looked at my eye in the dark under a cool blue light. If you look up corneal abrasion on Google, you can see the cool neon green of a scratch on a dark blue eye, it really isn’t that creepy, and I’m pretty creeped out by eyes. Anyway, he said that was the problem, and it should be better in no more than 48 hours, gave me some eye drops that are “basically Advil,” and I was done. <p>A few days later now, I finally had the confidence that my eye was alright, and I got to wear makeup again. It’s still a bit light-sensitive, which only makes sense, but I got by without using the drops every 4 hours, and I think I’m almost healed completely. <p>So, the moral of the story is this: be very careful with your eyes. Scratching your cornea fucking hurts, and your eyes may even puff up and make you scared for your eye’s existence. <p>Usually I’d ask for your comments, and I do like your comments, but please nothing too focused on your experiences with injured eyes, at least not the gory details... I can be pretty wimpy with that stuff. Thanks for reading!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0