Day of the Triffids

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham 

From Amazon: "This classic sci-fi novel traces the fate of the world after a comet shower blinds most of the world's population. The few with sight must struggle to reconstruct society while fighting mobile, flesh-eating plants called triffids."

I love plants and when I found out that there was flesh-eating plants in this book, I liked it more. I don't normally like sci-fi, but this had enough realistic parts to keep me entertained. I loved the plot, although it did take a bit to get into. R read it too, and really enjoyed it.

I already recommended this to a friend - before I even finished. I've also read The Chrysalids back in grade 10 - both good, but I preferred this one.

Snow

In case anyone wondered:

UBC is unpleasant in the snow. UBC is more unpleasant when after it snows, it rains.

Thank you, UBC admin people for making me go to school today.

Measurements

Measurement #2:
Hips: 40"
Belly: 34"
Waist: 26"
Chest: 35"

Definitely need to actually go to the gym and stuff.. I only made it twice since January 1, and I've only done a few small workouts at home.

Horoscopes

While I do read horoscopes on occasion and once in a while I feel like they have actually gone along with something in my day, I do not read them daily, or normally care about them.

That said, there are somethings about astrology that just fits for me. Virgo characteristics have been known to describe me well.

From the Edmonton Sun (thanks, S) my lucky dates for 2011 are:

January 21, 22, 23
February 18, 19, 20
March 17, 18, 19
April 14, 15, 16
May 11, 12, 13
June 7, 8, 9
July 5, 6, 7
August 1, 2, 3, 28, 29, 30
September 25, 26, 27
October 22, 23, 24
November 18, 19, 20, 21
December 16, 17, 18

If anything interesting happens on these dates, I will try and post. So far, I think I have plans involving R on one date in January, and all 3 in February. :)

The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

 The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Steig Larsson is the final book in the Millenium trilogy.

From Amazon: ".. it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last. A familiar evil lies in wait for Lisbeth Salander, but this time, she must do more than confront the miscreants of her past; she must destroy them."

I thought I loved the first two books, but this one really brought everything together, and was definitely adrenalin packed (although less adventure packed). The first book could be a stand-alone book, while the second and third are more integrally tied together.

I want to watch at least the first movie now, to see if I'd like it. I'm really sad that Steig Larsson died.. I think he would have been able to continue this into a longer series starring these two characters.

25 x 25 List

I only started writing the most current edition of this list the day I started this blog. So here it is, a few weeks later!

25 by 25. The list:

1. Start a blog, and update weekly (not sure when I can cross this off though?)
2. Get my Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh award
3. Go skydiving or bungee jumping.
4. Go to Nicaragua or Ecuador (or anywhere international) to volunteer.
5. Hike the West Coast Trail
6. Get married.
7. Take a cooking class.
8. Get a dog. (I really hope this becomes possible.)
9. Take a photography course.
10. Go to NYC.
11. Get a drastic haircut.
12. Learn Italian (because two other Latin languages are just not enough)
13. Go skinny dipping. No idea why I've never done this.
14. Be comfortable with my body in a bikini.
15. Become a BIT, or preferably, an RPBio.
16. Read a Jane Austen book (preferably Sense and Sensibility ;) )
17. Learn how to decorate cakes/take a cake decorating class.
18. Hike to the Lions.
19. Canoe/kayak the Bowron Lakes chain.
20. Go to a spa (this probably doesn't seem like much.. but it's me).
21. Sell some of my photos (I'm trying, I really am.. )
22. Start dragonboating again.
23. Go on a trip with the group (Disneyland?)
24. Try a yoga class.
25. Buy a Mac.
26. Do a chinup (R's suggestion)

Hopefully I'll be able to start crossing some of these things off! :)

The Girl who Played with Fire

The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson is the second of three books in the Millenium trilogy.

From Amazon: "The fierce heart of this novel is Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyondher-years, genius hacker who teamed up with crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."


I seriously enjoyed this one - the paperback is over 700 pages long, and I read it in two days. I can't wait to get the final book.. although I'm not sure I'll be able to read it as quickly with school...

I would definitely recommend this one too - I think I liked it more than the first. Tons of action, plot twists.. and it's very well written.

New Year's "Resolutions"

Happy New Year!

Last night was a friend's birthday party, so I made almond cupcakes and then R and I iced them with a plaid design. I'm pretty sure we're crazy, but it feels good to make use of some of my Christmas presents.

A whole plate of plaid cupcakes!

Close up of a cupcake

 Now that I have most of the tools needed to create amazing cake and cupcake designs (at least in theory..), I plan on documenting my learning. If I get a chance, I will take a cake decorating class as well. Maybe I'll also learn how to take decent photos of food.

Along with wanting to eat healthier this year (as always after the holidays!), I also want to measure myself twice a month, and post it here. Hopefully putting it somewhere where the entire world could potentially see it will be somewhat motivating.

Starting measurements:
Hips: 41"
Belly: 34"
Waist: 26"
Chest: 35"

A quick breakdown of the resolutions for the year:
-eat healthier
-workout, and post results every two weeks
-learn to take better pictures
-learn more about cake decorating