I Read Like I Eat

Over the weekend, the public library nearby had its annual book sale. Not really sure why but this is actually the first time I checked it out. Oh, man, so many, many books! It was a tad overwhelming just because most everything is all over the place, especially the paperbacks.

From top: Emma, Wicked, The Kite Runner, The Lovely Bones, The Historian

Tried not to go too crazy. Yes, even though they were dirt cheap. After all, how much can I really read for a certain period? I figure these books will tide me over for a good while. There were a few more picked up that were not included in the pic, just because I'm kinda' embarrassed to admit that I read them kind of books hehe Heck, I don't even know why I'm saying that here. HAH! Oh yes, to reinforce the fact that there are indeed enough books to tide me over.

I find since I've been out of school, I go thru cycles with my reading. I will go for months and months without touching a book then boom, I'd be reading non-stop, book after book after book. I guess I'm in a reading cycle of late, a much longer reading cycle, mind you, not sure why.

Oh, and on top of that, I realized too in my older years that I can't speed read like I used to in my younger years. I can still pretty much finish a book in a day, depending on how engrossed I am in the book, but I do remember when I can finish a book in half a night if I wanted to. Now, I'm finding myself savoring the words and scenes much more, letting myself totally wrapped up in the story, therefore taking longer, definitely, to finish a book sometimes. Kinda like when I eat. Over the years, because they say it's better for digestion and healthier eating (that is what they say, no?), I've learned to chew my food longer and by doing so, really savor my food. The good thing about that, like they say, is that you end up eating less. True, but then when your taste buds are open like that, the taste for rich(er) food also gets magnified, no? Or is it just me? Hmmm...

Now if only I can eat like I read. In cycles, that is... HAH!

New Shopping Venue and Other Random Things

Over the weekend, after my volunteer, thought I'd check out the new Topshop that opened nearby.

And boy was it huge! If I heard correctly, this is one of the bigger stores outside UK.

And that's just part of the shoe department.

The accessories department has its own corner.

But in the end, I didn't get anything. How about that? Not counting the fact that I'm sorta' in a pseudo shopping ban (sorta'? pseudo? does that make it almost nil?), it was just so busy in the store I was getting sensory overload. Me! Of all people!

So next thing I knew, my feet took me across the street.

Anna dello Russo collection for H&M

And guess what, I didn't buy anything there either! What's going on with the shopping universe?! O wait, I did buy something. (Oh, how quickly we forget). I bought some woolen knee-high socks... And a belt... And a snood... But wait, they're necessary accessories! To keep me warm for winter! Ok, a belt wouldn't keep me warm. Ok, not that I have no scarves at all. But still, in my mind, they don't count! Do they? They're necessary accessories! HAH!

Anyhoot, today, for the first time this season, felt like winter's just around the corner. And I thought the day calls for something hearty and warm and cozy for dinner.

Beef stew with barley

And with Halloween just around the corner, not that we "celebrate" Halloween, I came across something fun that I just couldn't walk away from.

Random things, isn't that what I said?... hehe...

When Am I?

Time is such a funny thing, no?

Had a course to attend to this week so it was a short work week for me. Yet the way this course broke up the week, the short work week doesn't feel that short on one hand, considering the amount of work done both in and out of the office. And on the other hand, the short work week felt truly short, since I was only in the office for 2 days...

When I do the scheduling at work, I obviously have to work on it in advance. So here I am in the present, looking at the calendar for the next few weeks. Sometimes, when I work on it too long, I think I convince myself that I am on that week already, forgetting about the present...

Then when I blog, I blog as I think, for the most part, but sometimes, I will have too many thoughts in my head that I break them up and schedule posts for the future (which seems to be the recommendation by some out there... meh...). And what happens? I forget about them, I go back to my blog a few days later and it feels like I'm remembering something that happened a while back yet I'm posting in the present.

Huh? Does that even make sense?

My point, exactly!

HAH!

Face to Face

No, I'm not talking about the face itself, or makeup, or anything like that. I mean face-to-face interaction.

via Google images (cultureofyes.ca)

With this new temporary work assignment I have, I didn't know why but it felt a little unsettling in the beginning. It's in the same division, same line of work, yet something was throwing me off. Then one day it occurred to me what it was. For the first time in my work life, I'm not dealing with the public per se. Not just that, I'm not face to face with clients so to speak.

I've always thought that one of the reasons I've done the work I've done, be it the retail ones back in uni days or the "professional" ones I've held thus far, is the pleasure I get from dealing with the public. I've always enjoyed the interaction with an array of personalities. I like the variety it gave any work day as no 2 days are ever the same.

Now, I suppose it's a little different. I'm kinda' behind the scene, no direct contact with clients and a good part of my interaction is virtual. It is quite different. Do I like it? I think I'm starting to. It's calling for a different set of skills, that's for sure. I have mostly just my peers and upper management to deal with, after all. There are no non-verbal cues to rely on and written words definitely needed to be edited carefully as one can easily misread the emotion or tone being conveyed. Sounding droll in person may sound sarcastic virtually.

But I guess that's the fun part of all this, trying to work my way around the world of IM's and webinars, and for the first time, no whiny/snarky comments thrown to my face that requires the patience of a saint. HAH!

Romance is Definitely Not Dead

So a couple of weeks back, I read the first part of the Gabriel series by Sylvain Reynard, Gabriel's Inferno (see post). Sis recommended I wait a while to read the second part, Gabriel's Rapture, supposedly because the second book is more intense(?) than the first and it'd be nice to have a break between the 2 books. Not sure if 2 weeks is considered a while, but it's enough of a while for me. So I finally decided to read it last Saturday.

via

So how was it for me?

I actually like this better than the first. It has more intense scenes than the first book, yes, yet I didn't find it as intense as the first (if that makes sense). I like how the drama unfolded and as drawn out as some of the scenes were, this time I didn't mind it at all. It's maybe because I sorta' knew what to expect after reading the first one, or I just had more patience this time, not sure. Still better written for sure, I say, than those "other" books.

I can see how people (or should I say women?) will fall even harder for Gabriel Emerson. Me? Well, hmmm... Perhaps it's just me, perhaps I don't know or haven't met too many academics but I did wonder, in some of the scenes, who talks like that in real life? Definitely not the people I know. But I betcha' those lines that made me shake my head (or roll my eyes) are the very same lines that will make fans of romance novels swoon. Although I would admit (begrudgingly, hehe) there are some lines that, even for a pragmatic like myself, definitely work.

"I would have done whatever it took to save you... Even if that meant I had to spend eternity in Hell"

Now tell me how can a line like that not work on any gal, eh? But then again, maybe it's just me...

HAH!

Anyhoot, moving on...

Scrumptdiddlyicious

Not really a big fan of turkey in the past but on special occasions, I would make it, especially since hubs like it. And like I said, normally, I would roast it myself, but this year, for some reason, we wanted to have turkey for Thanksgiving but not make it ourselves.

So we ordered it. In an Asian market at that!

The meat was tender and it was really flavorful. What did surprise us, in a very good way for sure, was the spices used. We were ready to taste the usual flavor but no, they used Asian spices (Asian spices, Asian market, why were we surprised, I have no idea). We tasted primarily Chinese 5-spice, garlic, and ginger. Even the "gravy" that went with it was Asian. It was more like Chinese bbq sauce style. How about that, eh? Chinese-style roast turkey. Yummmmy!

I did make the side dishes to go with it.

There was garlic in the turkey, which I didn't know when we ordered it. Then I put garlic in the brussel sprouts and the mashed. Garlic everywhere, mmmm... And no, no garlic lovers here. HAH!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's Thanksgiving this Monday on our side of the world. Personally, I try to be grateful every waking hour. I don't succeed all the time, but I do my darndest, for sure.

I think it's always easier, for the most part, to be grateful for the big things, for the things that matter the most or make the most impact. But what of the lil things that we can easily take for granted, or the things that people find silly but make us smile or giggle. I think we should be grateful for the those things as well, no?


... chunky knit infinity scarf to keep me warm and toasty...

... a nice cup of Americano for the times I feel like I'm barely awake...

... Lindt chocolate with hazelnuts...

... additional 75% off on all reduced items...

... PVR (need I say more?)...

... a nice bottle of red wine, shared over a meal, or just because hehe...

... Seawall...

... my itty-bitty LV collection...

... hitting the right temperature in the shower...

... the smell of vanilla on anything...

... banana ketchup...

... telephony, just because it sounds funny to my ear...

... hi-def TV...

... my shoe and accessory collections...

... crusty baguette...

... empty seat next to mine on the plane...

... perfectly cooked steak...

... a nice plate of colorful salad for when I get sick of eating meat...

... the stranger who let me go ahead in the line because I only have 1 item in my hand...

via

I can keep going, for sure.

And lest I forget, the people who matter most in my life. From the weekly giggle fest with sis every Saturday on the phone, to my mom's ramblings, to my other sis' shenanigans for vicarious living, to the food club meetings, to "skating" with friends, to Twitter/FB convos, to mentoring meetings, to work chats, to the pillow talks, to the lil treats/surprises that hubs decided to do on any given day... just for being in my life, and making it better...

Birthday Gift to Myself

Old Navy haul

Ok, not really. I guess I just said that to make myself feel better. Why? Do I feel bad? No. Guilty? No. Maybe. Who am I kidding? Well, actually I suppose you can say it is. I got a mailer alert week before last about a sale on their Rockstar jeans, placed the order last week, the week of my birthday, so yes, it is kinda', no? Again, who am I kidding?!? I know, no one!!! HAH!

What just happened?!? I don't even like online shopping!!! And not even really a big fan of Old Navy!!! AND I actually love my purchases!!! Eeeeek!

Rockstar Super Skinny jeans (in Grey), $16.15

I finally succumbed to the hype around these jeans. Now I know why. I got a size bigger 'cause that what seems to be the recommendation all around. Oh, plus it was the only size available when I bought it (popular sale was right!) hehe... Luckily, since their leg width tends to be on the tad narrow side for my built, it worked that I got the bigger size. The waist is a lil big but nothing that a belt couldn't fix. Whew!

Floral Chiffon dress, $23.80

I know summer's over but what can I say, the color and the flowers just grabbed me.

Cap-Toe ballet flats, $17.00

It had me at ballet. Then add the yellow on top of that. And I know it was comfy 'cause I did try it once at the store.

Why didn't I stop at just the jeans, when that's all I was really interested in? Do I need to answer that? Ok, if I must, the other 2 items are on sale as well, plus there was an additional 15% going on at the time, plus I didn't want to pay for shipping so I thought I'd meet the minimum purchase. So yes, rather than pay $8 for shipping, I spent an additional $40. HAH!

Am I smart, or am I smart!


Anyhoot, our wedding anniversary falls shortly after my birthday. We usually just celebrate the milestone ones (kinda' gives you an idea how long we've been married if we're now talking milestones, eh?) and this year was a quiet one. Didn't really expect anything.

Guess I was wrong. Definitely one of the rare occasions when I was happy to be wrong. HAH!

And The Week/Weekend Went On

Last week, it felt like I hurtled towards the weekend. In a good way, that is. Well, it helped that it was kinda' a short workweek.

Plus, on top of that, the weekend also felt like it passed by in a blink as well. Again, in a good way, that is.

(Warning: picture heavy)

... spending lunch outdoors one workday to soak up some sun...

Fennel and orange salad... pretending it's still summer...

... birthday cheers with hubs...

Pig on the Street for lunch...

PigLT (bacon, arugula, cheddar, avo, tomato w/ bacon & maple mayo)

... birthday tiramisu with friends...

... I say time for another change...

... the result...

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder... thanks to other sis...

Coach wristlet ... more gifts, from friends this time:p...

... part 3 of the birthday celebration... Oktoberfest!

... and what's Oktoberfest w/o weiners...

Hey, can't think of better things to be busy with and/or be exhausted from, eh? I'm a-okay with that, definitely... Sunday, recovery time, needless to say... hehe...