first book post

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I thought I would do a quick book post (haven’t done one of these in *forever*) since Bev asked me why I didn’t like The Time-Traveler’s Wife…

I started and finished this book on the plane ride home from Paris so maybe I rushed it a little bit, I’m not sure. Anyway, I thought the story was compelling (I wouldn’t have read 500+ pages if it was a snoozefest) and I thought the time-travelling concept was interesting (though I did find myself confused a few times because of all the back and forth) but I didn’t care about the characters. They weren’t very likeable, their choices frustrated me and I just didn’t feel connected to them at all. 🙁 Plus, I have to admit that the relationship between Henry and Clare made me cringe at times. <– I think this’ll make more sense after reading the book. Anyway, I hope that didn’t dissuade anyone from checking this book out… I’d love to hear what you all have to say.

So, what have I been reading lately? I recently picked up a romance novel and I’ve found myself addicted to them. Hey, they’re so easy to read! And fast too! I turned to Alie and Sarah for recs and they didn’t disappoint. I’m currently on the last book of Nora Roberts’s Three Sisters Island trilogy. The books combine witchcraft, suspense along with romance. It’s a great mix and I love that the story isn’t sacrificed or rushed along for the romance.

I’ve also read some chick-lit books… nothing particularly memorable except for Something Blue by Emily Giffin. UGH UGH UGH. I normally LOVE chick-lit, despite the heroine’s typical flightiness, but Darcy in Something Blue was just awful. She was shallow, self-centered and obnoxious. I’m so glad I found the book on the bargain table at Borders.

Finally, I finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, which I really enjoyed. It’s my first stab at a historical novel and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved being immersed in Henry VIII’s court (yes, despite all the inaccuracies) and thought it was an interesting choice to write the book from Mary Boleyn’s perspective, who is overshadowed (in real life and in the book) by her sister Anne. Highly recommended. Anyone know if Philippa Gregory’s other books are as good?

That’s it for now… I don’t think I’m very picky when it comes to books so if you have any recs, please share them! 🙂

macarthur maze

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OMG. Look at what happened to a piece of the Macarthur Maze today.

It freaking collapsed. A tanker truck overturned and caught on fire, causing the ramp above it to buckle. CRAZY.

The Maze is the Bay Area’s busiest freeway interchange… and one of the most congested. 3 major highways (80, 580 and 880) converge there. And now 2 of its sections (westbound 80 to southbound 880 and eastbound 80 to eastbound 580) are closed until those connectors can be rebuilt. I’m *so* not looking forward to my commute to work tomorrow. TONS of people are going to take mass transit since they won’t want to deal with the headache of finding alternate routes. *whimpers* I suppose I should leave for work earlier. Boo. 🙁

Rob and I actually drove by the collapsed freeway earlier as we were out running errands (the crash site is technically in the city that we live in). It’s totally eerie to see it decimated like that.

book meme

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I MUST see Paris Je T’Aime. It looks like such a beautiful movie. May 4!

A book meme I stole from Nicola…

Paperback, hardback or trade paperback?
Paperback. Either mass market or trade paperbacks. I don’t reread my books often enough to justify the cost of hardbacks. The exception is Harry Potter, of course.
Amazon or brick and mortar?
A mix of both. Amazon definitely has better deals but sometimes I need instant gratification, you know?
Barnes & Noble or Borders
Borders. Cause it’s right next door to my apartment. And it also has a much better (and free!) rewards program than B&N.
Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark, usually. But I *have* been known to dog-ear sometimes.
Favorite place to read?
In bed underneath my incredibly comfy goose-down comforter.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Random. But I do try to group by author.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
It depends on the book. I keep about half and I sell/donate the other half.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep!
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove. That thing is nothing but a pain while reading.
Short story or novel?
Novel. I’ve never really cared for short stories. I don’t really know why. *shrugs*
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I haven’t read the Lemony Snicket series but even if I had, I’m positive the answer would still be Harry Potter!
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
At chapter breaks. I feel like I need to reach a good ending point before I can put the book down.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
The former.
Buy or borrow?
I do fair amount of both. I’m really lucky cause I have good friends who have massive book collections and are very generous with them. 😀
New or used?
Either. I’m not too finicky about used books… they just can’t be smelly or falling apart.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
Recommendations and book reviews. I pretty much rely on them for almost everything I read. I don’t have a knack for going into a bookstore and picking out books on my own.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Tidy ending. I can’t help it. I like happy endings.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Nighttime reading. It’s my favorite thing to do before falling asleep.
Stand-alone or series?
Both. I love series but hate when they end.
Favorite series?
Harry Potter. 😀
Favorite children’s book?
The Berenstein Bears series.
Favorite YA book?
The Sweet Valley High series.
Favorite books read last year?
I honestly can’t remember what I read last year, really… all the Nelson DeMille books were great and I also really enjoyed A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.
Favorite books of all time?
Anne of Green Gables series.
Least favorite book you finished last year?
Could not stand The Time-Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. UGH.
What are you reading right now?
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts. (Many thanks to Alie and Sarah for the rec! I’m loving it!)
What are you reading next?
Something Blue by Emily Giffin. Found it on the bargain table at Border for $5. I couldn’t resist cheap chick-lit!
Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?
Erm, Little Women? To be honest, I think I’m so far removed from 11-year olds that I wouldn’t know what is and isn’t appropriate for their age.
Favorite book to reread?
The Harry Potter series… I love these books more and more each time I read them.
Do you ever smell books?
It sounds weird but yes.

Off to read! 🙂

finale schedule

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I am never going to replace the water container at work again. The freaking thing is 5 gallons and it took me 3 tries to heave the thing onto the cooler. And I spilled some water on the floor. UGH. I am so weak. I so need to start lifting weights or something. Except I probably won’t.

On an even more random note… I had a vendor come in to meet our team at work yesterday. He flew up to see us from LA and he brought Sprinkles cupcakes as a treat. Apparently it’s some really popular cupcake shop in Beverly Hills. YUM-O. I had a piece of 3 — coconut, chocolate, and the red velvet (my *favorite*). There’s no real reason why I’m blogging about it other than the fact that I can’t stop thinking about those little cakes from heaven. Mmmm. (Carmen/Robyn, one day I totally want to come and visit and have a foodie weekend. :D)

So moving to TV, I have to post the season finale schedule for my reference…

Thurs, 4/26
10pm
October Road (ABC)
I don’t know why I continue to watch this show. I mean, I love Bryan Greenberg (the lead actor in the series) but I really don’t like any of the characters. I won’t watch it past this season.

Tues, 5/15
8pm
Gilmore Girls (The CW)

Thurs, 5/17
8pm
Ugly Betty (ABC)
Smallville (The CW)
9pm
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
CSI (CBS)
Supernatural (The CW)
Wow, busy night!

Sun, 5/20
10pm
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Mon, 5/21
8pm
24 (FOX; two hours)
9pm
Heroes (NBC)

Tues, 5/22
8pm
Veronica Mars (The CW; two hours)

Wed, 5/23
9pm
Lost (ABC; two hours)

I couldn’t find finale information for One Tree Hill. Anyone know? 🙂

i got nothing

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I got nothing.

I’ve been trying to think of something to blog about but my mind is going “…”
Yup. *twiddles fingers*

Well, I did try to watch Rome this weekend. A few of my shows are over for the season (Prison Break, The OC, Friday Night Lights) so I rented the first disc from Netflix to see if it would fill the void. I only got about 15 minutes into the first episode and decided it wasn’t for me. It was a little too bloody and I couldn’t keep everyone straight. Oh, well. Luckily, Rob and I just got the Firefly DVDs from our friend Sebastian (*waves*) so that’ll keep us occupied for a little while. 😀

weekend update

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Had a loooooooong weekend. And I am still UNBELIEVABLY TIRED.

Rob and I celebrated our 8-year anniversary last Thursday, so… YAY for that. 😀

We didn’t get a chance to celebrate this past weekend, though, because Rob was a groomsman at a friend’s wedding on Saturday and we had friends staying over for the festivities. The wedding was held at the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park in Berkeley, which was an absolutely phenomenal location. It’s set high up on a hill with a lush green backdrop. So pretty. Unfortunately, the ceremony had to be moved indoors due to the pouring rain but despite that, it was a really beautiful, intimate ceremony. The rain let up after the vows so the wedding party was able to take some pictures outside. Look how pretty the wedding party looks against the gorgeous green background. *sigh*

The bride also had so many little hand-made touches that made the wedding so unique… from her invitations (to die for!), to the little rocks that served as your seat assigment, to her own wedding dress… GUH. It was all so beautiful.

Following the wedding, we all went out to dinner, then to a club, and then the post-wedding brunch the next day. YOU GUYS. This is more activity than I’m used to in a weekend. So you’ll understand why I’ve been in a sleepy funk the past few days. LOL.

I really need to get some sleep…

fnl finale

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Ok seriously? The Friday Night Lights finale was freaking AWESOME. It was perfect to me. I loved it all… from the Panthers walking into the stadium, the Taylors’ balcony scene (GUH), Landry’s caravan, and yes, even Lyla and Tyra. It’s silly to be so giddy over a TV show but I totally am. *squishes show*

I’m crossing my fingers for a second season. (Does anyone know anything official about this?)

Ok, off to watch the finale again… and again…

tudors + entourage

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So I’ve watched the first 2 episodes of The Tudors and I like it. And yes, it’s probably 99% because of the eye candy, ie. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill (*drool*) and Callum Blue. 😀

I don’t remember much about Henry VIII’s reign (besides the fact that he had 6? wives) so that’s another reason why I’m enjoying the show. It’s probably completely historically inaccurate and I just don’t know any better. That’s really sad, isn’t it? I mean, I took European History in high school! I’m also reading The Other Boleyn Girl (a historical novel about Mary Boleyn and her life in Henry VIII’s court) so I think the truth and the fiction are getting all jumbled together for me. Anyway, I’m enjoying the show, which is nice since it seems like all the other shows I watch are on hiatus. (This is why I’ve had to resort to watching Dancing with the Stars and that Pussycat Dolls show lately).

Oh, and can I just say that I LOVED the return of Entourage?

Continue reading →

easter weekend

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Aaahhh, I’m having a nice and relaxing Easter weekend so far. Hope all of you are as well.

I had Friday off from work, which was so great. 😀 I got the chance to meet up with friends for lunch and we checked out the new H&M that opened up near my apartment. Then to top off my day, I got a much-needed pedicure. If only life could be as simple as this…

I’ve recently become seriously addicted to The Travel Channel. I’ve been recording the daily reruns of Passport to Europe. Samantha Brown, the host, can sometimes border on annoying and cheesy (a la Rachael Ray) but whatever, it’s EUROPE. *sigh* I wish there was a way to make travelling my day job. Or just to have the time and money to leave everything and travel through Europe for a month. I even checked out the 5 Takes website to see if they were casting. LOL. (It’s a reality show where 5 travelers are chosen to be immersed in a country and the online community on the Travel Channel site decides their daily activities, their next destination, etc). Unfortunately, you have to be 30-39 to apply. WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEING 27? 😛

The one regret I have about my college experience is that I didn’t take time over the summers to travel. I spent all my summer vacations fitting in summer school so I could graduate with a double major. If I could, I’d go back and change that in a heartbeat. I’d have taken an extra year to graduate or even applied to a study abroad program. Everything’s 20/20 in hindsight, right?

I’m also loving the Travel Channel’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. This show chronicles the adventures of a really lucky couple who gets to travel around the world for a few months. (The show’s based on the book of the same name). I found out about this show in Paris from our Segway tour guide. He had just finished filming a segment for the show a few nights before, which featured the Segway tour. I can’t wait to see the episode when they get to Paris. So far, they’ve been to Alaska and Italy and every time the episode is over, I am SO JEALOUS. Can you imagine? 13 weeks. All expenses paid. LUCKY.

In honor of Easter, I thought I’d share this link to the 2007 US State Easter Eggs. It’s an annual tradition that each state (plus DC) submits a decorated egg to the White House. I think it’s kinda fun. My favorites are Georgia, Maine and Washington.

Ok, enough randomness for today… I’m off to watch the first episode of The Tudors. Jonathan Rhys Meyers! WOOT.

random tv ish

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Some random TV comments:

Rob likes watching that Pussycat Dolls: Search for the Next Doll show on the CW. I don’t understand why. They’re all terrible. They make me cringe when they sing. :/ I can’t believe this show is keeping Veronica Mars and One Tree Hill off the air. Grrr.

So The Black Donnellys is cancelled. I have about 4 or 5 episodes saved on the Tivo (I never got past the pilot) — any TBD fans out there think I should go ahead and watch them? It looks like the remaining episodes are going to be streamed on NBC.com so at least the show will get some closure. I just wish NBC.com’s media player wasn’t so… SUCKY.

We had Dancing with the Stars on last night (I guess it was the results show) and I happened to catch Joey Fatone’s encore performance of the tango. OMG. It was the cheesiest thing EVER. Seriously. He and his partner did a Star Wars-themed tango. YES, REALLY. Joey was dressed as Anakin (or Obi-Wan, not quite sure) complete with braid down his back and his partner was dressed as Princess Leia. AND he had a lightsaber as a prop. WOW. That was classic. I love Joey. I didn’t realize that Apolo Anton Ohno and Ian Ziering were also on the show this season (maybe I did and forgot, I’ve been in a total work haze lately). I may have to start watching. 😀