National Anthem

"He was charismatic, magnetic, electric, and everybody knew it. When he walked in, every womans head turned. Everyone stood up to talk to him. He was like this hybrid, this mix; a man who couldn't contain himself. I always got the sense that he became torn between being a good person & missing out on all of the opportunities that life could offer a man as magnificent as him... And in that way I understood him. And I loved him. I loved him, I loved him, I loved him. And I still love him."


Happy 4th of July, friends...stay safe <3

One Love

   


 “Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.
    When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.
      There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever.
      Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby.
      Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.
      You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile.
      Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” Bob Marley

To Love Another Person is to See The Face of God

I cannot express in words how excited and thrilled I am for the movie production of Les Miserables coming out December!!!  Not a week goes by where I don't either listen to or sing a song from my favorite musical of all time.  Seriously?? How they got all these amazing singers/actors into one film is beyond me, but I am so giddy.

Cast (from wikapedia)

• Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, a Frenchman released from Toulon prison after 19 years of imprisonment for stealing bread and failed attempts for escaping from the prison
• Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, a police inspector who releases Valjean on parole, then later dedicates his life to imprisoning him again.
• Anne Hathaway as Fantine, a struggling factory worker and mother of her illegitimate child, Cosette. She is eventually forced to turn to prostitution.
• Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, the illegitimate daughter of Fantine who has grown into a beautiful teenager under Valjean's care and falls in love with Marius
• Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy, a student revolutionary who is friends with the Thenardiers' daughter, Éponine, but falls in love with Cosette.
• Samantha Barks as Éponine, the destitute daughter of the Thénardiers who is friends with and secretly pines for Marius. Barks previously played the role at the 25th Anniversary concert and in the West End production from 2010–2011.
• Sacha Baron Cohen as Thénardier, a common thief who is also an innkeeper. He is also the father of Éponine
• Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier, the unscrupulous Innkeeper's wife who, along with her husband, houses and abuses Cosette until Valjean "buys" her from them after Fantine's death. She is also the mother of Éponine
• Aaron Tveit as Enjolras, the leader of a student revolt and a friend of Marius.
• Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche, a streetwise urchin who helps the revolutionaries. He is the abandoned son of the Thénardiers.

Hugh Jackman as Valjean!! I can't imagine a better Valjean, I know he won't disappoint.  Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Samantha Barks as Eponine (a role in which she played often and in the 25th anniversary concert), Russell Crowe as Javert!!  Amanda  I feel like a little girl..."like seriously? this is like...totally happening?!?" Ugh, can not get over my excitement!!! This is a dream cast!

Can't wait to hear Bring Him Home, I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own...love it all

(I know the photo says Summer 2013 but whatever, prisoner 24601 is going to be the best Christmas present for me)

Lookin' for Heaven, found the Devil in Me

A song for when I need a reminder that I am not who I was, and though I'm not where I want to be...but every day I'm closer.   Sometimes my demon makes her way to my surface, but I am stronger and I just need to "Shake it Out"

Shake it Out music & lyrics originally by Florence + the Machine, but I loved this cover by the girls on Glee. <3

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

All of these questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn

Oh whoa, oh whoa...

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

Life is tough...it's even tougher when you're stupid

ONE Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you
could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half
dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at
the counter . "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or
twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I
can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six
McNuggets

TWO I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and
the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up
one of those "dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed
it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had
scanned all of my items, she picked up the "divider", looking it all
over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she
said to me, "Do you know how much this is?" I said to her "I've changed
my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today." She said "OK," and I paid
her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy
drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she
was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept
asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM "thingy."

FOUR I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do
you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have
replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into
my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store)
would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm,
too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it
and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the
door, I replied, "Why don't! you drive over there and check about the
batteries. It's a long walk."

FIVE Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One
day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out
of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the
secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank
piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five
"blank" copies.

SIX A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs
to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The
dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and should be fine,
the mother says, I just gave him some ant killer..... Dispatcher: Rush
him in to emergency!

Life is tough... it's tougher if you're stupid.

Suggestions for Success by H. Jackson Brown Jr

You Otter Believe it!!!

No secret I'm in love with baby otters...SO...here's a little compilation of cute photos/videos of otters for your enjoyment :)

 

“Being in love, I find myself smiling for no reason at all...”

As I was putting my books away, I realized that I could recall some really amazing quotes from my favorite stories and authors...Even got caught up reading a few pages from each...I thought this would be a great place to collect all of my favorites from the shelves :)

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
“Woman work a great many miracles.”
“I wish I had no heart, it aches so…”

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.”
“He insisted that stars were people so well loved, they were traced in constellations, to live forever”

The Lovely Bones, Lucky, The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
“I live in a world where two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand”
“Who would have thought something that happened that long ago could have such power?”
“Our only kiss was like an accident- a beautiful gasoline rainbow.”
“How to Commit the Perfect Murder" was an old game in heaven. I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away.”
“Loss could be used as a measure of beauty in a woman.”
“Your first kiss is destiny knocking.”
“There was one thing my murderer didn't understand; he didn't understand how much a father could love his child.”  “Poison and medicine are often the same thing, given in different proportions”


Eragon Series, (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance) - Christoper Paolini
“Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now.”
“Into the sky to win or die.” 
“Respect the past; you never know how it may affect you.”
“The monsters of the mind are far worse than those that actually exist.”
“Whatever you do, protect those you care for. Without them, life is more miserable than you can imagine.”
“The future will be what it will, and fretting about it will only make your fears more likely to come true.”


Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare (I'm certain I have most of these lines memorized)
“Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,-
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.” (this was turned beautifully into a song)
“For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?”
“There was a star danced, and under that was I born. ”
“In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke.”
“There's a double meaning in that”

Lorien Legacies (I am Number Four, Power of Six) Pittacus Lore
“When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.”
“The only limits for tomorrow are the doubts we have today.”
“A place is only as good as the people in it.”
“If he had one true love, then he wanted you to have one, too.”

The Hunger Games Trilogy (The Hunger Games, The Mockingjack, Catching Fire) Suzanne Collins
“Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”
“You love me. Real or not real?' I tell him, "Real.”
“I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.”
“Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together. Two hearts beating as one. Romance.”
“Isn't it strange that I know you'd risk your life to save mine... but I don't know what your favorite color is?”
“This is the first kiss that we’re both fully aware of… This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another.”
“Right before the explosions begin, I find a star.”
“Gale is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable.”

The Honest Courtesan - Margaret Rosenthal
“Do you know what my daughter's nurse told her today? "In a girl's voice lies temptation - a known fact. Eloquence in a woman means promiscuity. Promiscuity of the mind leads to promiscuity of the body." She doesn't believe it yet, but she will. She'll grow up just like her mother. Marry, raise children and honor her family.”

Shel Silverstien :)
“Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.”
“So I'm all of love that could make it today.”
“Anything is possible. Anything can be.” 
“everything isn't everything”
“If you are a dreamer come in”
“There is a place where the sidewalk ends,
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.”


Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
“I know a lot about women and their suffering, but I still know almost nothing about men.”
“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.”
“Anyone who says that women do not have influence in mens' decisions makes a vast and stupid mistake.”  
“For my entire life I longed for love. I knew it was not right for me — as a girl and later as a woman — to want or expect it, but I did, and this unjustified desire has been at the root of every problem I have experienced in my life.”

 J.R.R. Tolkien
“And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.”
“I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.”
“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.”
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
“Courage is found in unlikely places.”
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
“Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall”
“And yet their wills did not yield, and they struggled on.”
“Go back to the abyss! Fall into nothingness that awaits you and your master! ”
“He stands not alone. You would die before your stroke fell.”
 “So do all men who live to see such times. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”

The Notebook, The Wedding, The Rescue, The Last Song, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks
“You are, and always have been, my dream.”
“Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can.”
“Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it.” 
“Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy. Remember that.”
“Without suffering, there'd be no compassion.”
“I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart.”
“I'll be anything you want, just tell me what you want and I'll be that.”
“Being in love, I find myself smiling for no reason at all...”
“If you come back; I'll marry you. If you break your promise, you'll break my heart”
“It's funny, but have you ever noticed that the more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted? It's like they think it won't ever change. Just like this house here. All it ever needed was a little attention, and it would never have ended up like this in the first place.”

Harry Potter (all 7 years) - J.K. Rowling
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” 
“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.”
“The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should be treated with caution.” 
“Alas, earwax!”
“Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?” 
“You can laugh, but people used to believe there was no such thing as the blubbering humdinger and the crumple horned snorkak!”
“Here lies Dobby, a free elf.” 
“The only way out is through.”
“I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death.” 
“I'm hoping to do something good in the world!”

Twilight Series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) - Stephanie Meyer
“I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.”
“Look after my heart - I've left it with you.”
“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..." 
“I promise to love you forever - every single day of forever.”
“You are my life now.”
“I honestly have no idea how to live without you.”
“Sometimes, loyalty gets in the way of what you want to do. Sometimes, it’s not your secret to tell.”
“You are...Well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence.”  
 
A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket (YES, I read all 13 books!!)
“Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.” 
“People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like chef's salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.”
“Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness.” 
“The sad truth is the truth is sad.”
“I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.” 
“I will love you as the iceberg loves the ship, and the passengers love the lifeboat and the lifeboat loves the teeth of the sperm whale, and the sperm whale loves the flavor of naval uniforms.”
“There are many, many types of books in the world, which makes good sense, because there are many, many types of people, and everybody wants to read something different.” 
“Waiting is one of life’s hardships.”


 Okay, I need to finish packing these books up!! More quotes to come!! :)

The difference between me and you

One of my favorite songs right now

It has a beautiful message...I gave you the lyrics en Italiain and English :)

La Differenza Tra Me E Te

La differenza tra me e te.
Non l'ho capita fino in fondo veramente bene
Uno dei due sa farsi male, l'altro meno, però...
E' quasi una negazione.

Io mi perdo nei dettagli, nei disordini, tu no
E temo il tuo passato e il mio passato, ma tu no.
E' così chiaro
E sembra difficile.

La mia vita
Mi fa perdere il sonno, sempre
Mi fa capire che è evidente
La differenza tra me e te.
Poi mi chiedi come sto
E il tuo sorriso spegne i tormenti e le domande
A stare bene, a stare male,a torturarmi a chiedermi: "perché"

La differenza tra me e te.
Tu come stai?
Bene.
Io come sto?
Boh.
Uno sorride di com'è,l'altro piange cosa non è.
E penso sia un errore...

Ah, io ho molte incertezze, una pinta e qualche amico.
Tu hai molte domande, alcune pessime, lo dico.
Elementare.
Non volere andare via...

La mia vita
mi fa perdere il sonno, sempre.
Mi fa capire che è evidente
La differenza tra me e te.
Poi mi chiedi come sto
E il tuo sorriso spegne i tormenti delle domande
A stare bene, a stare male, a torturarmi, a chiedermi: "Perché"

E se la mia vita ogni tanto azzerasse
L'inutilità di queste insicurezze
Non te lo direi.
Ma se un bel giorno affacciandomi alla vita
Tutta la tristezza fosse già finita
Io verrei da te.
Poi mi chiedi come sto
E il tuo sorriso spegne i tormenti e le domande
A stare bene, a stare male,a torturarmi a chiedermi: "perché"

La differenza tra me e te.
Tu come stai?
Bene.
Io come sto?
Boh.
Uno sorride di com'è, l'altro piange cosa non è.
E penso sia bellissimo
E penso sia bellissimo.

 

The Difference Between You And Me

The difference between you and me
I haven't fully understood it
One of us knows how to hurt, the other one not that much, but...
It's almost a negation

I get lost on details and in the mess, you don't
I fear my past and your past but you don't
It's clear
And it seems so hard.

My life
Always makes me sleepless
It makes me see how obvious it is
The difference between you and me
And then you ask me how am I
And your smile puts away the agony and the questions
About being well or being wrong, to torture me to ask me "why"

The difference between you and me
How are you?
Fine
How am I?
Dunno

One of us laugh of himself, the other one cries for what he is not
And I think that's a mistake

Ah, I have many doubts, a beer and few friends
You have many question
It's elementary
  Don't want to get out of here

My life
Always makes me sleepless
It makes me see how obvious it is
The difference between you and me
And then you ask me how am I
And your smile puts away the agony and the questions
About being well or being wrong, to torture me to ask me "why"

If my life could be restarted from time to time
The uselessness of this insecurity
I wouldn't tell you about it
But if on a fine day I were leaning out to see the life
All the the sadness were already gone
I would come to you

And then you ask me how am I
And your smile puts away the agony and the questions
About being well or being wrong, to torture me to ask me "why"
The difference between you and me
How are you?
Fine
How am I?
Dunno
One of us laugh of himself, the other one cries for what he is not
And I think its beautiful
And I think its beautiful

http://lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.com

http://lyricstranslate.com

And who is responsible for this appalling child slavery? Everyone.

It should never be okay to rape, kidnap, murder, or torture another human being.  There are such things as basic human rights, and all around the world, they're being violated.  My heart aches every time I think of the women and children being abused on this planet, and it makes me sick to think that people in the Western World won't even spare a passing glance.  

Children are being raped and infected with HIV/AIDS every day because of a myth that if you are infected, and you have sex with a virgin, it will cure you.  HOW can you sweep something like this under the rug?  I was blown away when I watched Alicia Keys' documentary "Keep A Child Alive"

 

Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative businesses in the world, and we Americans claim slavery has been abolished??  In the US alone, there are over 10,000 forced laborers.  Asian women can be sold for nearly $20,000 to brothels.  In Thailand, over 60,000 CHILDREN are sold into prostitution!!

And remember that movie Blood Diamond? You think that movie was made up?? It's based on real life events that are taking place right now.  Children, being abducted and forced to murder their family and friends for what?  For one man's war-mongering power trip. 

 

Something needs to be done, and it starts with spreading awareness.  We live in world where information travels faster than the speed of light.  Let's make it happen.

Distance & Time - Alicia Keys

This song is dedicated to all the lovers
Who can't be together
Separated by distance and time

You are always on my mind
All I do is count the days
Where are you now?
I know I never let you down
I'll never go away

I really wish that you'd stay but what we do
All the days that you've been gone I dreamed about you
and I anticipate the day that you will come home, come home

No matter how far you are
No matter how long it takes him
Through distance and time
I'll be waitin
And if you have to walk a million miles
I'll wait a million days to see you smile
Distance and time, I'll be waitin
Hmmmm
Distance and time, I'll be waitin

Will you take a train, to meet me where I am
are you on your way?
I will never do anything to hurt you
I'll never live without you

I really wish that you would stay but what we do
All the days that you've been gone I dreamed about you
and I anticipate the day that you will come home, come home

No matter how far you are
No matter how long it takes him
Distance and time,I'll be waitin
And if you have to walk a million miles
I'll wait a million days to see you smile
Distance and time, I'll be waitin
(repeat)

I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting
through distance and time
I'll be waiting

You are always on my mind
All I do is count the days
Where are you now?

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!!! He brought up real-life issues in a way a child could understand and learn from.  Thank you, Dr. Seuss, you had a hand in raising me :)

Titles I've Read

Apparently the BBC thinks most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books . Let’s see how we all do.

1) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
2) The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X
3) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4) Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8)Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9) His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10) Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11) Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12) Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13) Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
14) Complete Works of Shakespeare X
15) Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16) The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17) Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18) Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19) The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger X
20) Middlemarch - George Eliot
21) Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22) The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23) Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24) War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25) The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
26) Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27) Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky X
28) Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29) Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30) The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X
31) Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32) David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33) Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34) Emma - Jane Austen X
35) Persuasion - Jane Austen
36) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini X
38) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X
40) Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41) Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42) The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43) One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44) A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45) The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46) Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X
47) Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48) The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49) Lord of the Flies - William Golding X
50) Atonement - Ian McEwan X
51) Life of Pi - Yann Martel X
52) Dune - Frank Herbert
53) Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54) Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55) A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56) The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57) A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60) Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
62) Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov X
63) The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64) The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold X
65) Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66) On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67) Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68) Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X
69) Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70) Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71) Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72) Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73) The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74) Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75) Ulysses - James Joyce X
76) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77) Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78) Germinal - Emile Zola
79) Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray X
80) Possession - AS Byatt
81) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
82) Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83) The Color Purple - Alice Walker X
84) The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85) Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86) A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87) Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88) The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90) The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91) Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92) The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93) The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94) Watership Down - Richard Adams
95) A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96) A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas X
98) Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x38 X
100) Les Miserables - Victor Hugo X

Used vs. Loved

My Dad sent me this email awhile back....made me reflect...


Used vs. Loved

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a
stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took
the child's hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a
wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked,
'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked
it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions.......sitting in front of
that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide. . Anger and Love have no
limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life..... Things
are to be us ed and people are to be loved, But the problem in today's
world is that, People are used and things are loved...

During the day, be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things
are to be used, but People are to be loved ... Be yourself....This is
the only day we HAVE. Have a nice day Watch your thoughts; they become
words. Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become
character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Can't Trust Pitbulls

10. They will steal your spot on the couch while you are up getting a soda.
9. They will take the treat you give them and bury in the back yard like a paranoid crack head hiding their stash.
8. They will jump on your bed with muddy feet. Making you do the laundry...again!
7. They will lick visitors with an uncontrolled passion only they understand.
6. They will cause children to smile.
5. They will make you feel horrible for not walking them by looking at you with deep sad eyes.
4. They will look at you like you committed a crime against them if you don't let them lick your ice cream bowl.
3. They will cause wide spread happiness in large group settings.
2. They will crack you up by shaking their butts so hard you think they are going to snap in half.
And the number one reason why you can't trust vicious Pit Bulls...
1. They will steal your heart like a thief in the night, showing you complete and pure love that only a Pit Bull can show.

The best things in life are free...

...like sleep...

Insomnia Strikes Again

Post Valentine's Day, and after a night out with my girlfriends, I find myself unable to sleep.   The only thing going through my mind at the moment is the French lullaby, Au Clair de la Lune.  My mom used to sing that to me to go to sleep, so perhaps my sleep deprived subconscious is trying to get me into a REM cycle.

"Au clair de la lune" means "Under the moonlight"  The song speaks of the search for a pen to write, under the moonlight.  Funny, I now lay in bed, au clair de lune, searching for inspiration.  

Lyrics go something like this
(from what I can remember, there are several more verses)

Au clair de la lune
Mon ami Pierrot
Prête-moi ta plume

Pour écrire un mot
Ma chandelle est morte
Je n'ai plus de feu
Ouvre-moi ta porte
Pour l'amour de Dieu

"Under the moonlight,
My friend Pierrot
Lend me your pen*,
So I could write a word
My candle is out,
I've no more light
Open your door for me,
For God's sakes"

Ce qui embellit le désert, dit le petit prince, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part...Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Je Ne Vous Oublie Pas

"If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden." 

Has it been a year??? My dear, dear baby boy...I miss you so much, I hope you're watching over us. 

Thank you for visiting me in my dreams the other night, I can't tell you how much I've missed the sound of your voice, your corse fur, and the thump of your tail...

It was a year ago today, that I lost you, that you crossed the bridge.  I can only hope and pray there is a special place for dogs to go after they leave this life...and I can only pray, I can go there too.

Life is sublime

This past weekend I was able to celebrate my cousin's marriage to his girlfriend of 10 years.  My entire family (maternal side) came out...all the way from Vietnam, Korea, Florida, Texas, and Washington.  It was wonderful to see everyone after so long, 5+ years for many of us.

My cousins are no longer my little baby cousins, but grown women, over 21 and most in college or recently graduated.  Seeing them, it was like we were never parted.  We're all still reflections of the same little girls that played on the ranch in Houston, Tx, ran amuck at Islands Of Adventure in Oralando, FL, we're still the same hoodlums our parents had to chase around the house to get the pantyhose off our heads.  I realize time does not effect my relationships with my family, our bonds are like the oldest redwood, we just get stronger with time. 

This particular celebration was bittersweet, the groom's father, my uncle, had passed away 6 days before the wedding.  He had been battling cancer for some time, and was unable to fight any longer.  My Uncle Thuc, was a helicopter pilot for the VN army, he was a devout Catholic, he is a hero, and he used to call me his Famous Star.

Rest in Peace, Uncle...we'll remember you forever  06.02.1942 - 01.29.2012

 

 

 I believe my uncle was comfortable to leave, knowing his sons had grown into good men that love their wives and his daughter is strong and marvelously creative.  My aunt has a grandson, and another on the way, she no longer has her husband, but his legacy lives on within his family.

Life is sublime, our threads weave a tapestry so magnificent and elaborate that time itself can lose itself within our colors.  In reflection, I am so fortunate to know the people I know, and they have changed my life in ways I cannot begin to describe.

And your future ain't brighter than your present, quit stressin'

Til Death?

In February, I have 3 weddings to attend... 3 dresses to squeeze into, and 3 chances to blow it in the wedding photos.  All 3 weddings are going to be so different and unique, I'm really excited.  But it does make me look deeper into relationships...and what about these 3 that just...work... (and why none of these would work for me).  They're all around my age (20-somethings) and as couples, they compliment each other in the best way.  I can't wait until I find someone I have that type of compatibility with (but no, I'm still not sold on the idea of holy matrimony).

The first wedding has 700+ people invited, traditional Catholic ceremony, with a traditional Vietnamese reception.  My cousin and his fiance have been together for over 8 years, so in a few months, there won't be any surprises for the couple.  They are so sweet to each other, and aren't ashamed to be good to each other.  The other day, the bride posted pics of how my cousin had left her "lunch money" in the bathroom cabinet with a note...and a few feet away, another note saying there's some desert in the fridge for her.  So sweet!  I'm wondering if they bride and groom will go to the reception in the traditional Ao Dai (photo below, no, these people aren't my cousins)  I love the traditional look, but the silk is not forgiving on a lumpy body like my own.

What I love about my cousins is that they delight in the childish innocence of love. Both coming from large families with lots of siblings, they don't mind sharing space, "toys" and time.  They are on the same level, both decided school and careers were the priority, and now that they both have stable careers, they've taken that step.  It was wonderful to see them grow from young college students, to adults that are just as in love as the first day...maybe even more so.


Wedding number two, will be an intimate ceremony of 40 people , and just a dinner at a nice restaurant in Laguna Beach, CA.  The plan of the bride and groom after the dinner is to have all their friends that weren't able to attend the wedding, come in a local bar for dancing and drinking.  This couple, I've known for about 4 years, they've been together since college and they have seen some serious ups and downs.  There was a point in their relationship when it actually ended, and they were apart for some months...but when they reunited, I've never seen anything stronger. What I love about this couple is that their wedding fully represents their personalities to a tee.  Intimate. Beautiful. Close. Simple. The bride is nothing like you've seen on that show of Bridezillas, quite the opposite.  Though this is an important day for them, they only care about the fact that they will be finally solidifying their commitment to one another before a small group of close friends and family.  A passion these two share with me, is our love for our pets.  Lexie, their first bulldog (they have 3 now) will be the ring-bearer.  I'm really looking forward to this wedding and  I'm honored to be apart of this celebration.

The venue, is absolutely to die for... (this is why we live in Southern California)

The third and final wedding, are the most unique, and colorful couple I've ever known.  He is a tattoo artist, Hawaiian transplant, laid back, surfer type and 6-7 years younger than his bride.  She is energetic, creative and a wonderfully kind and talented hairstylist from San Diego, CA (with the most adorable taste ever).  They ceremony will be in beautiful San Diego, CA at a lovely resort I've always dreamed of visiting.

 They are such a great couple, I can't even begin to describe their compatibility.  Their commonality is their creativity and their love for each other...but personality-wise...this is truly and "opposites attract" scenario.  I How lovely their ceremony is at a resort, and the reception is at a traditional Asian seafood restaurant!! :) 

The Big Waste-Changed my life

I will never look at food the same way after watching the Food Network show- The Big Waste

Over 40% of the food grown in America is never eaten!! How is this possible?!?! In 2010, 48.8 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 32.6 million adults and 16.2 million children (from FeedingAmerica.org)  This show does open my eyes, that yes there is SO much waste, and the people that need to be fed, aren't getting food.  I'm sure these farmers, grocers, would not be able to make a decent living if they did sell their "blemished" produce at a better price.  Could they donate their overage?  Probably not... Would you throw a fit if you found out your son's school cafeteria made his lunch with "waste" from the farm....I thought so.  (even though this "waste" is probably fresher and healthier than what he's getting now)

On the show, these grocery owners, produce farmers, wholesellers gave all their "trash" away to these famous chefs...my question is...If I showed up at their back door, would I get the same treatment?

The problem does not lie in the amount of waste...the problem lies in the American people.  We are trained to only accept perfection.  There are so many rules and regulations that would prevent these farmers to donate produce, or for me to show up and take their trash.  What is the solution then?  Is there a solution?  I cannot accept that there is nothing we can do.

I do appreciate the things that the folks over at Freegan do...they teach "waste reclamation" and an alternate lifestyle.  Please have a read.

If you do have a chance, please catch The Big Waste on Food Network...it might change the way you look at things.

Resolutions for 2012

So again, I've been quite the wayward blogger.  Life gets too much in the way to sit down and just write.  But it is 2012, the world is about to end, so I may as well get whatever I'm thinking into the world now.

Tis' the season of resolutions, and I, like everyone else, is very gung-ho about my resolutions in January, only to have it become an "epic fail" by February.  So let's just try this again, shall we?

1. Spend less money on restaurant dining - limit eating out to 2x monthly, cook more: I've recently gone over my spending trends, and I spend an ungodly amount of money at restaurants!! And then I wonder why my bills never get paid...because I'm too busy being a fat girl and eating my money.  This particular resolution is one I am quite motivated about, since I plan to buy myself a new car for my birthday, it would be nice to have all my bills paid off by then.

2. Exercise daily - Bas Rutten's MMA workout: I am going to try to do the 28 minutes every day without wanting to kill myself.  Then hopefully, I will graduate to more difficult exercises.

3. Blog more:  Every day, I have things to say...to absolutely no one...I need to start getting back into the groove.  Obviously, I have some commitment issues that hinder my ability to write daily, but I will do my best.

4. No regrets:  I live life by the philosophy of no regrets..."because at one point, that was exactly what you wanted"  The only way I can be absolutely sure I will not regret the things that I do...is to think before I act.  To not regret my actions, I will be more sensitive to others' feelings and think of others.

That's all for this year.  Hopefully, I'll be able to stick to it!!