College Nicole’s idea of a fun night is drastically different than that of Adult Nicole. While College Nicole would be out drinking friends until 2am, Adult Nicole is in bed fast asleep by 1am no matter the day.
While I do occasionally long for the days when I could cross a street and go to a bar where I was guaranteed to run into half of my graduating class, I’ve wholeheartedly embraced my new idea of socializing. My idea of a good night partially changed because of my work schedule, but I also think it’s because I’ve unknowingly grew up since last year.
My work schedule is a little kooky. Instead of working the standard Monday through Friday eight hour work days, I start my work week on Tuesday and end on Saturday. While people are recovering from the night out on Saturday morning, I’m in the office at 9:30 starting another standard work day. To a certain degree, my work schedule does affect how I socialize with my friends. However, I ultimately elect to stay in on Friday nights with a glass of wine and a book. On Saturdays I will venture out to bars with my friends, but just like Cinderella after a certain point I need to go home – mainly to sleep.
Some might say that I’ve turned “boring” or “old” since my glory days in college, but I’ve looked at it as I’m growing up. I’m generally more tired at the end of the day and my body can’t metabolize alcohol anymore. I know that people claim that hangovers start getting worse when you’re 25 or 27, but my body went rogue and start gifting me horrible hangovers at 23.
I’m at a transitional point in my life where I feel like I’m “playing” grown up. There are moments when adult things excite me – kitchenware and bed sheets – but there are times when I realize that I have the humor of a 13 year old boy. I feel as if I’m going through grown up puberty. Even a year out of college, I’m still adjusting my lifestyle to accommodate the responsible grown up in me and the 23 year old who is still learning how to live.
While I do suffer from the occasional bout of FOMO – thanks instagram and Facebook – I’ve accepted that I cannot go out and drink and socialize like I did in college. In college my actions essentially only affected me. Now that I have a job and am trying to establish healthy and lasting relationships, I realize that what I do affects everyone around me. What might have been a casual drunk hook up in college can lead to a dangerous situation featured on 20/20 in the real world. Not putting in 100% effort in an assignment in college only affected my grade, but at work it reflects poorly on my whole unit.
I’ve realized that how I’m feeling about my adult status is natural in life. Change is inevitable and part of growing up. What makes people adults is how fast they adapt to change and the choices they make when addressing new issues. Imagine if none of us changed from our younger selves. The world would be utter chaos and nothing would get done.
I just need to remind myself that this transitional phase I’m experiencing is only temporary and that everyone goes through it. As long as I’m fine with having the sleep schedule of a 65 year old with the livelihood of a child, all will be good.
Lists are great, but also the worst. While it is always satisfactory to be able to check things off a list, taking a step back and looking at a whole list can be intimidating. No stranger to lists, I think I found one that frightens yet excites me.
As I’m rediscovering the magic behind reading, I’ve found myself a little overwhelmed. There are so many books that sometimes I get lost and don’t know what book to read next. Lucky for me, I have found a solution.
Like many girls that had their formative years , I watched a good portion of Gilmore Girls (admittedly I stopped watching when Rory and Jess were over) and always marveled at Rory’s voracious appetite for books. Keeping in mind that Rory Gilmore is a fictional character, I decided that one of my many life goals would be an attempt to be as well read as her.
I made that life goal in high school and over the years sadly forgot about it. Thankfully, the powers that be at Buzzfeed published a list of all the books referenced throughout Gilmore Girls. After digesting the 300 plus titles on the list, I decided that it would be my reading goal to read everything on the list.
Realistically speaking, reading every book on this list will take me at least six years. Although I could take some short cuts, I’ve decided to be good and laid some ground rules for myself.
1. I have to read every single book on the list. Even if I have previously read the book, I have to reread the book.
2. As a fast reader, I have to read slowly. Gone are the days when I finish a book in four days.
3. No matter how much I dislike a book, I will finish reading it.
4.I don’t have to read the books on the list in a particular order or have a set timeline for when I will finish the list.
5. Remember that reading is fun. Don’t try too hard to read the books at a literary scholar level.
I’ll be doing reviews on each of the books on the list and would love to create a dialogue with my readers. First book I read and finished on the list is George Orwell’s novel 1984.
Looking at my July reading list, it looks like I grew up. In June, most of the books I completed were in the YA genre and were a breeze to finish. Since graduating college in May, I have gotten back into the habit of reading for fun. For now, I’m not concerned with analyzing a passage or trying to finish my assigned reading in time for class.
This month, I made a transition away from the fun, easy YA reads and started reading more “adult” books. A grab bag of genres, I’m trying to diversify the books I pick up. Reading a total of six books this month; I’ve enjoyed some and was disappointed in others. However, I’ve learned that there is always time to read, I just need to prioritize my reading time.
My completed book titles this month include
Empire of the Sun
Looking for Alaska
Leviathan
Gone Girl
Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Book Store
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
If you would like a review on a specific book, please let me know. Generally, I enjoyed the majority of the books I read this month except for Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Book Store. With movie adaptations of Empire of the Sun readily available and the adaptation of Gone Girl premiering in the fall, I’ve added two movies to my never ending “to watch” movie list.
My August TBR list, if you can even call it that, are more like lifetime reading goals. I’m going to attempt to read all the books listed in the Rory Gilmore book club (shout out to Buzzfeed for making a nice “compact” list) and I’ll be reading more non-fiction this year.
Currently I’m rotating through three books 1984, Miracle at Philadelphia, and A Storm of Swords. Have any reading suggestions? Leave a comment below!
While my summer of casual reading is still ongoing, I’ve found out one thing. I don’t always agree with critics and the mass public (which really shouldn’t be a new revelation in my life.) I’ll be honest, at first I felt as if I should like a book because my friends liked it or because the New York Times deemed it a fresh take on life, but over time I’ve found that it is ok. As a reader, I have a number of pet peeves. One of them is when people say they like a book just because the public thinks it is a wonderful book that changes the landscape of reading. I’ve experienced this with YA (sorry Divergent) and Pulitzer Prize winning books (I’m looking at you A Confederacy of Dunces) and while I feel apologetic at first, I realize that it is ok. It’s fine if I don’t fall in love with books that everyone regards as their favorite book. I’m my own person and prefer certain styles and plots. Just as some people prefer chocolate over vanilla or vice versa, I prefer some books over others. While I know some of these books are near and dear to a number of people, I found that I could not forge the same connections a number of friends and critics made.
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth
I feel like my displeasure with this book is a little too strong. Definitely not the worst book I have read, it is far from the best book I have encountered. I do want to say that I think that my expectations and hopes for this book was high, so when it didn’t deliver I started to get annoyed at the book and anyone who thought it was a “wonderful book.” Granted it is uncalled for and just plain rude that I put down someone else’s reading choices. Honestly, at least they are reading. Maybe I believed my favorite Booktuber’s word on this book on blind faith, but Divergent was my most anticipated read for 2014. The synopsis drew me in with the idea of society being divided based off of characteristics and the cover art was enticing. I took a gamble and bought my sister the box set of the Divergent trilogy for my sister and sadly was disappointed. Although I found myself trudging through the text, I remained optimistic although I was letdown in the end. I have two major issues with the book: the writing style and simplified plot. The plot is built on the idea that people show one main moral that can be categorized in one of the following groups: abnegation, erudite, candor, amity, and dauntless. However, I believe that humans display varying degrees of each of these qualities. Tris, the main character, goes from one faction to the other and is deemed “divergent” solely because she embraces more than one personality trait. While I was initially drawn into the series because of the plot, once I started reading it quickly felt like Roth did not plan ahead and was figuring out the plot and the mechanics of her dystopian society as she was writing the book.
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
This may be the only book that I have started recently that I did not finish. To be fair, it was not only because I did not like the book, but also because I borrowed it from the library and had to return it 48 hours after I started reading it. Although a printed grammatical error did not make me cringe, the lack of cohesion throughout this whole book ultimately turned me off. Even though I was halfway through the book, I did not see links to any of the events that occurred and was curious as to how it would be resolved. A nitpicky stylistic issue that I had was the dialogue he created between Newt and Thomas contrived. As the only British character, Newt said “bloody” in almost every single sentence, which I am led to believe is the equivalent of an American character using a profanity every other sentence. While I do applaud Dashner’s attempt to diversifying his character base, I think that it was done haphazardly. Because I was unable to finish the book before returning it to the library, I committed a big no-no in the book reading world. I looked up the Wikipedia entry on the book. After reading the summaries of all the books in The Maze Runner trilogy, I was left confused with a plethora of questions. The link between all three books was weak and not very logical. I truly wanted to get excited and like this book because of all the positive reviews and a movie coming out this September, but I found a general lack of focus and repetitive speech taxing.
3. Looking for Alaska by John Green
I really wanted to like this book. My friends recommended it to me and stated that it would change how I read. In addition, I decided to go ahead and jump on the John Green bandwagon that has been collecting members since the release of the movie The Fault in Our Stars. To be fair, I think I had very high expectations of the book. Unfortunately, my expectations were unrealistically set. I felt like this book was somewhat in the Nicholas Sparks vein. ‘ The plot is very easily outline with basic conventions including but limited to
teenage boy displeased in his hometown and relocates to a boarding school
boy meets beautiful, refreshing but unattainable girl
boy falls in love with girl
girl rejects him and disappears (in this case death)
boy is angry but his life changes forever.
While a number of novels have the same plot trajectory as Looking for Alaska, I was expecting more from John Green. In my mind, Green has become the face of YA books that tell of relatable “real life” stories. I felt as if Green was heavily influenced by other books and movies, which is completely fine, but I kept trying to look for something that set Green apart from his contemporaries. As a generally optimistic person, I am holding out for Green and do plan to read more of his books. I am aware of my high expectations of the book, so maybe with more realistic hopes for the remainder of his books I can discover the magic of Green. From this list you may think I have a disdain for YA. I will admit that it is not my favorite genre; I do realize the promise that it has. I believe that YA can be a genre that can change young readers attitude towards reading and discover lands and themes that adult fiction cannot. I think my biggest gripe is that the general population appears to be reading more and more YA and certain books and series are touting praise right and left and even becoming movies. Through this pageantry though, I feel as if I’m failing to forge a fundamental function of reading: making a connection with the characters or books.
If you have read any of these books, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of them. Experience something like this too? Leave a comment below!
It’s funny how timing works out. Once I decide to revive this blog and use it to track my general thoughts and reading schedule, I get hired. Not that I’m complaining about having a paying job, but it just proves to me that sometimes you can’t really plan for things in life.
I’m a pretty good place in my life at the moment. I have a job where I can learn everything I need to know to succeed and most importantly I’m reading again. Even though I’ve never really thought of myself as a reader, I have found that the past two months has proven me wrong. I read on my commute to and from work, I read at work, I read before bed, and I read any spare moment I have.
To me being a reader sounds somewhat pretentious. Maybe it’s because of the people I have met throughout my life who say with an attitude “I read a lot.” The thing about reading though, it shouldn’t be pretentious. While I do have some qualms about what people generally should be reading (I do enjoy a good YA book know and then, but I could never sustain my brain only on YA), I figure it is better that people read YA than read nothing. Even though it is common sense, reading makes for good conversation. You can talk about books or the issues that these books bring up and whole it applies to life.
To coincide with my new life change, I’ve decided that this blog will focus on books. I’ll have monthly updates/favorites and other posts that pertain reading. While I know that this is quite a change from what I originally intended this blog to be, I have changed as a person and I want my blog to reflect that.
In words or Rory Gilmore “I live in two worlds, one is the world of books.” Just like Rory, I hope to do the same.
June has come and gone in a blink of an eye. I’ve felt a whole range of emotions this month that left me to find something to help me through. Thankfully all of my June favorites gave my life some structure in a period of uncertainty and have made me more optimistic for my future.
1. Goodreads
Thank goodness for the internet! Not only does it let me update my blog, but it also lets me access Goodreads whenever I want! Goodreads is a website that is heaven for any type of reader. It allows you to log what books, discover new books, and win free books! Although I’ve had a goodreads account prior to this month, I’ve been utilizing my account like crazy this month! I update my “currently reading shelf” everyday and have entered a number of giveaways. Goodreads really fosters a great reading community in which you can find people who enjoy books just like you. I’ve written reviews on all the books that I’ve recently read and even won a copy of a book! Sometimes I feel as if I’m not being productive just reading, but Goodreads allows me to feel productive by seeing how much of a book I’ve read and writing honest reviews.
My Goodreads profile. Feel free to follow and join me on Goodreads!
2. Documentaries
Last summer I was all about television shows. This year documentaries are where it is at. While I still love television, I have developed a new found love and appreciation for documentaries. To me documentaries are the unsung heroes of entertainment world. While people set aside time once a week to watch TV shows or go out to the movies, how many people say “I watch a documentary at least once a week/month.”
I think that documentaries get a bad rep among youth because they are usually educational. I remember when I was in elementary or middle school if someone were to ask me what I thought about documentaries I would say boring and dry. Now it is one of the genres that I enjoy the most and I try to watch at least one documentary a week.
My favorite documentary this past month was Crossing the Line by Daniel Gordon. The story is centered around an American who defected to North Korea and is still living there. So little is known about North Korea that I’ve been on a kick and watching any documentaries into the most isolated country in the world. I learned so much by watching this documentary and kept help but keep wondering how James Dresnok’s (the main subject) son would play out and how he would act around non-North Koreans.
3. Cooking
I am by no means a good cook. I’m still learning the basics and have only really mastered how to cook a number of dishes. However, I find it fun to look up recipes and emulate the picture perfect recipe. I’ve had my failures and my triumphs, but I really enjoy feeding people. I live with my sister and while she is too nice to say if anything doesn’t taste good, I can tell by her face whether she really likes what I made. Most of my meals are pretty simple, but I really hope to improve so I can throw a fancy dinner party and tell my guests that I made all the food by myself. While we are on the topic of food, my favorite “celebrity chefs” (a weird concept to me) have to be Anthony Bourdain and Ina Garten.
4. Grocery Shopping
I love running errands. While most people hate running back and forth, I found something soothing about them. Maybe it’s the structure or maybe it’s how errands make me feel like I’m being productive. One of my favorite errands is grocery shopping. I think my love of food really has to do with something with it, but there is something therapeutic about making a grocery list and getting everything I need. Even though going to the check out and paying for everything isn’t too fun, I just love seeing all the different produce and food. While I’m still learning how to stick to my budget and not buy random odds and ends, I’ve learned a number of things. Chips and soda are always on sale which makes it unsurprising that America is overall an obese nation.
5. Classical music
I’m not a music junky, but I do enjoy some good music. Growing up I listened to a smorgasbord of music that included classical music, show tunes, and top 40. Starting in kindergarten I played the piano switched to the violin until I finally settled on the oboe. Playing music for 13 years of my life, I’ve listened to and played my fair share of classical music. This month I’ve found that I’ve been listening to classical music while I do a number of things. I’ve always been able to identify the big name composers and there pieces but recently I’ve been digging deeper. Listening to my local classical music station I’ve rediscovered composers I’ve unfortunately forgotten. I knew that I had a soft spot for Beethoven, Bizet, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky but this month I’ve been listening to more Stravinsky, Haydn, and Chopin. I’m listening to classical music right now as I’m typing out this blog post. To round out my last favorite of the month, I’m going to leave a link to a video of one of my new classical loves.
I’m in a grey area of my life and I’m acknowledging it.
While I excitedly looked forward to the days of post-grad, now that I’m there I feel as if I’m floating between two worlds. As one of the many unemployed recent college graduates, I find myself dealing with something that I’m not quite familiar with: uncertainty and rejection.
Up until now, life has had a very clear path. I learned that the key to success is working hard and continuing your education. Now that I’ve completed the education I think is necessary for me at this point, I’m left hanging.
Even though I can’t deny that I have pondered about my future, the inner optimist in me has taken over. Although I feel as if I’m a beat behind (a good number of my friends have jobs lined up), I realize that I’m lucky. I get to take time off and rediscover me by figuring out what makes me excited, motivated, and upset.
During the time I feel as if I’m not progressing, in actuality I’m furthering my life by getting to know myself. My inner bookworm is reawakened. Books are a savior to me. They let me escape my life and join another world, but most importantly they make me think. Whether it’s questioning the true character of a protagonist or disagreeing with the author’s viewpoint, I find myself enjoying my alone time more and more.
There is something magical when I burn a candle and open a book and start reading. Even though right now the majority of the books I’m reading are in the young adult/contemporary category, I still find myself learning. Reading young adult books take me back to my middle school and high school days when I was looking towards the future and had a massive list of things I wanted to accomplish in my life. Thinking back on middle school and high school Nicole makes me hopeful for me and the future. My younger self has spurred me to find my passions and act on them so if young Nicole could magically have a conversation with old Nicole, the first things that would come out of young Nicole’s mouth would be “You are so cool. Teach me your ways.”
In a weird way, the past has propelled me forward. Looking back has made me more inspired and hungry for what the future will bring. I’m sure along the way I’ll have difficulties and have the same inner monologue with myself. For now, I’m going to trek on forwards while looking behind me with a smile on my face.
It’s two weeks into August making my July favorites post a little late (but it seems that I’m playing catch up and organizing various parts of my life right now). Overall July in Korea was a month of figuring things out. I’ve been in Korea for a month and a half, so any sense of novelty Korea had for me for this summer has faded. My internship ended mid-July and left me with free time that I tried to figure out how to use
1. Thick Strap tank tops
I picked up my first think strap tank top because it was part of an outfit for a dance I was doing for a Derby Days event. After the dance number was over I kind of just shoved my black target tank top to my random shirt pile. Whenever I wore it, it would be out to the gym and maybe under some sheer tops. But I would never wear it just by itself. In Korea I got into the habit of just wearing it around the house and whenever I go out. I cannot tell you how many times my mom told me to stop wearing it because it looks like I only have three shirts. I definitely am going to pick up more thick strap tank tops when I get back to the states in all the colors so I can just wear them by itself or under the numerous sheer tops I have and just by itself.
I realize that the whole thick strap tank top trend is very early 2000s but fashion has a tendency to repeat itself and thick strap tank tops are such a basic item and I’ve been working on building up my clothing basics.
Remember the days when Ben McKenzie in a think strap tank top (known derogatorily as a “wife beater”) made us swoon during The OC?
2. Bubble Tea
I have never been exposed to so much bubble tea until I came to Korea. Most of the coffee shops in Korea (which there is an endless number of) offer bubble tea and they even have specialized drink places that only serve bubble tea. Bubble tea has been around for a while in Korea and is even available in the states, but I never was a huge fan of it until this past month.
My sudden liking of Bubble Tea maybe because bubble tea popularity in Korea is rising with the arrival of Gong Cha. Gong Cha is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. What I love about Gong Cha is the variety in tea (they have normal tea, milk tea, and even smoothies) and that you can choose how much sugar and ice you want in it. They also have a wide selection of bubbles (tapioca balls) you can get. My favorite drink to get is the Early Grey Milk tea with 30% sugar and 50% ice.
Even though I am a huge fan of ice coffee, I need to switch it up once in a while. I know that I’m going to go through major bubble tea withdrawal when I get back in the states. Who knows, maybe I’ll try to convince my school’s local coffee shop to start making bubble tea.
Being in a foreign country over the summer is something that I always look forwards too. I love traveling and experiencing a different culture through food and seeing the different types of street style. The idea of spending my entire three months of summer break in Korea with my family (who I only get to see during school breaks) and doing a short internship thrilled me. I thought that I would be able to improve my Korean, learn a new skill set, and hang out with my family. While I did two out of three, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to hang out with my family as much as I wanted too. Unlike me, a college student on summer break, my parents and sister all have jobs. This left me with an insane amount of time to myself.
While I cherish my alone time, it quickly made me feel lonely. All my friends are in the US (there is a 13 hour time difference between Seoul and the East Coast) and the only people I know in Korea are my immediate family and relatives. In order to battle my hermit life, I’ve been reading and watching TV shows. While I’m currently going through a reading slump (I can only handle so many Daenerys point of view chapters) I have been able to turn into an absolute shlump and watch hours on end of TV.
1. Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
I have to admit I only started watching this show because someone posted about it on one of my friends Facebook walls. Set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era, Boardwalk Empire follows the career of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson and his corrupt political life and business musings within Atlantic City. Nucky Thompson is based off a real life politician/gangster Enoch Johnson. I thought that the show took a while to draw me in and want to see more. To be completely honest, I really only watched it to kill time until I reached the last two episodes of the third season when I noticed I was holding my breath to find out what was going to happen next.
As a history major, I nerd out over period drama set designs. Boardwalk Empire has such a beautiful set and they work so hard to really bring the 1920s to life. I’ve spent hours on Youtube watching “behind the scenes” and “tour the set” videos. I think what makes this show so great is that instead of focusing on the usual Prohibition figures it focuses on a fairly unknown historical figure. In addition, I thought it was pretty genius in covering a generally undiscussed about city when portraying Prohibition. Based off of the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, I know what book will be next on my reading list.
2. Downton Abbey (PBS)
Right now you might be thinking, “Geez, Nicole what is with you and all your period dramas?” I promise that I don’t only watch period dramas. I started watching Downton Abbey last summer and for some reason stopped. I think it was either Edith’s obnoxious personality or the back and forth romance between Mary and Matthew. For those that don’t know what Downton Abbey is about, it’s about an aristocratic family living in a country estate and all the changes that come forth in the early 20th century.
I have now caught up completely with Downton Abbey and am ready for the fourth season to air on PBS. Watching two season straight through I found that my annoyance with Edith started to go away and that the show is well written but a very easy show to watch. You don’t have to keep up with a slew of characters like in Game of Thrones and the story line has a nice balance of drama and humor. Sure the drama is somewhat low key compared to the other shows I do watch, but it still is suspenseful in its own way. Also Maggie Smith as a Dowager Countess is reason enough to watch the show.
3. The Newsroom (HBO)
The day that the Season 2 of The Newsroom premiered on HBO in July, one of my Facebook friends made his status about how The Newsroom pushes liberal media to the forefront. After reading his status I thought of two things. 1) Most media is liberal. Also, The Newsroom is broadcasted on HBO a premium cable channel, so it can be as liberal or as conservative as it wants. 2)If you aren’t please with the political undertones of a show, just don’t watch it.
With a very straightforward title, it’s pretty easy to guess what the show is about. Centering on fictional reporter Will McAvoy, The Newsroom brings forward what I believe to be an admirable career to the forefront. What I really find innovative about the show is that each episode is built around a real life news event. Granted all the news events are several months old, I find it fascinating to see what big stories that the show’s writers and the producers choose to highlight.
Even though I’ve never worked in a real newsroom let alone been exposed to one, I think that the show will make people think twice about all the work behind producing a televised news program. I really enjoyed how it shows a behind the scenes look at a live news production and how there are multiple components to a successful newscast that includes people other than the reporter. If you find that news production strikes your fancy and you want to learn more, I suggest you watch this video from a Youtube beauty guru who was a former news reporter for a local live morning news show.
4. House of Cards (Netflix)
Netflix has proven to be ahead of the changing media game. One of the first websites to stream TV shows, movies, or documentaries, Netflix has now ventured into the original programming arena. Based off of a BBC version, House of Cards has proven to people that good shows aren’t only broadcasted on television.
A political drama, House of Cards focuses on the corruption and mind games fictional Rep. Francis Underwood plays to seek revenge on the President. Originally promised to be nominated for Secretary of State, Francis finds that he has been played and will not climb higher up the political ladder. From the onset, he wreaks havoc by pretending to help with various political tasks but essentially is undoing everything. The mood is pretty dark, what can you expect from a show about revenge in politics, and I’m pretty suspicious of every character. I’m interested to see how everything plays out in the grand scheme of things for each character in the Second Season.
5. Workaholics (Comedy Central)
The majority of shows I’ve watched over the summer have all been pretty heavy. To break all that seriousness up, I’ve decided to join Adam, Ders, and Blake on their adventures of being the most shameless goofballs. At first glance, Workaholics doesn’t seem to have a lot of appeal. When I tried to explain the premise of Workaholics to people they all just ask me, “So it’s a show about three friends who just do a lot of drugs and stupid stuff?” While it doesn’t sound like a promising use of time to watch the 30 minute show, at the root of it, the show explores a strong friendship between three guys.
Sure each of them has difficulty interacting with people in a socially acceptable way, but you grow to embrace their flaws. The only thing about Workaholics is you have to be ready to watch some of the weirdest things ever. Once you get past it, the show has some really great moments and you start to find that you have a little bit of Adam, Ders, and Blake in you.
It’s crazy how time flies by so fast! Personally I feel like days are so long but before you know it, it’s a new month! With a new month comes my monthly favorites, a segment I hope to keep now that I promised to maintain this blog on a more regular basis.
1. 8tracks
The main page of my 8tracks with my favorite tags: coffee and morning.
I’m currently spending the summer in Korea, which explains the Korean plastic surgery ad bopping around, and that means no Pandora or Spotify. Basically my major sources of music.
I don’t update my iTunes library that often and really depend on 8tracks and Pandora for my music needs back in the states. The thing I love about 8tracks is the wide array of music it plays. I found that sometimes Pandora turns very repetitive very fast which sometimes makes my favorite song turn into my most skipped song.
Another neat thing about 8tracks is that all the playlists are made by fellow listeners. All you need to do is create an account and you can make a playlist for any occasion which music is necessary, which is all the time in my opinion, and share it with the world. I think that little things like music really connect people across the world and I feel like 8tracks proves it. I found that the majority of the playlists I listen to are made by people in Europe and other corners of the Earth.
2. The Song of Ice and Fire Series
More commonly known as The Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin’s series The Song of Ice and Fire is slowly taking over the world. I admit that I watched the show first and started reading the series. While HBO did a wonderful job adapting the popular book series, I’m a firm believer that the books are 99% better than the movie/tv series.
I can never look at Raisin Bran normally again.
Even though the books are a hefty 900 some pages, I find that I can’t put the book down. Sure I get fed up with some characters and just want to yell at them, but isn’t that a sign of a good book?
3. PBS and NPR
One of my New Years Resolutions this past January was to be a more informed citizen. Before I went to college, I remember always watching NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams with my mom. Once I started college I became one of those people that claimed that they were too busy to watch the news. However, my family friend made me realize that being too “busy” was not a legitimate excuse not to keep up with the news.
Since then I always try to read or listen to at least one news story a day. This eventually led me to NPR. I could listen to NPR while laying in bed or just getting ready for classes in the morning. NPR is now one of my favorite news sources because it covers an array of topics.
I really discovered PBS NewsHour through work. I always knew that PBS NewsHour existed, but I never really checked it out. I really discovered the wonders of PBS at work when I was helping a producer research ADHD treatment. I was lead to watch a documentary on PBS’s Frontline which led me to peruse the other programs on PBS. You might wonder why out of ALL the programs I decided to watch PBS NewsHour. Honestly it was because I needed to catch up on the news and I don’t know Korean enough to watch the news here in Korea. After watching my first episode on NewsHour, I decided that I appreciated its set up. I’m going to geek out for a second, but my favorite part is when they invite two guests with varying opinions on a topic. Usually the guests end up having a mini debate and it is really interesting and an informative way to really learn about a topic in a short amount of time.
4. Happy Endings
Sometimes I feel like I’m always behind on good TV shows. Cancelled this year, Happy Endings is one of my favorite TV shows this summer. It has a great cast with great chemistry and hilarious story lines. I watched a whole season in about three days and am close to finishing the whole show.
As Rolling Stone magazine states, Happy Endings mixes humor from shows such as Friends, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development. Basically if you have any sense of humor, you will appreciate this show.
Because I don’t really make a great arguement for why you should watch Happy Endings even though the show got cancelled, I’ll leave a link to the Rolling Stone magazine I mentioned above.
I never really used my Lush lip scrub until this summer. Although my usually dry skin becomes more normal in the summer, for some reason my lips decided to rebel and start cracking and peeling.
I found out about Lush’s lip scrub via Youtube. The lip scrub is basically flavored granules of sugar that you just rub on your lips to exfoliate. After you are done exfoliating you can either eat the sugar or wash it off. Basically I chose this $9 option of a lip scrub instead of the cheaper lip scrub off of E.L.F because it gave me an excuse to eat sugar that tastes like mint chocolate.
Even though I’ve only been using the lip scrub bi-weekly, I see and feel such a difference. Instead of awkward patches of dry, dead skin. Just remember to moisturize your lips well, I suggest vaseline, afterwards!
As a reward for reading this whole post, below is my current favorite Youtube videos.
After watching this make sure to watch the one below! I promise it’s not the same video!
nikniknews 