ARC of Drummer Girl [Book]

A shout-out to Ms. Karen Bass, and a big thank you to her for sending me a copy of ARC of Drummer Girl. This book looks like a super fun book! I can't wait to read it!  

Yes, reading does rock. <3 

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Fine Wine from Jones

*Some of the many gifts Jones brought back from his vacation in Kelowna, B.C.

*Best wine ever!

* Yes, I drank my wine from a shot glass...

*And pair it with fresh raspberry strudels

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My Mail Box is Overflowing With Goodies!

This comic said it all. I like receiving emails but I much prefer snail mail.  There are many, many reasons why I do but that's for another blog entry.  The main reason I prefer hard copies of my magazines is because when I'm done reading them I have many uses for them. For example, I can pass them on to friends, donate them to my local community centre, and even bring them to my students and they can make colleges. If it was an electronic copy of the magazine I wouldn't be able to do any of those things! 

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Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories [Book]

Thank you Penguin Canada for sending me Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories.  It looks like a fun read!

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101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids, The Ultimate Handbook [Boook]

A super-duper big thanks and shout out to Lacy Compton for sending me a copy of  101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids, The Ultimate Handbook. It looks like an information-rich book. I look forward to checking it out.

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An Unquenchable Thirst: One Woman's Extraordinary Journey of Faith, Hope, and Clarity [Book]

Ahh, I've been pretty busy these past few days working, attending festivals, volunteering and hitting the running tracks. I haven't had a "me" day for a long time. However, with so much stuff going on I have tons of funny stories and amazing photo that I'll soon share with you.

A big shout out and thanks to Random House for sending me a copy of her book An Unquenchable Thirst: One Woman's Extraordinary Journey of Faith, Hope, and Clarity. I can't wait to check it out.

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Fekkai Advanced - Full Blown Volume Shampoo Review

I received this shampoo free early August when Holt Renfrew had a shampoo swap day. 

The Claims for Fekkai Advanced - Full Blown Volume Shampoo

A quote from their website:

Transforms hair from root to tip, gently cleansing while allowing even the thinnest of strands to find their thicker, fuller potential.

Fekkai Advanced with new Hair Plumping Complex amplifies the diameter of each strand to visibly lift from roots to ends. Plump up the volume.

My Experience

• Price: Usually sells for ~$28 for 236mL but I received this free 
• Scent: A light, fresh and clean flora scent, but it's nothing memorable or spectacular.  In fact the scent reminds me of hotel shampoos. The scent does not linger in one's hair. 
• Texture: The clear gel-like shampoo has the perfect thick consistency in that is not watery.   The Fekkai shampoo is easy to apply to hair, and it lathers well and rinses out easily.
• Lifespan: This bottle for lived a brief life of three weeks in my bathroom.  I usually wash my hair everyday and I use two quarter-sized amounts since my hair is long.
• Pros: The product adds a natural and healthy "umph" ie volume and bounce to my limp hair without making my hair frizzy or drying it out .  It also leaves my hair soft, manageable and easy to tame.
• Cons: Aside from the steep price for a bottle of shampoo, the product leaves my hair a bit dull.  In other words, there was no shine or gloss in my hair.
•  that will help tame it, and give it a natural, healthy look.
• Bottom line: I personally can live without this product.  I'll stick with my drug store brand shampoos- Pantene and Herbal Essences instead.  I personally think one is buying an image and lifestyle when he/she purchases Fekkai Shampoos.
  
• Grade: 8.7/10 

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Pisces Pet Aquarium Part II

I had to go to Pisces again to pick up more fish and some snails. My last batch of fish died. =(

*Their indoor pond

*Giant Koi

* I was feeding them so they were swarming me

 

*My new comet fish 

*My baby snails

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Philosophy 3-in-1: Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath in Vanilla Cupcake

A super-duper big thanks to Sephora for having the Beauty Insider Birthday Program! It always makes turning a year older less painful. ;)  Like the title said, I received a free 6 oz bottle of Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel, Bubble Bath in Vanilla Cupcake.

There's two scents I absolutely love: mint and vanilla.

Packaging- As you can see from the photo the product is packaged in a semi-clear/frosted plastic bottle with a black flip-top cap. The semi-transparent bottle makes it easy to know just how much of the 3-in-1 wash is remaining. 

Use - The shower gel in my opinion is gentle enough for everyday use.  In other words, the wash doesn't dry out my skin nor does it make my skin feel greasy or oily. The wash lathers well -with lots of bubbles- and rinsed off easily. The product left my skin feeling clean and soft but no fragrances lingered on my skin, which was highly disappointing.  Not only was the vanilla scent was not detectable on my skin, I couldn't smell the sweet fragrance wafting in my bathroom.  :(

I don't commonly take baths so I have yet to use the product in bubble bath. I also didn't use the product as a shampoo.  Judging from the feel of the wash I think it's better as a shower gel than a shampoo. I think the 3-in-1 would weigh my hair down. Yuck!

Scent and Texture - Weak, generic faux-vanilla pudding.    The scent is very faint and the wash does not smell like vanilla cupcake at all.   I will give Philosophy points for having the perfect consistency and creamy texture; the wash is not too watery and not too thick.

Bottom line: The product is okay at best. I would probably opt to try out their other 3-in-1's. I give this a 7.5/10. 

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Forex Frontiers: The Essentials of Currency Trading

A big thanks to Mr. Ivan Cavric for sending me a copy of his book, Forex Frontiers: The Essentials of Currency Trading. I look forward to reading it!

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Red Riding Hood [Movie] Critique

Red Riding Hood (2011) directed by Catherine Hardwicke is a fantasy, horror and mystery film that I enjoyed. The scenes were beautifully captured, and the colors are amazing. Everyone's acting was great, expect for Henry (aka Max Irons) who appeared to have one facial expression throughout the film and corny lines.  My only dislike about the film was the premise of "who in the village is the big bad wolf?" which of course lead to blaming, finger pointing and what-not. 

In short, I think this is a decent film to pass the time. 

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Just Go With It [Movie] Rant

I love Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler but the movie, Just Go With It (2011), was terrible.  After 20 minutes into the movie I was bored and ended up fast-forwarding through the whole film. The characters were decently developed.

I disliked the plot and dialogues.  In that, I didn't feel the authenticity of the plot because too many things in the film are far-fetched and implausible.  The dialogues seemed to me were based purely on improvisation. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything funny or memorable about the movie.

In my personal (biased) opinion, avoid watching this film. You can thank me later. 

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Beastly [Movie] Rant

Beastly (2010) directed by Daniel Barnz is teen romance flick.  Perhaps I'm a decade too old to watch such films but this modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale  was so painful for me to watch.  The only reason I watched this film is because I have a school girl crush on Neil Patrick Harris.  Anyways, I ended up fast-forwarding after the first 10 minutes of the film because the plot is so slow and predictable, and the dialogue was dry and boring(!). Furthermore, the characters were not only underdeveloped but they lack dimension and depth.  I advise readers to go watch the Beauty and the Beast (1991) instead of Beastly.  

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The Dovekeepers [A Novel]

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an advance copy of, The Dovekeepers. I can't wait to read it!

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The Crown of the Conqueror [Book]

A big thanks to Angry Robot Books for sending an advance copy of book, The Crown of the Conqueror. I look forward to reading it. =)

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Running with the Devil [Book]

A big thanks to Kerrie Droban for sending a copy of her book, Running with the Devil: The True Story of the AFT's Infiltration of Hell's Angels. I look forward to reading it. =)

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Pisces Pet Aquarium

I went to Pisces Pet Aquarium over the weekend, and it was so much fun! And no I did not get warned or kicked out for taking photos probably because I didn't use the flash.

*Front entrance

*Outdoor koi  pond

*Surrounding flowers

*Nemo?

* I was so exicted to see a real jelly fish!

*Dorry? (A reference to the film Finding Nemo [2003])

*Yellow fishy

*A school of tiny fish

*Waiting in line at check out

*My new pets. Sadly two fish, Pip-Squeak and Tiny, died.