Carlyn's Diary: January 2022

 

Life

My best friend is getting married! I’m a bridesmaid and helping her with the wedding. She’s still in the early stages of planning. It’s been fun looking at dresses and shoes. I’m currently thinking about what to include in my bridesmaid’s speech.

 

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Reading

I am reading Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer. It’s a retelling of the book Twilight by Stephanie Myer from Edward’s perspective. I like the different perspective as it adds more to the original story.

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I have also subscribed to Audible and I have listened to many novels. It’s a great way to catch up on books. I like to listen to audible when I’m doing chores. The book I’m currently listening to is I can’t make this up by Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss.

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Watching

I’m loving The Princess Switch movies starring Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa Hudgens plays three characters, Princess Stacey, Queen Margaret and Miss Fiona Pemberly who all look alike and switch places a lot. The Princess Switch is a fun Christmas movie. If I were a kid, I’d probably watch it nonstop.

My life in 2015

My original reflection was going to be negative, focusing on my regrets and how I could change in 2016. It wasn’t until I stumbled on this Buzzfeed article, 30 Questions You Should Ask yourselfBefore 2016 that I decided to delete it and start again. The questions in the article were thoughtful and more positive. You might like to answer the questions yourself. I didn’t answer all 30 questions as there were some that were not relevant to me.

What did you do this year that you’re proud of?

I’m most proud of changing my life to be more environmentally mindful and starting a more balanced diet. It was after I read Suzuki’s Green Guide that I realized that everything you do impacts the environment. So I was more conscious as a consumer as a result. It also meant more time staring at products in the store weighing up on which was more ethical and what could I afford!

Starting a more balanced diet came from my doctor telling me I was close to having high blood pressure. He advised that I reduce my salt intake, avoid fatty food and lose weight. I have since been eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat.

What did you read that you think bettered you?

8 Key Ways to End Bullying: Strategies for parents & schools by Signe Whitson and Suzuki’s Green Guide by David Suzuki and David R. Boyd were the most thought provoking books I read in 2015.

  I read 8 Key Ways to End Bullying: Strategies for parents & schools because I wanted to learn how to effectively help bullied students. I learnt that the bystanders have a huge impact on bullying, 90% of bullying occurs where there is no adult supervision and that when a student tells you they have been bullied, they do so as a last resort. I recommend this book to parents and teachers.

Suzuki’s Green Guide got me in interested in sustainability. I became more conscious of my role in the world and I became a tree hugger.

What are songs that you will always hear and think of this year even when you’re listening on some contraption that hasn’t even been invented yet?

I will always think of Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars and Hotline Bling by Drake when I think of 2015.

What were your favorite movies? Not what was good, not what you had to see because of your friends or the media. What were your favorites?

My favourite movies I saw in 2015 were The Martian, When Marnie was there, Inside Out, Kingsmen and Spy.

What were quotes that you loved this year?

I don’t remember what the exact quote was but I was particularly taken with a line from Peter Carey’s book, Oscar And Lucinda. The book is about two oddballs who fall in love and it is set in Australian colonial times. Although I don’t remember the words I do remember the sentiment. To summarize line I liked said that, Lucinda would go on to do many great things despite the tragedy and that she would be remembered. It was just a reminder that you can survive any tragedy.

What are ways that you exercised self care?

I began to say No more which made me disagreeable to some people. I think some people take me for granted and expect me do things for them without considering that I have my own stuff to do.

What are things you want to see more of next year?

I want to see new places.

What are the most important things you learned this year?

I shouldn’t give up and I should work hard.

What are some places where you feel true joy in your life?

I love being outdoors particularly in parks and beaches.

Where do you feel most yourself?

At home.

What were your favorite meals?

I was obsessed with noodles last year. I love ramen and udon.

How did you calm yourself in times of stress?

I go for a walk in the park and talk it out with friends and family.

Who are people that you believe are bringing out the best in you?

My friends always encourage me.

What are you excited about leaving behind in 2015? 

I am excited about leaving behind all the stress.

What are five things that you were hard on yourself about but would never have been hard on a friend if they were experiencing it?

1. Job hunting.

2. Housekeeping

3. Maintaining my goals

4.  Going to work.

 What things have you been putting off doing because you didn’t have time?

I’m meant to hem some pants and I need to repair a cushion.

What are some things you’d like to focus and work on in the next year?

I want to focus on job hunting and saving money. I also want to be more positive, do more for charity and have ‘me’ days once a month.

What are the best parts of you that you feel really showed through this year?

My organizational skills really came in handy this year.

What are your biggest hopes for 2016?

I hope my family and I are happy and healthy. 

Blogs of the Month: January 2015

Carlyn: The blog that I pick this month is Pudding Fancy by Renae. Renae writes about her life and interests. What I like about Pudding Fancy is that Renae’s kind and funny personality shows in her blog posts. She has enthusiasm for the simple things in life such as enjoying time with friends and enjoying delicious meals. I’m always hungry after reading her food posts as she appears to enjoy her food very much. I also like reading about her current obsessions about kpop or games which I find to be amusing, cute and a little worrying considering the time placed on such obsessions but who wasn’t that way at that age?

*nom nom* --- Jon Bear nosily eating yummers after checking out Pudding Fancy.

Jon Bear:

My blog of the month for January 2015 is pastemagazine.com's blog which is more of a compilation site of various blog entries.  I linked it specifically for it's 2014 blog post of the 100 best comic book characters of all time.  There are several of these types of lists out there, ranking various comic book heroes and villains but I liked their post which combined the two on one list and also considered a variety of comic book characters; not just those from the Marvel and DC comic Universe that I grew up with.   I liked seeing characters such as Groo the Wanderer on their list, who was always a more light hearted type comic book character as well at Hawkeye (number 56 on the list) who was my favorite of all time.  Any list has a great deal of subjectivity to it and can/will always be argued.  That's part of the fun though.  I know that Comics and Anime are hitting something of a revival this past decade or so.  It had seemed like popularity had died down for a bit not long after my childhood when you could once find a comic book store on almost every corner.  I think comic books in general are great entertainment and wonderful social relics of their time, even though the literary genre is in it's relative infancy.  I also think that they can be a bridge for younger adults into reading. 

While pastemagazine is a big site and differs from a lot of the small time more personal blogs around the blogosphere that we might typically share, I still think it's a fun place to read about today's popular culture and can appeal to a lot of people with different interests. 

Entertainment Monday: Teen Beach Movie (January 19, 2015)

After the success of the High School Musical movies, Disney has released a new made for TV musical. Teen Beach Movie is set in the 1960s and plays homage to surf movies of that era as well as West Side Story and Grease.

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 The film begins in the present day with a teenage couple Brady (played by Ross Lynch) and McKenzie  or “Mack”(Maia Mitchell) who live by the beach. When McKenzie’s mother dies, her aunt suggests that she move interstate with her to attend a school, that her mother would have liked. Mckenzie decides to go the school and wants to break up with Brady to avoid the difficulties of a long distance relationship.

McKenzie goes for one last surf and Brady goes in after her when he sees the water is too dangerous. The pair gets swept up in a big wave and are magically transported into Wet Side Story, a beach movie from the 1960s. It is a dream come true for Brady as it is his favourite movie. McKenzie is not as impressed and tries to get out of the movie.

Australian actress Maia Mitchell

Things become askew when the pair unintentionally prevents the two lead characters from meeting and falling in love. Instead, Tanner (Garret Clayton) falls in love with McKenzie and Lela (Grace Phipps) for Brady. Tanner is a surfer and Lela is biker and their two groups hate each other. Tanner and Lela are the catalyst to a turf war that needs to happen in order for the movie to continue. Brady and McKenzie realize that they must bring Tanner and Lela together otherwise they will be stuck in the movie forever.

I thought the film was very cute as the film is conscious of the silliness of the plot and embraces it. Brady and Mack give off bemused expressions when facing the quirks of Wet Side Story. My favourite example of this, is illustrated in the scene when Mack goes surfing with Tanner. It is obvious that the actors are standing in front of some ocean footage pretending to surf. The scene is a reference to Gidget, the teen surfer character from the 1960s.

McKenzie and Tanner Surfing

I also enjoyed the songs in the movie which were well sung and choreographed. My favourite songs are Fallin’ for ya and Like Me. Like Me is reminiscent of Summer Nights from the movie Grease. The song Like Me, features the boys and girls singing about the opposite sex and ways to win them over. The 60s characters sing old fashioned views about courtship such as waiting for the guy to ask the girl out and how boys should always take the lead in the relationship. Brady and McKenzie try to convince them otherwise.

I think Teen Beach Movie is a great movie to watch with kids and preteens as well as the young at heart. It’s a fun movie for a bit of escapism. I also learnt that the movie was successful enough that Disney have decided to make a sequel. The sequel is supposed to be about the 60s characters being transported to the present day. I think it would be entertaining to watch. 

2014 Goals Reviewed

Initially, this blog was created by Jon and I to record and share our goals and it has morphed into other interest as well. Every year, we always start new goals so that we can enrich our lives. We also evaluate the success of our goals and reasons for the outcomes.

Read new books and finish old ones.

I did read new books and finish old ones. I would have liked to have read more books and finished my booklist but that did not happen. The reason why I didn’t finish as many I would have liked was that I procrastinated and sometimes I was busy. I drew up a table to see how many books I had read from 2012-2014 and it turns out that I have read a total of 45 books in three years. In 2012-2013, I read exactly 16 books which was surprising as I didn’t set a quota for that amount. In 2014 I read 13 books.  

I am still determined to read more books and this year I will be more diligent. One of my goals this year is to be more productive. I’m going to cut out the time wasting activities that I do such as spending endless hours watching youtube videos and reading useless articles.

Grade:D

Be more adventurous in fashion.

Nope! This one did not happen at all. I didn’t focus on clothes much on clothes last year. Updating my wardrobe has been a priority of mine for some time but I still have not completed this goal. I actually need more clothes and I’m not the type of person who has a closet stuffed with clothes.

Grade:F

Put myself first

I’m getting better at being assertive and making my needs a priority.

Grade: A

Eating Healthy

I definitely had eating healthy on my agenda in 2014, especially after my dad had a heart attack.

Grade:C

Entertainment Monday: (January 12, 2015) Snow Tunes!

No, I did not misspell Entertainment Monday's title this week.  With it being the heart of Winter here now in the greater North East Region of the United States I figured I might share some "Snow Tunes" with just a few songs about or songs that mention snow which I like.

I have never been someone who really takes advantage of Winter in the North East as I do not ski, skate, snow shoe or partake in any outdoor Winter activities per se.  I do love the look of snow, and I think a snowy day is quiet and beautiful.  I even enjoy shoveling for the most part as long as I am not in a rush or late for something.  I do not enjoy driving in the snow, but who does?  Except for those crazy and fool hearty drivers who believe their four wheel drive vehicles will successfully navigate them across any road condition.  Yes, I'm taking to you truck driver who was riding up on the tail end of my vehicle this morning as I drove my little slip sliding car the 25 mile drive in to work.

I think that a lot of people in the North East are grumpy about snow because it makes them slow down and they risk accidents on the roadways.  Plus it's just downright cold.  I try to enjoy it though for what it is, much as I like to enjoy a good rain storm in the Summer Time now and then.

So without further ado here are the Snow Tunes I wish to share:

Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne:

Yes, the group who is famous for the song "Stacey's Mom" actually has some really good music.  I love Valley Winter Song, because I live very close to New England (generally considered Massachusetts and Vermont and New Hampshire and Maine) on the boarder of New York and Vermont.  The song also mentions New York City.  So I feel close to home when I listen to Valley Winter Song, even when I'm far away.


Winter Snow by Audrey Assad and Chris Tomlin




While it is a Christmas Song: Winter Snow, written by Chris Tomlin and sung by Audrey Assad (Tomlin plays piano and does back up vocals)  is a song that I associate with the Winter and of course with Christ.  I can listen to it all Winter long.  I love the message and metaphor of Christ's arrival as a Winter Snowfall.  It also happens to be one of my favorite Christian songs of all time.

Winter, Fire and Snow by Orla Fallon

Winter, Fire and Snow is a Celtic Song, sung here by Orla Fallon.  It's a nice little tune about a mother who is waiting for her son to return home.  I am never sure if the information I read on line is entirely true or not, but I've found the songs authorship credited to Brendan Graham and Macdara Woods on the interweb, so hopefully they were the original writers.

Snow (Hey Oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers



There are times when I think some of the Red Hot Chili Peppers songs can sound a lot like one another and it bugs me a little.  Not sure why I added that, but it's more of an editorial note than anything, because on the whole I love a lot of the Red Hot Chili Peppers music, including Snow (Hey Oh)!  A quality band and a quality song for those long dark Winter afternoons and evenings!

So while they are all rather different stylistically, those are some of the songs I think of and like to listen to in Winter time, hopefully you will enjoy them too! =)