#62 - The Office

Here is the second new restaurant that I have tried in Victoria. Honestly, I was not that big of a fan and was rather disappointed in the food. Granted,I only tried one dish, but that one dish can throw off any encouragement to go back to the restaurant and try a new dish.

I went there today with a friend to catch up since I had not seen him in awhile. To start, the menu itself was pretty interesting - it was in a duotang (trust me, sooner or later they will realize that it's a big mistake since duotangs can get ripped up pretty easily... and there is no lamination to any of the papers in side!) The menu didn't have a huge variety (salads, burgers, and pasta - the usual in any restaurant), but the salads and pasta were set up a little different; for the salads, you had a choice of two greens, one dressing, and two veggies. The same concept for the pasta applied.

Overall, not really impressed. The salad was *so* boring (mixed greens, arugula, avocado, cucumber, grilled chicken and avocado vinaigrette) and the price seemed unreasonable for a salad that I could make at home that would taste much better! I'll probably return sometime later to try one of their pasta dishes and hopefully it'll have a better taste.

Lady S.

#19 - The Kite Runner

Wow.

Absolutely, wow. This is one of those books that everybody needs to have on their shelves, pages worn out because it has been read over and over again. I was skeptical at first when I started reading the book because it was a little dry and part of me felt that if I wasn't into it after the first chapter, I would have a hard time trying to get into it. I'm glad I waited, though.

I can't begin to describe how this book is not only entertaining, but illuminating and inspiring at the same time. The lives of these two boys that live in the same country yet live completely different lives under one roof just... makes you realize the discrimination that is present everywhere. Granted, I may take more out of this book than the average reader who just reads for sheer pleasure, but this book provides a real life account of what life is truly like in Afghanistan.

I enjoyed reading The Memory Keeper's Daugher, but this book, by far, is just so much more amazing. And the ending - so inspiring. I hope every person gets a chance to read this book.

Next? A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author.

Love,
Lady S.

#19 - The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Number 19 involves reading 5 books before the 1001 days are up (however, I might change this number since it seems too small.) The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards is the first book that I have read in a long time (other than scholarly books, of course) for just sheer pleasure. Everyone that has read the book has told me that is was a must-read and as such, I followed their advice.

Personally, the book is great! The way the other changes the point of view for each chapter enables you to get a sense of what each character is going through because of this one life-changing decision. It also gives insight to the complexities of society and families and love and relationships, all of which, of course, apply to each individual. The ending, however, is disappointing. It was quick, almost as if though the author was tired of writing and she wanted to finish up already. If I had to rate the book out of 5, I would say 4, just because the ending did not justice to the entire book.

Next on the list? The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.

Lady S.

Happy Birthday, Canada

Well, Canada, you've been around for 147 years and thankfully I've been a part of this great country for about 23 years now and so far, you've treated me pretty well. Only 3 more years and then the big 1-5-0 will be here.


So, cheers to you Canada! Have a great day today.

Your Canadian friend,
Lady Sovereign

Part of 97 - The next 200 things that I love

Seriously, this list is going to be the death of me! Do you know how hard it is to come up with 300 things that you love without repeating yourself, not to mention 500 as listed on my 101 to do list? Jesus! Oh... there's something I love. I should write that as my 301.

Anyway, here it is - number 201 to 300 things that I love.

Lady S.

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The next 200 things that I love

201. dancing by the ocean
202. driving with the windows down and feeling the wind in my hair
203. discovering new stores
204. the smell of Armani Mania
205. even numbers
206. the combination of red, white and black
207. singing in a different language
208. the sound of the shower running
209. cherry blossoms in Victoria
210. imitating Yzma on The Emperor’s New Groove

211. my sister and I laughing about nothing, and then bursting into laughter again because we’re still laughing!
212. acing an exam that I thought I would have failed on
213. playing Tennis
214. taking the scenic route while driving
215. being alone in my car with my thoughts
216. meeting new people who come from the same place you do
217. entering into an air-conditioned vehicle on a hot day
218. falling asleep in an air-conditioned car
219. finding a song I love and playing it on repeat
220. driving Highway 1 from Vancouver to Calgary – beautiful drive!

221. manicured hands
222. snuggling with my cat
223. making someone laugh when they’re having a bad day
224. finding that perfect bra and buying multiples of it
225. being called a princess (yes, for some that may be an insult; for me, it’s a compliment!)
226. a page-turning book that you finish at 5:30am
227. the sound of a purring cat
228. being in nature without encountering a bug I hate
229. the sound of a creek
230. fountains in beautiful parks

231. visiting a place I haven’t been to in years
232. debating about politics and religion
233. finishing off Cayley’s sentences because I already know what she’s thinking
234. +25 weather with a little, cool breeze – perfection!
235. watching repeats of Friends
236. a clean house
237. renting a movie with a friend and not even watching it because you have so much to catch up on
238. repeating funny lines from a movie
239. the feeling of a glorious win
240. winning, in general

241. learning about neo-liberalism and the negative effects of capitalism
242. writing poetry, even if it does suck sometimes
243. writing an essay that has me so intrigued that I can write 20 pages on it
244. going for coffee with newly made friends
245. researching about important global causes
246. planning surprises for other people
247. finishing an assignment days before it is due
248. baby bunnies on campus
249. not repeating myself throughout this list
250. crossing off items from my 101 list

251. finding new restaurants that you want to go to everyday
252. meeting famous people (ie. Kim Cattrall at the University! Oh yeah!)
253. rediscovering old songs that used to be your favorite
254. going back to something familiar
255. making a life changing plan and sticking with it
256. banana chocolate chip cake from Biblios… hello, my nemesis!
257. seeing the effects of your life changing plan
258. smiling for no reason
259. sleeping in a room that was *just* cleaned
260. putting on warm clothes straight out the dryer on a cold day.

261. making plans for a surprise party
262. a night out on the town with my person
263. making plans with the family before I travel to see them
264. 3D movies
265. having someone drive me around
266. picnicking on campus on a beautiful day
267. used books
268. the sound of a waterfall
269. happiness
270. doing something different out of my ordinary day

271. glitter
272. bbq-ing
273. the combination of gold and pearls
274. the smell of my perfume
275. the letter C
276. writing essays
277. learning new words
278. having my essay torn apart by my roommate, but all in the hopes of a better mark
279. awaiting my vacation
280. doing fun things that don’t cost money

281. the sound of leaves on a tree on a windy day
282. coloring in coloring books
283. sharpened pencil crayons
284. finding out that you still have a bit of money on your gift card
285. Franz Ferdinand (the band)
286. taking pictures of trees
287. eggs from a farmer – so amazingly good
288. when strangers smile at you and say “hi”
289. funny birthday cards
290. blogging

291. looking at old pictures that bring back great memories
292. letting go of an addiction
293. reading random articles on Wikipedia
294. decorating the family Christmas tree
295. reuniting with my family after many months
296. making travel plans
297. flowers in my hair
298. the smell of a clean bathroom
299. being in love
300. being more than half way finished to accomplish 500 things I love

#8 - Use transit for an entire day and give my car a day off.

You didn't think it would happen, did ya? Well - surprise! It happened! My car finally got a day off from having to cater to my needs and instead I opted to use transit. Quite frankly, I didn't mind and if anything, it was a good day.

The roomie and I headed towards downtown in search of some great used books at Russell Books. That store is heaven and if I had the option - and the money - I would buy every book they have in stock. Unfortunately, my budget was limited, and so I purchased The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, and The Kite Runner by the same author.

After reducing my selection of 6 book down to three, we grabbed the #11 bus and headed to UVic. Now, you're probably wondering why the heck I was headed towards campus when I was dying to get away from campus for at least two months? Well, I had to activate my student card so I could get on the bus for free. But the nice thing about UVic is that the campus is so beautiful during the summer days, and the roomie and I decided that the campus would be a perfect location for our picnic and to do some reading.

After a couple of hours on campus, we headed back home, where we just crashed from being so tired. All in all, using transit was actually fun and for once I could enjoy the scenery without having to pay attention to the road. Tomorrow is another day of transit use as I'll be heading back to the campus to sell my books.

.... And you thought I wouldn't try transit for a day! Sheesh!

Lady S.

When you fall in love with poetry...

My insanely talented roommate, Stephanie, has the ability to write some very heart-wrenching poems that touch you one way or another. One of her poems, which I've posted below, is by far the best piece of literature I have ever read. For me, the last stanza has the most impact because, like her, we have lost something that we believed would last an eternity. However, we move on with our shattered hearts in our hands, knowing that piece by piece it will be whole again. I had to post this here because I want others to read it as well and I hope that you take something out of it. If you don't, I hope that you enjoyed it at least.

Lady S.

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what's left when...

i.
it ends without a single shot, all our weapons long retired
and bitter words saved for later. we're in bed together
for the last time with nothing left to fight and nothing
left to fight for, nothing left to do but love
each other quietly for just a minute longer.

our hearts are one of many things we lost along the way.


ii.
it ends quietly, the latch on the door catching
like it always does and you slipping on the hardwood
floor with your shoes in hand. that was me
spilt sloppily on the floor, love leaking out of the
wounds in my chest where you reach into
and took what was left of me.

it's graphic, love. it's hot and it's sweaty and it's graphic and
it's cold and it's lonely and it's graphic and it's
bloody in the end when you're dying of it.


iii.
it ends the way it's supposed to,
I guess, with you letting yourself out
after one last kiss. no,
there's nothing unfamiliar here but a whole lot unrequited.
it started with a fanfare and
ends with a whisper, like these things do.

don't look back. you never do,
but don't you dare make an exception this time, because
you're leaving this behind and you're going to understand
what that means. you don't lock the door once you're gone
like you used to but then, you don't care about
the dangers of the world and what they mean to me,
anymore.

you've just become the worst one and you know it.


iv.
it ends. we end and love ends and dreams end,
but not me. I am small and I am fragile but I am real.


by Stephanie Coulson