Book Rave: Stardust (The Novel)

During my sixteen hour transit at Changi Airport, I finished reading 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman. Apparently it has been made into a movie but I have yet to see it however considering how much I loved the book I think I will watch it soon.

Photo Challenge - 10/30

A Photo Of You As A Baby

Oh golly gee whiz (:

Friday Feature: Fighting The Blues Today

It's time to fight Friday blues

It's coming to the end of the week and considering I was traveling for about a day plus some earlier this week, returned to Adelaide only to tackle three lectures and unpacking and then dealing with work and catching up with other work etc. it's gotten me pretty darn exhausted and just a little drained...make that really really really drained!

So what I did for my Friday Feature was to investigate ways of cheering yourself up. I googled it (because I'm a big google-r and I will just about google anything!) and found some websites that suggested ways of cheering yourself up! How neat is that?

Here are some of my favorites:

Drink two glasses of water. Many times, what I thought was sadness was really just dehydration. Sounds simple, but it's true.
I haven't exactly tried this out but I might just do so the next time I have a bad day! As it turns out, this might be why I'm so grumpy all the time because I tend to neglect food and water a lot, uh oh!

Eat something healthy and fresh. You could be feeling blue because your blood sugar has taken a dip. Eat a bowl of fresh fruits or vegetables.
Something else to take into consideration! I know a lot of the times my mood will turn sour if I'm hungry or if I don't have enough sugar/proper food in me.

Blow bubbles for a child.
I prefer doing this with my cat because the way he chases the bubbles is just too cute! (: I love making my own bubble mixture - I mix a bunch of shampoos together with not too much water so the bubbles last longer. I also use a straw to blow my bubbles, definitely more fun.

Make something. Use your creative mind, and create something with your own two hands, whether it is a piece of jewelry, a scrapbook page, a pretty floral arrangement or a batch of cookies.
Keeping yourself occupied with something else is a great way of forgetting why you were moody to begin with especially if it's something intricate like crochet or making jewelry. I love creative projects (:

Read, read, read.
Usually this is the remedy I turn to and I find getting lost in a fantasy novel is the best way to go because the author takes you to an entirely different world so you really do feel like you've "gone away" for a while!

Try a new approach to your problem, or a new approach to whatever your facing.
Always see the best in every situation! For example, I hate wet hair but I know that at least it means I don't have to wash it again. Okay, so maybe not the best example but you get what I mean I hope!

Mark Twain said, "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." He's right, and it doesn't have to mean a big time investment. Just do something thoughtful for someone, right now.
This is so true and so self explanatory - hurray for selflessness!

Choose your thoughts with care; they can really have an impact.
Gosh this is SO true for me! Most of the time my mind will go crazy making up possible scenarios to the original problem that I'll end up with a script fit for a soap drama! Positive thoughts are the way to go even if you're kidding yourself in the end.

Play with a kitten or a puppy.
Because they are too cute to resist and you always end up smiling!

Shout at an inanimate object. Computers. Cars. Chairs. Whatever. Then spend the rest of the day ignoring it.
I thought this one was really funny! I can't imagine doing this but I might just try...

You can read all the ways on the following websites:

Cheer Yourself Up: 25 Instant Mood Lifters

101 Ways To Cheer Yourself Up

Pomgirl: 5 Ways To Cheer Yourself Up

Photo Challenge - 9/30

A Photo Of Your Family

That's pretty much most of my family (minus Mummy though and some others) (:

Thursday Turmoil: When It's Over (Part Two)

A tsunami of a Thursday...

The Thursday before last I wrote about the end of relationships (etc.) and so today I want to touch upon how and when to end a relationship (etc.!) seeing as most people are genuinely clueless at times and end up hurting others and suffering unnecessarily. Keep in mind, this isn't an extensive entry but just a few suggestions.

Photo Challenge - 8/30

A Photo Of Your Favorite Band/Musician

This is a tricky one for me as I no longer have a "favorite" so instead I chose Il Divo whom I saw in concert in 2007. This was actually the first concert I've ever been to and it was also my Christmas present to Mummy so it was pretty special in a lot of ways.

Wednesday WhatsIts: Lasagna a la Rice Cooker

Gotta get it outta my system on a Wednesday

(Image taken from Yumeko's blog 'A Dream of Tokyo')

One way I love to relax is to browse through blogs I love and my current favorite is Yumeko's A Dream of Tokyo. She is such an adorable blogger with a mature twist to her entries too. Mixing in fashion, beauty, culture and personal interests and quirks, her entries make for a great read in the evening after a long day.

Photo Challenge - 7/30

A Photo Of Someone You Love

I love my family (pets included!).

I love Scott, my boyfriend.

I love my friends.

Tuesday Thinks: Stumbling Over My Fingers

It's Tuesday and I'm looking for inspiration

This Tuesday I was a little stumped: what could I possibly offer up for inspiration this week? I thought I'd spend some time on a site I found a while back called Stumble Upon to see if I'd "stumble upon" inspiration.

Then it hit me - Stumble Upon is inspiration in itself!

The site is pure genius, it essentially allows you to narrow down your interests and at a click of a button you "stumble" upon a website that focuses on one of your interests. A word of caution though, it can be very addictive! I've literally found myself spending hours just "stumbling" through websites. However it's a very good way of passing time and also you can share your finds with someone.

Here are three of my favorite finds for today:
1. I love images that play tricks on your mind and compel you to think outside of the box so when I found Liu Bolin I was definitely intrigued! I love how well done his illusions are - my favorite is the police man restraining him.

2. There's this side of me that very few people are privy to and that is I'm a HUGE trivia junkie! I can literally read trivia for an entire day and not be bored - you always learn something new or amazing to tuck away to talk about later on (with someone who equally appreciates tidbits!) So definitely appreciated finding Human World while stumbling.

3. One of my goals for when I have children is to create a story for them and either draw the pictures to accompany it or let them draw them in. I just think it's something sweet to do for your child, create a story that is especially for them. When I found the story 'The Saddest Bear Of All' it just blew me away! How sweet is this story??? I love it!

I definitely suggest stumbling should you ever need inspiration or a boredom fix - guaranteed to be productive (:

Photo Challenge - 6/30

A Photo That Makes You Laugh

Jodi passed away this Easter and I miss her all the time, especially now that I'm back home in Sri Lanka. Despite her short life, she had such a big personality and often made us all laugh. This was one such time, when she tackled a watermelon all on her own (:

Monday Meow: Web Responsibilities

Gotten intrigued first thing Monday

Over the weekend it came to my attention that certain web personalities were not exactly being responsible with their image, attitude and influence that they portray online. I'm not going to go into who exactly they are and what they've done wrong because I don't want to get involved in the entire fiasco - I'm twenty-something years old, these trivial dramas belong in high school, not otherwise. And that is my opinion on that matter.

Photo Challenge - 5/30

A Photo Of You

And here I am in full glory: sweaty, with fading chicken pox scars, bad hair and a dorky pose (:

In Between: Bubble Tea At Bubble Queen

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

Since discovering it in Hong Kong, I've been quite the addict when it comes to Bubble Tea (or Boba as I occasionally refer to it when I'm feeling particularly Asian) and wherever I am in the world I have to have my fix. Unfortunately, moving from Hong Kong to Sri Lanka four years ago brought an end to my Boba addiction as the only place that offered this treat in Sri Lanka had closed down. It was only when I moved to Adelaide earlier this year that I was able to rekindle my affair with Boba.

Imagine my surprise when I returned to Sri Lanka for my winter break (er, summer time for everyone else) and found out from Mummy's friend that there is a new place here that caters exclusively for Bubble Tea and not only that some other mouthwatering treats too! It was literally heaven on Earth when I discovered Bubble Queen down Galle Road.

My main fix is the regular tea with pearls but recently I tried the Green Apple Bubble Tea which I imagined would be milky (as it usually is in other countries) but turned out to be a clear, bright green instead and surprisingly great for an extremely hot day. The only con of this is that after you finish it you don't get that satisfyingly full feeling you get after a regular Boba - instead you're craving more!

All in all though I definitely think Bubble Queen has great potential in Sri Lanka and I'm looking forward to seeing them expand their business...and hopefully open up a place next door to my house!

Read more about Bubble Queen here: http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/travel/38-travel-tips/4939-a-bubbly-experience-.html

Photo Challenge - 4/30

A Photo Of The Last Place You Went On Holiday

Seeing as I am on holiday right now and I'm in Sri Lanka I suppose it would count as the "last" place I went on holiday (I was at Mt. Lavinia beach in this photo). But in case it doesn't, here is another picture of the last place I went to during the holidays - this small town is definitely one of my favorite places on Earth. Where is it you ask? Scott's hometown, Millicent (:

Saturday Squeeze: Alice in Wonderland

Subconsciously making my Saturday that much better

Since returning to Sri Lanka for my winter break I've been able to catch up on movies with Mummy dearest and so far we've managed to get through quite a few good flicks. After being requested to do a review on all of them I thought I'd take up the challenge and see which films ended up being especially memorable.

This week I'm reviewing Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' and let me tell you, there's something about this film. I watched it first in 3D, then I watched it on the plane and finally watched it again with Mummy. I wasn't too impressed with the 3D version and quite preferred it in 2D, I felt it was more beautiful that way.

Admittedly I was skeptical when I first saw the trailer (you can watch it here), although it was a Tim Burton I wasn't too happy that it didn't seem to be the original story (it's a mixture of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through The Looking Glass') but still trusting the genius of Tim Burton I decided to watch it...and watch it and watch it!

It's ever so creative and boasts the darkness laced with sadness that only Tim Burton is capable of. The integration of computer graphics and real actors is smooth and barely noticeable, the script flows and you're never bored. I definitely suggest this for all, especially those with big imaginations.

Luckily for me, on a personal note, my college ball is going with the 'Alice in Wonderland' theme so look out for that blog entry next month!

Photo Challenge - 3/30

A Photo That Makes You Happy

This was when we all went to a beach at 2 in the morning! It was after a fun-filled night of fast food and watching 'Alice in Wonderland' in 3D, we had just returned home only to find ourselves still craving adventure. The result? They all went swimming in the ocean while I stayed clear seeing as it was freezing! This photo was taken afterward just before we ran around taking more crazy pictures. Overall it was one of the more fun, spontaneous nights of my life and every time I see this photo it never fails to make me smile.

P.S. Note the 3D glasses, they're great accessories!

Friday Feature: Red Velvet Cupcakes

It's time to fight Friday blues

I first heard of red velvet cake about six years ago but I never pursued the recipe nor was I particularly interested in finding out what the big deal was surrounding this cake. Sometime last year though, Mummy and I were shopping for goodies and I happened to spot a red velvet cake. Not wanting to miss the chance, I got the cake and boy oh boy did it really turn my house upside down! I definitely see why this is a favorite with a lot of people.

I've managed to make this cake successfully for Scott's birthday earlier this year (with no electric mixer too! And boy oh boy is hand mixing a chore!) and it came out rather well making me confident that it'll be one of my signature recipes in no time. However I think making smaller versions of it will be quite challenging and look forward to making these cupcakes someday soon (along with Red Velvet cookies!).

For now, if you want to try it yourself then this is the recipe I'm using: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting by Paula Deen

Best of luck if you decide to tackle it too - let me know how yours turn out!

Photo Challenge - 2/30

A Photo Of Yourself A Year Ago

I look pretty moody in this photo and it fits in with what I was going through last year. When this photo was taken I was in Singapore with my family and I remember I took this photo because I wanted to email it to a friend of mine as I had told her about the t-shirt. If you can't read backwards, it says 'My Pussy is Persian'. I got this t-shirt because I did have a [half] Persian cat once upon a time. Now I actually do have a Persian cat so it fits perfectly!

Thursday Turmoil: When It's Over (Part 1)

A tsunami of a Thursday...

Today's entry was inspired by this song - 'Over It' by Katharine McPhee - and it's going to be a little bit of a depressing entry I guess because as you must have guessed by now, it's about the end of relationships.

Wednesday WhatsIts: How To...What?!

Gotta get it outta my system on a Wednesday

It seems this week that the sources I use for my blog are actually becoming entries themselves - if that made sense (:

It's Wednesday and I'm looking for ways to do something and I happened to find a delightful bundle of videos on Youtube that made my day - or more like a channel devoted to How To's.

Readers, I give you Howcast, a great channel with almost 1,200 videos dedicated to teaching viewers "how to do" something. Some of them are pure fun but others are actually very good! If you're looking for a recipe or a way to avoid a bad situation then here's the channel to look up.

My personal favorite is this how to - there's nothing more attractive than hollering like Chewbacca after all! (:

Tuesday Thinks: Wash Out The Rainbow

It's Tuesday and I'm looking for inspiration

Currently when most people think of shelter these days, they don't really consider luxurious options. The majority of us are looking into boxes (with leaks and stains galore but hey! It's still something we can proudly call home) and then we go all out with decorating and adding personal touches to distract anyone who visits from the fact that we've invested on a box...with personality (i.e., the leaks, stains and roaches).

Monday Meow: New Beginnings

Gotten intrigued first thing Monday...

Mondays are somewhat of a "curse" day for the majority of people. People are more prone to complaining more so on this day of the week than any other. It is a worldwide phenomena and one that I am proud to say I am not a part of. I love Mondays! To me, there is nothing better than the start of a brand new week and the end to the weekend. I believe it's just how you approach the start of a new week and what better way than to tackle it head on, with a smile and all you've got?

My Monday is going to start off (well, actually more like "end with" since it's Monday evening, not morning...oops!) with the launch of my newest blog - The Suki Chronicles - which will essentially be my blog on living, being, breathing, suffering, hating, enjoying, loving, learning, obsessing, dreaming, winning, losing, failing, persevering, enduring...well, the list could go on and on but to sum it up, this is going to be everything for a twenty-something year old.

Well. That was possibly a little pompous. Not really just for a twenty-something year old. I doubt everything in my blog will be only for those in their twenties! It's going to be a bit of a rusty start but I hope you'll figure out the routine I have in mind for this blog and will be able to contribute in times to come and help me make this a success (:

For now, I end with this: