Monday, July 30, 2007

You guys know I love you when...


... I blog instead of getting cozy in my bed and start reading a book :P

I just came back home after watching Transformers! Seriously awesome movie and oh, does it bring back childhood memory... I remember having one of the Transformers toy... my sister said she'd try to find it, but good luck LOL :P Anyway, the movie was REALLY AWESOME! Everyone should go see it on big screen :P I've read a lot of comments on blogland about Transformers, but it was really better than my expectations :D

After watching the movie, I went to Indigo LOL :) Seriously, that buy 3, get the 4th book free is ruining me... luckily, I had some gift cards... Ames, I've used up all the $ you sent me in one shot... I bought another big box, a basket, a folder and 4 books... not bad right? Actually, the truth is I went over and had to pay 0.74$ LOL

After the bookstore, I rushed to Tacos Bell where my friends were waiting for me... Now, I know that in other province, it's not a big deal, but Tacos Bell is really new in Quebec province... as in, few months new only!! It's really crazy when you go there at lunch or supper hours... apparently, you have to wait at least an hour or even more... my friend told me she waited like 1.5 hours for the drive-thru! Can you imagine? I ate a quesadilla... it was okay, not totally impressed... but at least, now, I can say that I've eaten at Tacos Bell.

So what else? Well my week-end was quite boring. I went to work at the Fathers' place the whole Saturday from 8.30am to 9pm... I was replacing my friend. It wasn't so bad... actually, it was real quiet and there wasn't any weirdos coming or any bad phone calls. The only thing is that I got worried from one of the Brother, because he usually comes and chat with me or collect money for the lottery ticket... but he didn't come at all on Saturday... I was worried that perhaps he fainted or worst in his room... but apparently, he went out for the week-end and forgot to tell us ^^; Sunday was equally boring... I slept half the day away and then, cleaned my room... which took up all my energy! but at least, it's clean and less dusty LOL :P

Book-wise, i didn't read that much this week-end... I read Pepper's Way by Kay Hooper which is part of her newest reprint (it's a 2-in-1 tradepaper)... it was pretty enjoyable :D Kay Hooper knows how to write different heroine :D I've been wanting to read In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea, but I'm too tired... and I really don't want to fall asleep through the book... so it's been waiting... Instead, I've re-read Kare Kano which is a 21 volumes long shoujo manga. Very good! I definitively have to sit one week-end and re-read it... there's so much I have forgotten!

So anyhow, that was my week-end... i'm going to bed now! Talk to you all tomorrow and I'm going to try to write a review tomorrow morning!!

Night night
xxx

Friday, July 27, 2007

Book news, Rocking girl and life

So what is this, the 4th post this week? I'm getting back in! Yay!

All right, so today, no reviews... well at least, not now :D Instead, book news!! I don't have many, but what the heck :D

First, Kay Hooper's website has finally been updated!! Yay! I ranted in one of my previous post that Blood Dreams was being pushed back... well if you need your Kay Hooper fix for this summer, some of her old books are being reprinted!! Yay! Yep, there's a 2-in-1 trade paper coming out on July 31 with Something's Different and Pepper's Way. At the end of August, C.J.'s Fate is being released... and she has another one being reprinted in December too... All of these are her earlier romance books :D I already got my hand on the trade paper 2-in-1... I've only read Something's Different so far, but I enjoyed it :D

Okay, next news... Fans of Robyn Carr, if you've been looking for the Grace Valley trilogy, rejoice, it is being reprinted RIGHT NOW!!! Yay! If you haven't receive Robyn Carr's newsletter, here's the gist: All three books are being reprinted at the moment and should be available by the end of this month! Although, the author says that if you want to be sure to get the books, tell your bookstore to order it. Isn't that a great news? Previously, when she said that there were talks of the Grace Valley trilogy, I was thinking: here we go, I'm going to have to wait a couple of years... but NO! I guess this is due to the Virgin River trilogy popularity :D Anyway, I've checked at Chapters online and Amazon online and I can't order it yet... I've also ask in a bookstore and still can't... so maybe next month? or perhaps it's different if you live in Canada instead of the US...

***

So, I've been picked by Isabel for the Rockin' Girl Blogger!! Yay! and thanks a lot Isabel :D Now, I think I have to choose 5 other bloggers to pass this on... I'm not sure of the rules, if there's any and I know that many of you already have been chosen... so I won't make my life difficult:

Amy, Holly, Cindy, Mailyn, Rosie, Kristie and Kris

Mailyn and Kris, you have to change your name so it finishes with an "e" sound LOL! Anyway, congrats girl! :D

***

So what about my life? Nothing much has happened. I went to see Ratatouille with some friends on Wednesday night :D I definitively should go to the movies more often, especially when it's only 5$.
Ratatouille was definitively a good movie and highly enjoyable. There was some good moments and great laughs... but it also made me squirmed in my seat when I saw so many rats together...
Ma favorite scene is probably when all the rats get together to cook and Remi is giving orders. It's so hilarious... and then, the health inspector walks in! Surprise! LOL :P
I think I'm going to go see Transformers with some friends on Monday evening :D that should be entertaining too... and I'm toying with the idea of going to see the new Die Hard... but nothing's sure yet.
***
Finally, I need some help... LOL, nothing hard... I'm supposed to order some books online for a friend... and I still need to buy a couple of books in order to get the free shipping... so any suggestion? Also, I've been looking for some books and I told myself that I should order them.. but now, I can't remember which one I was talking/thinking of... Anyone remember me mentionning or commenting about that? Yeah, it's so sad... Alzheimer at my age T_T
I hope everyone has a great week-end :D Mine is going to be quite boring... I'm working the whole day tomorrow at the Missionary Place, replacing a friend that went to Chicago... and then, probably won't be doing much on Sunday either :( Apparently, it's supposed to rain too, the whole week-end :(

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Review: Double Trouble by Claire Cross

Youppi! I managed to come to work really early this morning... it's a quiet day with me having nothing much to do and no one's in the lab right now! So what does that mean? That I have time to write a quickie review!! (well, I would usually have blog-hopped, but not many updates since last night).

I didn't know which book to review and in the end, chose to review the last book I've read, which is Double Trouble by Claire Cross.


Double Trouble by Claire Cross
published by Jove in 2001

Maralys and Marcia are twins. Maralys is the bad twin, the one that didn't listen to her parents, the one that defied normality... the one that is still single with no kids. Marcia is the good twin, the one that accomplish all of her parents and the others' expectations... that is till she leaves her husband and two sons.
Nothing is going well for James Coxwell and his wife walking out on him is the last of his worries. About to lose everything for which he work so hard in the past 2 decades, James has to make quick adjustments... and that includes correcting an error he's made almost 20 years ago...
All right... so that is a very short synopsis and it leaves out a lot, but I think it's better than to give the book back blurb which is misleading a little :P

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Coxwell siblings, Book #2

Why did I get this book? Well normally, I would have skipped this book, because I'm not a fan of the H/H being brother/sister-in-law or have previously dated your sister/brother storyline... I mean, isn't there something bizarre about it? What convinced me of picking up this book is that 1) I like the happy-go-lucky, unusual woman and stuffy, yuppy man falling in love storyline and this one looked like one and 2) Devon reviewed it and seemed to have enjoyed it.

My impressions: I was pleasantly surprised about this book :D The plot was much more than I expected. Some twists here and there. I was also sad, because it seems like Maralys and James' lives could have been so different and much happier.

The Heroine, Hero and Romance: I enjoyed both characters quite a lot :D However, there was something that prevented me from connecting with them in order to like them. Maralys wasn't as happy-go-lucky as we are led to believe in the black burb and she has an attitude... it's like an armor with a cynic/sarcastic breastplate to protect herself. She's also pretty blunt I guess... and she's definitively the "what you see is not what you get" type. I mean, she appears irresponsible and everything, but she's definitively not... she's like the pillar in her family. As for James, he was okay too... handsome, but he comes with lots of baggage and I think that made him stronger. So you have to admire that... as for the romance, I'm happy that it wasn't a twin replacement and falling in love with the twin plot. Maralys and James had had feelings for each other for such a long time, but they've been suppressing it. Also, I was glad that they didn't jump into each other's arms right away. I have to admit that the flirting started a bit too soon in my opinion, but the rest of the relationship was well written... they didn't see or talk to each other everyday, Maralys was very reluctant committing herself and so on, also James tried to settle with the kids and figure out his problems before the romance... So I guess it was quite realistic in that way.

Secondary characters: There was no "subplot" or "secondary romance" in this book; however, we were introduced to many characters... James' siblings which turns out to each have their own book; however, we actually didn't get to see them him... they were just mentionned. Maralys' group of girlfriends. Lots of potential there for future books, which I think is the author's plans. The great thing is that they didn't overshine and steal Maralys and James story. They really were secondary characters which is the way I like it :D Other secondary characters worth mentionning are Maralys father which kind of play an important role, James' kids of course and Marcia... but Marcia only appears near the end, so she doesn't ruin it.

What I liked: It's hard to pin-point exactly what I liked. Yes, I did enjoy the story, but were there things I particularly liked, I don't think so. It's more the general feel of the book and the story. Oh, and one thing I really liked is as I said above, the plot is more complex than we are led to believe at first.

What I didn't like: Two things... first the pacing. Although I was glad that James and Maralys didn't just fall for each other as soon as the twin walked away, the pacing was of the story was kind of weird which impacted the romance. The other thing I didn't like was that sometimes, the way the book was written, you kind of forget that James is 42 y.o. and Maralys is 38 y.o. I usually like the H/H to be younger, i.e. mid-20's to mid-30's, so I should have been happy... but because you forget the characters are so "old," they just don't fit with the storyline anymore.

Grade: B

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Why I haven't been blogging...

Hey everyone!!

So wassup? How was your week-end? Did anything special? Me, nothing at all... the only thing I did was take my sister shopping on Sunday morning... Otherwise, I've been lazy :( So why haven't I been blogging? Here are some reasons... :P I'm very good at finding excuses...

1) Too tired
2) Not allowed to blog at work anymore
3) Too hot - I usually keep my computer open 24hrs/day and it's competing with the AC and unfortunately, is winning... I had to close it yesterday for the first time in a while... ^^;
4) Been sleepy
5) Had headaches the past two days... Luckily, today, I took an Advil early enough and my head isn't so bad right now...
6) euh... too much clothing on my computer chair... couldn't sit comfortably enough to blog ^^;
**ETA: 7) it seems I forgot to state the obvious... too lazy! LOL :P**

LOL :P yeah, some excuses these are, I know... I'm half surprised my parents haven't killed me yet... my room is a mess... it's in the same state as pre-Ames' visit- state... (don't remember? well you can see the mess here) Sad no? i've been meaning to clean my room several times, but there's always something more important... like reading or blogging... but to tell you the truth, it's just discouraging me... although most of it is going in the trash can.

So that's been it with me in the past few days... I was reading One Piece during the week-end... One Piece is a manga about pirates and it's probably one of the most popular shounen manga right now... it's just so hilarious and the plot is seriously good :D the drawing is great too :D anyway, an excellent manga... but long :P it's what, 40-something volumes right now in Japan and still running... and it's not ending anytime soon :P Anyway, I re-read about 25 volumes, not bad :D I've also finished Double Trouble by Claire Cross and Something's Different by Kay Hooper :D July is definitively an awesome reading month and the great news is that it's not over yet!!! LOL :D

Well, I bet August is going to be a good month too... since I'm being abandonned by my parents and sister... they're going on vacation, an all-inclusive trip to Riviera Maya or Cancun... for one week :( I'm not going because of work... stupid work no?

Reviews: Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen and Stray by Rachel Vincent

I know, I promised some reviews... and it never really happened ^^; At least, on the other hand, I've been reading a lot, so I guess it kinds of make up for it... no? I'll have lots of books to review when I'm in a reading slump :P Anyway, I'm still going to take the easy way out tonight and review these:


Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen: DNF
published by Harpercollins Canada in 2002

What Lurks in the Dark Shadows of the Heart?

Most men who see Amanda Charles dance worship her from afar. But one "admirer" is getting too close to the glamorous showgirl...perilously close.The looks, style, and grace that make Amanda sparkle on stage have now made her something else: the target of a serial killer.

Detective Tristan MacLaughlin has drawn the case that is pulling him deep into a world of pageantry and dazzle -- and closer to the stunning, violet-eyed beauty who keeps her secrets and emotions locked tightly inside. Tristan never thought he’d be bewitched by Amanda’s charms, never though he’d care. And he never imagined that by wanting her, by trying to protect her, he’d place her in the gravest danger of all.
Why did I get this book? Because I usually enjoy Susan Andersen's book... Truth be told though, I've often picked up this book, but put it back... I guess this is like exam with multiple choices: first instinct is always the best... should have left it on the shelf ^^;

My impressions: I've only got through the first couple of chapters... It just didn't do it for me... I liked Tristan enough, but my biggest problem was the heroine, Amanda... She just annoyed me so much, always jumping to wrong conclusions. Actually, both characters have the habit of thinking the worst of each other and that creates unnecessary trouble. So yeah, got annoyed by Amanda... then, I read the ending and I just figured it wasn't worth reading, because Amanda wasn't getting any better... ^^;


Stray by Rachel Vincent: DNF
published by Mira in June 2007
I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I''m no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—''cause I got claws, and I''m not afraid to use them...
Why did I get this book? Because it sounded good, the cover is nice and I usually enjoy Mira books. I picked it up as soon as I got home from the trip from Toronto, but then put it down before reading the first page... not a good sign. Then, I picked it up again because Kris enjoyed it.

My impressions: Again, I got annoyed by the heroine... Faythe is tough and has an attitude and I guess she's strong too... the problem is that she's 23 y.o. and her "rebellion" comes off as immature and selfish to me. Seriously, she's annoyed at her father and brother's over-protectiveness and I understand that... but there's danger out there... aiming at her... and she just doesn't care as long as she can have her own life... Sorry, but man... these ppl are your family and they care about you... and for her just to get stubborn... She just clung too much to her independence, not caring about anyone else than herself... It really bothered me :( Also, all the sexual innuendos ^^; You guys know me... I like the one woman/one man relationship... and so all the attraction btw her and the other guys was just one more thing I disliked ^^;

Kris seemed to have enjoyed this book well enough... so I guess that all this is just me and if what I said above doesn't bother you usually, you'll probably enjoy the book :D I know that from the author's website, it seems that this is going to be a series...

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Exhaustion...

Hey ppl :D

this is just a quick post to apologize, cos I haven't had time to review, post or comment! I'm still blog-hoping religiously, but been too busy and tired to comment or do anything else. See, I've changed my working schedule and now start working from 6.30am to 3pm... So I'm still adjusting to the time and I definitively need to go to sleep earlier :( It's also been cutting in my reading time :(

Also,

HAPPY B-DAY HOLLY!!!
Turns out Holly's b-day is the same day as my dad :D So this is going to be easy to remember from now on!! :D Speaking of my dad's b-day, my mom decided to organize a mini-surprise. So after a very long day at work, she made me run to do this and that and so that completely killed me. I think I'm going to need a few days to recover LOL :D
Well that's it for me. I have to cut down my internet time at work too :( So can't blog too much :D Talk to everyone later!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Review: High Noon by Nora Roberts

Hey everyone :D

it seems like forever since I last wrote a review, I'm not too sure if I remember how :D Now, kidding aside, I've had such a crappy week last week because of work that it has put me in a mood. In a changing mood... so things here will probably change around a little... and that includes my review format... :P

So onto the first review:


High Noon by Nora Roberts 
published by Putnam in July 2007

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly.

It's exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After observing her coax one of his employees down from a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. She's used to working solo, but Phoebe's discovering that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm's length.

And when she's grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her-in her own precinct house-Phoebe can't help but be deeply shaken. Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep, and she's not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?

Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear... before she becomes the final showdown.
Why I got this book: It's Nora Roberts :D Need I say more?

My impressions: This book delivers. It was well written, the story was engaging and intriguing and the characters, well developed. So I truly enjoyed this book :D I pre-ordered it and got it one day before its release date... and one day was enough for me to finish it :D This was quite an action-packed book, as in one thing happens after the other... and it's almost too much, but then, I think it's because of Phoebe's job... After all, she's not a regular cop, she's a negotiator...

The Heroine, Hero and Romance: Phoebe and Duncan are pretty much Nora Roberts' "classical" characters. Phoebe is quite strong, but she does have weakness. In fact, she's like a gentler version of Eve with a family. As for Duncan, the guy is really too charming, LOL :P He's very outgoing and probably the most lucky guy on Earth... I mean, winning 138M$ at the lottery... ^^; Are there such big jackpots nowadays? I have to admit, I really liked him :D As for the romance, theirs was quite nice... I'm getting a bit tired of the "hero is ready, but not the heroine" romance type ^^; Think I've read too many of those lately... but there chemistry is good and it's not just Phoebe and Duncan, but it's also Duncan and the whole family.

Secondary characters: There was a myriad of secondary characters such as Phoebe's family, Duncan's family and then the cops and so on... but there was no secondary storyline/romance really worth mentioning. This book was pretty much focus on Phoebe and Duncan. However, I do think there's potential to write about a character or two that was introduced... I don't know if it'll happen though since this is a stand-alone book.

So, what I liked: pretty much everything of the book :D I think that what Nora Roberts does best is writing about human interaction... She almost always on target with the amount of chemistry, romance and fighting :D

What I didn't like: Not much... 1) The quotation marks ^^; I know, it sounds stupid and the worst is I think this is the proper way to use quotation marks... but sometimes, I was lost as who was talking :( 2) The ending did seem rush a little bit. I'd have like for more closure. 3) Duncan keeps mentioning his best friend Jake, but he never really appeared and I found it annoying cos I wish he would ^^;

So if you're a fan of Nora Roberts, don't hesitate, find a way to read it :D

Grade: A-

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

My summer books (books, not reads :P)

hey everyone!!

wassup? First, apologies if I haven't commented on your blogs! Be assured that I do my blog-hop regularly, but I have less time to comment, because well they're checking up on me more at work and when I come home, I'm exhausted and all :(

So I'm the last one of us 4 who have walked all Yonge street in Toronto to buy books to list my treasure finds... Since I've been home for at least 3 weeks already, of course, I've bought more books and so I thought I'd list them all... Are you ready, cos this is going to be very, very long.





Books I bought during I was in Toronto. Here is the breakdown:
(the books that are striked are the ones I've read since I've bought them)

Chapters/Indigo on Saturday

- Careful What You Wish For by Lucy Finn
- Wedding Survivor by Julia London
- Stray by Rachel Vincent
- Aphrodite's Kiss by Julie Kenner
- Aphrodite's Passion by Julie Kenner
- The Summit by Kat Martin
- Body Electric by Susan Squires
- Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong
- Touchstone by Dinah McCall
- The Stone Flower Garden by Deborah Smith
- Suicide Club by Gayle Wilson
- The Bright and the Dark by Michelle M. Welch
- One Night with a Goddess by Judi McCoy
- When She Was Bad by Cindy Kirk
- The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs
- His Every Kiss by Laura Lee Guhrke
- The Duke in Disguise by Gayle Callen
- Once an Angel by Teresa Medeiros
- A Whisper of Roses by Teresa Medeiros
- Thief of Hearts by Teresa Medeiros
- Nobody's Darling by Teresa Medeiros
- Where rainbows end by Cecelia Ahern
- One's Summer by Karen Robards

UBS on Saturday

- Bad Girl by Michele Jaffe
- Dress Rehearsal by Jennifer O'Connell
- The Preacher's Daughter by Cheryl St. John
- The Other Side of Love by Jacqueline Briskin (already read this one, but wanted the book)
- Midnight Rain by Holly Lisle
- Miss Fortune by Julia London
- Houston, We Have a Problem by Erin

with Ames on Sunday

- Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter
- Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter
- You Don't Know Jack by Erin McCarthy
- A Date with the Other Side by Erin McCarthy

with Ames and Chantal on Sunday

- Lord of the Isles by Amanda Scott
- Knight Treasure by Amanda Scott
- Prince of Danger by Amanda Scott
- Lady's Choice by Amanda Scott
- The Real Deal with Lucy Monroe




The above is what I got once I got home... I did two trips to Chapters/Indigo ^^; Remember, buy 3, get the 4th free!

- The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie and Eileen Dreyer
- Last Look by Mariah Stewart
- Last Words by Mariah Swewart
- Hot Ice by Cherry Adair
- Soul Song by Marjorie M. Liu
- If Only in My Dreams by Wendy Markham
- In Darkness Reborn by Alexis Morgan
- Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy


Now, onto the used books that I got... most of them today ^^;
*the picture didn't load properly. I will post it again when I get home tonight



- The Wedding Party by Robyn Carr
- Blue Skies by Robyn Carr
- Silk and Stone by Deborah Smith
- Love is all around by Lori Devoti
- Flash Point by Metsy Hingle
- Wages by Metsy Hingle
- Behind the Mask by Metsy Hingle
- Darker than Midnight by Maggie Shayne
- Thicker than Water by Maggie Shayne* (Holly's suggestion)
- The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner
- Bloodstone by Gwen Hunter
- South of Sanity by Suzann Ledbetter
- Depth Perception by Linda Castillo* (Holly's suggestion)
- Sweet Ember by Barbara Delinsky
- Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen
- The Perfect Family by Carla Cassidy
- Parting Gifts by Charlotte Vale Allen

by the way, just so you know, the UBS also had a buy 3, get the 4th free sale!!! Ain't I lucky?



It's summer, lots of hardcovers coming out, but I really don't want to pay full price... so the solution? Online orders/pre-orders...

- High Noon by Nora Roberts
- Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard
- The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie and Eileen Dreyer

still on their ways:

- In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea
- Something's Different & Pepper's Way by Kay Hooper (reprint)

So there, you have it all :D All the books I've bought since the Toronto trip :D As you can see, at least, I've been reading... a LOT :P So that means, yes, I'll start to review books again instead of ramblings and ranting :D But right now, I need to go to sleep...

Good night all!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Us in Toronto! Pictures time!

So here are some pictures :D

Here are pictures of Kristie, Ames and me with our treasure, on Saturday, after our first bookshopping trip :P



Nice no? Now, keep in mind we all got more books afterwards LOL :P

This is a picture of us on Sunday morning, just before Kristie left us to go back home...




While Kristie was on her way to the train station, Ames and I were heading towards the CN tower! And yes, we went to the top, the skypod!!



Then, later that day, we rented a car and went to Chantal's place, in Barrie! So that's me driving! a bit stressed, but I have to say, grateful that we're not walking anymore LOL :P and Ames seems to like looking at roads :D




And we finally got to see Chantal!!! So happy!!! Isn't she pretty?




The next day, we went to the zoo :D
Seriously, we were soooo tired that I'm proud of us for making it :D Ames was such a trooper!




Here are some of the animals LOL :P





The last two pictures LOL... On the left of Ames, that's two elephant's butts LOL :P As for the last pics, that's me with my backpack at the zoo... at the end, the straps were all wet with sweat ^^; I know, eww... it was such a nice day, sunny and warm! I just wanted to show that pics so you guys can imagine... when we were bookshopping on Saturday, my backpack was even bigger and I looked like a turtle! I swear, if I've fallen on my back, I'm not sure I would have been able to stand back up! LOL

and finally, here are two little videos :D The first one is of the polar bear... you'll have to wait a little, but he'll show up! And the second video is the baby tigers :D





Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part IV

Hey everyone :D

No, I didn't forget to continue the recap, it's just, well I had other things on my mind: 1) reading! yep, been reading a LOT lately which I'm so happy because May and June were really slow reading months... and 2) Wimbledon... unfortunately, all my favorite players didn't make the finale :( Anyway, now it's over, so I should have more time to blog LOL (I have to admit, I've been rather obsessed by this year's tournament...)

All right, so let me start on Sunday morning, our third day in Toronto. So again, I was the first one up, but this time, my roomates didn't sleep in LOL :P See, Kristie was going back home at noon and she needed to leave the hotel before 11am... Although Ames and I were staying another night in Toronto, we were switching hotel, one closer to the airport and Toronto Zoo. So we had to be out of the room by noon. Anyway, I just wanted to say that we didn't sleep in to my great joy... so we woke up, did our morning routine and started packing. I was done really quickly :P Kristie had a little bit of difficulty and as you all know, she had to throw away her pair of running shoes LOL :P I have to add though, it wasn't a big loss, since they were very well worn and actually hurt her feet when she wore them. The only thing left I had to pack was... my Wendy's baked potatoe! I know, I know! Seriously, it's not really in me to throw away food, but I didn't want to carry it in the luggage ^^; So in the end, while Kristie went down to check-out and Ames was in the shower, I ate it... and regret it, because we ate the hotel's breakfast buffet and the food was really good, but I was already half-full because of the baked potatoe :(

So during breakfast, we get a phone call and guess who it is? Yes, Chantal!! She asked if we could meet her in Newmarket and Ames and I told her we would find a way to... So after the really good breakfast, we chat a little bit outside and then, it was time for hugs and goodbyes :( After Kristie left, Ames and I checked-out, put our luggages in storage and went to the CN tower!

The CN tower was a lot of fun, unfortunately, it was a LOT of waiting! See, the reason why we went to the CN tower was because it was 11am and the Eaton Center Indigo bookstore only opened at noon. We ended up leaving at 2pm ^^; Then, we made our way back to Eaton Center and went to Indigo... While we were at Eaton Center, we called Chantal and told her we would take the go train... but needed her to check the schedule. So at Eaton Center, i bought 4 more books LOL :P What can I say? Pretty much nothing LOL :P Ames was looking for Hidden Agendas and another book by Lisa Cach... Unfortunately, neither were at the bookstore although the computer indicated that there was one copy :( After doing a little computer search, there was a bookstore on Richmond that had Hidden Agendas :P So off we were to yet another bookstore... we got out of Eaton Center and then hesitated... it was already 3pm, Ames' feet were really hurting... in the end, we changed our mind LOL :P It was too far and we'd rather get to the new hotel ASAP and then, off to Chantal's house. So we turned around and went back to Indigo where Ames stayed at the entrance while I went to get her books :P Poor girl, her feet were really hurting LOL! At Indigo, we got another phone call from Chantal... she got some info for us: 1) no go train on the week-end! but we could take a bus... but the last bus was at 10.10pm to get back to TO... Hmmm, that was pretty tight ^^; So guess what? I came up with the brillant idea of renting a car!!!

So we got back to our hotel to get our luggage... and in the lobby, there's this man sitting at a desk with a computer and he's answering questions and all. We ask him if where we had to go to rent a car... He says that it's quite later and perhaps we won't be able to rent one! Oh no! Nonetheless, he calls a few places and lucky!!! We got a car! So we waited for them to come and pick us up. The signing of the contract was all very quick and very confusing... the place we rent the car was also, hmmm, spare ^^; it was just a room with a counter, a computer and a printer ^^; Seriously, it didn't look like a business and so I was worried ^^; but then, as Ames said, the hotel recommended this place, so it must have been an okay place.

So finally, we were on our way to another great adventure... we got to the hotel without too much difficulty, although i have to say, at first, I was quite stressed ^^; Ames was in charge of giving direction and she's so patient! and seriously, the girl is really awesome... See, I was nervous... and Ames would say, you need to turn at "X street"... but Ames, I have no idea where is X street!!! You have to be more specific!! Anyway, after a few streets, we finally got it down and from there on, everything was smooth :D We got to the hotel, which was really far and our thought was: thanks god, we rented a car and didn't take the public transit as we planned LOL :P We didn't have any difficulties checking in and after a little rest, we were on our way to... Barrie to see Chantal!

It took us only 40 minutes to get there :D Everything went smoothly, except when I suddenly had to change like 4 lanes to get to the exit! That was really the only scary moment... and seriously, that exit is really not well designed ^^; So we got to Chantal's house and she was there, with Levi in her arms and Logan behind her to welcome us :D It was really awesome! She is soooo nice and easy to talk to! and a lot of fun LOL :P On our way out to go eat, Chantal mentionned that there was also the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" sale at her bookstore and that she went bookshopping the day before. We ask her which book she got and guess what she answered? Yep, Hidden Agendas! LOL :P So I asked Ames and we decided to go look for it, as Chantal said when she bought it, there was 3 copies left! We rushed to the Chapters, but unfortunately, there were all gone!!! That was quite disappointing... we almost rushed to the other bookstore, but it was closing in 20 minutes and it was on the other side of town... So in the end, Chantal bought 4 books, Ames, 1 if I remember correctly and me, 5. Shut up! LOL :P Again, it's really fun to shop with fellow romance books lovers :D

Then, we went to eat at Jackaster and had a nice meal :D We did linger quite a while and I think the waitress was annoyed ^^; After eating, we went back to Chantal's place and hung out a little bit... Then, for a second time in the day, it was hugs and goodbyes time :P By the way, Chantal's boys are sooo cute and lovely :D As she said, Logan was a real mama's boy and her youngest, daddy's boy. On our way back, we had to switch driver, because I was falling asleep and I think Ames was starting to get scared LOL :P Once back to the hotel, I went straight to bed ^^; Yeah, I'm a very boring person at night LOL :P

The next morning was another early day... we woke up early, checked-out and went to Toronto zoo :D I was kind of worried about Ames, because her feet were hurting so much... but when I asked her, she told me her feet no longer hurt... instead, it was her whole leg!!! OMG! ^^; However, I'm so proud of her, because she was such a trooper... we did the whole zoo in about 3.5 hours! Obviously, saw a lot of animals :D The cutest were the polar bear, the elephants and the tigers :D I have some videos that perhaps, I'll post soon ^^; hopefully. Ames was really good at spotting baby animals :D

The reason we did the zoo so fast was because I wanted to go to the Pacific Mall, a chinese mall... actually, one of the biggest Asian mall in North America :D It was fun, although we didn't buy much. The great thing we got though, were sticker pictures of us :D we ate lunch there and OMG, the portion was huge!! It didn't help that just before, we got a bubble tea ^^; Felt so bad when we threw it away... but you know, I wasn't going to bring it to the airport ^^; At around 3.30, we were on our way to the airport... dropped off the car (by the way, they finally charged my credit card)... checked-in... there were two bookstores instead and we did look for Hidden Agendas, but it wasn't there... Ames did some last minute gift shopping :P We had time to sit a little bit, call our families and then, it was time for me to board :( Last pictures, hug and goodbyes and then, I was on my way to Montreal.

And this was our trip :D An awesome trip!

I swear, I'll post pictures soon and will also list the books I bought soon.

Have a nice evening everyone!

Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part I
Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part II
Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part III

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part III (aka Toronto trip)

So, last time, I stopped the recap on Friday night, when I fell asleep while Ames and Kristie were watching the Fifth Element...

Now it's Saturday morning and I opened my eyes at... 6.30 :( Now, Ames has been very adamant, she wants to sleep in today! So that means, she doesn't want to wake up before 8 or 9am... Hmmm... all right, so back to sleep ^^; Now see, I've never been good at sleeping in... don't ask me why, perhaps habit or something... but usually, the latest I sleep is 7.30am... even on week-end. If I'm tired, I'll just fall asleep earlier at night... So this was real hard for me!

So I try to go back to sleep... and open my eyes at 6.45... 7.05... 7.25...7.55... all right, that is enough!! LOL :P Still too early, so I figured a little music wouldn't hurt and I go look for my mp3 player :P At the same time, I peek out of the window to see the weather outside... It was so dark in the room because of the curtains, it sesemed to me it was gloomy... but turns out it's a really sunny... So the music helps as I go back to sleep and wake up at 8.55... Yay!! But then, Ames and Kristie give no sign of waking up! For a moment, I did think of going to Lacoste on my own and go buy some shirts for my sister, but I got lazy... and figured, I'd go later in the day... So once again, close my eyes... and open them at 9.30... Still no move by Ames or Kristie, but now, I really can't do it anymore... Also, Cindy said they would be in Toronto around 10-11am... so I decided to give my roomates a little nudge and open the TV LOL :P Now, you have to understand, in the past few years, I've really become a fan of tennis LOL :P an although there was no major tournament, there was the Eastbourne tournament which is to prepare the players for Wimbledon and so I was wondering if my favorite player, Justine Henin, has won... so since Friday night, I have been watching the sport channels... but all they would talk about was the hockey draft and baseball... booo!!!

Now it's 10am and Kristie woke up! Yay!! and cell phone ringing! Oh no, Cindy is here! but no, turns out she and Bob just left and should arrive in Toronto in an hour... so this gives us an hour to prepare :D Just before going down, I'm debating whether I should take my purse (which is a small backpack) or my big school bag... hey, we're going bookshopping! Finally, I choose my purse. So at 11am, Ames, Kristie and I were waiting in the lobby and Cindy and Bob walked in at 11.15!! Seriously, Cindy and Bob were so much fun :D From here, you pretty much know what happened from Cindy and Kristie's posts :P So I'll go fast... we went to eat breakfast first, although we walked by the World's Biggest Bookstore (WBB) and got all excited... Bob was really amused LOL :P So after breakfast, we came back to WBB... and it was pictures time. So yeah, Cindy wanted a picture of us in front of WBB and Bob wanted one of us, holding the door handles, ready to rush in :P I was really ready to rush in ^^; So Cindy, Bob, Ames and Kristie took pity on me and let me in LOL :P Now, I have to admit, I didn't really explore the store, just went straight to the romance section. WBB is affiliated with Chapters/Indigo and though it might not be the world's biggests bookstore anymore, Kristie was right as they had lots of "old books"... the ones that I definitively can't find in Montreal... and the bonus? They had the buy 3, get the 4th book free sale!!

So the first book I picked up was the new Kelley Armstrong... then, the second book I found was His every Kisses by Laura Lee Guhrke! Happy dance!!!! And I just went on and went on and went on on finding books :D It helped that Kristie and Cindy were there, cos they gave lots of suggestions :P Seriously, it's really awesome to be shopping with other romance lovers. While we were at WBB, I got a phone call from my sister... So guess what she told me? Do not go to Lacoste! I went with Dad this morning and bought 11 shirts! I'm on a major guilt trip! To tell you the truth, I was quite relieved to hear we wouldn't have to go to Lacoste LOL :P Then, I talked to my mom and she asked what we were doing and I told her we were buying books... and guess what she said? Books, again? Don't buy too much. Now, do anyone else see the irony here? My mom said, Don't buy too much... How unfair is that?!?!?!? when my sister has just bought 11 Lacoste shirts?!? at at least 50$/each... anyway, I just thought it was unfair LOL :P

Anyway, back to WBB... now, the reason why Kristie, Cindy and Ames were laughing at me so much is not only the number of books I found, but how I carried them ^^; See, I've developed this habit of piling up books in my hand... So I'll extend my arm down to my thigh and use my hand as a platform and just pile up the books :P but I'm not really tall... and at the 12th book, I was running around with books piled up to my chest. Finally, I had to put them down while going to explore the fiction and fantasy section. In the end... how many books I bought, you ask? 17 at WBB :D but you know, I had the slowest cash register! First, the lady looked at me as if I lost my mind and then, started ringing the books... I was the first one at the cashier, but end up being the last one with my bags... Afterwards, we went to DMV used bookstore and decided to return to the hotel to leave the books... It was really needed it and at this point, I really regretted not taking my school bag, so back at the hotel, I didn't make the same mistake :P

Afterwards, well you know what happened... we walked up Yonge street, first in the wrong direction, because I was sure that there was a bookstore down there... but when reviewing the list, I couldn't find it... so we turned around and walked up Yonge street... Now, remember that Ames and I walked that street the day before... and we knew that there were many bookstores... but somehow, they seemed so far away :P Finally got to two or three before we ran into the Lesbian parade. The good news is that we didn't get separated by the crowd. At around 3.30-4.00, Cindy and Bob decided to go back... so it was goodbyes :(

Cindy and Kristie said that Ames and I were big shoppers and had so much energy LOL :P I wouldn't say Cindy and Kristie were wrong, but I'm not that much of a shopper in real life... It's just that in Toronto, I was ON A MISSION LOL :P My goal was to get to as many as UBS as possible :P So perhaps I did push a little bit ^^; Sorry ^^;

So after our (Ames, Kristie and me) break at the internet cafe, we continued a little bit and found more UBS and bought more books LOL :P then, we all agreed to take a cab back to the hotel :D I think it was about 5pm... We took a break, looked at the books we bought... it turned out that I wasn't the one who bought the most books!!!! Kristie was leading with 25 books! and I think I had one less, so 24!! Who would have thought!! Then, we read a little, before going out for supper. At this point, you must know that we were all tired, but poor Ames, her foot really hurt and she was definitively limping :( We had a nice supper... and at the end, we realized that we were just in front of WBB!! LOL :P so we went back... You know, just in case we had missed something or the workers had put out new books LOL! and it was a good decision, since there we all came out with more books :P On our way back, we hoped that Indigo in the Eaton Center was still opened, but it wasn't. Again, we went back to our room, read, watch tv... Men in Black was playing. At 9pm, I asked the girls if they wanted dessert, because I was starting to fall asleep and wasn't going to last much longer LOL. So we went down, got dessert (yummy... Kristie and I got brownies with ice cream... while Ames had cheesecake)... It's then, I realized that I got a missed call... and I started to worry, cos I knew it was Chantal calling... since I've emailed her when we were about the internet cafe. The problem is that I didn't have her number to call back and no, I don't have the number display... Ames said not to worry, that Chantal would call back... all right. Once again, back to our room... I think we read and I fell asleep, once again LOL :P

So that's it for part III :P I'll try to put up pictures tonight and the rest of the recap tomorrow:P

Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part I
Canadian Romance Blogger Meeting, part II

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Just to let you know... (BBQ, part II)

Hey everyone,

it's just to let you know that i'm still alive and that I'm delaying the Toronto trip recap one more day... Seriously, yesterday's BBQ just sucked up all my energy... I don't know if it's because last week-end was exhausting combined with the BBQ sucking up all my energy or it's because I ran around a lot to prepare stuff or just stood a lot yesterday, but my whole body hurts... My calves are killing me, my back is killing me, even my arms are heavy! So I don't have the energy to really recap the Toronto trip... which I think is going to take another 2 posts at least.

Sorry :(

(if you're wondering, I think the BBQ was a success, but I can't remember much about it... except the fact that there was TOO much food as usual... not that I would know though, since all my friends took it home...)

Monday, July 02, 2007

This week-end...

Hey everyone :P

I'm sorry I haven't updated on my trip to Toronto, but this week-end is a busy week-end for me... Today is our annuel BBQ (7th year already!) and this year, I was in charge of the grocery shopping ^^; (seriously, do I really know how much 15 ppl eat for two meals? I can manage for easy stuff like chips and so on... but meat?)... It was a nightmare LOL :P How many chicken wings? What should I buy? Porkchops? Beef? and you know, we're doing charcoal BBQ...

oh and guess what... the two most clueless persons, i.e. me and another friend, were in charge of marinating the meat... euh yeah... LOL :P Luckily, my friends will just eat anything. So that's why I haven't had time to update on the trip... Also, I have been reading!!! Yay!!!

I will update this week for sure! So stay tuned!

By the way, Happy belated Canada's Day!!! and Happy 4th of July!!!