Emmys.

It's no secret that I love, love, love award shows. Whether it be the Emmys, Tonys, or Oscars I will sit there year after year, watching religiously. I love all the glitz and glamour of the red carpet - the beautiful gowns and sparkly jewels - as well as the ceremony itself...the hosts, presenters, performances and best of all the speeches. I love how heartfelt and sincere the speeches can be, making you feel the genuine joy, excitement and shock of the winner. I also love waiting for the music to kick in, signaling for the winner to wrap up their speech - and it always, and I mean ALWAYS leads to them getting flustered. And I'll admit that this occurrence is sometimes hilarious to watch.

Today I tried to resist the allure of awards shows in order to study for a test, but alas it was not to be. Instead I curled up on the couch and watched the ceremony, switching to E!'s Red Carpet coverage whenever I got the chance. Mad Men and Modern Family walked away with the top Emmy honors of the night. This makes me super happy as I love Modern Family, it being one of my favourite shows of the moment.

On the fashion front, this year it seemed that navy blue was the popular colour of choice for attendees. Now, I'm not particularly a fan of blue (navy or otherwise) but after seeing some absolutely gorgeous navy gowns I may just be a convert. That's not to say, of course, that there weren't gowns that completely missed the mark.

Some of my favourite looks of the night were:

(Image Source: people.com - Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty images)

Dianna Agron (from Glee) wore this beautiful tiered Carolina Herrera gown. I'm not sure what it is about this dress, but I LOVE it. I think it may be how the lace-overlay contrasts with the black... it is simply stunning. In my eyes Carolina Herrera's gowns are almost always perfect. The dress was accompanied by Cartier jewels. Let me just say, you can NEVER go wrong with Cartier!!

(Source: au.eonline.com - Credit: Jason Merrit/Getty Images)

The second look that I absolutely adore is this delicate Dior dress worn by the ever-stylish Emily Blunt. While the dress exudes a simplicity that makes it all the more beautiful, for me it was the elegant Lorraine Schwartz Diamond Flower Pin (see picture below) that caught my attention, and made me love this look.

(Source: people.com - Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

The pin has an air of old Hollywood glamour to it. I love jewel hair pins (and brooches), and have several of my own. It's just a pity that I have very little opportunity to wear them...in addition to the fact that I chopped my locks of into a short, sharp bob.

(Source: people.com - Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

And my third and final favourite look was that of Glee star, Lea Michele. She wore a gown from one of my absolute favourite designers in the entire universe, Oscar de la Renta. Being that I'm a fan of his work it was almost guaranteed that I was going to love this dress. The gown went with the navy blue trend, and the sweetheart neckline and ruching of the bodice is simply stunning. The look is absolutely made by the Lorraine Schwartz jewels, which I think complement the gown perfectly! Move aside Neil Lane, I think that Lorraine Schwartz may be my new favourite jewellry designer.

My Last Weekend of Freedom...

...well for a long while anyway. This week signals 'back to work' for me, which means that this weekend was essentially my last weekend to do relaxing, fun things for myself - as I mainly work weekends at my theatre job.

Sadly, my weekend was not filled with much fun but was instead consumed with university assessments with a side of stress *sigh*. Despite the boringness there are a few lovely things that have cheered me up through this rather glum time.

This is lovely thing #1 - a wonderful beauty powder that is scented like peonies and has the fluffiest little powder puff ever! I've always wanted a powder like this, I've always thought they were so classic and feminine. Growing up I always used to sneak into my parent's room and head to my mother's dresser to play with her makeup, but especially with her tin of beauty powder. Though I think this one is infinitely better, and based on the scent I think peonies might even be my new favourite flower.

Lovely thing #2 that cheered me up was this necklace that I found during a brief study break/trip to the shops. I always tell myself that I don't need any more dress jewellery but then I always see something and cave, as I did with this. For months I've been slowly piecing together all the elements for the outfit that I will be wearing to my sister's graduation ceremony in September. In April, for instance, I ordered the most perfect dress from my favourite US department store, then in June I ordered a pair of heels from the same department store. All that was left was accessorising the outfit, and I think this necklace is going to go perfectly with the dress.

Last but not least, lovely thing #3 was this dress that arrived on Friday (not technically the weekend but whatever), it's the product of my latest online shopping adventure.

I personally don't think that the picture does the dress justice, I'll be the first to admit that I almost didn't buy it because of the picture. The dress is a Mexicali (Mexican-inspired) dress, with some wonderful embroidery on the sleeve. It is made from super light cotton that will no doubt make it perfect in the sweltering heat of summer. Now I just have to wait for the weather to warm up...

Writer's Block

I am currently experiencing writer's block. Both in working on my many university essays, as well as just in general expressing myself - i.e. in the form of blog posts.

Usually I am filled with focus and am able to tap out assignments easily, as well as write music rather easily - as I often like to do (it's one of my many favourite ways to pass time, be creative, and take a break from the craziness of uni/work/life). Right now, however, I'm struggling to express myself. My thoughts just feel jumbled and nonsensical.

Hopefully, I'll overcome this writer's block soon. Especially with essay deadlines looming! Until then I'll refrain from posting my weird and random thoughts that are currently struggling to escape my mind, and are only achieving this in ways that make little to no sense.

Another Find in the Great Closet Excavation!

So, F pretty much almost threw out this blazer that also once belonged to our mum.

I just rescued it from the 'to donate' pile. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen similar blazers in Op Shops around Sydney, and feel sad that I almost lost this.

I showed my mum the jacket and got the history of it out of her. It was purchased in the 80s (no surprises there) from David Jones. It was incredibly expensive at the time and of very good quality. A fact that I can vouch for as the stitching and fabric is still perfect today, though this could be because my mum was of the opinion that things should only be worn once or twice before a new wardrobe was needed. Ironic since she now tells me that I spend too much on clothes, ha! What I also find interesting is that the jacket is a size 12, and shows just how much sizing has changed over the years. I am nowhere near a size 12 today, yet it just barely fits me.

Cardigans, Brooches and Other Pretty Things.

So, F is currently cleaning out and organising her closet. A task that seems near impossible, and somewhat frightening, as she is THE biggest hoarder. I swear there are things in there from 15 years ago!!

Anyway, during the excavation of her closet she came across a couple of knitwear pieces previously owned by our mum. One of them is this cardigan.

Now, I absolutely hate the colour green. I avoid it like the plague as, no matter the shade, it always looks terrible on me. But overlooking the bright green hue of this cardigan I am impressed with the craftsmanship of it AND it has given me a whole new respect for my mother as she hand-knitted it. The cable knit on both front panels of the cardigan is so well done, it looks as good as (or better) than the machine cable knit on my Polo Ralph Lauren jumpers.

This cardigan was made in the 80s, (which I believe explains the bright colour choice of green and yellow) back when my mum was quite the lover of fashion. She had some pretty fabulous skirts and dresses (mind you, of 80s fabulousness, not the modern day stuff that I tend to covet)...and she still has some of the most killer heels and bags, some of which I have stolen out of her closet. My favourite has to be this clutch/side bag/cross-body bag that I rescued from years of torture at the back of my mum's closet (where it was haphazardly stored, hence the slight red ink stain on the flap).

But back to the cardigan, what I love even more about it is this cute little brooch that my mum styled with it.

It's a little aged and chipped (also from years of careless storage, this time in the depths of F's closet) but it is so adorable, and somehow works perfectly with the cardigan.

Delicious Treats, Bags and Politics.

What a crazy election! With the situation last night resulting in a hung parliament and the Independent MPs holding the final decision of which party (and therefore which uninspiring individual) will "run" our great nation, I am officially over this election. It's going to be a week (or longer) before we know how this saga will end...I for one have run out of patience to wait, listen or care. But congrats to the Greens on their achievement of 10 seats in the Senate (up from 5 in the last election) and their first ever seat in the House of Reps. Last night it seemed they were the only people talking rationally, making the most sense in their analysis of the election result - compared with Labor party individuals, namely Stephen Smith, resorting to nonsensical jokes (perhaps it was his coping mechanism, but nonetheless it was too strange and painful to watch), and the Liberal people (in particular a Senator on the ABC whose name has escaped me) ranting about how the Libs had rightfully won.

Aside from the craziness of the election giving me a headache last night, my Saturday was pretty great. My sister F and I took our cousin R out to High Tea to celebrate her birthday and recovery from her operation/illness of the past few months. We chose one of our favourite High Tea destinations, The Gallery Tea Lounge at the Sheraton on the Park.

The High Tea here is a choice between a traditional three-tier stand filled with an assortment of delectable treats or a buffet. Being the food enthusiasts that we are, F and I knew there was no way we would not be choosing the buffet option. The food here is always delicious, and there is a good variety of savoury pastries, wraps and sandwiches - which many other High Tea places tend to have a severe lack of. This buffet is made even better as there are options for those (such as my lovely sister) with allergies/particular dietary requirements.

Now it is my opinion that determining whether a High Tea is good can be determined through the quality of the scones. I have consumed a fair few scones in my time and it absolutely pains me to eat one that lacks the all important light and fluffy texture, and instead resembles a rock. At the Gallery, however, the scones have consistently been of the melt-in-your mouth absolutely delicious variety - and yesterday was no exception. In addition to wonderful scones, there were delicious glasses of the most tasty and creamiest chocolate mousse, creme brulee cheesecake- flavoured, mini-vanilla cupcakes, coffee cake, strawberry tarts, walnut tarts....just to name a few of the incredible sweet treats that were available.

(if you look closely you can see the little glass of delicious chocolate-y goodness!)

In fact there was so much to choose from, that even between the three of us not everything was sampled. To accompany the food diners have the option between a Vittoria Coffee, a pot of Twinings loose-leaf tea, or a Max Brenner hot chocolate. I cannot express how tempting it was to order the hot chocolate, as anyone who knows me would understand I adore Max Brenner hot chocolates. However, after ingesting copious amounts sugar the thought of an incredibly rich and sweet drink seemed like too much. So an Orange Pekoe tea was selected. And what a good choice that was, Orange Pekoe has officially edged out Earl Grey as my current favourite tea.

So, after several hours of sitting, chatting, eating and drinking it was proposed that a shopping expedition was needed to work off all the sugar. Never one to turn down an opportunity to help others spend money (especially as I am currently on my second attempt of a self-imposed shopping ban) I happilly obliged. Now I feel it must be noted that cousin R is a master shopper, always has been, always will be. When I was younger and she would drag me to the shops I found in tiresome and irritating, but now that I'm older and an appreciator of all things fashion yesterday was A LOT of fun.

Out of all the shopping I even managed to find what I have deemed the "perfect" uni bag, and thus the search is over (just as soon as it began!). In response to my quest to find a bag many people suggested something that had wheels. While a good suggestion, unfortunately I am simply too vain and self-conscious to get one for uni, so alas that idea was vetoed. Thanks, though, to everyone for the suggestions!

I ended up settling on a Crumpler backpack, which F highly recommended as it was her uni bag of choice over the years. As a fan of the Crumpler range, there was little resistance on my part. So here it is, my new maybe "perfect" uni bag...

The only disappointment was that I had seen a wonderful red backpack when purchasing my Crumpler laptop bag last year but was informed that they no longer had that particular bag this season. They didn't even have the lovely caramel coloured one that F owns, and was my 2nd choice for colour. So black it was. I guess black is classic and practical (it won't get dirty, like the white one the sales assistant kept trying to get me to buy).

Search for the "Perfect" Bag

Okay, so one last rumination before I call it a day.

My shoulder has been in absolute agony for the past few weeks. The pain can only be attributed to those incredibly large, heavy and evil law textbooks that require carting around campus. It got me thinking, this is my 4th year of university and I am yet to find the perfect bag that holds these insanely big books, along with a notebook and other necessities like food, wallet, phone, keys etc.

I have gone through many bags. I've tried out a backpack (one from my high school days) but it wasn't the right size AND had very little back support leading to a super sore back. In all honesty I should have known better than using a backpack from my high school days, since back then I used to choose bags based on their appearance. Similarly, I've tried a multitude of large totes and duffel bags, even at times carrying an additional enviro bag purely for textbook toting purposes, and looking somewhat like a pack horse in the process.

I'm not sure what qualifies as the "perfect" bag, but I'm thinking one that holds my ridiculous amount of stuff and doesn't break under the weight a law textbook is a good start. I'm also thinking that it might be in the form of a backpack - especially since my poor right shoulder (which tends to be my bag carrying shoulder) would probably like to share the weight and pain with my other shoulder.

And so begins the search for the "perfect" uni bag...

Just another not-so-ordinary day in the life of A

I should have known that today was going to be rather eventful when my alarm clock failed to wake me up on time, and made me late for my class. Another sign should have been my nose deciding to bleed, an occurrence that I have been lucky to avoid since I left my primary school days behind (until today that is).

The day seemed to redeem itself when I caught up with my lovely friend R for lunch. Even the fact that the bagel place (which I have previously mentioned here) decided to disappoint us with their lack of blueberry and apple-cinnamon bagels didn't ruin the day too much - especially since it led to the consumption of a lovely Smoked Salmon sandwich. But how a bagel place runs out of bagels before the lunch rush even begins is something I will never quite understand...

After a leisurely lunch and catch up it was time for me to head back to campus and head home. I got to the car feeling hopeful since the traffic looked good and I it seemed I would get home in good time. And that my friends is where the day went bad, very bad!!

As I sat behind the wheel getting ready to leave I noticed this yellow envelope on the windscreen.

These yellow envelops are the kind that can make your heart stop dead in its tracks. I frantically jumped out the car to grab it, my mind racing to think of how or why I could possibly have been fined by the university's security patrol. I was parked within the marked lines AND I have a valid parking permit.

Surprisingly (and thankfully) it was empty, and that's when I noticed it had something scrawled on the back.

The kind security staff had left me a note to say that they had noticed one of my tyres was "low". As I jumped out to inspect the tyre it wasn't just low, it was absolutely flat and punctured. Swallowing the rising panic in my throat as I turned into a walking stereotype of a helpless female driver who cannot change a tire I called my sister to get a bit of reassurance. Then I called up roadside assistance, and to be quite honest I have never been more happy and appreciative of the work of the lovely NRMA than today.

It turns out that a nail had pierced the tyre, not too surprising when I remember that the university is essentially a big construction zone. The NRMA representative replaced the tire with the spare. The spare tyre as I discovered is of the temporary kind and has a speed limit of 80km/h. I miss the good old days where car manufacturers gave you a real spare, instead they now leave you with something that doesn't look remotely stable enough to support a car. My feeling of trepidation was not helped by the NRMA guy who remarked that these new kind of spare tyres never look strong enough.

The good news is that I got home safe. The bad news is that the flat tyre has to be fixed or replaced ASAP, until then my car will be useless.

On a more serious note...

Okay, so this blog post has been a couple days in the making. I've been having trouble trying to come up with the right words to express what I'm thinking and feeling about certain recent world events. I'm sitting here finishing up my human rights law readings for the week, and each time I read an article I am left reeling with a sense of incredible sadness, which has only been compounded by current events in the world.

Growing up I've always been the strong one in my family, I hardly ever cry when sad things happen (not because I don't feel emotion but because I've always been good at keeping it in). I definitely DO NOT cry in front of others.

But recently (or rather in recent years) something has changed, the more aware I've become of the world's problems, and the suffering of millions living in poverty-stricken conditions, and the inherent human rights abuses occurring every second around the world, I've become a sap. I cannot help it, but every time I see someone who is suffering or in need I get really emotional (ask any one of my family members and they'll agree). I know that it's impossible for me to single-handedly fix the world's problems (although I wish I could) but if I can simply help bring about awareness of various issues, then I think that is one simple (albeit small) move in the right direction.

This past week has made me particularly sad as I've read about and watched images of the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. The suffering is heartbreaking, and while part of me feels like breaking down in tears the other part of me is confused at the bureaucracy that does nothing to help those in need.

Just this week, Ban Ki-Moon the United Nations Secretary General visited the affected areas and proclaimed it to be one of the worst natural disasters in a while (even worse than the Haiti earthquakes and the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004), and urged the need for faster aid and assistance. Many nations, including Australia have already committed foreign aid and have sent food, shelter, medical supplies and the man power needed to help those affected. What angers me, however, is how heartless and ignorant the government of Pakistan is. Sure they've got their army helping foreign aid agencies like the Red Cross (and Crescent) but their leader is busy traipsing off on foreign visits, instead of staying in the country that needs him most during this devastating time.

It's all so incredibly sad :( There are many articles on the floods, but this one was particularly sad to read and look at...it's available here but I must warn the pictures are absolutely heartbreaking.

Donations are currently being taken via the United Nations (UNHCR) website here and the Red Cross website here.

More Book Stuff.

So, after days and days of waiting I FINALLY received another of my recent online purchases in the mail.

A part of me hoped it was the lovely new clothes and shoes I couldn't resist buying over the weekend, but that was wishful on my part. It turned out to be parcel #2 of the books I recently ordered, containing the box set of Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan.

I can't wait to get reading this series!

Of course it'll have to wait until I finish all the books lent to me by my friend S. I'm currently (and, I must admit, very slowly) making my way through the Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini, but while I take a short break from them I'm reading the recently released Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

Linger is the sequel to Shiver and falls under the Twilight-esque genre that I mused about in an earlier post. This series centres around the mythical world of werewolves. It's not a bad read and despite my criticisms, I do like it - I even took to recommending it to people while working at the bookstore recently.

My only criticisms (well, the ones I can think of at the moment) are that at times I found the first book to have moments where the story assumed a very slow pace. I also found the main character Grace to be a bit hard to sympathise with at times, particularly in regards to the idea of her "falling in love" with the werewolf (Sam), and having been in"love" with him since the age of 7 - which just sounds a bit absurd. The tone of Linger changes rather dramatically by comparison, and although still somewhat focused on Grace and Sam's relationship, it has a bit more mystery, with new and interesting characters - basically more story.

All in all, it is an addictive read, and once you read the first book you will want to see the series through. It's definitely one of the better books of the genre out there at the moment.

The Quarter Life Cooks.

Today I stumbled across a lovely little blog called Big Girls Small Kitchen...Okay, I'll confess I didn't quite stumble, I was commanded to check it out by one of my all-time favourite cooks, the fabulous Ina Garten. So I did.

The blog follows the cooking and entertaining adventures of 'The Quarter-Life Cooks' (aka Cara and Phoebe). These two lovely young ladies share recipes and tips, many of which are designed to help fellow 20-something-year olds who may just be finding their feet in the kitchen, so that they too can cook and entertain for their families and friends.

In late-2009 the girls announced that their blog has spawned a book deal. But until that book (which will undoubtedly be filled with scrumptious recipes) is released, you can check out their blog and delicious food ideas here.

Book Bags.

I realise I've been blogging about books a lot lately. I'm putting it down to the effects of having worked in a bookstore almost every day the past few weeks...maybe?

Anyway, today I'm sharing my grand new discovery...book bags. Now, I'm not talking about backpacks or totes or messenger bags (which are often referred to as book bags) but in fact this wonderful book pouch of sorts is manufactured by The Dharma Door. They are a company that produce eco-friendly, fair trade products (meaning that the individuals making the products in Bangladesh are being paid fair wages and have good working conditions).

Now, I realise that this product has probably been around for a while, but I had never seen or heard about them until I was rummaging through stuff at work today, and I really, really want one. Approximately 5 minutes after I discovered them, they suddenly became a popular purchase and, alas, the one I had picked out to buy for myself was snapped up by a customer (ironically upon my recommendation *sigh*). To console myself I hit up the product website and found that my workplace is in fact ripping people off and there is a better (cheaper) variety available here.

The bags are made from a jute and natural cotton fabric, are hand-printed in various pretty designs with dyes that are azo-free (following in the eco friendly tradition, of course). The small one is about $25 and the large $29. At first I thought this to be pricey, though upon reflection I love my books too much and this would be the perfect way for me to ensure they are protected and don't get massacred by my other belonging in my bag.

My favourite design is this one, named Marrakesh Ruby:

Kids' Books

It's a widely known fact that I love books, as I have a tendency to mention it to everyone and anyone that will listen. I do not discriminate...Well, that's not entirely true I discriminate against books that can't keep my interest past that chapter (aka boring and poorly written books), but doesn't everyone?

However, since waving goodbye to my teen years I began wondering how old is too old to be reading young adult fiction - as this is the genre that many of my current favourites fall into. Unsure, I've often found myself keeping quiet about my love for young adult fiction worried that perhaps I was supposed to have outgrown the genre by now.

You can only imagine how happy I was to come across an article by Pamela Paul in the New York Times (which can be found here). It is a wonderful article that reassured me that I am not alone, and that there are many adults (of all ages) who enjoy reading those books that are targeted towards children and 'young adults'. So next time I feel embarrassed and am tempted to hide my young adult fiction books deep at the bottom of my bag, I'll instead carry them around and read them proudly :)

Bagels Galore.

So it is no secret that bagels are my favourite kind of bread. The best bagel I have ever eaten is undoubtedly the 99 cent bagel from Danny's deli in NYC. It was a simple (super cheap) bagel slathered in an unhealthy amount of butter, I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Ever since that wonderful bagel I have been searching for delicious bagels around Sydney, and although they will never be quite the same as those in one of the bagel capitals of the world (NYC), I think I have found a pretty good substitute. Even better it is a mere 2 minute walk across the road from my uni and current workplace.

For a couple of years now I've walked past the great bagel and coffee company looking at the people crowded inside and wondering "could it really be that good to always have crowds?", but I never did stop to try it. Last week my craving for bagels was pretty extreme, so I finally gave in and stopped by. This led to the grand discovery that they make pretty tasty bagels and that their menu also contains delicious curly fries and double shakes.

As a result I've been stopping by almost every day after work (unhealthy I know, but who can resist!) trying out the different bagel options always with a side of curly fries. My favourite combination so far has to be the classic bagel with cream cheese:

Whatever the bagel, it is a MUST to order a side of curly fries with moroccan salt (they offer plain and chicken salts as well, but having sampled them all moroccan is by far the tastiest).

Update.

This is a brief post about a few random unrelated things.

First up, I finished reading Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (previously mentioned here) and I have to say it is one of the best books I have ever fished out of the discount bin. It was a clever, beautifully written story. Worth way more than the mere $5 I paid for it. So my dear friends if you ever see it lying amongst your local bookstore's discount books I recommend you buy it ASAP and give it a read!

Second, I was excited to read that Pretty Little Liars (also previously mentioned here) made it to no.1 on the NY Times Bestsellers List this week.

Finally, I've been listening to a song by Kina Grannis that I came across during one of my breaks at work this week. It's a quirky little song called Message From Your Heart that just got stuck in my head and is refusing to leave me alone, so I thought I'd post about it. It's written from the perspective of a heart. The song was an entry in a competition that saw the winning video (aka Kina's video) "Crash the Super Bowl" and as such was played in the middle of the 2008 Super Bowl grand final. Check it out here.

Success!

Here's a pic of the final product. My efforts in icing the cake were not that fantastic today. I think I was really over it by the time I got around to icing it, and tiredness was kicking in.

Despite the substandard icing my mum loved it (but I guess as a mum it's a requisite for her to love everything I make for her) and it was pretty tasty!

Another Birthday, Another Cake

Today is my mother's birthday. Amidst all the chaos that was my first day of classes back at Uni, I came home early to run some errands and then bake a cake for my mum. I decided on a Carrot Cake as, a) that is my mum's favourite cake flavour and b) this particular recipe has proven to be a success in the past.

Part of me wasn't looking forward to baking despite it being one of my favourite pastimes, as I am incredibly tired from this bookstore gig. However, my close friend S stopped by to catch up and helped me out with the cake. We pulled it out of the oven to cool a little while ago and it looks pretty great (even if I do say so myself). I was undecided on whether I could be bothered to ice the cake, but since it's a special occasion I think I will...plus S said I should, so who am I to argue :P

The recipe itself is from my favourite food magazine Bon Appetit. I have been a subscriber to this wonderful American magazine for over 2 years now but have been hunting down and using their recipes for years.

The version I made today is half the quantity and only one-layer. Also, I substituted the pecans for walnuts, and left out the cinnamon because of my sister's allergies. It looks like this (it's currently cooling down in the tin):

Holidays.

Today marks the last day of my uni holidays and it has me wondering where exactly time went. The holidays seem to have flown right by and I feel like I need another break just to recover. These past few days have been particularly exhausting, with so much going on at the bookstore (we've been in preparation for the start of semester 'rush'), as well as on the home front with the installation of our new oven, which ended in the partial demolition of one of our walls.

The highlight of the weekend has been my rediscovery of my love for pretzels. I had the most delicious Swiss Cheese Pretzel yesterday as an after-work treat. As a result, I embarked on yet another online shopping spree for books, one of which is a Pretzel cookbook. Cannot wait to get it!

Another highlight, though not quite up there with the pretzels was watching Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which was surprisingly a fantastic movie. I didn't know what to expect but it was so interesting that it managed to snap me out of my fatigued state - in fact I like it so much, that I've decided to read the books and ordered the box set of the Percy Jackson series as part of my online shopping spree. I definitely recommend it as a movie to watch.

Well, I expect I'm going to be M.I.A for much of the next week, lost somewhere between classes and 8 hour shifts at the bookstore. So until next time...