Reblogged from Plus Ultra:

It feels uniquely satisfying, escaping the suburbs and slipping anonymously into the Toronto subway. Three dollar tokens, worn red seats and newspapers strewn on the floor, the trains are a time capsule from the seventies.

I am meeting up with my cousin Christina, a born and bred Torontonian and my guide for the afternoon. At Bathurst station the cold becomes apparent as I step outside, waiting by the throng of bicycles underneath its concrete canopy. Our rendezvous is the Annex, a hip, bohemian …

Love exploring Toronto, even though I’ve lived here all my life, it’s always changing ;o

Okay. First off, no, I’m not the most religious person on the planet but this. THIS spoken word poem. That is what I believe in. I think religious people are idiots, but I still believe that there is a heaven, there is a hell, there is some other thing out there after death. However, these religion crazed people are so insane, I just can’t bring myself to be one of them. I say grace, I pray every now and then, I even know parts of the bible by heart, but I’m not going to be that person preaching to the world that God is king. Jesus rules all. This guy, he’s legit and his poem is even better. Take a look (you don’t gotta believe to watch, just saying).

Been watching this over and over, not just ’cause it’s clever and it’s true, but I’m trying to prep my piece for writer’s fest (IT’S TOO SHORT …)

Currently: watching the video again

Reading: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Listening to: a really good spoken word poem.

Anyways ~ It’s crunch time at school. Just finished off my physics essay + creative piece. I was actually pretty proud of it, and I guess that I should be, I invested a lot of time into that.. This week is literally crunch time though: Monday I’ve got a Calculus test (the last one x.x and my mark right now is 64… math.. so NOT my forte) and a Physics quiz (which shouldn’t be TOO bad), then Wednesday is the Writer’s Fest (I’m actually looking forward to it now (shocker, I know) but my issue is still inviting people… two people, I had that in the bag. He raised it to four now and I’m struggling.. sad eh?), Friday I MIGHT have a physics quiz, but I’m not sure… then the week after, exams start.

Wed 25th : English and Physics
Thurs 26th: Calculus
Mon 30th: Writer’s Craft

I hate that Physics and Calculus is like BANG -sleep- BANG -dead- like why do they need to cram it like that.  Spread it out for student convenience /complaints.

Ergh. You know what’s been bugging me for the past like two months. I have a crush on the dude again and it’s starting to irk me. HE DOESN’T EVEN GOT TO MY SCHOOL ANYMORE and yet my minds always like -him- and JHDSKJDHKSHD shoot me..

I’m making a mask for writer’s… it looks relatively nice at the moment, haha…

Currently: Going to go to sleep

Reading: Across the Universe by… someone? -it’s too far- -I too fat lazy..-

Listening to: Domino – Jessie J

January:
Leaving Paradise – Simone Elkeles [4/5]
Return to Paradise – Simone Elkeles [3.5/5]

February:
Rotten Apple – Rebecca Eckler [2/5] (yeah… it was hard to get through…)
Take Me There – Suzane Colasanti [4/5]
Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind [3.5/5]

March:
Getting the Girl – Susan Juby [3.5/5]
Darkest Mercy – Melissa Marr [4/5]
Prom Nights from Hell – Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle [3-4/5] (some stories were better than others)
Only the Good Spy Young – Ally Carter [4/5]
Cryer’s Cross – Lisa McMann [4.5/5]

April:
City of Fallen Angels – Cassandra Clare [4.5/5]
The Gathering – Kelley Armstrong [4.5/5]
Looking for Alaska – John Green [4/5]
Paper Towns – John Green [4.5/5]

May:
Breathless – Jessica Warman [4/5]
Abandoned – Meg Cabot [3.5/5]
Stay – Deb Caletti [5/5]
Shift – Jeri Smith-Ready [4.5/5]

June:
What Happened to Goodbye – Sarah Dessen [4/5]

July:
Eon – Alison Goodman [5/5]
The Last Little Blue Envelope -Maureen Johnson [4/5]
Uncommon Criminals – Ally Carter [4/5]
An Abundance of Katherines – John Green [4/5]
So Much Closer – Susane Colasanti [3/5]
The Warlock – Michael Scot [3.5/5]
If I Stay – Gayle Forman [5/5]
Paranormalcy – Kirsten White [4/5]
Supernaturally – Kirsten White [4/5]

August:
Halo – Alexander Adornetto [3/5]
The Making of Mia – Ilana Fox [4/5]
Chain Reaction – Simone Elkeles [4/5]
Iron King – Julie Kagawa [4/5]
Iron Daughter – Julie Kagawa [4.5/5]
Iron Queen – Julie Kagawa [4.5/5]
Winter’s Passage – Julie Kagawa [4/5]
Summer’s Crossing – Julie Kagawa [5/5]
I am Number Four – Pitticus Lore [4.5/5]
The Power of Six – Pitticus Lore [4/5]

September:
Tantalize – Cynthia L. Smith [3/5]
D.N.Angel Series [Manga] – Yukiru Sugisaki [4.5/5 (for a manga ~)]

October:
Silence – Becca Fitzpatrick [4.5/5]
Iron Knight – Julie Kagawa [4.5/5]

November:
1984 – George Orwell [4.5/5 for ideas, 2/5 'cause I'm a teenager and that book is pretty dry...]
Destined – P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast [3.5/5]
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger [4.5/5]
North of Beautiful – Justina Chen Headley [4.5/5]
Give Up The Ghost – Megan Crewe [4/5]

December:
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson [4/5]
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon [5/5]
The Future of Us – Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler [4.5/5]
Graceling – Kristin Cashore [4.5/5]
Legend – Marie Lu [4/5]
Catching Jordan – Miranda Kenneally [4.5/5]
Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare [5/5]
Memoirs of an Amnesiac – Gabrielle Zevin [4.5/5]

53 without D.N.Angel, 67 with D.N.Angel

85 last year…

Yeah, definitely not as much as last year… c’est la vie.

This year’s goal? 100 (: we’ll see if that actually happens…

My new years resolution… well it’s not much:

Be nicer. Concentrate and work harder. Graduate. Get admitted into a university. Pass my first semester in uni.

Yup. That’s it.

Anyways~

I hope that everyone stays safe and happy in 2012, may the force be with you ;)

Currently: Watching an Avatar the Last Airbender marathon (:

Reading: Nothing

Listening to: Avatar dialogue and background music lol

Sorry to those who care. I haven’t been blogging for a while ’cause of the deadlines during the last two weeks of school, being generally busy, and also going out to take advantage of the boxing week sales.

My last week of school was horrid. I hated it. I hated EVERYTHING about it. I had something due or a test on each day of the week. Even the last day I had two things due… I stayed up until 3 am from Tuesday ’til Friday and stayed at school on Tuesday and Wednesday until 6pm working on a project… that I did… with two partners…

On Christmas Eve, my family got together and celebrated Christmas with my Aunt’s side of the family. It’s always fun seeing N, A, J, and M, my cousin K’s cousins. We played some game called ‘The Game of Things’. It was hilarious. N has some obsession over … certain people and his answers were pretty hilarious. It’s a fun game ~
We also made crepes (again) and the other cousins made cookies, lobster biscuits, and whipped cream. (Yeah, we didn’t really uphold our end… c’est la vie, haha) Anyways, these dinners are always so much fun with all of us. My cousin R came back from his uni in the US for x-mas, and made a dish that was DELICIOUS. And it was made of yams… my least favourite thing… but it tasted SO GOOD. You know a dish is good when it’s like that.

For Christmas I got…:
Aunt J, Uncle K, K, and R: “Select Editions” (a book that contains four other books: Nothing to Lose – Lee Child, Remember Me – Sophie Kinsella, Don’t Tell A Soul – David Rosenfelt, Leaving Jack – Gareth Crocker), Some book by Danielle Steel (the books downstairs and I’m too lazy to get it xD ), foot covers…, some mini shampoo bottles, a mini monkey key chain (broken), and a tree ornament…
[not that I'm complaining, I've gotten worse... this is so I can remember it one day]

Uncle R, Auntie L, and E: Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince <3

Uncle D, Auntie J, J, and C: One of those pretty jewelery holder mannequin things

Uncle R, Auntie M, K, and R: $25 giftcard to Indigo (I spent it already…)

Uncle N, Auntie L, and Auntie K: A pretty USB key necklace and a $10 giftcard to McDonalds… which I will use on McFlurrys (:

G&G C: Polka dot t-shirt, pink long sleeves (I think my grandma wants me to start wearing colourful clothes…), purple tank top, black sweater thing, another shirt, and $50.

G&G N: $100

Aunt A: A scarf from Aerie ~

My parents: A pretty grayish purple t-shirt, a blue long sleeve, a black sweater with a white collar things and white cuffs (so it looks like I’m wearing a dress shirt under the sweater), a black turtle neck, I think another shirt or two… , a new purse (Le Sportsac :D ), a bracelet, a necklace, THE CUTEST PENGUIN GLOVES, Destined – P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast, and Silence – Becca Fitzpatrick. I love the gloves… ^^

“Santa”: Bath and Body Works stuff, Etrian Odyssey III (DS Game), a manicure set, and a Hello Kitty ornament

My sister: A key necklace

My brother: A foam polar bear, a painted porcelain Christmas tree ornament, and a card <3 [he's 5]

I’m sure that few people here will ever see this, but I want to THANK THEM ALL for the gifts (:

[I spent the Indigo gift card on Graceling and The Power of Six (it'll be shared between me and my sister (Yes, I read this from the library)). GRACELING IS SO GOOD ! (By Kristin Cashore) I read it in like 6 hours. It was enthralling, and an interesting unique (in my opinion) concept. I thoroughly enjoyed it ~~ ]

Boxing day, we got a bunch of DVDs from Walmart (including HP 7 pt. 1 and 2), some candy from Pharmer’s Plus and Shopper’s Drug Mart, boots for my sister from Sears, stuff from Bulk Barn and T&T, and clothes from Old Navy. Then the next day we went to Yorkdale and got MORE clothes from Old Navy (like 5 items lol), an icecap from Timmies, lunch at Moxies, the books from Indigo, and my mom got some secretive item from Sephora. Today… we stayed home and I started working on my family’s Christmas presents (yeah they’re a weeeee bit late…).

The past few days, I’ve watched a bunch of movies: The Polar Express, Lilo and Stitch: Stitch’s got a Glitch, Red Riding Hood (that was an AWESOME movie, and that guy was pretty good looking, hehehe),  Suckerpunch, and Geek Charming (again). My sister and I have also been looking back and watching Kim Possible, Weekenders, The American Dragon, and Lizzie McGuire episodes on youtube~ Love those shows <3

So now it’s 12 am… and I’m tired… I’ll sign off now~~

OH YEAH, books read: Graceling – Kristin Cashore (5/5) , Legend – Marie Lu (4/5), Catching Jordan – Miranda Kenneally (4.5/5), The Future of Us – Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler(4.5/5), Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare (5/5), and The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon (6/5) [brackets are my ratings... yes, Zafon's book was amazing...]

Currently: Ready to sleep

Reading: Nothing now..

Listening to: Once Upon A Broken Heart – The Beu Sisters