Inception?

I had a dream within a dream within a dream last night. I feel super weird today..

Is this inceception? 

I don't think I understood that movie at all. 

Aaaaaargh! 

What I Read This January

This year I am participating in the Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge, so I thought I would use my very neglected blog to keep track of what I have read and how I have enjoyed it. The first month has been easy as I have had a lot of free time to read and peruse the library and my own collection of books for things that fit the list. I figure it will get harder as the categories fill up and I want to read what ever I feel like at the time. We shall see if I can stick with it!

In January I read the following books:

The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simsion ★★★

A book with bad reviews – this book received some terrible reviews, although it wasn’t as great as the first in the series it was an okay read. 

Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins ★★★★

A book written by someone under 30 – I have been meaning to read this in a while and I finally got around to it. It was a very cute easy read, I kinda want to sneak the rest of the series into the year if I can.

Ghost World – Daniel Clowes ★★★

A graphic novel – An easy read, a good choice for my first ever graphic novel.

The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint – Exupery  ★★★★

A book that was originally written in another language - Weird in a good way just as I expected it would be.

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison – Piper Kerman ★★★★★

A book with a colour in the title – Such a fascinating read, I didn’t think it would be as exciting as the show is but it was very interesting once it got into the story. I’m very glad to know that real life Larry is not a complete douchepants. 

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan ★★★★

A book set during Christmas – A fun little adventure. I really love this type of story and this pair of authors have done a few like this together, I want to read them all now.

The Bear – Claire Cameron ★★★

A book that scares you – I originally picked this one up at the airport for book chosen based only on it’s cover but decided to use it as a book that scares you as the concept really did terrify me (also I don't really want to read a SCARY book, I mean even as a child I was too chicken to attempt the Goosebumps series). Although not really scary I did put it down before the bear attack happened not wanting to read it. I really didn’t like the way it was written for most of the book but managed to make it through. I would have liked to read more about how the children recovered over time. 

Animal Farm – George Orwell ★★★★

A book you were meant to read in school but didn’t – I think this would have had more impact on me if read at a more impressionable age. Unfortunately my schools never had me read any of the traditionally read at school books like this.

Jasper & Abby: and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle – Kevin Rudd ★★★

A book set in your hometown - KRudd should probably stick to politics, just sayin’. 

Winger – Andrew Smith ★★★★

A book set in a highschool – A good read. I borrowed it from the library after seeing it everywhere, I didn’t think I would get into it but then I couldn’t stop reading it. Heartbreaking.

I am still reading Yes Please and will hopefully get around to finishing that off this month. I only purchased two books this month, which is pretty good for me.  Sleepaway Girls and The Bear - one of which was at an airport so does it really count?

Wagamama update

I can't help but feel slightly to blame. They should have taken my advice.
I really, really, really want bento now that I definitely can not have it.
Alas.

On being a Nerd Fighter

Late in the summer of my twenty ninth year, I decided that I was a Nerd Fighter, presumably because I spent hours watching the Vlogbrothers on Youtube, reading John Green’s novels, and listening to Hank’s catchy nerd music, but mostly because I wanted to be one.

  

A Nerd Fighter is defined as, “Someone who instead of being made up of cells and organs and stuff is actually made out of awesome. Someone who fights against world suck”. As a Hufflepuff I don’t wish to toot my own horn so much and prefer the second half of the definition, I am indeed made out of the same goop as every other Human being, but I would love to make the world less sucky for nerds and other less fortunate sections of the community.

The first time I heard of John Green was after I returned to Australia after living in the UK for 18 months and having nothing to read, no job, and little money to spend when my sister lent me his first novel, Looking for Alaska which I devoured and read his follow up An Abundance of Katherines. I then proceeded to read a bunch of other YA novels she possessed and move on in my life. 

The first vlogbrothers’ video I ever saw was this one, I don’t remember when or who sent it to me I just remember having seen it before and LOTR was like one of my primary fandoms so it could have been like any of my friends/family/I could have found it by chance. 

Anyway, in 2012 thanks to The Fault in Our Stars I started seeing references to Nerd Fighters and John Green everywhere  (read: Tumblr). So I finally found out what Nerd fighters were and decided to take on the task of watching all of the videos from the beginning of Brotherhood 2.0 to present, it took me a few months and it was worth it. I learnt about micro financing and joined the Nerd fighter team on Kiva, in a year I have made 25 loans and I must say it is an addictive way of helping people around the world (for a free $25 loan). I’ve been to one gathering so far which was pretty fun, participated in a p4a, and read one book as a part of the nerd fighter book club. And tonight I am very excited to go see The Fault in Our Stars movie, like way excited. Candy metaphor cigarettes, cloud nails and tissues excited.  YEP.

And now for some lists of what I love about John and Hank just because (note: there are many other things to love but these are just short lists).

 

I love their relationship, how they chose to work on it through Vlogbrothers and how well they collaborate. I love reunion videos most of all, it is true.

The projects such as p4a that they coordinate to help reduce world suck.

They DFTBA

John –

He loves gingers as much, possibly much more than I do

His Hufflepuff pride

He is an older teen than me

How he has made me finally find a love of pizza

Attempting to make people imagine each other more complexly

Speaking openly and honestly about his experiences with depression and anxiety

When he says something terribly and then goes "I'm a novelist"

That he actually made "French the Llama" a thing when nobody thought he could

Hank –

He loves science as much as me, definitely much more than I do

His poster and shirt collection

His ability to create so many amazing projects and for making me 2D glasses should I ever be forced into watching a 3D movie in my life

His psychic ability to predict Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling things and write these predictions into song form

He rescued a greyhound which was named Tina Fey and named her Lemon

He limits the amount of animal products he consumes, and is passionate about the environment

I understand his feels as a younger sibling so hard

An Open Letter to Wagamama

Dear Wagamama,

Once again you have gone and broken my heart. First you got me addicted to your delicious juice combinations, then you had to go and replace them with less delicious alternatives. I was pretty disheartened, but I could take it. I still had access to sweet, sweet bento boxes. Not anymore.

You had to go and remove them from your weekend menu, didn't you.
Well thanks. Now I will be turning in my frequent noodler card and heading for greener pastures. Well, until you realise once again bringing back the bento brings back the lunchtime custom. It's not just all the new restaurants surrounding you making you empty, it's the lack of bento. The sooner you realise that you might as well not open for lunch without it on the menu the better. 

I don't want to have to choose whether I want to eat one of the items I love in the bento box for lunch, I want them all. You just can't make a girl choose! 
Here is my opinion of the order of deliciousness of the items inside a teriyaki chicken bento box from most delicious to least: 1) sweet potato kusabi, 2) teriyaki chicken and rice, 3) edamame, 4) pickles, 5) miso soup, and 6) leafy greens. 

I will truly miss weekend shopping and bento times. I have attached a photo of one such glorious occasion when a butterfly joined a friend and I for lunch.

I am feeling very emotional just thinking about it.

Yours sincerely,

A truly dissatisfied ex noodler.

I've got to go do karaoke tonight.

Just finished reading The Book Thief. 

Cried all the tears. 

Feel empty.

Gah! 

I've made a terrible mistake. 

Can We Talk About Breaking Bad?!

(Because this is how I have felt for the last forever)

Next Monday morning is the final episode of Breaking Bad and I am feeling a mixture of anxious and super emotional about it. Thankfully it is a public holiday or I would probably have taken the day off work very frivolously. Anyway, having seen all the people's crazy blue food on Tumblr I had to suggest we have a party. And here is a part of the conversation I had with my mother about it.

Mum: We could have mini pizzas.

Me: We could throw them on the roof! 

Mum: He did do that. I don't think it would add to the value of the house. 

Me: But it was awesome and we could do the whole house Breaking Bad style, the fans would love it. And have I not mentioned in the last five minutes that it is the most popular show on TV ... Emmys..

I could spray HEISENBERG on the wall and all.

I can't believe she wasn't impressed.