Taken from [Bad username or site: tsukikage85 @ livejournal].
The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? (My note - only 6??? I've read at least 29, with a few more I think I read, but am not 100% certain so I didn't mark them, and parts of a few others. Granted I read most of those 29 in middle school when I had more time, but still...)
Bold the ones you've read! Italicize the ones you've partially read!
( List hereCollapse )
The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? (My note - only 6??? I've read at least 29, with a few more I think I read, but am not 100% certain so I didn't mark them, and parts of a few others. Granted I read most of those 29 in middle school when I had more time, but still...)
Bold the ones you've read! Italicize the ones you've partially read!
( List hereCollapse )
Hey all, I'm looking for suggestions of good children's books to get. Here's the ones on my list so far:
- The Cat in the Hat
- Green Eggs and Ham
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Goodnight Moon
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Benjamin and Tulip
- Some Max board books - any good recommendations since there are a ton of these
For a long time Wes and I have meant to reorganize our study. It's been a rats nest of papers since the day we moved into our house. Partly this was because the desk we had was too small for how we wanted to use it - we originally got a fairly cheap L-shaped computer desk (no drawers) with the idea that both Wes and I could sit at it at the same time back when we were living in an apartment. However, it wasn't ever quite large enough for that and didn't really work. Then when we moved to our house, not only was the desk too small for what we wanted, it was space inefficient - we couldn't really store anything under it since it was so small, and it didn't fit under the window in our "study" so it ended up taking up a lot of wall space that could have been used for bookshelves. The bookshelves ended up in another spare room since they couldn't fit in the "study" with that desk there. The end result was two less than optimally used rooms, but although we've been in this house almost 3 years now, we procrastinated on doing something about it.
( Our reorganization and future plansCollapse )
So, all in all we have quite a bit more work to do, but Wes and I are both pleased with how much progress we made in one day. It's much more efficient than what we had previously.
( Our reorganization and future plansCollapse )
So, all in all we have quite a bit more work to do, but Wes and I are both pleased with how much progress we made in one day. It's much more efficient than what we had previously.
- Current Mood:
productive
We arrived back in Singapore 2 days ago, late in the evening. And it's a good thing, too, since Sydney had a huge dust storm yesterday. @_@ This meant that had we tried to leave yesterday, we likely would've been stuck. And those sort of conditions are not exactly very good for people with asthma.
Instead, we spent most of the day shopping with Wes's Uncle Hwa-Heng and Aunt Adeline. Wes did quite a bit of splurging and got a 5 layer steamer pot thingy and a bunch of Chinese medicinal stuff. I got a very good condition used copy of 白騎士物語 (Japanese White Knight Chronicles). I'd originally been looking for Tales of Vesperia, but I guess that is too new. Very few stores even knew what it was, and we only found one that had a sample disc for the game and could obtain it by order in 2 weeks. Wouldn't work for me, obviously, so I gave up on that. I'd been debating whether or not to wait for the English version of White Knight Chronicles, which is due out next year, but now I'm glad I didn't since the main new features are with the online play, which I don't think I'll bother with, and the American version won't have the Japanese track.
Dinner was a big family affair at some really fancy restaurant famous for their black pepper crab. It was a HUGE feast!! There was some appetizers (one of which looked like a bird in a nest), bamboo clams (very long skinny clams), black pepper crab, chili crab, jumbo shrimp with some sort of curry sauce, mango chili fish, vegetables, fried noodles, and then dessert. I was getting stuffed after the shrimp and only managed to taste the fish, and had to skip the noodles all together.
Today Wes and I went to Little India. I wish I had brought my camera! It was all decorated for some festival. We really just wandered around all morning, looking at this HUGE everything-you-could-want store called Mustafa and then just browsed the streets. It was pretty cool to see a different side of Singapore. We then ate Indian for lunch. After lunch the sun had come out and it was getting quite hot, so we headed back to his Uncle's house. Wes got a haircut and I took a nap. Right now Wes is on a walk, but I still think it's too hot. ^^
Tomorrow we don't have much planned aside from seeing Wes's Uncle Francis. Hard to believe it's the last day before we head back to the States. Time has really flown!
Instead, we spent most of the day shopping with Wes's Uncle Hwa-Heng and Aunt Adeline. Wes did quite a bit of splurging and got a 5 layer steamer pot thingy and a bunch of Chinese medicinal stuff. I got a very good condition used copy of 白騎士物語 (Japanese White Knight Chronicles). I'd originally been looking for Tales of Vesperia, but I guess that is too new. Very few stores even knew what it was, and we only found one that had a sample disc for the game and could obtain it by order in 2 weeks. Wouldn't work for me, obviously, so I gave up on that. I'd been debating whether or not to wait for the English version of White Knight Chronicles, which is due out next year, but now I'm glad I didn't since the main new features are with the online play, which I don't think I'll bother with, and the American version won't have the Japanese track.
Dinner was a big family affair at some really fancy restaurant famous for their black pepper crab. It was a HUGE feast!! There was some appetizers (one of which looked like a bird in a nest), bamboo clams (very long skinny clams), black pepper crab, chili crab, jumbo shrimp with some sort of curry sauce, mango chili fish, vegetables, fried noodles, and then dessert. I was getting stuffed after the shrimp and only managed to taste the fish, and had to skip the noodles all together.
Today Wes and I went to Little India. I wish I had brought my camera! It was all decorated for some festival. We really just wandered around all morning, looking at this HUGE everything-you-could-want store called Mustafa and then just browsed the streets. It was pretty cool to see a different side of Singapore. We then ate Indian for lunch. After lunch the sun had come out and it was getting quite hot, so we headed back to his Uncle's house. Wes got a haircut and I took a nap. Right now Wes is on a walk, but I still think it's too hot. ^^
Tomorrow we don't have much planned aside from seeing Wes's Uncle Francis. Hard to believe it's the last day before we head back to the States. Time has really flown!
- Current Location:Singapore
- Current Mood:
hot
Fact of the day: Melbourne, Australia was founded by Batman. Maybe they should have called it Gotham instead. ;)
The last 2 days we spent in Melbourne and Ballarat.
Wes's parents and we arrived late Wednesday night and basically just went to the hotel and had a bit of a late snack (Chinese porridge, vegetables, etc) before going to bed.
Thursday Wes and I spent wandering around the city on our own. Unfortunately it was rainy, which curtailed our sightseeing and we should have done some more research on the Royal Exhibition Hall, since they only allow 15 people to see it a day at 2pm, but overall it was enjoyable.
We started out the day by wandering around the "laneways", which is one of the icons of Melbourne. These are tiny alleyways between the major driving intersections. I think they sprung up originally as pedestrian-only walkways, but over the years have morphed into rows of storefronts and cafes. We had a breakfast of omelet and scrambled eggs at one such cafe. Our next stop was the Immigration Museum, which talked about immigration into Australia over its history. There was also an amazing temporary photo exhibit on Hampi, which we wanted to see in India back when we went, but were unable to because of when we went to India. At this point it started to rain, but it was somewhere between a rain and a drizzle.
Next we hopped on the tram - something similar to San Fran's trolleys except it's free for everyone to use and just goes in a square around Melbourne's city center. Our next destination was Queen Victoria Market, which is a HUGE open air market with about everything you could want - clothes, bags, souvenirs, jewelry, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cheese, tea, and coffee. We had lunch there - weisswurst sausage and a "borez", which was some sort of pastry filled with lamb and vegetables. We also bought some apples for a snack later on. Then we headed to the Royal Exhibition Hall, but arrived after 2pm since we didn't know that was the only time you could get in. :( The guy at the Melbourne museum was REALLY kind to us, though, and gave us free tickets to see an exhibit with some items from the Royal Exhibition Hall. It was pretty interesting to read about some things of Australian history that I'd never heard about before, like Phar Lap the racehorse. By the time we finished with the exhibit, it was absolutely pouring out. We ended up eating our apples here and waiting till the rain slacked off enough for us to hop back on the tram and head back to our hotel without getting TOO wet. After freshening up, we met up with Wes's parents, who had spent the day seeing different nurseries to buy a lot of stock trees for their bonsai business. Then we all went to a street called Lygon St, which was Little Italy. So of course we had Italian, though it seemed more like Australian-Chinese than the authentic Italian food I've had.
Yesterday we ate buffet breakfast at the hotel and took a road trip to Ballarat, which is about 1.5 hours away from Melbourne. Ballarat is known for its part of Australia's gold rush, which happened roughly around the same time as America's gold rush, and Eureka's Rebellion, the only armed rebellion in Australia (which ironically occurred because of the heavy taxes the government placed on the gold miners). Today they have a museum on gold there and a village set up like the city would have been at the time of the gold rush, much like Mystic Seaport or Williamsburg, VA. We spent several hours there, but could have spent more time. We had a very late lunch of sandwiches and salad and then went to the airport to catch the 1 hour plane flight back to Sydney. Once there we had a late dinner of Chinese, unpacked, and then went to bed.
Today Wes and I will be going to the city for some shopping and then will meet up with some of his high school friends for an Italian dinner. :)
The last 2 days we spent in Melbourne and Ballarat.
Wes's parents and we arrived late Wednesday night and basically just went to the hotel and had a bit of a late snack (Chinese porridge, vegetables, etc) before going to bed.
Thursday Wes and I spent wandering around the city on our own. Unfortunately it was rainy, which curtailed our sightseeing and we should have done some more research on the Royal Exhibition Hall, since they only allow 15 people to see it a day at 2pm, but overall it was enjoyable.
We started out the day by wandering around the "laneways", which is one of the icons of Melbourne. These are tiny alleyways between the major driving intersections. I think they sprung up originally as pedestrian-only walkways, but over the years have morphed into rows of storefronts and cafes. We had a breakfast of omelet and scrambled eggs at one such cafe. Our next stop was the Immigration Museum, which talked about immigration into Australia over its history. There was also an amazing temporary photo exhibit on Hampi, which we wanted to see in India back when we went, but were unable to because of when we went to India. At this point it started to rain, but it was somewhere between a rain and a drizzle.
Next we hopped on the tram - something similar to San Fran's trolleys except it's free for everyone to use and just goes in a square around Melbourne's city center. Our next destination was Queen Victoria Market, which is a HUGE open air market with about everything you could want - clothes, bags, souvenirs, jewelry, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cheese, tea, and coffee. We had lunch there - weisswurst sausage and a "borez", which was some sort of pastry filled with lamb and vegetables. We also bought some apples for a snack later on. Then we headed to the Royal Exhibition Hall, but arrived after 2pm since we didn't know that was the only time you could get in. :( The guy at the Melbourne museum was REALLY kind to us, though, and gave us free tickets to see an exhibit with some items from the Royal Exhibition Hall. It was pretty interesting to read about some things of Australian history that I'd never heard about before, like Phar Lap the racehorse. By the time we finished with the exhibit, it was absolutely pouring out. We ended up eating our apples here and waiting till the rain slacked off enough for us to hop back on the tram and head back to our hotel without getting TOO wet. After freshening up, we met up with Wes's parents, who had spent the day seeing different nurseries to buy a lot of stock trees for their bonsai business. Then we all went to a street called Lygon St, which was Little Italy. So of course we had Italian, though it seemed more like Australian-Chinese than the authentic Italian food I've had.
Yesterday we ate buffet breakfast at the hotel and took a road trip to Ballarat, which is about 1.5 hours away from Melbourne. Ballarat is known for its part of Australia's gold rush, which happened roughly around the same time as America's gold rush, and Eureka's Rebellion, the only armed rebellion in Australia (which ironically occurred because of the heavy taxes the government placed on the gold miners). Today they have a museum on gold there and a village set up like the city would have been at the time of the gold rush, much like Mystic Seaport or Williamsburg, VA. We spent several hours there, but could have spent more time. We had a very late lunch of sandwiches and salad and then went to the airport to catch the 1 hour plane flight back to Sydney. Once there we had a late dinner of Chinese, unpacked, and then went to bed.
Today Wes and I will be going to the city for some shopping and then will meet up with some of his high school friends for an Italian dinner. :)
- Current Location:Sydney, Australia
- Current Mood:
cheerful
The last few days have been fairly laid back. Mostly they consisted of going shopping (sometimes on our own and sometimes food shopping with Wes's mother), eating (mostly Chinese food, often with friends of Wes's parents), and seeing friends.
Several days ago Wes's parents and we went to a place called Kiama which is south of Sydney - it's a small touristy sort of town near the coast. Mostly it's famous for this rock called "the blowhole" because it has a small hole in it towards the top and at the right time of day (i.e. when the tide is in) water will come gushing against the rock and spurt out of the hole like the blowhole of a whale.
We also went to see Wes's 2nd cousins Kenny and Pauline a couple days ago. Both are married and between the two of them have 6 kids now, all between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old. We got to play with the kids and ask for some parenting advice. It was a fun time.
Yesterday we went to town. We did some shopping for people back to the states and otherwise just wandered around. For lunch we had Tiger pies at "Henry's Cafe de Wheels", which is famous enough that hollywood stars and the like have been there. The Tiger pie is a beef meat pie with a mountain of mashed potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy of on top. Wes had never eaten it before either. We ended the day in Chinatown eating Uigher food (I love their long long handmade noodles!)
Today will probably be pretty low key. We'll be going to Melbourne tomorrow, so we need to get ready by figuring out where to go, getting a suitcase ready, etc.
Several days ago Wes's parents and we went to a place called Kiama which is south of Sydney - it's a small touristy sort of town near the coast. Mostly it's famous for this rock called "the blowhole" because it has a small hole in it towards the top and at the right time of day (i.e. when the tide is in) water will come gushing against the rock and spurt out of the hole like the blowhole of a whale.
We also went to see Wes's 2nd cousins Kenny and Pauline a couple days ago. Both are married and between the two of them have 6 kids now, all between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old. We got to play with the kids and ask for some parenting advice. It was a fun time.
Yesterday we went to town. We did some shopping for people back to the states and otherwise just wandered around. For lunch we had Tiger pies at "Henry's Cafe de Wheels", which is famous enough that hollywood stars and the like have been there. The Tiger pie is a beef meat pie with a mountain of mashed potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy of on top. Wes had never eaten it before either. We ended the day in Chinatown eating Uigher food (I love their long long handmade noodles!)
Today will probably be pretty low key. We'll be going to Melbourne tomorrow, so we need to get ready by figuring out where to go, getting a suitcase ready, etc.
- Current Location:sydney, australia
- Current Mood:
awake
Well, we made it to Australia yesterday morning.
2 days ago was so-so. It was hotter than the day before and a lot of the day I was feeling not so great due to the heat / humidity. I ended up not eating that much and napping much more than I should have. :/
Basically the day started with us going to a hawker center for breakfast with one of Wes's aunts and uncles. I had "la mien" which is the Chinese noodle ramen was based off, though la mien tastes a fair bit different. Afterward Wes got a form filled out to get the tax off some vitamins he had bought the day before and headed back to his aunt's house to pack. Lunch was laksa, a coconut noodle soup. I like this dish a lot, but wasn't hungry at all and didn't eat. Then we went shopping for a new cell phone for Wes's mother. After this I ended up taking a nap in the car. ^_^;; Wes did some shopping for tea in little India, then we headed back to his aunt's place where I napped until it was time to go to the airport. Then I napped more in the airport lounge. The flight to Australia was a red eye. I did sleep some, but as it was only 6 hours and they feed us at the beginning and end of the flight, it wasn't that long.
Yesterday we took it fairly easy - hung out at Wes's parents' place for most of the day just catching up with his family. His sister moved out into her own apartment about a month ago (and is rooming with the daughter of one of their church pastors). His brother is doing well at University (he's studying law) but is currently on holidays for a few weeks. His parents are doing about the same as always, although they are obviously excited about being grandparents. Wes's mother gave us some baby clothes and a baby blanket someone at her church knit (and they look gorgeous - like something you can buy from a store). She's also been eyeing strollers and the like at stores. ^^
I did get a haircut before lunch at a Chinese restaurant, though. Wes's mother's hair dresser is very very good at cutting my hair well. :) Too bad I haven't found a hair dresser that can maintain the hair cuts well in Portland.
Wes is going to take care of his Australian driver's license today and a few other chores. Then we'll probably have dim sum, possibly do some shopping, and then have a family dinner at home with one of Wes's cousins and his sister stopping by since it's his mom's birthday today. Earlier this morning they booked some rooms in Melbourne for 3 or 4 days, so I guess we'll be taking a trip there. That should be fun as I've never been to Melbourne before.
2 days ago was so-so. It was hotter than the day before and a lot of the day I was feeling not so great due to the heat / humidity. I ended up not eating that much and napping much more than I should have. :/
Basically the day started with us going to a hawker center for breakfast with one of Wes's aunts and uncles. I had "la mien" which is the Chinese noodle ramen was based off, though la mien tastes a fair bit different. Afterward Wes got a form filled out to get the tax off some vitamins he had bought the day before and headed back to his aunt's house to pack. Lunch was laksa, a coconut noodle soup. I like this dish a lot, but wasn't hungry at all and didn't eat. Then we went shopping for a new cell phone for Wes's mother. After this I ended up taking a nap in the car. ^_^;; Wes did some shopping for tea in little India, then we headed back to his aunt's place where I napped until it was time to go to the airport. Then I napped more in the airport lounge. The flight to Australia was a red eye. I did sleep some, but as it was only 6 hours and they feed us at the beginning and end of the flight, it wasn't that long.
Yesterday we took it fairly easy - hung out at Wes's parents' place for most of the day just catching up with his family. His sister moved out into her own apartment about a month ago (and is rooming with the daughter of one of their church pastors). His brother is doing well at University (he's studying law) but is currently on holidays for a few weeks. His parents are doing about the same as always, although they are obviously excited about being grandparents. Wes's mother gave us some baby clothes and a baby blanket someone at her church knit (and they look gorgeous - like something you can buy from a store). She's also been eyeing strollers and the like at stores. ^^
I did get a haircut before lunch at a Chinese restaurant, though. Wes's mother's hair dresser is very very good at cutting my hair well. :) Too bad I haven't found a hair dresser that can maintain the hair cuts well in Portland.
Wes is going to take care of his Australian driver's license today and a few other chores. Then we'll probably have dim sum, possibly do some shopping, and then have a family dinner at home with one of Wes's cousins and his sister stopping by since it's his mom's birthday today. Earlier this morning they booked some rooms in Melbourne for 3 or 4 days, so I guess we'll be taking a trip there. That should be fun as I've never been to Melbourne before.
- Current Location:Sydney, Australia
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I'll be importing for sure