book nook: tuesdays with morrie

tuesdays with morrie
mitch albom

i've been wanting to read this book for a while now so when i saw it hiding on a shelf at my local library, i snatched it up right away. i'm so glad i found it.

this book is a memoir outlining the journey/relationship between a professor and his former student as the professor's health declines. through the professor's philosophical tidbits and outlook on life despite his failing condition, the student is reminded of what is really important in life and what is truly needed to live.

i appreciate the fact that albom's writing made the heavy content in this book digestible and the fact that he threw in snippets of the past to put things into context. i literally soaked this book up in a couple of hours and couldn't put it down until i was finished. even though the book itself is small and thin, don't let it fool you - there's a lot of depth and wisdom in its pages.

all in all it was great book which i thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend. just be sure to have some tissue around.

book nook: in my mother's house

in my mother's house
margaret mcmullan

so in my attempt to get back into reading books other harry potter or artemis fowl, i've decided to write a little blurb on the books i read whenever i finish them and get around to doing so. i'm fully aware that i am no book critic and for all i know everything i write might be complete crap, but at least i try. haha. keep in mind these are my own personal thoughts so read them with a grain of salt if you need or want to. ok, here we go.

this book was actually the first non-harry potter book i've picked up and finished in...well let's just say it's been a long time. :P unfortunately although i didn't dislike it i didn't necessarily like it much either - actually, the only reason why i ended up finishing it at all was because i was determined to see it to the end. while the subject matter was touching and concept of the book was interesting, it didn't really capture or keep my attention long enough to make me want to keep reading.

i personally didn't feel like i really connected with any of the characters which probably made the book seem longer than it actually was. i also found it a little confusing to follow at times since it switched between the perspectives of the mother and the daughter every chapter and there were quite a few jumps in time. then again, maybe i just didn't get it.

i did end up finishing this book in less than a week so the writing itself must have been ok, but that kind of sums up my thoughts on this book: it's an ok read. not great (despite multiple 5-star ratings over at amazon.com), just ok.

sometimes you just need to rant

dear mr. neighbour,

kindly tell your kids to stay off our property (which means no more flying kites, running around or playing catch in our yard), please stay off our property yourself (which means no more playing catch in our yard for you either), stop using our water supply and hose to clean out your own eavestrough, and stop being the biggest jerk to ever live beside us.

thanks ever so much,
sharon

from funk to pop

i'm not an avid concert go-er, but i ended up going to two concerts this month: victor wooten & sara bareilles. both great entertainers, both great musicians, both great concerts. the victor wooten concert was nothing short of amazing. all the videos of him playing are sick, but they're nothing compared to seeing his fingers flying and the sweat dripping down his face live in concert. it was a long concert (can't believe they played for pretty much 2.5 hours non-stop), but it was worth every minute of standing and the ache in my legs. haha. sara bareilles was an entirely different type of concert, but it was amazing all the same. i've always liked her and her stuff, but she was even better live! the only low-lights were being stuck behind the tallest couple ever (aghh, when she put her head on his shoulder i couldn't see a bloody thing) and the fact that my knees were killing by the end of the night, but that's ok. the music made it worth it.

two nights of listening to incredibly talent musicians (one of the guitarists had john mayer-esque solos - so good!) was really refreshing, although hard on my ears. (i swear after the sara concert i thought i was going deaf, no joke.) anyway, i fully recommend going to see these artists in concert. just make sure to bring earplugs.

a touch of green

^ photo taken somewhere near the opera house

the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and neighbourhoods all over are becoming spotted with little green flecks. spring has arrived - and not a moment too soon.

brooke fraser | a l b e r t i n e

...like a breath of fresh air, this is music to my ears. and heart.

three of three

today i heard back from the final university i applied to (and my first choice of all three.) it came in a small envelope so as i opened it i was preparing myself for another rejection, but instead it said that i made it onto their waitlist. even though it's not a "yes, you're in!" i'm still pretty excited to have made it onto the list and even happier that they said that my application was excellent. :) so at the end of it all i got rejected once and waitlisted twice - an improvement from last time so regardless of whatever happens at least i will feel like i accomplished something. yeah. i'm happy. there is still hope. :)

and the waiting continues to continue...

two of three

i've been waitlisted at one of the remaining two universities i applied to (read: there is still hope, even if the chance is slim.) :) i'm actually just really happy that there was some improvement relative to my last attempt. kinda makes me feel like all my hard work and sweat wasn't totally for nothing. anyway, still haven't heard anything from my first choice - not sure if this is a good thing or not - but i'm thinking i'll most likely hear back from them within the next week or so. this is nerve-wracking.

the waiting continues...

severus snape and the funny youtube video

i just couldn't resist posting this. BAHAHAHHAA!

one of three

so i didn't make it into one of the programs i applied to. sucks, but that's ok. even though i'm pretty crushed, i can't really do anything other than keep my chin up and just wait for the next two results to come in. i truly did try my best, and i think God recognizes that, so regardless of whatever the outcome may be i will have that to hold onto. and that (ideally) should be enough, right?

one down, two to go. :/