January 2012 - A New Beginning

Today is January 25, 2012 and I've decided to dive right in and start blogging. Alot has happened in 2011, but what I can remember I'll record what I can't well it will stay in the past lol!
Lets see last week I went to see CATS with my cousin Mike at the Irvine-Sergestrom Theater; nice place. Its the same place we watched WICKED, but I guess its been sold and changed names. CATS was definitely a nice experience! I don't think I would watch it again and we sat on the Second Tier in Row M, and it was fine with me. I did have to use Mikes glasses to watch the second half of the show and what a difference it makes when you can actually see whats going on from afar..whoa a whole new world! CATS had a lot of dancing which was great- one performer had like a 15 minutes highlite of solo dancing. I must say you must be fit to do a solo dance for that long turning and twisting and jumping all over the stage it was great! There wasn't too much dialogue or choral singing which I would have enjoyed but i was just glad that I was there watching CATS and all time American Favorite Musical. I remember when I was younger seeing the TV commercials about CATS and their different costumes and make up was exciting to see. The only song I knew from CATS was MEMORIES made popular by Barbara Streisand..what a beautiful song.
I"m excited to dive right into reading probably next week. I have a few things I need to clear off of my calendar then I'll be free to read oh yea! Some of the books I plan on reading are:
If I Die
Melissa De La Cruz's (Blue Bloods Book)
Susan Mallery's (3 books of the sisters)
The Prize
The Lions Lady
and many more that I have yet to read..so I do say I have a busy reading schedule with books, books and more books to read. I haven' t listed them all but my goal this year is to read 50-100 books. I know, I know good luck but its a start. I think last year I read 40 books but for me that's great!

Im looking at a great year with a Positive outlook and good reads and good eats. As time goes on, I'll be inputting any good restaurants or books I've read. I gotta keep on blogging to remember what books I've read and how I felt during the reading.

I can jot down some new restaurants I've tried with cousin Mike - hmmm let me see:
Octopus -(Downtown Long Beach- good sushi)
Argentine Restaurant (Downtown Long Beach - good meat and bread)
Some place at the Grove in Beverly - good bread and great CREMBRULE (sp?)
Well thats all I can remember for now but I'm sure there will be more to come..

Okie dokie artichokie its about that time to call it a night..GOOD NITE TILL WE MEET AGAIN!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Its November 24, 2011 and its Thanksgiving Day! The weather is nice outside and the news said it was suppose to rain, but its clear skies and the sun is up and shining- hooray!
This morning our family went to the graveyards to visit all of our relatives and loved ones who have passed on throuthout the years; my father being one of them. It was good to visit them and be greatful for all they have taught us and the good times we shared together! I sure do miss all of them and what a great impace they have played in my life.
We ended the day visiting my dad and singing a church song for him along side my uncle, his brother who passed away a year ago. It seems like this year 2011 so many people are passing away and returning to their maker. When its time, its time so we gotta make each day count. Be greatful for everything we have, greatful for family, health, church, necessities in life because there is always someone who is in a worse situation. Glad to be alive and up and running each day, glad for employment and everyday we're blessed with.
Gonna end the evening to watch a movie with my nephews "Arthur Christmas" and then get ready for the sales for "Black Friday" oh yea!
I can't explain how good our thanksgiving dinner was: so tastey and delsih. Its the one time we get to all gather, eat, be greatful and eat again and again lol! I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving with family and friends. I'm not gonna take a nap because I might not wake up after that meal lol!
Thankful for all that I have and am blessed with..On that note, good day all:)

Whoa its been too long!

It is now November 17, 2011- well actually November 18, 2011 and its Friday. It has been way too long since I've last posted a BLOG on my page, bad girl. But, here's hoping that I'll get my MOJO back and get back in the game. Looks like I haven't been on here since July what the heck, who does that a total of 4 months since I've posted anything ugh!
Well happy to say that I got that Gall Bladder out finally that was causing me so much pain and since then I've been feeling great! I haven't eaten my favorite food because its full or grease and everything that will remind me of the pain I endured and that food is FRIED ZUCCHINI..that is a NO-NO in my book but so good lol! All is well and glad the doctors found the problem and the solution..
Alot has gone on in my life in 4 months but unfortunately I cant remember everything ugh! But I just wanted to tap into Blogger mode and get started somewhere. I'm still drinking my 2nd favorite drink which is Honey Green Milk Tea from Cha for Tea in Long Beach, CA that is the spot. My number 1 Tea is Black Almond Tea with Soy Milk Less Sweet, but its too sweet while I'm trying to lose weight which is not working too well haha! My 3rd drink is Chai Tea Latte with Soy MIlk from Starbucks good stuff! I"m gonna try to cut down on my tea intake per week but its good stuuf and hard to resist! I"ll update my blog with the most recent books I've read but for right now I'm on a break to read more spiritual books for the moment. Gotta have a balance with secular and spiritual and we all know spiritual supercedes the rest..
Alritey its pretty late now, so I'm gonna call it a night! To all the bloggers out there I commend you for your efforts of keeping the daily blog going whoa..I gotta do that soon..
Till we meet again which I hope is sooner than later, nitey nite bloggers:)

Review: Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell.

When you meet the man of your dreams on girls night out, it's hardly…Perfect TimingIn this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar's whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter with a handsome stranger...Never a troublemaker, Poppy had always been content with the way things were supposed to be done—which included marrying predictable Rob McBride. But that was before she met Tom Kennedy the night before her wedding. Could she really be falling in love with a stranger?Unable to forget Tom, or go through with the wedding, Poppy runs off to London. Her new life and colorful friends are anything but predictable. Misunderstandings, family secrets, and jealous quarrels ensue, but can Poppy stop running long enough to figure out what—or, rather, who—is in her heart?PRAISE FOR JILL MANSELL:"Pick this up at your peril: you won't get a thing done till it's finished." Heat magazine"Classy chick-lit that appeals to women of all ages. She [Jill Mansell] has a fantastic ability to keep a number of storylines running at the same time without losing the reader in a labyrinth." Daily Express"Slick, sexy, funny stories." Daily Telegraph"A romantic romp full of larger-than-life characters." Express "Fast, furious and fabulous fun. To read it is to devour it." Company"...

Poppy Dunbar, red head, slim and full of life is at her bachelorette party when she bumps into Tom Kennedy. She instantly feels like she has known him all her life. She gets mixed feelings about how her life will be when she marries Ron McBride. Her life would be so plain and simple and she loved Rob, but realizes she is not IN LOVE with him. Tom Kennedy helps Poppy with her foot when she fell outside the club. When her friend comes outside to look for her, she finds Poppy outside with a handsome stranger.

Poppy tells Tom she is to be married tomorrow to her fiancé and he tells her he wishes she wouldn’t get married. He told her to meet him at a little pub in an hour. Poppy is really tempted to meet Tom that night. She gets in the cab and makes her way to the pub. When she arrives, she can’t get out of the cab; she just can’t do it and tells the cab driver to take her home. Since that day, she has never stopped thinking about Tom Kennedy.

Poppy breaks the news to Rob and tells him, she can’t marry him. He’s infuriated with her, but she knows in the end, she’s doing the right thing. He’s such a nice person, but deserves someone better, who loves him for him. Poppy’s father wasn’t a very affectionate man. Her mother died in a bad car accident leaving Poppy with just her dad.

We find out that Poppy’s father is not her real dad which explains his nonchalant attitude towards her all these years. Poppy is a product of her mother’s affair.

She moves to London to get away from all the bad rumors, to get away from the McBrides and to find her real father. She also goes to London in hopes that she will find Tom Kennedy. Poppy ends up renting a flat with room mates: Claudia (very high maintenance, blonde, beautiful and Caspar- artist, handsome, brunette and also owns the house).

I love how Mansell has so many characters in her books. Poppy’s room mates were a delight to get to know. Each one of them had their own situations and in the end all of them came out with a great turnout. Claudia ends up with the love of her life who is clearly the total opposite of what she expects, but she loves him regardless and their love story was so cute. Poppy, on the other hand, has her own dilemma and she does find Tom Kennedy. She loves him, he loves her, they move in with each other and things are just as happy as they can be. But, being Poppy Dunbar, things don’t always end up the way you think. I can say that Poppy does find her father, but she doesn’t tell him that she is his daughter, but he already knew this.

In the end, everyone is together with whom I wanted them to be with. Poppy ends up with the person she is suppose to be with and she finally gets married once and for all. She is no longer known as the girl who leaves the groom at the altar. An enjoyable read and full of fun loving characters to follow. Thanks Ms. Mansell for another good read!