Excuses and Apologies

Well then.

I have a few updates on my life that I haven't quite gotten around to blogging, but I'm just popping in to apologize. Summer has gotten really busy between horseback riding, summer school, summer online courses, and having some get together with friends...

I also haven't had quite as many opportunities to polish off books-- I have watched quite a few movies, which I may upload some quick reviews on once I get the chance. I'm watching movie pretty much every week at Cineplex, thanks to their lovely Tuesday sale prices~!

I did, however, start volunteering at Hemlock Animal Hospital, a local vet clinic, which I am super excited about all the time! I also started coaching at Crescent Stables out in Ladner, which was a big step for my horseback riding career!

As for Fostering with VOKRA, that's on pause for the moment, as my aunt and cousin are over at my place, and it wouldn't be a very calm environment for the cats. Hoping to foster some kittens when September rolls around! 

Anyhow, signing off for now,

Jisoo

Winter Break is Here!

Horray! Winter break is here, and along with it comes all the Christmas cards, carols, and blog posts! :) It's good to have enough time to get back to writing and blogging again, and I'll get back to my usual antics for the break, and get crackin on good books! Mind you, I've had basically no time, whizzing from test to test to quiz to test, that I've fallen behind on my reading list. So bear with me for a bit as I get myself back on track.

Last but not least,
....or Kwanzaa or Hakuna, or which ever you celebrate. :)

Wishing you a great holiday season,
Ivy

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- The Future Close and Far: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

Click for Part Three

Click for Part Four

Study study study study study study...

Well now that we're all caught up with my present, I guess we could move on towards the future. What am I thinking of in my riding future other than getting broke? That's a good question... I guess a part of me wants to at least get to the level that I could become a horseback riding coach, although my final destination would to become a vet. That being said having another option open is never a bad idea, and I do really love riding, so I decided to start taking the English Rider tests. There goes another $80 or so... *sigh* That's just too bad. When horseback riding, money has always been the problem for me. Money and time... However... If you, dear readers, take pity on me, there is a way for you to help me out. How? Hmmm....

You see, my blog is hooked up to Google Ads. That being said, I get money every time someone clicks on an ad. Therefore, even if you just take the time to give an ad a click, I may get up to a dollar! And I mean it, every cent counts. However, the biggest present of all is that someone actually takes the time to read about my life... Thank you everyone!

Back to horseback riding.... This month, I will be attempting to take my Rider 1 and my Rider 2 exam. :3 The riding part will hardly be any difficultly, I don't think, but the written part will have it's own problems for me. Including cramps. According to Jen, the test is written in essay format, not multiple choice. I will have to walk in completely prepared for the test. In order to pass, I need to get at least 70%. Better than a driver's test, but in another way, worse....

I am hoping to continue horseback riding at least once a month after summer comes and goes, as I really do wish to get better. However, I seem to be in need of a laptop as well. I need your help-- should I get a MackBook Air, or a package of 10 riding lessons? Please, make sure to vote on the poll above, if you wish to share your opinion with me! 

All I have to say about my riding now, is that... I'll keep trying, and thank you, parents, for letting me ride and driving me to my stables every week. I really really appreciate it. It's a sport that I'm not going to give up on any time soon, and I promised myself to never abandon. I personally think it's a great way to exercise, as well as make new friends! Some people believe that dogs are man's best friends, but to me, Teddy is much closer than any dog I've ever met. All the horses and people that I have spent my time with during the time I've been riding have made their way straight into my heart. Love them all: Teddy, Crystal, Gretchen, Charm, Sebastian, Chester, Julia, Izzy, and last but not least, Jen. Dear Jen with the heart of a horse, and yet still managed to scare me every now and then.... Heh... She's determined, strict, understanding, and compassionate, and has got me totally head over heels about riding.

There are times, undoubtedly, where I ran into setbacks, whether that be not having enough money to ride, or having to master a hard gait (ahem sitting trot, I'm talking to you...), but I've pushed past them, with only a few falls. And in the future, I look forward to spending even more time with all the horses and people that made my own dream of riding possible, and keep fueling it now! Time and time again, I remind myself...

"No one ever drowned in their own sweat."

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right? So far, I don't seem to have died yet. Not to mention that I am insanely in debt to my parents for feeding my riding urge for until now, piling on hay loads of money towards a sport that I really thought would end at 'recreational...' Again, I thought my dancing would end at recreational as well... Not to mention driving me, buying me my apparel, and just being there for me!

Last but not least! Thank you, reader, for taking the time of your busy day to read about... Me? It's really much much appreciated, and if any of you are interested in riding..... How should I phrase this...

Go get 'em, tiger!

Ciao for now!

Love,

Ivy

Rest in peace dear Sierra. You were an extremely sweet horse with a gentle, kind, compassionate character. You will be very missed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Five*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( For now. ;) )

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- In Another Life: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

Click Here for Part Three

Pretty good picture, don't you agree?

Isn't my stables absolutely beautiful in the summer? I think so too. Chester's the one with the fly mask on, and Crystal the one in the paddock next to him. I can never really get over how astoundingly.... large my stable is. Nowadays, this place is my life on Sundays. Horses, the prickly feel of hay, and the hot sun beating down on my back are what makes me me. Summer months are always so hot, but this summer, I don't mind it so much. Sure, the mosquitoes bug me, and my whole shorts and tees outfit doesn't do me good when I try to work with hay, but at least it means I can spend more time with horses.... I think my recount on horseback riding lessons is nearly over-- you are all pretty caught up to the present day rider in me.

I was back at my stables this summer, much to my delight. I paid half the amount to fund for my riding package of 10 with the money I managed to save up from tutoring and such. Making money is unfortunately very hard... I do love riding, it's just like it's an extremely expensive sport, and I don't have an abundance of time to use on making money. To be honest, it's a big hassle trying to manage dancing, sword fighting, and studying in the first place. So what in the seven heavens is keeping me from throwing my hands up and calling it quits? I. Have. No. Clue. I love riding, love horses, and just cannot seem to tear myself away from me. It's like a drug, in all honesty. So I save up, buy a package, and treasure my lessons, and savor them. And for the rest of the time that I'm not in a lesson? I'm just helping out around the stable, whether that be grazing horses, grooming horses, or just sitting in a lesson with Jen. Anything to be around horses. Am I useful around the place? Ha... I frankly have no clue... It's mostly for my own enjoyment, but if it helps out others, I'd be more than happy to comply.

During this batch of ten lessons, I was put into a group with a boy named Joe. I'm sure that it'll end up mixing at the back of my brain as 'that package that I did with Joe', but for now, I'm just working on enjoying it. I have some very exciting news, though! Remember Izzy? Yes, Izzy from all the way back then? Well, it seems that I may be able to ride with her again!!! *squeals in delight* I'm really looking forward to getting back with the very first person I ever horseback rode with!!! I'd really love riding with her again. I also see Julia pretty much every week. I'm in touch with everyone for the most part, which is nice.

For now, I'm just soaking in the time I can spend with horses, whether that be when I'm feeding them or riding them, but I honestly fell in love with these graceful creatures super fast. I'm looking forward to both the close and far future!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Four*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- The Long Waits: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

And that image, I think, basically sums up what I did during my months off horseback riding lessons.... Unfortunately due to my busy school schedule, I was unable to ride every week, and I would have a cooling off period every time my package of 10 lessons ended.

Then, one magical day, I would be right back at the stables, excitement boiling over, and itching to get back on a horse. And get back on a horse I did. I'd eagerly clamber back onto the saddle, ready for a another lesson. Reflecting on it now, I don't even really clearly remember the past lessons. I'm sure I enjoyed every single one of them thoroughly (although the amount of enjoyment I got from doing sitting trot is slightly debatable...) it's just that all of them kind of... mush together. I don't remember precisely down what on each day. In my mind, it's become organized into packages. The package of 10 I did in the summer with Izzy, the package of 10 I did with Julia, and the package of 10 I'm riding right now with Joe. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I did cantering, sitting trot, poles, jumps, grids, and all that. 

The one lesson I can remember clear as day is the day I fell of my horse. Three times. Well, the last time was more of an accidental dismount more than a fall so... I praise the stars that I had been riding Charm that day, rather than Teddy. Charm is a very sweet old mare that is much much much smaller than Teddy, and much slower than Teddy at that... Teddy has a real gas pedal when it comes to when he actually gets going, while Charm.... Not so much. I ended up not having enough pace with her, got a refusal from a fence, and fell off. Only to get back on, and fall off. Again. Welp. That's embarrassing. Thanks to my slightly scary enthusiastic riding teacher though, I managed to get back on, and by the end of the lesson, I had gotten the jumping course done. It was a necessary lesson though. Thanks to that lesson, I got the whole 'putting your heel down is a good thing in riding' lesson through my head..

Looking back at my riding lessons just a few months before, I note that I actually did get better. Slowly, without me really noticing it, I got to be better rider. I could jump higher, getting a smoother gallop, trot for longer, and my overall look on the horse got better. And with each lesson, each second, each tick tock of the clock, I fell more in love with horses. Yep, I know. Digging my own grave.

As I said before, horseback riding is a magical sport that allows you to form bonds that you would never have thought you could make, and opens you to a world that you would never have thought you could get to experience. Thrilling, exciting and exhausting all at once, it's a sport like no other. Honestly, what other sport can get you working with such empathetic creatures as horses? In fact to me, it was like a new style of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Three*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click Here for Part Four
Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- My Stable: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Alright then.... Where did I leave off... Right. My first riding lesson!

My very first horseback riding lesson was on a big chestnut stallion by the name of Chester. He was well-groomed, fit, and every time he moved, you could see his muscles ripple under his skin. He was perfection in a horse. As a school horse, he knew his job, and he carried it out well. He was a confidence-booster, and the ideal horse to start out with-- dependable, sturdy and steady. Big, with a heart to match his size. His beautiful brown eyes stared straight into your soul, and he stretched out towards anyone with an open heart. He had a comfortable seat, and a great foundation to start off my riding.

I can't say that looking back on it, my first riding lesson was exceptionally memorable, other than that I learned how to post (which made trotting much more comfortable), as well as a grooming lesson. The first lesson I had was a private lesson with my teacher, so she could sort out my level of riding (which was zero...) and also get me to start tacking up my horse by myself in future lessons. It consisted of an hour lesson-- half an hour was dedicated to grooming and learning horse tack, and the other half was dedicated to actually riding. I loved the feeling of being so high off the ground and the whole viewpoint of being on a horse's back. For half an hour, the world took on a totally different perspective for me. No doubt it was hard work-- no, horseback riding does not mean you just sit on the horse and the horse powers through the course, but the rider actually has to work as well. By the end of my lesson when I got off my horse, I had wobbly legs, the biggest smile on Earth, and extremely high spirits.

I decided that I would not give up on this sport. Sure enough, the next week, I was right back. However, this time, I was introduced to a new horse: Teddy. Teddy was the horse. A gorgeous dark bay thoroughbred stallion by the show name of Air Time, he was even bigger than Chester. He had a sleek coat with innocent looking black almond-shaped eyes, and a compassionate air. Compared to Chester, he was much leaner, his muscles proving to be rather slim than bulky. He had a much more model-like figure, standing like a show horse all the time. Teddy's hair was silky and soft to the touch, his ears broad and always perked. He quickly stole my hear, and by the first lesson I had with him, it became evident that it would be hard to pull me off of him.

By the time I had my first lesson on Teddy, I was put into a group lesson, with a really nice girl that was one year older than me. Izzy was sweet, and really nice. She rode Chester when I rode Teddy, which was always interesting as they are like... best friends. When we would ride around the ring, they would always end up side by side, plodding alongside each other. Honestly, cutest thing ever, and the best thing about it? Our teacher didn't mind. We mostly did trotting-- trotting poles, walking, changing gait, etc. My 10 lessons flew by like a blur, and every day after riding I would fret over my remaining lessons. During the 45 minutes each week, I would be in paradise, just letting the familiar and soothing presence of Teddy wash over me. However, immediately after, I would count away in my head. ..5....4...3...2...1.... Too soon, my package of 10 riding lessons were over....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Two*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click Here for Part Three

Click Here for Part Four

Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- A Beginning: My Horseback Riding Tales

The joys of loving an extremely pricey sport.... You may or may not know that I am... fatally in love with horses. Ever since I started riding, I have been totally caught up with the sport, unable to let it go, even when it takes so much money out of my pocket. There's something about my heart and horses that just... clicks, I guess. For the longest time, my mother and my father have been trying to get me to stop being obsessed with horses. And to no avail. Believe me, I've tried. Once horse crazy, always horse crazy.

I guess I decided I owed all of you, dear readers, an explanation on how my whole horse thing started. Anyways, I was also kind of feeling like I was getting unoriginal with my book reviews. So.... Here it is: my history of horseback riding.

I wasn't born on a horse. Actually, quite the opposite-- I didn't know that I could horseback ride until the age of... I don't know.... A few years ago. During my younger years, I had absolutely no clue how horses would put as big an impact on me as they do now. Little did I know how much I would get to love these beautiful, faithful, and hardworking creatures.

It all started one day in Korea. I was on Vacation to Jeju Island ( bonus points to anyone who knows where that is! :D ) and my parents brought me to a ranch. Of course, I was like 'Huh? What am I doing here?'  But I went in, following my parents, and interested to see what I would do at a place with.... horses?! That was the very first time that I got on a real live horse, and for an hour, and I was absolutely in love. Already. I begged my mother to let me ride one more time in Vancouver. She agreed, and promised.

If it's one thing about my mom, it's that she keeps her promises. It was the summer after that I got to have my very first riding lesson at a stable in Langley. However, that place teaches in Korean, which got a bit difficult to understand at times. Anyhow, the horse I rode (I still remember her name) was an Arabian mare by the name of Matilda. She was absolutely adorable, and even though I only rode her once for an hour, I got pretty attached to her. Apparently I had a huge Totoro smile on my face during the whole riding lesson, and my mother looked kindly on me. After a few days of begging, I managed to convince my mother to let me ride again. However, due to the distance from Langley to my home, we decided that we would have to find somewhere else to ride.

For a while, I went around just testing out places to ride, from here and there. My weekends were pretty much devoted to trying to find a good stable where a.) the accommodations were good for the horses and b.) the teachers seemed very devoted. For a month, that dragged on. Finally, jackpot! I found my new riding stable.

Mind you , it was still a bit of a drive away from my home, but I really didn't care at that point-- it was perfect. The horses were gorgeous, the teacher strict but very enthusiastic and friendly, and there were lots of kids my age. I was so excited. My very first lesson was with a chestnut horse, Chester. He's the sweetest thing ever, I swear. He's the perfect school horse, calm, okay in pretty much everything, and gentle. He rarely complains, and he's a true sweetheart. After my private lesson, I decided that that was it. I was going to stay at this stable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part One*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click For Part Two
Click for Part Three
Click For Part Four
Click For Part Five

Trips to Portland June 29-July 1

June 29th, 2014
10:00 a.m.
Morning. Jisoo here. I didn’t get to put in an entry before I got to sleep, not that I would’ve had much to say. My mom and I slept on one queen bed while my cousin and aunt inhibited the other. My dad slept in between all of us, on his little roller bed that creaked like insanity. Actually, I have no clue if insanity creaks… Probably doesn’t. Anyhow, I didn’t especially love this particular hotel, and I’m hoping for better accommodations in the Great Wolf Lodge. I’m definitely going to enjoy the swimming part, that’s for sure.
Before going to sleep, we stayed up and watched a bit of tele. Shingeki no Kyojin dubbed and Bleach was on, which was entertaining, although I really do hate the dubs… The characters sound totally different and really bad… That’s why I make it a habit of mine to watch subs, unless it’s pokemon… After the subs I sometimes go ahead and watch the dubs— I did watch the dubbed version of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Fullmetal Alchemist, so…
Our breakfast consisted of a Caesar salad along with bread, which we ate in our hotel room while watching the Matrix. Remind me that I need to watch Matrix again. 
I still need to buy souvenirs for my friends… That’s going to be a bit of a hassle. I wonder what I’l buy people.
We’re on our way to Wolf Lodge right now, so I’m looking forward to going for a dip in the pool ASAP.
We’re on our way to Washington Square to do our duty as visitors and be tourists. We’re around 5 minutes away. Yay…. Tourist activities….. My favourite…
I’ll be back soon,
Ivy

1:02 p.m.
Back from Washington Square. It was stupendously boring. I don’t see what people think is so great about Washington Square other than the fact that there’s an Abercrombie and a Hollister there. It’s seriously not worth it if you ask me. Sure, food court is nice and everything— there’s also a really clean washroom which is nice, but I didn’t really think much of it.
Finally, we are on our way to Wolf Lodge, which is awesome— I’m so looking forwards to getting into some water and finally getting some swimming done! Plus, it’s an indoor pool, so we don’t even have to put on sunscreen. Huzzah! Apparently there’s a bunch of water slides and a wave pool and stuff. Excited!
Putting to sleep,
Ivy

June 30th, 2014
10:03 p.m.
Alright sorry about that. I completely skipped out on my regular update yesterday, but to my defence, I was tired. Extremely so. The word ‘exhausted’ doesn’t do a full 6 hours of swimming justice. So picking up where I had left off…
After we checked in, we made our way straight to the swimming pool. It was more like a water park with swimming pools though… It was extremely… Interesting. There was a wave pool and a kiddies pool, and two pools for ride exit tunnels. Overall, a pretty big place. The actual water park was actually really cool, and I enjoyed playing with my family in there, squirting water at each other.
I gotta go to sleep now,
Ivy

July 1st, 2014
10:36 a.m.
Canada Day and I’m in the US. Classic… We’re on our way back, though. We’ll back back late evening, I bet. We won’t be doing much other than like shopping at Seattle outlets a bit and mostly just driving. I’ll have a bit of time to write and do some blog entries. I think that most of my time will be spent listening to music and pitter pattering at the keyboard.
Anyways, thinking back to the pool… There were four different slides you could ride on. Two of them you need to lug up a tube (single or double) to the top of the slide and go down again. Those were the dark green and light blue slides. They were on the lower floor than the top floor slides. On the top floor were the slides that you didn’t need to carry a tube up to, but rather you just needed to go up with at least two people. For the Howling Tornado, they put you in a yellow tube that fit 4 people. On the other ride which I forget the name of, but it was darker blue, they put you in a donut shaped grey tube thing. That one fits up to 5 people. Personally, I thought that the Howling Tornado was the most thrilling, and wished that the other one would spin a bit more… Still, it was pretty fun, although the line ups swelled a few times, and it was a bit of lining up. However, the single or duo tube slides were pretty free most of the time, and didn’t require a lot of waiting, which was nice.
The wave pol was extremely entertaining. There were two shifts— the boring straight soft waves which were just really good for bobbing, and the huge wonking swelly waves that were great for drinking lots of water. It was pretty awesome.
The wave pool, water park, and slides were pretty much the three apparatuses that I used the most, but there was also a jacuzzi that lead to the outdoors as well. the GWL water park things are pretty awesome, I think!
Outside of the GWL water park, there was also an arcade (which was expensive but awesome) and something called MQ. MQ is short for MagiQuest and it was quite interesting to see little kids running around the hotel waving small wands around.
Also, I’m off to dream land,
Ivy

8:24 p.m. 
Back at home. This will probably be my last entry about Portland. So after my last entry, we went to a mall (Westfield mall) and I bought the last of my friends’ things, a smoothie, a frappe, and left for Vancouver.

At the border, we encountered a heavenly surprise. Less than 5 minutes to go over the border. Wowzy. We got there at 7:00 and by 7:04 we were over on Canadian soil. There were exactly three cars ahead of us, and it was magical!!!
Now I’m back in my house, and my trip to Portland is all wrapped up. I’ll talk to you later,
Ivy

Trips to Portland June 27-28

June 27th, 2014
Hi. Ivy speaking. So… It’s one day before I get going on my trip to Portland… 10:03 p.m, to be exact. I’m not sure whether I’m more excited to be going to Portland, or more excited that my dad got a MacBook Pro. With retina display, may I add. It’s kinda amazing. Since when did my dad become the techie???
Still. Better one than no MacBook right? Well I’m going to save up and get a MacBook Air. Watch me. 
Anyways, I got to go now.
Shutting down,
Ivy

June 28th, 2014
6:40 a.m.
Okay so I’m back. In the USA now, just past the border. I really love this laptop… Doesn’t even heat up. A dream come true. Anyways, in a cramped car and writing, yenno. Cool stuff. We’re on our way to Portland, and I am going to enjoy this trip. Especially with this awesome laptop.
Passing through some nice trees and foliage and co. I find it kind of hilarious that it was a torrential downpour in Vancouver, but now that we’re in the US, it completely cleared up and I dare say that it seems like it’ll be a pretty day today. I guess that I’ll be keeping my journal on here instead of the normal pen and paper, since there is this handy dandy laptop. Sorry I just had to. Going on… I’ll be updating as the day goes on, but we probably will be stopping at outlets and stuff like that to shop and look at things. Placeholder, I know, but hang with me.
This is mostly for my blog since I kind of have a terrifyingly terrible memory, but I’m going to go with the flow and have some fun with it. You’re going to be my notebook for this trip, I guess!
To give you a little outlook on my surroundings… Well the sun’s on my left— you figure it out, seeing that according to the car, we’re moving Southeast. I was never good at compass work. North East South West blah blah blah. Also, there’s quite a few little houses on my left, really not worth commenting on though… Still on the highway— I imagine we’ll be on the highway for a while. I’ll come back if I have any updates!
Logging off,
Ivy

9:58 a.m.
Hi. Finished lunch, followed my mom, aunt, and cousin to get some bread and stuff. We ate lunch at someplace called Chowking. Some Chinese restaurant that had pork buns. It was kind of weird— my dad had beef wonton noodles. He had no comment, so it must not have been very good. He’s not one to comment if something is bad unless it’s really bad and he usually says its good if it’s alright so… Positive outlook on life, I guess?
We were at Westfield mall— that’s where Chowking was located. There’s free wifi there; that’s one of the reasons I love that place… But the MacBook refused to connect so bah… Back on the highway now though, with cars, trees and the hard pavement to enjoy. Huzzah. Only will be on the road for a little less than 3 hours now though so that’s cool— we’re on our way to Red Lion hotel. We’ll only be at the Red Lion for tonight though, so I don’t think I’ll get too attached. Our actual destination is Great Wolf Lodge. GWL (I think that’s what I’m going to call it from now on) has a huge swimming pool and park apparatus. I’m actually super excited. :3 Lots of swimming!
We’ll be visiting an outlet soon, to go shopping and all that jazz, so that’ll be some stretching space. I’ve also got to buy something (a birthday present) for my aunt, so I brought some money. We decided on going waiting out for the US because in Portland, there’s no tax. That’ll save us some money. The weather is a bit puzzling as we keep going in our car, because it’s raining, then super shiny, then raining again… Vancouver weather. To be fair, we are moving, so I guess it would feel like we are going through the weather phases faster than if we were standing still somewhere.
We’re on our way to Costco right now. Maybe there’ll be some books for me to buy. I doubt that I will, though, seeing that I brought a bucketload of books in my orange backpack… Teehee. I think I brought a few too many books, but don’t tell my parents that I admit it. :P
I’ll be back with updates soon!
Ciao for nao,
Ivy

12:11 p.m.
Mmm… It’s lunch time… Wonder if we’ll be stopping anywhere soon…. Kind of doubt it though. Got a good amount of sleep in, though…

2:49 p.m.
Just finished lunch. Wow today is going slow… Well, something exciting finally happened during dinner though! My dad’s cellphone got a shower. Just kidding— our waitress spilt water directly onto the phone. It was kind of hilarious. Luckily, his phone is alright and the watermark on his phone battery isn’t damaged. I think I heard at least 20 sorries. The silverware was so dirty that it was cancerous, but the food made up for it. They had some amazing food. We had calamari, my dad had a garden burger, my aunt and I each had a fish and chips dish, my mother took a burger as well, and my cousin took a sandwich from the kid’s menu. It was pretty good— I enjoyed it thoroughly, other than getting water spilt on me and the dirty silverware. I think the restaurant’s name was JanTzan Bar and Grill. Either way it was in the Red Lion where we were at. The restaurant also had a spectacular view of the Columbia River, and the _______ ( I don't really remember the name... )bridge. It was really nice, and I could have really enjoyed it if it weren’t for my damp clothes…
We also got to visit our hotel room, which was definitely large, but I don’t know… There were only two standard queen size beds in the room, so we had to order in another roller bed. 
I seem to be writing in the car a lot, not that I’m complaining, but it’s a new experience. I love that this laptop doesn’t heat up very fast. It’s kind of amazing… Anyhow, we’re on our way to Costco and to the outlets in order to buy some shoes. I’m going to pressure my aunt to buy something for her belated birthday present, so wish me luck I guess. I’ll check if there’s anything worthwhile in Costco!
Signing off,
Ivy

4:40 p.m.
So, back from Costco. I actually bought the whole series of Game of Thrones— looking forwards to reviewing them. Not much happened in Costco, except for the fact that I realized that laptops are a way cheaper in the US than in Canada… $500 for a touchscreen windows 8 laptop is super cheap!! #impressed. We bought like $500 worth of groceries anyways. Thought that was kind of hilarious… On our way towards the outlet now—kind of doubting if we will be able to put more stuff into our trunk… It’s pretty full already…
Alright ttyl,
Ivy

9:14 p.m.
Done shopping. We ended up eating lunch in the car which I thought was a little hilarious, but I’m content, seeing that I got to eat shrimp. I love shrimp. In another life, I’m sure I was born a blue whale or a cat, seeing how much I love fish… Anyways, after lunch, we went right back into the Outlet, and did some more shopping. The outlet closes at 9:00 but we ended up staying a bit later browsing for shoes and stuff. I’m ecstatic about these new boots I got— they’re exactly like Shingeki No Kyojin boots and it’s like AMAZINGU. At leasts the boots part of building up my Shingeki No Kyojin cosplay is done. Now we’re on our way back to our hotel, but we probably won’t get there until at least around 10:00. I hope to be able to log in one more time to update once more before going to sleep. My cousin bought a whole bunch of stuff too. It’s rather ironic because my mom was the only one who bought close to nothing, and she’s the one probably most into shopping.
My birthday present to my aunt ended up being a Coach purse. I think she was pretty happy about it, so it was worth it.
There was an American Eagle that wasn’t that amazing, and there wasn’t any Hollister or Abercrombie which was a bit disappointing, but that’s alright I guess.
Tomorrow we will be on our way to Great Wolf Lodge, and then all the swimming will start. I’m excited— I do love swimming!
Well, I’ll be back with a bit more updates…. Maybe? Hopefully?
Ciao,

Ivy

Caffé Central

Located right next to the place that we parked at in downtown San Francisco, Caffé Central is arguably the worst cafe I have been to. Yes. The worst. Admittedly, it is well decorated in the inside, and had it not been opening out into a parking lot, the view would have been very nice. However, the quality of the drinks, were spectacularly... bad.

 

The shop was clean, and the bubble tea not extremely expensive. To a passerby, it would be seen as a nice, quaint shop-- clean and polished. Even the bubble tea was huge! Any passerby would be set to go to the place. Believe me-- I was too. However, don't let looks fool you. 

The bubble tea was extremely overly sweet, with only a tiny amount of bubbles compared to the amount of juice. Also, according to my dad, the coffee was undrinkable. 

"I've never had any hand-dripped coffee that tasted that bad," he recalls.

On no account do I recommend this Cafe to anyone, other than someone wanting to drink some really bad coffee, or sickly sweet 'bubble' tea. If you want a good coffee to go with after a good dinner, let Starbucks lead you the way. 

**I won't attempt to rate this, for obvious reasons, but I can't say that I could give this place a rating higher than say... 5. Believe me, if I go back to San Fran, I know at least one place I'm definitely not going to!***

Double Tree Hotel (by Hilton)

Indeed, I really do make a habit of going to really nice hotels. I really just can't stand really cheap hotels. Yea yea sounds like a spoiled brat, but really. I can't. And I was glad to say that DoubleTree hotel (by Hilton), met up to my standards. There were even cookies! <3 p="">

No, seriously. They were some seriously good cookies. And the hotel was nice and clean, and the hotel was gorgeously huge. The washrooms were pretty clean too! Impressive. I enjoyed my stay there, even if it was only for one day. Well, I stayed at the DoubleTree in Seattle for one day, and stayed at the DoubleTree in San Francisco for three. Both were really well-kept hotels that served free cookies. Yum~!!

The lobby is massive, by the way. If you're thinking about going to Seattle and need a hotel to book in, I strongly recommend this hotel. However, during the time that I was booked there, there were a lot of people there, and getting into the parking lot was no easy feat. The hotel's nice, though, and the front desk people are pretty friendly. I enjoyed my stay there! 

I recommend this place to anyone who likes a little bit of a fancy hotel, and cookies! :D

***I give this hotel a 9.5 out of 10!***

California Academy of Sciences (and my 200th post!!!)

Well, this is my 200th post, so I decided to make it something special-- my favourite tourist place in San Francisco. The California Academy of Sciences. This may be slightly confusing, as I was just in Seattle a post ago, but... 200th post. Something special. I didn't want to waste my 200th post talking about my hotel (which was pretty swell), and Panera Breads (I still think Tim Horton's is better). Anyways, moving on to the California Academy of Sciences. This tourist place was in the middle of my trip. I went on Monday, which did me well. There are reviews of it being extremely busy and the parking expensive, but the parking is free for 4 hours if you manage to park on the road, and don't mind walking a little. Also, save the few school groups there, it was relatively calm.

The size of the Academy of Sciences took me by surprise. I didn't expect it to be so small. That being said, it's the perfect size to just whisk around. The aquarium exhibit is really downright impressive. I really loved that the displays were nice, and the fish seemed to be well-kept. As a big animal person, I knew that part of me was against looking at the exhibits of animals, but then I decided that I really needed to see them. So I went.

Just look at that adorable turtle!! The Academy of Sciences is really amazing, and somewhere you have got to visit. It's an absolute must visit tourist spot!! And I haven't even got to the rainforest yet!

This certain exhibition was definitely something. it had a ramp leading through all the levels of the Rainforest, and in each level, the temperature changed. It was full of life-- flora, and insects and macaws. Absolutely beautiful, it was that touch of nature within a man-made place! I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

Two things left to talk about, including Dark Universe, and the penguins...

Seriously, I can't say that the screen for Dark Universe wasn't impressive. It was really impressive. Huge, while we're at it. However, if you're really no comsology person, just don't watch it... It nearly put me to sleep. That's not saying that it wasn't good. The film was extremely educational. It's just saying that it went in one ear and out the other for me....

Last and least, the penguins. I refused to take a photo at those poor souls. You would think that a place that took such a hefty admission fee would find the time and money to offer them a much better home! I demand their release- they looked miserable and terribly groomed!!!

However, that being said, minus the penguins, this is a great place and I did really enjoy it! Everyone should visit there at least once, in my opinion! I recommend this place to people who love nature, wildlife, and science in general!

***I give this place a 8 out of 10. Because of the penguins,***

Seattle Premium Outlets (and Costco)

No, Seattle Premium Outlets was and still is not in San Francisco, but I thought it was a good place to start, seeing that that's where my vacation started.

To get this clear, yes, my destination was San Francisco, but my trip looked somewhat like this: staying one night at Seattle, taking the plane to San Fran, staying in San Fran for 3 days, and then coming back to Seattle, and back to home on the 25th. Busy? Heck yea.

But I get too far ahead of myself. Let's back track to the beginning. Seattle Premium Outlets. Seriously, this place is kind of amazing. I don't normally enjoy shopping vivaciously, but Seattle Premium Outlets has everything from leather jackets and boots to dresses and makeup. I'd really rather go with the leather jackets and boots, but really, this place is fit for pretty much everyone! As for shopholics? Really, safer to stay out... Home of cheaper prices and everything you could want to buy (except groceries... Seriously, this is turning into a Macy's commercial...), I suggest everyone should at least drop by if they are off to Seattle!

The other shopping part that I wanted to get over with does cover your groceries. Costco is amazing. Really. Buy everything from fruit to books. What's not to love? Talking about books, you can get tons of amazing books from Costco at seriously cheap prices!! (Compared to Chapters, anyhow). Of course, there's not as much variation as there would be at Chapters, but occasionally, you can swing in a few really interesting ones. I came back from the U.S. with 4 new books just from Costco, anyways~! Looking forward to giving them reviews!

That seems to be a sufficient start off to my vacation for now! After all, all I really did at Seattle on the first day was eat and shop. And check into my hotel. But I'll ramble about eating and hotels later!

Ciao for now,

Ivy

San Francisco!

Hi everyone!

I have just come back from San Francisco! It was an overall really great trip especially with this time of year, seeing the great weather! Really, nothing like Vancouver.... I think spring is an ideal time to visit San Fran, with all the blooming flowers, and the beautiful sun that blessed me my whole entire trip!

For the time being, I will probably be posting tourism posts on San Fran, so please stick with me, as the book reviews will take some time!

Thank you!
Ivy

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfield is a very intriguing book. Set in the future, it's the struggle between being ugly and being turned into a pretty. In this society, anyone normal is Ugly. At the age of 16, you have a life-changing operation to be turned pretty. Tally is on the border of being turned pretty-- she's a few weeks off from the operation that will turn her stunningly pretty and change her world to being immersed in a paradise where her only job is to have fun and enjoy life. Yet, Tally's friend Shay is not as hyped as she is... Shay doesn't want to become a pretty. She's convinced that the operation that changes you to a pretty not only changes your looks but also your way of thinking. When Shay runs away, Tally has to make a few decisions that will change her and Shay's world forever, along side of the others who she comes to love and care for.

Scott Westerfeld is an amazing writer, hands down. He does an excellent job of taking a reader and sticking them in a beautifully crafted world, where you ask questions about yourself constantly. Slightly a cliche story, but you can't argue that it isn't well written. Also, this is a series of four books, so you'll have three more books to look forward to when you finish Uglies! I really enjoyed reading this book, although it did lack a bit of originality (or perhaps it's because I read so many books like this before... *ahem* Divergent...  *ahem*) Tally is also a pretty well-developed character. However, I have to say that my favourite part of this book was all the plot twists! You would think that you know what going to happen next until... nope! Scott Westerfeld really keeps you on your toes and reading!

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Divergent series, or anyone who enjoys reading books where characters realize that their life really wasn't what they imagined it would be.

*** I give this book a 9.1 out of 10!***

Spring Break!

To everyone who comes and read this blog,

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Time sure goes by fast-- it seems like just yesterday I just opened this blog! Can you believe it's spring already? Soon the flowers will be in bloom and the trees will regain their green leaves. And in Vancouver, it will keep raining... And raining... And raining....

Which brings me to a conversation I had with my friend yesterday- we were commenting on how in Vancouver, "Lovely weather we're having today," doesn't really work... After all, the conversation would go something along the lines of:
"Lovely weather we're having!"
"No, not really-- it's raining, dark, and cloudy."
---Conversation dwindles. *cricket* *cricket*---

Weather? That small talk doesn't really work...

However, spring does mean more book reviews, and also some travel journals on San Francisco! (hopefully). Also, I say this every time, but please do leave comments-- I love reading feedback from my readers!

Ciao for now!
Ivy

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!

Wow! It's summer already! Sorry for neglecting my blog a lot. I know. I'm horrible. But it's been a busy school year for me, but now that it's summer.... BLOGGING TIME~! I'll be back with more book reviews and awesome new books! Thank you to everyone who stayed in tune through this waiting period~. :D

Sincerely,
MEEE

Galeries Lafayette

A lot of people know about the 'grand' Galeries Lafayette Department Store. However, I have to say that when I went, it was really crowded. There was hardly any breathing space! Lafayette is a grand store- it almost looked like an opera center! The ceiling was  nice and high, and if you make your way to the center of Lafayette, you will be able to view an amazing-looking ceiling. But you won't be able to stand there staring at the sky for very long before the crowd jostles you along, and eager shoppers stomp on your feet. I think that it is a great place- if you keep moving and avoid getting stepped on! The crowds there are huge, but I think that it is mostly the worst on the first floor- it gets slightly better as you escalate up the floors.

Ceiling of Lafayette

In Lafayette, I bought my most treasured souvenir from Europe- my Waterman fountain pen. It is really nice, in my opinion, and it cost quite a bit of money. However, I tried it out, and I have to say that it runs really really well and I think that Waterman fountain pens are awesome! A recommendation from me to fountain pen users- use Waterman or Mont Blanc!

There isn't really that much to say about Lafayette, except for the fact that there is a lot of people, and even though it is very large, (or at least looks very large) that many people inside? Way too crowded. Perhaps they should add some expansions.... Very stuffy..... But if you can ignore all the noise, you will find somethings you love, like I got my fountain pen! The rest of the mall store place is pretty self-explanatory. It's nice and some will love it while others not. I hope you get the chance to look around it and poke at a bit of fun in the grand Lafayette- perhaps you would like to pick a day when there aren't that many people- a weekday? After all, all the people could have been there because we picked a weekend instead of a weekday. I wouldn't say that this shopping place is a must-go in Paris, but if you're interested in shopping, by all means- check it out.

Musee D'orsay

Outside Le Musee D'orsay

Here we come to another great Museum- Le Musee D'orsay. Again, there are great artworks, and well as great statues to view and admire. Some paintings include the artwork of Renoir, Degas, Monet, Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Rodin, and other famous as well as less well-known artists, sculptors, and so forth. The paintings were amazing- all the detail that was put into it was almost like a photograph. From dark, gloomy paintings to light paintings that fill up with light, to the grand and powerful Gate to Hell to the smallest of small paintings, they all tell a story, whether about themselves, the things that they believe in, or the things that they know, learned, or love. Musee D'orsay is large- far larger than the Musee De L'orangerie, and perhaps in check with Le Louvre. It would take more than one day to see through it all in detail, actually appreciating it. The artwork that is there is definitely amazing- you will gape at both ones that you have heard of before and definitely know as well as the ones that you have never seen before. Because there is a beauty in seeing ones you have seen before as well as ones you haven't. Because everything is different- even if fifty artists paint the same sunflower, each artist will have a different perspective towards it- and a different way of drawing it. One may use dark colours, and another one may wish to make it bright and neon. I think I like looking at the ways that each artist expressed their thing, or things- that is what makes a painting worth seeing and enjoying. One may copy another, but it may be completely different from what they copied. Because everyone has a different style. There is no 'same' in this world- everyone is unique.

Inside Le Musee D'orsay

If you wish to look at a few more paintings, click the site below:
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting.html
or type 'paintings in the Musee D'orsay' on Google. First one is probably it.

If you wish to look at a few sculptures, check out;
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/sculpture.html
or type 'sculptures in the Msuee D'orsay' on Google. Again, the first one will be it.

if you wish to visit the Musee D'orsay home site, please check:
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html
or type 'musee D'orsay' on Google. First one!

Musee de L'orangerie

Compared to the Louvre, or the Musee D'orsay, Musee de L'orangerie is small, almost insignificant. But never judge a book by its cover. Inside the Musee de L'orangerie were eight paintings that I have to say I enjoyed looking at the most of all the paintings I saw in Paris. However, before we look at what is inside, let's look at the outside first.

Inside of the Gates of the Musee de L'orangerie

Located in the middle of a forest-like park, it is surrounded by trees, woodland, and birds. It is a small building that looks much like a greenhouse, almost, with its clear windows and structure. When we went, there was a slight line up, not too long, but a line all the same. They go through a slight security check up, and there is a place where someone is collecting money- the admission fees. Again, if you have a Museum Pass, access it 'free'. For me, I went underground first, as there are paintings there as well. However, I wasn't as impressed about the bottom level as I was the top. All I have to say: the top floor hid wonders.

Have you heard of the Claude Monet's famous Water Lily Pond? It's a very famous painting, and very well-known and supposed to be very breath-taking. Personally, I am not a very big fan of art- I respect the artists' will to paint and their exceptionality in it, but I have to say that I have never been quite an 'arty' person. However, Claude Monet's Water Lily Pond changed my view on art just being art. It is a way to capture a moment or to tell a story. It is a way to express oneself. I knew that. I mean who doesn't? Every time that you go to the art gallery, they tell you: 'art is a way to share your knowledge, and to express your feelings in a creating way...' But that has never shown me what art an artist can weave. Water Lily Pond is a definite must see in Paris- it will blow your mind to see the water lilies floating out of the water. I cannot express how beautiful it is. It captures the lilies, the pond, and the seasons, all in eight cuts. BRAVO!!!!!!! I loved it, and the paintings get better the longer you stare at them. Slowly, you will see the lilies rising from the pond, and make it seem like a 3D movie. Except better! However, you are not allowed to take any photos of the actual painting, so a 'borrowed' a few from others that went against the rules and took some. Below are the eight paintings.