Moving… to a self hosted blog

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to move my blog from wordpress.com to a self-hosted blog. Over the next few days there might be some site interruptions and I apologize in advance. This is an exciting time for me and I know in the long run it will be well worth it to my readers as well. 🙂

In the beginning I was happy with the WordPress blog system, but as time went by I wanted to do more, but there were limitations. There were certain things that I couldn’t do because I wasn’t on a self hosted blog. That got me thinking: what if I move out of  the comfort zone and into the self-hosted platform? Yes it will be challenging. Yes I might lose all my followers in the migration process. (I hope all of you head on over to the new site and re-subscribe 🙂 )  But in the long run, the benefits will outweigh the risks.

Bookythoughtsandme.wordpress.com is moving over to Bookythoughtsandme.com!  For a while it might seem that things are a little chaotic, but I hope to minimize it. There is a lot more freedom with having a self-hosted blog, and you can add in  plug-ins and other features to make the blog even better.  Also, the name itself sounds more professional without having WordPress after it.

This blog will remain here for a bit just to keep everyone informed, but it will eventually be deleted.

Here’s to the start of a new adventure as a self-hosted blogger. I hope to see you all on the other side 🙂

Oblivion Movie Review

Summary: Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the visionary director of TRON: Legacy and producers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

2077: Jack Harper (Cruise) serves as a security repairmen stationed on an evacuated Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying alien threat who still scavenges what’s left of our planet, Jack’s mission is almost complete. In a matter of two weeks, he will join the remaining survivors on a lunar colony far from the war-torn world he has long called home. Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, Jack’s soaring existence is brought crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft.

Drawn to Jack through a connection that transcends logic, her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he thought he knew. With a reality that is shattered as he discovers shocking truths that connect him to Earth of the past, Jack will be pushed to a heroism he didn’t know he contained within. The fate of humanity now rests solely in the hands of a man who believed our world was soon to be lost forever. (c)Universal

Personal Thoughts:

Last night I went to see the highly anticipated movie that Tom Cruise stars in, Oblivion .  Overall the movie accomplished what a lot of movie with Tom Cruise have: lots of action, appeal, eye candy for both males and females, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and was taken on a journey of the senses, (I saw it in IMAX). There was a lot of action, romantic elements (big plus), and the world that we were shown was believable.

For whatever reason, the world and what was going on kept reminding me of Star Trek.   Although it was an awesome movie, when it was over, there were still a lot of questions left unanswered. The last part of the movie felt a bit rushed and not too much was explained.

If it is one thing that this movie was great at is that it definitely made you think about the future. There is only so much that we as humans can do to fight the unknown. There is a cost for everything. Just because we might win the war doesn’t mean that we actually progressed. There will always be limitations.

I loved the last scene. It wrapped everything up and it was a good conclusion. I won’t say what it is because I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen it yet.

Here’s the trailer:

The month is over… now what?

Throughout my journey of being  a vegetarian last month I had one thought spinning through my head, and even my boyfriend Thomas did as well. We thought that when this was over, the first day back (April 1, 2013) we were going to celebrate by having a nice juicy steak with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes. Did that happen? Nope.  I was successful in not eating meat for the month so I am happy with that. There were a few days (a birthday/Easter) where I was tempted to call it quits for that one day and continue the next day but I persevered. On the last day when it was Easter I was having a mental fight with my brain and I actually didn’t want to eat the meat because I felt guilty. Haha 🙂 It worked to get me through though.

Thomas has decided to keep on going for a bit longer. As for myself, I did have a small portion of meat on April 2nd, but I’m not even craving it  now. I guess when your body gets used to something, it doesn’t really miss the bad stuff.

I think that starting with the small goal (try being vegetarian for a month) has been a catalyst for me to do other things on my list. I’ve been exercising more, eating better, I’m training for a 5 km run and I don’t even crave chocolate that much anymore. (I’m a chocoholic so I think my brain is still scrambling to find a reason why I’m not eating as much chocolate as I used to).

Not eating meat for the whole month has made me feel a lot better, especially my body. I don’t know what it is, but I feel lighter and healthier. (the exercise is helping too 🙂 ) I don’t know exactly what will happen in the future, but for now I think I will treat eating meat as something to have on a special occasion. We will see how that goes. However, I will go back to eating fish since it has a lot of healthy fats/benefits for the body (salmon). It won’t be everyday, but a few times a week.

One other thing I noticed is that aside from the first week, I didn’t really go out to eat at all. I preferred to stay home and prepare my own meals. Not only did I save money, but I ate healthier. I’ve tried a bunch of new recipes, tried a variety of new foods and it has expended my knowledge.

I know that there is a time and place for everything. What I am curious is why did I finally start and succeed last month? And it wasn’t only with changing my eating habits, it was with getting fit as well. It could be because I am surrounded by people who are trying to lose weight. Or it could be something else entirely. In any case, I have started on an interesting journey and I am excited to see where it will take me.

An attempt to run 5km… Am I going crazy?

Last month  I embarked on being a vegetarian for a month to see what it is all about and why some people are really passionate about not eating meat/fish. So far it has been an eye opener and I can see why it’s so difficult on so many different levels. This experiment has also  pushed me to get healthier and more active than I have been in the past. That’s not to say that I’m not an active person,  but sometimes I need a little extra push on those long days where I just want to go home and just relax.

One thing that I always need to work on, but don’t really like to do is cardio. You can accomplish doing cardio through different activities such as running, swimming, aerobics, etc. In the past I used to hate running [remember all those forced runs in gym class? me too 🙂 ], but lately it hasn’t been that bad. When I go to the gym, I can actually run a decent amount before needing to change to another activity. I’ve tried to run outside, but it is a lot harder due to the elements. This spring ,however, I am going to be challenging myself to go outside my comfort zone by not only running outside, but also by training and participating in a 5km race.

Have I gone crazy? I don’t know, but for one reason or another I want to give running a second chance and see where it takes me. I love the outdoors and I tend to go on hikes, long walks, biking and other activities when it is warm. Why not try running for a change? Who knows, I might actually start to like it and run for fun instead of seeing it as an exercise.  Let’s see where it take me.

Have you hated something in the past, but  a few years later given it another chance?

20 Books To Read in Your Twenties

I was reading an article recently and I came across this interesting list of books to read when you are in your twenties. Since  I am in my early twenties, I have more than enough time to read all of these way before I hit my 30s. What’s really interesting is that the majority of these books I have never even heard of! Granted,  there are so many books that come out on a monthly basis, it is impossible to read them all. (even if all you did was spent all your time reading, eating and sleeping, you still wouldn’t be able to catch up. Sad but true ). For those of you that are interested here’s the list:

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  
• Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
• A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
• The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

                               

• Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Dallaire
  
• A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
• Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto
• All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• The Road by Corman McCarthy
• The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
• The Vagina Monologues by
• Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
• The Night Circus byErin Morgenstern
• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I’ve seen the movie but haven’t read the book yet)
• The Trouble with Islam Today by Ishad Manji
• In the Woods by Tana French
• Wool by Hugh Howey

 

• 
  
  

 

 

How many of these have you read? Surprisingly, I haven’t read any of these. 

Movie Review: Admission

Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the free-wheeling John Pressman. Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah, his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted — but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having.

Personal Thoughts:

I went to see this movie a few days ago  with my fellow Toronto Girly Book Club members and it was an advanced screening. If it was one thing that I was expecting, it was that I was going to laugh a lot because Tina Fey was in it. I loved the interaction that happened between Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) and John Pressman (Paul Rudd). The chemistry worked between those two 🙂 It was classified as both a comedy and a drama and there was definitely elements of both present throughout the movie.

It was interesting to see the ‘admissions’ process and their thought process of how they go about either denying or accepting the applicant to the school. I think that the story line was done very well, but there could have been a bit more. If there was more emphasis on both Portia and John and their relationship, it could have been more interesting. It just felt a bit rushed and some scenes seemed to be cut short just when they were getting good. I don’t know if that was the directors intention or not, but by doing that, it cut away from the experience.

After the movie was over I was left with a feeling of  wanting more. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great and entertaining movie, but there is definitely room for improvement.

Here’s the trailer. Take a peek 🙂

ADMISSION

Halfway Point…

It’s almost the half way point for my boyfriend Thomas and myself on being vegetarians for the month. Let me start off by saying that it is not as hard as I thought it would be. Granted I don’t eat that much meat to start off so that part isn’t that hard. I think one of the hardest things is not being able to eat fish as well. I miss my shrimp and salmon dearly. Hahaha. 🙂 I’m more of a fish person than a meat person.

I’ve definitely started to eat other foods that I don’t normally eat on a daily basis so it has opened up my palate quite a bit.  One of the biggest frustrations I’ve been finding is when I go out to eat with friends and there aren’t that many options on the menu that are vegetarian. I mean the other day I went to Moxie’s with a couple of my girlfriends to meet up and catch up. Aside from having a salad there was only one  other option on the menu that was vegetarian. I’ve been to a few other restaurants and they have had some selection when it comes to choosing something. It has really opened my eyes what vegetarians go through.

Another thing that I’ve found a bit of a challenge is not always being hungry. It seems that after every meal I am fine for a few hours but then I am hungry again. I think I need to find more foods that will fill me up more and for longer periods of time. Let’s see where the end of the month takes me. I know that I will be changing my eating habits further to get healthier for sure. 🙂

For those out there that are vegetarian, any suggestions of what foods keep you fuller longer?