1. Coffee:

Visited Culprit coffee for the first time. Cozy, bright, and a lovely place to focus on your work. Read a couple pages, and decided to use my caffeine high to go shopping.

2. Books. They keep me calm sometimes. This one is pretty funny! Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin, focuses on the wives of the rich and privileged in New York. Not sure if this is what’s stressing me out these days – I am so influenced by how these women shop, eat, work out, and just act in general.

3. H putting up with me.

4. Friends and family.

5. Generally healthy. Other than stress.

‘Nuff said.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, recommended on Hello Giggles. Got a copy for my birthday, and raced through it. Easy read - YA fiction about teenagers who fall in love and quote Virginia Woolf, romanticizing suicide and yanking on the feels.

I cried for about 30 minutes after finishing it (not a hyperbole). I guess it was meant to be inspirational, but death is death. It was like meeting a dementor & getting the happiness sucked out of me. Ugh, where’s the chocolate?

The clutter that is my desk, Andrew Rayel’s Yearmix 2014 playing in the background (the best), and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (a BC writer, represent!). The story is told in flashbacks, jumping between the time before & after civilization was wiped out. TBH, This book has thrown me into some sort of depression, and the weather ain’t helping. Feels like the world is going to end, what with the diseases, wars, protests going on everywhere… Still a good read.

The first few seconds of this year was spent at work. Last year was so hectic, doing so much to try to get this job. And now… Everything’s gone quiet. The past 2 days, I’ve been reading, eating, drinking, hanging out with people… How do I learn to take it easy and stop stressing out when I’m not busy? I’m stressed enough at work. Maybe I should do take on more OT to get my mind off things… Maybe just not enough nature, only been to Whistler ONCE this season.

Went to the Second Cup at Bentall Centre. It was a sugar bomb and gave me a really bad caffeine headache in the evening. Only $4.99 for a large though. I’d probably get this again next time I go downtown to hangout at Chapters (i.e. read their books because I’m too cheap to buy it and they never kick anybody out). I sat there for a good 2 hours, reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. You know that feeling when you’re near the end of a good book and you wish it didn’t have to end? When am I going to find another book that keeps me captivated like this one did? It was like a super hero movie, I could imagine the explosions and psychosoteric laser beams being shot from everybody’s chakra eyes. Good distraction from certain things in life.

4 more shifts till a 5 day weekend, 5 more days till Freak Night… THERE ISN’T ENOUGH TIME!!!!!!!!

Visited the Thomas Haas in North Vancouver. It would’ve been pretty easy for someone who isn’t directionally challenged to find, but it took me a good 15 minutes of circling around to give up and look it up again on my phone… The café was packed when I got there, full of high school girls who had just finished an exam at the school next door and office peeps from the surrounding areas.

Don’t bother with the PSL from here, doesn’t taste like pumpkin. Just get the pumpkin pie – it’s got an inch of whipped cream & adorable little chocolates.
Getting used to the pace at work. Went to a psychic with E following recommendation by G. Was told I’m too sensitive for this line of work, but I think she’s wrong. I love it. Also said that I’d marry a tall Asian man and have 1 child, but I’m going to fight against that too. I already know what I’ll name the child if female – Starla Marie. You better not steal it.
From The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell:

“Your fortune’s what you make it. Not what a stranger with a made-up name says.” – Ed Brubeck

I forgot how relaxing it is to stay home, clean, and dick around.  (:

Finally finished The Instructions by Adam Levin. I admit, I skimmed most of it.  Couldn’t focus on all 1030 pages of this bible.  Interesting read. I’ll reread it when I retire.  Gurion Maccabee is a beast; my future daughter’s name will be Starla; the ending was really dramatic and reminded me a bit of Battle Royale.

I really wish I had an eReader. Time to save up for one.

Reminds me of Everything Beautiful Begins After. This one is also about lovers (but less so) and has a few tragedies (death, but less focused on it). Lots of character development. I think that's the type of story I like to read, the ones where the main character has a revelation at the end of the book. Also, books that make me teary eyed.

I don't look forward to biking home in the rain.

Thing Called Love - Above and Beyond

"And it's a wasted love,
We all regret."

Photo from their concert. Thanks G for telling me about it and S for accompanying me through the mosh pit for this song that you don't even like that much.

Last night I finished reading Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy and I bawled my eyes out. Definitely recommend you to read it if you're looking for a well written love story.

I ended up with a pretty decent mark for the Forensic Toxicology course at BCIT, probably because everything was open book.  After the course ended, I opened another book:

Life is so strange.

From left: iPod (Tiny Towers), Snoopy edition Moleskine agenda, Aero Peppermint Lamb, souvenir pen from China given to me by a good pen, pink highlighter, neon green post-its, The Principles of Forensic Toxicology under The Hunger Games.