Hello book blogging world!
As you may have noticed, my blog has a brand spanking new theme and layout and no more broken links and outdated content! Woo! I have decided to try and jump back into the book blogging world. And with that comes the new look!
A little about where I'm at in life right now:
After living and working in Melbourne, Australia for 4 and a half years, I decided to move back to Ottawa, Canada to be closer to my family and try to get some teaching work in my hometown. Since my move in January 2017, I've done some tutoring and started working as a supply teacher in some local schools. Now, I'm ready for the new school year to start so I can begin networking and looking for a more permanent teaching role here in Ottawa.
Since I'm supply teaching, and it's summer (granted it's almost over), I have more time on my hands and think my book blogging hobby could use some dusting off. You'll have to bear with me though, I haven't written much of anything in years so I could be a bit rusty to start out with. But I'm excited to get back into it!
Crossing my fingers for a miraculous comeback!
Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Public Service Announcement
I don't often talk about my personal life on my book blog, but with the way I've neglected this blog, I feel an explanation is needed. Even though I'm 95% sure no one really followed/follows my blog avidly. But anyway...
My life has changed a lot in the last year and a half or so, to which I attribute my lack of blogging.
In August 2012, I moved from Canada to Australia to gain some experience teaching and to travel and see more of the world. I started doing substitute teaching right away and worked most days until the end of November when I was offered a full time position, starting in January 2013. (Reminder that the school year here goes from February to December.)
It was my first time having my own class. My first contract teaching job. And it was in a special needs school, something in which I didn't have much experience. Needless to say, the job enveloped my life. It was my first year teaching and I had a lot of learning and work to do to really set myself up as a teacher with my own class. I didn't have any time for blogging anymore. Heck, I hardly had any time for reading. I read half the amount of books I'd usually read in a year. It became a reality that book blogging was in the past for me.
Fast-forward a year. I'm not in my second year of teaching at the same school. I have some experience teaching. I know (more-or-less) what I'm doing and what's expected of me. I don't need to stress as much about doing my job right, because I know I can do it right.
That being said, I'm making a bigger effort to take time to read for pleasure. I don't know if this will lead me back to book blogging, but I hope so. I love reading. I love the book community. I had such an awesome time when I was book blogging and part of that community. The fact alone that I'm taking the time to write this tells me I'm already on the track back. Even if it will be less frequent than it once was.
I hope I can find my way back.
My life has changed a lot in the last year and a half or so, to which I attribute my lack of blogging.
In August 2012, I moved from Canada to Australia to gain some experience teaching and to travel and see more of the world. I started doing substitute teaching right away and worked most days until the end of November when I was offered a full time position, starting in January 2013. (Reminder that the school year here goes from February to December.)
It was my first time having my own class. My first contract teaching job. And it was in a special needs school, something in which I didn't have much experience. Needless to say, the job enveloped my life. It was my first year teaching and I had a lot of learning and work to do to really set myself up as a teacher with my own class. I didn't have any time for blogging anymore. Heck, I hardly had any time for reading. I read half the amount of books I'd usually read in a year. It became a reality that book blogging was in the past for me.
Fast-forward a year. I'm not in my second year of teaching at the same school. I have some experience teaching. I know (more-or-less) what I'm doing and what's expected of me. I don't need to stress as much about doing my job right, because I know I can do it right.
That being said, I'm making a bigger effort to take time to read for pleasure. I don't know if this will lead me back to book blogging, but I hope so. I love reading. I love the book community. I had such an awesome time when I was book blogging and part of that community. The fact alone that I'm taking the time to write this tells me I'm already on the track back. Even if it will be less frequent than it once was.
I hope I can find my way back.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Big Move
What a bad blogger I am!
I'm sorry that it's been so slow around here for a few days. I'm in the middle of moving from Ottawa, Canada to Melbourne, Australia. Needless to say, my life is pretty hectic right now.
On Sunday, I moved from Ottawa down to Toronto. I'm going to Australia with a friend, and her parents are accompanying us down to help get us settled. So my parents drove me down here on Sunday. It was a sad day; a day full of goodbyes. I know I'm not going to see my family for the next 5 months, so it was hard to say goodbye.
Since then, we've been preparing for leaving. We fly out on Thursday night. We've done a bunch of running around, some packing, and overall getting prepared to leave Canada.
As much as I love blogging, it's just so hard for me to do it at this point. I'm not quitting, not by a long shot. I'm just letting you know that it'll be pretty slow around here for a couple weeks. But I will be back. I'll be back stronger than ever, as soon as we're in Melbourne and settled.
So it's not goodbye to you. It's just see you later.
I'm sorry that it's been so slow around here for a few days. I'm in the middle of moving from Ottawa, Canada to Melbourne, Australia. Needless to say, my life is pretty hectic right now.
On Sunday, I moved from Ottawa down to Toronto. I'm going to Australia with a friend, and her parents are accompanying us down to help get us settled. So my parents drove me down here on Sunday. It was a sad day; a day full of goodbyes. I know I'm not going to see my family for the next 5 months, so it was hard to say goodbye.
Since then, we've been preparing for leaving. We fly out on Thursday night. We've done a bunch of running around, some packing, and overall getting prepared to leave Canada.
As much as I love blogging, it's just so hard for me to do it at this point. I'm not quitting, not by a long shot. I'm just letting you know that it'll be pretty slow around here for a couple weeks. But I will be back. I'll be back stronger than ever, as soon as we're in Melbourne and settled.
So it's not goodbye to you. It's just see you later.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Goodbye Canada!
I don't often blog about my personal life. This time, I will definitely make an exception. Especially because it's something that interrupts my blogging...
I'M GOING TO KENYA!!
As part of my placements for my teaching program, we had the option to apply to go to Kenya or Ecuador to teach for 3 weeks. I applied and was one of 25 students chosen to go to Emori Joi Primary School in Kenya.
I leave on February 4, 2012. Wait, did I spell that right? I believe it's spelled S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y. I am so excited. It's kind of surreal right now, but I know it'll sink in when I'm on the plane.
For the 3 weeks we're going to be doing a lot of stuff. We fly from Toronto to Amsterdam to Nairobi and will stay there for the night before traveling out to the Me to We camp where we will be staying. We'll be teaching local Kenyan children in their school, and also be participating in various cultural experiences while we're there. The first weekend we'll be going on a Safari and the second will either be an excursion to the nearest market or a hike. We teach from February 8 to February 22. Our last day of teaching also happens to be my birthday! We'll head back to Nairobi the next day and go to the market there, before leaving for home. It's going to be a whirlwind of an experience! The worst part is going to be the 24 hours of travel time both there and back. But I'm okay with that!
Clearly, this means I'll be MIA from blogging for 3 weeks. I have a lot of packing and stuff to do before leaving on Saturday, so I won't have many posts planned. And even then, it might be a couple Waiting on Wednesdays. Just be prepared for a lack of activity over here.
I hope you all have a wonderful month! I'll definitely write up something special about my experience to post when I get back.
I'M GOING TO KENYA!!
As part of my placements for my teaching program, we had the option to apply to go to Kenya or Ecuador to teach for 3 weeks. I applied and was one of 25 students chosen to go to Emori Joi Primary School in Kenya.
I leave on February 4, 2012. Wait, did I spell that right? I believe it's spelled S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y. I am so excited. It's kind of surreal right now, but I know it'll sink in when I'm on the plane.
Clearly, this means I'll be MIA from blogging for 3 weeks. I have a lot of packing and stuff to do before leaving on Saturday, so I won't have many posts planned. And even then, it might be a couple Waiting on Wednesdays. Just be prepared for a lack of activity over here.
I hope you all have a wonderful month! I'll definitely write up something special about my experience to post when I get back.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
1 Year Old!
I realized yesterday that I've been blogging for a year now! I actually missed my own blogoversary, which was on October 12. So it's been a year and 10 days! But really, who's counting? ;)
I can't believe it's been a year that I've been blogging... one whole year and:
- 200+ posts
- 425+ followers
- 900+ comments
- 40+ reviews
- and lots of fun times!
Unfortunately, I'm broke like crazy right now, so I won't be celebrating with a giveaway or anything, and I'm really sorry for that. I'd love to be able to give something away, but I'd also like to buy groceries...
The main reason for this post is to thank all of my awesome followers for sticking with me, whether it's been 1 year or 1 month. I value and appreciate all of you! I hope that myself and my blog lives up to your expectations.
I can't wait to see what the next year brings!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Harry Potter and Me! Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
This isn't going to be the type review that you typically see. I just wanted to talk about the Harry Potter series and what it means to me. Also, I'll talk a bit about the movies. The focus will eventually be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
I started reading the Harry Potter books as soon as the first one came out when I was eight. I'd always been a big reader, preferring curling up with a book to many other activities. I used to sit in the tree in our front yard, reading. But that's another story. I got each book right after it came out, and sped through it. I wasn't one of those kids who would go to the midnight launches, or anything, but we'd be at the store the very next day. When the Deathly Hallows came out, I remember getting my parents to stop at the store on the way back from my cottage so we could pick it up. Then I was half way through it by the time we got home, a few hours later.
Like it does for many people, the Harry Potter series holds a really special place in my heart. Not only did I read them, but once I had finished with a book, both my parents would be next in line. My dad isn't that big of a reader, especially fiction, but I could tell he loved reading those books as much as anyone. Once they'd finished, my little sister would pick it up and sometimes, even my older sister. Both of my sisters aren't very big readers, so it's really great to see Harry Potter getting them excited about books.
Onto the focus of this post: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Unless you live under a rock, you know that the Harry Potter movies are coming to an end, with Part 1 of the final book just being released in theatres on November 19. My tradition, that I've kept since the movies first started coming out, is to read the novel corresponding to the movie, right before going to see the movie. I've done this for every single movie. You can only imagine how shocked I was when I realized that the movie release date was 2 weeks away and I hadn't picked up the book, yet. Some people would think that's plenty of time to read a 600 page book, but with my school schedule, I'm not granted that much time to read. I ended up reading throughout the day before going to see the movie (I couldn't push the movie-viewing back because I was so excited to see it). I knew I wasn't going to finish it and instead made my goal to read to where I thought would be the end of Part 1. I did some research: I asked my friend (who'd seen the movie already) where they'd ended it, but since she hasn't read the books, I still spent about 15 minutes flipping through the book figuring out how far I had to get. I ended up reading until 2:30 am the night before seeing the movie (which was at noon). The best part is that I had read the THE EXACT SPOT where they ended the movie. I definitely did a little happy dance in my seat, and turned to my friend to state that: "I am awesome." I was impressed with myself for reading to the right spot. Over the next few weeks, I finally finished reading the rest of the book.
Here's a quick mini-review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (though, really, I just want to tell everyone to read it no matter what anyone says):
The final instalment of the Harry Potter series is just as good, if not better than the rest of the books. I remember reading that J.K. Rowling had the last few chapters written since she started writing the books, which I think is great. Since she knew where she was going, she as able to wrap everything up very nicely. Yes, she killed off a few characters and it definitely made me cry profusely, but you can't have a war without casualties, as much as that sucks. She allowed some characters to redeem themselves and show their true colours. I think that's great because it shows the reader that even if someone seems "evil" or bad, they may actually be good on the inside and that they just needed the opportunity to show it. As a future, teacher, this is a great lesson for children and adolescents to learn.
Ok, I honestly don't know what to say to convince people to read these books, if they haven't read them already. They have action, adventure, suspense, mystery, romance, comedy, and more. No matter what type of novel you like, Harry Potter is a great fit for you because it reaches across genres, genders, and ages. If you haven't yet, at least give them a chance. I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Like it does for many people, the Harry Potter series holds a really special place in my heart. Not only did I read them, but once I had finished with a book, both my parents would be next in line. My dad isn't that big of a reader, especially fiction, but I could tell he loved reading those books as much as anyone. Once they'd finished, my little sister would pick it up and sometimes, even my older sister. Both of my sisters aren't very big readers, so it's really great to see Harry Potter getting them excited about books.
Onto the focus of this post: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Unless you live under a rock, you know that the Harry Potter movies are coming to an end, with Part 1 of the final book just being released in theatres on November 19. My tradition, that I've kept since the movies first started coming out, is to read the novel corresponding to the movie, right before going to see the movie. I've done this for every single movie. You can only imagine how shocked I was when I realized that the movie release date was 2 weeks away and I hadn't picked up the book, yet. Some people would think that's plenty of time to read a 600 page book, but with my school schedule, I'm not granted that much time to read. I ended up reading throughout the day before going to see the movie (I couldn't push the movie-viewing back because I was so excited to see it). I knew I wasn't going to finish it and instead made my goal to read to where I thought would be the end of Part 1. I did some research: I asked my friend (who'd seen the movie already) where they'd ended it, but since she hasn't read the books, I still spent about 15 minutes flipping through the book figuring out how far I had to get. I ended up reading until 2:30 am the night before seeing the movie (which was at noon). The best part is that I had read the THE EXACT SPOT where they ended the movie. I definitely did a little happy dance in my seat, and turned to my friend to state that: "I am awesome." I was impressed with myself for reading to the right spot. Over the next few weeks, I finally finished reading the rest of the book.
Here's a quick mini-review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (though, really, I just want to tell everyone to read it no matter what anyone says):
The final instalment of the Harry Potter series is just as good, if not better than the rest of the books. I remember reading that J.K. Rowling had the last few chapters written since she started writing the books, which I think is great. Since she knew where she was going, she as able to wrap everything up very nicely. Yes, she killed off a few characters and it definitely made me cry profusely, but you can't have a war without casualties, as much as that sucks. She allowed some characters to redeem themselves and show their true colours. I think that's great because it shows the reader that even if someone seems "evil" or bad, they may actually be good on the inside and that they just needed the opportunity to show it. As a future, teacher, this is a great lesson for children and adolescents to learn.
Ok, I honestly don't know what to say to convince people to read these books, if they haven't read them already. They have action, adventure, suspense, mystery, romance, comedy, and more. No matter what type of novel you like, Harry Potter is a great fit for you because it reaches across genres, genders, and ages. If you haven't yet, at least give them a chance. I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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