tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54410981841098863942024-03-19T02:12:25.795-07:00Wanderlove and RosesTravel-junkie, lover of adventure and discovery.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-87847535429967374062013-08-23T15:47:00.001-07:002013-08-23T15:47:19.908-07:00How to Use Airmiles for Last Minute Flights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you're a frequent traveller chances are you have at least one airmiles card. You probably also know that trying to use your excessive amount of airmiles for anything other than skipping lines or avoiding baggage fees is a complete nightmare.<br />
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Up until this week I had never used them for anything, but out of desperation I tried something different that surprisingly worked. I needed a flight from Amsterdam to Portland for next week. My dates weren't very flexible and I could not afford the $1700 the airline was trying to charge me (for an economy seat!). Of course my computer told me the first available award ticket would be for October.<br />
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Out of frustration I called the airline (don't do this if you can avoid it, most charge you for booking over the phone) to see if there was anything at all available. After 10 minutes of searching I was informed it was impossible. However, I already had it in my mind that I <i>would </i>be getting to my destination no matter what so I then had the travel agent go through airports on the west coast until he miraculeously found a flight to San Francisco for the exact dates I wanted. Then I just booked the short connecting flight using miles for another airline.<br />
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Trying out of state airports might seem obvious but it's something I had never thought to try. Domestic flights are so much cheaper and easier to work out than paying full price to get to your exact location. I'll definitely be trying this again next time the online booking service tells me there's "no available flights for your selected dates."</div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-58269215300507489502013-08-08T10:30:00.003-07:002013-08-08T10:30:30.118-07:00Sailing pics taken with 35mm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-6567528853193696492013-08-06T03:57:00.000-07:002013-08-06T03:58:04.168-07:00Harry Potter: Warner Brother's Studio Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This past week I did something very exciting for any long time Harry Potter Fan: I went on the Warner Brother's Studio tour in London. The tour contains loads of original props, costumes, and full sets and takes about 3 hours to get round (although I could easily have spent many more hours if I'd been by myself!). </div>
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The most amazing part for me was really seeing how much work goes in to producing big budget movies like these. Obviously I didn't think it happened overnight, but I never considered the thousands of hours it takes professional architects, artists, designers, animal trainers, and everyone else to put it all together and the tour really gives you an insight into all the different elements.</div>
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I'm not a die hard Harry Potter fan (I never lined up a midnight for the books or movies) but I do have very fond memories of reading the books in my childhood, so you definitely don't have to be the biggest fan to really enjoy the tour. Overall it was amazing and definitely worth the £30 price tag! </div>
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I took about 100 photos but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to go on the tour themselves so I've included a select few below.</div>
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Prop food that was laid out in the Dining Hall</div>
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Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour on Diagon Alley</div>
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The Potter House</div>
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Gryffindor Common Room</div>
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Professor Umbridge's Office</div>
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Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-71794902099824297472013-07-25T15:17:00.000-07:002013-07-25T15:17:26.945-07:00Drugstore Makeup travel essentials (for hot weather)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My hot weather and travel makeup is much simpler than my everyday makeup, but when I'm out in the sun all day the last thing I want is to feel my makeup sliding off my face. Instead I wear these few basic products to make myself feel more presentable but still like my skin can breathe!<br />
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<b>1. Face powder with an SPF. </b><br />
As someone with oily skin, sunscreen and foundations just do not agree with me in the heat, so I use a powder as a substitute. Also, my skin tends to be better in the sun (in terms of not breaking out) and with a bit of a tan I don't really feel the need for foundation<br />
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<b>2. Waterproof mascara</b><br />
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Personally I use waterproof mascara year-round, but it's definitely a must if you're going to be getting in the water.<br />
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<b>3. Eyelash Curler</b><br />
Not everyone will agree that this is an essential, but I curl my eyelashes even on days when I'm just wearing mascara because I feel it makes my eyes look so much more awake.<br />
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<b>4. Chapstick</b><br />
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I cannot be bothered with lipsticks or anything of that nature when I'm travelling. They'll end up melting in the heat and getting ruined. I love this Nivea chapstick in particular because it is pigmented enough to double up as a cheek stain and contains SPF.<br />
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<b>5. Concealer</b><br />
I only really wear concealer in the evenings when I'm on holiday and if I need it. I don't use a special concealer in the heat, just my favourite Revlon Photoready concealer with a bit of powder over the top.<br />
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<b>Make up removal</b><br />
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What you use to remove your makeup (particularly in the summer) is just as important as the products you're using.<br />
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Personally I use a homemade olive oil makeup remover for my eye makeup like <a href="http://michellephan.com/blog/post/diy-makeup-remover">this</a> one. The idea of tugging at my eyes with cleansing wipes or rubbing cleansers containing alcohol all over my eyes (read the labels - even most "gentle" cleansers contain some kind of alcohol) just doesn't seem like a great idea to me.<br />
<br />When I did use eye makeup removed though I really like MAC's Tranquil Cleanse Off Oil:<br />
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For my face I tend to use a cleanser with salicylic acid just to make sure I'm killing any bacteria that's built up on my face from the excess oil (ew). I love the Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash year-round but it makes my face feel even more fresh and soft in the summer months.<br />
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That's it! I don't bother with foundations, blush, eyeshadow etc during the summer months. I used to pack them when I went on vacation but as soon as I went out with a full face of makeup I instantly regretted it.</div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-7896638396162373232013-07-12T12:17:00.002-07:002013-07-12T12:20:54.062-07:00Minimalist Makeup Collection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the past couple of months, I have been trying to make the transition to a minimalist lifestyle for a variety of reasons and this week I tackled my overflowing makeup collection and this is what I've managed to pare it down to. Obviously everyone's definition of minimalism is different and this may seem like a little or a lot. To me minimalism means not having any possessions which aren't used on a regular basis (which is very different from some people's approach of not owning anything that isn't 100% necessary, but that's a bit too far for me...maybe one day!).</div>
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Anyway, below is my minimalist makeup collection (yes, this is now every item of makeup I own!). I don't find myself wanting for any products or missing things I've gotten rid of and I love that everything fits in a small makeup bag on my dresser so I never have to worry about forgetting things if I'm taking a trip or going to get ready at a friend's house. This would also be a good starter makeup kit if you're just getting into makeup. Enjoy!</div>
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The makeup:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYjMj2rSo9RbzZpHuM7qA9BvkCEeNPqQybKbgn5smZ8M02hNYcxWi9q4SODLdvyTVJOpMl2O0KRHH0vKZ8bDvr4dHwO8Iit6kSwVkoeln26yw7oFVSfQoOap5Mq8kG8Mcv8LcrTmD4GOI/s1600/minimalist_make_up_collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYjMj2rSo9RbzZpHuM7qA9BvkCEeNPqQybKbgn5smZ8M02hNYcxWi9q4SODLdvyTVJOpMl2O0KRHH0vKZ8bDvr4dHwO8Iit6kSwVkoeln26yw7oFVSfQoOap5Mq8kG8Mcv8LcrTmD4GOI/s640/minimalist_make_up_collection.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1. Benefit Hoola Bronzer</div>
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2. Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Ivory</div>
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3. Maybelline Super Stay 24h Foundation in Light Beige</div>
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4. Maybelline Undereye Brightner</div>
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5. YSL Red Lipstain No. 10</div>
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6. Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascara in Black</div>
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7. Revlon Photoready Concealer</div>
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8. Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Eyeliner in Blackest Black</div>
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9. Miss Sporty Kohl Eye Pencil in Savage (I literally just picked up the cheapest brown pencil in Boots to use on my eyebrows and this works great). </div>
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10. L'Oreal Eyeshadow Quad in Beige Trench</div>
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11. MAC Rebel Lipstick</div>
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12. Max Factor Mono Eyeshadow in White Sation</div>
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The tools:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u3cVmdvx_Yt48eunjNpIvBhmWBoINlJRUT9fsYAIEc1nPiEjMdGIH46VOHRvGnTMTq773-1THl0N0CGFOXJtEKWp4AkARaUW3GVqq4s71yUl-lQI8jA1T7_X9N_2BV-imMaIu4ErEmlK/s1600/minimalist_make_up_collection_tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u3cVmdvx_Yt48eunjNpIvBhmWBoINlJRUT9fsYAIEc1nPiEjMdGIH46VOHRvGnTMTq773-1THl0N0CGFOXJtEKWp4AkARaUW3GVqq4s71yUl-lQI8jA1T7_X9N_2BV-imMaIu4ErEmlK/s640/minimalist_make_up_collection_tools.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1. Tweezers</div>
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2. Model's Own Eyelash Curlers</div>
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3. Pencil Sharpener</div>
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4. MAC 109 Contouring Brush</div>
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5. Chanel No. 2 Eyeshadow Brush</div>
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Your minimalist makeup collection may look different depending on your tastes. I personally don't like blush or wear lipstick during the day, so I don't own blush or daytime lipstick colours (although I do wear lip balm during the day). Hopefully, I will be content with this kit and keep my promise to myself not to buy any makeup other than to replace something when it runs out.</div>
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Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-40196394159705929552013-05-14T16:02:00.004-07:002013-05-14T16:10:33.812-07:00Tips for the solo traveller<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEeNfPQAtEfun1_4wwBNr6TL0jz118NCGpKpIjIH8dvtdRLWktN3QuKwLOsLxs2f0rEcG6GGv_kFZHmHC1X0YHORPY5vBrClQ-hMVeLhU3q1LP7UdH2w-I_QD9U-dT6YjYpz5s27V3Ll7/s1600/tumblr_mmswlz9Z5b1sogpxko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEeNfPQAtEfun1_4wwBNr6TL0jz118NCGpKpIjIH8dvtdRLWktN3QuKwLOsLxs2f0rEcG6GGv_kFZHmHC1X0YHORPY5vBrClQ-hMVeLhU3q1LP7UdH2w-I_QD9U-dT6YjYpz5s27V3Ll7/s400/tumblr_mmswlz9Z5b1sogpxko1_500.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">source: Tumblr</span></div>
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Having just returned from my very first solo travel experience, here are some things I wish I had known before leaving:<br />
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1. Plan, plan, plan. I'm a very laid back person and when you're travelling with a group of friends getting lost on the way to your hotel, missing a boat, or getting stranded in a foreign city all seem like exciting adventures and so I usually don't feel the need to plan out every detail of a trip. These things are markedly less enjoyable when you are travelling alone so make sure you plan out where you're going to go and how you're going to get there, rather than just winging it.<br />
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2. Budget carefully. Unfortunately, a lot of things in this world were built for two meaning hotel rooms are likely to be much more expensive if you're staying in them alone. Hostels are a good alternative. Personally when I'm alone<i> </i>I would prefer to stay in a hotel unless I could find a safe and reputable hostel in a central location (I have stayed in some horrific places in the middle of no where with friends and they are definitely not places I would be comfortable staying alone!). Especially if you are going somewhere off the beaten track, some of the cheaper hostels can often end up being fairly quiet making the experience even eerier. This is just a personal preference as a female traveller, but I would recommend thoroughly looking in to the location and reviews of anywhere you're going to be staying.<br />
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3. Print out walking maps before you arrive in your destination. This is definitely something I would never normally take the time to do, but you may find your phone doesn't work, where you're staying doesn't have wifi and the language barrier is extreme. In which case, knowing where things like internet cafes, supermarkets and attractions are from your hotel can be incredibly helpful.<br />
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4. Speaking of the language barrier, do research on the local language. It's always a good idea to take a guide book and learn a few key phrases so you can at least greet and thank people, but make sure how likely it is you are going to be able to communicate with people at all if you don't speak the language. In many European cities you will be able to communicate with shop owners and waiters in English, in others you will struggle. For example, I naively assumed I would be fine in Rome not knowing any Italian but there were many restaurants we ate in where I would not have been able to order if I hadn't been with an Italian speaker. Make sure you know these things before you go and plan accordingly.<br />
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5. Remember you don't have to accommodate anyone else when you're travelling alone! Don't like museums but always visit them because you're used to travelling with an art lover? Skip them! If you get to a city and decide you want to spend your days wandering around, enjoying the sunshine and eating and ditch your itinerary, then do it!<br />
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6. Most importantly, don't be afraid to try things just because you're travelling alone! If you meet a group of tourists in your hostel and they invite you to a bar crawl, go! (if you want to, obviously). Don't be afraid to try nice restaurants, spas or anything else because you're alone either. This was a silly worry I had before travelling alone, particularly eating in restaurants by myself but I noticed there were usually a few other people eating alone, often reading a book. I had honestly never noticed other solo travellers before I travelled alone!<br />
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Hopefully I will be taking another trip in the near future and I will definitely try to plan (and budget!) it better next time. Overall travelling alone is a great experience and perhaps equally enjoyable to travelling with friends.</div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-21602610151512887032013-01-13T12:30:00.001-08:002013-05-14T16:12:07.846-07:00Central Park, NYC & My Favourite Restaurants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUoW4camRfBNxr0tKMi32vMS4BrB5wQrYL_LXIzqynmoIFGL4t3Py69E_1IdEDfVgMSlOk-D8huVFxNhBt6zMxAMVzzzRC_8mFD2nxMrDsL_6AIGmMiqwVfAA1KcxkR90nmJEvtJaMmU7/s1600/new+york+city+central+park+nyc+skyline+duck+pond+lake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUoW4camRfBNxr0tKMi32vMS4BrB5wQrYL_LXIzqynmoIFGL4t3Py69E_1IdEDfVgMSlOk-D8huVFxNhBt6zMxAMVzzzRC_8mFD2nxMrDsL_6AIGmMiqwVfAA1KcxkR90nmJEvtJaMmU7/s640/new+york+city+central+park+nyc+skyline+duck+pond+lake.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwpmGanqLJ1e3mrlL0WcbyO4I3YQAbPWS3l2I47grrnd5JTL9eoZ2FtMqbRMtYksR6-rWCwaIZXXJVwvnoucWI8w5ut7GEI5xbNv_PxzmupwDlJh6UHnZYTcaogOfmqSX_9DG0mLW1HPY/s1600/New+York+City+central+park+duck+pond.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwpmGanqLJ1e3mrlL0WcbyO4I3YQAbPWS3l2I47grrnd5JTL9eoZ2FtMqbRMtYksR6-rWCwaIZXXJVwvnoucWI8w5ut7GEI5xbNv_PxzmupwDlJh6UHnZYTcaogOfmqSX_9DG0mLW1HPY/s640/New+York+City+central+park+duck+pond.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I visited New York just before Christmas and although the city was awash with Christmas shoppers and business people, during the day Central Park was a picture of tranquility. I went for a run every day I was there and each day stopped to take a photo at almost the same spot.</div>
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My trip was only a few days and mainly consisted of eating my way through the city so I thought I'd share a selection of my favourite places I ate while there. Although I tried a couple of places on my Travel To Do List (I would highly recommend breakfast at the Parker Meridien for a nice treat and delicious French toast!), 3rd Avenue in Midtown turned out to be my favourite place to hang out at night. My personal favourites were as follows:</div>
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<a href="http://piefacenyc.com/">Pie Face:</a> We may have gone here every night after dinner for dessert... (It was the holidays!). Their Lamingtons and mini apple pies are particularly delicious.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blockheads.com/">Blockhead's Burrito</a>: Very laid back and more of a bar atmosphere than restaurant. I have to admit when I first stepped in it was because the restaurant I wanted to go to was booked for a party and I was slightly skeptical, but everything was very fresh and delicious! The portions are huge, but somehow it was so tasty I managed. Very wallet friendly and a good place to hang out after work.</div>
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<a href="http://www.nanasushi.com/">Nana Sushi Lounge:</a> I may be slightly biased seen as this was the first time I had tried dinosaur rolls (sushi restaurants where I'm from are not particularly adventurous) but everything I ate was delicious.</div>
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Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-52902888418171431742013-01-11T09:29:00.000-08:002013-01-11T09:46:39.302-08:00Current Beauty Favourites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXr8bEg0fImH_IiNw0BmNg3VZI9U0PdfPGJAeZDB5Hz1vaiRz2vll1WkzYrFA1W4lw0UqnFqr19bDLPQ63SyoehTFGJCo1jXdXcpKBUuDs8smX1wksP9v-sxCA8OVMKjTxqGGZgiI4CI/s1600/The+Body+Shop+Strawberry+Body+Butter+closed+tub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXr8bEg0fImH_IiNw0BmNg3VZI9U0PdfPGJAeZDB5Hz1vaiRz2vll1WkzYrFA1W4lw0UqnFqr19bDLPQ63SyoehTFGJCo1jXdXcpKBUuDs8smX1wksP9v-sxCA8OVMKjTxqGGZgiI4CI/s400/The+Body+Shop+Strawberry+Body+Butter+closed+tub.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Daily moisturising often just feels like another unnecessary step in my routine and, in my quest to never get out of bed a second before I have to, it often gets forgotten. However, since wearing this I have gotten so many compliments and "mmm you smell like strawberries" remarks. That, added to that fact that it truly does smell lovely, but not overpowering at all, has made me apply this every day since I got it in my Christmas shopping.<br />
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<b>Sensationail at home Gel Manicure Kit</b></div>
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I have been wanting to try gel nails since I first heard about them a couple of years ago. I loved acrylic nails in high school but they wrecked my nails nails and have since slightly fallen out of fashion. However, the $50+ price tag of getting gel nails done professionally in my town has always put me off. $60 is hardly cheap for a manicure kit (plus $11) for every additional colour you get, but the Sensationail at home gel manicure kit felt a lot more justifiable to me.<br />
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<a href="http://watermeloneggrolls.com/the-woman-in-me/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sensatioNAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://watermeloneggrolls.com/the-woman-in-me/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sensatioNAIL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I may do a fuller review on this when I have my camera back, but essentially: the entire process takes about 15 minutes, it looks just like any salon manicure, and I did not struggle with the removal at all. If you're someone who likes to wear glitter nailpolish a lot, removing the gel was about the same difficulty. The two negatives are that one of my nails chipped after about 4 days and the set definitely didn't last for 2 weeks (I would say it was more like 7 days). However, that was only my second application, I'll see how they turn out this time. And second, if you're a nail polish junkie like me you might find their colour range slightly lacking. I purchased the pale pink kit and additional dark red and blue colours which were the only ones that really caught my eye. Overall, I will definitely continue using the kit, but I don't think it will replace my regular nail polish use any time soon. </div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-58998729651354008412013-01-10T03:56:00.000-08:002013-08-08T10:31:40.727-07:00Los Angeles Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMsOXI3yvM5xZ6Qhhi1pv3kPFrTKaE-msd5VCpEkgx4fnsAZmdlADyp0LpWAAebbdOhmaNHb6r5gqa9YPWmjiHpNhIJP5sgAtcsEWy9iL_xCBSShMGwhC333bFE-77UfB8QWtThTYq-gN/s1600-h/losangeles.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348414491190711634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMsOXI3yvM5xZ6Qhhi1pv3kPFrTKaE-msd5VCpEkgx4fnsAZmdlADyp0LpWAAebbdOhmaNHb6r5gqa9YPWmjiHpNhIJP5sgAtcsEWy9iL_xCBSShMGwhC333bFE-77UfB8QWtThTYq-gN/s640/losangeles.jpeg" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro_EOgsb3T7LAufPHArOhpH40VMb0d2Gj6g7PmZRsYumjhh3s40kHC_iBCrgn7UdYyW49i0vxS7egsTVcRrMO6E8QFtcp5VEighSwH2huXEBp4sCY5nDYjfA9Xlhn3_MLwOqguur5duJs/s1600-h/losangeles1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348415374737493602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro_EOgsb3T7LAufPHArOhpH40VMb0d2Gj6g7PmZRsYumjhh3s40kHC_iBCrgn7UdYyW49i0vxS7egsTVcRrMO6E8QFtcp5VEighSwH2huXEBp4sCY5nDYjfA9Xlhn3_MLwOqguur5duJs/s640/losangeles1.jpg" style="float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 300px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Monica Beach </td></tr>
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Life is different in Los Angeles. Every other person you meet will be an aspiring actress or singer, usually with a day job as a waitress or cab driver. I spent most of my time in Malibu and Santa Monica and have to admit that L.A. is nothing like I expected it to be, but I loved it nonetheless.<br />
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This was my first trip to Los Angeles where I had complete control over what I wanted to do so I felt obligated to do all the perhaps cliched and touristy, but time-honored traditions, including dinner at the Ivy, shopping on Rodeo Drive and Melrose Avenue, visit the Kodak theatre, the Walk of Fame, the Viper Room, Santa Monica Pier and a lot of other things. Here are a few photos from my trip and some recommendations on where (and where not) to go.<br />
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The Ivy: I can't even remember what I ate, I think it might have been spaghetti. Essentially, it was nothing special. It was very cramped and you pay a lot for average food (although I am very spoiled when it comes to good food).<br />
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Rodeo & Melrose: Rodeo drive tends to be a little out of my price range, but Melrose is much more eclectic and affordable. Unfortunately my favorite store there <a href="http://www.gasbijoux.fr/">Gas Bijoux</a> closed down last year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxOKblmyjdkMc2H-5bQk6qEO_eEjy8eGWRZk6-uv2kiHIQ2gURM3mLqQaPmexwXUHXaBdqsRcLPVDhQmcIeDMDIowC3UR-GBCM5HcqFOPBfpA1su200BYSuiiAVzvSDgZFimwaa7wOfAi/s1600-h/losangeles2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348421591560268434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxOKblmyjdkMc2H-5bQk6qEO_eEjy8eGWRZk6-uv2kiHIQ2gURM3mLqQaPmexwXUHXaBdqsRcLPVDhQmcIeDMDIowC3UR-GBCM5HcqFOPBfpA1su200BYSuiiAVzvSDgZFimwaa7wOfAi/s400/losangeles2.jpg" style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Hollywood Hills</td></tr>
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Hollywood & all the jazz: I've done a tour of Universal Studios before, so this time I went on a tour around the rest of Hollywood. From the Walk of Fame and Kodak Theatre to celebrity homes and a view of downtown and the Hollywood sign, it really went everywhere. I love going on tours, not because I'm particularly interested in celebrity homes but because it's a great way to see the city. <br />
By a mile, the best place I ate was <a href="http://www.geoffreysmalibu.com/">Geoffrey's</a> in Malibu. It's an restaurant in Malibu with an ocean-view, a perfect place for lunch or breakfast. The food was delicious, healthy, and reasonably priced. Plus with the beautiful summer weather it's wonderful to sit out looking over the ocean and feeling the gentle breeze while you eat.<br />
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Cab drivers were by far the most interesting people I met while in L.A. One turned off the meter and took us on a tour of Santa Monica. I told another that I lived in China a few years back and he proceeded to tell me how the Chinese government was sending students to UCLA to learn to build weapons. I was not aware that such a class was offered there. Regardless, it made for some interesting commutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii43zyLsflscptpmZiXPMUCr566cQbGZ_QFe_YfX_XoOrllu8jES59sY93UjVJafjGv0RBv3B432Rj0Q615dOTqlPsZ-gzCEXX3dreXNaDQx-0gMQOpH4fCzLyT7J-W2TrHzNG48mA6Oxo/s1600-h/PICT2805.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348430106210199314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii43zyLsflscptpmZiXPMUCr566cQbGZ_QFe_YfX_XoOrllu8jES59sY93UjVJafjGv0RBv3B432Rj0Q615dOTqlPsZ-gzCEXX3dreXNaDQx-0gMQOpH4fCzLyT7J-W2TrHzNG48mA6Oxo/s400/PICT2805.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNqptPY7dpGdVSOH3VlvbwMjoD3p1ryrDR9oR4-Wml_NPZqi9PZcZRs6lndhczRhtpllhiaHX4SJHF3j-biLbjpc6VDTGh8s6d9qO7jAJ7-NW-rODHiKNxdWNKrzh9p6shNu8RZ6dTScI/s1600-h/PICT2803.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348450443859002210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNqptPY7dpGdVSOH3VlvbwMjoD3p1ryrDR9oR4-Wml_NPZqi9PZcZRs6lndhczRhtpllhiaHX4SJHF3j-biLbjpc6VDTGh8s6d9qO7jAJ7-NW-rODHiKNxdWNKrzh9p6shNu8RZ6dTScI/s400/PICT2803.jpg" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos of where the rich and famous come to pay thousands for a piece of leather & where the rest of us come to gawk ;)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAT0r24AMGqjbXZBXFG4M1hCBMCcx89Vq7nEa9O26FzdtdWfn-iDigfzlyFWLH4duVL7Bv7dg7EV3rm0LpBsO9I_RkP4BfgGafQ-r7y3_-PDc55CzAENdR2EnQMbUDNTBcAHiNEiKLpk9/s1600-h/PICT2806.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348431692816164306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAT0r24AMGqjbXZBXFG4M1hCBMCcx89Vq7nEa9O26FzdtdWfn-iDigfzlyFWLH4duVL7Bv7dg7EV3rm0LpBsO9I_RkP4BfgGafQ-r7y3_-PDc55CzAENdR2EnQMbUDNTBcAHiNEiKLpk9/s400/PICT2806.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a></div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-78484595489184507222013-01-09T23:40:00.000-08:002013-08-08T10:32:22.359-07:00Must See: Portland's Grotto Festival of Lights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgsh11xRpuSFNZl-gBff9sLlsD39eesjuQza8-rz4E-ZbCA6kLvohipT4ncsU5LRpvNHiPnxUhZ8Lr8yCpPomuYjcEWm8I1dgzsTSAq-sO1fHDQhcpXg-EcRfPcviFyhd4EyqJl9T7sTW/s1600/Portland+Grotto+Christmas+Festival+of+Lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgsh11xRpuSFNZl-gBff9sLlsD39eesjuQza8-rz4E-ZbCA6kLvohipT4ncsU5LRpvNHiPnxUhZ8Lr8yCpPomuYjcEWm8I1dgzsTSAq-sO1fHDQhcpXg-EcRfPcviFyhd4EyqJl9T7sTW/s640/Portland+Grotto+Christmas+Festival+of+Lights.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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Having not set foot in a church for some time I was slightly skeptical at the thought of visiting Portland's Catholic Grotto for their annual Festival of Lights, but the promise of thousands of sparkly Christmas lights drew me in. What is a divine sanctuary by day is transformed over the holiday period to a beautiful show of lights, carolling, and storytelling. I ended up staying to see two of the musical performances that were going on that evening, one of which was a traditional choir group and the other of which was a bluegrass band! I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area over the holidays. And if you don't happen to live nearby, here are some pictures for you to enjoy anyway.<br />
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Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-66787124972648096482011-08-31T09:11:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:39:56.393-07:00Ten Days in Spain<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9ZrGMl4Ixx-twixQ-jLjGalY0EvDBzZ5T6LANaLrzhiS29Dt3utYmghcGlLncQSHVh7_d8PloqTsWqPJeMPtMfr1VnckYYo28hvM2le8ols9YlLCnzF_3rlQwba2wI7myeFbYluvAQA1/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9ZrGMl4Ixx-twixQ-jLjGalY0EvDBzZ5T6LANaLrzhiS29Dt3utYmghcGlLncQSHVh7_d8PloqTsWqPJeMPtMfr1VnckYYo28hvM2le8ols9YlLCnzF_3rlQwba2wI7myeFbYluvAQA1/s400/IMG_0218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647058725905467442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr5JSscmf-oJnGO-EjOIhx2atRcrLHAzJAF85N1MkSyFRt__ms0IlUXaPHRKnd8I5GbwCu_Ny2fJYH91ejpp6r6K_lbn8yfgFeoPr6CJnh27xz9fgwSMUOaHw7Yqi1-WxdlmW-yWncc3M/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr5JSscmf-oJnGO-EjOIhx2atRcrLHAzJAF85N1MkSyFRt__ms0IlUXaPHRKnd8I5GbwCu_Ny2fJYH91ejpp6r6K_lbn8yfgFeoPr6CJnh27xz9fgwSMUOaHw7Yqi1-WxdlmW-yWncc3M/s400/IMG_0203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647058705609282290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cZrBDZ2At0rc4co6j1iJ-1krmUdcfdA2xnGO0fDjbEnoOpB8vVQAsPZLS1jgenG48de92b0PnpTvHzTF3h1OW2zja7zM-L-lL7h3fTdMI20Ue2XT50jiDuD8cmZsdVX4tqggTDtyivYo/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cZrBDZ2At0rc4co6j1iJ-1krmUdcfdA2xnGO0fDjbEnoOpB8vVQAsPZLS1jgenG48de92b0PnpTvHzTF3h1OW2zja7zM-L-lL7h3fTdMI20Ue2XT50jiDuD8cmZsdVX4tqggTDtyivYo/s400/IMG_0207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647058699487467522" border="0" /></a>I think I need to move to Spain because the whole country seems to operate on the same sleep schedule as me. Sitting out at restaurants and bars until one in the morning on a Tuesday night is how life should be.
<br /></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-91594624505805028112011-01-02T11:28:00.000-08:002013-01-12T10:33:35.818-08:00Places I want to visit in 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Instead of resolutions, here's a list of places I want to visit in 2011.<br />
The first couple are realistic and there's one that is really just wistful thinking.<br />
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<a href="http://dyami.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/new-york-city.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://dyami.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/new-york-city.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 295px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 457px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">New York</span>. I've been before, but obviously there still tons to see and I have found some ridiculously cheap flights.<br />
<a href="http://www.woostercollective.com/Paris-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.woostercollective.com/Paris-1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 294px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 457px;" /></a>Despite having lived in Europe for 13 years of my life, I have never been to<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Paris</span>. This is the year that changes. Hopefully this will be my first trip of the year as my friends and I have plans to go in early spring.<br />
<a href="http://www.eltourismo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bora-bora_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.eltourismo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bora-bora_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 310px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 460px;" /></a>Do I even need to explain why I want to go to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bora Bora</span>? Highly unlikely to happen in the near future, but it's top of my list of places I must visit eventually.<br />
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That's it! I don't think the list is too ambitious (except perhaps the last one) and is totally doable within the next year.</div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-43751566477558129022011-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:002013-01-12T12:04:27.087-08:002010 in Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc5qO90oTlFZLO_O-XUNTntGfxzLQxM3E0f8R8YJDcyyAYsoa4cRjUQIxL1Unk1fdLIk_D2nTTQeWp2ZzpI9RwvzVQFd8PiGzBLol8OWwmpHGvt29cGstyAsMK9EMOeN_Br5j_YF_rvE9/s1600/2010.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557248397555448546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc5qO90oTlFZLO_O-XUNTntGfxzLQxM3E0f8R8YJDcyyAYsoa4cRjUQIxL1Unk1fdLIk_D2nTTQeWp2ZzpI9RwvzVQFd8PiGzBLol8OWwmpHGvt29cGstyAsMK9EMOeN_Br5j_YF_rvE9/s400/2010.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>As a perfectionist, I always find it hard to say that a year was good,. A year is far too long an amount of time to be able to classify it as one thing. Parts were great, parts were utter rubbish, there were bits that made me laugh, bits that made me cry, bits I'll never forget, and bits I hope I don't remember.<br />
I will say that 2010 was a year of change. Change is something I'm quite used to, but this is the first real year it's been change I've dealt with by myself. It's the first year I've gotten to do whatever I like and really just had myself to answer to. With that in mind, I'm happy with the choices I've made in this past year.<br />
So without further rambling, here's a summary, in pictures, of where I went this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FVIKdxT4Jyqlo27PKAiSbeNbfHyrennArTBiG1L49McnT_huDzVEFJceMJG4d7bxHnp4aRceNjHn2MusNrz2nDIwSCLaZBJmVHr_tmeEhbhN4xhKa4pf3nXcy9H0WgRv9O6LjgysBMlI/s1600/london.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557246342861068114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FVIKdxT4Jyqlo27PKAiSbeNbfHyrennArTBiG1L49McnT_huDzVEFJceMJG4d7bxHnp4aRceNjHn2MusNrz2nDIwSCLaZBJmVHr_tmeEhbhN4xhKa4pf3nXcy9H0WgRv9O6LjgysBMlI/s400/london.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>There was a little bit of England</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDc0zYMgBrDVaEbuTazsmOtPad3JTrjnJusJNCoBGXGXPALKopoflpTMbFXRoK_Zr2utWQQWJu-RpbhYQK3nN6bufH96pySe96DJUFm1tqwcsVqd_0EMwegd6O8jnVBpdJk6_3ZtIYLEll/s1600/stirling_castle.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557246352833556514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDc0zYMgBrDVaEbuTazsmOtPad3JTrjnJusJNCoBGXGXPALKopoflpTMbFXRoK_Zr2utWQQWJu-RpbhYQK3nN6bufH96pySe96DJUFm1tqwcsVqd_0EMwegd6O8jnVBpdJk6_3ZtIYLEll/s400/stirling_castle.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 298px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>And a lot of Scotland</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIPEynIbeuII5i09KhK9HQTWhA6xpvhAsvdBYv5_ZHNwljb8qUJwTxxisHob7viL3sBaOWiSEK_d-e6qojNhpmX1MLcHxhyphenhyphenot5hnNbrr4BWlYxn9CUzG7DwmK2Uo-ypNJ-dfpTZwJ2u2w/s1600/monaco.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557246343105727282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIPEynIbeuII5i09KhK9HQTWhA6xpvhAsvdBYv5_ZHNwljb8qUJwTxxisHob7viL3sBaOWiSEK_d-e6qojNhpmX1MLcHxhyphenhyphenot5hnNbrr4BWlYxn9CUzG7DwmK2Uo-ypNJ-dfpTZwJ2u2w/s400/monaco.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Monaco</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16pTTqJmvudC4OjSYBmNU97bqZ4tgTDX-EKMkloXkkAjKutaQ7Ciacp0I-xtB9LZINGqBK8Hbi3hE6raf9BNaytv0NS5iUBqctWv70EAfHScDYRBYDPOB0PCiaqHuegZvlzx3oWeSuYL2/s1600/santorini.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557245099162869154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16pTTqJmvudC4OjSYBmNU97bqZ4tgTDX-EKMkloXkkAjKutaQ7Ciacp0I-xtB9LZINGqBK8Hbi3hE6raf9BNaytv0NS5iUBqctWv70EAfHScDYRBYDPOB0PCiaqHuegZvlzx3oWeSuYL2/s400/santorini.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Santorini</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmUQPGfbjUiBP8ZwW61Ppt45khlcwvJdoodoCBc0zMv54uS3ntJ1e4Fevejg34jtBfgtw2fgGzSlfKfg-xXoJWgBh-g0wg8HEx7RSrP-2Hmi9Cwvv-8wxFqklWKhglgoOPdepmtu86s0P/s1600/rome.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557245096012746962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmUQPGfbjUiBP8ZwW61Ppt45khlcwvJdoodoCBc0zMv54uS3ntJ1e4Fevejg34jtBfgtw2fgGzSlfKfg-xXoJWgBh-g0wg8HEx7RSrP-2Hmi9Cwvv-8wxFqklWKhglgoOPdepmtu86s0P/s400/rome.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Rome</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTyXMNV7B3NVD7yS-Wucxz1cA84BusmX_ghzQB4tGnlmuiyPUulINNeLcXc6kBEhKjgu26NE21GIOWrsMl2yHdVKIfumu186J3zKlUXmRuuFllG3OidqVRumT5nH4rm-0qz1PAZtBpfrX/s1600/nice_france.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557245090418571138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTyXMNV7B3NVD7yS-Wucxz1cA84BusmX_ghzQB4tGnlmuiyPUulINNeLcXc6kBEhKjgu26NE21GIOWrsMl2yHdVKIfumu186J3zKlUXmRuuFllG3OidqVRumT5nH4rm-0qz1PAZtBpfrX/s400/nice_france.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Nice<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6MhcMufbjBrVjpXb2iDT1YNn3iIN_vEUbSW3bOaU9mnJFkOy53v1-KtSaqqapDIPm5031UyntADTD24OxoFjFh3iS31RiiwR_5vO6r1eEqy4El-F272Mu7w0t9SP2AaayY8P_oay8W9O/s1600/west_coast.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557252786866789554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6MhcMufbjBrVjpXb2iDT1YNn3iIN_vEUbSW3bOaU9mnJFkOy53v1-KtSaqqapDIPm5031UyntADTD24OxoFjFh3iS31RiiwR_5vO6r1eEqy4El-F272Mu7w0t9SP2AaayY8P_oay8W9O/s400/west_coast.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>And of course, I can't forget the beautiful west coast. Somewhere I still consider a bit like home.<br />
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There were also two weeks spent in Spain where I didn't take a single photo. You can just guess how lazy that holiday was.<br />
<br />
So if I had to classify traveling in 2010, it would definitely go in the "good" category. Although there were no more regular family holidays, no more getting everything paid for, and we did get stranded in airports on a few occasions, I had fun, I got to choose where I wanted to go and do and I saw a lot of wonderful places.<br />
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Hopefully 2011 will bring lots of new adventures for all of us.<br />
Thanks for reading!</div>
Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-76186692475680253452010-12-02T15:37:00.000-08:002010-12-02T15:39:08.454-08:00Snow, snow, everywhere.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLyLZn0-OJfXk9_-t_kH2MERoIIEOCaSl9fAfdDnfGMxf5NcUNVS_Ed6OZLFRNVB_QfKbTwK9Po1CtW8gXK4rmERkqBlYd_p2kV6-LLPlmFedIlVxiWoQHVPtkRxdQbvxa_jUrHZJ8jiM/s1600/156354_10150337756925004_755600003_15571043_3203948_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLyLZn0-OJfXk9_-t_kH2MERoIIEOCaSl9fAfdDnfGMxf5NcUNVS_Ed6OZLFRNVB_QfKbTwK9Po1CtW8gXK4rmERkqBlYd_p2kV6-LLPlmFedIlVxiWoQHVPtkRxdQbvxa_jUrHZJ8jiM/s400/156354_10150337756925004_755600003_15571043_3203948_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546233310932716290" border="0" /></a>Day 6 and no signs of it ending anytime soon, not that I'm complaining.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-54083779416230739092010-11-26T15:50:00.000-08:002010-11-26T16:25:51.446-08:00Snow Day (well, night)!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/SnowDay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 410px; height: 307px;" src="http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/SnowDay.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So as the snow literally batters down outside my window (seriously, it's been snowing for about 15 minutes and there's already an inch or so on the ground) I am excitedly planning which cozy outfit I will wear to venture out tomorrow and where I will go. The park will probably be an icy death trap tomorrow but I think it will be beautiful so I might try and get some pictures. Otherwise I can't see myself making it beyond Starbucks.<br />For some reason the snow is making me incredibly excited. It's a reminder that, despite all the craziness that happens at this time of year, it's a time of happiness.<br />It better not be gone in the morning ;).<br /><br />P.S. I just went bounding into one of my flatmates bedroom to see if she wanted to go frolic in the snow. She was not impressed. Please tell me I'm not the only one who regresses to a five year old when it snows?Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-3497623712919372502010-11-14T11:48:00.001-08:002010-11-14T12:02:37.352-08:00Hello!Hiya, just here with a quick update and a few photos of rare sunny days in Scotland. I've been kind of overwhelmed with school work in the past month and have completely neglected (but not forgotten) this blog. Hopefully with the holidays coming up I'll have some more time and something a little bit more interesting to post about.<br />Until then, please join me in remembering what blue skies in Scotland look like.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK27V5ErdGNX3InWyL5MasXDN7ecCnCMG3VAAQwOJCbG-4WiFrSundwa6OHJFzxJ2q65yYABOx88hPxBDT0q73oBuT8J27S1azvwG5WFg3cAZvafr4R_X0uAOsbPVAY9wR2zA45gdOpFFv/s1600/IMG_0078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK27V5ErdGNX3InWyL5MasXDN7ecCnCMG3VAAQwOJCbG-4WiFrSundwa6OHJFzxJ2q65yYABOx88hPxBDT0q73oBuT8J27S1azvwG5WFg3cAZvafr4R_X0uAOsbPVAY9wR2zA45gdOpFFv/s400/IMG_0078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539495786490076658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqoZNkV4FaqfCgShN_aYvvPxCsFcVVum8tth9t5BQwMbEyIYksXy5nSokzbgaOG_pTmj812zcNnyiXUvMEc1tbSGjo1psjN87UqXi3vTLG8vCn4zXnfmFgswYfENiU0o3Q4RYDc8dpHIm/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqoZNkV4FaqfCgShN_aYvvPxCsFcVVum8tth9t5BQwMbEyIYksXy5nSokzbgaOG_pTmj812zcNnyiXUvMEc1tbSGjo1psjN87UqXi3vTLG8vCn4zXnfmFgswYfENiU0o3Q4RYDc8dpHIm/s400/IMG_0076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539495776692342930" border="0" /></a>View from Stirling castle<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RVlwkY3GTZV99LXDH3S3uDLAda80LXfx92wcEIOkmLz627GwNXqeaR1M4gXRMtWTHcFyiy1nXF3szrqYj-HqQJoObrqMimwUGNqORGsLywWvROH3yT3U2ya3JEafVuAmQGpcUTcfb-jA/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RVlwkY3GTZV99LXDH3S3uDLAda80LXfx92wcEIOkmLz627GwNXqeaR1M4gXRMtWTHcFyiy1nXF3szrqYj-HqQJoObrqMimwUGNqORGsLywWvROH3yT3U2ya3JEafVuAmQGpcUTcfb-jA/s400/IMG_0087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539495772049223922" border="0" /></a>Ruins of some fort I cannot remember.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83gJfGbi074PovlM3pX5LvcVmU85VVW0BUjBk99RHqWoXSBfLVMkp4vsnYK3IASqEJR_4o5xSRTd5c2t70nm-VBQSajRmHcodr5Alm7X8dVvhGcZM7OFDWV9DzrQMNm3rzRGRUxOL7dYA/s1600/IMG_0084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83gJfGbi074PovlM3pX5LvcVmU85VVW0BUjBk99RHqWoXSBfLVMkp4vsnYK3IASqEJR_4o5xSRTd5c2t70nm-VBQSajRmHcodr5Alm7X8dVvhGcZM7OFDWV9DzrQMNm3rzRGRUxOL7dYA/s400/IMG_0084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539495766065918034" border="0" /></a>Sunny day at a beach in Ayr.<br /></div><br />Don't let these pictures fool you, it may look like a beautiful sunny beach resort but it barely even hit 20 degrees most of these days. Although with our below freezing temperatures right now it feels like I'm in a different country.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-49289650433381713442010-08-01T13:49:00.000-07:002010-11-14T12:05:16.403-08:00West Coast is the Best CoastI thought I would share a few pictures of the magical place that is the Pacific coast of Oregon, a place I occasionally call home ;).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMK9d6XNcmfbSgh5pAPIq2Ksy0MRsLxfPlch2qwlNiNfO_tMJXK2kTrnLIXBll0VY3fOVHzTUwJDrL9KUilXnaVhuMcrWraFvwXPMo4j_wHCKZCdVeyU-cIuvbwFfHkFIzOBKFhdwWH90/s1600/38914_417422902181_709612181_4923948_4536305_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMK9d6XNcmfbSgh5pAPIq2Ksy0MRsLxfPlch2qwlNiNfO_tMJXK2kTrnLIXBll0VY3fOVHzTUwJDrL9KUilXnaVhuMcrWraFvwXPMo4j_wHCKZCdVeyU-cIuvbwFfHkFIzOBKFhdwWH90/s400/38914_417422902181_709612181_4923948_4536305_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639508844023634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrvkGDach72PUsjVIITiur4TpvDMWbrqwgfOWDOYzQBt2qh7GcmBCRFAb6KaqiviX4jEmxWwQmxfMkdfezQed05YzZsmisZPYrM2qcJ6nj_r_7oYfFKWB3zdgw6HsFOvV-udrwovU3T3b/s1600/39853_417422887181_709612181_4923947_2264209_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 500px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrvkGDach72PUsjVIITiur4TpvDMWbrqwgfOWDOYzQBt2qh7GcmBCRFAb6KaqiviX4jEmxWwQmxfMkdfezQed05YzZsmisZPYrM2qcJ6nj_r_7oYfFKWB3zdgw6HsFOvV-udrwovU3T3b/s400/39853_417422887181_709612181_4923947_2264209_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639367557446802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mwT39kGb_xD9MQGu2XpO5NFNmtc20gGVpwwfymQyW10v393d1MAq0-pMRXvTUYX8yVGeUhDQjVLEo_MQYGb-Jgt__a4NlkKRwgbdUmyVXHgF0dAIiSL9-b4_m7IyWEBysJlfRRTmeuet/s1600/38906_417425217181_709612181_4924039_8099508_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mwT39kGb_xD9MQGu2XpO5NFNmtc20gGVpwwfymQyW10v393d1MAq0-pMRXvTUYX8yVGeUhDQjVLEo_MQYGb-Jgt__a4NlkKRwgbdUmyVXHgF0dAIiSL9-b4_m7IyWEBysJlfRRTmeuet/s400/38906_417425217181_709612181_4924039_8099508_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639362103772274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVp-xZRIpWQJxr1p8hNpWdfAnpzutHBds_gdalhR7vjDDdPSLhhHfAmAenF9zJ2MrVQmOJ9RRCN-Pr5iTOmobBafcBtASiRYtqC7rKMcDKNb6ipQCG_nzcjBK73obUEVDu8yCBXtabAFZn/s1600/38592_417425312181_709612181_4924045_7647535_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 499px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVp-xZRIpWQJxr1p8hNpWdfAnpzutHBds_gdalhR7vjDDdPSLhhHfAmAenF9zJ2MrVQmOJ9RRCN-Pr5iTOmobBafcBtASiRYtqC7rKMcDKNb6ipQCG_nzcjBK73obUEVDu8yCBXtabAFZn/s400/38592_417425312181_709612181_4924045_7647535_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639337481367618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYxU81ralB7oguG3P3MhSAKzXHs-6Pq04hKi8BomU4LKOJUau8P9MjFxwYYBFZZNW1bYsIuGBd3kyq9zUZyleuTJZ4DFdi2ku89kPjZFCgFyYg2bqevR6D3bwBjX6VyVCd5E-Yope3zG3/s1600/38197_417425322181_709612181_4924046_534244_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYxU81ralB7oguG3P3MhSAKzXHs-6Pq04hKi8BomU4LKOJUau8P9MjFxwYYBFZZNW1bYsIuGBd3kyq9zUZyleuTJZ4DFdi2ku89kPjZFCgFyYg2bqevR6D3bwBjX6VyVCd5E-Yope3zG3/s400/38197_417425322181_709612181_4924046_534244_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639310431461314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUkSn_5kIkQQcM9owaLPnAr8WQZAuwGf56lNI4Y1XTRithU9Wqk41GWVxayWytpEiWQkzlrq8eUZ0yOI6-eLROKev3dMswDXGRW3JN6SnCyb7QX2vIQ0jiUSet1AYkJ_sHpuUDDc7AyWJ/s1600/38014_417422802181_709612181_4923941_2303177_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUkSn_5kIkQQcM9owaLPnAr8WQZAuwGf56lNI4Y1XTRithU9Wqk41GWVxayWytpEiWQkzlrq8eUZ0yOI6-eLROKev3dMswDXGRW3JN6SnCyb7QX2vIQ0jiUSet1AYkJ_sHpuUDDc7AyWJ/s400/38014_417422802181_709612181_4923941_2303177_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500639303039988210" border="0" /></a>Pretty amazing, huh?Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-31972693431270940882010-07-23T15:40:00.000-07:002010-07-23T15:45:40.907-07:00Hi from Hainan!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A4vTlHrll1_EHhd0ds0LZuWrnG0Hk07DsRmJDcTch4qkGhpoISXiAGpX7EQVqqyKz6zjyvhleeEDtCkjw2Mb1Z8jK1TahXum1RjqyvxhPU88hn9ZrGv3fzlt4EOy1vGj8y7DCAOgVnJH/s1600-h/hainan2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A4vTlHrll1_EHhd0ds0LZuWrnG0Hk07DsRmJDcTch4qkGhpoISXiAGpX7EQVqqyKz6zjyvhleeEDtCkjw2Mb1Z8jK1TahXum1RjqyvxhPU88hn9ZrGv3fzlt4EOy1vGj8y7DCAOgVnJH/s400/hainan2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348822498345572658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >I actually wrote this post nearly a year ago but never ended up publishing it, so I thought I might as well now.</span><br />A popular holiday spot for expats living in Asia, Hainan island was somewhere I visited fairly often during my time in China. And here I am once again. There are more tourists and kids than I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsWKdCTXt4E4IyeZuRS0PFZhG3bldaKOM8P1t19kN_KGZ4zhDNUPwGWdicccb4UHB_QEgQJHS74CLAgiZ3clebjx7nFsBH6bY7o2VE5cF7mnM6ciC3aXbHQGVC2Me7EAVCmP1Obt3ShfK/s1600-h/4928_109817723486_530468486_2809123_2062719_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsWKdCTXt4E4IyeZuRS0PFZhG3bldaKOM8P1t19kN_KGZ4zhDNUPwGWdicccb4UHB_QEgQJHS74CLAgiZ3clebjx7nFsBH6bY7o2VE5cF7mnM6ciC3aXbHQGVC2Me7EAVCmP1Obt3ShfK/s400/4928_109817723486_530468486_2809123_2062719_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351175050341428658" border="0" /></a> remember, not something I would have noticed in my youth plus I've definitely been spoiled with amazing holiday locations. It's your typical tropical island: golden beaches with clear blue water, palm trees, bars in the middle of swimming pools, but without a lot of the trashiness that can come with certain other resorts (Cancun, I am looking at you). If I'm being totally honest I can't tell you how much or little there is to do on the island. Every time I've been I've stayed in a huge hotel on the beach with plenty of pools and things to do. I've always stayed in Sanya, which is an area at the southern most tip and<br />where <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDopZ40Zid_rLgjIWqLZJ7TdreQ7R9R2te_Wj31Fz8wS1QMw6JCV19DuvnTas3un1vR5P6k0Nz7jmcLFphNMaXk9AZTq83j60R3Ig-wzZB0U0VcJVQMP4WBODFkCkBwc1V01R361UkOzyT/s1600-h/4928_109817683486_530468486_2809115_7123612_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDopZ40Zid_rLgjIWqLZJ7TdreQ7R9R2te_Wj31Fz8wS1QMw6JCV19DuvnTas3un1vR5P6k0Nz7jmcLFphNMaXk9AZTq83j60R3Ig-wzZB0U0VcJVQMP4WBODFkCkBwc1V01R361UkOzyT/s400/4928_109817683486_530468486_2809115_7123612_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351175604707239810" border="0" /></a>most of the hotels are concentrated. Like a regular tropical holiday, most time is spent on the beach. I took a banana boat ride and some friends went scuba diving. Overall, I would say this is a great holiday stop if you are living in Asia, but if you're going to come all the way to Asia from somewhere else I would hit up the Thai or Malaysian islands instead.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMavRmQCBRd5NYYYBsOZlqBMw1tBWELECDN0ubgbaLCOnXhO6ij-gc0aOIA3QYipIpGt_l3rZ4hpEUAuS3YQUlyS8PaFkI4lKvq9HfeVZMIiSAq8u9jA1dUGek-LODcT_BZE6gPiK8D_3/s1600-h/hainan1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMavRmQCBRd5NYYYBsOZlqBMw1tBWELECDN0ubgbaLCOnXhO6ij-gc0aOIA3QYipIpGt_l3rZ4hpEUAuS3YQUlyS8PaFkI4lKvq9HfeVZMIiSAq8u9jA1dUGek-LODcT_BZE6gPiK8D_3/s400/hainan1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351176110150693842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQbBAMcwlurtJZQNDBbv6xJSvk1KMcrspcHj3AUJQ5s_6WqhcWmR_e2Z9ikJD4KdVR27I0S8kPhOPVhlplSad1xdhQmM5Bz6MYerYVqEmNHrjaWh-zJARo9QiJyMQeJii_3hTzjJqOp5I/s1600-h/hainan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQbBAMcwlurtJZQNDBbv6xJSvk1KMcrspcHj3AUJQ5s_6WqhcWmR_e2Z9ikJD4KdVR27I0S8kPhOPVhlplSad1xdhQmM5Bz6MYerYVqEmNHrjaWh-zJARo9QiJyMQeJii_3hTzjJqOp5I/s400/hainan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351176050261840226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXLvOOSgy0inzp1oWPtJDggi2WOCQsqwy8cynH3OTFX4x5AM5NOLcBDq5jtzuMw84bABu2LvXFINh38OR17E0P81QB-zh5hFpVJDjeTwxZk2QR52qFHqRTa848zdIhLp0Dd6Dzd24OhXX/s1600-h/4928_109817453486_530468486_2809072_8260634_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXLvOOSgy0inzp1oWPtJDggi2WOCQsqwy8cynH3OTFX4x5AM5NOLcBDq5jtzuMw84bABu2LvXFINh38OR17E0P81QB-zh5hFpVJDjeTwxZk2QR52qFHqRTa848zdIhLp0Dd6Dzd24OhXX/s400/4928_109817453486_530468486_2809072_8260634_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351175990868396658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHa8G1v4STaX0wpFsGl-CkAddPjjsBO3T-6sTS8kUL5eAxUrxe1fcxSmUZBCn8VoWk0dKCw7QJauduMB2WjyBtfXb0fXU3RReBdTrWPuunp4FuNWFS5-2R5RYkRLSAdQcsF891_SIAp_Tu/s1600-h/4928_109817638486_530468486_2809107_357607_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHa8G1v4STaX0wpFsGl-CkAddPjjsBO3T-6sTS8kUL5eAxUrxe1fcxSmUZBCn8VoWk0dKCw7QJauduMB2WjyBtfXb0fXU3RReBdTrWPuunp4FuNWFS5-2R5RYkRLSAdQcsF891_SIAp_Tu/s400/4928_109817638486_530468486_2809107_357607_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351175804266641618" border="0" /></a>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-34276682164111042492010-07-21T21:15:00.001-07:002010-07-21T22:46:31.768-07:00Getting Deals: The Hotel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUXxkzuCeoOo9KE1AODQ-ySmhN8fX-ZjUAkAistVe6CXiuCaX9LDIlwMDPOHgU3bqPQn0MttqGqP78Y_8XIMWHAeWQMh3gS7bPwVhFrqrZjI5L0APEelpKFQEcjoGD7TWWEeQvj4rd47-/s1600/Airplane+by+KossyatFINEDAYS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUXxkzuCeoOo9KE1AODQ-ySmhN8fX-ZjUAkAistVe6CXiuCaX9LDIlwMDPOHgU3bqPQn0MttqGqP78Y_8XIMWHAeWQMh3gS7bPwVhFrqrZjI5L0APEelpKFQEcjoGD7TWWEeQvj4rd47-/s400/Airplane+by+KossyatFINEDAYS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496579469406404114" border="0" /></a>I like to think of traveling as one of my favorite hobbies, and I know as well as anyone that this hobby happens to be a huge money drainer. A few relaxing weeks can quickly become thousands of dollars before you've even left your house. Money is probably the biggest deterent to a lot of people traveling (or at least, this is what I tell myself. Because why else wouldn't you want to travel?). One thing I refuse to skimp on is the activities, because if you're not going to visit the sites you want or do the activities you want, what's the point of being there?<br />So that leave a few things: accommodation, flights, food, and transportation.<br />Quite possibly the most important thing you need to do is set a total budget, then divide that by the number of days and work out what you have to spend on what. Once you start working out what you need to spend money on you realize that what may seem like a lot may not get you very far.<br /><br />The first thing I do is look on discount hotel sites. Unless you're staying in a hostel or couch surfing (both good options, but not for me personally) you probably are going to be staying in a hotel. Sites I've used include <a href="http://www.hotels.com">hotels.com</a>, <a href="http://www.laterooms.com">laterooms.com</a>, and <a href="http://www.lastminute.com">lastminute.com</a>. It's important to check a few different sites because often the same hotel will come up with different prices depending on where you're looking. It also makes searching quick and easy since you can pull up loads of hotels in one area, compare prices and see pictures of them all. Another great site I've discovered is <a href="http://www.hotelyo.com">hotelyo.com</a>. They have huge discounts, often on really nice places in great locations. The only problem with this site is that there are only limited number of locations available at one time so this would be great if you are lucky enough to find where you want to go or are just looking to get away and don't mind where you go.<br /><br />If you have the option of traveling in the off season and during the week, you can save a lot of money on the hotel. Actually a lot of cities are wonderful to visit during the off season as you avoid both the crowds and the extremes of the weather. If you're lucky enough to be able to travel during the low season, definitely take advantage of it.<br /><br />Extra tip: If you are walking into a hotel on the day without a booking, often they will lower their price slightly to give you a deal (don't ask for too much of a reduction, $20 tops) since selling a hotel room at a slightly lower price is better for them than having an empty room.<br /><br />Let me know of any other tips you have for getting great deals on hotels.<br />Happy traveling!Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-10134919669214595712010-07-18T18:05:00.000-07:002010-07-21T15:00:29.739-07:00Culzean Castle, Scotland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pr1q9RlisAOExrobFoyf4bWRGlXv-E7uJbt0ajn0nSthH0DSm0a8KMktCqkJ66EYatYGxb5yJGUOWMay4j0U1nv3SbP1Feeb9EJiSA3ZKusQEmVIzQdY_GDJk3SVl56rcdu2X6k3aXGM/s1600/culzaen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pr1q9RlisAOExrobFoyf4bWRGlXv-E7uJbt0ajn0nSthH0DSm0a8KMktCqkJ66EYatYGxb5yJGUOWMay4j0U1nv3SbP1Feeb9EJiSA3ZKusQEmVIzQdY_GDJk3SVl56rcdu2X6k3aXGM/s400/culzaen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493672132624211538" border="0" /></a><br />These photos were taken on a recent trip to Culzean Castle in Scotland. The building itself was fairly interesting, although we accidentally went on an incredibly drawn out tour that made me want to sleep for a hundred years. The top floor used to belong to the Eisenhower's and they would stay there when they visited Scotland. The real beauty of this place though was the sprawling grounds. The gardens are beautiful and well-maintained, there is a duck pond, and it sits right on a clifftop at the coast. It would be such a wonderful place to come on a warm summer's day with a picnic (which in Scotland usually occurs one or two times a year, if we're lucky). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Wfoi9cCzlm97radPOMRNB-5EPoZ_5dFwbrGFhVH3MuJgUDy-oIp-7zTUn9vbi-UfyGrfNa0MtlhxDgXPNisD9rZNvFWLIPb4aAtI7aH-V1xGk0NxEnKiL99ZEZyBxNFjtHPnrN5Z07Q/s1600/culzaen1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Wfoi9cCzlm97radPOMRNB-5EPoZ_5dFwbrGFhVH3MuJgUDy-oIp-7zTUn9vbi-UfyGrfNa0MtlhxDgXPNisD9rZNvFWLIPb4aAtI7aH-V1xGk0NxEnKiL99ZEZyBxNFjtHPnrN5Z07Q/s400/culzaen1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493672139926745058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9FUUSwlLZX77OcYcAweIJr7gz9F0AUvByJMU79DOEE3O6AGs95RZBqFnXoSRVMQcOKX7FrI9Ssy2DnjPhoe-fxZyJ4M1HSlS2JeaB4A5cF9FVFk3WLX_fm_x9YfqRMFHCXdroZqd1uQz/s1600/28397_10150181116160261_698290260_12767932_5892278_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9FUUSwlLZX77OcYcAweIJr7gz9F0AUvByJMU79DOEE3O6AGs95RZBqFnXoSRVMQcOKX7FrI9Ssy2DnjPhoe-fxZyJ4M1HSlS2JeaB4A5cF9FVFk3WLX_fm_x9YfqRMFHCXdroZqd1uQz/s400/28397_10150181116160261_698290260_12767932_5892278_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493672145529507698" border="0" /></a>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-30792459150468186912010-07-12T01:32:00.000-07:002010-07-13T17:53:01.545-07:00Athens<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcYtKKZycczRidg4w6H6gzO_R_1Cs_8tGcaKs-BqOCEJiBxAqvJW17A4QpCXioink-_eaQl4OuRWI4B7ufgGlwGuZLNvdjgVSRZJR79pm00xjrmUuWR9uos9cuITPmgBKdc2xMaeVQXyV/s1600/30070_1268934458570_1686090053_601410_1709172_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcYtKKZycczRidg4w6H6gzO_R_1Cs_8tGcaKs-BqOCEJiBxAqvJW17A4QpCXioink-_eaQl4OuRWI4B7ufgGlwGuZLNvdjgVSRZJR79pm00xjrmUuWR9uos9cuITPmgBKdc2xMaeVQXyV/s400/30070_1268934458570_1686090053_601410_1709172_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492935370895012562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTQUdn3RvfGRfWEsARi3IDZh63VynHGXnU66wOnO-fowRRx6PBC4fGxtrWUHkKpL4tJJNuevjoAM8tNr9nVSlpkuIuNhEQks8_K3VIeqTyIsY7wE-Ll-bRVQ2jodHn8V9-hVvvSFWyiPJ/s1600/30070_1268934298566_1686090053_601406_7731352_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTQUdn3RvfGRfWEsARi3IDZh63VynHGXnU66wOnO-fowRRx6PBC4fGxtrWUHkKpL4tJJNuevjoAM8tNr9nVSlpkuIuNhEQks8_K3VIeqTyIsY7wE-Ll-bRVQ2jodHn8V9-hVvvSFWyiPJ/s400/30070_1268934298566_1686090053_601406_7731352_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492935365111260626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Academy of Athens)</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVFfaP9xCNB_4TYRVIFPYhknTEN2mvBXq29-NMMZckAc4FE3J2J_hhpvQVEpcKszh95bbGjiGBt86NpH7hhUrSsgL7y9Vm_xfOkPDGviAf6BZ7SKul63XucwVWTgU1pU9q2JGigJJdZq1/s1600/30070_1268934258565_1686090053_601405_7365526_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVFfaP9xCNB_4TYRVIFPYhknTEN2mvBXq29-NMMZckAc4FE3J2J_hhpvQVEpcKszh95bbGjiGBt86NpH7hhUrSsgL7y9Vm_xfOkPDGviAf6BZ7SKul63XucwVWTgU1pU9q2JGigJJdZq1/s400/30070_1268934258565_1686090053_601405_7365526_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492935356502727618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Athens University)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IfYGIGBpHLNBijnFpztBQPKouZlOfBZ4nLnQQgjLm2p1nYfmpBtPmAau04DAzeGTEumcTFZJZFhs9cx8FtTvDEo8iQailgPgQylDYqwdnCFSrrFPBQVt02150WyDTYyC_Pj_6eOIUh5c/s1600/29740_1268934778578_1686090053_601417_6352156_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IfYGIGBpHLNBijnFpztBQPKouZlOfBZ4nLnQQgjLm2p1nYfmpBtPmAau04DAzeGTEumcTFZJZFhs9cx8FtTvDEo8iQailgPgQylDYqwdnCFSrrFPBQVt02150WyDTYyC_Pj_6eOIUh5c/s400/29740_1268934778578_1686090053_601417_6352156_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492935350877506722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(National Library)</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As you have probably heard Athens has been having some economic/political problems which led to a few strikes earlier this year and the bombing of a bank which killed three people.<br />We stayed at the Melia Hotel Athens, which ended up being really close to where the bank bombing took place. It was still all black and there was piles of flowers and photos outside, it was really sad.The ground floor restaurant in our hotel was closed when we arrived as there were lots of cracks in the glass from where rocks had also been thrown. A little disconcerting.<br /><br /></div></div>Anyway, the first night we decided to go out and see Sex and the City 2 since it had just come out. When we left the theater at around 11:30 p.m. the feeling outside had dramatically changed, there was literally no one about, but there were police officers with large guns walking around and we encountered a few guys who made very lewd comments. Overall, it left us with a very uneasy feeling and we seriously considered leaving right then and going to Santorini early.<br />We decided to stay though but needless to say didn't walk anywhere at night again.<br /><br />Athens is not a very pretty city but it was nice to see the Athens trilogy, which consists of the National Library, Athens University, and Academy of Athens (all pictured above). We had a wonderful dinner one night at a restaurant in Syntagma Square, where there are a few fancy hotels. It was hellishly expensive (and I think we were the only ones under the age of 30 in there paying for our own dinners) but seriously yummy and had a lovely view of the acropolis.<br /><br />So I'm adding Athens to the list of places I won't be visiting again but am glad I saw once.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfqVo-PmAoO34QfaIBvmcYCw9CVwqcJTKulSLTS1nJteVIcON224qEkiOD5pqaS1Dpkdpi9ytFVM29gpbcvMCvqV_0TdrrypAISBn-0qQPym7zDygUQ3zLRuzt6LcjUgDVff4mVwWF2V2/s1600/DSC01552.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfqVo-PmAoO34QfaIBvmcYCw9CVwqcJTKulSLTS1nJteVIcON224qEkiOD5pqaS1Dpkdpi9ytFVM29gpbcvMCvqV_0TdrrypAISBn-0qQPym7zDygUQ3zLRuzt6LcjUgDVff4mVwWF2V2/s400/DSC01552.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493557093214131906" border="0" /></a>Pic of the sunset from the rooftop pool at the hotel.<br /></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-56216978771700421312010-07-07T14:17:00.000-07:002010-07-07T17:08:42.105-07:00Avoiding the Heat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2h0CTMa5anJnStZ3Qhiz7u5KTXDyc-S1UARquzIXd5dxoE8vicLh-b46BBb2LDx7b5Fgpx1rCqM9KSh7ekawua07GRGIhuY6B-GrY-YDIf2asQr0YKM_FJQmn-3BUrBFa3mrMjPySajme/s1600/DSC01662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2h0CTMa5anJnStZ3Qhiz7u5KTXDyc-S1UARquzIXd5dxoE8vicLh-b46BBb2LDx7b5Fgpx1rCqM9KSh7ekawua07GRGIhuY6B-GrY-YDIf2asQr0YKM_FJQmn-3BUrBFa3mrMjPySajme/s400/DSC01662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491285532763770946" border="0" /></a>Today it's 97 degrees and tomorrow it's meant to be above 100 so I am taking refuge inside my air-conditioned bedroom. Being from Britain, I do not do well in extreme temperatures.<br /><br />Anyway, yesterday I went shopping on SE Hawthorne which is a notoriously "bohemian" area in Portland-not somewhere I would usually shop, but I managed to find a rather cool sweater without even looking. I got it for $14 and the intense sequin detailing on the arms and the fact that it's 50% wool made me think it's probably worth a bit more so I thought it was a great deal! I am usually pretty funny about "vintage" shopping just because I don't really like the idea of wearing clothes someone has worn before but I ignored those feelings and bought this beauty anyway!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8AgrrovqMpaBM9sSHdPDexD_X44gMPF6p28sMgvSxrXjOfcTyZaZMC3WCHGylJUwsGwiI9TV-IQhCWdaZpdRc8_0aUp_NXSH_TK9jySvaKWjqeCSqsYmsiPtLAFF8JlPMFl3fSfrAqiO/s1600/DSC01674.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8AgrrovqMpaBM9sSHdPDexD_X44gMPF6p28sMgvSxrXjOfcTyZaZMC3WCHGylJUwsGwiI9TV-IQhCWdaZpdRc8_0aUp_NXSH_TK9jySvaKWjqeCSqsYmsiPtLAFF8JlPMFl3fSfrAqiO/s400/DSC01674.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491317084915313314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I would have tried it on but I can't even bear the thought of putting on a sweater and jeans at the moment.<br /><br />I also picked up this painting at an antique store to hang above my bed. I'm trying to make my room a little more Grown Up, even though the only time I'm here is holidays and the purple walls are not helping. Maybe I'll make that a summer project, since it's unbearably warm I could repaint my room. I would probably just do it a neutral eggshell white as every time I have painted a color I get sick of it in six months, but any suggestions on fabulous colors I could paint my walls would be much appreciated!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LZNXLjlns5r7-6a16LQGQq42gjZp74OQqhpWYwZEPl29pdAhB9pKFACSWircKVTh4yyrxB80MDZfZtVlc73JTde_dQkjHxlRIDzQofPc_sN7fQ1qjohEc5_oJQmsT5WNwQQ2me1Lb0U7/s1600/DSC01663.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 365px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LZNXLjlns5r7-6a16LQGQq42gjZp74OQqhpWYwZEPl29pdAhB9pKFACSWircKVTh4yyrxB80MDZfZtVlc73JTde_dQkjHxlRIDzQofPc_sN7fQ1qjohEc5_oJQmsT5WNwQQ2me1Lb0U7/s400/DSC01663.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491320275321788690" border="0" /></a>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-81134182925743876832010-07-01T05:32:00.001-07:002010-07-01T06:01:47.260-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://saturdayjane.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/toystory3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 258px;" src="http://saturdayjane.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/toystory3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So now that summer is here I have been spending a lot of time watching movies, something I rarely have the chance to do during the regular year. It's one of the main reasons why I stay up until around 5 in the morning doing nothing but starting at my computer screen (yes, my life is that exciting).<br />Anyway, I decided to do a review of the movies I've seen in the last couple of days.<br /><br />First up: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Toy Story 3</span><br />Now I have to admit that about 75% of why I went to see this movie is because my little brother wanted to. The other 25% was because I vaguely remember enjoying the first one years ago (and then hating the second). So surprisingly I actually really enjoyed this! It was a nice family friendly movie, didn't run on for too long (about an hour and a half I think) and overall was nice and satisfying. Not sure I would've gone to see it with my friends but if you have anyone young you're taking to the cinema it's definitely something they will enjoy.<br />Rating: 4.0/5<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thecia.com.au/reviews/l/images/letters-to-juliet-poster-0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 287px;" src="http://thecia.com.au/reviews/l/images/letters-to-juliet-poster-0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And then there was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Letters to Juliet</span>.<br />I know this isn't everyone's opinion, but whenever I see Amanda Seyfried in a movie, I don't expect much. Let's be honest, the only reason she's in anything is because she's blond and pretty. But regardless it was a decent chick flick with a cutesy story about a woman who wrote to "Juliet" many years ago about her one true love and returns many years later, with the help of Seyfried, to find him.<br /><br />Rating: 2.5/5<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/the_good_guy_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 266px;" src="http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/the_good_guy_poster.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alexis Bledel has continuously disappointed me since her departure from Gilmore Girls (anyone see Post Grad? that was painful). But I actually quite enjoyed this movie and I like both of the male costars (Jake from One Tree Hill and Jason from Friday Night Lights). The plot is interesting, it's about a mortgage broker working on Wall Street and his girlfriend and "the new guy." You are never really sure which point of view is right up until the very end and it definitely questions the trust we put in narrators.<br />Beyond the plot twist though, it's little more than your typical love story.<br /><br />Rating: 3.0/5<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://moviesdown.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/wild-child.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 287px;" src="http://moviesdown.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/wild-child.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And finally, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wild Child</span> starring Emma Roberts. It's about a teenage girl who rebels against her father and gets sent to a boarding school in England her mother once attended. Despite her snarky L.A. attitude and many attempts to get expelled, she ends up fitting and and finding true friends. A chick flick, but a good watch if you're bored.<br /><br />Rating: 3.5/5Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-20515716775425349862010-06-28T15:31:00.000-07:002010-06-28T15:34:43.485-07:00Music I'm absolutely loving right now...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aSMXFspTScI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aSMXFspTScI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Dash & Will<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7h4dGDtanio&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7h4dGDtanio&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Marina & the Diamonds<br /><br /><object width="42" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AZa1ViT4Ihc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AZa1ViT4Ihc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />One Night OnlyRosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441098184109886394.post-50140704798221849812010-06-22T02:21:00.000-07:002010-06-22T03:05:58.053-07:00Five Things I Hate About Traveling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCIroXLolso23KZOaJ6oXfY4w7huvQ28kiosPn1HdhVLtEtENa6puUt6n4AaSsW3TV6TvyCqQJ-sTX_utTemOlSlORnJbyrVsanVat9f-ZXmd-VUAxV1LX8nHeDFA_VICj1Tgno9us5D/s1600/At_the_airport_II_by_Frenzyy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCIroXLolso23KZOaJ6oXfY4w7huvQ28kiosPn1HdhVLtEtENa6puUt6n4AaSsW3TV6TvyCqQJ-sTX_utTemOlSlORnJbyrVsanVat9f-ZXmd-VUAxV1LX8nHeDFA_VICj1Tgno9us5D/s400/At_the_airport_II_by_Frenzyy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485537064454693650" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I would definitely consider myself someone who has caught the travel bug. If I had the money, I would spend every free minute of my time exploring new and wonderful places. Traveling is something I've always loved to do and will continue to enjoy for quite some time. But even the most seasoned traveler can have a short patience when it comes to some of the little details...so here are my five least favorite things about one of my favorite things.<br /><br />1. Airports. I don't know if it's my recent "traumatic" experience with easyjet (two canceled flights, one for "personal reasons" the other for the volcano, both of which they did nothing about despite us being stranded in a foreign country and numerous late flights that severely messed up other plans. we got so upset with the traveling at one point we didn't go to berlin and came back a few days early. Long story, needless to say, I will never ever fly easyjet again. If I need a budget airline, I'll go Ryanair) or just the general stress and chaos that seems to surround people in airports, but I absolutely cannot stand them. That, and no matter how much I fly, I'm still a little afraid of it. Any of that dropping up and down kind of turbulence and I will be clutching the person's hand next to mine so hard they won't be able to feel their fingers.<br /><br />2. Packing. When I was younger, I loved packing. I would start packing a week before going on even the smallest trips because, to me, it was a sign that something new and exciting was happening. But now it has just become a chore. You'd think with the amount I need to pack and unpack I would be good at it, but no. I either way way overpack and end up only wearing a third of the clothes I bring or try and "pack light" and end up forgetting some key piece, like tights in the middle of winter.<br /><br />3. Weather. When you're at home, bad weather really isn't that big a deal. Despite the constant moanings of many people when it rains, it really isn't a big deal to me. I just don't get it, I mean you can basically do everything you normally do when the weather sucks? Unless you were planning on walking around lots or having a picnic...things that most people only do when they're, you know, only holiday? But I digress, the fact that enjoyment on holiday is so dependent on having good weather always bothers me. At home if I was planning a picnic one weekend and it rained for three days straight, I would just go to the movies and have a picnic the next weekend...but when you're away you don't have that luxury...and the weather can put a serious damper on the whole trip.<br /><br />4. Not speaking the language. Until I traveled this summer, I actually can't recall ever being somewhere I didn't speak a single word of the language. Of course when I was younger I went places in Asia I couldn't speak the language, but I always had parents or friends to do interpreting and would always learn a few key phrases and words to get by on. But this summer, we went to five countries in the space of five weeks and the "key phrases" just didn't stick in my head. That and the fact that I left my Greece guide book at home didn't really help matters. Needless to say it led to some interesting situations, when my hand gestures just didn't quite cut it...and I always feel like such an idiot when I can't speak the language (although I know I shouldn't, since no one can be expected to speak them all). It is pretty cool though when two people start going through the languages they know in an attempt to find a lingua franca...which is how I ended up conversing with an Italian in French.<br /><br />5. Er actually that's about it, I pretty much love everything else about traveling. I probably could find some other things to complain about but I feel like that list is sufficient as I don't want to put anyone off traveling!!<br /><br /><br /></span>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13197868765531793609noreply@blogger.com3