Jane Austen This or That

Hey friends! 

Some days I just feel like doing a lazy little tag post, and today is one of those days. ;) So I present to you a lovely little Jane Austen This or That created by Cordy. 

1) Who is a cuter couple? Emma and Mr. Knightly or Jane and Mr. Bingley?

I'm quite sure Mr. Bingley and Jane win the cuteness award! 

See?! CUTE!
via Pinterest

2) You must go to tea with Mrs. Jennings or Mrs. Bennet. Who would you rather go with?

*shudders to think I'd have to dine with either* Probably Mrs. Bennet. She would simply talk about herself and her problems (and her daughters' prospects) but Mrs. Jennings would just embarrass and tease me mercilessly in a she-thinks-it's-funny-but-I-would-say-otherwise kind of way.

3) Dance with Edward Ferrars or Charles Bingley?

Charles Bingley. Just seeing his goofy, grinning face would keep me entertained the whole dance. xD I would prefer that to any awkward stammer of Edward's. 

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4) Who would you rather have as a big sister? Jane Bennet or Elinor Dashwood?

Ohh, that's so hard. I'd love both, but I think I would go with Elinor. Her qualities of practicality, logical advice and a genuine caring attitude would be highly valued. :) <3 Marianne didn't know what a gem of a sister she had.

5) Worst villain? Wickham or Willoughby?

Yick to both, but I would say I tend to get angrier at Willoughby. When Elinor receives him in a cold manner I can't help rallying behind her and thinking, "That's right, Elinor! You tell him! Slap him - slap him HARD." :P

6) Take a walk with Mrs. Weston or Mrs. Gardiner? (Mrs. Weston is Emma's old governess and Mrs. Gardiner is Elizabeth's aunt.)

Ohh, Mrs. Weston for sure! She always seemed like such a fun companion to me - quite wise and mature, but also able to have a lark and be a little mischievous too. :D

7) Mr. Darcy or Mr. Knightley?

Mr. Knightley all the way! I still don't get why people are so attracted to Mr. Darcy - he rubs me the wrong way. :P (Oh OK fine, he's much nicer by the end, but he's still not a big ball of fun either.) I'm not sure I'd actually marry Mr. Knightley but I appreciate him much more, and love his role as a big brother in Emma's life, before their romance began.

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And there ends the little bit of period drama delight for the day. Maybe it'll inspire you to pull out one of your favourite Jane Austen stories. ;)

Sunshine Blogger Award (Again :))

Hey friends!

I was tagged by Hamlette with the Sunshine Blogger Award way back in... *checks date* Oh, goodness... *hides in shame*... January?

And then, (decidedly more recently), Olivia also tagged me with the same award back in September (which makes me feel a little better about myself?). Today seems like a perfectly good day to participate in the tag, for two reasons:

1. It is a rainy day outside, and I need some sunshine in my life.
2. I have a head cold and feel rather miserable, so any distraction at present is welcome. (I'm quite literally the picture of Kathleen Kelly in the end scenes of "You've Got Mail" where she's all nasal-sounding and surrounded by tissues.)

Ze Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

3. Nominate 11 new bloggers the award and write them 11 new questions.

4. List the award rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award Logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Without further ado, I present to you my answers! First up, is Hamlette's questions:

1. Fantasy or sci-fi?

I tend to be quite "choosy" with both, but fantasy definitely surpasses sci-fi. (The imaginative worlds in fantasy are so much more aesthetically pleasing, you know.)

2. Tragedy or comedy?

Oohh, that's a difficult one because I appreciate both. And both really have to be well-done. But I do believe I prefer a good comedy - I can enjoy many more of them, and at this stage in my life, I much prefer uplifting content.

3. Fiction or nonfiction?

This is one of those things that I swear changes based on what season of life I'm in at the moment. Currently, I'm very much enjoying fiction and losing myself in worlds outside that of my own. (I'm re-reading "Pride and Prejudice" at the moment, and ahh, I love it so much. <3)

4. Snow or rain?

That's hard! I've never even seen snow, so I feel very tempted to pick that! However, I hear it's not very pleasant in a practical sense, with driving, the aftermath and whatnot. So, I think I will have to pick rain, as I do enjoy both the tranquility and chaos it brings.

the aesthetic of a rainy day brought to you by Pinterest

5. Orange juice or apple juice?

Oh, by far apple juice! Unless the orange has mango or passionfruit in it, then it wins. But if just straight, it's rather too acidic for my liking. Especially the one with the pulp. *shivers*

6. Christmas or Easter?

For the celebration side of things, Christmas by far. I love the coziness and excitement and good wishes at that time of year. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't started the Christmas music already.

7. Middle-earth or Narnia?

Middle-earth, I think. There seems to be more to discover and explore there, and more cultures to experience. Narnia was more my childhood dream destination. ;)

just leaving these cuties here

8. Marvel or DC?

Ugh, do I have to pick either? Fine; DC, expressly because Batman (the Christian Bale Batman, I might add) exists. But I could live perfectly happily if neither existed. :P

9. Star Wars or Star Trek?

I've never seen Star Trek, nor do I have a great deal of interest in doing so. I do enjoy Star Wars, although I certainly have to be in *the mood*. (I feel as though my tastes are a lot more mood-related now than they ever used to be. Oh dear.) Star Wars it is.

10. Old movies or new movies?

In general, new movies. I appreciate the acting styles in more modern movies, and I also enjoy the cinematography much more, as well. Old movies have their charm, though, and I'm definitely not a snob about it. ;)

11. Old books or new books?

OLD BOOKS! I enjoy some new books, but old classics have my heart. I love the idea that so many other people have enjoyed the book before me, and loved the characters as much as I. I'm sentimental like that, I guess.

And now onto Olivia's questions! :) 

1. Summer or winter?

With beach days, sunshine, summer storms and blue skies, ice cream dates, school holidays, cute summery dresses, and watermelon... is that even a question? ;)

Does this not scream summer?

2. Spring or autumn?

Spring!! I'm as wild about spring as I am about summer, and still can't make up my mind which out of the two I prefer.

3. Desert or tundra?

Ehh, how about a relaxing beach? No? Well, I'll pick the tundra then, for the sake of variation.

4. City or country?

I have learned to appreciate both, but the country has my heart. <3 I can breathe more deeply there.

5. Neutrals or pastels?

Ohh, pastels! I love me some cute pastels. Especially ones with summery/spring vibes. ;) 

I mean, don't pictures like this just give you a thrill?!

6. Solids or patterns?

Hmm, depends what for... I like the traditional spots and stripes, but I don't go for really complex patterns. I like simple. So if it's more sophisticated than spots or stripes, I'll go with solids, haha.

7. Film or television?

Film, although when it's an average "just-got-home-from-work-and-don't-have-the-energy-for-a-2-hour-movie" day, I'm guilty of sitting down and watching some television with the family. I like the real-life medical shows, specifically "Ambulance" or "Paramedics". And I do have a soft spot for "The Voice", no matter how staged things are.

8. Fiction or non-fiction?

See my answer above to Hamlette's same question.

9. Action or musical?

Ahh, don't do that to my heart! xD In general, MUSICALS all the way! But if it's a film, I do enjoy a good action movie, if it has a backbone of a plot to it. Recently, I'm beginning to realize how much more I appreciate musicals live as opposed to filmed or stage versions. (Guys, live theatre is just so underrated! Seriously! If you haven't seen a live show, go find one playing near you with a story you might like and GO SEE IT! And then tell me all about it so we can squeal together. :D)

Look! Here is proof that theatre is magical!

10. Romance or fantasy?

Ooohh, that's hard. Maybe romance? But if it's a romance, it has to have some sort of story going for it as well, not simply Henry + Sally = Henry & Sally. You know?

11. Blog or Instagram?

*cough* It's seems rather cutthroat to acknowledge this on my own blog, but I must admit, Instagram has definitely been more convenient of late. When you only have a few minutes to kill, it's way easier to pull it up on your phone than log into blogger and read a lengthy blog post. Still, I do love to read my friends' writing, and I get excited when people write long captions to their Instagram photos, so maybe I'm just obliging my lazy side? 

because is a post complete without
 a picture of flowers?

So now that I feel so bad about my delayed response to these tags, I'm going to droop my head and waddle out. If anyone wants to steal these questions or consider themselves tagged, by all means go ahead! For the sake of conversation, tell me, is it raining or sunny where you are at the moment? And what are your thoughts on social media? Is blogging better than Instagram? And have you started listening to Christmas music yet?!

Life Update Ft. Hydro Classes & Saying No

 Hello dear friends!

It has been a shamefully long time. I will be the first to admit I have neglected my poor little blog, and my dear blogger friends. I have sorely neglected reading all your marvelous posts that I know are still being published. I promise it is not for lack of interest that I refrain from reading them. Quite honestly, it is such a difficult choice to determine whether one uses their precious 15 minutes for whipping up a speedy blog post that details one's absence from the literary world, or to catch up on as many of my friends' endless amounts of posts that have been compiling. I decided, for today at least, to do the former, as I couldn't possibly get around to all my friends, and this will at least reach as many of them as will take the time to read it. 

So! Where have I been? What's been happening? Am I in another play? Have I thrown out my laptop or given up blogging? (For the latter, a clue: no.)

via Pinterest

I'm not sure if the answer will disappoint or excite you. There is, in fact, no one particular answer. Work is perhaps the one word that covers up a multitude of the time that has elapsed. I still continue to work at my two jobs, putting in roughly 40 hours a week. I continue to do my tap dancing lessons and singing lessons, and daydream about getting on stage again. 

Which leads me to saying that no, I am not in another show as of right now. Indeed, I have but auditioned for one small part since the ending of Anne of Green Gables, which did not amount to anything. There have been several casting calls come and go, but none that called my name. I have decided that, despite my passion for theatre, it is not so important that I will sacrifice what I consider to be a good show, good morals and a good message for another opportunity just to feel the spotlight on my face again. That may seem rather obvious, but believe me, it can be hard. When you are truly craving to tell a story onstage, it's very difficult to see an opportunity, and choose to pass it up, not knowing when the next one will come your way. But, prayer and patience have led me to where I am. I believe if we are faithful in what God calls us to do, He will be faithful in making a way for us. I have seen Him do it time and time again. 

via Pinterest

Saying no, in general, has always been difficult for me. It's the hardest two letters I ever have to say. And I rarely say it, much to my disadvantage. An opportunity? Yes! A new friend? Yes! A new challenge? Yes! 

But I completely ignore the fact that, in saying yes to something, you automatically say no to something else. And you don't even realize it, sometimes. But in saying yes to that extra social event, I'm saying no to more time with family. Or, in saying yes to working back late, I am saying no to getting any time for reading that day. (Or week... or month. 😭) I swear I re-prioritize my life basically every other week. And I'm not proud about it.

One thing I have said yes to, however, is hydro classes. Yes, those "do-a-workout-in-a-pool-with-a-group-of-strangers" situations. (I know, I can't believe it either.) But, you see, my justification was that it is now coming closer to summer, the weather is already heating up, and I'm getting sick of strength workouts & pilates. So, I decided, I would mix up my fitness routine (also creating more motivation) by taking up swimming 2-3 times a week at my local pool (that's roughly a 6 minute drive from my house). I signed up for a 3 month pass, thinking I would finally become a stronger swimmer and get a total body workout each time. Little did I know that my pass also encompassed access to a gym, and 7 or so other pools around my area, AND hydro classes/gym classes. (To be honest, I'm probably going to skip the gym, because I prefer to do that at home, by myself.) 

So, I walked into my local pool's office the other week, half wanting to run back out and drive home because I felt so stupid and scared, and half wanting to run into the bathrooms and hide till it was over. But I jumped into the pool, right as they were about to start their aqua kickboxing class. Nervously, I scooted my way over to that side of the pool, and was silently but smilingly welcomed into the group. And I haven't left since. ;) The classes are short but pack a lot in, and I can do it around my work hours (most of the time), which makes it convenient. And the sun is setting right around when we wrap up, and I have discovered that a sunset swim after a stressful day at work is just what the doctor orders. (And believe me, it would be way less desirable if the pool wasn't heated - but thankfully, it is.) 

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So there you go; I highly recommend you try a hydro class if you've always been wanting to, and I also encourage you to practice mindfulness when you say yes to something, and when you say no. 

I could go on and on about some of the crazy good shows I've been able to see the past couple months, or how much music I've been practicing, or how I went wakeboarding/tow-surfing for the first time... but we'll leave that for later. ;) I'm sorry it's been so long, and I'd like to make blogging something I can do more than once every 3 months! But till next time, take care of yourselves and find something to smile about today! :) <3