Five Things (6)

Posted in Thoughts by

Five things come trotting across your interwebs …

— Thing One —

I was invited to an imprint launch, in April, for Harlequin Teen; it was excellent! A full report is posted on my Book Blog, and I’m glad I bumped into a few people I already knew as well as getting the chance to meet new people. This event actually caused me to think a bit more about networking. While I think I’m generally social, my shyness often leads me towards passive interactions with new people at events. Something like a book event, where I don’t necessarily know a bunch of people personally, is pretty tough because it means I have to open up and talk to others; on the other hand it’s easy to talk about books, so I didn’t feel completely pressured. However, something did catch my attention while at this event. I gained a lot of business cards, but only contacted two people, my reason being, these people actually took time to talk to me. I’m not sure what is the best tactic for networking, but personally, I feel more inclined to connect to someone if they take the time to talk to me and ask a few questions about me before moving on to the next person.

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— Thing Two —

I’m not generally spontaneous, I’m a planner at heart. I like schedules, calendars, lists and that sort of thing. However, every now and then I just feel like doing something different and a spontaneous side takes over. I love having friends and family that are also into spontaneous hangings; whether it be dinner or movies or just geeky events! I found three amazing eating places from spontaneous hangings in April. The first was Ryan Maguire’s Ale House in the financial district – which was only a mile walk from my office – they have the most delicious Grilled Salmon! Next were lunch places in SoHo, there was Great Jones Cafe, I had the chili, it was wonderful and then Ceci Cela whose Salmon Quiche was stupendous! I loved Ceci-Cela’s decor, I can picture myself going there for a tea break during the summer, sitting in the back with tea and a petite madeline while reading a book! So excited 🙂

— Thing Three —

There are people still cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy and we don’t necessarily hear about it because the media has moved on. I was fortunate to notice a Facebook post about a volunteer opportunity and since I was free that Saturday, I decided to go to Far Rockaway to volunteer with some New Lifers and Starbucks (that’s right, Starbucks!!). It was a very long day, and I was with the gardening group. At the end of three hours we cleaned up the garden and the plot and planted some herbs and veggies. It was a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it!

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— Thing Four —

I went to a networking event for work where I got a chance to be a part of a wine class that was taught by Kevin Zraly – owner and instructor of Windows on the World Wine School. It was more fun that I could imagine! I love learning new things and I definitely learnt much more than I’ve ever known about wine!

— Thing Five —

The first pedicure of the year, what an excellent feeling! The last Saturday in April was a bit of a girls day! J and I got our nails done, then took my sister to the mall where she got a chance to look at some prom dresses. The day ended with burger from Bobby’s Burger Place and some family time. Pretty much a perfect Saturday.

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Things I learned about gardening online

Posted in Gardening by

shanella_gardening

SO I volunteered at a community garden, now my dad wants me to plant a garden at home. *ahem* Tomorrow is gardening day so I’ve turned to my best friend, Google, for help! Here are some things that I’ve learnt! 

Some flowers that grow well in direct sunshine:

Russian Sage Plant: Blooms from late spring to early summer. Keep in average fertile soil. To make it look fancy, surround with gravel as opposed to mulch.

Lavender: Smells delicious! Purchase plants since they take a while to germinate.

Sedum: very forgiving, perfect for me! Look for ones that will work in zone 7.

Verbena: Plant after the frost, 12 to 18 inches between the plants with no mulch surrounding them.

Dianthus: Cheddar pinks and clove pinks are perennials.

Herbs and Vegetables:

Grow Tomatoes and Basil together (10 inches apart) to increase the yield of the tomates! Perhaps they can grow in pot to avoid being placed in the ground.

Grow Lettuce with mint, rosemary, sage  and dill to repel the slugs and bugs. *eww*. Look for Cos (romaine), it  should be planted 8 inches apart. Perhaps grow with pole Green Beans to help shade the lettuce, grow beans away from tomatoes.

Grow Eggplants with mint! Needs rich soil and must be planted 24 to 36 inches apart.

We’ll see how this garden progresses! 

Five Things (5)

Posted in Thoughts by

This version of FIVE THINGS is brought to you by Relient K’s Wake Up Call, because it’s 2am.

— Thing One —

I love Easter for a number of reasons, first there is the fact that it’s the day Christians remember, not only the sacrifice and suffering of Christ, but also the fact that he rose from the grave, victorious, conquering death. Secondly, I love that I get to spend it with friends and family. The planner in me also loves seeing plans come together and people having a good time. I’m very happy to be a part of my community of friends, they really are a group of fun and interesting people!

— Thing Two —

I don’t usually get to hang out with many of my cousins as much as I would like to, but the times we do hang out are always lovely. I am glad I got the chance to enjoy dinner and  a movie with D&A – even if the movie was Temptation, and even though Kim was the best actress in that entire flick. I love the openness, candid talks and crazy laughter that we experience together. I love getting to know them and see them grow into who they are and I enjoy our differences and similarities. Family is awesome.

— Thing Three —

“Turn up the car radio we can be karaoke superstars!” You know that moment when you chose a song from Wicked to sing at karaoke, and someone else in the room knows the song so you don’t have to sing both parts by yourself. And then you decide to do What is this Feeling? because you’ve always wanted to do it at karaoke but couldn’t because no one else knew the song? Yeah, that feeling is awesome.

I love karaoke! I especially love it when you have the right crowd to belt out show tunes and old tunes, it makes for an epic night. 🙂

— Thing Four —

Brunch at Sarabeth’s is, quite frankly, amazing! Breakfast is probably my favourite food to consume, and Sarabeth’s (even though the wait was crazy!) serves some really good breakfast! I spent a Saturday there with my college friends, celebrating an upcoming birth – it was a lovely time! Great company, great conversation and fun all around. I like being able to hang out with my college friends and share in the milestones of their lives. I hope this lasts for a very long time. =)

sarabeths

— Thing Five —

Since I’m the only one “out east”, I often go “west” to see my friends, but when they make it out this way I can’t help but feel loved! Thanks to my friend who drove out to have dinner and coffee with me as we chatted about serious and not so serious things. I really appreciated the time and really enjoyed the conversation. And let’s not forget good coffee at quaint  coffee-shops. Who knew my neighbourhood hid such an awesome gem …

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A Lesson in Trust

Posted in Religious Musings, Thoughts by

My dad sometimes tells a story of a time when I was younger. We were at my uncle’s auto shop and there was a gate standing in the yard. It wasn’t attached to anything, it was heavy, made of metal and able to stand on its own. My dad was on one side while I was on the other side playing.

Dad saw the gate start to tilt towards me and the only thing he could do was yell at me to run! He said that I followed his command to run just in time since moments later the gate fell. I came out unscathed because I heard my father’s command and executed it, because I trusted him without doubt.

When I was a little older, I was waiting on a bus to take me home from school. As I stood at the corner I felt the need to move away from where I was standing (near the edge of the sidewalk) to a place closer to the buildings. Just as I moved my position, a truck carrying glass bottles came around the corner and one of the cases with the glass bottles fell off, breaking and flying all over the area that I vacated just seconds ago.

Sometimes I wonder about myself now. Would I have reacted the same way? When I ask God, “Why?” am I asking because I want to know, or because I can’t trust? I wonder if my want to know everything is due to the fact that I don’t fully believe Romans 8:28?

Thoughts to ponder.

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