Taking Stock

I found this idea on Aisling's blog and thought it would be a great idea to borrow for the beginning of the month when I'm feeling a bit scatterbrained and trying to get myself on track, but also as a great way to chill out and just think about now rather than fretting about tomorrow and the next day!

• Making: I have this idea to start a project life album. All my supplies are currently in a draw, I might get round to that one day.
• Cooking: Aha I feel sick cooking is not a good idea right now! But I'm thinking healthy dinner later ;)
• Drinking: Assam tea Twining's <3
• Reading: The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle (ibooks).
• Wanting: Time to do everything; to update here more, take some photos, do Uni notes, finish a chapter I'm writing; get myself organised!
• Looking: Out the window - it's grey I love bad weather and my boyfriend just got a fire going!
• Playing: The Last of Us online, I'm an addict :)
• Wasting: The day! I should be doing something more beneficial than trying to blog.
• Wishing: I had a month off just to sort my brain out; but when I do have time off I hate it.
• Enjoying: I've been reading so much more lately and it has really rekindled my love of a good book. I waste so much time on the internet and staring at screens, it makes a great change to want to read and to be looking forward to the next story.
• Waiting: I have a book-buying addiction so waiting for a bunch of old books I bought from ebay to arrive.
• Liking: This sort of lazy contentment with ignoring life.
• Wondering: If I will ever get myself organised!
• Loving: My boyfriend and our fur-baby! That I am so lucky; I can sit here and type and have no major stresses at the moment (Uni is just sort of a given constant). I've been feeling very blessed recently with the life I have. 
• Hoping: That one day I will feel like an adult!
• Needing: Lots of sleep!
• Smelling: My J'adore perfume a birthday present I tidied away and forgot about until just now!
• Wearing: Primarni - Lovely rose top I just bought great duvet-day clothes!
• Following: A bunch of beauty blogs and IGs and ugh I could drown in this stuff!
• Knowing: I'm somewhat apathetic about this whole blogging thing even though I really love sharing stuff so I hope I can keep it going and thing of more things to write about!
• Feeling: Very tired, but a nice kind of tired where you're almost serene because you could go to bed if you wanted.
• Feeling: A little bit ill, but that's ok. I've got a whole day to lay around, tidy my room and perhaps take some photos :)

I think this was good for me to fill out - it has made me anxious to get on with my day and do something even if it is only tidying up a few odds and ends.

-Hannah

    

2014 Reading Challenge: January

Well I wanted to wait until the end of January to see if my new-years resolutions actually panned out - and whilst my writing has hit a wall (I challenged myself to write 500 words a day - hah!) I am actually on top of my Goodreads 2014 challenge to read 50 books this year! I'm a total bibliophile, but sometimes it's hard to get myself to make time to sit down and read when there's well, the internet. I've noticed I am so much better at keeping track of things when I have some kind of public/online record so I actually got my act in gear on Jan 1st and started reading.

Here are my January books!

Airframe by Michael Crichton

I am a massive Crichton fan - how could I not be? I wanted to be a palaeontologist or hacker or hacker-palaentologist for most of my childhood because of him. I love the consistency in his stories; the attention to detail, awesome characters, believability and style. His stories are always well paced, like you're 'watching' the book which is always good for a thriller. Being an Aircrash Investigation fan this book was perfect for me, and most importantly it has corporate espionage and an awesome straight-talking female lead. Fast-paced and definitely worth a read - just not when you're flying!





Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

To be honest I haven't really got on with Austen since I was 13; whilst I appreciate her style and wit as a nice way to relax this story never really got me into it. Maybe because it never gets going. They don't get to the Abbey until 70 pages from the end of the book! But it still has some of my favourite Austen quotes and I find Charlotte to be a really lovely character. Entertaining and light, but don't expect any amazing twists.






The Trial by Franz Kafka

To be honest if I had known what this book was like before I picked it up I might have been more apprehensive about reading it. That is not to be negative because the story most certainly had an impact on me, but it takes a while to get into and sadly is unfinished so leaves one feeling a little lost. My copy also seemed to neglect paragraphs, but perhaps that is the style it is written in anyway! The story follows K who is convicted of a crime which he has no knowledge; as a law student this was an interesting commentary on human rights, but the story has so much more substance than that! Really feel like this challenged my comfort zone when it comes to books and enjoyed every minute of it.



The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim

Another book which I chose to broaden my mind and challenge myself. Ironically good to read after Kafka, though unintentional as it follows a similar fantastical style of story telling. The book is a collection of short stories centring on the recent history of Iraq and the torments suffered by its citizens and refugees. It will make you think.

Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I certainly did! My family went to a restaurant this year for Christmas dinner which I found rather odd because I am one of those strange people who actually prefers to stay in her PJs all day, but it was an experience. I cooked on Boxing Day so it's not that we missed out on the left-overs! Even if it was a little abnormal and the house seems a little empty I have still had a wonderful Christmas and plan to carry on celebrating until I have to actually focus on Uni work again. Cheers!