What colours would your wedding be/was your wedding? My bridesmaids wore grey and the groomsmen had grey ties and they wore grey yarmulkes but the venue was decorated with daisies, lots and lots of daisies in every colour, and every type of daisy, regular house daisies to Barberton daisies.
Scrubs or Greys Anatomy? I have to choose?? I suppose Scrubs but Greys comes in a close 2nd!
Do you pick your battles?Or do you fight for everything you disagree with? Or do you let it all go? I tend to fight, its knee-jerk. I do try to pick my battles but Im a Leo, hotheaded and impulsive.
Bar One or Whole Nut? Bar One
Where is your favourite holiday destination? Drakensburg. Love the peace and solitude of the mountains.
High School Musical or Cinderella? Cinderella
You are buying a new house what is the one thing the house must have? A modern kitchen with a place for a kitchen table to eat around, also a rumpus room for the kids to go wild in.
Spring or autumn? Spring
Have you every skinny dipped before? Yup, was so much fun, almost got kicked off the kibbutz for it!
Yoga or Kata Box? Yoga
If you had to study what would you study? I always wanted to be an archeologist, if I had the time and the money I would go back and study.
This weeks challenge from Female2Female is a to post a picture of friendship.
Im often the one behind the camera and in fact am very camera shy.
The photo I picked is from my wedding, its Paul and me and our retinue just after the ceremony , the retinue was made up of friends and family and the funny thing is the ‘family’ are also friends and the ‘friends’ are also family, thats the only way I would have it.
I found this on Meli’s blog and thought I would give it a go…
The idea is to look at this list of 99 things you could have done, and bold the ones that you actually have done!
1.) Started your own blog 2.) Slept under the stars
3.) Played in a band
4.) Visited Hawaii
5.) Watched a meteor shower 6.) Given more than you can afford to charity
7.) Been to DisneyWorld 8.) Climbed a mountain
9.) Held a praying mantis
10.) Sang a solo
11.) Bunjee jumped
12.) Visited Paris 13.) Watched a lightning storm 14.) Taught yourself an art from scratch
15.) Adopted a child
16.) Had food poisoning
17.) Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18.) Grown your own veggies
19.) Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre 20.) Slept on an overnight train 21.) Had a pillowfight
22.) Hitch hiked 23.) Taken a sick day when you’re not sick
24.) Made a snow fort 25.) Held a lamb
26.) Ran a marathon 27.) Went skinny dipping
28.) Rode in a gondola in Venice 29.) Witnessed total eclipse 30.) Seen a sunrise or sunset
31.) Hit a home run
32.) Been on a cruise
33.) Seen Niagara Falls in person 34.) Visited the birthplace/home of your ancestors
35.) Seen an Amish country
36.) Taught yourself a new language
37.) Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38.) Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39.) Gone rock climbing
40.) Seen Michelangelo’s David in person 41.) Sung karaoke
42.) Seen Old Faithful erupt
43.) Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44.) Visited Africa 45.) Walked on a beach by moonlight
46.) Taken a ride in an ambulance
47.) Had your portrait painted
48.) Gone deep sea fishing
49.) Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower
50.) Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 51.) kissed in the rain 52.) played in the mud 53.) Gone to a drive-in theater
54.) Been in a movie
55.) visited the Great Wall of China
56.) Started a business
57.) Taken a martial arts class
58.) visited Russia
59.) worked at a soup kitchen
60.) sold Girl Scout cookies
61.) gone whale watching 62.) gotten flowers for no reason
63.) donated blood, platelets, or plasma
64.) Gone sky diving
65.) Visited Nazi concentration camp
66.) Bounced a check
67.) Flown in a helicopter
68.) Saved a childhood toy
69.) visited the Lincoln Memorial 70.) eaten caviar
71.) pieced a quilt
72.) stood in Times Square
73.) toured the Everglades 74.) been fired from a job
75.) seen the changing of the guards in London 76.) Broken a bone
77.) Been a passenger on a motorcycle
78.) seen the Grand Canyon in person
79.) Published a book
80.) Visited the Vatican 81.) bought a brand new car 82.) visited Jerusalem 83.) had your picture in the paper
84.) Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
85.) visited the White House
86.) Killed and prepared an animal for eating 87.) Had chickenpox
88.) Saved someone’s life
89.) Sat on a jury 90.) met someone famous
91.) joined a book club 92.) got a tattoo 93.) had a baby
94.) Seen the Alamo in person
95.) Swam in the Great Salt Lake 96.) Been involved in a law suit 97.) owned a cell phone 98.) Been stung by a bee
99.) Swam in the Black Sea
I found this meme on Wenchy’s blog and thought it is a great recap for the year…
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I left Paul and Aaron for 10 days while I traveled to Israel. I have never spent more than 1 night without Aaron and it is usually Paul that travels overseas while I stay at home. It was a great trip but I missed them something fierce, I don’t think I would like to travel without them again.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I try not to make resolutions as I tend to break them and then feel very disappointed with myself. As for 2010? I would like to be more adventurous, try more new things and push my boundaries a bit.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My best friend gave birth to the sweetest little boy!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank Gd no!
5. What countries did you visit?
Israel, I had been before but the last time was 10 years ago, what a difference 10 years makes, I am more in love with Israel than ever before!
At the wall
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A sister or brother for Aaron and for Paul’s business to do well enough that I can work a half day job.
7. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The first time Aaron said ‘love you mama’ while making the sign Paul and I use to say we love each other.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Representing SA and Jozi at the 2009 Wizo Aviv Seminar in Israel, also speaking about the experience to a room full of women when I came back.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not falling pregnant,
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A few rounds of gastro and one flu episode. I also had a laparoscopy a few days ago.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I didnt really buy anything big. I enjoyed spending money on things for Aaron, he gets such a kick out of ‘pwesssents‘ .
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I think my own, Im learning to stop and think before I let my temper get the better of me and say something I may regret.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Again, my own, I still have a lot of work to do on that temper management.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Necessities. Nappies for Aaron, need to potty train him in the new year! Medical aid and expenses, need to have a healthier year next year.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My best friends pregnancy and the birth of her baby.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling, it makes me smile and laugh and just generally happy!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Happier
Thinner or fatter? The same I think
Richer or poorer? Poorer in money, richer in love and friendships
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had spent more time playing with Aaron and just having silly fun with him.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastination! I wish I had just got off my butt and done what needed to be done instead of waisting time.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
To borrow a phrase coined by my friend Jared, we celebrated Jewmas by having a braai at my mom.
21. How will you be spending New Year?
At home having a braai with my brother in law and his girlfriend, my friend Ro and her husband and hopefully our friend Shirley will join us.
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, with my husband and my son, I cant stop falling in love with them, they are my world!
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Oh my, so many… CSI, Lie to Me, True Blood, V, Stargate Universe, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Supernatural… the list just goes on and on…
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is such a strong word. No, I dont hate anyone, I have an intense dislike for a few people but nothing new from last year.
26. What was the best book you read?
I read too many books to choose a best one.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No great discovery, although I re-discovered some classics.
28. What did you want and get?
A jungle gym for Aaron, thanks to a lot of family and friends who all chipped in for his birthday!
29. What did you want and not get?
To be pregnant.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Wow, so many good ones. I would have to say Avatar, everything about it appeals to me.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The big 30! I had a lamb spit with about 40 of my nearest and dearest. it was hectic and fun and wont be repeated until I hit 40!
After the party...
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to worry about money.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
A little more adventurous than before, I used more colour than ever before instead of the basics.
34. What kept you sane?
My happy meds. Seriously, without the Cipralex I think I would have been a mess.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Im not a very political person and tend to avoid politics as much as possible but Julius *opens his mouth and crap spews forth* Malema really got my goat!
37. Who did you miss?
My brother Matt, especially after seeing him in Israel and then coming home without him 🙁
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Oh my, so many. All the twitter and blog girls. I am so privileged to know you all and hope to meet many more of you in 2010!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
It doesn’t matter how much and how hard you want something, sometimes its just not going to happen. You need to find the solution and then have the patience to wait for it.
40. Quote that sums up your year.
“Go ahead, make my day” Harry Callahan, Sudden Impact (1983)
Sally posted a today about books and asked how many on the list we had read. So here is my list. the ones in bold are the ones I have read so far, the ones in red are the books I would like to read quite soon.
THE BORDERS 100 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIMES
1. Jane Austen – Pride & Prejudice
2. Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird
3. JRR Tolkien – Lord Of The Rings
4. Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper
5. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga
6. JK Rowling – Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
7. Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife
8. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief
9. George Orwell – 1984
10. Raymond E. Feist – Magician
11. Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns
12. Paullina Simons – Bronze Horsemen
13. Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram (never finished it, found it very boring but got just over halfway)
14. Margaret Mitchell – Gone With The Wind
15. Bryce Courtenay – Power of One
16. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code
17. Dan Brown – Angels & Demons
18. Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
19. Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre
20. Tim Winton – Cloud Street
21. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
22. Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights
23. Arthur Golden – Memoirs of Geisha
24. LM Montgomery – Anne Of Green Gables
25. Joseph Heller – Catch-22
26. Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat Pray Love
27. Niv Mass Market Bible With Bible Guide – International Bible Society Staff and International Bible Society
28. JRR Tolkien – The Hobbit
29. Yann Martel – Life of Pi
30. AB Facey – Fortunate Life
31. Douglas Adams – The Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
32. Lewis Carroll – Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
33. Diana Gabaldon – Cross Stich
34. Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance
35. David Pelzar – A Child Called It
36. Li Cunxin – Mao’s Last Dancer
37. John Marsden – Tomorrow, When The War Began
38. Frank McCourt – Angela’s Ashes
39. Frank Herbert – Dune
40. JD Salinger – A Catcher In The Rye
41. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby
42. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – One Hundred Years Of Solitude
43. Bryce Courtenay – April Fool’s Day
44. Ken Follet – Pillars Of The Earth
45. Patrick Suskind – Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer
46. Matthew Reilly – Ice Station
47. Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow Of The Wind
48. Stephen Hawking – A Brief History Of Time
49. Christopher Paolini – Eragon
50. Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
51. Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie
52. Jane Austen – Persuasion
53. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
54. Ian McEwan – Atonement
55. Leo Tolstory – Anna Karenina
56. George Orwell – Animal Farm
57. Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange
58. Antoine de Saint Exupéry – The Little Prince
59. Roald Dahl – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
60. CS Lewis – The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
61. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Love In The Time Of Cholera
62. Bill Bryson – A Short History Of Nearly Everything
63. Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime And Punishment
64. Anthony Bourke – Lion Called Christian
65. Arundhati Roy – The God Of Small Things
66. Paullina Simons – Tully
67. John Grisham – A Time To Kill
68. John Grogan – Marley & Me
69. Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy
70. Alexandre Dumas – Count Of Monte Cristo
71. Neil Gaiman – American Gods
72. Cormac McCarthy – The Road
73. Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
74. Brendan Shanahan – In Turkey I Am Beautiful: Between Chaos And Madness In A Strange Land
75. Tim Winton – Breath
76. Bryce Courtenay – Jessica
77. Graeme Base – Animalia
78. Donna Tartt – The Secret History
79. Mario Puzo – The Godfather
80. Anne Rice – Interview With The Vampire
81. Steig Larrson – The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo
82. Stephen King – Stand
83. Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary
84. Eckhart Tolle – New Earth
85. Matthew Reilly – Seven Ancient Wonders
86. Jung Chang – Wild Swans
87. Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook
88. Bret Easton Ellis – American Psycho
89. David Eddings – Belgariad Vol. 1: Pawn Of Prophecy; Queen Of Sorcery; Magician’s Gambit
90. Louis De Bernieres – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
91. Melina Marchetta – Looking For Alibrandi
92. Celia Ahern – PS I Love You
93. John Irving – A Prayer For Owen Meany
94. Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds
95. John Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy Of Dunces
96. Terry Pratchett – Good Omens
97. Hunter S. Thompson – Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
98. Joanne Harris – Chocolat
99. William Goldman – Princess Bride
100. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations
I have read 25 of the above… not sure Im too happy about that, definitely need to read more!
EXCLUSIVE BOOKS 101 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE
1.The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
2.The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
3. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
5. The Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
6. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
7. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
8. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
9. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
10. The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
11. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
12. Spud – John van de Ruit
13. The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
14. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
15. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
16. Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
17. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
18. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
19. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
20. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
21. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
22. Disgrace – J. M. Coetzee
23. My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
24. The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
25. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
26. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
27. Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
28. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
29. Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
30. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
32. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon
33. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
34. Atonement – Ian McEwan
35. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
36. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
37. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
38. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
39. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
40. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
41. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
42. I Know This Much is True – Wally Lamb
43. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
44. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
45. War And Peace – Leo Tolstoy
46. Clan of the Cave Bear – Jean M. Auel
47. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
48. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
49. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
50. Possession – A. S. Byatt
51. Perfume – Patrick Suskind
52. The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende
53. Chocolat – Joanne Harris
54. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
55. Q & A – Vikas Swarup
56. Dune – Frank Herbert
57. Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
58. Fugitive Pieces – Anne Michaels
59. River God – Wilbur Smith
60. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
61. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
62. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
63. Mort – Terry Pratchett
64. Crime and Punishment – Feodor Dostoyevsky
65. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
66. East of Eden – John Steinbeck
67. The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco ( reading at the moment)
68. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
69. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
70. The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy
71. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
72. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
73. The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx
74. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
75. Animal Farm – George Orwell
76. The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
77. Watership Down – Richard Adams
78. Magician – Raymond E Feist
79. Middlemarch – George Eliot
80. The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth
81. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
82. The Magus – John Fowles
83.The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Agaat – Marlene van Niekerk
85. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
86. The Shell Seekers – Rosamunde Pilcher
87. The Colour Purple – Alice Walker
88. The Beach House – James Patterson
89. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
90. Kringe in ‘n Bos – Dalene Matthee
91. The World according to Garp – John Irving
92. Northen Lights – Phillip Pullman
93. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
94. Shades – Marguerite Poland
95. Kane and Abel – Jeffrey Archer
96. Fiela se kind – Dalene Matthee
97. Story of an African Farm – Olive Schreiner
98. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
99. The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
100. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
101. Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne
29 from this list, better but still not great.
I am an avid reader, I enjoy losing myself in the world created by the writer. I can read an average sized novel in a weekend if I am enjoying it.
I must admit that lately I feel that I dont have the time to read. Perhaps I should read a chapter or two in bed instead of playing backgammon or Bejeweled on my iPod…
