Book Review and Book List for 2012!

Since work has slowed down and most of my things are packed and ready for Cancun, I have run into a lot of free time. I decided while I am waiting to leave to Cancun (9 more days!), I would read one of my new books. I noticed that a few other of my blogger friends are book worms, so I thought I would share my latest read with you all, and then tell you some of the books I am looking forwarded to reading to this year, and finally some books I recommend! Clearly, I am a little bored, hehe.


*Just so you know before you continue reading.. *Now for the past three and a half years, most of my reading has been about really serious, in depth reviews of psychological disorders, and the brain (Parts and how we function) So when I read, I like to read something light and spunky! Something that brings a smile to my face and doesn't make my brain hurt after 90 pages of it. So This blog is mostly about chick-lit, sorry if this isn't your favourite genre, but I love it for Mexico.. So here goes nothing!

Last Night, I finished the book Remember Me by Sophia Kinsella 

This is the Canadian Edition, I think the American and British is different

Anywho, I enjoyed this book in general. It is a story about a girls who suffers from amnesia and can't remember anything about the last three years of her life! It is a very light and funny read, I would suggest it if you are into chick lit, or just wanting something light and fluffy. Sophia Kinsella is a great writer and she really captures the mood in this book. I think a good author leaves you wanting more, and every time I read one of her books, I want another! I am happy I took the time to read this book,it was a little predicatable, but what chick-lit isn't?! I am happy to recommend this book to anyone!

Last time I was in Cancun, I ran into a problem with boredom. Yes, most of my time was filled with the gym, outings, family events,movies.. but I was still bored, I needed that 'me' time. I made the mistake of only bringing one book, and really regretted it. This time around, I was determined to learn from my mistakes, I researched and found a bunch of books that I would be interested in while in Mexico.

Here's a few books that I will be reading this year: 

Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me: A Guide to Living with Impeccable Grace and Style, By: Lucia Van Der Post

The Shopaholic Collection, By: Sophia Kinsella

The Undomestic Goddess, By: Sophia Kinsella

Lucky, By: Alice Sebold 

In Her Shoes, Jennifer Weiner
 
So Far these are all the books I will be bringing to Mexico with me! It is defiantly not enough, if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to leave a comment :)


To end this blog, I have decided to leave you with a list of all my time favourite chick-lit books!

Something Borrowed

Something Blue

Baby Proof

Love The One You're With

Heart of the Matter

All by my favourite author, Emily Giffin! 


And Finally,


Twenties Girl, By Sophia Kinsella

Hope you enjoyed!!! 


xoxo


Milena

P.S If you love to read, but don't want it to break your bank account, try the second hand store! I buy all my books there, unless it's a new book that I am dying to read and you can usually get new books for very cheap. I went a few days ago and got two books retail value $40.00 for 3 dollars! Awesome.

The New Year is Fast Approaching and..

It's time I made my New Years Resolutions list! Yes, I know it's a tad corny, but just roll with me. I have been doing some thinking over the past few days about my new year resolutions from last year and how I did with them. My major goal last year was to get into shape, and I am happy to say I followed through with that. Working out has made me more confident, less anxious, and less stressed in general which is what I wanted for myself. Since last years resolutions went well,and since I will be spending a majority of my time in Mexico this year, I have been thinking and asking myself what I would like to do this year and what would make me a better person. As something fun for my blog, I have decided to write a list and throughout the year I will make plans to accomplish my goal and will then write about it for all of you!

So without further a due,

My New Years Resolution list and set of goals for 2012!

• Try and see the more positive side of things and work on being in control of my own happiness
• Figure out what steps are needed to specialize my degree and work on how I can get to that goal
• Adopt an animal from a shelter in Mexico.
• Give back to the community 
• Get Lenin his Permanent Residence.
• Become fluent in Spanish. (I'm almost there on this one, but spanglish is not going to cut it anymore!)
• Visit Europe, specifically Italy and Spain. (For my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, they have decided to renew their vows in their hometown in Italy which we will be attending!)
• Visit Montreal, Canada
• Visit Merida, Mexico
• Visit Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Now will all of these happen? I'd like to hope so, but who knows. If you don't try, than you never know, right?! What are your new years resolution lists? I would love to hear them!

Happy Almost New Years Everyone!!!

xoxo

Milena

First Christmas in Canada

As I mentioned earlier in my blog, this Christmas would be the first for us in Canada and one of the two major holidays left before we went to Cancun. It was really nice Christmas. My grandparents who are Christmas experts went above and beyond this year to make Len's first Christmas extra special. My family has always been really supportive of our relationship which has helped us a lot over the years. On Christmas eve, we had a super traditional Italian meal, which consisted of different fish.. and oh boy, was it delicious. Then, we opened presents and well everyone was very generous to us this year :)

Christmas day was more quiet and we just had a small meal since my family celebrates Christmas eve instead of Christmas day. Since Christmas we have been going around trying to get all of our last minute to do's off our lists. It will be weird knowing that we will be leaving here for so long. Lenin has been feeling homesick lately, but yesterday while we were driving to the store he told me about how he thought he would be happier to leave to Cancun, but now realizes he will miss Canada a lot. We will miss Canada because of my family, and how wonderful of a country this is with lots of opportunities, but we are happy to return to Cancun to be with family and friends, the warmth, culture, and many other things.

This Christmas I realized how thankful and blessed I am to have two different places in the world that we can call home.

Merry Almost Christmas!

Christmas is coming and Toronto is cold, cold, cold! I just wanted to take a few minutes to say how thankful I am for all the new friends I made since opening my blog. It is really nice to meet people experiencing similar situations and  that is something I am truly thankful for! I really wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope that it is filled with lots of happiness, joy,and delicious food! This Christmas is especially exciting for me because it is Lenin's first Christmas in Canada and the 25th of December is actually when we went on our very first date :) He will get to experience Christmas true Canadian/Italian style with lots and lots of food, snow, and hot chocolate!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!


xoxo,

Milena

Building a Home Gym!

One of our biggest projects once we get back to Cancun is to make a home gym for ourselves to avoid paying the crazy monthly membership fee's for a decent gym! Lenin and I are fitness nerds. We rarely eat out, we exercise 5 days a week, and our very health conscious! We do not drink, or smoke. In fact, neither of us have ever even smoked a cigarette! A decent gym in Cancun range from 500 to 1,000 pesos a month (roughly 50-100 CAN Dollars) to join a gym. We also won't be living close to the regular gym we went to in Cancun so it was motivated us more to start our own. For the past week, me and Len have been on the hunt for light equipment that is travel-friendly,economical, and practical for us.

One thing I love about Cancun is how exercise friendly it is. Taking a jog outside is very doable all year round which is something I love. There is also outdoor gyms, which are completely gratis! The Hotel Zone is also another excellent area that offers paths to roller blade or bike, or of course if you are up for it, a nice run on the beach! This is a major plus for a fitness geek like me! In Toronto, unless you are very brave and can endure being outside for a long time in temperatures that makes your whole body numb, working out for free is almost impossible all year round. We have already begun to work out at home and so far are loving it, I have a feeling being in Cancun will make it even better!

Len is also constructing his own set of monkey bars himself once we get there, I will post pics of our own little Gym as soon as it's ready!!

See you soon!!!!!! :)

I finished University!

Wow, that is so weird to say. Well ladies, I did it and I couldn't be happier!! Finally all my hard work and determination has paid off!! :) My last exam went surprisingly well which was just the cherry on top! Now that I am done, I have lots of time to think about packing and finishing up all of the last minute errands before leaving.

So yesterday, my boyfriend and I had a long talk and we decided that if I could find something, it would be a great experience for me to teach English in Mexico. So while on my break from studying, I looked around on some forums and saw a site that was about teaching English in Mexico.. If anyone has some first hand experience, I would love for you to share your story with me. I would even like to see if I was able to get a teaching position at a private school, but I only have a degree, would that be enough? I guess it's time to start researching!!!

What books to bring

So I decided to take the rest of the night off from studying on concentrate some more on packing some more stuff. So here I am, looking over my lists of things to pack and I look over at my book list.. I have decided to bring some of my book collection.. Before you say it, I know books are heavy, I know I should invest in a kindle, but I just can't seem to do it.. I tried out my cousin's for a few days and it just wasn't the same. Wierd? Probably, but it's just how I feel.. maybe because her's was one of the first one's that came out.. I dunno. Anyways back to the post. So I really don't know what to do about my books! Books in English in Mexico are hard to come by.. Last time I went for a few months I brought 3 books and its was a big mistake, my boyfriend and I went on a hunt for two days to look for some more for me and they were no where to be found, and when they were the selection was not very good, and really overpriced! So this is what I am thinking..bring five of my all time favourites, and then buy five new ones.. or just get over it and invest in a Kindle that way I can have all the books I want and don't have to worry about space and weight and anything else.. what do you guys think?!

Also, I need some recommendations for some new books! I love Emily Giffin, Sophia Kinsella.. so I guess chick-lit.. Hey don't judge me, it's my guilty pleasure! When I read, I like to read something light and upbeat, unless the book is really good and highly recomended then I will read it no matter what genre.

Any suggestions?!

Milena

Starting to wrap things up

So, I am sitting on my bed, trying to get the motivation to study. I am officially two exams away from being a university graduate, which is crazy, wonderful, and scary all at once. This is something I have worked so hard for, and it doesn't feel real.. it is one of the last things I have to do before I leave. I often think about the time we will spend in Mexico.

Before I go back to studying, I want to talk about things I love and hate about Cancun. There are a lot of things in Cancun I simply adore:

• The fact that it is a great mix of a North American City and a Mexican One. What I mean by that is that it has many aspects of NOB culture since it is such a touristic place, but it also has that small town feel.. local businesses still rule there, you can walk down our street and find anything your heart desires.
  

• The weather and the fact that there is no snow. Yes, I hate snow, cold and anything that has to do with winter, lol! For as long as I can remember, I have been a summer type of girl. It's getting cold now and I am so sad. I remember when I first met my BF we had this big debate about what was better, to be too hot, or too cold. I told him I would take too hot anyday, and he told he would pick the cold. Now that he's here, he agrees being too hot is being better than being too cold, I win :) hehe
  
  
• I have a love/hate relationship with the relaxed culture of Cancun. Toronto and Canadian Culture in general is a go,go,go type of city. People are always in a rush, always stressed, always in debt.. I love it here because its efficient, if I need something done, its a very easy step-by-step process. That is not always the case in Cancun (one time we waited a week for a piece of paper we needed to apply for my bf's multiple-entry visa to Canada and I was so frustrated..well at least my bf had a good laugh) But I love that about Cancun too. I love that there the concept of time if fluid, that you don't have to worry about being 15 mins early like you do here, that people aren't in a rush, and everything is slow. I have really bad anxiety, and I have really learned how to control it thanks to Cancun and Mexico's concept of time

Those are some of reasons why I love Mexico and am excited to be there. Not to mention the food, the beach, the people, and much more. I want L to have immigration to Canada so that our future can be better, we can make money, and have more opportunity to decide where we want to live.  There are Pro's and Con's to every place, you just have to decide what is right for you.


I'll post more soon after I am done studying!

Milena

A Little About Me

So I thought I would go a round of questions I saw on another blog's page, so that people can get to know me a little better.. So here goes nothing!

1. If you could picture you life two years from now what would you like to see?

Two years from now I hope to be planning my wedding, hopefully done with immigration, and getting started on our next set of plans/goals.

2. What is the worst habit you feel you have?

I think The worst habit I have is that I worry way too much.. I have been learning to get it under control .. slowly, but surely :)

3. What is your favorite genre of movies?

My favorite genre of movies has to be romance-comedy or sci-fi, lol! Wierd mix I know but I love them for different reasons and I can't pick between them.

4. What are five thing you would include in your to- do list?

Right now there is a lot:

- Finish University
- Finish Packing
- Make another to do list so I don't forget anything
- Make Banana bread for my family (my specialty, everyone loves when I make it!)
- Go to the gym
      
5. Are you still in contact with any childhood friends?

I am in contact with a few childhood friends, but for the most part no. We have grown in separate directions, and I really don't have too much in common with them.

6. Do you get along well with family members and relatives?

I do! Maybe a little too well :P My family and I are really close and I will miss them very much once I am in Cancun! Most of them will actually be there when we first fly in.. so that will be nice :)
  
7. If you were to win 10 million what would you do with the money?

Haha, oh man. I think First I would buy a house here in Canada, and in Cancun, then buy house for my family as well! Donate a lot of it to a variety of charities, and start a small business.

8. Have you ever been in a physical fight? Any details?

No I have never been in any physical fights, I have stepped in for my friends when I was younger but nothing serious :)  

9. Three things you could not live without?

My Boyfriend, My family, My books

10.  Have you ever met a celebrity if not who would you chose to meet?
 
No I haven't .. If I could choose I would probably pick Christina Aguilera. Lame, I know.. but I am a long time fan :P
    
11. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

Interesting fact, I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 16 years old because my sister as a baby was allergic to silver and so my mom never got them for me, and didn't want me to so as soon as I was old enough I took myself... turns out i'm allergic too :P Then earlier this year I got my belly button pierced.. After almost fainting (lol) I got an allergic reaction to it as well, and had to take it out.. :(

Well that is all! Hope you enjoyed and am looking forward to reading others responses!

Milena

Our Jouney Begins!

In one month today we will be leaving to Cancun, Mexico! We are very excited and very busy wrapping up everything here to get prepared. Cancun is my Boyfriend's hometown, and he has been with me here in Canada for the past six months while I finished up my university courses here in Toronto. We are doing something this time I have never done before, going in with no expectations. It's strangley liberating, causes me a bit of anxiety, but overall I am really happy with our plans. We have an apartment, his family, and lots of job prospects! We are trying to chose what to pack, what we can buy, and everything in between. For those of you living in Mexico, what did you bring?

I wanted to start a blog because I have been reading so many and realized what a great way it is to document your life, and connect with others.

Another Blog will be coming shortly, Once I get the hang of this!

I'll keep you posted!

Milena