Saga of Seven Suns – The Conclusion!

I just finished the final book of Saga of Seven Suns. When you read series books it is always a hit or miss. Or at least for me it is like that. Sometimes they are great and you cannot wait to pick up the next one, or they are horrible and you just feel the obligation to finish it. Sometimes the series just gets old…much like the Anita Blake series did after something like book number 15 or so. Saga of Seven Suns is nothing like that. The series is amazing. It is a scifi series based in the future when the human race has expanded their power into the Spiral Arm which is part of the Milky Way. The human race has since evolved into 3 main groups. The Terran Hanseatic League aka the Hansa, which is run by an evil, manipulative Chairman named Basil Wenceslas, The Roamers who clans of families (gypsies) who roam around the spiral arm and have created their own government, and the Theroc who live on a the plant of Worldtrees and is the home planet of the “green priests” who have the ability to communicate to one another through the trees. I have been reading this series for about 6-7 months and have written a few other blogs about it already. So this blog is not a re-cap of all 7 books, just a review on my conclusion. If you want to learn more about each book in particular feel free to read my other blogs:

Hidden Empire: Saga of Seven Suns

Saga of Seven Suns Book 2 A Forest of Stars

The Saga of Seven Suns Continues

These blogs just look at the first 3-4 books, it was then that I just went through them so quickly and so much was going on that I decided just to wait until I had finished it to continue writing.

First, or Second, not really sure what, I want to say that this series was AMAZING! I couldn’t wait to start reading it again, I wish I could have just wasted a weekend reading cover to cover, but unfortunately I don’t seem to find the “free” days to do that anymore. These books made me laugh, cry, want to scream, you name it. It pulled every emotion that I had. I got angry and happy and sad. The last half of the last book had me sitting on the edge of my seat so to speak. So many twists and turns!
If you enjoy reading, and you like Sci-Fi, this series should be on your list. Heck, even if you are not a big fan of Sci-Fi, you should still read it. If you like love stories, there is a love story in here. If you like war stories, there is a war in here. If you like action, there is action in here. If you like mystery, there is mystery in here. You name it, you can find it!

I have recommended this to all of my friends that are as passionate about reading as I am, to pick this series up. And they will because I recommended The Tale of the Otori (another amazing trilogy!!!) too them and they both loved it.

So overall, I would not only rate on of the books with 8 out of 10 stars, but the whole series!!!

Staying Warm in the Winter...Option 1

I wrote this sample blog for something, but it was never used. My best friend said I should post it because it was good and a great example of my writing skills and that the people were crazy to not use it (she is also bias, because she loves me)! :-) I spent quite a while working on this "post" and I was actually pretty proud of how it turned out. So here it is...my blog about where to go for winter vacation!

With winter in full swing, the thought of spending lazy days lounging on warm beaches or golfing on the green seem like an unreachable dream. With palm trees running along the second largest bay in the western hemisphere, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has an abundance of attractions & activities that can make a family vacation or a romantic get-a-way a perfect reality.

Whether it is spending the day sightseeing at the crystal beaches and natural rock formations or shopping at the quant downtown boutiques and galleries, Puerto Vallarta is a preferred destination. With the average temperature of 80F, the marina is always bustling with boats and a variety of water activities. Puerto Vallarta is even known for their active night life with a variety of clubs and bars scattered along the bay.

With beautiful beachfront hotels, Puerto Vallarta provides a little bit of everything from beaches to jungles. Nothing is as romantic as watching the sun set from a beautiful pergolas. This historical town provides a more rustic Mexican feel, then many of the larger resorts in Mexico such as Cancun. Strolling along the cobble streets and enjoying the famous lady of Guadalupe church, makes emails and responsibilities a distant memory.

What I Learnt During My Job Hunt & How It May Help You!

I have spent most of 2010 searching for a new job. I decided over Thanksgiving that when I got home, I needed to seriously start looking for a new job. I was very nervous in the beginning, because, let’s face it, the economy out there. But I was dying at my previous job and I needed to get out. It wasn’t that I was over worked, it wasn’t because I didn’t like the people I worked with, and it wasn’t because I didn’t like the company. If fact, I loved the people, the company and the work that I did. I always felt challenged and loved learning new things. I guess, you could say, I didn’t feel financially appreciated, and I didn’t feel that the promises that they made to me were kept. So I start my new job NEXT WEEK, and I am über excited and ready to get to work!

But this blog isn’t about why I put myself back on the market in search of a new job, but a blog about interviewing. Some things I found helpful and common questions that I was asked.

In this blog I hope you find some tips that you may find useful in preparing for on your next interview.

First some helpful tips:

1) Always be prepared – don’t walk into an interview blind. Learn as much as you can about the company and the people you are interviewing with before you go in. Check out their website, look them up on Facebook, see if they have a company blog, or are on twitter. If you know the people you are going to be interviewing with, look them up on LinkedIn or even Google them. Interviews are like a college exam…you study first, you don’t go into the exam blind.
2) Dress to impress – people make first impressions within the first 30 seconds of looking at you. Make sure you look your best. If you are a girl, like me, don’t overdo the makeup, or wear really short skirts or really high heels. Some men are intimidated by a woman that is taller than they are (although they will never admit it) and some women automatically have negative feelings towards a female that is more attractive or has a better body then they do.
3) Limit the amount of time you talk – I get nervous when I interview, like a lot of people do, and I ramble when I am nervous, so for me…limiting the amount of time I talk, is very hard. Everyone who knows me well, knows that I ramble and I don’t even realize I am doing it, so when I go in for an interview, I have to think…very hard…about not rambling. Even if what I am rambling about is relevant, it is just never a good thing to do.
4) Bring a portfolio/resume – although this is not relevant for all jobs, for a lot of jobs it is. If you have samples of work you have done in the past, always bring it with you. Even if they don’t mention it, it makes you look prepared. If you don’t have a portfolio, make sure you have a copy of your resume. AND offer it to them “I brought a copy of my resume just in case you need it” helps you to look organized :-)

Those are just a few easy tips to help you before going in for that nerve racking interview.

Now the interview itself. While I was looking for a new job, I went to something like 6 interviews, and although each company had some unique questions, I found it entertaining that most of them asked a few of the exact same questions, so these are the ones I will share with you.

1) Tell me a little bit about yourself? – this is a very common questions, this was the first question I was asked EVERY time I walked into the interview. Give a short overview of who you are…not a 5 min description, just 3-4 sentences.
2) What is your greatest strength? – this question is great, because it really does give you a chance to really let the interviewer know what you are really good at and where you really excel. Give 3-4 examples of your greatest strengths.
3) What is your greatest weakness? – this question is not a time to actually say what you suck at. This is a chance for you to show a weakness and turn it into a strength.
4) How do you handle stress? - tell them how you overcame a stressful situation. But if you do not do well under stress and this is a high stress job, maybe you should look somewhere else instead of lie, because they will know within a few days of you working at the company if you can’t handle stress, then you have to start looking for a new job and they have to start looking for a new employee.
5) What is an example of a challenge you faced and how did you overcome it? – try to think of a unique challenge that you had to overcome and how you did it. There are always challenges on the job, so you will be able to think of something. If it is your first job interview, use a challenge you faced in college, maybe an essay deadline.
6) Why are you leaving your current job? – be honest, but do not bad mouth your previous employer, no matter how negative your feelings are.
7) What are you passionate about? – if you love to do charity work, or if you love to work out, or if you love to read novels and go to the movies, just be honest. It helps the interviewer get to know you better!
8) Give an example of a time you had to work as a team? – we have all had experiences working in a team situation, be it high school, college, or in the “real world”. Companies just want to make sure that you will be able to work well with others. So any good example will do!
9) If you could redo the past 5 years of your life, what you would do differently? – Personally for me, I always say nothing….because every experience that I have overcome has lead me to where I am today and I love who I am now and where I am and I don’t want to change that! And that one always seems to go over well for me.
10) Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it? – this is not one of those questions that you can get wrong, just have a situation in your mind when you go in and give a good example. I always use the same one, because it is a good example of how my creativity help to meet an important deadline!
11) Who is your role model? – be honest, my answer, again is always the same. My mum. She accomplished so much in her life, that if I can be half the woman she is…I have achieved great things! And I truly believe this, and you can tell when I talk about it!
12) What interested you about this job? – this is always one that I get asked, and the employer is just trying to see how much you know about the job you are applying for. So just saying how you meet the qualifications that they listed in the job posting and how you can do this and enjoy doing these things, will pretty much cover this question
13) Why should we hire you? – This is just another opportunity for you to promote why you are qualified for this job and for you to let them know what you can bring to the table.
14) What would you contribute to this company? – this questions is almost redundant, again, you just tell them what you can bring to the table.
15) Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? – for me this question is easy, I want to be in a management position (I have always wanted minions) be for others this question is the hardest. Like my best friend, she hates this question! She honestly doesn’t know where she sees herself in 5 years! Here, just tell them what your goals are. Don’t use examples like “going back to school” or “having a family” because both of these could mean that you will leave, leave to go back to school or leave to have a family. Keep your answers goal job oriented like, “I want to grow with a company and continue to develop and grow” or “I see myself growing my skills”

These are some of the questions that I have encountered while I was on the job hunt. Most likely on your next interview you will be asked most of if not all of these questions! Make sure you know how you are going to answer them. Practice with a friend. I practice all the time with my friend, she is the best!

My final note - always get their email address so that you can email them a “Thank you for your time” make it short and to the point, but include that you are interested in the position and look forward to hearing from them in the future.

So good luck to anyone who reads this blog and has an upcoming interview!

Reliquary (Pendergast, Book 2)

Reliquary picks up where the epilogue of Relic left off. And I must say right of the bat, that this book was much better than Relic.

It begins with two skeletons being discovered in the Harlem River. Both skeletons are found headless, just like Mbwun did to his victims. At first the police do on pick up on the connection, but when Sergeant Laura Hayward points out that a large number of similar murders were occurring to the Mole People (homeless individuals living under New York, in an underground society) and Captain D’Agosta & Captain Waxie realize that the situation may be bigger than they first assumed. Captain D’Agosta sees a number of similarities between the original Mbwun killings and the current murders and calls in the original team to take a look.

The Captain calls in Margo Green and Dr. Frock (both assisted in the original defeat of Mbwun), who agree to look into this new string of murders with the assistance of Agent Pendergast from the FBI.

Realizing that the Mole People have been dealing with these attacks for far longer than the citizens and Police of New York city, Agent Pendergast disguises himself and goes underground to meet with Mesphisto, the leader of the Central Park underground community.

Mesphisto had already taken it upon himself to reach out to the police about the killings but when that failed, he contacted Bill Smithback, the journalist who published the book on the New York Museum monster. Mesphisto told Smithback about a mysterious group of beings, they dubbed the Wrinklers that had been terrorizing the Mole People for months.

It is not long before Margo Green & Pendergast realize that the “Wrinklers” were actually a modified version of the Mbwun monster. They uncover that Gregory Kawakita had adapted the Mbwun plant into a drug and had been testing it on people who soon realized that the drug was not only giving them an addictive high, but transforming them into monsters. The Wrinklers killed Kawakita after he developed a conscious for what he had done to those people and they destroyed his lab.

However, Green & Pendergast now have to figure out who is leading the Mole People now, where the drug is being developed now that Kawakita is dead and his lab destroyed, and how to kill the Wrinklers who are just as fast and intelligent as Mbwun.

I, personally, enjoyed this book much more than Relic. It was more action packed and quick. Relic, at times, seemed to drag, but Reliquary keeps you reading with its twists and turns. I must admit that I did not see the ending coming, and I am usually good at guessing those things, but this one…caught me off guard!

Relic (Pendergast, Book 1)

I just finished reading Relic (Pendergast, Book 1), it was not until I was a good ¼ of the way into the book did I feel the need to text my boyfriend and ask if this book was possible a movie. Which I learnt there was. I had seen the movie years ago on a plane flying home for the summer. I must have been around 14 and all I remembered was a monster in the New York City Museum. So I can’t say how similar the book and the movie are, or how horrible of a job they did turning it into a movie (because they usually do a really horrible job).

Relic starts with a number of gruesome murders taking place in the New York Museum of Natural History right before a superstition exhibit opens. A number of people have been found with the head removed the their frontal lobe & pituitary gland missing.


One of the pieces that is to be displayed in the exhibit is the Mbwun (meaning “He who walks on all fours”), a statue of a monstrous ½ man ½ reptile. The statue was discovered in the Brazilian rainforest while Dr. Julian Whittlesey is searching for proof of the Kothoga. Dr. Julian Whittlesey disappears upon his return to New York.

As more murders take place on museum property FBI agent Pendergast shows up. He works alongside the NYPD to help bring in the murdered before opening night. However, it soon becomes relevant that the murderer is not a man, but in fact a beast of some kind. Margo Green, a grad student at the museum finds the DNA link that proves the murder is in fact a creature with human instances.

Refusing to close down the museum Dr. Ian Cuthbert is convinced that even though the murders are occurring, the superstition exhibit must go on, putting everyone who attends that exhibition in danger.

As the exhibition opens things begin to go downhill fast and it is up to Maro Green, her advisor Dr. Frock and Detective Pendergast to stop the monster that is now on an anger driven rampage through the hundreds of guests who are trapped inside the museum

I must say that this is not one of the best books that I have read, but now that I have finished it, I will move onto Book 2, Reliquary.

This book seemed to drag a little and it had more dialog in some places then was needed. The book had its moments where it moved along at a very decent pace, and in some places it died down and dragged.

I think I shall watch the movie next, hopefully it is better than the book.

My Trip…Down the Stairs

For those of you how know me, know that I can be a bit of a clutz. I spend a lot of time running into things and falling over and off of things. It really does help keep me on my toes.

I am very well known in some special circles for my ability to trip while walking up the stairs. This seems to happen to me almost on a daily basis, so it doesn’t bother me too much. I have learnt to hold onto things, wear sensible shoes and so on. BUT falling down the stairs, this is a different episode all together. Overall, I have prided myself on my ability to not fall down the stairs and end up face first on the bottom landing, but my pride was surely crushed last week.

This past week, I was feeling a little under the weather, dizzy, congested, and exhausted, but I was heading off to work anyway. I was running a few minutes late, because you never really know how much time a puppy will need in the morning, so I had everything in my hands. My phone, purse, lunch, keys and of course the trash bags were all securely wrapped up in my two hands. I am walking cautiously down the stairs because I know that my hands are full, and I don’t want to drop anything.

I am about four steps from the landing when I completely miss a step. Suddenly I find myself tumbling towards the ground and all I can think is “OMG, I don’t want to break my phone!”. So I hold fast to everything in my hands, deciding that this is a better choice than bracing my fall, and hit the concrete with a thud. I feel a sharp pain shoot into both of my knees and I am sure that I have done at least some minor damage to my wrist.

But have no fear! THE PHONE IS SECURE!

Lying on the ground, with trash scattered around me I think to myself, “Thank Gawd no one was here to witness this travesty,” but boy was I wrong. I hear a man call out from a distance, “Are you ok?” and I look up to see an elderly man making his way to me. Completely embarrassed that I have not managed to keep this tragic episode a hidden secret, I jump up, allowing the pain from my knees to shoot down my legs. Adrenalin rushing, I no longer feel pain and assume that I am perfectly fine. I quickly gather up the contents of my spilled trash.
“I’m fine,” I mumble to the man as I turn redder than a tomato (which, for a mixed girl like myself, is truly a feat to be proud of) and I rush off to my car. I toss the ripped trash bag onto the floorboard thinking to myself, there is no way I am going to spend any additional time in that mans line of sight. I jam the keys into the ignition and rush off to work.

It is only once I hit the highway that I become of aware of the blood that is running down my left arm and down both of my legs. I have to wait until I am at work before I can fumble with some Band-Aids, in a meager, non-medical attempt to patch myself up.

And of course…..It was a Thursday, because I never could get the hang of Thursdays!

So it is a week later, the open wound on my wrist has healed nicely, and it will only leave a dime size scare. My right knee is right as rain, but my left one is still refusing to heal and stop bleeding. My beloved boyfriend has recommended I burn it shut, but I figure, since I have insurance and all…if need be, I will go get some stitches.

So that is my tale about my trip down the stairs…. and the moral of this story if there is one…is, be careful were you step because the landing could be farther away than you think.

This Place

Sometime you just have a song that seems to fit your mood for the day. Or you just have a song that no matter what you are doing you always love to hear it. I have a few songs like that, but today, while busy busy busy at work, dealing with 101 things all at one time and realizing that this day is just not long enough to get everything done, the song "This Place" - by the Decendents starts to play on my iPod.

I love all types of music, everything from hip-hop to punk rock, but my favorite has and most likely always will be PunkRock. something about that F' the world and Damn the Man always makes me smile!

So the lyrics for the song that fits me perfectly today:

This Place Sux
I Haven't Found A Single Thing To Call My Own
And There's Nothing Left For Me To Do
Just Play The Game, Pretend To Do Work
No My Boss Isn't A Jerk
It's Just This Place
This Place Sux
I Been Slinking Through The Halls Like An Unwashed Dog
And Everybody Treats Me Like A Criminal
Talk About Me Behind My Back
At Least I Don't Have A Stick Up My Ass
Like The People In This Place
This Place Sux
This Place Sux
This Place Sux
I Feel My Confidence Draining Away
I Feel Them Laughing At Me Everyday
I Never Thought It Would End Up This Way
Good Thing I'm Not Going To Stay
This Place Sux
I Haven't Found A Single Friend In Three Whole Years
Cause There's Nobody Here But The Bible Boys
Talking About Their White Bread Politics
Gotta Leave The Room Cause You're Making Me Sick
Gotta Leave This Place
This Place Sux